English Original
the eyes
of a cornered animal
and those of my husband
in my memory
merge for a moment
Breasts of Snow, 2004
Fumiko Nakajo
Chinese Translation (Traditional)
一隻走投無路的動物
的眼睛
和我丈夫的眼睛
在我的記憶中
短暫地合而為一
Chinese Translation (Simplified)
一只走投无路的动物
的眼睛
和我丈夫的眼睛
在我的记忆中
短暂地合而为一
Bio Sketch
Fumiko Nakajo (中城ふみ子, 1922-54) was a strong-willed woman who lived a tragic life. She died from breast cancer at the age of 32, just few months after her first collection of 50 tanka, titled Chibusa Soshitsu (The Loss of Breasts), won the first prize in a nationwide contest sponsored by a major magazine. She is, though almost unknown outside of Japan, considered to be the third in the three most famous Japanese female poets in the last century, right up there with Akiko Yosano and Machi Tawara.
The simile between the eyes of of a cornered animal, Ls 1&2, and those of [the speaker's] husband, L3, is successfully established in Ls 4&5.
ReplyDeleteAnd "what's left unsaid," which is at least as potent as what's stated, in this "middle-of-the-story, relationship tanka" with a visual focus on fear/anxiety (expressed by an cornered animal) is the "impact" of the speaker's husband's fear/anxiety on the marital relationship
FYI: Fear- or Anxiety-Related Aggression: Aggression directed toward a person or animal which is motivated by an animal, such as a dog, that is feeling afraid, which may occur if approached, cornered or trapped, or if the animal is anxious about an uncertain or unpleasant outcome..."Fear or anxiety related aggression is perhaps the most common form of aggression in dogs."