...I found this. I had forgotten I did this conversation at the Aldeburgh Poetry Festival. It's a podcast under Backchat.
Life whirls round. Translating three Fado poems. Finished a draft of one of them. Gorgeous stuff Fado. Here is a little to keep going with till tomorrow.
It is in fact one of the three I have been given to translate, the one with the ready first draft. Something like this:
Fado da Tristeza
No false joy now, sing what is due
To pain, since pain oppresses you
Make the sharp teeth of loss your song
So give it vent and let it go - *changed line
True smiles are learned by those who know - *changed line
The taste of truth upon the tongue.
To sing of joy you don’t possess
Says nothing though in fancy dress
The very truth is made of lies
That murder truth with each false claim
To joys that don’t deserve the name
So with pretence the true joy dies.
Don’t sing to order, joys won’t serve
False comforters who don’t deserve
A cure for death that isn’t real.
Let your whole body sing the truth
Of which your being is the proof
Give what you are, sing what you feel.
First draft, as I say. The idea is all there.
4 comments:
a don't like it !
Let your whole body sing the truth
Of which your being is the proof
fink yer great dunt yer, ay, ay.
I am not lying George, this line walloped right in and i am guessing if you make every one sing as sharp as this, i will have to put my head in the oven to get over it.
Gorgeous stuff indeed. Ah, the joy of melancholy. Will we see the final draft of your translation? Just out of interest, the first is excellent as far as I can see.
That is wonderful, George. Having been there, it takes little imagination from me to be in Lisboa, sitting on the battlements of the Castello do St. George, watching the sun set over the Tagus whilst listening to that beautiful music and melancholy voice.
Here's a treat for you but, obviously, the cat doesn't appreciate fado :)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yejaUUBqtr0
It's good to be a romantic.
That's great. Billy. So nice to have it in a house.
Thank you.
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