Communications

Having worked hard at it for decades, I have finally reached the dubious success of being unable to communicate in 3 separate languages. So it was with pleasure that this lazy writer's idea came to me. Why don't I match myself with the mighty Google? I turned my browser to translate.google.com and copied into it the following poem:


Ozymandias (1818)

by Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792-1822)

I met a traveller from an antique land,
Who said “two vast and trunkless legs of stone
Stand in the desert ... near them, on the sand,
Half sunk a shattered visage lies, whose frown,
And wrinkled lips, and sneer of cold command,
Tell that its sculptor well those passions read
Which yet survive, stamped on these lifeless things,
The hand that mocked them, and the heart that fed;
And on the pedestal these words appear:  
[variant: And on the pedestal this legend clear:]
My name is OZYMANDIAS, King of Kings,
Look on my Works ye Mighty, and despair!
Nothing beside remains. Round the decay    
[variant: No thing remains beside. Round the decay]
Of that Colossal Wreck, boundless and bare
The lone and level sands stretch far away.” –

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To be honest, I started with the Spanish version, and ran into two problems. First, the poem was way past my pay grade. Second, it looked pretty darn good, in spite of a couple of hickups.

So I moved to Hebrew, and here, indeed, I finally found out that even the mighty Google is fallible.

=====


Ozymandias (1818)

(על ידי פרסי ביש שלי (1792-1822

פגשתי נוסע מארץ עתיקה,

מי אמר "שתי רגליים עצומות ובלי גזע של אבן

לעמוד במדבר ... לידם, על החול,

שקוע בשקרים מנופצים פרצוף, קימוטו, מחצית

ופה מקומט, ולועג לפקודה קרה,

תגיד שפסלה גם התשוקות הללו לקרוא

שעדיין שורדים, מוטבע על הדברים חסרי החיים האלה,

היד שלעגה להם, והלב שהאכיל;

ועל כן בסיס המילים אלה מופיעות:

[גרסה: ועל המעמד זה אגדה ברורה:]

מלך מלכי המלכים  OZYMANDIAS השם שלי הוא

תסתכל על העבודות שלי האדון רב עצמה, והייאוש!

שום דבר ליד שרידים. מסביב לריקבון

[גרסה: לא נשאר דבר לצד. מסביב לריקבון]

שמהתאונה הענקית, חסר גבולות וחשופים

"החולות הבודדות ורמה למתוח רחוקות

=====


Ozymandias (1818)

por Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792-1822)

Conocí a un viajero de una tierra antigua,
¿Quién dijo que "dos enormes piernas de piedra sin tronco de
Ponte en el desierto ... cerca de ellos, en la arena,
La mitad de una mentira hundido visage destrozadas, cuyo ceño,
Y los labios arrugados, y se burlan de comando fría,
Dile que su escultor bien esas pasiones leer
Lo que aún sobreviven, estampadas en estas cosas sin vida,
La mano que se burlaba de ellos, y el corazón que alimentaba;
Y en el pedestal aparecen estas palabras:
[variante: ¿Y en el pedestal de esta leyenda clara:]
Mi nombre es Ozymandias, rey de reyes,
Contemplad mis obras poderosas vosotros y desesperación!
Nada al lado de los restos. Alrededor de la decadencia
[variante: Ninguna cosa queda al lado. Alrededor de la decadencia]
De ese colosal naufragio, ilimitada y desnuda
Las arenas solitarias y nivel estirar lejos ". -

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I then returned to the Spanish, word by word, and there too, found the mix-ups between verbs and nouns, lies on the ground and lies one tells a spouse. I wonder if I should try and translate it back and see what happens

Let's see what one iteration a translation does...

Hebrew back to English

Ozymandias (1818)

By Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792-1822)

I met a traveler from the land of ancient

Who said "two legs closed and no race of stone

To the desert ... Next to them, on the sand,

Immersed in lies shattered face, frown, half

And here crumpled, and mocks the order wrong,

Say also rejected these passions read

Still survive, stamped on these lifeless things,

The hand that ridiculed them, and the heart was feeding;

And therefore the basis of these words appear:

[Version: This class Legend and clear:]

My name is OZYMANDIAS, King of Kings,

Look on my works a powerful master, and despair!

Nothing beside remains. Around the decay

[Version: nothing left side. Around decay]

Accidents enormous, boundless and bare

Individual and level sands stretch far away. "-

and Spanish back to English

Ozymandias (1818)

by Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792-1822)

I met a traveler from an antique land,

Who said "two huge trunkless legs of stone

Stand in the desert ... near them, on the sand,

Half a shattered visage lies sunk, whose frown,

And wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command,

Tell that its sculptor well those passions read

What still survive, stamped on these lifeless things,

The hand that mocked them and the heart that fed;

And on the pedestal these words appear:

[variant: And on the pedestal for this legend clear:]

My name is Ozymandias, king of kings,

Look on my works ye mighty and despair!

Nothing beside remains. Around the decay

[variant: Nothing beside remains. Around decay]

Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare

The lone and level sands stretch far away. "-

I have a feeling that the mighty Google caught on to my trick on this last one, or at least identified the song...

Needs, alms and wants

Buddhist monks have a daily ritual in which they spread out, knock on doors with an empty bowl, and get their daily nourishment  of rice through the kindness of strangers. One may think this is begging, but actually, the daily rite is not meant to teach them humility, or keep them thin and well exercised. It is an opportunity for the people answering the doorbell to practice the virtue of giving. The monk is doing them a religious favor.

You learn a lot about people when you need something from them. You find out who is reliable, who is kind, who is giving, and for that matter, who is a friend. Most of what anyone can do for you can be accomplished with only a minor investment. But while self reliance is nice, asking for favors is one heck of a way to separate the wheat from the chaff.

Many years ago, on a morning show in Jersey, a male and female hosts were reviewing the film The Shadow, whose marketing campaign theme was 'What evil lurks in the hearts of men?". And the female presenter commented 'you want to know what evil lurks in a man's heart? Date him!' Or, if you want to spare yourself the time and agony, just ask for a favor.

Good luck!

A picture is worth a thousand words?

The cliche states that "a picture is worth a thousand words." Let't consider and reconsider.

A picture may be worth a thousand words, but the English language contains over 250,000 of them, and so, without context, pictures won't tell you much.

A picture is a snapshot in time. It is superficial by its nature, covering only two dimensions. It lacks depth, and it certainly lacks a temporal perspective. You have no idea what took place before, what may happen next, or what goes on outside the frame.

If you want a stunning visual, something that is easy to comprehend and absorb, a picture might do. But for perspective, clarity, and an in-depth understanding, the older technology - writing a narrative - can't be replaced.