OLORES
I want to be a smell manufacturer
So that people will have something
Different to give on birthdays,
At baptisms, at weddings
Or on holidays.
I want to sell a jar that contains
Extract of white chalk,
Mixed with a pinch
Of recently sharpened pencil
For those that miss childhood.
For the trapped I will have
Gasoline eau de toilette,
Subtly mixed
With a touch of bitter beer.
For the sad people, a smell of popcorn
And chocolate with churros.
For the exiled in cities,
Extract of garlic stew and soup.
For the elderly a soft balm
With an aroma of newborn.
And for those who experience
The same smell, the same flavor,
The same form,
I’ll give them an empty jar,
Like their life.
--Sonia San Román Olmos. Translated by Jordan Milan.
Good job Jordan! Your translation sounds really good and I love the way each verse creates an image for the reader that they can relate to. You also do a great job at translating the poem so that it sounds like it was originally written in english, yet at the same time maintains traces of the origin of the poem, such as including "churros".
ReplyDeleteI agree. It is immediately accessible to English-speaking reader with that slight hint of Spanishness. I was pleased that this was one of the first translations from the course that I read.
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