the old Morris chair
where visitors sat
beside the kitchen door
now mine a thousand miles
from my childhood farmhouse
Edward Rielly
Chinese Translation (Traditional)
過去客人曾坐過
的老莫里斯椅子
放置在廚房門旁邊
現在它離我的童年農舍
有一千英里之遠
Chinese Translation (Simplified)
过去客人曾坐过
的老莫里斯椅子
放置在厨房门旁边
现在它离我的童年农舍
有一千英里之远
Bio Sketch
Edward Rielly directs the Writing and Publishing program at Saint Joseph's College of Maine. His recent books include Bread Pudding and Other Memories, Answers Instead: A Life in Haiku (recipient of the Mildred Kanterman Memorial Award), and the children’s picture books Spring Rain Winter Snow and Jugo Meets a Poet.
Enhanced by the culturally rich image of the Morris chair (early type of reclining chair first marketed around 1866 and constantly appearing in popular and patriotic songs), the concrete details open rich layers of contrast and connection between "then" and "now" sketched in the two parts of Edward's nostalgia tanka.
ReplyDeleteNote: for further information about Morris chair, see the Wikipedia entry, "Morris Chair," accessed at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morris_chair