One Man's Maple Moon: Road Tanka by Jane Reichhold

English Original

unreal again

the road I walked today

thick fog

whispers in the grass

for the moon to appear

Ardea, 5, 2015

Jane Reichhold

 

Chinese Translation (Traditional)

沿著我今天走過的路

又一次感覺不真實

一陣濃霧

草叢中低語

等待月亮的出現

Chinese Translation (Simplified)

沿着我今天走过的路

又一次感觉不真实

一阵浓雾

草丛中低语

等待月亮的出现

 

Bio Sketch 

 

Jane Reichhold (1937–2016) was born Janet Styer in Lima, Ohio. A prolific poet and translator, she published over forty books of haiku, renga, and tanka. Her translation of Basho: The Complete Haiku (Kodansha International) remains her most celebrated work, while her recent tanka collection, Taking Tanka Home, was translated into Japanese by Aya Yuhki.

As the founder of AHA Books, Jane edited Mirrors: International Haiku Forum and Geppo (for the Yuki Teikei Haiku Society). Alongside her husband, Werner Reichhold, she co-edited Lynx starting in 1992, transition it to an online format in 2000 via her website, AHApoetry.com. From 2006 until her passing, she also moderated the AHAforum, a vibrant global community for poets.

Poetic Musings: Motorcycle Riders Tanka by David McMurray

Locking the cottage

the motorcycle riders

kick-start a trip down south

po-potato-potato

po-potato-potato

NeverEnding Story, June 24, 2025

David McMurray

Commentary: Ls 1-3 set the theme and mood while the use of both repetition and a self-coined term, "po-potato-potato," in Ls 4&5 effectively creates an onomatopoeic effect, greatly enhancing the audio-emotional aspect of the tanka. 

Consisting of a sequence of actions, this tanka reads like a poetic rendering of an establishing shot of a road movie, and subtly conveys the emotional nuances of both farewell, L1 and setting off, Ls 2-5. 

One Man's Maple Moon: Motorcycle Riders Tanka by David McMurray

English Original

Locking the cottage

the motorcycle riders

kick-start a trip down south

po-potato-potato

po-potato-potato

David McMurray 

Chinese Translation (Traditional)

鎖上度假小屋

一群摩托車騎士們

開啟南下之旅

撲通撲通撲通的引擎聲

撲通撲通撲通的引擎聲

Chinese Translation (Simplified)

锁上度假小屋

一群摩托车骑士们

开启南下之旅

扑通扑通扑通的引擎声

扑通扑通扑通的引擎声

Bio Sketch

David McMurray edits the Asahi Haikuist Network. He lives in Japan, but travels 3 or 4 times a year to Taiwan to enjoying the food and festivals -- including the moon festival -- in Taipei and Kaoshiung.

One Man's Maple Moon: Desert Road Tanka by Carole Johnston

English Original

two days alone

driving the desert

road on the map

thin gray line to nowhere

I'm fasting on dust

Journeys: Getting Lost, 2014

Carole Johnston

Chinese Translation (Traditional)

整整兩天單獨

駕駛在地圖上顯示

的沙漠道路

灰色的細線引向死胡同

我只好禁食吃塵埃

Chinese Translation (Simplified)

整整两天单独

驾驶在地图上显示

的沙漠道路

灰色的细线引向死胡同

我只好禁食吃尘埃

Bio Sketch

Carole Johnston has been writing Japanese short form poetry for twelve years and has published haiku and tanka in various print and online journals. Her first chapbook, Journeys: Getting Lost, was published  in  2015 by Finishing Line Press. Retired from teaching, she drives around writing poems about landscape. Visit her on Twitter (@morganabag) to read more of her poetry.

Butterfly Dream: Train Journey Haiku by Alan Summers

English Original

train journey

the spreadsheet

of city lights

Stardust, 22, October 2018

Alan Summers

 

Chinese Translation (Traditional)

火車旅行

城市燈光看起來像是

展開的電子表格

Chinese Translation (Simplified)

火车旅行

城市灯光看起来像是

展开的电子表格

 

Bio Sketch

Alan Summers is President of the United Haiku and Tanka Society, and co-founder of Call of the Page. He enjoys watching classic episodes of Dr. Who, all over again, as his ten year old nephew has discovered them for himself. Website: www.callofthepage.org

One Man's Maple Moon: Dappled Path Tanka by Marilyn Humbert

English Original

winter sun

filtered by gum-leaves

a dappled path

this journey of waiting

to join you

Ribbons, 14:3,  Fall 2018 

Marilyn Humbert

Chinese Translation (Traditional)

冬天的陽光

照射透過桉樹樹葉

形成一條斑駁小路

這段等待加入你

的旅程

Chinese Translation (Simplified)

冬天的阳光

照射透过桉树树叶

形成一条斑驳小路

这段等待加入你

的旅程

Bio Sketch

Marilyn Humbert lives in the Northern suburbs of Sydney NSW Australia. Her tanka and haiku appear in international and Australian journals, anthologies and online. Her free verse poems have been awarded prizes in competitions and some have been published.

One Man's Maple Moon: Journey Tanka by Marilyn Humbert

English Original

his journey

across wide gibber plains

bruises my feet

-- every word

I've spoken in anger

Cattails, October 2017

Marilyn Humbert


Chinese Translation (Traditional)

他的旅程

橫跨寬闊的吉布平原

挫傷了我的腳

-- 每句話出自我的口

都是氣話

Chinese Translation (Simplified)

他的旅程

跨越宽阔的吉布平原

挫伤了我的脚

-- 每句话出自我的口

都是气话

Bio Sketch

Marilyn Humbert lives in the Northern suburbs of Sydney NSW Australia. Her tanka and haiku appear in international and Australian journals, anthologies and online. Her free verse poems have been awarded prizes in competitions and some have been published.

