English Original
moonlight fingering the blue of her prayers
Acorn, 39, Fall 2017
Susan Constable
Chinese Translation (Traditional)
月光輕撫她祈禱中流露出的鬱悶
Chinese Translation (Simplified)
月光轻抚她祈祷中流露出的郁闷
Bio Sketch
Susan Constable’s haiku and tanka appear in numerous journals and anthologies. Her tanka collection, The Eternity of Waves, was one of the winning entries in the eChapbook Awards for 2012. As well as being the tanka editor of A Hundred Gourds from 2012-2016, she’s co-edited two anthologies and has judged haiku and senryu contests.
The opening phrase, “moonlight fingering the blue…,” has a gentle sound flow that mimics the softness of moonlight itself. And the tension between the physical touch, "moonlight fingering," and an intangible feeling, "the blue of her prayers," creates a subtle sense that the natural world is touching her inner life.
ReplyDeleteThis multivalent phrase, "the blue of her prayers," could mean either of the following:
I “Blue” often means sorrow or longing. This line might suggest
moonlight touching the sadness within her prayers.
or
II Moonlight often casts a bluish tone.
Her prayers may be happening in blue night light, so moonlight is literally touching them.