Tag Archives: translation

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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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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Travesía del Ferry Brooklyn (2)

Posted on March 4, 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. Half of part 2 follows here: 2)The impalpable sustenance of me from all things at … Continue reading →

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Travesía del Ferry Brooklyn

Posted on March 2, 2021 by JMN

Versión castellana del poema “Crossing Brooklyn Ferry” (1856) de Walt Whitman. Texto inglés — http://www.poetryfoundation.org. Years ago, Pepe Portillo, a classmate at the University of Barcelona, loaned me a volume of Dylan Thomas’s poetry translated into Spanish — or “Castellano” … Continue reading →

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Neruda LXXXIX

Posted on February 28, 2021 by JMN

[LXXXIX]Cuando yo muera quiero tus manos en mis ojos:When I die I want your hands in my eyes:quiero la luz y el trigo de tus manos amadasI want the light and the wheat of your dear handspasar una vez más … Continue reading →

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Neruda XC

Posted on February 23, 2021 by JMN

[XC]Pensé morir, sentí de cerca el frío,I thought I would die, felt up close the cold,y de cuanto viví, sólo a ti te dejaba:and of all the life I’d lived, only you was I leaving:tu boca eran mi día y … Continue reading →

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