Juhani Curses Fate

FinnishFinnish

JUHANI. Tuhannen tulimmaista! eikö ole miehellä valta elää rauhassa ja tahtonsa mukaan omalla kannallansa, koska ei hän seiso kenenkään tiellä, ei loukkaa kenenkään oikeutta? Kuka voi sen kieltää? Mutta sanonpa kerran vielä: papit ja virkamiehet kirjoinensa ja protokollinensa ovat ihmisten häijyt henget.--Oh sinä musta sika! Voi päivää kirottua täällä! Niinpä nyt ylisniskoin meitä kohtaa kovan onnen nuijaukset ja ihmisten kiusanteot, että olen valmis juoksemaan pääni seinään. Oh sinä musta sonni! Venla meille antoi rukkaset; tehneet ovat he meistä myrkyllisen pilkkaveisun; lukkari meitä rääkkäsi kuin pahalainen itse; Toukolan pojat meitä hakkasivat kuin nummea vaan, selkäämme saimme kuin jouluporsaat ja oikeinhan joulupukkeina käyskelemme tässä ykssilmäisinä tonttuina, ryysyt päässä. Mitä vielä? Onhan kotomme nyt ilman köyhän ainoata kestiä, ilman kiukaan kohisevaa löylyä. Tuollahan kytee ja savuaa entisen armaan saunamme aherrus. Ja sittenhän on jäljellä vielä perkeleistä pahin. Hmh! Kymmenellä lävellä irvistelee meitä vastaan kirkonporstuasta jalkatukki. Kirkas tuli! Ellei tämänkaltainen kiusantemppujen rykelmä vie partaveistä miehen kurkkuun, mikä sitten? Oh sinä sarvipää sonni!

ChineseChinese

朱海尼诅咒命运

(第四章倒数第26段)

朱海尼:真是活見鬼!一個人只要不碍別人的事,不侵犯別人的权利,难道不应該隨他自己的意思,让他安安靜靜地过活嗎?誰能禁止这种自由?我要再説一遍:拿着书本和文件的牧师和官吏真是人類的恶魔。噢,你这个黑母猪!噢,世界上倒霉的日子!我們受着苦难的命运和人們的残暴的打击,把我們打得暈头轉向,我簡直恨不得把脑袋往墻上撞呢。噢,你這黑公牛!凡拉拒絕了我們;他們編了一首无聊的、刻薄的歌,嘲笑我們;圣歌領唱人像魔王似的折磨了我們;图戈拉村的小伙子們把我們狠狠地揍了一頓,好象我們是沒有知覺的泥土似的,我們象聖誕节的猪似的給人家揍扁了,現在在这儿大搖大摆地走着,真象聖誕节的小妖怪似的,象头上裹着破布的独眼龙、土地爷似的。还能更晦氣嗎?穷人家唯一痛快的事情就是有個冒热汽的洗澡房;現在我們家里不是連这点享受也沒有了嗎?我們那燒毀了的洗澡房还在那兒冒烟呢。另外还有最倒霉的鬼事情等着我們。哎呀呀!十個洞的腳枷从教堂的門道里呲着牙齿向我們冷笑呢。該死的!如果这一連串苦惱的事情还不夠逼着人家拿剃刀抹脖子的話,那还有什么更要命的事情呢?噢,你這个头上長着角的公牛!


(The original Chinese translation contains both simplified and traditional Chinese characters as displayed here.)

    Version

  • 1962

Questions:

  1. This is Juhani’s list of the brothers’ many woes, which will soon enough drive them out of their house for a ten-year stint in the wilderness, where they will be transformed from wild boys into decent, hard-working men. What is his mood as he lists those woes? What is his emotional state? How natural does his expression of that emotional state seem to you in this passage? Does anything ring false, wrong, “off”? What, and why? (Version 1962)

    Message from: Wang Jinyue ( Scholar Translator Independent Reader ) on 25 February 2016 09:50:56 AM (GMT+8)
    He is in a blue mood as he lists those woes. He is unhappy about his situation. His expression of the emotional state in Chinese seems unnatural to me. I am not sure whether there is anything false or wrong, but I feel the images in the expressions are awkward such as ”我們象聖誕节的猪似的給人家揍扁了,現在在这儿大搖大摆地走着,真象聖誕节的小妖怪似的,象头上裹着破布的独眼龙、土地爷似的。”.


    Hide comments
  2. The Finnish original is written in a stylized dialect that now sounds rather archaic. Has the translator attempted to reproduce that archaic dialect? If not, has the translator used a standardized version of the target language, or a colloquial version without slang, or a slangy vernacular, or what? Whichever way the translator went with the archaic dialect, does the attempt seem successful to you? Why or why not? (Version 1962)

    Message from: Wang Jinyue ( Scholar Translator Independent Reader ) on 25 February 2016 09:50:56 AM (GMT+8)
    Yes, the translator has attempted to reproduce that archaic dialect, but not as successful as expected. Adjustment must be made so that the Chinese version could be easier to read.


    Hide comments
  3. Does this passage sound like any existing novel you know in the target language, or like a certain author, or like a period novelistic style that you recognize? If so, what or whom? Does that feeling of familiarity make you like the passage more, or less, or have no effect on your response? (Version 1962)

    Message from: Wang Jinyue ( Scholar Translator Independent Reader ) on 25 February 2016 09:50:56 AM (GMT+8)
    No. The Chinese version must be polished. Otherwise I am unwilling to read it from beginning to end.


    Hide comments
  4. If you had time, would you want to read this entire translation? Why or why not? (Does it make you say “wow!”? Are you astonished at its brilliance?) (Version 1962)

    Message from: Wang Jinyue ( Scholar Translator Independent Reader ) on 25 February 2016 09:50:56 AM (GMT+8)
    Yes, I want to read this entire translation so as to have a panoramic view of the whole plot. (I am not astonished at its brilliance.)


    Hide comments
  5. Does this translated passage make you think that Aleksis Kivi might be a great writer of World Literature, or not? Why or why not? (Version 1962)

    Message from: Wang Jinyue ( Scholar Translator Independent Reader ) on 25 February 2016 09:50:56 AM (GMT+8)
    No. The translation could be better.


    Hide comments

Name *


Scholar
Translator
Independent Reader

Email *