Some brief comments on translation
As in all my translations of poetry, I’ve tried to recreate, to the best of my abilities, the music of the original: which is its essence, and also, to a large extent, its meaning. What is music in poetry? More than the counting of syllables, or a mechanical adherence to certain arbitrary rules of meter, it includes the ‘just’ disposition of long and short syllables, and the replicative patterning (more than of consonants) of vowels. This disposition is the result of instinct, or the emotional impulses which govern human souls. This is why poetry written by AI is so terrible and easy to distinguish from the works of human beings. That their sonic and metrical correspondences may be more easily appreciated, I’ve recited the two pieces together: first, the original by Bécquer, followed by my translation. You’ll notice that Bécquer’s verses all end on the same long assonantal - slant - ‘ah’ rhyme, which in mine is changed to the long ‘i’. The two texts are copied below the portrait of Bécquer - painted by his brother, Valeriano - for those who would like to follow them.
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