Vio

“A German or a Russian mamaloschen (mother tongue) pedigree made for two wildly different translations of the same verse by the American Yiddish poet H. Leyvik.

"Dos turemdike lebn in der turemdike shtot", translated "The towering life of the towering city" (Yiddish turem, "tower," of German origin) became in another version "The imprisoned life of the prison city" (via turme, "prison", from Russian).

I discovered this old "plot" in a recent lecture, a volume on American Yiddish Poetry, by Benjamin and Barbara Harshav. One of those gentle epiphanies that only apparently obscure footnotes or references could reveal.

In a frivolous gesture, I concocted an improbable rendition based on both translations, a slice of contemporary universal metropolitan spleen:

The imprisoned life of the towering city.”
― Harshav

“Un om suna la uşă dar nu răspundea nimeni şi clinchetele soneriei alarmau aerul blând al serii.”
― Radu Petrescu, Matei Iliescu

“Hold fast to dreams,
For if dreams die
Life is a broken-winged bird,
That cannot fly.”
― Langston Hughes

“Cincispreze ani

tematoare, mama
imi aranjeaza fusta proaspat scrobita
sperand ca diseara sa nu fiu o ispita

tematoare, mama
ma lasa la party pana la un'spe jumate
numarand secundele peste cu ferocitate

tematoare, mama
imi explica ce si cum despre sex
alegand cu grija doar cuvinte din dex

tematoare, mama
imi face cadou numai carti
obiecte de recuzita si harti

tematoare, mama
schimba canalul cand e un film mai asa
si evita sa-mi explice ce-i je ne sais quoi

tematoare, mama
a ascuns pozele ei sexy din tinerete
si cand le-am gasit a facut fete-fete

tematoare, mama
evita sa-l sarute pe tata pe gura
si nu scapa nicicand vreo injuratura

asa ca eu
cu primul baiat pe care il plac
o sa fac tot ce mi-a zis sa nu fac.”
― Iv Cel Naiv, Uibesc