The Atheist’s Prayer
Naomi cited (in the comments to the post just linked) a sonnet by Miguel de Unamuno as a favorite. I thought I’d exercise my translation muscles a bit; haven’t done any translation since college, and I sort of miss it sometimes.
This is probably going to be bad, bad stuff. It’s really been a while, and poetry was never my strong suit anyway.
The sonnet first:
La Oraci?n del Ateo
Oye mi ruego Tú, Dios que no existes,
Y en tu nada recoge estas mis quejas,
Tú que a los pobres hombres nunca dejas
Sin consuelo de engaño. No resistes
A nuestro ruego y nuestro anhelo vistes.
Cuando Tú de mi mente más te alejas,
Más recuerdo las plácidas consejas
Con que mi ama endulzome noches tristes.
Que grande eres, mi Dios! Eres tan grande
Que no eres sino Idea; es muy angosta
La realidad por mucho que se expande
Para abarcarte. Sufro yo a tu costa,
Dios no existente, pues si tú existieras
Existiría yo también de veras.
And my rhymeless attempt at it:
The Atheist’s Prayer
O hear my plea, you nonexistent God,
And these my sorrows gather to Your void,
O you who cannot let the poor men live
Without false consolation. Don’t deny
Our plea; just clothe yourself in our desires.
When furthest from my mind You wander off,
I most remember placid legends, those
With which my nurse beguiled weary nights.
How great you are, my God! So great are you
That you are just a Thought; reality
Is strait however far it stretches out
To welcome you. I suffer due to you,
you nonexistent God, for if you were
Existent, truly I’d exist as well.
Man. That sixth line is a killer (do I even have the sense right?). Not to mention the other thirteen. And yeah, I’m rusty. Ee-ick.