I presented a translation of a comic by Japanese manga artist Kiriko Nananan at Poetry Plurilingual, an event run by my friend where people read out non-English poems in both the original language and in translation.

 

I did this some time ago (24 June).

 

I love Kiriko Nananan. She’s absolutely incredible…what a drawer…and such a writer/storyteller! I just finished reading Strawberry Shortcakes and it was a staggering work of heart-rending genius too.

 

The one that I translated is sort of a manga-poem. An illustrated poem or something…William Blake-esque. It’s one of my absolute favourite things. I am totally not qualified to translate Japanese (I can barely string simple sentences together [AS OF NOW!]) but this poem moved me so much that I just felt the meaning (not really – I just spent a lot of time working out the meaning and even had a native speaker check it).

 

Here it is (you can also download the full transcript of my presentation here):

 

 

Water

 

○

 

Kiriko Nananan

 

Translated by Jack Breukelaar

 

I will come to dislike myself completely.

 

Did you come to hate the nothingness in me?

that’s right you, in such a “now” style,

were enviably cool

 

compared to that I

Only wore Doc Martens in imitation of you.

Only listened to the music that you played when I was right next to you.

Only dilettantishly memorised the titles in film theory explained by you.

 

I am shamefully empty, aren’t I?

 

　　　　nothing

　　　　nothing

　　　　nothing

 

But what is the purpose of that something?

 

The flicker of a muted television.

The tick of an old clock.

An upsurged cluster of egoism.

A clustered upsurge of egoism.

 

well, that’s what I just what I think when I ponder it…

 

And yet, assuredly, I am here and I am no one else but me!

 

 

THE END

 

 

Water

 

○

 

魚喃キリコ

 

僕は僕を好きじゃなくなってしまう。

 

君は僕になんにもないことが嫌になったの？
そうだよ君は  今フウで
うらやましいくらいにカッコ良かった

 

それにくらべて僕ときたら
君の真似してマーチンの靴を穿いただけ。
君が流す音楽をただとなりできいてただけ。
君が話す映画論で題名をうっすら暗記しただけ。

 

僕は恥ずかしいほど空ッポなんだね。

 

　　なんにもない

　　なんにもない

　　なんにもない

 

でもそのなにかはなんのために？

 

無音テレビのチカチカ。
古時計のカチカチ。
たかまったエゴイズムのかたまり。
かたまったエゴイズムのたかまり。

 

ねえ、考えてたら思ったんだけどね

 

それでもちゃんと僕はここに居て
僕は僕で他の誰かじゃないよ。

 

 

 

THE END