Tender Fragrant Grass...

[YuehanHao]

I saw a page with bilingual (Chinese-English) signs on BBC this evening. The last translation stood out to me as piquant, even almost poetic, and I thought I'd share it:

芳草茵茵

踏之何忍

Tender Fragrant Grass,

How Hardhearted

To Trample Them.

Bravo to that translator. I am certain I would walk over forbidden lawns much less often if we used this English phrasing on signs in the U.S. instead of the crude imperative "Keep off the Grass."

约翰好

[rob07]

I prefer another translation, which I saw on a sign recently:

Chinese: "芳草茵茵 踏之何忍" (or something almost exactly the same)

English: "Keep off the grass. There are snakes here".

In order to hide in that particular patch of grass, the snakes would have had to have been small enough to be at risk of being swallowed by an angry earthworm.

[leeyah]

芳草茵茵

踏之何忍

Tender Fragrant Grass,

How Hardhearted

To Trample Them.

Thanks for sharing, YuehanHao. It's very nice

Actually, I felt the same way when I read this on a stone in a park in GZ two years ago:

Haven't seen many gwailous there, so I guess that's why they didn't bother to translate the touching line & used the crude imperative instead (or perhaps they estimated it wouldn't fit, given the small size of the stone ;):

花草有情，脚下留情

Flowers and grass have feelings, too. Please show mercy by not trampling on them

IMH translation. A poet could do better, I'm sure.

[gougou]

Funny how all the grass died where they put the stone...

[leeyah]

Funny how all the grass died where they put the stone...

弃子取胜

(i.e.: small sacrifice reaps big reward... )

[HashiriKata]

弃子取胜

(i.e.: small sacrifice reaps big reward...)

As it stands, the quote sounds more like to forsake one's own child for rewards to me

[leeyah]

As it stands, the quote sounds more like to forsake one's own child for rewards to me

I suppose you can't play chess HashiriKata? Or your Chinese isn't up to deeper phrases (yet)

子 in the phrase doesn't mean "child" , it's short for 棋子 & 弃 stands for 放弃 ...

[HashiriKata]

And I suppose you don't know what "As it stands, the quote sounds more like... " means? Just calm down, leeyah!

[Scoobyqueen]

Just calm down, leeyah!

Is it not possible to maintain a constructive tone? It makes for better reading

[gougou]

Is it not possible to maintain a constructive tone? It makes for better reading

Strongly second that.

[HashiriKata]

Is it not possible to maintain a constructive tone? It makes for better reading

Exactly!

(And if anyone is not sure of this, please read post #7 above again.)

[Scoobyqueen]

Hashirikata - it is not about who is right or wrong. It is about maintaining a constructive (and professional) tone in an open forum regardless of whether one "feels" provoked or not. It just makes for a friendly and constructive forum that hopefully should attract many new members who will in turn make some useful contributions in the future. Chinese-Forums stands out because it has - for want of a better synonym - a very constructive way of conducting exchanges.

(And by the way I have benefitted from many of your responses too.)

[imron]

Tender Forum Members,

How Hardhearted

To Trample Them.