The Useless Tree by Chuang Tzu, translated by Thomas Merton

Tags

Chuang Tzu, Digital Art, Phil Gennuso, POETRY, Useless Tree

by phil gennuso

The Useless Tree

Hui Tzu said to Chuang:
I have a big tree,
The kind they call a “stinktree.”
The trunk is so distorted,
So full of knots,
No one can get a straight plank
Out of it. The branches are so crooked
You cannot cut them up
In any way that makes sense.

There it stands beside the road.
No carpenter will even look at it.

Such is your teaching–
big and useless.

Chuang Tzu replied:
Have you ever watched the wildcat
Crouching, watching his prey–
This way it leaps, and that way,
Hight and low, and at last
Lands in the trap.

But have you seen the yak?
Great as a thundercloud
He stands in his might.
Big? Sure.
He can’t catch mice!

So for your big tree. No use?
Then plant it in the wasteland
In emptiness.
Walk idly around,
Rest under the shadow;
No axe or bill prepares its end.
No one will ever cut it down.

Useless? You should worry!

*Just a brief note on how this post came to be — I created the digital art about six months or so ago. I liked it but I didn’t feel it was distinctive enough as a stand alone post. However, I could not think of any words to go along with my digital tree! About a week or so ago, while visiting my local library, I picked up “The Way Of Chuang Tzu”, by Thomas Merton, at the ongoing library sale. (it cost 50 cents, a great buy!) The very first poem, after the introductory essay, was “The Useless Tree”. As soon as I read the poem I knew these were the words my tree was waiting patiently for! Thanks for stopping by! *

Automne Malade from Alcools, by Apollinaire, My Free Hand Translation Into English With An Illustration

Tags

Alcools, Automne Malade, Digital Art, Phil Gennuso, Translation

by phil gennuso

Precious Autumn,
Dying and adored,

You face your inevitable end
When hurricanes batter the roses,
When blizzards of snow,
Fill the gardens

Poor Autumn,
Drowning in white and riches,
Snow and ripe fruit,

As in the deepest, bluest sky,
Magnificent hawks soar
Over laughing nymphs with green hair,
And dwarfs who have never loved

(In the distant wood,
Fresh stags roar)

How I love you Autumn!
How I love your whispers, your rumours!

The ripe fruit falls, wild, unpicked,
The wind and forest weep,
All their tears, Autumn, fall, leaf by leaf

The leaves
that swirl like crowds
The train
that rushes past
Life,
flowing by,
ebbing away.

*****

This poem was translated from the point of view of a New Yorker, living in the 21st century, who loves the New Yrok fall, perhaps more than any other season. As such this translation is contemporary, and has a somewhat Whitmanesque flavor. I would not be surprised if I revised this first try!

The poem comes from Alcools, the first published book of poetry by Apollinaire. I hope to translate all of these poems though this is a somewhat daunting project! I will start with the shorter ones first.

Harold Alvarado Tenorio, Three Poems from Summa del Cuerpo #Poetry Translation Project

Tags

Harold Alvarado Tenorio, Poetry Translation

From the Colombian poet Harold Alvarado Tenorio, a few poems from his book Summa del Cuerpo.

En espera del gran dia

Gran vida que das y todo quitas
ni siquiera el recuerdo quedara’ en neustros huesos
ni siquiera la musica del violin de Mendelssohn.

Waiting for the great day

Great life, you give and take away everything,
not even the memory remains in our bones,
not even the violin music of Mendelssohn.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

De los goces del cuerpo

Entre el sueno
despues de los goces del cuerpo
cada presencia mira por su ojo
cada salida tiene una puerta.

by Shahriar Ahmadi

Of the pleasures of the body

Between sleep,
after the pleasures of the body,
every love tryst, look in his eye,
every departure, has a door.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

A la memoria de Raul Gomez Jattin

No comprendiste las palabras
aquellos que conocieron la locura
jamas crecieron en brazos de los dioses
jamas cantaron contra el infinito.

In memory of Raul Gomez Jattin

You cannot understand the words
of those who knew the beautiful madness,
if you never grew up in arms of the gods,
if you never sang against the infinite.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Brief Commentary:

En espera del gran dia
This first poem in the volume, is somewhat dark, and nihilist, almost. We wait for the grand moment, but at the end of the day, we forget our earthy experiences, and our spiritual, artistic experiences. (our bones, music, the violin) Life gives us everything, yes, but it also takes everything away.

De los goces del cuerpo
A poem of wisdom and experience perhaps. After our lovemaking, look in our lover’s eyes, and remember with every parting, there is another door opening. Unlike the first poem, experience is valuable, pleasurable, we have recourse, we are not robbed.

A la memoria de Raul Gomez Jattin
Raul Gomez Jattin, was a Columbian poet, totally dedicated to the life of the poetic art, without compromise. His works are hard to find; I will try to grab bits and pieces as I can, and translate them and publish them.

Here, the grief of Mr. Tenorio at the loss of this influential poet is palpable, and moving. I have taken a bit of liberty with the translation to capture the true spirit of his eloquent memorial poem.

Renuncia by Indran Amirthanayagam from the #Poetry Translation Project

Tags

Indran Amirthanayagam, Poetry Translation Project

A short poem from poet/diplomat Indran Amirthanayagam from his recent work Sol camuflado. I don’t believe this slender volume is available in English anywhere else at this moment. Indran Amirthanayagam is a well published poet who writes poetry in four languages: English, Spanish, Portuguese, and French. This volume was published in Spanish in 2011.

