ウィンザーの後家さん キプリング

今日の詩はキプリングの「ウィンザーの後家さん」である。夫君アルバート公に先立たれたヴィクトリア女王のことである。七つの海を支配する女王様にお使えする兵隊たちの歌である。コクニー訛りが強烈である。＜'＞が単語の最初に登場したら＜h＞か＜t＞ で置き換える。最後に来たらまず＜g＞で置き換えることにしたが、＜f＞や＜d＞もあり、戸惑うこともあった。兵隊が読んで分かる詩であるから、易しい詩であろうが誤訳皆無ということはありえない気がした。

The Widow at Windsor

'Ave you 'eard o' the Widow at Windsor

With a hairy gold crown on 'er 'ead?

She 'as ships on the foam -- she 'as millions at 'ome,

An' she pays us poor beggars in red.

(Ow, poor beggars in red!)

There's 'er nick on the cavalry 'orses,

There's 'er mark on the medical stores --

An' 'er troopers you'll find with a fair wind be'ind

That takes us to various wars.

(Poor beggars! -- barbarious wars!)

Then 'ere's to the Widow at Windsor,

An' 'ere's to the stores an' the guns,

The men an' the 'orses what makes up the forces

O' Missis Victorier's sons.

(Poor beggars! Victorier's sons!)

Walk wide o' the Widow at Windsor,

For 'alf o' Creation she owns:

We 'ave bought 'er the same with the sword an' the flame,

An' we've salted it down with our bones.

(Poor beggars! -- it's blue with our bones!)

Hands off o' the sons o' the Widow,

Hands off o' the goods in 'er shop,

For the Kings must come down an' the Emperors frown

When the Widow at Windsor says "Stop"!

(Poor beggars! -- we're sent to say "Stop"!)

Then 'ere's to the Lodge o' the Widow,

From the Pole to the Tropics it runs --

To the Lodge that we tile with the rank an' the file,

An' open in form with the guns.

(Poor beggars! -- it's always they guns!)

We 'ave 'eard o' the Widow at Windsor,

It's safest to let 'er alone:

For 'er sentries we stand by the sea an' the land

Wherever the bugles are blown.

(Poor beggars! -- an' don't we get blown!)

Take 'old o' the Wings o' the Mornin',

An' flop round the earth till you're dead;

But you won't get away from the tune that they play

To the bloomin' old rag over'ead.

(Poor beggars! -- it's 'ot over'ead!)

Then 'ere's to the sons o' the Widow,

Wherever, 'owever they roam.

'Ere's all they desire, an' if they require

A speedy return to their 'ome.

(Poor beggars! -- they'll never see 'ome!)

Rudyard Kipling

ウィンザーの後家さん

お前さん派手な金の冠かぶった
ウィンザーの後家さんのこと聞いたかい？
後家さんは海には船 ― 家には何百万も持ってござる
後家さんは俺ら赤い服来た哀れな野郎どもに金を払ってくれる。
（赤い服着た哀れな野郎ども！）
馬には後家さんの印があるし
薬局にも後家さんの徴がある―
順風が吹くと、あちこち戦争に連れて行かれる
後家さんの兵隊にも徴がある。
（哀れな野郎ども！ ― 野蛮な戦争！）
それからウィンザーの後家さん自身にも
それから売店にも大砲にも
ヴィクトリーア夫人の息子たちの軍隊の
兵隊と馬にも付いている。
（哀れな野郎ども！ヴィクトリーアの息子たち！）

ウィンザーの後家さんは大股
勲章の半分を握ってござるから。
俺たちは後家さんから剣と炎で勲章を買い
俺たちの骨で漬けたのさ。
（哀れな野郎ども ― 骨とは憂鬱！）
後家さんの息子たちには触れるなよ
後家さんの店では商品には触れるなよ
ウィンザーの後家さんが「停止」といえば
王様たちも皇帝たちもしぶしぶ「停止」するからな。
（哀れな野郎ども ― 俺たち「停止」の伝令だ！）
後家さんの小屋にも付いている
極地から熱帯にまである―
俺たちが下士官兵と一緒にお守りし
礼砲でお迎えする小屋にも徴が付いている。
（哀れな野郎ども！ ― 毎度礼砲だ！）

俺たちウィンザーの後家さんの話聞いたぜ
独りにしておくのが安全だとさ。
ラッパが鳴るところならどこでも
俺たちは陸でも海でも歩哨に立つからな。
（哀れな野郎ども！ ― だから俺たち飛ばされねえ！）
朝の隊列を取ってから
死ぬまで土をはいずってみろよ。
連中の演奏する曲がいやでも
くさいボロ布を頭にかぶりはしないよ。
（哀れな野郎ども！ ― 被ると暑いぜ！）
後家さんの息子たちには徴が付いている。
どこに行こうが
望むものはすべてある、早く帰りたければ
要求すればよい。
（哀れな野郎ども！ ― 連中は家に帰りたくない！）

ルディヤード・キプリング

[francophile762004]

Thank you for your information. I know the book <Jungle book> that I read when a child, but I did not know that Rudyard Kipling is the writer. Thank you. I was stupid. I checked in South Korean online bookstores, but I did not find his poems. Tant pis!

