'Come' is a really passionate love poem that perfectly illustrates how the love-act can transcend this world and become what it most truly is - a spiritual thing. Beautiful poem! Beautiful translation!
Come!
by Gulzar
loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch
Come, let us construct night
over the monumental edifice of silence.
Come, let us clothe ourselves in the winding sheets of darkness,
where we'll ignite our bodies' incandescent wax.
As the midnight dew dances its delicate ballet,
let us not disclose the slightest whispers of our breath!
Readers can always consult other translators, so I don't think my translations do any harm, and I call them "interpretations" to make it clear that they're not word-for-word translations.
'Come' is a really passionate love poem that perfectly illustrates how the love-act can transcend this world and become what it most truly is - a spiritual thing. Beautiful poem! Beautiful translation!
Come!
by Gulzar
loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch
Come, let us construct night
over the monumental edifice of silence.
Come, let us clothe ourselves in the winding sheets of darkness,
where we'll ignite our bodies' incandescent wax.
As the midnight dew dances its delicate ballet,
let us not disclose the slightest whispers of our breath!
Lost in night's mists,
let us lie immersed in love's fragrance,
absorbing our bodies' musky aromas!
Let us rise like rustling spirits ...
I'm glad you liked my translation of "Come" and I hope my translations introduce more English readers to Gulzar.
I hope so, too. He’s really good.
I agree.
I'm glad I discovered Gulzar in my readings of Urdu love poetry.
There’s just no chance I would have run across most of these poems and poets if not for you. Thanks
That's my goal: to introduce more readers to poets they may not have read otherwise.
If they think I'm not a bad translator, that's a plus.
No man, you’ve got the touch.
I'm glad you think so.
Readers can always consult other translators, so I don't think my translations do any harm, and I call them "interpretations" to make it clear that they're not word-for-word translations.
It does beg the question of how you translate. No one speaks that many languages but the question centers more about discerning the feel of a poem.
For me it's the results that matter. Why translate poetry into prose, as most translators do?
If anyone doesn't like my method, there's no gun to their head and they can read other translations.