After the potato, the onion, I don't hink I can forget the other stable of the Chilean diet, the tomato. So here it is, Neruda's Oda al Tomate, Ode to the Tomato, 番茄之頌 and my translations.
Oda al tomate Ode to the Tomato 番茄之頌
La calle The street 蕃茄
se llenó de tomates. is full of tomatoes. 滿街
Mediodia, verano, Noon, summer, 夏日，中午.
la luz the light 番茄
se parte is divided 被光
en dos mitades in two halves 分
de tomate, of a tomato 兩半，
corre juice, 汁液
por las calles runs 流瀉
el jugo. through the streets. 街道。
En diciembre In December 番茄
se desata the tomato 在十ニ月
el tomate, is set free, 鬆縛，
invade it invades 進佔
las cocinas, the kitchens, 厨房，
entra por los los almuerzos, it enters them, the lunches 透其入午餐，
se sienta it sits 坐
reposado resting 在食橱，
en los aparadores, in the cupboards, 在瓶中
entre los vasos, between the tumblers, 牛油製品，
las mantequilleras, the buttered dishes 藍鹽瓶間
los saleros azules. the blue salt cellars. 小休。
Tiene It has 他自有
luz propia, its own light, 其光，
majestad benegna. benign majesty. 寬厚的皇者風範。
Debemos, por desgracia, We have to, unfortunately, 不幸地，我們須
asesinarlo: murder it: 謀他命：
se hunde the knife 刀
el cuchillo sinks 陷
en su pulpa viviente, in its living pulp, 其活生生之肉醬，
es una roja it's a red 一鮮紅之
viscera, body, 軀體，
un sol a cool 一清涼之
fresco, sun, 太陽，
profundo, deep, 深邃，
inagotable, inexhaustible, 用之不竭，
llena la ensaladas it fills the Chilean 填滿智利之
de Chile, salads, 沙拉，
se casa alegremente it happily marries 他樂於
con la clara cebolla, the bright onion, 與那光亮的洋葱成婚，
y para celebrarlo and to celebrate it 為興賀
se deja the oil 他讓
caer the principal son of the olive grove 油，
aceite, hijo is left . 欖林深愛之子，
escencial del olivo, to fall 倒
sobre sus hemispherios entrebiertos, over its half open hemispheres, 在他半開之半球，
agrega adds 加
la pimenta the pepper 胡椒
su fragancia, its fragrance, 香味，
la sal su magnetismo: the salt its magneticism: 鹽之磁力：
son las bodas it the wedding 是當天的
del dia, of the day, 婚禮，
el perejil the parsley 歐芹
levanta lifts 升起
banderines, bannerettes, 小旗，
las papas the potatoes 馬鈴薯
hierven vigorossamente, boil vigroously, 正大力發熱，
el asado the roast 炸物
golpea hits 之香味
con su aroma with its aorma 撲向
en la puerta, at the door, 大門
el hora! It's time! 是那時！
vamos! Let's go! 我們起來，
y sobre and above 在桌上，
la mesa, en la cintura the table, at its waist 在夏
del verando, of summer, 之腰，
el tomate, the tomato 番茄，
astro de tierra, star of the earth, 大地之星
estrella stars 重複
repitida repeated 多產之
y fecunda, and fecund, 星
nos muestra shows us 讓我們展示
sus circunvoluciones, circumvolutions 他的迴轉，
sus canales, its canals 他的運河，
la insigne plenitud the emblem of plenitude 豐沃之旗幟，
y la abundancia and of abundance, 他的富足，
sin hueso, without pip, 沒有番茄仁，
sin coraza, without heart, 沒有心，
sin escamas ni espinas, without scales nor spines. 沒有鱗，沒有剌，
nos entrega it blesses us 他鮮艶的顏色
el regalo with a gift 和他清新之
de su color fogoso of its fierce color 全部
y la totalidad de su frescura. and the whole of its cool. 送給我們。
In this poem, Neruda celebrates that staple of the Chilean diet: the tomato. It is used in salads. To him, the tomato is a symbol of plenitude. It is used as a vegetable. It is often "married" to the onions. To Neruda, the tomato is a blessing. It is fresh and is blssed with a bright red colour. Like the onion, he also calls the tomato a son of the star. It ripens in the middle of summer: "summer's waist"! Like the poem on the onion, its language is extremely simple and it follows the natural rhythm of the words.When Neruda says that the tomato juice flows the streets at the beginning of the second stanza, he is probably referring to the situation at the Festival of Tomato called ""La Tomatina" which is celebrated on the last Wednesday of August each year in the streets of Buñol in Valencia when about 120 tons of tomatoes are thrown into the streets in a little more than an hour for the people to do battle with! The festival begins at midday when 5 trucks will unload its wares at the plaza where about 25,000 are gathered for the festival each year. The people will throw tomatoes at each other for about two hours after which every one will wash themselves and then take a "siesta popular " before continuing with the festival in a less combative way!
沒有留言:
張貼留言