English Original
crystal blue
the winter sky
and me,
almost willing
to go to work
M. Kei
Chinese Translation (Traditional)
水晶藍
冬天的天空
和我
幾乎願意
去上班
Chinese Translation (Simplified)
水晶蓝
冬天的天空
和我
几乎愿意
去上班
Bio Sketch
M. Kei is a tall ship sailor and award-winning poet who lives on Maryland’s Eastern shore. He is the editor of Atlas Poetica: A Journal of World Tanka. His most recent collection of poetry is January, A Tanka Diary. He is also the author of the award-winning gay Age of Sail adventure novels, Pirates of the Narrow Seas. He can be followed on Twitter @kujakupoet, or visit AtlasPoetica.org.
The opening image of L1 is visually and emotionally evocative while the statement in Ls 2-5, enhanced by the use of personification, makes this winter tanka effective as a poetic counter response to personified Old Man Winter:
ReplyDeleteHis breath roared out from his lips, Stopping all streams at their source. The feet of Old Man Winter walked upon the earth, freezing all the grass.