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Speak Polish? Please translate song!

17 Apr 02 - 11:00 AM (#692125)
Subject: Speak Polish? Please translate song!
From: SharonA

In another thread on this Forum, we're discussing a sea shanty in its various versions ("Santy Anna" also known as "The Plains of Mexico"), and we've come across one set of lyrics that's on a web page in Polish. Can anyone out there translate these lyrics into English?

Here's the Mudcat discussion thread (click on the blue link): Lyr Req: Heave Away Santiana / Aweigh Santy Ano

And here are the verses in Polish: http://urtica.linuxnews.pl/~kbryd/lyrics/display_song.php?id=4920

I'll also paste the lyrics below (and I'll hope that all the accents show up in the thread!):


Heave away Santiana

s?. H.Czeka?a

Ej p?yn´my z pra?dem rzeki tam gdzie Liverpool
-Heave away Santiana
Dooko?a Hornu przez Frisco Bay
-Tam gdzie strome zbocza Mexico

Wie?c heave away i w góre?, w dó?
Nie minie rok powrócimy znów

Ten kliper dla za?ogi zawsze piek?em by?
Z?elazny Jankes dowodzi? nim

Po z?oto Kaliforni cia?gle gna? nas wiatr
Bo puste ?adownie wype?niac´ trza nam

A by? to dla nas wszystkich stary dobry czas
W 49-Tym za m?odych lat

I Zachariasz Taylor tam góra? by?
Gdy wygra? bój pod MonteRey

I szybko zwiewa? Santy kiedy pomóg? Scott
Jak Bonaparte pod Waterloo

I dla mnie kiedys´ nasta? dobry dzien´
Gdy Sally Brown pokocha?a mnie

------------------------------------------------------------------------

We surely would appreciate any help you can give. Thanks!


17 Apr 02 - 11:39 AM (#692153)
Subject: RE: Speak Polish? Please translate song!
From: masato sakurai

This Polish translator's translation:

There they let's float with current of river Ej where liverpool d F C by - round Heave away Santiana d C Hornu Frisco Bay C but there - where so, steep zbocza Mexico d C d heave away and upwards, this clipper was hell to bottom for crew (staff) iron (ferrous) yank not face year return once again always command (prove) before < he (its; his; it) > < it > for (after) golden < gold > continuously we wind Kaliforni gna³ because fulfill (perform) empty (hollow) bilges we trza but there was lat (summer; year) for all we old good times (sometimes) in (to) young 49-Tym and there there was up above Zachariasz Taylor when fight has won under MonteRey and fastly zwiewa³ Santy when it has helped Scott as under waterloo Bonaparte and sometime good day has come (has threatened) for I when it has fallen in love with me Sally Brown

~Masato


17 Apr 02 - 11:41 AM (#692156)
Subject: RE: Speak Polish? Please translate song!
From: katlaughing

Ah, took me too long. I didn't see yours, Masato, makes much more sense!:-)


17 Apr 02 - 12:09 PM (#692191)
Subject: RE: Speak Polish? Please translate song!
From: radriano

Has it occurred to anyone that a literal translation might make little sense? In order to make phrases fit a meter you have to translate into the new language. Let's wait until someone who reads Polish can translate this properly.


17 Apr 02 - 12:24 PM (#692211)
Subject: RE: Speak Polish? Please translate song!
From: katlaughing

Of course, radriano. I've deleted the silly one that I had posted.


17 Apr 02 - 12:24 PM (#692213)
Subject: RE: Speak Polish? Please translate song!
From: SharonA

Thanks for trying, masato and kat!

radriano: Your point is well taken; I know that the same is true of Spanish. In this case, presumably the phrases were originally translated from English and changed to fit the meter in Polish.

Strangely enough, radriano, Wolfgang suggested in the other thread that I get in touch with you about this. You beat me to it!


17 Apr 02 - 12:33 PM (#692222)
Subject: RE: Speak Polish? Please translate song!
From: GUEST,honest frankie

The Polish words are pretty much the same as the English with certain phrases changed to rhyme or fit the meter. All the ? are an attempt to use certain letters and accents peculiar to Polish but they don't really do a good job. the chorus:

Wiec(cedille on e for a nasal "en" sound)then "heave away lifted from the English. -i w(v) gore,i w dol(l with a squggley line sounds something like w) means we go up and down like from a folk song. -Nie minie rok powrocimy znow. -A year won't go buy and we'll be homeward bound(more or less)