(Poetic universes)_Some thoughts while struggling to translate poetry

Related entries:
– Linh the poet (fictional)
– (Poetic Universes)_Poetry landscapes as landscapes of dreams (short analysis)
– Literary Kingdom (a fictional musing on linguistics)
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A friend of mine once said he translates poetry because it’s impossible. I am not the type of people who like doing things that are difficult (let alone impossible), but there is something fundamentally mysterious about that process that I am curious about.

So I tried to translate some poems as well. I gues it’s the best way. I think I would figure something in the process. I choose a few Vietnamese poets with very different styles/ sensibilities from each other, and see how things go.
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Poet number 1: Mộng Nguyên.
Why him? – He studies chemistry and philosophy and yet writes poetry. That means his thinking contains logic. Logic, yes. That means it would be possible to translate his poems (in fact, he does translate some of his stuff himself).
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(Khi ngắm em, tôi đã nghĩ – When looking at you, I have thought)
—
Khi ngắm em, tôi đã nghĩ

When looking at you, I have thought

Về những cuộc đời tôi đã có thể có với em.

Of the lives we could have together.

Một trong số chúng, tôi sẽ là một thợ mộc

In one, I would be a carpenter

Trong những giờ mùn cưa miệt mài dựng xà nhà,

Lost in hours and sawdust, diligently building rafters,

Bàn và ghế. Những thân gỗ mà tôi khắc, chúng

Chairs and tables. The wooden trunks I carve, they

Kể tôi về thời gian. Chúng nhắc đến định mệnh qua những vân tuổi, những

Tell me about time. They tell me of fates engraved on the wood grain, the

Tương lai đã được tiên định, các phiên bản mà chúng ta không là.

Futures predetermined, the versions we aren’t.

Em trong bộ đầm ngủ, tôi sẽ phác họa, một đêm nào đó,

You in a sleeping dress, I would sketch, some night,

Vào quyển sổ nháp. Khỏi nó, một đêm khác, tôi xé vội trang giấy

In a draft notebook. And out of it, in some other, I would quickly tore the page

Rồi dán lên tường hầm ga tàu bằng mẩu kẹo cao su nhai dở

Then stick on the wall of a train station tunnel with a piece of half-chewed gum

Như một triển lãm tự phát. Một cuộc đời khác, em có thể đã là

Just like a spontaneous exhibition. In another night, you could have been

Nàng thơ say ngủ trong một viện bảo tàng khi cuộc đời đó chết

A sleeping muse in a museum when that life has been dead

Được gần trăm năm. Người ta có thể đã cứu nó từ ga tàu

For almost 10 decades. People could have saved it from the gas station

Bị bỏ hoang và lồng kính, cùng nó, mẩu kẹo cao su.

Abandoned and glassed, with it, the half-chewed gum.

Tôi sẽ, trong một cuộc đời khác, là một người đưa thư,

I would, in another life, a mailman

Ngày ngày băng qua những đại lộ nơi chúng ta sẽ không hôn nhau,

Day after day crossing boulevards where we do not kiss,

Những ngã tư chúng ta sẽ không còn bịn rịn níu tay, giao những

Crossroads where we no longer hold hands in hesitation, sending

Lá thư chúng ta không bao giờ viết, hoặc đã viết và sẽ không bao giờ gửi.

Letters we would never write, or have written but never reach their destination

Dũng khí thì luôn không đủ cho thực tại, nhưng dư thừa

Courage is never enough for present, yet always too abundant

Cho quá khứ. Những chặng thư được trả đủ bằng các con tem giá như.

For the past. Mail passages are paid by stamps of what-ifs.

Chúng ta những cánh thư bay không ngày đến,

Us the mail wings flying to no date,

Khoảnh khắc tôi ngắm em và nghĩ về những điều này, về những

The moment I look at you and think about all this, about

Cuộc đời mà tôi sẽ quên đi trong em.

The lives I would forget in you.

Trong những cuộc đời có thể đó, phần nhiều tôi sống một đời

In those possible lives, largely I would live a life

Như cả tỷ người khác, trở thành một con số trên các bảng thống kê,

Like a billion others, turning into a number in statistic tables,

Không tạo ra thêm gì ngoài các báo cáo tài chính. Kể cả thế, với một

Adding nothing but financial reports. Even that, with such a

Cuộc đời tủn mủn đến vậy, tôi nghĩ nó vẫn có chỗ cho tình yêu,

Mundane life, there is still enough room for love, I thought

Cho sự im lặng sẽ trải bên nhau, cho những ngày kỷ niệm

For silence spreading together, for days of memories

Của lãng quên, và đúng thế, luôn luôn, cho chúng ta.

Of forgetting, and yes, always, for us.

Hôm nay, tôi đã ngắm em và nghĩ như thế đó về cuộc đời.

Today, I look at you and think about life like that.

