(Leaf 43) – Reflection
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| Itō Jakuchū - Leaping Carp (18th Century) |
I always feel there is
something magical in the sound of a fish leaping (out of the placid stillness of a pond,
or a quiet meandering river) to catch an unseen fly. Suddenly being taken unawares, our senses
awoken in the drowsy, shimmering silence of a warm summer’s evening, when idly
wandering in the leaf-dappled shade, or perhaps sitting by the grassy green bank –
seeing only the remnant, reverberating surface disturbance of the water; not
seeing the fish, but continuing to hear the sound long after it has sunk back
below. Did it manage to catch its meal?
The sound
of a fish’s tail,
slapping the water.
