Sunday, July 11, 2021

One Man's Maple Moon: Summer Bamboo Screen Tanka by Fumi Saito

English Original

though now old
a woman is still a woman
as a breeze
through a summer bamboo screen
comes to visit me


Fumi Saito


Chinese Translation (Traditional)

雖然現在老了
女人畢竟還是女人
當一陣微風
穿過夏日竹屏
來拜訪我

Chinese Translation (Simplified)

虽然现在老了
女人毕竟还是女人
当一阵微风
穿过夏日竹屏
来拜访我
 
 
Bio Sketch

Daughter of a military officer who was noted for his verse-writing talent, Fumi Saito began writing poetry in the traditional 31-syllable tanka form in her early teens. Her first book of tanka, Fish Songs, published in 1940, immediately established her as a brilliant young poet. She was inducted into the Japan Art Academy in 1993 and invited to serve as meshiudo (a position similar to the Poet Laureate's) at the Imperial Palace in 1997.

1 comment:

  1. The jux. of an aging yet confident woman and a visually and symbolically rich "summer" breeze through a bamboo screen is not only emotionally effective but also thought-provoking

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