Aviva Sharp Translation of the French poem ‘Coronavirus’ by Stephen Blanchard & how I went about

Translation of the French poem ‘Coronavirus’ by Stephen Blanchard & how I went about translating it.

Coronavirus- Stephen Blanchard My translation of the poem

Nous voilà confinés, face à l’épidémie, Le virus se répand, il faudra patienter, Nous n’avons plus le temps de tout argumenter, Les français sont touchés, c’est une pandémie.

Chacun panique à bord, la porte refermée, La guerre est déclarée en absence de choix, L’amour est en danger quand l’horizon sans voix Nous prive de l’espoir d’une visite aimée.

Je regarde la vie en perte de lien, À l’heure où vont s’enfuir les ailes de mes rêves, Le vide et l’abandon sont de mortelles sèves Me transperçant le cœur d’un doute kafkaïen.

Mais l’homme tend ses bras vers la belle espérance, La solidarité sur un même chemin, Car le devoir l’appelle à se faire devin Pour sauver notre monde aux jardins de l’errance. Facing the epidemic, we are now confined We will have to be patient, the virus is spreading We no longer have the time to argue about anything This is a pandemic, the French are also quarantined

The door closed shut, panic is mounting War is declared against our will; we are choiceless Love is endangered when the silent horizon, voiceless, Deprives us of hope, of a treasured outing

I watch life losing its connection At a time when the wings to my dreams will be crushed by annulment The deadly saps of emptiness and abandonment Pierce my heart with Kafkaesque dejection

Yet, man extends his arms towards sweet aspiration Coupled with solidarity For duty implores him to think with clarity In order to save our itinerant nation

How I went about translating this poem

‘Coronavirus’ consists of four enclosed-rhyme quatrains, meaning that I had to alter my literal translation of the poem to preserve this form in English. This included switching the order of some clauses to ensure that the words at the end of each line rhymed with one another. For example, the first line of my final translation is ‘Facing the epidemic, we are now confined’, whereas my literal translation of ‘Nous voilà confines, face à l’épidémie’ was ‘Now we are confined, facing the epidemic’. In this case, I switched the clauses in order to include the rhyme of ‘confined’ and ‘quarantined’. The lines in which I found it most challenging to adhere to the ABBA rhyme scheme were the middle two of the second stanza. After much deliberation, I decided to translate the ends of these lines more literally and take advantage of the fact that ‘choix’ and ‘voix’ rhyme in both French and English.

My favourite part of translating the poem was using my analytical skills to unlock its meaning. I found that understanding what Blanchard aimed to convey in French meant I could express the same in English more easily. For example, I interpreted the third, most melancholy stanza to be expressing Blanchard’s misery after all his plans for the future are cancelled due to Coronavirus. This lead me to include the words ‘annulled’ and ‘dejection’ in my translation even though these were not explicitly written in the poem.

四谷怪談－お岩さん (Yotsuya Kaidan- Oiwa-san)

