I typically translate Japanese to English and not the other way around, but I've started to keep a Japanese blog over at mixi to practice my casual Japanese. After writing a paper on William Carlos Williams' cubist poetry, I felt compelled to share his poem with the Japanese who read my mixi. Unfortunately, being that there are no translations at all of Williams' poems (how could the Japanese overlook such a fantastic poet?!), I decided to translate his poetry myself!
Be warned--this is my first English to Japanese poem translation. If you can offer any suggestions to better the translation, please let me know. I'm really trying to retain both the rhythm and reading of the original poem--but I'm not entirely sure if I've succeeded.
To a Poor Old Woman
munching a plum on
the street a paper bag
of them in her hand
They taste good to her
They taste good
to her. They taste
good to her
You can see it by
the way she gives herself
to the one half
sucked out in her hand
Comforted
a solace of ripe plums
seeming to fill the air
They taste good to her
かわいそうな老婆へ
道で梅を
ぼりぼり食べる 手に
梅の紙袋である
彼女には美味しい
彼女には
美味しい。彼女に
は美味しい
手の中で吸い尽くされる
その梅の半分に
集中する事
で見える
慰める
いあんの成熟の梅を
空中へいっぱいするに見える
彼女には美味しい
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許可なく写しますことをご遠慮下さい。
