a girl
pirouetting alone
in the cherry blossom rain
as if tomorrow
has yet to find her
German Translation:
ein Mädchen
dreht Pirouetten allein
im Kirschblütenregen
als ob ein Morgen
sie noch vorfinden müßte
Chrysanthemum, 28, 2021
Chen-ou Liu
Commentary by
Jeana Pierson, "Chrysanthemum: The Connecting of Nature, Culture, and Language"
This [tanka] by Chen-ou Liu (Chrysanthemum, 28, page 31) has such a distinct image. I can see the girl turning through her pirouettes while beautiful, pink flowers fall around her. The juxtaposition of the falling and the turning is almost chaotic, but also gentle and serene. I like how the author uses the term “cherry blossom rain.” It really puts into perspective how many and how fast the flowers are falling. I also enjoy how the author makes the point to mention that she is dancing alone. She is not performing for anyone or trying to show off, she is just dancing in the moment. In that moment, she feels infinite or as the last two lines state, “as if tomorrow has yet to find her.” It is almost as if time freezes and all that moves are her and flowers.
The word that sticks out to me in the German translation of this haiku is Kirschblütenregen. This word is kind of a compound word. I say kind of because it is a combination of three different German words, something that does not have a name and does not exist in the English language. Kirsch translates to cherry, blüten translates to blossom, and regen translates to rain. Altogether it is quite a mouthful, but it perfectly conveys that image the author, Chen-ou Liu is trying to show. I think this word is quite unique and also beautiful. I love the image of the raining cherry blossom flowers and I think it is so cool that the German language can combine that into one word, one image, and one feeling. I definitely think the line with Kirschblütenregen brings together the entire haiku and gives it it’s tone.
