Comments on: Just Because I Like It

By: Tatyana

Tatyana — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 17:03:06 +0000

David, your heroes are so old-fashioned; their troubles would be much more short-lived if they only used twitter, the tool of international democracy!

By: david foster

david foster — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 00:34:11 +0000

Following up on Jimbino’s idea….this may be a bit blasphemous, but hopefully Heine wouldn’t mind too much…

A young dude loves a hot girl
She likes some other guy
When his Facebook page shows “taken”
She hangs her head to cry

She IMs all the evening
Till she nabs her second-best
When her Facebook page shows “taken,” too
The dude is in distress

By paper, pen, and envelope
The news once reached the lad
It’s now done electronically
But the pain is just as bad

By: Jimbino

Jimbino — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 22:09:24 +0000

And in the spirit of Hofstadter, you could invite your respondents to contribute and original translation.

Here’s my translation, which is far better!

A young man loved a maiden,
Who preferred his peer instead,
But he in turn loved another
Taking her over the maiden to wed.

The maiden then married in anger
The very first man she could snare
On Facebook or Myspace—no matter:
The young man was drowned in despair.

Though this story’s as old as the dickens,
It is felt by the love-blind as new,
And every time that it is relived
It rends the heart in two.

By: Jimbino

Jimbino — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 21:13:33 +0000

If you like contemplating the problems in translating poetry, you will love Douglas Hofstadter’s “Le Ton bon de Marot,” in which the same short French poem is translated into English in dozens of different styles, with long commentaries on the fidelity of the translations.

By: david foster

david foster — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 20:55:07 +0000

I also like Heine’s remark–poetic although not poetry–about the impact of the railroads. (This was written in Paris in 1843.)

“I feel the mountains and forests of all countries advancing towards Paris. Already, I smell the scent of German lime-trees; the North-Sea breaks on my doorstep.”

from my post duz web mak us dumr?

By: A. C.

A. C. — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 02:53:50 +0000

I am reminded of a complaint about translations of poetry made by, I was told, a Russian poet, about a century ago:

“Translations are like women:
the beautiful are not faithful,
the faithful are not beautiful.”

By: Tatyana

Tatyana — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 01:06:48 +0000

Ugh, I just realized the links don’t go to separate verses. I’ll copy the “Pine..” (it’s pine, not spruce in Lermontov’s):

На севере диком стоит одиноко
___На голой вершине сосна
И дремлет, качаясь, и снегом сыпучим
___Одета, как ризой, она.

И снится ей все, что в пустыне далекой,
___В том крае, где солнца восход,
Одна и грустна на утесе горючем
___Прекрасная пальма растет.

By: Tatyana

Tatyana — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 01:02:39 +0000

Russian translation (Ginsburg) goes even further: not only there is no “breaking in two”; the author appears to address a reader; approx. –
“your heart will break
if [this] story will happen to you”.

Of course, “A Pine And A Palm” is a classic that was a required memorization some time in middle school, I think – in Lermontov’s translation. I could still recite it, with only limited cheating.

There is one poem that I was very fond of (at about 14) – “I don’t believe in Heaven, not in New or Old Testament – only in your eyes I find my heavenly light…Don’t believe in evil spirit or torturous gehenna – I only believe in your eyes and your unkind heart” Something like that…very Romantic.

By: Lexington Green

Lexington Green — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 00:35:06 +0000

David, very good. Thanks for sharing this.