Tag: William

Quoting Wordsworth: English to Chinese to English

A Chinese friend was having difficulty with an English phrase and its translation, and asked me to help. An out of context English phrase, translated to Chinese and then back to English, its meaning would surely be lost in translation. It was.

To me the meanest flower that blows can give thoughts that do often lie too deep for tears
在我看来,最卑微的华朵 都是思想,深藏 在眼泪达不到的地方
zai wokanlai, zui beiwei de huaduo doushisixiang, shencang zaiyanlei dabudao de difang

华兹华斯 hua zi huasi Wordsworth

From the Chinese I translated to:

From what I see, the most humble blooms are thought, deep and hidden far beyond tears