our friendship rattles
this way and that
the scraping
of a rusty gate
in an autumn wind
Cattails, April, 2017
Hazel Hall
Chinese Translation (Traditional)
我們的友誼搖搖欲墜
有時好有時壞
在秋風中
生鏽大門
不間斷的摩擦聲
Chinese Translation (Simplified)
我们的友谊摇摇欲坠
有时好有时坏
在秋风中
生锈大门
不间断的摩擦声
Bio Sketch
Hazel
Hall is a Canberra poet, musicologist and convenor of the School of
Music Poets. She has published in a wide range of local and overseas
journals and anthologies. Her publications include Sugar Loaf and Humming Birds with John Collard (2013), Eggshell Sky (2017) and Moonlight Over the Siding (forthcoming).
The opening statement, Ls 1&2, serves as a warning bell that the speaker's relationship is on shaky ground while the closing multisensory image of Ls 3-5 enhances the tone and mood of the tanka. On second reading, the "rusty gate" in L4 works well as a symbol for the relationship described in L1.
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