[Mark Allinson]

I have been playing around with new possibilities of translation. Here is the result.

Perhaps others might like to try their phonetic versions of well-known poems as read by accent or dialect.


"I WANDERED LONELY AS A CLOUD"

by William Wordsworth

[Translated for the German reader of English Poetry]


I vonded lownly az a clout
dat vloats on high o'er vales und hills,
Vhen all at vonce I zaw a kraut,
Ein host, of gelten taffotils;
Besite der lake, beneat der treece,
vluttering und tanzing in der breece.

Continuous az der schtars dat zhine
Und tvinkle on der milky vay,
Dey schtretched in neber-ending line
Alonk der marchin ov a bay:
den dowsand zaw I at a glanz,
dossing dere heads in schpritely tanz.

Der vaves besite dem tanzed; but dey
Out-did ze schparkling vaves in glay:
Ein poet coot nicht be butt gay,
In zuch a schocund company:
Ich gazed -- und gazed -- but little taut
Vat vealth der zhow to me hat braut:

For oft, ven on mein gowch I lie
In vacant or in benzife moot,
Dey flesh upon dat invard eye
Vich ist der pliss of zolitute;
Und zen mein hertz mit pleazure vills,
Und tanzes mit der taffotils.

[Tim Murphy]

Just take me out and shoot me. Hebephrenia is a hard way to die.

[grasshopper]

Ve hav vays of making you gringe, Englander....

[peter richards]

Very interesting... Mein Kampf it is not...

...all at vonce I zaw a kraut,

They're all over the place these days - it's the European union and things.

[Mark Allinson]

My "translation" was inspired by this poem, from A Choice of Comic and Curious Verse (Ed. J.M.Cohen, Penguin, p 267).

Ballad

By Hans Breitmann

Der noble Ritter Hugo
Von Schwillensaufenstein,
Rode out mit shpeer and helmet,
Und he coom to de panks of de Rhine.

Und oop der rose a meermaid,
Vot hadn't got nodings on,
Under she say, "Oh, Ritter Hugo,
Vhere you goes mit yourself alone?"

And he says, "I ride in de creenwood,
Mit helmet und mit shpeer,
Till I cooms into em Gasthaus,
Under dere I trinks some beer."

Und den outshpoke de maiden
Vot hadn't got nodings on:
"I don't dink mooch of beoplesh
Dat goes mit demselfs alone.

"You'd better coom down in de wasser,
Vhere dere's heaps of dings to see,
Und hafe a shplendid tinner
Und dafel along mit me.

"Dere you sees de fisch a schwimmen',
Under you catches dem efery von": -
So sang dis wasser maiden
Vot hadn't got nodings on.

"Dere ish drunks all full mit money
In ships dat vent down of old;
Und you helpsh yourself, by dunder!
To shimmerin' crowns of gold.

"Shoost look at dese shpoons und vatches!
Shoost see dese diamant rings!
Coom down and fill your bockets,
Und I;ll giss you like efery dings.

"Vot you vantsh mit your schnapps und lager?
Coom doown into the Rhine!
Der ish pottles der Kaiser Charlemagne
Vonce filled mit gold-red wine!"

Dat fetched him - he stood all sphell pound;
She pooled his coat-tails down,
She drawed him oonder der wasser,
De maiden mit nodings on.

- C.G. Leland



[This message has been edited by Mark Allinson (edited February 13, 2005).]

[Janet Kenny]

Mark,
I've got that book too
I must admit the joke has palled for me by now. What I look forward to is a "translation" of Dante in an Oxbridge accent. I have heard Italians imitating Oliver Hardy asking to have the salt passed.

Meanwhile we have Ursus Pooh.

Nehl mehtso dehl cahmmeen dee noastrah veetah
mee reetroaveh pair ooonah sehlvah oescoorah


Nah, I can only do it vocally.
Janet

[This message has been edited by Janet Kenny (edited February 13, 2005).]

[Tim Murphy]

And Ursus Pooh is one of the great books on my narrow shelves.

[Janet Kenny]

Tim
I want one. I've only read it in other houses.

I do have a collection of Italian translations of Lewis Carroll and they stray into the astral sphere occasionally.

Janet