Spanish/English

Renuncia

El maestro de malas palabras
renuncia a su vocabulario. Se dedicara’

desde hoy a cultivar
frutas y verduras en microclimas

llenos de humedad e insectos voladores
con alas gigantes y simios hambrientes

en busca de mangos y pla’tanos y otros
alimentos que no se pueden enumerar

en estos versos, pur el decoro familiar,
que merecen los abuelos y sus modales.

Renunciation

The master of bad language
is renouncing his vocabulary.

He is dedicated starting today
to cultivating fruits and vegetables in microclimates

full of moisture and flying insects
with giant wings, and hungary apes

looking for mangos, and bananas, and other
foods that may not be listed

in these verses, for the sake of grandparents
and their manners and the family decor.

Paseador de perros by Indran Amirthanayagam from the #Poetry Translation Project

Tags

Indran Amirthanayagam, Poetry Translation

A short poem from poet/diplomat Indran Amirthanayagam from his recent work Sol camuflado. I don’t believe this slender volume is available in English anywhere else at this moment. Indran Amirthanayagam is a well published poet who writes poetry in four languages: English, Spanish, Portuguese, and French. This volume was published in Spanish in 2011.

Spanish/English

Paseador de perros

Como el paseador de perros
el poeta anda en la calle
con paso firme
y cara adjsta,
veinticinco libros
no vendidos
atados a su cinta.

from “Camouflaged sun” by Indran Amirthanayagam

Dog walker

Like the dog walker
the poet walks down the street
with a firm step
and a grim face,
with twenty-five unsold books
strapped to his belt.

The Poetry Translation Project, Carmen Puigdollers, Vibrant Spaces

Tags

Carmen Puigdollers, Poetry Translation

Poetry Translation Project.
An Original Poem by Carmen Puigdollers.
From Espacio Vibrante: Poemas
Spanish/English versions.

Book Inscription:
No es inu’til cantar el dolor y la
hermosura de haber nacido
en Ame’rica.
Eduardo Galeano

PROLOGO

A Leonardo en memoria
y a Camille en presencia

Aqui estamos los dos
yo
frente a frente
tu’
con tu vida a cuestas
y en paz

De cara y sola
por el cristal sombrio
buscando en cada signo
tu imagen de inocencia
que clare la verdad

Donde todo naci’o
volvamos a empezar
alli’ descubriremos
el mar – hondo azahar
de espuma – ban^ando nuestro pie

El lujo de una herida
esta’ en nacer
con el dolor de muerte

y a cada paso dar con e’l

Poetry Translation Project.
The Translation into English.
From Vibrant Spaces: Poems

Book Inscription:
It is not useless to sing of the pain
and beauty of being born
in America
Eduardo Galeano

PROLOG

In memory of Leonardo
and in the present for Camille

Here we are the two
I
face to face
you
with your life, your problems,
your peace

Of one face
through the dark glass
looking for each sign
your image of innocence
your image of truth

Where it all was born
we will go to that start
and there discover
the sea – deep orange,
foamy – bathing our feet

The luxury of a wound
was born
with the pain of death

at each step we took
at each step we gave

translated by Phil Gennuso.
comments and suggestions are welcome.

Introduction to The Poetry Translation Project

Tags

Italian Poetry, Poetry Translation Project, Spanish Poetry

This is the beginning of a blog topic that will be dedicated to my translations of poetry from either Spanish or Italian sources, into English. I will try to feature poets of merit that are out of print, and difficult to find in any language, let alone in English translations.

I got the idea for this project when I happened to pick up a book of poetry, Espacio Vibrante, by Carmen Puigdollers, a poet/teacher who was part of the Puerto Rican community in New York for many years. He was born in 1924 in Puerto Rico, and then spent time in New York, teaching at Lehman college in New York City. There is not that much information on the Internet on this poet, and so all I have is the book of poetry, and a few brief notes, to start with.

I was attracted to this slender volume in part because of the cover, in part because of his carefully, and neatly written, signed inscription, and in part because it was published in Manhattan, the publisher being Ediciones Cuatro Islas, Manhattan, 1990. I knew enough Spanish to realize this referred to the four largest islands of Puerto Rico, being Puerto Rico, Mona, Vieques, and Culebra. Given that it was published in Manhattan I surmised this could be a work from the diaspora living in New York City, reflecting that culture. As a New Yorker who has lived in and around the city, I was drawn to this; this was part of our common culture that was hidden and perhaps I could help in discovering it, and bring this poetry to a larger audience.

Since the days I first read Rueben Dario, Pablo Neruda, and Octavio Paz, I have always felt that for my generation, some of the most significant poets of our hemisphere were left out of the American discussion. I studied literature at Iona college and in high school and these major poets were never even mentioned. So this also was a motivation.

I should let the reader know that I am not a Spanish scholar by any stretch of the imagination. I did study Spanish for a number of years, and have a feel for its sound, but no doubt my translations will be fraught with many errors. Hopefully as folks discover these poems, they can add their commentaries and the translations will improve.

Also since my keyboard is limited, I will use the accent mark, ‘ , and the ~ after the affected letters. In Spanish of course these marks would appear directly over the letter accented.

I was considering starting a new community on G+, called Poetry in Translation, and perhaps that is what I will eventually do. But I thought I would start here; I thought this would be an appropriate place to begin this project. After all, beautiful poetry is beautiful poetry from any country or culture; and perhaps, other folks from around the world can also offer translations of poets they consider worthwhile reading and presenting to an English language audience. I know I have had readers from the four corners of the Earth, the US, Italy, Spain, Japan, Ukraine, UK, etc, so there must be folks out there who know great poetry that is worthwhile translating into English, and reaching a wider audience.

In my opinion, translation does not harm the original; it embraces it, and thereby enhances and widens its appeal.

So please feel free to comment and correct, and improve these translations!