enternecerte

[poetaenCA]

I'm a first time poster but long time reader-- and I'd like to thank everyone in the forums in advance for being such an excellent resource. Here's my question.

I'm working on translating a poem from (Ecuadorian) Spanish to English. I'm having trouble with one line in particular:

y enternecerte el aire

in context, it reads:

Y como despertar
y enternecerte el aire
e inventar

I don't honestly understand how enternecer works as a reflexive verb (soften yourself?), or how el aire functions relative to that.

Any help is greatly appreciated.

 

[alexacohen]

And the air softens you

 

[Romeo_89]

Hello from Barcelona!

First I've to tell you that sometimes it's really difficult translating literally a text from Spanish to English, ¡Especially a poem!

(This poem doesn't sound well neither in Spanish, lol!)

In English the verb "enternecer", means "to move, touch", so I'd say:

"... and how wake,
touch/move the air for you (or touch/move your air)
and invent..."

I hope this will help!

P.S.: Please correct my writing and my spelling if necessary!

 

[Betty Boop 33]

Welcome!

enternecerte is not a reflexive verb.
As other members have explained ahead, Spanish poetry is not very straight forward and sometimes it takes some times even to natives to understand the meaning of a sentence...

Said so, the explanation (so you may understand better) is that the author is probably saying:
como puedo yo despertar y (yo) enternecer el aire para ti (de ahí el "te") e inventar...

 

[alexacohen]

Enternecerte es igual que esconderte o mimarte o besarte. "Te" es "a tí".

It's "the air softening you" or "the air moving you". Or if you don't like "air", just change it: "the breeze moving you".

 

[la zarzamora]

I'm a first time poster but long time reader-- and I'd like to thank everyone in the forums in advance for being such an excellent resource. Here's my question.

I'm working on translating a poem from (Ecuadorian) Spanish to English. I'm having trouble with one line in particular:

y enternecerte el aire

in context, it reads:

Y como despertar
y enternecerte el aire
e inventar

How can I wake up
and make the air tender for you
and come up with...

But I am really against translating poetry, it is just wrong.
Good luck.

I don't honestly understand how enternecer works as a reflexive verb (soften yourself?), or how el aire functions relative to that.

Any help is greatly appreciated.

 

[poetaenCA]

Thanks to everyone who replied. The line makes much better sense without thinking of it as a reflexive verb...

 

[Towi]

Just a tip... to translate poetry, try not to see it grammatically, try to feel it... like a song. I know is kind of cheesy, but it is true, you have to love poetry to translate it. And as lazarzamora said, I'm against to translate poetry, but it is just my way of thinking.

 

[poetaenCA]

I'm surprised people are so opposed to translating poetry! As a PhD in poetry, a poet, a teacher of poetry, and someone who basically obsesses over poetry constantly, I completely understand how much is lost in any translation. But it is also an amazing way to communicate cross-culturally, particularly for poets; and a great way to truly attempt to understand a poem; and often it produces results that are themselves beautiful poems. Great translators are as rare a bird as great poets, and the work they produce adds immensely to multiple poetic traditions. I think translating poetry is not only a good idea-- I'd say it's tremendously important.