Thursday, January 5, 2017

One Man's Maple Moon: Ring Tanka by Christine L. Villa

English Original

by the fountain
with a ring encircling
my finger ...
all I knew then
was the word forever

The Bluebird’s Cry, 2016

Christine L. Villa


Chinese Translation (Traditional)

噴水池旁
轉動我手指上
的戒指 ...
那時我所知道的事
祗是永遠這一字

Chinese Translation (Simplified)

喷水池旁
转动我手指上
的戒指 ...
那时我所知道的事
祗是永远这一字


Bio Sketch

An animated story teller and an artist by nature, Christine L. Villa dabbles in children's writing, Japanese short-form poetry, and photography. She is the founder and editor of Frameless Sky -- a video journal showcasing poets, artists, and musicians in collaborative projects. She blogs her haiku, tanka, and haiga at Blossom Rain.

2 comments:

  1. Structurally and thematically speaking, the tanka is effectively framed by these emotionally significant and symbolically rich phrases, "by the fountain" and " the word forever." And the contrasts (presence vs absence, past vs present, happiest moment vs poignant remembrance, ...) between the two parts of the poem are heartwrenching.

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  2. Thank you so much, Chen-ou, for featuring this poem from my poetry book, The Bluebird's Cry. I also love your comment about my tanka. I really appreciate it coming from an award-winning poet whom I have admired for years. - Chrissi

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