Misuzu Kaneko ~ Is that an Echo?

[brianedwards]

Since the quake and tsunami, regular TV advertising has ceased and the stations have been running public service announcements. They're pretty annoying and repetitive to be honest, but this one has been one of the most bearable, containing a poem from Misuzu Kaneko, who apparently has been compared to Christina Rosetti (thanks Geoff for providing a link in the chain of thought . . .) Under the video I've posted the Japanese text of the poem and then my own crude translation.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RimeP3hI ... r_embedded[/youtube]

こだまでしょうか

「遊ぼう」っていうと
「遊ぼう」っていう。

「ばか」っていうと
「ばか」っていう。

「もう遊ばない」っていうと
「遊ばない」っていう。 　

そうして、あとで
さみしくなって、

「ごめんね」っていうと
「ごめんね」っていう。

こだまでしょうか、
いいえ、だれでも。





Is that an echo?

Let's play together
precedes
Let's play.

You're an idiot
precedes
You're an idiot.

I don't want to play with you anymore
precedes
I don't want to play with you.

And then later
when the loneliness settles

Sorry
precedes
I'm sorry.

Is that an echo?
No, it is all of us.



~
Sales of her books have apparently soared since the catastrophe so . . . perhaps poetry does have some use . . .

[twoleftfeet]

Thanks, Brian, for translating such a thought-provoking poem.
I like how "precedes" repeats/echoes through the poem and it was interesting to listen for it in the clip of the original.

Geoff

[brianedwards]

It's not an exact translation, something of a liberty in fact, but I think it captures the sense better than

To say "Let's play"
is to say "let's play."

Thanks for looking in.

B.