"Hadrian's Farewell" as Tanka and Haiku
by strannikov
animula vagula blandula
hospes comesque corporis
quae nunc abibis in loca
pallidula, rigida, nudula,
nec ut soles dabis iocos . . .
little wand'ring soul,
dear guest and friend of my earth:
leave now for those parts
colorless, brittle, and stark,
without your usual mirth.
little rambling soul,
kind guest, friend: leave me laughing,
pallid stiff, and bare.
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Author's Note
I remain no translator, but I still examine forms and play with compression.
(Only some twenty months later, at the end of 2017, did I discover [recall?] the tradition of the Japanese "jisei", which does occur in both tanka and haiku forms.)
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I like it. Latin has a certian seriousness, translated.
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This poetic side is a great bent for your writer's voice. I like the poem. The approach is very Anne Carson. *
I like this translation very much.
I've being reading a lot of translations lately--different translations of the same poet are an interesting experience. It makes you realize how much of the translation--especially in poetry--is the voice of the translator. It's like laying a piece of colored tissue paper over a painting--the original work is still there, but seen through a veil.
I've been reading translations of Catullus.
Strannikov is definitely a better poet than he is a prose writer.
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Nicely done.