bluetail damselfly
escapes the empty cottage
where children once played
First Place, 2009 Yuki Teikei Haiku Society Contest
Roberta Beary
Chinese Translation (Traditional)
一隻藍尾豆娘
逃離沒人住的湖畔小屋
那是孩子們曾經玩耍的地方
Chinese Translation (Simplified)
一只蓝尾豆娘
逃离没人住的湖畔小屋
那是孩子们曾经玩耍的地方
Bio Sketch
Roberta Beary is the haibun editor at Modern Haiku. Her bestselling collection The Unworn Necklace (Snapshot Press) won a Poetry Society of America finalist award. Her haibun collection Deflection (Accents Publishing) won the Eric Hoffer and Touchstone finalist awards. Follow her on twitter @shortpoemz.
(Editor's Note: This is the last haiku accepted for the selection of Butterfly Dream, Volume IV. The selection results will be announced in late April )
(Editor's Note: This is the last haiku accepted for the selection of Butterfly Dream, Volume IV. The selection results will be announced in late April )
A bright blue quickly passes from my view. It is a bluetail damselfly leaving the deserted cottage. The empty cottage stands colorlessly near the stream. Children used to play in this neighborhood - looking at damselflies or fish in the stream and maybe staying in the cottage.
ReplyDeleteThis haiku appeals to the memories of our childhood. The vision of the escaping bluetail damselfly reminds us of the days we played on the river. The concrete image of the kigo naturally leads us to the past. And the last five syllables tell us the days should never come back.
-- excerpted from the judge's commentary, which can be accessed at https://yukiteikei.files.wordpress.com/2015/03/tokutomi-2009.pdf