Monday, November 2, 2020

One Man's Maple Moon: Sliver of Moon Tanka by Marion Clarke

English Original

sliver of moon
over St Peter's steeple
just enough faith
to take a step
out of the shadows

Marion Clarke


Chinese Translation (Traditional)

一輪明月
在聖彼得的尖頂上方 
有足夠的信心
邁出一大步
走出陰影

Chinese Translation (Simplified)

一轮明月
在圣彼得的尖顶上方
才有足够的信心
迈出一大步
走出阴影


Bio Sketch

Marion Clarke is from the east coast of Northern Ireland. Growing up surrounded by the scenic shores of Carlingford Lough, the Mourne Mountains and Kilbroney Forest Park,  she was destined to write haiku.

6 comments:

  1. The contrast (sliver of moon/light vs shadows) between the two parts of the tanka is thematically and visually effective, and and the symbolically rich phrases, St Peter's steeple and shadows, adds spiritual depth to Marion's faith tanka.

    The central line, "just" "enough" faith, enhances the emotional aspect of the tanka, reminding me of the following Biblical verse:

    Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.

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  2. Thank you for featuring my tanka on NES, Chen-ou. I enjoyed reading your comments on this one (and thanks for your input)

    marion

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  3. Not only is it a beautiful Tanka but the translation looks wonderful on the page.

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    Replies
    1. Thank you. I am indebted to Chen-ou Liu for translating quite a few of my poems into Chinese.

      marion

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  4. Beautifully written, Marion, so many layers of meaning. Well done.

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