English Original
only few left
to hug on New Year's Eve --
two reflections
in the cracked window,
Mt. Fuji and the old man
Excellence, the Nineth Mt. Fuji Tanka Contest, 2024
Lavana Kray
Chinese Translation (Traditional)
只有少數人留下
在除夕夜相互擁抱 --
兩個映影
在破裂的窗戶裡,
富士山和一位老人
Chinese Translation (Simplified)
只有少数人留下
在除夕夜相互拥抱 --
两个映影
在破裂的窗户里,
富士山和一位老人
Bio Sketch
Lavana Kray lives in Romania. Her work has appeared in many print and online publications, as well as in haiga exhibitions organized by the World Haiku Association in Japan and Italy. In 2015 this Association awarded her the title of Master Haiga Artist. Her photo-haiku have been featured in NHK Haiku Masters on Japanese TV . The Laval Literary Society from Canada awarded her the André-Jacob-Entrevous Prize 2023, for a literary text (haiku) combined with an artistic visual. She currently serves as Haiga Editor at Cattails Journal (UHTS). See more of her work at https://photohaikuforyou.blogspot.com.
Ls 1-2 describe an unexpected and less joyful New Year's Eve scene, setting the theme and mood; and L3-5 might give a hint of what's happening in their preceding lines.
ReplyDeleteSymbocally rich Ls 3&4, two "reflections" in the "cracked" window, are poignant, adding emotional weight to the tanka.
And socioculturally significant and spiritually rich Mt. Fuji in L5 might give this lonely, poor old man the strength to face the challenges in the coming year.
Lunar New Year, or the Spring Festival, is celebrated in China and much of Asia, including Korea, Vietnam, Singapore and (less commonly celebrated in) Japan, as well as among the global Asian diaspora.
DeleteHere is my lunar New Year haiku for the NeverEnding Story readers and contributors who celebrate the Year of the Snake:
snake charmer's flute song
as bright as New Year's sunshine
my baby's laughter
Thank you so much for publishing my tanka and for your comment.
ReplyDelete