Monday, August 26, 2024

One Man's Maple Moon: Loneliness Tanka by Pamela A. Babusci

English Original

sleeping 
with the stars 
instead of you ...
i dig a grave 
for loneliness 

Modern English Tanka, 1:1, Autumn 2006 

Pamela A. Babusci


Chinese Translation (Traditional)

與星星
一起入睡, 
而不是與你在一起 ...
我開挖一個
為孤獨而死的墳墓

Chinese Translation (Simplified)

与星星
一起入睡,
而不是与你在一起 ...
我开挖一个
为孤独而死的坟墓

 
Bio Sketch

Pamela A. Babusci  is an internationally award winning haiku, tanka poet and haiga artist. Some of her awards include: Museum of Haiku Literature Award, International Tanka Splendor Awards, First Place Yellow Moon Competition (Aust) tanka category,  First Place Kokako Tanka Competition,(NZ) First Place Saigyo Tanka Awards (US), Basho Festival Haiku Contests (Japan).  Pamela has illustrated several books, including: Full Moon Tide: The Best of Tanka Splendor AwardsTaboo HaikuChasing the SunTake Five: Best Contemporary Tanka, and A Thousand Reasons 2009. Pamela was the founder and now is the solo Editor of Moonbathing: a journal of women’s tanka; the first all women’s tanka journal in the US.

1 comment:

  1. Ls 1-3 set the theme and mood while the emotional poignancy and symbolic significance of Ls 4&5, a "grave for/actually, of, loneliness, has a Real World/Life Impact.

    And this tanka could be read as a sequel to the following:

    sitting alone
    beneath
    opium stars
    a woman
    in deep pain

    The Linda Jeannette Ward Tanka Award, The British Haiku Society Awards, 2023

    Pamela A. Babusci

    FYI: CNN News, December 24, 2023: "Loneliness or social isolation linked to serious health outcomes, study finds," accessed at https://www.cnn.com/2023/06/19/health/loneliness-social-isolation-early-death-risk-wellness/index.html

    This paper, however, is a meta-analysis of 90 studies that had examined the links between loneliness, social isolation and early death among more than 2 million adults. Study participants were followed for anywhere from six months to 25 years.

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