"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.
|
6
favs |
1340 views
6 comments |
52 words
All rights reserved. |
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.)
Other stories by strannikov
Tags
This story has no tags.
Comments
You must
log in
to post comments.
I like it. Latin has a certian seriousness, translated.
*
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.
*
Nicely done.