"In the pond— / never knowing / its small world" Haiku (English) a lone white lily never knowing its small world— beneath endless stars This haiku can also be read as an allegory for the human condition—how we live as though our own world is all there is. The water lily knows nothing beyond its pond, yet the reader is aware of the endless galaxy stretching above it— that contrast is what makes this poem beautiful. Water lilies blooming in the confines of small ponds or marshes open in the morning and close in the evening—a cycle repeated three times—yet because so many of them bloom in succession, they appear to be in constant The English three-line haiku is printed in an understated corner of the artwork. The addition of text gives the illustration deeper meaning, while lending the piece a refined, design-forward beauty.