One Man's Maple Moon: Twilight Sky Tanka by Pravat Kumar Padhy

English Original

twilight sky
with floating clouds
a long journey
before I could  travel
the rain-soaked distance

Skylark, 4:1, Summer 2016

Pravat Kumar Padhy


Chinese Translation (Traditional)

微明天空中
飄浮的雲彩
在我開始步上
雨水浸透的路途之前
這是一個漫長的旅程

Chinese Translation (Simplified)

微明天空中
飘浮的云彩
在我开始步上
雨水浸透的路途之前
这是一个漫长的旅程


Bio Sketch

Pravat Kumar Padhy, a poet-scientist, did his Masters and Ph.D from IIT-Dhanbad, India. Work referred in Spectrum History of Indian Literature in English, Alienation in Contemporary Indian English Poetry etc. His Japanese short form of poetry appeared in many international journals. He is a recipient of Editor’s Choice Awards, Special and Honourable Mentions. His fourth collection of verses, Ripple of Resonance, is in press.

One Man's Maple Moon: Journey Tanka by Pravat Kumar Padhy

English Original

wave after wave
on an incessant journey
another sunset
when I long to change the taste
of salt, the colour of the wind

Skylark, 2:2, Winter 2014

Pravat Kumar Padhy


Chinese Translation (Traditional)

一波又一波
在一個不間斷的旅程中
當我渴望改變
鹽的口味，風的顏色時
另一個日落的到來

Chinese Translation (Simplified)

一波又一波
在一个不间断的旅程中
当我渴望改变
盐的口味，风的颜色时
另一个日落的到来


Bio Sketch 

Pravat Kumar Padhy, a poet-scientist, did his Masters and Ph.D from IIT-Dhanbad, India. Work referred in Spectrum History of Indian Literature in English, Alienation in Contemporary Indian English Poetry etc. His Japanese short form of poetry appeared in many international journals. He is a recipient of Editor’s Choice Awards, Special and Honourable Mentions. His fourth collection of verses, Ripple of Resonance is in press.

Butterfly Dream: Train Journey Haiku by Beverley George

English Original

train journey ...
the young student next to me
reduces stars to graphs

Second Place, 2014 Katikati Haiku Contest

Beverley George


Chinese Translation (Traditional)

火車之旅 ...
坐在我旁邊的年輕學生
將繁星簡化成圖表

Chinese Translation (Simplified)

火车之旅 ...
坐在我旁边的年轻学生
将繁星简化成图表


Bio Sketch

Beverley George is the past editor of Yellow Moon and the founder/editor of Eucalypt: a tanka journal 2006 - . In September 2009 she convened the 4th Haiku Pacific Rim Conference, in Terrigal, Australia. Beverley presented papers on haiku in Australia at the 3rd Haiku Pacific Rim conference in Matsuyama, Japan in 2007, and on Australian tanka at the 6th International Tanka Festival, Tokyo 2009. She was the president of the Australian Haiku Society 2006-2010.

One Man's Maple Moon: Ancestral Home Tanka by Sonam Chhoki

English Original

driving away
from the ancestral home
this thought . . .
tomorrow the early sun
will slant into my empty room

Eucalypt, 10, 2011

Sonam Chhoki


Chinese Translation (Traditional)

開車
遠離祖厝
心想著...
明日朝陽會斜照
在我的空房間

Chinese Translation (Simplified)

开车
远离祖厝
心想着...
明日朝阳会斜照
在我的空房间


Bio sketch

Born and raised in the eastern Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan, Sonam Chhoki has been writing Japanese short forms of haiku, tanka and haibun for about 5 years. These forms resonate with her Tibetan Buddhist upbringing and provide the perfect medium for the exploration of  her country's rich ritual, social and cultural heritage. She is inspired by her father, Sonam Gyamtsho, the architect of Bhutan's non-monastic modern education. Her haiku, tanka and haibun have been published in poetry journals and anthologies in Australia, Canada, Ireland, Japan, UK and US.

One Man's Maple Moon: First Sunrise Tanka by Ernesto P. Santiago

English Original

first sunrise
of the year
the unexpected journey
of a child
from her womb

Ernesto P. Santiago 


Chinese Translation (Traditional)

今年
的第一個日出
從母腹開始
一個嬰孩
的未預期旅程

Chinese Translation (Simplified)

今年
的第一个日出
从母腹开始
一个婴孩
的未预期旅程


Bio sketch

Ernesto P. Santiago enjoys exploring the poetic myth of his senses, and has recently become interested in the study of haiku and its related forms. He lives with his wife Nitz in Athens, Greece. He is Filipino.  

One Man's Maple Moon: Journey Tanka by Bob Lucky

English Original

after the journey
there’s always the laundry --
the rattle
of a foreign coin
in the tumble dryer                                   

Ribbons, 5.3, Fall 2009, Tanka Café

Bob Lucky


Chinese Translation (Traditional)

旅遊結束後
總有一堆衣物待洗 --
一個外國硬幣
在滾筒式乾衣機裡面
發出嘎嘎聲

Chinese Translation (Simplified)

旅游结束后
总有一堆衣物待洗
一个外国硬币
在滚筒式干衣机里面
发出嘎嘎声


Bio sketch

Bob Lucky teaches at the International Community School of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. His work has appeared in numerous journals, including Rattle, The Prose-Poem Project, Emerald Bolts, Modern Haiku, Presence, Ribbons, Eucalypt, and Atlas Poetica. He is co-author of the chapbook my favorite thing.