Two of Australia's most accomplished tanka artists collaborate in this bi-lingual (English / Japanese) collection.
Saeko Ogi, whose primary language is Japanese but who is at home in English, and Amelia Fielden, whose primary language is English with wide experience in Japanese, write their tanka, in both languages, in response to those of the other.
By linking ideas, suggestions and atmosphere, they give their tanka an interpersonal dimension and a cross-national flavour. The poems are sensitive, delicate and varied. This collection will be a source of enjoyment to the tanka aficionados in both countries, as well as those coming new to the form.
Specializing currently in the work of contemporary Japanese women poets, Amelia has translated sixteen such collections to date. In 2007 she was awarded the Donald Keene Prize For Translation of Japanese Literature by Columbia University, USA, for Ferris Wheel: 101 Modern and Contemporary Japanese Tanka (Cheng & Tsui, Boston).
Amelia's own tanka have been widely published in journals and anthologies,and awarded internationally. Six collections of her original poetry have appeared between 2002 and 2010, the most recent of them being Baubles, Bangles & Beads (2007) and Light On Water (2010). Also published in 2010 was Weaver Birds, a bilingual collaborative tanka diary created by Amelia and Japanese born Canberra poet, Saeko Ogi.
After she retired from her teaching she took up writing tanka and watercolour painting. Currently she is a member of the Araragi-ha Tanka-kai in Japan. Since 2002 she has been involved in the translation of tanka, in association with Amelia Fielden; so far they have translated and published the tanka collections, Time Passes and The Maternal Line by Kawano Yuko, and The Time of This World – 100 tanka from 13 collections written by Kawano Yuko, selected by Oshima Shiyo. Also Doorway to the Sky and Breast Clouds by Tanaka Noriko.
ISBN 9781921869587 (PB, 132pp)
140mm x 216mm
ISBN 9781921869594 (ePub) – release date 20 November 2011
Links
Sample
from Journeys
at the edge
of the station platform
a pigeon
unfolds its wings to fly,
and I will too, I will af
鳩ひとつ駅のホームの片隅に
飛び立たむとす吾も飛ばむ吾も
エンジンの響き高まり離陸する
一瞬思ふ旅立ち近く s
I think of that moment
when the jet-engine revs
higher for takeoff ---
my departure date
is approaching
sixty years
of flying, still thrilled
by the instant
when the plane roars, rises
slanting into the sky
大空を斜めに昇り機のうなる
今も昂ぶる六十年経て
直線に切り取られたる東京の
空につながるキャンベラの空
so narrow
sliced vertically
the Tokyo sky
is joined to the sky
of Canberra
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