Re: "Monbushou Shouka"

From: Ross Klatte (klatteross_at_aol.commmm)
Date: 08/23/04 

Date: 23 Aug 2004 01:42:46 GMT

>Subject: "Monbushou Shouka"
>From: "B. Ito" jg2cme@wonder.ocn.ne.jp
>Date: 2004-08-20 15:39 Eastern Daylight Time
>
>There are many Monbushou Shoukas. I've not counted how many.

I counted them. There are seven.
One of them is
> Far away out on the beach
> where pine trees're faintly seen,

> I haven't counted either how many of them I have
> translated into my English versions.

Neither have I.

> Another thing is there are two songs with the same song
> title, "Umi"; one is in kanji $B!V3$!W(Band the other is in
> hiragana$B!V$&$_!W(B. The third one would have been
> in katakana, $B!V%&%_!W(B.$B!!(B

You are not pulling my leg, are you?

> In really, however, I think this katakana title must have
> been correct. One reason is becasue this song (now $B$&$_(B)
> seems to have been first published in a book all titled in
> katakanas $B!V%&%?%N%[%s(B($B>e!K!W(B on March, 1941.

Thank goodness. You had me worried for a minute.

> BTW, there is another "umi", in a completely different
> kanji and in the meaning, $B!VG?!W(B.$B!!(BIt requires another
> post to talk about this topic which deals with pathological
> or physiological matters, which also extends to such topics
> like sociological or political and economical or even
> educational and personal ones etc.

Yes, it is impolite to mention "pus" in the presence of lawyers.

> Back to the topic,

You weakling.

> I already have "The Sea" (my English version No. 133,
> URL: http://members10.tsukaeru.net/bito/Umi.htm ).
> This Monbusho song is for upper graders.

> My English translations and vocal sample are in the URL below:
> http://bito2.tsukaeru.jp/Umi2.htm

> I will appreciate very much any comments, suggestions and
> corrections of my English.

> Note:
> This time, I tried muchan's method of
> romaji-transliteration using upper-bars.

If muchan knew what he was doing, he wouldn't have been
exiled to Slovakia.

> But I'm afraid I've learned it enough. (As to the
> lower-bars in English spellings, I've still been utilizing
> them for musical & vocal convenience sake, though greatly
> against the English rule of articulation.)

Well, I can't argue with that. But, speaking of English
rules, did you know that Charles's wife was Catholic?

$B7n$,(B
> Tsuki-wa

Is this the aforesaid muchan romanization?

(3)
$B3$$K$*A%$r(B $BIb$+$P$7$F(B
Umi-ni ofune-wo ukaba***

$B$$$C$F$_$?$$$J(B $B$h$=$N9q(B
Itte-mitaina yoso-no-kuni

> How I wish to put a ship on the sea,
> And want to sail away to another country!

In my first reading, it was not clear whether the writer
wanted to launch a boat towards another country or whether
the writer wanted to get on a boat and launch himself
towards another country.

A more ambiguous translation might have been something like
> How I wish to put a ship on the sea,
> Sailing away to another country!

Your translation "and want to sail away" removed any
ambiguity.

After a while, I realized that "itte-mitai" meant "I would
like to go." I had first mis-read it as "ukaba***-mitai."

I liked it better ambiguous. Maybe:

Umi ni o-fune wo ukaba***
Ukaba***-mite, yokattara.

$B8@$$$?$+$C$?FbMF$O!'(B
> But I'm afraid I've not learned it enought.
Said by Michael Cash's kinfolk

> But I'm afraid I'm correct.
Said by Kevin Gowen

> But I'm afraid my upper bars are correct.
Said by Irishmen

> But I'm afraid muchan may not smile.
Said by muchas.

Ross
Vontay, Virginia
http://community.webshots.com/user/ross_klatte
http://www.geocities.com/foundlingfather/