Author Archives: JMN

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About JMN

I live in Texas and devote much of my time to easel painting on an amateur basis. I stream a lot of music, mostly jazz, throughout the day. I like to read and memorize poetry.

Still Life

Posted on March 20, 2021 by JMN

(c) 2021 JMN

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Neruda LXXXVI

Posted on March 18, 2021 by JMN

[LXXXVI]Oh Cruz del Sur, oh trébol de fósforo fragante,O Southern Cross, O cloverleaf of fragrant phosphorous,con cuatro besos hoy penetró tu hermosuratoday your beauty pierced with four kissesy atravesó la sombra y mi sombrero:and crossed over the shadow and my … Continue reading →

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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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