Italian term
bianca perla graffiata con tenerezza scontrosa dal mare
PRO (2): Jane Griffiths (X), Rick Henry
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Proposed translations
white pearl lacerated by the fiercely tender sea
'Scratched' doesn't work in this context in English, though, how about lacerated, or perhaps abraded?
So my preferred translation is: 'Havana, the capital of Cuba, is a white pearl lacerated by the fiercely tender sea.'
You don't give us the context, what I would actually do would depend on this, and probably on a discussion with the client about how they are intending to use the translation.
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Note added at 15 hrs 37 mins (2004-10-18 10:54:26 GMT) Post-grading
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Thanks, Neil. \'Worn away\', or \'worn down\' are other possibilities for graffiata. Up to you.
Havana, the capital of Cuban, is a white pearl worn down by the sea's quick-tempered attentions
United States
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Native in: English 
Works in: Italian to English, Spanish to English, Portuguese to English, and 7 more.
Ved. sotto
If you must keep the sea as a reference, I'd use something along the lines of "the untamed sea".
HTH
R.
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Medical and Scientific Translations
Native in: Hungarian 
, English
Works in: Hungarian to English, German to English
white pearl, chafed by the sullen tender sea
havan is a white pearl the tenderly rough sea keep poking at
come se il mare avesse delle dita che continuano ad allungarsi sulla citta'...
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