சுப்ரமணிய பாரதி, 'வேடிக்கை மனிதர்'

[noldo]

A fairly free translation of Subramanya Bharati:


தேடி சோறு தினம் தின்று
பல சின்னஞ்சிறு கதைகள் பேசி
வாடி துன்பம் மிக உழன்று
பிறர் வாட பல செய்கை செய்து
நரை கூடி கிழப்பருவம் எய்தி
கொடும் கூற்றுக்கிறையாகி மாயும்
சில வேடிக்கை மனிதரை போலவே
நானும் வீழ்வேன் என்று நினைத்தாயோ?

tēḍi cōṟu diṉam tiṉdṟu
pala ciṉṉañciṟu kadaigaḷ pēci
vāḍi tuṉbam miga uḻaṉṟu
piṟar vāḍa pala ceygai ceytu
narai kūḍi kiḻapparuvam eydi
kodum kūtṟṟukkiṟayāgi māyum
cila vēḍikkai maṉidarai pōlavē
nāṉum vīḻvēṉ eṉṟu niṉaittāyō?

Did you think I, too, would simply follow suit:
give up, and be struck down like these fools,
these laughable people who spend their days
in small things: meals, dejection, insignificant stories;
who while vilifying and being vilified
watch their hair greying, quickly?

On wanting the internet in Gaelic and being daunted by the thought of translating it myself

[glinda]

A couple of weeks ago I wrote a piece on being a non-native minority speaker online which I thought might be of interest to other people learning other minority languages. (Also I keep hoping if I post/comment about Gaelic in enough places I'll eventually find more people who speak the language).

Otherwise, have a poem by Rody Gorman (an Irishman writing in Scots Gaelic) with English translation by the author that speaks of the problems and difficulties of translation.

Lorg Eile

Air ais cuide ri càch anns a' chlachan,
Chadh mi gan lorg anns a h-uile bad
Mar gum b'ann air falach-fead.

Chuir mi ceist air an fheadhainn
A bh' ann o chionn fhada. 'S e thuirt iad:
Ghabh iad an t'sligh' ud!

Another ThighCrutchWomanOffspringTraceConsequence

back with the rest in the goggle-eyestonechurchyardtesticlevillage, I went
to tracelook for them in every flockbushspot like a whistlehidenseek.

i asked them that were there in it a longtimeback and they said they
singburnholdwent that journeyway!