I came up with this a few months ago independent of Zukofsky, and also David Melnick's fantastic
Men in Aida. I am happy to know that I've made it as far as the 80's, though really, it's an extension of what Pound had been doing in his translations from The Seafarer on. Absolutely literal homophonic translation is grueling, but unlike Melnick I didn't think of using any word fragments or meaningless syllables. A fun experiment, at any rate.
Sa Faute
Porcupine-thorned affluent Aphrodite,
Gradient, tall and plucky, listen I say
Do not seize me in horny eyeing, damned
Partner of no-man.
All of the deeds else I bid thee carry over
Tasks immense, audacious higher bailing
Eccles father's, the golden liver eater,
Cruising on, elsewhere.
Armed super zigzagger, alloy design
Yoked destroyer, vary gas mileage
Pushing two ninety, tear up, outrunning
High thermos diesel methods.
Wipe tears incognito, pseudo-my-saviour
Mighty your smiling, affluent proposal
"Hey, what in the hoot be bothering, caught anything?
Did he not call me?"
Caught me! Malice (...stealthy Guinness sigh)
My only theme, oh, tin of day old python;
Mice again pissin all over the tapestry.
Piss off, and decay.
Kay...Got to forgive...Taking loss the old way
I adore my deck, hit all aglow the sea,
I deny fleeing. Take off, fleers!
Go look at the liers.
Help me now, kindly call upon this loser
Heck, merriment, or else damn me till I sigh,
To the most merry television satellite;
Soon make us stressless.
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