Three Things (poem by Baltasar de Alcázar) — TWO Translations!
Baltasar de Alcázar (1530−1606) is one of the few poets of his day who consistently allowed himself to be funny. He is sometimes called the “gastronomic poet” because he often wrote about food and drink. Here is my translation of his most famous poem, “Tres Cosas” (Three Things). The translation was originally published in the Raintown Review and later reprinted in Per Contra.
It is also my honor to present to you a second translation of the same poem, this one by David Rosenthal. While most of the poems that Baltasar de Alcázar wrote have not been translated into English at all, "Tres Cosas" has produced at least two rhyming and metrical versions in English. Mine, which is presented below, and David's, which is presented directly below mine. My thanks to David for letting me share his translation, which originally appeared in Measure.
I find it fascinating that both versions work so well at conveying so much of the original (if I do say so myself), yet ultimately they are very different from one another. An analogy that appeals to me at the moment is that of portrait photography. Two photographers can take a portrait of the same person, and both of them may attempt to capture the person's true nature, yet each of them is likely to produce a portrait that is distinct and original. Translators and photographers alike translate reality as best they can (the reality of a poem, the reality of a person), but each will find a unique approach. (The original Spanish can be found here).
By the way, you might also like to have a look at another one of Baltasar de Alcázar's poems that I translated. It's called "About Rhymes." You can find it in the drop-down list of the "Translation" button at the top of the page, or just click here.
THREE THINGS from the Spanish of Baltasar de Alcázar (1530−1606)
translated by Robert Schechter
There are three things my captive heart
forever dotes upon:
beautiful Inez, smoked ham,
and eggplant parmesan.
Oh lovers, it was sweet Inez
whose power over me
was such I actually despised
whatever was not she.
She made me senseless for a year.
In truth, I was far gone,
until one day she served me ham
and eggplant parmesan.
Inez was first to win my heart, but now I’d be hard-pressed to choose among the three of them the one I love the best.
In taste, proportion, and in weight,
I’ve nothing to go on:
I love Inez, I love smoked ham,
and eggplant parmesan.
Inez can boast of beauty,
the ham of Southern Spain,
the tender aubergine can boast
of Spanish soil and rain.
The competition is so close,
no winner can be drawn.
They all are one. Inez, the ham,
the eggplant parmesan.
At least, now that she knows that I
love other things as deeply,
Inez might sell me favors much
more often and more cheaply,
since there is now a counterweight for her to reckon on: a luscious slab of Spanish ham and eggplant parmesan.
THREE THINGS
translated by David Rosenthal
My heart is prisoner to these
three things, no matter where I am:
the beautiful Inés, smoked ham,
and eggplant cooked in melted cheese.
Inés, dear lovers, I confess
had such a power over me,
I only felt hostility
for everything except Inés.
She made me lose my faculties —
a year forgetting who I am —
until one day she served me ham
and eggplant cooked in melted cheese.
At first, Inés was in control,
but now it’s hard to say which one,
when everything is said and done,
is more the master of my soul;
and based on what one tastes, and sees,
and measures, there is not one gram
of difference: now Inés, now ham,
now eggplant cooked in melted cheese.
For beauty, give Inés the edge;
for birthplace, ham would win the game;
for bloodline, eggplant has a claim
to ancient Spanish heritage —
so equal in their qualities,
objectively it seems a sham
to judge among Inés, smoked ham,
and eggplant cooked in melted cheese.
At least my complicated fate
will bear me this: Inés will see
that she will have to tender me
her favors at a bargain rate,
for when she’s difficult to please,
and reason isn't worth a damn,
for counterweight, I have my ham,
and eggplant cooked in melted cheese.