Langston Hughes: “La Vida es buena” / “La Vie est bien” / “Life is Fine”
Posted: February 1, 2012 Filed under: English: Black Canadian / American, French, Spanish, ZP Translator: Lan Truong, ZP Translator: Lidia García Garay | Tags: Black poets Comments Off on Langston Hughes: “La Vida es buena” / “La Vie est bien” / “Life is Fine”_____
Langston Hughes (February 1st, 1902 – 1967)
“Life is Fine”
I went down to the river,
I set down on the bank.
I tried to think but couldn’t,
So I jumped in and sank.
I came up once and hollered!
I came up twice and cried!
If that water hadn’t a-been so cold
I might’ve sunk and died.
But it was Cold in that water! It was cold!
*
I took the elevator
Sixteen floors above the ground.
I thought about my baby
And thought I would jump down.
I stood there and I hollered!
I stood there and I cried!
If it hadn’t a-been so high
I might’ve jumped and died.
But it was high up there! It was high!
*
So since I’m still here livin’,
I guess I will live on.
I could’ve died for love–
But for livin’ I was born
Though you may hear me holler,
And you may see me cry–
I’ll be dogged, sweet baby,
If you gonna see me die.
Life is fine! Fine as wine! Life is fine!
_____
“La Vida es Buena”
por Langston Hughes
Fuí al río
Me senté a la orilla
Traté de pensar sin éxito alguno,
Entonces me lancé al agua y me hundí
¡Salí una vez y grité!
¡Sali una segunda vez y lloré!
Si el agua no hubiera estado tan fría
Me habría hundido y habría muerto
¡Pero estaba
Frío en el agua!
¡Hacía frío!
*
Tomé el ascensor
Quince pisos arriba
Pensé en mi amor
Y pensé que me tiraría
¡Estube un rato y grité!
¡Estube un rato y lloré!
Si no hubiera estado tan alto
Habría saltado y muerto.
¡Pero estaba muy alto allá arriba!
*
Entonces ya que estoy aquí vivo,
Supongo que seguiré viviendo.
Yo podría haber muerto por amor,
Pero para vivir nací
Aunque me oigan gritar—
Y me oigan llorar
Que desgracia la mía, dulce amor,
Si tu me vas a ver morir.
¡La Vida es Buena! ¡Buena como el vino! ¡La Vida es Buena!
*
Traducción del inglés al español: Lidia García Garay
_____
“La Vie est Bien”
par Langston Hughes
(1er février, 1902 – 1967)
Je suis allé à la rivière,
me suis assis sur le bord,
J’ai essayé de penser mais je n’en ai pas pu,
alors je me suis jeté dans l’eau et j’ai coulé,
Je suis sorti de là et j’ai beuglé!
Une deuxième fois et j’ai pleuré.
Si l’eau n’avait pas été si froide
j’aurais coulé et été mort.
Mais il faisait froid dans l’eau!
*
J’ai pris l’ascenseur,
suis monté dans le seizième étage,
J’ai pensé a mon amour
Et j’ai pensé à me jeter du haut de l’édifice.
Je suis resté un moment et j’ai beuglé!
Je suis resté là et j’ai pleuré!
Si où j’était n’était si haut
j’aurais eu me jeter et mourir.
Mais il était très haut là bas!
*
Alors, comme je suis encore ici et vivant,
Ça veut dire que je vais continuer à vivre.
Je serais mort à cause de l’amour
Mais je suis né pour vivre.
Vous pouvez m’entendre hurler
Et vous pouvez me voir pleurer –
Je serais foutu, mon amour,
Si tu me vois mourir.
La vie est bonne! Comme le vin est bon! La vie est bien!
*
Traduction de l’anglais au français:
Lidia García Garay, Lan Truong
_____
Frederick Ward – on Africville
Posted: September 25, 2011 Filed under: English: Black Canadian / American, Frederick Ward | Tags: Black poets Comments Off on Frederick Ward – on Africville
Dialogue # 3: Old Man (to the Squatter)
.
– Listen here, son. Did you think this were gonna work ?
Were you fool enough to think this were gonna work ?
They ain’t gonna let us put nothing up like that and
leave it. They don’t intend to let us git it back. You
ain’t a place. Africville is us. When we go to git a
job, what they ask us ? Where we from … and if we say
we from Africville, we are Africville ! And we don’t git
no job. It ain’t no place, son. It were their purpose to
git rid of us and you believed they done it – could do it !
You think they destroyed something. They ain’t. They
took away the place. But it come’d round, though. Now that
culture come’d round. They don’t just go out there and
find anybody to talk about Africville, they run find us,
show us off – them that’ll still talk, cause we Africville.
NOT – NO – SHACK – ON – NO – KNOLL.
That ain’t the purpose …fer
whilst your edifice is forgone destroyed, its splinters
will cry out: We still here ! Think on it, son. You effort
will infix hope in the heart of every peoples. Yet,
let’s see this thing clearer. If our folk see you in the
suit, we may git the idea we can wear it. The suit might
fall apart, but, son, it be of no notice. We need the
example. Now go back …and put you dwelling up again.
_____
Frederick Ward has been described as “the most
undeservedly unsung poet in all of English-Canadian
literature” (Arc Poetry Magazine).
Born in 1937 in Kansas City, Missouri, the Black-American Ward
came to Canada in 1970 – just passing through Halifax – and
ended up staying. There he me met Black Nova Scotians recently
turfed out of their old community – Africville – which was
bulldozed by the city to make way for a dumpsite. Their stories
became the basis of his 1974 novel, Riverlisp: Black Memories.
The poem above is from Ward’s 1983 poetry collection,
The Curing Berry.
Ward now lives in Montreal where he is a theatre teacher at
Dawson College.
_____
Photograph: Young boy with, in the background, Ralph Jones’ house boarded up for demolition
(Africville, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada – photo by Bob Brooks – year: 1965)
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