Sunday, August 9, 2015

One Man's Maple Moon: Lineman Tanka by Barry George

English Original

the aging lineman
sits up in the night
with winter
in his ribs and legs
and knuckles

The Louisville Review, 69, Spring 2011

Barry George


Chinese Translation (Traditional)

衰老的足球前鋒
夜晚無法入睡
坐起來
冬天在他的肋骨, 腿
和指關節

Chinese Translation (Simplified)

衰老的足球前锋
夜晚无法入睡
坐起来
冬天在他的肋骨, 腿
和指关节


Bio Sketch

Barry George’s haiku have been widely published in journals and anthologies, and in Chinese, Japanese, German, Romanian, Croatian, and French translations. A winner of competitions including First Prize in the Gerald Brady Senryu Contest, he is the author of Wrecking Ball and Other Urban Haiku, nominated for a Pushcart Prize.

1 comment:

  1. The well-placed seasonal reference, winter, in L3, carries strong metaphorical associations: a symbol of the last stage of life (emotionally resonating with L1), a symbol of chilling suffering (caused by professional injuries as indicated in L1), ...

    This tanka is a good example of human suffering as "embodied experience."

    ReplyDelete