English Original
a do-nothing
all his adult life
now useful
his ashes put to work
in the garden
Atlas Poetica, 25, 2016
Ignatius Fay
Chinese Translation (Traditional)
他的成年生活
都是無所事事
現在卻是有用
他的骨灰埋在花園裡
發揮效用
Chinese Translation (Simplified)
他的成年生活
都是无所事事
现在却是有用
他的骨灰埋在花园里
发挥效用
Bio Sketch
Ignatius Fay was a retired invertebrate paleontologist. His poems has appeared in many of the most respected online and print journals, including The Heron’s Nest, Modern Haiku, Ars Poetica, Gusts, Chrysanthemum and Eucalypt. Books: Breccia (2012), a collaboration with fellow haiku poet, Irene Golas; Points In Between (2011), an anecdotal history of his first 23 years. He was the editor of the Haiku Society of America Bulletin. Ignatius resided in Sudbury, Ontario, Canada.
The contrasts, thematic and emotional, between the two parts (about life vs death) of this satirical tanka stir the reader's emotions and reflection on the meaning/significance of one's life and death.
ReplyDeleteAnd it might be interesting to do a thematic comparative reading of the following tanka written in the time of Covid19:
in the garden
the dwindling petals
of the daffodil
the blessing of a death
from natural causes
Dance into the World, 2020
Marianne Paul