ATA: American Translators Association The Voice of Interpreters and Translators

Beacons – A Journal of Literary Translation

In 1992 members of ATA's Literary Division collaborated in the publication of a collection of literary translations. Editor Cliff Landers titled that first volume Beacons, noting the aptness of the metaphor for many reasons — perhaps none more important than that "A beacon communicates from afar, as do these voices as distant in space as Japan, as remote in time as sixth century Arabia."

The success of that first Beacons led volunteers to work together on almost annual publications of literary translations. What had started out as a one time project became almost a tradition.

Beacons X

From the beginning, Beacons has been a work of art lovingly put together by a chain of dedicated editors. In keeping with tradition, the Editorial Board of this issue selected a broad collection of works from Europe and Latin America, and a good bit from Asia. This tenth edition of Beacons, which is dedicated to Geoff Waters, also marks a number of departures from earlier volumes. Among them:

• Emphasis on the geographical or historical context for contributors rather than the language translated.
• Two new rubrics, "Introducing," in which a seasoned literary translator introduces an author not well known in the U.S., and "Se Habla Español," intended to reflect the growing importance of the Spanish language in the U.S.
• Commentaries for many of the contributions — sometimes by the translators, sometimes by the authors.

There is much to discover in this issue of Beacons. And there is no need to wait — I invite you to begin reading now from the linked selections below.

Michele McKay Aynesworth
Editor, Beacons X

Beacons X: Table of Contents
Beacons X	cover
Title Page	i
Copyright	ii
Preface	vii
Acknowledgements	xi
Introducing
In the United States of Africa, Abdourahman A. Waberi (Djibouti/France)	3
Commentary and translation by David Ball and Nicole Ball		Bio David Ball
		Bio Nicole Ball
Enheduana: The First Known Author
Seven Temple Hymns, Enheduanna (Sumeria)	15	Bio Enheduanna
Commentary and translation by Betty De Shong Meador		Bio Betty Meador
Snapshots of Chinese Poetry: Du Fu, Xin Qiji, Huang Xiang
Commentary by John Balcom	35	Bio John Balcom
Three Poems by Du Fu	36	Bio Du Fu
Translation by Steve Bradbury		Bio Bradbury
More Poems by Du Fu	40
Translation by Geoff Waters		Bio Xin Qiji
Three Poems by Xin Qiji	48	Bio Andrighetti
Translation by Michael Farman		Bio Farman
Three Poems by Huang Xiang	54
Translation by Michelle Yeh		Bio Yeh
Eros in Translation: The Music of Love
Love Songs of the Sixth Dalai Lama, Tsangyang Gyatso (Tibet)	60
Commentary and translation by Geoff Waters		Bio Waters
Three Love Songs from Carmina Burana, Anonymous (Medieval Europe)	68
Commentary and translation by Mark Herman and Ronnie Apter		Bio Herman
		Bio Apter
Song-poems in three keys, Lê Pham Lê (Vietnam)	74	Bio Lê
Commentary and translation by Nancy Arbuthnot		Bio Arbuthnot
Grit, Grafitti, Stars and Laughter from Latin America
Evolution of a Poet, Mario Benedetti (Uruguay)	81	Bio Benedetti
Commentary and translation by Louise B. Popkin		Bio Popkin
The Slaughteryard, Esteban Echeverría (Argentina)	119
Commentary by Norman Thomas di Giovanni		Bio di Giovanni
Translation with Susan Ashe		Bio Ashe
Bed Time Story, Ana María Shua (Argentina)	131	Bio Shua
Commentary by Ana María Shua and Andrea G. Labinger
Translation by Andrea G. Labinger		Bio Labinger
Grafitos, Manuel Gonzalez Prada (Peru)	138	Bio Prada
Translation by G.J. Racz		Bio Racz
Bewitched, José Castro Urioste (Peru)	151	Bio Castro Urioste
Commentary and translation by Enrica Ardemagni		Bio Ardemagni
Of worms and roots, Matilde Casazola (Bolivia)	157	Bio Casazola
Commentary and translation by Roseanne Mendoza		Bio Mendoza
Translating Europe
Interview with Geoffrey Brock, translator of Umberto Eco	175	Bio Brock
by Traci Andrighetti		Bio Andrighetti
The Best Part, Diana Lama (Italy)	183	Bio Lama
Translation by Anne Milano Appel		Bio Appel
Poems from Les Roses, Rainer Maria Rilke (Austria)	192	Bio Rilke
Translation from the French by Barbara Collignon		Bio Collignon
Wandering through the desert, Sandra Santana (Spain)	199	Bio Santana
Commentary and translation by Ben Van Wyke		Bio Van Wyke
Excerpt from The Order, Leena Lander (Finland)	211	Bio Lander
Commentary and translation by Jill Graham Timbers		Bio Timbers
Shadows on rune stones, Peters Bruveris (Latvia)	220
Translation by Inara Cedrin		Bio Cedrin
Manuscripts in tortoiseshell, Mariana Marin (Romania)	229
Commentary by Adam Sorkin		Bio Sorkin
Translation with Daniela Hurezanu		Bio Hurezanu
Se Habla Español
Unlucky Lucky Days, Daniel Grandbois (U.S.)	236	Bio Grandbois
Traducción de Tony Beckwith y Liliana Valenzuela		Bio Valenzuela
Aún no nacida, Poemas de Stanley H. Barkan (U.S.)	240	Bio Barkan
Traducción de Isaac Goldemberg		Bio Goldemberg
Con pintura en el ojo, Poemas de Robert Cogswell (U.S.)	244	Bio Cogswell
Traducción de Horacio Peña		Bio Peña
En la Sala Blue, Poemas de Ames Dee (U.S.)	252
Comentario de Ames Dee
Traducción de Carolina Valencia

About the Contributors

Beacons X Editorial Board