can someone translate this into spanish for me?
i have to do this for my english class, but my teacher wanted it in spanish, as i may have put him under the impression that i am spanish, but i have just started!
Dark clouds are smouldering into red While down the craters morning burns. The dying soldier shifts his head To watch the glory that returns; He lifts his fingers toward the skies Where holy brightness breaks in flame; Radiance reflected in his eyes, And on his lips a whispered name.
You'd think, to hear some people talk, That lads go West with sobs and curses, And sullen faces white as chalk, Hankering for wreaths and tombs and hearses. But they've been taught the way to do it Like Christian soldiers; not with haste And shuddering groans; but passing through it With due regard for decent taste.
3 Answers
Hello Holly,
....... this would be a big challenge for most of us, too! I get the impression that your English teacher has no idea of how difficult this piece of text would be to translate.
I guess that he does not speak other languages or if he did he would have realized how complex this piece would be to translate.
I hope that a native speaker sees your post here and offers you some help, because to be honest, we would not want to unintentionally mislead you and I agree with Annie that the best course of action would be to honestly explain to your English teacher that you are not a native speaker and this piece of literature would probably require someone with at least advanced Spanish skills who is accustomed to translating this kind of text.
I am sorry we can't help you on this occasion :(
This is a difficult poem for anybody to translate, Holly.
Your best bet is to face the music and tell your teacher you're not Spanish, because even if we help you, which would take ages, you would not be able to keep the pretense up.
As you haven't completed your profile yet, we do not know your level of language[s] nor where you are based. It is the centenary of the start of the Great War this year so many people are reading and studying works about the war. Many years ago when I took A level English, one of the books we studied was Memoirs of a Fox Hunting man by Siegfried Sassoon. This is one of his haunting war poems called 'How to Die'. It is not clear to me what you have been asked to do. Have you been asked to write a 'critique/appreciation' of the poem - use of colour/metaphors/rhyme/language etc? So far as a 'translation' you could try the internet many poems have been translated from English to Spanish, but to interpret this peom into Spanish would be a huge challenge to keep the use of language rhyme and rhythm. I find it hard to believe such a challenge would be set below undergraduate level. Are you suggesting your teacher thinks your maternal tongue is Spanish? Is your native language English or some other language? Enjoy and appreciate the poem - if it helps your understanding and improves your Spanish try translating a line but tell your teacher you are confused. There is no point putting effort into translating this to Spanish for an English literature class.
