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About this project and about me.
Renascence Editions
Maekawa, Kyoko and Shohachi Fukuda. Trans. Japan: 筑摩書房, 2005.
A pointless exercise in translating Edmund Spenser's "The Faerie Queene" from Japanese back into English.
エドマンド スペンサーの『妖精の女王』の日本語から英語までの訳解に実のない運動。
About this project and about me.
この企図と私ついて。
"The Faerie Queene" is a long, narrative poem in six books (with some additional material) written by Edmund Spenser and published in England toward the end of the 16th century. Each book is avowedly concerned with the adventures of one or more knights, who represent various virtues, though many of them make guest appearances in other books. For the verse of the poem, Spenser invented an idiosyncratic, nine-line stanza form now known as the "Spenserian stanza" and, throughout, affected an archaic style of language.
Since 2002, I have been pursuing a Ph.D. in English Literature with a specialization in the Early Modern (or Renaissance) period, which includes Spenser. From 2006-7, I spent a non sequiturious year in Japan, where I (intermittently) taught English and (haltingly) learned Japanese. As a way to practice my Japanese while at the same time reflecting on the methods and limitations of translation (especially across such a wide linguistic and psychological gulf), I have come up with the laborious idea of translating this, one of my favorite poems and a focus of my research, back into English from a Japanese edition. Although I am trained as a literary critic, I am in no way more than a novice in the Japanese language. So, if I manage to keep this project going, my posts will likely chronicle a slow and painful struggle, as I plod, kanji by kanji, through this immense and "endlesse" text.
Since this translation is such a bizarre and unnecessary thing to do, I reasoned that it obviously belongs on the Internet, where all and sundry, from casual poeticians to advanced Japanophiles, can glory in that greatest of human endeavors: the heroically pointless task.
Comments, of course, are welcome.
Since 2002, I have been pursuing a Ph.D. in English Literature with a specialization in the Early Modern (or Renaissance) period, which includes Spenser. From 2006-7, I spent a non sequiturious year in Japan, where I (intermittently) taught English and (haltingly) learned Japanese. As a way to practice my Japanese while at the same time reflecting on the methods and limitations of translation (especially across such a wide linguistic and psychological gulf), I have come up with the laborious idea of translating this, one of my favorite poems and a focus of my research, back into English from a Japanese edition. Although I am trained as a literary critic, I am in no way more than a novice in the Japanese language. So, if I manage to keep this project going, my posts will likely chronicle a slow and painful struggle, as I plod, kanji by kanji, through this immense and "endlesse" text.
Since this translation is such a bizarre and unnecessary thing to do, I reasoned that it obviously belongs on the Internet, where all and sundry, from casual poeticians to advanced Japanophiles, can glory in that greatest of human endeavors: the heroically pointless task.
Comments, of course, are welcome.
Renascence Editions
Maekawa, Kyoko and Shohachi Fukuda. Trans. Japan: 筑摩書房, 2005.
Posts
Blog Archive
Learn Kanji
Selected Glossary (語彙)
kanji - hiragana - transliteration - translation
妖精 - ようせう - yousei - fairy
女王 - じょおう - joou - queen
赤十字 - あかじゅうじ - akajuuji - red cross
騎士 - きし - kishi - knight
物語 - ものがたり - monogatari - story
真 - まこと - makoto - truth
神聖 - しんせい - shinsei - holiness
守護者 - しゅごしゃ - shugosha - guardian
汚らわし - けがらわし - kegarawashi - filthy
迷妄 - めいもう - meimou - fallacy; illusion
打ち破り - from うちやぶる - uchiyaburu - to hit
偽善 - ぎぜん - gizen - hypocrisy
陥れよう - from おとしいれる - otoshiireru - to hatch a plan and deceive someone
館 - やかた - yakata - mansion; small castle
いざなう - izanau - to tempt, lure, induce
気高い - けだかい - kedakai - sublime
野 - の - no - field
駒 - こま - koma - horse; foal (archaic)
進めていた - from すすめる - susumeru - to advance
身 - み - mi - body; oneself
固めた - from かためる - katameru - to harden
頑丈 - がんじょう - ganjou - solid; firm; stout
鎧 - よろい - yoroi - armor
銀 - ぎん - gin - silver
盾 - たて - tate - shield
幾多 - いくた - ikuta - many; numerous
血腥い - ちなまぐさい - chinamagusai - fishy; raw; smelling of fish or blood
戦場 - せんじょう - senjou - battlefield; battleground
むごい - mugoi - cruel; atrocious; merciless; inhuman; brutal
記念 - きねん - kinen - commemoration
深く - from ふかい - fukai - deep; profound
くぼんだ - from くぼむ - kubomu - to cave in, become depressed
古い - ふるい - furui - old; ancient; outmoded
打ち傷 - うちきず - uchikizu - bruise
残っていた - from のこる - nokoru - to remain, be left
武器 - ぶき - buki - weapons; arms
一度も - いちども - ichidomo - never
振るった - from ふるう - furuu - to swing, wield
猛り立つ - たけりたつ - takeritatsu - to ramp?
馬 - うま - uma - horse
止め轡 - やめくつわ - yamekutsuwa - curb, bit (for a horse)?
