Thursday, October 25, 2007
La Javanaise
I've probably never better understood KP's feelings about the woefulness of translating poetry until now.
La Javanaise is a bittersweet French love song by Serge Gainsbourg. The refrain is (badly translated) "If you don't mind, while dancing the Javanaise, our love lasted long as a song."
But the Javanaise isn't a dance. It's a slang. A French slang where you keep slipping in V's where they don't belong (think pig Latin).
Almost every stressed syllable in the verses begins with V's. If you don't mind, love in Javanaise, as long as a song. I'm just... that's... yeah. Wow.
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1 comment:
I know I've said it before, many have:
Poetry is what is lost in translation.
Thanks for this. Also, I want her hair.
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