Tuesday, June 24, 2025

One Man's Maple Moon: Motorcycle Riders Tanka by David McMurray

English Original

Locking the cottage
the motorcycle riders
kick-start a trip down south
po-potato-potato
po-potato-potato

David McMurray 


Chinese Translation (Traditional)

鎖上度假小屋
一群摩托車騎士們
開啟南下之旅
撲通撲通撲通的引擎聲
撲通撲通撲通的引擎聲

Chinese Translation (Simplified)

锁上度假小屋
一群摩托车骑士们
开启南下之旅
扑通扑通扑通的引擎声
扑通扑通扑通的引擎声


Bio Sketch

David McMurray edits the Asahi Haikuist Network. He lives in Japan, but travels 3 or 4 times a year to Taiwan to enjoying the food and festivals -- including the moon festival -- in Taipei and Kaoshiung.

1 comment:

  1. Ls 1-3 set the theme and mood while the use of both repetition and a self-coined term, "po-potato-potato," in Ls 4&5 effectively creates an onomatopoeic effect, greatly enhancing the audio-emotional aspect of the tanka.

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