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    Esta cobardía → English translation

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This timidity

She doesn’t even notice that when I look at her
I avoid sighing, so that she doesn’t know
that my silent love sets on fire at her sight,
that I would give everything to possess her.
 
She doesn’t even notice that my eyes shine,
that I tremble and even blush when I see her,
that she is the reason for awakening of my love,
that she is my madness and doesn’t notice it.
 
This timidity of my love for her
makes me look at her as if she were a star,
so far away in the vastness, so far away,
that I don't expect to be able to reach her. (2x)
 
She doesn’t even notice that I gave her
hot kisses that she hasn’t asked me for,
that during my sad sleepless nights
in my mad desire I feel that she’s mine.
 
She doesn’t even notice that I was enjoying her,
‘cause she was mine, though I didn’t make love to her,
that it’s her cold heart that torments me,
‘cause she watches me dying and doesn’t notice it.
 
This timidity of my love for her
makes me look at her as if she were a star,
so far away in the vastness, so far away,
that I don't expect to be able to reach her. (2x)
 
Original lyrics

Esta cobardía

Click to see the original lyrics (Spanish)

Please help to translate "Esta cobardía"
Chiquetete: Top 3
Comments
roster 31roster 31
   Wed, 05/08/2015 - 20:03

Good version, Andrzej, in your own style, and considering all your "licencias poéticas"!
I would like to say, in my own style, that in first stanza, second verse, your line "so that she doesn’t realize", doesn't seem to fit adequately because the general idea "She doesn’t even notice" is already clear in the first verse. I would go for a more direct translation such as "not to give myself away".
Second stanza: " I even flush" should be " I even blush".
You end the stanza by saying, "and doesn’t realize that". T think "doesn't notice that" is a refrain and should be used here too.

And that's all. Good job! Thanks.

AldefinaAldefina
   Thu, 06/08/2015 - 14:50

Gracias, Rosa :) .

I didn’t want to copy from you, so I was forced to make my translation a bit different. Yes, perhaps it was not the best solution, but I wanted (and I still want) to have it different than in your translation.

I’ve changed it a little. Is it better? Don’t compare it with the original, ‘cause it’s an interpretation, important is how it sounds in English.

“Flush” versus “blush”: one never stops learning. The result is in both cases the same (turn read), but for different reasons:
http://www.gingersoftware.com/english-online/spelling-book/confusing-wor...
I didn’t know that.

roster 31roster 31
   Thu, 06/08/2015 - 16:10

Sounds good, Alde.
One thing I didn't say before: The line, "that I never expect to be able to get up to her. (2x)", I don't think "get up" is correct: "get /rich her... Check it out.

I never told you that I said 'good-bye' to the 'knights', thanks to you!

AldefinaAldefina
   Thu, 06/08/2015 - 16:57

Oh yes, I’ve noticed that already ;) .

Looks like I overdid again. “To get up to something/someone” according to the dictionary I used (bab.la - English-Polish) is an idiom meaning: “to reach (her)”, but the given examples are in fact not very convincing.

The Wiktionary says: “to do something, especially something that you should not do”, Thefreedictionary: “to do (something bad), but they translate it into German as “reach”.

I’ve changed it.

AldefinaAldefina
   Thu, 06/08/2015 - 19:59

Thanks, Rosa. It's good to know that.

michealtmichealt    Sun, 27/09/2015 - 02:48

Looking at your translation in response to your comment on my comment to Rosa's translation.

A general point: it's fine trying to be different and avoid making the same choices as Rosa when you translate but you need to be careful that you get the right meaning when you pick different words.

Line 2: ouch! I hold my breath is not really good (aguanto la respiración is very different from me guardo un sospiro), but if you want to avoid using "I hold back a sigh" you have to find something better that "hold my breath"; maybe "I avoid sighing" or something similar, but "hold back a sigh" is the best I can think of and that's what Rosa has.

I think that "por" in the Spanish is expressing intent, rather than result (although the result and the intent are the same in this instance, this is a real difference in meaning); so the simple present tense is wrong, you need "won't" rather than "doesn't" (that's habitual present here, not future, although most people will say it's future because they think accidence supercedes meaning - a mistake that those of us lucky enough to speak a language where only two [irregular] verbs have a simple present tense never make).
"know" seems very wrong here, it's the transition form not knowing to knowing that delatar expresses, and know doesn't expresse that in English; maybe "discover my feelings" means the right thing, but it seems a bit clumsy, as does anything I can think of that converts delatarme to active. The Spanish uses a simple passive so maybe it would be better to avoid flipping to active - "give myself away"is fine, but "reveal my feelings" or "ldisplay my feelings" or "expose myself" or "expose my feelings"a re some of the possibilities if you want to avoid using the same words as Rosa.

Line 3: "set on fire" is always transitive and requires a direct object; since you don't have one, you need to make it either passive or reflexive (unlike Spanish, in English those two modes are distinct) - or you need to pick a different verb. I would probably pick "bursts into flame"(always intransitive); Rosa's "ignite" is sort of OK too as it can be used intransitively as well as well as transitively, but I think something less mild than "ignite" is preferable.
line 4: "everything" seems a bit mild for "mi vida" although I guess it's not actually wrong - I could stick to "my life" but maybe "my all" would be more intense that "everything" (and "anything" would be somewhere in between the two). But maybe I'd be inclined to say "give life itself".

That's enough for tonight. I'll get to the rest when I can.