この有名な民話の幽霊の名前はお岩です。お岩は実際に存在していて、１６３６年に死にました

その昔お岩は伊右衛門という武士と結婚しました。伊右衛門は不実な男で盗み癖があったので、世間でいう悪い結婚で した。結婚生活はすぐにうまくいかなくなり、お岩は伊右衛門を残して実家に戻ることを決め家を出ましたが、伊右衛 門はお岩を追いかけました。伊右衛門はお岩の父、四谷左門に会うことを止められました。逆上した伊右衛門は剣を抜 き、左門を切り殺してしまいました。 伊右衛門はお岩のところへ行き、左門がならず者に殺されたと嘘を伝えました。伊右衛門は父親のかたき討ちをするこ とを約束するなどうまく言いくるめてお岩を家に連れ戻したのです。 その後まもなく、お岩は伊右衛門の赤ちゃんを産みました。しかし、お岩は産後病弱になり、生活は困窮するばかりで した。伊右衛門がお岩を重荷に思い始めたころ、伊藤喜平という金持ちの医者の美しい孫娘であるオウメに出会いまし た。すぐに伊右衛門はお岩を捨ててオウメと一緒になりたいと思い始めました。 喜平は、お岩と離縁すればオウメとの再婚を許し伊藤家の富を継承させてやると伊右衛門をそそのかしました。そこで 伊右衛門は喜平と手を組み、病気を治すためとお岩を欺き軟膏を与えますが、実際にそれは彼女の顔を恐ろしく爛れさ せる猛毒でした。軟膏を塗ったお岩の顔は恐ろしいほど崩れてしまったのです。伊右衛門は顔の爛れたお岩の姿にうん ざりし、若くて美しいオウメにますます惹かれていましたのでどうにかして早く離縁できるよう悪事を重ねていきま す。オウメと結婚するのに十分なお金を持つために、伊右衛門はお岩の持ち物を勝手に質に入れ、そしてお岩と離婚す る正当な理由が必要だったので、お岩のありもしない不貞を告発できるように図り、友人の卓越を雇って彼女を強姦し ようとしました。 卓越は言われたとおりにお岩を襲おうとしたのですが、お岩を一目見た彼は悪事を遂行できなくなるほどに震え上がり ました。卓越はお岩に伊右衛門の企みを伝え、崩れ果てた顔を鏡で見せました。お岩は軟膏が彼女の顔をめちゃくちゃ にしたことに気づいていなかったので、鏡に映った自分の顔に驚愕しました。恐怖の中で、彼女は爛れた顔に前髪をか ぶせることによって恐ろしい爛れを隠そうとしましたが、とっさに握った髪の毛は抜け落ち血まみれの塊となって地面 に落ちました。それを見たお岩は狂い叫び、近くの剣で自分の喉をかき切りました。お岩は床に横たわってもだえ苦し み血を流して死んで行きました。 お岩の遺体は伊右衛門の召使いである小平によって発見されました。悪い知らせを聞いた時でも伊右衛門は顔に喜色が 浮かぶのを隠せず、それをみた小平は驚きました。小平は伊右衛門を疑わしく思いましたが、疑念を誰かに伝える前に 伊右衛門に殺されてしまいました。伊右衛門は、小平とお岩の遺体を戸板に釘付けにして川に流しました。その後、小 平とお岩が浮気をしていたという嘘を流布しました。こうして伊右衛門はついにオウメと結婚できるようになりまし た。 しかし、ここからがお岩の復讐のはじまりでした。 彼らの婚礼の夜、伊右衛門は寝台で寝返りを打つと、彼のすぐ隣にお岩の恐ろしい顔を見ました。はっとした伊右衛門 はすぐに剣を取り、幽霊を切りつけました。我に返ると伊右衛門は自分がお岩を切ったのではなく彼の最愛のオウメを 切り捨てたと気づいて驚愕しました。お岩の姿が消えた時にはオウメはすでに死んで床に横たわっていたのです。 伊右衛門はオウメの実家に駆けつけました。しかし、伊右衛門が伊藤の家に着いたとき、そこで彼は殺された小平の幽 霊に直面しました。もう一度伊右衛門は小平を切りましたが、小平の姿が消えた時にはその場に喜平が絶命して床に横 たわっていました。 伊右衛門がどこへ逃げても、お岩の怨霊がすぐ現れます。お岩の崩壊した顔は夢の中でも彼を怯えさせ、その恨みのこ もった悲惨な声は常に彼女の復讐を伊右衛門に思い出させました。 お岩は寝ても覚めてもどこにでも恨めしい顔をして現れるのです。最後に、伊右衛門は山奥の粗末な小屋に逃げ込みま した。しかし伊右衛門はもはや幻覚を現実から見分けることができなくなり、やがて狂気の暗い夜に沈んでいきまし た。

Translation of a famous Japanese ghost story.

This famous folktale’s ghost is called Oiwa-san. She is someone who actually existed and died in 1636.

