login | delos: a journal of translation and world literature main navigation main content sidebar current archives search subscribe toggle search register login search toggle navigation home login subscription or article purchase required to access item. to verify subscription, access previous purchase, or purchase article, log in to journal. username password forgot your password? keep me logged in login register sidebar-links about overview editorial board contact contributors author guidelines submit subscribers subscribe/renew news sign-upnews sign-up issn: 0011-7951 eissn: 2573-5659   main office: 2046 ne waldo road suite 2100 gainesville, fl 32609 phone: 352-392-1351 email: journals@upress.ufl.edu navigation home search current archives subscribe julia morrisroe simultaneity series #7 watercolor on paper jshoaf stamp delos 27 julia morrisroe more of everything series #54 acrylic, collage, flashe on panel delos 59 julia morrisroe more of everything series #54 acrylic, collage, flashe on panel delos 89 julia morrisroe pleiades #2 watercolor on paper 94 delos julia morrisroe pleiades #9 watercolor on paper 116 delos julia morrisroe simultaneity series #2 silkscreen on paper 144 delos julia morrisroe simultaneity series #8 watercolor and gouache on paper delos 169 julia morrisroe simultaneity series #9 silkscreen on paper blank page login | delos: a journal of translation and world literature main navigation main content sidebar current archives search subscribe toggle search register login search toggle navigation home login subscription or article purchase required to access item. to verify subscription, access previous purchase, or purchase article, log in to journal. username password forgot your password? keep me logged in login register sidebar-links about overview editorial board contact contributors author guidelines submit subscribers subscribe/renew news sign-upnews sign-up issn: 0011-7951 eissn: 2573-5659   main office: 2046 ne waldo road suite 2100 gainesville, fl 32609 phone: 352-392-1351 email: journals@upress.ufl.edu navigation home search current archives subscribe preface the year 2018 reverberates with the echoes of historical events— the end of world war i in 1918, the revolutionary protests of 1968. for the editors, contributors, reviewers and readers of this journal, there is a more par tic u lar echo: the founding of delos at the university of texas in austin, texas in 1968. the wish to celebrate and commemorate delos as a literary translation journal has led one of the editors to two research visits in the summer of 2018: one to the greek island of delos in the cyclades archipelago, and one to the iwalewahaus, a cultural center for african art in bayreuth, germany. iwalewa-­haus­is­significant­­because­its­first­director­was­the­late­ulli­beier,­ an impor tant contributor to the second 1968 delos issue. two books, each full of photo graphs and graphic art as documentary evidence have been entered in the editorial library of delos: fotini zaphiropoulou, delos: monuments and museum (athens: krene, 2016), and ulli beier, neue kunst aus australien, fidschi, indien, japan, nigeria, papuaneuguinea und tonga (nürnberg: verlag für moderne kunst, 2003). the connection of our journal and its content today to iwalewahaus, as part of the university of bayreuth’s and the state of bavaria’s commitment to african art and culture, is obvious. transcultural communication between africa and eu rope, with en glish as the linking language, is central. and because of the explosion of cultural events and the valuable collection of works of art, this center of african art is wellrewarded by bavarian banks, as evidenced by the fact that the iwalewahaus, downtown bayreuth, is housed in a former bank building. in­explicit­cele­bration­of­the­fiftieth­anniversary­of­a­journal­of­translation called delos, we pres ent in this issue a retranslation into yorùbá of ulli beier’s 1968 en glish versions of fourteen poems composed by yorùbá oral poets. beier and his friends never published the originals, and the reverse translation, which can be recited as the originals were, is explic itly an attempt to give back to nigerians something of beier, as the translator, dr. abidemi bolorinwa, tells us. the greek island of delos, a sanctuary of apollo since 700 bce, is perhaps less obviously connected to the pursuit of literary translation in the pages of delos, but the original editors of the journal did not choose its name wrongly. the most prominent and accessible symbol of the sanctuary of the island is vi preface the gallery of the overlife size sculptures of lions.1 certainly, one impor tant function of those lions in the minds of the citizens and priests of naxos and delos back then was to safeguard the temples, statues and works of devotion from pos si ble invaders and profane plunderers—of which there were many in the course of the centuries. the lion, often in the classical form of a pair, as guardian of valuable property and works of art has survived to this very day. it is not too fanciful to recognize the roaring lion as part of the credit picture of the hollywood metrogoldwyn mayer movies as a symbol of such guarding of the sacred function of art works and of art itself. another such symbol, though far more tormented, is the sphinx, and this issue offers stephen rojcewicz’s meditation on oedipus, informed by history, early artistic depictions, and psychoanalysis. in a chronological leap, we move ahead to the eu ro pean middle ages, provence and iceland, to a singable translation of a troubadour song and to a saga account of a darkskinned ninth century viking who retired to breiðafjord. two french stories purportedly for children, written ninety years apart, follow. the earlier is by théophile gautier, and it evokes folklore and christian lore with an irony that approaches the tragic, as the accompanying essay by the translator, j. e. rivers, makes clear. the other is a lighter work; marcel aymé does not so much evoke as bounce off the tale of red riding hood. our se lection of twentieth-century rus sian poetry includes mandelstam, brodsky, and the surrealist nicolas zablotsky. fi nally, there are ulli beier’s poems, with their yorùbá retranslations, reminding us that, in the world of translation, lit er a ture may be a river into which one cannot step twice. we­have­found­some­photo­graphs­and­other­illustrations­to­fit­some­of­the­ works presented. special thanks to egisto sani and örn óskarson for the use of their wonderful photo graphs! hal h. rennert judy shoaf 1 our logo (based on a photo graph) and the title page drawing by the late hiram williams depict one of the lions of delos. preface 5 preface this new and revived volume of delos is appearing after a hiatus of thirteen years. as of april 2015 the harold p. hanson estate has turned over the editorship to me. i am no stranger to this enterprise, having been a guest-editor for volume 19-20 in 1997. delos was founded as part of a generous grant by the ford foundation to the university of texas in austin in 1965. but only three issues -albeit rich and divers in content -appeared there in 1968-69. next, delos (re)appeared with eleven issues as a publication of the center for world literature at the university of maryland, edited by reed whittemore in 1988-91. and from 1991 through 2003 under the editorship of harold p. hanson another eleven issues were published at the university of florida. because literary translation from any language into english is a vast field, a theme of literature and music was chosen for this year’s issue of delos. the theme for 2017 is literature and image. in terms of editorial policy, delos solicits and welcomes translations from any language/literature into english – for practical reasons “any” languages and literatures meaning those taught and researched at major universities in the united states and canada. at this point the selection for this year may seem somewhat arbitrary; i look forward to more diverse submissions and thus a published selection from other european as well as asian and african languages and literatures in the future. shorter pieces – five to fifteen pages in length – are preferred. one of the more interesting and puzzling aspects in the areas of foreign languages and literature teaching/research and literary translations in this country is a disconnect between the two. to illustrate this, let us take the illustrious record of professor william calin, graduate research professor at the university of florida, as an example: there is no connection between his impressive scholarship in literary studies (cf. notes on contributors). it doesn’t list any item of or about translation. conversely, the same lack of literary analysis exists in the work by literary translators, although, to be sure, professional, especially full-time translators, are much fewer in number in this country. no doubt, this disparity is part of the nature of specialization. but it is also a result of a misperception of the status of the english language as a lingua franca. or, to put it another way, if there are fewer and fewer speakers and practitioners of other major languages in which state-of-the-art knowledge is published in this country, than translations from those languages into english, translation becomes increasingly more important and pressing. 6 delos a preface also is an opportunity to recognize the individual expertise in the languages and literatures represented in delos and to give thanks. without the following members of the new board of advisors this enterprise could not exist: cynthia chennault, dror abend-david, elinore fresh, will kesling, charles perrone, stephen rojcewicz, gregor thuswaldner, sidney wade and mary watt. my thanks also go to julia morrisroe as the new artist-advisor and to alexander burak as the new review editor. i also thank the harold p. hanson estate, particularly, harold’s daughter and executor, ms barbara hanson herbert in the trust extended to me. for generous financial donations i thank the department of spanish and portuguese studies as well as professor of spanish and associate dean david pharies in the college of liberal arts and sciences at the university of florida. h.h.r. gainesville february, 2016 login | delos: a journal of translation and world literature main navigation main content sidebar current archives search subscribe toggle search register login search toggle navigation home login subscription or article purchase required to access item. to verify subscription, access previous purchase, or purchase article, log in to journal. username password forgot your password? keep me logged in login register sidebar-links about overview editorial board contact contributors author guidelines submit subscribers subscribe/renew news sign-upnews sign-up issn: 0011-7951 eissn: 2573-5659   main office: 2046 ne waldo road suite 2100 gainesville, fl 32609 phone: 352-392-1351 email: journals@upress.ufl.edu navigation home search current archives subscribe rennert/white 63 three poems by marie luise kaschnitz translation and commentary: hal h. rennert musical setting: john d. white listening image recorded the pounding of the pistons the rolling wheels ringing of the telephone agnus dei fleeting steps barking dogs in the suburb music box adding the sound from the chest of a man his wheezing getting shorter breaths of air superimposed his memories of certain ocean breakers which i let dominate powerfully up the cliffs while his breath getting smaller extinguishes. 64 delos hörbild aufgenommen das stampfen der kolben die rollenden räder telefongeklingel agnus dei gerufene namen flüchtende schritte hundegebell in der vorstadt orchestrion dazu das geräusch aus der brust eines mannes seine keuchenden immer kürzeren atemzüge eingeblendet seine erinnerung an eine gewisse brandung die ich überhandnehmen lasse mächtig felsaufwärts während sein atem klein wird erlischt. rennert/white 65 66 delos rennert/white 67 68 delos no magic incantation some replies could be opposed decapitating the young black walnut by the storm and all those other more frightful gorgon heads. no magic incantation no gesture words written long ago i will enter in my text such as from thomas aquinas because evil exists god exists. kein zauberspruch einiges wäre entgegenzuhalten der jungen von sturm geköpften schwarznuß und allen viel schrecklicheren gorgonhäuptern. kein zauberspruch keine geste worte einmal aufgeschrieben will ich meinen text einfügen. etwa diese aus aquino weil das böse ist ist gott. rennert/white 69 70 delos rennert/white 71 birds birds – a couple still but how unequal now one greedily pecking life’s smallish leftover among the warm leaves the other flown off its clear shadow gliding across the snowy field circling thrice each time paler yet no cry from the clouds no feather descending. vögel ein paar vögel noch immer aber wie ungleich jetzt einer gierig aufpickend den kleinen lebensrest im warmen laub der andere entflogen sein klarer schatten gleitet übers schneefeld zieht kreise drei jder ein wenig blasser kein schrei aus den wolken keine feder herab. 72 delos rennert/white 73 74 delos commentary: each of the three poems was first published in kein zauberspruch (1972), one of five volumes of poetry by marie luise kaschnitz during her life-time (19011974). the poem “vögel” (birds) was actually written in the early 1960s, shortly after her husband, the art historian guido von weinberg-kaschnitz, had died in 1958. one literary critic refers to this poem perceptively as a secular requiem (“ein weltliches requiem”). although there is a strong biographical element in kaschnitz’s writing, her range of themes is much deeper and wider. she shares with other german and other european writers the classical humanism of mid-twentieth century and straddles a complex and enlightened weltanschauung as, for example, her friendships to theodor adorno, paul celan, dolf sternberger and ingeborg bachmann demonstrate. my fellow colleagues in the field of german studies in north america are familiar with her famous short story, “das dicke kind” (the fat child), if for no other reason than it’s ubiquitous appearance in undergraduate textbooks. a selection of her poems from four collections appearing in german-speaking countries in europe between 1957 and 1972 were included in the selected later poems of marie luise kaschnitz, translated by lisel mueller, princeton university press, 1980. john white and i have collaborated on literary-musical projects for over thirty years. the kaschnitz lieder project grew out of a larger prospective monograph on the poetry and short prose of kaschnitz and my research at the german literature archive in marbach, germany, where her literary estate, that is, her manuscripts, letters and papers (nachlass) is located. i took up john white’s challenge – with an eye and ear to possible successful musical settings – selecting ten of kaschnitz’s best poems from an oeuvre of over one thousand published and several dozen unpublished poems for translation. the three poems in the current issue of delos represent an additional refinement of this challenge. william calin, the lily and the thistle: the french tradition and the older literature of scotland. toronto: university of toronto press, 2014, 432 pp. this study examines the french impact on medieval and renaissance scottish literature. progressing from the notion that “although less pervasive in scotland, and with scottish writers coming under a strong english influence, french remained a powerful focus for all literature in the vernacular” (3), calin explains that his study was intended, in part, to form a sequel to his 1994 book entitled french tradition and the literature of medieval england. calin aligns the lily and the thistle with critical works of scholars including janet m. smith (scottish literature) and r.d.s. jack (italian literature). focusing on extant written texts, calin suggests that much of traditional, medieval, and early modern scottish culture that scholars have traditionally thought to be either native to scotland or to have originated from england, in fact, has extraordinarily international (and french) roots. by examining scottish works against an international backdrop, calin underscores why french literary genres and ways of expression were popular in the scotland of the eras under evaluation. part one of the lily and the thistle presents medieval narrative texts in the high courtly mode (chaucerian texts). preferring to call such narratives “tales of love,” calin explores in five chapters a range of primary texts including the kingis quair (king james i), the testament of cresseid (robert henryson), the palice of honour (gavin douglas), the goldyn targe, and the thrissill and the rois (william dunbar), and the court of venus (john rolland). these texts can be described as courtly narratives that treat both love and the psychology of lovers (13). part two presents comical, didactic, and satirical texts. calin examines in five chapters a variety of texts including henryson’s morall fabillis, dunbar’s tretis of the tua mariit wemen and the wedo, three texts by david lyndsay including ane satyre of the thrie estaitis, the testament of the papyngo, and squyer meldrum, and the freiris of berwik (a “fabliau”) and king hart. in this section, calin endeavors to de-compartmentalize modes of clerical provenance (83). part three presents “verse romances” many of which come either from the arthurian tradition or are inspired by it. calin devotes five chapters to romances including fergus, lancelot of the laik, golagros and gawane, the taill of rauf coilyear, and eger and grime. lastly, part four explores “soundings” of the scottish renaissance characterized by an interest in “belles lettres,” greco-roman myths, and themes of love, of life, and of man’s unique destiny (221). in four chapters, calin examines poetry by mary queen of scots, king james vi, william alexander’s the monarchchick tragedies, and the work of william drummond of hawthornden. the book’s conclusion reinforces the thesis that one should not be surprised that french literature impacted the medieval 126 delos and renaissance literature of scotland. this book offers a thoughtprovoking perspective on the influence of french literature on a part of europe that has largely remained overlooked. the lily and the thistle thus assesses diverse medieval narrative texts in several genres including the high courtly mode (analogous to the french “dits amoureux”), comic, didactic, and satirical texts, and also the scottish romance. calin’s investigation lends particular focus toward texts originally created in french including roman de fergus of the arthurian tradition, as well as to the lyrics of mary queen of scots and relatively obscure writers from the french and scottish literary canons. his book describes waves of french influence over several centuries by undertaking a diachronic study that embraces both the medieval and the renaissance periods. calin’s emphasis on french literary works that either parallel or inspired works of the scottish literary tradition creates an interesting view on the ways in which scottish writers of the medieval and renaissance periods adapted literary styles for their local audiences. in doing so, he ascribes the scottish poets to the european tradition of writers whose works focused on important topics of the era including love, morality, and the passage of time. more significantly, perhaps, calin shows how these scottish writers participated in translatio studii, or the “transmission of culture.” in his examination of the kingis quair, attributed to king james i, for example, through the “translation” of the theme of love, calin shows how the “themes, motifs, and doctrine in the quair follow closely upon those found in the french love allegories of the time” (16). some of the most intriguing pages of this book are devoted to the poetic writings of mary queen of scots. calin does not stray from a literary focus on mary’s small corpus of french poetry that he aligns with the french women’s writings of a number of poets including christine de pizan and louise labé (230). in calin’s opinion, “mary queen of scots, if not a great poet, is a very good one” (234). he openly denounces the claims of some scholars who have posited that mary was not actually the author of her “casket sonnets” (235). calin’s inward-looking perspective restricts explanations that extend beyond the literary context. this viewpoint, however, is not of itself problematic. nevertheless, such a viewpoint could impede the work of the historian who might question the authenticity of mary’s “casket sonnets.” richard j. gray ii ashland university reviews 127 osip mandelstam two poems from 1937 translated from russian by ilya bernstein 1. я нынче в паутине световой — черноволосой, светло-русой, — народу нужен свет и воздух голубой, и нужен хлеб и снег эльбруса. и не с кем посоветоваться мне, а сам найду его едва ли: таких прозрачных, плачущих камней нет ни в крыму, ни на урале. народу нужен стих таинственно-родной, чтоб от него он вечно просыпался и льнянокудрою, каштановой волной — его звучаньем — умывался. 2. может быть, это точка безумия, может быть, это совесть твоя — узел жизни, в котором мы узнаны и развязаны для бытия. так соборы кристаллов сверхжизненных добросовестный свет-паучок, распуская на ребра, их сызнова собирает в единый пучок. чистых линий пучки благодарные, направляемы тихим лучом, соберутся, сойдутся когда-нибудь, словно гости с открытым челом, — только здесь, на земле, а не на небе, как в наполненный музыкой дом, — только их не спугнуть, не изранить бы — хорошо, если мы доживем... то, что я говорю, мне прости... тихо-тихо его мне прочти... ilya bernstein 91 1. today i’m in a spiderweb of light— as if in black hair, and in fair— what people need is light and air of blue, and they need bread and elbrus mountain snow. and there is none who might enlighten me, while i will hardly find one on my own: not in the urals, not in the crimea— there are no such transparent, weeping stones. the people need a poem mysteriously near, to be awakened by it all their days and in the sound of it to lave forever— as in a flaxen curl, a nut-brown wave. 19 january 1937 2. maybe this is a point of mindlessness, maybe this is your conscience—this, the knot of life, in which we are recognized and untied into that which is. thus life-surpassing crystal cathedrals are stretched onto ribs by light, that painstaking spider, who gathers them once more in a single beam. beams of pure lines, grateful ones, steered by a quiet ray will meet, will unite someday like guests with their heads unbared. only not in the sky, but on earth, as in a house filled with song. how not to harm, not to frighten them? if only we live so long... forgive me for speaking out loud... read it quietly to me now... 15 march 1937 92 osip mandelstam ***** mandelstam was not the first person to compare the retina to a spiderweb—the greek anatomist who first described this body part had given it the name arachnoides—but he was perhaps the first poet to envision himself in the midst of photoreceptive tissue, as he does in the first of these poems, surrounded by luminous filaments and experiencing a clarity in which even the needs of the nation become viewable. the image of poetry as a kind of sensory organ allowing for a vision otherwise inaccessible is a constant theme in mandelstam’s later poems. for him, poetic saying enables seeing, rather than the other way around, and the ideal poem is a “gift from the psalmist to the visionary.” in his youth, mandelstam compared the poetic word to a stone, and he revives this image in the second stanza here, only now he knows what kind of stone it must be: one that is endowed with the faculty of vision, one that is capable of tears... and such stones not even the expanse and geological variety of soviet lands can produce. finally, in the third stanza, mandelstam lays old metaphors aside and says directly what this poem is about: it is a poem about a poem, one that could become an ever-open eye for the people, ensuring their wakefulness. only the filaments out of which its retina would be spun would be made not of light, but of its own sound, which would wash those who see through it in the manner of lachrymation. that sound, alas, cannot be rendered in translation, at least not by me, so readers of this poem in english are barred from judging whether the actual poem before them itself is such a poem as is described in the poem. russian readers are likely to say that it is. in the second poem, composed a couple of months later, mandelstam’s attention shifts from the spiderweb to the spider who spins it. the starting point is once again the eye, through which we are simultaneously grasped by others and unbound into waking life ourselves. the poem’s second stanza repeats this figure, now not from our point of view, but from the point of view of light, imagined as a busy little spider. spinning a retina out of rays that issue out of itself, it sends these filaments out into the world, to render objects visible, and collects them again in a bundle when they are reflected back into the eye. the eye, ilya bernstein 93 considered from this angle, is simply an intrusion by light into human anatomy, a convergence of its multiple rays in a single bundle or beam. it is in the third stanza of this poem that mandelstam embarks on a description of a mysterious process in which multiple such bundles, shown the way by a ray, themselves undergo a still further bundling. what is he describing in this beautiful image of light guiding light? he is describing human eyes being led by the light of day toward a shared focusing. what will be the common object of their attention? what can it be but a poem: not one spoken out loud, but one that appears on a page, where readers’ eyes gather across the ages in silence. this is why the ray that facilitates their concentration is given the epithet “quiet”: because it plays a role in a context in which out-loudness might have been expected. but across the ages a poem survives only on the page, in the written word, voicelessly. yet notice the contrast between the silence in which the steering, the gathering, and the reading take place, and the music that fills the house once the guests arrive. finally, who is the addressee of the last two lines? the reappearance of the word “quietly” gives it away: i believe it is to the bundles of light in his own eyes that mandelstam offers this apology for using his voice, lest it disturb the process envisioned in the preceding stanzas. i have published translations of these two poems before, though not side by side, and not in this form. the poems of osip mandelstam, trans. ilya bernstein (2014), is available online from epc digital editions (http://epc.buffalo.edu/library/mandelstam_ poems_ilya-bernstein.pdf) and in traditional book form from m-graphics publishing. the translations presented here are new. i.b. http://epc.buffalo.edu/library/mandelstam_poems_ilya-bernstein.pdf http://epc.buffalo.edu/library/mandelstam_poems_ilya-bernstein.pdf _goback poema de sete faces carlos de drummond de andrade, 1930 quando nasci, um anjo torto desses que vivem na sombra disse: vai, carlos, ser gauche na vida. as casas espiam os homens que correm atrás das mulheres. a tarde talvez fosse azul não houvesse tantos desejos. o bonde passa cheia de pernas: pernas brancas pretas amarelas. para que tanta perna, meu deus, pergunta meu coração. porém meus olhos não perguntam nada. o homem atrás do bigode é sério, simples e forte. quase não conversa. tem poucos, raros amigos o homem atrás dos óculos e do bigode. meu deus, por que me abandonaste se sabias que eu não era deus se sabias que eu era fraco. mundo mundo vasto mundo se eu me chamasse raimundo seria uma rima, não uma solução. mundo mundo vasto mundo, mais vasto é meu coração. eu não devia te dizer, mas essa lua mas essa conhaque botam a gente comovido como o diabo. carlos drummond de andrade, poesía completa e prosa (rio de janeiro: companhia josé aguilar editora, 1973), p. 53. the eight translations on the next few pages were transcribed by anne connor to accompany her article in this issue. nine translations 41 poem of seven faces trans. john a. nist, 1965 when i was born, a twisted angel, one of those who live in the shadow, said: go, carlos! be gauche in life. the houses spy on men men chase after women. the evening might have been blue, had there not been so many desires. the streetcar passes by full of legs: white, black, yellow legs. my god, my heart asks, why so many legs? and yet my eyes question nothing. the man behind the mustache is serious, simple and strong. he seldom talks. he has a few, rare friends, the man behind the glasses and the mustache. my lord, why did you abandon me since you knew that i wasn’t god since you knew that i was weak. world, world, vast world, if my name was twirled it’d be a rhyme, it wouldn’t be a solution. world, world, vast world, even vaster is my heart. i shouldn’t tell you but this moon but this cognac shake a person up like hell. john a. nist, trans., in the middle of the road; selected poems of carlos drummond de andrade (tucson: u of arizona p, 1965), p. 17. seven-sided poem trans. elizabeth bishop, 1969 when i was born, one of the crooked angels who live in shadow, said: carlos, go on! be gauche in life. the houses watch the men men who run after women. if the afternoon had been blue, there might have been less desire. the trolley goes by full of legs: white legs, black legs, yellow legs. my god, why all the legs? my heart asks. but my eyes ask nothing at all. the man behind the moustache is serious, simple, and strong. he hardly ever speaks. he has a few, choice friends, the man behind the spectacles and the moustache. my god, why hast thou forsaken me if thou knew’st i was not god, if thou knew’st that i was weak? universe, vast universe, if i had been named eugene that would not be what i mean but it would go into verse faster. universe, vast universe, my heart is vaster. i oughtn’t to tell you, but this moon and this brandy play the devil with one’s emotions. elizabeth bishop, trans., in bishop and emanuel brasil, eds., an anthology of twentieth-century brazilian poetry (middletown: wesleyan up, 1972), p. 63. 42 carlos drummond de andrade poem of seven facets trans. duane ackerson & ricardo sternberg, 1972 when i was born, a crooked angel, one of those who inhabit shadows, said: go carlos! be gauche in life. the houses look at men who run after women. the afternoon might be clear if it weren’t for so many desires. the tram goes by, full of legs: legs, white, black, yellow. my god! why so many legs, my heart asks. my eyes however, ask nothing. the man behind the moustache is serious, simple and strong. talks very little. he has few friends, the man behind the glasses and moustache. my god, why did you abandon me when you knew i was no god when you knew i was too weak. world world vast globe if my name was job it would be a rhyme not a solution world world vast world my heart is vaster i shouldn’t tell you but this moon this cognac move me like the devil. duane ackerson and ricardo sternberg, trans., the dragonfly 3.1 (spring 1972): 83. seven sided poem trans. mark strand, 1976 when i was born, one of those crooked angels who live in shadow said: go on, carlos, be gauche in life. the houses look out on men chasing after women. if the afternoon were blue there might be less desire. the trolley passes full of legs: white, black, yellow legs. my god, my heart asks, why so many legs. but my eyes ask nothing. the man behind the mustache is serious, simple, and strong. he hardly talks. he has few and precious friends, the man behind the glasses and the mustache. my god, why hast thou forsaken me. thou knewest i wasn’t god thou knewest how weak i was. world, wide world, if my name were harold it might be a rhyme but no answer. world, wide world, my heart is bigger than you are. i shouldn’t tell you but this moon and this cognac are hell on a person’s feelings. mark strand, trans., souvenir of the ancient world by carlos drummond de andrade (montreal: antaeus editions, 1976), p. 2. nine translations 43 poem with seven faces rans. virginia de araújo, 1980 when i was born, a crooked angel the kind that lives in shadow said: go, carlos, be gauche in life. the houses mount surveillance on the woman-chasers. maybe if the afternoon were blue there would be fewer desires. the trolley passes packed with legs: white legs, black and yellow ones. why so many legs, my god, my heart asks. however my eyes raise no questions. the man behind the mustache is serious, strong and simple. he hardly talks. he has few, precious friends the man behind the glasses and mustache. my god, why hast thou forsaken me knowing i wasn’t god knowing how weak i am. sphere sphere vast sphere if i were a sonneteer it would be a rhyme, not a solution. sphere sphere vast sphere more vast is my emotion. i oughtn’t to tell you but this moon but this cognac work on a man’s feelings like a devil. virginia de araújo, trans., the minus sign, selected poems by carlos drummond de andrade (redding ridge, ct: black swan books, 1980), p. 45-46. heptagonal poem trans. jack tomlins, 1978 when i was born, an unjust angel one of those who dwell in the shades said: go forth, carlos! be gauche in life. houses spy on men who chase after women. the afternoon would perhaps be blue, were there not so many desires. the streetcar passes full of legs: legs white black yellow why so many legs, good god, my heart asks. but my eyes ask not a thing. the man behind the moustache is glum, simple and strong. he speaks almost not at all. his friends are few and far between the man behind the spectacles and moustache. my god, why hast thou forsaken me if thou knewest i was not god if thou knewest that i was frail. world world wide world if my name were harold ´twould be a kind of rhyme, but no solution. world world wide world wider still my heart. i really shouldn’t tell you this but that moon but that cognac turn me on like the very devil. jack tomlins, trans., literary review 21.2 (winter 1978): 167. 44 carlos drummond de andrade poem of seven faces trans. frederick c. williams, 1996 when i was born, a crooked angel of the kind that lives in shadows said: go, carlos! be gauche in life. the houses spy on men who chase after women. if the evening perhaps were blue, there wouldn’t be so many desires. the street-car passes full of legs: white legs black yellow. why so many legs, dear god, asks my heart. but my eyes don’t question a thing. the man behind the mustache is serious, uncomplicated and strong. he almost never converses. he has few, very few friends the man behind the glasses and the mustache. my god, why have you abandoned me if you knew i wasn’t god if you knew i was weak. world world wide wide world if i had been christened mcearld it would be a rhyme, it wouldn’t be a solution, though. world world wide wide world, my heart is much wider i know. i shouldn’t tell you but that moon but that cognac put one in a crazy mood. frederick c. williams, ed. and trans., in brazil’s finest poets: a bilingual selection (santa barbara, ca: jorge de sena center for portuguese studies, 1996), p. 223. seven-sided poem trans. richard zenith, 2015 when i was born, one of those twisted angels who live in the shadows said: “carlos, get ready to be a misfit in life!“ the houses watch the men who chase after women. if desire weren’t so rampant, the afternoon might be blue. the passing streetcar’s full of legs: white and black and yellow legs. my heart asks why, my god, so many legs? my eyes, however, ask no questions. the man behind the moustache is serious, simple, and strong. he hardly ever talks. only a very few are friends with the man behind the glasses and moustache. my god, why have you forsaken me if you knew that i wasn’t god, if you knew that i was weak. world so large, world so wide, if my name were clyde, it would be a rhyme but not an answer. world so wide, world so large, my heart’s even larger. i shouldn’t tell you, but this moon but this brandy make me sentimental as hell. richard zenith, trans., multitudinous heart: selected poems by carlos drummond de andrade (new york: farrar, straus & giroux, 2015), p. 3. nine translations 45 poem of seven faces trans. anne connor, 2016 when i was born, a crooked angel, one of those who live in the shadow, said: go on, carlos! be gauche in life. the houses spy on men who chase after women. the afternoon might be blue if there weren’t so many desires. the trolley passes by full of legs: legs white and black and yellow why so many legs, my god, asks my heart. however my eyes don’t ask a thing. the man behind the mustache is serious, simple and strong. he almost never converses. he has few, rare friends the man behind the glasses and mustache. my god, why did you abandon me if you knew i wasn’t god if you knew i was weak. world world vast world if my name were earl it would be a rhyme, but not a solution. world world vast world, more vast is my heart’s resolution. i shouldn’t have told you, but that moon but that cognac play the devil with one’s emotions. note from delos: a concession has been made to symmetry in setting the original and translations of the “poema de sete faces.” in each two-page spread, additional blank lines have been inserted between stanzas to allow the first lines of each stanza to align across the pages. two contemporary bavarian songs: “veterans day” and “you here too?” by hans well translation and commentary: christopher wickham veterans day great-granddad, they said, was a tree of a man, you won’t find one like him now, try if you can. sabers for plowshares, the order was given. you can read where his name in memoriam is written in german letters gilded by hand; the forget-me-nots’ paint has kept well. in seventy-one in france he fell for the german fatherland, for the german fatherland. grandad they say was a jovial man, you won’t find one like him now, try if you can. cannons for butter, the order was given. on a plaque you can read where his name is still written in german letters gilded by hand and a handsome colorful print: didn’t come home from his world war one stint for the german fatherland, for the german fatherland. your dad they say, lad, he was a real man, you won’t find one like him now, try if you can. panzers for bread, the order was given. on the war memorial his full name is written in german letters gilded by hand, scratched in with others in a bunch since forty-five missing, russian front, for the german fatherland, for the german fatherland. now they’ve called me up to the bundeswehr. to the german army my oath i’m to swear. cannons for butter, the order’s still given, who will pay next time the check’s to be written? we stand by traditions we know with obedience, uniform, german band; the family waits down below for the german fatherland, for the german fatherland. wickham 109 heldengedenktag (1985) da urgroßvadda, hads ghoaßn, war a baamstarka mo, wie ma heit so leicht koan mehr findn ko. saabln statt pfluag, so is seinazeit gwesn. auf da gedenkdofi konn ma sein nama no lesn in deitscha schrift und goidna rand; vergißmeinnicht dazu gmoin. oanasiebzg in frankreich gfoin fürs deitsche vaterland, fürs deitsche vaterland. da großvadda, hoaßts, war a lustiga mo, wie ma heit so leicht koan mehr findn ko. kanona statt butta, so is seinazeit gwesn. auf a gedenkdofi konn ma sein nama no lesn in deitscha schrift und goidna rand und a scheena farbign druck: ausm erstn woitkriag nimma zruck fürs deitsche vaterland, fürs deitsche vaterland. dei vadda, songs, bua, des war a mo, wie ma heit so leicht koan mehr findn ko. panzer statt brot, so is seinazeit gwesn. aufm kriagadenkmoi konn ma sein nama no lesn in deitscha schrift und goidna rand, mit an haufa andre eingritzt: seit fünfavierzg in rußland vermisst fürs deitsche vaterland, fürs deitsche vaterland. mi hams jetzt eizogn zur bundeswehr. an eid derf i schwörn aufs deitsche heer. kanona statt butter, so is oiwei scho gwesn; wer zoit denn des nächste moi wieda de spesn? mir stengan zur tradition mit deitschm gehorsam und gwand; d'verwandschaft wart untn scho fürs deitsche vaterland, fürs deitsche vaterland. you here too? the archbishop of regensburg has only one concern, how to keep the protestants from high communion. a crusade against the godless throng would suit him very well but even many a christian thinks that he can go to hell. when he arrives in the devil’s fire sings a diabolic choir: you here too? you here too? we’ve waited long for this; 110 delos rogues like you we love to see; this we wouldn’t miss. you here too? you here too? you’ll soon be up the flue. smoked bishop’s hams! -a specialty we’re looking forward to. in the l.a. zoo today guests of honor come, an austrian delegation met by austria’s favorite son. the governator personally is hosting with his spouse, and now they go expectantly into the monkey house. with arnold there among the apes the gorilla yells out: that’s just great! you here too? you here too? well now, how can this be? we must have had one father, 'cause you look just like me. you here too? you here too? how’s this for an idea? i’ll govern california while you come and sit here! the youngsters in the csu, the up and coming crop, have a leader who has figured how to make it to the top. the post of general secretary has opened up at last, and so he runs to stoiber and begins to kiss his ass. and through the sphincter’s opening he hears erwin huber sing: you here too? you here too? who is it this time? just take a look at you my boy, your face is full of slime. you here too? you here too? now we have the full set, back in the duodenum is the entire cabinet. bist aa do? — hans well (2005) fürn erzbischof von regnsburg is’s wichtigste auf da woit, wie er die protestanten, vom abendmahl fernhoit. an kreuzzug gegn die ungläubign hätt er am liabstn woin, gar mancher guate christ hot denkt, den soit da teifi hoin. und fährt er einst in die hölle hinein, dann werdn de teifin schrein: bist aa do? bist aa do? auf di wart ma scho lang. ja soichne pröckerl homa gern, des war a guata fang. bist aa do? bist aa do? glei kimmst an rauchfang nauf. des gibt an guatn bischofsspeck do gfrei ma uns scho drauf. im tierpark von los angeles, is heit hoher besuch: eine delegation aus österreich von der firma steirer puch. der neue governator, is ois gastgeber dabei, jetz gehngas fröhlich und fidel, in die affenabteiung nei. und wia da arni vorm affenkäfig steht, schreit da gorilla raus: ja des gibt’s doch net: bist aa do? bist aa do? jetz bini aber baff. i glaab mir hom oan vater ghabt, mit hom dessoibe gwaff. wickham 111 bist aa do ? bist aa do? paß aauf mir foit wos ei i regier jetz kalifornien, und du hockst di do rei! bei der jungen union in bayern, homs eine spitzenkraft. der weiß, wie man in der partei den weg nach oben schafft. kaum war der spitzenposten, vom generalsekretär dann frei, do is er glei zum stoiber hi, und kriacht eahm hintn nei. und wia er sich durch die öffnung zwingt, sitzt scho da erwin huber drin und singt: bist aa do? bist aa do? ja wer schliafft denn do herein? jetz schaug amoi die lätschn o, du bist ja voller schleim. bist aa do? bist aa do? dann samma ja komplett, do hintn im zwölffingerdarm hockt da rest vom kabinett. commentary; heldengedenktag / veterans day appeared on the biermösl blosn album tschuß bayernland in 1985 (mood records). the song’s systematic structure counts its way strophe by strophe through the principal wars of a century or so of german history, each of which claimed a generation of the speaking subject’s family. now it is time for today’s young man to do his military duty. the song leaves open whether the speaker will follow tradition or not. the mood of christoph well’s composition is suitably melancholy. bist aa da? / you here too? is a traditional lively bavarian folksong (attributed to georg huber and alois hönle) that lends itself to adaptation for topical satire. and indeed biermösl blosn performed many scurrilous variations during their performances over the years. the version translated here was used in 2005 during a performance at the villa aurora, former home of bavarian exile author lion feuchtwanger and his wife martha in santa monica, california. the occasion was a reading by actor jörg hube of selections from feuchtwanger’s novel erfolg, interspersed with songs from biermösl blosn. the church, government (here with reference to arnold schwarzenegger, governor of california at the time), and political “brown-nosing” in bavaria provide the thematic tie-ins with feuchtwanger’s novel. hans well (born 1953) writes songs in bavarian dialect and standard german, often using bavarian musical idiom. as a member of the trio biermösl blosn, he performed these songs for 35 years with his brothers michael and christoph. biermösl blosn attained notoriety for their sharp satirical attacks on politics and politicians in bavaria (especially the conservative csu), the catholic church, and attitudes and trends in bavarian institutions, society, and culture, and were banned from the bavarian state-run media (bayerischer rundfunk) for a number of years. they performed frequently at high profile venues such as the kammerspiele and the residenz theater in munich, and at the vienna burgtheater, as well as at protest events (such as wackersdorf in july 1986), village festivals and civic auditoriums. hans well continues to write songs and performs with sarah, tabea, and jonas well under the name wellbappn (since 2012). 112 delos an excerpt from the novel la maison du joueur de flûte by alexander vialatte translation and commentary: sylvie blum-reid these were such happy times when uncle anselme had the pavilion built! i was somebody then. i was giving music lessons. i was the musical consciousness of the entire household. at the time, the occupants were few. they would all come; or when they were too many in the large living room, they would arrive in family groups or by age groups, or even in alphabetical order, or still linked by a deep kinship (i use different systems). what method, always! what organization! we would put the lights on. they would fall into line in front of me, the small ones in the first row, the tallest ones behind. it looked like a family picture taken for some solemn occasion. i had composed small tunes that were quite successful: the ‘mazurka of the swallows’ always made an impression. noémie would sing it so nicely! she would sing it with rodolphe. as noémie was taller, to avoid a funny contrast and upset their performance, we would place little rodolphe on top of two bricks. at the moment when the c was sung in chest voice, it was so delicious that it made up for all my troubles; and for the refrain, everyone would sing, even general chaiserue who had a glass eye, and mr. natural who needed to be led. we could see all the adults, in the darkness at the back, opening their mouths like o’s. it was magnificent. i could not see this without being moved. uncle anselme would sometimes grace us with a visit wearing his large red dressing gown with gold patterns. he would wear a black velour skullcap with a big tassel hanging above his ear. he would walk in slowly, with a nice and proud face, an air of gentle ease, prosperity and a natural grace about him, he would look at the room with satisfaction. everyone would stop singing out of respect, and i would blush. but he would gesture for me to continue. i would timidly protest. he would insist in such a flattering way that i would protest even more. he would speak in such spirit, such good manners and delicacy, that it was a pleasure to hear and reject his phrases just to hear some of the new ones more delicately and well put together. we could not stop congratulating each other. good education would flourish between us like a rose tree at the jardin des plantes. finally, he would sit in the big armchair and we would resume our chorus. he would look at the wall for the harmonious shadow that would trace with its stick some large cabalistic signs, shuffle, knead the music, slow it down all of a sudden, spread it, press it, blow it, raise it, and let it fall again into an abyss, recover it in a dry and precise stroke, bring it up in the shape of a spiral, and throw it finally towards heaven 82 delos as a frantic rocket while i would be sponging off my forehead. the linden trees smelled nice. the hour was solemn. i thought i was seeing the rainbow. then after a while, uncle anselme would meditate, eyes closed for concentration. (one could have said that the music was repeating inside him, and that he was listening to it from within.) he would only reopen his eyes, all of a sudden, in a bit of a jump, while listening to mrs. petitprince’s a. it must be said that mrs. petitprince, very gifted with rhythm and feelingwas only able to give the a from high up while kicking the floor with her high heels, which would help the note emerge out of limbo through the twitch of a limb, like a horse kicked forward with a spur. this shock, which would break a bit of the charm, when not used to it, would startle uncle anselme. it might be said that his ears were jumping, and despite the dignity of his brisk gestures, it made you think of a milksman horse meeting a locomotive at a railroad crossing. but this is where the resemblance stopped for uncle anselme instead of galloping would let a surprised or marveled gaze at the audience, would caress in a flattering look the last row’s mouths, in the darkness, a row of slightly different o’s that looked like a line of writing in a child’s notebook; his eye would follow the invisible curve that was coming out like a golden dotted line, out of all these open throats, -that was bigger for the generaland would finally stop at the ceiling where a flock of birds was passing. next, he would swing his head from right to left, and left to right, just for two or three measures, and he would fall back again in his passionate listening, so much so that one would ask general chaiserue (a trained cavalry man) to hold onto mme petitprince at the moment of the kick. she would then call him a ‘smotherer’ of talents. generally speaking, all would go well. afterwards, uncle anselme would leave. he would gently assure us that he could not sleep without one of these beautiful auditions, and leave, followed by a sad whisper, always leaving behind him a trail of good manners, and beautiful expressions. when he was no longer there, it was not the same thing, one did not feel the same enthusiasm; i would try to play the polka of mosquitoes, or the celebration of the warblers, but i could sense a difference. uncle anselme’s consecration of the ceremony was amiss, and his presence in his large throne-like armchair was missing, along with his large shiny and slightly balding forehead, covered with shimmering silk, his shaven double chin, similar to the pope in the chinese pavilion, so much so that when he would get up, one would involuntarily look for the pewter spur embossed on his dressing gown or in the hollow of the armchair. at nights, i would see him in my dreams: he had the head of a horse that would praise to the skies, follow my stick and raise its ears following the a. this solemn frivolity matched marvelously the red dressing grown, and its golden arabesques. such happy times! these flattering visits, and large compliments that would unfold like some long blum 83 parchments adorned with elaborate letters, his large graciousness, and his distinguished meditation in the musical sanctuary, all of this no longer exists…. it was, i dare say, like a smoking herbal tea soothing a stomach ache. what an era! these polite people, these scales, arpeggios, and melodies close to obstacle races, this sweetness, these gathered tenants, musical and docile, their mouths open into os in the warm darkness, what an era! what a time! what civilization! and in summertime, just before the evening meal, when the smell of the linden trees would waft in through the two large windows!…. commentary: alexandre vialatte (1901-1971) was born in the mountainous auvergne region of france. he spent five years in germany (spire and mayenz) as a civil translator in the army. in 1922 he became a collaborator and translator for the cahiers rhénans: rheinische blätter. he did his military service in berlin in 1924-1925, and discovered kafka. he eventually became the french translator of kafka, goethe, and thomas mann. his first novel battling le ténébreux was published in 1928 (gallimard). a writer and journalist, he taught french at the franco-egyptian high school near cairo (1937-1939). during the war, he was mobilized and made prisoner. he later spent time in an asylum in 1941, suffering from hallucinations. his world was that of childhood, imagination and time. “to read vialatte is to find again the kingdom of childhood” wrote pascal sigoda, a vialatte researcher (cahiers de l’herne 8). he is said to have invented a genre, the chronicle, or the art of the short literary piece; these were about performances, but also philosophical essays about the times. although he started writing during the war, many of his novels were published posthumously: la dame du job, la maison du joueur de flûte. in 1950, he obtained the swiss prize charles veillon for les fruits du congo. his chronicles were assembled into different volumes dernières nouvelles de l'homme, la porte de bath-rabbim, et c'est ainsi qu'allah est grand, l'éléphant est irrefutable, éloge du homard et autres insectes utiles and chroniques de la montagne. vialatte wrote about painting, paying special attention to his friend jean dubuffet who illustrated some of his work as well. in la maison du joueur de flûte (1986, posthumously) a nostalgic narrator returns to his roots, and his childhood house in a village. the house keeps changing, as do the inhabitants over time. many of them are children. the fantastic takes over. the owner or narrator, also a photographer, captures them in photographs, but somehow the shutter stops working and the shots are superimposed meanwhile all the household characters remain elusive. the narrator claims to be the ‘musical consciousness’ of the entire household. musical references abound in the house, which haunts its inhabitants. p.s. i wish to thank my editor, hal rennert for his patient and informed editing and miriam zach and willard ray kesling (university of florida school of music) for their help regarding a technical musical term. 84 delos login | delos: a journal of translation and world literature main navigation main content sidebar current archives search subscribe toggle search register login search toggle navigation home login subscription or article purchase required to access item. to verify subscription, access previous purchase, or purchase article, log in to journal. username password forgot your password? keep me logged in login register sidebar-links about overview editorial board contact contributors author guidelines submit subscribers subscribe/renew news sign-upnews sign-up issn: 0011-7951 eissn: 2573-5659   main office: 2046 ne waldo road suite 2100 gainesville, fl 32609 phone: 352-392-1351 email: journals@upress.ufl.edu navigation home search current archives subscribe delos 171 but lhotzky has chosen not to load up his translations with notes, which was probably wise. this is not a scholarly edition but is clearly intended to be a singable collection. whether that objective succeeds depends entirely on the reader’s familiarity with the music; lhotzky does point out that many of the songs are available on youtube through degenhardt’s comprehensive website. this book includes not only a thoughtful and insightful foreword by lhotzky but also an extremely useful appendix listing the song contents (titles, not entire lyrics) from all of degenhardt’s recorded albums over his fifty-year career. degenhardt was a politically engaged observer of germany through its postwar ups and downs, not only the years of the great coalition of cdu and spd, but up to and including reunification in 1990, after which he recorded nine cds. lhotzky includes only five song translations from this late period. traduttore traditore (the translator is a traitor) is no less true now than when it was first expressed in the context of translating dante into french, and yet one would not therefore ask that translators stop trying. lhotzky’s attempts are a valuable service in sharing a good cross-section of one of germany’s most important liedermacher with an anglo-american audience. richard rundell david trueba. blitz. translated from spanish by john cullen. new york: other, 2016. 176 pages. “eventually i went back to sleep, and memory of the years we’d shared rolled through my mind, images evoked by nostalgia or spite,” reflects beto, the narrator and protagonist of david trueba’s 2015 novel blitz, as he shares a munich hotel room with the woman whose infidelity he has just discovered. nostalgia or spite remain, generally, the underlying political message of this text, as some combination of these emotions leaves our narrator in a self-pitying quagmire. explaining his decision to skip his flight back to spain and stay in germany after the landscape architecture conference that has brought them there, beto tells us, “my inertia could be understood as petty revenge.” against his girlfriend, certainly. but, on a wider level, his inertia is a protest against the modern economy. the eurozone crisis is the inevitable backdrop, the necessary explanation for this novel of crash, failure, and drift. 172 reviews in the first half of what the spanish publisher anagrama editorial marketed in 2015 as a “tragicomedia romántica,” a label other press has stuck with, our narrator travels to munich with his gorgeous, failing-actress girlfriend. he is a more-or-less flailing landscape architect, living on the verge of poverty following the collapse of spanish spending. she is his sidekick in his madrid “firm,” a spare room in their apartment, where he designs projects that will never be built. for the munich competition, he has designed a park for adults full of hourglasses, with the idea that they would transform the inevitable passage of time into something visual: “it would teach you to appreciate what three minutes were.” he discovers that his girlfriend has been cheating on him with her uruguayan musician ex; he stays on in germany for a few days, breaking his cellphone, checking his empty bank account, pushing a more successful catalan colleague off-stage during a roundtable, and sleeping with a german woman twice his age, helga. she arranges for his return flight, during which the catalan architect offers him a job at his firm in barcelona. he moves there, lives with a sexy, self-described “vampire” of a lesbian, sleeps with girls while keeping his distance, and eventually, impulsively, flies to mallorca on new year’s eve to reunite with helga. trueba (born in madrid in 1969) has moved with success between cinema, literature, and journalism. indeed, he has recently announced that blitz will be adapted as a film. in all three areas, his work has been heavy on humor and heavy on leftism. even while announcing the adaptation of blitz, he explained that he bases his fiction on real life and uses it to solve real problems. however, a few years earlier, discussing his 2008 saber perder, the author said that he doesn’t try to do sociology in his books. all the same, the reader can decide whether it is politically engaged or merely heavy-handed to announce eighteen paragraphs into the novel: “the financial crisis had accustomed us all to a pretty ridiculous level of insecurity, in that we accepted degrading jobs and subhuman salaries in order to feel we were still stakeholders in the system and not yet reduced to beggary.” and the reader might judge, too, that this description of beto is sociological: “one more spanish immigrant in search of a promising future far from the tragedies of his country.” while we’re at it, it might be called “heavy-handed” foreshadowing to christen helga (the munich woman who will soon sleep with the young foreigner)’s cat fassbinder. debate has buzzed within the spanish literary community around the so-called novela de la crisis. critics fume over the role of literature today, and the need for objectivity, anonymity, and collectivity; authors like marta sanz, pablo guitiérrez, and delos 173 rafael chirbes may be hailed as the great novelists of the crisis. spanish disenchantment with the european and liberal dreams has sometimes translated into narratives that situate personal failure within larger political failure, so that sexuality, work, and nation are simply the devastated casualties of the recession. critics like david becerra have dismissed the so-called novela de la crisis as a nostalgic, hence conservative, ode to the way things were. and in a way, blitz is indeed nostalgic. though beto dismisses sentimentality as an “egocentric […] nationalism of the self,” let us consider his theory of landscaping: “we need a mirror, a healing mirror, we need to fall in love with ourselves again, with the concrete, human fact of us, however imperfect they might be.” or how he remembers his girlfriend: “on stormy-weather days, when the economy was staining everything with winning and losing, marta was my refuge and my shelter.” or his opinion on emoticons: “she knew i hated messages with emoticons and text symbols, irritating substitutes for real emotion.” beto is a difficult narrator to like; he is self-pitying and self-indulgent, and a self-important and unappreciated genius buoyed by having a girlfriend who, he reminds us constantly, has a perfect body. not only is she lovely, but she is self-abnegating: “i’ve already given up my dreams, and it’s enough for one of us to do that, she’d say on the days when i let my discouragement show.” though marta found kiarostami films boring, for instance, he “assured her more than once that agitation was only an attempt to fill the essential void.” well, then. on the other hand, helga is a far more interesting and insightful character, weighing down beto’s jejune recriminations with wise and wizened sobriety, and even marta-ofthe-apple-ass is, finally, out of his orbit. the catalan landscaper turns out to be his real refuge and shelter. ultimately, beto’s sophomoric anger against the catalan, the uruguayan, and the beauty is misplaced, leaving us with a more ambiguous moral accounting. the only sure enemies, it seems, are capitalism and time itself. having dragged his suitcase to a park, beto takes a picture of the suitcase on the grass and another of the building façades around him. “saving the photos was like making a map in which i wouldn’t feel so lost,” he reflects. indeed, pictures play a large role in this short book. beto masturbates to old phone pictures of marta; helga points to old photographs of herself; beto avoids photos of her family. he takes a photo of her postcard from mallorca, and uses it to find her; he remembers taking photographs, with marta, of el palacio real in the snow. his mother receives a digital photo frame for christmas; beto’s rival alex receives occasional photographs from helga. photographs give the past weight, in 174 reviews contrast to the shapelessness and drift of the present. in this way, beto’s compulsion to depict is a kind of sentimentality. this sentimental compulsion to record and hence preserve spills over into the physical book itself. on the cover of the spanish edition is a drawing, purportedly a self-portrait, of beto moving out of his and marta’s apartment, scratching his head, lanky, sloppy, in a sweatshirt, facing empty boxes and boxes and boxes. berta risueño’s drawings and photographs add to the spontaneous, flighty feeling of the text. she gives us blueprint and 3d-rendering style illustrations of the hourglass park and, later, an hourglass phone application, as well as reproductions of otto dix paintings and ambrogio lorenzetti’s allegory of good government fresco. the reader can thereby allow beto (and trueba) to skip the heavy lifting of ekphrasis, much as he skips the heavy lifting of describing or reproducing conversation. we can thank john cullen for bringing into english a contemporary spanish author of such fame and this exemplary artifact of the eurozone crisis. the english occasionally reads a bit awkwardly; beto refers to the “friendliness and naturalness of her [helga’s] manner.” however, this is no failing of cullen; beto narrates in a mixture of pretension and youthfulness, using the hoity noun “trato” in the original. similarly, another sentence reads “although i ventured a courteous nod in their direction, i preferred to descend the stairs with a certain haste” (in the original: “yo les dirigí un gesto educado, pero preferí bajar por la escalera con cierta prisa.”) in this case, the english comes off as equally formal, contributing to his aloofness and superiority. also, cullen might have kept the name of madrid’s museo reina sofia and the internationally beloved food tortilla in spanish, rather than rendering a “queen sofia” and an “omelet.” aside from these small faults, there is the larger question of translating trueba’s humor. a running joke of the novel’s first half—the narrator calls his rival alex ripollés alex gilipollez (“gilipollez,” which john cullen glosses, means “bullshit”) —may or may not be funny at all for an anglophone audience. it is no surprise that blitz is being optioned for the big screen. it is visual, sexual, and comic. it functions on the surface, largely, with nearly all its profundity offered up in conversation and very, very little in private meditation. it is full of jokes, slapstick and otherwise, and full of easily digested anti-capitalism. “blitz” means lightning bolt; the text revolves around hourglasses; and its theme, eventually, is time, and the loss of time. for a novel about such young people—or perhaps because it is about such young people—it seems constantly afraid of age, while simultaneously yearning for depth and permanence. anagrama delos 175 editorial published blitz with beto confused among his boxes on the cover; the lovely other press jacket shows an hourglass against a black background, flecks of gold floating away. at the cinema, we will see which blitz takes the starring role: la novela de la crisis, la tragicomedia romántica, or the one of lightning bolts and hourglasses, of loss and dislocation. ann manov dror abend-david, ed. media and translation: an interdisciplinary approach. new york/london/new delhi/ sidney: bloomsbury, 2014. 365 pp. dror abend-david, the editor of this fine collection of research papers, has been able to bring together in a collaborative effort 23 translation studies scholars from eight countries. he has also provided clearly-worded one-page introductory notes for each of the seven parts of this translation studies anthology. the book is about audiovisual translation in its multiple and all-pervasive manifestations. the three chapters in part i (film translation and adaptation) elaborate on the classical jakobsonian l1-to-l2 translation paradigm by suggesting a more nuanced methodology to analyze film as a text in the wide sociocultural sense. the methodology takes account of elements in another language or languages (that is, l2 in jakobson’s schema) such as idiolect, dialect (regional and social), peculiarities of style and diction, slang/jargon, and foreign accents incorporated in a film. these “extra” features are described as l3 (language 3) components of the film’s text. this novel, more nuanced approach to film translation analysis is introduced briefly in the opening chapter 1 and illustrated in detail in chapter 2, which compares quentin tarantino’s multilingual film inglourious basterds (2009) with its representations in the form of dubbed versions in german, spanish and italian. the three translations illustrate a complex simultaneous interplay of interlingual, intralingual, and semiotic factors and confirm the researchers’ initial hypothesis that there is no one universal solution: the final unique mix of languages in the dubbed version of an l3-saturated film is determined by the specific source text of the film in its varying sociocultural settings and the professional competence of the translator/s. chapter 3 further develops the general theme of part i by examining the way in which tsotsitaal (a south african township variety of slang) is represented in the english and french subtitled and dubbed versions of oliver schmitz’s south african film hijack stories (2000). _goback _goback _gjdgxs _goback _goback hersh dovid nomberg by a lonely grave translated from yiddish by daniel kennedy i met him in the mountains, on my way to an alpine village that lies buried in a narrow pass on the edge of a fast stream. i wanted to spend the night there and then move on higher the next morning. he, on the other hand, had no intention of going any further. i soon realized that he was not your typical tourist. he knew the village well, telling me that it was home to both catholics and protestants, that there were two churches and two graveyards, and that he knew some people there. he came from the far north, from norway, and was not overly fond of switzerland. “you should really see norway some day,” he told me. “the fjords, the bright nights, the cliffs! you must promise to visit me there next summer, to see for yourself.” i couldn’t figure out what kind of a man he was, what he was doing there, or why, catching up with me on his long legs, he dove so eagerly into conversation that he was already inviting me to visit him in norway. what was in it for him? “you’re a russian, aren’t you?” he asked. “yes, certainly, a jew from russia,” i said “of course that’s what i meant. exactly! exactly!” he’d had an acquaintance once; she too had been a jew from russia…. and i started to understand the intimacy that had developed so quickly between us. incidentally, the man made quite a strong, unsettling impression; he was tall and blond, built like a giant, but had soft, strangely childlike blue eyes. he spoke naively, but his movements were energetic. he was one of those people whose simple words contain the echo of long and deep torment and yearning, which undermines even their best attempts at smiling, and lingers on in our memories of them. we arrived just as darkness was falling; the surrounding snowy peaks still shimmered faintly in a pinkish glow. i was tired, and prepared myself for a sleepless, nerve-ridden night. ah, i know those moonlit nights in the mountains! as the air cools at night, the sky wraps itself up in a grey fog and it seems as if a storm is coming. but then, the slightest wind is enough to drive the fog away and the moon breaks through, pouring out an intoxicating brightness. if you look out the window, you’ll see the snow gleaming in the moonlight. from far and near you daniel kennedy 85 can hear the music of the alps ringing out: the bells of livestock grazing in the white night on the pastures, wandering around, far from human eyes, with their shadows—uphill, downhill, ringing, ringing. the stream and waterfalls murmur ceaselessly. nature lives its life and sings its abundant song. such nights are not made for sleeping. on nights like those, if you happen to carry some vague hope in your heart or if you have perhaps someone close to you, a dear friend, a lover, then you’ll end up thinking about them into the wee small hours, until the first rays of sunlight appear. only corpses, or withered young souls, should rest there and sleep. i know those moonlit nights in the mountains. i lay there like a prisoner, in my room filled with moonlight, for a long time, my eyes open, breathing in the sharp, cool mountain air, which intoxicates just like the brightness, just like the far-off bells which ring from the valley below. i got out of bed. it was already well past midnight. i went over to the window and saw the long shadow of a man. i looked carefully and recognized the outline of my new acquaintance, the norwegian, striding off into the white night, apparently without aim, lost in his own thoughts, distracted. “if i’m not disturbing you,” i called out to him, “i’ll get dressed and come down. who can sleep during a night like this?” “good,” he answered curtly, a moment later shouting back to me, “but i’d advise you to bring your cape and a scarf, there’s a cold wind blowing from the mountains.” i did as he advised and was soon standing next to him. he was silent now; his demeanor had grown less childish and more serious. i thought to myself that this man was not out of place on a night like this; he had some sort of connection to it. you could almost hear something buzzing in his heart without let-up; like a mountain stream, there was something alive within him, singing in him, and he couldn’t control it, couldn’t get over it. it wouldn’t let him free. he’d been in love with a jewish girl, a dead girl, who lay buried here in this village, in her own separate corner of the protestant graveyard. he confided his sad story to me, telling it with all the naivety and trust of a child. he was sure that the tragic destiny of that girl would be a subject as close to my heart as it was to his. like all gentiles, he had a strong belief in the solidarity and brotherhood of all jews. his lover, in a way, was connected to me, like family, like a sister. 86 hersh dovid nomberg it had happened about six years before; he’d been studying in zurich and fell in love with the jewish girl. what sort of a woman was she that she could capture and dominate a stranger from the distant north? he described her: pale, with brown hair and big, black eyes; she was quiet and attentive, with an unusual, melodic voice. she was exactly—so he told me—like a locked harp: taut, shivering strings which hummed silently to themselves. she wasn’t everyone’s type—she was no great beauty—she was only for him that had the key, who could touch the strings. but what a temperament, what inner life revealed itself then! she was normally silent, contemplative, prone to melancholy—but how lively she could be when it was just you and her; how she could talk and talk without end, chirping like a little bird. there are types of people which nature only creates once, just one single copy, and she was one of those. and she loved him and gave herself over to him with all the energy of her hidden temperament. they decided to get married, but for that she needed to convert. “it’s remarkable,” he told me, “how attached you people are to that religion of yours. she wasn’t in the least observant, but even i know what torment it was for her until she finally decided. long, long nights without sleep, long days going around like mad, until love, her first love, finally overcame her and convinced her to take that step.” the only obstacle was her parents. they were well-off, cultivated people. she hoped to get their blessing, travelling all the way home with that express purpose, but once she got there, she found herself unable to say a single word to them about it. the anti-jewish pogroms were in full swing in russia at that time, and her parents had suffered because of them. she returned, tired and broken, not knowing what to do. in the end she confided her secret to her brother who was studying in bern. he telegraphed their parents and her father came out immediately. she had to give him her word that she wouldn’t convert. once her father left, mollified, i came to her room and barely recognized her; she was terribly distraught, pale and sad. “what is it, my love?” she didn’t tell me the whole story but i could tell that something was amiss. “you don’t love me anymore?” “oh, don’t talk! don’t talk! please….” daniel kennedy 87 “but her voice, her kisses, and her eyes told me more about her love than could ever be expressed in words, and we set off together into the mountains, here to this very village. in this very hotel she poisoned herself after one long, hot night of love. she wrote me a letter telling the story of what happened with her brother and father. in a separate letter to her parents, whom she loved deep down, she said her goodbyes and asked that her body should not be disturbed. she wanted to be buried here.” and so went the sad tale of a jewish girl who lies buried in an alpine village, in her own private corner of the protestant graveyard. we continued walking in the moonlit night until we came to the little graveyard that surrounded the church. low gravestones and crosses twinkled in the light. on the gravestones, you could read short inscriptions from the living to the dead, in the modest style of country folk. we continued until we reached a certain corner with a small iron fence surrounding a flat stone. the norwegian, unselfconscious despite my presence, knelt down in his childlike naivety. leaning against the fence, he knelt in silence. mute. and all the while, the far-off bells continued to ring and the waterfalls murmured without cease. ***** hersh dovid nomberg (1876–1927) was a writer, essayist and political activist, born in mszczonów near warsaw. a protégé of i. l. peretz, he began publishing poems and short stories in around 1900 in both yiddish and hebrew. alongside sholem asch and avrom reyzen, he was one of the most influential yiddish writers of his generation. having penned dozens of successful short stories, he shifted his focus towards journalism and politics following the first world war. he was one of the founders of the folkspartey, a party dedicated to safeguarding secular jewish cultural autonomy within the polish republic, for whom he served as a delegate to the sejm in 1919–1920. the bulk of his stories deal with themes of alienation and isolation, with characters who are torn between their traditional upbringing and the intellectual freedoms of the modern world. “bay an aynzamer matseyve” (lit: “by a lonely gravestone”) was first published in 1911 in the haynt, a popular daily newspaper 88 hersh dovid nomberg printed in warsaw between 1908 and 1939, and later republished in volume 7 of nomberg’s collected works in 1930. it is one of several stories that nomberg set in switzerland, a country he visited on his travels, where he indulges in romanticized depictions of a picturesque landscape, so alien and exotic for his readership. this translation was completed as part of the 2015 yiddish book center’s translation fellowship. d. k. login | delos: a journal of translation and world literature main navigation main content sidebar current archives search subscribe toggle search register login search toggle navigation home login subscription or article purchase required to access item. to verify subscription, access previous purchase, or purchase article, log in to journal. username password forgot your password? keep me logged in login register sidebar-links about overview editorial board contact contributors author guidelines submit subscribers subscribe/renew news sign-upnews sign-up issn: 0011-7951 eissn: 2573-5659   main office: 2046 ne waldo road suite 2100 gainesville, fl 32609 phone: 352-392-1351 email: journals@upress.ufl.edu navigation home search current archives subscribe login | delos: a journal of translation and world literature main navigation main content sidebar current archives search subscribe toggle search register login search toggle navigation home login subscription or article purchase required to access item. to verify subscription, access previous purchase, or purchase article, log in to journal. username password forgot your password? keep me logged in login register sidebar-links about overview editorial board contact contributors author guidelines submit subscribers subscribe/renew news sign-upnews sign-up issn: 0011-7951 eissn: 2573-5659   main office: 2046 ne waldo road suite 2100 gainesville, fl 32609 phone: 352-392-1351 email: journals@upress.ufl.edu navigation home search current archives subscribe the short story “sambista at a bar table drinking beer with tears”1 by flávio moreira da costa translator and commentary: marco alexandre de oliveira it ain’t so bad. it’s all in the stars. better days are comin’. what? huh? you wanna talk? let me... wait a sec’, now it’s my turn to talk. hang on. don’t get on my nerves. let’s slow down. trouble, pal, trouble, don’t go tellin’ me i got a mush brain – a mush brain, all mixed up, you hear, a jello brain, a mud brain. where you can’t see ’cause you can’t understand. things done piled up, my life’s a mess, not even two plus two makes sense, if it’s four or twenty-two, it all adds up to the same, i couldn’t care less, it don’t change nothin’. if you don’t watch out i’ll shit, piss, and step on you. you tryin’ to pull a fast one on me, or what? then why you laughin’ over there? that’s cool, but that’s only what you think, pal, i don’t gotta like it. and what i think is mush – mushy for a man. or a woman. you ever noticed that it all begins and ends ’cause of them? woman is man’s demon. i like’m a lot, i like screwin’ around, then i get hooked, real hooked, and end up cryin’ at a bar. a sambista’s fate? i dunno. i wrote some sambas here and there, but only one of ’em made it. i’m strugglin’, at least i was. for now, just takin’ it easy. mush, mushy, a mess – what’s the use of bein’ sung by others if the samba’s already left me, it don’t belong to me anymore? i ain’t got no music inside. woman is man’s demon, we come outta her and wanna get back inside of her. i really like – screwin’ around. a woman’s a woman. you see that fox over there? i’d do her good. just for fun or ’cause i was hard up, i dunno, ’cause what i really wanted was to do it with the other woman, the one who was my demon. i’ll tear her out from inside of me yet, you betcha. i don’t want my mush brain forever. it’s just a phase i’m goin’ through – the heartbreak phase, got it? that’s life, it’s normal. but try it. go on, fall flat on your face, come see what’s good for a cough, that no syrup can cure. i’m laughin’, i’m cryin’. i laugh and cry, i ain’t got no shame. i laugh for no reason, in between, so i don’t cry. then i drink and the tears mix with the beer – you ever drank beer with tears? it’s pretty bitter. no joke. or do you think it’s stupid? i know, but it’s no use knowin’, the trick is to come out on top. let it slip, it’s gone, you’re in a bind; we miss the train and lose direction. today i’m a goin’ wherever my legs take me. wobbly legs. my sorrows? you’re kiddin’! i’m so sorry, even the wind carries me away. if it’s to get out of this hell, we’re here for you. my spirit’s weak, it’s not that i like to take any shit, but i ain’t no hyena to be eatin’ crap and laughin’ like crazy. i’m available, but i’m employed, i ain’t no bum. well at this point i musta lost my job: it’s been five days since i showed up. i just up and disappeared, disappeared completely, got it? i been searchin’, but i can’t find myself. look, you wanna know something, i 96 delos 2 never – no how – been like this before. i read on a truck today: “life is hard for those who are soft.” what am i gonna do? i’m soft, that’s all. she left me for down and out. i gave her what she wanted, but something musta been missin’. the cuddlin’ was good, too good to be true. all of a sudden, your will goes one way, your life goes another. then, if you don’t catch yourself, you fall down and fall ugly. that’s what happened to me. i fell on all fours, i’m lyin’ around. did my baby find somebody else? i don’t even know. but that’s cool, how did she get rid of me so easily, if i can’t get rid of her? just see how it’s so complicated. you see? my head’s spinnin’ round and round. it takes two to tango; but also when there’s just one, the two of ’em end up fightin’, believe me. am i borin’ you, talkin’ about myself? don’t get me wrong, i just need to let it out. if you don’t mind, my friend, i’ll talk; if you wanna call it a game, that’s alright. i’ll play by myself, and strike out. you musta heard “consolation,” my hit samba, didn’t you? you ain’t heard it? it goes like this: look to the side and say yes. look to the side and say no to these things that happen right in front of you. to this life of give and take, and this life that’s already given and taken you who knows where, my love – la-la-la-la-la... see? as i was sayin’, you already heard it on the radio, didn’t you? no, i only wrote the samba, somebody else recorded it. i managed to make a fortune, it was enough to buy a little house in nilópolis – a small house for a poor guy like me. where i lived with my baby up until last week. now i’m afraid to go back, to find everything lonely. it’s what i always say, samba lyrics are one thing, life’s lyrics are another. the writing is different. as if somebody invented the words, put them in the dictionary and then thrown the dictionary away. does that make any sense? thrown away, just to confuse us. samba is samba, life is life. and samba is soft for those who are hard. we’re kinda durango kid here, but we can still drink some more. let’s have another beer, buddy. life is hard for those who are soft. but it’s not soft; the writing is different, it’s another matter. i learned how to oliveira 97 3 compose samba but didn’t learn how to be composed in life. i think that ’cause i didn’t make up my mind myself, i let others do it. women, of all people. when women make up our minds, we end up losin’ ’em, our minds. and the women, too. believe me. oh, the pain! if heartbreak could kill, we’d already be at the funeral here. i’ll tell you what also: if i find that girl i’ll shoot her. it’s easier for me to shoot her than to shoot myself. well if i shoot her, i’ll shoot myself as well. that rhymed. it’s complicated, ain’t it, buddy? pretend you’re my childhood friend, i need a childhood friend, there are days we need a childhood friend. you hold on ’cause today it’s on me. like in that samba: “today it’s on me.” what about lupiscínio rodrigues, you dig him? i always been a fan, there’s no bla bla bla, when it was hurtin’ deep inside, he would go right to shoutin’ for “revenge, my friend, i just want revenge” – wait a sec’, i think that one’s by nelson cavaquinho, ain’t it? open heart, hangin’ out of his chest: “you’re gonna roll like the rocks that roll on the road.” son-of-a-bitch, we know it ain’t gonna do no good, but somehow it’s a relief. if not samba would never been born, right? my house is small but now it’s huge and empty without her, i get lost inside. my sister’s a medium, a priestess in nova iguaçu; my brother’s in jail, something about politics, unions, and things like that. i’m alone, alone in the world. it ain’t so bad. i got nowhere to go, anywhere is anywhere, anything. it’s all in the stars. i couldn’t care less, i lost my woman, my job, my bearings, my way. drinkin’, yeah i drink, i always drank – it’s just that this time i’m past the limit, i can’t stop. five days, sleepin’ around town, in plazas, i even laid down on the sidewalk. “the last step... of life... my love” – nelson’s right. you know he’s a saint? he’s the one who gave me a hand to record my samba. i recorded seven but only one of ’em was a hit: “consolation.” at least it consoles me. am i borin’ you? drink some more to drown the grief. who ain’t sufferin’ in this lil’ world god’s made, huh? it ain’t so bad. it’s all in the stars. life’s a game and i missed out. a guessin’ game or a card game, it don’t matter. in the cards of life i only found one queen. hey, looky there, that could make a samba: in the cards of life, i only found one queen... it could be a helluva hit. it’ll top the charts, it’ll be another “consolation.” but – damn it! what’s the use, if my lil’ baby doesn’t come back to my shack. it sucks: samba is samba, life is life. you wanna leave? wait, don’t go. stay here ’cause it’s on me. call the waiter. waiter, another cachaça for us, make that two to even it out. you really gonna leave? stay, man, aren’t you my childhood friend? that’s cool, if you wanna go, go, you gotta do what you gotta do. we’ll see each other around on the streets. if you show up in nilópolis, just ask for dentinho “tiny tooth,” who everybody knows. peace out, take care of yourself. i’ll stay here by myself. by myself? don’t worry i’ll deal 98 delos 4 with whatever comes along. i still need gas. later, man. the trick is not to get things confused. leave it to me: it ain’t so ballad. it’s all in the guitars. 1 flávio moreira da costa, “sambista em mesa de botequim bebendo cerveja com choro.” in: aquarelas do brasil: contos da nossa música popular. ed. flávio moreira de costa. rio de janeiro: agir, 2005. 311 p. commentary: flávio moreira da costa is from porto alegre and lives in rio de janeiro, brazil. in addition to being a journalist and translator, he is an internationally acclaimed writer and has published over 20 books, which feature novels, short stories, and essays. as an editor he has also organized several anthologies such as aquarelas do brasil: contos da nossa música popular (“watercolors from brazil: short stories of our popular music” – 2006), which showcases the historical interrelations between literature and music in brazilian culture. included in the aforementioned anthology, “sambista at a bar table drinking beer with tears” (1978) is one of many short stories written by costa that deal specifically with music as a significant theme. there are both implicit and explicit references to songs by renowned composers such as herivelto martins, lupicínio rodrigues, and nelson cavaquinho. the language of the story, a sad but humorous monologue about love and life, also represents the type of dialect that is characteristic of these and other popular carioca musicians, who traditionally come from the slums and hillsides of the so-called “marvelous city,” home of samba and carnival. oliveira 99 login | delos: a journal of translation and world literature main navigation main content sidebar current archives search subscribe toggle search register login search toggle navigation home login subscription or article purchase required to access item. to verify subscription, access previous purchase, or purchase article, log in to journal. username password forgot your password? keep me logged in login register sidebar-links about overview editorial board contact contributors author guidelines submit subscribers subscribe/renew news sign-upnews sign-up issn: 0011-7951 eissn: 2573-5659   main office: 2046 ne waldo road suite 2100 gainesville, fl 32609 phone: 352-392-1351 email: journals@upress.ufl.edu navigation home search current archives subscribe notes on contributors: translators, authors of articles and reviewers dror abend-david teaches in the department of languages, literatures and cultures at the university of florida. his first book, based on his dissertation, was published in 2003 by peter lang under the title, “scorned my nation:” a comparison of translations of the merchant of venice into german, hebrew, and yiddish. his new book is, media and translation: an interdisciplinary approach, bloomsbury academic publishing, 2014. abend-david earned his ph.d. in comparative literature from new york university in 2001. he has also published articles on translation in relation to media, drama, and jewish culture. his e-mail address is d.abend.1@alumni.nyu.edu diane arnson svarlien is a verse translator and classicist living in lexington, kentucky. she earned her ph.d. at the university of texas at austin in 1991. she has published two collections of translations of the plays of euripides: alcestis, medea, hippolytus (2007), and andromache, hecuba, trojan women (2012), both from hackett publishing. her next collection, also with hackett, will be ion, helen, orestes (2016). her translations of euripides’ plays have been widely performed in theaters, and her translations of poems by sappho, semonides, theocritus, catullus, horace, propertius, tibullus and ovid have appeared in various journals and anthologies. sylvie blum-reid is associate professor of french and film at the university of florida. she is the author of east-west encounters. franco-asian cinema and literature (london: wallflower press, 2003). her research and teaching interests include literature, travel narratives, photography, 1930s cinema and culture in france, expatriate female artists in the interwar period, culinary practices, and creative writing. she just published traveling in french cinema (palgrave/macmillan, 2015). she is a member of alcs, a group of writers in great britain. william calin, ph.d. yale 1961, is graduate research professor at the university of florida. he has taught or had grants at paris, poitiers, montpellier, rennes, cambridge, edinburgh, and toronto. he works in medieval french literature; french poetry from the renaissance to the present; franco-british literary relations; and modern literature in breton, occitan, and scots. he has authored 12 books, 120 articles and chapters, and 230 papers and lectures. his most recent volume is the lily and the thistle: the french tradition and the early literature notes 131 of scotland. current projects include books on eighteenth-century french poetry, occitan from 1500 to 1900, and medievalism. andrew clark is a fourth-year ph.d. candidate in classics at the university of florida. he is currently working on his dissertation on solon the athenian lawgiver, poet, and sage. he has taught latin at all undergraduate levels at uf, and he tutors high school and college students in both latin and ancient greek. aside from doctoral work, poetry is his life and love, and he enjoys reading star wars books in his free time. he may be contacted at andperclark@ufl.edu richard j. gray ii is assistant professor of french at ashland university in ohio. his fields of study include interdisciplinary approaches to french literary studies, the francophone world from colonization to independence, and performance art. he is the author of francophone african poetry and drama: a cultural history since the 1960s (2014) and a collection of articles and book chapters. his current project, entitled an artist and her son: a portrait of suzanne valadon and maurice utrillo, explores the life and work of suzanne valadon and her son, maurice utrillo, the landscape artist of montmartre. benjamin hebblethwaite, currently associate professor at the university of florida, has a ph.d. in french linguistics from indiana university (2007). he is the lead author of vodou songs in haitian creole and english (temple u. press 2012) and yon sezon matchyavèl/une saison en enfer (l’harmattan 2010), with jacques pierre. he has published articles on haitian creole historical linguistics, language policy in haitian creole scrabble and literacy, and bilingualism among haitian americans in miami. he is completing, with richard freeman, a book on vodou songs, including photographs, commentary, and compact discs, entitled, roots of the fig tree: vodou music and culture in haiti. he is currently working on research projects in arabic linguistics and cultural influences in contemporary varieties of urban vernacular dutch, french and german. will kesling has conducted hundreds of choral ensembles and fortythree professional symphony in orchestras in thirty countries. his talents for weaving together text and music, chorus and orchestra have garnered him international respect. his engagements took place in carnegie hall and at the kennedy center for the performing arts, as well as in concert halls internationally. for the past thirteen years, 132 delos kesling has served as the director of choral activities at the university of florida and the gainesville master chorale and philharmonic orchestra. his college choirs have received international attention at both national and divisional conventions at the american choral directors association. in 2004, kesling was awarded the ronald reagan medal for “contributions to the cultural life of the citizenry.” his translation of the requiem text was the basis of the performance on april 18, 2015 of verdi’s manzoni requiem in the phillips center for the performing arts in gainesville. marco alexandre de oliveira is adjunct professor of letters at the pontifical catholic university of rio de janeiro. he earned both a ph.d. in comparative literature and a m.a. in romance languages and literatures from the university of north carolina at chapel hill. he has published translations in machado de assis magazine: brazilian literature in translation and in zundi: revista de poesia & debates. under the pseudonym of gringo carioca, author of reflexos e reflexões (2014), his works have appeared in literary anthologies, poetry magazines, and art exhibits in both brazil and the united states. charles a. perrone is professor of portuguese and luso-brazilian culture and literatures in the department of spanish and portuguese studies at the university of florida. he is the author of masters of contemporary brazilian song: mpb 1965-1985 (1989), seven faces: brazilian poetry since modernism (1996), and brazil, lyric, and the americas (2010). in addition to many articles and book chapters on brazilian literature and popular music, he has translated numerous contemporary brazilian writers, most notably poets augusto de campos and paulo leminski. his own poetry has appeared in numerous venues since the 1970s; his most recent chapbook, out of alphabetical order, appeared at the moriapoetry (chicago, 2015). ralf remshardt is professor of theatre at the university of florida, where he is the coordinator of the graduate program in acting. he attended universities in munich and berlin, germany, and received a ph.d. in dramatic art at uc santa barbara. he previously taught theatre at denison university. remshardt has worked in professional and university theatres as a director, translator, and dramaturg. his publications have appeared in many journals and several edited collections. his book, staging the savage god: the grotesque in performance, was published in 2004. he co-produced a documentary film about new york hispanic theatre in 2015. notes 133 hal h. rennert, ph.d. (1975) university of washington in comparative literature, taught german studies on all levels and all literature genres at the university of florida for twenty seven years until 2007, including feature film – introducing, as it were, the so called new german cinema, to the university and the larger gainesville community in the early 1980s. all along he practiced the art of translation (mostly from german) on a moonlighting basis, while being an active member of the american translators association (ata) and the american literature translators association (alta). at carnegie-mellon university (197679) he was president of the western pennsylvania chapter of the ata. his publications include books and articles on nineteenth and twentieth german literature (goethe, kleist, mörike, brecht, frisch) and an edition of the art-historian wilhelm hausenstein’s letters. he also published translations of several short stories by marie luise kaschnitz. in 1997 he was guest-editor for delos, and now is its editorin-chief. stephen rojcewicz. having retired in december 2012 after forty years in practice of psychiatry, stephen rojcewicz, md, is now fulfilling his life-long interest in languages and literatures. after receiving an m.a. in classics (latin and greek), steve is currently a ph.d. candidate in comparative literature at the university of maryland, writing a dissertation on the latin and greek influences on thornton wilder. as a distinguished life fellow of the american psychiatric association, steve is the co-author of a textbook on supportive psychotherapy and the author of numerous papers and book reviews on the relationship of psychiatry to the humanities. richard rundell was born in 1939 in chicago. he retired in 2011 from new mexico state university in las cruces, where he taught language, literature, culture, and film for forty years. his ba (colorado college, 1961) is in german. his m.a. (middlebury college/johannes gutenberg universität mainz, 1962) thesis was on max frisch. his ph.d. (university of colorado, 1971) dissertation was on brecht’s aphorisms. he has published on german poetry, drama, and cinema and continues teaching a german cinema course at nmsu. he was acquainted with franz josef degenhardt and several of the other leading german liedermacher and gave numerous conference papers on their songs. 134 delos christopher wickham teaches german language, literature, film and culture at the university of texas in san antonio. he was educated at the universities of reading (uk), regensburg (bavaria), and wisconsin-madison (usa), and taught at allegheny and middlebury colleges and at the university of illinois at chicago, before moving to san antonio in 1991. his publications focus on german cinema and poetry, regional culture, as well as the language, film and literature of bavaria. his book, constructing heimat in postwar germany: longing and belonging, includes sections on dialect poetry and singersongwriters (liedermacher). his co-authored book (with anthropologist daniel gelo) on germans and comanches in texas is to be published in 2017. john white holds the ph.d. in music composition and the certificate in cello from the eastman school of music of the university of rochester. author of numerous books on music, in 1996 white held a fulbright research fellowship to reykjavik, and in 1997 a fellowship from the american scandinavian foundation to göteborg, sweden and was the distinguished chair of the humanities at the university of vienna, austria in 2003-2004. after his service as principal cellist for the seventh army symphony in germany in the late 1950s, he served on the music faculties of the university of michigan, the university of wisconsin, kent state university, concluding his academic appointments and service in the late 1990s at the university of florida. he has had recent premieres of his compositions in new york, boston, and san francisco as well as numerous performances throughout the usa and europe. in 2008 he received an international award from segorbe, spain, where he won first prize in the xxvi contest for choral composition for his a capella choral work credo trifarium. although he has composed extensively for instrumental ensembles, a critic in the journal of singing recently wrote: “he seems to especially understand how the human voice moves and flows.”white’s setting of lyric poems are numerous and diverse, including william blake, walt whitman and robert frost. the premier of kaschnitz lieder, from which three have been selected for this issue of delos, took place in denver, colorado in 2012. for copies of a cd of kaschnitz lieder, for a fee of $ 5.00, john white can be contacted directly at: jwhite48@earthlink.net notes 135 lin zhenhua is currently a teacher at the green oasis international school in shenzhen, guangdong province, china. he studied at the college of foreign languages of dalian nationalities university and as a ma graduate at the institute of transcultural studies of bejing international studies university. motivated by his academic interest in translation studies and sinology, he has translated roland boer’s criticism of heaven (2011), and ernst robert curtius’s european literature and the latin middle ages (forthcoming). he has also published ten academic papers. 