RISING FLAME
OF LOVE
Tanka with vintage Indian matchboxes
Gabriel Rosenstock
RISING FLAME
OF LOVE
Tanka with vintage Indian matchboxes
© Copyright tanka in Irish and English: Gabriel Rosenstock 2021
Bilingual Ekphrastic Tanka
In Irish and English
Artwork: Vintage Indian Matchboxes
The artwork in this book is understood by the author to come
under the category of Fair Use, that is to say, a) the images are
widely available on the internet, and b) the images are not used
in this free e-book for commercial gain.
A bhakti-scented bouquet of tanka poems
in strict syllabic configuration of 5-7-5-7-7.
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Gabriel Rosenstock is a bilingual poet, tankaist,
novelist, haikuist, short story writer, playwright,
essayist and translator.
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Published in association with:
Cross-Cultural Communications
239 Wynsum Avenue Merrick, NY 11566-4725/USA
Tel: 516/868-5635 Fax: 516/379-1901
Email: cccpoetry@aol.com
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Acknowledgements
The author acknowledges receipt of a bursary
from The Arts Council/ An Chomhairle Ealaíon
to pursue his experiments in the field of Irish-
language tanka, poems of love, longing and
emptiness in the strict syllabic configuration
of 5-7-5-7-7 syllables – in this instance,
responding to vintage matchbox art from
India. Inflammable!
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7
I
canann éan áidh
lasmuigh de m’fhuinneog gach lá
amhráinín fútsa
insíonn sé dom cá bhfuilir
deimhníonn gur im’ chroíse ataoi
a lucky bird sings
outside my window each day
songs concerning You
telling me where You are now
Belovèd, here in my heart
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9
II
cosnóidh sí mé,
is glan é mo chroí, a stór
Durga, daingean í
déanfaidh sí scrios ar an namhaid
is slánófar mé. . . duitse
she will protect me
Belovèd, my heart is pure
Durga my fortress
will slay all my enemies
and keep me safe here. . .for You
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11
III
eitleoidh mé
nó tógfad an traein deiridh
modh iompair ar bith
chun tú a fheiscint, tonga
hath! na ceithre boinn más gá
i ’ll take the last plane
or the last train, Belovèd
the last anything
to see You, the last tonga
hah