ままに - mamani - do as one's told
動く - うごく - ugoku - to move; to shake
大いに - おおいに - ooini - very; much; greatly; a lot of
不満 - ふまん - fuman - dissatisfaction; displeasure; discontent; complaints; unhappiness; disgruntled
馬銜 - はみ - hami - bit mouthpiece (for a horse)
苛立ち - いらだち - iradachi - irritation
泡 - あわ - awa - bubble; foam; froth
吹いていた - from ふく - fuku - to blow; to emit, spout
いかにも - ikanimo - indeed; really
凛々しい - りりしい - ririshii - gallant; brave; chivalrous; manly
武者振り - むしゃぶり - mushaburi - gallantry; prowess
馬上 - ばじょう - bajou - horseback; riding
槍試合 - そうしごう - soushigou - battle involving spears?
激しい - はげしい - hageshii - violent; vehement; intense; furious
合戦 - かっせん - kassen - battle; engagement
ふさわしい - fusawashii - appropriate
人らしく - adv. from adj. ひとらしい - hitorashii - like a decent person; human
颯爽 - さっそう - sassou - gallant; dashing
跨っていた - from またがる - matagaru - to straddle
だが - daga - but
胸当 - むねあ - munea - breastplate
主 - しゅ - shu - Jesus Christ (yes, He has His own kanji)
受難 - じゅなん - junan - suffering; agony; passion
尊い - たっとい or とうとい - tattoi or toutoi - precious; valuable; priceless; noble; exalted; sacred
形見 - かたみ - katami - memento; souvenir
血 - ち - chi - blood
十字架 - じゅうじか - juujika - crucifix; the Cross of Christ
妖精 - ようせう - yousei - fairy
女王 - じょおう - joou - queen
赤十字 - あかじゅうじ - akajuuji - red cross
騎士 - きし - kishi - knight
物語 - ものがたり - monogatari - story
真 - まこと - makoto - truth
神聖 - しんせい - shinsei - holiness
守護者 - しゅごしゃ - shugosha - guardian
汚らわし - けがらわし - kegarawashi - filthy
迷妄 - めいもう - meimou - fallacy; illusion
打ち破り - from うちやぶる - uchiyaburu - to hit
偽善 - ぎぜん - gizen - hypocrisy
陥れよう - from おとしいれる - otoshiireru - to hatch a plan and deceive someone
館 - やかた - yakata - mansion; small castle
いざなう - izanau - to tempt, lure, induce
気高い - けだかい - kedakai - sublime
野 - の - no - field
駒 - こま - koma - horse; foal (archaic)
進めていた - from すすめる - susumeru - to advance
身 - み - mi - body; oneself
固めた - from かためる - katameru - to harden
頑丈 - がんじょう - ganjou - solid; firm; stout
鎧 - よろい - yoroi - armor
銀 - ぎん - gin - silver
盾 - たて - tate - shield
幾多 - いくた - ikuta - many; numerous
血腥い - ちなまぐさい - chinamagusai - fishy; raw; smelling of fish or blood
戦場 - せんじょう - senjou - battlefield; battleground
むごい - mugoi - cruel; atrocious; merciless; inhuman; brutal
記念 - きねん - kinen - commemoration
深く - from ふかい - fukai - deep; profound
くぼんだ - from くぼむ - kubomu - to cave in, become depressed
古い - ふるい - furui - old; ancient; outmoded
打ち傷 - うちきず - uchikizu - bruise
残っていた - from のこる - nokoru - to remain, be left
武器 - ぶき - buki - weapons; arms
一度も - いちども - ichidomo - never
振るった - from ふるう - furuu - to swing, wield
猛り立つ - たけりたつ - takeritatsu - to ramp?
馬 - うま - uma - horse
止め轡 - やめくつわ - yamekutsuwa - curb, bit (for a horse)?
ままに - mamani - do as one's told
動く - うごく - ugoku - to move; to shake
大いに - おおいに - ooini - very; much; greatly; a lot of
不満 - ふまん - fuman - dissatisfaction; displeasure; discontent; complaints; unhappiness; disgruntled
馬銜 - はみ - hami - bit mouthpiece (for a horse)
苛立ち - いらだち - iradachi - irritation
泡 - あわ - awa - bubble; foam; froth
吹いていた - from ふく - fuku - to blow; to emit, spout
いかにも - ikanimo - indeed; really
凛々しい - りりしい - ririshii - gallant; brave; chivalrous; manly
武者振り - むしゃぶり - mushaburi - gallantry; prowess
馬上 - ばじょう - bajou - horseback; riding
槍試合 - そうしごう - soushigou - battle involving spears?
激しい - はげしい - hageshii - violent; vehement; intense; furious
合戦 - かっせん - kassen - battle; engagement
ふさわしい - fusawashii - appropriate
人らしく - adv. from adj. ひとらしい - hitorashii - like a decent person; human
颯爽 - さっそう - sassou - gallant; dashing
跨っていた - from またがる - matagaru - to straddle
だが - daga - but
胸当 - むねあ - munea - breastplate
主 - しゅ - shu - Jesus Christ (yes, He has His own kanji)
受難 - じゅなん - junan - suffering; agony; passion
尊い - たっとい or とうとい - tattoi or toutoi - precious; valuable; priceless; noble; exalted; sacred
形見 - かたみ - katami - memento; souvenir
血 - ち - chi - blood
十字架 - じゅうじか - juujika - crucifix; the Cross of Christ
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