136 delos translating teffi’s evocation of pilgrims in “solovki” robert chandler teffi (pseudonym of nadezhda lokhvitskaya, 1872-1952), though very famous in her lifetime, was—like many other émigré russians—largely forgotten during the first few decades after her death. she is still often thought of as a light humorist, but she herself set a higher value on her more serious stories, and especially on her explorations of religious experience. she had a deep knowledge both of russian folk religion and of orthodox practice and thought. “solovki,” about a pilgrimage to one of russia’s most important holy sites, is one of her finest stories on these themes. semyon, a moderately well-off peasant, has discovered that his wife varvara has been unfaithful to him. in his unrelenting fury, he takes her, against her wishes, to the solovetsky monastery on the white sea, so that she can confess and carry out a penance. during the celebration of the eucharist, varvara is one of several women who fall into a state of demonic possession—what the russian orthodox call klikushestvo. varvara is undergoing a church penance and would not have normally have received communion until she had completed this penance. to orthodox understanding, however, someone possessed by demons is no longer considered responsible for his or her state. varvara is, therefore, given communion bread and wine, after which she appears to attain some kind of spiritual enlightenment. there is, however, nearly always some ambiguity in teffi’s treatment of these themes; the story can also be read as an account of a nervous breakdown, with varvara eventually becoming some kind of mindless zombie. russian religious ways are, by and large, alien to a contemporary western reader. the most important task for a translator of this story is to find a way to present the religious scenes with absolute clarity without oversimplifying them or somehow adapting them to meet western expectations. a more surface difficulty—which i shall not dwell on—is the near-impossibility of faithfully reproducing the laconic peasant speech of some of the characters. the three following extracts constitute about one-fifth of the story. 14 translating teffi’s “solovki” 1. подошли к соловкам утром рано под заутренний звон. на берегу встречать вышли монахи и чайки.1 монахи все худые и строголикие. чайки крупные, плотные, чуть не с гуся величиной, ходили в перевалку и озабоченно по хозяйски переговаривались. пароход разгружался медленно.2 еще часть богомольцев собирала свои котомки, как уже вернулась со святого озера успевшая выкупаться в его ледяной воде старуха, жена кудрявого рыбака. она шла в чистой холщовой рубахе и умиленно3 улыбалась фиолетовыми от холода губами. отец—гостинник, высокий монах с расчесанной бородой, распределял приезжих, кого куда. народу наехало много, и, за неимением места, рубаевых поместили в дворянскую комнату. эта дворянская комната, большая, беленая, в два окна, перегорожена была на три закуточки. одну занимал учитель с женой, другую, самую большую с тремя кроватями и диваном, целая компания: приезжий игумен восточного типа,4 красивый и нарядный, переодетый священником для удобства в пути. — монахов, заметил я, не любят и за все осуждают. зачем курит, и зачем рыбу ест, и зачем чай с сахаром…. а где в дороге устав соблюдать? ну, вот, в священническом одеянии соблазну меньше.5 в той же закутке помещался купец с дылдой гимназистом и старый ханжа чиновник. все родственники. третью закутку, темную, отдали рубаевым. 2. снова бродили по берегу, по монастырским коридорам. смотрели картинки страшного суда и притчей господних. огромное бревно, упирающееся в глаз грешника, видящего «сучец в глазу ближнего». и дьявол, прельщающий красотою, выраженный6 художником в виде песьей, довольно симпатичной морды, мохнатых лап с перепонками, хвоста винтом и скромного коричневого передничка, подвязанного на животе. и душистая легенда о цветах именуемых липки, как молилась братия во храме, а дьявол ходил между молящимися и невидимо наделял robert chandler 15 1. they reached solovki as the bells were ringing for matins. on the shore to meet them were monks and seagulls.1 the monks were all thin, with severe faces. the gulls were large and stout, almost the size of geese. they waddled about proprietorially, exchanging preoccupied remarks. unloading and disembarkation took a long time.2 some of the pilgrims were still packing their knapsacks when one old woman, the wife of the curly-haired fisherman, returned from the holy lake, having already bathed in its icy waters. she was wearing a clean linen shirt and smiling beatifically,3 her lips purple with cold. the hosteller, a tall monk with a combed beard, was organizing the new arrivals, arranging who should sleep where. since there were crowds of people and little space, the rubaevs were put in what had once been the best room; with two windows and whitewashed walls, it was now divided into three by partitions. one part had been given to a teacher and his wife, and the biggest part, with three beds and a sofa, had been given to a party of four. the head of this party was an oriental-looking abbot.4 handsome and well turned out, he had chosen, for convenience while travelling, to abandon his monastic dress for that of a priest: “people, i understand, have little love for monks, and they criticize them for everything: why’s he smoking? why’s he eating fish? why’s he got sugar in his tea? but how can a man observe the rule when he’s on the road? dress as a priest—and you don’t tempt people to judge.”5 together with the father were a merchant, a lanky young gymnasium student—and a hypocritical old bigot of a public official. all three were family. the remaining little cubicle, with no window, was allocated to the rubaevs. 2. and then they would all wander along the shore again, or along the monastery corridors. they looked at the paintings of the last judgement and the parables of our lord. a huge beam planted in the eye of the sinner who so clearly beheld the mote in his brother’s eye. and the temptation of beauty, illustrated6 by a devil—with a rather appealing canine muzzle, shaggy webbed paws, a twisting tail and a modest brown apron tied around his belly—and a sweet-scented legend: as the brothers were praying in church, the devil had moved unseen between them, handing out the pink flowers known as 16 translating teffi’s “solovki” их розовыми цветами, и кому доставался цветок, тот не мог больше молиться, а тайком уходил на волю, в соблазн весеннего солнца и трав, пока не был дьявол уличен святым старцем. и всякие мытарства и хождения по мукам, грехи и мучения, грехи и мучения.... 3. чуть шевелясь, чернели в стенных нишах тихие фигуры монахов с застывшими четками в руках. струйкой зыбилась толпа, пропуская вперед причастников. монастырский хор, высоко до самого купола забирая детскими голосами послушников, затянул херувимскую, и вдруг резкий женский голос исступленно закричал: — куда! куда! куда!(7) кричал все громче, все неистовее. —кликуша! кликуша кудахчет!—зашептали бабы. —куда, куда-а.(8) и еще вскрикнул кто-то и заголосил и залаял заливистым собачьим лаем. варвара крепко стиснула руки, увидела, как, закачавшись, поплыла в бок паникадила, почувствовала, как ноги и плечи задрожали быстрой и крупной дрожью, как лицо вытянулось, словно облепило скулы, как вздулся живот, подкатился под горло и из самой темной глубины тела, корча и разрывая его и ударяя красными светами в темя, вылетел дикий крик: — аа-й. да-а. да-а.(9) мгновение подумалось: —остановиться бы.... но что-то заставляло напрягаться все сильнее и сильнее, кричать громче, сжимать все тело, помогая судороге. все равно было что кричать. первым звуком вырвалось: «да-а». так и наладилось, и только бы не остановиться, только бы сильнее, крепче изойти в крик еще, еще, вот еще.... ах, не помешали бы, дали бы дотянуть.... так трудно дотянуть, сил не хватит.... — да-а. да-а (10). ах, еще бы, еще как сладко будет.... robert chandler 17 house lime. whoever received a flower had been unable to go on praying; charmed by the spring sun and grasses, he had stolen out to freedom—until in the end the devil was caught by the holy elder. and ordeals and hardships of every kind, and sins and torments, sins and torments. 3. in the alcoves the monks’ silent, shadowy figures were barely stirring, their prayer beads as if frozen in their hands. a ripple passed through the congregation as people stepped back to let the communicants through. the choir had already begun the cherubic hymn, the youngsters’ high voices soaring right up to the cupola, when a woman’s piercing voice began shrieking frenziedly, “kuda-a-a! ku-u-da-a-a! ku-da-a-a!”7 her shrieks grew ever louder, ever more violent. “she’s possessed,” whispered the peasant women. “possessed good and proper!”8 then someone else let out a scream and a wail—and began to bark like a dog, not letting up. varvara clenched her hands tight. the chandeliers swayed, slid to one side—and she felt her legs and shoulders begin to shudder, swiftly, violently, while her whole face stretched as if clinging tight to her cheekbones, and her stomach swelled, climbing right up to her throat, and a wild scream flew out from the darkest depth of her body, twisting her whole body, tearing her body apart, smashing red lights against the crown of her head: “ai-i-i! da-a-a! da-a-a!”9 a momentary thought: “should i stop?” but something made her tense herself more and more powerfully, forcing her to cry out more and more loudly, to clench her whole body, to will on the convulsions. the words didn’t matter. the first sounds to burst out had been “a-i-i!” and “da-a-a!” —and so she’d continued. what mattered was not to stop, to expend more and more of herself in the cry, to give herself to it more intensely, yes, more and more of herself: oh, if only they didn’t get in her way. oh, if only they let her keep going…. but it was so hard. would she have the strength? “a-a-a! a-a-a!10 if only…. if only…. how sweet…. how sweet that would be….” 18 translating teffi’s “solovki” notes 1 an example of a sentence where it is possible, by changing the syntax, to follow the russian word order almost exactly. needless to say, this is not always desirable, but here it works well. 2 in the original, this sentence comes at the end of the preceding paragraph. russian writers often end a paragraph with a sentence that, in english, comes more naturally at the beginning of the following paragraph. 3 first i had “with tender emotion,” then “tremulous.” a colleague wrote to me that “this is a smile of someone who has had a religious experience. teffi uses a word that, in this context, echoes umilenie [умиление], as in the icon of our lady of tenderness. the old woman has the smile of someone with peace in her soul.” 4 the literal meaning of the russian is “an abbot of an eastern type” [игумен восточного типа]. i was unsure, at first, what this meant. i now think it probable that he was an armenian or, possibly, georgian. armenian priests often dress very finely indeed. 5 the russian is vaguer: literally, “and there is less temptation.” but it is important to make it clear that it is not the abbot himself who is being tempted. according to the monastic rule, monks were allowed to follow a less strict diet when they were travelling. 6 a complex passage, made still more complex by a textual variant. the first publication (in the journal zhar-ptitsa [жарптица], 1921, 1) gives d’yavol, prel’shchayushchii krasototoyu, vyrazhennyi khodozhnikom [дьявол, прельщающий красотой, выраженный художником], whereas the second publication, in the collection vechernii den’ [вечерний день] (1924), gives vyrazhennoi khodozhnikom [выраженной художником]. in the first case, it is the devil who is “portrayed” by the artist in a particular way; in the second case, it is beauty that is portrayed in this way. at first i thought there were two figures—a devil, and a beautiful woman (or image of a woman) with which he was tempting men. then i thought the devil was himself pretending to be a beautiful woman. finally, i understood that vyrazhennyi must be the correct reading, that there was no beautiful woman and that the temptation the devil was holding out to the monks was simply the beauty of the natural world. such a way of thinking is so alien to most people today that it seemed crucial to do robert chandler 19 everything possible to clarify this central point. i have rearranged the passage in order to link the dog-faced devil more clearly to the flower legend. 7 teffi evidently chose this word kuda [куда] both for its sound and for its meaning: “whither.” in english it is impossible to reproduce both, so we have transliterated, reproducing the sound alone. 8 in the original: “klikusha [кликуша]. klikusha kudakhchet [кликуша кудахчет].” the word klikusha is the standard term for a woman in the grip of demonic possession. the verb kudakchchet literally means “to cluck” or “to cackle”. neither english verb fits here, and the women have clearly chosen this word simply because it picks up the kuda [куда] of the possessed woman’s cry. since this effect cannot be reproduced in english, i thought it best simply to emphasize the theme of possession. 9 da means “yes.” important though this is, i have been unable to do more at this point than simply transliterate. it is, of course, also important that varvara’s “ai-da!” echoes the first woman’s “ku-da!” 10 in the original, this is da-a! da-a! in english the simpler “a-a-a!” better conveys her excitement. and there is an affirmative quality, like a “yes”, about a long-drawn-out “a-a-a!” few translators are likely to acquire the knowledge required to enter fully, and in detail, into all the different worlds where their work will take them. if at all possible, it is always worth asking an expert to check through one’s work. with regard to this story, i am deeply grateful to christine worobec, who knows a great deal about russian religion and folk religion and who has corrected several serious misunderstandings on my part. the translation of teffi’s story above, by robert and elizabeth chandler, is based on the publication in vechernii den’ (1924). our translation will be included in other worlds: peasants, pilgrims, spirits, saints (nyrb classics, 2020). singable and “obolenskian” approaches to translating the songs of vladimir vysotsky timothy d. sergay vladimir semyonovich vysotsky (1938–1980) was and remains a colossally popular and influential russian singersongwriter (or bard, as these poets are known in russian culture), as well as a strictly “literary” poet and beloved actor of the screen and stage. he is perhaps the single most iconic figure associated with the innovative director yury lyubimov’s taganka theater in moscow, especially in his role as hamlet, which he premiered in 1971.1 his songs of the occasionally criminal underside of soviet society were only belatedly accepted into official soviet literary life. he performed them at first in small circles, where his listeners began taping them, reproducing the recordings, and circulating them in huge volumes entirely outside the soviet system of literary censorship—a phenomenon dubbed magnitizdat (“magnetic publishing”). the scholar of russian culture birgit beumers (aberystwyth university) has concluded that with his signature anthem of defiant anticonformism, “wolf hunt” (“okhota na volkov”), written in 1968, vysotsky “replaced [sergei] esenin as russia’s most genuinely popular poet.”2 recently i attempted a singable, equirhythmic, and rhyming english translation of vladimir vysotsky’s “pesnia o druge” (“song about a friend,” 1966), which belongs to the “mountaineering” cycle composed for the film vertikal’ (odessa studios, 1967, dir. stanislav govorukhin and boris durov). my basic lexical and stylistic orientation was toward informal, somewhat jockish us youth english more or less of the 1960s, an idiom with which i grew up in the suburbs of philadelphia. this translation came about circuitously, through a friendly collaboration with the translator and recording artist vadim astrakhan. astrakhan, who emigrated to the united states as a young man, is a daring, inventive translator of vysotsky’s 1 english-speaking readers interested in a comprehensive introduction to vysotsky’s biography and his significance to russian culture will find a wealth of material in english at the official site of the vysotsky foundation, authored by mariya shkolnikova (© 1996–2002), at http://www.kulichki.com/vv/eng/. this resource includes many english translations of vysotsky’s songs by serge elnitsky, sergei roi, and many others—including the songs treated here. 2 birgit beumers, “vladimir semenovich vysotskii 1938–1980, poet and songwriter,” in neil cornwell, ed., reference guide to russian literature (london and chicago: fitzroy dearborn, 1998), 896. http://www.kulichki.com/vv/eng/ timothy d. sergay 35 songs into his adopted us english. to date he has recorded three audio cds of his own performances of vysotsky in english with occasional guest musicians and producers (yuri naumov, polina goudieva) and various approaches to instrumentation and arrangement.3 after reviewing the first of these cds in print,4 i began corresponding and consulting in detail with astrakhan on his translations of many songs. our exchanges regarding his draft of an english “pesnia o druge” in the early summer of 2010 resulted, unexpectedly for me, in two quite different verse translations of the same original, one by each partner, with a number of lines in common. astrakhan graciously gave me co-author credit for the version of “pesnia o druge” that appears on the published audio cd by astrakhan and naumov, two fates: vysotsky in english ii (vadim astrakhan, 2011), titled “if your friend.” the lines i contributed to it are 7, 8, 9, 11, and 18. in my own version, i adopted the rhyme solutions of my colleague’s lines 13, 19, and 20. readers interested in comparing the two versions should seek the audio recording of astrakhan’s version, which can be downloaded on amazon (see the author’s site vvinenglish.com). astrakhan’s version, which contains many altogether admirable and original solutions, is meant to be heard—and deserves to be heard—in the context of his overall translatorly stylistics and his musical approach, with its lush production values. my own translation emerged almost of its own accord as i considered and reconsidered new approaches to each line of astrakhan’s draft, especially the characteristic internal masculine rhymes separated by a single weak beat. as the character of my own translation grew more and more distinct from that of astrakhan’s, i began comparing the process to cell division. the analogy is a rough one, of course, and cannot be pressed particularly far. i would be content to leave it as “collaboration as meiosis” rather than mitosis, in that the result was genetically different “daughter cells” (not four of them, to be sure, as happens in biological meiosis, but only two). i should note that the rhyme ice / no dice appears in at least one other english translation of this song that i discovered subsequently on the internet. it is indeed a most inviting rhyme solution. “scale the shale” can also be found in other english contexts. 3 for details, see astrakhan’s “about the project” page, http://www.vvinenglish. com/about.php. 4 timothy d. sergay, review of vadim astrakhan, singer sailor soldier spirit. translations of vladimir vysotsky (self-released, 2008), slavic and east european journal 54.4 (winter 2010): 728-30. http://vvinenglish.com http://www.vvinenglish.com/about.php http://www.vvinenglish.com/about.php 36 translating vysotsky’s songs in line 12, i use the verb “punt” intransitively in the sense “cease doing something; give up” (thefreedictionary.com). in that line i substitute one of vysotsky’s rhyme schemes (+ internal rhyme, – end rhyme) for another, the one vysotsky employs in the corresponding line (– internal rhyme, + end rhyme with preceding line), but this very maneuver has its own precedent in the original, where line 3 of stanza 1 (– internal rhyme, + end rhyme with line 4) does not fit the pattern of line 3 in stanzas 2 and 3, which are + internal rhyme, + end rhyme with line 4. likewise, in stanza 3, vysotsky’s line 4 is a departure from the pattern of line 4 in stanzas 1 and 2, which lack the internal rhyme. i think the translation can claim a similar degree of freedom and yet be recognized as essentially faithful to vysotsky’s difficult mix of end and internal rhymes. of course, the practice of recreating meter and rhyme, as all verse translators discover, imposes on the translation some degree of semantic deformation of the original, just as imposing metrical, rhyming, and strophic patterning on the composition of original verse “deforms” what we might term the poet’s raw “thought,” “intention,” or “content” (this dynamic is richly explored in yuri tynianov’s classic problem of verse language).5 imagery, like the rhetorical dimension of a text, is not an acoustic feature: imagery is strictly a matter of denotation, of “content,” of the cinematic, mental picture evoked by the text in a receptive, attentive, visualizing reader. my singable english version of “pesnia o druge” conveys quite comparable imagery at key points: we see a friend “roped” to the narrator on a strenuous climb, the friend’s setting foot cautiously on ice, his stumbling, his being excluded from further climbing excursions, the fall suffered or potentially suffered by the singer’s “advisee” in line 19. but i must note that in pursuing meter and rhyme, i sacrificed (or “omitted”) certain secondary elements of imagery, for instance, the friend’s abandoning the climb and heading back down the slope in line 10, and his shouting in line 12. similarly, i supplied an element of imagery of my own devising in line 19: the original makes no reference whatever to pitons or any other climbing equipment except for rope. i concluded that by concretizing the scenario of a fall and rescue given in the original, naming a physical cause for it (“that piton was gone!”), i could tell the requisite story and reproduce the four identical internal and end rhymes (in russian, 5 yuri tynianov, the problem of verse language, trans. michael sosa and brent harvery (ann arbor, mi: ardis press, 1981). translation of problema stikhotvornogo iazyka (1924). http://thefreedictionary.com timothy d. sergay 37 on –ál) in lines 19 and 20 in the requisite place: piton / gone / wan / on. (in russian translation studies, this would be termed an instance of otsebiátina, the insertion into the target text of material of any sort that is literally “from oneself,” devised by the translator rather than the author.) one looks to conformity with the overall rhetorical or narrative arc of the original to justify such local maneuvers. *** where singability or recreation of sound patterns is not included (or does not figure prominently) in the translator’s brief (or skopos), translators naturally find it possible to hew considerably closer to the sense of the original in prose. the precedent and model for this practice in russian verse translation into english are the “plain prose” renderings by prince dimitri obolensky in his heritage of russian verse (1962), which he set in continuous, nonlineated blocks directly below each russian poem. this exact format was consciously adopted by donald rayfield and his co-editors for the garnett book of russian verse (2000). compared to lineated texts on facing pages (the format adopted here), “obolenskian” translations save considerable space, especially when the english is set in a smaller point size (as it is in both the obolensky and rayfield anthologies). for my purposes here, we may refer to nonrhyming and nonmetrical translations of russian verse as either “prose,” as obolensky and rayfield do, or “free verse.” i do not sense that setting such translations in nonlineated or lineated format of itself determines whether to regard them as prose or free verse. we should look primarily, i would argue, to stylistic, linguistic, and acoustic properties of a text rather than modes of its graphic presentation when considering whether and how far to distinguish the categories of prose and free verse—a theoretical matter that lies outside the scope of these remarks. my point here is that satisfactory obolenskian renderings are by no means as easy and straightforward to produce as might be presumed given the liberation of the translator from the requirements of rhyme and meter. they do not all but compose themselves through the conscientious calquing of syntax and substituting for each foreign lexeme one of the standard solutions offered in bilingual dictionaries. nor are they devoid of expressiveness and invention. in my own practice i have written several such translations of vysotsky. the translations accompanying this article include my obolenskian rendering of vysotsky’s “spasite nashi dushi” (“save our souls,” 1967). 38 translating vysotsky’s songs in my translation of “spasite nashi dushi,” liberation from meter and rhyme certainly simplified the task of reflecting fairly technical nautical and even medical terminology. even so, i found myself resorting again to such maneuvers as concretizing an image in the interests of narrative coherence: i interpreted “rogataia smert’,” “horned death,” as referring clearly enough to a world war ii-era underwater horned mine, and substituted the concrete term mine for vysotsky’s semantic generalization death: “a deadly horned mine!” this may well have been a failure of nerve on my part, or a lack of faith in my audience’s readerly acumen, since the parallel terms “rogataia mina” and “horned mine,” may well be comparably frequent in their respective languages (c. 543 google hits for the russian term, c. 776 for the english). although i am inclined to defend the dignity, the difficulty, and the artistic respectability of obolenskian renderings of russian verse, i must certainly concede that “formal,” metrical and rhyming translations—the only ones whose worth is recognized by boris pasternak and many russian literary traditionalists— take incomparably longer to produce. many “formal” english translations of pushkin’s thirty-line masterpiece “prorok” (“the prophet,” 1826) have been published, for example, the one by avrahm yarmolinsky (1921). producing one of my own took me several months.6 producing my formal translation of vysotsky’s “pesnia o druge” took far longer than producing an obolenskian translation of his “spasite nashi dushi.” one’s linguistic imagination lives and grapples day and night with the problems of representing the original imagery, style, rhetorical and narrative arcs, lexical registry, and prosody in the target text. prosodic solutions crystallize out of the unconscious at odd times, while drifting to sleep, while driving. one scribbles them down in haste, with a momentary thrill, and proceeds to analyze and reject them over subsequent days, regretting them at leisure, always recalling t. s. eliot’s “time yet for a hundred indecisions…. for decisions and revisions which a minute will reverse.” my confidence that these famous lines from “the love song of j. alfred prufrock” reflect at least in part eliot’s personal experience of composing verse underscores the enduring attractiveness of the “singable” 6 see timothy d. sergay, “‘prorok’ sevenfold: some recent and notso-recent translations of pushkin’s ‘the prophet,’” slavfile, newsletter of the slavic languages division of the american translators association 11.3 (summer 2001): 11–13, http://atasld.org/sites/atasld.org/files/slavfile/ summer-2001.pdf. http://atasld.org/sites/atasld.org/files/slavfile/summer-2001.pdf http://atasld.org/sites/atasld.org/files/slavfile/summer-2001.pdf timothy d. sergay 39 approach to verse translation: precisely because of its inherent difficulty, it allows us to live for a time, in our imaginations, as the “secret sharers” of our favorite poets. _goback login | delos: a journal of translation and world literature main navigation main content sidebar current archives search subscribe toggle search register login search toggle navigation home login subscription or article purchase required to access item. to verify subscription, access previous purchase, or purchase article, log in to journal. username password forgot your password? keep me logged in login register sidebar-links about overview editorial board contact contributors author guidelines submit subscribers subscribe/renew news sign-upnews sign-up issn: 0011-7951 eissn: 2573-5659   main office: 2046 ne waldo road suite 2100 gainesville, fl 32609 phone: 352-392-1351 email: journals@upress.ufl.edu navigation home search current archives subscribe notes on contributors dror abenddavid teaches in the department of languages, literatures and cultures at the university of florida. his first book was published in 2003 by peter lang under the title, “scorned my nation”: a comparison of translations of the merchant of venice into german, hebrew, and yiddish. his second book, media and translation: an interdisciplinary approach, was published in 2014 (paperback 2016) with bloomsbury academic publishing. his third book, representing translation: languages, translation, and translators in contemporary media, is forthcoming with bloomsbury academic in spring 2019. dror has published articles on translation in relation to media, drama, literature, and jewish culture. his email address is da2137 @nyu .edu. dr. abidemi bolarinwa is a lecturer in the department of linguistics and african languages, university of ibadan, nigeria. she is also an associate lecturer at the yoruba language centre, university of ibadan. she is a member of several learned and professional associations such as the international society for oral literature in africa (isola). currently she is the public relation officer of yoruba studies association of nigeria (ysan) and sub dean (general) faculty of arts, university of ibadan, nigeria. she is happily married with children. michael efroimsky, phd oxford 1995, is a russianborn astronomer working at the us naval observatory in washington, dc. in 2008– 2009, he served as the chair of the division on dynamical astronomy of the american astronomical society. known mainly for his contribution to the theory of rotation of the planet mercury, he also coauthored a book, relativistic celestial mechanics of the solar system (by s. kopeikin, m. efroimsky, & g. kaplan. wileyvch, berlin 2011). his recent research has been devoted to the system of seven planets orbiting the star trappist1: http: //iopscience .iop .org /article /10 .3847 /1538 4357 /aab845 /meta. victor alfredovich kulle wrote russia’s first dissertation on joseph brodsky’s poetry (1996) and has translated into russian the body of brodsky’s english-language poems. his own poetry has been published in the collections palimpsest (2001), everything seriously (2011), and persistence and 264 notes on contributors light (2017). he has written numerous articles in various periodicals, and scripts for documentaries on russian writers. he is an associate professor of the literary institute in moscow, head of the poetry seminar, and a member of the russian pen center. among his literary awards are the noviy mir magazine prize (2006), the italian “lerici pea – mosca” (2009), the a. m. zverev prize from inostrannaya literatura magazine (2013), the new pushkin prize (2016) and the prize of the writers’ union of moscow “the crown” (2017). among his other translations are the book of psalms, the complete poetic legacy of michaelangelo, and poetry from john donne to seamus heaney. he worked on the fundamental bilingual edition poetry of the nationalities of the russian federation (2017) and compiled the legendary poetry collection latin quarter (1991) and the anthology philological school (2006). bevil luck was born and grew up in cornwall, in the southwestern toe of the uk. he read english at oxford before working in various jobs in london for two years. he is currently in the fourth year of his phd at the university of southampton, writing a thesis on the poetry of f. t. prince entitled, “the froward master.” he may be contacted at bevil .luck@gmail .com. dmitri manin is a physicist, programmer, and translator. his poetry translations into russian from english and french appeared in several book collections. he won the first prize in the 2018 compass awards for his english translation of a poem by maria stepanova. several of his translations from russian into english are to appear in journals. j. e. rivers is professor of english at the university of coloradoboulder, where he also teaches comparative literature. author of the prizewinning critical study proust and the art of love, which contains firsttime translations of neglected french texts, he is also coeditor of and contributor to nabokov’s fifth arc: nabokov and others on his life’s work. in addition to translations of work by and about proust, he has published translations of work by guillaume apollinaire and georges duhamel and translations from german (rilke), spanish (neruda and sor juana), and chinese (du fu and li bai). crediting his medical education (md, 1969), psychiatric training, and forty years of practice with his efforts to pay full attention to nuance and patterns in narratives, stephen rojcewicz has broadened his lifelong interests in languages and literature with an ma degree in classics (latin and greek, 2012) delos 265 and a phd in comparative literature (2017). he is the coauthor of a textbook on supportive psychotherapy, and has published numerous papers and book reviews on classical reception and on the intersection of psychiatry and the humanities. gregor thuswaldner (phd, university of north carolina at chapel hill) is dean of the college of arts and sciences and professor of humanities at north park university in chicago. he has published numerous essays on german and austrian literature, film, culture, politics, history, religion, linguistics, and higher education. with robert dassanowsky, he translated felix mitterer’s play jägerstätter (university of new orleans press, 2016). dr. thuswaldner’s latest book publication is the coedited essay collection, the hermeneutics of hell: visions and representations of the devil in world literature (palgrave, 2017). he is an elected member of pen american center, pen austria, the european academy of sciences and arts, and serves as president of the austrian studies association. dr. thuswaldner is also on the editorial board of delos. daniel white is a phd student in the department of scandinavian studies at university college london. daniel’s doctoral research concentrates on the political career of the sometime ruler of iceland, þórðr kakali sighvatsson (b.1210– d.1256). more broadly, daniel’s research interests lie at the intersection of constitutional law, state formation, political culture, power politics and disputing strategies. daniel can be contacted via his institutional email address: daniel .white .17@ucl .ac .uk. patricia worth has a master of translation studies from the australian national university. her translation of george sand’s spiridion was published by suny press in 2015. two bilingual short story books were published in 2017 and 2018 by volkeno books vanuatu, and a collection of short stories by jean lorrain is forthcoming in 2018 from odyssey books. a number of her translations have also been published in australian, new caledonian and us literary journals, including southerly journal, sillages d’océanie 2014, the brooklyn rail, and eleven eleven. she keeps a blog on translation and other matters at https: //soundslikewish .org/. login | delos: a journal of translation and world literature main navigation main content sidebar current archives search subscribe toggle search register login search toggle navigation home login subscription or article purchase required to access item. to verify subscription, access previous purchase, or purchase article, log in to journal. username password forgot your password? keep me logged in login register sidebar-links about overview editorial board contact contributors author guidelines submit subscribers subscribe/renew news sign-upnews sign-up issn: 0011-7951 eissn: 2573-5659   main office: 2046 ne waldo road suite 2100 gainesville, fl 32609 phone: 352-392-1351 email: journals@upress.ufl.edu navigation home search current archives subscribe felix mitterer, jägerstätter. translation by gregor thuswaldner with robert dassanowsky, ed. günter bischof. new orleans, la: uno press, 2015. 95 pp. in spite of the ongoing ministrations (and subventions) by the goetheinstitut to bring german literature to a reading audience in the united states, there is a marked dearth of german-language drama available for american audiences in print, and the record of contemporary german theatre texts being staged this side of the atlantic is nothing if not lamentable. blame partly the habitually very selective attention of u.s. literary culture to foreign works, but also the enormous aesthetic gap between european “postdramatic” performance practices in which texts are only the point of departure (and sometimes the point of no return) for the inventions and interventions of regietheater and an american taste for drama that is often stultifyingly mired in conventions of realism and representation. little wonder that, quite apart from the linguistic challenges they present, works by elfriede jelinek, rené pollesch, or falk richter are rarely seen here. so the present translation of felix mitterer’s 2013 drama jägerstätter, which has the potential to bridge that gap, is a most welcome enterprise. mitterer has been a productive and award-winning playwright and screenwriter (notably for the tv crime series tatort) since the mid-1970s. frequently produced in vienna as well as in a number of austrian regional theatres, wider recognition of his work, even in the german-speaking countries, has probably suffered because he thinks of himself as a heimatdichter, a regionalist writer. like his countryman ödön von horváth—he received the eponymously named literary prize—mitterer’s genre is the critical popular play (kritisches volksstück) which through episodic structure and folk idiom reveals the blinkered attitudes and reactionary politics of the provincial milieu. franz jägerstätter, the historical protagonist of this play, is however no less than a heroic figure whose courageous and ultimately fatal act of resistance against the nazi war machine sets him in stark relief to the cowering acquiescence of his compatriots. a young, rather impetuous and carefree farmer in the austrian town of st. radegund (he had fathered an illegitimate child), jägerstätter was by 1943 married and the father of three when the wehrmacht annulled his deferral from the draft and insisted that he join the badly faltering german war effort. recognizing the horrors of the slaughter and the moral insanity of the war, jägerstätter, a pious catholic whose christianity was more than lip-service, became a conscientious objector. in spite of pleas by his family, his priest, his lawyer, and even the bishop of linz (who, quite in line with ecclesiastical complicity, all but commanded jägerstätter to enlist), jägerstätter held out in the face of certain annihilation, and was tried and executed in berlin in 1943. 128 delos that jägerstätter’s fate, unlike that of the much more familiar hans and sophie scholl (who were also guided by religious faith), is largely unknown in austria and germany is no coincidence. as the useful preface by günter bischof and introduction by translator gregor thuswaldner explain, jägerstätter’s martyrdom ran afoul of austria’s post-war victim complex in which the myth persisted that the country had been irresistibly conscripted into the evil machinations of an outside power. the young farmer’s sacrifice gave the lie to the narrative of the untarnished heroism of the austrian soldiers. neither the church nor the left, though for very different reasons, wanted to own his act of resistance. his widow franziska was subjected to hostilities after the war and denied a widow’s pension. it was not until, ironically, an american scholar, and later a television documentary, picked up his cause that jägerstätter’s case was reexamined, culminating with his beatification in 2007. mitterer’s play, drawing on letters and other historical documents, sets the story out in a mostly linear and simply suggestive style, though, a good brechtian, he tells us right at the start that jägerstätter will perish. in mitterer’s episodic drama, jägerstätter is a fallible character, tender-hearted but irascible, proud and clear-eyed, unimpressed by intimidation, whose stiffening resolve against the gathering storm rises to the inexorable heights of tragic fate. this catholic martyr aligns with the imperturbable creed of martin luther— “here i stand, i can do no other”—or with the immovable conviction of michael kohlhaas in kleist’s story. as arthur miller says in his wellknown essay, “tragedy and the common man,” “we are in the presence of a character who is ready to lay down his life . . . to secure one thing, his sense of personal dignity.” indeed, there is even a chorus of townspeople in mitterer’s play, though it represents less the moral wisdom of the polis, as in ancient tragedy, than the wheedling, bellicose voice of conventional conformity, shot through with pious nostrums and nazi platitudes. thuswaldner’s translation (aided in the process by robert dassanowsky and jeff miller) is more than serviceable; it is for the most part both accurate in its particulars and broadly playable. he acknowledges in his introduction that the play presents the translator with several inherent difficulties owed to its “folkloristic undertones” and “non-standard varieties of austrian-german” (xxv-xxvi). indeed, much like the language of horváth or, in its german equivalents, of brecht, fleisser, or kroetz, mitterer’s is a kunstsprache, a linguistic construct evocative of popular speech rather than a transcription of upper austrian sociolects. in the original, this language has subtextural flexibility and subtlety as it does both the work of concealing and revealing, depending on the speaker. it can come across as blunt and hostile, but also as deeply honest and even lyrical. thuswaldner does his best (and his best is indeed very good) to render the connotations reviews 129 login | delos: a journal of translation and world literature main navigation main content sidebar current archives search subscribe toggle search register login search toggle navigation home login subscription or article purchase required to access item. to verify subscription, access previous purchase, or purchase article, log in to journal. username password forgot your password? keep me logged in login register sidebar-links about overview editorial board contact contributors author guidelines submit subscribers subscribe/renew news sign-upnews sign-up issn: 0011-7951 eissn: 2573-5659   main office: 2046 ne waldo road suite 2100 gainesville, fl 32609 phone: 352-392-1351 email: journals@upress.ufl.edu navigation home search current archives subscribe login | delos: a journal of translation and world literature main navigation main content sidebar current archives search subscribe toggle search register login search toggle navigation home login subscription or article purchase required to access item. to verify subscription, access previous purchase, or purchase article, log in to journal. username password forgot your password? keep me logged in login register sidebar-links about overview editorial board contact contributors author guidelines submit subscribers subscribe/renew news sign-upnews sign-up issn: 0011-7951 eissn: 2573-5659   main office: 2046 ne waldo road suite 2100 gainesville, fl 32609 phone: 352-392-1351 email: journals@upress.ufl.edu navigation home search current archives subscribe login | delos: a journal of translation and world literature main navigation main content sidebar current archives search subscribe toggle search register login search toggle navigation home login subscription or article purchase required to access item. to verify subscription, access previous purchase, or purchase article, log in to journal. username password forgot your password? keep me logged in login register sidebar-links about overview editorial board contact contributors author guidelines submit subscribers subscribe/renew news sign-upnews sign-up issn: 0011-7951 eissn: 2573-5659   main office: 2046 ne waldo road suite 2100 gainesville, fl 32609 phone: 352-392-1351 email: journals@upress.ufl.edu navigation home search current archives subscribe franz josef degenhardt. deutsche lieder—german songs. translated from german into english by stephan lhotzky. bremen: edition lumière, 2016. 260 pp. every facing-page bilingual translation makes its readers into far more attentive translation critics than they might have otherwise been. in the case of poetry, we are even more critical, since it is so difficult to walk the tightrope between accuracy and beauty. in the case of songs, as in this collection, there is the added challenge of singability with the melody, metric structure, and rhymes of the original. this collection is a worthy attempt at achieving this balance. however, in many instances, the english renditions sound awkward and don’t adequately reflect the idiomatic german originals. franz josef degenhardt was one of the fathers of the german liedermacher movement, active on tour and in recordings (28 albums as lps, cassettes, and cds) from 1962 until his death in 2011. he wrote some 270 songs, from which collected work the translator stephan lhotzky has selected 53, or about 20% of the total. they are arranged in random order, with neither a chronological or thematic sequence apparent. they include many of degenhardt’s best-known songs, particularly from the five albums recorded between 1965 and 1969, a flourishing of productivity for the singer-songwriter. it seems logical to ask why degenhardt’s songs hadn’t been translated earlier, apart from a few isolated instances. some of them, such as “tonio schiavo,” the ballad of the life and death of an italian gastarbeiter, recorded in 1966, not only have become widely appreciated classics which show up in schoolbooks now, but have lost almost none of their power in half a century. i asked degenhardt in 1974 after a concert in regensburg about touring in the usa, and he was clearly interested, but there was the challenge of non-german-speaking audiences. we discussed the idea of touring mainly to the german departments of several big american universities with students interested in the liedermacher movement, then in full swing. i wondered about the sponsorship by some organization such as munich’s goetheinstitut, but the idea never came to any fruition. degenhardt’s gift as a songwriter in german is extremely hard to render in english, not least because of the cultural and political context of his songs, which are often about current events and attitudes. if the anglo-american reader is unaware of these contexts, the songs inevitably lose some of their impact. reviews delos 171 but lhotzky has chosen not to load up his translations with notes, which was probably wise. this is not a scholarly edition but is clearly intended to be a singable collection. whether that objective succeeds depends entirely on the reader’s familiarity with the music; lhotzky does point out that many of the songs are available on youtube through degenhardt’s comprehensive website. this book includes not only a thoughtful and insightful foreword by lhotzky but also an extremely useful appendix listing the song contents (titles, not entire lyrics) from all of degenhardt’s recorded albums over his fifty-year career. degenhardt was a politically engaged observer of germany through its postwar ups and downs, not only the years of the great coalition of cdu and spd, but up to and including reunification in 1990, after which he recorded nine cds. lhotzky includes only five song translations from this late period. traduttore traditore (the translator is a traitor) is no less true now than when it was first expressed in the context of translating dante into french, and yet one would not therefore ask that translators stop trying. lhotzky’s attempts are a valuable service in sharing a good cross-section of one of germany’s most important liedermacher with an anglo-american audience. richard rundell david trueba. blitz. translated from spanish by john cullen. new york: other, 2016. 176 pages. “eventually i went back to sleep, and memory of the years we’d shared rolled through my mind, images evoked by nostalgia or spite,” reflects beto, the narrator and protagonist of david trueba’s 2015 novel blitz, as he shares a munich hotel room with the woman whose infidelity he has just discovered. nostalgia or spite remain, generally, the underlying political message of this text, as some combination of these emotions leaves our narrator in a self-pitying quagmire. explaining his decision to skip his flight back to spain and stay in germany after the landscape architecture conference that has brought them there, beto tells us, “my inertia could be understood as petty revenge.” against his girlfriend, certainly. but, on a wider level, his inertia is a protest against the modern economy. the eurozone crisis is the inevitable backdrop, the necessary explanation for this novel of crash, failure, and drift. _goback _goback _gjdgxs _goback _goback vergil sculptures by daedalus translated from latin by stephen rojcewicz daedalus, ut fama est, fugiens minoia regna praepetibus pennis ausus se credere caelo 15 insuetum per iter gelidas enavit ad arctos, chalcidicaque levis tandem super astitit arce. redditus his primum terris tibi, phoebe, sacravit remigium alarum posuitque immania templa. in foribus letum androgeo; tum pendere poenas 20 cecropidae iussi (miserum!) septena quotannis corpora natorum; stat ductis sortibus urna. contra elata mari respondet cnosia tellus: hic crudelis amor tauri suppostaque furto pasiphae mixtumque genus prolesque biformis 25 minotaurus inest, veneris monimenta nefandae, hic labor ille domus et inextricabilis error; magnum reginae sed enim miseratus amorem daedalus ipse dolos tecti ambagesque resolvit, caeca regens filo vestigia. tu quoque magnam 30 partem opere in tanto, sineret dolor, icare, haberes. bis conatus erat casus effingere in auro, bis patriae cecidere manus. vergil, aeneid 6.14-33 latin text from p. vergili maronis opera, ed. r. a. b. mynors (oxford: clarendon, 1969). where typesetting requires, some lines here and in the ovid text have been editorially broken for the sake of alignment of the latin with its translation. stephen rojcewicz 61 daedalus, as the story goes, fleeing the kingdom of minos, entrusted himself with flying wings to the sky, floating to the cold north through an unprecedented path, and at last stood lightly on the chalcidian height. having returned first to these lands, he sacrificed to you, apollo, the rowing equipment of his wings, establishing a huge temple. on the doors is the death of androgeos, then the athenians (wretched!), commanded to weigh out the penalties annually, seven bodies of their children: the urn stands, the lots having been drawn. the opposite side corresponds to the knossian land, raised from the sea: here are the cruel love for the bull, pasiphae placed under it by stealth, and a mingled type, the two-formed offspring— the minotaur, memorials of unspeakable love; here is that labor imposed on the house, with its endless wrong turns. but even daedalus himself, having pitied the great love of the queen, unravels the schemes and the winding ways of the palace, directing blind footsteps with a thread. icarus, you also should have a large part in this great sculpture, if grief would allow it. twice daedalus had attempted to fashion the misfortunes in gold, twice the hands of the father failed. ***** the vergilian account is an ekphrasis, a poetic description of a work of art, in this case the sculptures daedalus carved on the doors of a temple. the passage begins with the flight of daedalus into exile, continues with his landing in what would now be italy, and the founding of a temple to apollo. vergil’s daedalus is simultaneously a successful artist in his sculptures of the events in crete concerning minos, pasiphae, the minotaur, and the labyrinth, and a failed artist in that he cannot depict the death of icarus. when aeneas finally lands in italy in vergil’s book 6, the hero goes to seek the sibyl at cumae, in order to journey to the underworld. finding a sacred temple, he notices the gold sculptures on the doors. while vergil’s ekphrasis of works of art in the temple of juno in aeneid book 1 and found on the armor of aeneas in book 8 are justly famous, the description of the sculptures of daedalus is less well-known. 62 vergil and ovid ovid: daedalus and icarus translated from latin by stephen rojcewicz daedalus interea creten longumque perosus exilium tactusque loci natalis amore clausus erat pelago. “terras licet” inquit “et undas 185 obstruat: et caelum certe patet; ibimus illac: omnia possideat, non possidet aera minos.” dixit et ignotas animum dimittit in artes naturamque novat. nam ponit in ordine pennas a minima coeptas, longam breviore sequenti, 190 ut clivo crevisse putes: sic rustica quondam fistula disparibus paulatim surgit avenis; tum lino medias et ceris alligat imas atque ita conpositas parvo curvamine flectit, ut veras imitetur aves. puer icarus una 195 stabat et, ignarus sua se tractare pericla, ore renidenti modo, quas vaga moverat aura, captabat plumas, flavam modo pollice ceram mollibat lusuque suo mirabile patris impediebat opus. postquam manus ultima coepto 200 inposita est, geminas opifex libravit in alas ipse suum corpus motaque pependit in aura; instruit et natum “medio” que “ut limite curras, icare,” ait “moneo, ne, si demissior ibis, unda gravet pennas, si celsior, ignis adurat: 205 inter utrumque vola. nec te spectare booten aut helicen iubeo strictumque orionis ensem: me duce carpe viam!” pariter praecepta volandi tradit et ignotas umeris accommodat alas. inter opus monitusque genae maduere seniles, 210 et patriae tremuere manus; dedit oscula nato non iterum repetenda suo pennisque levatus ante volat comitique timet, velut ales, ab alto quae teneram prolem produxit in aera nido, hortaturque sequi damnosasque erudit artes 215 et movet ipse suas et nati respicit alas. latin text from http://thelatinlibrary.com/. http://thelatinlibrary.com/ stephen rojcewicz 63 meanwhile daedalus, having detested crete and his long exile, filled with longing to stand on his native soil, was imprisoned by the sea. “although he may obstruct by land or waves, the sky is surely open to us: we will go that way: minos has control over everything, but does not possess the air,” he spoke, and sent forth his mind to unknown arts and gave a new form to nature. for he lays down lines of feathers, beginning with the smallest, following the shorter with longer ones, so that you would think them to have grown on a slope. in this way, long ago, the shepherd’s pan-pipes sprang up, little by little, from unequal reeds. then he fastens them together with string at the middle, with wax at the bottom; arranging them, he bends them in a little curve, so that they imitate real birds. the boy icarus was standing by one, and, ignorant that he was handling his own disaster, now with laughing face was catching the down wandering in the breeze, now was softening the yellow wax with his thumb, and in his play, hindered the marvelous work of his father. after the finishing touches had been applied to what his hand began, the craftsman balanced his own body between the two wings and hovered in the moving air. he taught his son, “run the middle route, icarus, i warn you: if you go too low, moisture burdens the wings, if too high, the sun scorches them. fly between the extremes. i bid you not to look towards boötes or helice or the drawn sword of orion. seize the way i lead!” at the same time as he hands over the rules of flight, fastening the unfamiliar wings on the boy’s shoulders. between the work and the warning, the old man’s cheeks became wet, the father’s hands trembled. he gave kisses to his son, never to be repeated, and lifting his wings, fearing for his companion, he flew ahead like a bird who has led her fledglings out of a nest above, into the empty air. he urges the boy to follow, and teaches him the dangerous arts, moving his own wings and looking back on the wings of his son. 64 vergil and ovid hos aliquis tremula dum captat harundine pisces, aut pastor baculo stivave innixus arator vidit et obstipuit, quique aethera carpere possent, credidit esse deos. et iam iunonia laeva 220 parte samos (fuerant delosque parosque relictae) dextra lebinthos erat fecundaque melle calymne, cum puer audaci coepit gaudere volatu deseruitque ducem caelique cupidine tractus altius egit iter. rapidi vicinia solis 225 mollit odoratas, pennarum vincula, ceras; tabuerant cerae: nudos quatit ille lacertos, remigioque carens non ullas percipit auras, oraque caerulea patrium clamantia nomen excipiuntur aqua, quae nomen traxit ab illo. 230 at pater infelix, nec iam pater, “icare,” dixit, “icare,” dixit “ubi es? qua te regione requiram?” “icare” dicebat: pennas aspexit in undis devovitque suas artes corpusque sepulcro condidit, et tellus a nomine dicta sepulti. 235 ovid, metamorphoses 8.183-235 stephen rojcewicz 65 someone catching fish with a quivering rod, or a shepherd leaning on his staff, or a ploughman resting on a handle, sees them, perhaps, and is stunned, believing them to be gods able to press on through the air. and now samos, sacred to juno, was on the left (delos and paros left behind), lebinthos and calymne, rich in honey, on the right, when the boy, delighting in his daring flight, abandoned his leader, and drawn by a desire for even greater heavens, drove a higher path. his nearness to the scorching sun softened the fragrant wax, the bond of the wings. the wax melted, he shakes with bare arms, and lacking his oars, cannot catch any breeze. even as his mouth was crying out the name of his father, he is taken out by the sky-blue sea, whose name derives from him. the unhappy father, no longer a father, shouted, “icarus, icarus where are you? where should i look for you?” he kept calling, “icarus.” he saw the feathers on the waves, and cursed his arts. he buried the body in a tomb: the land is called icaria after the name of the buried child. ***** while ovid’s story of daedalus and icarus stands out as a brilliant poetic creation in its own right, the narrative is also important for its impact on james joyce’s portrait of the artist as a young man, and as a model for the dilemmas of the translator’s art. joyce begins portrait with an epigraph from this ovidian passage: “et ignotas animum dimittit in artes” (met. 8.188), “and he [daedalus] sent forth his mind to unknown arts.” joyce, a superb latin scholar, knew the phrase ovid placed immediately following artes, and would assume that many of his readers would make the connection. ovid continues: “naturamque novat” (met. 8.189), “and he gave a new form to nature/changed the constitution of nature/invented a new nature.” the essay, “james joyce’s dedalus: transformations of ovid, vergil and plato,” explores how the irish writer incorporated and transformed his classical sources to “gave a new form to the nature” of fiction. the advice of daedalus to his son is also an exploration of the art of the translator. if the translator is excessively faithful to the literal text, she/he runs the risk of writing “too low” (met. 8.204), so that the syntax and non-essential aspects of the original text “burdens the wings” (met. 8.205). at its worst, such a version 66 vergil and ovid demonstrates that the translator certainly knows latin, but cannot write english. at times, however, a literal translation is needed to bring out significant aspects of the original that would otherwise be missed. since the latin verb tenses of metamorphoses 8.183235, for example, vary among present, imperfect, and perfect, the current translation tries to represent these original forms, even at the expense of occasional awkwardness. if the translator strives for poetic effects absent in the original, she/he may certainly achieve brilliance, but, if the effect is “too high, the sun scorches” the result (met. 8.205). daedalus’ advice to his son in 8.208 points to a possible resolution: carpe viam (“seize the way!”). the imperative carpe viam echoes one of the most famous lines from horace, carpe diem (“seize the day!”) (ode 1.11.8; originally published 23 bce). ovid writes me duce carpe viam, “with me leading, seize the way” or “seize the way i lead.” we can understand ovid as enjoining the translator to avoid slavish imitation or excessively loose paraphrasing, and, instead, to follow the broad path created by the original. s. r. notes on contributors dror abend-david teaches at the department of languages, literatures and cultures at the university of florida. his first book, based on his dissertation, was published in 2003 by peter lang under the title: “scorned my nation:” a comparison of translations of the merchant of venice into german, hebrew, and yiddish. his second book, media and translation: an interdisciplinary approach, was published in june 2014 (soft cover 2016) with bloomsbury academic publishing. his third book, representing translation: languages, translation, and translators in contemporary media is forthcoming in september 2018. dror received his doctorate in comparative literature from new york university (2001), and has published articles on translation in relation to media, drama, literature, and jewish culture. his email address is dabend@ufl.edu. shaina m. anderson is a doctoral student in classics at the university of florida. she became enthralled with literature and language while earning an undergraduate degree in english literature and biology. her interests expanded when she began studying latin, and she subsequently earned an m.a. in classics. she is currently teaching accelerated latin. recent travels include spending the summer in italy, after being accepted to the american academy at rome, and in greece, where she attended a fall 2016 conference at the international olympic academy. her email address is andersonshaina87@ufl.edu. ilya bernstein is a poet and translator. he is the author of one collection of poems, attention and man (ugly duckling presse, 2003), and the editor of anthologies of poems by osip mandelstam and yevgeny baratynsky in english translation (both from udp, 2006 and 2015). alexander burak is an associate professor of russian studies in the department of languages, literatures and cultures at the university of florida. he is a graduate of the translators’ and interpreter’s department of the moscow linguistic university (popularly known as the “maurice thorez institute”) in moscow. dr. burak has the russian equivalent of an m.a. in translation/ interpreting studies from the moscow linguistic university and the russian equivalent of a ph.d. in sociology from moscow state university (mgu). he is the author of four books – translating culture 1: words (moscow: r. valent, 2010); translating culture 2: sentence and paragraph semantics (moscow: r. valent, 2013); “the other” in translation: a case for comparative translation studies (bloomington, indiana: slavica publishing, mailto:dabend@ufl.edu mailto:andersonshaina87@ufl.edu delos 183 2013); and what it takes to be a translator: theory and practice (saarbrücken: lambert academic publishing, 2014), as well as of numerous other publications on translation. william calin, ph.d. yale 1961, is graduate research professor at the university of florida. he has taught or had grants at paris, poitiers, montpellier, rennes, cambridge, edinburgh, and toronto. he works in medieval french literature; french poetry from the renaissance to the present; franco-british literary relations; medievalism; and modern literature in breton, occitan, and scots. he has authored 12 books, 120 articles and chapters, and 230 papers and lectures. his most recent volume is the lily and the thistle: the french tradition and the early literature of scotland. current projects include books on eighteenth-century french poetry, occitan from 1500 to 1900, and medievalism. pamela carmell received an nea translation fellowship in 2008 for oppiano licario by josé lezama lima. her translations of poems by nancy morejón were published in with eyes and soul (white pine press, 2004) and homing instincts (cubanabooks, 2014). other translations include the last cato, by matilde asensi (harper collins, 2006), the last portrait of the duchess of alba by antonio larreta (book-of-the-month club selection), woman on the front lines by belkis cuza malé, (supported by the witter bynner foundation for poetry), and the short story collection cuba on the edge (co-translator, co-editor). she has also translated work by luisa valenzuela, manuel puig, ena lucía portela, carlos cortes, and gloria fuertes, among others. in 2000 she was selected to participate in writers of the americas, a writers’ exchange in havana. robert chandler’s translations from russian include many works by vasily grossman and andrey platonov. he has compiled three anthologies for penguin classics: of russian short stories, of russian magic tales and, most recently, (with boris dralyuk and irina mashinski), the penguin book of russian poetry. his co-translations of two volumes of memoirs and stories by teffi were published in may 2016. he is the editor and main translator of fourteen little red huts, a selection of andrey platonov’s plays published in december 2016 by columbia university press in their new series russian library. his short biography of alexander pushkin is to be republished by pushkin press in 2017 and he runs a monthly translation workshop at pushkin house (london). his translations have won prizes in both the uk and the usa. 184 notes on contributors anne connor is professor of spanish at southern oregon university and directs the summer language institute for spanish teachers in the universidad de guanajuato, mexico. she received her ph.d. in spanish from vanderbilt university, with a secondary area of interest in brazilian literature. beyond translation, her research interests include the fantastic in contemporary latin american literature and film, women writers of latin america, and music and culture of latin america. stanley corngold is professor emeritus of german and comparative literature at princeton university and a member of the american academy of arts and sciences. he has published widely on modern german writers (e.g., dilthey, nietzsche, musil, kraus, mann, benjamin, adorno, among others) but for the most part has been translating and writing on the work of franz kafka. he is now completing an intellectual biography of the philosopher walter kaufmann. anne o. fisher’s translation of ksenia buksha’s avant-garde novel the freedom factory is forthcoming with phoneme media in 2017. fisher has also translated works by ilya ilf and evgeny petrov, andrey platonov, and margarita meklina. fisher’s translations have been recognized by the northern california book awards, aatseel, and academia rossica. with cotranslator derek mong, fisher won an nea translation grant to support work on contemporary russian poet maxim amelin’s verse; their renderings have appeared in asymptote, the brooklyn rail, two lines, the international poetry review, and elsewhere. fisher holds a ph.d. from the university of michigan and lives in indiana with her family. adria frizzi writes about and translates italian and latin american literature. she has published five book-length translations: nine, novena (sun & moon press, 1995; rev. 2nd ed, green integer, 2010) and the queen of the prisons of greece (dalkey archive press, 1995), both by osman lins; whatever happened to dulce veiga? (ut press, 2000) by caio fernando abreu; and stories from the copan building by regina rheda (in first world third class and other tales of the global mix, ut press, 2005). besides marina colasanti, other authors she has translated include dacia maraini, elena ferrante, roberto drummond, and dinorath do valle. she teaches italian and translation studies at the university of texas at austin. delos 185 rachel j. halverson is professor of german and chair of the department of modern languages and cultures at the university of idaho. she specializes in post-war and post-unification german literature and culture and has published on the historikerstreit, and the works of siegfried lenz, jurek becker, thomas brussig, günter de bruyn, martina hefter, wolfgang hilbig, tobias hülswitt, hanna johansen, hermann kant, and judith kuckart. in addition to journal articles and book chapters, she has co-edited three anthologies: textual responses to german unification (walter de gruyter verlag, 2001) and berlin: the symphony continues (walter de gruyter verlag, 2004) co-edited with carol anne costabile-heming and kristie foell; and taking stock of german studies in the united states: the new millennium (camden house, 2015) co-edited with costabile-heming. daniel kennedy is an irish-born translator currently based in rennes, france. he is a two-time translation fellow at the yiddish book center, and his translations from the yiddish have appeared in pakn treger and in geveb. he is a founding editor of farlag press, a non-profit collective specializing in smaller languages. his website is: danielkennedy.weebly.com. ann manov is a recent english, french, and spanish graduate of the university of florida and a current fulbright english teaching assistant in strasbourg, france. her writing has appeared in intersect: the stanford journal of science, technology, and society; the quint: an interdisciplinary quarterly from the north; sand journal; the lake; and more. julia morrisroe is an artist and associate professor in painting and drawing at university of florida. morrisroe holds a bachelor of fine arts degree from northern illinois university and a master of fine arts from university of washington. morrisroe’s paintings, drawings and installations have been exhibited in over 17 solo exhibitions and 90 groups exhibitions in museums and art galleries worldwide. sean negus is a poet, educator, and experimental writer working occasionally in digital media environments. in addition to lecturing at san francisco state university in the english department, he has published poems in webconjunctions, dusie magazine and poecology. last year after completing the epic fellowship at stanford university on the literary transnational and composition pedagogy, he traveled to brazil and argentina to explore literary and artistic collaborations. ongoing digital writing projects of his can be found at: http://www.transpoiesis.com. http://danielkennedy.weebly.com http://www.transpoiesis.com 186 notes on contributors marco alexandre de oliveira holds a ph.d. in comparative literature and an m.a. in romance languages and literatures from the university of north carolina at chapel hill. he has published translations in delos: a journal of translation and world literature, machado de assis magazine: brazilian literature in translation, and zunái: revista de poesia & debates. under the pseudonym of gringo carioca, author of reflexos e reflexões (2014), his works have appeared in literary anthologies, poetry magazines, and art exhibitions in both brazil and the united states. charles a. perrone is professor of portuguese and lusobrazilian culture and literatures in the department of spanish and portuguese studies at the university of florida. he is the author of masters of contemporary brazilian song: mpb 19651985 (1989), seven faces: brazilian poetry since modernism (1996), and brazil, lyric, and the americas (2010). in addition to many articles and book chapters on brazilian literature and popular music, he has translated numerous contemporary brazilian writers, most notably poets augusto de campos and paulo leminski. his own poetry has appeared in numerous venues since the 1970s; his most recent chapbook, out of alphabetical order, is published by moria books, http://moriapoetry.com (chicago, 2015). wendy pfeffer, ph.d. toronto 1979, is professor of french in the department of classical and modern languages at the university of louisville. her several books and numerous articles have discussed different genres and aspects of medieval french and occitan literature. her most recent book, le festin du troubadour: nourriture, société et littérature en occitanie (1100-1500), considers the culinary culture of medieval southern france and the literary uses of food vocabulary; this work was supported by a fulbright grant to france (2011). she has also published on renaissance, modern and contemporary occitan literature and culture. her current research is on renaissance physician jean bruyérin-champier and his culinary interests, work that will be funded by a second fulbright grant to france (2018). she has been recognized by the french government as an officier in the order of arts and letters. stephen rojcewicz. crediting his medical education (m.d., 1969), psychiatric training, and forty years of practice with his efforts to pay full attention to nuance and patterns in narratives, stephen rojcewicz is now avidly pursuing his life-long interests http://moriapoetry.com delos 187 in languages and literature. having earned a master’s degree in classics (latin and greek) just prior to his retirement from psychiatry, stephen will be defending his ph.d. dissertation in comparative literature, “our tears: thornton wilder’s reception and americanization of the latin and greek classics,” at the university of maryland in spring, 2017. he is the co-author of a textbook on supportive psychotherapy, and has published numerous papers and book reviews on the intersection of psychiatry and the humanities. richard rundell was born in 1939 in chicago. he retired in 2011 from new mexico state university in las cruces, where he taught language, literature, culture, and film for forty years. his b.a. (colorado college, 1961) is in german. his m.a. thesis (middlebury college/johannes gutenberg universität mainz, 1962) was on max frisch. his ph.d. dissertation (university of colorado, 1971) was on brecht’s aphorisms. he has published on german poetry, drama, and cinema and continues teaching a german cinema course at nmsu. he was acquainted with franz josef degenhardt and several of the other leading german liedermacher and gave numerous conference papers on their songs. timothy d. sergay is a translator and associate professor of russian at the state university of new york, albany. his research interests include the russian silver age, translation practice and theory, and russian “guitar poetry.” he has published various translations and articles in english and russian, including entries in the routledge encyclopedia of contemporary russian culture. he has recently translated the contemporary historical novel by aleksandr chudakov, lozhitsia mgla na starye stupeni (a gloom descends upon the ancient steps). pennell somsen is a 2015 graduate of city university of new york’s baccalaureate for unique and interdisciplinary studies. her published translations include “cowboy boots” in the rio grande review (2015) and “happy box” and “whadayalookingfor” in latin american literature today (jan. 2017), all by nadia villafuerte. her essays in spanish have been published in memorias del coloquio de lart 2014 (campana 2016); inquietudes, the york college, cuny spanish language magazine, in 2014 and 2015; and by la salvaje cartonera, chiapas, mexico in 2014. _goback login | delos: a journal of translation and world literature main navigation main content sidebar current archives search subscribe toggle search register login search toggle navigation home login subscription or article purchase required to access item. to verify subscription, access previous purchase, or purchase article, log in to journal. username password forgot your password? keep me logged in login register sidebar-links about overview editorial board contact contributors author guidelines submit subscribers subscribe/renew news sign-upnews sign-up issn: 0011-7951 eissn: 2573-5659   main office: 2046 ne waldo road suite 2100 gainesville, fl 32609 phone: 352-392-1351 email: journals@upress.ufl.edu navigation home search current archives subscribe seven brazilian poets: cecília meireles, torquato neto, waly salomão, paulo leminski, antonio cicero, maria ester maciel, adriano espínola translations and commentary: charles a. perrone motive i sing because the instant exists; and my life is complete, i know it. i dwell not in sadness nor in bliss: i'm a poet. brother of things one cannot seize, i feel neither torment nor delight. i'm passing through days and nights in the breeze. should i tear down or should i grow? should i undo or should i maintain? —no, i don't know. if i shall remain or if i'll go. i know i sing. and song is all things. blood eternal have rhythms on wings. i know one day my voice will stay yore —nothing more. motif i sing because this moment exists; full and complete is my life. no happy summit nor sad abyss: a poet am i. brother of all things fleeting, i've neither frowned nor grinned. i send a day and night greeting in the wind. will i remain constant or will i stray? will i be building or will i undo? i simply don't know. don't know if i'll stay or pass through. perrone 85 i know that i sing. and song has it all. rhythms with wings flow at its core. and one day i know i'll no longer call: —nothing more. motivo eu canto porque o instante existe e a minha vida está completa. não sou alegre nem sou triste: sou poeta. irmão das coisas fugidias, não sinto gozo nem tormento. atravesso noites e dias no vento. se desmorono ou se edifico, se permaneço ou se desfaço, —não sei, não sei. não sei se fico ou passo. sei que canto. e a canção é tudo. tem sangue eterno a asa ritmada. e um dia sei que estarei mudo: —mais nada. cecília meireles (1901-64) was an outstanding voice of the second generation of brazilian modernism. “motivo” is one of her signature pieces; it is from viagem (voyage, 1939). my two renderings of the poem were prepared for the first international meeting of brazilian women writers, new york (2009). they were also presented by prof. sérgio alcides during a lecture at dahlem humanities center, institut für romanische philologie, lateinamerika-institut; peter szondi-institut für allgemeine und vergleichende literatur, freie universität berlin, april 2014. 86 delos cogito i am as i am an inalienable personal pronoun of the man i initiated in the bounds of the impossible i am as i am as for now no great abiding secrets no secret or biting news at this hour i am as i am present unlocked and indecent like a piece of myself i am as i am eyes that portend and i’m living in peace every hour of the end cogito eu sou como eu sou pronome pessoal intransferível do homem que iniciei na medida do impossível eu sou como eu sou agora sem grandes segredos dantes sem novos secretos dentes nesta hora eu sou como eu sou presente desferrolhado indecente feito um pedaço de mim eu sou como sou vidente e vivo tranquilamente todas as horas do fim. perrone 87 torquato neto (1944-72) was a poet, lyricist and journalist. he was one of the key voices of the now internationally-known tropicália movement in mpb (brazilian popular music). “cogito” is his signature piece; it has appeared in his collected poems and numerous anthologies in brazil. ars poética operation clean up i. saudade* is a word of the portuguese language whose spate and flow i am always against saudade is a word to be banned from common usage from colloquial expression from the constitutional congress from dictionaries from onomasticons from epistolary practice from tombstones and epitaphs from geographical charts from popular songs from phantasmatic bodies from the map of affection from the shores of poetry not to leave alluvial deposits here on this river bank. ii. sudden sur reptitious anaconda repressed is resplendent meta-more so beautifies self mortifies what seemed a brauna tree perchance a boulder of tar scintillates re – newed snake sheds the shell of old skin sibilates 88 delos iii. saudade is a word: the sun of years and the salt of tears. *saudade: longing, yearning (for someone); "memory imbued with longing”; fond remembrance; nostalgia, homesickness. james l. taylor, portuguese english dictionary i. saudade é uma palavra da língua portuguesa a cujo enxurro sou sempre avesso saudade é uma palavra a ser banida do uso corrente da expressão coloquial da assembléia constituinte do dicionário da onomástica do epistolário da inscrição tumular da carta geográfica da canção popular da fantasmática do corpo do mapa da afeição da praia do poema pra não depositar aluvião aqui nesta ribeira. ii. súbito sub reptícia sucurijuba a reprimida resplandece se meta-formoseia se mata o q parecia pau de braúna quiçá pedra de breu perrone 89 cintila re-nova cobra rompe o ovo da casca velha sibila iii. saudade é uma palavra o sol da idade e o sal das lágrimas. waly salomão (1943-2003) was a poet, lyricist and cultural agitator, originally from the state of bahia. the present “ars poética operation clean up” is a revised (1986) version of a periodical manifesto (1983). the epigraph—gloss of a word often cited as untranslatable and very frequent in song—was added by the translator to replace a citation from the renaissance portuguese poet, sá de miranda. kai minimal temple, for a kind of smallish god, on guard for you here, instead of my painful self, my extreme vanguardian angel. what mask do your boastful sorrows fancy, what’s but vainglorious vacancy in your story. whoever might know. it’s quite enough, i find, the body drawing away the shadow left behind. kai mínimo templo para um deus pequeno, aqui vos guarda, em vez da dor que peno, meu extremo anjo de vanguarda. de que máscara se gaba sua lástima, 90 delos de que vaga se vangloria sua história, saiba quem saiba. a mim me basta a sombra que se deixa, o corpo que se afasta. paulo leminski (1944-89) is widely regarded as the leading voice of his generation of poets. he also composed several popular songs, one of which was recorded by superstar caetano veloso. “kai” is from distraídos venceremos [distracted we shall overcome] (1987). keeping keeping something is not to conceal it or leave it under lock and key. nothing at all is meant for keeping in coffers. offers in safes are being lost from sight. keeping something is to look at, after, and up to it, to guard and regard it, that is, to illuminate it and be illuminated by it. keeping something is to watch over it, that is, to remain vigilant for it, that is, to stay awake for it, that is, to be for its sake before and after. that is why one better keeps the flight of a bird than birds without flights. that is why one writes, one speaks, one publishes, that is why one declares and declaims a poem: to keep it: so that it, in turn, may keep guarding its keepsakes: may keep whatever a poem keeps: that is the deal with poems: that keeping whatever wants keeping. guardar guardar uma coisa não é escondê-la ou trancá-la. em cofre não se guarda coisa alguma. em cofre perde-se a coisa à vista. guardar uma coisa é olhá-la, fitá-la, mirá-la por admirá-la, isto é, iluminá-la ou ser por ela iluminado. guardar uma coisa é vigiá-la, isto é, fazer vigília por ela, isto é, velar por ela, isto é, estar acordado por ela, isto é, estar por ela ou ser por ela. por isso melhor se guarda o vôo de um pássaro perrone 91 do que um pássaro sem vôos. por isso se escreve, por isso se diz, por isso se publica, por isso se declara e declama um poema: para guardá-lo: para que ele, por sua vez, guarde o que guarda: guarde o que quer que guarda um poema: por isso o lance do poema: por guardar-se o que se quer guardar. antonio cicero (b. 1945) is a distinguished essayist and poet from rio de janeiro, also known for his song lyrics. “guardar” (1996) has been considered a stellar late-century lyric instance. he recited this poem and several others, some with explications, in the original and in translation, at a special session of the january 2016 convention of the modern language association in austin, texas. the last part of the presentation was recorded and posted to the internet. the poem and translation had previously appeared in austin within an installation at the mexicart gallery as part of an exhibition of brazilian visual poetry (2002). the youtube video no. is: 927-g9a6tz8. elegy there are mineral remains in your absence: something that without yet being here stays: a slice of crystal unseen but glistening: a transparent solidity, an elegance of stone, light of what’s lost and what’s not. there are musical remains in your absence: something secret and resonant alike: crystal syntonization syllables of yes in the silence of here and sound. elegia há um vestígio mineral na sua ausência: algo que sem estar ainda fica: fatia de cristal 92 delos que não se vê e brilha: solidez em transparência elegância de pedra, luz do que é perda e não. há um vestígio musical na sua ausência: algo que é sigilo e ressonância: sintonia de cristais sílabas de sim no silêncio do som e do aqui. maria ester maciel (b. 1963) is a college professor, scholar of film and letters, and creative writer from the state of minas gerais. an earlier version of this “elegy” was presented at the 2009 poetics symposium at northwestern university. a kapok ceiba in the upper amazon in vegetation so dense the silk-cotton tree’s on. roots tabular flare as immense as harps with their strings taut and tense shooting out in pairs. disguised as a bogeyman the poet now strikes them with his heels held square to bring close the sound of chiaroscuro melody in the afternoon found the lament of the earth and the vertiginous air when up there on high the storm can’t but roar as chainsaws on the ground. perrone 93 a sumaúna no alto amazonas entre matas densas a sumaúma assoma. raízes tabulares imensas feito uma harpa de cordas tensas se lançam aos pares. o poeta disfarçado de curupira bate nelas os calcanhares pra fazer ressoar de perto a melodia clarescura da tarde o lamento da terra e a vertigem dos ares quando lá nas alturas ruge a tempestade e no chão a motosserra. adriano espínola (b. 1952) is from the northeastern state of ceará but has lived in rio de janeiro for thirty years, where he has established a reputation as one of the leading voices of his generation. his lyrical epic taxi or poem of love in transit appeared in translation in new york in 1992, and he has participated in many national and international anthologies. “a sumaúma” is from 2010. music and poetry in brazil: ever since the portuguese established themselves in the new world in the early sixteenth century, versemaking has been associated with musical expression. the most prominent baroque poet, gregório de matos, was also an accomplished troubadour. numerous romantic poets also penned song texts for national composers, as did several poets of the modernist period. in the nineteen-sixties and beyond, a whole series of songwriters were known as poet-composers, like bob dylan in the usa, and numerous poets doubled as lyricists. throughout the twentieth century, and into the twenty-first, poets explored musical themes and metaphors in measured forms and free verse. the present selection spans nearly eight decades and features poets / poet-lyricists 94 delos from several different states of brazil. the present selection could be nicely enhanced by the inclusion of such musically inclined poets as ricardo aleixo, beatriz azevedo, and geraldo carneiro, all of whom have spoken/performed in the united states. perrone 95 login | delos: a journal of translation and world literature main navigation main content sidebar current archives search subscribe toggle search register login search toggle navigation home login subscription or article purchase required to access item. to verify subscription, access previous purchase, or purchase article, log in to journal. username password forgot your password? keep me logged in login register sidebar-links about overview editorial board contact contributors author guidelines submit subscribers subscribe/renew news sign-upnews sign-up issn: 0011-7951 eissn: 2573-5659   main office: 2046 ne waldo road suite 2100 gainesville, fl 32609 phone: 352-392-1351 email: journals@upress.ufl.edu navigation home search current archives subscribe 20 delos “the night is long without a lover” anonymous, multiple authors for ashley rian hudson translation and commentary: andrew p. clark the spring now is new, the new sweet-smelling spring, the spring comes to issue the world in rebirth. the spring brings the lovers, the music of lovers; the spring sends the lovebirds to sing for the earth. tomorrow by night, and tomorrow by day, tomorrow let lovers make love while they may. tomorrow the sun with its powerful rays will heat all the moisture now building for days; and in dripping showers, in sun-warmed wet showers, on branches like cherries bloom fresh, ruby flowers. tomorrow by night, and tomorrow by day, tomorrow let lovers make love while they may. tomorrow sweet young couples, deep in the trees, their young, eager limbs, green and budding, will weave. tomorrow will love echo all through the branches resounding in moans come from virgin romances. tomorrow by night, and tomorrow by day, tomorrow let lovers make love while they may. tomorrow the date when love came from the sky; and a rain warmed in heaven fell full in supply, then it coursed with the white spewing foam in the sea, and then naked rose passion: our reason to be. tomorrow by night, and tomorrow by day, tomorrow let lovers make love while they may. the goddess new-born marks the spring as her season, thus love, sex, and romance bloom not without reason. now by hot, panting breaths of young lovers entwined are our prayers accepted, our sorrows resigned. tomorrow by night, and tomorrow by day, tomorrow let lovers make love while they may. the wet spring full-swelling, down deep in its chasm, bursts forth like the thunder in voice and in spasm. the river now flowing from an unmaidened source, to the chaste sings her secrets by taste and by force. tomorrow by night, and tomorrow by day, tomorrow let lovers make love while they may. clark 21 bright pink and dark red dye the petals now flushing; blood-crimson the bud, and the rose soft and blushing. love beckons the virgin to harvest her flowers, to wreathe and to garland in pale morning-hours. tomorrow by night, and tomorrow by day, tomorrow let lovers make love while they may. buried deep in her breast thrive her love and desire, oh my sweet fiancée, set by passion on fire, i lust for your rubies and sweet, hidden treasures! i ache and i yearn for warm, unclothéd pleasures! tomorrow by night, and tomorrow by day, tomorrow let lovers make love while they may. oh love draws the young out to wander the wild, where in comes the man from where out came the child. while love may sprout lustless at a too-tender age, as the earth so our flesh; while we ripen we rage. tomorrow by night, and tomorrow by day, tomorrow let lovers make love while they may. though we stare not too listlessly, gaze not too long, and we stand still unswayed by the spring-lovers’ song, when our eye catches sight of an unburdened form, stay our blood we may not as it swells in the storm. tomorrow by night, and tomorrow by day, tomorrow let lovers make love while they may. oh dear love, send a lover untouched as we’ve been! oh a fruit yet unbitten with unpeeléd skin! oh judgment! oh doubt! oh cruel, self-harming powers! may you all fade away in the dawn’s sprawling hours! tomorrow by night, and tomorrow by day, tomorrow let lovers make love while they may. by her eyes will she beg you, rarer by word; all but eyes keep her modest while love is preferred. day, evening, and night for her life would she tremble, in fire-lit forests where lovers assemble. tomorrow by night, and tomorrow by day, tomorrow let lovers make love while they may. with freshly-laid rose petals strewn on the bedding, cold strawberries, wine, and slow music for setting, let our whole night be filled with warm cries of passion. 22 delos let our fears be undressed; let love be our fashion. tomorrow by night, and tomorrow by day, tomorrow let lovers make love while they may. the goddess erotic takes feast at our table; my lover just like her, as graceful and able. her cherry-red lips and her soft, milky skin— how i long just to please her!—demand i begin. tomorrow by night, and tomorrow by day, tomorrow let lovers make love while they may. girls from the countryside, girls from the mountains, girls deep in the woods, and girls swimming in fountains, your dear mother love bids you come at her side, but be cautioned, your passion will spoil with pride. tomorrow by night, and tomorrow by day, tomorrow let lovers make love while they may. oh our love came in fire, our love filled the hollow, well-wooded, unseen, save by stork and by swallow. we’ve come far and we’re tired; we’re aching for sleep. now my love well-injected, well-warmed may you keep. tomorrow by night, and tomorrow by day, tomorrow let lovers make love while they may. as the soon-mother, budding, first senses her child, she now learns the reason her passions rove wild; for the beauty we see in the mates of our kind grows the love in our hearts by the fruit in its rind. tomorrow by night, and tomorrow by day, tomorrow let lovers make love while they may. when the seed finds its cavern with wet and warm soil, the woman keeps careful and calm lest it spoil. nine moons barren to swelling have shone on the earth; and the daughter turns mother through labor of birth. tomorrow by night, and tomorrow by day, tomorrow let lovers make love while they may. throughout both americas, every nation, will love harvest bounties of springtime sensation! in europe, australia, old-storied asia, africa, world-over love-struck aphasia! tomorrow by night, and tomorrow by day, tomorrow let lovers make love while they may. clark 23 over all the country meadows, forest, city— hark, the bellows!—sounds of spring ring fair and pretty to claim love a native emerged in all quarters, engaged in all regions, exchanged at all borders. tomorrow by night, and tomorrow by day, tomorrow let lovers make love while they may. in every valley and every den, and all across farmlands in every pen, all creatures are stirring in bleating accord; all nature world-over feels love as its lord. tomorrow by night, and tomorrow by day, tomorrow let lovers make love while they may. whether human or beast, for all life seasons change, and the spring becomes summer as dates rearrange; then the autumn now aging turns winter now old, but our love, sex, and passion need never grow cold. tomorrow by night, and tomorrow by day, tomorrow let lovers make love while they may. thus the music of spring sends a treat for the ears, and the sound of its pleasure sends heat for the soul. yet i lie here in silence, warmed only by tears; may my season come quickly, may love make me whole. tomorrow by night, and tomorrow by day, tomorrow let lovers make love while they may. commentary: the pervigilium veneris, often translated as “the eve of st. venus” and literally rendered as “the all-night vigil of venus,” is an oft-forgotten love song in latin from either the secondor fourth-century ce. speaking strictly after its manner, it appears to me to be a composite song, perhaps with multiple contributing authors, many participants then originally using the same refrain to link the pieces together in a method similar to responsion. it may of course be from a single author, as it has traditionally been understood to be, and its form and repetition have widely known classical precedents (theocritus, idyll 3; catullus 64.323-381, the so-called song of the fates; and virgil, eclogue 8). the latin original is written in a meter called trochaic septenarius, each line having seven feet of trochees with an extra beat attached at the end. all lines in the latin contain 8 beats and most lines have 15 syllables with the occasional line having 16. in my translation the lines vary between 11 and 12 syllables, and every line holds 4 beats. the music in the pervigilium veneris is found in its verbal repetition and alliteration and the echoes of its deep and long vowels. it has been put into music several times, perhaps most famously by george lloyd in his nine part choral piece the vigil of venus. vivaldi was also probably influenced by the pervigilium veneris in the spring concertos of 24 delos his four seasons, and the poem he wrote to accompany the spring pieces is so similar to the latin that the influence seems apparent. rather than provide a literal translation, which would do the music no justice, i have instead decided to represent the imagery and symbolism over the diction. aside from a single emendation i have marked in brackets, i have used the exact latin text of the fort (1922) edition and have followed the arrangement of his quatrains in my translation with one minor adjustment. i have expanded fort’s first stanza into two stanzas in translation to enlarge the opening and to turn the three lines in fort into a full quatrain without introducing the refrain at the opening of the poem. the nouns in translation are capitalized after my own poetic custom influenced by the german practice. this song is full of love and life and sex and passion and often uses imagery from nature in springtime as a metaphor for human desire and sexuality. i have attempted to do the same. any lack of command, beauty, or music in the english is solely the fault of your translator and is not likewise found in the original latin. for more on the pervigilium veneris: clearly, vincent j. and theodore w. wells. (1981). the pervigilium veneris. massachusetts. dobson, j. f. (1916). a study of the pervigilium veneris. cambridge. fort, j. a. (1922). the pervigilium veneris in quatrains. oxford. clark 25 pervigilium veneris crās amet quī nunquam amāvit quīque amāvit crās amet: vēr novum, vēr iam canōrum, vēre renātus orbis est; vēre concordant amōrēs, vēre nūbunt ālitēs, et nemus comam resolvit dē marītīs imbribus. crās amet quī nunquam amāvit quīque amāvit crās amet. crās amōrum cōpulātrix inter umbrās arbōrum inplicat casā[s] virentēs dē flagellō myrteō: crās canōrīs fēriātōs dūcit in silvīs chorōs; crās diōnē iūra dīcit fulta sublīmī thronō. crās amet quī nunquam amāvit quīque amāvit crās amet. crās erit cum prīmus aether cōpulāvit nuptiās: tunc cruōre dē supernō spūmeō et pontī globō, caerul’ās inter catervās, inter et bipedēs equōs, fēcit undantem diōnēm dē marītīs imbribus. crās amet quī nunquam amāvit quīque amāvit crās amet. ipsa gemmīs purpurantem pingit annum flōridīs; ipsa turgentēs papillās dē favōnī spīritū urget in nōdōs tepentēs; ipsa rōris lūcidī, noctis aura quem relinquit, spargit ūmentēs aquās. crās amet quī nunquam amāvit quīque amāvit crās amet. ēmicant lācrimae trementēs dē cadūcō pondere, gutta praeceps orbe parvō sustinet cāsūs suōs: ūmor ille quem serēnīs astra rōrant noctibus māne virginēs papillās solvit ūmentī pēplō. crās amet quī nunquam amāvit quīque amāvit crās amet. ēn pudōrem flōrulentae prōdidērunt purpurae et rosārum flamma nōdīs ēmicat tepentibus. ipsa iussit dīva vestem dē papillīs solvere, at recentī māne nūdae virginēs nūbant rosae. crās amet quī nunquam amāvit quīque amāvit crās amet. facta cȳpridis dē cruōre dēque amōris osculō, dēque gemmīs dēque flammīs dēque sōlis purpurīs, crās rubōrem quī latēbat veste tectus igneā ūvidō marīta nōdō nōn pudēbit solvere. crās amet quī nunquam amāvit quīque amāvit crās amet. ipsa nymphās dīva lūcō iussit īre myrteō: it puer comes puellīs; nec tamen crēdī potest esse amōrem fēriātum, sī sagittās vexerit: 26 delos īte nymphae, posuit arma, fēriātus est amor. crās amet quī nunquam amāvit quīque amāvit crās amet. iussus est inermis īre, nūdus īre iussus est, neu quid arcū neu sagittā neu quid igne laederet: sed tamen cavēte nymphae, quod cupīdo pulcher est: tōtus est inermis īdem quando nūdus est amor. crās amet quī nunquam amāvit quīque amāvit crās amet. conparī venus pudōre mittit ad tē virginēs: ūna rēs est quam rogāmus, cēde virgo dēlia, ut nemus sit incruentem dē ferīnīs strāgibus et recentibus virentēs dūcat umbrās flōribus. crās amet quī nunquam amāvit quīque amāvit crās amet. ipsa vellet tē rogāre, sī pudīcam flecteret; ipsa vellet ut venīrēs, sī decēret virginem: iam tribus chorōs vidērēs fēriātōs noctibus congregēs inter catervās īre per saltūs tuōs. crās amet quī nunquam amāvit quīque amāvit crās amet. flōreās inter corōnās, myrteās inter casās, nec cerēs nec bacchus absunt nec poētārum deus. dē tenente tōta nox est pervig’landa canticīs: regnet in silvīs diōnē, tū recēde dēlia. crās amet quī nunquam amāvit quīque amāvit crās amet. iussit hyblaeīs tribūnal stāre dīva flōribus; praeses ipsa iūra dīcet, adsidēbunt grātiae: hybla tōtōs funde flōrēs, quicquid annus adtulit; hybla flōrum sūme vestem, quantus ennae campus est. crās amet quī nunquam amāvit quīque amāvit crās amet. rūris hīc erunt puellae vel puellae montium quaeque silvās quaeque lūcōs quaeque fontēs incolunt: iussit omnēs adsidēre māter ālitis deī, iussit et nūdō puellās nīl amōrī crēdere. crās amet quī nunquam amāvit quīque amāvit crās amet. ut pater tōtum creāret vēris annum nūbibus in sinum marītus imber fluxit almae coniugis, unde fētus perque pontum perque caelum pergeret perque terrās mixtus omnēs alere magnō corpore. crās amet quī nunquam amāvit quīque amāvit crās amet. clark 27 ipsa vēnās atque mentem permeantī spīritū intus occultīs gubernat prōcreātrix vīribus. ipsa trōiānōs nepōtēs in latīnōs transtulit, rōmuleās ipsa fēcit cum sabīnīs nuptiās. crās amet quī nunquam amāvit quīque amāvit crās amet. pervium suī tenōrem sēminālī trāmite perque caelum perque terrās perque pontum subditum ipsa dūxit, ipsa vēnīs prōcreantem spīritum inbuit, iussitque mundum nōsse nascendī viās. crās amet quī nunquam amāvit quīque amāvit crās amet. ipsa laurentem puellam coniugem nātō dedit, moxque martī dē sacellō dat pudīcam virginem, unde ramnes et quirītes prōque prōle posterum rōmulum patrem creāret et nepōtem caesarem. crās amet quī nunquam amāvit quīque amāvit crās amet. rūra fēcundat voluptas: rūra venerem sentiunt: ipse amor puer diōnae rūre nātus crēditur: hunc ager cum parturīret ipsa suscēpit sinū, ipsa flōrum dēlicātīs ēducāvit osculīs. crās amet quī nunquam amāvit quīque amāvit crās amet. ecce iam super genestās explicant taurī latus, quisque coetus continētur coniugāli foedere: subter umbrās cum marītīs ecce bālantum gregem, et canōrās nōn tacēre dīva iussit ālitēs. crās amet quī nunquam amāvit quīque amāvit crās amet. iam loquācēs ōre raucō stagna cȳcnī perstrepunt: adsonat tēreī puella subter umbram populī, ut putēs mōtūs amōris ōre dīcī mūsicōs, et negēs querī sorōrem dē marītō barbarō. crās amet quī nunquam amāvit quīque amāvit crās amet. illa cantat, nōs tacēmus: quando vēr venit meum? quando fiam utī chelīdon ut tacēre dēsinam? perdidī mūsam tacendō, nec mē apollo rēspicit: sīc amȳclas, cum tacērent, perdidit silentium. crās amet quī nunquam amāvit quīque amāvit crās amet. three songs by franz josef degenhardt translation and commentary: richard rundell breaking glass the man not tall not thin about 65 stands at the window says to the woman not thin not tall about 65 look at that he says did you see that just throwing rocks through the shop windows these guys in the old days, they would have taken them all under hitler, they would have immediately been in the old days, under hitler the same man might have stood perhaps at the same window and said perhaps to the same woman look at that did you see that just throwing rocks through the shop windows listen to that tinkling that’s music to my ears yes, indeed, not one pane unbroken look at that everything smashed to bits how the cultured pearls bounce on the sidewalk wonder if he’s insured against glass breakage old moises mandelstamm, the jew yes the sa does a great job 100 delos glasbruch der mann nicht groß nicht dünn vielleicht 65 steht am fenster sagt zu der frau nicht dünn nicht groß vielleicht 65 guck mal sagt er hast du gesehn einfach mit pflastersteinen rein in die schaufenster diese typen früher hätte man die allesamt unter hitler wären die sofort früher unter hitler stand vielleicht derselbe mann vielleicht am selben fenster sagte vielleicht zur selben frau guck mal sagt er hast du gesehen einfach rein mit den pflastersteinen in die schaufenster wie das klirrt das ist musik in meinen ohren jawohl, keine scheibe mehr heil guck mal alles kurz und klein wie die zuchtperlen übers pflaster springen ob er versichert ist gegen glasbruch der moische mandelstamm, der jud ja die sa leistet ganze arbeit rundell 101 the yesterday people are thinking about tomorrow again (1982) right, you keep on talking about peace peace peace peace as if it were your own idea good lord! who doesn’t want that? peace but have you ever imagined this? you wake up one morning open your bedroom door to the garden the sun is shining you stretch your arms and then you see, right in the middle of your beautiful lawn there stands a russian tank right? it doesn’t do any good at all for you to yell get off my lawn, right this second dawai dawai you want to bet he’ll stay? maybe climbs out of the tank’s hatch stands up on top of the turret pisses in a high arc into your swimming pool you want that kind of peace? right, you think i’m just imagining things but listen up: i know russians summer of ’41, almost to stalingrad by the way, a terrible mistake by hitler we should have pushed on straight ahead all the way to moscow that pincer movement from the north and from the south that was a basic error and then after the war, there two more times with neckermann tours retracing my steps, so to speak everything very decently rebuilt nowhere near as primitive as back then and yet the russians haven’t changed 102 delos don’t misunderstand me i have nothing at all against them i’m just saying your russian is a bear good-natured and easy-going but also unpredictable and very greedy you have to face him without fear he’s scared of the neutron bomb and being turned to mush he wouldn’t like that at all, mister bruin ivan ivanovich just let him come out of his cave now. so, if it were up to you we’d be facing swipes of his claws without any protection. good god! try to understand, at long last we’re not alone this time this time we have uncle sam on our side we’ll just see what kind of expression is on old ivan’s face then when he suddenly sees nato tanks on the lawn in our königsberg right, yesterday’s people are thinking about tomorrow again. rundell 103 es denken die leute von gestern wieder an morgen (1982) ja, sie reden hier immer von frieden frieden frieden frieden als ob das eine erfindung von ihnen wäre herrgott nochmal wer will denn so was nicht den frieden aber haben sie sich auch mal vorgestellt: sie wachen morgens auf öffnen die schlafzimmertüre nach draußen die sonne scheint sie recken sich da sehen sie mitten auf ihrem englischen rasen steht ein russischer panzer ja? da hilft es ihnen überhaupt nichts wenn sie rufen: runter von meinem rasen und zwar schnell dawai dawai wetten, daß der bleibt? klettert vielleicht sogar aus der luke stellt sich oben drauf schifft im hohen bogen in den swimming-pool wollen sie so einen frieden ja, sie nennen so was hirngespinste hörn sie zu ich kenn? den russen sommer einundvierzig bis nach stalingrad übrigens war das ein schwerer fehler von hitler wir hätten damals weiter geradeaus direkt nach moskau durch der zangengriff von norden und von süden her der war grundfalsch und nach dem kriege dann noch zweimal dagewesen mit neckermann herumgereist auf alten spuren sozusagen ganz ordentlich wieder aufgebaut ist alles nicht mehr so ganz primitiv wie damals trotzdem 104 delos der russe hat sich nicht geändert verstehen sie mich nicht falsch ich habe überhaupt nichts gegen ihn ich sage nur der russe ist ein bär gutmütig und bequem aber auch unberechenbar und sehr gefräßig man muß ihm furchtlos gegenübertreten vor der neutronenbombe hat er angst vor der versaftung so was mag er nicht ? der meister petz iwan iwanowitsch jetzt soll er doch mal aus der höhle kommen so? und wenn es nach ihnen ginge dann wären wir seinen prankenschlägen schutzlos ausgesetzt herrgott nochmal? begreifen sie doch endlich diesmal sind wir nicht allein diesmal ist der ami doch auf unserer seite wollen mal sehn was er dann für augen macht der iwan wenn auf einmal nato-panzer auf dem rasen stehen in unserem königsberg. ja ? es denken die leute von gestern wieder an morgen. rundell 105 some day she’ll dream and then, some day she’ll dream --he imagines— then, some day she’ll dream that she escaped after all but as she kneels at the river, drinks, cools her brow with the wet cloth, she spies in the water’s mirror him on horseback, loosely holding the reins, and in the other hand, hanging down the whip. you have to see that in a movie, of course on the big screen. the sun burns mercilessly in the sky; not a breath of air. a river bird takes flight. and then, once more, the rider mirrored in the water. what can she do? fleeing is senseless. she could turn quickly while drawing her knife, and. . . or raise her hands and crawl to him on her knees, lie down and stare into the sun, until. . . slowly, very slowly she turns her head, looks over her shoulder, says: you’ve got me, then; but first a sip of firewater. laughing, he dismounts from his horse, takes a bottle from his saddlebag and walks toward her with the dreadful stride of the victor, he hands her the bottle, grins, starts to loosen his belt with his other hand. she grabs him. quick as lightning. he stumbles. she drags him into the water, throws herself over him plunges her knife up to the hilt in his back, through his heart from behind. cut. she climbs on his horse and rides and rides and rides and while the water in the river grows red, vultures circle in the sky, she rides through the canyon toward the setting sun. and in the endless desert plains this is what she will dream, some day, soon he imagines. 