Monthly Archives: March 2021

Story Power

Posted on March 17, 2021 by JMN

There is one form of power that has fascinated me ever since I was a girl… the power of storytelling. In this May, 2019 essay, novelist Elena Ferrante writes that the “Decameron” by Giovanni Boccaccio (1313-1375) made a great impression … Continue reading →

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Travesía (5)

Posted on March 14, 2021 by JMN

Versión castellana del poema “Crossing Brooklyn Ferry” (1856) de Walt WhitmanEnglish text at http://www.poetryfoundation.orgSpanish Interpretation by JMN [Translator’s note: Though officially Spanish has imported the word “ferry,” I haven’t been happy with using it in the title of my rendering … Continue reading →

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The Humble Art

Posted on March 13, 2021 by JMN

I support the premise, aspirationally, that translation “involves being a writer,” to quote this article. The premise piggybacks on something I took on board long ago — that the first asset of a capable translator is to write well in … Continue reading →

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‘Ethics of Translation’ (?)

Posted on March 12, 2021 by JMN

As a presumptive translator I’m nagged by a sense of straying where I don’t belong. Where is my writ to translate into a non-native language, for example? I didn’t suck Spanish from mother’s teat. How can I possibly match what … Continue reading →

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Travesía del Ferry Brooklyn (4)

Posted on March 11, 2021 by JMN

Versión castellana del poema “Crossing Brooklyn Ferry” (1856) de Walt WhitmanEnglish text at http://www.poetryfoundation.orgSpanish Interpretation by JMN [Translator’s note: In what’s coming, I’ve preferred preterite tense over imperfect tense where the speaker gives vent to a rapture of connection transcending … Continue reading →

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‘Bad Boy’ Harpsichordist

Posted on March 10, 2021 by JMN

Scott Ross moved to France when he was 12 years old. He studied harpsichord and organ at the Paris and Nice Conservatories, and in 1971 won the Bruges International Competition, in Belgium. Five years before dying of AIDS in 1982 … Continue reading →

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Neruda [LXXXVII]

Posted on March 9, 2021 by JMN

[LXXXVII]Las tres aves del mar, tres rayos, tres tijerasThe three sea birds, three flashes, three scissorscruzaron por el cielo frío hacia Antofagasta,crossed over the cold sky towards Antofagasta,por eso quedó el aire tembloroso,that’s why the air was set to shaking,todo … Continue reading →

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Travesía del Ferry Brooklyn (3)

Posted on March 8, 2021 by JMN

Versión castellana del poema “Crossing Brooklyn Ferry” (1856) de Walt WhitmanEnglish text at http://www.poetryfoundation.orgSpanish Interpretation by JMN The poem has 9 parts of differing lengths. The rest of part 2 follows here: Others will enter the gates of the ferry … Continue reading →

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Neruda LXXXVIII

Posted on March 6, 2021 by JMN

[LXXXVIII]El mes de marzo vuelve con su luz escondidaThe month of March is back with its absconded lighty se deslizan peces inmensos por el cielo,and immense fish slide through the sky,vago vapor terrestre progresa sigiloso,vague earth-bound mist advances furtively,una por … Continue reading →

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‘The Painting Just Falls Off the Brush’

Posted on March 5, 2021 by JMN

… Ms. Shinoda worked primarily in sumi ink, a solid form of ink, made from soot pressed into sticks… “It is… necessary to finish one’s work very quickly. So the composition must be determined in my mind before I pick … Continue reading →

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