English Original
looking
at pine needles
on the walk home,
I find they too
turn brown
This Short Life: Minimalist Tanka, 2014
Sanford Goldstein
Chinese Translation (Traditional)
凝視
在回家路上
的松針，
我發現他們
也變成棕色
凝视
在回家路上
的松针，
我发现他们
也变成棕色
Bio Sketch
Sanford Goldstein has been publishing tanka for more than fifty years. He was born in 1925 and is now 96 years old. Long ago, he wrote haiku, but decided to focus on tanka. His latest books, three in the last two years, have each said this would be his last.
An implied simile is successfully established between brown/dried pine needles and the aging speaker. The matter-of-the-fact tone not only leaves the reader more dreaming room, but also makes the tanka emotionally effective.
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