GR translation: the translucent guardian of a rainfall

[Mike Jing]

I think for the first three, David's reading was spot-on. As for the last,
I think background makes more sense since it's the ground that "defines
her", as in "figure and ground". Also, it seems unlikely for the hidden
camera to see the actual ground outside the window.


On Thu, Jun 23, 2022 at 12:10 AM Michael Bailey <
michael.lee.bailey at gmail.com> wrote:

> Mike Jing wrote:
>
> V94.8-15 ,P96.1-9   The cameraman is pleased at the unexpected effect of so
> much flowing crepe, particularly when Katje passes before a window and the
> rainlight coming through changes it for a few brief unshutterings to murky
> glass, charcoal-saturated, antique and weather-worn, frock, face, hair,
> hands, slender calves all gone to glass and glazing, for the celluloid
> instant poised—the translucent guardian of a rainfall shaken through all
> day by rocket blasts near and far, downward, dark and ruinous behind her
> the ground which, for the frames’ passage, defines her.
>
> Several things:
>
> In "changes it for a few brief unshutterings to murky glass," what does
> "it" refer to? I always thought it refers to the crepe, but the published
> translation took it as the window, which seems redundant to me since it's
> already made of glass.
>
> What does "the translucent guardian" refer to here? I thought it refers to
> the preceding image of Katje in the dress, while the published translation
> again interpreted it as the window, which doesn't seem right.
>
> What does the word "downward" describe here?
>
> In "dark and ruinous behind her the ground", does the "ground" mean
> "background"?
>
>
>
> “it” should refer to “window”,* but after “murky glass” the words
> describing Katje and her outfit all refer back to “effect of so much
> crepe”, both grammatically and sense-wise, imho
>
>
> ie - the whole phrase “particularly when Katje passes before a window and
> the rainlight coming through changes it for a few brief unshutterings to
> murky glass” is an interjection
>
>
> Translucent guardian - iffier, but how about “each snapshot shows a brief
> moment of her walking past the window, transmuted by the rainlight* into
> the image of a translucent guardian (rainlight showing her as a guardian of
> the rainlight itself, a natural life-affirming image, coöperation among all
> the destruction, a mutual transformation) in contrast to the bomb-riddled
> landscape outside, both visible and imputed”?  A fleeting image of hope and
> protection. Like a Miraculous Medal?
>
> * before & after this the pictures would only show her in front of
> (presumably) a wall, in artificial and/or indirect lighting, which isn’t
> usually so caressive
>
>
> I think “downward” refers to the gravity-obeying path of the missiles at
> their destination (as opposed to their gravity-defiance at their source)
>
> Ground/background - intentional ambiguity?
> --
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>