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c. prismon-reed


roethke, edited

the buds now reach into the light
the warm air stirs the bough

the sap runs free — 
the leaves let out

the green shapes to the curving wind
and broadens in the blazing noon

down from above
the sun repeats the leaves

on shadowed ground
half a field of calm

but when those shadows move
— a sound
See "The Buds Now Stretch" by Theodore Roethke (1908-1963) for the original.


Along the Sanqu Mountain Road - by Ceng Ji (1084-1166)
        — trans c. prismon-reed (rui jiashan/songlin)

    plums are turning yellow and the days are bright
    the small stream dwindles
         so I take the mountain path

    the green depths do not hinder my passing through
    adding to my delight
        the voice of four or five luminescent orioles
Note: to view the Chinese original of the poem above requires the pdf format - click here (along with a note on the translation process.




c. prismon-reed has been writing in a 'minimalist/imagist' style since the mid-1960's and holds an MA in English (Southern Illinois University - Edwardsville). She had a few haiku published 'a long time ago' and more recently has had four poems selected for translation into Korean (PoemCafe Anthology #9 [c. 2011] and PoemCafe Quarterly, December 2014). Since about 2010 she has pursued independent study in classical Chinese poetry and began translating about three years ago. She continues to be interested in linguistics, poetics, and the phenomena of the natural world as a window to the expression and interrelationships of emotion, rationality, and humanism. Inquiry on these topics may be sent to: konanilei@gmail.com


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