As a student of Taiwanese, I like a challenge. And so when, earlier this year, the Taiwan-Ireland poetry translation competition was announced, with the challenge of translating three poems by Jocelyn Wen (Un Jio̍k-kiâu 温若喬) into English, I thought I’d throw my hat into the ring.
I’m delighted to be listed as one of the three joint winners in the competition, alongside my fellow translators, Charia Mastronardo and Chiray Lin.
Here are the original poems, alongside my translations:
相辭
明知是咱上尾一逝旅行
猶原起行
行對若瓊花的幸福去
偌美麗就偌傷心
為咧欲蔫去的情份流淚
佇歸途的暝車內
佇相辭的月台頂
Saying goodbye
Knowing full well
this is our last journey,
nevertheless,
we set out,
towards a happiness
evanescent as a night-
blooming cactus—
the lovelier it is, the more it hurts—
shedding tears for a love
about to wither,
on the night train home,
on the platform
where we say goodbye.
無聲無說
早起
欲見面的想法是心偷安的琴鐘
過晝
鬥陣的時間無聲無說為心花落肥
那開煞那蔫去，因為知影
下昏暗
相思就欲湠闊
佇這烏櫳櫳的孤夜暝\
—
Without Word or Sound
Early morning,
the thought of seeing you—
the chime of a musical clock
my heart’s snatched ease.
In the afternoon,
our time together, without word or sound,
compost for the heart’s flower—
now blooming, now withering—knowing that
by the day’s end,
our mutual longing
will be cast wide
in the smothering blackness
of the lonely night.
行跤花
現代約會的一種形式：
兩个人見面才問今仔日有啥計畫
伊應講我是P人呢
伊笑講我知啊我嘛是
假做無對方法猶原共手牽咧
離開車頭但是啥人攏無愛開
Google map
干焦茫茫行跤花大路狹巷踅啊踅
踅甲心花的藤牽甲目眉紅紅四蕊發佇喙顊\
Meandering
This is one approach
to modern dating:
two people meet and ask
what the plan is for the day.
One says, “I’m the spontaneous type, you know?”
the other: “I know, me too.”
They act as if there’s no plan in particular,
but still they hold hands.
Leaving the station,
neither wants to open
Google Maps.
Just drifting, meandering
the wide boulevards and narrow alleys,
wandering,
until the vines
of their blossoming hearts reach up
to their eyebrows; until
four red petals
bloom on their cheeks.
-–
These poems were an absolute joy to translate, and I’m delighted to now be working on more of Jocelyn’s wonderful, jewel-like poems in translation. More news about this soon!
