Friday, January 17, 2014

One Man's Maple Moon: Reflection Tanka by Marilyn Humbert

English Original

on the edge
of the birdbath
a mudlark
sinks into his reflection
i turn into my shadow

Atlas Poetica, 14, Spring 2013

Marilyn Humbert


Chinese Translation (Traditional)

在戲水槽
的邊緣
泥雀沉入
它的水中倒影
我成為我的影子

Chinese Translation (Simplified)

在戏水槽
的边缘
泥雀沉入
它的水中倒影
我成为我的影子


Bio Sketch

Marilyn Humbert lives in the Northern Suburbs of Sydney NSW surrounded by bush. Her pastimes include writing free verse poetry, tanka, tanka prose and related genre. She is the leader of Bottlebrush Tanka Group and member of the Huddle and Bowerbird Tanka Groups. Her tanka appears in Australian and International Journals.

2 comments:

  1. The shift in subject and imagery makes this tanka multivalent and adds psychological depth to the poem.

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  2. One more comment:

    The jux. of these two acts, 'sinking into his reflection' and 'turning into my shadow,' forms a thematically and emotionally dialectical relationship.

    ReplyDelete