English Original
just enough water
for one cup of tea
she murmurs
to the empty chair
about a recurring dream
Rajani Radhakrishnan
Chinese Translation (Traditional)
剛好足夠
一杯茶的水
她喃喃地
對空椅子訴說
一個重複出現的夢
Chinese Translation (Simplified)
刚好足够
一杯茶的水
她喃喃地
对空椅子诉说
一个重複出现的梦
Bio Sketch
Rajani Radhakrishnan is from Bangalore, India. Finding time and renewed enthusiasm for poetry after a long career in Financial Applications, she blogs at thotpurge.wordpress.com . Her poems have recently appeared in The Lake, Quiet Letter, Under the Basho and The Cherita.
The woman's state of mind is effectively portrayed through the psychologically and visually poignant juxtaposition of "one cup of tea," "empty chair," and and "recurring dream." This middle-of-the-story" tanka reminds me of one of the famous modern Japanese tanka, which could be read as a sequel to Rajani's poem:
ReplyDeletebeside me
an illusory chair --
no more nights now
of waiting
and longing for him
Ferris Wheel: 101 Modern and Contemporary Tanka, 2006
Tamiko Ohnishi