"fúljido"?

Question

I'm having a tough time finding various translations for the word "fúljido" in a spanish dictionary. Can it mean wild flowers or is it translated strictly as "shining." what could "grabándome con fúljido" mean?

• please note that it is mandatory on this forum to use correct spelling, grammar, and capitalization in your posts. - - Heidita Sep 14, 2009

Answer 1

First off, I want to thank you all for those good answers from your much better dictionaries, especially Heidita's that provided the Latin root. I checked about five dictionaries on-line and none was able to return a result with either spelling (fuljido/fugido). From there, I looked up the Latin root and other Spanish forms such as fulgurante, fugente, and fulgurar. Each of those words I was able to look up and find some other relative words in English. Especially your Spanish synonyms: Brillante and Respandeciente. From them, I pulled words such as shining, sparkling, glittering, radiant, bright, and even full of glory or magnificence.

Though I'm not sure (and wonder) why in 1949 Juan Ramon would spell the word "fulgido" with a "j" instead of the apparently widely accepted form with a "g," I have learned that both versions of the word would be read homonisticly (I mean they would both sound the same, as homonyms.). Maybe someone can answer that question?

Nila, thank you for pointing out the poet's consideration of word play in terms of internal sound and other connotation, such as shape.

Secondly, I want to apologize for my previous postings that were riddled with poor grammar and punctuation (Thank you, Heidita, for politely pointing that out a couple of times. Eventually I saw your comments.). I should have realized the type of forum in which I was posting and I should have been more careful. English is my first language and I should provide a better representation here, especially as I am looking to you for that same degree of care in your Spanish. That seems a common courtesy to extend, and I will make every effort to do that in the future.

Finally, and that is probably a bad word to use because this is not a final draft, but I would like to share with you the translation on which I am working. It's silly really to do that since you all likely speak, read, even write Spanish well enough to understand the original. Why would you want to read a Spanish poem in an English translation? Well, I think in general, you wouldn't. I don’t even want to, but until I can speak or at least read Spanish with a better degree of proficiency, my only way to access this particular world is via translation. As I've said previously (or maybe I didn't), I distrust Robert Bly a little. Maybe he is too much a poet, you know, two parts lover, one part liar. Or maybe I am, enough to doubt him. I give Bly credit in that he included Juan Ramon's version along side Bly's. That's pretty brave. He's inviting some sort of comparison in that way and I admire that willingness, that open-ness. I think it is brave. Eloise Roach was less brave, but she was one of the first to widely translate Juan Ramon way back in the 1930's (Platero y Yo). She read everything he ever wrote, interviewed his family members and even met with Juan Ramon, showing him some of her translations and receiving his approval. I think that's pretty awesome. But I've also read her translations and think there are some mistakes in there. Jimenez would NOT approve of mistakes. Maybe a better editor would have caught these, but here they are none-the-less. Truly, no one else since Ms. Roach has attempted a venture as broad as the scope of hers. And this is a disappointment, because it appears to me that Juan Ramon's delight in the simple piety of natural things is both peaceful and beautiful, like a poetic stopping to smell the roses. Reading his work is at once calming, refreshing, maybe centering much like meditation might focus and center one. I know Americans and American poets in particular could benefit from more access to Juan Ramon's work. So with that, here is my take on "Conciencia Plena:"

---

You carry me, full consciousness, desiring god, throughout the world.

 In this third sea

I can almost hear your voice; your voice of wind completely filling every movement; of the eternal glowing colors and the colors of the glowing sea.

Your voice of white fire in this universe of water, ship, sky, delicately mapping the route, magnificently etching my safe orbit in black space with the bright diamond of your infinite center.

---

Of course, Perrahermosa provided us with the link to the Spanish original (along with Bly's translation):
http://spanishpoems2.blogspot.com/2005/08/juan-ramn-jimnez-conciencia-plena.html

If anyone is interested, I would be happy to transcribe Ms. Roach's also.

Best regards, David

Answer 2

Look for "fúlgido" in the dictionary.

• couldn't find fulgido either. - del35s Sep 14, 2009
• Well I entered it into our dictionary and got an answer. - Eddy Sep 14, 2009

Answer 3

It has been a long time since I last read Juan Ramon Jiménez's poems. Perhaps, it was at school. But, I have to say that it must be very difficult to translate poetry because the language is in a figurative sense and, therefore, the interpretation of the words can be very extensive.

When I try to read in English these poems, some words seem to lose its meaning. Perhaps, Juan Ramon Jiménez was unable to catch the sense of some words in English. In spite of dominating his own language, he could be absent minded with another language. Sometimes, it is not so easy to find the similarity to another word when we are talking in a figurative language.

Answer 4

what are you reading?

• please note that it is mandatory on this forum to use correct spelling, grammar, and capitalization in your posts. - - Heidita Sep 14, 2009

Answer 5

"conciencia plena" Jiménez ?

Answer 6

lea este. http://spanishpoems2.blogspot.com/2005/08/juan-ramn-jimnez-conciencia-plena.html

Answer 7

HI del, welcome to the forum

fúlgido, da. (Del lat. fulgĭdus). 1. adj. Brillante, resplandeciente.

Answer 8

Well, if I look up that word in the dictionary, I find: resplandeciente, brillante. The person who writes is a poet and he likes playing with the words for these sound like: light, shape, appearence and so on.

Answer 9

Secondly, I want to apologize for my previous postings that were riddled with poor grammar and punctuation (Thank you, Heidita, for politely pointing that out a couple of times. Eventually I saw your comments.). I should have realized the type of forum in which I was posting and I should have been more careful. English is my first language and I should provide a better representation here, especially as I am looking to you for that same degree of care in your Spanish. That seems a common courtesy to extend, and I will make every effort to do that in the future.

If I knew how to do so, I would award the poster the maximum possible number of points/credits, solely on the basis of this paragraph. It is exceedingly rare to find someone who understands why there are rules about grammar/spelling/punctuation (the majority appears to feel that such requirements are infringements on their liberty/expressiveness).

Lacking, as I do, imagination, I might be tempted to suggest adding to the forum rules something along the lines of "If you want a good answer, ask a good question." but the above paragraph states the argument much more clearly.

• I agree 100%. I wish I could have given Del more votes than just one for this post. - --Mariana-- Sep 15, 2009
• It is true. It would be much easier to answer the questions if they paid attention to the rules about spelling, grammar and so on. - nila45 Sep 16, 2009