English Original
belly dancer
the glitter of gold
in her navel
A Hundred Gourds, 1:2, March 2012
Susan Constable
Chinese Translation (Traditional)
肚皮舞孃
她的肚臍閃爍
金光
Chinese Translation (Simplified)
肚皮舞娘
她的肚脐闪烁
金光
Bio Sketch
Susan Constable (1943–2026) was an award-winning Canadian poet whose haiku and tanka appeared widely in global journals. She authored the acclaimed collection The Eternity of Waves and served as tanka editor for A Hundred Gourds (2012–2016). Constable also co-edited multiple anthologies and judged numerous international short-form poetry contests.
L 1 sets the scene, then the haiku shifts into a close-up, moving from the broader figure of the belly dancer to a micro-focus on “the glitter of gold in her navel” in Ls 2& 3.
ReplyDeleteThis functions like a camera lens adjusting its focus. The imagery contrasts the dancer’s implied fluid, continuous movement with the sharp, static sparkle of gold, creating a tension between motion and stillness.