Рождество Христово – Ио́сиф Алекса́ндрович Бро́дский
Posted: January 6, 2012 Filed under: English, Joseph Brodsky, Russian | Tags: Christmas poems Comments Off on Рождество Христово – Ио́сиф Алекса́ндрович Бро́дский_____
Ио́сиф Алекса́ндрович Бро́дский
Рождество 1963: 1
Спаситель родился
в лютую стужу.
В пустыне пылали пастушьи костры.
Буран бушевал и выматывал душу
из бедных царей, доставлявших дары.
Верблюды вздымали лохматые ноги.
Выл ветер.
Звезда, пламенея в ночи,
смотрела, как трех караванов дороги
сходились в пещеру Христа, как лучи.
_____
Christmas 1963: 1
The saviour was born
into fierce, brutish cold.
Shepherds’ small campfires blazed in the wasteland.
A blizzard seethed and battered the souls
of the humble kings who bore gifts for the infant.
The camels lifted their shaggy legs in sequence.
The wind howled.
The star, aflame in the night,
looked on as the paths of the three processions
converged on Christ’s cave like beams of light.
_____
Рождество 1963: 2
Волхвы пришли. Младенец крепко спал.
Звезда светила ярко с небосвода.
Холодный ветер снег в сугроб сгребал.
Шуршал песок. Костер трещал у входа.
Дым шел свечой. Огонь вился крючком.
И тени становились то короче,
то вдруг длинней. Никто не знал кругом,
что жизни счет начнется с этой ночи.
Волхвы пришли. Младенец крепко спал.
Крутые своды ясли окружали.
Кружился снег. Клубился белый пар.
Лежал младенец, и дары лежали.
_____
Christmas 1963: 2
The magi had come. The infant soundly slept.
The star shone brightly from the vaulted sky.
A cold wind swept the snow up into drifts.
The sand rustled. A bonfire crackled nearby.
Smoke plumed skyward. Flames hooked and writhed.
The shadows cast by the fire grew now shorter,
now suddenly longer. No one there yet realized
that on that very night life’s count had started.
The magi had come. The infant soundly slept.
Steep arches loomed above the manger.
Snow swirled about. White steam rose in wisps.
With gifts piled near him, the child slept like an angel.
_____
Joseph Brodsky / Ио́сиф Алекса́ндрович Бро́дский
(1940-1996) was born of Jewish parents
in Leningrad. He began to write poetry in his mid-teens
and taught himself English so that he could translate John
Donne into Russian. In 1960 he met the 70-year-old
Anna Akhmatova, who had written the great epic poem
“Requiem” about Stalin’s Terror in the 1930s.
Her encouragement brought out in the young Brodsky
a flow of ideas and creativity – such that by 1963 he was
being denounced as a social parasite and anti-Soviet.
Arrested, put on trial, he spent 18 months at a labour camp
in the Arctic.
He kept on with his poetry after his release but
harassment became routine. In 1972, after persecution by
authorities who sought to have him declared schizophrenic and,
therefore, “useless to society”, he was put on a plane out of the
USSR and, with the help of foreign poets who valued his work,
he settled in the USA.
The Nativity – and the many themes of Life it touches upon –
was a constant topic in Brodsky’s poetry. He wrote
one or more Nativity poems per year between 1961 and
1995.
_____
We are grateful to Jamie Olson
for his translation from the Russian.
Visit his site: http://www.theflaxenwave.com
Día De Los Reyes: canta Mercedes Sosa…de Melchor, Gaspar y Baltasar
Posted: January 6, 2012 Filed under: English, Spanish, ZP Translator: Alexander Best | Tags: Christmas carols and songs, Mercedes Sosa Comments Off on Día De Los Reyes: canta Mercedes Sosa…de Melchor, Gaspar y Baltasar
Canción por
Mercedes Sosa:
Los Reyes Magos
Llegaron ya, los reyes y eran tres
Melchor, Gaspar y el negro Baltasar.
Arrope y miel
Le llevaron
Y un poncho blanco de alpaca real.
Changos y chinitas duérmanse
Que ya Melchor, Gaspar y Baltasar
Todos los regalos dejaron
Para jugar mañana al despertar.
El Niño Dios muy bien lo agradeció
Comió la miel y el poncho le abrigó.
Y fue después
Que sonrió,
Y a medianoche el sol relumbró.
_____
A Song by
Mercedes Sosa:
The Three Wise Men (Adoration of the Magi)
They arrived already, those Kings, and three there were:
Melchior, Caspar, and black Balthazar.
