Two Monkeys by Brueghel
I keep dreaming of my graduation exam:
in a window sit two chained monkeys,
beyond the window floats the sky,
and the sea splashes.
I am taking an exam on the history of mankind:
I stammer and flounder.
One monkey, eyes fixed upon me, listens ironically,
the other seems to be dozing–
and when silence follows a question,
he prompts me
with a soft jingling of the chain.
– Trans. Krynski & Maguire (1981)
Brueghel’s Two Monkeys
Here’s what my great dream of my final exam is like:
two chained monkeys are sitting in a window,
the sky is fluttering outside
and the ocean is bathing.
I’m being examined on human history.
I stammer and cast about for words.
One monkey, staring at me, listens ironically;
the other appears to be dozing–
but when silence descends after a question
he coaches me
with the soft rattling of his chain.
– Trans. Levine (1981)
Cultural criticism, reviews, travel, translations, and personal blog posts since 1999.
Sunday, November 19, 2006
Brueghel's Two Monkeys, Part III
In 1981, two translations of this Szymborska poem were published. Which do you prefer?
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SHmonkey (not to be confused with one of Brueghel's monkeys) likes the first stanza of the Krynski & Maguire and the second and third stanzas of the Levine.
ReplyDeleteI tend to agree with SHmonkey, except that I like "soft jingling of the chain" instead of "soft rattling." But rattling may work better with the idea of prompting or coaching. I liked "the ocean is bathing" at first--but now not so much.
ReplyDeleteMore, more, please......