in pine shade
for a while I forget
this life will end
Moonset, 7, 2010
Robert Epstein
Chinese Translation (Traditional)
在松蔭中
一時我忘了
此生將會結束
Chinese Translation (Simplified)
在松荫中
一时我忘了
此生将会结束
Bio Sketch
Robert Epstein, a psychologist and haiku poet/anthologist, lives and works in the San Francisco Bay Area. He has edited four anthologies: The Breath of Surrender; Dreams Wander On; The Temple Bell Stops; and Now This. He has written two books of haiku: A Walk Around Spring Lake; and Checkout Time is Noon, as well as a chapbook titled, What My Niece Said in His Head: Haiku and Senryu.
This sentence haiku with a philosophical bent works effectively on at least two levels, literal and symbolic. The phrase, "for a while," combined with the symbolically rich image, "pine shade," adds emotional weight to the poem.
ReplyDelete"Being tough, long-lived and evergreen, pine trees are important symbols of endurance and eternity in Oriental culture. With their year-round foliage, they also bridge the seasons of winter and spring, and although we live in a material world it is good to see that many people still decorate their gateways with the traditional branches of pine to greet the New Year."
-- Takashi Kodaira, The Japan Times: Jan. 6, 2005
Such a wonderful haiku...one feels the impermanent nature of life...for me the pine tree gives one a sense of fragility...branches can snap and crash to the ground death can come at any moment.
ReplyDelete