English Original
ice-edged pond
the divorcee’s ring
of white skin
Almost Unseen, 2000
George Swede
Chinese Translation (Traditional)
冰封池塘
離婚者的戒指留下
一輪白色的膚痕
Chinese Translation (Simplified)
冰封池塘
离婚者的戒指留下
一轮白色的肤痕
Bio Sketch
George Swede's most recent collections of haiku are Almost Unseen (Decatur, IL: Brooks Books, 2000), Joy In Me Still (Edmonton: Inkling Press, 2010) and micro haiku: three to nine syllables (Inspress, 2014). He is a former editor of Frogpond: Journal of the Haiku Society of America (2008-2012) and a former Honorary Curator of the American Haiku Archives (2008-2009).
There is an implied simile effectively established between the "ring of ice" around the pond (as suggested from L1) and the divorcee's "ring of white skin," and the jux. conveys a strong chill feeling through pond, heart, and naked finger.
ReplyDeleteOn a second reading, ice-edged pond takes on symbolic significance. And my haiku below could be read as its sequel:
support group
she plays with the phantom ring
on her finger
folk ku,1, 2023
I like your haiku even better, Chen-ou.
ReplyDeleteBy the way, I was reminded of you by your excellent tanka in tinywords today. I realize that although I supposedly subscribe to your site I am not getting notifications -- I will see if I can make it work.
Also, I would say that 80% of the Twitter haiku community has transitioned to BlueSky, and we would love to see you there.
Warm wishes,
Kris