English Original
a hummingbird
sips from morning glory
and speeds off
my day starts at a pace
much slower with less drama
Neal Whitman
Chinese Translation (Traditional)
一隻蜂鳥
從牽牛花中啜飲花蜜
然後加速飛走
我的一天以較少的戲劇性
較慢的速度展開了
Chinese Translation (Simplified)
一只蜂鸟
从牵牛花中啜饮花蜜
然后加速飞走
我的一天以较少的戏剧性
较慢的速度展开了
Bio Sketch
Neal Whitman is a member of Tanka Society of America and is Vice President of United Haiku and Tanka Society. He lives in Pacific Grove, California, with his wife, Elaine, where walking along Monterey Bay helps them cope with the pandemic. They wear masks out of respect for others.
The comparison between the two parts of the tanka is timely, visually and emotionally effective, and reflectively thoughtful.
ReplyDeleteThis thematic focus of Neal's tanka reminds me of the following remark:
Slow down and enjoy life. It's not only the scenery you miss by going too fast - you also miss the sense of where you are going and why.
― Eddie Cantor