Saturday, October 9, 2021

One Man's Maple Moon: Autumnal Chorus Tanka by Richard St. Clair

English Original

singing the blues
not sure whether they're joyful
or sad
a flood with motley memories
a crazed autumnal chorus

Gusts, 28, Fall/Winter 2018

Richard St. Clair 


Chinese Translation (Traditional)

吟唱藍調歌曲
不確定他們是否快樂
或是悲傷
氾濫的繁雜記憶
瘋狂的秋季合唱

Chinese Translation (Simplified)

吟唱蓝调歌曲
不确定他们是否快乐
或是悲伤
泛滥的繁杂记忆
疯狂的秋季合唱

 
Bio Sketch

Richard St. Clair (b. 1946) is a New England poet and composer of some renown. In addition to writing haiku and tanka, he also writes haibun and is an enthusiastic sonneteer. As a composer he has set the works of many haiku and tanka poets (living and deceased) to music.

2 comments:

  1. The historically significant and culturally and symbolically rich rhetorical question (joyful or sad when singing and listening to the blues, an "African-American music that traverses a wide range of emotions and musical styles, representing the opposing voice that refused to be silenced by oppression and segregation) in Ls 1-3 is not answered, but explored more deeply into the realm of collective memories and historical emotions (in L4) stirred by autumnal sounds (in L5)

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    Replies
    1. It might be interesting to do a comparative reading of the following blues tanka:

      after your goodbye kiss
      the taste
      of chewed-up blues
      played late in the night
      on a saxophone

      Scent of Jasmine and Brine, 2007

      Linda Jeannette Ward

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