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Detente con la quijada de asno en la mano, no mates a tu hermano...

English translation: Stop with the donkey jawbone in your hand, do not kill your brother

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)
Spanish term or phrase:Detente con la quijada de asno en la mano, no mates a tu hermano...
English translation:Stop with the donkey jawbone in your hand, do not kill your brother
Entered by: Francela

02:57 Oct 25, 2015
Spanish to English translations [Non-PRO]
Art/Literary - Poetry & Literature / Dominican Spanish into English
Spanish term or phrase: Detente con la quijada de asno en la mano, no mates a tu hermano...
Hola todos

I working on the introduction of Hilma Contreras (Domician author), La Tierra Está Bramando.
Appreciate assistance with the following religious references:

ST: Detente con la quijada de asno en la mano, no mates a tu hermano y así tu hermano no se parecerá a ti cuando hable.

TT: Waiting with the jaw of a donkey in hand, do not kill your brother and your brother will not look like you when he speaks.

This line appears in the following paragraph (for context):

Ya el Sol se estremece de ira y lanza explosiones audible en la imaginación mientras abajo nos cuece el calor entre olores de hippies. ¿Qué sucederá mañana? Detente con la quijada de asno en la mano, no mates a tu hermano y así tu hermano no se parecerá a ti cuando hable. ¿A quién amonesto?

My current translation:

Already, the Sun trembles with rage and throws loud explosions in the imagination while down below the heat boils us from the stench of hippies. What will happen tomorrow? Waiting with the jaw of a donkey in hand, do not kill your brother and your brother will not look like you when he speaks. Who do I warn?

Appreciate any advice on my very literal attempt.
Kind regards
Francela
Australia
Stop with the donkey jawbone in your hand, do not kill your brother
Explanation:
I do not know the author and do not understand your choice of verb and tense in using using "waiting", to translate "detente".

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Note added at 15 hrs (2015-10-25 18:47:57 GMT)
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As I suspected, there is a biblical connection:
http://es.pseudociencia.wikia.com/wiki/Caín_y_la_quijada_de_...

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Note added at 15 hrs (2015-10-25 18:52:06 GMT)
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Sorry DLyons, I had not seen your link. However, the connection here is with Cain killing Abel.
Selected response from:

Cecilia Gowar
United Kingdom
Grading comment
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
3 +1Stop with the donkey jawbone in your hand, do not kill your brother
Cecilia Gowar
3Stay/restrain the ass's jawbone in your hand
DLyons


  

Answers


7 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +1
Stop with the donkey jawbone in your hand, do not kill your brother


Explanation:
I do not know the author and do not understand your choice of verb and tense in using using "waiting", to translate "detente".

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 15 hrs (2015-10-25 18:47:57 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

As I suspected, there is a biblical connection:
http://es.pseudociencia.wikia.com/wiki/Caín_y_la_quijada_de_...

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 15 hrs (2015-10-25 18:52:06 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Sorry DLyons, I had not seen your link. However, the connection here is with Cain killing Abel.

Cecilia Gowar
United Kingdom
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: Native in SpanishSpanish
PRO pts in category: 227

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Carol Gullidge: or "hold yourself back" or something to this effect
7 hrs
  -> Thanks! I did think of other options but none sounded convincing.
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11 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
Stay/restrain the ass's jawbone in your hand


Explanation:
A slightly archaic phrasing may be appropriate.

Refers to Samson, Judges 15 "And he found a new jawbone of an ass, and put forth his hand, and took it, and slew a thousand men therewith."

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Note added at 16 hrs (2015-10-25 19:11:20 GMT)
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Yes, It's probably Cain all right. The ass's jawbone isn't biblical, but quite a few artists have interpreted it that way e.g.

Master Bertram http://www.wga.hu/html_m/m/master/bertram/grabow0.html

Jan Van Eyck http://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/cain-and-abel-hot-to...

Gaetano Gandolfi https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Italian_School_-_Cai...

DLyons
Ireland
Local time: 03:19
Works in field
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 35

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
neutral  Carol Gullidge: I think detenirse is more likely to mean something like "restrain oneself", "refrain from", "stop yourself"..., etc, than restraining the jawbone - which implies that the jawbone has a mind of its own!
2 hrs
  -> As in 2 Samuel "Stay now thine hand."
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