Transcription
The Novelist Portent
Johnny E. Mahaffey
April 5, 2014
A poem from my first daughter Ellie that I've translated into Japanese!
The feeling of darkness
it makes your day blue
The pain of loss
to find anew
It's like a cage you can never break
Trapped forever to never wake
It eats your soul and kills your spirit
It haunts your dreams and takes your joy
It's what you love most that it destroys
Never to wake
ーE.A. Mahaffey
暗い感情は君の一日をブルーにさせる
失った悲しみは、
新しいことを発見することは、
決して出ることのできない鑑のようなもの
永遠に目覚めすことのないワナにはまったよう
それは君の心を食らい、魂をも殺す
夢を狩り取り、君から喜びを奪い取る
君がもっとも愛することを破壊する
いつもひとりぼっち
決して目覚めすることはないー
===
Sad? Yes.
But still, I was impressed by this untitled poem. It's my hope that Ellie does something with her talents. It's my hope that all my kids do.
The translation adds another level of beauty to the poem, I think. It opens itself to a whole new nation of readers! It will be in English, French, and Japanese. I just think that limiting ourselves to one language only keeps us a somewhat narrow corner of our own little world. Which is why I've taken up Japanese and French. They, to me, are very beautiful languages that land a certain elegance to the art of expression. In poetry especially!
The idea of multi-cultural reading is a very great feeling. Who knows what someone in Osaka or Tokyo might think of my daughters poem.
I love you, Ellie. I hope you like seeing your work this way and knowing so many read it. You can print it out and show it to your friends.
Colored pencil drawing of a bald man waving. Or swapping at flies with his hand at the corner of a room.
J.E. Mahaffey
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Replies (2)
This school year comes short socially for me but advances in my education. I'm even taking Yearbook as a journalist but the actual act of writing will not occur until mid september.
In October me and my family on dads side will have a reunion, I am excited about meeting those who is considered family but I am depressed I will be missing school. Now I feel like I should apologize to you for the reason being my letter, or message to you is so jumbled. Hah I'm sick so give me a break :3
I want to thank you for putting my poem on here and for taking such an interest in me and my writing. I will get back to flexing my creative writing so I can continue to grow as a writer. I hope to hear from you soon enough. Goodbye :3
Your First Daughter,
Eleanor_Anne