English Original
a demobilized soldier's story
spoken in a low voice
came to the end
before I added wood
to the fire outdoors
a demobilized soldier's story
spoken in a low voice
came to the end
before I added wood
to the fire outdoors
Chinese Translation (Traditional)
低聲訴說
一名復員士兵的故事
在我添加木頭
到戶外的火爐之前
低聲訴說
一名復員士兵的故事
在我添加木頭
到戶外的火爐之前
就結束了
Chinese Translation (Simplified)
低声诉说
一名复员士兵的故事
Chinese Translation (Simplified)
低声诉说
一名复员士兵的故事
在我添加木头
到户外的火炉之前
就结束了 Bio Sketch
Saito
Mokichi (May 14, 1882 -- February 25, 1953) was a psychiatrist and one
of the most successful practitioners of the new tanka. In 1913, he
published Shakko (Red Lights), a book that created a great
impression not only on tanka poets but also on the literary world in
general. In 1951, he received the Order of Culture.
This post-war middle-of-the-story tanka is tightly structured with an emotional undercurrent, and the tone and mood of this (short-lived) demobilized soldier's story is greatly enhanced by the symbolically rich jux. of "spoken in a low voice" and before the wood added to the "fire outdoors," the concluding phrase that is layered with multiple meanings.
ReplyDeleteIt might be interesting to do a comparative reading of the following two tanka included in the same collection by Saito Mokichi:
Deletesurviving
the days of our country
in defeat,
where does this longing
come from?
a year has passed
since the end of the war --
living longer
I fear the world,
and death, too