To a Mouse, on Turning Her Up in Her Nest with the Plough Thread poster: Sebastian Witte
| Sebastian Witte Germany Local time: 08:28 Member (2004) English to German + ...
(on the occasion of Burns Night/Jan 25. For the love of all living things.) Burns original Wee, sleekit, cow'rin, tim'rous beastie, O, what a panic's in thy breastie! Thou need na start awa sae hasty Wi bickering brattle! I wad be laith to rin an' chase thee, Wi' murdering pattle. I'm truly sorry man's dominion Has broken Nature's social union, An' justifies that ill opinion Which makes thee startle At... See more (on the occasion of Burns Night/Jan 25. For the love of all living things.) Burns original Wee, sleekit, cow'rin, tim'rous beastie, O, what a panic's in thy breastie! Thou need na start awa sae hasty Wi bickering brattle! I wad be laith to rin an' chase thee, Wi' murdering pattle. I'm truly sorry man's dominion Has broken Nature's social union, An' justifies that ill opinion Which makes thee startle At me, thy poor, earth born companion An' fellow mortal! I doubt na, whyles, but thou may thieve; What then? poor beastie, thou maun live! A daimen icker in a thrave 'S a sma' request; I'll get a blessin wi' the lave, An' never miss't. Thy wee-bit housie, too, in ruin! It's silly wa's the win's are strewin! An' naething, now, to big a new ane, O' foggage green! An' bleak December's win's ensuin, Baith snell an' keen! Thou saw the fields laid bare an' waste, An' weary winter comin fast, An' cozie here, beneath the blast, Thou thought to dwell, Till crash! the cruel coulter past Out thro' thy cell. That wee bit heap o' leaves an' stibble, Has cost thee monie a weary nibble! Now thou's turned out, for a' thy trouble, But house or hald, To thole the winter's sleety dribble, An' cranreuch cauld. But Mousie, thou art no thy lane, In proving foresight may be vain: The best-laid schemes o' mice an' men Gang aft agley, An' lea'e us nought but grief an' pain, For promis'd joy! Still thou are blest, compared wi' me! The present only toucheth thee: But och! I backward cast my e'e, On prospects drear! An' forward, tho' I canna see, I guess an' fear! Standard English translation Small, crafty, cowering, timorous little beast, O, what a panic is in your little breast! You need not start away so hasty With argumentative chatter! I would be loath to run and chase you, With murdering plough-staff. I'm truly sorry man's dominion Has broken Nature's social union, And justifies that ill opinion Which makes thee startle At me, thy poor, earth born companion And fellow mortal! I doubt not, sometimes, but you may steal; What then? Poor little beast, you must live! An odd ear in twenty-four sheaves Is a small request; I will get a blessing with what is left, And never miss it. Your small house, too, in ruin! Its feeble walls the winds are scattering! And nothing now, to build a new one, Of coarse grass green! And bleak December's winds coming, Both bitter and keen! You saw the fields laid bare and wasted, And weary winter coming fast, And cozy here, beneath the blast, You thought to dwell, Till crash! the cruel plough passed Out through your cell. That small bit heap of leaves and stubble, Has cost you many a weary nibble! Now you are turned out, for all your trouble, Without house or holding, To endure the winter's sleety dribble, And hoar-frost cold. But little Mouse, you are not alone, In proving foresight may be vain: The best laid schemes of mice and men Go often askew, And leave us nothing but grief and pain, For promised joy! Still you are blest, compared with me! The present only touches you: But oh! I backward cast my eye, On prospects dreary! And forward, though I cannot see, I guess and fear! ▲ Collapse | | | Václav Pinkava United Kingdom Local time: 07:28 Czech to English + ... How to lose the poetry | Jan 25, 2014 |
Take an almost perfectly understandable Scots poem, and instead of adding a few footnotes for awkward words, convert it to standard English, and lose the poetry. | | | Great. Thank you. | Jan 25, 2014 |
The original version is especially great.