106 delos dann irgendwann wird sie träumen dann irgendwann wird sie träumen stellt er sich vor -, dann irgendwann wird sie träumen, daß sie doch noch entkommen ist. aber wie sie am fluß kniet, trinkt, sich die stirn kühlt mit dem nassen tuch, erblickt sie im wasserspiegel ihn zu pferd, die zügel in iässiger hand und in der anderen, die herunterhängt, die peitsche. das muß man natürlich im kino sehen auf großer leinwand: gnadenlos brennt die sonne am himmel. kein lufthauch. ein flußvogel flattert auf. und dann wieder der sich im wasser spiegelnde reiter. was tun? fliehen ist sinnlos. herumschnellen könnte sie und schon dabei das messer ziehn, und ... oder die hände heben, ihm auf den knien entgegenrutschen, sich niederlegen und in die sonne starren, bis... langsam, ganz langsam dreht sie den kopf über die schulter, sagt: da hast du mich also; aber vorher noch einen schluck feuerwasser. er steigt lachend vom pferd, holt aus der satteltasche die flasche und kommt heran mit diesem entsetzlichen schritt des siegers, reicht die flasche hinunter, grinst, löst mit der anderen hand schon den hosengürtel. da packt sie zu. blitzschnell. er stolpert. sie reißt ihn ins wasser, wirft sich über ihn, stößt ihm das messer bis zum heft in den rücken, von hinten ins herz. [schnitt] sie besteigt sein pferd und reitet und reitet und reitet. und während das wasser sich rot färbt im fluß, geier am himmel kreisen, reitet sie durch die schlucht der untergehenden sonne entgegen und in die unendlichen ebenen der savannen. so wird sie träumen, irgendwann, bald stellt er sich vor. rundell 107 commentary: franz josef degenhardt was born in 1931 in schwelm (ruhr) and became the father of the german liedermacher movement with his first lp in 1962. he went on to compose/sing/play more than thirty albums, including compilations before his death in 2011. he was the archetypal liedermacher (singer-songwriter) with an engaged, socially critical standpoint. he was especially gifted with his characteristic rollenlieder (role songs). he toured widely for more than thirty years but is not well known outside of germany. none of his songs have been recorded in other languages than german. he was a major activist voice of the 1968 student movement and wrote several novels as well as more than 250 songs. one of his major musical influences was the french chanson singer georges brassens (1921-1981). “glasbruch” (1982, from album du bist anders als die anderen) is a notable example of the rollenlieder in which degenhardt excelled. the role of the unrepentant german fascist is the narrative figure in more than a dozen of his best-known songs. in this case, a comparison between the street violence of a contemporary demonstration with similar violence fifty years earlier provides an illustrative look at hypocrisy. spoken text with simple guitar accompaniment. “the yesterday people” (“es denken die leute von gestern wieder an morgen,” 1982, from the album du bist anders als die anderen) has another unreconstructed nazi reflecting on the perils of underestimating the soviet threat during the peace movement of the late 1970s and early 1980s. this rollenlied takes the form of a colloquial harangue, one side of a conversation with a moderate european. spoken text with simple guitar accompaniment. “dann irgendwann wird sie träumen” (1985, from album vorsicht gorilla) imagines the point of view of a native american woman of the frontier era in a fatal encounter with a white male on horseback. the song uses the imagery of a movie western as its narrative device. spoken text with simple guitar accompaniment. 108 delos login | delos: a journal of translation and world literature main navigation main content sidebar current archives search subscribe toggle search register login search toggle navigation home login subscription or article purchase required to access item. to verify subscription, access previous purchase, or purchase article, log in to journal. username password forgot your password? keep me logged in login register sidebar-links about overview editorial board contact contributors author guidelines submit subscribers subscribe/renew news sign-upnews sign-up issn: 0011-7951 eissn: 2573-5659   main office: 2046 ne waldo road suite 2100 gainesville, fl 32609 phone: 352-392-1351 email: journals@upress.ufl.edu navigation home search current archives subscribe jacob glatshteyn “in smoke” and “smoke” translated from yiddish by dror abend-david jacob glatshteyn (in yiddish: yankev glatshteyn; 1896-1971) was a polish-born modern american yiddish poet, editor, literary critic and journalist. he belonged to a milieu of young american jews who spoke english well, were well-versed in american culture, and were well-educated in comparison with other jewish immigrants. glatshteyn himself studied law at new york university. together with poets nokhem barukh minkoff and arn glanz-leyeles, he created in 1920 a literary group and literary journal titled in zikh (“introspective”). this group, heavily influenced by high modernist poets such as t. s. eliot, ezra pound and amy lowell, hoped to be considered a bona fide chapter of modern american poetry, albeit writing in yiddish. despite their (almost) similar titles, the two poems below address very different themes. the more famous of the two is “smoke” from 1946. “smoke” evokes the image of the crematoriums that were used for the genocide of european jews during the second world war, and is a part of glatshteyn’s later work which is dedicated to the trauma of the holocaust. alvin h. rosenfeld (2004) contrasts glatshteyn’s “smoke” with henry david thoreau poem with the same title—commenting on the lack of metaphorical language in holocaust poetry.1 indeed, glatshteyn’s short poem, made out of two stanzas that are divided into rhyming couplets, betrays sharp cynicism and understandable anger. however, “smoke” retains little of the pioneering, creative, and original voice of glatshteyn’s earlier introspective poetry. “smoke” also demonstrates the extent to which certain postwar trigger words such as “smoke,” “train,” “gas,” “chimney,” “ghetto” etc. gained a particular meaning that ties them (at least in jewish literature) with the memory of the holocaust. glatshteyn’s “in smoke,” published in 1920 in in zikh magazine, is disturbing to the contemporary reader for a number of reasons, chief of which is the post-war association of smoke with the atrocities of the holocaust. the poem, however, is a fantasy about a smoking man and a young woman who may or may not be sitting in front of his eyes. the poem is a striking testimony, not only 1 alvin h. rosenfeld, “the problematics of holocaust literature,” in literature of the holocaust, ed. harold bloom (philadelphia: chelsea house publishers, 2004), 21-47. 96 jacob glatshteyn to the extent to which images such as “smoke” have changed (at least in jewish literature) since the middle of the twentieth century, but also to less ominous cultural changes, including the positive image of smoking as a relaxing, dream-like activity, and the politically incorrect language that the poet uses to describe the young woman (literally referring to her in the original as a child). d. a-d. in roykh (1920) kinder-shpil. s’zshmurn zikh mayne oygn. halb-driml. un du— afn groysn morris shtul, a kleyn meydele, a pitseles, kenst fartrogn mayn tsigarn-roykh? — a royt tsingl. lakh fun mir, bald vet di shtub shvarts vern fun roykh un mir velen mir lozen valtsiren in roykh un flien mit im. — hunderte royte tsinglekh shtreken zikh tsu mir dem groysn nar mit di halb-farzshmurete oygn. fun vaysn heldzel tsit zikh arop dayn rozeve kleyd. — a yam mit blendende vayskayt. plutslung— in groysn morris-shtul, verst a kleyntshik pintele, verst in roykh farshlungen. farshvindst farn groysn nar, mit di gants farzshmurete oygn. אין רויך קינדער-שפיל. ס’זשמורען זיך מיינע אויגן. האלב-דרימל. און דו – אפן גרויסן מאריס שטול, א קליין מיידעלע, א פיצעלעס, קענסט פארטראגן מיין ציגארן-רויך? – א רויט צינגל. לאך פון מיר, באלד וועט די שטוב שווארץ ווערן פון רויך און מיר וועלן מיר לאזן וואלצירן אין רויך און פליען מיט אים. – הודערטע רויטע צינגלעך שטרעקן זיך צו מיר דעם גרויסן נאר מיט די האלב-פארזשמורעטע אויגן. פון ווייסן העלדזל ציט זיך אראפ דיין ראזעווע קלייד. – א ים מיט בלענדנדע ווייסקייט. פלוצלונג – אין גרויסן מאריס-שטול, ווערסט א קליינטשיק פינטעלע, ווערסט אין רויך פארשלונגען. פארשווינדסט פארן גרויסן נאר, מיט די גאנץ פארזשמורעטע אויגן. dror abend-david 97 in smoke a child’s game. my eyes are squinting. half-dreaming. and you— on a large morris-chair, a little woman, tiny, can you put up with my cigar-smoke? — you stick out a red tongue. make fun of me; soon the house will be black with smoke and we will waltz in the haze and fly with it. — a hundred red tongues are extended towards me, the big fool, with half-squinting eyes. under a little white neck your ruddy dress if pulled off. — a sea of dazzling white. suddenly— in a large morris chair, you become a small dot, consumed in smoke. you disappear, invisible to the big fool, now squinting, with eyes completely shut. 98 jacob glatshteyn roykh (1946) dorkhn krematorye-koymen kertizt aroyf a yid zum otik-yomen. un vi nor der roykh farshvindt, knoyln aroyf zayn vayb un kind. un oyven in di himlishe heykhen veynen, benken heylike roykhen. got, dort vu du bist do, dortn zaynen mir ale oykh nishto. רויך דורכן קרעמַאטָאריע-קוימען קרטיזט ַארויף ַא ייִד צום עּתיק-יומין. און ווי נָאר דער רויך ֿפַארשווינדט, קנוילן ַארויף זייַן ווייַב און קינד. און אויבן אין די הימלישע הייכן וויינען, בענקען הייליקע רויכן. גָאט, דָארט וואו דו ביסט דָא, דָארטן זייַנען מיר ַאלע אויך נישטָא. dror abend-david 99 smoke through the chimney of the crematorium a jew is soaring ad infinitum. and when his smoke is scattered wide, up spiral both his wife and child. and up above, a hallowed dwelling, there holy smokes are crying, yearning: god, even in heaven, where your glories abound, our spirits still cannot be found. further reading: berlin, gail ivy, “constructing the literal: an experiment in using holocaust art to illuminate holocaust poetry.” a lecture at the fourth international conference of the international school for holocaust studies at yad vashem institute, jerusalem. 2004. available at http://www.yadvashem.org/yv/en/education/ conference/2004/22.pdf http://www.yadvashem.org/yv/en/education/conference/2004/22.pdf http://www.yadvashem.org/yv/en/education/conference/2004/22.pdf _goback 28 delos “the mad poet” after horace, epistula ad pisones (ars poetica, 453-476) translation and commentary: stephen rojcewicz as if he spread filthy scabies, or jaundice, or bigoted fury and lunatic frenzy, the mad poet is snubbed and dodged by the wise, while ruffian, reckless boys torment and hound him. while he belches his stanzas, head in the clouds like a hunter intent on a blackbird, he topples over into a well or pit. however long he yells, “help! citizens!” no one bothers to salvage him. if someone would trouble to lower a rope, i’d say, “how do you know he didn’t jump on purpose and doesn’t want rescue?” and i’d recount the extinction of that sicilian poet: empedocles, longing to be esteemed a god, hurled himself, cold-blooded, into fiery etna. for poets, it should be lawful to kill themselves! who saves the unwilling really commits murder. this isn’t the first time the mad poet has toppled; dragged out, he’d still remain a mortal, he will never relinquish his yearning for a spectacular death. it’s not clear why he’s cursed to continue writing: perhaps he made water on his father’s ashes, or polluted a spot sanctified by lightning. he is mad, for sure. like a fierce bear who shatters the bars of his cage, he frightens off, through his pitiless recitals, the ignorant as well as the learned. in truth, unyielding, he will clutch anyone, crushing him with all his readings, a leech that won’t drop until glutted with blood. q. horatii flacci ars poetica lines 453-476 vt mala quem scabies aut morbus regius urget aut fanaticus error et iracunda diana, uesanum tetigisse timent fugiuntque poetam, qui sapiunt; agitant pueri incautique sequuntur. hic dum sublimis uersus ructatur et errat, si ueluti merulis intentus decidit auceps rojcewicz 29 in puteum foueamue, licet “succurrite” longum clamet “io ciues,” non sit qui tollere curet. si curet quis opem ferre et demittere funem, "qui scis an prudens huc se deiecerit atque seruari nolit?” dicam, siculique poetae narrabo interitum. deus inmortalis haberi dum cupit empedocles, ardentem frigidus aetnam insiluit. sit ius liceatque perire poetis; inuitum qui seruat, idem facit occidenti. nec semel hoc fecit nec, si retractus erit, iam fiet homo et ponet famosae mortis amorem. nec satis apparet cur uersus factitet, utrum minxerit in patrios cineres, an triste bidental mouerit incestus; certe furit, ac uelut ursus, obiectos caueae ualuit si frangere clatros, indoctum doctumque fugat recitator acerbus; quem uero arripuit, tenet occiditque legendo, non missura cutem nisi plena cruoris hirudo. commentary: having often read praises of horace’s poetic treatise on poetry, commonly called the ars poetica [the art of poetry] although it is formally named epistula ad pisones [letter to the pisos], i was quite disappointed in the first english translations i read in the 1960s and 1970s. most versions seemed to me to be dull, without energy, very pedantic and stilted. no one reading these versions could imagine what made the work important or memorable. although english translations have greatly improved since then, i would still like to offer a new version of the concluding section, which i have named the mad poet. these lines (453-476) may be the first ever description of a poetry reading (and you thought today’s amateur poets could be pushy and obnoxious). i translated the section almost literally, trying to use a vigorous vocabulary that still remained faithful to the original latin. in one instance, i changed the active voice into passive, to allow the english syntax to be smoother. 30 delos “profession of beliefs,” a medieval drinking song after the archpoet (archipoeta): confessio translation and commentary: stephen rojcewicz the fire within the goblet ignites the soul’s true pattern. a heart soaked through with spirits soars straight up to saturn, my most delightful savor is pure wine in a tavern, sweeter than the watery mix served by some bouncing slattern. certain so-called poets flee the public house with curses, commit themselves to solitude as if they lived in hearses, devote all hours, wide-awake, to struggle with reverses, at last they barely can disgorge a few clear-headed verses. these poets in their chorus fast and teach resistance, shun the uproar of the market, always keep their distance. trying to create a work of undying subsistence, they die daily in their zeal for counterfeit existence. poetic spirit never grabs my own imagination, unless my belly first has reached the point of satiation. as long as bacchus has the rule of sense and cogitation, apollo rushes into me, dispensing inspiration. to each and every person nature gives employment, but when i’m on the wagon, rojcewicz 31 no poems gain deployment, yet just one little serving-lad restores my true enjoyment, for i hate thirst and abstinence like funereal annoy-ment. each and every mortal is granted a possession, making verses from good wine defines my own progression. a tavern cellar’s choicest cask blesses my profession, a grand vintage vivifies lyrical expression. 32 delos archipoeta, excerpts from confessio (circa 1164) poculis accenditur animi lucerna, cor inbutum nectare volat ad superna; mihi sapit dulcius vinum de taberna quam quod aqua miscuit presulis pincerna. loca vitant publica quidam poetarum, et secretas eligunt sedes latebrarum, student, instant, vigilant, nec laborant parum, et vix tandem reddere possunt opus clarum. ieunant et abstinent poetarum chori, vitant rixas publicas et tumultus fori, et, ut opus faciant quod non possit mori, moriuntur studio subditi labori. mihi nunquam spiritus poetrie datur, nisi prius fuerit venter bene satur; dum in arce cerebri bachus dominatur, in me phebus irruit, et miranda fatur. unicuique proprium dat natura munus, ego numquam potui scribere ieiunus. me ieiunum vincere posset puer unus, sitem et ieiunum odi tanquam funus. unicuique proprium rojcewicz 33 dat natura donum; ego versus faciens bibo vinum bonum, et quod habent purius dolia cauponum, tale vinum generat copiam sermonem. commentary: the archpoet (archipoeta) wrote in latin in the twelfth century ce. helen waddell has called his confessio (circa 1164) the greatest drinking song in the world (medieval latin lyrics, 1929, p. 339). although his name is unknown, the internal evidence of his poems shows that he was in the retinue of the archbishop of cologne, who was also chancellor to emperor frederick barbarossa. in contrast to the quantitative meter of classic latin verse, the archpoet’s verse is accentual, like much of modern poetry. many of us are familiar with this rhythm, used by the medieval wandering goliard poets, from the songs in carl orff’s carmina burana, where this poem is known by its first line, estuans intrinsecus. the word confessio in medieval latin means “credo, acknowledgement, declaration of faith, acknowledgment of beliefs”; i have rendered the title as profession of beliefs. i translated only excerpts from the confessio (stanzas 13-18), not the entire thirty stanzas. 34 delos “art” after théophile gautier, l’art translation and commentary: stephen rojcewicz yes, art emerges great from hardened forms that rebel: onyx, slate, marble, verse, villanelle. instead of phantom shackles, in order to advance straight, tackle, muse, close-contoured restraints. scorn the easy patterns like shoes built extra-wide, fashions in which any foot can slide. sculptor, reject and shun impressionable clay which thumb can shape while the mind’s astray. struggle with carrara, with paros marble, dure and rare, guarantors of the pure. where syracuse bequeaths its resolute bronze there breathes the proud, precision stroke. with delicate technique pursue in a vein of agate the faint streak of apollo’s portrait. abstain from aquarelles, and find, painter, subtle pastels through the enameler’s kiln. color sirens with blue glaze, contorting their tails rojcewicz 35 hundreds of ways, monsters of heraldic shields; portray with triplex aura the virgin and her son, a sphere with crucifix above. everything passes. powerful art alone prevails for eternity. busts of stone will outlast any city. the austere medallion found by a provincial laborer under ground reveals an emperor. the gods themselves decay, but sovereign lines will stay, more rugged now than bronze. sculpt, chisel, engrave! let your amorphous dream lock an eternal shape within the resistant block. 36 delos théophile gautier: l’art, from émaux et camées (1852) oui, l’oeuvre sort plus belle d’une forme au travail rebelle, vers, marbre, onyx, émail. point de contraintes fausses ! mais que pour marcher droit tu chausses, muse, un cothurne étroit. fi du rhythme commode, comme un soulier trop grand, du mode que tout pied quitte et prend ! statuaire, repousse l’argile que pétrit le pouce quand flotte ailleurs l’esprit : lutte avec le carrare, avec le paros dur et rare, gardiens du contour pur ; emprunte à syracuse son bronze où fermement s’accuse le trait fier et charmant ; d’une main délicate poursuis dans un filon d’agate le profil d'apollon. peintre, fuis l’aquarelle, et fixe la couleur trop frêle au four de l’émailleur. fais les sirènes bleues, tordant de cent façons leurs queues, les monstres des blasons ; rojcewicz 37 dans son nimbe trilobé la vierge et son jésus, le globe avec la croix dessus. tout passe. – l’art robuste seul a l'éternité. le buste survit à la cité. et la médaille austère que trouve un laboureur sous terre révèle un empereur. les dieux eux-mêmes meurent, mais les vers souverains demeurent plus forts que les airains. sculpte, lime, cisèle ; que ton rêve flottant se scelle dans le bloc résistant ! commentary: théophile gautier’s poem, l’art, praises the emergence of art from the process of overcoming the difficulties inherent in the material (structured poetic forms, marble, onyx, enamel, etc.). my translation is somewhat loose, attempting to echo the original meter and rhyme scheme. one stanza particularly impressed me: et la médaille austère que trouve un laboureur sous terre révèle un empereur. literally, it reads: “the austere coin/medal that a [farm] laborer finds under ground reveals an emperor.” while many ancient coins have been found by farmers ploughing their land, this sentence applies as well to the work of the poetry translator, that laborer who ploughs up original texts, trying to find an equivalent that would reveal for a contemporary audience the beauty and the significance of the poem. delos preface we, the coeditors of delos, are happy to announce that as of december 2017 the new publisher of delos is the university press of florida, under the imprint of the university of florida press (ufp). we will now be publishing two issues per year, instead of one, beginning with this issue, 33.1. new issues will no longer be open access; both digital and print subscriptions to delos will be handled by ufp. in tagging the current issue with the theme of “literature and history” the immediate and obvious connection is to the end of wwi in 1918, a mere century ago, a narrow and at the same time vast frame of reference. the array of contributions in fact falls on both sides of that critical moment, stretching back to 1812 and forward to questions of immigrant identity. most of the contributions grapple in one way or another with nationalism. the first, and shortest, contribution is “barefoot” by the francophone writer linda lê, translated by sylvie blum. war and exile bring tragedy, and for the writer, the loss of a childhood language (and its audience) is crippling. tsipi keller translated lea goldberg’s “on simple happiness,” whose narrator looks beyond the balm of european poetry to see how her neighbors live. hilde domin, here translated by annette boehm, is the german jewish poet of return, for whom her native language was a treasured patrimony. closing out this first section, xu zhimo looks at chinese or british history with the detachment and mastery of a great young poet. dorothy bonett, the translator, was a contributor to delos in its previous series, and it is good to have her back. there follow a series of works that address war directly— khvostov, pushkin, and other russian poets expressing their ecstasy over moscow’s survival; ömer seyfettin’s poets seeking patriotic augury at gallipoli; kurt tucholsky’s fierce, brave resistance to nationalism. we are grateful to alex cigale, azade seyhan, and daniel kennedy for bringing these to our readers. then we plunge deeper into the past with david cooper’s discussion and translation of faux medieval czech poetry meant to establish the history of a language and a culture all at once— at about the same time when napoleon was teaching the russians to value what they had. two antic contemporary prose works, ricocheting off history, come next: elizabeth lowe’s translation of leandro sarmatz’s tale of an actor playing hitler in the amazon, and jean harris’s heroically comic translation of the vi preface beginning of a novel, set in the aftermath of stalin’s death, by the romanian stelian tanase. rounding off the issue are translations of baudelaire by the prizewinning poet lola haskins. we also have several exceptional reviews of recent translations of novels and poetry. lola haskins’ choice of baudelaire is a reminder of the need to keep translating great works. one of the masterpieces of classical modernism, albert camus’ novel l’etranger, was written in 1942 and first translated by stuart gilbert for the englishspeaking world in 1946. gilbert’s work served more or less well until a new translation by matthew ward in 1988 revealed a new camus, unburdened by gilbert’s very british choice of words. none of the contributions in this first volume of 2018 deal with historical varieties of literary english, but as a group they show an awareness of the varieties of english available to the translator today. delos itself is celebrating a historical moment of sorts. the first delos was published at the national translation center then located in austin, texas, fifty years ago. in that first year, 1968, the new journal opened its arms to the world by featuring (along with works from the indoeuropean languages, chinese, and japanese) translations of yoruba oral poetry into english, by ulrich beier. the source texts were not printed in delos, and have never been printed. in our fall 2018 issue, we hope to offer a reconstruction of those originals in yoruba— a project of reclaiming a patrimony that echoes perhaps the “medieval czech forgeries” but also the importance, as linda lê tells us, of having a language of one’s own. we acknowledge gratefully permission from these living authors to publish translations of their works: linda lê, leandro sarmatz, and stelian tanase. thanks also to hakibutz hameuhad publishing house for the right to publish tsipi keller’s translation of leah goldberg’s story. permission to republish the original poems by hilde domin as well as the translation by annette boehm is also gratefully acknowledged. hal h. rennert judy shoaf february 14, 2018 login | delos: a journal of translation and world literature main navigation main content sidebar current archives search subscribe toggle search register login search toggle navigation home login subscription or article purchase required to access item. to verify subscription, access previous purchase, or purchase article, log in to journal. username password forgot your password? keep me logged in login register sidebar-links about overview editorial board contact contributors author guidelines submit subscribers subscribe/renew news sign-upnews sign-up issn: 0011-7951 eissn: 2573-5659   main office: 2046 ne waldo road suite 2100 gainesville, fl 32609 phone: 352-392-1351 email: journals@upress.ufl.edu navigation home search current archives subscribe 178 reviews breaking bad (2008-2013) in italy. chapter 14 examines cultural adaptations involving images and associations in translating english-language commercials into chinese. the chapter argues that the translator should first identify the conative, cognitive, and aesthetic needs engaged in motivating the receivers of the commercial in the english-language source culture to buy a certain product and then construct a translation using the same, similar, or a different combination of triggers (lexical and cultural) to activate a set of needs leading to a purchase of that product in the target chinese culture. there is a list of contributors and the abstracts of their contributions at the back of the book. this book is a cutting-edge contribution to the rapidly developing field of comparative translation studies. covering multiple languages (afrikaans and some other south african languages [zulu, sotho, tswana, xhosa], arabic, chinese, french, german, hebrew, italian, japanese, russian, and spanish), the book is a rich source for teaching theory and practice of multi-media translation to a wide cross-section of classes with mixed “first” and “second” language backgrounds and identities. alexander burak the video poem as transnational vacation artifact: donny correia, writer and director. madryn. mallarmida filmes, 2012. 11 min. a dystopic present reverberates from the doldrums of postindustrial society in the opening moments of brazilian donny correia’s video poem, madryn.1 the film, a transnational, trilingual, postmodern postcard, explores the quotidian distress of modern life through this poetic portrait of a coastal vacation. through sonic resonance from british musical composers (danny sanchez and elizabeth ann martin of severin), collaged verse from argentinian poet silvia iglesias, and voice-over excerpts from t. s. eliot’s the wasteland, correia enacts a poetic vision of the borderless pursuit of reprieve throughout the (dis)locating flux of contemporary modern life. 1 the entire film can be viewed on youtube, https://www. youtube.com/watch?v=xtrq0zxpkgi. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xtrq0zxpkgi https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xtrq0zxpkgi delos 179 in the digital expanse of voided screen space, compounded video layers serve to collapse the diaristic into the poetic as when the face of a woman superimposes over a turbulent ocean. nostalgia emerges in the woman’s face marked with tears in her eyes as she gazes and confounds the viewer with effusive emotion: the salt of the ocean is provoked in the viewer through the (salt) tearing face, implicating the viewer through a reversed cinematic gaze. here the film surfaces as poetic travelogue: a filmic postcard with iconic imagery from the quintessential vacation artifact’s scene (beaches, intimacy). through genre experimentation correia comments on and critiques the passage of the body through various geographies marked by different economies. the film moves from the zone of labor into a place marked by economies of leisure, with all of the various psychic configurations of this experiential map redrawn. the ocean reappears, this time more mercurial and otherworldly-seeming, glossed in a layer of surrealistic distortion. the oceanic tides suggest a world of restoration where “coming undone” means finding where the postindustrial has infiltrated the senses, distorting even the picturesque beach. equating self to environment through superimposition, the face of the anonymous beloved from before appears coeval to a coastal fade of lampposts and palm trees (figure 1). the movement of the body across various borders in the film is both literal (transnational) and symbolic (borderland of the psyche). madryn represents the interstitial zone where these interior and exterior geographies intersect. in the film, airports and air transit affirm themes of a transnational memory artifact while the essence of modern psychic stress remains untangled from the respite tones of holiday. shots of hazardous warning signs at an airport shake with the tremor of a handheld camera, embodying the distress of the economy’s labor demands on the body in transit. here the traveling body traffics the self away from these pressures, but also documents the therapeutics of this movement between boundaried spaces. while the video poem presents itself as intimate diarist travelogue, correia enacts a conversation across poetic (as well as national and cultural) borders by making use of british voice-over reading excerpts from eliot’s the wasteland. eliot’s modernist clarion call is echoed sonically in the aural tones that recur in the film and can be found as trace anxiety in iglesias’s poetic emergencies that present almost apparitional in their interruption of the pleasant everydayness of pedestrian vacation scenes. invoking eliot’s wasteland continues the critique of modernity, striking a poetic register evocative of britain’s industrial era to create a correspondence with life in são paulo 180 reviews figure 1 figure 2 figure 3 delos 181 (where correia resides) today (figure 2). this voice-over verse collage marks a world in which the threat of modernity as eliot renders it has become reality and been “imported” across borders in a reoccurrence of history’s nightmares. the influence of french new wave film, like that of agnes varda or jean-luc godard, is traceable in this work in tones that shift between pedestrian, everyday documentary and the distorting chills of the workaday world in all of its existential precarity. these filmic scenes, like eliot’s and iglesias’s verse, respond to the threat of collapse from the demands of society, yet do so with the intimacy and tenderness of a flâneur moving through a new world (figure 3). the film ends when the editing shifts scene and correia appears: a close-up of his mouth, bathed in an orange light, gesturing to the camera through various states of fatigue (figure 4). is this a world rendered distorted and made unrecognizable by the present technocratic modes of labor confronted in the globalized present? an eye gazes out exhaustedly at the world where a solar dot appears reflected on the iris, shuttered by blinking, suggesting a paganist return to the body unvexed by the world, gazing out, not to be subsumed in flux. madryn is a filmic portrayal of the self boundaried by the discursive, geographic and cultural borderspaces that comprise the transnational. correia channels these cultural flows in this poetic work while charting and redrawing the artistic body as it travels through these various states of address. sean negus figure 4 _goback _goback _gjdgxs _goback _goback login | delos: a journal of translation and world literature main navigation main content sidebar current archives search subscribe toggle search register login search toggle navigation home login subscription or article purchase required to access item. to verify subscription, access previous purchase, or purchase article, log in to journal. username password forgot your password? keep me logged in login register sidebar-links about overview editorial board contact contributors author guidelines submit subscribers subscribe/renew news sign-upnews sign-up issn: 0011-7951 eissn: 2573-5659   main office: 2046 ne waldo road suite 2100 gainesville, fl 32609 phone: 352-392-1351 email: journals@upress.ufl.edu navigation home search current archives subscribe vladimir vysotsky two songs translated from russian by timothy d. sergay et al. песня о друге1 если друг оказался вдруг и не друг, и не враг, а — так, если сразу не разберешь, плох он или хорош, — 5 парня в горы тяни — рискни! не бросай одного его, пусть он в связке в одной с тобой — там поймешь, кто такой. если парень в горах — не ах, 10 если сразу раскис и — вниз, шаг ступил на ледник и — сник, оступился — и в крик, — значит, рядом с тобой — чужой, ты его не брани — гони: 15 вверх таких не берут, и тут про таких не поют. если ж он не скулил, не ныл, пусть он хмур был и зол, но — шел, а когда ты упал со скал, 20 он стонал, но — держал, если шел за тобой, как в бой, на вершине стоял — хмельной, — значит, как на себя самого, положись на него. 1 punctuation here follows the russian version of the official vysotsky foundation site (kulichki.com/vv/). the vysotsky scholar and anthologist andrei krylov treats the phrases that create the frequent internal rhymes as separate continuation lines set in “mayakovskian” staircase style (vladimir vysotsky: sochineniia v dvukh tomakh, ed. a. e. krylov [moscow: khudozhestvennaia literatura, 1991], 139–40). http://kulichki.com/vv/ timothy d. sergay 29 song about a friend if you ever begin to doubt what your best friend is all about, if you find you’re not sure enough if he’s got the right stuff, 5 take the man on a climb next time! keep him close by your side—and guide. when he’s roped fast to you like glue, you’ll find out if he’s true. if this guy on the slopes just mopes, 10 on the first rugged stretch, he’ll kvetch, sets one foot on the ice—no dice! stumbles once, and then punts— then he’s useless up here, that’s clear. don’t go cleaning his clock, just walk: 15 folks won’t want him along for long, and he’s not worth a song. but if he trudged with no fuss or muss, if he’d grumble but scale the shale, when you plunged—that piton was gone!— 20 he looked wan but held on, if he slogged all the way that day, stood up drunk on the peak, though weak, then you’ve learned you have one true friend: count on him till the end. translated by timothy d. sergay in collaboration with vadim astrakhan 30 vladimir vysotsky спасите наши души! уходим под воду в нейтральной воде. мы можем по году плевать на погоду, а если накроют — локаторы взвоют о нашей беде: припев: спасите наши души! мы бредим от удушья. спасите наши души, спешите к нам! услышьте нас на суше — наш sos все глуше, глуше, и ужас режет души напополам! и рвутся аорты, но наверх — не сметь! там слева по борту, там справа по борту, там прямо по ходу мешает проходу рогатая смерть! (припев) но здесь мы на воле — ведь это наш мир! свихнулись мы, что ли — всплывать в минном поле?! — а ну, без истерик! мы врежемся в берег!— сказал командир. timothy d. sergay 31 save our souls! we submerge in neutral waters. for a year at a time we can laugh at the weather, and if the enemy pins us down, our locators will cry out for help: refrain: save our souls! anoxia’s making us delirious. save our souls! get out here now! come in, base, do you read? — our sos is fainter and fainter. and horror tears our souls in half!… our aortas are bursting, but surfacing would be suicide! just off our port, just off our starboard, and dead ahead, too: wherever we turn, a deadly horned mine! (refrain) but down here we’re free— we’ve a world all our own! have we lost our minds? surface in a mine field?! “that’s enough: get a grip! we’re ramming the shore!” said the commander. 32 vladimir vysotsky (припев) всплывем на рассвете — приказ есть приказ. погибнуть во цвете — уж лучше при свете! наш путь не отмечен. нам нечем... нам нечем!.. но помните нас! (припев) вот вышли наверх мы, но выхода нет! ход полный на верфи, натянуты нервы. конец всем печалям, концам и началам — мы рвемся к причалам заместо торпед! (припев) timothy d. sergay 33 (refrain) we surface at dawn— orders are orders. if we have to die young, we may as well do it in daylight. they won’t give us medals for this. we’ve got nothing left—nothing! but remember us! (refrain) we’ve breached the surface, but there’s no way out! full speed ahead for the dockyard, nerves strained to the limit, that’s it for our cares, all our ends and beginnings— we bear down on those berths like one great last torpedo! (refrain) delos 175 editorial published blitz with beto confused among his boxes on the cover; the lovely other press jacket shows an hourglass against a black background, flecks of gold floating away. at the cinema, we will see which blitz takes the starring role: la novela de la crisis, la tragicomedia romántica, or the one of lightning bolts and hourglasses, of loss and dislocation. ann manov dror abend-david, ed. media and translation: an interdisciplinary approach. new york/london/new delhi/ sidney: bloomsbury, 2014. 365 pp. dror abend-david, the editor of this fine collection of research papers, has been able to bring together in a collaborative effort 23 translation studies scholars from eight countries. he has also provided clearly-worded one-page introductory notes for each of the seven parts of this translation studies anthology. the book is about audiovisual translation in its multiple and all-pervasive manifestations. the three chapters in part i (film translation and adaptation) elaborate on the classical jakobsonian l1-to-l2 translation paradigm by suggesting a more nuanced methodology to analyze film as a text in the wide sociocultural sense. the methodology takes account of elements in another language or languages (that is, l2 in jakobson’s schema) such as idiolect, dialect (regional and social), peculiarities of style and diction, slang/jargon, and foreign accents incorporated in a film. these “extra” features are described as l3 (language 3) components of the film’s text. this novel, more nuanced approach to film translation analysis is introduced briefly in the opening chapter 1 and illustrated in detail in chapter 2, which compares quentin tarantino’s multilingual film inglourious basterds (2009) with its representations in the form of dubbed versions in german, spanish and italian. the three translations illustrate a complex simultaneous interplay of interlingual, intralingual, and semiotic factors and confirm the researchers’ initial hypothesis that there is no one universal solution: the final unique mix of languages in the dubbed version of an l3-saturated film is determined by the specific source text of the film in its varying sociocultural settings and the professional competence of the translator/s. chapter 3 further develops the general theme of part i by examining the way in which tsotsitaal (a south african township variety of slang) is represented in the english and french subtitled and dubbed versions of oliver schmitz’s south african film hijack stories (2000). 176 reviews part ii (subtitling and dubbing) examines how the already pre-fabricated film dialogue (its intended prosody, morphology, syntax and lexis) is subjected, in the process of dubbing into a different language, to standardization/neutralization, source text interference, explication, simplification, normalization, and leveling out. in chapter 4, this is illustrated by the spanish dubbed version of the american television series friends, with the resulting dubbed product being a compromise between intradiegetic and artificial extradiegetic factors. chapter 5 of part ii looks at some damaging effects of dubbing into italian of mostly english-language films where the original dialogue track is excised but the new italian text does not fit in well with the original film’s visual sequences, sound effects and music. apart from examining ways of aesthetically harmonizing the new, dubbed dialogue track with the other given components of films, the chapter analyzes cases where the individual qualities of an actor’s voice (timbre, pitch, speech peculiarities, etc.) change the intended impact of a character on the film’s audiences. chapter 6 constitutes the whole of part iii (media and computer translation). it reports the results of a set of experiments designed to evaluate the accuracy and efficiency of live subtitling of television programs and films for foreign, language-learning, and hearing-impaired audiences. live subtitling typically combines human re-speakers and speech recognition software. the carefully designed experiments described in chapter 6 demonstrate that the currently widespread live subtitling is still a long way from relying exclusively on re-speaker-independent software, i.e. completely autonomous machine translation. part iv (between literary and media translation) consists of two chapters. chapter 7 looks at subtitling japanese films as an “abusive fidelity” practice that inevitably leads to multiple versions of a film even in the same language. it is argued that, while a literary translation is likely to be treated as a genuine replacement of its original written text, film subtitles are perceived to be rather an appendix or addition, especially given the ubiquity of new digital technology that can create, recreate, add and remove scrolling or box subtitles at the whim of the individual viewer. chapter 8 discusses literary translations and film adaptations of fantasy literature for young audiences, analyzing, among other works, the multimedia adaptations of such globalized texts as the chronicles of narnia, the spiderwick chronicles, the seven harry potter books, arthur et les minimoys and others. fantasy, especially for young people, has become a global transand multiple-media phenomenon attracting different kinds of translation: subtitling, dubbing, rewriting in other languages, incorporation in computer games, autonomous visual representation, and other crossdelos 177 cultural activities. chapter 9 (part v: translation, communication, and globalization) considers the challenges involved in translating verballyand audiovisually-expressed humor. in particular, it examines the results of a series of surveys aimed at establishing the extent to which italian viewers perceive translated humor via subtitles and dubs in audiovisual products. using ari folman’s hebrew-to-english subtitled film waltz with bashir (2008), the contributors to chapter 10 in part v analyze the film’s strategy of depicting some extremely traumatic episodes during the lebanese civil war in 1982. this animated film is notable for the conscious refusal by its adaptors to provide english subtitles for an episode in which an arab woman is wailing in grief and crying something out in arabic. her words are not subtitled on the theory that the globalized audiences not familiar with the geographical, historical, and cultural context of the scene would get a more acute visceral sense of the atrocities without the visual hindrance of subtitles. in part vi (global news and politics), chapter 11 offers a theoretical framework for identifying and assessing the means and extent of reframing international news in the process of translation by a major chinese newspaper. the model integrates several perspectives: most notably, norman fairclough’s critical discourse analysis, j. r. martin and p. r. r. white’s approach to appraisal in systemic functional linguistics, and mona baker’s model of re-framing strategies in translation. chapter 12 examines the latest empirical research on israeli jewish viewers’ reactions to a set of english-language broadcasts on the same subject. the aim of the experiments was to identify the audience’s initial biases but, more importantly, to ascertain the viewers’ ratings of the levels of credibility and professionalism of such transnational news networks as cnn, the bbc, fox news, and al-jazeera english. the obtained research results indicate that, contrary to the researchers’ initial hypotheses, ethnocentrism still plays a major role in viewers’ deciding what international news network to choose and that, in the majority of cases, the viewers’ decisions to assign a higher credibility rating to a particular supranational news network are determined by the accent and name pronunciations they hear rather than by the actual contents of the news. chapter 13 in part vii (promotions, commercials, tweets, and minisodes) examines paratexts such as trailers, minisodes , websites, alternate reality games, and user generated content as vehicles for promoting u. s. television series in the italian multimedia space. the chapter focuses on the strategies that have been used for the linguistic and cultural adaptation of the paratexts promoting the u. s. television series glee (2009-2015) and 178 reviews breaking bad (2008-2013) in italy. chapter 14 examines cultural adaptations involving images and associations in translating english-language commercials into chinese. the chapter argues that the translator should first identify the conative, cognitive, and aesthetic needs engaged in motivating the receivers of the commercial in the english-language source culture to buy a certain product and then construct a translation using the same, similar, or a different combination of triggers (lexical and cultural) to activate a set of needs leading to a purchase of that product in the target chinese culture. there is a list of contributors and the abstracts of their contributions at the back of the book. this book is a cutting-edge contribution to the rapidly developing field of comparative translation studies. covering multiple languages (afrikaans and some other south african languages [zulu, sotho, tswana, xhosa], arabic, chinese, french, german, hebrew, italian, japanese, russian, and spanish), the book is a rich source for teaching theory and practice of multi-media translation to a wide cross-section of classes with mixed “first” and “second” language backgrounds and identities. alexander burak the video poem as transnational vacation artifact: donny correia, writer and director. madryn. mallarmida filmes, 2012. 11 min. a dystopic present reverberates from the doldrums of postindustrial society in the opening moments of brazilian donny correia’s video poem, madryn.1 the film, a transnational, trilingual, postmodern postcard, explores the quotidian distress of modern life through this poetic portrait of a coastal vacation. through sonic resonance from british musical composers (danny sanchez and elizabeth ann martin of severin), collaged verse from argentinian poet silvia iglesias, and voice-over excerpts from t. s. eliot’s the wasteland, correia enacts a poetic vision of the borderless pursuit of reprieve throughout the (dis)locating flux of contemporary modern life. 1 the entire film can be viewed on youtube, https://www. youtube.com/watch?v=xtrq0zxpkgi. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xtrq0zxpkgi https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xtrq0zxpkgi _goback _goback _gjdgxs _goback _goback login | delos: a journal of translation and world literature main navigation main content sidebar current archives search subscribe toggle search register login search toggle navigation home login subscription or article purchase required to access item. to verify subscription, access previous purchase, or purchase article, log in to journal. username password forgot your password? keep me logged in login register sidebar-links about overview editorial board contact contributors author guidelines submit subscribers subscribe/renew news sign-upnews sign-up issn: 0011-7951 eissn: 2573-5659   main office: 2046 ne waldo road suite 2100 gainesville, fl 32609 phone: 352-392-1351 email: journals@upress.ufl.edu navigation home search current archives subscribe robert lafont, jan-mari carlotti: dire mis en musique wendy pfeffer robert lafont (1923-2009) was an internationally respected scholar of occitan language and literature. a native of nîmes, france, his teaching career was primarily at the university of montpellier. his scholarly publications included studies of provençal (one of the several dialects of occitan) orthography and phonetics, as well as literary histories such as the twovolume nouvelle histoire de la littérature occitane, written with christian anatole (paris: presses universitaires de france, 1970), a major contribution to our understanding of the corpus of occitan literature from the middle ages to the present. a militant occitanist, lafont fought for the recognition of his native language as part of the cultural heritage of france; his works to this end include titles such as décoloniser en france (paris: gallimard, 1971) and à ces cons de français et ces couillons d’occitans (valence d’albigeois: vent terral, 2005). he was a major force in a number of organizations devoted to the support and promotion of occitan including the institut d’études occitanes and the association internationale d’études occitanes. he was also a talented creative writer, composing works in a variety of genres, including novels, short stories, plays, and lyric poetry; these works formed another aspect of his efforts to promote occitan language and culture. the set of poems published as dire, poëmas 1945-1953 (toulouse: institut d’estudis occitans, 1957) express themes that recur in his entire oeuvre: the merits of occitan as a literary language, issues of place, the author’s love of women, the problem of oppression, whether manu militari or by legislative or regal decree. one of his later works, la gacha a la cistèrna (montpeyroux: jorn, 1998), is an epic poem (recently translated into english by marie-christine coste-rixte [montpeyroux: jorn, 2014]). lafont continued to publish creative works to the end of his life. occitan musician and singer jan-mari carlotti first met robert lafont in 1977 in preparation for a film documenting occitan literature (les troubadours, 1979). subsequently, lafont remained in contact with carlotti and his associates, musicians of the group mont-jòia, providing texts for performances and writing a presentation for the performance of the oratorio mirèio by patrice conte, a mont-jòia member. mont-jòia and its lead wendy pfeffer 101 singer carlotti had an established tradition of performing works by occitan authors from the middle ages to the modern day (the play list ranges from jaufre rudel and pistoleta to gélu, mistral, and reboul, with folksongs in between). in 1988, lafont gave carlotti a copy of his second collection of verse, dire, poëmas 1945-1953, which carlotti began to set to music. in 1998-99, carlotti returned to the dire project. shortly afterwards, robert lafont asked him to create something for the marpoc colloquium, “robert lafont: l’oeuvre littéraire,” which took place in nîmes on may 12-13, 2000. for that event, carlotti gave a concert entitled “dire,” presenting his musical interpretations of lafont’s verse. selections from the dire concert were published as a compact disc by carlotti (m.j 004-2005). the record notes included the long out-of-print occitan texts accompanied by translations into french by carlotti and english translations by william calin and by patrick hutchinson. this recording, dire, poëmas de r. lafont, mis en musique par jan-mari carlotti,1 produced by the ass. montjòia, offers listeners the poetry of lafont with the interpretations of a contemporary musician, a blending of resources that has roots in the occitan middle ages. carlotti has now retired from performing; it is unclear if he has maintained a web presence.2 to inquire about the recording of dire, contact the producers at mont-joia@wanadoo.fr. 1 melodies by jan-mari carlotti; performers j. m. carlotti (vocals, guitars, psaltery), michel marre (trumpet, bugle, piano), denis fournier (drums and percussion), with the assistance of luzmilla carpio (vocals), solenn grand (cello) and jan carlotti. 2 for information on carlotti’s recordings, see http://www.paraulas.net/musica/ artista.php?cl=041&phpsessid=f02c34f7c07f0228f4d2c7e85386678c. note from delos: the text by robert lafont and william calin’s translations were originally published in tenso: bulletin of the société guilhem ix 20 (2005), and also became part of the print materials accompanying the carlotti recording discussed in this commentary by wendy pfeffer. thanks are due to wendy, who revised her original introduction for delos readers, and to tenso, which permits us to reprint the translations. mailto:mont-joia@wanadoo.fr http://www.paraulas.net/musica/artista.php?cl=041&phpsessid=f02c34f7c07f0228f4d2c7e85386678c http://www.paraulas.net/musica/artista.php?cl=041&phpsessid=f02c34f7c07f0228f4d2c7e85386678c _goback login | delos: a journal of translation and world literature main navigation main content sidebar current archives search subscribe toggle search register login search toggle navigation home login subscription or article purchase required to access item. to verify subscription, access previous purchase, or purchase article, log in to journal. username password forgot your password? keep me logged in login register sidebar-links about overview editorial board contact contributors author guidelines submit subscribers subscribe/renew news sign-upnews sign-up issn: 0011-7951 eissn: 2573-5659   main office: 2046 ne waldo road suite 2100 gainesville, fl 32609 phone: 352-392-1351 email: journals@upress.ufl.edu navigation home search current archives subscribe login | delos: a journal of translation and world literature main navigation main content sidebar current archives search subscribe toggle search register login search toggle navigation home login subscription or article purchase required to access item. to verify subscription, access previous purchase, or purchase article, log in to journal. username password forgot your password? keep me logged in login register sidebar-links about overview editorial board contact contributors author guidelines submit subscribers subscribe/renew news sign-upnews sign-up issn: 0011-7951 eissn: 2573-5659   main office: 2046 ne waldo road suite 2100 gainesville, fl 32609 phone: 352-392-1351 email: journals@upress.ufl.edu navigation home search current archives subscribe marina colasanti three tales translated from portuguese by adria frizzi through the hoop she began with a green thread. she did not know what to embroider, but she was sure about the green—bright green. grass. that’s what appeared after the first few stitches. tall grass, its tips bent as if it were looking at something. it’s looking at the flowers, she thought. and chose a red skein. thus, little by little, without an outline, a garden began to appear on the embroidery hoop. it obeyed her hands, it obeyed her fancy, and it grew as if the night dew made it sprout. every morning the girl ran to the hoop, looked at it, smiled, and added another bird, a bee, a cricket hidden behind a stem. the sun shone on the girl’s embroidery. and the garden was so beautiful that she began to like it more than anything else. it was on the day of the tree. the tree was finished, nothing seemed to be missing. but the girl knew it was time to add the fruit. she embroidered a shiny purple fruit, like nothing she had ever seen before. and then another, and another, until the tree was drooping, until the tree was bountiful, and her mouth filled with desire for that fruit never tasted before. the girl did not know how it happened. when she looked again, she was sitting astride the highest branch of the tree, picking fruit and wiping the juice from her mouth. it must have been through the thread, she thought when it was time to return home. she looked around, the last fruit was not ready yet, she touched the stitch where the thread ended. and there she was, back home. now that she knew the way, the girl went down into the embroidery every day. first she chose what she wanted to see—a butterfly, a praying mantis. she embroidered with care, then she followed the thread down onto the back of the insect, and flew with it, and came to rest on the flowers, and laughed and played and lay in the grass. adria frizzi 135 136 marina colasanti the embroidery was nearly done. hardly any cloth showed through the brightly colored thread. soon it would be finished. it needs a heron, she thought. and she chose a white skein with pink hues. she embroidered each stitch with care, knowing, as she inserted the needle, how soft the feathers would be, how gentle the beak. then she went down to meet her new friend. it was like that, standing next to the heron, caressing its neck, that her older sister saw her when she leaned over the hoop. she was the only thing that hadn’t been embroidered. and the design was so pretty that her sister picked up the needle, the basket of thread, and began to embroider. she embroidered her hair, and the wind stopped blowing in it. she embroidered her skirt, and the pleats ceased to move. she embroidered her hands, forever frozen on the heron’s neck. she wanted to embroider her feet, but they were hidden in the grass. she wanted to embroider her face, but it was hidden in the shadows. then she embroidered the ribbon in her hair, finished the stitch, and very carefully cut the thread. the one and only she was beautiful, she was the daughter, she was the one and only. the king’s daughter. but what good was being a princess if she had no one to play with? alone in the palace, she cried and cried. she didn’t want dolls, she didn’t want toys. all she wanted was a friend. at night the king heard his daughter’s sobs. what good is a crown if your daughter cries at night? he decided to put an end to all that sadness. so he called the glazier and he called the frame maker. and secretly he had them make the largest mirror in the kingdom. and quietly he had them place it at the foot of his daughter’s bed while she slept. when the princess awoke, she was no longer alone. a beautiful girl, one and only, looked back at her in surprise, her hair still tousled from sleep. quickly they both jumped out of bed. quickly they approached each other. one smiled and said hello. the other said hello, smiling. “funny,” one thought, “the other is left-handed.” and they both laughed. they laughed a lot after that. happy together, happy the same. one’s play was the other’s game. one’s leap was the other’s bounce. and when one was tired, the other slept. adria frizzi 137 138 marina colasanti the king, delighted with such cheer, had new toys made, which he gave his daughter in a basket. animals, dolls, little houses, and a golden ball. the ball at the bottom of the basket. but so shiny it was the first toy they chose. they rolled on the carpet with it, they flung it on the bed, they tossed it in the air. but when the princess decided to throw it into her friend’s hands, the ball shattered game and friendship. an empty frame, shards of mirror on the floor. sadness weighed in the eyes of the king’s only daughter. she hung her head and began to cry. a tear welled up, was about to fall, when the princess saw the face she loved so much. not just the face of one friend, but many faces of many friends. not in the tear now falling, but in all the shards that covered the floor. “funny, they’re all left-handed,” she thought. and they laughed. they laughed a good bit after that. it was different to play with so many friends. now she could choose. one day she chose one, and then tired of her. the next day she preferred another, but quickly forgot about her. then another and another yet, until she realized they were all still too few. then she took one, threw her against the wall, and made two. she grew tired of both, stepped on them with her shoe and made four. no longer amused by the four, she smashed them with a hammer and made eight. annoyed with the eight, she shattered them with a rock and made twelve. but two were smaller than one, four smaller than two, eight smaller than four, twelve smaller than eight. smaller, each time smaller. so much smaller that they no longer fit her, pieces of friends with whom she could no longer play. an eye, a smile, the side of a nose. then not even that, just the glittery dust of friends scattered on the floor. alone again, the king’s daughter. was she crying? i don’t know. she didn’t want the dolls, she didn’t want the toys. she left the palace and ran through the garden to wear out her sadness. she ran and ran, but the sadness was still with her. she ran through the forest, she ran through the meadow. then she stopped at the edge of the lake. adria frizzi 139 in the water’s reflection, her friend awaited her. but the princess no longer wanted only one friend, she wanted many, she wanted them all, those she had before and the new ones she would find. she blew on the water. the friend quavered but remained one. she threw a rock at her. the friend opened up in circles, but remained one. then the king’s beautiful daughter threw herself into the water with her arms wide open, shattering the mirror into many shards, many friends that began to sink with her, disappearing beneath the ripples as the lake rearranged its surface. 140 marina colasanti the girl weaver she woke when it was still dark, as if she had heard the sun coming from behind the edge of night. and she immediately sat down at the loom. a light-colored yarn, to start off the day. a delicate thread the color of light, which she wove through the warp, while outside the morning glow outlined the horizon. later, brighter yarns, hot yarns, wove themselves away, hour by hour, in a long never-ending rug. if the sun was too hot, and the petals drooped in the garden, the girl put thick grey yarns of the softest cotton in her shuttle. shortly after, in the shadows brought on by the clouds, she chose a silver thread and embroidered long stitches across the fabric. a light rain came to greet her at the window. but if the wind and the cold quarreled with the leaves and scared the birds away for days, all the girl had to do was weave with her beautiful golden threads for the sun to return and quiet nature down. thus the girl spent her days, throwing the shuttle from side to side and moving the large beater forward and back. she lacked for nothing. when she was hungry she wove a beautiful fish complete with scales. and there was the fish, on the table, ready to be eaten. if thirst came, soft was the milkcolored wool that ran through the rug. and at night, after casting her thread of darkness, she slept peacefully. weaving was all she did. weaving was all she wanted to do. but as she wove away, she herself brought about a time when she felt lonely, and for the first time she thought how nice it would be to have a husband by her side. she did not wait another day. with the care of someone attempting something never before experienced, she began to weave through the rug the yarns and colors that would give her company. and little by little her desire began to emerge, plumed hat, bearded face, proud stance, polished boot. she was about to weave the last thread through the tip of his boots when there was a knock on the door. adria frizzi 141 she did not even need to open it. the youth put his hand on the door knob, took off his plumed hat, and walked right into her life. that night, as she lay against his shoulder, the girl thought about the beautiful children she would weave to increase her happiness even more. and happy she was, for a time. but if the man had thought about children, he soon forgot them. because, after discovering the power of the loom, he thought of nothing else but all the things she could give him. —a better house is in order, he told his wife. and it did seem to make sense, now that there were two of them. he demanded the most beautiful brick-colored yarns, green threads for the shutters, and haste for the house to happen. but when the house was ready, it no longer seemed enough to him. —why have a house when we can have a palace? he asked. without waiting for an answer, he immediately ordered that it be made of stone with silver trim. day after day, week and month the girl toiled, weaving roofs and doors, and courtyards and staircases, and halls and wells. outside the snow was falling, and she did not have time to call the sun. night fell, and she did not have time to cast off the day. she’d weave and grieve, as the loom beat ceaselessly to the rhythm of the shuttle. at last the palace was ready. and, from among so many rooms, the husband chose for her and her loom the highest room in the highest tower. —so no one will know about the rug, he said. and before locking the door, he warned her: —you have yet to make the stables. and don’t forget the horses! the wife wove her husband’s every whim without pause, filling the palace with luxury, the coffers with coins, the halls with servants. weaving was all she did. weaving was all she wanted to do. and as she wove she herself brought about a time when her sadness seemed to her greater than the palace with all its treasures. and for the first time she thought how nice it would be if she were on her own again. 142 marina colasanti she only waited until nightfall. she got up while her husband slept, dreaming of fresh demands. and barefoot, not to make any noise, she climbed the long staircase leading to the tower and sat down at the loom. this time she did not need to choose a yarn. she grasped the shuttle and, throwing it quickly from side to side, she began to undo her weaving. she unwove the horses, the carriages, the stables, the gardens. next she unwove the servants and the palace and all the wonders it held. and once again she found herself in her little house and smiled at the garden beyond the window. the night was coming to an end when the husband, wondering at the hard bed, awoke and looked around, bewildered. he did not have time to get up. she was already undoing the dark outline of his boots, and he watched his feet disappear, his legs vanish. swiftly, nothingness crept up his body and took his proud chest, his plumed hat. then, as if she had heard the sun coming, the girl chose a light-colored yarn. and slowly wove it through the threads, a delicate streak of light which the morning repeated in the line of the horizon. ***** marina colasanti (1937) is a writer, journalist, and artist. born in eritrea, she has lived in libya, italy, and brazil, where she has resided since 1948. she is the author of over fifty books of short stories, poetry, essays, and children’s literature. in addition to her activity as a writer and journalist, she is a translator and frequently the illustrator of her own books. her works have been translated in several languages and recognized with numerous awards, most recently the prestigious jabuti dourado prize for best work of fiction of 2014. two of the stories presented here, (“the hoop” and “the one and only”) come from uma idéia toda azul [a true blue idea, 1979], a collection consisting of ten short and often dark tales beautifully illustrated by the author; we include here, with her permission, a few of the original ink resist paintings. “the girl weaver” (“a moça tecelã”) was originally published adria frizzi 143 in doze reis e a moça no labirinto do vento (editora nordica, rio, 1982); an earlier version of this translation into english has been online for over a year at http://exploringfictions.blogspot. com/2014/12/mariana-colasanti-girl-weaver-trans-by.html all the stories revisit traditional fairy tale characters and themes to challenge received ideas, question the relationship between the individual and society and recreate an alternate past and reality. the enormous popularity of colasanti’s tales, together with the numerous literary awards bestowed upon her work over the past decade and the multiple editions of many of her books (idéia is now in its eighteenth edition) certainly support the critical claim that “fantasy combines entertainment with social critique to express utopian visions of political desire” (peggy sharpe). a. f. note from delos: the three illustrations accompanying the first two stories are the work of maria colasanti, the author. they were created by the technique of nankim lavado, or ink gouache resist. they were part of the 1979 publication uma idéia toda azul, and are used with the author’s kind permission. http://exploringfictions.blogspot.com/2014/12/mariana-colasanti-girl-weaver-trans-by.html http://exploringfictions.blogspot.com/2014/12/mariana-colasanti-girl-weaver-trans-by.html yanira marimón six poems translated from spanish by pamela carmell yanira marimón, (b. matanzas, cuba, 1971) is a member of the younger generation of writers in cuba who have lived their entire lives under a restrictive government. now with the influx of tourists and the increased availability of the internet, they are able to cast their gaze beyond their island. their writing addresses a yearning for a more vital homeland, more opportunities to explore other cultures, and their loneliness for exiled countrymen absent for so many decades. marimón continues her family’s literary tradition. her father, luis marimón, a celebrated poet, fled to the us, where he died in 1994. recently, ms. marimón collected her father’s poems into two anthologies that have rekindled interest in his work. as editor of the literary journal revista matanzas, marimón is an active part of the vital art center matanzas has become. she has also published children’s novels and is a well-regarded literary critic. marimón’s books have received many awards, including the premio de poesía josé jacinto milanés, presented by uneac, cuba’s writers’ union, for her collection contemplación vs. acto. the poems in this translation are from that collection. marimón received the 2016 rosalia de castro prize for poetry in galicia, spain, for her collection pequeña eternidad. p. c. 146 yanira marimón de noche, la ciudad a mi padre ya no hay lumínicos en las calles solo estrellas en el cielo y una luna grande y redonda algunos días al mes. mis hijos aprenden las sílabas en libros extraños. todo es más real más dado a perecer. ya no hay carteles brillantes donde descubrir la fuerza de las palabras su misterio. solo nos queda la noche y una luna enorme y redonda algunos días al mes. no sé si podrás entenderlo no sé si puedas. desde la eternidad, céline observa paris louis-ferdinand céline observa paris desde la eternidad. sabe que su ciudad no es una fiesta. lo sabe y llora con sincera agonía. de forma cíclica ve pasar su vida: su niñez y adolescencia en el pasaje choiseul, la pobreza extrema, sostenida. a su madre inválida reparando encajes viejos, la escalera de caracol que debían subir una y otra vez, eternamente. los fideos y las gachas en su plato, la guerra. céline busca, pero no logra ver los campos elíseos, sólo suburbios donde debía haber luces, oscuridad, medios locos, hombres con heridas, historias clínicas abiertas de él mismo, pacientes pobres, sacerdotes agonizantes trepando las ventanas louis-ferdinand céline observa paris desde la eternidad. y cambia la vista. pamela carmell 147 at night, the city for my father there are no neon signs now on the streets only stars in the sky a big, round moon a few days a month. my children learn their letters in foreign books. everything is more clear cut more likely to perish. there are no more glossy posters where we discovered the power of words their mystery. all we have left is the night and a huge, round moon a few days a month. i don’t know if you could understand that. i don’t know if you can. from eternity, céline observes paris louis-ferdinand céline observes paris from eternity. he knows his city is nothing to celebrate. he knows it and cries in sincere agony. he sees the cycle of his life pass by: his childhood and youth in the passage choiseul, the extreme, unrelenting poverty. his crippled mother mending old lace, the winding staircase they had to climb time and time again, eternally. the thin soup and porridge in his bowl, the war. céline looks all around, but he can’t make out the champs elysées, just the outskirts where there should be lights, darkness, half-crazed people, men with wounds, his own hospital records lying open, poor patients, priests in agony clambering out the windows. louis-ferdinand céline observes paris from eternity. and he turns his gaze elsewhere. 148 yanira marimón incapacidad del lente tras el clic de una cámara la señora sonríe. tiene la piel blanquísima y busca—dice— fotografiar lo exótico de cada rostro cansado. la miseria también es digna de eternizarse, traduzco de su cuidadoso inglés mientras enfoca despacio su lente, primero en un edificio destruido donde niños descalzos juegan a las escondidas, luego en el rostro sin edad de un vagabundo. yo la miro asiento con mi cabeza desconcertada también sonrío. al borde de un rio extranjero al borde de un río extranjero un hombre extranjero mira a los patos a los poquísimos patos que a esta hora del día copulan con fuerza en su instinto terco por la supervivencia. es curioso—piensa— la similitud de las suertes entre un hombre, un ave y un río. y en ese preciso instante en que el manzanares corre tranquilo y los patos revolotean quisiera ser, no el hombre, sino el río extranjero de aguas quietas o al menos una de esas aves que ahora ha levantado el vuelo. pamela carmell 149 the failing of the lens after the click of a camera the lady smiles. her skin is so very white and she is trying—she says— to photograph the exotic in every tired face. misery is also worthy of being immortalized. i translate from her careful english as she slowly focuses her lens, first on the ruins of a building where barefoot children play hide-and-seek, then on the ageless face of a beggar. i look at her nod my head disconcerted i too smile. on the bank of a foreign river on the bank of a foreign river a foreign man watches the ducks the handful of ducks that at this time of day copulate with a fury in their stubborn instinct for survival. it’s strange, he thinks, how similar are the fortunes of a man, a bird and a river. and at that very moment when the manzanares river flows peacefully and the ducks flutter around i would like to be, not the man but the foreign river with its quiet waters or at least one of those birds that have now lifted off in flight. 150 yanira marimón manantial a carmen sofía alguien dijo: es conveniente tener agua limpia frente a tu casa aleja lo triste las distancias el escarnio. crecí con esa certeza y aunque tuve sin remedio penas distancia escarnio —tengo un charco—, me decía mi resguardo mi agua de limpiar los miedos. más tarde descubrí con espanto cómo las cloacas las aguas albañales llegaban hasta mi manantial contaminándolo haciéndolo sucio sin remedio. patria cómo sería pensarte desde lejos detenida en mi memoria ausente de tu luz tu demasiado luz. imaginar tus verdes desde el blanco absurdo de la nieve no ser ya más la imagen que moldeaste: barro seco yedra abrojo en el camino. cómo sería, patria. pamela carmell 151 spring for carmen sofía someone once said: it’s a good idea to have clean water in front of your house it washes away sadness distances derision. i grew up with that certainty and even though i had troubles distances derision and no remedy for them “i have a pond,” i told myself my protection my water to wash away my fears. much later i discovered to my horror how the sewers their filthy waters reached all the way to my spring contaminating it fouling it and no remedy for that. homeland what would it be like to think about you from far away arrested in my memory absent from your light your too bright light. to imagine your greens from the absurd white of snow to no longer be the image you molded: dried clay ivy thorny weed in the road. what would that be like, homeland. login | delos: a journal of translation and world literature main navigation main content sidebar current archives search subscribe toggle search register login search toggle navigation home login subscription or article purchase required to access item. to verify subscription, access previous purchase, or purchase article, log in to journal. username password forgot your password? keep me logged in login register sidebar-links about overview editorial board contact contributors 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navigation home search current archives subscribe login | delos: a journal of translation and world literature main navigation main content sidebar current archives search subscribe toggle search register login search toggle navigation home login subscription or article purchase required to access item. to verify subscription, access previous purchase, or purchase article, log in to journal. username password forgot your password? keep me logged in login register sidebar-links about overview editorial board contact contributors author guidelines submit subscribers subscribe/renew news sign-upnews sign-up issn: 0011-7951 eissn: 2573-5659   main office: 2046 ne waldo road suite 2100 gainesville, fl 32609 phone: 352-392-1351 email: journals@upress.ufl.edu navigation home search current archives subscribe login | delos: a journal of translation and world literature main navigation main content sidebar current archives search subscribe toggle search register login search toggle navigation home login subscription or article purchase required to access item. to verify subscription, access previous purchase, or purchase article, log in to journal. username password forgot your password? keep me logged in login register sidebar-links about overview editorial board contact contributors author guidelines submit subscribers subscribe/renew news sign-upnews sign-up issn: 0011-7951 eissn: 2573-5659   main office: 2046 ne waldo road suite 2100 gainesville, fl 32609 phone: 352-392-1351 email: journals@upress.ufl.edu navigation home search current archives subscribe from sign to sound: rendering linguistic play in krzhizhanovsky’s the poetics of titles anne o. fisher the recently rediscovered russian writer sigizmund krzhizhanovsky (1887-1950) is a stylistic master, a polyglot whose fluency in english, german, latin, polish, and other languages deeply informed his modernist prose. his preferred genre of “experimental realism” is now available to an english audience in joanne turnbull and nikolai formozov’s excellent translations, while karen rosenflanz’s keen insight into krzhizhanovsky’s intricate paranomastic play allows readers with no access to the russian to appreciate the skill behind his seemingly effortless virtuosity.1 notwithstanding these extant models and explications, every translator of krzhizhanovsky must still sit face-to-face, or rather, page-to-page with his (mostly) russian text and make her own creation, slowly filling her empty page with letters, taking her cue from krzhizhanovsky to replicate, as best she can, his authorial design. but what is that cue? this essay gives my own reflections on that problem—in the form of a craft talk on a work in progress, rather than an academic analysis of a completed project—and describes the features of krzhizhanovsky’s own writing that helped me develop a preliminary translation strategy for the poetics of titles (poetika zaglavii), krzhizhanovsky’s 1925 (published in 1931) meditation on the function of titles that predates gerard genette’s own delightful, rigorous study of that paratext by several decades.2 the most important element of this translation strategy, i suggest, is sound. now, it’s common knowledge that krzhizhanovsky’s prose explores the literalization of metaphors and emphasizes the physicality of cognitive and perceptive processes. it’s a natural extension of this abiding concern that in both his fiction and his non-fiction, the process of reading is 1 turnbull and formozov’s translations include memories of the future (2009), the letter killers club (2011), autobiography of a corpse (2013), and the return of munchausen (2016), all from nyrb classics. rosenflanz’s monograph, which also examines krzhizhanovsky’s formidable erudition in the areas of mathematics and metaphysical philosophy, is hunter of themes: the interplay of word and thing in the works of sigizmund krzhizhanovsky (new york: peter lang publishing, 2005). 2 as an aid for readers who don’t know the cyrillic alphabet, i have transliterated all russian text into latin letters and italicized it. anne o. fisher 21 emphatically haptic,3 sometimes even to the point of physical violence: i walked through the bedlam of letters, my pupils drawn taut at first, then, as i tired, drawn jerkily here and there. i tried to look past and through them, but they rudely yanked my eyelids up and kept crawling under my eyelashes, ever more of them, in a continuous stream of patches and blots.4 he took several packs of uncut books with him. but the war invaded his plans, and instead of cutting pages he had to cut bodies.5 oh, how hateful all those people seemed to me back then, the ones who disemboweled the latest editions of journals with their paper knives and surrounded my beaten, winded name with tens of thousands of eyes.6 so it’s no surprise that voice, as a physical phenomenon, also has a special place in krzhizhanovsky’s understanding of literature and its production and reception. in his entry for “the reader” in the 1925 dictionary of literary terms, krzhizhanovsky writes, “in the beginning, when the book was rare, it had listeners, not readers. but gradually the author’s reception moves from the epoch of speech to the epoch of the eye (iz epokhi skaza k epokhe glaza): the sounds of words go mute and become entrenched in those conventional little signs, letters.”7 later in the same entry, krzhizhanovsky writes: “the poet, though, must […] force the reader to receive even the individual word not as a single logical sign, but as a changing flow of sound.”8 he even distinguishes titles of plays from book titles because originally, play titles were pronounced out loud: “the title of a play is different from the 3 i.e., having to do with the sense of touch. my use of this term derives from gary frost’s article “reading by hand,” inspired by frank r. wilson’s book the hand (1998). frost’s piece is available at http://www.arts.ucsb.edu/faculty/ reese/classes/artistsbooks/gary%20frost,%20reading%20by%20hand.pdf (last accessed 1/5/2017). 4 “postmark: moscow” (“shtempel’: moskva,” 1925). russian text in the edition of collected works, sigizmund krzhizhanovskii, sobranie sochinenii (st. petersburg: simpozium, 2001-10), vol. i, p. 516. this edition will be referred to hereafter as ss by volume and page number. all translations are my own. 5 “the phantom” (“fantom,” 1926), ss ii, 551. 6 “the letter killers club” (“klub ubiits bukv,” 1926), ss ii, 13. 7 “the reader” (“chitatel’,” 1925), ss iv, 691. 8 ibid., p. 693. http://www.arts.ucsb.edu/faculty/reese/classes/artistsbooks/gary%20frost,%20reading%20by%20hand.pdf http://www.arts.ucsb.edu/faculty/reese/classes/artistsbooks/gary%20frost,%20reading%20by%20hand.pdf 22 lingusitic play in krzhizhanovsky title of a scientific treatise, a novel, a novella, or anything else, in that it is exceptionally sensuous. i emphasize that word. in shakespearean times, that title went out into the street with a drummer and a trumpeter. […] it was a sound title.”9 in the syllabus of his literary studio for young writers in kiev in the early 1920s, he writes, “language is essentially speech (skaz), not soundless letters.”10 scholars have also noted krzhizhanovsky’s attention to sound: irina belobrovtseva has examined the way he creates a phonosphere out of repeated sounds, syllables, suffixes or roots, and words, in order to highlight semantic rhymes, parallels, or echoes, concluding of his stories that “the author counted not only on them being read (de visu), but on them being read aloud (de auditu).”11 and finally, we mustn’t neglect biography: in his youth, krzhizhanovsky trained to be an opera singer.12 given krhizhanovsky’s emphasis on the physical nature of language and reading, it is especially poignant that, in his lifetime, there was a drastic reduction in the need for physically handling instruments in order to make or consume books, since the paper knife and the compositor’s stick went from being tools required to make and read books to being outmoded encumbrances, or at best, souvenirs. but as far as translation is concerned, krzhizhanovsky’s continual emphasis on physicality, his specific interest in the physicality of the voice and sound, indicates that the target text should reproduce, where possible, the extent and effect of the original’s audible soundplay. sound clearly influences krzhizhanovsky’s idiolect. take the sentence, “bezlitsost’ ochelovechivshegosia this and that peredalas’ i litsevym listam knig” (literally, “the facelessness of a personified this and that is transferred to the face pages of books”).13 he plays on litso (face) and list (sheet, page, leaf), but he also lends the sentence a palindromic structure by creating the word bezlitsost’ for the beginning, to be echoed by litso at the 9 “the play and its title” (“p’esa i ee zaglavie,” 1939), ss iv, 622. “sound” in this case is used to distinguish it from “silent,” as in silent film and sound film. 10 ss iv, 810. 11 irina belobrovtseva, “uslyshannyi mir: o ’fonosfere‘ sigizmunda krzhizhanovskogo,” toronto slavic quarterly 14 (fall 2005). http://sites. utoronto.ca/tsq/14/belobrovceva14.shtml. last accessed 10/31/2016. 12 from a presentation given by vadim perelmuter at the symposium planting the flag: the nonfiction of sigizmund krzhizhanovsky (held 10/2122/2016 at the university of indiana at bloomington). 13 “the poetics of titles” (poetika zaglavii, 1925), ss iv, 23. http://sites.utoronto.ca/tsq/14/belobrovceva14.shtml http://sites.utoronto.ca/tsq/14/belobrovceva14.shtml anne o. fisher 23 end. that is, instead of using the perfectly reasonable and widely used bezlikost’ (anonymous), prefix bez[without] + old church slavonic root lik* [face] + abstract noun suffix –ost’ [ness] —where, let’s admit, the morphological links between lik* and litso would’ve been enough for most writers, he makes these ties redundant by creating his own parallel, perfectly understandable, but nonstandard word bezlitsost’ (anonymous): prefix bez[without] + modern russian word litso [face] + abstract noun suffix –ost’ [ness]. it should also be mentioned that this sentence occurs, of course, in the section entitled litsa i “litsevye listy” (literally, “faces and ‘face pages’”). fortunately for the translator, the english words “face” and “page” are already assonant; rarely, every once in blue moon, a bit of the translator’s work does spring fully formed out of the original words, like athena from zeus’s head. krzhizhanovsky constructed other words, too, like inskriptornyi (“inscripted,” used to describe titles that are written “in scriptum,” that is, at the same time as their texts) and lakonizator (“laconizer”); the latter presents almost no difficulty for the translator, who may scavenge from the same latin roots at will. as far as sonority goes, when the sound-alike russian words are both from latin roots, then things fall into place nicely: lakonizator leksiki = lexical laconizer. this does lead to a larger question, though, of how to reproduce the feel of krzhizhanovsky’s swift tacking from slavic to nonslavic influences and back again. the boat of his prose never stops moving smoothly forward, the wind never goes out of his sails, but the two linguistic vectors still exert their own individual forces on the text. in this case, although it’s an inexact analogy, i wonder whether it might be useful to think about deploying the divide in english between anglo-saxon words and french ones. but to return to the issue of sound. let’s look at the first paragraph of the poetics of titles (italics in the block quote are krzhizhanovsky’s): desyatok-drugoi bukv, vedushchikh za soboi tysiachi znakov teksta, prinyato nazyvat’ zaglaviem. slova na oblozhke ne mogut ne obshchat’sia so slovami, spriatannymi pod oblozhku. malo togo: zaglavie, poskol’ku ono ne v otryve ot edinogo knizhnogo tela 24 lingusitic play in krzhizhanovsky i poskol’ku ono, v parallel’ oblozhke, oblegaet tekst i smysl,— vprave vydavat’ sebia za glavnoe knigi.14 here we have the paranomastic play of d-u-v in desiatok-drugoi bukv, vedushchikh. we also have a palindromical structure in the second sentence, built on assonance and word repetition: slova na oblozhke is mirrored in slovami […] pod oblozhku. we have more assonance: v otryve ot edinogo knizhnogo, we have oblozhke, oblegaet—even, if you expand it to syllables, parallel’ oblozhke, oblegaet tekst., but perhaps most insistent is the way the passage calls out the vowel sound a, heard twice (due to vowel reduction) in each of its keywords: zaglavie (title), slova (words), oblozhka (cover). look at the same passage again, where the vowels pronounced a are underlined, and you’ll see that a whopping fourteen of the second sentence’s twenty-five syllables are based on a (thirteen, if you insist that the unstressed reflexive particle -sia in obshchat’sia would not be pronounced as an a, which it is in the muscovite accent, but then, krzhizhanovsky wasn’t originally from moscow): desyatok-drugoi bukv, vedushchikh za soboi tysiachi znakov teksta, prinyato nazyvat’ zaglaviem. slova na oblozhke ne mogut ne obshchat’sia so slovami, spriatannymi pod oblozhku. malo togo: zaglavie, poskol’ku ono ne v otryve ot edinogo knizhnogo tela i poskol’ku ono, v parallel’ oblozhke, oblegaet tekst i smysl,— vprave vydavat’ sebia za glavnoe knigi. the point is that any translation that doesn’t take this soundplay into account isn’t working hard enough, although the best way to do the work (substitution or transference if direct replication starts to sound light or humorous?) is still very much an open question. and there’s another issue: we also have an untranslatable (into english, at least) pun on zaglavie (title) and glavnoe (the most important thing/the main thing). the noun zaglavie, in turn, spins off into compound nouns such as zaglavnyi shablon (title template; occurs once), zaglavnyi znak (title sign or title letter; occurs 7 times), zaglavnyi list (title page; 12 times) and its synonym, zaglavnaia stranitsa (title page; twice), even okolozaglavnye elementy (paratitular elements; thankfully, once). let’s not forget the non-compound abstract noun, zaglavnost’ (titleness; once). the piece begins its final wind-down with the inevitable samoe glavnoe v zaglavnom (the most important thing 14 ibid., p. 7. anne o. fisher 25 is in the most important title thing), where the coining of a new adjectival noun, zaglavnoe (the title thing), on the model of the extant glavnoe (the main thing), is a typically krzhizhanovskian idiolectic moment. this pun (which in the body of the piece branches out to include glava, “head” (as in, boss) and golova, “head” (as in, what’s on top of one’s body), extending as far out as ozaglavlyvatel’, “the one who gives a title”) might be considered the piece’s main theme, while a harmony or counterpoint is the recurrence of titulblat (title page; occurs 11 times) or titul’nyi list (title page; occurs 3 times). it’s helpful to think of these repeated words and word variations in musical terms; but instead of a leitmotif, it is, as martin buber identified it, a leitwort (or, in this case, leitwörter). by leitwort i understand a word or word root that is meaningfully repeated within a text or sequence of texts or complex of texts; those who attend to these repetitions will find a meaning of the text revealed or clarified, or at any rate made more emphatic. as noted, what is repeated need not be a single word but can be a word root; indeed, the diversity of forms often strengthens the overall dynamic effect. i say “dynamic” because what takes place between the verbal configurations thus related is in a way a movement: readers to whom the whole is present feel the waves beating back and forth.15 again, notice here the emphasis on physicality: the effect is dynamic; readers feel. most important, though, is how to render a sound palette that reflects these two constellations of words, all based on either the slavic root glav* or the germanic word titul (where the slavic root is, understandably, more lexically, semantically, and paranomastically productive). unfortunately, the best english can do for glav* is to split it into two roots, one bearing the semantic weight of “title,” the other carrying the sense of “main”; this necessarily kills the “dynamic effect” of the repetition of the sound. even more unfortunately, this solution also complicates the secondary leitwort of titul, since its translation—“title”— is identical to the translation of the primary leitwort, zaglavie: “title.” the pleasing interplay of the original’s color palette (to use 15 martin buber, “leitwort style in pentateuch narrative,” in scripture and translation (bloomington: indiana up, 1994), p. 114. i am grateful to ben paloff for introducing me to buber’s term. 26 lingusitic play in krzhizhanovsky a visual metaphor to express a phenomenon of sound) seems doomed to be rendered in black-and-white in its english version. i hope that in this case, sound can again come to the rescue. we remember that sometimes, krzhizhanovsky specifically uses one of the four synonyms open to him for “title page” (zaglavnyi list, zaglavnaia stranitsa, titulblat, and titulnyi list) because of its sonic palette. for example, in po trebovaniiu titulblata (by the title page’s demands) and bumazhnyi kvadrat titulblata (the paper square of the title page) it’s clear that titulblat is the only option that provides the as, bs, and ts needed for the assonance and/ or consonance. in this sense, i wonder whether aiming to repeat a kind of “leitlaut,” when a proper leitwort is unavailable, might be one way of providing a similar dynamic, of making the target text feel/sound more like the source text. so i tried it out, translating zaglavie as “title” and glavnyi as “vital.” my current rendering: we commonly call a couple dozen letters pulling thousands of characters’ worth of text behind them a title. the words on the cover can’t help but converse with the words tucked under the cover. moreover, since the title is not discrete from the entirety of the book’s body, since in conjunction with the cover it does enclose both text and meaning, it’s entitled to our regard as the book’s most vital part. this all may change, based on how the rest of the translation goes. and this first passage, although among the densest in the poetics of titles, is by no means the only challenge. too, the very strategy i’m proposing creates its own challenges: how do you know when it’s enough?16 too much rhythm, alliteration, assonance, or other patterning can be distracting, detract from the point. i suppose that after arming myself with as much knowledge as i can, and testing how various word combinations sound rolling off my tongue, i’ll ultimately have to count on my ear. 16 my thanks to russell scott valentino for posing this question, to which i still don’t have an adequate answer. i am grateful to jacob emery and sasha spektor, who convened the sigizmund krzhizhanovsky symposium at the university of indiana at bloomington (planting the flag: the nonfiction of sigizmund krzhizhanovsky, oct. 21-22, 2016), where i was able to present a version of these remarks, and to everyone attending, from whose comments i learned a great deal. _goback 38 delos eight chinese poems set to western musical keys translation and commentary: lin zhenhua poem one 咏柳 in praise of a willow by he zhizhang (ca. 659-744) 贺知章 (c major, allegro) 碧玉妆成一树高， veridian jade, her toilette complete—the tree stands tall, 万条垂下绿丝绦。 