kidding around
carried my mother
piggyback
I stopped dead, and cried,
she's so light...
Takuboku: Poems to Eat translated by Carl Sesar
Ishikawa Takuboku
Chinese Translation (Traditional)
為了好玩
將母親背在
我的背上 ...
我停止走動，並哭泣
因為她是如此地輕
Chinese Translation (Simplified)
为了好玩
将母亲背在
我的背上...
我停止走动，并哭泣
因为她是如此地轻
Bio Sketch
One of the most popular tanka poets of all time, Ishikawa Takuboku (1886-1912) began as a member of the Myōjō ("Morning Star") group, the organ of a poetry circle called New Poetry Society which was founded by Yosano Tekkan in 1899. His major works were A Handful of Sand and Sad Toys. Takuboku was especially known for his advocacy of new poetry called “poems to eat.” For more information, see my "To the Lighthouse" post, titled "Poems to Eat."
This tanka was written on the night of June 23, 1908 that was the beginning of one of those unique creative interludes experienced by the gifted few. The poverty-stricken poet Ishikawa Takuboku wrote at least 246 tanka in fifty hours.Most importantly, 100 of these tanka written in those three days were published in the July 1908 issue of Myojo, edited by tanka reformer Tekkan Yosano (Akiko Yosano's husband). For more information, see my "To the Lighthouse" post, titled "Revision, Revision, and Revision, " which can be accessed at http://neverendingstoryhaikutanka.blogspot.ca/2013/04/to-lighthouse-revision-revision-and.html
ReplyDeleteThe opening image is an inversion of the then-familiar scene that the mother carried the son piggyback.
ReplyDeleteThe tonal and emotive shift in the lower verse is poignant.