English Original
Thoreau’s gravesite:
the smell of woodsmoke
on the cold spring air
Among Floating Duckweed, 1994
Bruce Ross
Chinese Translation (Traditional)
梭羅的墓園:
寒冷的春風中瀰漫
木煙的氣味
Chinese Translation (Simplified)
梭罗的墓园:
寒冷的春风中弥漫
木烟的气味
Bio Sketch
Bruce Ross, Ph.D., former president of the HSA, was the editor of anthologies such as the seminal Haiku Moment and, more recently, co-editor of A Vast Sky. He was the founding editor of the online Autumn Moon Haiku Journal, and he authored many collections of haiku and haibun.
This haiku captures a vivid, reflective moment in a concise, multi-sensory way: sight (“Thoreau’s gravesite”), smell (“the smell of woodsmoke”), and touch/temperature (“cold spring air”).
ReplyDeleteAnd the mix of death/memorial (grave) with life and renewal (spring air, woodsmoke from human activity) creates a subtle tension, leaving dreaming room for the reader's imagination and reflection.