Tuesday, January 29, 2013

One Man's Maple Moon: Country Town Tanka by Merle Connolly

English Original

country town...
sheep and cattle
roam the hills
I wind back
my father's watch

Grevillea and Wonga Vine 2011, Take Five: Best Contemporary Tanka, Vol. 4

Merle Connolly


Chinese Translation (Traditional)

鄉村小鎮...
牛羊漫遊
山陵之間
我重新調整
父親的手錶

Chinese Translation (Simplified)

乡村小镇...
牛羊漫遊
山陵之间
我重新调整
父亲的手錶


Bio sketch

An older contributor,  Merle Connolly enjoys writing tanka and finds it a very rewarding way of expressing thoughts in a few lines.  There is much to learn about the genre and its origin in Japan many years ago. Merle Connolly has had tanka published in Eucalypt, Grevillea & Wonga Vine, Take Five Vol. 4, Ribbons, Kokako, Moonbathing, Red Lights and Gusts.

2 comments:

  1. The opening image sets the scenic/emotive context for the poem while the closing lines successfully convey a renewed sense of temporality.

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  2. Below is the comment from Merle:

    This poem describes a familiar scene but is primarily concerned with the ephemeral nature of things. Nothing remains static.

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