English Original
a white hare
from a snow-covered mountain
when it came out
it was killed
with eyes still open
White Letter Poems, 1998
Fumi Saito
Chinese Translation (Traditional)
來自一座白雪皚皚的山
的一隻白兔
當它跑出來時
就被殺死了
它的眼睛仍然睜著
Chinese Translation (Simplified)
来自一座白雪皑皑的山
的一只白兔
当它跑出来时
就被杀死了
它的眼睛仍然睁着
Bio Sketch
Daughter of a military officer who was noted for his verse-writing talent, Fumi Saito began writing poetry in the traditional 31-syllable tanka form in her early teens. Her first book of tanka, Fish Songs, published in 1940, immediately established her as a brilliant young poet. She was inducted into the Japan Art Academy in 1993 and invited to serve as meshiudo (a position similar to the Poet Laureate's) at the Imperial Palace in 1997.
Ls 1&2 are visually strong and almost serene while the turn in Ls 3&4 are brutal and sudden.
ReplyDeleteAnd L5 lingers in a haunting way, giving the tanka its punch.