Well, 'yes' and 'no' to the poetic element, Kasper. I like them to
read as contemporary poems, not as dry as some translations that seem
to go for the 'sense' of the poem. But I would dearly love to know
more about the lingo and the cultural context of the originals. So
many things to do in a lifetime!
Andrew
On 11/04/07, kasper salonen <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> serene & picturesque Andrew, & unusually poetic. what chinese poems
> I've read are very straightforward & even narrative; these are also,
> but your translation, I can bet, adds a real poetic element.
>
> KS
>
> On 11/04/07, andrew burke <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> > Okay, folks, here is how a cocky Aussie met his match in the
> > translation ring. I present three classic Chinese poems in my own
> > translation. I am 'proud' of the first two but, while I _like_ the
> > third one, it is wildly inadequote. As it won't see the light of day
> > anywhere else, I lay it on you.
> >
> > (title) Crows Calling at Midnight
> > Li Bai
> >
> > Yellow clouds behind the tower where
> > a crow returns and calls caw caw on a branch.
> > Inside, a Qin river girl weaves a brocade
> > of green yarn like mist, hears a whisper at the window
> > She stops the shuttle, but it is nobody. She recalls her friend
> > far away, and herself in tears like rain alone in her room
> >
> > (trans. Andrew Burke)
> >
> >
> >
> > (title) Homesickness
> > Li Gou
> >
> > Some say the sun sets on the horizon
> > I see all corners of the sky but I do not see my home
> > I already hate the blue mountains for keeping us separated
> > Blue mountains covered in cloud by evening
> >
> > (trans. Andrew Burke)
> >
> >
> >
> > (title) Spring View
> > Du Fu
> >
> >
> > Though the country is damaged,
> > mountains and rivers remain whole,
> > spring is alive in the city in grass and trees, as
> > flowers express my melancholy, like a splash of tears -
> > sad to be apart, a bird startles my heart.
> > Beacon fires signal a season away –
> > letters from home worth a year's salary.
> > I scratch where my hair turns white and thin
> > too thin to hold a hairpin
> >
> > (trans. Andrew Burke)
> >
> >
> > --
> > Andrew
> > http://hispirits.blogspot.com/
> > http://www.inblogs.net/hispirits
> > http://www.flickr.com/photos/aburke/
> >
>
--
Andrew
http://hispirits.blogspot.com/
http://www.inblogs.net/hispirits
http://www.flickr.com/photos/aburke/
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