Archive for the ‘words are swords’ Category

Traducción de ‘Invictus’ al español

Friday, August 27th, 2010

A raíz de una desgracia reciente en la que se vio involucrado un amigo, se me ocurrió escribir mi propia traducción del poema ‘Invictus’ al español.

Más allá de la noche que me cubre,
Negra como el abismo entre los polos,
Doy gracias a los dioses que pueda haber
Por mi alma inexpugnable.

En las despiadadas garras de las circunstancias
Ni una mueca ni un grito de dolor.
Bajo los mazazos del sino
Mi cabeza sangra, pero no se humilla.

Más allá de este mundo de ira y lágrimas
Se avecina el Horror de la sombra,
Y aun así la amenaza de los años
Me halla y hallará impertérrito.

No importa cuán estrecha sea la puerta,
Cuán repleto de condenas el manuscrito,
Soy el dueño de mi destino:
Soy el capitán de mi alma.

El poema original:

Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.

In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.

Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds and shall find me unafraid.

It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll,
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul.

To save a life

Tuesday, July 20th, 2010

A life cannot be saved. All we can try is to delay a death.

First interpolating approximation problem

Tuesday, July 6th, 2010

D. Levin, Professor of Applied Mathematics at Tel-Aviv University argued in his 2003 paper “Mesh-Independent Surface Interpolation

The earliest reference to this problem [, approximating the projection of a set of data points onto a manifold,] is in the book of Genesis: “Let there be a firmament between the water to divide waters from waters”, that is the manifold. “Let there be lights in the firmament”, these are the points. Then, “God set them in heaven’s firmament”, i.e., a projection procedure has been used.

So now you are not neutral, are you?

Wednesday, June 16th, 2010

After Spain’s shock defeat against Switzerland in the World Cup, and despite it may be begging the question, but why are Switzerland playing in the first place? Shouldn’t they remain neutral and just provide the referees?

Carrot steak anyone?

Thursday, June 3rd, 2010

During World War II, the Government had authority to take possession of any meat product or livestock to feed the starving country. But the dons of Magdalen College at the time weren’t about to let a little thing like that interfere with the fine-breeding of their deer living happily in their Deer Park.

So what did they do? Got in contact with their friends in high places and (in 1939 apparently) had them reclassified as vegetables.

“Odd-ford?”, The Oxford Student, 56(6):19, 27 May 2010.

Two takes on a sandwich

Monday, April 26th, 2010

At Barajas Airport, Spain, the lady at the till frowns and asks “That sandwich’s all you are having, right?”.

At Luton Airport, England, the guy at the till asks “How can I help you?” and smiles when you approach him with a sandwich.

Not so French

Wednesday, April 21st, 2010

Café Rouge in Oxford presents itself as a French restaurant with a “Prix Fixe” menu. In the mains section we find:

  • Saucisses de Porc with herb mash and thyme jus
  • Beignets de Cabillaud (Deep fried cod goujons served with French fries and remoulade sauce)

That is, bangers and mash, and fish and chips. One cannot get more British pub food than that.

I really really wish

Wednesday, March 3rd, 2010

Religion is much easier to understand if you replace ‘I believe’ by ‘I really really wish’.

Goldsmith on Descartes

Monday, February 22nd, 2010

Intellectual snobs without a social site profile, blog or homepage, beware:

If it doesn’t exist on the Internet, it doesn’t exist, therefore you don’t think.

(Goldsmith on Descartes.)

Servicio de Orientación y Planificación Profesional

Monday, February 15th, 2010

Si tu trabajo no te llena, hazte cocinero.