Monthly Archives: December 2007

Lewis Carroll–I’ll Tell Thee Everything I Can

Posted on December 20, 2007 by

Very few people would need an introduction to Lewis Carroll and his absurd sense of humor–but just try to translate it! I have to admit though that this project was a lot of fun, and I had to invent about … Continue reading →

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Me, in translation: Fragment with swallowed moon

Posted on December 16, 2007 by

I’ve been working on an epic poem for a while, in English, of course; it goes by leaps and bounds. I kinda like it (I think it’s sort of funny)–but I’m totally aware that it’s completely derivative of my beloved … Continue reading →

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Nichita Stanescu–In memoriam

Posted on December 13, 2007 by

On this day 24 years ago, Nichita Stanescu died. December 13th, 1983. He was just 50 years old. Nichita taught me what poetry is. I discovered him when I was 12 or so, thanks to an exceptional teacher, to whom … Continue reading →

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Mihai Eminescu–My faith is not in Jehova

Posted on December 12, 2007 by

Mihai Eminescu does not need any introduction for Romanians, and by rights, it shouldn’t need any introduction for non-Romanians, either. I’ve hesitated to translate anything by him because, well, Corneliu M. Popescu has done a pretty good job of it … Continue reading →

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Translation or Re-writing: where do you draw the line?

Posted on December 11, 2007 by

I’ve recently joined ProZ, a wonderful translators’ web community, where I started to participate in some discussions and answer various translation questions (there is a forum where you can accumulate points for answering such questions, in hopes that a potential … Continue reading →

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Mircea Cartarescu–Levantul (3)

Posted on December 10, 2007 by

A third installment of The Levant (first here, second here). To recap: so far, the young Manoli, traveling on a fast boat in the Levantine archipelago to go meet with his sister and 30 soldiers, is deeply distressed about the … Continue reading →

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Miron Radu Paraschivescu–Zapezi

Posted on December 5, 2007 by

It’s been snowing all day here in Philly, and as is the case with urban snow, the results are, at least during the day, less than spectacular. Trucks of iron and exhaust turn the snow instantaneously into unattractive mush. The … Continue reading →

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Dorothy Parker–One Perfect Rose

Posted on December 4, 2007 by

Dorothy Parker is not nearly as famous in Romania as she is in the US, and that’s, frankly, a shame. Here’s one of her most famous poems in my inaccurate rendition. I wanted to preserve the abab rhyme all over … Continue reading →

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Alexandru Andries–The Fog

Posted on December 2, 2007 by

Here’s the video for Ceaţa (The Fog), this bitter-sweet song, with a Citizen-Kane vibe to it. Simply beautiful. I would comment more on my translation but I’m so tired today… Ceaţa de Alexandru Andrieş De departe bărbat, de aproape copil, … Continue reading →

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