English Original
the ocean
was in a rage last night
but today,
these peace offerings
of blue mussels and kelp
First Place, 2018 Sanford Goldstein International Tanka Contest
Debbie Strange
the ocean
was in a rage last night
but today,
these peace offerings
of blue mussels and kelp
First Place, 2018 Sanford Goldstein International Tanka Contest
Debbie Strange
Chinese Translation (Traditional)
海洋
昨晚浪潮洶湧
但是今天，
這些藍蚌和海帶
作為和平的奉獻
Chinese Translation (Simplified)
海洋
昨晚浪潮汹涌
但是今天，
这些蓝蚌和海带
作为和平的奉献
海洋
昨晚浪潮洶湧
但是今天，
這些藍蚌和海帶
作為和平的奉獻
Chinese Translation (Simplified)
海洋
昨晚浪潮汹涌
但是今天，
这些蓝蚌和海带
作为和平的奉献
Bio Sketch
Debbie
Strange is an award-winning Canadian short form poet, haiga artist, and
photographer. Keibooks released her second full-length poetry
collection, Three-Part Harmony: Tanka Verses in 2018, and Folded Word published her haiku chapbook, A Year Unfolding in 2017. An archive of publications may be accessed at http://debbiemstrange.blogspot.com/
The word “rage” has a long, storied history in literature. It is a universal emotion and, for sure, people have long experienced the rage of the ocean. How excellent we thought was its use in line two, rather than using a word such as “storm.” We admired the use of a simple comma at the end of line three to give the reader a short pause to allow a moment to ponder, “What’s next?” Ah, there is a resolution to the last night. Today? A peace offering to which we felt an “aah” moment. How welcome is the bounty. The ocean offers an infinity of treasures. We found the blue mussels and kelp to be a delightful choice made by this poet. We have already mentioned reciting tanka aloud to take in their sound. You might not choose to read out loud all nine of the awarded tanka, but this one, in particular, lends itself to deeper appreciation with its pivot at the end of line three. You might experience tranquility with lines four and five. We did... excerpted from the judges' commentary, accessed at http://www.tankasocietyofamerica.org/tsa-contest/winners-and-judges-comments/2018-sanford-goldstein-international-tanka-contest-winners
ReplyDeleteIt might be interesting to do a comparative reading of the following tanka:
Deleteas if in joy
the oyster bound
by winter kelp
will rise up
a thorn of flesh
Breasts of Snow, 2004
Fumiko Nakajo