[Edited at 2014-01-25 21:39 GMT] | | | Jack Doughty United Kingdom Local time: 07:28 Russian to English + ... In memoriam A parody I wrote a few years ago | Jan 25, 2014 |
To Minnie Mouse (with apologies to Robert Burns) (October 2006, after seeing a video clip of a staff costume party at Disneyland, in which Minnie is seen behaving improperly with Goofy) Wee, sleekit, cow’rin, tim’rous Minnie, Oh, what a throbbin’s ‘neath thy pinny! Thou’d liefer start awa right hasty Fra rampant Goofy, Who has the gall to rin and chase thee, Impatient youth he! In this, the Mickey Mouse dominio... See more To Minnie Mouse (with apologies to Robert Burns) (October 2006, after seeing a video clip of a staff costume party at Disneyland, in which Minnie is seen behaving improperly with Goofy) Wee, sleekit, cow’rin, tim’rous Minnie, Oh, what a throbbin’s ‘neath thy pinny! Thou’d liefer start awa right hasty Fra rampant Goofy, Who has the gall to rin and chase thee, Impatient youth he! In this, the Mickey Mouse dominion, Break not thy lawful marriage union, An’ justify that ill opinion. Thou should’st make no dent In faith tae Mickey, thy companion, An’ fellow-rodent! I doubt na, whiles, thou’lt have it off Wi’ Goofy, if he’s good enough, (I doubt it though, he’s na sae tough ‘Gainst Mickey’s rage) Ye maybe want a bit o’ rough, But be yer age! Oh, Minnie, art thou quite insane? Thy lust for Goof will be in vain; The best-laid schemes o' mice an’ men Gang aft agley, An' lea'e us nought but grief an' pain, For promis'd joy! Still, thou art blest, compared wi’ him. His future prospects must be grim, For I detect a wrathful glim In Mickey’s e’e. An’ forward, tho’ the view be dim, I’d no be he! ▲ Collapse | |
|
|
Rachel Fell United Kingdom Local time: 07:28 French to English + ...
... Sebastian, and thank you Jack - very good | | | Stellarade United Kingdom Local time: 07:28 French to English A version I wrote a while ago | Jan 15, 2015 |
I didn't think the original was very understandable, so wrote my own version. O tiny deft and dainty, frightened thing What a panic you are in No need to dart away so quick And squeal and jabber so! I'm not about to grab a stick And chase and kill you, No! How sorry I am that human greed Lost sight of Nature's wider need And to that bad opinion leads That makes you fearful Of me, who too this earth must feed Y... See more I didn't think the original was very understandable, so wrote my own version. O tiny deft and dainty, frightened thing What a panic you are in No need to dart away so quick And squeal and jabber so! I'm not about to grab a stick And chase and kill you, No! How sorry I am that human greed Lost sight of Nature's wider need And to that bad opinion leads That makes you fearful Of me, who too this earth must feed Your fellow-mortal! I'm sure that sometimes you'll go thieving So what? You have to live, poor thing Just one ear from the tons we're sheaving? It's a small request I'll get a blessing from the rest And notice nothing missing And your tiny house is ruined now The wind is blowing its thin walls down And no green moss is left around To build a new one And cold December winds are coming Sharp and strong You saw the wheat had gone away And cold, cold winter on its way But here you thought that you could stay Cosy, little mouse Then Bam! the cruel blade today Cut through your house That little pile of leaves and stubble Has cost you lots and lots of nibbles Now you're turned out, for all your trouble Your home is lost No shelter from the storms and blizzards And cold, hard frost But, Mousie, you're not the only one To find that foresight's work has gone: The best-laid schemes of Mice and Men Go oft awry And leave us only grief and pain In place of promised joy Still, compared with me, you're lucky It's only this moment you feel But I can look back, and for me There's nothing lovely And forward, though I cannot see, I guess, and worry. ▲ Collapse | | | Jack Doughty United Kingdom Local time: 07:28 Russian to English + ... In memoriam To Stellarade | Jan 16, 2015 |
Very good! The poetry hasn't been lost in translation! | | | To report site rules violations or get help, contact a site moderator: You can also contact site staff by submitting a support request » To a Mouse, on Turning Her Up in Her Nest with the Plough TM-Town | Manage your TMs and Terms ... and boost your translation business
Are you ready for something fresh in the industry? TM-Town is a unique new site for you -- the freelance translator -- to store, manage and share translation memories (TMs) and glossaries...and potentially meet new clients on the basis of your prior work.
More info » |
| CafeTran Espresso | You've never met a CAT tool this clever!
Translate faster & easier, using a sophisticated CAT tool built by a translator / developer.
Accept jobs from clients who use Trados, MemoQ, Wordfast & major CAT tools.
Download and start using CafeTran Espresso -- for free
Buy now! » |
|
| | | | X Sign in to your ProZ.com account... | | | | | |