tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3264914780516321436.post845586657444849451..comments2023-10-21T21:54:39.121+13:00Comments on Tim Jones: Books in the Trees: Tuesday Poem: Now My Love Is Not The Same, by Sergei Esenin, translated by Tim JonesTim Joneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14856414700019368658noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3264914780516321436.post-5106244588646101452010-11-10T10:32:18.093+13:002010-11-10T10:32:18.093+13:00Thanks, Helen, Vespersparrow and Madeleine.
Helen...Thanks, Helen, Vespersparrow and Madeleine.<br /><br />Helen, I did a literal translation first, and then a freer translation based on that. My lecturer was disappointed that I didn't do a rhymed translation: Russian poetry is usually rhymed, but with all its regular declensions and conjugations, it provides many more opportunities for unforced rhyme than English does.<br /><br />I think that many of the free translations I did are still too close to the Russian originals to work fully as English poetry, but that alliteration was indeed not present in the original - though it's still fairly close to a literal translation. Russian has plenty of 's' sounds, though the Cyrillic 's' looks like our 'c'.<br /><br />Vespersparrow, I'm pleased to hear you know Esenin's work! Have you read it in the original, or in translation - and if the latter, are there translations you particularly recommend?<br /><br />Madeleine, that's a lovely blog you have!Tim Joneshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14856414700019368658noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3264914780516321436.post-34736380875968086062010-11-10T08:09:26.124+13:002010-11-10T08:09:26.124+13:00beautiful work, timbeautiful work, timMadeleine Marie Slavickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01801929694750498013noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3264914780516321436.post-26166000997286918832010-11-10T04:34:09.391+13:002010-11-10T04:34:09.391+13:00Tim, lovely translation of Esenin's poem, one ...Tim, lovely translation of Esenin's poem, one I happen to love. It's a gift to be able to pull one language through the delicate membrane of another, and make a poem drawn from such a complex world as the Russian tongue into a poem that sounds like it was born into English--very difficult. Thank you for posting this, Tim.Melissa Greenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03270919534011711225noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3264914780516321436.post-24555785916699115982010-11-09T18:13:40.207+13:002010-11-09T18:13:40.207+13:00Cool! Translation of poetry is such an art - well,...Cool! Translation of poetry is such an art - well, translation of anything literary. Were you going for a literal translation, or one which matched the original in tone or structure? My fav bit is 'for whom then did you gild/Your springs with singing speech'. Don't suppose it had all those Ses in Russian?Helen Rickerbyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10652318704387476082noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3264914780516321436.post-32516597138575135222010-11-09T16:35:09.287+13:002010-11-09T16:35:09.287+13:00Thanks, Helen!Thanks, Helen!Tim Joneshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14856414700019368658noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3264914780516321436.post-81010370600821775222010-11-09T09:57:31.826+13:002010-11-09T09:57:31.826+13:00I never knew that about you Tim! Great work on the...I never knew that about you Tim! Great work on the translation :-)Helenhttp://www.helenheath.comnoreply@blogger.com