Translation from English

Sunday, September 25, 2016

Romani Poems Translated by A Z Foreman

Poems Found in Translation: “Alexander Germano: Bitter age (From Romani)” plus 2 more

Link to Poems Found in Translation

Posted: 24 Sep 2016 05:57 PM PDT
The Romani text is given here as dialectally adapted to Kalderash by Ronald Lee. I sadly do not have access to the unadapted form.

Bitter Age
Alexander Germano
Translated by A.Z. Foreman

Bitter old age
Black night.
Wind blows
Snows fall on the road.
In the wagon
A steppeland nomad Rom is bitten cold.
The Roma now live in warm homes.
The bitter Rom still roams,
Walks all the roads.

The Original:

Nárto phuranipe
Ryat kali.
E balval phúrdel
Peréla iv po drȏm.
Ándo vȏrdòn
Morrozil-pȇs yȇkh fȇldítko Rrȏm.
Akana le Rrȏm beshen ánde tate khera
O nárto Rrȏm inkya trádel
Phirel sa le drȏma.
Posted: 24 Sep 2016 06:00 PM PDT
The Romani text here given is as it occurs in the author's book Suno "Dream" (Prague, 2000.)

Alight by a Fire
By Margita Reiznerová
Translated by A.Z. Foreman
(Thanks to Qristina Zavačková Cummings for help understanding the nuances of the original)

In a little hut
Find a place to sleep,
Clasp your baby boy to your breast.
Hungry eyes
Are covered by the night.

The Original:

Thanoro Jaguno

Andro cikno kheroro
ko soviben o than keres,
čhavores ke tiro koľin ispides,
jakha bokhale
e rat zaučharel.
Posted: 24 Sep 2016 05:04 AM PDT
Meditation on the Past at Tong Pass
By Zhang Yanghao
Translated by A.Z. Foreman

Peaks and ridges mass together
River breakers blast in wrath  
In and out through river and hill  
Goes the road through old Tong Pass 
I gaze at the western capital 
 All my thought distraught  
This is the place that breaks the heart  
 Where Han and Qin marched past
Palaces and towers and halls 
 All turned dirt at last  
Dynasties rise 
 The people suffer
Dynasties fall 
 The people suffer


The Original, with transcribed Yuan Dynasty pronunciation:

山坡羊潼關懷古

峰巒如聚,     fuŋ lɔn ry dzy
波濤如怒,     pwɔ daw ry nu
山河表裏潼關路。  ʂan ɣɔ pɛw li duŋ kuan lu
望西都,      waÅ‹ si tu 
意躊躇。      i dʐiw dʐy 
傷心秦漢經行處,  ʂaŋ sim dzin xan kjiŋ ɣjiŋ tʂʰy
宮闕萬間都做了土。 kyuŋ kyɛ' wan kjan tu tsaw' lɛw tʰu
興,        xjiŋ
百姓苦;      paj' siŋ kʰu
亡,        waŋ
百姓苦!      paj' siŋ kʰu

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