[francophile762004]

I am interested also in England in 19th century, books are difficult to read, especially for me who do not know well British History. I think that you have various knowledge on British History.

[fminorop34]

Do you know <Jungle Book>? That is a story for boys. You have no brother. You are a great reader.

I have a sister and know <Anne of green Gables>and <little Princes>,but have not read them.

[fminorop34]

You don't have to buy Kipling's books. He is free from the copy right law. You can find a lot of site specializing in Victorian literature.

[fminorop34]

The Bombay-born writer is famous for Tommy's story. He is outspoken Imperialist and has been long maligned for his <damn>ideaology. He was remembered as the author of <Jungle Book>until the end of the century. I think he opend a new horizon on english poetry.

[fminorop34]

I saw a film titled <Jungle Book>. I remember that the hero's charcter is different from what I imagined. He was already adolescent. The Japanese illustrator created for readers of about 10. And then he was like Lord Fauntleroy. The bookseller tryed attract not only boys but their mothers.

[francophile762004]

Thank you for your comment and informations. Owing to you, I could know more about Kipling. Thank you. And I like both books for boys and books for girls.

[fminorop34]

You can learn Cockney or Scotish English, that is, worker's English from soldiers in Kipling poet<The Ballade of Barrack>. Cockney is easy to read.That is English spoken <My Fair Lady>.

<'Ave you 'eard o' the Widow at Windsor>

If you find <'>beginning word, you must replace <'> with <h>.

If you find <'>ending word of long string, you must replace <'> with <g>. Mornin'=Mornig

Other o'=<of> and an' is =<and>

[fminorop34]

Don't you think that <Widow at Windsor> is a parody of <The Merry Wives of Windsor>? Briton likes aliteration. Rhyming is so easy with Itarian and other Romance language speakers but so tough with English and other Germanic language speakers. Early English verse writers like aliteration Widow Windsor.

Modern case is Coca-Cola.

[fminorop34]

The usage of <bloomin'> is unknown to me. I think it may be an English equivalent of <fuckin'>. <fuckin'> before nouns has no offensive meaning. GIs use always <fuckin'>. Tommys use <bloomin'>.

[francophile762004]

Good morning. Thank you for your useful explanation. Yes, I think that <Widow at Windsor> is a parody of <The Merry Wives of Windsor>. But owing to you, I could know that the reason why <Widow at Windsor> seems a parody of <The Merry Wives of Windsor>. Thank you. Wow, you undersatnd Scotish English. In fact, I don't understand well Scotish English which is difficult for me.

[francophile762004]

So thank you very much for your explanation on <'>. yes, this <'> was difficult to understand for me, so when I met <'> in English novels. I gave up reading. But owing to you I will not anymore give up reading books which are written in Scotish English. Thank you.

[fminorop34]

Good morning! Are you not interested in baseball match? Can you imagine the TV rating in Seoul and Tokyo? I do not know. People in Pub are exited.

By the way, the most famous Scottish-Enlish writer is Robert Burns, the author of <Auld Lang Syne>or 蛍の光, litterally, Old Long Since. The song is tough for me. But we can check the modern English equivalent on Web.

[francophile762004]

In South Korea, baseball match is very popular. Especially, baseball match Japan vs South Korea is very much watched on TV in Seoul, many South Koreans are exited. But I do not know well sports including base-ball. So I am not exited in sports. :)

[fminorop34]

They have many Scottish writers including Sir Walter Scott. But their English is ordinary though with some Scottish place names unfamiliar to us. Most of their writing can be read without any dialectal dictionary. If you understand Old Long Sine and Address To A Haggis by Burns, you are a good Scottish-English reader. But hearing and writing Scottish my be another thing, I gues.

[francophile762004]

Ah, I know Robert Burns and I like <Auld Lang Syne>, but the song is difficult, because it is not in mordern English as you told. I think that English is more varios according to regions than French. That's why Written English seems more tough.

[francophile762004]

And for spoken English, there are many differences between American English, British English, Scottish English, Australian English, etc. I am more familiar with Asian English(Singlish, Konglish, Japanglish, etc) and European English including French English. In South Korea, especially, in Seoul, American English is considered as standard English, but imitating American English is difficult.

[fminorop34]

You need annotation with <Auld Lang Syne>. I guess British kids remeber quickly but need annotation to understand.

The official version of <Auld Lang Syne> is 蛍の光. Lighted by firefly. Can you tell me the korean version?

[fminorop34]

I want to make a comment about <The Widow at Windsor>. <Widow> and <Windsor> sounds and looks similar to each other. Both share the same vowel of <i>. Both are called <inner-rhymed>内韻.

How about <The Merry Wives of Windsor> ? <Wives> and <Windsor> share <i>letter, but not the same sound.
<Wives>and <Windsor>are not inner-rhymed.

However both share <W> consonat. They are called to be alliterated 頭韻.

<The merry wives of Windor> is not inner-rhymed but alliterated.

[fminorop34]

Coca-Cola is famous example. Coca and Cola share the vowel <o> and vowel<a>.Doubly inner-rhymed!

And that both share the consonant<c>. Both are alliterated.