English Original
the plaintive cry
of a sandpiper
trailing
in the distance
even he can’t say goodbye
Thelma Mariano
Chinese Translation (Traditional)
尾隨
在遠方之處
一隻鷸鳥
哀怨的哭泣
就連他也無法說再見
Chinese Translation (Simplified)
尾随
在远方之处
一只鹬鸟
哀怨的哭泣
就连他也无法说再见
Bio Sketch
Thelma Mariano is the author of Night Sky: a Selection of Tanka Poetry. She lives in Montreal and has published her tanka in literary journals as well as in various anthologies including Fire Pearls and Take Five: Best Contemporary Tanka.
Unexpected yet emotionally charged twist in L5 makes this "plaintive cry"/ of a sandpiper/trailing/"in the distance," Ls 1-4, multi-sensorily effective and poignant.
ReplyDeleteAnd the sentiment conveyed in Thelma's tanka reminds me of that of the following one:
even someone
free of passion as myself
feels sorrow:
snipe rising from a marsh
at evening in autumn
Buddhist monk-poet Saigyo