English Original
December cold
over & over
John Lennon
circles the turntable
Imagine there’s no heaven
Ribbons, 14:3, Fall 2018
Chinese Translation (Traditional)
十二月大寒
一遍又一遍
唱盤轉一圈
約翰藍儂吟唱
想像沒有天堂
十二月大寒
一遍又一遍
唱盘转一圈
约翰蓝侬吟唱
想像没有天堂
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
Evaluated in the thematic context of John Lennon's life (shot dead on December 8 1980) and signature song, "Imagine" (accompanied by a 70-minute promotional film released on "December 23, 1972"), symbolically rich L1 sets the tone and mood of this heartfelt tanka, while the sociopolitical significance and emotional weight of the opening line, L5: "Imagine there’s no heaven," of "Imagine," a plea for world peace, is effectively enhanced by the use of repetition in L2.
ReplyDelete"Imagine" by John Lennon
Imagine there's no heaven
It's easy if you try
No hell below us
Above us only sky
Imagine all the people
Living for today, I
Imagine there's no countries
It isn't hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion too
Imagine all the people
Living life in peace
You may say I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will be as one
Imagine no possessions
I wonder if you can
No need for greed or hunger
A brotherhood of man
Imagine all the people
Sharing all the world, you
You may say I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will live as one