The butterfly grown old
its spirit plays
among chrysanthemums
—Enomoto Seifu*

蝶老てたましひ菊にあそぶ哉
(chou oite / tamashii kiku ni / asobu kana)

From Oriori no Uta: Poems for all Seasons:

At autumn's end, a butterfly flutters weakly among the chrysanthemums. The flight of this creature so close to death suggests a ghost playing dreamily among the flowers. One feels that the poet, with her keen sensitivity, has become aware of her own aging and is comparing herself to the butterfly.

Seifu became a widow early in life and decided to become a Buddhist nun shortly after. It was at that time that she started her study of haiku. She would go on to become the most famous female haiku poet of her day.

(Woodblock print is by Chizuko Yoshida. It is titled Butterflies Dancing Upward)

*: Tr. Janine Beichman

David LaSpina is an American photographer and translator lost in Japan, trying to capture the beauty of this country one photo at a time and searching for the perfect haiku. He blogs here and at laspina.org.