Poems Found in Translation- Chinese and Russian Romani

Poems Found in Translation: “Du Fu: The Conscription (From Chinese)” plus 1 more Du Fu: The Conscription (From Chinese) Posted: 09 Oct 2016 04:39 PM PDT Written in 759 during the height of the An Lushan rebellion. "Stonemoat" (Shíháo) is a village in Henan province. Press-gangs were combing the villages, looking for men who could be forced into military service to replace the imperial army's massive losses against An Lushan. The Conscription By Du Fu Translated by A.Z. Foreman So I stopped at sundown　to rest in Stonemoat Village 　They came in the night 　to collar more men for war The old inn-keeper　slipped out over a wall 　While his elderly wife　went out to the front door Such angry curses 　the pressgang officer bellowed 　Such pitiful tears　the woman sobbed away I listened to her　proffer regretful pleas: 　I had three sons　all serving at posts in Yeh1 One of my boys　 just told me in a letter 　The other two 　were killed in the attack The one alive　 won't last on borrowed time 　The dead are gone 　dead boys do not come back  There aren't any more　men left to this household 　Just my grandson　still nursing with his mother My daughter cannot　leave him here just yet 　And a shredded skirt 　is all she has for cover  I'm an old woman 　I know my strength is gone 　But please let me come 　tonight with your convoys If you've urgent need 　in Heyang2 I can be there 　In time to cook　 some breakfast for our brave boys As night drew on 　all sounds of speaking stopped 　I thought I heard　a whimper being choked down Rising at dawn　 to get back on the road 　 　I took my leave 　of the old man alone　 Notes: 1 Yèchéng — city about 300 miles northeast of Stonemoat, where imperial forces had suffered a severe defeat at the hands of the rebels earlier in the year 2 Héyáng — name of a place about 125 miles down the Yellow River from Stonemoat, and the site of an encampment for imperial forces that year. The Original: 石壕吏 暮投石壕村， 有吏夜捉人。 老翁逾墻走， 老婦出門看。 吏呼一何怒， 婦啼一何苦。 聽婦前致詞： 三男鄴城戍， 一男附書至， 二男新戰死。 存者且偷生， 死者長已矣。 室中更無人， 惟有乳下孫。 有孫母未去， 出入無完裙。 老嫗力雖衰， 請從吏夜歸。 急應河陽役， 猶得備晨炊。 夜久語聲絕， 如聞泣幽咽。 天明登前途， 獨與老翁別。 Alexander Germano: On Wheels Of Fortune (From Russian Romani) Posted: 09 Oct 2016 05:57 AM PDT A bit of propagandistic blasting from Germano about abandoning Romani itinerancy and settling down. Puns ahoy. Witty, but nowhere near the depth of Nárto Phuranîpé. Also, you can smell the Soviet smugness a mile away. (Some may find the odor more offensive, and some less.) Myself, I did eventually tire of the constant portrayal of itinerancy as "primitive," "unproductive" or "socially parasitical" by Soviet poets.  On Wheels Of Fortune By Alexander Germano Translated by A.Z. Foreman Click to hear me recite the original in Romani What fate, what fortune we keep seeking Roaming the roads and woods for years! And what in seeking have we seen? Oh we have seen our share of tears. We sing all day, we sing at night.  That is where drunkards' Fortunes lie.  We like the horse, we like the whip, Believe in something in the sky. Devil and God can't do a damn.   The cards deal us a pack of lies. What do they do but do us in, And raze us down where we would rise?  The time has come for better living.   We're free to make ourselves at home. Fortune won't smile in campgrounds.... Lets move on from the need to roam. The Original: Бахт Александр Германо Сави э-бахт амэ родаса Пиро дрома, пиро вэша. И со дро лодыпэ дыкхаса? — Амэ дыкхаса бут ясва. Ратя и дывэса багаса, Со сы екх бахт дро матыбэ, Чюпны и грэн амэ камаса, Патяса дро екх болыбэ. Дэвэл и бэнг ничи на дэна. Бут хохадэ патря амэн. Ёнэ амэнгэ хась кэрэна И подрискирна джиибэн. Авэла тэ дживас адякэ,— Вавир кэраса джиибэ. Нанэ э-бахт прэ фэлда, Чюрдаса пэскро лодыпэ. Baxt Aleksandr Germano Savi e-baxt ame rodása Píro droma, píro veÅ¡a. I so dro lodîpé dîkhása? — Ame dîkhása but jasva. Ratja i dîvesá bagása, So sî jekh baxt dro matîbé ÄŒjupnî i gren ame kamása Patjása dro jekh bolîbé Devel i beng niči na déna. But xoxade patrja amen. Jone aménge xasj keréna I podriskírna džiiben Avéla te dživas adjáke Vavir kerása džiibe. Nane e-baxt pre félda, ÄŒjurdása péskro lodîpé. Notes Line 8: I wonder if the other meaning of bolîbé, "baptism" is relevant here. Line 12: This line contains some Romani wordplay. Te podriskires is "to undermine" and the line podriskírna džiiben translates as "and (they) undermine (our) lives." However, this echoes, the better to subvert, a far more mundane phrase podrikírna džiiben "they support, maintain our lives."