English Original
between sun and shade
a butterfly pauses
like none I've seen,
who ever falls in love
with someone they know?
Letters in Time, 2005
Michael McClintock
Chinese Translation (Traditional)
在陽光與陰影之間
一隻蝴蝶停歇不動
這是我從未見過的
誰會愛上
自己認識的人？
Chinese Translation (Simplified)
在阳光与阴影之间
一只蝴蝶停歇不动
这是我从未见过的
谁会爱上
自己认识的人？
Bio Sketch
Michael McClintock's lifework in haiku, tanka, and related literature spanned over four decades. His many contributions to the field included six years as president of the Tanka Society of America (2004-2010) and contributing editor, essayist, and poet for dozens of journals, anthologies, landmark collections and critical studies. McClintock lived in Clovis, California, where he worked as an independent scholar, consultant for public libraries, and poet. Meals at Midnight [tanka], Sketches from the San Joaquin [haiku] and Streetlights: Poetry of Urban Life in Modern English Tanka, were some of his recent titles.
The visually evocative and symbolically rich image of Ls 1-3 makes the rhetorical question of Ls 4&5 meaningful and significant.
ReplyDeleteIt's because "love for a known person develops through commitment, where shared experiences and understanding transform a person into a soulmate over time, rather than being a pre-destined event."
When loving someone one doesn't know, one is most likely in love with "an image or idea of them," as implied from the evocative image of Ls 1-2, like none [one's] seen, L3.