Featured Poem 3/25 – “Beside a chrysanthemum”

Beside a chrysanthemum  by Midang

For one chrysanthemum to bloom
a nightingale
has sobbed since spring, perhaps.

For one chrysanthemum to bloom
thunder
has pealed in dark clouds, perhaps.

Flower! Like my sister standing
at her mirror, just back
from far away, far away byways of youth,
where she was racked with longing and lack:

last night’s frost came down
to bid your yellow petals bloom, perhaps,
while I could not get to sleep.

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5 Responses

  1. Heather says:

    That third stanza has so much power and beauty – a very nice choice of poem, thanks for sharing it!

  2. PenguinAttack says:

    I think “racked with longing and lack” works so well because of the assonance in “racked” and “lack” so it’s smooth and just leaps beautifully from your mouth.

    This is gorgeous, thanks so much for posting it.

    • Hannah says:

      It’s odd, because this is a translated poem, so when we read into specific word play, do we attribute that to the translator, or is there some of this essence in the original poem?

      • PenguinAttack says:

        I think there must be something in the essence of the original poem. The translator should be applauded, of course, but I think that were the words of the original not already interesting, evocative and compelling, the translation also wouldn’t be.

        While English is often a stiff language I think it’s remarkable to witness what is a beautiful thing in another language STILL be beautiful in English. What a gift language is, at these times.

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