After visiting Mexico again a couple months back, I decided to practice my Spanish by buying a copy of Lewis Carroll’s Alicia en el pais de las maravillas. I was mildly surprised by the translation for Jabberwocky, which was:
Borgotabo, y los toves visco-agiles
Rijando en la solea, tadralaban;
Misebiles los borogoves,
Y un poco momios los verdos brasiliban.
!Cuidado, hijo, con el Jabberwocky!
!Muerde con los dientes y con las garras apresa!
!Cuidado con el Pajaro Jubjub y escapa del
Furiosamente Magnapresa!
Cogio su espada de vorpa en la mano
Hacia tiempo que buscaba a su enemigo;
Bajo el arbol Tum-Tum descanso
Y alli quedo cavilando.
Y estando inmerso en abismal pensamiento
El Jabberwocky, con ojos incendiados.
Aprecio tufando por el bosque foscuro.
!Rapido y burbujeante!
!Uno. dos; Uno, dos! !De parte a parte
la espada le atraviersa!
Le dio muerte, y con la cabeza
Se marcho galofondo.
?Has dado muerte al Jabberwocky?
!A mis brazos, nino radiante!
!Oh, dia risolegere! !Hurra, hurra!
Risotaba jubiloso.
Borgotaba y los toves visco-agiles,
Rijando en la solea, tadralaban;
Misebiles los borgoves,
Y un poco momios los verdos brasiliban.
Made me think of a few questions, really.
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This particular translation was by Marta Olmos Gil. Is there a standard translation of Alice? Are the poems generally translated in a similar way by different people?
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Lots of words in the English one are “made up”. Is it better to keep the integrity of the original, or modify it slightly to keep the rhyme scheme? Why do poems translated into English tend to still rhyme?
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Is this a good translation, all things considered? Must be hellish to translate something like this…
Obligada!