suspending from ten-thousand branches silk sashes of green. 不知细叶谁裁出， by whom were the exquisite leaves shaped and trimmed? 二月春风似剪刀。 the mid-spring wind that’s like a scissors keen. note: veridian jade (biyu) was the beloved concubine of a fifth-century prince. chinese poetry often compared beautiful women to flowers and plants; here, the beautiful tree evokes the lady and the splendid artifice of a privileged environment. poem two 长相思 to the tune: “everlasting longing” 李煜 by li yu (c. 937-978) (c minor, adagio, piano) 云一緺，玉一梭。 whorl-of-cloud chignon and jade-stalk hairpin, 淡淡衫儿薄薄罗。 gauzy tunic and satin skirt thin; 轻颦双黛螺。 gently she knits a pair of dark-painted brows. 秋风多，雨如和。 autumn gales are on the rise, mixed with autumn rain, 帘外芭蕉三两窠。 two or three plantains are shaking beyond the portière. 夜长人奈何！ can so long a night be endured again? zhenhua 39 poem three 花非花 not quite a flower by bai juyi 白居易 (772-846) (d♭ major, adagio, piano) 花非花，雾非雾， not quite a flower, not quite mist— 夜半来，天明去。 at midnight it comes, at daybreak goes away. 来如春梦几多时？ its coming, a spring dream too brief to taste; 去似朝云无觅处。 its going, a fading cloud that leaves no trace. note: as a riddle, the poem’s subject is dew. on another level, it describes the clandestine visits of a lovely woman and expresses the poet’s longing for her. poem four 调笑令 to the tune: “comic satire” by wei 韦应物 yingwu (737-792) (e♭ major, allegro) 胡马，胡马， the tartar horse, the tartar horse, 远放燕支山下。 far off he roams below the yanzhi range. 跑沙跑雪独嘶， racing over sand, racing over snow—only the sound of neighing. 东望西望路迷。 gazing now eastward, now to the west, he has lost his way. 迷路，迷路， the way is lost, the way is lost— 边草无穷日暮。 the sun sets on the boundless frontier plain. note: yanzhi mountain, part of a larger range in northwestern china, was an important battle site during the tang empire’s expansion into central asia. poems that glorified warfare and depicted the harsh environment and fierceness of the so-called “barbarians” constituted a thematic subgenre called “frontier poetry.” wei yingwu’s piece undermines the standard heroic tropes. poem five 待山月 awaiting the mountain moon by jiao 皎然 ran (730-799) (e minor, adagio) 夜夜忆故人， night after night, missing an old friend, 40 delos 长教山月待。 i bade the mountain moon stay by my side. 今宵故人至， this very evening that friend arrived, 山月知何在。 but where does the mountain moon hide? poem six 桃叶歌 a song for peach leaf by wang 王献之 xianzhi (344-386) (f major, allegro, mezzo forte) 桃叶复桃叶， peach-leaf, oh peach-leaf dear, 渡江不用楫。 to cross the river you’ve no need of an oar. 但渡无所苦， just don’t be anxious about the passage, 我自来迎接。 i’ll come in person to greet you on the shore. note: peach leaf (taoye) was wang xianzhi’s concubine. the poem was meant to assuage her fear of crossing a river, and plays on the meaning of her name—a leaf can float effortlessly across (line 2). poem seven 捕鱼谣 the fishing ballad by cao ye 曹邺 (816-?) (b major, moderate, forte) 天子好征战， the “son of heaven” loves to make war, 百姓不种桑； the common people farm no more; 天子好少年， the “son of heaven” cares for the young, 无人荐冯唐； no one will recommend feng tang. 天子好美女， the “son of heaven” is fond of the fair, 夫妻不成双！ no couple stays in a pair! note: feng tang was a wise and capable man who was recommended for office during the reign of the han emperor wu (r. 141-87 bc). because of his age, of over 90, he was passed over. poem eight 望夫石 the lover-awaiting stone by wang 王建 jian (767-830) (b minor, andante) 望夫处， where she watched for her man, zhenhua 41 江悠悠。 on and on the river flowed. 化为石， one day she changed into stone, 不回头。 and could no more turn her gaze. 山头日日风复雨， day after day on the hilltop, wind follows rain, 行人归来石应语。 when the traveler comes home, the stone will speak again. commentary: robert frost said, “poetry is what gets lost in translation.” despite the difficulties and challenges, both chinese and occidental translators have spared no effort to accomplish the seemingly impossible task of preserving verbal meaning. yet they have rarely addressed the musical aspects of chinese verse. much of traditional chinese poetry was meant to be sung. in my selection, poems 2 and 4 are “song lyrics” (ci) written to specific tunes; poem 6 is called a “song”; and poem 7, a “ballad”. it is generally assumed that lyric poems in uneven line lengths (which include poems 3 and 8, among others) were sung to music. unfortunately, very few texts of original scores have survived. tune titles and instruments remain but we have little idea of the poems’ melodies and other musical features. this is a shame, for no doubt the original audiences of the poems’ performances (not readers of written texts) would immediately recognize the emotional tone of a piece by its key and tempo. as an experiment, i have assigned western musical keys to the selection and also provided each poem with a tempo and dynamic marking. the experiment is inspired by my understanding of western music. for example, poem 1 is in c major, a scale whose characteristics i understand to be innocence, simplicity, and naivité. i do not mean to suggest that western and chinese music were similar. my aim is only to restore attention to the poems’ original musicality. login | delos: a journal of translation and world literature main navigation main content sidebar current archives search subscribe toggle search register login search toggle navigation home login subscription or article purchase required to access item. to verify subscription, access previous purchase, or purchase article, log in to journal. username password forgot your password? keep me logged in login register sidebar-links about overview editorial board contact contributors author guidelines submit subscribers subscribe/renew news sign-upnews sign-up issn: 0011-7951 eissn: 2573-5659   main office: 2046 ne waldo road suite 2100 gainesville, fl 32609 phone: 352-392-1351 email: journals@upress.ufl.edu navigation home search current archives subscribe login | delos: a journal of translation and world literature main navigation main content sidebar current archives search subscribe toggle search register login search toggle navigation home login subscription or article purchase required to access item. to verify subscription, access previous purchase, or purchase article, log in to journal. username password forgot your password? keep me logged in login register sidebar-links about overview editorial board contact contributors author guidelines submit subscribers subscribe/renew news sign-upnews sign-up issn: 0011-7951 eissn: 2573-5659   main office: 2046 ne waldo road suite 2100 gainesville, fl 32609 phone: 352-392-1351 email: journals@upress.ufl.edu navigation home search current archives subscribe poema de sete+ traduções: a study of carlos drummond de andrade’s “poema de sete faces” anne connor são relações perigosas mas somente no papel. que o tradutor inocente não vá preso pro quartel. they are dangerous relationships yet only on paper. for the innocent translator is not sent prisoner to the barracks.1 although the above excerpt from carlos drummond de andrade’s poem “versinhos de tradutor” may seem a wry commentary on the unaccountability of literary translators, it also underlines the difficulties translators face in their work. the act of poetic translation is indeed precarious, for it constitutes the most extreme form of interpretation. this assertion stems from the fact that, unlike poetic analysis, the translator’s work in many respects limits the multiple possibilities of meaning suggested by each signifier in the poem. forced to come up with a single equivalent in another language, the translator must ultimately make a decision as to the poem’s meaning and steadfastly adhere to it. of course this process is not only radical, but also extremely difficult, especially when one confronts the complexities of the poetic genre, for, beyond meaning, rhyme, rhythm, technique and poetic space must be considered. moreover, the role of the historical, political and cultural context of not only the original but also the translation itself comes into play. as bassnett and trivedi point out, “translation is not an innocent, transparent activity but is highly charged with significance at every stage; it rarely, if ever, involves a relationship of equality between texts, authors or systems.”2 an excellent example of the multiple difficulties involved in the translation process can be found in the various translations of carlos drummond de andrade’s landmark poem “poema de sete faces” (alguma poesia 1930). for many years, the number 1 carlos drummond de andrade, “versinhos de tradutor,” poesía completa e prosa (rio de janeiro: companhia josé aguilar editora, 1973), p. 630. translations are mine unless otherwise noted. 2 susan bassnett and harish trivedi, post-colonial translation: theory and practice (london: routledge, 1998), p. 2. anne connor 47 of translations (spanning from 1965 to 1997) fittingly mirrored the number of stanzas mentioned in the poem’s title. with the recent addition of richard zenith’s translation in 2015, there are now eight published translations of the poem.3 by analyzing these distinct translations and at the same time offering my own english approximation, this study reflects on the limits inherent in translating poetry, while also demonstrating how the art of translation can actually further our comprehension of “poema de sete faces.” frequently anthologized, “poema de sete faces” emblematizes the modernist’s search for a new means of expression. the fragmented self-portrait playfully examines conflicting aspects of the poet’s identity and his perceptions of the world. much like a cubist painting, each strophe stands on its own, providing a different perspective from the others. the resulting disjointedness reflects a simultaneity of perception, which in turn opens the possibilities of interpretation. this innovative structure has led some critics to not only use “poema de sete faces” as a symbol of brazilian modernism, but to also employ its concept of multidimensionality as an appropriate metaphor for brazilian poetry of the entire twentieth century. charles a. perrone, in his study of contemporary brazilian poetry, whose title—seven faces: brazilian poetry since modernism—is directly inspired from “poema de sete faces,” describes the poem as emblematic of the search for a new artistic expression: in a rhetorical sense, the poetic fragmentation is a move away from linearity and dominant discursiveness. thus the internal conflicts of the poem are not defeating, but rather constitutive of a searching self and of an artistic newness.4 indeed, there can be little doubt as to the importance of the translation of a poem that has been used to represent the entire brazilian contemporary poetic project. in the following analysis of the poem’s eight translations, while recognizing that many theorists consider faithful translation of poetry to be “by definition impossible” and prefer instead “creative transposition,”5 i seek to 3 see the accompanying article in this issue of delos for a transcription of the eight translations plus my own version, as well as drummond de andrade’s original poem, from poesía completa e prosa, p. 53. 4 charles a. perrone, seven faces: brazilian poetry since modernism (durham: duke up, 1996), p. 16. 5 roman jakobson, “on linguistic aspects of translation” (1956) in theories of 48 poema de sete+ traduções privilege the original’s multiplicity of meanings while at the same time keeping in mind its important positioning as a landmark modernist poem in the greater brazilian literary context. to begin with, a simple inspection of the different titles given to the poem in the english translations reflects the disparity among them. while both elizabeth bishop (1972), mark strand (1976) and zenith (2015) entitled their respective translations “seven(-) sided poem,” virginia de araújo chose a more literal route with the title “poem with seven faces” (1980). in portuguese face can mean “face,” “countenance,” “visage,” “look,” “expression,” “appearance,” “surface,” or “side.” as the english equivalent “face” may signify both “side” and “appearance,” it at first seems a better choice. however, the preposition “with” does not correspond to the portuguese preposition “de” which in the title signifies both “made, or constituted of” and “from” (ie, poem related from seven points of view). john a. nist (1965) and frederick g. williams (1996) include the element of constitution and origin in their respective literal translations: “poem of seven faces.” nevertheless, nist commits the grave error of separating the poem into eight stanzas, neglecting in this way to connect the title to the poem’s structure. the title “seven-sided poem,” which not only refers to different “sides” or faces, but also indicates the different “perspectives” or viewpoints in the poem, seems to be just as fruitful. another option, though, would be “seven-faced poem,” which includes the concept of appearance. however, there is awkwardness to the phrase “seven-faced poem” which is absent in the title “seven-sided poem.” duane ackerson and ricardo sternberg attempted to incorporate the signifier “face” in their title through a clever adaptation: “poem of seven facets” (1972). this selection privileges the definition of face which means “side” or “plane surfaces” of a geometrical shape, while at the same time underlining the other definition of “facet” which implicates the sides or aspects of someone’s personality. the missing connotation in the word “facet,” however, is “expression” or “countenance”; nevertheless, it could be argued that the signifier “facet” does contain within it the word “face” and thus these missing meanings are implicitly suggested. jack tomlins’ solution, on the other hand, was to give the title its geometrical equivalent: “heptagonal poem” (1978). unfortunately, although tomlins’ title stands out for its originality, his attempt severely translation: an anthology of essays from dryden to derrida, ed. r. schulte and j. biguenet (chicago: university of chicago, 1992), p. 151. anne connor 49 limits the interpretation of the poem by losing the meanings “perspective” or “view” which the word “side” generates. eight translations have five distinct titles; this fact is really a tribute to drummond’s artistry as a poet. each title offers a slightly different interpretation of the poem and, read together, they serve to open the possibilities of poetic analysis. of course, one title has to be chosen over the others in order for a translation to exist, and in this case i prefer the literal translation, as it preserves the word “face” with all of its possible connotations. in this way, nist’s and williams’ titles “poem of seven faces” preserve the multiplicity of meanings to be found in the original. the translations of the first stanza also offer a number of marked differences. whereas almost all of the translators opted to render the enigmatic image in the first verse, “um anjo torto,” as “a crooked angel,” tomlins deviates from this pattern in his english rendition: “an unjust angel.” nist and zenith take the opposite tack by choosing the adjective “twisted.” in portuguese, “torto” means “twisted,” “crooked,” “bent,” “distorted,” and “deformed” as well as “wrong,” “unfair,” “unjust,” or “askew.” the choice of the other five translators, “a crooked angel,” makes an effort to incorporate the idea of “twisted” with that of “dishonest” or “not to be trusted.” again, i argue that the more successful translations are those that capture, at least to some degree, the multiple meanings which were hinted at in the original poem. in the next two lines, the tone of the poem becomes an issue for the translators. modernism, it will be recalled, was a revolt against the staid parnassianism, with its reverence for form and prestigious language, so the maintenance of drummond’s conversational tone is essential in capturing the modernist spirit. the verb “vivem” is translated as “live” in all of the english versions except those of ackerson-sternberg and tomlins. the signifier “inhabit,” used by ackerson and sternberg, has a more scientific connotation than “vivem,” setting a tone far from the colloquialism of the original. likewise, tomlins’ “dwell,” which poetically may constitute an improvement on the original, is not as faithful a rendering as the verb used on an everyday basis: “live.” the third line plays quite an important role in any interpretation of “poema de sete faces,” not only in the establishment of the poem’s tone, but also in the construction of the modernist poetic project. here, the poetic voice offers direct advice on the way one should approach life, and by extension on the manner in which one should approach literature. perrone defines the french word 50 poema de sete+ traduções gauche as “maladjusted” or “marginalized” and sees this concept as crucial to drummond’s poetics: “the oddly formed ‘poema de sete faces’ incarnates the general break from strictures of the past.”6 it seems quite clear that drummond’s tone is highly informal at this point of the poem: “vai, carlos, ser gauche na vida.” the playful and rather mischievous tone of the fallen angel’s declaration is best captured in mark strand’s translation: “go on, carlos, be gauche in life.” the other translations are either too formal (tomlins’ “go forth, carlos!”) or overbearingly authoritative (“go carlos!” from nist, or “carlos, go on!” from bishop). departing from the other translations, zenith decided against leaving the french term in his text: “carlos, get ready to be a misfit in life!” while the term “misfit” certainly maintains a colloquial tone, the phrase “get ready to become” implies that carlos’ lot in life has been predestined by the angel. yet in the original, the angel is encouraging him to go on and be gauche, suggesting such an attitude belied an inclination already within him. an interesting interpretation of the poem, which helps to support my belief that the tone should be mischievously playful, has been presented by thomas colchie, who identifies a connection between “poema de sete faces” and another wellknown poem by drummond: “canto ao homem do povo charlie chaplin” [“song for that man of the people charlie chaplin”7]: the figure of carlitos, as chaplin was known in brazil, offers perhaps the greatest single key to drummond’s poetics: the consummate artist who appears not to be an artist at all; the down-and-out clown who manages to stumble along life’s tightrope, forever nearly, yet not ever quite falling off: “carlos, go on! be gauche in life!”8 the connection between carlos drummond de andrade and charlie chaplin adds yet another dimension to the autobiographical component of the poem and certainly favors not only the more playful translation established by strand, but also the suggestion that carlos’ gauche tendencies come from within, and are only encouraged by the angel. 6 perrone, seven faces, p. 17. italics mine. 7 translated by thomas colchie. review: literature and arts of the americas 10.17 (1976), p. 71. 8 thomas colchie and mark strand, eds., traveling in the family, selected poems by carlos drummond de andrade (new york: random house, 1986), p. x. anne connor 51 the second stanza serves to highlight some more intriguing differences between the translations. the first two lines seem simple enough in portuguese: “as casas espiam os homens / que correm atrás de mulheres.” however, they have been translated in seven different ways. for example, although araújo’s translation appears much more poetically formal (“the houses mount surveillance / on the woman-chasers”), it betrays the simplicity of the original. ackerson and sternberg, on the other hand, at first avoid the literal translation, “the houses look at men” (not “spy” on men), but then choose literalness in “who run after women,” when the correct idiomatic expression in english would be “who chase after women.” williams and tomlins reverse these decisions with much more success, as the literal version followed by the idiomatic expression maintains the simplicity of the verses as well as their original meaning. the third and fourth lines in the second stanza also present interesting difficulties in the translation process. the original verse “a tarde talvez fosse azul/ não houvesse tantos desejos” is translated by ackerson and sternberg as “the afternoon might be clear/ if it weren’t for so many desires.” to begin with, their decision to translate “azul” as “clear” seemingly implies a narrowing of the text’s meaning. logically, a blue sky is a clear one; however, in portuguese “blue” also connotes happiness, as in “tudo azul,” [everything is fine] and therefore maintaining the color in the translation accentuates both the clarity and element of happiness. however, by choosing the adjective “clear,” they avoid the color blue’s negative connotation in english. the fact that in english “blue” can mean sad, as in “the blues,” creates an alternate reading in english, absent in the portuguese. more important, however, is the fact that the ellipsis of the conjunction “se” [if] in the conditional clause of the third and fourth verses has led to two principle groups of translations. in the original verse “a tarde talvez fosse azul / não houvesse tantos desejos” andrade’s omission of “se” has led some translators to insert it at the beginning of the lines, “if the evening perhaps were blue/ there wouldn’t be so many desires” (williams) and “if the afternoon had been blue / there might have been less desire” (bishop), whereas others place it in the middle: “the afternoon might be clear / if it weren’t for so many desires” (ackerson and sternberg) and “if desire weren’t so rampant, / the afternoon might be blue” (zenith). these two interpretations bring up the question, is it the desires which determine the clarity/happiness of the afternoon? or rather the lack of blueness/clarity which affects the quantity of 52 poema de sete+ traduções desires? in both instances, the causal relationship between the poet’s interior feelings and the exterior natural world imply both the strength of his emotions and the frustration of not being able to control them. in my reading of the poem, the “houses” that are spying on men who chase after women refer to the societal strictures surrounding sexual desire, which has manifested itself in clearly binary, passive/aggressive gender roles. the suggestion that “perhaps if the evening were blue / there wouldn’t be so much desire,” implies that pent-up yearnings (desire) might grow stronger because of the grey skies (social restrictions). alternatively, if “blue” refers to “clarity” and “happiness,” and the causality is reversed, “the afternoon might be clear / if it weren’t for so many desires,” then those inner desires are what is causing the outside world to be dark. the poetic voice in this case would clearly link desire with shame brought on by catholic guilt. either way, there is an affirmation of sensual desire and frustration as an essential part of one of the poet’s “faces.” another seemingly small point of difference in the translation of these lines can be found in williams’ version. here “tarde” is translated as “evening” instead of “afternoon,” as the other five translators had done (1996, p. 223). although “afternoon” may be accurate literally, “evening” does constitute one of the lexical exceptions for “tarde,” and also adds to the sexual tension that continues into the poem’s third stanza, as the poet is preoccupied with bare legs. o bonde passa cheia de pernas: pernas brancas pretas amarelas para que tanta perna, meu deus, pergunta meu coração porém meus olhos não perguntam nada. (1973 [1930], p. 53) the third stanza loses its musicality in english no matter how it is translated. in portuguese, the agreement of the color adjectives with the feminine plural noun produces a strong phonetic effect: “pernas / pernas brancas pretas amarelas.” both the sameness in sound and the omission of the comma between each color work to group the modifiers together, contributing to the suggestion that all of the legs, no matter the color, are equally attractive to the poetic voice. it is impossible to achieve the same rhythm with the english word “legs.” for example, bishop’s repetition of the word “legs” is overdone, causing the verse to sound almost like a poem by dr. seuss (“white legs, black legs, yellow legs”). likewise, williams’ and araújo’s decision to separate the legs anne connor 53 into two groups, “white legs, black and yellow ones,” creates a dichotomy which did not exist in the original, privileging “white” over “black and yellow.” however, zenith’s solution to repeat the conjunction “and” in “white and black and yellow legs” helps to emphasize the sameness in the poetic voice’s physical attraction. this stanza serves to confirm the inescapability of desire for the lyric “i”, while at the same time introducing the guilt arising from religious constraints. even though the poetic voice’s heart might ask god why there should be so much temptation, his eyes do not question the multitude of attractive legs at all, suggesting he will go on being naturally gauche despite the catholic social norms that try to impede him. the fourth stanza offers one noteworthy discrepancy between the translations with the adjective “raros” in the fourth line: “tem poucos, raros amigos.” the dictionary defines “raros” as “rare,” “seldom,” “unusual,” or “scarce,” which seems to be tomlin’s interpretation in his verse “his friends are few and far between,” as well as williams’ rather unimaginative attempt: “he has few, very few friends.” however, other translators interpret “raro” as “rare,” in the sense of unusual and therefore prized: “he has few and precious friends” (strand). in this instance i believe both interpretations are valid; however, in order to open the english version to both possibilities, it seems fitting to simply use the cognate “rare,” as nist did in his original translation: “he has a few, rare friends.” the translators can be divided into two groups regarding their interpretations of the first line in the fifth stanza: “meu deus, por que me abandonaste.” whereas araújo, bishop, strand, and tomlins adopt the king james bible version of jesus’ lament: “my god, why hast thou forsaken me” (matthew 27:46), which though formal sounding, when considering the influence of shakespeare’s era on modern-day english, is arguably the most well-known translation of the biblical verses in english. on the other hand, williams and ackerson-sternberg opt to follow andrade’s translation of matthew 27:46 to portuguese, without adding the embellishments from old english: “my god why have you abandoned me” and “my god, why did you abandon me.” this latter selection by ackerson-sternberg seems to be the more appropriate of the two, since the original text is written in the preterit, and it again keeps in line with andrade’s colloquial tone. 54 poema de sete+ traduções the sixth stanza causes the most difficulties in the translation due to the rhyme both in the first and second verses, as well as the third and fifth verses: mundo mundo vasto mundo se eu me chamasse raimundo seria una rima, não seria uma solução. mundo mundo vasto mundo, mais vasto é meu coração. strand and tomlins tried to recreate the first rhyme with “world” and “harold” in their versions. the problem with this approach, however, lies in the weakness of this rhyme in english. in the context of this stanza, the poetic voice disparages rhyme for its empty simplicity. “world” and “harold,” however, constitute a difficult or contrived rhyme which in turn goes against the poet’s argument of rhyme being simple or “easy.” the problems with bishop’s translation are numerous. first of all, “universe” goes beyond the idea of “mundo” or “world” implied in drummond’s poem. secondly, the rhyme created with eugene and “mean” ignores the structure as well as the content of the original poem. the search for a solution to a literary dilemma is completely absent in bishop’s version. araújo’s attempt is admirable because it manages to incorporate the poet’s central concern about the art of writing into the very same rhyme scheme in drummond’s original: sphere, sphere vast sphere if i were a sonneteer it would be a rhyme, not a solution. sphere sphere vast sphere more vast is my emotion. the rhyme scheme aabab is maintained just as it is in the original. in addition, the noun “sonneteer” recalls the parnassians, who were of course disparaged by the modernists. in this case, the translation helps the reader to better understand the original stanza and its implied criticism of the old poetic order. however, the noun “sphere” does not encompass the same meaning as “world” and the declaration that the poetic voice’s emotion is more vast than the vast sphere does not quite capture the original, in which the poetic voice declared his heart to be vaster than the world. both williams and ackerson-sternberg also provide interesting solutions to this dilemma. however, these two translations add a religious element that, while missing in these specific lines of the anne connor 55 original, certainly contribute to the overall theme of catholic guilt within the poem. williams uses the word “christened” instead of “named” which establishes the poetic voice’s christianity, but the name “mcearld,” which has a very irish ring to it, places him within an entirely different cultural context, possibly problematic for a poem that specifically represents brazilian modernism.9 ackerson and sternberg’s version also presents complications. the selection of the name job, of course, sends us to the biblical character who lost his family, wealth, and health, yet remained faithful to god and was eventually restored to good fortune in his old age. this is an interesting choice in name, especially in light of the previous stanza in which god has apparently abandoned the poetic voice. however, the added dimension has little to do with the original poem, for job is a very uncommon name, unlike raimundo. zenith takes the opposite stance by choosing the rather common name, clyde. unfortunately, “clyde” is not free from cultural connotations either, and is actually used in slang to refer to an “unsophisticated person” or “yokel.”10 an important consideration missing from all of the translations is the meaning within the name raimundo itself. defined as “sábio protetor,” [wise protector] “aquele que protege com seus conselhos,” [he who protects with his counsel]11 the name not only remits us to portuguese royalty, raimundo de borgonha (1070–1107), but also contains within it the semantemes, “rei” (king) and “mundo” (world).12 in this way, by writing “se eu me chamasse raimundo” drummond is pondering not just what would happen if his name were different, but if he were king of the world. gonzález and treece, who translate just the sixth stanza of “poema de sete faces” in their analysis of brazilian modernist poetry, make an impressive attempt to include drummond’s reference to royalty in their version: world world world so vast if my name were henry the last 9 it should be added, however, that a translator’s motivations are not limited to solely capturing the original context of the poem. if the intent is to recreate the poem in a new cultural context, then williams’ irish version offers not only a name that rhymes perfectly, but also an invitation to compare brazilian and irish cultural constructs. 10 “clyde,” def. 1. green’s dictionary of slang, 2011. oxfordreference.com. 22 nov. 2016. 11 “raimundo,” def. 1. dicionario de nomes proprios. dicionariodenomes proprios.com.br. 22 nov. 2016. 12 i am grateful to charles perrone for pointing out this reading to me. http://oxfordreference.com https://www.dicionariodenomesproprios.com.br/ https://www.dicionariodenomesproprios.com.br/ 56 poema de sete+ traduções it would be a rhyme, not a solution. world world world so vast much vaster is my heart.13 however, their attempt fails to recreate the rhyme in the third and fifth verses, and while “the last” refers to royal lineage, it also implies an end to it. gonzález and treece contend that while the “modernists of the 1920s were the first to engage imaginatively, critically, and consciously with the processes of economic and social change which brought the initial phase of capitalist modernization in brazil” (p. 66), drummond preferred to adopt an alternative, ironic stance regarding how his identity tied in with economic and social change. still, i read the problematic sixth stanza of “poema de sete faces” as deftly speaking to the emptiness of his poetic predecessors, the parnassians, and their facile rhymes, as well as voicing his clear allegiance to the heart over wealth and fame in the economic power struggles of the time. given the difficulty of the sixth stanza, no existing translation of which fully expresses the original meaning, in my own translation i propose the following compromise: world world vast world if my name were earl it would be a rhyme, but not a solution world world vast world more vast is my heart’s resolution. the assonant rhyme in “world” and “earl” seem preferable to me over the imperfect consonance of “world” and “harold.” while “earl” does not imply “king of the world” it functions as a semanteme of earl, literally meaning “nobleman of a rank between viscount and marquess,” so in that way it mimics drummond’s use of raimundo.however, it still does not form a perfect consonant rhyme. another problem with this translation is the change in meaning of the fifth verse. in order to achieve the rhyme with “solution” in the third verse, it is no longer the poetic voice’s “heart” which is vaster than the world, but rather his “heart’s resolution.” this, to me, however, is an acceptable modification. to end with the monosyllabic signifier “heart” for “coração” leaves the reader feeling empty-handed (see, for example, tomlins’ version), as the stanza lacks the tight closure found in the original. the “heart’s 13 mike gonzález and david treece, the gathering of voices: twentiethcentury poetry of latin america (new york: verso, 1992), p. 72. anne connor 57 resolution,” on the other hand, more successfully emulates the original rhyme scheme in the portuguese; plus, the word “resolution” implies the adoption of a new way of thinking—or in this case of feeling, since it is the heart’s resolution—which goes along with the poetic voice’s affirmation of the heart’s eminence over wealth and power. for drummond, poetry should no longer be limited to inflexible rhyme schemes that stultify the poet’s authentic expression. on the contrary, poetry should take into account the vastness of the poet’s heart, allowing in this way full freedom of expression. still, even after having studied nine distinct translations, i can make no claims of superiority in my approach to the ever-elusive sixth stanza. without a doubt, the complexity of the sixth stanza, with its interweaving of rhyme, poetic space, and meaning—not only within the poem, but on a metapoetic level—in a sense dooms “poema de sete faces” to be forever lost in translation. one of the best solutions to this difficulty, it seems to me, is to footnote any translation of the poem with a brief summary of the difficulties inherent in the translation of the sixth stanza, or, at the very least, to footnote the translation with a copy of the original stanza in portuguese. in this way, the reader will at least be aware of this loss. finally, the last stanza deserves some attention: mas essa lua mas esse conhaque botam a gente comovido como o diabo. the ironic note evident in the last line of the original poem has been translated into various idiomatic phrases referencing hell or the devil. of the three translations utilizing hell—“shake a person up like hell” (nist), “are hell on a person’s feelings” (strand), and “make me sentimental as hell” (zenith) — zenith’s stands out as capturing the poet’s “comovido” or “sentimental” state. however, the decision to employ the image of hell, rather than the devil, causes the reader to miss the connection between the devil and the anjo torto at the beginning of the poem. worse yet, williams’ version, “put one in a crazy mood” completely eliminates the infernal overtones in the poetic voice’s predicament. of the attempts to incorporate the reference to the devil, araújo’s is unfortunately quite awkward (“work on a man’s feelings like a devil”) due to its lack of idiomatic accuracy. ackerson and sternberg come closer to the original with “moves me like the devil,” whereas tomlins’ verse, “turn me on like the very devil” 58 poema de sete+ traduções places an overtly positive emphasis on the theme of sexual desire in the poem, although such an upbeat connotation is missing from the original. in comparison, elizabeth bishop’s translation of this last stanza is by far the superior interpretation. her incorporation of an english idiomatic expression, “play the devil with one’s emotions,” not only reflects and helps to explain the ambiguity of the different perspectives throughout the poem, but it also adds a light, comic note, and thus underlines the difference between the parnassian approach to poetry, which took itself very seriously and, in general, did not create a space for humor, and its modernist counterpart, which embraced not only humor but all topics previously deemed “unworthy” of poetry. as carlos drummond de andrade indicated in his poem “versinhos de tradutor,” the art of translation constitutes a dangerous enterprise. not only does it require the most radical act of interpretation, but it also brings with it the heavy burden involved in adequately representing the work of a writer from a different culture and time period, while at the same time attempting to create a consistent literary aesthetic for the poem in the target language.14 through the eight published translations of drummond’s landmark piece “poema de sete faces,” and my own attempt, we have seen how easy it is for the original poem to slide through the many cracks that exist between languages. although one could conclude that “poema de sete faces” is doomed, in part, to be lost in translation; i believe, on the contrary, that the critical dialogue which results from a contrast and comparison of distinct translations of a single poem can actually help us better understand the original poem’s meaning. in addition, this process can only improve the art of translation, as the translators can thus learn from the shortcomings and achievements of others. 14 of course, there can be many different motivations in translating poetry, including cultural transplantation, or the desire to “domesticize” culture-specific elements in order to make the original more accessible for readers in the target language; see louise m. haywood, thinking spanish translation (london: routledge, 1995), p. 80. in addition, poetry translations can be motivated primarily by creativity, leading to a much more “free” definition of translation, an idea taken to its extreme by yves bonnefoy: “you can translate by simply declaring one poem the translation of another”; see yves bonnefoy, “translating poetry” in theories of translation, ed. schulte and biguenet, pp. 186-192, at 186. —-1 —0 —+1 preface business as usual in the face of more than 257,000 fellow americans dying from the coronavirus?— the business of editing delos, a scholarly journal of literary translations, somewhat removed from the physical manifestations where our sisters and brothers, the first responders in the hospitals, nursing homes and schools, are employed. together, our survival and livelihoods are at risk in the current pandemic. there are many historical and literary precedents for what we are going through today, beginning with boccaccio in the fourteenth century and culminating with albert camus’s novel the plague (la peste, 1947), which he effectively employed as a symbol of nazi ideology and occupation of france, and as a warning against mass hysteria for future generations, not merely for students of the political process and future epidemiologists, but for ordinary citizens like us. we the editors are therefore putting a phrase from the essay by laura marris about her translationinprogress of albert camus’s the plague as a motto on our cover. although her translation will not come out until 2021, we are quoting here the last paragraph because of its very relevance for today. in other words, it is too early to celebrate, letting our guards down, literally, as if we have turned the corner: indeed, as he heard the cries of delight rising from the city, rieux remembered that this delight was always threatened. for he knew what this joyous crowd did not, and what you can read in books— that the germ of the plague never dies or disappears, that it can lie dormant for decades in furniture and linens, that it waits patiently in rooms, in basements, in trunks, among handkerchiefs and paperwork, and that perhaps the day would come when, for the sorrow and education of men, the plague would revive its rats and dispatch them to die in a happy city.1 1 laura marris, “camus’s inoculation against hate,” new york times, august 9, 2020, sunday book review. delos vol. 35, no. 2, pp. v–vi. copyright © 2020 university of florida press. doi: 10.5744/delos.2020.2001 delos_35_2_00_fm_3p.indd 5 29/12/20 5:32 pm vi preface -1— 0— +1— michael ayrton’s illustration of the pandemic, a.k.a. the plague, horrifying in its graphic detail, shows a rat enveloping a dying young woman.2 this is arguably more effective than the rather harmlesslooking covid19 depiction of a baseballsize sphere, decorated with reddish flower buds, which we see today ubiquitously in the media. we seem to be still in the early phase of understanding a horrible and dangerous “bazillus.” to be sure, the stories and poems in this issue, regardless of the original language, are not business as usual to begin with. as the cultural historian joan didion famously said: “we tell ourselves stories in order to live.” of the authors translated, only one would have been old enough to read la peste when it was published— luigi malerba, born in 1927. with the exception of the nineteenthcentury russian leskov, the others were all born after 1935. the issue begins with two authors wrestling with the process of translating poetry— jim kates, with the experience of decades of poetry from a variety of languages, and andrea pham, a vietnameseborn poet trying to articulate her first experience of translating and being translated.3 then five poets from brazil, romania, russia, mauritania, and algeria raise their voices in as various responses, from minimalism to exuberance, from glimpsed secrets to ghosts to torn memories, visions and scents and always the sounds of words. each of the four prose works, on the other hand, tries to capture the pain of loss in some scientific aspiration—geometry, music, taxonomy, algebra. in particular, luigi malerba’s conceit seems to foreshadow the present, now when it seems all of nature and life is being scanned and photographed before it is gone, and as it disappears. we are rich in reviews, as well. a particular pleasure is timothy sergay’s review of an inadequate “scholarly” translation of an important work for bulgakov readers. it is a reminder (one that might be posted to publishers, too) that the love we scholars have for our subjects requires telling stories to live, too, and telling them just so. hal h. rennert judy shoaf 2 we describe ayrton’s image on the cover of the 1960 penguin paperback of the plague, trans. stuart gilbert. 3 see the fall 2019 issue (34.2) of delos for a group of poems translated from french, italian, and russian by j. kates, and also for andrea pham’s exchange of translations with lola haskins. delos_35_2_00_fm_3p.indd 6 29/12/20 5:32 pm login | delos: a journal of translation and world literature main navigation main content sidebar current archives search subscribe toggle search register login search toggle navigation home login subscription or article purchase required to access item. to verify subscription, access previous purchase, or purchase article, log in to journal. username password forgot your password? keep me logged in login register sidebar-links about overview editorial board contact contributors author guidelines submit subscribers subscribe/renew news sign-upnews sign-up issn: 0011-7951 eissn: 2573-5659   main office: 2046 ne waldo road suite 2100 gainesville, fl 32609 phone: 352-392-1351 email: journals@upress.ufl.edu navigation home search current archives subscribe james joyce’s dedalus: transformations of ovid, vergil and plato stephen rojcewicz numerous critics have demonstrated how james joyce’s characterization of stephen dedalus, the protagonist of a portrait of the artist as a young man and ulysses, is indebted to the story of daedalus in the metamorphoses (completed 8 ce by publius ovidius naso), and that portrait owes much of its labyrinthine structure and various plot elements to ovid’s epiclike poem. building on the insights of these scholars, the present study closely examines key passages in ovid’s metamorphoses, and also expands our understanding of joyce’s intertextuality to include additional accounts of daedalus in vergil’s aeneid, book 6, and in platonic dialogues, works familiar to joyce at the time of writing portrait. the magisterial scholar of the modern reception of classical roman poets, theodore ziolkowski, asserts that ovid enters modern english literature in the person of joyce’s stephen dedalus in the 1916 novel, a portrait of the artist as a young man. portrait signals its indebtedness to ovid with an epigraph from metamorphoses.1 joyce prefaced his novel with “et ignotas animum dimittit in artes” (met. 8.188). in english translation, this reads: “and he [daedalus] sent forth his mind to unknown arts.” ovid also treated the story of daedalus and icarus in his earlier ars amatoria (the art of love) 2.21-98, written circa 2-1 bce; however, joyce’s epigraph, portrait’s emphasis on transformation, and stephen’s memory of the teacher who “taught him to construe the metamorphoses of ovid in a courtly english”2 indicate that joyce relied primarily on metamorphoses for the ovidian influences in this novel. the latin citation from metamorphoses is the only time joyce prefaced any of his works with an epigraph. in addition, the main character’s surname, dedalus, derives from the name of ovid’s hero. in early 1904 joyce started signing his letters with the name “stephen daedalus.”3 in stephen hero, the surviving pages of an early draft of portrait, the protagonist’s name is spelled “daedalus,” and joyce published three short stories 1 theodore ziolkowski, ovid and the moderns (ithaca: cornell up, 2005), 3236. 2 james joyce, a portrait of the artist as a young man, ed. chester g. anderson (new york: viking, 1968), 179. parenthetical page references to this edition will include the letter p. 3 patrick parrinder, james joyce (cambridge, uk: cambridge up, 1984), 30. 68 james joyce’s dedalus in1904 under the pen name, “stephen daedalus.”4 in analogy to the labyrinth invented by ovid’s daedalus, joyce’s stephen dedalus will wend his way through the complex and confusing structure of the streets of dublin. as noted by lateiner, portrait borrows narrative, similes, and metaphors from ovid’s account.5 like ovid, joyce will spend the rest of his life in exile—in his case a voluntary removal from ireland, while ovid was banished from rome by the emperor augustus. this paper provides a close reading of three major passages from ovid’s metamorphoses—the opening section (called a proem, 1.1-4), the narrative of daedalus and icarus’ flight (8.183235), and the epic’s conclusion (called a sphraxis, 15.871-79). corresponding sections of portrait and an examination of joyce’s word “artificer” illustrate joyce’s reception and modification of ovid. joyce was very familiar with ovid and vergil from his attendance at a jesuit-run secondary school, belvedere college, from 1893 to 1898. while he was introduced early to selections from ovid and vergil, joyce specifically studied ovid’s metamorphoses, book 8, containing the daedalus narrative, in middle grade, beginning in june 1897, at age 15. ovid’s account of daedalus’ burial of his son was a focus of that school year’s national-wide examination for latin by the intermediate education board for ireland, a test in which joyce participated.6 joyce also continued with studies of latin literature at university college, dublin. ovid’s proem, joyce’s epigram, and portrait ovid, in his metamorphoses, starts with a programmatic statement that the poem will emphasize relentless changes related to forms, that the literary style itself will undergo modifications inspired by the gods, and that the epic will represent a continuous narrative from the creation of the world to the author’s own times. joyce’s portrait provides an ovidian epigraph about the artist applying his mind to unknown arts, with the indication, for those who know the passage in ovid, that the artist will “give a new form to nature.” while the gods (di) inspire ovid, joyce’s inspiration comes from daedalus as represented by ovid, vergil, and plato, as well as from plato’s account of the demiurge, the creator of the world. 4 richard ellmann, james joyce, rev. ed. (oxford: oxford up, 1982), 164. 5 donald lateiner, “the epigraph to joyce’s portrait,” classical and modern literature 4 (1983): 77-84, at 78. 6 bruce bradley, james joyce’s schooldays (new york: st. martin’s, 1982), 129. stephen rojcewicz 69 here is my literal translation, and the latin original, of the proem of metamorphoses: my mind moves me to tell of forms changed into new bodies. you, gods, inspire my undertakings (for you have changed them, too), and draw out a continuous song from the world’s first origins to my own time. in nova fert animus mutatas dicere formas corpora; di, coeptis (nam vos mutastis et illas) adspirate meis primaque ab origine mundi ad mea perpetuum deducite tempora carmen! met. 1.1-47 the accusative phrase in the opening line, mutatas ... formas (“forms having been changed”), appears to have been the basis of ovid’s latin title, mutatae formae (nominative case), the words by which ovid refers to his epic in his poems from exile, tristia 1.1.117, 1.7.113, and 3.14.9. the greek rendition of this phrase, metamorphoses, does not appear until some decades later, used first by seneca, and then by quintilian.8 ovid structures the first clause of his poem so that the reader does not learn the noun object of the preposition in until after the enjambment leading to the second line, corpora. many english translators render “in nova ... mutatas formas corpora” as “bodies changed into new forms.”9 the latin grammatical structure, however, says otherwise: the adjective nova must modify the noun corpora, with which it agrees in gender and case, so that ovid is instead writing that “forms are changed into new bodies.” ovid’s words begin joyce’s portrait: “et ignotas animum dimittit in artes” (met. 8.188); “and he [daedalus] sent forth his mind to unknown arts.” like ovid’s opening clause (“in nova ... corpora”), the epigraph does not disclose its basic meaning until its last word, artes (“arts”). joyce, a superb latin scholar, knew the phrase ovid placed immediately following artes, and would assume that many of his readers would make the connection. ovid continues: “naturamque novat” (met. 8.189), “and he gave a new form to nature / changed the constitution of nature / invented 7 ovid. metamorphoses. latin text at thelatinlibrary.com. 8 stephen m. wheeler, a discourse of wonders: audience and performance in ovid’s metamorphoses (philadelphia: u of pennsylvania p, 1999), 14, 214. 9 e.g., rolfe humphries, metamorphoses (bloomington: indiana up, 1955); stanley lombardo, ovid: metamorphoses (indianapolis: hackett, 2010). http://thelatinlibrary.com. 70 james joyce’s dedalus a new nature.” the first words of portrait thus correspond to the first clause of metamorphoses: the artists (ovid, daedalus, joyce) will apply new forms to bodies, creating a new nature. just as the last word of the epigraph, artes, clarifies what has been unknown (ignotas), the last words of ovid’s metamorphoses and of joyce’s portrait will clarify, and even reinterpret, their respective proem and epigraph. lines 2-3 of ovid’s proem address the gods, asking them to inspire the poet’s writings, and indicating that they have already changed them. in addition to any change of content, the gods have influenced the poet’s style. the first elegy of the amores, an earlier work by ovid, explains how the gods have changed the metrical form of that poem: par erat inferior versus—risisse cupido dicitur atque unum surripuisse pedem. am. 1.1.3-4 [as if planned in hexameters], the second verse was equal in measure to the first. cupid, it is said, laughed and stole away one metrical foot. removing one foot (unum ... pedem) from the second line of each couplet results in the meter known as the elegiac couplet, consisting of a hexameter line followed by a so-called pentameter line, a rhythm suitable for erotic poetry. in metamorphoses, in contrast, ovid uses the characteristic latin and greek meter for heroic epic, hexameter lines, throughout. the gods have changed ovid’s poetry again. the style of joyce’s fiction will undergo even more metamorphoses than ovid’s. following the proem, ovid depicts chaos, then the creation of the world and the four ages of mankind. the narrative continues with the stories of hundreds of metamorphoses of humans into, for example, trees, stone and animals, eventually incorporating recent roman history, and concluding with a statement underlining the permanence of the poet’s achievement. joyce’s portrait proceeds from early childhood to young adulthood, with examples of the chaos of stephen’s fears and insecurities, leading to a religious crisis in which he rejects his mother’s beliefs and practices, despite her desperate pleas that he fulfill his religious obligations. the novel concludes with stephen’s decision to become an artist and an exile, evoking ovid’s daedalus and other creators in the process. stephen rojcewicz 71 ovid’s daedalus and stephen dedalus portrait repeats and transforms multiple themes from ovid’s account of daedalus and icarus in metamorphoses 8.183-235, including the comparison of humans to birds (p 169 and 171), the importance of feathers (p 171), and a parody of icarus’ fall when a boy who is swimming cries out, “i’m drownded!” (p 169). the most frequent joycean allusions to this passage in ovid relate to daedalus as an artist, and to the flight of daedalus, whom joyce sees as heroic in his choice to become an exile. stephen dedalus becomes an artist when he fully accepts the implications of his name, “dedalus.” in the second half of book iv, when stephen’s schoolmates are teasing him about his name, he experiences an epiphany related to the name of “the fabulous artificer.” schoolfellows, while swimming and diving, tease stephen, calling out: —stephanos dedalos! bous stephanoumenos! bous stephaneforos! their banter was not new to him and now it flattered his mild proud sovereignty. now, as never before, his strange name seemed to him a prophecy. so timeless seemed the grey warm air, so fluid and impersonal his own mood, that all ages were as one to him. a moment before the ghost of the ancient kingdom of the danes had looked forth through the vesture of the hazewrapped city. now, at the name of the fabulous artificer, he seemed to hear the noise of dim waves and to see a winged form flying above the waves and slowly climbing the air. what did it mean? was it a quaint device opening a page of some medieval book of prophecies and symbols, a hawklike man flying sunward above the sea, a prophecy of the end he had been born to serve and had been following through the mists of childhood and boyhood, a symbol of the artist forging anew in his workshop out of the sluggish matter of the earth a new soaring impalpable imperishable being? (p 168-69). the greek or quasi-greek names by which young men tease stephen directly point to the legend of daedalus. stephanos is greek for a wreath or crown. dedalos is a greek-like form of stephen’s surname, the correct greek transliteration being daidalos. bous is greek for ox or bull. as lateiner has noted, 72 james joyce’s dedalus bous evokes the bull loved by pasiphae, for whose consummation dedalus built a contraption in the form of a wooden cow, as well as recalling the half-bull, half-human minotaur, to contain whom daedalus built the labyrinth.10 although gifford and seidman claim that stephanoumenos is “[s]choolboy greek,”11 the word is authentic ancient greek, the middle or passive voice present participle of the verb stephanoō, meaning “being crowned by a wreath,” as a bull or ox would be crowned prior to sacrifice. while stephanōmenos is the most common form of this participle, achilles tatius spells it stephanoumenos. stephanēforos is an active voice present participle of the verb stephanēphoreō, which means “to wear a wreath.” this word is also authentic greek, although the “e” is not the short vowel epsilon, but the long form of “e,” eta (here transliterated as ē). joyce returns to several of these phrases in ulysses. the first page of ulysses, for example, calls attention to stephen’s name when buck mulligan addresses stephen: “the mockery of it! he said gaily. your absurd name, an ancient greek!” (u 1.34).12 in addition, in the scylla and charybdis chapter, joyce will repeat the phrases bous stephanoumenos (u 9.939), stephanos (u 9.947) and “fabulous artificer” (u 9.952). after further allusions to daedalus, portrait depicts stephen seeing a girl wading in the water. as fritz senn states, “[a]t stephen’s climactic awareness of the portent of his own name, classical echoes conveniently cluster. the artist, in his newfound vocation, proceeds at once to transform the first real being available, the girl in the water, into a literary composition.”13 joyce writes: a girl stood before him in midstream, alone and still, gazing out to sea. she seemed like one whom magic had changed into the likeness of a strange and beautiful seabird. her long slender bare legs were delicate as a crane’s and pure save where an emerald trail of seaweed had fashioned itself as a sign upon the flesh. her thighs, fuller and soft-hued 10 lateiner, “epigraph,” 81. 11 don gifford and robert j. seidman, ulysses annotated: notes for james joyce’s ulysses. 2nd ed. (berkeley: u of california p, 1988), 245. 12 joyce, ulysses: the corrected text, ed. hans walter gabler. (new york: random house, 1986). parenthetical references are to chapter and line numbers in this edition. 13 fritz senn, joyce’s dislocutions: essays on reading as translation (baltimore: johns hopkins up, 1984), 136. stephen rojcewicz 73 as ivory, were bared almost to the hips, where the white fringes of her drawers were like feathering of soft white down. her slate-blue skirts were kilted boldly about her waist and dovetailed behind her. her bosom was as a bird’s, soft and slight, slight and soft as the breast of some dark-plumaged dove. but her long fair hair was girlish: and girlish, and touched with the wonder of mortal beauty, her face. (p 171). ovid frequently writes of the transformation of humans into birds, such metamorphoses occurring over forty times. scylla and her father change into birds in the narrative prior to the daedalus narrative, and daedalus’ nephew becomes a bird in the passage immediately after icarus’ drowning. portrait of the artist/artificer the last paragraph of the novel specifically evokes ovid’s daedalus: “old father, old artificer, stand me now and ever in good stead” (p 253). in one sense, stephen dedalus is icarus, the son of daedalus, since the person he now calls “father” is ovid’s “old artificer.” in another sense, stephen himself is the mythic daedalus, since he is about to cross the sea into exile, and to become an artist, an artificer. joyce’s sentence is multivocal, with even additional identifications. the concluding words (“stand me now and ever in good stead”) sound like a prayer. sidney feschbach has argued that the platonic dialogues provide a structure for portrait. in reference to the final chapter of portrait, feschbach writes that the “chapter’s divine mode suggests that stephen’s final appeal to the ‘old father and old artificer’ is directed not only to ovid’s daedalus, but also to plato’s more divine demiurge.”14 in the 1871 translation of timaeus by benjamin jowett, a work that would have been available to joyce, the demiurge, the creator of our world, uses these precise words to describe himself to the other gods: “gods, children of gods, who are my works, and of whom i am the artificer and father, my creations are indissoluble if so i will.”15 14 sidney feschbach, “’a slow and dark birth’: a study of the organization of a portrait of the artist as a young man,” james joyce quarterly 4 (summer 1967): 289–300, at 296. 15 plato, timaeus 41a, trans. jowett, dialogues of plato (1871; rpr. oxford: oxford up, 1924). italics mine. 74 james joyce’s dedalus joyce actually compares the fictional word he constructed to the world created by the demiurge, suggesting that his fictional world is superior since he has though more carefully about the order. the swiss journalist and critic, jacques mercanton, recalled the following, in an article published, appropriately, in the geneva journal, labyrinthe: il est curieux d’observer d’ailleurs que ce maître de l’équivoque ... avait ... besoin de l’ordre dans le monde.... désordre, oui, désordre vivant qui vient troubler notre ordre stérile, mais soumis à ces lois implacables que joyce ne cessait de scruter.... [i]l ... me demandait: — n’est-ce pas? c’est bien ainsi que doit pratiquer le démiurge pour fabriquer notre beau monde? ... il ajoutait: — peut-être, en somme, qu’il réfléchit moins que nous.16 it is curious to observe, however, that this master of ambiguity had need for order in the world.... disorder, yes, a living disorder, which could upset our sterile order, but one submissive to these implacable laws which joyce did not cease to scrutinize. he asked me, “isn’t this the way the demiurge must operate to make our beautiful world?” ... he added, “perhaps, after all, he [the demiurge] reflects less than we do.” two collections of platonic dialogues are known to have been in joyce’s personal library in trieste while he was writing portrait. one of these volumes, socratic discourses by plato and xenophon, contains a translation of plato’s euthyphro by florence stawell. in euthyphro, the eponymous participant compares socrates to the philosopher’s ancestor daedalus. joyce was well aware of this attribution since an archival note while he was writing portrait (vi.b.1.16) refers to euthyphro, noting that one of the ancestors of socrates was the master craftsman.17 the dialogue identifies socrates with daedalus because the philosopher’s words keep changing their meanings just as daedalus’ statues were reputed to move on their own. euthyphro, in the translation in joyce’s 16 jacques mercanton, “les heures de james joyce,” labyrinthe (14 october 1944): 2. 17 r. j. schork, greek and hellenic culture in joyce (gainesville: up of florida, 1998), 286, n.11. stephen rojcewicz 75 collection, says to socrates, “you are our daedalus” (the greek text has ὁ δαίδαλος, more correctly “you are the daedalus”), prompting this reply: then, my friend, i must think myself so much the better artist than that great man, insamuch as he only made his own works move, but i, it appears, can give this power to the works of others too. 18 here is the original greek text of euthyphro 11d, followed by my translation: κινδυνεύω ἄρα, ὦ ἑταῖρε, ἐκείνου τοῦ ἀνδρὸς δεινότερος γεγονέναι τὴν τέχνην τοσούτῳ, ὅσῳ ὁ μὲν τὰ αὑτοῦ μόνα ἐποίει οὐ μένοντα, ἐγὼ δὲ πρὸς τοῖς ἐμαυτοῦ, ὡς ἔοικε, καὶ τὰ ἀλλότρια. then, my friend, i run the risk of turning out to be this much more awesome than that man in my artistry, in that he made only his own works move while i, it seems, cause the works of others as well as my own to move. daedalus in this dialogue is an artist who can make statues move, but socrates is much more awesome (δεινότερος, deinoteros) since his words can shift meaning. the adjective deinoteros is the comparative form of deinos, which has multiple connotations, including “tremendous,” “wonderful,” “skillful,” “clever,” “marvelous,” “strange,” and even “terrible.” joyce’s prose could also be called “words that can shift meaning.” in becoming the artist/artificer daedalus, stephen also becomes the creator demiurge and the wise man, socrates. joyce applies “artificer” to the mythological daedalus both in the last sentence of portrait (“old father, old artificer,” p 253) and in the passage where stephen accepts the implications of “the name of the fabulous artificer” (p 169). the adjective “fabulous,” as mcbride notes, suggests the teller of fables, bringing the reader back to the first words of portrait following the epigram: “once upon a time” (p 7).19 r. j. schork comments that ovid never describes daedalus with the term artifex, the latin equivalent for “artificer,” instead using opifex. referring to latin 18 plato, euthyphro 11b-d, trans. florence stawell, socratic discourses by plato and xenophon (london: dent, 1910), 300-320, at 313. greek text at http:// www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=perseus:text:1999.01.0169. 19 margaret mcbride, ulysses and the metamorphosis of stephen dedalus (lewisburg: bucknell up, 2011), 15. http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=perseus:text:1999.01.0169 http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=perseus:text:1999.01.0169 76 james joyce’s dedalus dictionaries, schork speculates that joyce understood artifex to mean a master in the liberal arts, and opifex a craftsman in the manual arts.20 the noun “artificer” is significant because of its close phonetic association with the protagonist, the “artist as a young man.” schork’s distinction, however, is not clear-cut in the oxford latin dictionary,21 where the first definition given for artifex is the “practitioner of any art,” and only definition 4 is “a craftsman in one of the fine arts,” and definition 1 for opifex is “craftsman, artificer,” to be followed by 2, “one who works with his hands, a craftsman, artisan (often disparagingly).” in addition, while ovid does not refer to daedalus as “artificer,” he does apply that name to himself in tristia 3.14.6, writing of his art of love) that injured its artificer (“artifici quae nocuere suo”). it could be argued that stephen at the conclusion of the novel cannot be identifying with the mythological daedalus, because stephen is just starting to become an artist, while after the death of icarus, the father is no longer an artist because he “cursed his arts” (“devovitque suas artes,” met. 8.235). in this passage, however, ovid does not specify whether the artes include daedalus’ sculpture and architecture, or only the “unknown arts” (“ignotas ... artes”) (met. 8.188) that led to the building of a flying apparatus. having studied vergil thoroughly, however, joyce was familiar with a description in aeneid 6.14-33 of daedalus’ artistic creation after his son’s death, and thus joyce knew that daedalus continued as an artist, carving sculptures on the doors of a temple in order to tell the story of the minotaur, the labyrinth, and daedalus and icarus. vergil describes daedalus, however, as trying twice to portray the death of icarus, but bis patriae cecidere manus, “twice the hands of the father failed.” ovid’s sphraxis and joyce’s conclusion ovid’s proem concludes with his desire that the gods will inspire him to compose a “continuous song / from the world’s first origins to my own time” (met. 1.3-4). compare the penultimate paragraph of joyce’s portrait. about to leave ireland for european exile, stephen dedalus writes in his journal: “welcome, o life, i go to encounter for the millionth time the reality of experience and to forge in the smithy of my soul the uncreated conscience of my 20 schork, 1997. latin and roman culture in joyce (gainesville: up of florida, 1997), 155. 21 p. g. w. glare, oxford latin dictionary, rev. ed. (london: oxford up, 2006). definitions of artifex are on pp. 176-77, while opifex is on p. 1253. stephen rojcewicz 77 race” (p 252-53). to balance ovid’s history of the world, joyce will forge, in a rhythm that echoes the music of ovid’s dactylic hexameters, “the uncreated conscience of my race.”22 the verb “forge” refers back to stephen’s words when he decides to become an artist, “forging anew in his workshop out of the sluggish matter of the earth a new soaring impalpable imperishable being?” (p 169). while this goal of forging “the uncreated conscience of my race” may not constitute writing the history of the irish race or of the human race, joyce’s writings will achieve a new style, summing up and transforming centuries of literary styles. in both the conclusion to ovid’s metamorphoses (called a sphraxis, or “seal”) and the ending of joyce’s portrait, the writers set the stage for art that will last beyond this world characterized by metamorphoses and chaos. ovid writes: now i have completed the work. the fury of jove, fire, sword, guzzling time— none can destroy it. let that day arrive (claiming a right only to my flesh) which will cut short life’s uncertain years. i shall be carried above eternal stars, my name deathless and indelible. where roman influence extends people will read my poems. if prophesies by poets capture truth, then i shall live, throughout all ages.23 iamque opus exegi, quod nec iovis ira nec ignis nec poterit ferrum nec edax abolere uetustas. cum uolet, illa dies, quae nil nisi corporis huius ius habet, incerti spatium mihi finiat aeui: parte tamen meliore mei super alta perennis astra ferar, nomenque erit indelebile nostrum, quaque patet domitis romana potentia terris, ore legar populi, perque omnia saecula fama, siquid habent ueri uatum praesagia, uiuam. met. 15.871-79 22 scansion of the clause “forge in the smithy of my soul the uncreated conscience of my race,” using the latin rule of elision between a word ending in a vowel and the next word beginning with a vowel (“the un-created”), yields five dactyls and a trochee, a perfectly metrical hexameter, with a pause (caesura) in the third foot, after “soul.” 23 this translation previously appeared as “beyond metamorphoses” in delos 29-30, (1999, pub. 2003), 16. 78 james joyce’s dedalus after thousands of verses and hundreds of transformations, ovid has arrived at something not subject to metamorphosis, namely his poem and his literary reputation. this conclusion reverses the opening lines that suggest that forms continuously change into new bodies. permanence, from ovid’s standpoint, has finally been achieved. in the final pages of portrait, stephen’s development reaches a conclusion. his last two journal entries are: april 26. mother is putting my new secondhand clothes in order. she prays now, she says, that i may learn in my own life and away from home and friends what the heart is and what it feels. amen. so be it. welcome, o life, i go to encounter for the millionth time the reality of experience and to forge in the smithy of my soul the uncreated conscience of my race. april 27. old father, old artificer, stand me now and ever in good stead. (p 252-53) while stephen is not as confident as ovid, he is determined to go into exile and to become an artist, so that the concluding sentences reverse the chaos, insecurities, and difficulties of his labyrinthine wanderings through dublin. these two journal entries delineate the multiple identities that enable stephen’s decision. mcbride claims that “stephen’s story is neither that of icarus nor that of daedalus. stephen, at the story’s end, is a mythopoetic writer like ovid, telling the tale of a daedalian artist.”24 joyce, however, never limits himself to an either/or, binary exclusion: stephen self-identifies, in part, with all these individuals. he is ovid’s daedalus as a heroic artist and exile. he is vergil’s daedalus in combining hopes of artistic success with fears of artistic failure, but unlike vergil’s daedalus who cannot depict the death of his son, stephen will be courageous in fully portraying the truth. stephen also is icarus in going against parental advice and warnings by rejecting his mother’s beliefs and religious practices. moreover, he is socrates’ daedalus in that his words keep changing their meanings, and plato’s demiurge through the creation of a world that builds order out of disorder. joyce entitled his novel a portrait of the artist as a young man: it is also a “portrait of the artist” as shaped by the reception and transformation of ovid, vergil, and plato. 24 mcbride, ulysses and the metamorphosis of stephen dedalus, 16. stephen rojcewicz 79 with the final paragraphs of portrait, james joyce becomes the consummate artist who perfects art by concealing art. a medieval latin saying, erroneously attributed to horace, states that ars est celare artem, “the perfection of art is to conceal art.” joyce accomplishes this not in the sense of hiding the labor needed to make the art seem unlabored, but instead by enclosing a wealth of meaning in just a few words. stephen subsumes a world of literary allusions to ancient texts in these two phrases, “to forge in the smithy of my soul the uncreated conscience of my race,” and “old father, old artificer.” the portrait of the artist as a young man has now become the portrait of an artist who will be modern, courageous, innovative, and rebellious, but also an artist imbued with, and contributing to, the classical tradition. login | delos: a journal of translation and world literature main navigation main content sidebar current archives search subscribe toggle search register login search toggle navigation home login subscription or article purchase required to access item. to verify subscription, access previous purchase, or purchase article, log in to journal. username password forgot your password? keep me logged in login register sidebar-links about overview editorial board contact contributors author guidelines submit subscribers subscribe/renew news sign-upnews sign-up issn: 0011-7951 eissn: 2573-5659   main office: 2046 ne waldo road suite 2100 gainesville, fl 32609 phone: 352-392-1351 email: journals@upress.ufl.edu navigation home search current archives subscribe legenda de la joventa di peus ros la jovènta di peus ros e dis uelhs de coire vèrd l’an getada dins la clastra una nuech lisca d’ivèrn. dins lo vuege dau convènt ela ausis un cant de vènt e crida: sus li crestencs sabe que l’aurassa confla una luna de cuer saure pèr matar la votz de l’aura i an tapadas lis aurelhas. pèr qu’oblide son pantais i an corduradas li cilhas. l’an butada au fons d’un mèmbre ont gingola lo remèmbre dins lo freg de la preguiera. mai son pitre s’es dubèrt e’spelida entre si sens la flor cauda de son còr tèn espoussat son encèns tant de flaire e tant d’encèns que l’aiganha a perlejat sus li bards e qu’an gisclat mila greus au fons de l’ombra amb lo lum de son sang vèrd. boca seca e mans au cèu i son li gardas vengudas. e la jovènta èra nusa cor sagnant entre li possas. e li parets èran sebissas d’ont rajava pèr cortina sus sa tèsta quatre sèrps. sus li sèrps la luna saura se conflava dins lo vènt. robert lafont five poems from dire translated from occitan by william calin william calin 103 legend of the girl with red hair the girl with red hair and eyes of green copper they threw her into a cloister one smooth winter’s night. in the emptiness of the convent she hears a song of wind and cries: i know that over the crests the hurricane swells a moon with sorrel hide. to tame the voice of the wind they plugged her ears. to make her forget the dream they sewed her eyelashes. they thrust her to the far end of the hall where memory moans in the coldness of prayer. but her bust opened and blooming between her breasts the hot flower of her heart grasps its powdery incense so much fragrance and incense that dew pearled on the flagstones and burst forth a thousand tendrils to the depths of darkness with the light of her green blood. with mouth dry and hands raised to the sky the guards came. and the girl was naked her heart bleeding between her breasts. and the walls were hedges from which four snakes flowed as if a curtain onto her head. above the snakes the sorrel moon swelled in the wind. 104 robert lafont segonda legenda de la meteissa drolla la jovènta di peus doç se clinèt a son bescaume e moriá l’alen dau jorn sus li plècs de son reiaume. dins la poussa dis ensenhas nèbla palla còrfalida que radava sus la plana quauqu’un sòna la manida e se’n cor la filha sola dins la nuech seca d’angoissa. fèra nuech camin ferrat d’un terraire endemoniat que lo cèu ambé si carris i engrunava de dieus mòrts. castèus d’ombra castèus d’aur massapans de vièlhi pecas sus l’estrada sènsa luna tot trestomba e tot s’endeca l’aucelilha revoluma. mai s’aplanta la jovènta sus la tepa d’un vièlh fluvi ont marmusan de deluvis que se nèga dins l’escur lo dieu jove mau-segur que sonava au clarebrun. e la dròlla di peus doç tornarà puèi au bescaume pèr mirar l’alen dau jorn sus li plècs de son reiaume. william calin 105 second legend of the same girl the girl with soft hair leaned over her balcony and the breath of day died on the folds of the kingdom. in the powder of the constellations pale swooning mist that drifts over the plain someone summoned the girl and she fled alone in the parched night of anguish. fierce night paved road on a bewitched land where the sky with his chariots crushed dead gods. castles of shade castles of gold caskets of old sins on the moonless road all tumbles down and all is corrupted the little birds swirl. but the girl stops on the grass of an old river where deluges murmur when the insecure young god who called out in the twilight drowns in darkness. and the girl with soft hair will return to the balcony to behold the breath of day on the folds of the kingdom. 106 robert lafont cantata de la miseria dins arle a teò rigaud ròse ròse roiga-terra plueja plueja manja-cèu nèbla nèbla banha-còr misèria freja coma fanga aura d’aut mossega-serra gèu gelat dagueja-nèu cèu d’estam galeja-mòrt misèria dura coma pèira. arle quichada coma un crit. bomba aguda creba-terra flors d’encèndi enaura-cèu vonve d’aut bacèla-còr dolor duberta sus l’autura. garba d’uelhs dançar di serras gau-galin petar di lèus eli negre nuech di mòrts dolor sèns fe dolor sèns gaubi. arle crebada coma un uòu. sabèm nosautres coma es tèndre lo còs de l’òme dins la guerra. dròlle dròlle plora-astrada òme preda de sofréncia femna femna quicha-còr solesa barri sèns torrilhas. vira vira la jornada mentre soina la paciéncia ombra lutz e mar sèns pòrt agriòta de desiranças. arle malauta coma un mond. sabèm nosautres coma es lònga nòstra carriera dins la fam. tu que cantas diga caraco ton esperança d’agoléncia. william calin 107 cantata of the misery in arles for teò rigaud rhone rhone earth-gnawer rain rain sky-devourer mist mist heart-bather misery cold like mud south wind crest-eroder frozen frost snow-stabber pewter sky death-joker misery hard like rock arles squeezed like a cry. high-pitched bomb earth-smasher flowers of fire sky-glorifier buzzing from above heart-striker pain opened on the auture. bouquet of eyes dancing of crests poppy bursting of lungs black lily night of the dead faithless pain formless pain. arles broken like an egg. we know well how tender is a man’s body in war. child child fate-weeper man prey of suffering woman woman heart-bruiser loneliness rampart with no turrets. turn turn the day while patience whimpers darkness light and sea with no port wild cherry of desires. arles ill like a world. we know well how long is our path in hunger. you who sing tell gypsy your hope of wild rose. 108 robert lafont lo caraco ou! quau ne vòu de nòstri vetges trenam lo solèu amb l’odor de l’aiga e nòstre còr es rege avèm pas la fòrça d’un plor. quau nos balharà de dardenas pèr comprar doas onças de pena? ou! quau vòu una banastada de luna lisca a montmajor e d’ombra. desnusam li fadas sabèm pas lis us de l’amor. quau nos balharà de dardenas pèr comprar doas onças de pena? voliàtz l’amor d’una caraco . . . anessiatz donc levar un rai au solèu de la posaraca. una caraco ama jamai. quau nos balharà de dardenas pèr comprar doas onças de pena? fasèm balar ors e monina e siátz curiós de nòstris uelhs avèm lo biais d’una robina ont se miralha vòstra nuech. quau nos balharà de dardenas pèr comprar doas onças de pena? e vòstra saviesa caraco? vènga la jòia o la maganha nosautres quora caminam avèm de pès d’esteriganhas toi li matins son un deman. quau nos balharà de dardenas pèr comprar doas onças de pena? de qu’es deman amic caraco? quau nos vèn parlar de vielhonge? viram coma una eternitat muts e descauç pariers de monges au vèntre un vòt de pauretat. william calin 109 the gypsy oh! would you like our wicker baskets we weave the sun with the fragrance of water and our heart is hardened we don’t have the force of a tear. who will give us the money to buy two pennies of sorrow? oh! who would like a basket full of smooth moon at montmajour and of darkness. we undress the fays we know not the ways of love. who will give us the money to buy two pennies of sorrow? you wish for the love of a gypsy woman? then go snatch a ray from the sun in the water wheel. a gypsy woman never loves. who will give us the money to buy two pennies of sorrow? we make the bear and monkey dance and you are curious about our eyes we have them like a canal where your night is mirrored. who will give us the money to buy two pennies of sorrow? and your wisdom gypsy? come joy or misery when we are on the road we have spiders’ legs all mornings are tomorrow. who will give us the money to buy two pennies of sorrow? what is tomorrow friend gypsy? who would speak to us of old age? we go round like an eternity mute and discalced like monks in the belly a vow of poverty. 110 robert lafont ou! quau ne vòu de nòstri vetges nos quitaretz la languison de nòstri còrs dorguetas vuejas amb la misèria seca au fons. quau nos balharà de dardenas pèr comprar doas onças de pena? caraco que caraco es una estranha istòria nòia ton pòble negre de trimards fan de sòmis d’aiga que s’enfusan entre li dets. nòia ton pòble nus e mai bragard amb de bortolaiga còson la luna au topinet. caraco que caraco eli vènon en òdi mouson l’esfrai di galiniers tòrçon lo còu i miugraniers. e vòstri caracos òmes blancs? vincèns van gogh vengut en arle vèn s’embarrar a sant-romieg. i a una pena sus lo mond vira e crema coma un solèu. i a una pena dintre l’èime e lo cèu es una vouta tant dessús coma dessota. vincèns van gogh t’aviàm bandit dau terraire de nòstris uelhs mai pintas la còma dau roge e lo mond vira a ton entorn. fegondas la carn de la nuech amb lo verd de l’innocéncia e la man mòrta de l’espèr clava la cleda de l’angoissa. solèu uelh sènsa parpèlas torres torres de dolor cèndre cèndre vènt-terrau misèria d’òmes sènsa raras ròse ròse mòrt di velas cèu d’encèndi crema-jorn william calin 111 oh! who would like our wicker baskets you leave us the nostalgia of our hearts empty jugs with arid misery at the bottom. who will give us the money to buy two pennies of sorrow? gypsy or not it’s a strange tale little girl your black people of migrants dream dreams of water that slip through one’s fingers. little girl your naked and braggart people with purslane cook the moon in a little earthenware jug. gypsy or not they come to be hated they draw forth the fear of poultry-mongers they wring the neck of pomegranate trees. and your white gypsies? vincent van gogh having come to arles shuts himself away at saint-rémy. there is a sorrow over the world turns and burns like a sun. there is a sorrow in the soul and the sky is a vault overhead as well as underneath. vincent van gogh we chased you away from the homeland of our eyes yet you paint hair red and the world revolves around you. you sowed the flesh of the night with the green of innocence and hope’s dead hand locks up the paddock of anguish. sun eye with no lids towers towers of pain ashes ashes north wind misery of men with no borders rhone rhone death of sails sky of fire day-burner 112 robert lafont camarga flaca plana crau sèrp de dobtança sèrp de l’ombra. arle carbon dau clarebrun. de qué parlatz de la misèria? au clarebrun la vila es freja e d’arabs i viran sèns fe. —sabèm nosautres coma aissejan en estrifant l’onda e la vida li batèus que vènon d’argier bressats di votz de la paciéncia. arquipèus negres barrutlaires coneissèm pas la poësia que pèr nos engardar dau langui li pesolhs nos tènon companha di còstas mòros fins marselha. mòro mòro ta cançon es estranha dins lo terraire. —arlatenc nòstra misèria es estranha en tot païs. lo mòro vielh lo ris es bas e vèn dins l’aiga solèu corona de mi lombs lo ris es bas e vèn dins l’aiga ai l’idèa qu’es coma un plomb. li mistèris dau capitau aiga ponhaus de freg subtila li mistèris dau capitau fan d’aur ambé la bauca umila. lo capitau es una mèca que sols i van li tres pèr cènt lo capitau es una mèca lassiera luna dins la mènt. luna redona sus lo ris veses dins ieu coma dins l’aiga luna redona sus lo ris siám pèr noirir una erba vaiga. william calin 113 camargue limp plain crau snake of doubt snake of the shadow. arles charcoal of the twilight. what do you say about misery? at twilight the city is cold and arabs wander about with no faith. — we know well how the boats that come from algiers rocked by voices of patience moan ripping apart the waves and life. black archipelagos adrift we know not the poetry that could protect us from languor lice keep us company from the moorish coasts to marseille. moor moor your song is foreign to our land. —man of arles our misery is foreign to all lands. the old moor the rice low down grows in water sun crown of my back the rice low down grows in water my thought is like lead. the mysteries of capital subtle water dagger of cold the mysteries of capital turn the humble weed into gold. capital is a mecca only the three percent go there capital is a mecca weariness moon in the mind. round moon over the rice field you see into me as into water round moon over the rice field we nourish a sluggish weed. 114 robert lafont e morirem devèrs la mèca virats pregant lo capitau e morirem devèrs la mèca virats misèria solèu rauc. ai! li camins de cabilia miran dançar l’ombra dis euses... ai! mòro vièlh una legènda... legènda que legènda avèm fam de la vida sus la levada en letania menam d’ombras que son pas d’òmes a caminar sus lo tremont. ome òme preda d’òmes la vergonha es dins lo vènt e lo verme dins lo fruch misèria vida empalunada ràbia flors celèstre còma d’espèrs glòria de l’oriènt confla nuech deman alut misèria prens coma una taura. capitala di nuechs fegondas. li caminòus de cabilia lis andanas di segonaus sabon lo mistèri de l’aiga sabon lo greu e sabon l’òme. mòro deman es causa doça coma candèla dins la nuech. detràs la fam e li mitralhas l’èime es tan grand pèr abraçar lo pensament e la foliá. l’èime es tan grand coma lo cièri redon parier que la rason e l’uelh. e l’èime es de nosautres. darrier la fam e li mitralhas son li terraires de la patz la patz de sòmi e d’archimbèla pèr pesar tot lo ris dau mond. ome òme òme òme... arle levada arle torres. william calin 115 and we will die facing mecca turned praying to capital and we will die facing mecca turned misery raucous sun. oh! the roads of kabilia behold the shade of holm oaks dancing... oh! old moor a legend... legend or not we hunger for life on the levee in litany we direct shades that are not men to head for the setting sun. man man prey of men shame is in the wind and worm in the fruit misery life made a swamp madness flowers open-air hair glory of the east of our hopes swollen night winged tomorrow misery in calf as if a heifer. capital of fertile nights. the little paths of kabilia the paths of ségonnaux know the mystery of water know the seed and know the man. moor tomorrow is sweet like a candle in the night. beyond hunger and pennies the spirit is so great as to embrace worry and madness. the spirit is as great as the arena round like reason and the eye. and the spirit is ours. beyond hunger and pennies are the lands of peace the peace of our dreams and of a scale to weigh all the rice in the world. man man man man... arles raised high arles towers. login | delos: a journal of translation and world literature main navigation main content sidebar current archives search subscribe toggle search register login search toggle navigation home login subscription or article purchase required to access item. to verify subscription, access previous purchase, or purchase article, log in to journal. username password forgot your password? keep me logged in login register sidebar-links about overview editorial board contact contributors author guidelines submit subscribers subscribe/renew news sign-upnews sign-up issn: 0011-7951 eissn: 2573-5659   main office: 2046 ne waldo road suite 2100 gainesville, fl 32609 phone: 352-392-1351 email: journals@upress.ufl.edu navigation home search current archives subscribe preface this volume 32 of delos, the second of the revived annual issues after the thirteen-year hiatus 2003-2016, continues to improve. first, the three rubrics of the contents, (a) analytical/critical essays, (b) actual translations, and (c) reviews of already published works on or of translations, are in a much better proportional balance. in the first category, we are delighted to feature the work of the dean of american kafka translators, stanley corngold. translations, however, particularly verse translations presented in bilingual format, predominate and are welcome to continue to dominate in years to come. secondly, we are continuing to draw on the larger national pool of translators and scholars in the field of translation for the new editorial board, including the distinguished scholar and translator elizabeth lowe, and, from classics at the university of florida, gonda van steen. on the executive side—involving the actual hard work—are two new positions, the managing editor, dr. judy shoaf, and the review editor, professor alexander burak. we are grateful to the college of liberal arts and sciences of the university of florida in support of delos by lending judy to us, with her long experience as the managing editor of exemplaria: a journal of theory in medieval and renaissance studies. another aspect of improvements is the addition of contributions by talented young translators and advanced graduate students—although this inclusiveness means countermanding one of my own erstwhile professorial ironic transmogrification and adaptation for literary translation of a political slogan from the late 1960s: “never trust anyone under the age of thirty.” finally, after a year of intermittent efforts, delos is ready for launch on the florida online journal system. both the 2016 issue and the current issue will be available at http://journals.fcla. edu/delos. we will not, however, use this interface for editorial purposes; submissions should still be emailed to the editors. http://journals.fcla.edu/delos http://journals.fcla.edu/delos one of the things that gives a note of distinctiveness to the new and revived issues of delos is the addition of an annual theme. for volume 31 in 2016 it was “literature and music,” and for volume 32 in 2017 it is “literature and image.” we are pleased to have attracted such submissions as the translations of augusto de campos’s concrete poetry and of marina colasanti’s illustrated modern fairy tales, as well as more subtle evocations of images of smoke, light, and towery cities. we propose the theme of “literature and history” for the 2018 issue, with a deadline for manuscript submissions of october 31, 2017. in the case of delos, history begins, arguably, just prior to the birth of any living contemporary, in other words, in the years around world war i, and thus 2018 is a convenient point for a hundred-year commemoration. at the same time, we hope to find translations of works looking at history in other parts of the world. and although there is a significant and very welcome expansion of russian and brazilian-portuguese contributions in the 2017 delos, i call specifically for expansion of translations from the source languages, literatures and cultures of africa, asia, and india for possible publication in delos 2018 ff. 2017 also happens to be an important anniversary year, the commemoration of the reformation, five hundred years ago in 1517. is it too much of a stretch to revisit and reflect on religious toleration and the role of religion today in literature in general and literary translation specifically? i do not think so. limiting myself to my own narrow specialty in comparative literature and german studies i nevertheless will give here and now the briefest of brief answers to that timely question. who is the modern european poet who has given voice to religious toleration in the form of a god-seeker? arguably, rainer maria rilke. at the high point of interest in rilke in the post-world war ii era in 1962, reflected in countless translations into english, it was walter kaufmann who perceptively included the lyric celebrations of religious diversity by including the following poems by rilke in his translations in the modern library collection/random house: “rabbi loew,” “buddha,” “buddha in his glory,” and “archaic torso of apollo.” the poem dedicated to the greek god apollo closes with the famous half-line, challenging the contemplative viewer or reader: “…you must change your life.” i’m concluding these comments on the aims and aspirations of delos with a note of affection for harold p. hanson, editor of delos from 1991 through 2003, who died last year, april 7, 2016, in gainesville. one of his last public appearances also turned out to be a high point in this physics professor’s moonlighting occupation as an editor and literary translator. on april 21, 2010, the hundredth anniversary of the original publication of norwegian nobellist sigrid undset’s poetry collection ungdom (youth), harold hanson and his son steve were special guests at an event co-sponsored by the royal norwegian embassy and the writer’s center in bethesda, maryland. harold was the first translator of ungdom into english, and at this celebration he presented a published book of the original poems and his translations, with beautifully curated illustrations. this issue of delos is dedicated to harold p. hanson. h. h. r. february 9, 2017 _goback login | delos: a journal of translation and world literature main navigation main content sidebar current archives search subscribe toggle search register login search toggle navigation home login subscription or article purchase required to access item. to verify subscription, access previous purchase, or purchase article, log in to journal. username password forgot your password? keep me logged in login register sidebar-links about overview editorial board contact contributors author guidelines submit subscribers subscribe/renew news sign-upnews sign-up issn: 0011-7951 eissn: 2573-5659   main office: 2046 ne waldo road suite 2100 gainesville, fl 32609 phone: 352-392-1351 email: journals@upress.ufl.edu navigation home search current archives subscribe login | delos: a journal of translation and world literature main navigation main content sidebar current archives search subscribe toggle search register login search toggle navigation home login subscription or article purchase required to access item. to verify subscription, access previous purchase, or purchase article, log in to journal. username password forgot your password? keep me logged in login register sidebar-links about overview editorial board contact contributors author guidelines submit subscribers subscribe/renew news sign-upnews sign-up issn: 0011-7951 eissn: 2573-5659   main office: 2046 ne waldo road suite 2100 gainesville, fl 32609 phone: 352-392-1351 email: journals@upress.ufl.edu navigation home search current archives subscribe login | delos: a journal of translation and world literature main navigation main content sidebar current archives search subscribe toggle search register login search toggle navigation home login subscription or article purchase required to access item. to verify subscription, access previous purchase, or purchase article, log in to journal. username password forgot your password? keep me logged in login register sidebar-links about overview editorial board contact contributors author guidelines submit subscribers subscribe/renew news sign-upnews sign-up issn: 0011-7951 eissn: 2573-5659   main office: 2046 ne waldo road suite 2100 gainesville, fl 32609 phone: 352-392-1351 email: journals@upress.ufl.edu navigation home search current archives subscribe login | delos: a journal of translation and world literature main navigation main content sidebar current archives search subscribe toggle search register login search toggle navigation home login subscription or article purchase required to access item. to verify subscription, access previous purchase, or purchase article, log in to journal. username password forgot your password? keep me logged in login register sidebar-links about overview editorial board contact contributors author guidelines submit subscribers subscribe/renew news sign-upnews sign-up issn: 0011-7951 eissn: 2573-5659   main office: 2046 ne waldo road suite 2100 gainesville, fl 32609 phone: 352-392-1351 email: journals@upress.ufl.edu navigation home search current archives subscribe tobias hülswitt angel pool translated from german by rachel halverson strictly speaking, not a single day has passed without such a story, and katja did not know exactly why this bothered her so much. she listened, for example, to a vietnamese war veteran confess that he couldn’t fall asleep at night without first emptying an entire bottle of whiskey. out of the blue. students said such things out of the blue, right in the middle of class, when katja just had explained adjective declensions yet again or had introduced subjunctive ii. she heard from a polish day release prisoner that he was going to take his case to the european union’s court of justice, because he considered it outrageous that seven years after he had slept with this abducted underage girl only twice, that my god seven years after this rather harmless incident they still had put him in prison. she had had an old fatah fighter sitting in class next to an israeli who had the shrapnel from a palestinian grenade in his head since his childhood on a kibbutz. young afghans told how they had walked from afghanistan through iran and turkey to europe: a married couple barely twenty years old, each with a bag, and the husband carrying their young son; another afghan, sixteen years old, told in class how he had lost his parents and sister two years ago as they were transported from turkey’s mediterranean coast to greece in boats owned rachel halverson 153 by the turkish mafia and since then had not seen them. when they were discussing love, one of the extremely popular topics in integration courses,1 katja had heard a turkish woman tell how the women her husband ran off with would notice after two, three months at the most what an asshole he was and chase him off. he always came back to her, and that’s why she didn’t worry about it anymore when it happened. the cultural unit on love had an open discussion topic with the title “marriage for love versus arranged marriage,” and a turkish-indian majority always formed in support of arranged marriages. katja had to confess that the arguments they brought in defense of arranged marriages were not the worst. somehow these damned arranged marriages built on reason rather than love seemed to last longer. and didn’t the romantics on the internet always ruefully return to arranged marriages? despite all the reservations that she herself harbored, katja felt an obligation to make german culture, or the western lifestyle, to a certain extent appealing to the participants in the integration courses. ultimately, these people would live here provided they weren’t deported again or they already had lived here for decades without being able to speak german. above all it was necessary to lead them to an understanding of germans, to show them that not everything about these germans was cold and abrasive and blunt, no, that there also were friendly and cultivated germans among them, like herself for example. and because she, as she termed it, was grudgingly doing pr for germany, she found herself on this morning as always defending romantic marriages in the discussion “marriage for love versus arranged marriage,” all the while naturally paying attention not to devalue the cultural conventions of her students. and there this story was brought up again, in fact for the second time. the first time must have been several months ago in a different course, but with the same discussion topic. and she wasn’t sure whether the two women who told it knew each other or whether the story was simply making the 1 the “gesetz zur steuerung und begrenzung der zuwanderung und zur regelung des aufenthalts und der integration von unionsbürgern und ausländern” [act to control and restrict immigration and to regulate the residence and integration of eu citizens and foreigners] was passed in 2004 and mandated language and culture instruction for those wanting to live and work in the federal republic of germany. as of 2005, most immigrants and refugees seeking permanent residency in germany are required to take an integration course which consists of a language course and a cultural orientation course. 