Every May, ever since I first heard it, this possibly 13th century anonymous ballad comes to my mind. Today, I wondered what it might look like in English. Here is one possibility.
Desde que lo escuché por primera vez, no hay mes de mayo en el que no recuerde este romance anónimo, creo que del siglo XIII. Hoy me pregunté que aspecto podría tener en inglés. He aquí una posibilidad.
In May, it was in May,
When the weather is warm,
When the wheat shoots skywards
And in fields flowers swarm,
When the lark cares to sing
And the nightingale replies,
When lovers serve love
With caresses and sighs,
Save I, sad and troubled,
Who in this prison lie,
Ignoring when day lights
And when night cloaks the sky
Were it not for a little bird
Who sang for me at dawn...
An archer slew my gentle friend,
God crush his heart of stone!
Que por mayo, era por mayo,
cuando hace la calor,
cuando los trigos encañan
y están los campos en flor,
cuando canta la calandria
y responde el ruiseñor,
cuando los enamorados
van a servir al amor,
sino yo, triste, cuitado,
que vivo en esta prisión,
que ni sé cuándo es de día
ni cuándo las noches son,
sino por una avecilla
que me cantaba al albor...
Matómela un ballestero;
¡déle Dios mal galardón!
Image of the lark, found on Images from Internet.
La imagen de la calandria es de Imágenes de Internet.
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Thanks, I think it is a good translation. What does mean "When the wheat shoots skywards"? Many thanks
ReplyDeleteWhen the wheat shoots skywards means that the wheat is growing taller and taller because it is the month of May and that is when poppies and wheat grow. Thank you for reading the poem and for your comment. I´m sorry I haven't answered earlier.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful translation Michael. The fourth verse ("And in fields flowers swarm") actually improves the original, giving emphasis to the semantic tone of "change-movement" expressed the first half of the ballad. In verse 11 "not knowing" would work better than "ignoring": "ignore" has an intentional sense, while the point of the poem the expression of powerlessness by the poetic voice.
ReplyDeleteI would avoid translating "ballestero" as "archer": the negative ethical presentation of crossbowmen is a common medieval trope. Maybe "a poacher took it from me" would convey the meaning of the original -- a probable underlying allegory is that a love rival (ballestero) took the object of the prisoner's affection (avecilla): the prison is the despair of lost love.
Excuse me for taking so long to answer. Thank you for your kind words and very adequate suggestions. I always translate in a rush to meet schedules, leaving something to be desired most times. Your idea of a lost love is beautiful. Most people guess that the poet's voice is that of a blind man.
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