English Original
(de)light
in a child's eyes
eclipses
the light
of the sun
Lafcadio
Chinese Translation (Traditional)
(喜悅)光芒
在孩子眼中
遮掩
太陽
的光亮
Chinese Translation (Simplified)
(喜悦)光芒
在孩子眼中
遮掩
太阳
的光亮
Bio Sketch
Lafcadio is a writer and poet living in eastern Tennessee. Her haiku, senyru, tanka and haibun have been exhibited in journals and anthologies. During the full moon she dreams of rabbits.
The split of "(de)light" in L 1 creates a double meaning of both pure joy and a shift in physical light, and comparing a child's eyes to the sun provides a vivid, high-contrast visual in Ls 2&5; furthermore, the verb, "eclipses," in L 3 effectively conveys how a parent or observer finds absolute priority in a child's happiness.
ReplyDeleteThis innovative tanka also has a nice progression:
emotional light -> visual light -> cosmic light.
It successfully captures a powerful, universal emotion in 11 words.