Monday, February 22, 2016

One Man's Maple Moon: Yellow Daylily Tanka by Motoko Michiura

English Original

If you love him
love him
to destruction
a yellow daylily
bending to the wind

a long rainy season: haiku & tanka

Motoko Michiura
trans. by Leza Lowitz


Chinese Translation (Traditional)

如果你愛他
就愛他
直到他死
一朵黃花菜
向風低頭

Chinese Translation (Simplified)

如果你爱他
就爱他
直到他死
一朵黄花菜
向风低头


Bio Sketch

Motoko Michiura was born in Wakayama Prefecture, Japan, in 1947. She has published four books of poetry, and is well known for her poetry concerning her experiences as a student activist at Waseda University in the 1960s and 1970s. She received the 25th Modern tanka Society Prize for the 1980 publication of Helpless Lyricism.

1 comment:

  1. Motoko's poignant tanka is structured into two parts: the thought-provoking statement about love (Ls 1-3) and the riveting image of a daylily whose attractive flowers that last only one day have long been cherished by gardening enthusiasts and professional horticulturalists. And the closing image is logically metaphoric or at least resonates closely with the emotional point of the opening statement.

    A fresh take on the destructive power of love!

    ReplyDelete