Wednesday, March 20, 2024

One Man's Maple Moon: Cabin Fever Tanka by Robert D. Wilson

English Original

cabin fever ...
bored out of my mind,
i pluck stars
from the sky and
eat them ... one by one

Modern English Tanka, 1:2, Winter 2006

Robert D. Wilson


Chinese Translation (Traditional)

幽居病 ...
無聊讓我心煩意亂
我從夜空中
摘下星星
一顆又一顆 ... 吃掉它們

Chinese Translation (Simplified)

幽居病 ...
无聊让我心烦意乱
我从夜空中
摘下星星
一颗又一颗 ... 吃掉它们


Bio Sketch

Robert D. Wilson is Co-Owner of Simply Haiku.

1 comment:

  1. L1 sets the theme and mood while the rest of the tanka effectively builds, line by line, to a visually and emotionally poignant and symbolically disturbing ending.

    To the best of my knowledge, this is the first surrealist tanka ever written.

    FYI: Cabin fever describes the psychological symptoms a person may experience when they are confined to their home for long periods. Symptoms may include restlessness, irritability, and loneliness.

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