English Original
sometimes
when no one is around
my heart changes
into a heron
and flies
January, A Tanka Diary, 2013
M. Kei
Chinese Translation (Traditional)
有時
當周圍無人時
我的心
會化做一隻蒼鷺
然後翱翔天際
Chinese Translation (Simplified)
有时
当周围无人时
我的心
会化做一只苍鹭
然后翱翔天际
Bio Sketch
M. Kei is a tall ship sailor and award-winning poet who lives on Maryland’s Eastern shore. He is the editor of Atlas Poetica: A Journal of World Tanka. His most recent collection of poetry is January, A Tanka Diary. He is also the author of the award-winning gay Age of Sail adventure novels, Pirates of the Narrow Seas. He can be followed on Twitter @kujakupoet, or visit AtlasPoetica.org.
Ls 1&2 create intimacy and quiet. They set up a private transformation.
ReplyDeleteIn Ls 3&4, the heart becoming “a heron” is vivid and elegant. A heron carries connotations of solitude, stillness, patience, and quiet grace.
L5, “and flies,” is simple but powerful. The restraint keeps it airy. It doesn’t over-explain where or why.
The following tanka could be read as its sequel:
trailing the flames
of a sinking sun
heron wings
remind me
to be brave
The Bamboo Hut, Autumn 2014
Caroline Skanne