Nhưng tôi biết khi em tỉnh giấc, tôi sẽ không ở đây:

But I know when you wake up, I wouldn’t be here:

Tôi chỉ có thể ghé thăm em trong những giờ không thực,

I can only visit you in hours unreal,

Và cuộc đời thì không còn chỗ cho chúng ta nữa.

And life spares no room for us.

Link thơ gốc: https://khoidng.wordpress.com/…/khi-ngam-em-toi-da-nghi/

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Thought: I felt very good when translating this and thought I am ready to translate other difficult things. I realize Mong Nguyen’s writing is more english (in syntax) than vietnamese, and that’s why things were easier for me. Uki next one.
————
Poet 2: Đặng Văn Hùng

Why him? I randomly saw his poetry book in a book cafe and was moved by some of his poems. I feel a sense of sadness and yet calmness when I read his poem. He was born in Can Tho, Mekong Delta (perhaps to a religious family?)
—

Dưới đóa hồng)
—–
Cha ơi
Đêm nay sao quá dài

đóa hồng
đang lặng lẽ mở
từng cánh

Cha ơi
Đêm nay sao quá dài

đóa hồng đang lặng lẽ mở
những nỗi buồn của đời con
————————————————————-
Father
the night is so long tonight

the rosebud
opening up
petal by petal

Father
the night is so long tonight

the rosebud
petal by petal
opening up
sorrows of my life 
—-
Thoughts: When translating this, I try to maintain a few elements in the original poems: emotions, pace. musicality. I could not attain some nuances of the words. For example, “lặng lẽ” is a very beautiful vnese word that paints a scene of silence that is sad but calm.
—
Poet 3: Phùng Cung

Why: some of my friends like him so I feel I need to know him to. It seems like he belongs to a generation of Vietnamese poets in vn war who exprimented with forms/ ideas (and suffered while he was alive because of that), but gained following when he passed away.
—

Nghe đêm)

—-

Đêm chợt nghe
Trong gối vọng tiếng ru
Lắng tai mới rõ
Tiếng tóc mình chuyển bạc

—

Night
Inside pillow the lullabies echo
Turning to grayness
My hairs stir
—
Thoughts: I removed the key verb in the original poem (lắng nghe – carefully listen) and let the pace of the translated poem speak for that fact. I realize Vietnamese words contain more emotions in themselves, while with english the emotions are revealed more when you put things together. I am not sure others agree with me.
—-
Version 2 (friend’s suggestion)

Night
Inside pillow the lullabies echo
Into grayness
My hairs stir
—-
Alrite, phew, it has been fun, so far. Will have more to say later.

Professor Binh Nhu Ngo – “I am in debt with Vietnamese language”

 Foreword

 

Famous as the author of a well-written Vietnamese teaching book called “Let’s speak Vietnamese”, Professor Ngô Như Bình is also in charge of Department of East Asian Languages and Civilizations in Harvard university. Even though the crowd in Vietnam are firstly attracted to him for Harvard title, mr. Binh contains within him a vivid journey of stepping deeply into academic world.

Born in Hanoi, Pf. Binh was about to become a professional swimmer. Without the American bombing in Hanoi which interfered this plan, he would have never returned to studies. Majored in Russian language of Hanoi national university, he got a scholarship to Soviet Union. In the process of studying deeply Russian, he fostered a comparative perspective to reflect back on Vietnamese language. The chance came when Lomonosov university needed people to teach Vietnamese in their entity. After 10 years teaching in Russia, he was invited by Harvard University to teach Vietnamese. The time here allows him to reflect deeper on language studies. Fluent in many European languages and armed with a solid background in linguistics, Ngo Nhu Binh is the right man to develop a comprehensive yet easy-to-understand cirriculum on teaching Vietnamese.

In his trips to Vietnam, many universities and magazines took the chance to interview  and explore his journey, as well as perspective on Vietnamese language preservation.

Below is an article written by Zing.vn (Kim Ngan), describing a day of him in Harvard.

***

 

Professor Ngô Như Bình told us that every day, he left home at 7:20 to catch the bus to school. On the bus, he took time to learn French, Chinese and German.

Remembering his study in Vietnam War in Hanoi, he was nostalgic “Until now, we are still very grateful for farmers who helped us in a very difficult time of constant evacuation”

Sharing with Xing.vn, professor Ngo Nhu Binh, in charge of Vietnamese cirriculum in Harvard university, US, said that that every morning he left home at 7.20 to catch the bus to school. “Around 8:15, the bus comes and I have more or less 30 minutes to revise my lesson plan”, he said.

Class starts at 9AM. Within an hour, the professor and students discusses Vietnamese grammar as well as Vietnamese literature and social studies. Afterwards, he spent time playing sports.

Half a century ago, summer 1966, if Americans had not bombed Hanoi, I might have pursued sports. At the time, I was in Hanoi’s young swimming team. Yet, war interrupted it all and eventually I returned to academic studies. I still swim when I can, however”, he recalled.

