Hebrew Poem- Translated by A Z Foreman Poems Found in Translation

Poems Found In Translation: “Gabriel Preil: Lesson in Translation (From Hebrew)” Gabriel Preil: Lesson in Translation (From Hebrew) Posted: 04 Dec 2015 11:49 PM PST I cannot shake the feeling that this poem, about the experience of having one's work translated, was written specifically so as to be untranslatable. Or, at least, to demonstrate untranslatability. Either that or Preil was unaware what irony a translator would find in the fact that the word used for "translation" in the title, targúm can signify either translation generally, or, as a religious technical term, the exegetical rendering of Hebrew scripture into Aramaic, and in this latter sense has something of the interpretative and the hermeneutical to it. By contrast, the poem's last words are Å iˁúr Betirgúm "Lesson in Translation" identical to the title except for one vowel. Here, the word used for translation, tirgúm, only refers to rendering text or speech into another language, and has no technical scriptural meaning. There are several instances of wordplay of various kinds throughout the poem. I doubt whether it will do the reader much good for me to note each and every one of them.  Lesson in Translation By Gabriel Preil Translated by A.Z. Foreman Click to hear me recite the original Hebrew My interpreter tried to bring to light The states that went unstated, The methods of design and indirection, The compulsion to explore, reach and arrive, (Once even reading something in my face.) Above all else she thought to plow the specific subsoil, to identify the bristle of roots, the burning morn of making. There were moments when an image drew her in, like trees in the morning singing their birds, or the incidental orchestrating itself, a delicate length of irony, a longing.  The original, one may assume, is still the original, She did not transmute it into her own possession Or something else and other of mine. She seems to have held the lines with honor as usual, Their fidelity flowing from autumn to fall.  That said, I question how even so careful, cool a text Can be turned mournful, defeating all peace of mine. Had I learned a lesson in translation? The Original: שִׁעוּר בְּתַרְגוּם הַמְתַרְגֶּמֶת נִסְּתָה לַחֳשֹׂף דְּבָרִים שֶׁלֹּא נֶאֶמְרוּ אֶת אָפְנוֹת הַמְכֻוָּן וְהַהַסְוָאָה אֶת כֹּרַח הַגִּשּׁוּשׁ וְהַהַגָּעָה (פַּעַם קָרְאָה מָה בְּפָנַי) יוֹתֵר מִכֹּל חָשְׁבָה לַחֲרֹשׁ בַּתַּשְׁתִּית הַמְיַחֶדֶת, לְזַהוֹת זִיפֵי שָׁרָשִׁים, כְּוִיַּת הָעִצּוּב. הָיוּ רְגָעִים שֶנִּמְשְׁכָה לִדמּוּי כְּמוֹ עֲצֵי בֹּקֶר שָׁרִים צִפֳּרִים לַמִּקְרִי הַמְתַזְמֵר כְּמֵאֵלָיו  אִירוֹנְיָה דַקָּה, כִּסּוּפים.  הַמָּקוֹר, אֶפְשָׁר לְהַנּיחַ, עוֹדֶנּוּ מָקוֹר חִיא לֹא הָפְכָה אוֹתוֹ לַאֲחֻזָּתָהּ אוֹ לִכְלִי שֶׁנִי, אַחֵר, שֶׁלִּי. כָּל בַּיִת שֶׁבַּשִּׁיר, נִדְמֶה, מוּגָן — כָּרָגִיל בֵּין סְתָו לִסְתָו מְפַכָּה אֲמִנוּתוֹ.  עִם זֹאת אֲנִי שׁוֹאֵל אֵיךְ טֶקְסְט קָרִיר–זָהִיר גַּם הוּא נַעֲשָׂה עָצוּב, מֵבִיס אֶת הַשַּׁלְוָה.  לָמַדְתִּי שִׁעוּר בְּתִרְגּוּם?  Romanization: Å iˁúr Betargúm Hamtargémet nistá laḥasóf Dvarím Å¡eló ne'emrú, Et ofnót hamxuván vehahasva'á Et koráḥ hagišúš vehahagaˁá (páˁam kar'á ma befanáy) Yotér mikol ḥaÅ¡va laḥaróš BataÅ¡tít hamyaḥédet, lezahót Ziféy Å¡oraším, keviyát haˁitsúv. Hayú regaˁím Å¡enimÅ¡exá ledimúy kmo ˁatséy bóker Å¡arím tsiporím Lamikrí hamtazmér. Ironiá daká, kisufím. Hamakór, efÅ¡ar lahaníaḥ ˁodénu makór Hi lo hafxá otó la'aḥuzatá o lixli Å¡ení, aḥér, Å¡elí. Kol báyit Å¡ebašír, nidmé, mugán – karagíl beyn stav listav mefaka aminutó ˁim zot ani Å¡o'él eyx tekst karir-zahír gam hu naˁasá ˁatsúv mevís et haÅ¡alvá. Lamadeti Å¡iˁúr betirgúm?