Tuesday, January 7, 2014

One Man's Maple Moon: Puddles Tanka by Carol Purington

English Original

After heavy rain
enough puddles on my path
to flash back at me
all the faces
I might choose to wear today

Ribbons, 2:4, Winter 2006

Carol Purington


Chinese Translation (Traditional)

大雨過後
足夠多的水坑在路上
映照出我今天
可能會選擇
穿戴的面孔

Chinese Translation (Simplified)

大雨过後
足够多的水坑在路上
映照出我今天
可能会选择
穿戴的面孔


Bio Sketch

Carol Purington is at home in the hills of western Massachusetts. She writes about seasonal and emotional rhythms, exploring connections between the worlds inside us and the worlds our bodies interpret. Her works have appeared in English-language haiku/tanka publications, both print and online, and they have won recognition in international contests. She has published three books of tanka: The Trees Bleed Sweetness, A Pattern for This Place, and Gathering Peace.

1 comment:

  1. Ls 1&2 sets the scene and context while Ls 3&5 take on a metaphoric meaning.

    On a second reading, the faces reflected in the puddles, juxtaposed with the journey concept (on my path), signify the speaker's personae.

    Note: Below is excerpted from the Wikipedia entry, Persona:

    A persona (plural personae or personas), in the word's everyday usage, is a social role or a character played by an actor. The word is derived from Latin, where it originally referred to a theatrical mask.[1] The Latin word probably derived from the Etruscan word "phersu", with the same meaning, and that from the Greek πρόσωπον (prosōpon). Its meaning in the latter Roman period changed to indicate a "character" of a theatrical performance or court of law,[citation needed] when it became apparent that different individuals could assume the same role, and legal attributes such as rights, powers, and duties followed the role. The same individuals as actors could play different roles, each with its own legal attributes, sometimes even in the same court appearance.

    ReplyDelete