Tuesday, September 21, 2021

One Man's Maple Moon: Cooking Show Tanka by Neal Whitman

English Original

in the waiting room
a cooking show on the TV
and a fish tank  --
one guppy circling
one belly up

Neal Whitman 


Chinese Translation (Traditional)

在候診室內
觀看電視上的烹飪節目
和一個魚缸 --
一隻孔雀魚不停地兜圈子
另一隻翻肚子

Chinese Translation (Simplified)

在候诊室内
观看电视上的烹饪节目
和一个鱼缸 --
一只孔雀鱼不停地兜圈子
另一只翻肚子


Bio Sketch

Neal Whitman lives with his wife, Elaine, in Pacific Grove, California, where he is a docent at Point Pinos Lighthouse. Visitors who come there from near and far inspire him to write poetry that takes the “particular" to convey the “universal". Neal is Vice President of the United Haiku and Tanka Society.
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1 comment:

  1. Chen-ou Liu, 劉鎮歐September 21, 2021 at 11:48 AM

    Ls 1-3 set the scene while the visually poignant and symbolically rich image of one guppy circling (symbolizing anxiety) and one belly up (symbolizing death) in Ls 4&5 adds emotional weight and psychological depth to this "waiting room" tanka written in matter-of-fact tone.

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