Tuesday, December 20, 2011

Trouble and Translation

Translating Lorca - 

Mi corazón rezuma niebla. 
Cuando la selva del azul oculte 
la tierra, 
mi corazón continuará empapado de niebla. 

Río azul.

Ah, the heart oozes which? 

   1. Fog (densa), mist (neblina), haze, damp. (f)
   2. Disease of the eyes, which dims, the sight. (f)
   3. Mildew (hongo parásito). (f)
   4. Mental obscurity, confusion of ideas. (f)

Or is it all of these at once, all possibilities of the word flashing across the mind of the native speaker?

If so, how then does one translate?

And what is lost or gained in the space between tongues?

What have we after Babel but a beautiful puzzle, a puzzling beauty?

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