Grape syrup and honey they took to Him
And a poncho of royal alpaca wool.
Monkeys, ladybugs – go to sleep !
All the gifts and toys are already there,
from Melchior, Caspar and Balthazar,
for Him in the morning – when he lets out a “peep”.
The Child God was truly grateful for
the poncho that wrapped him up warmly
– oh, and the honey He ate !
And it was after that
He smiled.
And at midnight the
Sun shone bright !
_____
Translation / interpretation from Spanish into English: Alexander Best
Auld Lang Syne: Tonight at Midnight
Posted: December 31, 2011 Filed under: English, English: Scots, Robert Burns Comments Off on Auld Lang Syne: Tonight at Midnight_____
Auld Lang Syne
Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
And never brought to mind?
Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
And auld lang syne!
For auld lang syne, my jo,
For auld lang syne.
We’ll tak a cup o’ kindness yet,
For auld lang syne.
And surely ye’ll be your pint stowp!
And surely I’ll be mine!
And we’ll tak a cup o’ kindness yet,
For auld lang syne.
For auld lang syne, my jo,
For auld lang syne.
We’ll tak a cup o’ kindness yet,
For auld lang syne.
We twa hae run about the braes,
And pou’d the gowans fine;
But we’ve wander’d mony a weary fit,
Sin’ auld lang syne.
For auld lang syne, my jo,
For auld lang syne.
We’ll tak a cup o’ kindness yet,
For auld lang syne.
We twa hae paidl’d in the burn,
Frae morning sun till dine;
But seas between us braid hae roar’d
Sin’ auld lang syne.
For auld lang syne, my jo,
For auld lang syne.
We’ll tak a cup o’ kindness yet,
For auld lang syne.
And there’s a hand, my trusty fere!
And gie’s a hand o’ thine!
And we’ll tak a right gude-willie waught,
For auld lang syne.
For auld lang syne, my jo,
For auld lang syne.
We’ll tak a cup o’ kindness yet,
For Auld Lang Syne.
_____
“Old Long Past” (For the Sake of Times Gone By)
And for old long past, my joy*,
For old long past,
We’ll take a cup of kindness yet,
For the sake of times gone by.
CHORUS: Should old acquaintance be forgot,
And never brought to mind?
Should old acquaintance be forgot,
And days of old long past.
And surely you’ll pay for your 3-pint-vessel!
And surely I’ll pay for mine!
And we’ll take a cup of kindness yet,
For the sake of times gone by.
CHORUS
We two have run about the hillsides
And pulled wild daisies fine;
But we’ve wandered many a weary foot
Since old long past.
CHORUS
We two have paddled in the stream,
From morning sun till noon;
But seas between us broad have roared
Since old long past.
CHORUS
And here’s a hand, my trusty friend!
And give me a hand of yours!
And we’ll take a right good-will drink,
For the sake of times gone by.
CHORUS: Should old acquaintance be forgot,
And never brought to mind?
Should old acquaintance be forgot,
And days of Old Long Past.
*joy — “joy” means sweetheart, but “dear” or “friend”
may also be sung
_____
Robert Burns (1759-1796) wrote his poem “Auld Lang Syne”
in 1788. It is in Scots’ dialect which is not, strictly speaking,
a hybrid of Gaelic and English, since it is derived also from
other linguistic strains.
A variant is spoken in Northern Ireland, where it is known as
Ulster Scots.
“Auld Lang Syne” has become a New Year’s Eve favourite,
the words sung to a traditional folk melody at the stroke
of midnight and into the first minutes of January 1st.
_____
Dobrý král Václav & Svatý Štěpán
Posted: December 26, 2011 Filed under: Czech | Tags: Christmas carols and songs Comments Off on Dobrý král Václav & Svatý Štěpán_____
Dobrý král Václav
Na Štěpána dobrý král
Václav z okna hledí,
všude kam se podívá,
závěje a ledy.
Svítil měsíc a byl mráz,
pálil jako divý,
a vtom spatří chudáka,
jak tam sbírá dříví.
“Hola, páže,” pravil král,
“podívej se honem.
Odkud je ten sedláček,
víš-li něco o něm?”
“Pane můj, ten sedláček
bydlí támhle kdesi
u studánky v chalupě
pod samými lesy.”
Přines maso, přines chléb
a pár polen k tomu,
zanesem to ještě dnes
sedláčkovi domů.”