154 tobias hülswitt rounds in the school. anyway, it promptly came up whenever katja began grudgingly to do pr for germany. the first time a russian woman told it, this time a turkish woman did. the story was short and to the point: in the apartment building where the woman’s girlfriend lived, a thirty-five-year-old german man, who lived alone, had died of a heart attack, and several days or even weeks had passed before his body was discovered. no friends, no relatives. in the first version, he had died on christmas day, the second on easter. “vhhhhy alvvaays alone?” the russian woman asked, and “vay alveys elon?” the turkish woman asked.2 “yes, why always alone?” joined in the whole turkishrussian-nigerian-venezuelan-thai-spanish-iranian-indian class und shook their heads in unison. and among all the stories that she heard daily from these students and that fascinated and moved her, but did not prevent her from sleeping, this one story, barely three sentences in length, knocked her socks off. of course, she wasn’t stupid: it was because this story pertained to her. after work she rode her bike from moritzplatz3 to the angel pool,4 in order to sit at the edge of the pond and turn the whole thing over in her mind. the angel pool looked as though it just had finished a round of chemo: bald in its new concrete border, sparse tufts of seedlings where previously a thick wall of reeds had shielded the café from the pond. small, naked metal heads like those from a sprinkler system protruded from the water in equal distance from each other. and after katja had looked at the small, silver-gray, somehow also bald waves awhile, one of the two turtles, who lived in the pond during the summer, suddenly stuck its likewise gray, bald head out of the water between the sprinkler heads and paused a few minutes. she thought about mr. schaaß. and about the young afghanis in her second course, who had discarded their 2 in the original german, hülswitt tailors the orthography of these two questions and their subsequent occurrence in the short story to emulate the distinctive russian and turkish accents of the two women learning german. the translator consulted with a native speaker of russian and a native speaker of turkish to capture the same effect in the english translation. 3 moritzplatz, located in kreuzberg at the end of the oranienstraße, has emerged as a creative hub in recent years with the princesses’ gardens, numerous clubs and cafés, and the opening of the aufbau haus development center. 4 angel pool (engelbecken) is a square pond located in a park in kreuzberg in berlin. on one end, there is a café directly on the water. grassy banks with bushes form the other three sides. rachel halverson 155 headscarves and reveled in their new free lives in germany, and how she, katja, had seen the lives of these three intelligent young girls pass before her eyes in fast motion: the heartfelt, cohesive family unit that the three sisters and their parents formed would gradually dissolve. because they wanted to leave afghanistan behind them at any price, in the near future they would get to know the first in a series of german men, a series which only death someday would end. they would begin to feel like their parents were a burden, in the beginning because they never really gained their footing in germany and later because they had grown old and were no longer able to care for themselves. then the sisters would begin fighting about who should care for their aging parents. one of them would be married with three children, but with very little money and an apartment that was far too small for her parents to live with her. the other would be a single mother going to school with more than enough on her plate. and the third would be a single doctor, who would be too busy with work, recreation, and attempting to have a relationship to take care of her aging parents. at the end of their own lives, they would not have seen each other for months and years. they had jumped from the frying pan into the fire, where they would be slowly roasted, so to speak. and katja thought about how she had wanted cautiously to prepare them for everything that life in the west entails, and then had left it at that. and on the other hand, she thought of mr. schaaß. it all went hand in hand. mr. schaaß, the last german in a small transylvanian village, one of the last representatives of the germans who had been settling in romania for 800 years, one of the last of his kind. after hans-dietrich genscher5 had declared in 1990 that all transylvanian saxons were welcome in germany, mr. schaaß belonged to the five or ten percent who did not leave their land and their villages in the carpathian highlands among the hills of burzenland, of unterwald, of nösnerland and all the other regions with their transylvanian saxon names; those who didn’t want to leave this land that, as christian said, always looked like it had been painted with diluted watercolors, this land with its herds of sheep, its unfenced expanses, wolves, forests, smoked bacon and enormous fortresses. while the other ninety percent stuffed 5 hans-dietrich genscher was vice-chancellor and foreign minister of the federal republic of germany between 1982 and 1992. 156 tobias hülswitt their suitcases into their romanian dacias and set out for the west over the pothole-riddled sandy roads, leaving behind their farms and stalls filled with animals and their houses filled with furniture, just as they had been. and with starry eyes this mr. schaaß told her and christian in the small house in the village, in which he was born and which he essentially had never left, of the time when the village was a community with century-old customs. there were dances and schnapps and everything but prudery, with bawdy jokes and horrible punishments. it was a village with communitarian neighborliness, where everyone had everyone’s back and no one let anyone fall through the cracks; where from one’s first breath to one’s last, whether one wanted to or not, personal freedom was sacrificed for solidarity and community. and naturally katja also thought of christian, who had been her boyfriend and whom she had accompanied to his ethnographical interviews in transylvania, and whom she had envied because of this project, mainly because she never would have trusted herself to begin something like this in a foreign country—although it was in europe! —, and whom she had left, when he returned to germany after two years in romania and she once again was working at the language school. after ten years in a relationship and thorough consideration. sitting at the kitchen table in moabit.6 with words she could hardly believe were coming out of her own mouth. “i think it’s better that you move out.” — “and what is that supposed to mean?” — “well, it means that ... that each of us just goes our separate way.” a meter-thick curtain of fog descended between them, that’s what it seemed like to her. and once those words had been said, reality picked up these sentences like new dna and began consistently and relentlessly to construct itself according to them. katja could only watch. she had waited for years to say these sentences, and perhaps she had only said them now, so that the years of waiting would not have been for naught. she thought about christian sitting alone in his small new apartment, physically present, but in reality caught in some european intermediary world, thirty-five years old. he had survived easter, but christmas was in six months. katja didn’t want to be responsible for his solitary death. and mr. schaaß, seventy-five, suffering from cancer and nearing the end of his life, an end that practically was one and the same as the 6 moabit is a rather sedate district in berlin, not as trendy as neukölln or kreuzberg, where established berliners as well as newcomers, couples as well as small families, make their home. rachel halverson 157 end of an entire lineage. he still told of his life with stars in his eyes. without ever having left his damn village, he seemed to be happy in his damn house with the little windows and the vegetable garden he had put in the yard. and katja had tossed back all the shots of schnapps mr. schaaß had shoved across the table at her, as he told of earlier days, of the neighborhood’s strict governance and the very sexy brides in their traditional garb, of the maypole and of the burial ritual of pleading for the dead to be brought out of the house to be taken to the cemetery.7 katja had drunk all the shots, because she suddenly thought she knew that in the remaining forty years, or whatever, she would not be able to make her own eyes sparkle that way. she thought about what she had that could hold a candle to mr. schaaß’s life of local magnificence. a few beaches. the one in l.a. with the dolphins, and the one in lagos with the palm trees, in addition the bund in shanghai and the williamsburg bridge in new york. the cape of good hope. the cliffs of the west coast of ireland. the southern tip of sweden and by sailboat through the archipelago off the swedish coast, and the alps, venice, rome, lisbon, even iran, azerbaijan, south korea, egypt and mexico. yes, she had seen all of that! yes, she would love a fifth shot of schnapps. and christian carried her to the car. she continued to look at the gray surface of the angel pool in its new concrete border, and the lawn where she was sitting smelled like dog piss. “vay alveys elon?” exactly. what would it be like if things were to change? and if they were to change now? she grabbed her cell phone just as it began to ring, exactly at that moment. it was anatol. anatol was a sweetie. an aristocrat who had worked for the bild8 newspaper until his personal burnout. now, after an extensive treatment at a health spa and a long vacation in thailand and indonesia, he actually did nothing more than ride around on his bike. she was happy whenever he touched base, and their relationship could have become so much more, 7 “ausbitte des toten” is a transylvanian saxon burial tradition that is still practiced in some communities today. a designated member of the community enters the courtyard of the house of mourning to claim the dead. he first expresses condolences to the family and then requests permission to bring the dead to the cemetery for burial. for additional information, see online resource “ethnographische sammlung. siebenbürgisch-sächische bräuche. begräbnis” (http://traditionen.evang.ro/fe/tradition/view/14). 8 the bild-zeitung is a german tabloid newspaper published by axel-springer ag. http://traditionen.evang.ro/fe/tradition/view/14 158 tobias hülswitt but she feared it would have been such a big deal if they ever got together, and that was simply too much for her. and if it weren’t a big deal, it would be a disappointment, because she always had believed that it would become a big deal if they got together. and if it were only a partial thing, she would hurt him, and after having hurt christian, she wanted to take a break from hurting people. “do you know where i am at this very moment, and why i’m calling you?” his voice came over the phone bright and ready for action. “no?” “i’m here in friedrichshain right in front of katja’s cake kitchen and just wanted to know if you go there sometimes?” “because of the name? nope, never.” “as usual i got lost, i was just in treptow, and suddenly i was biking right by here and then i thought, man, what a great time just to give you a call.” “well, that’s nice of you, super, it really makes my day.” “mine too!” “sooo ... how are you?” “super! absolutely excellent! if i were to die now, everything would be fine, since the last two months of my life were simply the most awesome two months of my life, and even if everything goes down the tubes again, i always will know, it was the most awesome time in my life. i share the coolest apartment with the coolest people, i bike all over the place, the sun is awesome, the city is awesome, nature is awesome, everything is awesome!” katja was suddenly filled with rage. although she actually liked anatol, and regardless of the fact that she currently didn’t have a particularly large group of social contacts, she decided to ban him from her inner circle for the time being. impossible to be friends with someone who is doing so awesomely well. even though she knew he had earned it, had had difficult times and been really down. underneath the surface of his euphoria, he was most certainly the saddest person in europe, and that really spoke in his favor. whatever! she hung up before he noticed anything. “vay alveys elon?” she couldn’t take care of everyone. she leaned back on the grass and then sat immediately bolt upright. dog piss must be in the grass right rachel halverson 159 behind her. she jumped up and put her hair to her nose. now even her hair smelled like it. “fuck. damn. why was everything always such a shitty pile of crap?” she was talking to herself. she saw other people who were lying on the short piece of lawn in front of the water. who were they? what did they all want? how did they explain the reasons for their existence on the face of the earth? did they ever even think about it? what did she herself even want? why had she even taken her cell phone with her again? exactly! what if everything would change due to her own initiative? a message to christian, unaltered, direct, without indecision and hesitation, simply throw everything into the ring, completely expose herself? she decided to send him the ultimate text message, now: “christian” or “dear christian”? a difficult decision since they had broken up so many years ago—, “christian, you are the only person i wasn’t lonely with.” lonely. she considered it a bit. a big word. but the truth. okay. or should it be: “with whom i wasn’t lonely?” of course she didn’t actually send the text, but she had never really expected that she would. she didn’t even type it into her cell phone. and she didn’t write it down anywhere either. she got on her bicycle and rode home, to moabit. the sun was shining, and she could understand anatol a tiny bit now, since it all actually was a bit awesome. ***** for german writer tobias hülswitt, it is the very ephemeral nature of human existence that relegates storytelling to a unique position in society, and the way in which stories are told reveals as much as the stories themselves. his short story “angel pool” (2011) is set in contemporary berlin, the capital of unified germany and home to a broad spectrum of humanity. in fact, the city’s international diversity, with residents from around the world, furnishes the multicultural context in which katja, the main character, works as a language instructor tasked with teaching german to the city’s ever increasing immigrant population. exchanges with her students from a variety of different countries and their difficulties comprehending the recurrent story they hear of germans dying alone force katja to contemplate her decision to end a ten-year relationship with christian and her current single status. the short story’s omniscient narrator artfully interweaves the life stories of katja’s students and of herr schaaß, one of 160 tobias hülswitt the subjects of christian’s ethnographic research project in transylvania, to establish a narrative frame to which katja’s reflections on her own life stand in stark contrast. in many respects, “angel pool” is representative of hülswitt’s growing body of work. in his four novels (saga [2000], ich kann dir eine wunde schminken [2004], der kleine herr mister [2006], and dinge bei licht [2008]), a co-edited volume of interviews werden wir ewig leben? gespräche über die zukunft von mensch und technologie (2010), and numerous essays and short stories, hülswitt, a 2001 graduate of the german literature institute at the university of leipzig, explores the human condition, and the characters in his works grapple with all dimensions of life, ranging from love and loss to life and death. central to each text are explorations of how stories are told, whether it be through direct comments by the protagonist on the narrative itself or the introduction of nonlinearity into the text reminding readers with each page they turn that they have entered a constructed world. characteristic of hülswitt’s approach to narration, the open ending of “angel pool” leaves readers with the sense that katja has discovered happiness in that one moment on the banks of angel pool, but it offers no conclusive indication of the course she will choose to take in life. her story, like those of the readers themselves, is one of a life in progress.9 r. h. 9 see hülswitt’s personal website for examples of his past, present, and future projects: http://www.tobiashuelswitt.com/. note from delos: the photograph of the angel pool in berlin is the work of rachel halverson, and is reproduced with her kind permission. http://www.tobiashuelswitt.com/ login | delos: a journal of translation and world literature main navigation main content sidebar current archives search subscribe toggle search register login search toggle navigation home login subscription or article purchase required to access 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home login subscription or article purchase required to access item. to verify subscription, access previous purchase, or purchase article, log in to journal. username password forgot your password? keep me logged in login register sidebar-links about overview editorial board contact contributors author guidelines submit subscribers subscribe/renew news sign-upnews sign-up issn: 0011-7951 eissn: 2573-5659   main office: 2046 ne waldo road suite 2100 gainesville, fl 32609 phone: 352-392-1351 email: journals@upress.ufl.edu navigation home search current archives subscribe login | delos: a journal of translation and world literature main navigation main content sidebar current archives search subscribe toggle search register login search toggle navigation home login subscription or article purchase required to access item. to verify subscription, access previous purchase, or purchase article, log in to journal. username password forgot your password? keep me logged in login register sidebar-links about overview editorial board contact contributors author guidelines submit subscribers subscribe/renew news sign-upnews sign-up issn: 0011-7951 eissn: 2573-5659   main office: 2046 ne waldo road suite 2100 gainesville, fl 32609 phone: 352-392-1351 email: journals@upress.ufl.edu navigation home search current archives subscribe nadia villafuerte casas translated from spanish by pennell somsen fantasy and representation. the first thought on seeing certain places sometimes comes from a previous image: stories read or seen in films can evoke a detached response. i have been a devoted reader of raymond carver, richard ford, richard yates, and john cheever, writers who have delved into specific american landscapes to give them their own character, miniatures in a parallel universe, that of fiction, where the tranquility and longed-for perfection of suburban life topples little by little when a keen look at the interior of the houses with porches and gardens captures small but decisive domestic ruptures (the cracked linoleum, the wallpaper, a light bulb in a bedroom, the noise of a sprinkler in the yard. it’s possible to travel the world by examining its objects and their qualities, and discovering the intrinsic relationship between them and the attitudes and feelings of those who own them). because space is a physical projection of human intention, a house becomes a map of life. to what degree do we subdue nature to create a building? how does a house, a neighborhood, and then the sum of many neighborhoods that make a city, speak of where and how we live? there is an unbreakable connection between a physical space and the person who occupies it. it isn’t necessary to be very perceptive to see that life plays out differently in a dark space where nylon curtains hung on rods separate makeshift rooms, than in moss-covered brownstones or in a garden apartment in an ordinary neighborhood—sometimes dismal, sometimes humid, sometimes burdened by the monotony of the running water infinitely multiplying its endless grayness. all buildings change their images according to who passes through them. at the brooklyn museum an exhibit presents various types of nineteenth-century houses from different parts of the united states. “since eternity was out of stock, ten thousand aging things have been amassed instead” (wislawa szymborska).1 the exhibit is called “playing house” and although it’s 1 szymborska, “museum,” in view with a grain of sand: selected poems (new york: harcourt brace, 1995), 11 (translator’s note). 162 nadia villafuerte technically perfect, a sense of desertion exists in the living rooms, the bedrooms, the kitchens, the great rooms, which all seem to be frozen in a remote age and at the same time disappearing into a sort of temporal limbo, where no human touch can disturb them. nothing moves, and beauty for the sake of beauty is a bit intimidating. “playing house” is domestic life suspended in time, a time that doesn’t know the disruption of a porcelain dish breaking, the dust in the rugs, the noise of a ceiling fan in the corridor. the houses that caught my attention were those of the south (georgia or alabama), with their pottery vases, bookshelves of rustic wood, matted photos on the wall, rugs of bland colors, formal placement of furniture (the chair against the window, the polished parquet of the living room, and the different textures of fabrics for beds and curtains.) before seeing the replicas in the museums, i had, in a way, known these houses through the stories of flannery o’connor, carson mccullers and tennessee williams. (have you ever lain under an opening in the roof from which it’s possible to see the stars? crickets and frogs singing and a great blackness surrounding you, and fireflies flickering far away over the cotton fields or in the cypresses?) their words have painted a picture in my head of clouds of cigar smoke drifting to the ceiling, the sound of the midnight train, and the 100 degrees of summer heat burning in the distance as if it were a mirage. i recognize these things neither by the buildings, nor by the odor of wood and mothballs in the closets, but by the people who live there and give meaning to the objects. this type of house—screened windows, hallways painted cobalt blue or pistachio green, a handmade chair of canary yellow—makes me think of small towns: people hardened in the fields, apparently placid people whose apathetic interiors burst forth only to yield simple stories: here where merely the whistle of a teapot on the stove tells you that something trivial or disastrous is about to happen. every place is political: on every corner you can see the economic, social, and cultural differences of any community. a place that is irrefutable proof of the feats of what we call progress and civilization also reveals the inequalities that so-called progress brings with it, the enormous rupture that civilization creates. i know that what i say is obvious, but i suspect that the boundaries we establish between the hierarchies of places are such that often we are incapable of pennell somsen 163 seeing past the edges of our own corners. to counterbalance this separation that limits us we seek out multiple experiences, to break up our routine and transform it, to elicit the search for an internal truth or a display of symbols that we impose on the place where we sleep and eat every day. we crowd together over the earth planting our flags in our own territories with such determination that we believe that all the odysseys have already been completed, that there is nothing left to conquer. we make it so that we don’t see our surroundings as vibrant, not until the eyes of strangers help us peel away the layers and see more clearly. the lethargy that accompanies this static way of being trivializes our daily life, the magnitude of all that surrounds us, and suddenly we have lost the old practice of exchanging stories, of telling anecdotes, of being affected by the daily routines that reveal to us the oddness of that other who travels by our side. (here, i’m putting a parenthesis, as i interrupt my journey. i have left lower manhattan and boarded the ferry. i should make clear that the visual perspective when you arrive in manhattan is the opposite of what it is when you leave it. you feel raised up like a flag while you’re on the sea, but the lightness is gone as soon as you set foot in manhattan and are cast into the streets that take you to wall street with its fanatical scream of triumphant capitalism. landing there i try to imagine the motivations of those who threw concrete and glass up into the sky: maybe they didn’t do it because the buildings appeared magnificent, daring, triumphant, but because the act itself was something absolutely useless for everyone, including the thousands of people who built it. once on land it’s likely that excitement will burst inside us and dissipate as soon as we get lost in the gleaming streets. the shadow of the skyscrapers is so vain and humiliating that its message is clear: it is better not to have ambitions in a city that can never be yours. on the return trip, going from manhattan to staten island, even your soul will take a seat to lose itself in the sensation of the water, sometimes green, other times grey or brown, always cold. in the boat, you’re free from the urban shores. on one side is new jersey, its buildings much less ostentatious and more industrial: on the other side is brooklyn, its hodgepodge of old brick buildings staring at the port. and, in this parenthesis that is the ferry, without a floor to cling to, at least i can’t think about anything. the craziness of people comes to a halt in this in164 nadia villafuerte between place and allows me to rest. the spray of salt water, the stumbling, the leaving and arriving from one piece of land to another create an illusion of a different type of understanding, one that is empty and silent, a silence that embodies my lungs, my liver. it is as if within me an impression in the form of an a opens until i can hear the faint creaking of the ferry landing, like the sound of a wooden crate breaking. without walls other than the shell of the ferry i am left to focus on the faces of the other travelers or to get lost in thought, abandoning the serviceable seat to let loose a vague idea in my subconscious. the murmur of different languages, those wild languages in which even curse words sound beautiful, the stink of contaminated water that wafts through the open partitions, whatever people are doing, reading magazines and newspapers, listening to music, checking their cellphones or walking or talking in the hallways, is eclipsed by this mist that surrounds our faces, faces of brick, legs like the sidewalks of hot granite where you can throw yourself into the crowd if you have the courage to do so. all of us in the ferry share the feeling of the common danger of being in the elements, of losing our way. past, present and future are mental states. there, in the ferry, even the things most real, most solid, the most loved and the most hated, aren’t more than shadows on the surface of the water that opens and at the same time sustains us.) much has been said regarding the influence of our surroundings on how we feel, but little of how they influence our ethical codes, of whether the eyes should or shouldn’t open and question what they see, because all that is outside, whether we like it or not, affects us. once you gloss over what makes you uncomfortable your vision becomes limited and you find it necessary to judge although you are judging only by appearances. after the ferry i need to take a bus. the types of people that get on and off vary depending on the neighborhoods. in st. george you see the multiracial bustle of the working class, most of them black, indian, or latino, and standing apart from them the angry white laborers. gallician construction workers, plumbers from veracruz, cashiers from madurai: citizens of colonized nations laboring in this thick substance we call destiny that doesn’t depend on an individual’s efforts, as we have claimed ad nauseam, but rather on other factors (mainly the ferocious economic system and good tips; at the end of the day this continues to be the richest country in the world.) pennell somsen 165 in the first stretch from st. george to richmond town road the houses are modest, unpretentious brick buildings, unadorned by gardens. the businesses announce themselves on their awnings, a hispanic restaurant, delis full of a mix of africans and dominicans, a laundry, a center for making and receiving phone calls and sending money to and from other countries. there are posters that not only decorate the walls but also defiantly claim the right to occupy public space. some closed-off streets serve as playgrounds for the children who kick balls and play after school in the dangerous light where everything is seen and, later, in the twilight where almost everything is hidden. then the sweaty children go to their warm houses with kitchens vibrant with disorder. i dare to guess that those who live in these houses express themselves in an uninhibited way, following their natural impulses. i also know that i have more prejudices than principles, and that the exercise of speculation is unreliable. halfway along the bus route going into historic richmond town, the view changes. this district of staten island is mostly white and very conservative. here, the upper middle class seem to have bestowed upon themselves the right to consider picturesque the surrounding neighborhoods inhabited by working people. between their skirts, the old victorians begin to display glimpses of their green gardens, with formal flower plots in colors both subtle and brilliant. in some gardens people have inscribed biblical quotations in stone; one psalm makes me wonder why on occasion people associate wealth with religion, and why these religious phrases engraved in the borders between one house and another inspire this thought: in the united states the most important religion is that of private property. as for the rest, the grand display of large porches, the facades of two stories with their airtight picture windows that provide protection from street noise,—they allow me to understand the unvarnished realism of american exteriors that edward hopper captured so well, as a means of looking at the emotional landscape, there where the cushioned sound of nothingness remains exposed thanks to the harshness of the light, the interiors and exteriors which in their abandonment or alienation appear sinister, disturbing. i get off at corbin street and walk toward elkhart. because it isn’t fully spring yet the trees are bare: showing their intricate branches, some are already beginning to bud. on walking 166 nadia villafuerte below the trees decorated by the whiteness of the sun, i think of the dry weeds on the high plateaus of ciudad juarez, where it is possible to find a spare part for a car next to the severed hand of a worker. the well-cut grass of the lawns in this middle-class neighborhood makes me think of the poorly paid undocumented workers who maintain them. then, those houses, the ones on arthur kill avenue, bring to mind the stories of yates and cheever: stories of employees of ford and chrysler with dreams that gradually faded because of the hideous imbalance hidden behind the efficiency of electricity. something in the way the houses are built makes me think of underground rumblings making them shudder from the weightiness of their importance. their sameness invites disaster. their order, their refinement, is also their mystery: there is in them a perception of peace that begs to be broken abruptly. it intrigues me to wander around the fronts of the houses, to feel the quiet that surrounds them, and to see what is revealed behind the curtains. they aren’t like the buildings of multihued red brick in the urban center, where the ceiling of one home is the floor of another, where the bedrooms back up to the next-door neighbor like open eyelids breaking the feeling of privacy. no. the houses of the suburbs, made like illustrations of children’s stories, have a glazed and hallucinatory quality because it’s difficult to enter them except in the imagination. a house is the most private place that exists. there could be something rotting on the patio that threatens the peace (there is the ear covered with ants in the first scene of david lynch’s blue velvet). or it could be that the washing machine sounds in the calm afternoon, without whoever dries the clothes ever having an epiphany. cars and bicycles are in the garages. here, very few people use public transportation and when they do they maintain control of it. there is something that seems bizarre about this way of living, with so much technology at our service. here, they use their cell phones to find out when the bus will arrive at the next stop. we press a button and begin to rely on our electronic gadgets to think for us, to remember for us. they are both our servants and our masters as we are theirs. it’s interesting to see the collective impatience at a bus stop. the gps is now the oracle that denies drivers and walkers the possibility of going in the wrong direction, and taking a journey during which instead of losing your way you learn something you didn’t know about pennell somsen 167 yourself, about others, or about what you carry with you. i’m not saying that i prefer a compass or an hourglass but i like the idea that taking the wrong road might lead me to tangled streets that cross and change in a barely noticeable way and surprise me with a shortcut, and i sometimes enjoy the adventure i’m led on when people give me wrong directions as a joke. the impossibility of controlling the clock so as not to be late seems like the best example that the physical world still has ways to impose its own rules on us. wandering without purpose continues to be, at least for me, a way to learn. (i’m lying a little. today i waited for a bus and was annoyed that i didn’t have the app that tells the time of arrival at the closest station: the delay was thirty minutes.) but i understand the following: the efficiency that the transit service attempts in this country isn’t for convenience but to avoid frustration at all costs. of course this perspective is one of a latin american woman who is becoming accustomed to the habits of the first world and modern life that have coined with desperation the words efficiency and control. i have forgotten to say that in whatever part of the world i identify much more with record players than with internet radio. my image of a country woman is full of pity and tenderness. i know, nevertheless, she has the quality of a person who is astonished by something she has never seen before, like someone who sees the ocean for the first time or who learns how to use an escalator at fifty years of age. there is a lot that is senseless about how dwellings fill up with things. things for everything, to put together and to take apart, objects to fill certainties and to alleviate fears that come more from beliefs than from emotions. objects that end up drugging our minds. little by little we lose our quiet inner life and agitate it so that it resembles the things that move outside of us. then life becomes less dangerous and more predictable, but that feeling of safety will never last too long. soon the sound of glass breaking behind the room you live in will disrupt everything. nobody guarantees us that behind these houses identical in form, different only for the type of flowers in the garden, so fragile that they can be uprooted by a hurricane, these unlikely houses of cards that appear to be superglued to the surface of a model—no one guarantees us that inside these houses there is no neurotic icepick, no depressed stove, no demented washing machine: up close no house is normal. and even more serious: if, as they say, things say more about us 168 nadia villafuerte than a confession, we have to take into account that our privacy is not safe, that our objects betray us in that place we call home; they are more than our effort to decorate the house to our liking. sliding back the bolt of a door, you can explore a sordid situation, a racist speculation, the insane discussion of why we hurt each others’ feelings, the lullaby of a licensed revolver, or a strange murmur longing to escape confinement, all demanding their quota of exposure to the elements. ***** the mexican author nadia villafuerte (b. 1978) has published two collections of short stories, barcos en houston (2005) and ¿te gusta el látex, cielo? (2008), and one novel por el lado salvaje (2011). her work has been included in the anthologies méxico 20, new voices, old traditions (pushkin press, 2015) and palabras mayores, nueva narrativa mexicana (malpaso ediciones, 2015), among others. her essay “casas” was originally published in the revista de la universidad de méxico 119 (january 2014), available online at http://www.revistadelauniversidad.unam.mx/ articulo.php?publicacion=86&art=2486. nadia villafuerte will receive her masters in creative writing in spanish at new york university in may, 2017. p. s. http://www.revistadelauniversidad.unam.mx/articulo.php?publicacion=86&art=2486 http://www.revistadelauniversidad.unam.mx/articulo.php?publicacion=86&art=2486 _goback login | delos: a journal of translation and world literature main navigation main content sidebar current archives search subscribe toggle search register login search toggle navigation home login subscription or article purchase required to access item. to verify subscription, access previous purchase, or purchase article, log in to journal. username password forgot your password? keep me logged in login register sidebar-links about overview editorial board contact contributors author guidelines submit subscribers subscribe/renew news sign-upnews sign-up issn: 0011-7951 eissn: 2573-5659   main office: 2046 ne waldo road suite 2100 gainesville, fl 32609 phone: 352-392-1351 email: journals@upress.ufl.edu navigation home search current archives subscribe login | delos: a journal of translation and world literature main navigation main content sidebar current archives search subscribe toggle search register login search toggle navigation home login subscription or article purchase required to access item. to verify subscription, access previous purchase, or purchase article, log in to journal. username password forgot your password? keep me logged in login register sidebar-links about overview editorial board contact contributors author guidelines 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current archives subscribe login | delos: a journal of translation and world literature main navigation main content sidebar current archives search subscribe toggle search register login search toggle navigation home login subscription or article purchase required to access item. to verify subscription, access previous purchase, or purchase article, log in to journal. username password forgot your password? keep me logged in login register sidebar-links about overview editorial board contact contributors author guidelines submit subscribers subscribe/renew news sign-upnews sign-up issn: 0011-7951 eissn: 2573-5659   main office: 2046 ne waldo road suite 2100 gainesville, fl 32609 phone: 352-392-1351 email: journals@upress.ufl.edu navigation home search current archives subscribe delos notes on contributors sylvie blumreid is a professor of french and film at the university of florida. she is the author of eastwest encounters: francoasian cinema and literature (london: wallflower press, 2003), and traveling in french cinema (palgrave/macmillan, 2015). her research and teaching interests include literature, travel narratives, photography, 1930s cinema and culture in france, expatriate female artists in the interwar period, culinary practices, and creative writing. she is currently offering a new class in writing and translation. she is a member of alcs, a union of writers in great britain. annette c. boehm is a bilingual poet and scholar from germany. she is the author of the poetry collection the knowledge weapon (bare fiction press, 2016) as well as the chapbook the five parts of love: confabulating sappho (dancing girl press, 2012). she serves as poetry reader for memorious: a journal of new verse and fiction and is a graduate of the center for writers at the university of southern mississippi. dorothy trench bonett is the translator of charles vii at the homes of his great vassals by alexandre dumas père (noble press, 1990). her translations of xu zhimo have previously appeared in delos, and she won an honorable mention in 2006 for the new england poetry club’s der hovanessian prize. she is currently seeking a publisher for broad sea and empty sky, a collection of translations of xu zhimo’s poetry which includes essays on his life and works. alex cigale’s first full book, russian absurd: daniil kharms, selected writings, came out in the northwestern world classics series in 2017. in 2015, he was awarded an nea fellowship in literary translation for his work on the poet of “the st. petersburg philological school,” mikhail eremin. his own poems in english have appeared in the colorado review, the common online, and the literary review, and translations of classic and contemporary russian poetry in harvard review online, the hopkins review, kenyon review online, modern poetry in translation, new england review, triquarterly, two lines, words without borders, and world literature today. he recently edited the russian issues of the atlanta review and trafika europe, 106 notes on contributors and is currently a lecturer in russian literature and language at queens college, cuny. david l. cooper is an associate professor at the university of illinois, urbana champaign, and a specialist in both czech and russian literatures. his research is in the areas of nationalism in literature, forgery and mystification, translation history and translation studies, and history of criticism. his monograph creating the nation: identity and aesthetics in early nineteenthcentury russia and bohemia (northern illinois university press, 2010) examined the emergence of the new paradigm of “national literature” and the role of literary intellectuals in developing new conceptions of national identity. david has published translations of slovak folktales and poetry and is currently completing a new translated edition of the poems of the czech nineteenthcentury forged manuscripts. his current book project, under the working title of the czech forged manuscripts: poetics, faith, and scholarship, examines this notorious case of literary forgery for what it can contribute to ongoing scholarly reevaluations of forgery in literature and history. jean harris is a novelist and translator who lives in bucharest, romania. she holds a phd in british and american literature from rutgers university (1983) and has published fiction, literary criticism, and psychoanalytic studies including the roots of artifice: a study in literary creativity with jay harris (human sciences press, 1981) and the oneeyed doctor: psychological origins of freud’s works with jay harris (jason aronson, 1984). she is the 2007– 2008 winner of the university of california, irvine’s international center for writing and translation’s annual translation grant for her translation of ştefan bănulescu’s “mistreţii erau blazi.” she directed the observer translation project (http: //translations .obervatorcultural .ro) which translated romanian fiction into 7 + languages monthly in 2008– 2009. she was the 2010 guest editor of absinthe 13: spotlight on romania and her translations have appeared in the guardian, the review of contemporary fiction, words without borders, jewish fiction, salmagundi, best european fiction, habitus: a diaspora journal, and yale’s margellos world republic of letters series. new directions published her translation of norman manea’s captives in 2014. her translation of the confession, a play by tatiana niculescu bran, will form the libretto for an opera (in composition) by jeremy gill. her translation of igor bergler’s novel the lost bible (editura rao) is under contract with trident media. she is currently translating w by stelian tanase. http://translations.obervatorcultural.ro delos 107 lola haskins has published twelve books of poetry and three of prose. her work has appeared in the atlantic, the christian science monitor, the london review of books, beloit poetry journal, georgia review, southern review, and elsewhere, and has been featured by two us poet laureates— billy collins and ted kooser— and appeared on poetry daily and verse daily. in addition, her poetry and commentaries have been broadcast on bbc and npr. among ms. haskins’ honors are the iowa poetry prize, two neas, two florida book awards, four florida state arts fellowships, and the emily dickinson prize from the poetry society of america. she has recently been named honorary chancellor of the florida state poets association. victor m. jordánorozco is a senior lecturer and coordinator of beginner’s spanish ii at the university of florida. he teaches language and literature classes at the undergraduate level, which include courses on colombia, his country of birth, and on the culture and civilization of spanish america. film is an integral part of these courses. he enjoys writing short stories and poetry. he has published three collections of poems: tremores (2007), amores: de la passion a la nostalgia (2014), and re/fracciones: cantos y cánticos desde acá (2017), and a collection of short stories: provocaciones: relatos breves (2015). tsipi keller was born in prague, raised in israel, studied in paris, and has been living in the u.s. since 1974. novelist and translator and the author of eleven books, she is the recipient of several literary awards, including national endowment for the arts translation fellowships, new york foundation for the arts fiction grants, and an armand g. erpf translation award from columbia university. her translations have appeared in literary journals and anthologies in the u.s. and in europe, as well as in the posen library of jewish culture and civilization (yale university press, 2012). her most recent translation collections are: erez bitton’s you who cross my path (boa editions, 2015), and david avidan’s futureman (phoneme media, 2017). currently, she is translating the diaries of lea goldberg, published by sifriat poalim-hakibbutz hameuchad in 2005. daniel kennedy is an irishborn translator currently based in rennes, france. he is a twotime translation fellow at the yiddish book center, and his translations from the yiddish have appeared in pakn treger and in geveb. he is a founding editor of farlag press, a nonprofit collective specializing in smaller languages. his website is: danielkennedy .weebly .com 108 notes on contributors dr. maria khotimsky is a lecturer and russian language coordinator in the department of global studies and languages at the massachusetts institute of technology. her research interests include the history of literary translation in russia, the silver age of russian literature, contemporary russian poetry, and literary institutions. her recent work includes articles and conference talks on the ideology of translation in the soviet union, and the poetics of translation in the works of several leading twentiethcentury russian poets. she is a coeditor (together with stephanie sandler, margarita krimmel, and oleg novikov) of an anthology of articles devoted to olga sedakova’s poetics (forthcoming, university of wisconsin press, 2019). elizabeth lowe translates from spanish and portuguese. her translations of brazilian fiction were recognized by a lifetime achievement award from the brazilian academy of letters and her translation of j.p. cuenca’s novel, the only happy ending for a love story is an accident, was on the long list for the 2015 impac award. she is professor of translation studies at new york university and founder of the center for translation studies at the university of illinois. derick mattern holds an mfa in literary translation from the iowa translation workshop, where he was an iowa arts fellow, and another in poetry from the university of wisconsinmadison. an nea fellow in literary translation, his translations of haydar ergülen’s work have appeared widely, in world literature today, modern poetry in translation, asymptote, and elsewhere. azade seyhan is the fairbank professor in the humanities and professor of german and comparative literature at bryn mawr college. she has published and lectured widely on german romanticism and idealism, heinrich heine, exile literature, critical theory, and turkish literature. her most recent book is tales of crossed destinies: the modern turkish novel in a comparative context (new york: mla, 2008), which was translated into turkish in 2014. login | delos: a journal of translation and world literature main navigation main content sidebar current archives search subscribe toggle search register login search toggle navigation home login subscription or article purchase required to access item. to verify subscription, access previous purchase, or purchase article, log in to journal. username password forgot your password? keep me logged in login register sidebar-links about overview editorial board contact contributors author guidelines submit subscribers subscribe/renew news sign-upnews sign-up issn: 0011-7951 eissn: 2573-5659   main office: 2046 ne waldo road suite 2100 gainesville, fl 32609 phone: 352-392-1351 email: journals@upress.ufl.edu navigation home search current archives subscribe tibullus elegies book 1 1.1-28 translated from latin by shaina m. anderson divitias alius fulvo sibi congerat auro et teneat culti iugera multa soli, quem labor adsiduus vicino terreat hoste, martia cui somnos classica pulsa fugent: me mea paupertas vita traducat inerti, dum meus adsiduo luceat igne focus. ipse seram teneras maturo tempore vites rusticus et facili grandia poma manu; nec spes destituat, sed frugum semper acervos praebeat et pleno pinguia musta lacu. nam veneror, seu stipes habet desertus in agris seu vetus in trivio florida serta lapis, et quodcumque mihi pomum novus educat annus, libatum agricolae ponitur ante deo. flava ceres, tibi sit nostro de rure corona spicea, quae templi pendeat ante fores, pomosisque ruber custos ponatur in hortis, terreat ut saeva falce priapus aves. vos quoque, felicis quondam, nunc pauperis agri custodes, fertis munera vestra, lares. tunc vitula innumeros lustrabat caesa iuvencos, nunc agna exigui est hostia parva soli. agna cadet vobis, quam circum rustica pubes clamet “io messes et bona vina date.” iam modo iam possim contentus vivere parvo nec semper longae deditus esse viae, sed canis aestivos ortus vitare sub umbra arboris ad rivos praetereuntis aquae. latin text from j. p. postgate, tibulli aliorumque carminum libri tres (oxford: oxford up, 1915). shaina anderson 81 let another man heap up riches with gleaming gold, let him possess many acres of cultivated soil, let relentless toil frighten away one with an enemy lying near, let blaring war-trumpets invade one’s slumber. let my humble means lead me through a quiet existence, as long as my hearth glows with a persistent fire. let me, as a farmer, sow delicate grape-vines in proper season, let me plant magnificent saplings with effortless caress: let hope not falter, but let the harvests of fruit continuously abound and fresh wine overflow from a brimming vat. for i am reverent, in fields where reside a neglected tree-trunk or ancient stone, at a cross-roads abloom with offerings, and whatsoever specimen of tree the new year matures for me, it is placed as an offering before the divinity of cultivation. golden-locked ceres, let hang a crown of wheaten spikes made from my countryside, on the front doors of the temple. and let ruddy-faced priapus be stationed in the fruit-gardens, so that as a guard he intimidates the birds with his savage scythe, you too, as guardians of once-prosperous land, now receive our gift of a small crop, household lares. then, the sacrificial calf was purifying countless young bulls, now, the ewe is a slender sacrifice from my little portion of land: the ewe will take the fall for us, around whom let the rustic youths invoke: “oh, bequeath great harvests and great wine!” now, if only i am content to subsist by modest means, not perpetually given over to a long life… but let me avoid the summer heat of the rising dog-star, under the shadow of a tree, near streams of trickling water! ***** the soldier and poet albius tibullus was born east of rome in pedum or gabii between 60-55 bce. according to an epigram attributed to domitius marsus, tibullus died sometime after vergil’s death in 19 bce. the first book of his corpus was written around 27 bce and was associated closely with his patron, the general and orator, valerius mesalla corvinus, and a group of fellow poets including gallus, catullus, propertius, and ovid. they emulated the 6-5th century bce greek lyric poets, and wrote in the 82 tibullus meter of elegiac couplets used by callimachus, a 3rd century bce hellenic scholar from cyrene. the first line in an elegiac couplet is in the meter of epic poetry, the dactyl hexameter, followed by the second in pentameter verse comprised of two 2.5-dactyl-units separated by a diaresis, which permits a strong break in sense. elegiac meter represents a deliberate and emphatic turn from the hexameter verse of epic poetry and its weighty themes of war and history, and heavy didacticism to elegiac themes of roman poetry. the elegiac genre features highly personal and reflexive expressions of invective, lamentation, and unrequited romantic love, often in pastoral and rustic settings, and features “learned” or “alexandrian” allusions. tibullus’s corpus is well-known known for the influence of vergil’s eclogues and georgics, which feature idyllic pastoral settings. in particular, poem 1.10 is shrouded in mournful anticipation of leaving the beloved countryside for his first military campaign. tibullus expresses vehement distaste for military service and the acquisition of material goods or “war-plunder” as a means to personal wealth and societal prestige. thus, his poetry is heavily entrenched in the belief that wealth leads to the degradation of morality and romantic love, which is already evident in the beginning lines of book one. a few lines posed particular challenges in my translation of 1.1. in line 8, i translate the reference to the cultivation of crops, “facili… manu,” which is literally “with an easy hand” as “with a careful caress.” the poet is conveying the cultivation or nourishment of the crops, and so the manu or “hand” represents the gentle touch of the hand that cares physically for the plants. in line 22, i chose an idiomatic translation, “the ewe will take the fall/die for us” rather than the literal “the ewe will be sacrificed/atone for us (for our wrongdoing).” the idiom is less passive in nature which conveys a dual active/passive nature of the verbal action. according to roman religious rites, an animal must demonstrate a willing and calm demeanor (albeit, anthropomorphic) to be considered fit for sacrifice. in this regard, the english idiom captures the active and passive sense of the latin verb. for tibullus’ repetition of words or anaphora, i adhered to the sense of the verbal imagery: i translate the terreat on line 3 as “frighten” due to the sense of potential violence from an intruder or robber, while the second instance of the same verb in line 18 pertains to the passive intimidation of the scarecrow in the rusticus’ garden. in roman times, the physical manifestation of shaina anderson 83 the mythological character priapus was often featured in gardens as a little painted red statue functioning as a scarecrow. the act of swinging a saeva falce or “savage scythe” toward an intruder in the garden has undertones of violence and rape, but the action is passive because the statue does not move. a metrical sense break occurs at the precise textual moment the violent harvest instrument is described: when reading aloud in meter, the reader pauses naturally as the imagery synchronizes a metrical “hiccup” that mimics the unexpected nature of surprise. s. m. a. _goback 1 benjamin hebblethwaite, arabic lexical borrowings in german rap lyrics: religious, standard and slang lexical semantic fields introduction this essay introduces the arabic lexical field in german rap lyrics. the topic is understudied in the german scholarly literature and there are only a handful of articles that explore arabic influences in urban german. the matter is scarcely known among english readers. partly rooted in jamaican toasting, the rap and hip-hop musical genre emerged in the 1970s in new york city (chang 2005). hip-hop music is comprised of an instrumental track called a “beat” and a lyrical track called “rapping.” rapping is a lyrical form that uses poetic techniques to create an exciting rhythmic verbal flow for the delivery of “raps” which are poetic narratives. the poetic techniques include assonance, alliteration, rhyming, chopping, and acceleration, among others. hip-hop music spread from the united states to france and germany in the mid-1980s and has become a behemoth of their respective music industries since the mid-1990s. in germany, the descendants of arabic-speaking or muslim immigrants (i.e. turkish, bosnian, iranian, etc.), have become a significant presence in the genre over the last two decades. arabic lexical influences are increasing. the arabic lexicon in german rap lyrics can be divided into the religious, the everyday standard, and arabic slang based on the semantic fields displayed in rap texts themselves. of course many arabic words in german are related to regional varieties of arabic, but that is a topic beyond the scope of this essay. some commentators, including rappers, use terms like “kiezdeutsch,” “kanak sprak” or “kanakisch” in reference to the urban multi-ethnic german varieties (freywald et al 2011:45). i will refer to the language of the german rap lyrics, however, as “urban german vernacular” as it is the most straightforward expression in english. among the 27 nations of the european union, arabic speakers make up 0.9% of the total population and arabic is the 20th most common language based on european commission data from 2012.1 the percentage of adults who speak arabic as a native or learned language is 0.45% of germany’s population and arabic is the 13th ranked language.2 with regard to speakers of turkish, at 2.67% of the population (5th ranked), insofar as they are muslim, they are important for arabic language contact in terms of the islamic arabic lexical field 1 based on data collected by the european commission: http://languageknowledge.eu/countries/eu27 2 based on data collected by the european commission: http://languageknowledge.eu/countries/germany hebblethwaite 113 2 in urban vernacular german.3 in austria, arabic speakers only make up 0.28% of the population (ranked 21st) while turkish speakers are 1.74% (ranked 7th). as germany accepts an unprecedented 800,000 refugees from war-torn parts of the arab world in 2015 alone (lyman et al. 2015), arabic language and cultural contact will have magnified importance in the coming years. arabic speakers represent half of a percent in germany; however, arabic-borrowings are common in rap lyrics composed by muslims, whether arabic speakers or not. the 4,119,000 muslims in germany form 5% of the population. there are 475,000 muslims in austria, representing 5.7% of the population (rogers 2011)4. in germany and austria, the parents and families of rappers or the rappers themselves have roots in muslim-majority countries including turkey (alpa gun, eko fresh), iran (pa sports, fard, nazar), afghanistan (sadiq), ethiopia (ammar114), morocco (dú maroc, abdi, farid bang), algeria (al-gear), iraq and kurdish regions (azad, kurdo, haftbefehl, kc rebell), bosnia (celo), lebanon (motrip), palestine (massiv), syria (abu abiat), and other countries. to give the reader some perspective, it is fair to say that a significant minority of rappers in germany have muslim heritage. most muslim or muslim-heritage rappers in germany draw upon the arabic lexical field, to greater or lesser degrees, to attain different effects in their texts. as islam’s sacred language, arabic provides a shared linguistic culture among muslims of any background. since all khoutba (sermons) in languages other than arabic necessarily include extensive arabic language recitations from the qur’an and the hadith, in addition to many single word arabic borrowings or expressions inserted into the sermon, muslims of any language background who frequent a mosque will gradually acquire a range of arabic religious terminology. therefore, the observance of islam, and the centrality of arabic in the religion, form major influences that help explain the salience of this lexical field in german rap. as a religion associated with immigrants and their descendants, and one that suffers from a degree of suspicion and marginalization in germany, the employment of arabic terms in urban vernacular german represents an attempt to reverse arabic’s precariousness. drawing on islam and arabic, rappers assert a form of covert prestige that defends and asserts the muslim faith, language, and identity. 3 turkish-speakers also contribute many lexical items from turkish into urban vernacular german and rap lyrics, but that is not my focus here. see: http://languageknowledge.eu/countries/germany 4 http://www.theguardian.com/news/datablog/2011/jan/28/muslim-populationcountry-projection-2030 114 delos 3 domains of borrowing and illustrations from german arabic lexical items lend themselves to categorization in three overarching lexical fields, the religious, the everyday standard, and slang. the religious lexical field is primarily composed of arabic islamic words and represents a large portion of the borrowings in german and french urban vernaculars. the lexical semantic field of religion is famously influential and resilient in language contact situations, including under severe conditions of duress (holm 2000:114). for example, in spite of haitian vodou’s illegality and suppression under french colonialism, the religion’s lexical semantic field survives robustly. obstacles to economic opportunities and social assimilation, combined with the perception that european secularist policies discriminate against muslims, drives many young muslims to reactively accentuate religious values in their speech, including in rap (béthune 2004:122; boniface and médine 2012:64, 103). the nonreligious lexical semantic fields, for their part, are discernable in the form of everyday words from the standard in addition to nonstandard slang expressions. the nonreligious lexical fields include food items, professions, sexuality and romance, drugs and alcohol, vulgarity, criminality, and many others. rap lyrics and linguistics: how arabic is used in german rap rap lyrics are not a spontaneous record of speech varieties but they provide a synchronic record of a representation of urban vernaculars. members of the arabic speaking second generation and muslims familiar with the arabic islamic lexical field have established a significant position in the german rap market. today rap music accounts for a startling share of european music sales. the large audience that rap albums reach must be impacted by the diffusion of novel lexical items from the urban vernaculars. for researchers living outside of the german-speaking parts of europe, a valuable tool for gaining preliminary insights into the evolution of urban vernaculars over the last two and a half decades has been via recordings from the rap music genre. from the margins of european society, the offspring of immigrants – or immigrants themselves – have championed rap music. although rap still has an underground element, the genre has become increasingly popular to the extent that rap albums routinely dominate album sales across genres in germany. in order to illustrate arabic borrowings in german rap, i propose two approaches. first, the rap text below illustrates some of the ways that rappers make use of the arabic islamic lexical semantic field. second, a selection of arabic borrowings in their sentential context as found on a sampling of german rap albums that date from 2008-2015 will provide a broad perspective. the song below is entitled amin by pa sports, featuring alpa gun, a bonus track on the album, h.a.z.e. (2014). pa sports, from an hebblethwaite 115 4 iranian family, and alpa gun, from a turkish family, deliver a song that expresses an array of islamic concepts using arabic borrowings or german translations of muslim concepts. this song stands out for its religiosity among the recordings of both these artists who typically do not dwell so deeply on the theme of religion: 1. hand aufs herz, du musst die augen öffnen, honestly, you need to open your eyes, 2. doch menschen glauben nur das an was sie glauben möchten. yet people only believe in what they would like to believe. 3. halt dich an allah und an seinem seil fest, hold tight onto allah and his rope, 4. was für eine dünya dieses leben ist nur ein test. as for this dunya, this life is but a test. 5. ich sage audhu billah und nehm mein abdest. i say audhubillah and do my ritual washing. 6. ja allah halt mich gegenüber sünden standfest. ya allah, keep me strong against sin. 7. ich bin kein heuchler und will mich nicht begründen i am no hypocrite and i don’t want to explain 8. weil ich auch nur ein mensch bin wie du, ich bin nicht sündenfrei. because i’m just human like you, i am not without sin. 9. halt dir vor augen, eines tages wirst du begraben; keep it in mind, one day you will be buried; 10. was am ende bleibt sind die schlechten und die guten taten. what remains in the end are good and bad deeds. 11. ob sunnite oder shia wir sind eine ummah, whether sunni or shia, we are all one ummah, 12. und wer was anderes sagt, bruder, der hat keinen schimmer. and who says something else, brother, hasn’t the faintest idea. 13. lass dich nicht vom teufel und der fitna leiten, don’t let yourself be led by the devil and fitna, 14. wir sind eins und das müssen wir unseren kindern zeigen. we are one and we should show that to our children. 15. tagtäglich sterben brüder in palestine, everyday brothers die in palestine, 16. doch ich sag jeden tag ja allah ja kerim. still i say everyday oh allah, oh generous one. 17. es ist die habgier und die missgunst die menschen zu tieren macht, it is greed and distrust that turn people into animals, 116 delos 5 18. mein bruder, aber nicht uns, was auch passiert, lass nie die hoffnung los, my brother, but not us, whatever happens, don’t let go of hope, 19. behalte eins in deinem kopf bruder, gott ist groß! keep this in your mind, brother, god is great! refrain 20. ich bete nicht für hölle oder paradies, i don’t pray for hell or paradise, 21. sondern weil du würdig bist, darum fall’ ich auf die knie. but because you are worthy, i fall to my knees. 22. wenn du willst sind wir morgen schon tot. if you wish it, then by morning we are dead. 23. nur durch den mensch kam der zorn in dir hoch. it is because of man that your anger is so great. 24. ich bete nicht für hölle oder paradies, i don’t pray for hell or paradise, 25. sondern weil du würdig bist, darum fall ich auf die knie. but because you are holy, i fall to my knees. 26. ich glaub an dich und warte auf den tag der abrechnung, i believe in you and i wait for the day of judgment, 27. der rest ist alles ablenkung, amin! everything else is diversion, amen! 28. ja stimmt, die drogen machen süchtig, es tut mir leid. i agree, the drugs produce addiction, i’m sorry to say. 29. bitte verzeih mir herr, ich habe gesündigt. please forgive me lord, i have sinned. 30. ich habs bereut und darum geh ich jetzt den geraden weg. i regret it and that’s why i’m now taking the straight path. 31. 5 mal am tag knie ich vor dir und mache meine gebet. 5 times per day i kneel before you and say my prayer. 32. ich bring die schahada auch wenn die meisten es nicht so sehen: i also proclaim the shahada when most wouldn’t say it: 33. es gibt keiner gott ausser gott und muhammed ist sein prophet. there is no god but god and muhammad is his prophet. 34. ich glaub daran und gehe jeden freitag in die moschee i believe in that and go to the mosque each friday hebblethwaite 117 6 35. und, bruder, falls du es nicht tust dann ist das dein problem. and, brother, if you do not do it, then that’s your problem. 36. die säulen des islams faszinieren mich. the pillars of islam fascinate me. 37. viele sagen sie sind muslime, doch praktizieren nicht; many say they are muslims, but don’t practice; 38. sie kiffen, trinken alkohol und machen draussen fitna, they smoke hash, drink alcohol and create fitna, 39. sie heucheln rum und benehmen sich wie ein haufen wixxer. they spread gossip and carry themselves like scum. 40. ich mach mein ramadan und wenn ich kann geb ich mein zekat, i do my ramadan and when i can, i give my zakat, 41. falls ich es schaffe will ich irgendwann mal auch nach mekka. if i can make it, i want to go to mecca sometime. 42. glaub mir, der mensch will nach einem gewissen alter chill’n, believe me, people want to chill out until a certain age, 43. doch es gilt nicht das was wir wollen, sondern was allah will. but it doesn’t matter what we want, but what allah wants. 44. manchmal läuft in diesem leben alles nicht rund, many times in this life things don’t go well, 45. doch fühl dich nicht alleine djane. but don’t feel alone, johnny. 46. gott ist mit uns, glaub mir, hab’ vertrauen und lass nicht die hoffnung los. god is with us, believe me, have confidence and don’t let go of hope. 47. vergiss eine sache nie bruder, gott ist groß! don’t forget one thing, brother, god is great!5 there are 17 different arabic words in this german rap text and they are all from the islamic lexical field: allah, dünya, audhu billah, ya allah, sunnite, shia, ummah, fitna, ya allah ya kerim, amin, schahada, moschee, muslime, fitna, ramadan, zekat and mekka. in general, even though many arabic borrowings in rap texts come from the islamic semantic field, there are also many non-religious borrowings. pa sports’ song has a strong religious theme, thus the islamic emphasis. several of the items in the text above belong to a layer of arabic borrowings that already has a longstanding presence in german such as allah, sunite, shia, amin, moschee, muslime, ramadan, and the toponym, mekka. the other expressions, dünya, audhu billah, ummah, fitna, ya allah ya kerim, schahada and zekat, are not recognized by most germans. these terms are well known, 5 german text transcribed by ahmet aktas and translated by benjamin hebblethwaite. 118 delos 7 however, among german muslims and muslims worldwide. dünya refers to this mundane world; audhu billah means ‘i seek refuge in allah’; the expression ya allah ya kerim with two instances of the vocative ya, ‘oh allah, oh noble (one)’; ummah ‘the global community of muslims’; fitna ‘strife’; schahada ‘the testimony of faith’; and zakat ‘charitable giving.’ in addition to the layers of arabic lexical borrowings, the song also expresses aspects of islamic tradition in german translation. there are several examples that are worth noting. line four includes the phrase, dieses leben ist nur ein test. the notion that life is god’s test of humankind’s righteousness or lack thereof is a fundamental outlook in islam (ünal 2013:464). in islam, our lives are tests that culminate in ultimate accountability. this takes form in the concept of the “day of judgement” which appears in two parts of the song in german translation, in line 10 as, was am ende bleibt sind die schlechten und die guten taten, illustrating the belief that each human will be judged for his or her good and bad deeds, and in line 26 where the day of judgment is made explicit: ich glaub an dich und warte auf den tag der abrechnung. the ideology of the family, reflected in a brotherhood and sisterhood relation among muslims, is expressed in german with mein bruder in line 18. several islamic notions appear in german translation including gott (line 19), hölle (line 20) and paradies (line 20). the characteristic attention to death as a reminder for how to live morally is reflected in lines 22, wenn du willst sind wir morgen schon tot. the notion of sin and repentance (tawba) are reflected in line 29, bitte verzeih mir herr, ich habe gesündigt. similarly, the qur’anic notion of the siraat al-moustaqim (the straight path) is expressed in german in line 30: darum geh’ ich jetzt den geraden weg. the islamic tradition that requires muslims pray five times a day is found in line 31: 5 mal am tag knie ich vor dir. in line 32 the shahada ‘testimony of faith’ is followed by the german translation of islam’s fundamental statement of faith: es gibt kein gott ausser gott und muhammed ist sein prophet (la ilaha illallah wa muhammadur rasulullah). finally, the sunnah obligation of attending the friday sermon and prayer at a mosque are drawn upon, ich glaub daran und gehe jeden freitag in die moschee (34). an enthusiastic reference to the (five) pillars of islam is made, die säulen des islams faszinieren mich (36), and two qur’anic expressions in german translation serve as the song’s peroration, gott ist mit uns (46) (from allahu ma’na, see qur’an 9:36) and the song’s closing words, gott ist groß! (47) (from the praise expression and exclamative, allahu akbar). the text provided above illustrates the fusion of the islamic tradition with the german rap music genre. songs that delve so deeply into the islamic lexical-semantic field are relatively uncommon. however, there are nevertheless handfuls of interesting arabic borrowings on many german rap albums, especially ones released by hebblethwaite 119 8 arabic-heritage or muslim rappers. there is also some borrowing of arabic words among non-arabic speaking and non-muslim heritage rappers, but it occurs on a smaller scale. below is a short selection of arabic borrowings in their sentential context as found on a sampling of german rap albums. the religious lexical field, coded as (r), is common in german hip-hop lyrics. in addition, the presence of non-religious arabic slang expressions (s) and everyday standard arabic (e) is also significant: abyat (m.) or baida (f.) ‘white, i.e. cocaine’ sorry, herr kommissar, ich weiß es ist strafbar. doch letzte nacht war ich mit marocs auf baida. schweißtest durchgefallen, kokain im blut. sorry, officer, i know it is punishable. however, last night i was with my moroccan friends on cocaine. i failed the drug swipe test, cocaine in my blood.6 (s) ahlan wa sahlan ‘hello and welcome’ aber du mein freund wirst leider nie so wie ich, zu sensibel wie eine klitoris. ahlan wa-sahlan, heiß dich willkommen! but you my friend will unfortunately not become like me, as sensitive as a clitoris. hello and welcome, bid you welcome.7 (e) ajnabe (ajnabi) ‘foreigner’ ich bin ein ajnabe. i am a foreigner.8 (e) akhi ‘my brother’ jeder schüttelt hände für’s business, akhi, achtung, schlangen sind giftig. everyone shakes hands for his business, my brother, watch out, snakes are poisonous.9 (s) al fatiha ‘the opening (sura 1 of the qur’an)’ mama weint und ich bete das al-fātiḥa. mama weeps and i pray al-fatiha.10 (r) al-ain ‘the evil eye’ jeder dritte macht aib11, jeder zweite al-ain. one in three makes mistakes, one in two makes the evil eye.12 (e) astaghfirullah (estagfurullah) ‘i pray to god for forgiveness’ gewalt und konsum – astaghfirullah! vorbestraft und illegal – astaghfirullah! die sünde schmeckt süß – astaghfirullah! ein weltbild voll hass – ratatata! violence and consumerism – i pray to god for forgiveness! previous conviction and illegal i pray to god for forgiveness! the sin tastes sweet i pray to god for forgiveness! a world image filled with hate – ratatat!13 (r) dajjāl ‘dajjaal, i.e. a satanic figure of islamic eschatology’ brüder ficken mit dem dajjāl. estagfurullah. brother, fuck with the deceiver. forgive me god.14 (r) 6 olexesh, arschkontrolle (2015) 7 fard, huckleberry finnphase (2015). 8 hamad 45, ajnabe (2014). 9 fard, traumfängerphase (mezzanin) (2015). 10 fard, al-fatiha (2015). 11 the word aib is turkish for "mistakes" (see the notes for massiv, feat. celo & abdi, intifada ghettolied (2013) on www.genius.com). 12 massiv, feat. celo & abdi, intifada ghettolied (2013). 13 snaga & fard, astaghfirullah (2014). 14 haftbefehl, engel im herz, teufel im kopf (2014). 120 delos 9 dschinn ‘spirit [jinn]’ meine welt ist dunkel, sprech' mit fäusten wie ein pantomim. mit dem dschinn in der hand (ah, ah), so wie aladdin. my world is dark, speak with ghosts like a pantomime. with the jinn in my hand (ah, ah) just like aladdin.15 (r) flous ‘money’ aber egal, mir geht es gut. immer noch probleme aber hauptsache flous. in any case, things are going well. still there are problems as always, but there is money.16 (s) habibi ‘beloved’ habibi komm ich zeig’ dir was auf der straße geht. beloved, come i’ll show you what’s going on in the street.17 (e) hadjibart ‘long beard worn by someone who completed the hajj to mecca’ tragen ein hadjibart. wear a hadj beard18 (r) halal ‘halal, i.e. permissible in sharia law’ damals schwarzgeld, illegal, heute halal money legal. previously ill-gotten money, illegality, today, halal money, legality.19 (r) hamdulillah ‘thanks be to god’ hamdulillah, mir geht es gut. thanks be to god, all is well with me.20 (r) harami ‘transgressor’ slumdog harami, passport: almani. slumdog transgressor, passport: german21 (r) iblis ‘ibliss’ (one of the jinn in the qur’an) sorry, das war nicht ich, sondern iblis. sorry, that wasn’t me but ibliss.22 (r) iftar ‘iftar, i.e. meal after sundown during ramadan.’ pismams sind hungrig wie auf iftar, click bam. cousins are hungry like at iftar, click bam.23 (r) inch’allah ‘god willing’ bald kommt dein album, inshallah altun.24 soon your album will drop, god willing gold.25 (r) jumu’a ‘friday’ auf’m weg zum jumu’a gebet. on the way to friday prayers.26 kahba ‘whore, slut, ho’ kahbas schrei’n, wenn wir vorbeifahr’n, sahbi. whores scream when we drive by, brother. (s) khoya ‘brother, dude, man’ khoya, das hier ist mein leben und vielleicht werd’ ich erwischt. man, this is my life and maybe i’ll be caught.27 (s) lak ‘dude, dawg’ lak, der marokkaner tickt stoff. dawg, the moroccan deals in powder.28 (s) 15 fard, keine harmonie (2015). 16 al-gear, aber egal (2014). 17 fard, habibi music (2008). 18 automatikk, feat. kurdo, ghettopräsident (2014). 19 kurdo, 7halal (2015). 20 massiv, ein mann ein wort 2 (2015). 21 hamad 45, mantika (2014). 22 haftbefehl, engel im herz, teufel im kopf (2014). 23 kurdo, meine welt (2014). 24 the word altun comes from the kurdish word for “gold.” 25 kurdo, halbmond (2015). 26 massiv, feat. celo & abdi, intifada ghettolied (2013). 27 al-gear, multikriminell (2014). hebblethwaite 121 10 mantika ‘sphere’ in meiner mantika. in my sphere.29 (e) maskhara ‘filthy’ deutscher rap ist maskhara. german rap is filthy.30 (e) mekka ‘mecca’ bete richtung mekka und sterbe als moslem. pray in the direction of mecca and die as a muslim.31 (r) nargila ‘water pipe’ lieben schnelle autos, den rauch von nargila. love fast cars, the smell of a water pipe.32 (e) ro ‘bro’ es bleibt wie es ist, ro, weiter haram-para. it stays what it is, bro, simply money gained from illicit means.33 (s) sahbi ‘friend’ meine welt ist parallel, fick das parlament, euros und karamell, lambos und panamera, europa alarme, ghetto, ghetto sahbi “my world is parallel, fuck the parliament, euros and caramel, lambos and panamera, europe alarm, ghetto, ghetto, friend.34 (e) seytan (sheytaan) ‘satan’ generation estagfurulla was sehe ich nur? brüder dreh'n durch, wählen seytan statt religion. der teufel holt auch dich, bietet geld und ruhm. generation forgive me is all i see? brother get over it, they choose satan over religion. the devil brings for you, offers money and fame.35 (r) tijara ‘business, (illicit) trade’ ich bin star in europa, du machst tijara minimal. i’m a star in europe, you make minimal business.36 (s) wallah ‘i swear’ wallah diese tabakjoints kann ich ma garnet leiden. i swear i can’t stand these tobacco joints.37 (r) ya latif ‘softy, a weak person’ du willst beef, ya latif, komm hol mir deine clique gleich mit. you want beef, oh softy, come get me with your whole clique.38 (e) zamzam ‘zamzam spring near mecca, considered holy in islam.’ ich schlürf’ wasser vom zamzam-brunnen, du den fotzenschleim von gangbang-nutten. i slurp water from the springs of zamzam, you the pussy mucus from gangbanged whores.39 (r) this short list of arabic lexical borrowings found on german rap albums signals the use of several lexical fields. the most important is the religious (r) lexical field with 15/32 lexical items. terms from every day (e) standard arabic comprise 9/32 lexical items. slang expressions (s) are also important with 8/32 items. the total number of 28 massiv, feat. celo & abdi, intifada ghettolied (2013). 29 hamad 45, mantika (2014). 30 chaker, citycode (2014). 31 hamad 45, ajnabe (2014). 32 kurdo, gauads (2015). 33 celo & abdi, innenstadt unzensiert (2011). 34 kurdo, meine welt (2015). 35 celo & abdi, feat. capo, parallelen united remix 2 (2012). 36 haftbefehl, ich rolle mit meim besten (2014). 37 celo, para miet amnezia (2011). 38 proph, p zum dem roph (2015). 39 kurdo, 7halal (2015). 122 delos 11 lexical items in this short glossary is a mere 32 different arabic words. such a small corpus is far from representative; nevertheless, based on my study of german rap and as an approximate indicator, the borrowings do roughly reflect the major arabic lexical fields present in german-language rap lyrics. discussion on arabic borrowings in german rap this essay briefly introduces the topic of arabic lexical borrowing as found in german rap lyrics. arabic speakers and muslims familiar with the islamic lexical-semantic field have been settling in germany in significant numbers since the end of world war ii. in 2014 and 2015, germany absorbed close to one million arabic speaking and muslim refugees as a consequence of the massive wars that have engulfed syria, iraq, afghanistan, and libya since the interventions and occupations of the united states and other western powers began in 2003. the settlement of arabic speaking and muslim refugees in germany and europe continues to have profound ripples throughout the region. there are serious tensions in europe related to the violence those wars have generated globally and inside of europe. unfortunately, areas of creative contact between speakers of german and arabic receive much less attention from the media and yet the language contact that is reflected on rap recordings suggests that a profound type of acculturation and cultural creativity is taking place: rap lyrics represent an intermediate space of linguistic and cultural exchange in germany’s complex multicultural landscape. given the major increase in the number of arabic speaking refugees and immigrants in germany that began in 2014-2015, it is likely that arabic influences on urban german vernaculars—and on rap lyrics—will continue and increase in the coming decades. in the lyrics of arabic speaking or muslim heritage rappers, the insertion of arabic lexical items and expressions has been on the rise in german and french rap albums since al-qaida’s attacks on september 11, 2001, and the ensuing and all-consuming “global war on terror” initiated by president george w. bush and vice president dick cheney, and ongoing under president barack obama. with the rise of islamist extremist terrorism and the expansion of western military violence in the middle east, muslims in europe are under intense pressure, scrutiny and suspicion. the arrival of the arabic lexical field in urban european vernaculars and in the art forms they feed such as hip-hop reflects an assertiveness and defensiveness from members of the muslim and arabic-speaking communities. rap music is rooted in african-american traditions of consciousness-raising and resistance. therefore the repurposing of rap to respond to concerns and to reflect the culture of arabic speakers and muslims reflects a core discursive dimension of hip-hop culture. arabic word borrowings in german hip-hop reflect the expression of ethnic and cultural identity. the rappers situate hebblethwaite 123 12 themselves in the “social landscape through the stylistic practice” of word borrowing (svendsen 2015:7). i use hip-hop as a means of breaking into a representation of the urban german vernaculars. living outside of germany, hip-hop music and the internet provide access to aspects of urban culture and language practices. the extensive corpus of german rap lyrics at www.genius.com, in addition to the website’s crowd-sourced annotations that are provided by native speakers of german, arabic, turkish, kurdish and other languages, offer unprecedented insights into language contact in urban german varieties. hip-hop lyrics and such websites represent important mechanisms for the diffusion of lexical borrowings. the german rap corpus that i examine stretches from 20082015. in this period arabic borrowings have become routine on the albums of arabic heritage artists. this essay offers a short introduction to arabic lexical and cultural influences in contemporary german urban culture. there are alarming tensions in europe between muslim fundamentalists and extremists, on the one hand, and far left secularists, far right political streams, and christianists, on the other hand. stresses are so polarizing that even muslim and non-muslim moderates become pitted against one another. in this setting, hip-hop stands out as a popular expressive cultural space where hybrid identities and ethnic differences are embraced and celebrated.40 hiphop represents a successful multicultural, multi-faith, and multi-ethnic cultural movement that illustrates cooperative—rather than conflicting—creative human interaction in contemporary german society. for students of the urban german vernacular and culture, rap stands as an interesting resource. 40 note that there are racists and right wing extremists who rap and release recordings in germany, but this content tends to be quite rare and unpopular. for more information on nazi rap in 2015 see: http://juice.de/rechtsaussenpatriotismus-und-deutscher-nazi-rap/ 124 delos 13 references béthune, christian. 2004. pour une esthétique du rap. paris: klincksieck. boniface, pascal and médine. 2012. don’t panik. paris: desclée de brouwer. chang, jeff. 2005. can’t stop, won't stop: a history of the hip-hop generation. new york: st. martin's press. freywald, ulrike; mayr, katharina; özçelik, tiner; and wiese, heike. 2011. kiezdeutsch as a multiethnolect. in kern, friederike, and margret selting. ethnic styles of speaking in european metropolitan areas. amsterdam: john benjamins pub. co, 45-74. holm, john. 2000. an introduction to pidgin and creoles. cambridge: cambridge university press. lyman, rich and smale, alison. 2015. as europe grasps for answers, more migrants flood its borders. the new york times, sept. 6. european commision language data: http://languageknowledge.eu/ rogers, simon. 2011. muslim populations by country: how big will each muslim population be by 2030? friday 28 january. theguardian.com svendsen, bente ailin. 2015. language, youth and identity in the 21st century: content and continuations. in jacomine nortier and bente a. svendsen. language, youth and identity in the 21st century: linguistic practices across urban spaces. cambridge: cambridge university press, 3-23. ünal, ali. 2013. the qur’an with annotated interpretation in modern english. new jersey: tughra. hebblethwaite 125 login | delos: a journal of translation and world literature main navigation main content sidebar current archives search subscribe toggle search register login search toggle navigation home login subscription or article purchase required to access item. to verify subscription, access previous purchase, or purchase article, log in to 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or article purchase required to access item. to verify subscription, access previous purchase, or purchase article, log in to journal. username password forgot your password? keep me logged in login register sidebar-links about overview editorial board contact contributors author guidelines submit subscribers subscribe/renew news sign-upnews sign-up issn: 0011-7951 eissn: 2573-5659   main office: 2046 ne waldo road suite 2100 gainesville, fl 32609 phone: 352-392-1351 email: journals@upress.ufl.edu navigation home search current archives subscribe login | delos: a journal of translation and world literature main navigation main content sidebar current archives search subscribe toggle search register login search toggle navigation home login subscription or article purchase required to access item. to verify subscription, access previous purchase, or purchase article, log in to journal. username password forgot your password? keep me logged in login register sidebar-links about overview editorial board contact contributors author guidelines submit subscribers subscribe/renew news sign-upnews sign-up issn: 0011-7951 eissn: 2573-5659   main office: 2046 ne waldo road suite 2100 gainesville, fl 32609 phone: 352-392-1351 email: journals@upress.ufl.edu navigation home search current archives subscribe delos notes on contributors bernadette cailler is a professor emerita at the university of florida. she received degrees from the universities of poitiers, paris, and cornell (phd in comparative literature, 1974). she published books on aimé césaire (1976) and édouard glissant (1988), and is also the author of carthage ou la flamme du brasier: mémoire et échos chez virgile, senghor, mellah, ghachem, augustin, ammi, broch, et glissant (2007). her recent articles include: “la ‘grande douloureuse douceur’ (é. glissant) d’aimé césaire: à propos de ferrements (1960),” proceedings of a colloquium on “césaire 2013: « parole due »”, cerisy lasalle, 4– 11 septembre 2013, in présence africaine 189 (2014): 47– 60; “poétique, politique, et éthique de l’imaginaire dans les neuf consciences du malfini (2009) de patrick chamoiseau,” présence africaine 190 (2015): 283– 95; “promenoir(s) de la mort seule: quand michaël ferrier revient vers glissant lecteur de tristan l’hermite.” dalhousie french studies 113 (winter 2019): 123– 31; and forthcoming: “figures du sujet poétique entre ‘michaël’, ‘ferrier’ et un narrateur qui dit je,” proceedings following an international conference on “michaël ferrier: un écrivain du corail” and on “postfukushima art and literature in japan and the west,” september 14– 15, 2017, university of edinburgh, scotland. alex cigale’s first full book, russian absurd: daniil kharms, selected writings, came out in the northwestern university press world classics series in 2017. in 2015, he was awarded an nea fellowship in literary translation for his work on the poet of “the st. petersburg philological school,” mikhail eremin. his own poems in english have appeared in the colorado review, the common online, and the literary review, and translations of classic and contemporary russian poetry in harvard review online, the hopkins review, kenyon review online, modern poetry in translation, new england review, triquarterly, two lines, words without borders, and world literature today. he recently edited the russian issues of the atlanta review and trafika europe, and is currently a lecturer in russian literature and language at cunyqueens college. this is his second contribution to delos. rebecca dehnerarmand is a literary translator of contemporary french and francophone fiction. she is currently a phd candidate in comparative literature at washington university in st. louis. her research focuses on contemporary 300 notes on contributors francophone literature, autobiography, exile and (self) translation studies. she has taught courses on french language and literature, translation theory, and intercultural communication. in addition to her academic publications, rebecca has had her translations included in asymptote’s blog as part of their “translation tuesday” series. jeanne garane is professor of french and comparative literature at the university of south carolina, columbia, and has published a variety of essays on francophone literature and film. she is the translator of abdourahman a. waberi’s land without shadows (unversity of virginia press, 2005) and daniel picouly’s l’enfant léopard (the leopard boy, university of virginia press, 2016). she has just completed the englishlanguage translation of the first volume of malian writer amadou hampâté bâ’s memoirs, amkoullel, l’enfant peul (amkoullel, the fula boy), which was supported by an internal university of south carolina grant and a spring, 2019, camargo foundation fellowship. she also spearheaded the republication of senegalese writer ken bugul’s abandoned baobab (trans. de jaeger, 2008), edited discursive geographies (2005), coedited translation in french and francophone literature and film (french literature series xxxvi, 2009) and edited two further volumes in the same brill/rodopi series, odysseys/odyssées (xli, 2016) and hybrid genres/l’hybridité des genres (xlii, 2018). susan d. gillespie is professor of anthropology at the university of florida. she received a phd in anthropology in 1983 from the university of illinois at urbanachampaign. before coming to uf in 2001, she held faculty positions in anthropology at the university of illinois and illinois state university. her research specializations are archaeology, ethnohistory, and iconography of mesoamerica, with concentrations on the aztecs, olmecs, and mayas. she received the 1990 erminie wheelervoegelin prize from the american society for ethnohistory for the aztec kings: the construction of rulership in mexican history (university of arizona press, 1989) and the 2002 gordon r. willey prize from the american anthropological association for “rethinking ancient maya social organization: replacing ‘lineage’ with ‘house.’” she presented the 2012 patty jo watson distinguished lecture to the archaeology division of the american anthropological association, “the entanglement of jade and the rise of mesoamerica.” luis guzmán valerio has an ma in translation from the university of puerto rico, río piedras campus, and a phd in latin american, iberian, and latino delos 301 cultures from the graduate center, city university of new york. his translations have appeared in sargasso: a journal of caribbean literature, language & culture and five:2:one #thesideshow flash fiction. his creative writing has been published in chiricú journal: latina/o literatures, arts, and cultures. this is his second contribution to delos. lola haskins serves as honorary chancellor of the florida state poets association. her most recent poetry collection (of thirteen) is asylum: improvisations on john clare (university of pittsburgh press, 2019). her poems have appeared in the atlantic, the christian science monitor, the london review of books, beloit poetry journal, georgia review, southern review, and elsewhere, and have been featured by two us poet laureates— billy collins and ted kooser— besides having appeared on poetry daily and verse daily. in addition, her poetry and commentaries have been broadcast on bbc and npr. besides poetry, ms, haskins has published three books of prose. among her honors are the iowa poetry prize, two neas, two florida book awards, four florida state arts fellowships, and the emily dickinson prize from the poetry society of america. j. kates is a poet and literary translator who lives in fitzwilliam, new hampshire. moscowborn, nina kossman is an artist, bilingual writer, poet, and playwright. the recipient of a national endowment for the arts fellowship, a unesco/pen short story award, grants from foundation for hellenic culture and alexander s. onassis public benefit foundation, she is the author of two books of poems in russian and english as well as the translator of two volumes of marina tsvetaevas’s poetry. her other books include behind the border (harpercollins, 1994) and gods and mortals: modern poems on classical myths (oxford university press, 2001). her translations of russian poetry have been anthologized in twentieth century russian poetry (doubleday, 1993), the gospels in our image (harcourt brace, 1995), the world treasury of poetry (norton, 1998), and divine inspiration (oxford university press, 1998). her russian poems, in her own english translation, were published in a variety of literary journals, including mpt 20: contemporary russian women poets. her english poems and short stories have been translated into several languages, including japanese, dutch, greek, and spanish. she lives in new york. dmitri manin is a physicist, programmer and translator. his poetry translations into russian from english and french appeared in several book collections. he 302 notes on contributors won the first prize in the 2018 compass awards for his english translation of a poem by maria stepanova. his translations from russian have appeared in delos, cardinal points, why nicht?, and the café review. andrea pham is a linguist. her areas of research are tonal languages, sound change, and gender and language. she has published a book (vietnamese tone: a new analysis, routledge, 2003) and several research papers. in the last three decades, she has written and published poems and poetry critiques, mostly in vietnamese. in addition to individual poems in various magazines and newspapers in vietnam and canada, she has published two collections of poems, tiếng mẹ (mother’s voice, toronto, 1997) and hãy nhảy cùng em / dance with me (a bilingual collection of poems by pham and haskins, 2018, danang, vietnam). professor emeritus hal h. rennert holds degrees in english and comparative literature, and has taught at carnegiemellon and the university of florida. he has published on eduard mörike, goethe, kleist, and waiblinger, and edited the letters of wilhelm hausenstein as well as a collection of essays on modern german drama. frank jones, the translator of brecht’s st. joan of the stockyards, was an inspiration, but technical translation jobs were welcome in the pittsburgh days. he has published translations of literary works, poems, short stories, and plays from german to english, mostly twentiethcentury writers such as bertolt brecht and marie luise kaschnitz. in the 1980s, he also served as a simultaneous oral conference translator at disney world, orlando. in april 2015, he took on the editorship of delos: a journal of translation and world literature. crediting his medical education (md, 1969), psychiatric training, and forty years of practice for his efforts to pay full attention to nuance and patterns in narratives, stephen rojcewicz has broadened his lifelong interest in languages and literature with an ma degree in classics (latin and greek, 2012) and a phd in comparative literature (2017). he is the coauthor of a textbook on supportive psychotherapy and has published numerous papers and book reviews on classical reception and on the intersection of psychiatry and the humanities. steve has published poetry translations (vol. 31) and articles on the relationships between classical literature and modern thought (vol. 32 and 33.2) in delos. christopher smith received a phd in japanese literature from the university of hawai’i at mānoa and is currently an assistant professor of modern japanese delos 303 literature at the university of florida, where he teaches courses on modern japanese literature, manga, and anime. his research focuses on postwar japanese literature, particularly contemporary literature (heiseireiwa), as well as japanese pop culture, including manga and anime. he also has an interest in edo period literature. he is especially interested in examining how literature and culture represents, manipulates, and ultimately plays with japanese history, examined through the lenses of nationalism, national identity, the historical legitimation of power, and postmodernism. he recently published a translation of takana yasuo’s somehow, crystal (kurodahan press). christopher j. wickham is a professor emeritus at the university of texas at san antonio. he earned his advanced degrees at the university of reading (uk) and the university of wisconsinmadison before embarking on a career teaching german and cinema studies at allegheny college (pa), the university of illinois at chicago, and middlebury college (vt), moving to texas in 1991. his publications include books on twentiethcentury german culture (constructing heimat in postwar germany: longing and belonging) and relations between german settlers and native americans (comanches and germans on the texas frontier: the ethnology of heinrich berghaus, with daniel j. gelo). he has also published articles and book chapters on poetry, drama, regionalism, bavarian literature, dialect and culture, german and austrian film, and german language. login | delos: a journal of translation and world literature main navigation main content sidebar current archives search subscribe toggle search register login search toggle navigation home login subscription or article purchase required to access item. to verify subscription, access previous purchase, or purchase article, log in to journal. username password forgot your password? keep me logged in login register sidebar-links about overview editorial board contact contributors author guidelines submit subscribers subscribe/renew news sign-upnews sign-up issn: 0011-7951 eissn: 2573-5659   main office: 2046 ne waldo road suite 2100 gainesville, fl 32609 phone: 352-392-1351 email: journals@upress.ufl.edu navigation home search current archives subscribe login | delos: a journal of translation and world literature main navigation main content sidebar current archives search subscribe toggle search register login search toggle navigation home login subscription or article purchase required to access item. to verify subscription, access previous purchase, or purchase article, log in to journal. username password forgot your password? keep me logged in login register sidebar-links about overview editorial board contact contributors author guidelines submit subscribers subscribe/renew news sign-upnews sign-up issn: 0011-7951 eissn: 2573-5659   main office: 2046 ne waldo road suite 2100 gainesville, fl 32609 phone: 352-392-1351 email: journals@upress.ufl.edu navigation home search current archives subscribe arnson svarlien 7 three songs from euripides’ helen translation and commentary: diane arnson svarlien i. first stasimon [strophe 1] amid the trees’ deep tresses you trill your songs; i call to you now, in your green concert hall, bird of sorrow, o nightingale, loveliest singer, bard of lonely tears: 1180 come take your place here by my side; as the melody melts in your golden throat, sing with me—we will both lament the struggles and woes of helen, and the tearful fate of troy’s women 1185 when their city fell beneath achaean spears, thanks to the rover who dipped his barbarian oar in the rushing gray waves, and came bringing woe to the sons of priam— bringing you, helen, 1190 his bride from lacedaemon paris, whose marriage was poison, escorted by aphrodite. [antistrophe 1] so many greeks were killed, in a rain of spears and boulders thrown through the air; their souls sank 1195 down to hades. their wives, all alone in their bedrooms, cut their hair in grief. so many greeks gave up their lives off the coast of euboea, deceived by false 1200 beacons set by a lone greek boat: a fraudulent star that dashed them on the rocks of cape caphareus, smashed their ships to fragments on aegean crags. this man was driven to woeful barbarian shores, 1205 to harborless landfalls, blown far away from his home by the storm-winds; this man, menelaus, brought back his prize on shipboard— 8 delos she was no prize, she was trouble: 1210 a phantom contrived by hera. [strophe 2 ] what is and isn’t god, and what’s in-between— what mortal can say? human inquiry reaches its limit as soon as it finds the ways of the gods cannot be predicted: 1215 they jump around crazily, constantly changing their course, bringing fortunes nobody has foreseen. o helen, you’re the daughter of zeus, who came to leda as a bird. 1220 and yet throughout hellas they call you unjust, a betrayer, impious, faithless wife. i have never heard a single syllable spoken by mortals about the gods that i would call credible. 