a un son dantesco

English translation: like in Dante's Inferno

20:19 Dec 14, 2020
Spanish to English translations [PRO]
Art/Literary - Poetry & Literature / In An Autobiography
Spanish term or phrase: a un son dantesco
Contexto:

More vaudevillian lyrics, based on the spider theme:

Víctima tengo porque me ofrezco,
toda yo, toda, sin otras mañas;
a veces yerro, y me estremezco
al sentir roto, a un son dantesco,
el hilo tenue de mis entrañas!

Mil Gracias,

Barbara
Barbara Cochran, MFA
United States
Local time: 17:52
English translation:like in Dante's Inferno
Explanation:
Since we (here, collectively) don't seem to like the adjective "Dantesque" and this seems to be talking about how it feels to have one's guts ripped apart like in the Inferno...

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Note added at 13 hrs (2020-12-15 09:25:39 GMT)
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(My degree is in Italian and I had to read the whole Divina Commedia in old Italian - 30 years ago, mind you!)
Selected response from:

Shilpa Baliga
Local time: 22:52
Grading comment
Very perceptive interpretation. Thank you very much!
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
4 +1in a Dantesque way / manner/ style
Pablo Waldman
3 +1just like Dante/a la Dante
David Hollywood
3in Dantesque cadence
Steven Huddleston
3like in Dante's Inferno
Shilpa Baliga


  

Answers


14 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
in Dantesque cadence


Explanation:
A reference to Dante Alighieri's style, especially in the Divine Comedy. Preserving the rhyme, however, will be a challenge.

Example sentence(s):
  • ...when I feel broken, in Dantesque cadence, the tenuous...

    https://www.dictionary.com/browse/dantesque
Steven Huddleston
Mexico
Local time: 15:52
Works in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish, Native in SpanishSpanish
PRO pts in category: 39
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22 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +1
in a Dantesque way / manner/ style


Explanation:
son
4. m. Tenor, modo o manera. A este son. Por este son.
https://dle.rae.es/son?m=form

So here, "son" is not a musical term but a dated word for "way" or "manner" (see the example provided by the Spanish Royal Academy, "a este son".)

Pablo Waldman
Argentina
Local time: 18:52
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: Native in SpanishSpanish
PRO pts in category: 12
Notes to answerer
Asker: Thank you. Very helpful.


Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  ormiston: Why not simplify it to " Dante style"? The word 'Dantesque' sounds a little odd in context.
32 mins
  -> I agree this will also work
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1 hr   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +1
just like Dante/a la Dante


Explanation:
maybe

David Hollywood
Local time: 18:52
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 136
Notes to answerer
Asker: I think your translation is the correct register, because, after all, this song is being sung as part of a vaudeville show, and is not an academic discourse on Dante.


Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  ormiston: Yes to your first suggestion
18 hrs
  -> thanks ormiston
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13 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
like in Dante's Inferno


Explanation:
Since we (here, collectively) don't seem to like the adjective "Dantesque" and this seems to be talking about how it feels to have one's guts ripped apart like in the Inferno...

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 13 hrs (2020-12-15 09:25:39 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

(My degree is in Italian and I had to read the whole Divina Commedia in old Italian - 30 years ago, mind you!)

Shilpa Baliga
Local time: 22:52
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 23
Grading comment
Very perceptive interpretation. Thank you very much!
Login to enter a peer comment (or grade)



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