Qilin
Over water’s face /
hooved dragon-fish glides softly, /
bringing bright fortune. //
Gentle feet do not /
break a single blade of grass /
but woe to evil.
Image: Qilin shown in the Ming Dynasty style – a hooved dragon-fish. Wikipedia.
Rokurokubi
Head of prankster roams: /
unsuspecting visitor /
shrieks in terror. Ha! //
Woe to cursed woman /
hiding her nature, afraid: /
unbearable shame. //
Image: Rokurokubi from Gazu Hyakki Yakō by Toriyama Sekien. Wikipedia
Explanation
The qilin is a hooved mythical creature that combines several types of animals and is said to be an omen of good luck. It is seen when a sage or benevolent ruler is soon to appear or soon to pass away. The qilin is usually gentle but will defend the innocent against evil. It can walk on water and it can walk on grass without trampling the blades. During the Ming Dynasty it was depicted as part dragon, fish, and ox.
Rokurokubi “look like normal human beings by day, but at night they gain the ability to stretch their necks to great lengths”. Some do not know that they are rokurokubi: “[they] stretch their necks out while asleep in an involuntary action; upon waking up in the morning, they find they have weird dreams regarding seeing their surroundings in unnatural angles.” Others know their natures and enjoy scaring people – they may choose to scare anybody and everybody, or they may reveal themselves “only to drunkards, fools, the sleeping or the blind in order to satisfy these urges” (Wikipedia).
Wonderful haiku, Jen! You compose so well.
Thank you so much!
Can you believe we’ve gotten to Q and R already? Wonder what the next series should be?
I almost want to revisit the Nations again … or perhaps real animals this time?
Or aspects of human life? So many choices!
I’m glad you joined this journey.
Love your ‘Qilin’! A dragon I had never heard of before! Thank you!
Glad you liked it!
Kind of takes sleep walking to a whole new angle… Going to have to pay attention to my weirder dreams to see if I might be a rokurokubi.
Kind of makes you wonder … all those times when you have dreams where you are watching yourself or seeing more than you probably *should* see … hmmm….maybe there’s something to those dreams!
Oh wait … you DO have those types of dreams, don’t you? (Perhaps I am a rokurokubi and just outed myself! Yikes!)