Monday, November 8, 2021

One Man's Maple Moon: Heavy Throb Tanka by Thelma Mariano

English Original

the heavy throb
of a diesel engine
long into night
comforts me in sleep --
the rhythm of your heart

Thelma Mariano

 
Chinese Translation (Traditional)

漫漫長夜
柴油機引擎
沉重的抽動聲音
安慰在睡夢中的我 --
你心跳的節奏

Chinese Translation (Simplified)

漫漫长夜
柴油机引擎
沉重的抽动声音
安慰在睡梦中的我 --
你心跳的节奏


Bio Sketch

Thelma Mariano is the author of Night Sky: a Selection of Tanka Poetry. She lives in Montreal and has published her tanka in literary journals as well as in various anthologies including Fire Pearls and Take Five: Best Contemporary Tanka.

1 comment:

  1. Tonally and emotionally speaking, in light of L4 (about comforting the speaker's in his/her sleep), Ls 1&2, the "heavy throb/of a diesel engine," function more like an implicit simile for L5, the "rhythm of your heart[beat]," taking on the symbolic significance (of the speaker's loved one's healthy heart).

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