Saturday, December 2, 2017

One Man's Maple Moon: Murmur Tanka by Sonam Chhoki

English Original

even now
when I light butter lamps
at dawn
I hear father’s murmur ...
prayer flags in the wind

Skylark, 3:2, Winter 2015

Sonam Chhoki


Chinese Translation (Traditional)


即使到現在
當我在黎明時分
點燃牛油燈時
仍然聽到父親的低語聲 ...
祈禱旗在風中飄揚

Chinese Translation (Simplified)


即使到现在
当我在黎明时分
点燃牛油灯时
仍然听到父亲的低语声...
祈祷旗在风中飘扬


Bio Sketch

Born and raised in the kingdom of Bhutan. Sonam Chhoki is inspired by her father, Sonam Gyamtsho, the architect of Bhutan's non-monastic modern education. Her Japanese short form poetry has been published in journals and anthologies in several countries. She is the current haibun and haiku editor of the UHTS journal, cattails.

1 comment:

  1. This religiously/spiritually significant and emotionally poignant juxtaposition of the speaker's late father murmuring in the room and prayer flags flapping in the wind lifts the poem out of the ordinary, leaving enough room for the reader's engagement.

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