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  3. Poetry & Literature

историй-песчинок

English translation: little grains

07:35 Jan 23, 2008
Russian to English translations [PRO]
Art/Literary - Poetry & Literature
Russian term or phrase: историй-песчинок
Пусть моя история – одна из многих. Но она существует, так почему бы о ней не поведать миру? Из таких историй-песчинок и складывается история человечества...

I'll appreciate any suggestions!
Andrew Vdovin
Local time: 17:14
English translation:little grains
Explanation:
I wonder if you could translate literally here, because "little grains of sand" is a well known line from a children's hymn, and can be used metaphorically.

Little drops of water,
little grains of sand,
make the mighty ocean
and the beauteous land.

And the little moments,
humble though they may be,
make the mighty ages
of eternity.

So "The history of mankind is made up of such little grains..."

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 23 hrs (2008-01-24 07:29:12 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

I copied this in from the Web, but I think the second line of the second verse should be:
"humble though they be" (without "may")
Selected response from:

Jack Doughty
United Kingdom
Local time: 11:14
Grading comment
Selected automatically based on peer agreement.
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
2 +6little grains
Jack Doughty
4 +1small stories as mine like small drops of water create the ocean of human history
Yuliya Gritsyuk
3 +1story grains make the sands of history
Attaboy
4In such a grain of sand we can see a world of history
Alex Koudlai
3small histories
Sergei Vasin
3microhistories
kalambaka
3grainlike stories
kalambaka
3histories-drops
salavat
3'atom'/'brick' stories
Zamira B.
3stories-skeins
Henry Schroeder
3History of human race is comprised of such stories, as grains of sand comprise a mountain
Tevah_Trans
2such tiny slivers/particles of individual accounts
Mikhail Mezhiritsky


  

Answers


17 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
small histories


Explanation:
Например:

http://www.smallhistories.com/

This site is a place for people to create, share and compare their personal stories...

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 25 mins (2008-01-23 08:01:16 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

mini-histories
personal histories


Sergei Vasin
Ukraine
Local time: 13:14
Native speaker of: Native in RussianRussian
PRO pts in category: 4
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40 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
microhistories


Explanation:
некоторая образность в ответ на источник

kalambaka
Russian Federation
Local time: 13:14
Native speaker of: Native in RussianRussian
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44 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +1
story grains make the sands of history


Explanation:
.

Attaboy
United States
Local time: 13:14
Native speaker of: Native in RussianRussian

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
neutral  kalambaka: пески истории?
6 mins
  -> why not
agree  Olga Vlasova: Мне ваш вариант, пожалуй, нравится больше всех.
14 hrs
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46 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
grainlike stories


Explanation:
...

kalambaka
Russian Federation
Local time: 13:14
Native speaker of: Native in RussianRussian
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59 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
histories-drops


Explanation:
Рискну предложить. Grain of sand, как-то песчинку не заменяет, длинно и не так поэтично. Разные bit, dot.., не поэтичны, или другую мелодию задают. Вот, разве, drop...
Океан жизни из жизней-капелек...

salavat
Local time: 15:14
Works in field
Native speaker of: Native in RussianRussian
PRO pts in category: 4
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1 hr   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
'atom'/'brick' stories


Explanation:
that form the universe/building of mankind's history

Zamira B.
United Kingdom
Local time: 11:14
Native speaker of: Native in RussianRussian
PRO pts in category: 36
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4 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
In such a grain of sand we can see a world of history


Explanation:
Предлагаю придать переводу аромат романтической поэзии аллюзией на Блэйковское:
To see a World in a Grain of Sand
And a Heaven in a Wild Flower,
Hold Infinity in the palm of your hand
And Eternity in an hour.


Alex Koudlai
United States
Local time: 06:14
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: Native in RussianRussian
PRO pts in category: 14
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4 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
stories-skeins


Explanation:
First of all, however you translated this, it needs to go with "story" not "history".

At the beginning you must write: пусть my story (Let me tell my story). There is no way this can be history.

Then we come to your author's из моих историй-песчинок... I don't find this particularly ingenious, a cheap similie like "sand on the beach" would be preferrable, but whatever you write has to be with "story" again. Personally, if you want it to sound as bad as the original, you could just write "story-sand". It sounds terrible, but so does the original (hopefully you didn't write this yourself, Andrew, but I'm sure you didn't).

But how could it be improved on?

Maybe through the assonance absent in the original? Maybe by replacing "sand" with some other identity her story has? For example:

My story, like so many allegories, also transepts the history of mankind.

Or better:

Like so many allegories, my stories shall also transept the history of mankind.

Obviously less metaphorical verbs could supplant this one. And since her story probably isn't an allegory, the noun for "sand" might have to disappear to:

The history of mankind is made up of such stories-skeins (See George Eliot, The Mill on the Floss)

Henry Schroeder
United States
Local time: 06:14
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 174
1 corroborated select project
in this pair and field What is ProZ.com Project History(SM)?
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5 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +1
small stories as mine like small drops of water create the ocean of human history


Explanation:
a lot of possibilities, sand, water, puzzle, pages of the book as far as your imagination goes.....

Yuliya Gritsyuk
Local time: 06:14
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: Native in RussianRussian
PRO pts in category: 4

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Tatiana Lammers
7 hrs
  -> spasibo, Tatiana:)
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7 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 2/5Answerer confidence 2/5
such tiny slivers/particles of individual accounts


Explanation:
form the history of the human race

Mikhail Mezhiritsky
Local time: 06:14
Works in field
Native speaker of: Native in RussianRussian
PRO pts in category: 12
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8 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
History of human race is comprised of such stories, as grains of sand comprise a mountain


Explanation:
Немножко вольно в конце с "mountain", but could be an option maybe?

Tevah_Trans
Local time: 06:14
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish, Native in RussianRussian
PRO pts in category: 64
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44 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 2/5Answerer confidence 2/5 peer agreement (net): +6
little grains


Explanation:
I wonder if you could translate literally here, because "little grains of sand" is a well known line from a children's hymn, and can be used metaphorically.

Little drops of water,
little grains of sand,
make the mighty ocean
and the beauteous land.

And the little moments,
humble though they may be,
make the mighty ages
of eternity.

So "The history of mankind is made up of such little grains..."

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 23 hrs (2008-01-24 07:29:12 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

I copied this in from the Web, but I think the second line of the second verse should be:
"humble though they be" (without "may")

Jack Doughty
United Kingdom
Local time: 11:14
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 658
Grading comment
Selected automatically based on peer agreement.

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Vanda Nissen
19 mins
  -> Thank you.
agree  Smantha
1 hr
  -> Thank you.
agree  Mark Berelekhis
8 hrs
  -> Thank you.
agree  Tatiana Lammers
11 hrs
  -> Thank you.
agree  Angela Greenfield
19 hrs
  -> Thank you.
agree  Jenya Meltser-Rakevich
9 days
  -> Thank you.
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