The Past Built Me a Beautiful Dream:
Translation Technique
Copy the full text of the poem and paste into Google Translate. Set the translated language to the language of the text. Set the “into” language as the language of your choice. I chose English.
Make a copy of the Google Translated text to be revisited later.
Separate each word or character in the original text by placing each on a separate line. Do this to get a sense of each individual character meaning. Play with combining words or characters until you feel you have approximated an accurate meaning of the original text. With this approximate translation, play with the language until you find a poetic voice that coheres the translated poem. Compare the coherent translation with the Google translation to be aware of discrepancies.
Untitled
Anonymous
Đã lâu rồi không trở lại mái trường xưa
Không được gặp những thầy cô giáo cũ
Bỗng hôm nay lòng nôn nao đến lạ
Khi ta về giấc mộng của ngày xưa
Ngày xưa ấy vẫn đồng hành cùng năm tháng
Vẫn cho tôi bao trải nghiệm tuyệt vời
Được gặp gỡ được chung tay cùng lớp
Được học cùng bao thầy giáo uyên thâm
Ngày xưa ấy xây cho tôi mộng đẹp
Và cho tôi bao kiến thức chuyên sâu
Cho tôi được hòa cùng bao hoạt động
Hoạt động nào cũng thú vị cũng hay
Ngày xưa ấy cho tôi hòa cùng lớp
Để bây giờ tôi nhớ mãi không quên
Ngày xưa ấy cho tôi bao kỷ niệm
Để bây giờ yêu lắm lớp mình ơi!
Untitled
Anonymous (Jack Peterson Translation)
I have not walked the path to the old school for ages.
I have not met again my old teachers.
Yet today, strangely, the heart is hungover.
When we find our way back to the dream of the old days,
we find that the old days have never left our side,
still shaping the wonder of our experience.
To meet and join hands in the same class.
To study with so many profound teachers.
The past built me a beautiful dream
and flooded my senses with knowledge.
Let me be mixed with many activities.
The work holds its own interest.
The old days stirred me into the class.
For now, I will not forget.
The generous past gives and gives.
To love my class now!
Cross of Beings
Jack Peterson
in my country
from the ground up to nowhere
I would not be able to conceive
a mind of a devotee
the holy congregations
hell, hungry ghosts and animals
a cross of beings
hated girls
all the way
to the anger of birth
I listened to
and sustained
all the sermons
I wanted to have offerings
if not righteousness, the righteousness
according to the mind of that person
that came on my body
exactly as I wanted
here would not be the diamond body
If I had to cut the sewing dye
I wanted to have the dress,
the right dress
my body was not all yellow
my body had good and bad people -
the merit of the common anger
like seeing my face in the mirror
I listened to my name
without being bothered to turn around
my country was pure
gladly believing oil is a natural eye
all things are countless treasures
shining more gently than heaven
there was no intention to cultivate
the four hundred and ten-year-old
high ash tree of the week
escaping all species
volunteered to be born in my country
to come to the end
to the point of death
and the year of sowing on the ground
Japanese List One Character Translation
Collective Composition
Blue
color
of
Wide
I
Teaching
Room
Tight
Zhang
I
hand
Was
Most
First
of
Conferment
Business
new
I
I
La
I
H
S
Ta
I
Le
To
Exhaustion
Re
Come
Tsu
hand
Was
Morning
Step
B
The
E
K
G
Is
Difficulty
I
Or
Tsu
Was
Ke
Th
Us
Success
Feeling
But
Ah
Tsu
Was
Yo
K
myself
of
Country
When
A
Me
Re
Mosquito
To
ratio
Be
To
Machine
Association
But
Ah
Tsu
Was
Raw
Person
Is
Three
Man
Is
Ke
of
small
Sa
What
K
La
S
Step
Les
Ze
N
Te
ー
Shi
Yo
,
Tight
Zhang
I
Was
Good
Come
What
G
Pi
Tsu
K
To
Laboratory
Ultimate
so
Come
hand
easy
I
Or
Tsu
Was
Japanese List One Character Poem
Collective Composition
Blue color wide
Teaching room tight
La I H S Ta I Le
To exhaustion
Was Morning
Step B the EKG
Is difficulty
I or Tsu was Ke
Success feeling
But, ah, Tsu was Yo
K myself
Of country
When A Me Re
Mosquito to ratio
Machine association
But, ah, Tsu was raw
Person is three
Man is Ke of small Sa
Step Les Ze N
Shi Yo, Tight
I was good
G Pi Tsu K To
Laboratory ultimate
So come
East I or Tsu was
Japanese Two Character Translation
Collective Composition
Blue
Wide
Religion
Muro
Tension
Was
the first
Conferment
Industry
New
Rye
Hus
Thailand
To
Tired
Surely
Was
Morning
Logi
Jek
Is
Difficulty
Braces
Bamboo
And so on
Feeling of formation
There
Was
Often
myself
s country
And a
Meri
Mosquito
compared
Machine
Meeting
Ah
Was raw
People
3 people
Only
Small
Sana
Kula
Sp
Reze
Conte
Solution,
tension
did
Like
Nato
Pick
The
the study
Can
Easy
Only
Was
Japanese List Two Character Poem
Collective Composition
Blue wide religion
Tension was
the first conferment
Industry
New rye
Thailand
Tired surely
Was morning
Logi Jek
Is difficulty
Braces
Bamboo
And so on
Feeling of formation
There was often
myself, s country
and a meri mosquito
Machine meeting
Ah was raw
People
3 people
Only
Small
Sana Kula Sp Reze
Conte
Solution,
tension
did like Nato
Pick the
the study can
Easy only was
(I remember your nattō, Yukari)
Jack Peterson
You brought in Styrofoam bowls
and white plastic spoons
to taste a bean
as told by legend
accidentally
fermented in the straw
in pre-modern Japan.
It was a lot of work
and a good presentation
I probably gave you feedback
on your pronunciation of fermented
and forgot to say
thank you for the nattō.
I have come to love it.
Japanese List Four Character Translation
Anonymous
Blue broad
Classroom
I was stretching
First year
New
Lifes
On the tile
Tired
Morning
Rozhek
Is difficult
Sword
What a sense of accomplishment
was there
Well myself
Country and a
Merica
Machine to compare
Meeting
The student
Only three
Small
Clasp
Regente
And tension
Did like
Good topic
Study
Easy to do
Was good
Japanese List Four Character Poem
Collective Composition
Blue broad classroom
I was stretching
First year
New lifes
on the tile
Tired morning
Rozhek
Is difficult
Sword
What a sense of accomplishment
was there
Well myself
Country and a
Merica
Machine to compare
Meeting the student
Only three
Small clasp regente and tension
Did like
Good topic
Study
Easy to do
Was good
List
Anonymous
青色の広い教室
緊張してた最初の授業
新しいライフスタイルに疲れきってた朝
プロジェクトは難しかったけど、達成感があった
よく自分の国とアメリカを比べる機会があった 生徒は3人だけの小さなクラス プレゼンテーション、緊張した
好きなトピックを研究できて楽しかった
List
Anonymous (Jack Peterson Translation)
Large blue classroom
The first class I was nervous
The morning I was tired of my new lifestyle
The project was difficult, but there was a sense of accomplishment
I often had the opportunity to compare my country with the United States.
I enjoyed studying my favorite topics