THREE TRANSLATIONS
Haiku by Karai Senryū (1718–1790)
Deception
Wine was the best way
even in the Age of Gods
to work deception.
Destination
Looking at paintings,
hell seems the more interesting
destination, yes.
Tattoo
The mother’s name inked
into the old father’s arm—
shriveled and faded.
—from Rattle #47, Spring 2015
Tribute to Japanese Forms
__________
David Bowles: “I’ve been fascinated by haiku, senryū, and tanka since I was a teen; their compressed power and beauty drew me to the Japanese language, which I’ve studied for years, trying to craft equally artful English translations. The constrained elegance of the forms has influenced much of the original poetry in my most recent book, as well.” (website)