1225 [antistrophe 2 ] all you who strive for excellence, fighting wars with valorous spears, have you lost your minds? seeking release from your struggles in death! if all things are settled by bloodshed and battles then trouble will never 1230 be gone from the cities of men. many men lie buried in priam’s land, o helen, when they could have resolved the trouble over you with words. instead they are settled in hades; the walls 1235 of their town were scarred by a killing flame like the swift bright flame of lightning hurled by zeus. and you’ve had your share of disaster, grief, and pitiful suffering. ii. second stasimon [strophe 1] the gods’ mountain mother once upon a time raced through woodlands and glades, waded the streams of rivers, arnson svarlien 9 traversed the resonant salt sea waves 1380 in longing for her daughter whose name may not be spoken. the cymbals crashed and the air rang with a shrill vibration when she had yoked wild beasts to her carriage 1385 and rode out to uncover the theft of her daughter who was snatched from the circling chorus of maidens. rushing right after her came the two goddesses, their feet swift as whirlwinds: artemis with her arrows, 1390 athena, fierce-eyed, with her spear and battle armor. but zeus, as he watched from the sky, brought about a fate for the girl that was very different. [antistrophe 1] exhausted, the mother 1395 who’d wandered for so long called a halt to her chase, gave up the race and lay down on ida’s palisades swathed in snow where nymphs keep watch. in sorrow 1400 amid the rocks and snowdrifts she flung herself in a thicket, helpless in the face of the underhanded theft of her daughter. from the fields of mankind she withdrew the rich harvest; 1405 from the flocks she withheld the leaves and green tendrils. people were perishing, cities were withering, the altars were empty: no batter-cakes, no thigh-bones were laid on the flames for the gods. 1410 she stopped the waters that once flowed in crystalline springs from the ground, so broken was she by her dreadful sorrow. [strophe 2] when deo had put an end to banquets for the gods and the race of men 1415 zeus tried to soothe the hateful rage of the mother; he spoke to the graces and muses: “go, relieve the grieving goddess of her anger 1420 10 delos over her stolen maiden by wailing in your wildest voice, by singing as you dance.” the earthy voice of bronze and drums made of stretched hide 1425 were first taken up by the loveliest deity, cypris; at last, then, the goddess laughed as she grasped in her hands the resonant aulos and took some delight in its wild, wailing voice. 1430 [antistrophe 2] it wasn’t correct, it wasn’t holy what you did in that inner space. you have incurred the fearsome wrath of the mother, my child, by neglecting her worship. 1435 there’s tremendous power in wearing dappled fawn-skin, weaving a crown of ivy around a sacred fennel stalk, and whirling overhead 1440 the circling bullroarer; in hair flying freely at revels for bromius, and in the festivals lasting all night for the goddess. when the moon rode overhead, 1445 her chariot climbing the sky, you exulted in beauty alone. iii. third stasimon [strophe 1] swift phoenician ship, o craft of sidon, the waves of nereus rush to embrace you o leader of dances 1535 as the circling dolphins respond to your song in lovely array when the wind has died down and galaneia the pale-eyed daughter of pontus, speaks these words: “let your sails hang down; there is no more breeze. 1540 take the oars up in your hands o sailors, sailors, send helen home, to reach the pleasant harbor, arnson svarlien 11 the shores she left long ago, the city that perseus founded.” 1545 [antistrophe 1] there beside the waters of the river or by the temple of pallas, at long last the festival dances and leucippus’s daughters will welcome her home, perhaps at the revels that gladden the night 1550 for hyacinthus whom phoebus once, when the discus left his hand, killed—the endless wheel made a fatal strike. then the son of zeus decreed for the laconians 1555 cattle-sacrifice, a day of feasting. there helen will find her child, her calf still at home, still unmarried. [strophe 2] if i had wings i would go flying through the aether where libyan birds soar high above in formation, 1560 keeping time with the syrinx-song of their leader, who guides them beyond the wintery storms and calls out as he glides over lands with no rainfall and fields rich with fruit. 1565 o long-necked flyers, companions of racing clouds, set your course by the pleiades, fly straight through the night, past orion. touch down by eurotas, tell them the news: 1570 menelaus destroyed the dardanian town, and he’s on his way back home. [antistrophe 2] sons of tyndareos, who dwell beneath the brilliance of whirling stars in the sky, come leap through the aether on your steeds, come and be the saviors of helen: 1575 ride over the pale salt waves of the sea, ride above the blue swells and the rushing gray breakers, and bring gentle winds from zeus to sailors. 1580 come rescue your sister now 12 delos from the charge of barbarian marriage that began with the conflict on ida, though helen never set foot on the shoreline of troy, and she never laid eyes 1585 on the towers that phoebus built. from euripides: ion, helen, orestes, translated by diane arnson svarlien, © 2016 hackett publishing co. reprinted by permission of the publisher. commentary: euripides composed his play helen in 412 bce; he was in his late sixties, and had been producing plays in athens for more than four decades. late in his career, euripides’ work became freer and more experimental, with fantastic plots, musical innovations, and greater metrical variety and flexibility. greek tragedies were composed entirely in verse (spoken or chanted) and song. the chorus sang and danced to the accompaniment of the aulos, a double-reed pipe whose piercing sound is often compared to an oboe’s. the aulos-player, the only performer who appeared without a mask, also served as a kind of conductor to the chorus. the most formally elaborate songs were the choral odes, or stasima. these were written in pairs of stanzas—strophes and antistrophes—that matched each other rhythmically. the metrical repetition from strophe to antistrophe was reinforced by the melody and by the chorus’ dance movements. using a traditional technique of greek choral poetry, euripides often places sound-echoes or strategic thematic repetitions in the same metrical spot in strophe and antistrophe; for example, in the first stasimon, euripides closes each of the first two stanzas with a rhythmically-matching phrase that points to the agency of a goddess: “escorted by aphrodite” at the end of strophe 1, “a phantom contrived by hera” at the end of antistrophe 1. in the second stasimon, euripides places the word “mother” (for the goddess demeter) in matching spots in both pairs of stanzas (at the beginning of strophe and antistrophe 1, and the fourth line of strophe and antistrophe 2), and the phrase “the goddess” in the same metrical spot in strophe and antistrophe 2 (the fourth line from the end of each). in the third stasimon, the word “dances” (chorois in greek) appears in the same spot in strophe and antistrophe 1. euripides’ helen departs from the usual account of the trojan war and takes as its premise the alternative story that the real helen of sparta never went to troy; in order to sabotage aphrodite’s promise to the trojan paris that he could have helen, the goddess hera made a phantom helen and gave the phantom to paris. the real helen was whisked away by hermes to egypt, where she has been all this time; greeks and trojans fought for ten years over the phantom. menelaus finds helen in egypt on his way home from troy; after some confusion, husband and wife have a joyful reunion. helen can’t simply go home with menelaus, though, because the king of egypt is pursuing helen and planning to marry her, and he will kill any greek who sets foot on his shores. so helen and menelaus come up with a clever plan to steal a ship and escape, and at the end of the play they are sailing safely home to arnson svarlien 13 greece together, escorted by helen’s brothers, the heavenly twins castor and polydeuces (“sons of tyndareos”). the songs of helen refer to music and dance repeatedly. the first stasimon begins with the chorus calling on the nightingale to sing a sorrowful song with them as they recall the pointless deaths of the trojan war. the second stasimon tells the story of demeter (here called deo) searching for her abducted daughter. zeus sends her consolation in the form of ecstatic music, of the type associated with rituals of the eastern mother-goddess cybele and of dionysus (bromius). the ode seems to end with a reproach of helen, but the greek text is corrupt at both the beginning and the end of the second antistrophe, and the meaning is uncertain. in the third stasimon the chorus sings joyfully of helen and menelaus’ escape: dolphins dance around them as they sail home; music and dance will greet them when they return home to sparta; birds sing high overhead. 14 delos greek text: i. first stasimon [strophe 1] σὲ τὰν ἐναύλοις ὑπὸ δενδροκόμοις μουσεῖα καὶ θάκους ἐνί ζουσαν ἀναβοάσω, σὲ τὰν ἀοιδοτάταν ὄρνιθα μελῳδὸν ἀηδόνα δακρυόεσσαν, 1110 ἔλθ᾽ ὦ διὰ ξουθᾶν γενύων ἐλελιζομένα θρήνων ἐμοὶ ξυνεργός, ἑλένας μελέας πόνους τὸν ἰλιάδων τ᾽ ἀει δούσᾳ δακρυόεντα πότμον 1115 ἀχαιῶν ὑπὸ λόγχαις: ὅτ᾽ ἔδραμε ῥόθια πολιὰ βαρβάρῳ πλάτᾳ ὃς ἔμολεν ἔμολε μέλεα πριαμίδαις ἄγων λακεδαίμονος ἄπο λέχεα σέθεν, ὦ ἑλένα, πάρις αἰνόγαμος 1120 πομπαῖσιν ἀφροδίτας. [antistrophe 1] πολλοὶ δ᾽ ἀχαιῶν δορὶ καὶ πετρίναις ῥιπαῖσιν ἐκπνεύσαντες ἅι δαν μέλεον ἔχουσιν, ταλαινᾶν ἀλόχων κείραντες ἔθειραν: ἄνυμφα δὲ μέλαθρα κεῖται: 1125 πολλοὺς δὲ πυρσεύσας φλογερὸν σέλας ἀμφιρύτον εὔβοιαν εἷλ᾽ ἀχαιῶν μονόκωπος ἀνήρ πέτραις καφηρίσιν ἐμβαλὼν αἰγαίαις ἐνάλοις δόλιον 1130 ἀκταῖς ἀστέρα λάμψας. ἀλίμενα δ᾽ ὅρια μέλεα βαρβάρου στολᾶς τοτ᾽ ἔσυτο πατρίδος ἀποπρὸ χειμάτων πνοᾷ γέρας, οὐ γέρας ἀλλ᾽ ἔριν, δαναῶν μενέλας ἐπὶ ναυσὶν ἄγων, 1135 εἴδωλον ἱερὸν ἥρας. arnson svarlien 15 [strophe 2] ὅ τι θεὸς ἢ μὴ θεὸς ἢ τὸ μέσον, τίς φησ᾽ ἐρευνήσας βροτῶν; μακρότατον πέρας ηὗρεν ὃς τὰ θεῶν ἐσορᾷ 1140 δεῦρο καὶ αὖθις ἐκεῖσε καὶ πάλιν ἀντιλόγοις πηδῶντ᾽ ἀνελπίστοις τύχαις. σὺ διὸς ἔφυς, ὦ ἑλένα, θυγάτηρ: πτανὸς γὰρ ἐν κόλποις σε λή 1145 δας ἐτέκνωσε πατήρ. κᾆτ᾽ ἰαχήθης καθ᾽ ἑλλανίαν προδότις ἄπιστος ἄδικος ἄθεος: οὐδ᾽ ἔχω ὅ τι σαφὲς, ὅ τι ποτ᾽ ἐν βροτοῖς τῶν θεῶν ἔπος ἀλαθὲς εὕρω. 1150 [antistrophe 2] ἄφρονες ὅσοι τὰς ἀρετὰς πολέμῳ λόγχαισί τ᾽ ἀλκαίου δορὸς κτᾶσθ, ἀμαθῶς θανάτῳ πόνους καταλυόμενοι. εἰ γὰρ ἅμιλλα κρινεῖ νιν αἵματος, οὔποτ᾽ ἔρις 1155 λείψει κατ᾽ ἀνθρώπων πόλεις: ᾇ πριαμίδος γᾶς ἔλαχον θαλάμους, ἐξὸν διορθῶσαι λόγοις σὰν ἔριν, ὦ ἑλένα. 1160 νῦν δ᾽ οἳ μὲν ἅιδᾳ μέλονται κάτω, τείχεα δὲ φλογμὸς ὥστε διός ἐπέσυτο φλόξ, ἐπὶ δὲ πάθεα πάθεσι φέρεις ἀθλία συμφοραῖς ἐλεινοῖς. ii. second stasimon [strophe 1] ὀρεία ποτὲ δρομάδι κώ λῳ μάτηρ θεῶν ἐσύθη ἀν᾽ ὑλάεντα νάπη ποτάμιόν τε χεῦμ᾽ ὑδάτων βαρύβρομόν τε κῦμ᾽ ἅλιον 1305 16 delos πόθῳ τᾶς ἀποιχομένας ἀρρήτου κούρας. κρόταλα δὲ βρόμια διαπρύσιον ἱέντα κέλαδον ἀνεβόα, θηρῶν ὅτε ζυγίους 1310 ζευξάσᾳ θεᾷ σατίνας τὰν ἁρπασθεῖσαν κυκλίων χορῶν ἔξω παρθενίων μετὰ κούραν, ἀελλόποδες, ἃ μὲν τόξοις ἄρτεμις, ἃ δ᾽ 1315 ἔγχει γοργῶπις πάνοπλος, συνείποντο. ζεὺς δ᾽ ἑδράνων αὐγάζων ἐξ οὐρανίων ἄλλαν μοῖραν ἔκραινε. [antistrophe 1] δρομαῖον δ᾽ ὅτε πολυπλάνη τον μάτηρ ἔπαυσε πόνον, 1320 μαστεύουσα † πόνους † θυγατρὸς ἁρπαγὰς δολίους, χιονοθρέμμονάς γ᾽ ἐπέρασ᾽ ἰδαιᾶν νυμφᾶν σκοπιάς: ῥίπτει τ᾽ ἐν πένθει 1325 πέτρινα κατὰ δρία πολυνιφέα: βροτοῖσι δ᾽ ἄχλοα πεδία γᾶς οὐ καρπίζουσ᾽ ἀρότοις λαῶν δὲ φθείρει γενεάν: ποίμναις δ᾽ οὐχ ἵει θαλερὰς 1330 βοσκὰς εὐφύλλων ἑλίκων, πόλεων δ᾽ ἀπέλειπε βίος: οὐδ᾽ ἦσαν θεῶν θυσίαι, βωμοῖς δ᾽ ἄφλεκτοι πέλανοι: πηγὰς δ᾽ ἀμπαύει δροσερὰς 1335 λευκῶν ἐκβάλλειν ὑδάτων πένθει παιδὸς ἀλάστῳ. [strophe 2] ἐπεὶ δ᾽ ἔπαυσ᾽ εἰλαπίνας θεοῖς βροτείῳ τε γένει, ζεὺς μειλίσσων στυγίους ματρὸς ὀργὰς ἐνέπει: 1340 arnson svarlien 17 βᾶτε, σεμναὶ χάριτες, ἴτε, τᾷ περὶ παρθένῳ δηοῖ θυμωσαμένᾳ λύπαν ἐξαλλάξατ᾽ ἀλαλᾷ, μοῦσαί θ᾽ ὕμνοισι χορῶν. 1345 χαλκοῦ δ᾽ αὐδὰν χθονίαν τύπανά τ᾽ ἔλαβε βυρσοτενῆ καλλίστα τότε πρῶτα μακά ρων κύπρις: γέλασέν δε θεὰ δέξατό τ᾽ ἐς χέρας 1350 βαρύβρομον αὐλὸν τερφθεῖσ᾽ ἀλαλαγμῷ. [antistrophe 2] † ὧν οὐ θέμις σ᾽ οὔθ᾽ ὁσία ἐπύρωσας ἐν θαλάμοις, † μῆνιν δ᾽ ἔσχες μεγάλας 1355 ματρός, ὦ παῖ, θυσίας οὐ σεβίζουσα θεᾶς. μέγα τοι δύναται νεβρῶν παμποίκιλοι στολίδες κισσοῦ τε στεφθεῖσα χλόα 1360 νάρθηκας εἰς ἱερούς, ῥόμβου θ᾽ εἱλισσομένα κύκλιος ἔνοσις αἰθερία, βακχεύουσά τ᾽ ἔθειρα βρομί ῳ καὶ παννυχίδες θεᾶς. 1365 † εὖ δέ νιν ἄμασιν ὑπέρβαλε σελάνα † μορφᾷ μόνον ηὔχεις. iii. third stasimon [strophe 1] φοίνισσα σιδωνιὰς ὦ ταχεῖα κώπα, ῥοθίοισι μάτηρ εἰρεσία φίλα, χοραγὲ τῶν καλλιχόρων δελφίνων, ὅταν αὔραις 1455 πέλαγος ἀνήνεμον ᾖ, γλαυκὰ δὲ πόντου θυγάτηρ 18 delos γαλάνεια τάδ᾽ εἴπῃ: κατὰ μὲν ἱστία πετάσατ᾽ αὔ ρας λιπόντες εἰναλίας, 1460 λάβετε δ᾽ εἰλατίνας πλάτας, ὦ ναῦται, ναῦται, πέμποντες εὐλιμένους περσείων οἴκων ἑλέναν ἐπ᾽ ἀκτάς. [antistrophe 1] ἦ που κόρας ἂν ποταμοῦ 1465 παρ᾽ οἶδμα λευκιππίδας ἢ πρὸ ναοῦ παλλάδος ἂν λάβοι χρόνῳ ξυνελθοῦσα χοροῖς ἢ κώμοις ὑακίνθου νύχιον ἐς εὐφροσύναν, 1470 ὃν ἐξαμιλλησάμενος τροχῷ τέρμονα δίσκου ἔκανε φοῖβος, τᾷ λακαί νᾳ γᾷ βούθυτον ἁμέραν ὁ διὸς εἶπε σέβειν γόνος: 1475 μόσχον θ᾽ ἃν † λίποιτ᾽ οἴκοις † ἇς οὔπω πεῦκαι πρὸ γάμων ἔλαμψαν. [strophe 2] δι᾽ ἀιθέρος εἴθε ποτανοὶ γενοίμεθ᾽ ὅπᾳ λιβύας οἰωνοὶ στοχάδες 1480 ὄμβρον λιποῦσαι χειμέριον νίσονται πρεσβυτάτου σύριγγι πειθόμεναι ποιμένος, ὃς ἄβροχα πεδία καρποφόρα τε γᾶς 1485 ἐπιπετόμενος ἰαχεῖ. ὦ πταναὶ δολιχαύχενες, σύννομοι νεφέων δρόμου, βᾶτε πλειάδας ὑπὸ μέσας ὠρίωνά τ᾽ ἐννύχιον: 1490 καρύξατ᾽ ἀγγελίαν, εὐρώταν ἐφεζόμεναι, μενέλεως ὅτι δαρδάνου πόλιν ἑλὼν δόμον ἥξει. arnson svarlien 19 [antistrophe 2] μόλοιτέ ποθ᾽ ἵππιον οἶμον 1495 δι᾽ αἰθέρος ἱέμενοι παῖδες τυνδαρίδαι, λαμπρῶν ἄστρων ὑπ᾽ ἀέλλαισιν: οἳ ναίετ᾽ οὐράνιοι, σωτῆρε τᾶς ἑλένας, 1500 γλαυκὸν ἔπιτ᾽ οἶδμα κυανόχροά τε κυμάτων ῥόθια πολιὰ θαλάσσας, ναύταις εὐαεῖς ἀνέμων πέμποντες διόθεν πνοάς: 1505 δύσκλειαν δ᾽ ἀπὸ συγγόνου βάλετε βαρβάρων λεχέων, ἃν ἰδαίων ἐρίδων ποιναθεῖσ᾽ ἐκτήσατο, γᾶν οὐκ ἐλθοῦσά ποτ᾽ ἰλίου 1510 φοιβείους ἐπὶ πύργους. login | delos: a journal of translation and world literature main navigation main content sidebar current archives search subscribe toggle search register login search toggle navigation home login subscription or article purchase required to access item. to verify subscription, access previous purchase, or purchase article, log in to journal. username password forgot your password? keep me logged in login register sidebar-links about overview editorial board contact contributors author guidelines submit subscribers subscribe/renew news sign-upnews sign-up issn: 0011-7951 eissn: 2573-5659   main office: 2046 ne waldo road suite 2100 gainesville, fl 32609 phone: 352-392-1351 email: journals@upress.ufl.edu navigation home search current archives subscribe login | delos: a journal of translation and world literature main navigation main content sidebar current archives search subscribe toggle search register login search toggle navigation home login subscription or article purchase required to access item. to verify subscription, access previous purchase, or purchase article, log in to journal. username password forgot your password? keep me logged in login register sidebar-links about overview editorial board contact contributors author guidelines submit subscribers subscribe/renew news sign-upnews sign-up issn: 0011-7951 eissn: 2573-5659   main office: 2046 ne waldo road suite 2100 gainesville, fl 32609 phone: 352-392-1351 email: journals@upress.ufl.edu navigation home search current archives subscribe login | delos: a journal of translation and world literature main navigation main content sidebar current archives search subscribe toggle search register login search toggle navigation home login subscription or article purchase required to access item. to verify subscription, access previous purchase, or purchase article, log in to journal. username password forgot your password? keep me logged in login register sidebar-links about overview editorial board contact contributors author guidelines submit subscribers subscribe/renew news sign-upnews sign-up issn: 0011-7951 eissn: 2573-5659   main office: 2046 ne waldo road suite 2100 gainesville, fl 32609 phone: 352-392-1351 email: journals@upress.ufl.edu navigation home search current archives subscribe augusto de campos eight material poems translated from portuguese by charles a. perrone, marco alexandre de oliveira, and the author augusto de campos (born in 1931) is considered by many to be brazil’s finest living poet. he is also a leading translator, especially of inventive originals; a literary critic, primarily of national and international poetry; and a musical critic, of both popular and avant-garde varieties. campos is one of the são paulo poets who formulated the mid-century vanguard movement of poesia concreta (concrete poetry) which featured verbivocovisual ideograms. after the close of the movement per se c. 1967, his own output has maintained the visual and minimalist orientations of concrete art. since the 1960s he has been a prominent figure in material poetry and experimental lyric, not just in portuguese-language circles but worldwide. translations of his texts have been appearing since around 1970 in north america, the united kingdom, france, germany, argentina, and elsewhere. he has published numerous digital versions and animations of texts on the internet at http://www2. uol.com.br/augustodecampos/home.htm. c. a. p. 118 augusto de campos “o quasar” (1975) from viva vaia: poesia 1949-1979. duas cidades, 1979. perrone, oliveira, de campos 119 translated by charles a. perrone and the author. 120 augusto de campos “pó do cosmos” (1981) from despoesia. perspectiva, 1994. perrone, oliveira, de campos 121 “cosmic dust” translated by marco alexandre de oliveira. 122 augusto de campos “pós-soneto” (1991) from despoesia. perspectiva, 1994. perrone, oliveira, de campos 123 translated by charles a. perrone. 124 augusto de campos “axel’s site” (2000) from não. perspectiva, 2003. translated by the author. perrone, oliveira, de campos 125 126 augusto de campos “ad marginem” (1986) from não. perspectiva, 2003. perrone, oliveira, de campos 127 translated by charles a. perrone and the author. 128 augusto de campos “ferida” (2001) from não. perspectiva, 2003. perrone, oliveira, de campos 129 translated by charles a. perrone and the author. 130 augusto de campos “desumano” (2004) from outro. perspectiva, 2015.. perrone, oliveira, de campos 131 translated by charles a. perrone and the author.. 132 augusto de campos “humano” (2014) from outro. perspectiva, 2015. perrone, oliveira, de campos 133 translated by charles a. perrone and the author. login | delos: a journal of translation and world literature main navigation main content sidebar current archives search subscribe toggle search register login search toggle navigation home login subscription or article purchase required to access item. to verify subscription, access previous purchase, or purchase article, log in to journal. username password forgot your password? keep me logged in login register sidebar-links about overview editorial board contact contributors author guidelines submit subscribers subscribe/renew news sign-upnews sign-up issn: 0011-7951 eissn: 2573-5659   main office: 2046 ne waldo road suite 2100 gainesville, fl 32609 phone: 352-392-1351 email: journals@upress.ufl.edu navigation home search current archives subscribe login | delos: a journal of translation and world literature main navigation main content sidebar current archives search subscribe toggle search register login search toggle navigation home login subscription or article purchase required to access item. to verify subscription, access previous purchase, or purchase article, log in to journal. username password forgot your password? keep me logged in login register sidebar-links about overview editorial board contact contributors author guidelines submit subscribers subscribe/renew news sign-upnews sign-up issn: 0011-7951 eissn: 2573-5659   main office: 2046 ne waldo road suite 2100 gainesville, fl 32609 phone: 352-392-1351 email: journals@upress.ufl.edu navigation home search current archives subscribe 42 delos three poems by pierre ronsard translation and commentary: william calin ode 17 to cassandra sweetness, let’s go see whether the rose who this morning had opened her dress of crimson to the sun, this evening has at all lost the pleats of her crimson dress and her complexion the same as yours. alas! behold how, in a little space, sweetness, she has, on the spot, alas, alas let all her beauties fall! o nature is truly a cruel mother since such a flower lasts only from morning to evening. so, if you will believe me, sweetness, while your age is in flower in its green newness, gather, gather your youth: for, the same as this flower, old age will tarnish your beauty. ode 17* à cassandre mignonne, allons voir si la rose qui ce matin avoit desclose sa robe de pourpre au soleil, a point perdu ceste vesprée les plis de sa robe pourprée, et son teint au vostre pareil. las! voyez comme en peu d’espace, mignonne, elle a dessus la place las las ses beautez laissé cheoir! o vrayment marastre nature, puis qu’une telle fleur ne dure que du matin jusques au soir! calin 43 donc, si vous me croyez, mignonne, tandis que vostre âge fleuronne en sa plus verte nouveauté, cueillez, cueillez vostre jeunesse: comme à ceste fleur la vieillesse fera ternir vostre beauté. on the death of marie we see in the month of may on a stem the rose in her lovely youth, in her first bloom making heaven jealous of her vibrant color, when dawn the day begins and waters her with tears: grace in her leaves and eros resting there, she blesses gardens and trees with her perfume: yet battered by rain or extreme heat, languishing, she dies leaf by leaf. thus, in your first and youthful newness, while earth and heaven honor your beauty, fate kills you, and turns you into ashes. for a funeral gift receive my weeping and my tears, this vase of milk and this basket of flowers, so, dead or alive, your body may ever be roses. sur la mort de marie 4* comme on voit sur la branche au mois de may la rose en sa belle jeunesse, en sa première fleur, rendre la ciel jaloux de sa vive couleur, quand l’aube des ses pleurs au poinct du jour l’arrose: la grace dans sa feuille, et l’amour se repose, embasmant les jardins et les arbres d’odeur; mais battue ou de pluye, ou d’excessive ardeur, languissante elle meurt, feuille à feuille declose. ainsi en ta première et jeune nouveauté, quand la terre et le ciel honoroient ta beauté, la parque t‘a tuée, et cendre tu reposes. pour obsèques reçoi mes larmes et mes pleurs, ce vase plein de laict, ce panier plein de fleurs, afin que vif, et mort, ton corps ne soit que roses. 44 delos editor’s note: ronsard’s famous ode no. 17, „mignonne allons voir si la rose“ has been set to music many times, perhaps most recently, performed by dominique montaulard-ziani on youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fljafvbwlyk last poetry: sonnets 1 i am no more than bones, i seem a skeleton, fleshless, nerveless, muscleless, pulpless, for death’s dart has struck me without appeal, i dare not look at my arms lest i tremble from fear. apollo and his son, two great masters, together cannot cure me, their calling deceived me. farewell pleasurable sun, my eyes are blocked, my body goes away down to where all falls apart. what friend, seeing me to this extent stripped bare, does not return home with sad and tearful eyes, consoling me lying in bed and kissing my face, in wiping my eyes put to sleep by death? farewell dear comrades, farewell dear friends, i set out first to prepare a place for you. derniers vers: sonnets 1* je n’ay plus que les os, un squelette je semble, decharné, denervé, demusclé, depoulpé, que le trait dela mort sans pardon a frappé, je n’ose voir mes bras que de peur je ne tremble. apollon et son fils, deux grans maistres ensemble, ne me sçauroient guerir, leur mestier m’a trompé: adieu plaisant soleil, mon oeil est estoupé, mon corpse s’en va descendre ou tout se desassemble. quel amy me voyant en ce poinct despouillé ne remporte au logis un oeil triste et mouillé, me consolant au lict et me baisant la face, en essuiant mes yeux par la mort endormis? adieu chers compagnons, adieu mes chers amis, je m’en vay le premier vous preparer la place. *les oeuvres de pierre de ronsard, texte de 1587. ed. isidore silver, 8 volumes. chicago: university of chicago and paris: didier, 1966-70. [iii, 10405; ii, 179; viii, 104] calin 45 commentary; piere de ronsard is generally recognized as the greatest poet of the renaissance in france. he brought together a group of young poets known as the pleiade. he and his fellow poet joachim du bellay authored the defense and illustration of the french language, the first in a series of french manifestos which continue up today. ronsard’s own opus is enormous: twenty volumes in the laumonier edition. it contains sonnets, odes (pindaric and horatian), elegies (epistles) eclogues, hymns (telling of mythical deeds), satirical discourses, moral and philosophical poёmes, and an epic. his work is of major quality in all registers (sermo gravis, sermo mediocris, and sermo humilis). i consider ronsard to be the greatest french poet, and i place him with dante, shakespeare, goethe, pushkin, victor hugo, and rilke. delos preface are there great and famous prefaces to literary works, including translations? a clever way of answering this question and in the process turning it into a substantial anthology of famous prefaces and one of the harvard classics is by james spedding, who in 1910 produced a volume entitled prefaces and prologues to famous books. interestingly, only two of his seventeen titles— one from french, victor hugo’s preface (fifty pages!) to his play cromwell (1827), and the other from german, goethe’s preface to his journal propyläen (1798)— were not drawn from english literature. overall the prefaces fall into two groups: the shorter ones are advertisements and the longer ones are manifestos. goethe’s preface merely advertises the contents of his journal, but hugo’s preface is a true manifesto for french romanticism. hugo points to the concept of the grotesque as the key to romantic literature. another famous manifesto is william wordsworth’s preface to the lyrical ballads (1798). part of its fame and importance lies simply in its date of publication in 1798, often referred to as the beginning of british romanticism. the poems by wordsworth in the lyrical ballads, as well as the only one by his friend and collaborator samuel taylor coleridge, “the rime of the ancient mariner,” are a gold mine for comparatists and translators, because of the many influences of and allusions to the works of poets and thinkers of continental europe. wordsworth’s preface is also famous for reclaiming the importance of the language of common people. he puts it this way: the majority of the following poems are to be considered as experiments. they were written chiefly with a view to ascertain how far the language of conversation in the middle and lower classes of society is adapted to the purposes of poetic pleasure. wordsworth’s preface includes two resonant contradictions. one is the recommendation to avoid distinction between prose and poetry and to avoid “poetic diction”; but in his own practice a clear and distinct poetic diction is present. secondly, he defines good poetry as “the spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings,” but at the same time “emotions recollected in tranquility;” delos vol. 34, no. 2, pp. v–vii. copyright © 2019 unversity of florida press. doi: 10.5744/delos.2019.1016 vi preface in other words, somehow poems are to be spontaneous as well as meditative products. as translators and editors of delos, we take prefaces of famous or not so famous literary works to be sources of inspiration. but in its actual, practical form, we take a more modest path in our prefaces, including this one, more advertisement of content than manifesto. the present issue, as was last year the case for the fall issue, has no official theme. still, the contents are such that few readers will see only one work that interests them. for lovers of russian poetry, we welcome back translators dmitri manin and alex cigale, but are also pleased with two new contributors, nina kossman and j. kates.1 altogether we have poems by baratynsky, gumilev, kedrin, vaginov, and pryakhin. mr. kates’s contribution includes poems of petrarch and nerval on a related theme. for lovers of short stories, we have another one from the dominican writer josé alcántara almánzar and two by the greek author vassilis alexakis, who writes these remarkable prose puzzles in french. from french also comes the “boy’s eye view of may ’68” by claude arnaud, a reflective narrative which might be interesting to read alongside yoshida mitsuru’s vivid and immediate 1946 account of the sinking of the yamato, of which christopher smith presents an excerpt. the history of translation is commented on by christopher wickham in his presentation of a new translation of a short essay by kleist, and indirectly by stephen rojcewicz as he looks intensely at an ofttranslated passage of homer and an oftdiscussed sign in shakespeare’s othello. one may also look to the reviews for discussions of translating works whose originals present special challenges. leading off the issue is a collaboration between the two poets lola haskins and andrea pham, both of gainesville, delos’s home town. here we have vietnamese poetry translated into english— and english poetry into vietnamese. in next fall’s issue, we hope to present an analysis of vietnamese metrics by dr. pham, based on this “conversation.” for the spring 2020 issue of delos, with a special theme of “performance and translation,” ralf remshardt, professor of theatre at the university of florida, will be our guest editor. he is the author of staging the savage god: the grotesque in performance (2004) and intermedial performance and politics in the public sphere (2018). he has directed plays by euripides, 1 mr. kates in fact published in delos in its late90s and early 2000s series, edited at the university of florida by harold hanson. preface vii shakespeare, brecht, beckett, stoppard, dürrenmatt, bernardmarie koltès, and roland schimmelpfennig for university and professional theaters. most recently he directed the curious incident of the dog in the nighttime, a play by simon stephens, based on the novel by mark haddon, for a run at the hippodrome in gainesville, florida in august– september 2019. hal h. rennert judy shoaf a conversation on translation stanley corngold the critic walter benjamin wrote a very famous and very difficult book-length essay on goethe’s novel elective affinities, from which i’ll cite the following passage: [goethe’s] literary composition remains turned toward the interior in the veiled light refracted through multicolored panes. shortly after [the] completion [of the novel], [goethe] wrote to zelter: “wherever my new novel finds you, accept it in a friendly manner. i am convinced that the transparent and opaque veil will not prevent you from seeing inside to the form truly intended.”1 this imagery of the veil that is at once transparent and opaque— and which must finally lead to our seeing inside “to the form truly intended”—gives us just about everything essential, i think, to a conversation about translation. the translator of a work means to bring to light “the form truly intended”—and here i will gloss the words “truly intended” to refer to the intention that informs the work and not, supposing it recoverable, something in the mind of the author during the act of writing. the sort of work-based intentionality i have in mind responds to the question, “what does the work aim to accomplish?” in the sense, even in the humble sense, in which a chair aims to be sat upon quite apart from the commotion in the mind of the carpenter at the time of its making (as, for example, his thinking, “oh, the limbs of my chair are lovely”; or, “this chair is going to bring about a revolution in sitting”; or: “this chair will be a commercial success—and will pay for my new loft in dumbo,” and so forth). now the form “truly intended” that goethe speaks of is, of course, a function of the language of the work; it comes to light for a reader from his or her reading—and knowing—its words. it will not come to light for the reader whose knowledge of that language is sub-par the author’s facility. here, then, is the task of the translator. he or she (henceforth, “he”) is called upon to carry over that form, the thrust of that form, into a work in another 1 benjamin, “goethe’s elective affinities,” originally published in neue deutsche beiträge (1924-25), trans. stanley corngold in walter benjamin, selected writings: 1913-1926, ed. marcus bullock and michael w. jennings (cambridge: harvard up, 1996), p. 352, alt. 2 a conversation on translation language—in a technical sense, into his, the translator’s, own work, since he borrows none of the author’s words; he replaces them with words of his own composition. (admittedly, it is only a low sort of ownership that the translator enjoys: the work is his—but it is a plagiarism—or, less punitively, it is “a translation.”) in another sense, it might be interesting to think of the translation as a dream of the original. the translation presents itself with a prima facie clarity of feature. i do think this clarity is an overriding concern of the translation. and so, in speaking about the clarity of the form of things, we are reminded of nietzsche’s (surprising) example of the dream as this very medium of apollinian plasticity, fascinating visibility, precision of feature and form. in the dream, he writes, in the birth of tragedy, “we enjoy the form with an immediate understanding; every shape speaks to us; nothing is indifferent and unnecessary.” the translation must be clear and compelling; it is well advised to strive for clarity of presentation (“klarheit der darstellung”)—or it must strike the reader so, who will have a less perfect or imperfect or scant or no knowledge of the original at all. the original will be dark for him, as the translation will be light. this, at any rate, is the view of don paterson, the accomplished translator of rilke’s sonette an orpheus—although, to be sure, he thinks of this very demand for clarity as the drawback of mere translation: “a translation,” he writes, “tries to remain true to the original words and their relations, and its primary aim is […] one of stylistic elegance (meaning, essentially, the smooth elimination of syntactic and idiomatic artifacts from the original tongue).”2 it is precisely because the result is merely a translation that paterson means to produce a version that will be an original sequence of poems. paterson’s point will take us later on to a discussion of what the translator might do with passages in the original that are dark even to him whose knowledge of the language is—in principle— perfect. now even as i adduce some of the aims involved in translation, i must confess that i am suspicious of their value in practice—as well as of the value of a good deal of the translation theory that has circulated in vast quantities on both shores. here, theory acts on principle; it conjures and addresses situations presumed to be 2 don paterson, orpheus (london: faber, 2006), 73. stanley corngold 3 eternally stable (even in their calculable flux). it’s been assumed that such a situation exists for the translator, and this assumption prompts a general consensus about what translation does— viz.: it carries over the meanings of words from one language to another—from the source language to the target language, leaving, in principle, no child of connotation behind. the source house-of-language has been fully emptied out; all the entities dwelling there have been brought to safety. we have begun to discuss some general principles of translation, so consider some additional sub-principles. the translator must struggle with competing aims: 1. to make the source text speak the target language fluently, quite as if the source-author had written in the target language (so that would be: kafka writing for the new yorker or aeschylus, as in the hands of anne carson, writing for granta). or, on the other hand, 2. the translator must make the target language speak with an accent—the accent of the original german or french or greek in the sense of conveying something of the material flavor, the “feel” of that foreign language—effects of diction, of the sound-look of words—odd metaphors—effects of grammar (as, for example, in german: transposed word order or extended adjectival construction or agglutinated nominatives). in an introduction to his newly edited six-volume translation of proust’s à la rechereche du temps perdu—a translation by various hands—the editor, christopher prendergast, discusses this competition of ideas as follows: although not without precedent (there are already team-work translations in both german and italian), the disadvantages of such an arrangement [of the various hands] are obvious. at the deepest level they concern the management of differences arising not just from the interpretation of proust’s text but from philosophical conflicts over the nature and purpose of literary translation as such. this, broadly, is the conflict between what we might call the naturalizing and the foreignizing conceptions. the latter holds that we should never be allowed to forget that what we are reading is indeed a translation and that it is therefore both duty-bound and condemned to bear within it some trace of the foreignness in which it has taken up abode. reading à la recherche in english should not seek to mask the fact that it was originally written 4 a conversation on translation in french. conversely, the former assumes that the prime task of the translator is to naturalize the host language as far as possible into the terms of the guest language, in such a way as to create for the reader the sense that he or she is reading a text as if it had been ‘originally’ written in the guest language. this appears to have been kilmartin’s working hypothesis. “(t)he main problem with scott moncrieff’s version is a matter of tone. a translator ought constantly to be asking himself: ‘how would the author put this if he were writing in english?’” yet, if at first glance, this looks like a reasonable benchmark, it is in fact demented. perhaps we can make some sense of the notion of what à la recherche would have looked like had proust written it in english by recasting it as the question of how a roughly contemporaneous english writer might have written it. but this counterfactual imagining is also a somewhat murky notion. what, from the history of english-language fiction, could serve as a comparable model of literary prose? the style of henry james or edith wharton, for example? the analogy, if pressed, would quite rapidly reach breaking point.3 well, if there are these two contending strains, now add on contending strain number three, if you will follow walter benjamin, namely: the task of the (inevitably inept) translation is to conjure yet another language—neither the language of the source nor of the target text in whatever idiom of choice. this third language is the so-called “pure” language that precedes and undergirds all particular languages. it is not crystal clear what that language is in benjamin—perhaps it is the lost “language” of intellectual intuition. finally, to give a last example of such principles, there are competing claims as well in the matter of whether the translation should strive for the condition of the pony. this would be a literal, a mimetic accuracy so precise that a reader of the target text who was also fluent in the source language could, with a few standard adjustments, back-translate the translation into the source text, which he or she didn’t hitherto know. on the other hand, there’s the question of whether free paraphrase, a bit of fireworks on the side, wouldn’t be allowed. 3 christopher prendergast, “general editor’s introduction” to marcel proust, the way by swann’s, trans. lydia davis (new york: penguin, 2003), xiv-xv. stanley corngold 5 here is an example: edwin and willa muir, the eminent first english translators of kafka, translated a phrase from kafka’s story “arabs and jackals” describing the movements of the jackals. the phrase reads “sie gingen” (“they went away”). the muirs’ translation reads: “they turned tail and ran.” this elegant periphrasis will, of course, throw the pony-rider. riding back to german, he would have to wonder whether kafka had referred to these animals as so many “wendeschwänze.” i’d like to describe for a moment a few more obstacles to the pony principle taken from life. these arise from the ponies produced in conversation with the late german wit and writer reinhard lettau. now, you must understand first that some of the motorways in america are called “turnpikes” (the section of highway i-95, for example, which leads from princeton to new york is called the new jersey turnpike). so lettau would excuse himself from late dinners in princeton by saying he “musste leider dem wendehecht gleich ins auge gucken.” it would not be difficult for a bilingual listener—or reader—to ride this pony back to “looking straightaway into the face of the turncoat pike,” where pike now refers to a kind of lake fish: “brochet,” “hecht”. but that wasn’t what was meant. homonyms are the bane of ponies. (put that on my gravestone). but wait—“turncoat pike?” honestly, could any bilingual native speaker ever have come to that? well, yes, actually, a reasonably cultivated one, who might very well have read the poem by christian morgenstern titled—“der hecht”—a pike that, as a converted fish, might very truly be designated a “wendehecht,” to wit: ein hecht, vom heiligen anton bekehrt, beschloss, samt frau und sohn, am vegetarischen gedanken moralisch sich emporzuranken. er aß seit jenem nur noch dies: seegras, seerose und seegrieß. doch grieß, gras, rose floss, o graus, entsetzlich wieder hinten aus. der ganze teich ward angesteckt. fünfhundert fische sind verreckt. doch sankt anton, gerufen eilig, sprach nichts als “heilig! heilig! heilig!”4 4 http://gutenberg.spiegel.de/buch/christian-morgenstern-gedichte-325/46. http://gutenberg.spiegel.de/buch/christian-morgenstern-gedichte-325/46 6 a conversation on translation a pike, converted by saint anthony, resolved, together with his wife and son, to raise himself morally with vegetarian thoughts. from that time on, he ate only the following: sea grass, sea roses, and sea grits. but grits, grass, and roses, oh drear, flowed in ghastly fashion out the rear. the entire pond became polluted; five hundred fish expired duly; but saint anthony, hurriedly summoned, could cry but “holy! holy! holy!”5 i return to lettau and ponies one last time: lettau, at generous buffets, after consuming the first mountain of vegetables—sea grass, sea roses, sea grits—would ask the company whether they were inclined “auf sekunden zu gehen” (“to go for seconds”); but ponies of course, as in all the examples above, can produce distracting, if lovely, surreal connotations. as there are no “lake fish” in the “turnpike,” so, in returning to the buffet table, one does not tread (lightly) on carpets woven of little fractions of time. now where is this fugue on translation principles heading? it means to stress the force that operates against such principles, a tücke der wörter, a sort of free-floating mischief inside the target language that will throw sand in the eyes of the products produced by solid-enough-seeming theory. here are examples of what i mean, again from real life, as it were. an editor at norton critical editions asked me to vet a sample translation of a passage from the sufferings of young werther—a translation i did not care for: it was literally “unspeakable.” here are the cruxes. on the evening of his very sad, heart-rending suicide, werther steps out of door and looks at the starry sky. ich trete an das fenster, meine beste, und sehe, und sehe noch durch die stürmenden, vorüberfliehenden wolken einzelne sterne des ewigen himmels! nein, ihr werdet nicht fallen! der ewige trägt euch an seinem herzen, und mich. the sample translation read (italics mine): i step to the window, my dearest, and see, and still see, through the rushing clouds flying over me a few 5 my translation—sc. stanley corngold 7 stars of the eternal heavens! no, you will not fall! the eternal bears you, and me, in his heart.6 right from the start, this unsatisfying translation returns us to the pony-question, the drive to produce a text that is rigorously homologous with the original. true, this translation does meet the standard of word-for-word literalness, but in doing so, raises questions once again of miscommunication. the reader will surely wonder, on reading the english text: “who is the ‘you’ here borne up by “the eternal”? and he or she will of course think that it is “my dearest”—i.e., lotte, charlotte, to whom the letter is addressed—who is sustained by the eternal one. but the german pronoun “ihr,” unlike the “you” in the english translation, makes it clear that a plural antecedent to “you” is required, so this soliloquy is not about one’s beloved but about pole stars that do not fall. a previous translator, the canny burton pike (!), rightly adds to the english translation a word not in the source text—the word “stars,” writing: “stars, you will not fall!” the english sentence demands the extra word in order to translate the german. but that will break the pony. of course, the pony-claim persists, on the argument caveat lector; the text is what it says, not what it might need to say in order to be clear. as it happens, the late andré lefevere, in a very good article titled “mother courage’s cucumbers: text, system and refraction in theory of literature,” complains about this very attempt to supply connections in the case of brecht’s mutter courage. the competent translator ralph manheim translated mother courage’s words to kattrin: “du bist selber ein kreuz: du hast ein gutes herz” as “you’re a cross yourself because you have a good heart”—the word “because” is not in the german. the addition helps—but isn’t crucial to understanding. the first american translator of mutter courage, h. r. hays, bent over backwards to be helpful, translating this address to kattrin as follows: “you’re a cross yourself. what sort of help are you. and all the same what a good heart you have.” this is funny: trying to get it explicit, he inverts the sense. it’s not, of course, that you also have a good heart, kattrin: it’s that your good heart is the cross—i.e., a source of endless trouble. 6 my italics. 8 a conversation on translation this same h. r. hays produced an exemplarily bad but hilarious translation of mutter courage’s inventory of her belongings, which appears to have inspired lefevere’s mordant reflections. the german reads: “da ist ein ganzes messbuch dabei, aus altötting, zum einschlagen von gurken”: “there’s a whole missal (prayer book) there, from altötting (a town famous for its sacred relics), for wrapping cucumbers.” hays’s translation reads: “there’s a whole ledger from altötting to the storming of gurken.” lefevere explains, “the prayer book mother courage uses to wrap her cucumbers becomes transformed into a ledger, and the innocent cucumbers themselves grow into an imaginary town gurken, supposedly the point at which the last transaction was entered into that particular ledger.”7 this needn’t make one despair of the entire enterprise of getting things right. it just might require a bit of fact checking at publishers. i want to continue with my discussion of the passage from the sufferings of young werther to get to my main point. you may recall that our translator in disrepute gives us, for “der ewige trägt...” “no, you will not fall! the eternal bears you, and me, in his heart.” the eternal bears … you. oh no, this suggests something ursine, hibernating forever. so i thought, in an effort to be constructive, about how one might solve this crux and thought and thought and saw that the translation must read: “the eternal one holds you up.” oh, oh: and is this poor thing the outcome of all higher reflection? i’ve produced an “eternal holdup.” chicago gangster slang has come in from nowhere to defeat us. this is what i mean by the dust or mischief in the connotative web work of words. whatever principled logic guides you to a solution, you will still depend on the mercy of the connotative texture of the target language, full of spite. how often has le mot juste become impossible because le mot juste has also occurred, not especially “juste” at all, yet immovably, in three places in the sentence before and after? why this mischief will defeat every principle: the translator must take his or her way through a thicket of accidents. “the dogs of connotation bark; the caravan backtracks its weary way.” 7 andré lefevere, “mother courage’s cucumbers: text, system and refraction in a theory of literature,” in the translation studies reader, ed. lawrence venuti (new york and london: routledge, 2004), 239, originally published in modern language studies 12.4 (1982), pp. 3-20. stanley corngold 9 now this, finally, is to put the matter entirely negatively. and that is one-sided, and would lead to the translator’s despair. to cite kafka’s well-known despair of the metaphorical under layer of language, metaphors are one among many things which make me despair of writing. writing’s lack of independence from the world, its dependence on the maid who tends the fire, on the cat warming itself by the stove; it is even dependent on the poor old human being warming himself by the stove. all these are independent activities ruled by their own laws; only writing is helpless, cannot live in itself, is a joke and a despair.”8 but mischief, as you know, can also have rewarding—unsuspected—results. and here is some late proof. i was asked to translate some unpublished lines of kafka. they are part of the story of the hunter gracchus. the german reads: “war kein seefahrer, wollte es nicht werden, berg und wald waren meine freunde und jetzt– ältester seefahrer … jäger graccus angebetet mit gerungenen händen vom schiffsjungen, der sich im mastkorb ängstigt in der sturmnacht. lache nicht.”9 and my translation: “wasn’t a seafarer, didn’t want to be one. mountain and woods were my friends and now—the oldest seafarer, hunter gracchus, worshipped with clasped hands by the ship boy, trembling with fright in the crow’s nest in the stormy night. don’t laugh.” oh my, “crow’s nest”…. that crow isn’t in the german but what a marvelous gift. this is “kafka” (the word means “jackdaw” in czech, a crow-like bird), kafka who makes a point of describing the swirl of crows above the rooftops of the castle in the castle, kafka who wrote: “the crows like to insist that it would take but a single crow to destroy heaven. this is indisputably true, but it says nothing about heaven, because ‘heaven’ is simply another way of saying: the impossibility of crows.” 8 franz kafka, the diaries of franz kafka, 1914-1923, trans. martin greenberg (with the assistance of hannah arendt) (new york: schocken, 1949), 200-201 9 franz kafka, nachgelassene schriften und fragmente i, ed. malcolm pasley (frankfurt a.m.: s. fischer, 1990), 378. 10 a conversation on translation in translating “josefine, the singer... ” i also ran into a bit of luck. the german reads: “einmal geschah es, daß irgendein törichtes kleines ding während josefinens gesang in aller unschuld auch zu pfeifen anfing.” in english (or possibly only american) one writes: “once it happened that during josefine’s concert some silly young pipsqueak began in all innocence to pipe up.”10 finally, as a codicil, and since christian morgenstern might still be in the air, i’ll mention another sort of irrational constraint in the host language, felicities of sound. the point is famously conveyed in morgenstern’s poem on “the aesthetic weasel,” to wit: das ästhetische wiesel ein wiesel saß auf einem kiesel inmitten bachgeriesel. wißt ihr weshalb? das mondkalb verriet es mir im stillen: das raffinierte tier tats um des reimes willen. we would translate—mellifluously, wittily—if we could. a plain prose translation follows, only to have the poem itself declare why the poem cannot be translated: “a weasel / sat on a pebble / in the middle of a trickling brook. / do you know / why? / the mooncalf revealed it to me / privately: / the sophistic / ated beast / did it just for the sake of the rhyme.” we cannot rhyme “weasel” with “pebble.” now there have been versions. max knight tries to stay close to the matter and the rhyme, to wit: 10 franz kafka, “josefine, die sängerin oder das volk der mäuse,” drucke zu lebzeiten, ed. wolf kittler, hans-gerd koch, and gerhard neumann (frankfurt a.m.: s. fischer, 1994), 354. kafka’s selected stories, ed. and trans. stanley corngold (new york: norton, 2007), 96. stanley corngold 11 the aesthetic weasel a weasel perched on an easel within a patch of teasel. but why and how? the moon cow whispered her reply one time: the sopheesticated beest did it just for the rhyme.11 his version needed to tamper with conventional orthography. betsy hulick gives us a rowdier version: the aesthetic anaconda an anaconda sent a honda to jane fonda (the motorcycle, not the car) not because the creature was unhinged by passion for the star (although it happens all the time). the case was worse. mad for verse, he couldn’t resist the triple rhyme.12 i’d like to introduce a small victory following these grander defeats. in kafka’s story “a report to an academy,” we read: 11 max knight, the gallows songs: christian morgenstern’s galgenlieder. a selection. translated, with an introduction, by max knight (berkeley: university of california press, 1964), 19. 12 30 poems by christian morgenstern, trans. and illust. by betsy hulick (manchester center, vt.: shires press, 2014), 1. 12 a conversation on translation “komme ich spät nachts von banketten … erwartet mich eine kleine halbdressierte schimpansin und ich lasse es mir nach affenart bei ihr wohlgehen.”13 i wrote: “if i return late at night from banquets … a little half-trained chimpanzee is waiting for me, and i have my pleasure of her in the way of all apes.”14 i rhyme, as it were, to samuel butler. now no theory in the world will get you to such happy outcomes. and then again this isn’t to say anything especially surprising. you can find this insight everywhere, of late in j. m. coetzee’s new novel, summertime, in which a character says: “pragmatism always beats principles; that is just the way things are. the universe moves, the ground changes under our feet; principles are always a step behind. principles are the stuff of comedy. comedy is what you get when principles bump into reality.”15 and the fact that it needs to be so often repeated–this against theory—only goes to prove the persistence of theory. 13 kafka, drucke zu lebzeiten, 313. 14 kafka’s selected stories, 83. the reference is to samuel butler’s bitter, semi-autobiographical novel the way of all flesh. 15 j. m. coetzee, summertime: scenes from a provincial life (london: harvill secker, 2009), 63. _goback login | delos: a journal of translation and world literature main navigation main content sidebar current archives search subscribe toggle search register login search toggle navigation home login subscription or article purchase required to access item. to verify subscription, access previous purchase, or purchase article, log in to journal. username password forgot your password? 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keep me logged in login register sidebar-links about overview editorial board contact contributors author guidelines submit subscribers subscribe/renew news sign-upnews sign-up issn: 0011-7951 eissn: 2573-5659   main office: 2046 ne waldo road suite 2100 gainesville, fl 32609 phone: 352-392-1351 email: journals@upress.ufl.edu navigation home search current archives subscribe preface an open question: is the renewed interest in nature nowadays a true ele ment of today’s zeitgeist, or is it merely a typical phenomenon, a byproduct, as it were, of renewed interest and awareness on the part of the editors of delos, who suddenly are seeing signs of such interest everywhere, after having selected the theme of “lit er a ture and nature” for this spring 2019 issue about twelve months ago? certainly, there are some signs of an extraordinary resurgence of interest in nature, for example, the bestselling author, a forester by profession, peter wohlleben’s the hidden life of trees (2015), and his companion work the inner life of animals (2016; both works translated from german by jane billinghurst, 2016 and 2017). for writers and their translators as well as for artists, the human connections to the world of plants and animals are of par tic u lar interest. research and startling discoveries in the context of the era of environmentalism and sustainability go back a few de cades, such as jane goodall’s work with primates and the dutch primatologist frans de waal’s famous book, chimpanzee politics (1982). closer to today, in ter est ing studies and research are taking place in cross species interactions such as reciprocal altruism in animals. and there are the very accessible findings in innovations by janine benyus, who coined the term biomimicry, combined with her not so subtle recommendation, “ human beings should consciously emulate nature’s genius in their designs.” what makes the theme of “lit er a ture and nature” additionally attractive for some of us located in gainesville, florida, is being more or less part of the “other” florida. only a few miles southeast of the universitymetropolis gainesville, within commuting distance, cross creek was the home of one of the bestknown writers of the other florida, marjorie kinnan rawlings. cross creek? it borders the “big scrub,” the ocala national forest, where in addition to the typical florida alligator warning signs, there are street signs gently alerting motorists to the presence of black bears. even more impor tant than these signs of otherness and nature are the hundreds of natu ral springs in the other florida— thankfully not completely exploited and despoiled by commercial and touristic interests. delos vol. 34, no. 1, pp. v–viii. copyright © 2019 university of florida press. doi: 10.5744/delos.2019.1000 vi preface delos. creative writers and their translators do not follow a specific curriculum or ascribe to any par tic u lar set of ideas in prescriptive ways. nevertheless, nature, human nature, the human condition, and the connectedness of things is subtly reflected and depicted, for example, in theodor fontane’s classic novel, der stechlin (1897), translated by jane k. brown, the first chapter of which is contained in this issue. another work from german, william ruleman’s translations of five poems by georg heym, offers nature as a broad prospect laid out for the poet to interpret. it is not always easy to get a perspective on nature, however. in the story by the haitian writer mirline pierre, a child’s perception of the natu ral includes a home among streets of bookshops and funeral parlors, streets which are abruptly turned to rubble by the 2010 earthquake. another story from the same island, by the dominican writer josé alcántara almánzar, tells of a mysteriously wounded man’s longing for the ocean. two delicate poems by the guadeloupean poet guy tirolien complement these island stories. from a more distant island, japan, two brief tales by yoshiro takayasu evoke a nature inhabited by fairies and spirits of the water and forests— refugees from their own disappearing world, uneasily encountering the human. tobias hülswitt’s narrative of parents watching over their premature child in a hospital ward, week after week, hovers between the miracle of survival and the naturalness of death. a dif fer ent reminder of mortality is jacopone da todi’s poetic tour de force enumerating all the natu ral (and some unnatural) horrors he longs to suffer in his shame at being human. a special note on the contribution of esther heboyan, a handful of poems by the turkish poet i̇zzet yasar. as professor heboyan was working on these translations, the poet himself died. sad as the circumstances are, we hope that these poems will alert translators and readers to a complex body of work. we are pleased to pre sent amy newman’s translations of some of the letters of antonia pozzi, the italian poet and photographer. these are the passionate letters of a teenage poet in love, reaching for the social world of literary and moral debate at the same time as she imagines marriage and motherhood. a dif fer ent epistolary question is addressed in the essay by alberto de simoni; he tackles the question of whether it is better to translate proverbs used by the fourthcentury letterwriter libanius with englishlanguage equivalents, or rely on the reader (and footnotes) to grasp the savor of the original imagery. this essay began as a paper at a gradu ate student conference here at the university of florida, and we hope to have more contributions developed from conference papers. preface vii ben hebblethwaite takes us back to the ca rib bean with a discussion of the background of reggae songs and the challenges of translating rastafarian “dread talk” in his essay on two songs by chronixx. we are grateful for the permission of mirline pierre, tobias hülswitt, josé alcántara almánzar, and yoshiro takayasu to include the translations of their work, and to seçkin yasar for permission to print i̇zzet yasar’s poems with their translations. éditions présence africaine has kindly allowed us to reprint guy tirolien’s poems and the translations of them by eva ulrike pirker. thanks are due also for permission to include translations of angela pozzi’s letters, to the centro internazionale insubrico “carlo cattaneo” e “giulio preti.” hal h. rennert judy shoaf login | delos: a journal of translation and world literature main navigation main content sidebar current archives search subscribe toggle search register login search toggle navigation home login subscription or article purchase required to access item. to verify subscription, access previous purchase, or purchase article, log in to journal. username password forgot your password? 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keep me logged in login register sidebar-links about overview editorial board contact contributors author guidelines submit subscribers subscribe/renew news sign-upnews sign-up issn: 0011-7951 eissn: 2573-5659   main office: 2046 ne waldo road suite 2100 gainesville, fl 32609 phone: 352-392-1351 email: journals@upress.ufl.edu navigation home search current archives subscribe two yiddish songs: "my uncle eli has a tree" and "daisies" by leyb morgentoy and zalman shneur translation and commentary: dror abend-david introduction: the beginning of the twentieth century introduced a new sub-genre in yiddish music: folk songs by known authors, often receiving credit and even copyrights. the movement of jewish enlightenment, reaching its peak during the second half of the nineteenth century, was greatly influenced by a contemporary theory of folklore, and the privileging of popular songs, folk tales and anecdotes as testimony to the national character of a people. it is important to realize that there is a significant temporal gap between jewish and non-jewish enlightenment. secular jewish writing, starting in the 1860’s, was heavily influenced by a tradition of enlightenment (sometime lasting throughout the 1920’s), but also mixing up (late) romantic and (more contemporary) modernist influences. there is, accordingly, a clear connection between works such as the collection of german folk tales by the grimm brothers from 1812 and yiddish collectors (zamlers), who almost a century later set out to visit small towns in villages throughout eastern europe to collect jewish songs and stories.* however, either because the collected materials did not meet the demand, or because not all songs met the modernist and nationalist criteria of yiddish scholars, some of the best known poets and writers of the time took to the task of writing new "folk songs." among them were itsik manger, mark varshavski, avrom goldfadn and mordkhe gebirtig. such songs became immensely popular, and some of them – like the famous "rabbi elimelekh" by yitzchak rayz (moshe nadir) – were even created in the united states and sent back to the "old world." like the two songs below, many of these popular songs were later translated into hebrew and became "authentic" israeli folk songs, often outliving their fame in yiddish and in eastern europe. leyb morgentoy's "my uncle eli has a tree" tells the story of eli who has a tree of stars. he tries to sell his stars at the market, but the practical shoppers prefer to buy fruits and vegetables. alongside some mystical elements in the song, it is predominantly an ars-poetic treatise on behalf of the alienated artist, who cannot share the blessing of his (or her) inspiration with the public, as the latter is not interested in either spiritual or intellectual endeavors. while being blessed by the stars, uncle eli is also cursed as he must keep this blessing to himself. * perhaps the best known source in this regard is the collection of ginsburg and marek from 1901: noy, dov, saul m. ginsburg, and pesach marek. yidishe folkslider in rusland [jewish folklore in russia]. tsilum mahadurat peterburg. ed. ramat gan: yidish literatur-fond a.n. fun avraham ayzengart, di rina kosta yidish-katedre, bar-ilan universitet. 1991. in yiddish. abend-david 75 zalman shneur (born: shneur zelkind), the creator of "daisies," has also set it to music. and, as he lived in israel until his death in 1959, he was also the first to translate this song into hebrew. this is a story song in the tradition of the german "lied," celebrating free love and nature: eve, a young woman, strolls in the woods when she meets an unknown young man. they have a short romantic encounter, and eve remains a little longer in the woods to celebrate the bounty of nature. in the spirit of enlightenment, the song describes modern times during which young people might abandon social conventions, form unions that are based on love rather than matchmaking, and look to love and nature as agents of selfempowerment. suggested links: the following four links (downloaded from youtube.com on july 15, 2015) provide yiddish and hebrew versions of the two songs: • for a yiddish version of "my uncle eli has a tree" see: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v_ywkqasvzg • for hebrew: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cwpdyrhr8sq • for a yiddish version of "daisies" see: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rdei7bsw8yu • for hebrew: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4_e8sfebmag )1905-1979מיין פעטער עליע האט א בוים / לײב מארגנטױ ( מוזיק: נח נאכבוש מיין פעטער עליע האט א בוים טער,ביי זיין קרומען פענצ זאגט מיין פעטער: ס'איז א בוים אויף דער וועלט דער שענסטער! –נישט קיין פרוכטן וואקסן דארט פינקלדיקע שטערן. שטערן בליען אויפן בוים, וואקסן און זיך מערן. ווען אין סעדער טרייסלט מען עפל, ווי די בערן, רייסט מיין פעטער עליע דאן 76 delos פון די צווייגן שטערן. שן אן,יזאמלט פולע קו שפאנט דאס פערד צופדרידן און ער פירט די שטערן אום אויף די מערק, יארידן. "ליבע מענטשן, ביליק קויפט זעלטענע אנטיקלעך, ער פון זייער ליכט געניסט,וו דער איז רייך און גליקלעך!" וואקסט אן עולם אויס ארום פעטער עליעס וואגן, יעדער האט אן אנדער וויץ ווארט צו זאגן.-און חוזק קויפט מען רעטעך און סאלאט, בוראקעס און מערן, קויפט מען קרויט און וואס איר ווילט, אבער נישט קיין שטערן. זיי פעטער עליע אןקוקט לייד און באדויער:טמיט מי בלינד איז, נעבעך, זייער אויג, טויב איז זייער אויער. טוט אים אזוי וויי: סאון ע שדים זאלן וויסן. ס'איז בעשערט אים: ער אליין זאל דאס ליכט געניסן. אין דעם קליינעם שטיבל זיינס, זאט מיט צער און טרערן, צן אויסבויט ער זיך פאלא -– –פון די שיינע שטערן 1983פינסק, my uncle eli has a tree / leyb morgentoy (1905-1979) music: noyekh nakhbush my uncle eli has a tree by his crooked windowsill. my uncle says that it’s the best that ever grew or ever will! abend-david 77 . this tall tree bears no fruit at all – but sparkling stars like in the sky. stars blossom on it big and small, they're fruitful and they multiply. while others shake off apples, pears, at their farms and ranches, my uncle eli gently tears stars off from all the branches. when he has a basketful he harnesses his mare, and happily he takes the mirthful stars down to the fair. "lovely people, buy on sale, a rare and precious ornament! its light will bless you without fail, with health, great wealth and merriment!" a crowd of people gathers near, standing eagerly around; a hiss is followed by a sneer; insults, slurs and jeers abound. they all buy turnips, lettuce, cabbage, carrots or whatever. but stars and planets are a menace, no one buys them if they're clever. uncle eli pities them; his heart is sweet and kind: they have ears yet they are deaf; they have eyes, but they are blind. the devil knows how much it hurts; only god can hear him moan; he is blessed with stars but cursed to bear his blessing all alone. in his little prayer house, filled with pain and scars, eli builds up palaces out of shining stars pinsk, 1938. 78 delos )1887-1957מַארגַאריטקעלעך / זלמן שניאור ( מוזיק: פון דעם מחבר אין וועלדעל בַײם טַײכל, דָארט זענען געווַאקסן –מַארגַאריטקעלעך, עלנט און קליין ווי קליינינקע זונען, מיט ווַײסינקע שטרַאלן, לַא.-לאַ -לאַ -מיט ווַײסינקע טראַ למט,וגעגַאנגען איז חווהלע שטיל און ֿפַארח -בלָאנדע צעּפ, -צעלָאזן די גָאלד למטוֿפַארח -דָאס העלדזל ַאנטבלויזט און געמורמלט לַא.-לאַ -לאַ -דָאס לידעלע טראַ חור ַא שווַארצער,דא קומט איר ַאנטקעגן ַא ב מיט לָאקן מיט שווַארצע, ווי ּפעך; ער ֿפלַאמט מיט די אויגן און ענטֿפערט איר לוסטיק, לַא.-לאַ -לאַ -און ענטֿפערט איר: טראַ ווָאס זוכסטו דָא, מיידל ? ווָאס הָאסטו ֿפַארלוירן ? ווָאס ווילסטו געֿפינען אין גרָאז ? ויטלט זיך חווהאיך זוך מַארגַאריטקעס, ֿפַארר לַא.-לאַ -לאַ -ֿפַאררויטלט זיך, טראַ דו זוכסט נָאך ? און איך הָאב שוין טַאקע געֿפונען די שענסטע מַארגַאריטקע אין ווַאלד, ַא מַארגַאריטקע מיט צעפ און מיט אויגן סַאֿפירן, לַא.-לאַ -לאַ -מיט אייגעלעך טראַ -הָאב זיך ֿפַארגעסן ניין, כ'הָאב שוין מַארגַאריטקעס, איך איך זוך... דָא נישט וַײט איז ַא קווַאל... דער קווַאל איז געשלָאסן און מיר בלַײבסטו דורשטיק לַא.-לאַ -לאַ -בַײם קווַאלכעלע טראַ איך וויל גָארנישט טרינקען. איך זוך מיר ַא שָאטן, די זון בַאקט ַארַײן ַאזוי הייס... וַארצער און קילער ווי שָאטנסמַײנע הָאר זענען שו לַא.-לאַ -לאַ -טראַ -אין וועלדעלע דורשטיק מַײן מיידעלע, מיד איז מַײן קליינינקע, צי מעג מען זי נעמען בַײם הַאנט ? צי מעג מען זי גלעטן, צי מעג מען זי קושן ? לַא.-לאַ -לאַ -צי מעג מען נָאר... טראַ מַאמע זָאגט מ'טָאר נישט,ַא, לָאז מיך, מען טָאר נישט, די מַײן מַאמע איז ַאלט און איז בייז, ווּו מַאמע ? ווָאס מַאמע ? דָא זענען נָאר ביימער, לַא.-לאַ -לאַ -נָאר ביימעלעך טראַ abend-david 79 קיינער הערט נישט, -מען הערט ! -קיינער זעט נישט -מען זעט ! דָאס וועלדל איז בלינד און געדיכט. זיסע דו זעסט, איך בין רויִק, אומַארעם מיך, לַא.-לאַ -לאַ -לאַ -טראַ -איך קוש דיך נָאר איך שעם מיך. -דו שעמסט דיך ? -איך ליב דיך. -דו ליבסט מיך ? טָא, ליב מיך און שעם דיך און שווַײג. שווַארצע קרויזן-און זע ווי עס מישן זיך ּפעך לַא. -לאַ -מיט גָאלדענע ... טרַא לאַ די זון איז ֿפַארגַאנגען, דער בחור ֿפַארשווּונדן, און חווהלע זיצט נָאך אין ווַאלד. למטוזי קוקט אין דער ווַײטנס און מורמלט ֿפַארח לאַ -לאַ -לאַ -דָאס לידעלע: טראַ .1911פאריז, daisies / zalman shneur (1887-1957) music: by the author in the woods, by a stream, beautifully blooming, are daisies, lonely and young – like miniature suns, with white rays adorning; adorning them la la la la... eve strolls along, quiet and dreamy, her blond braids are falling apart, her hands are uncovered and, murmuring dreamlike, she's murmuring la la la la... coming towards her, she sees a dark stranger, with hair-locks of pure shining tar; his eyes are aflame, and he's gladly responding, responding with: la la la la… why are you here? did you lose something, darling? what do you seek in the woods? i'm looking for daisies, says eve as she blushes, she blushes, la la la la… why are you looking? when i found already the most beautiful daisy of all? a daisy with braids and with sapphire blue eyes; with blue eyes la la la la… 80 delos . i completely forgot… i have daisies already – i'm looking, i guess… for the stream… the stream has no water, it will leave you thirsty. don't go there la la la la… i don't want to drink. all i need is some shadow, the sun is baking my head… my thick hair is dark, and cool like a shadow, like branches, la la la la… are you thirsty my darling? are you tired my angel? may i take you, my dear, by the hand? may i caress… your hand… may i kiss it? may i just la la la la…? let go! it's forbidden! my mom won't allow it… my mother is old and she's vile… how? where? what mother? i see trees and more trees and… more trees la la la la… they can see us! – there's no one. – they can hear! – we're alone here; the forest is deaf, dumb, and blind. embrace me, my sweetheart – see, i'm calm already, just kissing you la la la la… do you love me? – i love you. are you ashamed? i'm embarrassed. fine… be ashamed and love me some more. see how black curls and long golden swirls mix together like never before. the sun is away and the boy has departed, still eve spends more time in the woods. she's looking away and she's murmuring dreamlike; she's murmuring la la la la... paris, 1911. abend-david 81 untitled untitled login | delos: a journal of translation and world literature main navigation main content sidebar current archives search subscribe toggle search register login search toggle navigation home login subscription or article purchase required to access item. to verify subscription, access previous purchase, or purchase article, log in to journal. username password forgot your password? keep me logged in login register sidebar-links about overview editorial board contact contributors author guidelines submit subscribers subscribe/renew news sign-upnews sign-up issn: 0011-7951 eissn: 2573-5659   main office: 2046 ne waldo road suite 2100 gainesville, fl 32609 phone: 352-392-1351 email: journals@upress.ufl.edu navigation home search current archives subscribe login | delos: a journal of translation and world literature main navigation main content sidebar current archives search subscribe toggle search register login search toggle navigation home login subscription or article purchase required to access item. to verify subscription, access previous purchase, or purchase article, log in to journal. username password forgot your password? 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keep me logged in login register sidebar-links about overview editorial board contact contributors author guidelines submit subscribers subscribe/renew news sign-upnews sign-up issn: 0011-7951 eissn: 2573-5659   main office: 2046 ne waldo road suite 2100 gainesville, fl 32609 phone: 352-392-1351 email: journals@upress.ufl.edu navigation home search current archives subscribe login | delos: a journal of translation and world literature main navigation main content sidebar current archives search subscribe toggle search register login search toggle navigation home login subscription or article purchase required to access item. to verify subscription, access previous purchase, or purchase article, log in to journal. username password forgot your password? keep me logged in login register sidebar-links about overview editorial board contact contributors author guidelines submit subscribers subscribe/renew news sign-upnews sign-up issn: 0011-7951 eissn: 2573-5659   main office: 2046 ne waldo road suite 2100 gainesville, fl 32609 phone: 352-392-1351 email: journals@upress.ufl.edu navigation home search current archives subscribe login | delos: a journal of translation and world literature main navigation main content sidebar current archives search subscribe toggle search register login search toggle navigation home login subscription or article purchase required to access item. to verify subscription, access previous purchase, or purchase article, log in to journal. username password forgot your password? keep me logged in login register sidebar-links about overview editorial board contact contributors author guidelines submit subscribers subscribe/renew news sign-upnews sign-up issn: 0011-7951 eissn: 2573-5659   main office: 2046 ne waldo road suite 2100 gainesville, fl 32609 phone: 352-392-1351 email: journals@upress.ufl.edu navigation home search current archives subscribe 46 delos will kesling, “day of . . . what?” toward a viable translation of verdi’s requiem sigmund freud claimed to be afraid of music. he conceded to a personal “resistance to the enigmatic power of music.”1 freud was not afraid of other artistic forms: he could stand in front of a sculpture and reflect upon what he saw. freud was moved by literature. but with music it was different. in freud’s mind music is abstract.2 freud could not comprehend its meaning nor understand how music could have such an emotional impact on him. so what happens when a text is added to music? now the music is put into a context which is no longer abstract. the music suddenly becomes related to the meaning of the words, the message of the text, and the intellectual and imaginative depths of the poetry. the words provide a concrete context for the music to relate to. music can illustrate and even animate the words. tone-painting and wordpainting are cases of illustration. the text provides impetus to the creation of the music. the music expresses the composer’s emotional reaction to the words. this may be a very romantic notion for we know that in differing stylistic periods various composers demonstrate a more detached approach to the written word. often broadway lyric writers have created libretti as inspired by music already composed. in either case textual meaning is further unveiled and enlarged through its musical association. freud possessed some level of fear of music. on a more serious note, was the famous opera composer giuseppe verdi afraid of death? this conductor is convinced that he was. even more, he fears the possibility of facing a final judgment. verdi's manzoni requiem is a stirring testament of his personal philosophy of life. verdi professed no personal belief in god, and often is described as an atheist. in verdi’s requiem death is punishment. was this punishment from god or from some featureless universal fate? to assert that verdi feared death is a rather bold declaration that is not inscribed in any musicological treatise nor found in his biographies. however, the answer to this assertion lies in the music; the musically graphic portrayal of the sequence text of the requiem mass. all humans must face the moment of death. some face this 1 oliver sacks, musicophilia; tales of music and the brain, vintage, 2007, 2008, p. 293. 2 ibid. kesling 47 event having faith in a supernal being and hope for a future life in eternal realms. others may have no further expectations at the moment the heart stops. it is well documented that verdi is at least a free thinker. verdi’s wife giuseppina writes: he is a jewel among honest men; he understands and feels himself every delicate and elevated sentiment. and yet this brigand permits himself to be, i won’t say an atheist, but certainly very little of a believer, and that with an obstinacy and calm that make me want to beat him. i exhaust myself in speaking to him about the marvels of the heavens, the earth, the sea, etc. it’s a waste of breath! he laughs in my face and freezes me in the midst of my oratorical periods and my divine enthusiasm by saying ‘you’re all crazy,’ and unfortunately he says it with good faith.3 verdi's requiem is a unique work for a number of reasons. to begin, verdi was first and foremost an operatic composer. for verdi theatrical expression was his compositional style. his setting of the liturgical text was no less dramatic and picturesque within the musical requiem idiom than any of his operas. the requiem is not an opera however, because it does not have a plot, dialog, or characters. nevertheless, it uses the style of italian opera: dramatic music, bigvoiced soloists, a chorus, a strong orchestra presence, and thematic recurrences, textually and musically, to theatrically explore the issues pertaining to death and a final judgement. indeed, hans von bulow, the world’s first professional conductor, once mockingly referred to the requiem as verdi's “latest opera in church vestments.” unlike the funeral masses of his most important predecessors, verdi's requiem is not structured around the traditional catholic church service, and was never intended to be performed as an integral part of this service. in the latter half of the 19th century massive numbers of performers were required to perform these works. the length of the performance and the virtuosic demands on soloists made it no longer possible to mandate that composers follow church canon literally. for many reasons, large works with liturgical texts had long since left churches for the concert stage in verdi’s day. 3 http://www. patheos.com/blogs/daylightatheism/2008/05/the-contributions-offreethinkers-i/#sthash.i2g3e378.dpuf 48 delos verdi’s requiem stands apart from most works of the genre for its vivid theatricality coupled with its expressions of human frailty and fear. why? perhaps it was the strict liturgical latin text that gave the requiem the freedom from operatic clichés. this freedom allowed verdi to concentrate on the most important thing – human emotions at that fateful instant between life and death. verdi expresses them in perfect musical form where moments of fiery passion are equaled by moments of heavenly, noble serenity. verdi’s apprehensions about the great unknown that lay beyond this life and his terror over the possibility of a final judgment for which he might be unprepared are laid bare in the liturgical section of the requiem known as the sequence, dies irae (“day of wrath”), to which he gave the greatest emphasis. mass is one of the names by which the sacrament of the eucharist is commonly called in the catholic church. the missa pro defunctis, “mass for the dead” is better known as the requiem mass and is offered for the repose of the souls of the dead. the sequence is a liturgical poem; when used during the celebration of the eucharist is chanted or recited after the tract or alleluia, if present, and always before the reading of the gospel. the most famous sequence from the mass is the hymn for pentecost, veni sancte spiritus (“come holy spirit”). the sequence text with the incepit (meaning “he began”) dies irae is a poem commonly ascribed to thomas of celano, the 13th century franciscan friar and st. francis of assisi’s biographer. this sacred poetry is considered one of the most exquisite treasures of roman catholic church literature. the poem brings out some of the forceful powers of the latin language and the solemn effect of the triple rhyme scheme. also, the poet persuasively drives home the universality of his theme; the significance of man in the eternal scheme of things, death, eternal judgment, and the sinner pleading for salvation. the dies irae and veni sancte spiritus hold a foremost place among the masterpieces of sacred song from any age. in his monumental dictionary of hymnology (1925), the rev. john julian states that “the hold which this sequence has had upon the minds of men of various nations and creeds has been very great.”4 carefully selected portions of the sequence appear with great effect in scene 20 “cathedral” of goethe’s faust. additionally, the sequence provides a magnificent climax to canto vi in sir walter scott’s lay of the last minstrel. the structure of the original sequence as used in 4 julian, john, ed. a dictionary of hymnology. 2nd edition (new jersey: dover publications, 1954), volume i, p. 295. kesling 49 the roman catholic liturgy consists of seventeen three-line stanzas in accentual, trochaic meter with two syllabic rhymes followed by three couplets: the first two having two-syllabic rhymes and the last being assonant and catalectic. scott’s poem is the embodiment of the latin poem but expressed in only twelve lines. that day of wrath, that dreadful day, when heaven and earth shall pass away, what power shall be the sinner's stay? how shall he meet that dreadful day? when, shriveling like a parched scroll, the flaming heavens together roll; when louder yet, and yet more dread, swells the high trump that wakes the dead: oh! on that day, that wrathful day, when man to judgment wakes from clay, be thou the trembling sinner's stay, though heaven and earth shall pass away! the sequence forms the second movement of the requiem. for the sake of dramatizing his death theme, verdi divides the seventeen verses and five closing rhymes and couplets of the sequence into ten textual subdivisions and assigns these sections to various musical forces. only the sections that convince this conductor that verdi feared death and a final judgment as based on the translation are discussed. section 1. dies irae (“day of wrath” for chorus & orchestra) the sequence commences with the chorus wrathfully ‘screaming’ out the dies irae (“day of wrath”). verdi gives the fullvoiced chorus a demanding ascending chromatic line in octaves. this can barely be heard in the midst of a cataclysm of thundering drums, hammer stroke down bow chords in the strings, and diving and ascending runs in the rest of the orchestra. the uproar abates temporarily for the second stanza, quantus tremor est futurus (“how great a trembling will be”). here the orchestra is soft and staccato-like as the chorus, sotto voce (literally “under voice”, but meaning “in a quiet voice”), stutters in fright. verdi compensates for the lack of a stage plot by deliberately stressing specific aural images. for the first time in the requiem we get a hint of verdi’s fear. here verdi repeats this first stanza four times and places a particular emphasis on “day of wrath” as he repeats that phrase seven times. 50 delos day of wrath . . . that day . . . shall dissolve the world into embers, witness david with sibyl. day of wrath . . . day of wrath . . . that day . . . shall dissolve . . . shall dissolve the world into embers, day of wrath, that day shall dissolve the world into embers, witness david with sibyl. day of wrath, that day shall dissolve the world into embers, witness david with sibyl. day of wrath . . . day of wrath. section 2. tuba mirum spargens sonum (“the trumpet, spreading its wondrous sound” for chorus & orchestra) section 3. mors stupebit et natura (“death will be stunned” for bass soloist & orchestra) section 4. liber scriptus proferetur (“the written book shall be brought forth” for mezzo soprano soloist, chorus & orchestra) liber scriptus proferetur (“the written book shall be brought forth”) is the fifth stanza of the poem and is a long aria for the mezzosoprano soloist. it is followed by stanza 6, judex ergo cum sedebit (“when therefore the judge is seated”). the chorus reacts to the mezzo-soprano’s sobering description of the contents of the great book containing all things to be judged and mutters “dies irae” on a single pitch. spiraling figurative writing in the strings swells up into a breakneck reprise of the opening. the fear of the final judgment looms large as is seen in verdi’s three repetitions of stanza 5 and the repeated fragment of stanza 6. again, note the interjection of dies irae. kesling 51 a written book will be brought forth, in which all shall be contained, for which the world will be judged. day of wrath . . . a written book will be brought forth, in which all shall be contained, for which the world will be judged. day of wrath . . . therefore when the judge takes his seat, whatever lies concealed will be revealed, day of wrath . . . no wrong shall remain unavenged. a written book will be brought forth, in which all shall be contained, for which the world will be judged. day of wrath . . . section 5. quid sum miser tunc dicturus? (“what then am i, a poor wretch going say?” for soprano, mezzo-soprano & tenor soloists & orchestra) with quid sum miser tunc dicturus? (“what then am i, a poor wretch going say?“) is stanza 7. here the poetic perspective changes from that of a narrator to the first-person introspective queries made by a penitent sinner. this conductor can imagine verdi’s barely audible almost wearisome voice saying over and over what am i then, a wretch, to say? which protector shall i ask for, even when the just are scarcely secure? what am i then, a wretch, to say? which protector shall i ask for? 52 delos what am i then, a wretch, to say even when the just are scarcely secure? what am i then, a wretch, to say? which protector shall i ask for, even when the just are scarcely secure? what am i then, a wretch, to say? which protector shall i ask for, even when the just are scarcely secure? section 6. rex tremendae majestatis (“king of terrifying majesty” for soprano, alto, tenor & bass soloists, chorus & orchestra) in a striking contrast, the choral basses boom rex tremendae majestatis (“king of terrifying majesty”) which is stanza 8. the third line of the stanza, salva me, fons pietatis (“save me, fount of pity”) can be imagined as verdi’s personal supplication. he uses all four soloists and the full chorus singing a soaring melody. the basses interpose their ominous rex tremendae, but the repetitions of salva me continue until the phrase finally blossoms to a stunning climax using the combined forces of soloists and chorus. note the emphasis verdi gives to “save me”. king of fearful majesty who freely saves the saved: save me, fount of pity. king of fearful majesty, save me. who freely saves the saved, save me. save me, fount of pity. save me . . . save me . . . save me save me, fount of pity. king of fearful majesty who freely saves the saved: save me, fount of pity. save me . . . save me . . . save me fount of pity. kesling 53 section 7. recordare jesu pie jesu (“remember, merciful jesus” for soprano & mezzo soprano soloists & orchestra) section 8. lngemisco tanquam reus (“i groan, like one who is guilty” for tenor soloist & orchestra) section 9. confutatis (“when the accursed are confounded” for bass soloist, chorus & orchestra) sections 7-9 comprising stanzas 9-17 are still represented from a first-person perspective. a beautiful duet for the soprano and the mezzo, recordare jesu pie jesu (“remember, merciful jesus”), and a lyrical arioso for tenor, lngemisco tanquam reus (“i groan, like one who is guilty”), all acknowledge the sinner’s guilt and continues the plea for salvation. a woeful aria for bass confutatis maledictis (“when the accursed are confounded”) brings back the terror of the final judgement. but the bass soloist continues with a prayer of contrition in the last stanza of the poem oro supplex et acclinis (“i pray, suppliant and kneeling”). the dies irae returns with all of its original fury, only to dissolve into the beautiful lacrymosa dies illa (“o how tearful that day”). the reader may judge for him/herself if text repetition gives insight to verdi’s spiritual notions. when the accursed are confounded, consigned to harsh flames, call me with the blessed. i pray, suppliant and kneeling, with a heart contrite as ashes: take my ending into your care. i pray, suppliant and kneeling, with a heart contrite as ashes: take my ending into your care. when the accursed are confounded, consigned to harsh flames, call me with the blessed . . . call me with the blessed . . . 54 delos call me . . . call me with the blessed . . . i pray, suppliant and kneeling, with a heart contrite as ashes: take my ending into your care. i pray, suppliant and kneeling, with a heart contrite as ashes: take . . . my ending into your care . . . take . . . my ending into your care. i pray, suppliant and kneeling, take me in your care. day of wrath . . . that day . . . shall dissolve the world into embers, witness david with sibyl. day of wrath, that day . . . day of wrath, that day. section 10. lacrymosa dies illa (“o how tearful that day”) and pie jesu domine (“merciful lord jesus” for soprano, alto, tenor & bass soloists, chorus & orchestra) one would think that existing translations of this latin poem would be as dramatic as the musical description of verdi’s setting of it. published translations of the requiem are numerous and in the case of the sequence, translations range far from the original character of the poem. having conducted a dozen performances of this masterpiece both in the united states and europe, and revisiting this mammoth score, spending many untold hours studying the latin text, i decided that a more precise translation be prepared for the listener for an april 18, 2015 performance of the work in gainesville, florida. first, most translations available are poetic paraphrases of the ordinary text. second, this conductor was moved to provide the audience with supertitles. this is a rather common feature of opera productions but rare for presentations of choral master works. the main objective was to create a literal, word for word translation and then carefully select the precise english word to match its latin counterpart. the english words were carefully organized to make kesling 55 grammatical sense. only for prosaic and poetic exigencies were alternate words chosen, taking the utmost care to ensure the purity of the requiem text. the sequence is through-composed. verdi ignored the poem’s strophic structure and did not use the stanza repeating method of composition where each verse of the hymn is set to the exact same music. disregarding meter and rhyme scheme; he freely repeated stanzas, phrases, and words all for the sake of dramatizing the text. this translator made no attempt to adhere to the poetic features of the poem and focused completely on meaning. it is rare that audiences are provided with supertitles for choral master works such as verdi’s requiem. a translation is normally provided in the concert program. interestingly, as the stage lights go up on the performers, the house lights go down on the audience. the listeners sit in a darkened concert hall incapable of reading the translation printed in the program. here we return to freud’s concerns about music. would sigmund freud, sitting in a darkened concert hall, find fear and be incapable of gleaning the maximum meaning from hearing the requiem without a translation available? the ancient sequence text elicits the emotion of fear in this conductor’s opinion. the whole purpose of verdi’s musical setting of the dies irae was to dramatize that terror. in the philosophy of the medieval period the best way to prepare for death was to continually remind oneself of its inevitability. one of the ways to remember death was to contemplate the pains of hell in the afterlife the sinner might suffer. both thomas of celano’s text and giuseppe verdi’s music dwell on that theme. this was the inspiration for creating supertitles for a performance of this amazing masterwork. in most opera houses a translated sentence or several sentences of the text being sung are put on a screen above or sometimes to the side of the stage proscenium. no matter how often the sentence(s) or phrases/fragments are repeated by the singer(s), that single slide of the text will remain there, sometimes for several minutes. this conductor was determined to present the text as it unfolds in real time throughout the score. here the listener can see which words; phrases, etc. are repeated by verdi for dramatic effect as witnessed above. the translation of the complete requiem fills 287 powerpoint slides. verdi’s personal struggle over the fear of death is laid bare when the non-latin speaker is made privy to verdi’s exploitation of various portions of the text. the common problem when translating poetry like the sequence is attempting to match the original poetic form (rhyme 56 delos schemes, etc.) while endeavoring to preserve the original literary meaning. below the reader will see a charted version of the sequence placed in four columns to facilitate comparisons. the first column contains the latin text taken from the requiem mass as found in the 1962 roman missal. the second column shows an english version translated by the anglican priest william josiah irons in 1849 and is found in the english missal. although irons’ version is from a slightly different latin text, his translation replicates the rhyme and meter of the original. the translation presented in the third column more closely conforms to the official latin and is approved by the catholic church for use as the funeral mass in the liturgy of the anglican ordinariate.5 this english version is a more formal equivalence translation but does not replicate the rhyme and meter. the fourth column contains the writer’s translation. here the attempt was made to present the most literal representation of the text possible. the literal representation of the poem took president over form, rhyme and meter. in this translation we can see how verdi made use of the sequence text for dramatic purposes. the reader can see the dramaturgy of the dies irae translation even without the enhancement of verdi’s ultra-dramatic musical score sounding in our ears. each phrase represents one slide, each slide changing as the music unfolds. all music is essentially dramatic. poetry is created to elicit emotions. to verdi there is no difference. for verdi there exists drama when pondering death. will any of this help allay freud’s ‘fear’ of music? if he could follow the sequence text as it unfolds with verdi’s musical score, freud would know that his fears were justified. 