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Showing posts from August, 2006

Get out of that Cocoon

In all appearances, of course, I am a man full-grown. Then again, as they say appearances are deceptive. For in me there are at the same time: a child, a grown up and even an old man. The old man makes me think. Made old by the burden of experience and knowledge. (All still within the classroom yet). The grown up makes me ...um he makes me survive. Compete, contest, strive, to use a cliche: run in the rat race. But it is the child I like the most. He is the one that makes me want to live. Really live. To enjoy the rain, the flowers, the smell of wet earth. To watch and wonder at the industrious ants, the caterpillar, the rat even. He goes around tying rakhis for raksha bandhan. He'll send you an eclair (or better, a rose) in that first burst of youthful love. He's the one that will be optimistic about giving his heart and getting another in exchange. He is the one inside me, that really does all the living. The old man's cynicism, the grown up's ...er...grownupism - all

Transcreating a Spanish hymn

Transcreating a piece from one language to another is not very easy, but it is a better thing to do than merely translate. The translator is but a linguist, loyal more to the medium than the message. It is the transcreator who adopts the spirit of the message, and moulds the new language of expression around it. Here's a Spanish hymn, and my attempt at a transcreation here:- No soy un visionario, No soy revolucionario. Pero soy un hombre simple, que espera un mejor mañana. Soño esperanza y canto este himno. Creo que el sol brillará y las tinieblas saldrán. Creo en rosas rojas y amor y de la paz. Soño esperanza y canto este himno. Creo que los humanos todos los seres humanos serán libres un día; libres, e iguales. Soño esperanza y canto este himno. I am not some big-hat thinker nor some eternal rebel. I'm just your regular guy wanting a better day tomorrow. I believe there'll be light again and the clouds will disperse. There will be red roses and love and all the happy thin