Forum for Go (poem by Jorge Luis Borges)

Comments on translation [#15694]

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xela: Comments on translation (2024-10-12 14:00) [#12523]

It's your translation, so I'm not going to edit the main page...

I think your latest edit is not an improvement! "It's older than the oldest writing" sounds more poetic to me. Replacing "writing" with "written word" is more precise, but for my taste it interrupts the flow of the poem.

I like "holds a mirror to the stars", but I wonder if "the board is a map of the stars" might be even better? I agree that "stars" is better than the literal translation of "universe".

Near the end, I'd suggest: "I, ignorant of most things, ignore one more". I think of "ignore" as continuous present tense, not a completed action, so "ignore once more" feels unidiomatic to me.

And for the last line, perhaps "of a labyrinth that will never be mine". For my taste, "won't" is too much like everyday language, and "will never" is more emotionally charged and more poetic. Did you mean "grave" in the sense of serious, or as a reference to a graveyard? Either way, I don't find it convincing: to me, the sentiment is more mysterious and a little bit melancholy, not tragic?

I'm really more of a mathematician than a poet, so feel free to ignore my suggestions if you don't find them helpful! Thanks for adding this poem and your translation to the library :-)

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luigi87: Good points (2024-10-20 06:12) [#12525]

Your suggestions are closer to the original, so I think you're right. I can't compete with Borges. However, my intention was to provide an adaptation in blank verse (unrhymed iambic pentameter) rather than a literal translation. I only introduced changes where it was required by the meter.

"It's older than the oldest writing" is only nine syllables.

"and the board is a map of the stars" is only nine syllables.

"I, ignorant of most things, ignore one more" is eleven syllables.

"of a labyrinth that will never be mine" is eleven syllables.

Moreover, the last three of those lines have no iambic rhythm.

I chose "grave" (serious, solemn) as an adjective for "labyrinth" because it sounded like something Borges would say, but let me know if you find a more suitable one-syllable adjective.

I was worried that "ignore once more" wouldn't be idiomatic, but I hoped it would create an interesting effect. I couldn't find a better alternative that adhered to the meter.

Thanks for the feedback!

 
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Forum for Go (poem by Jorge Luis Borges)
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