Quote:
Originally Posted by Julie Steiner
Fortunately, the introduction sneered at the poet for being "culturally ignorant" before I got too swept up in the beauty of the translation and the poignancy of the poem's contrast between tranquility and horror.
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(And my understanding is that there are some people, including some in Southeast Asia, who do worship the Buddha as an actual god.)
Quote:
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(Seriously, thanks for sharing this poet and poem with a wider audience, Alex. I'm glad to have been introduced to both. I would love to see the original, if you're inclined to post it.)
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You're most welcome. Here's the original poem in its original orthography as published in
Li Gabian
Lou Bouddha
Juli Bouissiero
Brulavon un oustau nòsti soudard vincèire;
Lou mèstre emé si fiéu peralin fugissié
Souto la fusihado; e sus l’autar di rèire,
Liuen d’apara l’oustau, l’autar e li vièi crèire,
Is ome aloubati lou Bouddha sourrisié.
Quant d’ouro an debana desempèi! Mounte es aro
L’oustau? Mount es lou diéu poupu de quau la caro
Sourrisènto retrais lou sort indiferènt?
E souto lou cèu mut, quand l’ome prègo e crido,
Revese dóu Bouddha li gauto acoulourido,
E sa fàci de luno, e si vistoun seren.
Here's my transposition of it into the modern "nòrma classica" which is much less phonemic and more historical, but has gained appeal because of its cross-dialect intelligibility.
Lo Boddha
Juli Boïssièra
Brulavan un ostau, nòstei soudards vincèires;
— Lo mèstre ambé sei fius peralin fugissiá
Sota la fusilhada; e sus l'autar dei rèires,
Luènh d'aparar l'ostau, l'autar e lei vièlhs crèires,
Ais òme' alobatits lo Boddha sorrisiá
Quant d'ora' an debanat desempèi! Monte es ara
L'ostau? Monte es lo Dièu poput de quau la cara
Sorrisenta retrais lo Sòrt indifferent?
— E sota lo cèu mut, quand l'òme prèga e crida,
Revese dau Boddha lei gauta' acolorida'
E sa fàcia de luna, e sei vistóns serens.
And here's
a recording of me reading the text in Provençal on my soundcloud
Boissière's own speech (not least because he was a native speaker of Lengadocian rather than Provençal) would almost certainly have had a coronal rather than uvular /r/, but the uvular realization is now ubiquitous in Provençal, including the Rhodanian dialect which formed the basis for the literary standard of the Felibrige.
(I've also posted all of this, alongside the translation, on my blog.)