like Rousseau
he hangs a moon
in the corner of the sky
for no reason
than the tides
Blithe Spirit, 25:3, September 2015
Mark Gilbert
Chinese Translation (Traditional)
像盧梭一樣
他將月亮掛在
天空的一個角落
不是為了其他原因
祗是潮汐的緣故
Chinese Translation (Simplified)
像卢梭一样
他将月亮掛在
天空的一个角落
不是为了其他原因
祗是潮汐的缘故
Bio Sketch
Mark Gilbert is based in the UK and has been writing tanka for over 10 years. Examples of his work may be found in the journals Skylark, Gogyoshi Monthly and Presence. Mark spent some of his childhood in the US and this continues to have an influence on his writing.
Like Rousseau who believed in figuring out things for himself, rather than depending on belief in the gods, myths, legends, or folktales, the man in the poem thinks that tides are caused by the gravitational interaction between the Earth and the Moon (a Buddhist symbol of enlightenment).
ReplyDeleteThis tanka reminds me of Dogen's remark on Enlightenment
Enlightenment is like the moon reflected on the water ... The whole moon and the entire sky are reflected in one dewdrop on the grass.