Glossary entry (derived from question below)
Portuguese term or phrase:
Entre onda e onda a onda não se cava
English translation:
Wave after wave, the wave does not trough
Added to glossary by
Oliver Simões
This question was closed without grading. Reason: Answer found elsewhere
Apr 26, 2022 13:48
2 yrs ago
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Portuguese term
Entre onda e onda a onda não se cava
Portuguese to English
Other
Poetry & Literature
Lyrical poetry
Deixei de ser aquele que esperava,
Isto é, deixei de ser quem nunca fui...
Entre onda e onda a onda não se cava,
E tudo, em ser conjunto, dura e flui.
-- Fernando Pessoa
L2: EN_US
Register: poetic
Isto é, deixei de ser quem nunca fui...
Entre onda e onda a onda não se cava,
E tudo, em ser conjunto, dura e flui.
-- Fernando Pessoa
L2: EN_US
Register: poetic
Proposed translations
(English)
3 +2 | Wave follows wave, but they do not break | Mark Robertson |
3 | between wave upon wave the wave does not furrow | Verginia Ophof |
Change log
Apr 27, 2022 01:18: Oliver Simões Created KOG entry
Proposed translations
+2
1 hr
Wave follows wave, but they do not break
The idea of the poem is one of timelessness. FP has neither past nor future and lives in an eternal monotonous present. The flow of existence goes on around FP, but he he is not part of it.
Peer comment(s):
agree |
philgoddard
16 hrs
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Thanks Phil
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agree |
Nick Taylor
: Yup! Waves break! PS IMO some of the chosen translations seem a little muddled, awkward, and stilted. I know poetry is poetry...hmmm. And yes IMO however "good" the translation is. It will always be, to some degree, a failure.
1 day 7 hrs
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1 hr
between wave upon wave the wave does not furrow
suggestion
Discussion
break: quebrar ("O mar quando quebra na praia, é bonito.")
furrow: sulcar ("A água sulcou a terra e Lady, naquele equilíbrio precário, assemelha-se a um trapezista em cima de uma corda sem rede.")
We are talking about three very different terms in PT: "quebrar" (break), "sulcar" (furrow), and "cavar" (lit. dig). Capiche? I'm longing for the day when the Asker's choice will be respected (especially when he/she has presented credible evidence). Enough said.
However "good" the translation is. It will always be a failure.
However, and Sisyphus-like, we continue to translate and traduce.
Grande Dicionário da Língua Portuguesa, Jose Pedro Machado, Tomo III, página 60
"Basicamente, [a onda] é dividida em duas partes que são: a crista e a cava. Neste sentido, a crista que é o ponto mais elevado e a cava é a depressão entre duas cristas. (...)
... para medir a altura de uma onda se mede entre o topo de uma crista e o fundo de uma cava vizinha." https://conhecimentocientifico.com/como-as-ondas-se-formam/
cava (subst.): trough
"The highest part of the wave is called the crest. The lowest part is called the trough." https://lisbdnet.com/what-is-the-lowest-point-of-a-wave/
trough: a hollow between two wave crests in the sea (Lexico.com)
"Entre onda e onda, a onda não se cava" - Wave after wave, the wave does not trough (?) I found "May the wave never trough": https://www.google.com/search?q="may the wave never trough"
I've seen "trough" (as a verb) being used in financial contexts to mean "reach the lowest point". In a more literal sense, "cavar" conjures up depth. cavar > cavity > hollow/hole > depth. The verse sounds like a truism!