tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5669153280887787863.post2518926542249212271..comments2024-03-25T09:05:03.448-07:00Comments on Misfortunes of Imaginary Beings: Poem of the Day: Paul VerlaineUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5669153280887787863.post-87976278117916272382011-12-22T15:48:00.764-08:002011-12-22T15:48:00.764-08:00Good question. I take "cooled by the autumn s...Good question. I take "cooled by the autumn sky" to be an adjectival phrase, and not the complement of "it's." Verlaine, I think, intends three parallel complements: It is "beautiful eyes," "broad daylight," and "the blue jumble etc." I set off the phrase "cooled by an autumn sky" with commas to emphasize its adjectival role as a modifier of "jumble (of bright stars)." But Verlaine sometimes defies grammar, and the commas may be unnecessary. <br /><br />C'est de beaux yeux derrière des voiles, <br />It's beautiful eyes behind veils;<br />C'est le grand jour tremblant de midi,<br />it's broad daylight trembling at noon;<br />C'est par un ciel d'automne attiédi, <br />it's, cooled by an autumn sky,<br />Le bleu fouillis des claires étoiles!<br />the blue jumble of bright stars!Charles Matthewshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10975368525486961216noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5669153280887787863.post-11435030100720925372011-12-22T10:44:51.296-08:002011-12-22T10:44:51.296-08:00"it's, cooled by an autumn sky"
I a..."it's, cooled by an autumn sky"<br /><br />I am enjoying this poem and your translation very much--can you comment on the comma you put in the line above? I'm not sure you intended it?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5669153280887787863.post-21399217936533829822010-06-10T13:21:40.249-07:002010-06-10T13:21:40.249-07:00To answer the question first: Because I was commen...To answer the question first: Because I was commenting on the difficult of translation, from whatever language, to which the Italian adage refers. So I think you missed the point. The etymology of the Italian is irrelevant. For further comment on the subject, and the phrase, go to the Wikipedia article "untranslatability" or this entry on the translators' blog Trusted Translations: http://translation-blog.trustedtranslations.com/traduttore-traditore-2008-09-03.html . <br />Thanks for commenting.Charles Matthewshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10975368525486961216noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5669153280887787863.post-70445009052053630272010-06-10T06:30:25.496-07:002010-06-10T06:30:25.496-07:00Brother, are you ever wrong about Traduttore and t...Brother, are you ever wrong about Traduttore and traditore. The first comes from a back-formation of transferre (trans+latum)which means to transfer or convey; the second comes from tradere meaning to hand over. And why at the end of a French poem are you bringing in Italian nouns?Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03252457737090312543noreply@blogger.com