San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1890-08-16
SINGLE SATURDAYS.
Written for the LIGHT.

|
Next week 1 shall devote to
studying them, and we will pose for
our Saturdays halfhour as "NToderns
of the Moderns.n
But this week We have been
| through the convent ton a-gong,
CONFUSION strictly American, with
no dignity Of tradition to make it inn
pressive. Let US rest!
The delegates are weary, (or Dug hit
| to bel and we certainly are.
Our throats are sore, actually, or by
proxy, and our ears ring with politi-
cal eloquence, or what is worse-po-
| litical jokes.
We will forget it all for time and
| take up a subject which was touched
upon In a paper several weeks ago.
1t discussed the difficulties of trans
lation, and since then the idea has
been agitating more brains than my
own.
Wherever we turn in our quaint old
city there is the evidence of different
nationalities. We cannot walk block
or get into street car without hear
| ing broken sentence of manly Ger
man or catching musical Whit of
| Spanish. What can be translated into
TJuS anu CahhoV 10
One friend says, II must learn
language, or L can gain no real
knowledge of It's literature"
This is true in the main. contend,
however, that now and then in every
tongue, there appears poem which
contains the touch of mature which
makes the world akin" Under these
circumstances the bsn of mot trans
ferrable,n is set aside.
The central idea and its beauty be-
comes the property of all humanity.
Those poems which take root in the
popular heart are usually of the
Lyric school," some bubbling up OF
human nature at its best, caught and
crystallized in fragment OF immortal
song.
We can tell on our fingers the
household ballads of the English
tongue, and we recognize that their
popularity has grown from the two
fold excellence OF form and idea. We
find the thrilling tale or exquisite
thought, moulded into musical and
sympathetic meter.
In the Folk lore" of other
nations, which one may be
only able to reach by translations, n
great disappointment is often ex-
perienced-fOr the idea may be re-
ligiously preserved, but the metre,
the melody, the elan lost.
The intricate or philosophical poe
try, which does not appeal to the
masses, is more easily reproduced,
from the fact that ponderous express
sion, is more or less alike, in all
languages. Thus. though Wallen-
stein and Faust have been satisfac-
torily translated, the ballads CT
Goethe and Schiller, still wait
worthy interpreter.
Living as we do, upon the bordesr
of Mexico / am often struck with the
difficulty of rendering its lighter liter
allure into English. 1t is the old, old
comparison of the down and the
peach. The gist of the matter can be
given, but it is hard to catch the soft,
impalpable jingle, which is the fas-
cination of Spanish song.
If we had to have Douglas present
ed, to us as faithful and affection
ate" instead of tender and true"
he might be an excellent person still,
but not our hero of romance;-4ankee
Doodle, seated upon a "smal horse"
instead OF a pony" would lose his in
dividuality.
Certain plants will not bear trans
planting, and some Jewels do not
shine to advantage out of a particu-
lar setting, some poems cannot be
taken from one tongue to another.
have often tried to satisfy critical
friends by attempting to translate
the beautiful Spanish songs, but in
almost every instance the sparkle
was gone by the time that L had
penned the last correct line. The
English version, event to the tune"
but it had the flavor of the "stars and
stripes" after all.
Only twice did | successfully keep
the Latin motif, retaining the exact
metre, and the suggestion of that re-
mote and reckless Spain, which COL
ored our modern Mexico. The follow
ing lines are often sung, but their &C
COMPARTMENT is generally upon the
guitar
MANDOLINATA.
Mandolinata! Mandolinata
What can have brought her, what can
have brought her
Out from the court yards gloom,
Into the street,
Is it the shining moon
she comes to greeG
MandoIinata Mandolinata
No harm is wrought her, no harm is
wrought her
For now / stand aside
Trembling to hear,
She in her grace and pride
Dreams not I'm near.