He added “The stamina may decrease but my skills still remain. When I swim, I felt as if I could return to youth and water life”. He shared that swimming helps him reduce work stress and daily life to immerse in peaceful and quiet time of Hanoi.

After swimming, he spent a bit of time to eat and relax before afternoon classes started. “Every week, I have 2 free afternoons – Tuesday and Thursday. Aside from the meeting on Tuesday afternoon, I devote all my time to grade my students and write lesson plans for the whole following week, study more, and write books”, he shared.

 

Around 18h30, professor Binh catches the bus home. “On the bus, I spent time learning French, Chinese and German”.

After dinner, he logged in computer and read letters of students, answering their questions as well as letters from coworkers around the world. Next, he spent 30 minutes to update news before returning to computer and work until 23.00. “I try to maintain 7 hours of sleep”.

“This work is very busy. If I want to write books, I have to do that on weekends and holidays”. Nevertheless, he tries to spend time for families. Since his daughter is far away, they often connect via phone. Their stories revolve around work, life and simple joys in life.

Revealing about upcoming book, Professor Ngo Nhu Binh shared that he is writing a book to compare Vietnamese language and English language, focusing on grammar and pronunciation. The book was predicted to finish in around 4-5 years. “In Soviet Union, I wanted to have a book to compare Vietnamese and foreign languages. However, I was too busy drafting Vietnamese cirriculum for Russians and teaching. After 25 years living in US do I have time to ignite on that project”, he said.

Thomas Jacqueline, a researcher in Massachusetts Technology Institutions, felt lucky to have chance joing Vietnamese classes of professor Ngo Nhu Binh. He studies Vietnamese to interact with Vietnamese friends, Vietnamese overseas as well as their families. Jacqueline hopes that he will not only use this language in California but in Vietnam in the future.

 

Meanwhile, Tran Cao Vinh, 2nd year student in Harvard, comments that professor Binh is really passionate in teaching Vietnamese language and culture for students. He shared that every year, the professor often invites students to enjoy Tet in his home.

(To be continued)

 

A history witness – over the course of VN-US normalization

In the anniversary of 20-year of US-VN relation normalization, Mr. Binh had a talk about this topic via his perspective

The story of red flag and yellow star

This is not in US, however ^^. It’s Vietnam flagpole in Ha Giang.

Ngo Nhu Binh shared that in 8 top universities in US (often referred as Ivy League), only 4 offer Vietnamese language studies – Yale, Cornell, Columbia and Harvard. East Asian language and civilization department offers 4 languages including Vietnamese, Japanese, Korean and Chinese. Vietnamese is the only East Asian language taught in Harvard.

Professor-doctor Ngo Nhu Binh officially took his position in department of East Asian language and civilizations as a teaching assistant in August 1992. The first time coming to the office, an American co-worker introduced himself and asked if he was the new Vietnamese lecturer, born in Hanoi. The co-worker go excited “When I was a student and after graduation, I always attended Vietnam war protest”. Ngo Nhu Binh then replied “Vietnamese people are always grateful for Americans like you who helped endind a war that is supposed to not ever happen”. That professor quickly affirmed “Yes, that war is not meant to happen”

2 months later, when he was walking in the school yard, Binh was so surprised and happy to see Vietnamese national flag flying next to American flag, under the statue of John Harvard. This was even more special because at that moment (end of 1992), US still remained economic cargo towards Vietnam and both countries just started to intend on normalizing their relationship.

“It should have been done a long time ago”

 

To Binh, teaching Vietnamese is not only a linguistics matter but also a bridge to connect people with Vietnamese culture, people and history. At the same time, it is a joint to discuss the turbulent relationship between Vietnam and US. He said “Vietnam war, or as I often tell my students – anti-US war, is a provoking and controversial topic. Not only do I show them perspective from Vietnam but I also introduce them other points of view. For example, I show them the documentary “From the barrel of a Gun” made by Americans in 1994. The documentary reveals a scene of Independence day 2.9.1945 when Ho Chi Minh president took photos with some guys from CIA and Hanoians march in Ba Dinh square, but their hands hold American flags.

The students saw clearly that in 1945 Vietnamese put a lot of hope in US’s French return. Another time, I let them watch “Quiet American”, a movie based on the same name novel by English writer Graham Greene. Afterwards they wrote very interesting essays on mistakes of US when they started to intefere Vietnam in 1950s.

Professor Binh rememberd so clearly the day 30.4.1994 when president Bill Clinton signed the law to remove economic cargo towards Vietnam. He told us that another professor congratulated him “Today, US removed economoc cargo towards Vietnam. This should have been done a long time ago”. That is the story 20 years ago. Recently, he told a colleague “I am glad that US and Cuba officially reconnected diplomatic relationship”, to which his colleague answered “US should have done that a long time ago”.

“I want to emphasize 3 points: first, so many Americans have good intentions towards countries like Vietnam or Cuba. Second, they are responsible in social matters and third, they are independent in political opinions. A university professor has the right to express political and social viewpoints and responsible for their words”, the professor shared.