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  3. Poetry & Literature

encendía una llaga perpetua de inmortalidad

English translation: was opening up a wound that would last for all eternity/a perpetual flame of everlastingness

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)
Spanish term or phrase:encendía una llaga perpetua de inmortalidad
English translation:was opening up a wound that would last for all eternity/a perpetual flame of everlastingness
Entered by: Marian Vieyra

13:05 Jun 23, 2012
Spanish to English translations [PRO]
Art/Literary - Poetry & Literature / Historical Novel
Spanish term or phrase: encendía una llaga perpetua de inmortalidad
Longinos has just stuck his lance throught the side of the crucified Jesus.

"No sabía Longinos que ese gesto feral **encendía una llaga perpetua de inmortalidad."

Gracias,

Barbara
Barbara Cochran, MFA
United States
Local time: 23:58
was opening up a wound that would last for all eternity/a perpetual flame of everlastingness
Explanation:
Llaga or llama? Wound or flame?
Selected response from:

Marian Vieyra
United Kingdom
Local time: 04:58
Grading comment
The first option you offer is what I am going with.
3 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
4 +8inflict the unremitting wound of immortality
Jenni Lukac (X)
4lighted a perpetual wound throughout eternity
amendozachisum
3was delivering the wound to (everlasting) immortality
David Hollywood
2was opening up a wound that would last for all eternity/a perpetual flame of everlastingness
Marian Vieyra


  

Answers


16 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 2/5Answerer confidence 2/5
was opening up a wound that would last for all eternity/a perpetual flame of everlastingness


Explanation:
Llaga or llama? Wound or flame?


Marian Vieyra
United Kingdom
Local time: 04:58
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 47
Grading comment
The first option you offer is what I am going with.
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21 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +8
inflict the unremitting wound of immortality


Explanation:
One version.

Jenni Lukac (X)
Local time: 05:58
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 156

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Bill Greendyk: Nice!
1 hr
  -> Cheers and thanks, Bill. have a good weekend. I just noticed it should have been inflicted - past tense!
agree  Robert Forstag: Truly excellent. (As a side note, I wonder about the extent to which a work so seemingly filled with such complex metaphors can succeed as a cohesive literary text in the original, let alone in translation, but that is another point altogether....).
1 hr
  -> Thanks, Robert. Maybe we're getting an unbalanced view, but it does seem pretty charged with metaphors and grandiloquent language.
agree  Beatriz Ramírez de Haro: Bravo Jenni!
2 hrs
  -> Cheers and thanks, Beatriz. Have a good weekend.
agree  Thayenga: Your "take" melts like ice cream on the tongue. :D Have a great (ice cream) weekend, Jenni. :)
2 hrs
  -> Thanks, Thayenga. The yearly neighborhood Celtic fest (yes, in Spain) is set to blast away all night so ice cream would be a good idea!
agree  teju: Yes, inflicted or would inflict. Nicely done!
2 hrs
  -> Thanks, teju. Inflicted it is. Have a good weekend. Looking again, perhaps better "would inflict". Thanks!
agree  Richard Hill
3 hrs
  -> Cheers and thanks, Rich. Have a great weekend.
agree  MarinaM
7 hrs
  -> Thanks, Marina. Have a good weekend.
agree  Lindsay Spratt
1 day 18 hrs
  -> Thanks very much, Lindsay. Have a good day.
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23 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
lighted a perpetual wound throughout eternity


Explanation:
Or it could be the obvious: Lighted a perpetual immortal wound.

Actually, it all depends on how you translate the previous and subsequent line.

Hope it helps

amendozachisum
Local time: 22:58
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: Native in SpanishSpanish, Native in EnglishEnglish
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51 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
was delivering the wound to (everlasting) immortality


Explanation:
maybe ...

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Note added at 54 mins (2012-06-23 14:00:47 GMT)
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i.e. by piercing Jesus, Longinos was paving the way to His immortality

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Note added at 56 mins (2012-06-23 14:02:12 GMT)
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"His" referring to Jesus of course

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Note added at 1 hr (2012-06-23 14:15:11 GMT)
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"everlasting immortality" may appear tautological but it's justifiable in terms of stylistic balance IMO and immortality is not necessarily irrevocable although I admit that in the Christian context it very much IS irrevocable so up to you ...

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Note added at 1 hr (2012-06-23 14:19:33 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

and perhaps: was delivering the blow to everlasting immortality (not literal but might work)

David Hollywood
Local time: 00:58
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 136
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