Saturday, August 3, 2013

One Man's Maple Moon: Canoe Tanka by Irene Golas

English Original

I rest my paddle
let the canoe drift awhile
rocks     trees     sky
the lake and I
are an empty mirror

terra north/nord, 3, Summer 2011

Irene Golas


Chinese Translation (Traditional)

放下我的槳
讓獨木舟漂流一會兒
岩石 樹木 天空
湖和我
成為一個空鏡

Chinese Translation (Simplified)

放下我的桨
让独木舟漂流一会儿
岩石 树木 天空
湖和我
成为一个空镜


Bio Sketch

Irene Golas has published poetry in a number of haiku and tanka journals, including Acorn, Eucalypt, Frogpond, Heron’s Nest, Ribbons, and Simply Haiku. Her work has also appeared in Carpe Diem: Canadian Anthology of Haiku; Take Five: Best Contemporary Tanka (2010) and other anthologies. In 2012, she and Ignatius Fay published Breccia, a collection of haiku and related forms. She lives in Sudbury, Ontario.

1 comment:

  1. The upper verse successfully sets the tone and mood while the lower verse elevates the poem to a religio-philosophical level through conveying a sense of oneness with nature and a well-chosen Buddhism-inspired image ("empty mirror")

    The use of spaces between "rocks trees sky" enhances the contemplative mood of the poem.

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