Lino Althaner Arte visual, Lugares y gentes, Poesía China, Chuang Tse, Filosofía, Gentes, Lao Tse, Literatura, Lugares, Octavio Paz, Poesía, Taoismo

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One day about sunset, Zhuangzi dozed off

and dreamed that he turned into a butterfly.

.

He flapped his wings, sure enough he was a butterfly.

What a joyfull feeling as he fluttered about!

He completely forgot that he was Zhuangzi.

Soon though, he realized that that proud butterfly

was really Zhuangzi who dreamed he was a butterfly?

Or was it a butterfly who dreamed he was Zhuangzi?

.

.

.

There is a translation from this poem into spanish by mexican poet and Nobel Prize winner Octavio Paz:

Soñé que era una mariposa.

Volaba en el jardín de rama en rama.

Sólo tenía conciencia de mi existencia de mariposa

y no la tenía de mi personalidad de hombre.

Desperté.

Y ahora no sé si soñaba que era una mariposa

o si soy una mariposa que sueña que es Chuang Tzu.



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c

Chuang-Tzu lived in the IV century before J.C. He is considered the most importante taoist philosopher, after Lao-Tzu.

♣

© 2012

Lino Althaner