5the order of funerals for use by the ordinariates erected under the auspices of the apostolic constitution anglicantorum coetibus (pdf) united states: us ordinariate. kesling 57 sequence translation chart sequence translation chart roman missal (1962) dies iræ, dies illa, solvet sæclum in favilla: teste david cum sibylla. quantus tremor est futurus, quando judex est venturus, cuncta stricte discussurus! tuba mirum spargens sonum, per sepulchra regionum, coget omnes ante thronum. mors stupebit et natura, cum resurget creatura, judicanti responsura. . william josiah irons (1849) day of wrath and doom impending. david's word with sibyl's blending, heaven and earth in ashes ending. oh, what fear man's bosom rendeth, when from heaven the judge descendeth, on whose sentence all dependeth. wondrous sound the trumpet flingeth; through earth's sepulchres it ringeth; all before the throne it bringeth. death is struck, and nature quaking, all creation is awaking, to its judge an answer making. english missal the day of wrath, that day will dissolve the world in ashes as foretold by david and the sibyl! how much tremor there will be, when the judge will come, investigating everything strictly! the trumpet, scattering a wondrous sound through the sepulchres of the regions, will summon all before the throne. death and nature will marvel, when the creature arises, to respond to the judge. will kesling (2015) day of wrath . . . that day . . . shall dissolve the world into embers, witness david with sibyl. day of wrath . . . day of wrath . . . that day . . . shall dissolve . . . shall dissolve the world into embers, day of wrath, that day shall dissolve the world into embers, witness david with sibyl. day of wrath, that day shall dissolve the world into embers, witness david with sibyl. day of wrath . . . day of wrath . . . how great the trembling will be, when the judge shall come, the strict investigator of all things! the trumpet, scattering a marvelous sound . . . through the tombs of every land, will summon all before the throne. death will be stunned, likewise nature, when all creation shall rise again, to answer to the one judging. death . . . death . . . death . . . shall be stunned. sequence translation chart roman missal (1962) dies iræ, dies illa, solvet sæclum in favilla: teste david cum sibylla. quantus tremor est futurus, quando judex est venturus, cuncta stricte discussurus! tuba mirum spargens sonum, per sepulchra regionum, coget omnes ante thronum. mors stupebit et natura, cum resurget creatura, judicanti responsura. . william josiah irons (1849) day of wrath and doom impending. david's word with sibyl's blending, heaven and earth in ashes ending. oh, what fear man's bosom rendeth, when from heaven the judge descendeth, on whose sentence all dependeth. wondrous sound the trumpet flingeth; through earth's sepulchres it ringeth; all before the throne it bringeth. death is struck, and nature quaking, all creation is awaking, to its judge an answer making. english missal the day of wrath, that day will dissolve the world in ashes as foretold by david and the sibyl! how much tremor there will be, when the judge will come, investigating everything strictly! the trumpet, scattering a wondrous sound through the sepulchres of the regions, will summon all before the throne. death and nature will marvel, when the creature arises, to respond to the judge. will kesling (2015) day of wrath . . . that day . . . shall dissolve the world into embers, witness david with sibyl. day of wrath . . . day of wrath . . . that day . . . shall dissolve . . . shall dissolve the world into embers, day of wrath, that day shall dissolve the world into embers, witness david with sibyl. day of wrath, that day shall dissolve the world into embers, witness david with sibyl. day of wrath . . . day of wrath . . . how great the trembling will be, when the judge shall come, the strict investigator of all things! the trumpet, scattering a marvelous sound . . . through the tombs of every land, will summon all before the throne. death will be stunned, likewise nature, when all creation shall rise again, to answer to the one judging. death . . . death . . . death . . . shall be stunned. sequence translation chart roman missal (1962) dies iræ, dies illa, solvet sæclum in favilla: teste david cum sibylla. quantus tremor est futurus, quando judex est venturus, cuncta stricte discussurus! tuba mirum spargens sonum, per sepulchra regionum, coget omnes ante thronum. mors stupebit et natura, cum resurget creatura, judicanti responsura. . william josiah irons (1849) day of wrath and doom impending. david's word with sibyl's blending, heaven and earth in ashes ending. oh, what fear man's bosom rendeth, when from heaven the judge descendeth, on whose sentence all dependeth. wondrous sound the trumpet flingeth; through earth's sepulchres it ringeth; all before the throne it bringeth. death is struck, and nature quaking, all creation is awaking, to its judge an answer making. english missal the day of wrath, that day will dissolve the world in ashes as foretold by david and the sibyl! how much tremor there will be, when the judge will come, investigating everything strictly! the trumpet, scattering a wondrous sound through the sepulchres of the regions, will summon all before the throne. death and nature will marvel, when the creature arises, to respond to the judge. will kesling (2015) day of wrath . . . that day . . . shall dissolve the world into embers, witness david with sibyl. day of wrath . . . day of wrath . . . that day . . . shall dissolve . . . shall dissolve the world into embers, day of wrath, that day shall dissolve the world into embers, witness david with sibyl. day of wrath, that day shall dissolve the world into embers, witness david with sibyl. day of wrath . . . day of wrath . . . how great the trembling will be, when the judge shall come, the strict investigator of all things! the trumpet, scattering a marvelous sound . . . through the tombs of every land, will summon all before the throne. death will be stunned, likewise nature, when all creation shall rise again, to answer to the one judging. death . . . death . . . death . . . shall be stunned. sequence translation chart roman missal (1962) dies iræ, dies illa, solvet sæclum in favilla: teste david cum sibylla. quantus tremor est futurus, quando judex est venturus, cuncta stricte discussurus! tuba mirum spargens sonum, per sepulchra regionum, coget omnes ante thronum. mors stupebit et natura, cum resurget creatura, judicanti responsura. . william josiah irons (1849) day of wrath and doom impending. david's word with sibyl's blending, heaven and earth in ashes ending. oh, what fear man's bosom rendeth, when from heaven the judge descendeth, on whose sentence all dependeth. wondrous sound the trumpet flingeth; through earth's sepulchres it ringeth; all before the throne it bringeth. death is struck, and nature quaking, all creation is awaking, to its judge an answer making. english missal the day of wrath, that day will dissolve the world in ashes as foretold by david and the sibyl! how much tremor there will be, when the judge will come, investigating everything strictly! the trumpet, scattering a wondrous sound through the sepulchres of the regions, will summon all before the throne. death and nature will marvel, when the creature arises, to respond to the judge. will kesling (2015) day of wrath . . . that day . . . shall dissolve the world into embers, witness david with sibyl. day of wrath . . . day of wrath . . . that day . . . shall dissolve . . . shall dissolve the world into embers, day of wrath, that day shall dissolve the world into embers, witness david with sibyl. day of wrath, that day shall dissolve the world into embers, witness david with sibyl. day of wrath . . . day of wrath . . . how great the trembling will be, when the judge shall come, the strict investigator of all things! the trumpet, scattering a marvelous sound . . . through the tombs of every land, will summon all before the throne. death will be stunned, likewise nature, when all creation shall rise again, to answer to the one judging. death . . . death . . . death . . . shall be stunned. 58 delos liber scriptus proferetur, in quo totum continetur, unde mundus judicetur judex ergo cum sedebit, quid quid latet apparebit: nil inultum remanebit. quid sum miser tunc dicturus? quem patronum rogaturus, cum vix justus sit securus? lo, the book, exactly worded, wherein all hath been recorded, thence shall judgement be awarded. when the judge his seat attaineth, and each hidden deed arraigneth, nothing unavenged remaineth. what shall i, frail man, be pleading? who for me be interceding, when the just are mercy needing? the written book will be brought forth, in which all is contained, from which the world shall be judged. when therefore the judge will sit, whatever hides will appear: nothing will remain unpunished. what am i, miserable, then to say? which patron to ask, when [even] the just may [only] hardly be sure? a written book will be brought forth, in which all shall be contained, for which the world will be judged. day of wrath . . . a written book will be brought forth, in which all shall be contained, for which the world will be judged. day of wrath . . therefore when the judge takes his seat, whatever lies concealed will be revealed, day of wrath . . . no wrong shall remain unavenged. a written book will be brought forth, in which all shall be contained, for which the world will be judged. day of wrath . . . what am i then, a wretch, to say? which protector shall i ask for, even when the just are scarcely secure? what am i then, a wretch, to say? which protector shall i ask for? what am i then, a wretch, to say even when the just are scarcely secure? what am i then, a wretch, to say? which protector shall i ask for, liber scriptus proferetur, in quo totum continetur, unde mundus judicetur judex ergo cum sedebit, quid quid latet apparebit: nil inultum remanebit. quid sum miser tunc dicturus? quem patronum rogaturus, cum vix justus sit securus? lo, the book, exactly worded, wherein all hath been recorded, thence shall judgement be awarded. when the judge his seat attaineth, and each hidden deed arraigneth, nothing unavenged remaineth. what shall i, frail man, be pleading? who for me be interceding, when the just are mercy needing? the written book will be brought forth, in which all is contained, from which the world shall be judged. when therefore the judge will sit, whatever hides will appear: nothing will remain unpunished. what am i, miserable, then to say? which patron to ask, when [even] the just may [only] hardly be sure? a written book will be brought forth, in which all shall be contained, for which the world will be judged. day of wrath . . . a written book will be brought forth, in which all shall be contained, for which the world will be judged. day of wrath . . therefore when the judge takes his seat, whatever lies concealed will be revealed, day of wrath . . . no wrong shall remain unavenged. a written book will be brought forth, in which all shall be contained, for which the world will be judged. day of wrath . . . what am i then, a wretch, to say? which protector shall i ask for, even when the just are scarcely secure? what am i then, a wretch, to say? which protector shall i ask for? what am i then, a wretch, to say even when the just are scarcely secure? what am i then, a wretch, to say? which protector shall i ask for, liber scriptus proferetur, in quo totum continetur, unde mundus judicetur judex ergo cum sedebit, quid quid latet apparebit: nil inultum remanebit. quid sum miser tunc dicturus? quem patronum rogaturus, cum vix justus sit securus? lo, the book, exactly worded, wherein all hath been recorded, thence shall judgement be awarded. when the judge his seat attaineth, and each hidden deed arraigneth, nothing unavenged remaineth. what shall i, frail man, be pleading? who for me be interceding, when the just are mercy needing? the written book will be brought forth, in which all is contained, from which the world shall be judged. when therefore the judge will sit, whatever hides will appear: nothing will remain unpunished. what am i, miserable, then to say? which patron to ask, when [even] the just may [only] hardly be sure? a written book will be brought forth, in which all shall be contained, for which the world will be judged. day of wrath . . . a written book will be brought forth, in which all shall be contained, for which the world will be judged. day of wrath . . therefore when the judge takes his seat, whatever lies concealed will be revealed, day of wrath . . . no wrong shall remain unavenged. a written book will be brought forth, in which all shall be contained, for which the world will be judged. day of wrath . . . what am i then, a wretch, to say? which protector shall i ask for, even when the just are scarcely secure? what am i then, a wretch, to say? which protector shall i ask for? what am i then, a wretch, to say even when the just are scarcely secure? what am i then, a wretch, to say? which protector shall i ask for, liber scriptus proferetur, in quo totum continetur, unde mundus judicetur judex ergo cum sedebit, quid quid latet apparebit: nil inultum remanebit. quid sum miser tunc dicturus? quem patronum rogaturus, cum vix justus sit securus? lo, the book, exactly worded, wherein all hath been recorded, thence shall judgement be awarded. when the judge his seat attaineth, and each hidden deed arraigneth, nothing unavenged remaineth. what shall i, frail man, be pleading? who for me be interceding, when the just are mercy needing? the written book will be brought forth, in which all is contained, from which the world shall be judged. when therefore the judge will sit, whatever hides will appear: nothing will remain unpunished. what am i, miserable, then to say? which patron to ask, when [even] the just may [only] hardly be sure? a written book will be brought forth, in which all shall be contained, for which the world will be judged. day of wrath . . . a written book will be brought forth, in which all shall be contained, for which the world will be judged. day of wrath . . therefore when the judge takes his seat, whatever lies concealed will be revealed, day of wrath . . . no wrong shall remain unavenged. a written book will be brought forth, in which all shall be contained, for which the world will be judged. day of wrath . . . what am i then, a wretch, to say? which protector shall i ask for, even when the just are scarcely secure? what am i then, a wretch, to say? which protector shall i ask for? what am i then, a wretch, to say even when the just are scarcely secure? what am i then, a wretch, to say? which protector shall i ask for, kesling 59 rex tremendæ majestatis, qui salvandos salvas gratis, salva me, fons pietatis. recordare, jesu pie, quod sum causa tuæ viæ: ne me perdas illa die. quærens me, sedisti lassus: redemisti crucem passus: tantus labor non sit cassus. juste judex ultionis, donum fac remissionis, ante diem rationis. king of majesty tremendous, who dost free salvation send us, fount of pity, then befriend us! think, kind jesu, my salvation caused thy wondrous incarnation; leave me not to reprobation. faint and weary, thou hast sought me, on the cross of suffering bought me. shall such grace be vainly brought me? righteous judge, for sin's pollution grant thy gift of absolution, ere the day of retribution. king of tremendous majesty, who freely savest those that have to be saved, save me, source of mercy. remember, merciful jesus, that i am the cause of thy way: lest thou lose me in that day. seeking me, thou sattest tired: thou redeemedst [me] having suffered the cross: let not so much hardship be lost. just judge of revenge, give the gift of remission before the day of reckoning. even when the just are scarcely secure? what am i then, a wretch, to say? which protector shall i ask for, even when the just are scarcely secure? king of fearful majesty who freely saves the saved: save me, fount of pity. king of fearful majesty. save me. who freely saves the saved, save me. save me, fount of pity. save me . . . save me . . . save me save me, fount of pity. king of fearful majesty who freely saves the saved: save me, fount of pity. save me . . . save me . . . save me fount of pity. remember, merciful jesus, that i was the reason for your sojourn: remember, merciful jesus, that i was the reason for your sojourn: do not cast me out on that day. seeking me, you sat down weary; having suffered the cross, you redeemed me. may such labor not be in vain. just judge of vengeance, grant the gift of remission . . . before the day of reckoning. rex tremendæ majestatis, qui salvandos salvas gratis, salva me, fons pietatis. recordare, jesu pie, quod sum causa tuæ viæ: ne me perdas illa die. quærens me, sedisti lassus: redemisti crucem passus: tantus labor non sit cassus. juste judex ultionis, donum fac remissionis, ante diem rationis. king of majesty tremendous, who dost free salvation send us, fount of pity, then befriend us! think, kind jesu, my salvation caused thy wondrous incarnation; leave me not to reprobation. faint and weary, thou hast sought me, on the cross of suffering bought me. shall such grace be vainly brought me? righteous judge, for sin's pollution grant thy gift of absolution, ere the day of retribution. king of tremendous majesty, who freely savest those that have to be saved, save me, source of mercy. remember, merciful jesus, that i am the cause of thy way: lest thou lose me in that day. seeking me, thou sattest tired: thou redeemedst [me] having suffered the cross: let not so much hardship be lost. just judge of revenge, give the gift of remission before the day of reckoning. even when the just are scarcely secure? what am i then, a wretch, to say? which protector shall i ask for, even when the just are scarcely secure? king of fearful majesty who freely saves the saved: save me, fount of pity. king of fearful majesty. save me. who freely saves the saved, save me. save me, fount of pity. save me . . . save me . . . save me save me, fount of pity. king of fearful majesty who freely saves the saved: save me, fount of pity. save me . . . save me . . . save me fount of pity. remember, merciful jesus, that i was the reason for your sojourn: remember, merciful jesus, that i was the reason for your sojourn: do not cast me out on that day. seeking me, you sat down weary; having suffered the cross, you redeemed me. may such labor not be in vain. just judge of vengeance, grant the gift of remission . . . before the day of reckoning. rex tremendæ majestatis, qui salvandos salvas gratis, salva me, fons pietatis. recordare, jesu pie, quod sum causa tuæ viæ: ne me perdas illa die. quærens me, sedisti lassus: redemisti crucem passus: tantus labor non sit cassus. juste judex ultionis, donum fac remissionis, ante diem rationis. king of majesty tremendous, who dost free salvation send us, fount of pity, then befriend us! think, kind jesu, my salvation caused thy wondrous incarnation; leave me not to reprobation. faint and weary, thou hast sought me, on the cross of suffering bought me. shall such grace be vainly brought me? righteous judge, for sin's pollution grant thy gift of absolution, ere the day of retribution. king of tremendous majesty, who freely savest those that have to be saved, save me, source of mercy. remember, merciful jesus, that i am the cause of thy way: lest thou lose me in that day. seeking me, thou sattest tired: thou redeemedst [me] having suffered the cross: let not so much hardship be lost. just judge of revenge, give the gift of remission before the day of reckoning. even when the just are scarcely secure? what am i then, a wretch, to say? which protector shall i ask for, even when the just are scarcely secure? king of fearful majesty who freely saves the saved: save me, fount of pity. king of fearful majesty. save me. who freely saves the saved, save me. save me, fount of pity. save me . . . save me . . . save me save me, fount of pity. king of fearful majesty who freely saves the saved: save me, fount of pity. save me . . . save me . . . save me fount of pity. remember, merciful jesus, that i was the reason for your sojourn: remember, merciful jesus, that i was the reason for your sojourn: do not cast me out on that day. seeking me, you sat down weary; having suffered the cross, you redeemed me. may such labor not be in vain. just judge of vengeance, grant the gift of remission . . . before the day of reckoning. rex tremendæ majestatis, qui salvandos salvas gratis, salva me, fons pietatis. recordare, jesu pie, quod sum causa tuæ viæ: ne me perdas illa die. quærens me, sedisti lassus: redemisti crucem passus: tantus labor non sit cassus. juste judex ultionis, donum fac remissionis, ante diem rationis. king of majesty tremendous, who dost free salvation send us, fount of pity, then befriend us! think, kind jesu, my salvation caused thy wondrous incarnation; leave me not to reprobation. faint and weary, thou hast sought me, on the cross of suffering bought me. shall such grace be vainly brought me? righteous judge, for sin's pollution grant thy gift of absolution, ere the day of retribution. king of tremendous majesty, who freely savest those that have to be saved, save me, source of mercy. remember, merciful jesus, that i am the cause of thy way: lest thou lose me in that day. seeking me, thou sattest tired: thou redeemedst [me] having suffered the cross: let not so much hardship be lost. just judge of revenge, give the gift of remission before the day of reckoning. even when the just are scarcely secure? what am i then, a wretch, to say? which protector shall i ask for, even when the just are scarcely secure? king of fearful majesty who freely saves the saved: save me, fount of pity. king of fearful majesty. save me. who freely saves the saved, save me. save me, fount of pity. save me . . . save me . . . save me save me, fount of pity. king of fearful majesty who freely saves the saved: save me, fount of pity. save me . . . save me . . . save me fount of pity. remember, merciful jesus, that i was the reason for your sojourn: remember, merciful jesus, that i was the reason for your sojourn: do not cast me out on that day. seeking me, you sat down weary; having suffered the cross, you redeemed me. may such labor not be in vain. just judge of vengeance, grant the gift of remission . . . before the day of reckoning. 60 delos ingemisco, tamquam reus: culpa rubet vultus meus: supplicanti parce, deus. qui mariam absolvisti, et latronem exaudisti, mihi quoque spem dedisti. preces meæ non sunt dignæ; sed tu bonus fac benigne, ne perenni cremer igne. inter oves locum præsta. et ab hædis me sequestra, statuens in parte dextra. confutatis maledictis, flammis acribus addictis, voca me cum benedictis guilty, now i pour my moaning, all my shame with anguish owning; spare, o god, thy suppliant groaning! through the sinful woman shriven, through the dying thief forgiven, thou to me a hope hast given. worthless are my prayers and sighing, yet, good lord, in grace complying, rescue me from fires undying. with thy sheep a place provide me, from the goats afar divide me, to thy right hand do thou guide me. when the wicked are confounded, doomed to flames of woe unbounded, call me with thy saints surrounded. i sigh, like the guilty one: my face reddens in guilt: spare the supplicating one, god. thou who absolvedst mary, and heardest the robber, gavest hope to me, too. my prayers are not worthy: however, thou, good [lord], do good, lest i be burned up by eternal fire grant me a place among the sheep, and take me out from among the goats, setting me on the right side. once the cursed have been rebuked, sentenced to acrid flames: call thou me with the blessed. grant the gift of remission . . . before the day . . . before the day. i groan, like a guilty one; my face blushes with guilt. spare the supplicant, o god. you, who absolved mary magdalen, and heeded the thief, have given me hope also. my prayers are not worthy, but thou, benevolent one, kindly grant that i not burn in everlasting fire. grant me a place of eminence among the sheep, and separate me from the goats. grant me a place of eminence among the sheep, and separate me from the goats, placing me . . . placing me at thy right hand. . . . and separate me from the goats, placing me at thy right hand. when the accursed are confounded, consigned to harsh flames, call me with the blessed. ingemisco, tamquam reus: culpa rubet vultus meus: supplicanti parce, deus. qui mariam absolvisti, et latronem exaudisti, mihi quoque spem dedisti. preces meæ non sunt dignæ; sed tu bonus fac benigne, ne perenni cremer igne. inter oves locum præsta. et ab hædis me sequestra, statuens in parte dextra. confutatis maledictis, flammis acribus addictis, voca me cum benedictis guilty, now i pour my moaning, all my shame with anguish owning; spare, o god, thy suppliant groaning! through the sinful woman shriven, through the dying thief forgiven, thou to me a hope hast given. worthless are my prayers and sighing, yet, good lord, in grace complying, rescue me from fires undying. with thy sheep a place provide me, from the goats afar divide me, to thy right hand do thou guide me. when the wicked are confounded, doomed to flames of woe unbounded, call me with thy saints surrounded. i sigh, like the guilty one: my face reddens in guilt: spare the supplicating one, god. thou who absolvedst mary, and heardest the robber, gavest hope to me, too. my prayers are not worthy: however, thou, good [lord], do good, lest i be burned up by eternal fire grant me a place among the sheep, and take me out from among the goats, setting me on the right side. once the cursed have been rebuked, sentenced to acrid flames: call thou me with the blessed. grant the gift of remission . . . before the day . . . before the day. i groan, like a guilty one; my face blushes with guilt. spare the supplicant, o god. you, who absolved mary magdalen, and heeded the thief, have given me hope also. my prayers are not worthy, but thou, benevolent one, kindly grant that i not burn in everlasting fire. grant me a place of eminence among the sheep, and separate me from the goats. grant me a place of eminence among the sheep, and separate me from the goats, placing me . . . placing me at thy right hand. . . . and separate me from the goats, placing me at thy right hand. when the accursed are confounded, consigned to harsh flames, call me with the blessed. ingemisco, tamquam reus: culpa rubet vultus meus: supplicanti parce, deus. qui mariam absolvisti, et latronem exaudisti, mihi quoque spem dedisti. preces meæ non sunt dignæ; sed tu bonus fac benigne, ne perenni cremer igne. inter oves locum præsta. et ab hædis me sequestra, statuens in parte dextra. confutatis maledictis, flammis acribus addictis, voca me cum benedictis guilty, now i pour my moaning, all my shame with anguish owning; spare, o god, thy suppliant groaning! through the sinful woman shriven, through the dying thief forgiven, thou to me a hope hast given. worthless are my prayers and sighing, yet, good lord, in grace complying, rescue me from fires undying. with thy sheep a place provide me, from the goats afar divide me, to thy right hand do thou guide me. when the wicked are confounded, doomed to flames of woe unbounded, call me with thy saints surrounded. i sigh, like the guilty one: my face reddens in guilt: spare the supplicating one, god. thou who absolvedst mary, and heardest the robber, gavest hope to me, too. my prayers are not worthy: however, thou, good [lord], do good, lest i be burned up by eternal fire grant me a place among the sheep, and take me out from among the goats, setting me on the right side. once the cursed have been rebuked, sentenced to acrid flames: call thou me with the blessed. grant the gift of remission . . . before the day . . . before the day. i groan, like a guilty one; my face blushes with guilt. spare the supplicant, o god. you, who absolved mary magdalen, and heeded the thief, have given me hope also. my prayers are not worthy, but thou, benevolent one, kindly grant that i not burn in everlasting fire. grant me a place of eminence among the sheep, and separate me from the goats. grant me a place of eminence among the sheep, and separate me from the goats, placing me . . . placing me at thy right hand. . . . and separate me from the goats, placing me at thy right hand. when the accursed are confounded, consigned to harsh flames, call me with the blessed. ingemisco, tamquam reus: culpa rubet vultus meus: supplicanti parce, deus. qui mariam absolvisti, et latronem exaudisti, mihi quoque spem dedisti. preces meæ non sunt dignæ; sed tu bonus fac benigne, ne perenni cremer igne. inter oves locum præsta. et ab hædis me sequestra, statuens in parte dextra. confutatis maledictis, flammis acribus addictis, voca me cum benedictis guilty, now i pour my moaning, all my shame with anguish owning; spare, o god, thy suppliant groaning! through the sinful woman shriven, through the dying thief forgiven, thou to me a hope hast given. worthless are my prayers and sighing, yet, good lord, in grace complying, rescue me from fires undying. with thy sheep a place provide me, from the goats afar divide me, to thy right hand do thou guide me. when the wicked are confounded, doomed to flames of woe unbounded, call me with thy saints surrounded. i sigh, like the guilty one: my face reddens in guilt: spare the supplicating one, god. thou who absolvedst mary, and heardest the robber, gavest hope to me, too. my prayers are not worthy: however, thou, good [lord], do good, lest i be burned up by eternal fire grant me a place among the sheep, and take me out from among the goats, setting me on the right side. once the cursed have been rebuked, sentenced to acrid flames: call thou me with the blessed. grant the gift of remission . . . before the day . . . before the day. i groan, like a guilty one; my face blushes with guilt. spare the supplicant, o god. you, who absolved mary magdalen, and heeded the thief, have given me hope also. my prayers are not worthy, but thou, benevolent one, kindly grant that i not burn in everlasting fire. grant me a place of eminence among the sheep, and separate me from the goats. grant me a place of eminence among the sheep, and separate me from the goats, placing me . . . placing me at thy right hand. . . . and separate me from the goats, placing me at thy right hand. when the accursed are confounded, consigned to harsh flames, call me with the blessed. kesling 61 oro supplex et acclinis, cor contritum quasi cinis, gere curam mei finis. lacrymosa dies illa, qua resurget ex favilla, judicandus homo reus. huic ergo parce, deus: low i kneel, with heart's submission, see, like ashes, my contrition, help me in my last condition. ah! that day of tears and mourning, from the dust of earth returning man for judgement must prepare him, spare, o god, in mercy spare him. i meekly and humbly pray, [my] heart is as crushed as the ashes: perform the healing of mine end. tearful will be that day, on which from the ash arises the guilty man who is to be judged. spare him therefore, god. i pray, suppliant and kneeling, with a heart contrite as ashes: take my ending into your care. i pray, suppliant and kneeling, with a heart contrite as ashes: take my ending into your care. when the accursed are confounded, consigned to harsh flames, call me with the blessed . . . call me with the blessed . . . call me . . . call me with the blessed . . . i pray, suppliant and kneeling, with a heart contrite as ashes: take my ending into your care. i pray, suppliant and kneeling, with a heart contrite as ashes: take . . . my ending into your care . . . take . . . my ending into your care. i pray, suppliant and kneeling, take me in your care. day of wrath . . . that day . . . shall dissolve the world into embers, witness david with sibyl. day of wrath, that day . . . day of wrath, that day. o how tearful that day, on which shall rise from those embers . . . the guilty to be judged. therefore, spare this one, o god. oro supplex et acclinis, cor contritum quasi cinis, gere curam mei finis. lacrymosa dies illa, qua resurget ex favilla, judicandus homo reus. huic ergo parce, deus: low i kneel, with heart's submission, see, like ashes, my contrition, help me in my last condition. ah! that day of tears and mourning, from the dust of earth returning man for judgement must prepare him, spare, o god, in mercy spare him. i meekly and humbly pray, [my] heart is as crushed as the ashes: perform the healing of mine end. tearful will be that day, on which from the ash arises the guilty man who is to be judged. spare him therefore, god. i pray, suppliant and kneeling, with a heart contrite as ashes: take my ending into your care. i pray, suppliant and kneeling, with a heart contrite as ashes: take my ending into your care. when the accursed are confounded, consigned to harsh flames, call me with the blessed . . . call me with the blessed . . . call me . . . call me with the blessed . . . i pray, suppliant and kneeling, with a heart contrite as ashes: take my ending into your care. i pray, suppliant and kneeling, with a heart contrite as ashes: take . . . my ending into your care . . . take . . . my ending into your care. i pray, suppliant and kneeling, take me in your care. day of wrath . . . that day . . . shall dissolve the world into embers, witness david with sibyl. day of wrath, that day . . . day of wrath, that day. o how tearful that day, on which shall rise from those embers . . . the guilty to be judged. therefore, spare this one, o god. oro supplex et acclinis, cor contritum quasi cinis, gere curam mei finis. lacrymosa dies illa, qua resurget ex favilla, judicandus homo reus. huic ergo parce, deus: low i kneel, with heart's submission, see, like ashes, my contrition, help me in my last condition. ah! that day of tears and mourning, from the dust of earth returning man for judgement must prepare him, spare, o god, in mercy spare him. i meekly and humbly pray, [my] heart is as crushed as the ashes: perform the healing of mine end. tearful will be that day, on which from the ash arises the guilty man who is to be judged. spare him therefore, god. i pray, suppliant and kneeling, with a heart contrite as ashes: take my ending into your care. i pray, suppliant and kneeling, with a heart contrite as ashes: take my ending into your care. when the accursed are confounded, consigned to harsh flames, call me with the blessed . . . call me with the blessed . . . call me . . . call me with the blessed . . . i pray, suppliant and kneeling, with a heart contrite as ashes: take my ending into your care. i pray, suppliant and kneeling, with a heart contrite as ashes: take . . . my ending into your care . . . take . . . my ending into your care. i pray, suppliant and kneeling, take me in your care. day of wrath . . . that day . . . shall dissolve the world into embers, witness david with sibyl. day of wrath, that day . . . day of wrath, that day. o how tearful that day, on which shall rise from those embers . . . the guilty to be judged. therefore, spare this one, o god. oro supplex et acclinis, cor contritum quasi cinis, gere curam mei finis. lacrymosa dies illa, qua resurget ex favilla, judicandus homo reus. huic ergo parce, deus: low i kneel, with heart's submission, see, like ashes, my contrition, help me in my last condition. ah! that day of tears and mourning, from the dust of earth returning man for judgement must prepare him, spare, o god, in mercy spare him. i meekly and humbly pray, [my] heart is as crushed as the ashes: perform the healing of mine end. tearful will be that day, on which from the ash arises the guilty man who is to be judged. spare him therefore, god. i pray, suppliant and kneeling, with a heart contrite as ashes: take my ending into your care. i pray, suppliant and kneeling, with a heart contrite as ashes: take my ending into your care. when the accursed are confounded, consigned to harsh flames, call me with the blessed . . . call me with the blessed . . . call me . . . call me with the blessed . . . i pray, suppliant and kneeling, with a heart contrite as ashes: take my ending into your care. i pray, suppliant and kneeling, with a heart contrite as ashes: take . . . my ending into your care . . . take . . . my ending into your care. i pray, suppliant and kneeling, take me in your care. day of wrath . . . that day . . . shall dissolve the world into embers, witness david with sibyl. day of wrath, that day . . . day of wrath, that day. o how tearful that day, on which shall rise from those embers . . . the guilty to be judged. therefore, spare this one, o god. 62 delos pie jesu domine, dona eis requiem. amen. lord, all-pitying, jesus blest, grant them thine eternal rest. amen. merciful lord jesus, grant them rest. amen. o how tearful that day, on which shall rise from those embers . . . the guilty to be judged. therefore, spare this one, o god. o how tearful that day, on which shall rise from those embers . . . the guilty to be judged. therefore, spare this one, o god. merciful lord jesus, grant them rest. . . . rest . . . rest . . . grant them rest. amen. pie jesu domine, dona eis requiem. amen. lord, all-pitying, jesus blest, grant them thine eternal rest. amen. merciful lord jesus, grant them rest. amen. o how tearful that day, on which shall rise from those embers . . . the guilty to be judged. therefore, spare this one, o god. o how tearful that day, on which shall rise from those embers . . . the guilty to be judged. therefore, spare this one, o god. merciful lord jesus, grant them rest. . . . rest . . . rest . . . grant them rest. amen. pie jesu domine, dona eis requiem. amen. lord, all-pitying, jesus blest, grant them thine eternal rest. amen. merciful lord jesus, grant them rest. amen. o how tearful that day, on which shall rise from those embers . . . the guilty to be judged. therefore, spare this one, o god. o how tearful that day, on which shall rise from those embers . . . the guilty to be judged. therefore, spare this one, o god. merciful lord jesus, grant them rest. . . . rest . . . rest . . . grant them rest. amen. pie jesu domine, dona eis requiem. amen. lord, all-pitying, jesus blest, grant them thine eternal rest. amen. merciful lord jesus, grant them rest. amen. o how tearful that day, on which shall rise from those embers . . . the guilty to be judged. therefore, spare this one, o god. o how tearful that day, on which shall rise from those embers . . . the guilty to be judged. therefore, spare this one, o god. merciful lord jesus, grant them rest. . . . rest . . . rest . . . grant them rest. amen. login | delos: a journal of translation and world literature main navigation main content sidebar current archives search subscribe toggle search register login search toggle navigation home login subscription or article purchase required to access item. to verify subscription, access previous purchase, or purchase article, log in to journal. username password forgot your password? keep me logged in login register sidebar-links about overview editorial board contact contributors author guidelines submit subscribers subscribe/renew news sign-upnews sign-up issn: 0011-7951 eissn: 2573-5659   main office: 2046 ne waldo road suite 2100 gainesville, fl 32609 phone: 352-392-1351 email: journals@upress.ufl.edu navigation home search current archives subscribe login | delos: a journal of translation and world literature main navigation main content sidebar current archives search subscribe toggle search register login search toggle navigation home login subscription or article purchase required to access item. to verify subscription, access previous purchase, or purchase article, log in to journal. username password forgot your password? keep me logged in login register sidebar-links about overview editorial board contact contributors author guidelines submit subscribers subscribe/renew news sign-upnews sign-up issn: 0011-7951 eissn: 2573-5659   main office: 2046 ne waldo road suite 2100 gainesville, fl 32609 phone: 352-392-1351 email: journals@upress.ufl.edu navigation home search current archives subscribe login | delos: a journal of translation and world literature main navigation main content sidebar current archives search subscribe toggle search register login search toggle navigation home login subscription or article purchase required to access item. to verify subscription, access previous purchase, or purchase article, log in to journal. username password forgot your password? keep me logged in login register sidebar-links about overview editorial board contact contributors author guidelines submit subscribers subscribe/renew news sign-upnews sign-up issn: 0011-7951 eissn: 2573-5659   main office: 2046 ne waldo road suite 2100 gainesville, fl 32609 phone: 352-392-1351 email: journals@upress.ufl.edu navigation home search current archives subscribe login | delos: a journal of translation and world literature main navigation main content sidebar current archives search subscribe toggle search register login search toggle navigation home login subscription or article purchase required to access item. to verify subscription, access previous purchase, or purchase article, log in to journal. username password forgot your password? keep me logged in login register sidebar-links about overview editorial board contact contributors author guidelines submit subscribers subscribe/renew news sign-upnews sign-up issn: 0011-7951 eissn: 2573-5659   main office: 2046 ne waldo road suite 2100 gainesville, fl 32609 phone: 352-392-1351 email: journals@upress.ufl.edu navigation home search current archives subscribe login | delos: a journal of translation and world literature main navigation main content sidebar current archives search subscribe toggle search register login search toggle navigation home login subscription or article purchase required to access item. to verify subscription, access previous purchase, or purchase article, log in to journal. username password forgot your password? keep me logged in login register sidebar-links about overview editorial board contact contributors author guidelines submit subscribers subscribe/renew news sign-upnews sign-up issn: 0011-7951 eissn: 2573-5659   main office: 2046 ne waldo road suite 2100 gainesville, fl 32609 phone: 352-392-1351 email: journals@upress.ufl.edu navigation home search current archives subscribe —-1 —0 —+1 interview with hal h. rennert, editorinchief of delos 2015– 2021 sylvie blum-reid sbr: how did you become the delos editor? how did you run into delos? hhr: this may seem very odd from today’s view of things. in the 1990s physics professor, vice provost for research and somehow publisher and— in his spare time— editor of delos harold p. hanson had inherited the journal from the university of maryland. at the university of florida, harold approached me, along with fellow faculty members in foreign languages, for contributions to delos. i contributed a translation of a short story by marie luise kaschnitz, and then in 1997 i guestedited the annual issue of delos with focus on source texts in german. i continued assisting harold with proofreading until his final issue of delos in 2003.1 living in the same neighborhood as harold in gainesville, i was aware that he was increasingly frail. harold’s daughter and caretaker persuaded me to take ownership of delos. she and harold handed over past issues and correspondence, as well as the original art work by uf art professor hiram williams, in april 2015. harold died in gainesville in april 2016; i dedicated my first issue of delos, in august 2016 (#31), in his memory. harold’s translation language was norwegian. his booklength translation of sigrid undset’s 1910 poem cycle, ungdom, youth (2010), was part of his delos project and was wellreceived as a centenary tribute to the nobelprizewinning writer. a copy of this book is now part of the delos archive in room 370 dauer hall at the university of florida. noteworthy for historical reasons is the very founding of delos with translation luminaries such as george steiner and william 1 this issue was officially delos, ser. 2, xii.1– 2, for summer– winter 1999, but published in july 2003. it also had a sequential number, #29– 30, indicating how many issues had been published in the second series. delos vol. 36, no. 2, pp. 135–140. copyright © 2021 university of florida press. doi: 10.5744/delos.2021.2003 delos_36_2_01_hebblethwaite_blum_2p.indd 135 30/11/21 10:28 am -1— 0— +1— 136 interview with hal h. rennert arrowsmith at the university of texas in austin, texas, in 1968. the project drew on a gigantic $500,000 grant from the ford foundation. at the time harold, coincidentally, happened to be chairing the physics department at ut, but without any tangible connection to delos whatsoever— merely, no doubt, at the time, as an interested observer! sbr: what made you decide to acquire delos and continue the journal? how long did it take you to develop the first issue, #31 in 2016, and find board members and solicit submissions? hhr: it didn’t take much artofpersuasion for harold’s daughter, beverly hansonherbert, to talk me into taking over ownership of delos in april 2015. i immediately saw the connection between the graduate seminar in translation, part of the curriculum in comparative literature at the university of washington i was taking in 1969, taught by professor frank jones (well known for his publication of his translation of brecht’s saint joan of the stockyards). simply put, the frank jones model was: any graduate student working on a source text translation in any national language— french, german, korean, chinese, russian— what have you— could enroll in the translation seminar with the professor teaching, advising, sometimes even rewriting the target text translation project in idiomatic publishable american english! i, as editorinchief, could do the same thing as frank jones did with submissions from anyone and anywhere in the world to delos! and the rest is history, so to speak. well, not quite. i should mention that as a phd candidate i supported myself as a teaching assistant teaching english composition at the uw. in other words, i had a pretty good command of written american english, besides being a native speaker/reader of german. it took me the rest of 2015— while, as usual, spending my summer at the german literature archive in marbach, germany— contacting previous contributors of delos with pleas for help and submissions for the revival of delos after a thirteenyear hiatus. all of this initial contacting (cynthia chennault, diane arnson svarlien, stephen rojcewicz et al.) i did via the internet. back on the uf campus in late 2015 i was successful and grateful to have younger colleagues (ufbased sidney wade, charles perrone, dror abend david, alexander burak, ben hebblethwaite) join delos as members of the editorial board and, in the case of sasha burak, even in the delos_36_2_01_hebblethwaite_blum_2p.indd 136 30/11/21 10:28 am sylvie blum-reid 137 —-1 —0 —+1 executive position of review editor. the most experienced of the ufbased colleagues was elizabeth lowe, as past director of the translation program within the uf center of latin american studies (her own specialty is portuguese): after leaving uf, she had achieved national prominence at the university of illinois and at nyu, all along physically being located in gainesville. it was her and ben hebblethwaite’s close connection to the university press of florida (upf), which contributed to the press’s takeover of delos in 2017— clearly a major step forward in the national and international profile of delos. most important to that step turning into a leap forward as it were, was judy shoaf with her decadeslong experience in translation from medieval french as well as her editing and scholarship on the journal exemplaria; she joined delos as managing editor and coeditor in 2017. special recognition among those former contributors under the late harold hanson era should go to stephen rojcewicz an essential contributor from his expertise in ancient greek and classical latin. i never get tired of repeating, delos without the translations and re translations from ancient greek and classical latin is incomplete! jumping all the way to current spring of 2021, i am delighted to note that victoria pagán is the contact person in uf classics for the new tridepartmental certificate of translation. sbr: did you have a favorite piece that delos has published in the past five years, or a moment as editor that was particularly satisfying? hhr: my favorite piece is actually the entire issue guestedited by ralf remshardt. its special theme was performance. true, the fact that part of ralf’s expertise is in german studies made his guest editorship additionally attractive, but much much more important is ralf’s scholarship, directorship in drama, stageproduction, and theater in the uf college of fine arts. almost all english departments and foreign language/literature departments located in the separate college of liberal arts & sciences in this country are afflicted with an achilles heel: in their teaching and research of drama and plays they neglect the live performances of university campus theater stage productions. ralf remshardt‘s guestedited delos issue (vol. 35, no. 1, spring 2020) filled an important gap, the neglected branch of literature in translation written for the stage. delos_36_2_01_hebblethwaite_blum_2p.indd 137 30/11/21 10:28 am -1— 0— +1— sbr: can you recall a specific event/moment in your classroom or conference papers, when you worked with a significant and specific work of translation? hhr: in the last thirty years of my teaching in german studies, i almost never had occasion to include analysis of translation, because, in line with prevalent pedagogical practice, teaching concentrates on language acquisition and literary analysis using such methodologies as the socalled communicative method. therefore, translation is a no no! after all, you cannot teach students to speak a foreign language by using translations and analysis of translations! but in my research, publications, and conference presentations i did deal with some key examples of translations, including with one of the great classics, goethe’s faust, which i have had occasion to teach in the original german as well as in english translation. on the basis of my reading and interpretation of goethe’s use of the lutheran translation of the book of job in the bible for a passage in “the prologue in heaven” of faust, i have come to make the outrageous claim that if goethe would have been born in england and therefore grown up with the socalled king james version of the bible, the famous wager in faust would not have happened and therefore the work faust would not have been written! my claim is based on a small but essential embellishment in the book of job by luther that does not exist in the king james version. in german it is the expression by satan/ mephistopheles “was gilt’s” (“what is the validity?” or “what is the bet?”). the bet, of course, is whether job or his incarnation faust will ultimately align himself with the forces of evil or the forces of good. for the limited context of this interview, i cannot here and now go into further detail; suffice it to say that translators acquire the marvelous additional skill of translation as interpretation as a byproduct of an additional deep knowledge through the command of another language. sbr: if today you were the chair of a foreign language department at an american university, what would be a change you would make in regard to the teaching and research of translation? hhr: as you know, teaching and research of translation in foreign language departments in this country is minimal or nonexistent. and yet it is painfully obvious, publishable literary translation requires 138 interview with hal h. rennert delos_36_2_01_hebblethwaite_blum_2p.indd 138 30/11/21 10:28 am sylvie blum-reid 139 —-1 —0 —+1 an exquisite command of a foreign language and culture. thus, i would include translation ability as part of the curriculum and as an option in requisite skills of college graduates in foreign languages, initially on the graduate studies or post b.a. level. this would mean that the job descriptions in the hiring of at least some new faculty should specify, in addition to “native or nearnative ability” in whatever foreign language is to be taught and researched, “native or near native ability in english.” in other words, foreignlanguage teachers who are designated or tasked with the extra responsibility of teaching translation should have a command of idiomatic, publishable grasp of english. by the way, although born in germany but having maintained a nearly perfect command of german, i claim to have native ability in american english. i am as bilingual as henry a. kissinger— perhaps even more so! sbr: is there any aspect of delos that you feel has not been covered or touched upon that you would like to bring up? hhr: yes, there is. one of your specialties, professor blum, is french and european film, and undoubtedly films and film scripts are often based on literary masterpieces— not to mention those pesky translated subtitles of foreignlanguage films. how about doing a guest edited issue of delos based entirely on the role of translation and literary works for films!? i had hoped that in his guestedited issue of performance, ralf remshardt would include films, but translations of plays for the theatre are a vast area in itself. delos is fortunate, however, to have currently another filmliteraturetranslation scholar, dror abenddavid, a member of the editorial board. he has researched the film versions of shakespeare’s the merchant of venice in hebrew, yiddish, and german. no doubt he would make a fine collaborator. one of my very first publications after coming to uf in 1979 was a short article: “transformations: thoughts regarding film title translations,” in post script: essays in film and the humanities, vol. 1, no. 1 (fall 1981), pages 33– 35. another possible future delos issue might focus on translations of works in international science fiction. delos_36_2_01_hebblethwaite_blum_2p.indd 139 30/11/21 10:28 am -1— 0— +1— delos_36_2_01_hebblethwaite_blum_2p.indd 140 30/11/21 10:28 am login | delos: a journal of translation and world literature main navigation main content sidebar current archives search subscribe toggle search register login search toggle navigation home login subscription or article purchase required to access item. to verify subscription, access previous purchase, or purchase article, log in to journal. username password forgot your password? keep me logged in login register sidebar-links about overview editorial board contact contributors author guidelines submit 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editorial board contact contributors author guidelines submit subscribers subscribe/renew news sign-upnews sign-up issn: 0011-7951 eissn: 2573-5659   main office: 2046 ne waldo road suite 2100 gainesville, fl 32609 phone: 352-392-1351 email: journals@upress.ufl.edu navigation home search current archives subscribe login | delos: a journal of translation and world literature main navigation main content sidebar current archives search subscribe toggle search register login search toggle navigation home login subscription or article purchase required to access item. to verify subscription, access previous purchase, or purchase article, log in to journal. username password forgot your password? keep me logged in login register sidebar-links about overview editorial board contact contributors author guidelines submit subscribers subscribe/renew news sign-upnews sign-up issn: 0011-7951 eissn: 2573-5659   main office: 2046 ne waldo road suite 2100 gainesville, fl 32609 phone: 352-392-1351 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suite 2100 gainesville, fl 32609 phone: 352-392-1351 email: journals@upress.ufl.edu navigation home search current archives subscribe login | delos: a journal of translation and world literature main navigation main content sidebar current archives search subscribe toggle search register login search toggle navigation home login subscription or article purchase required to access item. to verify subscription, access previous purchase, or purchase article, log in to journal. username password forgot your password? keep me logged in login register sidebar-links about overview editorial board contact contributors author guidelines submit subscribers subscribe/renew news sign-upnews sign-up issn: 0011-7951 eissn: 2573-5659   main office: 2046 ne waldo road suite 2100 gainesville, fl 32609 phone: 352-392-1351 email: journals@upress.ufl.edu navigation home search current archives subscribe login | delos: a journal of translation and world literature main navigation main content sidebar current archives search subscribe toggle search register login search toggle navigation home login subscription or article purchase required to access item. to verify subscription, access previous purchase, or purchase article, log in to journal. username password forgot your password? keep me logged in login register sidebar-links about overview editorial board contact contributors author guidelines submit subscribers subscribe/renew news sign-upnews sign-up issn: 0011-7951 eissn: 2573-5659   main office: 2046 ne waldo road suite 2100 gainesville, fl 32609 phone: 352-392-1351 email: journals@upress.ufl.edu navigation home search current archives subscribe preface to special issue on performance and translation the previous issue (fall 2019) of delos began with a preface about prefaces, and so i will briefly harken back to that metaliterary move by beginning this preface with a quote from a preface. in his famous introduction to what was to become his most infamous drama, the playboy of the western world (1907), irish dramatist john millington synge observed: “in a good play every speech should be as fully flavoured as a nut or apple.” synge had lived among the denizens of ireland’s rugged western coast and turned their vernacular into poetry, and he was scornful of what he saw as the “pallid” language of realists like ibsen, strindberg, or chekhov. to my knowledge, synge (whose own dialogue was sometimes derided as “syngesong”) knew no norwegian, swedish, or russian, so what he found “joyless” in the drama of his foreign peers was likely the result of inferior translation. perhaps the crisp lucidity of ibsen’s norwegian, the feverish vitality of strindberg’s swedish, and the floating melancholy of chekhov’s russian had trickled away by the time it made it to synge’s critical ear. in this special issue of delos, the contributors focus on translation and performance, translation for performance. the stage and its performers depend on the liveness and liveliness of language. among translators of plays, there is a rule of thumb, though perhaps more honored in the breach than the observance, that the shelflife of a theatrical translation is only about twentyfive years. in a quartercentury spoken language, as a living, shifting thing, mutates enough that what seemed fresh and colloquial then has become staid and dated now. the example of shakespeare is instructive. in the global englishspeaking theatre his plays are of course performed, more or less, as he wrote them over 400 years ago. but in germany, which since wieland and goethe in the eighteenth century embraced shakespeare as if he were a native playwright who inconveniently happened to be writing in a foreign tongue, the question of which translation to use is a continually pressing one. the magisterial schlegeltieckbaudissin translations of the romantic era were long the gold standard—it was in their words that hamlet ruminated on sein oder delos vol. 35, no. 1, pp. v–vii. copyright © 2020 university of florida press. doi: 10.5744/delos.2020.1010 vi preface to special issue on performance and translation nichtsein— but the twentieth century increasingly demanded that shakespeare answer to the urgencies of modernism, that he become less elevated and more streamlined, psychological, absurdist, political. or rather that that which was already political, absurdist, etc. in his work be excavated and brought forth. as recently as 2017 frank günther completed a new german translation of all 37 plays. so while in england and the u.s. contemporary audiences are increasingly daunted by shakespeare’s archaisms, in germany, through the translator’s art, he bestrides the stage a colossus with a language as sharp, breezy, poetic, and idiomatic as it must have sounded at the globe all those centuries ago. all of this issue’s contributors, in their own way, address the questions of the power of language in performance and its connection to both meaning and emotion. mina kyounghye kwon presents an excerpt of her translation of the korean rodpuppet play kkokdugaksi noreum. of all of the rich puppetry traditions of asia, the japanese bunraku and the indonesian wayang kulit may be somewhat familiar to western readers, but the korean genres are much less well known. kwon’s translation introduces us to the garrulous folk character bak cheomji, whose boastful exploits animate the play, and provides a unique window into this popular tradition. following, reprinted here as a tribute to the issue’s theme, are selected passages from german enlightenment thinker and dramatist gotthold ephraim lessing’s hamburg dramaturgy in which lessing specifically reflects upon the question of dramatic translation. at the time, german theatre was trying to find an autonomous voice and identity between english looseness and strict french neoclassicism. in caron cadle’s translation, lessing’s keen understanding of dramatic form and his sparkling wit emerge intact. my own renderings of four of frank wedekind’s cabaret songs give a taste of this literary free spirit whose personal exploits as much as his daring texts scandalized the audiences of his time. one must imagine wedekind’s hulking figure strumming his guitar and singing these bawdy songs in a voice his admirer bertolt brecht described as “creaky, somewhat monotone, and very untrained.” brecht himself is at issue in peter ferran’s essay on the most familiar ballad to emerge from his international smash hit the threepenny opera (1928), the song of “mackie messer,” or mac the knife. the ubiquitous translation of this iconic song by marc blitzstein—popularized by louis armstrong and others—rings in our ears, but ferran’s careful excavation of brecht’s gestus (what we might call the performative iteration of his social attitude) reveals how slyly the ditty implicates its audience in the lionization of crime. preface to special issue on performance and translation vii the current broadway remount of the iconic musical west side story under the direction of ivo van hove and the forthcoming steven spielberg directed film make colleen rua’s exploration of the politics of bilinguality in this piece particularly urgent. part of her larger work on latinx representation on broadway, the essay reads the ambivalent response to the “code switching” of lyrics in a recent revival as characteristic of the stillproblematic effort to bring latinidad to the mainstream stage. the obverse holds for the case of david bowie’s musical lazarus, which susan ingram discusses in her contribution. german audiences in particular embraced the production precisely because it maintained a balance between translated dialogue and the original english lyrics. it was the translator’s decision to leave bowie’s songs in their original language that allowed them to unfold their greatest affective power and resonance. the sicilian playwright emma dante is the subject of francesca spedalieri’s essay and her translation of an excerpt of the play mpalermu. spedalieri traces how the interweaving of palermitan dialect and standard italian recapitulates the characters’ ambiguous position between their regional identity and their longing to join the cultural and linguistic mainstream of a country that relegates them to nearcolonial status. spedalieri’s “foreignized” translation makes this contradiction audible, palpable to englishspeaking audiences. brazilian performer beatriz azevedo’s “groundfloorpoem” peripatetic occupies the space between spokenword poetry and performance art. in charles perrone’s skillful translation the poem resonates with the pulse of urban life as the text of the city and the architecture of the words coalesce. the issue is rounded out by an expansive review essay by stephen rojcewicz of two novels by olga tokarczuk and their translations. tokarczuk received the 2018 man booker prize and the 2018 nobel prize for literature, making the essay particularly timely. tokarczuk’s writing is rich with linguistic layers and shifting points of view, and rojcewicz manages deftly to elucidate her dense textual and thematic world. ralf remshardt, guest editor login | delos: a journal of translation and world literature main navigation main content sidebar current archives search subscribe toggle search register login search toggle navigation home login subscription or article purchase required to access item. to verify subscription, access previous purchase, or purchase article, log in to journal. username password forgot your password? keep me logged in login register sidebar-links about overview editorial board contact contributors author guidelines submit subscribers subscribe/renew news sign-upnews sign-up issn: 0011-7951 eissn: 2573-5659   main office: 2046 ne waldo road suite 2100 gainesville, fl 32609 phone: 352-392-1351 email: journals@upress.ufl.edu navigation home search current archives subscribe login | delos: a journal of translation and world literature main navigation main content sidebar current archives search subscribe toggle search register login search toggle navigation home login subscription or article purchase required to access item. to verify subscription, access previous purchase, or purchase article, log in to journal. username password forgot your password? keep me logged in login register sidebar-links about overview editorial board contact contributors author guidelines submit subscribers subscribe/renew news sign-upnews sign-up issn: 0011-7951 eissn: 2573-5659   main office: 2046 ne waldo road suite 2100 gainesville, fl 32609 phone: 352-392-1351 email: journals@upress.ufl.edu navigation home search current archives subscribe review olga tokarczuk: the right time and place olga tokarczuk. bieguni. kraków, poland: wydawnictwo literackie, 2008. —— . flights. translation of bieguni from polish into english by jennifer croft. new york: riverhead books, 2018. — — . księgi jakubowe. kraków, poland: wydawnictwo literackie, 2014. — — . les livres de jakób. translation of księgi jakubowe from polish into french by maryla laurent. paris: les éditions noir sur blanc, 2018. on october 10, 2019 the swedish academy awarded the polish writer olga tokarczuk the 2018 nobel prize for literature “for a narrative imagination that with encyclopedic passion represents the crossing of boundaries as a form of life.”1 the winner of two prestigious nike awards (the polish equivalent of the french prix goncourt), plus multiple awards in poland, germany, and sweden for her fiction and essays, tokarczuk was also the 2018 recipient, along with her english translator jennifer croft, of the man booker international prize for her novel flights. tokarczuk, however, remains little known in the anglophone world; at the time of the nobel announcement, for example, only four of her books had appeared in english translation.2 this essay will examine tokarczuk’s works, especially flights and księgi jakubowe (the english language version, the books of jacob, is scheduled for publication in march 2021), with special attention to tokarczuk’s recurrent themes and the challenges of rendering her often allusive and mythladen prose into english. born in 1962 in sulechów, a small town in western poland in the area known as silesia, tokarczuk now lives in a small village, krajanów, in rural lower silesia, near the czech border. silesia itself had at times been part of germany, 1 press release, swedish academy, 10 october 2019. 2 in addition to flights, these translations, all by antonia lloydjones, are house of day, house of night, 2002 (dom dzienny, dom nocny, 1998); primeval and other times, 2010 (prawiek i inne czasy, 1996); and drive your plow over the bones of the dead, 2019 (prowadź swój pług przez kości umarłych, 2009). drive your plow over the bones of the dead served as the basis of a polish movie, pokot (english translation, spoor), directed by the renowned agnieszka holland. translations of many of tokarczuk’s works exist in german, french, russian, and numerous other languages. delos vol. 35, no. 1, pp. 101–115. copyright © 2020 university of florida press. doi: 10.5744/delos.2020.1009 102 review with the border often shifting between the two countries. some members of her father’s family had originally come from ukraine. while studying psychology at the university of warsaw, tokarczuk was greatly influenced by the writings of carl gustav jung. after working for a time as a psychologist, she left this profession for fulltime writing, having decided that she was more disturbed than some of her patients. although a bestselling author in poland, tokarczuk is disliked by some of the more conservative elements in the country for her calling attention to historical acts of injustice by polish authorities and for her activism on behalf of the environment. the unique properties of polish grammar are highly relevant to tokarczuk’s work. “in the language in which i write,” according to tokarczuk, “the future and the past differ only by one vowel. e transforms into y and this sounds like a calling.”3 the words “future” (przyszłość) and “past” (przeszłość) are almost identical in polish, but not in other modern european languages or even russian. not only is tokarczuk signaling that her works will weave between several centuries (“future” and “past”), but she is also indicating that she has a “calling” to capitalize fully on the linguistic features of polish. examination of the polish text, therefore, may sometimes contribute significantly to our understanding of her work. flights (bieguni) flights, jennifer croft’s version of the polish bieguni, is a masterpiece of translation. her language is lively, by turns colloquial and academic, capturing various voices and registers, including that of a homeless woman, novice and seasoned writers, professors, and early modern scientists and intellectuals. flights consists of 116 unnumbered chapters or vignettes, often interconnected, ranging from a single paragraph of only three sentences to a narrative of thirtyfive pages. the chapters interweave multiple strands across several centuries and various locations in poland, croatia, greece, new york, and other places. there is a narrator, identified by the pronoun i: the first chapter 3 anna in w grobowcach świata [anna in and the tombs of the world] (kraków: znak, 2006): “w języko, w którym piszę, przeszłość i przyszłość róznią się tylko jedną samagłoską. e przechodzi w y i brzmi to jak zawołanie.” english translation by bożena karwowska in “mythical subversions (olga tokarczuk),” in tamara trojanowska et al., editors. being poland: a new history of polish literature and culture since 1918 (toronto: university of toronto press, 2018), 417– 22, at 419. delos 103 is called “here i am” in english, “jestem” in polish (literally, “i am”). among the major fictional characters are a woman, annushka kuzniecka, and a man, kunicki, whose wife has disappeared while the couple is visiting a croatian island. historical characters include chopin’s sister, ludwika, who is smuggling chopin’s heart into poland, father benedykt chmielowski, various scientists, especially anatomists. then there is josefine soliman, who petitions francis i, emperor of austria, for the body of her african father, a body which has been stuffed and kept for display, apparently as a curiosity. the major themes of this novel include, among others, wandering, journeys, fragmentation, and time. the novel effectively makes a distinction between “wandering” without a specific destination in mind and “journeys” to or from a specific place, but these categories are permeable. the title bieguni evokes the theme of wandering. in polish, nouns can be grammatically masculine, feminine, or neuter. masculine nouns are further subdivided into three categories: personal (e.g., a teacher or other human), animate (a cat), or inanimate. similar looking nouns can have different endings in the same declension, depending on the category to which the noun belongs. “biegun” derives from the verb “biegać,” (“to run” or “to race”). the masculine inanimate noun “biegun” means “pole” or “spindle,” and can refer to both the north and the south pole; its nominative plural form is “bieguny.” the masculine personal noun “biegun” refers to a member of a russian heretical sect that practiced constant motion, refusing to have any fixed abode in this world dominated by the antichrist, constantly running from place to place.4 since this use of “biegun” is a personal noun, the plural is “bieguni,” with an “i” instead of a “y.” english translations for the sect of bieguni have included “wanderers,” “runners,” “runaways,” “tramps,” and “deserters.” three different translations of the title bieguni in english, french, and german emphasize different aspects of the original title; combined, they capture the resonances of the polish word. the french title, les pérégrins, cognate with the english word “peregrination,” means the wanderers.5 at times this french term can carry the suggestion of “pilgrims.” the german title is unrast6 (“uneasiness”), cognate with the english “unrest,” suggesting the uneasiness behind the wanderings of the bieguni as well as the unrest of many 4 paul rankov radosavljevich, who are the slavs? a contribution to race psychology (boston: the gorham press, 1919), vol. 2, 81. 5 grazyna erhard, tr., les pérégrins (paris: les éditions noir sur blanc, 2010). 6 esther kinsky, tr., unrast (frankfurt am main: schöffling, 2009). 104 review of the novel’s characters. tokarczuk has addressed this issue in an interview with the newspaper gazeta wyborcza [electoral newspaper]. she stated, as translated by krzysztof hoffmann in a magazine article, that the reason for using the title flights was “the strangeness or absence of the lexeme ‘bieguni’ outside the slavic languages, which for a reader from a different cultural circle would result only in the effect of exoticism. the connotations of ‘flights’ are much greater— it is not only ‘travels by plane’, but also movement in general, a shifting perspective and a bit of madness.”7 the word “flights” thus evokes the actions of the bieguni sect, who constantly take flight from place to place. in fact, much of the novel occurs on airplanes. the last chapter, integrating many of the major themes of the book, has the english word “boarding” as its title even in the polish text and takes place on an airplane. among the disadvantages of the title “flights,” however, is the inconsistency of the translation when “bieguni” and related words appear as chapter titles or in the text. the polish title of the thirtieth chapter contains the word “biegun,” in the meaning of “pole”: “wyprawy na biegun” (bieguni 109), literally, “expeditions to the pole.” the title is “north pole expeditions” in english (flights, 96). in the seventyfifth chapter, which is the central episode of the novel, annushka meets an unnamed religious wanderer (the “shrouded woman”) and the following chapter is told from the latter’s viewpoint. “flights” is the english title of the first of these chapters (flights, 226), and “what the shrouded runaway was saying” is the title of next vignette (flights, 258). the respective polish titles are “bieguni” (bieguni, 256) and “co mowiła zakutana biegunka” (bieguni, 291). one nuance of “biegunka,” a feminine diminutive form of “biegun” as a member of the religious sect, is impossible to capture in translation, except by an explanatory footnote. towards the end of the chapter titled “flights,” a redfaced policeman shouts to someone else about the religious wanderer: “it’s that runaway woman” (flights, 257). in polish, he shouts, “to ta biegunka.” he goes on to tell that woman, “we don’t want any cult members around here.” what is significant is that “biegunka” (but not the word “biegun” itself) has an additional meaning in polish— “diarrhea” (equivalent to the english slang, 7 krzysztof hoffmann, “always towards, not fromto. experiment, travel, and deconstruction in flights by olga tokarczuk,” czas kultury [cultural time] 113– 20, march 2019. interview of olga tokarczuk by natalia szostak, “olga tokarczuk: w naszym świecie granica mi dzy fikcją a faktami staje si coraz bardziej płynna,” gazeta wyborcza, 28 april 2018. http:// wyborcza . pl / 7,75517,23331310,olgatokarczukwthe worldworldboundarybetweenfictionafactami.html. http://wyborcza.pl/7,75517,23331310,olga-tokarczuk-w-the-world-world-boundary-between-fiction-a-factami.html http://wyborcza.pl/7,75517,23331310,olga-tokarczuk-w-the-world-world-boundary-between-fiction-a-factami.html delos 105 “the runs”). tokarczuk then demonstrates that the policeman’s attitude of disrespect is characteristic of many people in authority. as the religious wanderer states: this is why tyrants of all stripes, infernal servants, have such deepseated hatred for the nomads— this is why they persecute the gypsies and the jews, and why they force all free people to settle, assigning the addresses that serve as our sentences. what they want is to create a frozen order, to falsify time’s passage. . . . what they want is to pin down the world with the aid of barcodes, labelling all things, letting it be known that everything is a commodity, that this is how much it will cost you. . . . blessed is he who leaves. flights, 260; bieguni, 294 journeys are essential to this novel. flights contains reproductions of eleven maps, including a rendition of the wanderings of odysseus. tokarczuk, moreover, often associates journeys with books. the title of her first novel, for example, is podróz ludzi księgi [the journey of the book people].8 the word for journey, podróz, also occurs in the subtitle of the books of jacob. she criticizes some travel guidebooks because they “have debilitated places, pinning them down and naming them, blurring their contours” (flights, 69; bieguni, 79). nevertheless, tokarczuk comments that “in my own travels i have remained faithful to two books [chmielowski’s new athens and melville’s moby dick] . . . because they were written with real passion, and a genuine desire to portray the world” (flights, 70; bieguni, 80). croft is excellent in a superb rendition of the excerpt that tokarczuk includes from one of these guides. “on other strange and wonderful persons of the world” is by reverend benedykt chmielowski (1700– 1763), the first polish writer of encyclopedialike volumes; his new athens [nowy atena], a 3000 page work published in four volumes in 1745– 46, was updated in 1754– 56. croft renders chmielowski’s article so as to convey his scholarly passion for knowledge.9 chmielowski is a preenlightenment writer, full of information 8 podróz ludzi księgi (warsaw: przedświt, 1993). 9 this is in contrast to czesław miłosz’s ridicule of chmielowski as superstitious and superficial; czesław miłosz, the history of polish literature, 2nd ed. (berkeley: university of california press, 1983), 154. 106 review on impossible headless or dogheaded people. he cites, however, classical authors and eminent sixteenth and seventeenthcentury scientists and intellectuals for almost all his entries, from pliny the elder and isidore of seville, up through the polishlithuanian prince mikołay radziwiłł.10 for tokarczuk, chmielowski partakes of the “encyclopedic passion” cited by the swedish academy in her nobel prize citation. to render such a writer in both his naïveté and his erudition, with accuracy but without being patronizing, as croft does, is quite a difficult balance to achieve. fragmentation displays itself in the narrative format and in the motifs of separated individuals and of fragmented bodies— chopin’s heart is smuggled into poland, while the rest of his body is buried in paris; the novel includes historical accounts of human specimens collected by seventeenthcentury modern anatomists and a chapter devoted to an amputated leg (flights, 207– 11). the major fragmentation, however, is psychological. the narrator writes, “i suffer from . . . recurrent detoxification syndrome . . . the insistence of one’s consciousness on returning to certain images, or even the compulsive search for them. . . . my set of symptoms revolves around my being drawn to all things spoiled, flawed, defective, broken” (flights, 15– 17; bieguni, 21– 23). tokarczuk finds fragmentation typical of much of east european literature. contrasting the seemingly linear history of western europe with the discontinuous history of eastern europe, with its holes, chaos, and random chance, she has concluded: “i believe the preference for the fragmentary nature associated with the narratives of central european writers is stronger than among writers in any other place.”11 a fourth leitmotif is that of time, often, but not always, with the connotation of “the right time” and associated with the concept of “the right place.” tokarczuk links “the right time” to her themes of wandering, fragmentation, exploration, and journeys. “many people believe,” she writes in a chapter titled “the right time and place” (“włascimy czas i miejsce”), “that there exists in the 10 wojciech paszyński, “czarna legenda nowych aten benedykta chmielowskiego i próby jej przezwiciężenia’ [“new athens by reverend benedykt chmielowski— its black legend and a possible line of defense”], prace historyczne [historical works] 141(1): 37– 59, 2014. 11 workshop at the 2nd world congress of translators of polish literature, june 4, 2009, kraków. cited in hikaru ogura, “on new travel literature and central europe as a blank space: notes on olga tokarczuk’s novel bieguni and her lecture series in japan,” slavic eurasian studies 30 (2016): 9– 15, at 14. http:// src h . slav . hokudai . ac . jp / coe21 / publish / no30_ses / . http://src-h.slav.hokudai.ac.jp/coe21/publish/no30_ses/ http://src-h.slav.hokudai.ac.jp/coe21/publish/no30_ses/ delos 107 world’s coordinate system a perfect point where time and space reach an agreement. this may even be why these people travel, leaving their homes behind, hoping that even by moving around in a chaotic fashion they will increase their likelihood of happening upon this point.” (flights, 79; bieguni, 90). in addition, some events have to wait for the right time. “copernicus,” for instance, “was missing the rest of the solar system, planets like uranus, which was still waiting for the right time to be discovered” (flights, 161; bieguni, 205). the greek word for this concept of time, kairos, first appears during kunicki’s search for his missing wife. he “comes upon a ticket to a museum in trogir [in croatia], and on the back of it a foreign word; he . . . manages to make out καιρός, which he thinks is kairos” (flights, 46; bieguni, 54). later, after his wife’s return, he is convinced that kairos will solve the puzzle of her disappearance: “he’s even memorized that word: καιρός. yes, that word will explain everything to him” (flights, 344; bieguni, 386). consulting three greek polish dictionaries, he “deciphers the word: καιρός . . . measure, moderation . . . the appropriate moment,” and “in good measure, moderation.” an additional entry for the related word καιριός yields “done in time, purposeful . . . a dangerous place on the body where wounds are effective” (flights, 347– 48; bieguni, 390– 91). that night “he finds on wikipedia a page about kairos, from which he simply learns that it’s a god, of little importance, forgotten, hellenic. and that this god was discovered in trogir” (flights, 348; bieguni, 391). the concept of kairos and the god kairos remain important, however. in the vignette titled “kairos,” an elderly professor of greek literature visits athens, where he recites a poem by posidippus about an ancient sculpture. the poem, in the form of a dialogue, includes these lines: and who are you? kairos the allmastering. why do you tread on tiptoes? i ceaselessly circumnavigate the world. . . . why did the sculptor create you? on account of you, foreigners, and he set me at the entrance as a lesson.12 12 epigram by posidippus (circa 310– 240 bce) on the statue of kairos (greek anthology xvi, 275), quoted in flights 388– 89; bieguni 434– 35. greek text, english translation, and 108 review the last sentence of the novel ties together themes of wandering, fragmentation, journeys, and time. the narrator is on an airplane, awaiting takeoff. the lyrical translation of this line by jennifer croft echoes the earlier chapter title, “the right time and place”: “that smile of theirs [the flight attendants] holds— or so it strikes us— a kind of promise that perhaps we will be born anew now, this time in the right time and the right place” (flights, 403; bieguni, 434– 35).13 the books of jacob (księgi jakubowe) the books of jacob (2014) is an enormous chronicle of the life and times of jacob frank (1726– 91), founder of the frankist sect, and the cultural, literary, religious and social situation in eighteenthcentury poland. the format of the novel is innovative. in homage to hebrew books, for example, the page numbers run backwards, with the work beginning at page 853 (page 1032 in the french version) and ending at page 1. the subdivisions into the seven major books and the thirtyone individual sections, however, proceed in conventional numerical order. these thirtyone sections also contain subsections that are titled but not numbered. in addition to the narrative itself, the book contains maps, illustrations, and excerpts from legal decrees, depositions, letters, and eighteenthcentury literary works. numerous characters, both historic and fictional, focalize the novel, encompassing a broad swath of society from jewish kabbalists, rabbinic jewish leaders, catholic intellectuals, polish clergy, the higher nobility of poland and austria, military leaders, servants and hangerson, early modern polish female authors, and officials at the court of joseph ii, emperor of austria. bookending the novel, and appearing at various crucial times during the narrative, are the experiences before and after death of an elderly jewish woman, jenta, who sees all (“jenta widzi wszystko,” prologue: księgi, 853, livres de jakób 1032).14 while much of the narrative is an illustration of a reconstruction of the statue of kairos in w. r. paton, tr. and ed., the greek anthology, volume v, books 13– 16 (cambridge: harvard university press, loeb classical library, 1918), 324– 25. 13 “w ich uśmiechu ukryta jest, jak się nam zdaje, jakaś obietnica, że być może urodzimy się ponownie i tym razem będzie to włascimy czas i włascimy miejsce” (bieguni 435). earlier chapter title: “włascimy czas i miejsce” (bieguni 90). 14 to facilitate comparisons with the eventual english version, citations will be made to book and section numbers, as well as to the pages in the polish and the french editions. delos 109 realistic, the episodes involving jenta in particular often partake of magic realism. mirroring polish baroque practice, the full title of this complex novel is: księgi jakubowe albo wielka podróż przez siedem granic, pięć języków i trzy duże religie, nie licząc tych małych: opowiadana przez zmarłych a przez autorkę dopełniona metodą koniektury, z wielu rozmaitych ksiąg zaczerpnięta, a także wspomożona imaginacją, która to jest największym naturalnym darem człowieka. mądrym dla memoryalu, kompatriotom dla refleksji, laikom dla nauki, melancholikom dla rozrywki. the books of jacob, or the great journey across seven frontiers, five languages and three great religions, not counting several minor ones: narrated by the dead, their story being completed by the author according to the method of conjecture, expressed in several books, but also assisted by the imagination, which is humanity’s greatest natural gift: a record for the wise, a reflection for my compatriots, an instruction for laypersons, entertainment for melancholics.15 this title pays tribute to nowe ateny by rev. benedykt chmielowski, whom tokarczuk also, as i have noted, discusses in flights/bieguni. the title of his encyclopedia begins: nowe ateny; albo, akademia wszelkiej sciencyi pełna, na różne tytuły iak na classes podzielona, mądrym dla memoryału, idiotom dla nauki, politykom dla praktyki, melancholikom dla rozrywki erygowana . . . [new athens, or the academy full of all science, divided into subjects and classes, a record for the wise, instruction for the uneducated, a practicum for politicians, a foundation of entertainment for melancholics].16 the last four phrases in the two titles are almost identical. tokarczuk underlines the influence of chmielowski by making him a major character in the novel and reproducing his title page in book i, section 4 (księgi, 845; livres de jakób 963). 15 translation mine. the full title of the soontobepublished english version is not available at the time of this writing. 16 translation mine. the complete polish text and illustrations of nowe ateny are available at https:// literat . ug . edu . pl / ateny / index . htm (accessed october 15, 2019). https://literat.ug.edu.pl/ateny/index.htm 110 review by alluding to chmielowski’s encyclopedia, tokarczuk suggests that she, too, will provide an encyclopedic treatment. the rest of her subtitle indicates the areas where she will do so. 1. the great journey across seven frontiers: jacob frank (or frenk), was born in 1726 as ya’akov ben leyb in a small village in podolia, then part of the polishlithuanian commonwealth. when he was only a few months old he moved with his family to nearby ottoman territories in romania where he grew up, acquiring his nickname/ surname of “frank,” an ottoman term for europeans in general, often with negative connotations (e.g., a frankish crusader or someone suffering from a disease introduced by europeans, such as syphilis).17 frank frequently travels between the ottoman empire and poland, undergoes significant experiences in lublin, lwów, and warsaw, is imprisoned for years in the polish fortress at częstochowa, then lives in brünn (now brno in the czech republic), making significant visits to vienna in imperial austria hungary, and finally holding court in the german city of offenbach, near frankfurt. multiple characters move back and forth across many frontiers, and one individual even emigrates to america. two subsections are entitled “biegun” and “opowieść bieguna” [“the story of the runaway”], linking this portion of the books to jacob to flights/bieguni (księgi, 538– 34; livres de jakób 620– 14). what seems most significant throughout the accounts of the journeys is that many of the novel’s religious and social issues affect all areas of society despite national boundaries, suggesting an overall unity in eighteenthcentury eastern europe. 2. five languages: although russian, hebrew, and ladino also feature in the novel, the primary languages used by the characters are yiddish, turkish, polish, latin, and german. an ashkenazi jew living among ladinospeaking sephardic jews in muslim lands and then in poland, austria and germany, frank spoke yiddish as his primary language. the originals of court and ecclesiastical documents are often in latin, while benedykt chmielowski (1738– 1811), 17 basic biographical information from paweł maciejko, the mixed multitude: jacob frank and the frankist movement, 1755– 1816 (philadelphia: university of pennsylvania press, 2011), 12– 20. delos 111 the poetess elżbieta drużbacha (1695– 1765), and various members of the aristocracy write in polish. german is the main language of the court of joseph ii in vienna and in the frankists’ final place of residence, offenbach. the connecting link for many of these languages is antoni moliwdakossakowski (1718– 86), a member of the polish aristocracy but belonging to a heretical orthodox sect, who translates between yiddish, latin, polish, and turkish on behalf of the frankists. tokarczuk provides examples of overcoming the difficulties inherent in the use of multiple languages. chmielowski wants to study the kabbala, including the zohar, for example, but he cannot read hebrew or aramaic. elisha schorr, an associate of jacob frank, gives the polish writer the 1677 latin translation of part of the zohar, kabbala denudata [the kabbala unveiled]. its author was christian knorr von rosenroth, a german protestant student of the kabbala. the books of jacob reproduces the title page of kabbala denudata and discusses it in book iii, section 17 (księgi, 541– 39; livres de jakób, 623– 20). again, the different languages are not necessarily a stumbling block to personal and cultural interactions. tokarczuk is portraying a multilingual, multiethnic central and eastern europe. 3. three great religions, not counting several minor ones: tokarczuk depicts frank’s religious identity through numerous stages, not always mutually exclusive: • his leadership of a kabbalist sect following the teachings of sabbatai tsevi (1626– 76), the selfproclaimed jewish messiah, who had eventually converted to islam; • his belief that he is the reincarnation of sabbatai tsevi, and then that he himself is the messiah; • his conversion to islam, together with some of his followers; • his public disputations with representatives of rabbinic judaism, and then his conversion to catholicism in 1759, supported by some influential members of the clergy and the aristocrats, bringing many of his followers (perhaps thousands) to baptism; • his flirtations with becoming russian orthodox; • his career as a christian heretic, including his belief that he is a member of the christian trinity; • his conviction that his daughter ewa (eve) was the human incarnation of the shekhinah. for some kabbalists, “the shekhinah, as the last of the sephiroth [emanations from god], becomes the 112 review ‘daughter’ who, although her home is the ‘form of light,’ must wander into far lands.”18 ewa becomes for jacob frank the fourth person of god, now added to the christian trinity; • and, finally, his leadership of a messianic sect in germany while outwardly professing catholicism. the religious issues are often a source of strife and violence. as a charismatic leader of messianic jews, jacob frank, following sabbatai tsevi, taught that since the messiah has already arrived, the laws of the torah are superseded, and the deliberate transgression of commandments, including previously prohibited sexual activities, are now positive values. these practices enraged the orthodox jewish leaders, to the point that the rabbis and the frankists encouraged violence against one another. there are several episodes of prosecution and execution of jews for the libel of ritual murder; these atrocities are historically accurate, with tokarczuk depicting the actions and writings of some polish bishops involved, despite papal prohibition of such trials. the number of ritual murder trials in the polishlithuanian commonwealth during the sixteenth to the eighteenth centuries has been estimated at seventy to eighty; in contrast, the witchcraft trials during the same period resulted in the execution of an estimated fifteen thousand people in polandlithuania. some of the same bishops who denounced the witchcraft trials as superstitious believed in the libel of ritual jewish sacrifice of christians, approving the use of torture during the trials.19 in a disputation against the orthodox talmudists in lwów in 1759, frank himself, through deliberate mistranslations and esoteric number symbolism, accused the talmud of advocating ritual murder. in 1761, near a community of frankists in wojsławice, poland, a christian child was found murdered. tokarczuk depicts the frankists as killing the child, and frank’s wife chana of disguising herself as a rabbi’s wife in order to inform the police that the local rabbis and other jews were responsible for ritual murder (book v, section 25: księgi, 280– 76; livres de jakób, 18 gershom scholem, major trends in jewish mysticism (new york: schocken books, 1995), 204– 42, with quotation at 230, citing zohar i, 15b. 19 maciejko, mixed multitude, 93– 100. delos 113 316– 12). the accused were found guilty through confessions obtained by torture and were executed, and a massacre of the local jewish community ensued.20 4. narrated by the dead, their story being completed by the author: the novel supplements the historical accounts with plausible additions. part of tokarczuk’s narrative concerning jacob frank’s daughter ewa, for example, is based on the contemporary rumor that she was the mistress of joseph ii, emperor of austria. although this rumor may not have been true, later histories of the frankist movement treat it as a fact.21 while benedykt chmielowski and elżbieta drużbacha were contemporaries, there is no historic evidence that they ever met or corresponded with each other; however, such a meeting was certainly possible. 5. assisted by the imagination: this is the glory of tokarczuk’s writing. by vividly picturing scenes through the eyes of different participants and enabling us to know the thoughts of multiple protagonists, she is able to present the milieux of the frankists, the talmudists, the polish clergy and intellectuals, and the polish aristocracy. the description of the village of iwanie, for example, is particularly effective (book iii, section 18: księgi, 508– 05 and 498– 80; livres de jakób, 585– 81 and 574– 63). the author depicts iwanie, a place where the frankists had settled temporarily, both through the perspective of chana frank, jacob’s wife, and through the observations of their interpreter moliwda. although the english version of the entire book is still in progress, we are fortunate to have jennifer croft’s translation of the subsection where moliwda visits iwanie. here is a small excerpt: he arrives in iwanie on march 9, 1759, and no sooner has he arrived than he is overcome by feeling— for in iwanie he sees the image of his own little village near craiova, containing all the same elements, just colder and so not quite as cozy. the atmosphere is the same, a constant holiday, which the weather even seems to further: there is a slight frost, and way up in the sky the cold sun casts down bright, chilly beams. the world looks cleansed. 20 ibid., 124– 26. 21 ibid., 211– 25, 309. 114 review people make tracks upon the white snow, so you can follow them wherever they go. . . . smoke rises in straight vertical lines from the chimneys, as though a sacrifice made in that spot were now being met with unconditional acceptance.22 croft’s rendition is elegant and vivid, yet subtle. note the comparison of the frankish settlement to a polish village, the evocation of the emotional atmosphere, and the simile comparing village smoke to that of religious sacrifice. conclusion as expressed in the books of jacob’s subtitle, imagination . . . is humanity’s greatest natural gift. in the books of jacob tokarczuk’s imagination, exhaustive research, and writing skills have brought to life poland in the eighteenth century, with all its ethnic groups, tragedies, atrocities, cultural achievements, aspirations, and conflicts, as well as its interconnection with jewish, muslim, catholic, and protestant developments in eastern and central europe and the ottoman empire. flights dissects the crucial fragmentation of modern life, developing the importance of wandering, journeys, and time. tokarczuk’s writing seamlessly shifts from mythological motifs to realist accounts of locations and objects, to subtle depictions of human activities and motives, and to the grand scope of the history of eastern europe and the role of religions. her prose is passionate yet playful, promoting empathy with her characters as well as a humane acceptance of human foibles without condescension. her comment about objects also applies to people: she is drawn to, and masterfully portrays, “all things spoiled, flawed, defective, broken” (flights, 15– 17; bieguni, 21– 23). attention to linguistic details of the polish language enriches her narratives. in an enactment of her motif of fragmentation, her works themselves often display a nonlinear narrative with changes of style, time periods, and perspective; the insertion of vignettes and changes in focus are not intrusive, but polished narratives and essays, coalescing to a synthesis of her overall themes. multiple episodes in flights for example, 22 jennifer croft, “on moliwda’s visit to iwanie,” october 22, 2015. https:// pen . org / the books of jacob / . https://pen.org/the-books-of-jacob/ https://pen.org/the-books-of-jacob/ delos 115 emphasize kairos, whose importance becomes clear in the final chapter. the novel concludes with “the right time and the right place” (“włascimy czas i włascimy miejsce,” bieguni, 435; flights, 403). for tokarczuk, with the vast range of her novels and the prominence and increase in translations that will attend the recent awarding of the nobel prize, “the right time and the right place” is now. stephen rojcewicz login | delos: a journal of translation and world literature main navigation main content sidebar current archives search subscribe toggle search register login search toggle navigation home login subscription or article purchase required to access item. to verify subscription, access previous purchase, or purchase article, log in to journal. username password forgot your password? keep me logged in login register sidebar-links about overview editorial board contact contributors author guidelines submit subscribers subscribe/renew news sign-upnews sign-up issn: 0011-7951 eissn: 2573-5659   main office: 2046 ne waldo road suite 2100 gainesville, fl 32609 phone: 352-392-1351 email: journals@upress.ufl.edu navigation home search current archives subscribe notes on contributors dr. dror abenddavid teaches at the department of languages, literatures and cultures at the university of florida. his first book was published in 2003 by peter lang under the title: “scorned my nation:” a comparison of translations of the merchant of venice into german, hebrew, and yiddish. his second book, media and translation: an interdisciplinary approach, was published in 2014 (soft cover 2016; reviewed in delos 32) with bloomsbury academic publishing. his third book, representing translation: languages, translation, and translators in contemporary media, came out with bloomsbury in january 2019 (reviewed in this issue). dror has published articles on translation in relation to media, drama, literature, and jewish culture. his email address is da2137@nyu . edu. he is a delos board member and occasional contributor. edward jordan barger is a philadelphiabased translator from norwegian and french. he has worked in norway at the ivar aasen center in ørsta. he has translated sigbjørn obstfelder’s 1894 novel the cross. arno bohlmeijer is a poet and novelist writing in english and dutch, winner of the charlotte köhler grant, runnerup for the 2018 gabo prize, finalist for the 2018 poetry matters project, published in five countries. notably, his poems were included in universal oneness: the anthology of magnum opus poems from around the world, 2019. publishers weekly commented on some of his previous work: “relishing the subtle beauty. lifeaffirming.” he is the winner of a 2021 pen america grant to finish his novel for children. xisheng chen, a chinese american, is an esl grammarian, lexicologist, linguist, translator and educator. his educational background includes: top scorer in the english subject in the national college entrance examination of jiangsu province, a ba and an ma from fudan university, shanghai, china (exempted from the national graduate school entrance examination owing to excellent ba test scores), and a mandarin healthcare interpreter certificate from the city college of san francisco, ca, usa. his working history includes: translator for shanghai tv station, evening english news, lecturer 128 delos at jiangnan university, wuxi, china, adjunct professor at the departments of english and social sciences of trine university (formerly tristate university), angola, indiana, notary public, and contract hightech translator for futurewei technologies, inc. in santa clara, california, usa. as a translator for over three decades, he has published a lot of translations in various fields in newspapers and journals in china and abroad. a set of three poems co translated by him and chen du was a finalist in the 2020 gabo prize for literature in translation & multilingual texts. cynthia l. chennault is an associate professor emerita of chinese language and literature at the university of florida. she researches the poetry and social history of the six dynasties (220–589). a recent publication is the chapter on poetry for the cambridge history of china’s volume about that period. she was guest editor for a delos issue on chinese poetry (vol. 10, nos. 1– 2; 1997). stanley corngold is professor emeritus of german and comparative literature at princeton university and a member of the american academy of arts and sciences. he has published widely on modern german writers (e.g., dilthey, nietzsche, musil, kraus, mann, benjamin, adorno, among others) but for the most part has been translating and writing on the work of franz kafka. having completed an intellectual biography of the philosopher walter kaufmann (reviewed in delos 34.1), he will now publish a book at princeton in 2022, titled the mind in exile: thomas mann in princeton. chen du is a voting member of the american translators association and a member of the translators association of china. she holds an ms in biophysics from roswell park cancer institute (suny at buffalo) and a master’s degree in radio physics from the chinese academy of sciences. she revised more than eight chapters of the chinese translation of the biography of helen snow, helen foster snow: an american woman in revolutionary china. in the united states, her translations have appeared in columbia journal, lunch ticket, pilgrimage, the los angeles review. she has published an essay in the dead mule and her poems have appeared or are forthcoming in levitate, american writers review, and elsewhere; her poetry chapbook was published by the dead mule online. a set of three poems cotranslated by her and xisheng chen was a finalist in the 2020 gabo prize for literature in translation & multilingual texts. she is also the author of the book successful personal statements. find her online at ofsea . com. notes on contributors 129 janet j. graham earned her phd in english from the university of hawaii at manoa after defending her dissertation analyzing vietnamese diasporic literature through the frameworks of critical refugee studies and relationality in the fall of 2019. while completing her dissertation, she served as reviews editor for biography: an interdisciplinary quarterly. she is an assistant professor in the english department at the university of nebraska at kearney. alexis levitin has published fortyseven books in translation, mostly poetry from portugal, brazil, and ecuador. in addition to astrid cabral’s cage (host publications, 2008), his translations from brazil include five books by salgado maranhão, as well as clarice lispector’s soulstorm (new directions, 1989). translations from portugal include eleven collections of poetry by eugenio de andrade and rosa alice branco’s cattle of the lord (milkweed editions, 2016). poetry from ecuador is represented by ana minga’s tobacco dogs (bitter oleander press, 2013), santiago vizcaino’s destruction in the afternoon (dialogos books, 2015), and carmen váscones’ outrage (white dwarf editions, 2018). he has served as a fulbright lecturer at the universities of oporto and coimbra, portugal, the catholic university in guayaquil, ecuador, and the federal university of santa catarina, in brazil and has held translation residencies at banff, canada, straelen, germany (twice), and the rockefeller foundation study center in bellagio, italy. he is the founder of the bilingual reading sessions at the annual conference of the american literary translators association. sharon fish mooney is the author of bending toward heaven: poems after the art of vincent van gogh (wipf and stock/resource publications, 2016) and editor of a rustling and waking within (opa press, 2017), an anthology of ekphrastic poetry on art located in ohio museums. she won the inaugural frost farm prize for metrical poetry. sharon has lectured on van gogh and poet gerard manley hopkins and has read her poetry in university venues in the united states, canada, france, and the netherlands. her poems have appeared in various journals including rattle, ruminate, first things, modern age, the lyric, the lost country, string poet, the ekphrastic review, the evansville review and two art museum anthologies. her translations of french have been published in transference and common threads. sharon was awarded an ohio arts council individual excellence award (2018) to focus on ekphrastic poetry and translations. she teaches nursing courses online for regis university, denver, colorado and indiana wesleyan. her phd is from the university of rochester. 