Friday, September 27, 2013

Finally photos again!


My sweet old cat asserting her rights to supervise me as I write. So glad to be able to upload photos again.

Wednesday, September 25, 2013

The Translator is a Traitor

http://www.flickr.com/photos/pieplate/5391787797/in/set-72157625915342290

http://www.flickr.com/photos/pieplate/2581308511/in/set-72157625121163140

(Still can't upload photos, so here are links.)

Lately I've been wanting to translate Heine. Not the poems that anyone is interested in, which is to say, that someone might like to publish. Just ones that suggest translating to me, like "Ich rief den Teufel, und er kam". I used to have a knack for finding the convincing equivalent phrase, but I am finding that I have less room to maneuver. Shoot, I used to try to match roots so that the subliminal imagery would carry over.

This is the image that comes to me:  say that a poem is a footbridge across a chasm carved by a river. When you walk out to the center, you can look upstream and downstream and enjoy the views. A translation is another footbridge, set close to the first one. You'll start out and end up close to where the first bridge does. Your views up- and downstream will be similar, but they won't be identical, and one of them will include the other bridge.

Thursday, September 19, 2013

I love science!

I would have loved this even more if Blogger had permitted me to upload some of my many photos of cups of hot chocolate. I'll have to be satisfied with posting some flickr URLs.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/86806049@N00/3726185721/in/photolist-6FgFcp-78MJ2n-88ym4E

http://www.flickr.com/photos/86806049@N00/181901294/in/photolist-h5hVd-PCcGV-5iQMA7-5iQNhG-5iQNNW-5sf75p-6FgFcp-78MJ2n-88ym4E

...and, finally:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/86806049@N00/538938721/in/photolist-PCcGV-5iQMA7-5iQNhG-5iQNNW-5sf75p-6FgFcp-78MJ2n-88ym4E

"Researchers at Harvard have conducted another study endorsing the benefits of chocolate. In a study of people over 65 with impaired blood flow, it was found that drinking two cups of hot chocolate a day for 30 days increased their scores on memory and thinking skills tests." Whatever it takes!

This one isn't hot, but who cares?
http://www.flickr.com/photos/86806049@N00/4026277487/in/photolist-78MJ2n-88ym4E