Monday, January 25, 2021

One Man's Maple Moon: Inside Out Tanka by LeRoy Gorman

English Original

umbrella turned inside out
   I was once that child
     who would rather
        catch the rain
           than run 

Dance into the World, 2020

LeRoy Gorman


Chinese Translation (Traditional)


雨傘由內向外翻轉
    我曾經是那個
      孩子他寧願
      在雨中奔跑
        不願躲雨

Chinese Translation (Simplified)


雨伞由内向外翻转
    我曾经是那个
    孩子他宁愿
    在雨中奔跑
     不愿躲雨


Bio Sketch

LeRoy Gorman lives in Napanee, Ontario. His poetry, much of it minimalist and visual, has appeared in publications and exhibitions worldwide. He is the author of two dozen poetry books and chapbooks. He is also the winner of the 2017 Dwarf Stars Award.

1 comment:

  1. The opening line/image sets the context, thematic and visual, while the statement in Ls 2-5 coveys an understated sense of loss (and growth?). And the layout ("upside down" of an umbrella, an object that symbolizes the speaker's view of life) of this concrete/visual tanka enhances the significance, thematic, symbolic, and even emotional, of L1, umbrella turned "inside out."

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