MÁSTER DE TRADUCCIÓN LITERARIA – UCM

Taller de traducción: textos líricos

Individual assignment 4
Translate the following poem, “I Felt a Funeral, in my Brain”, by
Emily Dickinson (1830-1866). Pay special attention to the following
elements:

1. Structure and form

2. Metre
3. Rhyme (end, internal, imperfect) and rhyme scheme
4. Sound and rhythm
5. Subject: what is the poem about
6. Speaker: who narrates the story?
7. Figurative language: alliteration, onomatopoeia, metaphor…
8. Theme: love, nature, politics…
9. Tone and mode: attitude
10. Syntax

[Context and analysis: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/emily-dickinson

https://www.litcharts.com/poetry/emily-dickinson/i-felt-a-funeral-in-my-brain]

Prof. Dr. Jorge Braga Riera

 MÁSTER DE TRADUCCIÓN LITERARIA – UCM
Taller de traducción: textos líricos
I felt a Funeral, in my Brain, [9]
And Mourners to and fro [6]
Kept treading - treading - till it seemed [8]
That Sense was breaking through – [6]

And when they all were seated, [7]

A Service, like a Drum – [6]
Kept beating - beating - till I thought [8]
My mind was going numb – [6]

And then I heard them lift a Box [8]

And creak across my Soul [6]
With those same Boots of Lead, again, [8]
Then Space - began to toll, [6]

[Solo es constante con el segundo y cuarto verso de cada estrofa]

Sentí un Funeral, en el Cerebro [10]

Y Dolientes aquí y allá [8]
Pisaba – pisaba hasta que creí [10]
Que se abría paso la Razón- [9]

Y cuando todos se sentaron,

Como un tambor la Liturgia [9]
Sonaba - sonaba - hasta que pensé
Que mi mente se entumecía [9]

Y entonces los oí alzar una Caja

Y un crujir a través del Alma [9]
Con las mismas Botas de Plomo, otra vez,
Y el Espacio - comenzó a tañer [9]

Prof. Dr. Jorge Braga Riera