Travesuras para un Domingo. (Translated ) Need some help with it.
First of all I want to thank Eugenio Costa for getting me started in this. El es cupable!
See his post.
The phrases he used pointed me to a poem by Francisco Quevedo,written in the 17th century and is full of elegant humorous wordplay in old Spanish.
[enter link description here][1]http://www.spanishdict.com/answers/251148/un-quevedesco-algunas-correcciones-y-crticas-por-favor
Here it is in the original;
A una nariz
Érase un hombre a una nariz pegado,
érase una nariz superlativa,
érase una nariz sayón y escriba,
érase un peje espada muy barbado.
Era un reloj de sol mal encarado,
érase una alquitara pensativa,
érase un elefante boca arriba,
era Ovidio Nasón más narizado.
Érase un espolón de una galera,
érase una pirámide de Egipto,
las doce Tribus de narices era.
Érase un naricísimo infinito,
muchísimo nariz, nariz tan fiera
que en la cara de Anás fuera delito.
Read this and see what you can understand of it, natives will also find some difficulty here.No need to translate, just to read and know.I could answer some questions as to some of the references in the poem if you wish me to.
I have to say that as a learner,I can understand it and the references in it -but to translate it and keep the character would be the work of a master in language.
Thanks Eugenio- keep them coming
4 Answers
Paco, here is the link, I hope.
http://www.spanishdict.com/answers/251148/un-quevedesco-algunas-correcciones-y-crticas-por-favor
Ok, I'll start. This poem is written to a nose? So the first word is érase is that "once upon a time" and apparently a man has a awesome nose?
Here is my translation-- I need some help with the "color" and "humor" of it.
upon a man stuck a nose,
was a superlative nose,
once upon a nose executioner and scribe, ( inquisition)
once upon a swordfish very bearded
Upon a sundial with an awful face
Once upon still, a thoughtful one, ( liquor still)
once upon an elephant on his back,
had more nose than Ovidius Naso. ( roman poet)
upon a spur of a galley,
once upon a pyramid of Egypt,
the twelve tribes of noses was.
upon one a great nose infinite,
too much nose, a nose so fierce,
that in the court of Anás
it was a crime.
A una nariz
Érase un hombre a una nariz pegado, Paco, I now I am way off, but I will try the first four lines, Please correct my mistakes. Thanks. érase una nariz superlativa,
érase una nariz sayón y escriba,
érase un peje espada muy barbado.
Era un reloj de sol mal encarado,
To a nose
Once upon a man was a man a nose glued on
Once upon a superlative nose
Once upon an executioner and scribe,
Once upon a very bearded swordfish
There was a bad sundial in charge.
Hi Sandy and all. The more you read this the better it gets. It does take some hours of research to discover all the noses being referred to, and more than a few of the words have been out of use for a very long time. But if your up to it have a go, at the end of your work you will find it most enjoyable. I can help a little with questions about the various noses and some of the old words.