In the olden days, Oiwa married a samurai named Ie-mon. It was a bad marriage because Ie-mon was a disloyal man and had a habit of stealing. The marriage soon started to deteriorate, leading Oiwa to decide to leave Ie-mon and return to her family home, but Ie-mon chased after her. Ie-mon was stopped from seeing her by Oiwa’s father, Yotsuya Samon. However, Ie-mon drew out his sword and killed Samon. Ie-mon went to Oiwa and told her that her father had been killed by a rogue. He promised to avenge her father and brought Oiwa back home. Shortly afterwards, Oiwa gave birth. However, Oiwa became sickly and life was only difficult. When Ie-mon was beginning to think that Oiwa was a burden, he met Oume, the beautiful daughter of a wealthy doctor named Ito Kihei. Ie-mon started to think straight away that he wanted to abandon Oiwa and be with Oume. Kihei told Ie-mon that he would allow him to remarry Oume and inherit the wealth of the Ito family if he separated from Oiwa. So, Ie-mon teamed up with Kihei and deceived Oiwa by giving her an ointment that he said would cure her disease but which in reality, was a terrible poison that would disfigure her face horribly. Oiwa’s face, covered in ointment, collapsed horrifyingly. Ie-mon was disappointed by Oiwa’s appearance with her disfigured face and became more and more attracted to the young and beautiful Oume, leading him to commit more bad deeds so he could divorce quickly. In order to have enough money to marry Oume, Ie-mon pawned off Oiwa’s possessions without her permission, and because he needed a good reason to divorce her, tried to accuse her of infidelity by hiring his friend Takuetsu to rape her. Takuetsu tried to attack her as he was told but when he first caught sight of Oiwa he started trembling so much that he could not carry out the bad deed. Takuetsu told Oiwa about Ie-mon’s plan and showed her collapsed face with a mirror. Oiwa had not realised that the ointment had messed up her face so was shocked by her own face reflected in the mirror. In fear, she tried to cover her disfigured face with her bangs but the hair that she had grasped suddenly fell out onto the ground as a bloody mass. After seeing that, Oiwa screamed madly and cut her own throat with a nearby sword. Even after Oiwa collapsed on the floor, she suffered and bled to death. Oiwa’s corpse was found by Ie-mon’s servant, Kohei. Even after hearing the bad news, Ie-mon was not able to hide the joy on his face and Kohei, who saw this, grew shocked. Kohei found Ie-mon suspicious but before he could tell anyone about his doubts, he was killed by Ie-mon. Oiwa and Kohei were nailed to a door board by Ie-mon and swept away by a river. Afterwards, he told a lie that Oiwa and Kohei were having an affair. In this way, he was finally able to marry Oume. However, this was the beginning of Oiwa’s revenge. On the night of their wedding, Ie-mon turned over on the bed to see Oiwa’s horrifying face right next to him. He immediately drew out his sword and cut the ghost. When he became rational again Ie-mon realised that he had not cut Oiwa but his beloved Oume. By the time Oiwa’s ghost had disappeared, Oume had already died, lying on the floor. Ie-mon rushed to Oume’s family house. However, when Ie-mon arrived, he faced the ghost of Kohei who had been killed. Once again, Ie-mon cut down Kohei, but when Kohei disappeared, Kihei was dead on the ground. No matter where Ie-mon ran away, Oiwa’s ghost appeared immediately. Oiwa’s disfigured face haunted him even in his dreams and her resentful and tragic voice always reminded him of her revenge. Oiwa showed up everywhere with a resentful face, whether he was sleeping or awake. Finally, Ie-mon ran away into a humble hut deep in the mountains. However, Ie-mon became unable to distinguish his hallucinations from reality, and eventually sank into a dark night of madness.

Toda saudade

Toda saudade (1989), Gilberto Gil

Toda saudade é a presença Da ausência de alguém De algum lugar, de algo enfim Súbito o não toma forma de sim Como se a escuridão se pusesse a luzir

Da própria ausência de luz O clarão se produz o sol na solidão Toda saudade é um capuz transparente Que veda e ao mesmo tempo traz a visão Do que não se pode ver Porque se deixou pra trás Mas que se guardou no coração

O que não se pode ver Porque se deixou pra trás Mas que se guardou no coração No coração No coração https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hKnF293ERNA

Saudade é uma emoção muito especial para os Portugueses e para a qual é difícil encontrar um equivalente direto noutras línguas. É várias vezes definida como um sentimento de nostalgia, a sensação de sentir falta de algo ou alguém ou até o desejo pela coisa amada, que se torna doloroso pela sua ausência. A sua origem envolve alguma incerteza. Para alguns deriva do Latim solitate, do verbo português saudar e até mesmo da palavra árabe sawdā que significa um estado de humor melancólico. O que é certo é que este conceito tem tudo a ver com a identidade e etnicidade portuguesa e que há vários séculos vem influenciando os poetas, cantores e artistas de várias áreas. Tomemos como exemplo a canção de Gilberto Gil intitulada Toda saudade.

Every longing (1989), Gilberto Gil

Every longing is the presence Of someone’s absence Of somewhere, of something at last Sudden, the no takes form of yes As if the darkness started to shine

Of the very absence of light The glare produces the sun in solitude Every nostalgia is a transparent hood That seals and brings vision at the same time Of what cannot be seen Because one has left it behind But that one kept in the heart

Of what cannot be seen Because one has left it behind But that one kept in the heart In the heart In the heart https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hKnF293ERNA

Saudade is a very special emotion for the Portuguese e for which is difficult to find the direct equivalent in other languages. It is many times defined as a feeling of nostalgia, the sensation of missing something or someone or even the desire for the beloved thing, made painful by its absence. Its origin involves certain uncertainty. For some it derives from the Latin solitate (solitude), from the Portuguese verb to greet and even from the Arabic word sawdā which means a melancholic mood. What is certain is that this concept has everything to do with the Portuguese identity and ethnicity and that for several centuries has been influencing poets, singers and all artists. Let’s have a look at the example of the song from Gilberto Gill called Every longing.