A tak šli, král s pážetem,
a tak vyrazili,
i když venku vítr dul
a vyl ze vší síly.
“Pane můj, je hrozná tma
a je hrozná zima.
Sotva jdu, už nemůžu,
strach mě z toho jímá.”
“Vkládej nohy do mých stop
a pojď dál, můj hochu!
Za chvíli ti nebude
zima ani trochu.”
Vkládal nohy krok co krok
do stop po svém králi,
a kam vkročil svatý král,
tam i sněhy hřály.
Proto, věřte, křesťané,
boháči i páni,
ten, kdo cítí s chudými,
dojde požehnání.
Good King Wenceslas: English Carol, Czech Tale
Posted: December 26, 2011 Filed under: English | Tags: Christmas carols and songs Comments Off on Good King Wenceslas: English Carol, Czech Tale_____
Good King Wenceslas
Good King Wenceslas looked out
On the Feast of Stephen,
When the snow lay round about
Deep and crisp and even,
Brightly shone the moon that night
Though the frost was cruel,
When a poor man came in sight
Gathering winter fuel.
“Hither, page, and stand by me,
If thou know’st it, telling
– Yonder peasant, who is he?
Where and what his dwelling?”
“Sire, he lives a good league hence
Underneath the mountain,
Right against the forest fence
By Saint Agnes’ fountain.”
“Bring me flesh and bring me wine
Bring me pine logs hither,
Thou and I will see him dine
When we bear him thither.”
Page and monarch, forth they went
Forth they went together,
Through the rude wind’s wild lament
And the bitter weather.
“Sire, the night is darker now
And the wind blows stronger,
Fails my heart, I know not how,
I can go no longer.”
“Mark my footsteps, my good page,
Tread thou in them boldly,
Thou shalt find the winter’s rage
Freeze thy blood less coldly.”
In his master’s steps he trod
Where the snow lay dinted,
Heat was in the very sod
Which the Saint had printed.
Therefore, Christians, All, be sure
– Wealth or rank possessing –
Ye who now will bless the poor
Shall yourselves find blessing !
_____
John Mason Neale wrote the lyrics for this English carol
in 1853. He based them upon a translation of the story
“Sankt Wenceslaw und Podiwin”, written in
1847 by Czech nationalist poet, Václav Alois Svoboda.
The name Václav is, in fact, Wenceslas in its original Czech.
Wenceslas was real; he lived from 907 to 935, was the first
generation of his family to be Christianized, and became
Duke of Bohemia. Known for his piety and kindness, still he
came to a gory end at the hands of his brother Boleslaw (urged
on by their mother).
A cult of Wenceslas spread quickly after his death – later seen
as a martyrdom – and he became a prime example of what in
the High Middle Ages would be called rex justus – the righteous
king – a monarch whose power derives from moral goodness
not brute force.
He is the patron saint of The Czech Republic, where he is known
as Svatý Václav (Saint Wenceslas).
* The Czech version of the carol is featured above. *
_____
Cuetlaxóchitl / Flor de Noche Buena / Christmas Eve Flower / Poinsettia
Posted: December 24, 2011 Filed under: IMAGES Comments Off on Cuetlaxóchitl / Flor de Noche Buena / Christmas Eve Flower / Poinsettia
Su Nombre es Jesús y Soy Su Niña / His Name is Jesus and I’m His Child : Zella Jackson Price
Posted: December 24, 2011 Filed under: English, Spanish, ZP Translator: Lidia García Garay | Tags: Christmas carols and songs Comments Off on Su Nombre es Jesús y Soy Su Niña / His Name is Jesus and I’m His Child : Zella Jackson Price_____
Soy Su Niña
(canción evangélica de Zella Jackson Price, 1982)
Es posible que no sea lo mejor de todo
o tenga lo mejor de algo,
algunas veces me siento que soy
lo menos de todo.
Pero conozco a alguien que tiene todo
Y Él es mi Todo,
Y yo estoy feliz de
tan sólo saber que:
Soy Su Niña.
Su nombre es Jesús,
El Hijo Recto de Diós,
El Lirio del Valle y
La Estrella más Brillante de la Mañana.
Su nombre es Jesús,
y Él es mi Todo
– Ohhh sí –
y estoy feliz de
tan sólo saberlo:
¡ Soy Su Niña !
