green tea
in old porcelain cups --
a bygone era
when life was a poem
waiting to be written
Shore Lights, 2017
Magdalena Dale
Chinese Translation (Traditional)
老瓷杯中
的綠茶 --
在逝去的時代
生命是一首詩
等待被書寫
Chinese Translation (Simplified)
老瓷杯中
的绿茶 --
在逝去的时代
生命是一首诗
等待被书写
Bio Sketch
Magdalena Dale is a member of the Romanian Society of Haiku, of World Haiku Association and of the Romanian Writers' Society. She was published in several magazines in her country and abroad. Her work can be found in several national bilingual anthologies and abroad anthologies. She was co-editor of Take Five: Best Contemporary Tanka, Volumes III and IV.
The opening lines establish the tone and mood of the poem while the narrative turn in Ls 4&5 elevates the poem to the level of contemplative thinking. Magdalena's tanka,tinged with nostalgia, reminds me of the following remark:
ReplyDeleteEach of us is a book waiting to be written, and that book, if written, results in a person explained.
― Thomas M. Cirignano, The Constant Outsider