Thursday, November 14, 2013

One Man's Maple Moon: Fallen Tree Tanka by toki

English Original

a tree fell
in my mind --
no one
was around
to hear it

toki


Chinese Translation (Traditional)

一棵樹倒落
在我的腦海裡 --
沒有人
在旁
聽到這個消息

Chinese Translation (Simplified)

一棵树倒落
在我的脑海里 --
没有人
在旁
听到这个消息


Bio Sketch

toki is a Pacific Northwest poet whose works have appeared online and in print. toki enjoys listening to the music of the spheres, pondering the interstices of the universe, and taking long walks in liminal spaces. toki tweets as @tokidokizenzen

2 comments:

  1. Toki's minimalist "state of the mind " tanka successfully transforms the famous Zen koan below into a meditative reflection on loneliness and intimate communication.

    If a tree falls in the forest and no one's around to hear it, does it make a sound?"...

    ReplyDelete
  2. One more comment:

    The opening mental image and the tone and mood of the poem remind me of Dantian 'dark forest.'

    ReplyDelete