Chen-ou Liu's Translation Project: First English-Chinese Haiku and Tanka Blog

Sunday, February 23, 2020

Furrowed Face Tanka

Editor’s Commentary: Thanks to Chen-ou for yet another classic tanka I had tucked away for an EC also. An old relationship, not only in the many years spend apart, but also in the visuals. Using the word "furrows" for the first line, immediately captures the mystical expression and loneliness (yugentei). The mood is further enhanced by the couple passing each other in silence.