A mouse, some wasps, Zhuangzi and me

There was a mouse.
What a cat left over
do banquet some wasps.
Somehow my future.
Who will eat me?*

* Which reminds me of "The Death of Zhuangzi".

Butterfly's Dream

Once Zhuangzi dreamt he was a butterfly, a butterfly flitting and fluttering around, happy with himself and doing as he pleased. He didn't know he was Zhuangzi. Suddenly he woke up and there he was, solid and unmistakable Zhuangzi. But he didn't know if he was Zhuangzi who had dreamt he was a butterfly, or a butterfly dreaming he was Zhuangzi. Between Zhuangzi and a butterfly there must be some distinction! This is called the Transformation of Things. (2, tr. Burton Watson 1968:49)

 

„Einst träumte Dschuang Dschou, dass er ein Schmetterling sei, ein flatternder Schmetterling, der sich wohl und glücklich fühlte und nichts wußte von Dschuang Dschou. Plötzlich wachte er auf: da war er wieder wirklich und wahrhaftig Dschuang Dschou. Nun weiß ich nicht, ob Dschuang Dschou geträumt hat, dass er ein Schmetterling sei, oder ob der Schmetterling geträumt hat, dass er Dschuang Dschou sei, obwohl doch zwischen Dschuang Dschou und dem Schmetterling sicher ein Unterschied ist. So ist es mit der Wandlung der Dinge."

"Schmetterlingstraum", published in Dschuang Dsï - Südliches Blütenland, Eugen Diederichs Verlag, p. 52

Zhuangzi / Zhuang Zhou

The Death of Zhuangzi

Zhuangzi was dying, and his disciples wanted to bury him splendiferously. Spake Zhuangzi: "Heaven and earth are my coffin. Sun and moon are my jade rings, the stars my pearls and gems, and the whole creation escorts me. Thus, I shall have a splendid funeral. What else would you add?" Spake the disciples: "We are afraid, crows and kites might eat the master." Spake Zhuangzi: "Unburied I serve crows and kites as nutrition, buried worms and ants. To take from the one to give to the other: why being such biased?

[Humble attempt to translate "Der Tod des Dschuang Dsï", published in Dschuang Dsï - Südliches Blütenland, Eugen Diederichs Verlag, p. 294]