Guido Gozzano

A brief announcement: My wife and I are doing a translation of Guido Gozzano’s short fiction, to be published next year by Hieroglyphic. It will concentrate on his more fantastic works, though I use the term rather broadly.

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2 things

1. a rather odd-ball review of The Life of Polycrates and Other Stories for Antiquated Children at Open Letters. I can’t quite decide if it is positive or negative.

2. a story my wife and I translated from the Italian, by Luigi Ugolini, will be published in Ann and Jeff VanderMeer’s forthcoming: THE WEIRD: A Compendium of Strange and Dark Fictions. I am very excited that Ugolini’s tale will be introduced to new readers in English.

Wonderwaan Mesh of Veins

The Dutch magazine Wonderwaan picked up my story Mesh of Veins for translation.

Li Yu, Charming blossoms . . .

Here is another poem by Li Yu. This one was also translated by my friend Bo Jiang and myself and was also originally printed in the same anthology mentioned in my first Li Yu post:

Charming blossoms in the grove are saying goodbye to crimsoning spring,

They are gone too soon,

It cannot be helped though since cold rain comes in the morning and rain at night.

 

She is crying; rouge melts with tears,

I am drunk with her asking me to stay,

“When will you be back?”

It is natural that the river keeps flowing east,

And men always feel regret.

Li Yu, Alone I ascended . . .

The following is a brief bio of Li Yu and a poem he wrote. This was translated by my friend Bo Jiang and myself from the Chinese. It was originally published in an anthology called Literature of Asia, Africa and Latin America (Prentice Hall 1999).

Li Yu [937-978] was the sixth son of Li Jing. He was enthroned in 961 at the age of twenty-four and was emperor of South Tang for fifteen years. In 975 his country was invaded by the Sung and conquered, leaving him in the position of a mere titular noble. On July 7, 978 the emperor Shong Tai Chong compelled him to take poison and he died at the age of forty-two. Most of his famous poetry was written in the period after his fall from power when he was forced to sit idly by and watch his country ruled by another.

A poem:

 

Alone I ascended West Tiered Manor in silence,

While the moon appeared like a hook.

The cool fall was locked in this maple garden, calm and quiet;

 

This thing cannot be cut,

It gets more messy trying to straighten out.

A melancholy departure,

And a raw feeling in my heart.

Bilingual Ekphrastic Poems by Alberto Nessi and Ericka Ghersi

A limited edition chapbook containing poetry by Alberto Nessi (translated from the Italian by my wife and I) is now available here, from Beauty/Truth Press. 

We just tranlated the Nessi stuff, not the poetry by Ericka Ghersi…

Anyhow, here is the publisher’s blurb:

A limited edition chapbook series created to showcase exemplary poems, launch editorial experiments, and explore artwork.  The third Collection features billingual ekphrastic poems aimed at coaxing out the subtlties of translation not only between languages, but between artistic mediums as well.

The Sutra of Immeasurable Life and Wisdom

The following is a text that I translated from Tibetan with a friend of mine, Roy Lee. As far as I know this text has never appeared anywhere in English before . . . but I could be wrong: 

THE SUTRA OF IMMEASURABLE LIFE AND WISDOM

 

Homage to the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas!

Thus have I heard:

     At one time the Buddha was staying by Sravasti, in Prince Jeta’s Grove, the garden of Anathapindika, together with a large company of monks, even one thousand two hundred and fifty, and numerous great Bodhisattvas.

     Then Buddha said to the youthful Manjusri, “Manjusri, in the heavens there is a world called Immeasurable Excellence, wherein abides a Tathagata, an Arhat, a fully enlightened Buddha called Exceedingly Definite Immeasurable Life and Wisdom, King of Brilliance. He engages in sustaining life, extending it to its limit, as well as in demonstrating Dharma to sentient beings.

     “Listen youthful Manjusri! The people of Jambuling have a short life span, merely one hundred years, and in general they die prematurely.

     “Whatever sentient being, Manjusri, proclaims the good qualities of, and praises the Tathagata Exceedingly Definite Immeasurable Life and Wisdom, or copies down the words of this discourse on Dharma, has others copy them, or just hears the name of it, or reads it and copies it into a book, memorizes it at home etc., or offers it flowers, incense, garlands, ointments and aromatic powders, they will Manjusri, instead of having their life exhausted, live for one hundred years. Whatever sentient being, Manjusri, hears, one-hundred and eight times, the name Exceedingly Definite Immeasurable Life and Wisdom, King of Brilliance, will also have their life extended. Whatever sentient being, when their life is almost exhausted, recites this name will also have their life extended. Therefore Manjusri, a son of a good family, or daughter of a good family, who, wishing to have a long life, hears the name of the Tathagata Immeasurable Life and Wisdom one hundred and eight times, or writes it down, asks another to write it down, or reads it, their excellence and well being will also be so. 

     Om Namo Bhagavate, Aparimita Ayurjnana Subinishchitate Jorajaya, Tathagataya. Om Punye Punye Mahapunye, Aparimita Punye Aparimita Punye Jnana Sambharopachite. Om Sarva Samskara Parishuddha Dharmate Gaganasa Mudgate Sabhava Bishudbhe Mahanaya Parivare Svaha.

     “Manjusri, whoever copies down the name of this Tathagata one-hundred and eight times, or has others copy it, or, memorizing it, copies it into a book, or reads it-whoever does this will, instead of having their life exhausted, live for one hundred years. And, at the time of their death, they will transmigrate to places such as the pureland of the Tathagata Immeasurable Life, The World of Immeasurable excellence.