Turkish Poetry and Literature |
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ANAYASASI INSANIN -CAN YÜCEL
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| 1. |
03 Mar 2008 Mon 06:33 pm |
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ANAYASASI INSANIN -CAN YÃœCEL
Kan yasasi bu insanin:
Üzümden sarap yapacaksin
Çakmak tasindan ates
Ve öpücüklerden insan!
Can yasasi bu insanin:
Savaslara yoksulluklara
Ve binbir belaya karsin
Ille de yasayacaksin!
Us yasasi bu insanin:
Suyu savka döndürüp
Düsü gerçege çevirip
Düsmani dost kilacaksin!
Anayasasi bu insanin
Emekleyen çocuktan
Uzayda kosana dek
Yürürlükte her zaman
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CONSTITUTION OF MEN (for Paul Eluard)
This is the law of blood:
You will make wine from grapes
Fire from flint stones.
And a human from kisses
This is the law of life:
You will survive
Against the wars, even with the poverty
And despite the all calamities
This is law of mind:
You will make light from water
Reality from dreams
Friends from enemies
This is the constitution of men:
From caves to
Walking in the space
In force all the time
My try
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| 2. |
19 Mar 2008 Wed 07:30 am |
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wow, that's a very powerful poem!  thanks for posting and translating..that's good for a beginner Turkish learner like me.
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| 3. |
20 Mar 2008 Thu 12:58 pm |
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Great tries both of you. Vineyards seems more poetic, Handsom more literal. Here's what I found, translated by an English speaker:
This is man's law of the blood:
to make wine from the grape
to strike fire from the stone
and human beings from kisses
This is man's law of the soul:
no matter what happens to live
in the face of poverty and wars
and a thousand and one calamities!
This is man's law of reason:
to convert water to light
to render the dream true
to make the enemy a friend!
This is man's principal law
from the child on all fours
to the runner in space
to be always on course!
Translated by Ruth Christie
http://semihcelenk.blogcu.com/2030484/
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| 4. |
20 Mar 2008 Thu 01:10 pm |
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Quoting Daydreamer: Vineyards seems more poetic, Handsom more literal. |
hmmmmmm... 
I guess, it is part of the reason why I am still waiting for the invitation in my msn..eh?
hahaha
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| 5. |
20 Mar 2008 Thu 01:22 pm |
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Quoting thehandsom: Quoting Daydreamer: Vineyards seems more poetic, Handsom more literal. |
hmmmmmm...
I guess, it is part of the reason why I am still waiting for the invitation in my msn..eh?
hahaha |
ahmm...yes... 
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| 6. |
20 Mar 2008 Thu 01:41 pm |
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Quoting Daydreamer: Great tries both of you. Vineyards seems more poetic, Handsom more literal. Here's what I found, translated by an English speaker:
This is man's law of the blood:
to make wine from the grape
to strike fire from the stone
and human beings from kisses
This is man's law of the soul:
no matter what happens to live
in the face of poverty and wars
and a thousand and one calamities!
This is man's law of reason:
to convert water to light
to render the dream true
to make the enemy a friend!
This is man's principal law
from the child on all fours
to the runner in space
to be always on course!
Translated by Ruth Christie
http://semihcelenk.blogcu.com/2030484/ |
Oh you beat me to it Daydreameer! I found this translation too and was about to post it! Actually I prefer handsom's - and I think it is closer to the native English-speaker's translation too.
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| 7. |
20 Mar 2008 Thu 11:53 pm |
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Quoting lady in red:
Oh you beat me to it Daydreameer! I found this translation too and was about to post it! Actually I prefer handsom's - and I think it is closer to the native English-speaker's translation too. |
Actually I don't understand why the "native English-speaker" should be the point of reference...
But anyway, I find it extremely interesting to compare the translations and to discover a different shade in every one. Thank you all!
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| 8. |
21 Mar 2008 Fri 12:04 am |
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Quoting aiça: Quoting lady in red:
Oh you beat me to it Daydreameer! I found this translation too and was about to post it! Actually I prefer handsom's - and I think it is closer to the native English-speaker's translation too. |
Actually I don't understand why the 'native English-speaker' should be the point of reference...
But anyway, I find it extremely interesting to compare the translations and to discover a different shade in every one. Thank you all! |
All I meant by that was that a native speaker will use correct grammar and appropriate words when translating into English whereas quite often something translated from one language to another by an 'amateur' doesn't actually make much sense in translation - and this is especially true of poems. So I just meant that handsom's translation was a bit closer to the English I would speak. From the professional translator's version, you would never know that the poem was written in any language other than English - but then that's her job!
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| 9. |
21 Mar 2008 Fri 12:13 am |
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Quoting lady in red:
All I meant by that was that a native speaker will use correct grammar and appropriate words when translating into English whereas quite often something translated from one language to another by an 'amateur' doesn't actually make much sense in translation - and this is especially true of poems. So I just meant that handsom's translation was a bit closer to the English I would speak. From the professional translator's version, you would never know that the poem was written in any language other than English - but then that's her job! |
I know... But the question for me is if the best translation is really the one which doesn't show any trace of where the poem comes from? In any case translating a poem is creating something new, but shouldn't it also let speak the original flow and rhythm? It shouldn't be wrong and clumsy language, of course. But let the original breath through maybe?
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| 10. |
21 Mar 2008 Fri 06:59 am |
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aferin sana!
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