English Original
homecoming
the unfamiliar feel
of once-familiar coins
Acorn, 49, Fall 2022
Fay Aoyagi
Chinese Translation (Traditional)
歸國返鄉
對於曾經熟悉的硬幣
感到陌生的感覺
Chinese Translation (Simplified)
归国返乡
对于曾经熟悉的硬币
感到陌生的感觉
Bio Sketch
Fay Aoyagi （青柳飛）was born in Tokyo and immigrated to the U.S. in 1982. She is currently a member of Haiku Society of America and Haiku Poets of Northern California. She serves as an associate editor of The Heron's Nest. She also writes in Japanese and belongs to two Japanese haiku groups; Ten'I (天為) and "Aki"（秋), and she is a member of Haijin Kyokai (俳人協会).
L1 sets the theme and tone while the contrasting feelings expressed by the N in Ls 2&3 reveal a psychological sense of being a stranger in one's homeland, a place where the N has been physically away, but emotionally stuck in, for a long period fo time.
ReplyDeleteThis sentiment can be found in Basho's haiku below:
even in Kyoto
hearing the cuckoo's cry
I long for Kyoto