The Mysterious Gondola - SOLC20 Day 27

Yesterday, laffertylrc blogged about a poetry activity called Homophonic Translation. This is a really unique way to write a poem that I immediately fell in love with and knew that I had to try for myself. To sum up the process, draft 1 is a "translation" of a poem (that is written in a language that you do not speak) by phonetic similarity. You look at the word, and write down the first English word that comes to mind. You end up with nonsense and gibberish. In draft 2, you to try to make sense of the translation that you made, line by line. In draft 3, you make the poem your own by giving meaning to it, changing it however you want. Below are my first, second, and third drafts. I used the poem "Misterio de Golondrina" by Jorge Guillen.

Draft 1

Misterio de Golondrina                                                   Mysterious do Gondola

Por un aire juvenil                                                             Pour on air juvenile

Ha vuelto la golondrina,                                                   Ha vault la gondola

Entre ventana y tejado                                                      Enter veranda ya table

- Buen angulo - nidifica,                                                   Being angel nonfiction

Cruza con el pico abierto                                                 Cruise cone la pick albino

La diafanidad mutricia,                                                    La dividend mutation

Retorna veloz a casa,                                                       Return vault a castle

Nido de futura cria,                                                         None do future cry

Sale y vuela, vuela, vuela:                                               Sale ya vault, vault, vault

Maravilla, maravilla                                                       Maryville, Maryville


 Draft 2

Mysterious Gondola

Put on airs, Junvenile

Jump into the gondola

Enter the veranda

Being angelic, no pretense

Cruise on, pick nothing

No small parts

Return to the castle

No more crying

Vault, vault, vault

Mystery, Mystery


Draft 3

Mysterious Unknowns

Put on airs, child,

You are braver than you think.

Jump into the Unknown.

Enter wide open space.

You are innocent, no doubt, but

You will learn as you grow.

Go on, go on,

Nothing is insignificant.

Go on, go on,

Learn from everything. 

Go on, go on,

No turning back.

No more crying now.

Jump, jump, jump!

A little bird flying from its nest into

Mysteries, mysteries.