I have translated it from Korean. I found the poem particularly touching, as he wrote it for his son. There is tenderness there, which I hope, comes across in the translation.
I have found out Shiva Ryu is translated into Chinese, Japanese and French, but not in English. (I find this strange, since he translates English work into Korean regularly.
Tree's Poem
-- to my son, MiReuk
If you want to write a poem about a tree, then first
You must close your eyes and
Become a tree.
Your whole life must be shaken like a tree.
The song of the tree at the sunset,
All the birds of the world
That fly and sit in the trees,
You must feel them like yourself.
Whenever you are lonely
You must not forget
Somewhere in the world
Stands your tree.
So when loneliness becomes as long as your shadow,
When in the sunset your shadow reaches and touches the tree,
Only then you can tell about the tree.
But always tell about life,
And nothing else but that.
|
Written by Fledermaus (3281 comments posted) 24th March 2008 | Ah how nice. What did struck me though was the 'and' at the end of the second line. It's a strange place to break off a sentence, unless in Korean there is no 'and', or conjunctions are treated differently in Korean.
I think there's a market for you here, if it has indeed never been translated into English. I do also think though, that an English publisher might want the translation to be a bit more adapted to the English reader: It's one of those dilemmas one might have when translating: Sticking to the original as closely as possible or trying to be poetic in the translation.
He seems a very interesting writer, this Shiva Ryu. | Fledermaus, thank you
Written by mia_ms_kim (1017 comments posted) 24th March 2008 | for your insightful comments on my translation. I wonder if Mr Ryu would approve if he read my translation - I wonder if he can tell if it is a good translation or not. Most people who translate languages tend to specialise in translating one way. I do Korean->English. I'm not good in English->Korean.
The second line translated literally would be: "Eye close-and". Korean conjunctions are often stuck to the preceding verb, and pronouns are often missing. How you read it depends on the context, which means translating a poem can be a nightmare.
Shiva Ryu is a sensation among general public. Koreans are heavily into poetry. Koreans used to build special buildings in beautfiul surroundings, dedicated to composing and reciting poems.
Mia  | trees
Written by patterjack (1193 comments posted) 24th March 2008 | Setting aside Joyce Kilmer ( with an expression of disgust ) I enjoy material about trees . Ah , the Dondingaong memories !
I enjoyed this translation and I think , Mia ,that you are doing a great job in opening new horizons
Interestingly -- as an old drama producer I am irresistibly reminded of the many Method type acting gurus who ask their students to be a tree , generally a fruitless exercise 
patterjack | patterjack, thank you
Written by mia_ms_kim (1017 comments posted) 24th March 2008 | for your encouraging comments. As you know I'm ignorant about poetry, pj. But I want to contribute something, so I translate, and borrow other people's ideas. I've translated Ryu's other tree poems, but I didn't feel I successfully brought the 'feeling' across, so I didn't post them. Some translations work, some don't.
Method acting? Hmmm... I guess what writers do can be termed 'method writing' - getting into the skin of their characters...
Mia  |
Written by maipenrai (783 comments posted) 24th March 2008 | wonderful
Bernie | Bernie, thank you
Written by mia_ms_kim (1017 comments posted) 24th March 2008 | for your encouragement.
Mia  |
Written by lauthiamkok (60 comments posted) 28th March 2008 | | I liked this really, I wonder if you could put the Chinese tranlsation here as well if you ever have it, that will be great to see the original verses. |
Written by mia_ms_kim (1017 comments posted) 28th March 2008 | Do you read Chinese, Lau? I'm translating Ryu from Korean (original version). I have no idea how to find the Chinese version. It's very difficult to find out anything about this poet. If you google his name on the net, you might find something you can use. He has a website: (http://www.shivaryu.co.kr) I just haven't been able to get into it. (It has funny music coming out forever...) And since I'm not familiar with Korean life, I'm quite useless in researching him beyond the basics. Sorry to be of little help there.
Mia | to mia_ms_kim
Written by lauthiamkok (60 comments posted) 28th March 2008 | Yes I read Chinese but I cannot read Korean unfortunately... I had a look on that web link and its Korean! lol
I will google search this poet later. Many thanks for the info. Don't be sorry. Thanks. | Lovely, Mia
Written by beatricelouise (215 comments posted) 14th May 2008 | I thought you did a great job translating this poem. U seem to have brought it to life. The shaking, the birds, the song of the tree, and sunset. What an inspiring piece of writing.
I think in translation, the exact emphasis can never be mimicked precisely. Therefore, understanding that theory, you have still come up with a beauty. Well done! | Thank you, Beatrice
Written by mia_ms_kim (1017 comments posted) 14th May 2008 | for your kind and insightful comments.
In this poem, I think, I managed to bring Ryu's thoughts across quite accurately. I don't think I compromised much here. There are others I've tried, but it just didn't happen, so I abandoned them. I particularly love this poem, too. I think it is a wisdom poem, written tenderly for his own son. (I read that Ryu raised his only-child alone.)
Mia |
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