*
Traducción del inglés al español: Lidia García Garay
Translation from English into Spanish: Lidia García Garay
*
I’m His Child
(as sung by Zella Jackson Price, 1982)
I may not be the best of anything
Or have the best of anything,
Sometimes I feel like I’m the least of all.
But I know someone who has everything
And He is my Everything,
And I happy just to know that
I’m His Child !
His name is Jesus,
the Righteous Son of God, the
Lily of the Valley and the
Brightest Morning Star.
His name is Jesus, and
He’s my Everything
– Ohhh yes he is –
And I am happy just to know that
I’m His Child !
_____
Iesus Ahattonnia / Jesus, He is Born (The Huron Carol)
Posted: December 24, 2011 Filed under: English, Huron / Wendat, Jean de Brébeuf | Tags: Christmas carols and songs Comments Off on Iesus Ahattonnia / Jesus, He is Born (The Huron Carol)
.
Iesus Ahattonnia
.
Ehstehn yayau deh tsaun we yisus ahattonnia
O na wateh wado:kwi nonnwa ‘ndasqua entai
ehnau sherskwa trivota nonnwa ‘ndi yaun rashata
Iesus Ahattonnia, Ahattonnia, Iesus Ahattonnia
.
Ayoki onki hm-ashe eran yayeh raunnaun
yauntaun kanntatya hm-deh ‘ndyaun sehnsatoa ronnyaun
Waria hnawakweh tond Yosehf sataunn haronnyaun
Iesus Ahattonnia, Ahattonnia, Iesus Ahattonnia
.
Asheh kaunnta horraskwa deh ha tirri gwames
Tishyaun ayau ha’ndeh ta aun hwa ashya a ha trreh
aundata:kwa Tishyaun yayaun yaun n-dehta
Iesus Ahattonnia, Ahattonnia, Iesus Ahattonnia
.
Dau yishyeh sta atyaun errdautau ‘ndi Yisus
avwa tateh dn-deh Tishyaun stanshi teya wennyau
aha yaunna torrehntehn yataun katsyaun skehnn
Iesus Ahattonnia, Ahattonnia, Iesus Ahattonnia
.
Eyeh kwata tehnaunnte aheh kwashyehn ayehn
kiyeh kwanaun aukwayaun dehtsaun we ‘ndeh adeh
tarrya diskwann aunkwe yishyehr eya ke naun sta
Iesus Ahattonnia, Ahattonnia, Iesus Ahattonnia.
. . .
“Jesus, He is Born”
.
Have courage, you who are human beings:
Jesus, he is born
The okie spirit who enslaved us has fled
Don’t listen to him for he corrupts the spirits of our thoughts
Jesus, he is born
The okie spirits who live in the sky are coming with a message
They’re coming to say, “Rejoice!
Mary has given birth. Rejoice!”
Jesus, he is born
Three men of great authority have left for the place of his birth
Tiscient, the star appearing over the horizon leads them there
That star will walk first on the path to guide them
Jesus, he is born
The star stopped not far from where Jesus was born
Having found the place it said,
“Come this way”
Jesus, he is born
As they entered and saw Jesus they praised his name
They oiled his scalp many times, anointing his head
with the oil of the sunflower
Jesus, he is born
They say, “Let us place his name in a position of honour
Let us act reverently towards him for he comes to show us Mercy
It is the will of the spirits that you love us, Jesus,
and we wish that we may be adopted into your family.”
Jesus, he is born.
. . .
English translation from Huron: John Steckley
.
Editor’s note:
There is a famous version of The Huron Carol
in English (“T’was in the Moon of Wintertime…”) but its
lyrics were written by Jesse Edgar Middleton and are not
a translation of Brébeuf’s Huron original.
_____
The Huron Carol / Iesus Ahattonnia is the oldest
Canadian Christmas carol. It dates from 1643, with
lyrics composed for the purpose of religious conversion,
in the Huron language (Wendat) by Father Jean de Brébeuf,
a Jesuit priest at Sainte-Marie aux-pays-des-Huron, the
French-Canadian Christian mission that was near what is
now Georgian Bay, Ontario.
Brébeuf was burned at the stake during the Beaver Wars, an
aggressive push for land expansion plus control of the fur trade
that involved the Dutch, English, French, and
the Iroquois Confederacy.
The Huron were casualties of this struggle, and dispersed to
Québec in the east and, eventually, southwest to Oklahoma.
In the 21st century the Huron/Wendat People are revitalizing their
language which, 50 years ago, was virtually extinct.
. . . . .
Zócalo Poets 