Saturday, March 8, 2014

One Man's Maple Moon: Words of Love Tanka by Alegria Imperial

English Original

the way her hand
rests on his palm like
moon on water
mirrors words of love
never spoken

Moonbathing, 8, June 2013

Alegria Imperial


Chinese Translation (Traditional)

她的手
放在他手掌的樣子像是
月亮在水面上
反映從未說過
的情話

Chinese Translation (Simplified)

她的手
放在他手掌的样子像是
月亮在水面上
反映从未说过
的情话


Bio Sketch

Alegria Imperial’s haiku for Haiku Foundation’s 2012 Haiku Competition was Commended in the traditional category. She has also won honorable mentions in the 2007 Vancouver Cherry Blossoms Festival Invitational Haiku and her tanka adjudged Excellent, 7th International Tanka Festival Competition 2012. Her poetry have been published in international journals among them A Hundred Gourds, The Heron’s Nest, LYNX, Notes from the Gean, eucalypt and GUSTS. Formerly of Manila Philippines, she now lives in Vancouver, BC, Canada.

2 comments:

  1. The efficacy of the simile employed in the poem is contained in its capacity to suggest a thematic and emotional context in which to explore a love relationship between him and her.

    It's interesting that this allusive (or illusory) image, "moon on water," is situated in the center of the poem.

    Note: L3 alludes to a Chinese idiom: “flowers in the mirror and the moon on the water (Chinese: 鏡花水月; Japanese: Kyōka Suigetsu).

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  2. Moonlight and romance ... sigh!

    A lovely tanka.

    marion

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