130 delos wendy pfeffer is emerita professor of french at the university of louisville and a visiting scholar in romance languages at the university of pennsylvania. her several books and numerous articles have discussed different genres and aspects of medieval french and occitan literature. her most recent book, le festin du troubadour: nourriture, société et littérature en occitanie (1100– 1500), considers the culinary culture of medieval southern france and the literary uses of food vocabulary; this work was supported by a fulbright grant to france (2011). she has also published on renaissance, modern, and contemporary occitan literature and culture. her current research is on renaissance physician jean bruyérinchampier and his culinary interests, work funded by a second fulbright grant to france (2018), as well as medieval culinary history. she has been recognized by the french government as an officier in the order of arts and letters. g. j. racz is professor of english, philosophy and languages at liu brooklyn, review editor for translation review, and a former president of the american literary translators association (alta). his translations of plays by pedro calderón de la barca, félix lope de vega, miguel cervantes, and sor juana inés de la cruz appeared in the golden age of spanish drama: a norton critical edition (2018). emrah sahin (phd mcgill university) is a transnational historian focusing on the intersection of political forces and social exchanges within and beyond national borders. he is the author of faithful encounters: authorities and american missionaries in the ottoman empire (2018). as the university of florida’s global fellow (2021), he started a new major project that charts a recent massacre in a remote kurdish village. he is also writing a critical manuscript about six travelers who told muslims about europe and america. sahin is a senior lecturer at the university of florida’s center for european studies, where he is teaching turkish language, history, and culture. olivia santovetti is associate professor in italian at the university of leeds. her main fields of research are the theory of the novel, narratology, and the history of reading. she has published on elena ferrante, calvino, gadda, pirandello, de roberto, neera, dossi, tarchetti and on the reception of laurence sterne in italy (she edited and translated a selection of his sermons for signorelli). she has published the book digression: a narrative strategy in the italian novel (2007) and edited the special issue of the italianist, self reflection in italian literature (2015). her current research investigates the notes on contributors 131 representation of reading and readers in the nineteenthcentury italian novel; her project, “the woman reader in italian literature and visual arts in the fin de siècle period,” was funded by the british academy. r. allen shoaf, alumni professor of english, emeritus, at the university of florida, is the author of more than a dozen books and nearly 100 papers and reviews, twice a holder of fellowships of the national endowment for the humanities, founding editor of the prizewinning journal exemplaria: a journal of theory in medieval and renaissance studies, which he edited from 1987 until 2008, and the winner of six teaching awards during his career at uf, including “universitywide teacher of the year” in 1992. he has been concerned with problems of translation throughout his academic career, as can be seen, for example, in his 1990 essay, “literary theory, medieval studies, and the crisis of difference.” he is the author also of several books of poetry, most recently language to live in (2019). he maintains a website at alshoaf . com where he regularly posts new poems. janna tamargo is a graduate student in sociology at the university of florida and study coordinator for a research project gathering perspectives on authenticity and gender in gastronomical experiences. she has spent the last three years researching authentic food in istanbul, turkey, and ethnic themed restaurants in the united states. janna fell in love with language in her teens after she was an exchange student in france during high school. she has traveled to over thirty countries and speaks some of five languages. currently, she splits her time between florida and turkey. she is also the current president of the florida society of the social sciences. her research interests include the sociology of food, authenticity, and ethnicity in food culture. sergey tyulenev is the director of the ma in translation studies at the school of modern languages and cultures, durham university, uk. he holds a phd in linguistics (2000, moscow state university) and a phd in translation studies (2009, university of ottawa). his primary academic interest is translation as a social activity. he is the author of six books on translation, the most recent being translation in the public sphere (palgrave, 2018). patricia worth is a literary translator with a master of translation studies. her published translations include george sand’s novel, spiridion (2015), two bilingual books of new caledonian stories by claudine jacques (2017, 2018), 132 delos a small collection by eugènemelchior de vogüé, winter tales (2018), and a translation of jean lorrain’s stories to read by candlelight (2019). several translated stories have appeared in journals in australia, new caledonia and the u.s., including bewildering stories, sunspot lit, delos, and the aalitra review. patricia writes about her translations at patriciaworthtranslator . com. login | delos: a journal of translation and world literature main navigation main content sidebar current archives search subscribe toggle search register login search toggle navigation home login subscription or article purchase required to access item. to verify subscription, access previous purchase, or purchase article, log in to journal. username password forgot your password? keep me logged in login register sidebar-links about overview editorial board contact contributors author guidelines submit subscribers subscribe/renew news sign-upnews sign-up issn: 0011-7951 eissn: 2573-5659   main office: 2046 ne waldo road suite 2100 gainesville, fl 32609 phone: 352-392-1351 email: journals@upress.ufl.edu navigation home search current archives subscribe notes on contributors caron cadle is an author, translator, and editor. she holds an ab from princeton university and an mba from the university of california at berkeley. peter w. ferran is associate professor emeritus of theatre and drama, university of michigan, and professor emeritus of performing arts, college of liberal arts, rochester institute of technology. he has taught drama and theatre, and has directed campus play productions, at both institutions. he was cofounder and artistic director of the brecht company of ann arbor, michigan (1979– 1989). he holds a phd in comparative literature from the university of michigan. susan ingram is professor in the department of humanities at york university, toronto, where she coordinates the graduate diploma in comparative literature and is affiliated with the canadian centre for german and european studies and the research group on language and culture contact. she is the general editor of intellect book’s urban chic series and coauthor of the volumes on berlin, vienna, and los angeles. a past president of the canadian comparative literature association, her research interests revolve around the institutions of european cultural modernity and their legacies. mina kyounghye kwon is an associate professor of world and comparative literature at the university of north georgia. her teaching and research areas include world literature and film, asian studies, performance studies, translation studies, and gender studies. she is coeditor of the compact anthology of world literature, parts 1, 2, 3 and parts 4, 5, 6 (open access textbooks funded by the university system of georgia). her articles have appeared in puppetry international, women and puppetry, asian theatre journal, journal of dramatic theory and criticism, pinter et cetera, and text & presentation. her current research focuses on korean traditional puppetry. charles a. perrone is professor emeritus of portuguese and lusobrazilian culture and literature in the department of spanish and portuguese studies at the university of florida. he is the author of masters of contemporary brazilian song: mpb 1965– 1985 (1989), seven faces: brazilian poetry since modernism (1996), and brazil, lyric, and the americas (2010). in addition to delos 117 many articles and book chapters on brazilian literature and popular music, he has translated numerous contemporary brazilian writers, most notably poets augusto de campos and paulo leminski. his own poetry has appeared in numerous venues since the 1970s; the chapbooks are open access at http:// moriapoetry . com and published on demand by moria books. ralf remshardt is professor of theatre at the university of florida. he received an ma in german from the freie universität berlin and a phd in dramatic art from the university of california at santa barbara. his publications have appeared in many journals and in several edited collections. he recently coedited intermedial performance and politics in the public sphere (palgrave, 2018). his book, staging the savage god: the grotesque in performance, was published in 2004. in 2014, he coproduced a documentary film about latinx theatres in new york. he has directed at university and professional theatres, including plays by euripides, shakespeare, brecht, and beckett. crediting his medical education (md, 1969), psychiatric training, and forty years of practice for his efforts to pay full attention to nuance and patterns in narratives, stephen rojcewicz has broadened his lifelong interest in languages and literature with an ma degree in classics (latin and greek, 2012) and a phd in comparative literature (2017). he is the coauthor of a textbook on supportive psychotherapy, and has published numerous papers and book reviews on classical reception and on the intersection of psychiatry and the humanities. steve has published poetry translations (vol. 31), reviews, and several articles on the relationships between classical literature and modern thought in delos. colleen rua is assistant professor of theatre studies at the university of florida. her book project, coming home: latinx representations on broadway, focuses on three broadway musicals (west side story, the capeman, and in the heights) to explore (re)construction of home spaces in relation to language and translation, memory, and public space. conference presentations include, “gender, environmentalism, and secularization in sor juana’s el divino narciso,” and “translation and adaptation challenges in ana caro’s valor, agravio y una mujer.” publications include “navigating neverland and wonderland: audience as spectcharacter,” in theatre history studies journal and “pop operas, or, broadway sells tshirts!” in american literature in translation 1980– 1990. http://moriapoetry.com http://moriapoetry.com 118 notes on contributors francesca spedalieri is a visiting assistant professor of english and women’s, gender, and sexuality studies at stony brook university. she is scholar, translator, director, and a founding member of the international network of italian theatre. her research focuses on contemporary italian theatre, women directors, and physical theatre. her most recent essay, “inside palermo: economic disenfranchisement and gender inequality in emma dante’s mpalermu” is forthcoming in an edited collection on twenty-firstcentury women playwrights (ed. ferris and farfan, 2020). her translations of dante’s plays appear in mpalermu, dancers, and other plays (2020). she is currently translating and adapting stefano massini’s 7 minutes for new york citybased company waterwell. login | delos: a journal of 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login search toggle navigation home login subscription or article purchase required to access item. to verify subscription, access previous purchase, or purchase article, log in to journal. username password forgot your password? keep me logged in login register sidebar-links about overview editorial board contact contributors author guidelines submit subscribers subscribe/renew news sign-upnews sign-up issn: 0011-7951 eissn: 2573-5659   main office: 2046 ne waldo road suite 2100 gainesville, fl 32609 phone: 352-392-1351 email: journals@upress.ufl.edu navigation home search current archives subscribe login | delos: a journal of translation and world literature main navigation main content sidebar current archives search subscribe toggle search register login search toggle navigation home login subscription or article purchase required to access item. to verify subscription, access previous purchase, or purchase article, log in to journal. username password forgot your password? keep me logged in login register sidebar-links about overview editorial board contact contributors author guidelines submit subscribers subscribe/renew news sign-upnews sign-up issn: 0011-7951 eissn: 2573-5659   main office: 2046 ne waldo road suite 2100 gainesville, fl 32609 phone: 352-392-1351 email: journals@upress.ufl.edu navigation home search current archives subscribe login | delos: a journal of translation and world literature main navigation main content sidebar current archives search subscribe toggle search register login search toggle navigation home login subscription or article purchase required to access item. to verify subscription, access previous purchase, or purchase article, log in to journal. username password forgot your password? keep me logged in login register sidebar-links about overview editorial board contact contributors author guidelines submit subscribers subscribe/renew news sign-upnews sign-up issn: 0011-7951 eissn: 2573-5659   main office: 2046 ne waldo road suite 2100 gainesville, fl 32609 phone: 352-392-1351 email: journals@upress.ufl.edu navigation home search current archives subscribe forum a note from the new editor ben hebblethwaite greetings! i’m ben hebblethwaite, and i’m serving as the new editor of delos from 2022 to 2024. rori bloom is serving as the book review editor and roxana walker-canton as film review editor. we continue the groundwork laid by hal rennert, judy shoaf, and alexander burak in curating delos as a venue for literary translations and research on the languages and literatures of the world. we will also branch out in some new ways: we want scholarly scaffolding for translations as well as more scholarly articles, and we will offer film and media reviews, interviews, and debates. one feature of delos going forward will be the dual publication of texts that reflect a selected theme as well as general texts. benjamin hebblethwaite and kole odutola will coedit delos 37-1 (spring 2022) on “the sacred texts and images from africa and the african diaspora” and will also publish general submissions. benjamin hebblethwaite and youssef haddad will coedit delos 37-2 (fall 2022) and likewise general submissions will also appear. linguistic, literary, historical, cultural, textual, and biographical context is needed for the translations that appear in delos. future submissions should include the following elements to serve our readers: • a title that identifies the author, language, geographical and historical provenance of the text (using a date). • an introduction to the text that explains the linguistic, historical, cultural, textual, and biographical context of the translation or research. • footnoted commentaries about the text are welcome. • a closing discussion and analysis of the author’s life and work, genre, style, and key features of the text translated, including linguistic information, historical context, and bibliographical references that allow readers to undertake further readings. • bibliographical entries should be alphabetized in a section titled “references.” delos vol. 36, no. 2, pp. 133–134. copyright © 2021 university of florida press. doi: 10.5744/delos.2021.2002 134 forum • authors should use the chicago manual of style online: https:// www . chicagomanualofstyle . org / tools_citationguide / citation guide 1 . html translations, articles, and reviews should be accompanied by the above mentioned scholarly resources so that readers can gain an appreciation for the historical, literary, and intellectual context of the selections published in delos. including scholarly articles and scholarly features with translations is closely tied with the longterm goal of augmenting the journal’s role as a tool for research. we strongly encourage prospective authors to submit their work for doubleblind peer review. hal h. rennert. photo by sylvie blum-reid, may 9, 2021. https://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/tools_citationguide/citation-guide-1.html https://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/tools_citationguide/citation-guide-1.html interview with hal h. rennert, editorinchief of delos 2015– 2021 sylvie blum-reid sbr: how did you become the delos editor? how did you run into delos? hhr: this may seem very odd from today’s view of things. in the 1990s physics professor, vice provost for research and somehow publisher and— in his spare time— editor of delos harold p. hanson had inherited the journal from the university of maryland. at the university of florida, harold approached me, along with fellow faculty members in foreign languages, for contributions to delos. i contributed a translation of a short story by marie luise kaschnitz, and then in 1997 i guestedited the annual issue of delos with focus on source texts in german. i continued assisting harold with proofreading until his final issue of delos in 2003.1 living in the same neighborhood as harold in gainesville, i was aware that he was increasingly frail. harold’s daughter and caretaker persuaded me to take ownership of delos. she and harold handed over past issues and correspondence, as well as the original art work by uf art professor hiram williams, in april 2015. harold died in gainesville in april 2016; i dedicated my first issue of delos, in august 2016 (#31), in his memory. harold’s translation language was norwegian. his booklength translation of sigrid undset’s 1910 poem cycle, ungdom, youth (2010), was part of his delos project and was wellreceived as a centenary tribute to the nobelprizewinning writer. a copy of this book is now part of the delos archive in room 370 dauer hall at the university of florida. noteworthy for historical reasons is the very founding of delos with translation luminaries such as george steiner and william 1 this issue was officially delos, ser. 2, xii.1– 2, for summer– winter 1999, but published in july 2003. it also had a sequential number, #29– 30, indicating how many issues had been published in the second series. delos vol. 36, no. 2, pp. 135–140. copyright © 2021 university of florida press. doi: 10.5744/delos.2021.2003 136 interview with hal h. rennert arrowsmith at the university of texas in austin, texas, in 1968. the project drew on a gigantic $500,000 grant from the ford foundation. at the time harold, coincidentally, happened to be chairing the physics department at ut, but without any tangible connection to delos whatsoever— merely, no doubt, at the time, as an interested observer! sbr: what made you decide to acquire delos and continue the journal? how long did it take you to develop the first issue, #31 in 2016, and find board members and solicit submissions? hhr: it didn’t take much artofpersuasion for harold’s daughter, beverly hansonherbert, to talk me into taking over ownership of delos in april 2015. i immediately saw the connection between the graduate seminar in translation, part of the curriculum in comparative literature at the university of washington i was taking in 1969, taught by professor frank jones (well known for his publication of his translation of brecht’s saint joan of the stockyards). simply put, the frank jones model was: any graduate student working on a source text translation in any national language— french, german, korean, chinese, russian— what have you— could enroll in the translation seminar with the professor teaching, advising, sometimes even rewriting the target text translation project in idiomatic publishable american english! i, as editorinchief, could do the same thing as frank jones did with submissions from anyone and anywhere in the world to delos! and the rest is history, so to speak. well, not quite. i should mention that as a phd candidate i supported myself as a teaching assistant teaching english composition at the uw. in other words, i had a pretty good command of written american english, besides being a native speaker/reader of german. it took me the rest of 2015— while, as usual, spending my summer at the german literature archive in marbach, germany— contacting previous contributors of delos with pleas for help and submissions for the revival of delos after a thirteenyear hiatus. all of this initial contacting (cynthia chennault, diane arnson svarlien, stephen rojcewicz et al.) i did via the internet. back on the uf campus in late 2015 i was successful and grateful to have younger colleagues (ufbased sidney wade, charles perrone, dror abend david, alexander burak, ben hebblethwaite) join delos as members of the editorial board and, in the case of sasha burak, even in the sylvie blum-reid 137 executive position of review editor. the most experienced of the ufbased colleagues was elizabeth lowe, as past director of the translation program within the uf center of latin american studies (her own specialty is portuguese): after leaving uf, she had achieved national prominence at the university of illinois and at nyu, all along physically being located in gainesville. it was her and ben hebblethwaite’s close connection to the university press of florida (upf), which contributed to the press’s takeover of delos in 2017— clearly a major step forward in the national and international profile of delos. most important to that step turning into a leap forward as it were, was judy shoaf with her decadeslong experience in translation from medieval french as well as her editing and scholarship on the journal exemplaria; she joined delos as managing editor and coeditor in 2017. special recognition among those former contributors under the late harold hanson era should go to stephen rojcewicz an essential contributor from his expertise in ancient greek and classical latin. i never get tired of repeating, delos without the translations and re translations from ancient greek and classical latin is incomplete! jumping all the way to current spring of 2021, i am delighted to note that victoria pagán is the contact person in uf classics for the new tridepartmental certificate of translation. sbr: did you have a favorite piece that delos has published in the past five years, or a moment as editor that was particularly satisfying? hhr: my favorite piece is actually the entire issue guestedited by ralf remshardt. its special theme was performance. true, the fact that part of ralf’s expertise is in german studies made his guest editorship additionally attractive, but much much more important is ralf’s scholarship, directorship in drama, stageproduction, and theater in the uf college of fine arts. almost all english departments and foreign language/literature departments located in the separate college of liberal arts & sciences in this country are afflicted with an achilles heel: in their teaching and research of drama and plays they neglect the live performances of university campus theater stage productions. ralf remshardt‘s guestedited delos issue (vol. 35, no. 1, spring 2020) filled an important gap, the neglected branch of literature in translation written for the stage. sbr: can you recall a specific event/moment in your classroom or conference papers, when you worked with a significant and specific work of translation? hhr: in the last thirty years of my teaching in german studies, i almost never had occasion to include analysis of translation, because, in line with prevalent pedagogical practice, teaching concentrates on language acquisition and literary analysis using such methodologies as the socalled communicative method. therefore, translation is a no no! after all, you cannot teach students to speak a foreign language by using translations and analysis of translations! but in my research, publications, and conference presentations i did deal with some key examples of translations, including with one of the great classics, goethe’s faust, which i have had occasion to teach in the original german as well as in english translation. on the basis of my reading and interpretation of goethe’s use of the lutheran translation of the book of job in the bible for a passage in “the prologue in heaven” of faust, i have come to make the outrageous claim that if goethe would have been born in england and therefore grown up with the socalled king james version of the bible, the famous wager in faust would not have happened and therefore the work faust would not have been written! my claim is based on a small but essential embellishment in the book of job by luther that does not exist in the king james version. in german it is the expression by satan/ mephistopheles “was gilt’s” (“what is the validity?” or “what is the bet?”). the bet, of course, is whether job or his incarnation faust will ultimately align himself with the forces of evil or the forces of good. for the limited context of this interview, i cannot here and now go into further detail; suffice it to say that translators acquire the marvelous additional skill of translation as interpretation as a byproduct of an additional deep knowledge through the command of another language. sbr: if today you were the chair of a foreign language department at an american university, what would be a change you would make in regard to the teaching and research of translation? hhr: as you know, teaching and research of translation in foreign language departments in this country is minimal or nonexistent. and yet it is painfully obvious, publishable literary translation requires 138 interview with hal h. rennert sylvie blum-reid 139 an exquisite command of a foreign language and culture. thus, i would include translation ability as part of the curriculum and as an option in requisite skills of college graduates in foreign languages, initially on the graduate studies or post b.a. level. this would mean that the job descriptions in the hiring of at least some new faculty should specify, in addition to “native or nearnative ability” in whatever foreign language is to be taught and researched, “native or near native ability in english.” in other words, foreignlanguage teachers who are designated or tasked with the extra responsibility of teaching translation should have a command of idiomatic, publishable grasp of english. by the way, although born in germany but having maintained a nearly perfect command of german, i claim to have native ability in american english. i am as bilingual as henry a. kissinger— perhaps even more so! sbr: is there any aspect of delos that you feel has not been covered or touched upon that you would like to bring up? hhr: yes, there is. one of your specialties, professor blum, is french and european film, and undoubtedly films and film scripts are often based on literary masterpieces— not to mention those pesky translated subtitles of foreignlanguage films. how about doing a guest edited issue of delos based entirely on the role of translation and literary works for films!? i had hoped that in his guestedited issue of performance, ralf remshardt would include films, but translations of plays for the theatre are a vast area in itself. delos is fortunate, however, to have currently another filmliteraturetranslation scholar, dror abenddavid, a member of the editorial board. he has researched the film versions of shakespeare’s the merchant of venice in hebrew, yiddish, and german. no doubt he would make a fine collaborator. one of my very first publications after coming to uf in 1979 was a short article: “transformations: thoughts regarding film title translations,” in post script: essays in film and the humanities, vol. 1, no. 1 (fall 1981), pages 33– 35. another possible future delos issue might focus on translations of works in international science fiction. login | delos: a journal of translation and world literature main navigation main content sidebar current archives search subscribe toggle search register login search toggle navigation home login subscription or article purchase required to access item. to verify subscription, access previous purchase, or purchase article, log 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email: journals@upress.ufl.edu navigation home search current archives subscribe login | delos: a journal of translation and world literature main navigation main content sidebar current archives search subscribe toggle search register login search toggle navigation home login subscription or article purchase required to access item. to verify subscription, access previous purchase, or purchase article, log in to journal. username password forgot your password? keep me logged in login register sidebar-links about overview editorial board contact contributors author guidelines submit subscribers subscribe/renew news sign-upnews sign-up issn: 0011-7951 eissn: 2573-5659   main office: 2046 ne waldo road suite 2100 gainesville, fl 32609 phone: 352-392-1351 email: journals@upress.ufl.edu navigation home search current archives subscribe login | delos: a journal of translation and world literature main navigation main content sidebar current archives search subscribe toggle search register login search toggle navigation home login subscription or article purchase required to access item. to verify subscription, access previous purchase, or purchase article, log in to journal. username password forgot your password? keep me logged in login register sidebar-links about overview editorial board contact contributors author guidelines submit subscribers subscribe/renew news sign-upnews sign-up issn: 0011-7951 eissn: 2573-5659   main office: 2046 ne waldo road suite 2100 gainesville, fl 32609 phone: 352-392-1351 email: journals@upress.ufl.edu navigation home search current archives subscribe login | delos: a journal of translation and world literature main navigation main content sidebar current archives search subscribe toggle search register login search toggle navigation home login subscription or article purchase required to access item. to verify subscription, access previous purchase, or purchase article, log in to journal. username password forgot your password? keep me logged in login register sidebar-links about overview editorial board contact contributors author guidelines submit subscribers subscribe/renew news sign-upnews sign-up issn: 0011-7951 eissn: 2573-5659   main office: 2046 ne waldo road suite 2100 gainesville, fl 32609 phone: 352-392-1351 email: journals@upress.ufl.edu navigation home search current archives subscribe login | delos: a journal of translation and world literature main navigation main content sidebar current archives search subscribe toggle search register login search toggle navigation home login subscription or article purchase required to access item. to verify subscription, access previous purchase, or purchase article, log in to journal. username password forgot your password? keep me logged in login register sidebar-links about overview editorial board contact contributors author guidelines submit subscribers subscribe/renew news sign-upnews sign-up issn: 0011-7951 eissn: 2573-5659   main office: 2046 ne waldo road suite 2100 gainesville, fl 32609 phone: 352-392-1351 email: journals@upress.ufl.edu navigation home search current archives subscribe login | delos: a journal of translation and world literature main navigation main content sidebar current archives search subscribe toggle search register login search toggle navigation home login subscription or article purchase required to access item. to verify subscription, access previous purchase, or purchase article, log in to journal. username password forgot your password? keep me logged in login register sidebar-links about overview editorial board contact contributors author guidelines submit subscribers subscribe/renew news sign-upnews sign-up issn: 0011-7951 eissn: 2573-5659   main office: 2046 ne waldo road suite 2100 gainesville, fl 32609 phone: 352-392-1351 email: journals@upress.ufl.edu navigation home search current archives subscribe login | delos: a journal of translation and world literature main navigation main content sidebar current archives search subscribe toggle search register login search toggle navigation home login subscription or article purchase required to access item. to verify subscription, access previous purchase, or purchase article, log in to journal. username password forgot your password? keep me logged in login register sidebar-links about overview editorial board contact contributors author guidelines submit subscribers subscribe/renew news sign-upnews sign-up issn: 0011-7951 eissn: 2573-5659   main office: 2046 ne waldo road suite 2100 gainesville, fl 32609 phone: 352-392-1351 email: journals@upress.ufl.edu navigation home search current archives subscribe delos vol. 39, no. 1, pp. v–viii. copyright © 2024 university of florida press. doi: 10.5744/delos.2024.1001 preface we are delighted to introduce the latest issue of delos, with gabriele belletti stepping in as the new editorinchief. this transition ensures continuity, as benjamin hebblethwaite, our former editorinchief, will remain as coeditor, bringing his dedication and infectious enthusiasm to the role. our journal continues to blend academic rigor with a welcoming spirit of innovation. this rigor is maintained through double peerreviewed contributions, complemented by comprehensive introductions and critical analyses and thanks to teamwork in collaboration with the managing editor, richard gray, the journals manager lauren phillips, and the entire university of florida press. innovation is reflected in our embrace of diverse cultures and languages, as well as various modes of translation across poetry, prose, and other artistic forms, fostering a welcoming attitude towards different perspectives. the quality of this publication also builds upon the enrichment of the editorial board with its new members, associate professors silvia valisa from florida state university and linxin liang from huazhong university of science and technology. silvia valisa, an accomplished scholar, translator, and poet, is wellversed in italian literature, photography, journalism, and digital humanities. she has translated poetry into both italian and english and is currently studying the impact of the milanbased publisher sonzogno on italian culture. linxin liang specializes in translation and intercultural studies, with numerous publications in prestigious international journals and two authored monographs. we are also pleased to feature in this volume the first contributions from our new editors for book and film reviews, pasquale verdicchio and sylvie blumreid. in this edition, thanks to their care, we present james mccorkle’s review of rae armantrout’s collection notice (middletown: wesleyan university press, 2024) and gianluca rizzo’s review of lorenzo mari’s cancellation, translated by paul vangelisti (los angeles and bagnone: magra books, 2023). as our readers know, in the previous edition, delos initiated a call inviting authors and translators to submit literary texts translated into english, along with analyses, commentaries, and essays on specific themes for future editions. these themes included environmental literature, literature and migration, vi preface artificial intelligence and machine translation versus human translation, contemporary poetry, and dialects in translation (please refer to the previous edition for the full call). the response was overwhelmingly positive and diverse, particularly in poetry, starting with italian poetry. this delos issue, in fact, features three translations of contemporary italian poetry: la sorella dell’ave (two sisters, 1992) by ludovica ripa di meana, translated by silvia valisa and jessica beasley; three poems by mariano bàino, translated by gianluca rizzo and dominic siracusa; and a selection from a sciame (in swarm, 2023) by maria grazia insinga, translated by marco nicosia. additionally, this edition includes poetic translations from two other european languages— french and polish: timothy perry’s translations of french chansons de toile (weaving songs) and piotr gwiazda’s translations of poems by grzegorz wróblewski. continuing our focus on poetry, we publish an essay on translating from german to italian by anna maria carpi, translated by lisa mulleneaux, and a reflection on the mistranslations of rumi’s poetry into english by abeer piracha. for what concerns prose, this issue also features reinaldo cabrera perez’s translation of an excerpt from dara dontsova’s russian novel вакантное место райской птички (the empty nest of a bird of paradise) and a reflection by susan caperna lloyd on the novel gjenerali i ushtrisë së vdekur (the general of the dead army) by albanian writer ismail kadare— in memoriam, he was a great author who recently passed away. we are also pleased to announce that, starting with this edition, each release of delos will feature artworks from contemporary artists. selected by the editorial team, these artworks will explore the theme of translation in various ways and from different perspectives. special editions may also focus on other themes and will be announced through specific calls for submissions. all forms of art are welcome (photography, paintings, digital art, etc.), as long as they can be reproduced in blackandwhite print format. artists may submit up to five artworks (in tiff or pdf format) to editors gabriele belletti (g . belletti@ufl . edu) and/or benjamin hebblethwaite (hebble@ufl . edu), granting permission for reproduction in the journal, accompanied by a brief biography. selected artists will be contacted by the editorial team. the first featured works in this edition are four couplets from the series didascalie (captions, 2022– 2023) by the artist alessandro morino and the poet ivan schiavone, with lyrics translated from italian by gianluca rizzo and dominic siracusa. finally, we want to announce in advance, given the response to the call regarding environmental humanities and the growing relevance of poetry mailto://g.belletti@ufl.edu mailto://hebble@ufl.edu mailto://hebble@ufl.edu preface vii focused on ecological themes, that next year we plan a special issue dedicated to italian poetry that is close to ecological concerns, a topic for which there is not yet a comprehensive anthology in english. gabriele belletti, benjamin hebblethwaite, and richard gray login | delos: a journal of translation and world literature main navigation main content sidebar current archives search subscribe toggle search register login search toggle navigation home login subscription or article purchase required to access item. to verify subscription, access previous purchase, or purchase article, log in to journal. username password forgot your password? keep me logged in login register sidebar-links about overview editorial board contact contributors author guidelines submit subscribers subscribe/renew news sign-upnews sign-up issn: 0011-7951 eissn: 2573-5659   main office: 2046 ne waldo road suite 2100 gainesville, fl 32609 phone: 352-392-1351 email: journals@upress.ufl.edu navigation home search current archives subscribe login | delos: a journal of translation and world literature main navigation main content sidebar current archives search subscribe toggle search register login search toggle navigation home login subscription or article purchase required to access item. to verify subscription, access previous purchase, or purchase article, log in to journal. username password forgot your password? keep me logged in login register sidebar-links about overview editorial board contact contributors author guidelines submit subscribers subscribe/renew news sign-upnews sign-up issn: 0011-7951 eissn: 2573-5659   main office: 2046 ne waldo road suite 2100 gainesville, fl 32609 phone: 352-392-1351 email: journals@upress.ufl.edu navigation home search current archives subscribe login | delos: a journal of translation and world literature main navigation main content sidebar current archives search subscribe toggle search register login search toggle navigation home login subscription or article purchase required to access item. to verify subscription, access previous purchase, or purchase article, log in to journal. username password forgot your password? keep me logged in login register sidebar-links about overview editorial board contact contributors author guidelines submit subscribers subscribe/renew news sign-upnews sign-up issn: 0011-7951 eissn: 2573-5659   main office: 2046 ne waldo road suite 2100 gainesville, fl 32609 phone: 352-392-1351 email: journals@upress.ufl.edu navigation home search current archives subscribe —-1 —0 —+1 notes on contributors dorothy trench bonett is the translator of alexandre dumas père’s charles vii at the homes of his great vassals (noble press, 1990) and of broad sea and empty sky, china’s first great modern poet, xu zhimo (floating world editions, 2021). her translations of xu zhimo, some of which have previously appeared in delos, have won the silver willow leaf translation award at the sixth xu zhimo poetry and art festival in 2020, as well as honorable mention in 2006 for the new england poetry club’s der hovanessian prize. her other publications include repairing the sky, a collection of chinese fairy tales. geoffrey brock is the author of three volumes of poetry, the editor of the fsg book of 20thcentury italian poetry, and the translator of numerous books of poetry and prose from italian, most recently last dream by giovanni pascoli and allegria by giuseppe ungaretti. he teaches in the mfa program in creative writing and translation at the university of arkansas. paul melo e castro lectures in portuguese and comparative literature at the university of glasgow. he is a regular translator of literature from across the portuguesespeaking world. his latest booklength translation is monsoon by vimala devi (seagull, 2019). srinjay chakravarti is a writer, editor, and translator based in salt lake city, calcutta, india. a former journalist with the financial times group, he has worked on the editorial staff of an international online financial news service. he was educated at st. xavier’s college, calcutta, and at universities based in calcutta and new delhi. university degrees: bsc (economics honors), ma (english). his creative writing, including poetry, short fiction, and translations, has appeared in over 150 publications in 30odd countries. his translations and versions of bangla poetry and prose have earlier appeared in metamorphoses, offcourse literary journal, the cafe irreal, kyoto journal, horizon review, and elsewhere. his first book of poems occam’s razor (writers workshop, calcutta: 1994) received the salt literary award from salt, the australian literary and publishing organization headed by writer and academic john kinsella, in 1995. he has won one of the top prizes (us $7,500) in the dorothy sargent rosenberg memorial poetry competition 2007– 8. his journalistic delos_36_2_18_contributors_2p.indd 311 30/11/21 10:13 am -1— 0— +1— 312 delos columns on the editorial pages of the telegraph and indian express have ranged from the arcana of kondratiev cycles to the darker matters of astrophysics. he is married and has a son, arinjay. website: www . srinjaychakravarti . com. anna chiafele is an associate professor of italian studies at auburn university, in alabama. her monograph sfumature di giallo nell’opera di luigi malerba was published by rubbettino in 2016. chiafele has published scholarly articles on luigi malerba, massimo carlotto, elisabetta bucciarelli, ugo riccarelli, and antonio scurati. her articles appear in italica, quaderni di italianistica, rivista di studi italiani, and ecozon@. her most recent interests focus on italian climate fiction in conjunction with material ecocriticism. with lisa pike, she has translated three other short stories by luigi malerba (columbia journal, journal of italian translation, and delos fall 2020), and silvana la spina’s 1998 novel penelope (bordighera press, 2021). quan manh ha is professor of american literature & ethnic studies at the university of montana. his research interests include multiethnic us literatures, vietnam war literature, critical race theory, and literary translation. his first book, other moons: vietnamese stories of the american war and its aftermath, is published with columbia university press (2020). benjamin hebblethwaite, currently associate professor at the university of florida, has a phd in french linguistics from indiana university (2007). he is the lead author of vodou songs in haitian creole and english (temple university press, 2012) and yon sezon matchyavèl/une saison en enfer (l’harmattan, 2010), with jacques pierre. stirring the pot of haitian history, edited with mariana past, and his edited and translated edition of michelrolph trouillot’s (1977) haitian creole historical work, ti dife boule sou istwa ayiti, appeared in 2021 (liverpool university press). his new book, a transatlantic history of haitian vodou, is forthcoming in october 2021 (university press of mississippi). victor m. jordánorozco is a senior lecturer and coordinator of the spanish heritage program at the university of florida. he currently teaches creative writing as well as language classes for heritage learners. he enjoys writing short stories and poetry. he has published four collections of poems: tremores (2007), amores: de la pasión a la nostalgia (2014), re/fracciones: cantos y cánticos desde acá (2017), and de gota a gota (2019), and a collection of short stories: provocaciones: relatos breves (2015). delos_36_2_18_contributors_2p.indd 312 30/11/21 10:13 am —-1 —0 —+1 notes on contributors 313 j. kates is a poet and literary translator who lives in fitzwilliam, new hampshire. dragan kujundžić is professor of jewish studies at the university of florida with teaching affiliations in film and media studies, germanic and slavic studies, and religion. apart from numerous edited volumes, such as baktinsky sbornik 1 and 2 (1991, 1993, in russian), on jacques derrida (2000, 2009) and j. hillis miller (2005) and documentary films on alexander sokurov (2016) and sergey shnurov (2017), his publications include the monographs critical exercises (1983), the returns of history (1997), tongue in heat (2003), and out of interculturality (2016). his film, the first sail: j. hillis miller (2011) has been released together with the filmbook (kujundžić, hillis miller, et. al., 2015). dominick lawton is a phd candidate in slavic languages and literatures at the university of california, berkeley. his interests include modern russian and yugoslav literatures. his current research focuses on the poetics of materialism, and the relationship between material objects and literature, in russian and early soviet revolutionary culture. his work has been published in the journal qui parle and the volume comintern aesthetics, ed. amelia m. glaser and steven s. lee (toronto: university of toronto press, 2020). stuart lyons was a major scholar in classics at king’s college, cambridge, where he is now a fellow commoner. his translations of horace, republished as horace’s odes and the mystery of doremi, were named a financial times book of the year. his verse translations of xu zhimo appear in xu zhimo in cambridge (2021), available from communications@kings . cam . ac . uk. armine kotin mortimer, phd, holds an nea translation fellowship for 2020, and she has received the rank of chevalier dans l’ordre des palmes académiques in recognition of her distinguished work on behalf of french culture. the author of numerous scholarly publications, she has translated three french books: the enchanted clock by julia kristeva and mysterious mozart and casanova the irresistible by philippe sollers. her translation of an impossible love by christine angot is forthcoming this fall, and she translated approximately 130,000 words by and about julia kristeva in a large volume on her work published this year. excerpts from seventeen other literary translations have appeared in 3:am magazine, the brooklyn rail, the cossack review, asymptote, black sun lit, the peacock journal, the delos_36_2_18_contributors_2p.indd 313 30/11/21 10:13 am -1— 0— +1— 314 delos critical flame, the northwest review, reunion: the dallas review, lunch ticket, transference, carte blanche, another chicago magazine, lit magazine, and agni. armine kotin mortimer translates literary fiction and nonfiction from french, with a special focus on contemporary authors. among modern italian poets, lisa mullenneaux has translated anna maria carpi, amelia rosselli, patrizia cavalli, and alfonso gatto, as well as maria attanasio. she is the author of naples’ little women: the fiction of elena ferrante, lives in manhattan, and teaches writing for the university of maryland uc. more at http:// umuc . academia . edu / lisamullenneaux. philip pardi is the author of meditations on rising and falling (university of wisconsin press), which won the brittingham prize and the writers’ league of texas award for poetry. his poems, essays, and translations have appeared in american poetry review, gettysburg review, hotel amerika, seneca review, translation review, and in anthologies such as an introduction to the prose poem and best new poets. his most recent project, completed with the support of a literature grant from the nea, is a volume of translations titled a better language: selected poems of claudia lars. he teaches at bard college. lisa pike holds her phd in comparative literature. she has worked and studied in italy and france, and currently resides in canada. her fiction and poetry have appeared in numerous magazines and anthologies including cv2, the new quarterly, riddle fence, re: generations: canadian women poets in conversation, and via: voices in italian americana. she is the author of poetry chapbook policeman’s alley, and the novel my grandmother’s pill (guernica editions). with anna chiafele, she has translated three other short stories by luigi malerba (columbia journal, journal of italian translation, and delos fall 2020), and silvana la spina’s 1998 novel penelope (bordighera press, 2021). patrick ploschnitzki is a visiting assistant professor of german language and culture at the university of florida’s department of languages, literatures, and cultures. he holds a dualdegree phd in transcultural german studies from the universities of arizona and leipzig. his research investigates discourses around dubbing and dubbese related to usamerican television translated for broadcast in germanspeaking countries. other research interests include the use of online translation tools in the language classroom, as well as connections between popular media and literary traditions, such as redefined heimat imagery in contemporary punk and rap lyrics. dr. ploschnitzki delos_36_2_18_contributors_2p.indd 314 30/11/21 10:13 am —-1 —0 —+1 notes on contributors 315 also translates contemporary german, swiss, and austrian literature into english. marc silberman is emeritus professor of german at the university of wisconsinmadison where he also taught in the film studies and critical theater studies programs from 1989 until 2016. he received his ba in german and french from the university of minnesota (1969) and his ma and phd in german and comparative literature from indiana university (1975). his research and publications have focused on east german literature, the tradition of political theater in germany, and the history of german cinema. he has held guest professorships at ucla, freie universität berlin, albertludwigsuniversität freiburg, university of oxford, hebrew university in jerusalem, and universidad de valencia in spain. he also has translated texts by bertolt brecht, heiner müller, thomas köck, gert neumann, jochen berg, and herbert achternbusch. homepage: https://gns.wisc.edu/staff/silberman-marc/. cab tran was born in vietnam and emigrated to the u.s. as an infant. he holds an mfa from the university of michigan helen zell writers’ program, and has received fellowships from the university of east anglia in norwich, england; the elizabeth kostova foundation in sofia, bulgaria; and the writers’ and translators’ centre in rhodes, greece. his fiction has appeared in black warrior review, vagabond: bulgaria’s english monthly, parcel, oleander review, and elsewhere. his first novel about frenchoccupied vietnam, the naturalist, is forthcoming. he lives in missoula, montana. peter sean woltemade holds an ma in scandinavian languages and literatures and a phd in german from the university of california at berkeley. he translates from german and swedish as well as from danish and is the translator of twentytwo published books, the most recently published of which is his translation of anna ullman’s history of roskilde festival, the last dreamers (copenhagen: gads forlag, 2020). in addition to having translated various texts by thomas boberg, including africana in its entirety, he has translated literary texts by karlheinz ott, maja elverkilde, julia butschkow, and adda djørup. his work has appeared in asymptote journal, b o d y, border crossing, columbia journal, exchanges, k1n, mayday magazine, newfound, pusteblume, storm cellar, the brooklyn rail, the cossack review, the literary review, the missing slate, and wilderness house literary review. he lives in the østerbro district of copenhagen. delos_36_2_18_contributors_2p.indd 315 30/11/21 10:13 am -1— 0— +1— delos_36_2_18_contributors_2p.indd 316 30/11/21 10:13 am login | delos: a journal of translation and world literature main navigation main content sidebar current archives search subscribe toggle search register login search toggle navigation home login subscription or article purchase required to access item. to verify subscription, access previous purchase, or purchase 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an associate professor of russian studies in the department of languages, literatures, and cultures at the university of florida, gainesville. he is a graduate of the translators’ and interpreters’ department of the maurice thorez institute in moscow (currently named the moscow linguistic university). he has a phd in sociology from moscow state university. he is the author of five books— translating culture 1: words (moscow: r.valent, 2010); translating culture 2: sentence and paragraph semantics (moscow: r.valent, 2013); “the other” in translation: a case for comparative translation studies (bloomington, in: slavica publishers/indiana university, 2013); what it takes to be a translator: theory and practice (saarbrücken / germany: lambert academic publishing, 2014); and russia’s visionaries: direct speech (newcastle upon tyne: cambridge scholars publishing, 2021, 2023)— as well as numerous articles on translation. odile cisneros received a phd in spanish and portuguese from new york university and is a professor in the department of modern languages and cultural studies at the university of alberta in edmonton, alberta, canada. a translator and critic, she has published essays and has translated the work of modern and contemporary poets, including jaroslav seifert, vítězslav nezval, ramón gómez de la serna, haroldo de campos, sérgio medeiros, and régis bonvicino, among others. her fulllength translation of haroldo de campos’s experimental prose galáxias is due out from ugly duckling presse in december 2023. she is the creator of ecopoesia . com, an online trilingual anthology of environmental poetry from latin america. tiffanie r. clark is an assistant teaching professor of spanish at central state university, a translator, and a creative writer. author of “la evolución espiritual en tres obras de amado nervo” (2021), “ilka oliva corado’s poetry of the diaspora” (2020), and “mujer sin edén: fusiones del feminismo y posguerra” (2021), dr. clark’s research interests are central american literature, modernism, and diasporic women’s writing. currently, dr. clark is working on a translation of four collections of poetry by german salas. her first full collection of poetry, intent to return, is in progress. 232 delos juliet guzzetta is an associate professor with joint appointments in the department of english and the department of romance and classical studies at michigan state university. her first book, the theater of narration: from the peripheries of history to the main stages of italy (northwestern up, 2021; translation in italian by accademia university press, 2023), explores a form of contemporary solo theater in its historical, political, and performative dimensions. she has published articles and essays in theatre history studies, annali d’italianistica, gender/sexuality/italy, spunti e ricerche, and several edited volumes. her research has been supported by a yearlong fulbright grant to italy as well as harvard’s mellon school for theater and performance research. currently, she is working on a monograph that analyzes the political interests of franca rame as a way to better understand her theater and she is editing a collection on italian feminist thought. óscar hahn is one of chile’s most renowned poets, the author of more than twenty volumes of poetry and collected works. anthologized in many languages, he has been awarded some of the most important literary prizes in the spanishspeaking world. hahn’s most recent books of poems in translation are the butchers’ reincarnation (dos madres press, 2020) and poemas selectos / selected poems (nueva york poetry press, 2021), both translated by g. j. racz. yuemin he is a writer, translator, and editor. she has published on asian american literature, buddhist american literature, east asian literature and visual art, and composition pedagogy. her poetry translations appear in oxford anthology of modern and contemporary american poetry (2nd ed.), metamorphoses, ezra, the cincinnati review, copper nickel, and many other places. currently, she is an english professor at northern virginia community college. greg hohman is a writer living in chula vista, california. his current projects are a novel to copy as in the old days, an homage to flaubert’s bouvard and pécuchet and the american shopping mall, and the online multimedia new monuments golf club (newmonumentsgc . com), a 2017 iteration of which was a finalist in the opening up digital fiction competition (arts and humanities research council, u.k.). his theater work includes legal noise (victory theater, san diego ca, 2012) and play in the dark (muse theater, san diego ca, 2003). in 2006, he was a djerassi resident artists program honorary fellow. notes on contributors 233 mojaffor hossain is a notable fiction writer of contemporary bengali literature. starting his career as a journalist and now working as translator in the bangla academy, dhaka, bangladesh, he has published six books of short stories, which, in recent years, have attracted much acclaim from both general readers and literary critics. his signature style is using the native reality as the setting through the technique of magical realism or surrealism. he has been awarded four times for his short stories. his debut novel timiryatra has gained popularity as well as critical acclaim. with 14 books to his credit, mojaffor hossain is also known as a translator and literary critic. mohammad shafiqul islam is the author of two poetry collections, most recently inner state, and the translator of humayun ahmed: selected short stories and aphorisms of humayun azad. his work has appeared in various renowned international journals and magazines, including journal of postcolonial writing, critical survey, massachusetts review, poem: international english language quarterly, journal of world literature, english in education, south asian review, english: journal of the english association, journal of poetry therapy, journal of international women’s studies, asia pacific translation and intercultural studies, capitalism nature socialism, modern poetry in translation, dibur literary journal, lunch ticket, and elsewhere. dr. islam is professor of english at shahjalal university of science and technology, sylhet, bangladesh. g. j. racz is professor of humanities at liu brooklyn, a former president of the american literary translators association (alta), and review editor for translation review. primarily a poetry translator with a specialization in meter and rhyme, racz has published nine books of work by the peruvian author eduardo chirinos, most recently a brief history of music and fourteen forms of melancholy (diálogos books, 2020). racz’s work also appeared last year in the bilingual volume architects of the imaginary (gival press, 2022) by marta lópezluaces. his translations for the theatre include: rigmaroles by jaime salom in three comedies (up of colorado, 2004); life is a dream by pedro calderón de la barca, fuenteovejuna and the dog in the manger by félix lope de vega, the siege of numantia by miguel cervantes, and trials of a noble house by sor juana inés de la cruz in the golden age of spanish drama: a norton critical edition (w. w. norton & co., 2018); and dark stone by alberto conejero in “stages of desire” (estreno contemporary spanish plays, bilingual edition, 2020). 234 delos mark schafer is an awardwinning translator and visual artist and a senior lecturer in spanish at the university of massachusetts boston. his two most recent translations are stay this day and night with me, his translation of belén gopegui’s novel, and migrations: poem, 1976– 2020, his translation of gloria gervitz’s life’swork poem. he also edited and translated the career spanning anthology of the poetry of david huerta, before saying any of the great words: selected poems. in addition to the work of gopegui, gervitz, and huerta, schafer has translated the poetry, fiction, and essays of authors across the spanishspeaking world, including virgilio piñera, alberto ruy sánchez, jesús gardea, eduardo galeano, and antonio josé ponte. he lives in roxbury, massachusetts, the traditional and unceded territory of the massachusett and wampanoag peoples, with his wife and daughter. gregor thuswaldner is provost and executive vice president and professor of world languages & cultures at whitworth university in spokane, washington. from 2016 to 2020, he served as dean of the college of arts and sciences and professor of humanities at north park university in chicago where he was also acting provost in 2017. before that, he was professor of german and linguistics at gordon college (20032016) and chair of the department of languages and linguistics (20062012). in 2006, he received gordon college’s distinguished junior faculty award. he has written on literature, language, history, religion, culture, politics, and higher education. his latest book publication is the coedited volume thomas bernhard’s afterlives (bloomsbury, 2020) which was nominated for the mla prize for an edited collection. he is currently coediting the routledge handbook of christianity and culture and editing the provost’s handbook (johns hopkins university press). login | delos: a journal of translation and world literature main navigation main content sidebar current archives search subscribe toggle search register login search toggle navigation home login subscription or article purchase required to access item. to verify subscription, access previous purchase, or purchase article, log in to journal. username password forgot your password? keep me logged in login register sidebar-links about overview editorial board contact contributors author guidelines submit subscribers subscribe/renew news sign-upnews sign-up issn: 0011-7951 eissn: 2573-5659   main office: 2046 ne waldo road suite 2100 gainesville, fl 32609 phone: 352-392-1351 email: journals@upress.ufl.edu navigation home search current 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0011-7951 eissn: 2573-5659   main office: 2046 ne waldo road suite 2100 gainesville, fl 32609 phone: 352-392-1351 email: journals@upress.ufl.edu navigation home search current archives subscribe login | delos: a journal of translation and world literature main navigation main content sidebar current archives search subscribe toggle search register login search toggle navigation home login subscription or article purchase required to access item. to verify subscription, access previous purchase, or purchase article, log in to journal. username password forgot your password? keep me logged in login register sidebar-links about overview editorial board contact contributors author guidelines submit subscribers subscribe/renew news sign-upnews sign-up issn: 0011-7951 eissn: 2573-5659   main office: 2046 ne waldo road suite 2100 gainesville, fl 32609 phone: 352-392-1351 email: journals@upress.ufl.edu navigation home search current archives subscribe preface one of the uncanny effects of the internet is making references to the time and place of composition of casual postings, such as this preface, irrelevant. however, in this case, one of the delos editors happens to have spent in germany the entire month of january 2021, including wednesday the 20th, the extraordinary and memorable inauguration ceremony for joe biden and kamala harris, the new president and vice president of the united states. there are certain elements of that ceremony resonant and relevant to the spring 2021 issue of this translation journal, which showcases poetry from france and portugal, holland and israel, peru and china: this inauguration revives a tradition of poetry recitation going back to the first and perhaps most celebrated performance by robert frost spontaneously paraphrasing one of his dedicatory poems at the inauguration of john f. kennedy, january 20, 1961, in which he alludes to american exceptionalism with the futuristic concluding reference to the nation “such as she will become.” reflecting the extraordinary speed of the internet, in turn, was the instantaneous availability in germany of the german translation, “der hügel, den wir erklimmen“ (the hill we conquer), in addition to the source text in english by the young poet laureate, amanda gorman performing her poem “the hill we climb.“ noteworthy in this incantatory translation is the verb “erklimmen“ in the title, selected by the anonymous, but no doubt officially sanctioned translator, from a more poetic register, instead of the common and denotative “steigen“ or “besteigen.“ the mountaineering term “erklimmen“ is an echo of the wellknown traditional german volkslied “wenn wir erklimmen . . . “ (when we conquer . . .), also known as the “bergvagabundenlied“ (mountainvagabond climbing song); this song is replete with references to edelweiss, snowcovered mountain peaks and liferisking alpine rockclimbing. the prestigious publisher hoffmann und campe in hamburg has already announced it will publish the works of amanda gorman in germany. in this spring 2021 issue of delos, we are introducing a new content item category, an additional invitation for submissions. we call it our forum. we envision a new interactive, open, and perhaps freewheeling category of contributions, in addition to our traditional segments: letterstotheeditors, delos vol. 36, no. 1, pp. v–vi. copyright © 2021 university of florida press. doi: 10.5744.delos.2021.1000 vi preface followup discussions, and supplemental information, and other communications in the field of literary translation. to begin, we have stanley corngold’s translator memoir (a category which our colleague sylvie blum, professor of french studies at the university of florida and sometime delos contributor, has recently alerted us to), a poem on translation by al shoaf, and a fascinating experiment in translation of a modern song to the language of the troubadours. submissions suitable for forum of such items for online or hardcopy publication in delos should be sent directly to one of the three executive editors, alexander burak, hal rennert or judy shoaf. another first for delos on our watch is the first article in this issue, an interview with the celebrated translator of elena ferrante’s novels, ann goldstein. on the other hand, we welcome back patricia worth with another translation from marcel aymé, as delightful as her version of “the wolf” (delos fall 2018). short fiction from norwegian and turkish provide glimpses of a literary language emerging in scandinavia and popular (feminine) voices just after the end of the ottoman empire. a note on the images in this issue: inspired by the ekphrastic poetry of jules breton and eduardo chirinos (translated for us by sharon fish mooney and gary racz), we have chosen images which echo, though they do not illustrate, some of our contributions. hal h. rennert judy shoaf january 2021 login | delos: a journal of translation and world literature main navigation main content sidebar current 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email: journals@upress.ufl.edu navigation home search current archives subscribe login | delos: a journal of translation and world literature main navigation main content sidebar current archives search subscribe toggle search register login search toggle navigation home login subscription or article purchase required to access item. to verify subscription, access previous purchase, or purchase article, log in to journal. username password forgot your password? keep me logged in login register sidebar-links about overview editorial board contact contributors author guidelines submit subscribers subscribe/renew news sign-upnews sign-up issn: 0011-7951 eissn: 2573-5659   main office: 2046 ne waldo road suite 2100 gainesville, fl 32609 phone: 352-392-1351 email: journals@upress.ufl.edu navigation home search current archives subscribe login | delos: a journal of translation and world literature main navigation main content sidebar current archives search subscribe toggle search register login search toggle navigation home login subscription or article purchase required to access item. to verify subscription, access previous purchase, or purchase article, log in to journal. username password forgot your password? keep me logged in login register sidebar-links about overview editorial board contact contributors author guidelines submit subscribers subscribe/renew news sign-upnews sign-up issn: 0011-7951 eissn: 2573-5659   main office: 2046 ne waldo road suite 2100 gainesville, fl 32609 phone: 352-392-1351 email: journals@upress.ufl.edu navigation home search current archives subscribe preface this issue is an issue of transitions, edited in a world of transitions. hal. h. rennert, who has been the editorinchief and prefacewriterinchief of delos for more than five years, is now a very active member of the board, while ben hebblethwaite has moved from the board to the editor position, beginning with the 2022 volume. you will find in this issue commentaries from both of them on the past and the immediate future of delos. meanwhile, i, the managing editor, have put together this volume to my taste, and i hope to yours, reader. the world of transitions is upon us. there are fires and far too little ice. starvation and destruction drive survivors across borders, weakening the imaginary unity of states. gainesville, florida, weathers the changes well for now— it rains almost every day, replenishing the aquifer and encouraging the eponymous flora. there is also a plague, which human ingenuity battles with masks, modified rna, and, at the last, with ventilators and isolation. there are political struggles between those who seek a savior and those who preach a life pure of any encroachment on another individual. all this presses against my window (closed to keep the airconditioning in) as i read and reread the contributions of so many translators and so many source authors to this volume. with the exception of louise labé, all the source authors are of the twentieth and twentyfirst centuries. the poets claudia lars, jibanananda das, xu zhimo, and giuseppe ungaretti were all born near the end of the nineteenth century, and their poems are beloved in their own countries, memorized as treasures of the energetic modernism of the first half of the twentieth century. the writers givi margvelashvili, luigi malerba, and epitácio pais were all of an age to experience world war ii, in various ways, and to look back on the changes in society brought about by the new outlines of nations. margvelashvili was sent by the soviet union from germany to georgia; literature helped him endure his linguistic and social isolation. malerba, on the delos vol. 36, no. 2, pp. v–vii. copyright © 2021 university of florida press. doi: 10.5744/delos.2021.2001 vi preface other hand, made the acquaintance of a rural society where illiteracy and ignorance limited the lives of peasants, but not the meaning of their lives. pais gives us a postcolonial murder mystery, complete with a policeman who narrates the story in portuguese, the colonial language of goa, already slipping away from common use there. two very long stories dominate the last half of the issue: an american lover by philippe sollers, published luxuriously in french under its own covers, and “the tempest” by bao ninh, published in the last issue of a journal which the vietnamese government promptly shut down. they are both love stories. the one is all clarity and light and pleasure, full of art and music and the changing enthusiasms of the second half of the twentieth century. what does it mean to be french in america, or vice versa? the other story confuses, is confused, in the smoke and death of a vietnamese village in 1971, so that the reader can hardly discern motivations or characters, plot points are mere rumors; the men are defined by social roles, and by their need to love and/or kill a particular singing woman. two contributions are marked in my mind as of this century. the dane thomas boberg, travelling with a halfghanian companion, explores an african city without, i think, trying to find in it either an abased other or a mirror. buying bananas for hungry children becomes a morally conflicted act; finding repressive danish christianity in addis ababa requires a little repression of one’s own opinion of such religion. maria attanasio, a sicilian poet who uses sicilian dialect in her work, looks at african immigrants, with their hidden names and languages, with a shock and outrage beyond compassion. if indeed literature can alleviate isolation, her poems have a chance to do that. . . . at which point i come back to the sonnets of louise labé, intensely personal love poetry in a rigorous form. i received two submissions of her sonnets, and asked the translators, dorothy trench bonett and jim kates, to discuss the joys and challenges of translating french renaissance poetry. this is a moment for taking stock and expressing gratitude for the past six years, during which i have worked with hal rennert and with review editor alex burak, and also with all the contributors to the journal and readers of contributions. hal’s editorship has been very personal, and he comes from a tradition in comparative literature which harmonized with my own background as a medievalist. alex raised my awareness of the discipline of preface vii translation (as did our colleague dror abenddavid). i look forward to working with ben, and with rori bloom and roxana walker-canton, the incoming book and film review editors. judy shoaf login | delos: a journal of translation and world literature main navigation main content sidebar current archives search subscribe toggle search register login search toggle navigation home login subscription or article purchase required to access item. to verify subscription, access previous purchase, or purchase article, log in to journal. username password forgot your password? keep me logged in login register sidebar-links about 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352-392-1351 email: journals@upress.ufl.edu navigation home search current archives subscribe login | delos: a journal of translation and world literature main navigation main content sidebar current archives search subscribe toggle search register login search toggle navigation home login subscription or article purchase required to access item. to verify subscription, access previous purchase, or purchase article, log in to journal. username password forgot your password? keep me logged in login register sidebar-links about overview editorial board contact contributors author guidelines submit subscribers subscribe/renew news sign-upnews sign-up issn: 0011-7951 eissn: 2573-5659   main office: 2046 ne waldo road suite 2100 gainesville, fl 32609 phone: 352-392-1351 email: journals@upress.ufl.edu navigation home search current archives subscribe login | delos: a journal of translation and world literature main navigation main content sidebar current archives search subscribe toggle 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2046 ne waldo road suite 2100 gainesville, fl 32609 phone: 352-392-1351 email: journals@upress.ufl.edu navigation home search current archives subscribe login | delos: a journal of translation and world literature main navigation main content sidebar current archives search subscribe toggle search register login search toggle navigation home login subscription or article purchase required to access item. to verify subscription, access previous purchase, or purchase article, log in to journal. username password forgot your password? keep me logged in login register sidebar-links about overview editorial board contact contributors author guidelines submit subscribers subscribe/renew news sign-upnews sign-up issn: 0011-7951 eissn: 2573-5659   main office: 2046 ne waldo road suite 2100 gainesville, fl 32609 phone: 352-392-1351 email: journals@upress.ufl.edu navigation home search current archives subscribe login | delos: a journal of translation and world literature main navigation main content sidebar current archives search subscribe toggle search register login search toggle navigation home login subscription or article purchase required to access item. to verify subscription, access previous purchase, or purchase article, log in to journal. username password forgot your password? keep me logged in login register sidebar-links about overview editorial board contact contributors author guidelines submit subscribers subscribe/renew news sign-upnews sign-up issn: 0011-7951 eissn: 2573-5659   main office: 2046 ne waldo road suite 2100 gainesville, fl 32609 phone: 352-392-1351 email: journals@upress.ufl.edu navigation home search current archives subscribe login | delos: a journal of translation and world literature main navigation main content sidebar current archives search subscribe toggle search register login search toggle navigation home login subscription or article purchase required to access item. to verify subscription, access previous purchase, or purchase article, log in to journal. username password forgot your password? keep me logged in login register sidebar-links about overview editorial board contact contributors author guidelines submit subscribers subscribe/renew news sign-upnews sign-up issn: 0011-7951 eissn: 2573-5659   main office: 2046 ne waldo road suite 2100 gainesville, fl 32609 phone: 352-392-1351 email: journals@upress.ufl.edu navigation home search current archives subscribe login | delos: a journal of translation and world literature main navigation main content sidebar current archives search subscribe toggle search register login search toggle navigation home login subscription or article purchase required to access item. to verify subscription, access previous purchase, or purchase article, log in to journal. username password forgot your password? keep me logged in login register sidebar-links about overview editorial board contact contributors author guidelines submit subscribers subscribe/renew news sign-upnews sign-up issn: 0011-7951 eissn: 2573-5659   main office: 2046 ne waldo road suite 2100 gainesville, fl 32609 phone: 352-392-1351 email: journals@upress.ufl.edu navigation home search current archives subscribe preface the editors and staff at the university press of florida are excited to announce that gabriele belletti has agreed to serve as the editorinchief of delos: a journal of translation and world literature in 2024– 25. benjamin hebblethwaite will continue as coeditor and richard gray will continue as managing editor. gabriele will focus on organizing peer reviews for submissions from european languages whereas hebblethwaite will focus on submissions from all other language families and creole languages. gabriele works as assistant professor of italian and french in the department of languages, literatures, and cultures at the university of florida. he earned a dual phd degree in philosophy and italian literature from università di firenzeuniversité de nantes. he works in environmental humanities, twentieth-­­and­twenty-­first­century­poetics,­migration­studies,­and­the­literary relations between italy and france. he published the book, objet et sujet dans les miroirs de la poésie (object and subject in the mirrors of poetry), at the dijon, france– based publisher, les presses du réel, in 2021. delos’ book review editor, rori bloom, will step down from her role. we­thank­her­for­ the­significant­contribution­she­made­ in­selecting­books­ and reviewers, and for her careful editorial work. the new book review editor will be pasquale verdicchio. pasquale is a professor emeritus of italian and comparative literature at the university of california, san diego. he has published translations of caproni, lamarque, merini, pasolini, porta, viviani, and zanzotto, among others. his own writings of poetry, reviews, criticism, and photography have been published in journals and in book form by a variety of presses. his scholarly publications include ecocritical approaches to italian culture and literature: the denatured wild (lexington 2016) and encounters with the real in contemporary italian literature and cinema, coedited with loredana di martino (cambridge scholars publishing 2017). delos is thrilled to announce that sylvie blumreid will serve as the film review editor. working as a professor in the university of florida’s french department, sylvie’s specializations include french and european cinema, travel­narratives,­ twentieth-­­and­ twenty-­first­century­french­ literature,­and­ delos vol. 38, no. 2, pp. v–viii. copyright © 2023 university of florida press. doi: 10.5744/delos.2023.2000 vi preface popular culture. she is the author of the books, eastwest encounters: francoasian cinema and literature­ (wallflower­ press/columbia­university 2003) and traveling in french cinema (palgrave macmillan 2015). delos accepts literary texts from any language translated into english with analyses and commentary, as well as essays on world literature, translation, and the humanities. the new editorial team is asking translators and authors to prepare submissions that address new topics that will appear in thematic sections in the next issues: environmental literature: we seek essays and translations that shed light on environmental literature and ecopoetics. we want definitions­of­environmental­literature­and­ecopoetics,­essays­on­ their leading practitioners, and information about their cultural, historical, psychosocial, thematic, and linguistic content. we would like to know about the relationship of environmental literature and ecopoetics to environmental justice and how they might transform the ways people think, talk, and act. we welcome translations of poetry, prose, and drama, as well as ecocriticism essays. literature and migration: we seek essays and translations that reveal the experiences of migrants. we encourage submissions about migration writing and its connection to ethnicity, language, politics, social integration, diaspora formation, multilingualism, and genres like poetry, drama, and prose such as novels, short stories, autobiography, travel writing, and literary criticism. we welcome submissions that are themeoriented and ethnically focused. we are interested in what constitutes migration literature, including poetry, prose, plays, scripts, graphic novels, songs, interviews, facebook posts, twitter poems, and youtube videos, etc. artificial intelligence and machine translation versus human translation:­this­is­a­call­for­papers­that­address­artificial intelligence and machine translation in literature and serious writing, including legal, political, or medical documents. some leaders­ suggest­ that­ artificial­ intelligence­ and­machine­ translation technologies will render language instruction obsolete and that foreign language communicative needs will be solved with a pocket cellphone. whereas in anno 2023 we can take care of many basic daily foreign language tasks with a cellphone, can preface vii tools like google translate or chatgpt translate literary texts and serious writing at the same level as an experienced human translator? and can these technologies be used to generate multiple drafts to gain unique insights into the craft of translation? moreover,­how­does­artificial­intelligence­create­original­works­ in prose and poetry? how do they differ from works written by humans? papers that examine technology assisted translation and ai creation in theory and practice are welcome. contemporary french, haitian creole, italian and spanish poetry: we are interested in translations of contemporary poetry as well as critical studies from these languages. dialects in translation: as standard languages spoken by populations at national levels expand their grip over literature, art, culture, education, employment, and media, the dialects that historically developed alongside the selected standards— like picard, walloon, west vlaams, tuscan, or northern haitian creole— are, at best, oral traditions, and, at worst, languages threatened by extinction. with the goal of preserving and better understanding these languages that thrive in the shadows of standard languages, we invite writers, translators, and theoreticians of dialects to submit dialect texts and english translations to delos. ben hebblethwaite, gabriele belletti, and richard gray login | delos: a journal of translation and world literature main navigation main content sidebar current archives search subscribe toggle search register login search toggle navigation home login subscription or article purchase required to access item. to verify subscription, access previous purchase, or purchase article, log in to journal. username password forgot your password? keep me logged in login register sidebar-links about overview editorial board contact contributors author guidelines submit subscribers subscribe/renew news sign-upnews sign-up issn: 0011-7951 eissn: 2573-5659   main office: 2046 ne waldo road suite 2100 gainesville, fl 32609 phone: 352-392-1351 email: journals@upress.ufl.edu navigation home search current archives subscribe call for chapters for an edited volume published by a usbased academic press (tbd): transatlantic songs and music benjamin hebblethwaite, university of florida, hebble@ufl . edu silke jansen, friedrichalexanderuniversität erlangen nuremburg, silke . jansen@fau . de kevin meehan, university of central florida, kevin . meehan@ucf . edu this call for chapters invites researchers to prepare submissions for our edited book about transatlantic and atlantic-i ntersecting songs and music. these pivotal forms of transoceanic cultural expression, preservation, exchange, and innovation reveal creative, inventive, linguistic, historical, religious, social, ludic, and emotional aspects of experience. we welcome contributions about transatlantic and atlantic-i ntersecting songs and music from authors working in musicology, linguistics, cultural studies, literary criticism, ethnology, historiography, religious studies, philosophy, anthropology, and sociology, among other disciplines. the following list illustrates some of the genres and topics about which we encourage submissions: • atlantic sacred music traditions • rap & hiphop • blues, soul, swing, jive, funk, and r&b • rock, punk, thrash, death, technical, progressive, and black metal • classical, opera, cabaret, art music • latin, salsa, cumbia, bachata, merengue, tango, mariachi, rumba, and corrido • electronic music, house, techno, trance, dubstep, drum & bass • zamrock, soukous, highlife, mbaqanga, chimurenga, benga, ndombolo • folk & country • traditional songs and folk music • jazz, swing, bebop, big band • psychedelic music delos vol. 38, no. 2, pp. ix–xiv. copyright © 2023 university of florida press. x call for chapters • konpa, twoubadou, soca, and zouk • mento, calypso, reggae, dancehall, and reggaetón • pop & country music • atlantic-­pacific­songs­and­music • atlanticasian songs and music • all atlantic music, instruments, artists • mediums of recording and distribution, social and live spaces • instrument building and design; inventions: whammy bar, distortion, etc. we seek chapters that investigate and develop granular as well as macroscopic analyses on transatlantic and atlanticintersecting songs and music, and we welcome diverse methodological approaches. we are interested in gathering highquality studies focused on the past or present that advance our understanding of the interconnections, trajectories, and patterns of transatlantic songs and music. our collection will explore how songs, music, language, culture, styles, genres, and instruments were shaped over layers of atlantic time and space, including consideration of sources, manner of creation, mediums of recording and distribution, itineraries across oceans, reception in social and live spaces, and the retention and reshaping of ideas and practices in new nations and communities (kummels et al. 2014). contributions that examine the complex interplay between different musical traditions within or intersecting with historical and contemporary atlantic spaces are welcome. our volume breaks new ground by welcoming submissions on songs and music from all atlantic regions, ethnicities, groups, and languages— as well as those that intersect with them— to gather traditions under a single tent and to reveal developments that transcend ethnic groups, languages, regions, and musical styles. while narrow or ethniccentered work characterizes much publishing on transatlantic history and culture, such as budasz (2019), kubik (2017a, 2017b), oja (2000), or wynn (2007), our volume is untethered from any one part or population of the atlantic. instead of restricting our project to a closed set, we invite work that examines any transatlantic or atlantic intersecting musical phenomenon with the goal of collecting diverse and representative studies on a hemispheric and global scale, thereby revealing the role of songs and music in forging various transatlantic cultural, linguistic, and historical connections under the dramatically different social conditions that still mark this region. an abstract of 500 words­should­first­be­submitted­to­hebble@ufl­.­edu and cc’d to silke . jansen@fau . de and kevin . meehan@ucf . edu before august 15, 2024. after the abstract is peerreviewed and accepted, authors will write call for chapters xi book chapters of no more than 5,000 total words (including bibliography) before august 15, 2025. studies are welcomed on songs and music, including artists, the language and linguistics of songs (e.g., lyrics, the vocabulary of songs, linguistic variation, language choice, etymology), music theory, musical instruments (including innovations and design), the (sub)cultures around music, music studios, distribution, music and technology, ethnomusicology, sociology of music, the history of songs and music, the themes of songs, artistic and genre genealogies, music marketing, transatlantic recording and producing practices, evolution of styles, genre theory, as well as work on ideologies, esthetics, methodologies, social and live venues, touring circuits, and imagination and imagery in music genres and marketing practices. atlantic songs and music intersecting in the atlantic: • influences­to­and­from­north­america,­the­caribbean,­latin­america, europe, and africa • atlantic folklore, mythology, and stories in songs • types and regionalization of caribbean genres (i.e., reggae, calypso, salsa, etc.) • the transatlantic spread of religious ideas through songs (rastafari, christianity, norse paganism, vodou, etc.) • the calypsonian atlantic • cuban­influences­in­africa­or­african­influences­in­cuba • the cumbia atlantic of colombia’s coast • the salsa atlantic • ecoconsciousness in transatlantic songs and music • the kongo soukous atlantic • the british rock invasion of the americas • materiality of music: instrument history, building, design, innovations,­and­influences • materiality of music: mediums of recording, marketing, and distribution • materiality of music: tours, social, and live spaces in atlantic songs and music • women’s, men’s, and gender studies approaches to transatlantic songs and music xii call for chapters • haitian konpa in the circumcaribbean, internationally, and in the haitian diaspora • sacred songs and music across the atlantic • the jazz atlantic: accra, berlin, cape new york city, stockholm, buenos aires, etc. • the english atlantic: the englishlanguage lingua franca in european pop and rock lyrics • foreign word borrowings and codeswitching in atlantic traditions • north­ african­ arabic­ and­ berber­ lexical­ influences­ in­ european­ hiphop • spanish­and­portuguese­influences­in­the­americas­or­africa • transatlantic reggae: ethiopia and italy in rastafari lyrics and ideology • european folk songs and music across the atlantic • transatlantic folk and country music • qualitative and quantitative studies on songs and music • promoters, fanzines, and music clubs in the fostering of transatlantic cultural connections • theodor adorno’s atlantic • lineages, patterns, structure, and transmission of sacred or secular atlantic drum rhythms • lexical or grammatical evidence of transatlantic history in songs and music • the creole language continuum (basilectmesolectacrolect) and songs • expressions of linguistic prestige, covert prestige, and insecurity in songs and music • the continuum of imperial languages and creole languages in caribbean songs • african­influences­in­the­atlantic­and­globally • transatlantic­influences­in­classical,­opera,­and­orchestral­music • transoceanic death metal: the us, brazil, europe, africa, japan, and korea in addition to the interconnecting atlantic cultures, we also encourage studies that consider the connections to atlantic cultures on a global level. in­this­context,­we­want­to­know­how­atlantic­and­global­cultures­influence­ one another. examples of our interests include, but are not limited to these items: call for chapters xiii atlantic songs and music intersecting globally: • atlantic­influences­in­korean,­japanese,­or­chinese­songs • the reception of jazz, rock, ska, and reggae in asia • bengaliscottish connections in the songs of tagorebur • asian uses of atlantic music • cambodian pop and us psychedelic rock • asia-­pacific­diasporas­and­atlantic­music references adorno, theodor. essays on music. edited by richard leppert. translated by susan gillespie. los angeles: university of california press, 2002. anderson, crystal s. soul in seoul: african american popular music and kpop. jackson: university press of mississippi, 2020. budasz, rogério. opera in the tropics: music and theater in early modern brazil. new york: oxford university press, 2019. gasta, chad michael. transatlantic arias: early opera in spain and the new world. erlangen: iberoamericana vervuert., n.d., 2013. gilroy, paul. the black atlantic: modernity and double consciousness. cambridge, ma: harvard university press, 1993. guilbaut, serge, and manuel j. borjavillel. bebomb: the transatlantic war of images and all that jazz, 19461956. barcelona: museu d’art contemporani de barcelona, 2007. hebblethwaite, benjamin, and silke jansen, eds. indigenous and african diaspora religions in the americas. lincoln: university of nebraska press, 2023. hebblethwaite, benjamin. a transatlantic history of haitian vodou: rasin figuier, rasin bwa kayiman, and the rada and gede rites. jackson: university press of mississippi, 2021. jansen, silke. “los sonidos del merengue: variación lingüística e identidad en la música nacional dominicana.” revista internacional de lingüística iberoamericana (rili) 15, no. 2 (2017): 145– 160. jansen, silke, and katrin pfadenhauer. “la tumba francesa à cuba: quelques lumières sur les caractéristiques linguistique du créole de saintdomingue à l’époque de la révolution”. archipélies (accepted, forthcoming). jansen, silke. “le répertoire linguistique de la tumba francesa entre saintdomingue, cuba et haïti”. submitted to études créoles. jones, john miller, wilfried. raussert, and wilfried. raussert. traveling sounds: music, migration, and identity in the u.s. and beyond. berlin: lit, 2008. kubik, gerhard. jazz transatlantic, volume i. jackson: university press of mississippi, 2017a. kubik, gerhard. jazz transatlantic, volume ii. jackson: university press of mississippi, 2017b. kummels, ingrid, claudia rauhut, stefan h. rinke, and birte timm. transatlantic caribbean: dialogues of people, practices, ideas. edited by ingrid kummels, claudia rauhut, stefan h. rinke, and birte timm. bielefeld, germany, 2014. xiv call for chapters kristiansen, jon. metalion: the slayer mag diaries. new york: bazilion points, 2011. meehan, kevin. people get ready: african american and caribbean cultural exchange. jackson: university press of mississippi, 2009. ogundiran, akinwumi. “spiritual vibrations of historic kormantse and the search for african diaspora identity and freedom.” in materialities of ritual in the black atlantic, edited by akinwumi ogundiran and paula saunders, 87– 107. bloomington: indiana university press, 2014. oja, carol j. making music modern: new york in the 1920s. new york: oxford university press, 2000. rubio gómez, salva. metal extremo: 30 años de oscuridad (19812011). lleida, spain: editorial mileno. sánchez, m.. thrash metal: del sonido al contenido: origen y gestación de una contracultura chilena. santiago: ril editores, 2014. sierra i fabra, jordi, and xavier bartomeus. historia del rock: la música que cambió el mundo. madrid: siruela, 2016. wynn, neil a. cross the water blues: african american music in europe. jackson: university press of mississippi, 2007. ä ä 