English Original
amber light
the time it takes
a leaf to fall
The Heron’s Nest, X, 2008
Susan Constable
Chinese Translation (Traditional)
琥珀色陽光
一片葉子飄落
所需的時間
Chinese Translation (Simplified)
琥珀色阳光
一片叶子飘落
所需的时间
Bio Sketch
Susan Constable (1943–2026) was an award-winning Canadian poet whose haiku and tanka appeared widely in global journals. She authored the acclaimed collection The Eternity of Waves and served as tanka editor for A Hundred Gourds (2012–2016). Constable also co-edited multiple anthologies and judged numerous international short-form poetry contests.
L1, "amber light" immediately establishes colour, atmosphere, and a specific seasonal backdrop (kigo). The word "amber" rich with implication, conjuring the low, golden rays of a late autumn afternoon or a setting sun.
ReplyDeleteLs 2&3 transform the descent of a leaf from a simple physical event into an intimate unit of measurement. By focusing on "the time it takes," the poem infuses a commonplace occurrence with a sense of deliberate weight, inviting the reader to reflect on transience, seasonal change, and mortality.
Structurally, the poem relies on an exquisite parallelism of the fleeting. The amber light is disappearing; the falling leaf is vanishing. Positioned between these two transient images, L 2 acts as a beautiful moment of empty space (ma)—a brief, contemplative interval that stretches a single second into something timeless.
Ultimately, this haiku is successful because it rejects the mechanical. It invites the reader to deeply experience the texture of time rather than merely calculate it.