Comments on: Jacques Brel: lost in translation

By: Frog

Frog — Sun, 25 Oct 2015 18:40:43 +0000

It’s all rubbish (in my obvious) opinion. The words and the music and who’s singing do not matter. It is all a very poor, populist, substitute for reading and thinking. The translated lyrics given by Neo above could have been written by a high-schooler…I wrote crap like that at the time and thought it was *(drumroll) poetry*. Which is why all this really took off in the 1960s. If you like the music or the singer’s voice you are more inclined to heed the words, and listen to it over and over.
Like “Give peace a chance.” Or Joni Mitchell. Or whoever. So today we have Rap; nice evolution.

By: Gringo

Gringo — Sat, 24 Oct 2015 13:55:06 +0000

Interpreting poetry- brings back the horrors of English classes.
Meaning, schmeaning.

By: Caedmon

Caedmon — Sat, 24 Oct 2015 08:27:07 +0000

Brel’s translator was Mort Shuman, a New Yorker, who wrote hits for Elvis Presley and others before becoming a Good American and decamping to Paris. He wrote French language hits, so he knew what he was about, but he translatwed Brel with a free hand.
One of his more interesting liberties, I’ve always thought is with Amsterdam.
Where Brel simply has the sailors of Amsterdam “drink to the health of the whores of Amsterdam, Hamburg and beyond who have given their lovely bodies and their virtue for a bit of gold.”
Pomus has the emotional “They drink to the health of the whores of Amsterdam who’ve given their bodies to a thousand other men. They’ve bargained their virtue, their goodness all gone for a few dirty coins when they just can’t go on…”
Wow, where did those thousand men come from?
Brel gives us a funny pun “a votre sante” is a common French toast, like the English “cheers” but when a man wishes good health to a prostitute he is not a disinterested party.
Shuman gives us a whole morality play without any moral. Oh those poor girls, but it’s not really their fault.
There’s an interesting cultural difference there.

By: parker

parker — Sat, 24 Oct 2015 05:15:16 +0000

oops… last 40+ years who far out shine Brel. IMO Brel was a rather mediocre vovalist, muscian, writer, and actor. Pourtant, le gout est subjectif.

By: parker

parker — Sat, 24 Oct 2015 04:40:43 +0000

Who cares how the guardian portrays Brel? There are many other French musicians, actors, and authors over the last 40+ years

By: Ymarsakar

Ymarsakar — Sat, 24 Oct 2015 00:09:17 +0000

They make even larger errors translating Japanese into English.

By: Nick

Nick — Fri, 23 Oct 2015 22:09:13 +0000

I don’t remember who said that the translator of prose is the author’s slave, but the translator of poetry is the author’s rival.

As poetry, the “inspired by” text is clearly anti-war. I don’t see how you’d read it otherwise.

By: Sam L.

Sam L. — Fri, 23 Oct 2015 20:17:58 +0000

Forget it, Neo; it’s the Grauniad. Can’t change them; can’t fix them; just don’t give them any money.

By: G6loq

G6loq — Fri, 23 Oct 2015 20:12:09 +0000

I wonder at the waltz meter, myself. Sing along: 'La Valse a Mille Temps' Brel’s words are dark and while there is some sentimentality it conveys an absurdist existential angst …. something like that. He's a part of the Chanson Frané§aise, high literature put to music. It is country music really. Thanks for bringing it up although, I had happily forgotten the angst it brings up. A 'How Can I Miss You If You Won't Go Away?' kind of feeeeling.

By: G6loq

G6loq — Fri, 23 Oct 2015 20:01:43 +0000

One of Brel's song is iconic in the Anglo Saxon sphere: "Le Moribond" here it became: Rod McKuen' translation 'Seasons In The Sun' Not a translation really. His own poem put to Brel's music. Brel's words are darker and while there is some sentimentality it conveys an absurdist existential angst .... something like that.