That Dou Wei is amazing, I didn't know about any of this stuff. Now I find there's a Chang Hen Ge sounding like Faith No More, which is... exactly right.
The number pun is gorgeous, too. I'd be very tempted to reproduce it in some way - with a two or a four, you could definitely do it. But it wouldn't carry the wry impact it has in the source, so the choice to not bother is right... bah, there must be some way to revive it, though! It's too nice.
Finally, Kant and Flummery sound like an excellent xiangsheng duo.
It’s sort of maddening — it feels like there’s at least a *partially* satisfying translation within reach! I’m probably going to shelve this draft and let it mature without me for a while, in case inspiration strikes, but let me know if anything good comes to mind!
And yeah, I’ve been really enjoying Dou Wei’s forays into the classics — they also make excellent work music.
I like it! I guess my only concern is that the thugs here are semi-explicitly getting paid by the government -- it's an official salary, whereas this translation leaves open the possibility that they're just warlords -- but something along these lines could be good for the next attempt.
I know I’m not the first to take a run at that Wang Shuo passage (and I think Geremie Barmé’s title, “No Man’s Land,” is probably better than mine) — hope my attempt stands up!
That Dou Wei is amazing, I didn't know about any of this stuff. Now I find there's a Chang Hen Ge sounding like Faith No More, which is... exactly right.
The number pun is gorgeous, too. I'd be very tempted to reproduce it in some way - with a two or a four, you could definitely do it. But it wouldn't carry the wry impact it has in the source, so the choice to not bother is right... bah, there must be some way to revive it, though! It's too nice.
Finally, Kant and Flummery sound like an excellent xiangsheng duo.
It’s sort of maddening — it feels like there’s at least a *partially* satisfying translation within reach! I’m probably going to shelve this draft and let it mature without me for a while, in case inspiration strikes, but let me know if anything good comes to mind!
And yeah, I’ve been really enjoying Dou Wei’s forays into the classics — they also make excellent work music.
With two bare fists, a thug commands
The rent of a thousand farmers’ lands
I like it! I guess my only concern is that the thugs here are semi-explicitly getting paid by the government -- it's an official salary, whereas this translation leaves open the possibility that they're just warlords -- but something along these lines could be good for the next attempt.
Hmm, maybe
Two bare fists in court employ
A thousand farmers’ tax enjoy
Eh, the style is a bit archaic. Also I’m not sure if tax worked that way in Yuan-era China.
Wonderful.
I know I’m not the first to take a run at that Wang Shuo passage (and I think Geremie Barmé’s title, “No Man’s Land,” is probably better than mine) — hope my attempt stands up!