(The increasingly less) Daily senryu thread

Japanese Language Reading
#213

For others following along:

来(く)るな don’t come!

行(い)け go!

These are both complete sentences. The と that follows just quotes these sentences.

These negative and positive conjugations of the base verbs are rough, very direct commands that you’d normally only give to an inferior (like a child or pet that you’re disciplining). They can sound very rude, so be careful using them in conversation! It’s safest to use these forms when you’re discussion what someone else said to you (as in this example).

This reminds me: I remember diagramming sentences in elementary school. I’ve forgotten how to do it, but it occurs to me that doing something similar with these might be fun and useful.

Something like this:

会社へは 来るなと上司 行けと妻

会社へ to the office
  は as for / regarding
     来るな don't come! [imperative command]
       と quotation -> "Don't come!"
       上司 my boss [speaker of prior quote]
     行け go! [imperative command]
       と quotation -> "Go!"
       妻 wife [speaker of prior quote]

Regarding going to the office: / “Don’t come!” commands my boss / “Go!” commands my wife

2 Likes
#214

You definitely need to read more books :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye:

3 Likes
#215

My fist thought on seeing that was YAML. :joy:

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#216

:laughing:

I was one of those weird kids that really loved diagramming sentences.

I still am one of those weird adults who loves YAML (and ruby). But I still remain vaguely suspicious of whitespace mattering in Python.

2 Likes
#217

Ruby bros, it’s my go to “snack” language

2 Likes
#218

Saturday, April 30, 2022

Previous senryu

  1. 会社へは 来るなと上司 行けと妻
    かいしゃへはくるなとじょうしいけとつま
    Regarding going to the office: / “Don’t come!” commands my boss / “Go!” commands my wife

Notes:

  • Thanks to @Gorbit99 :confetti_ball: for being the only one besides myself to submit a translation!
  • I’m going with my more literal translation, though. Far less poetic, but I think it’s worthwhile to remain as faithful to the original as possible (which means I may need to tweek the weighting).

Current senryu challenge

Volume: Global truths

  1. 雑草の名前わかると抜きにくい

No hints today. The first word may require a dictionary lookup, but otherwise this one should be pretty straightforward.

Remember to please use the spoiler tag with your translation attempts! Also, please include the reading in kana with your submission.

Everyone is encouraged to participate, no matter your level!

Online tools like dictionaries, sentence databases, and even AI translation engines are fair game and can be extremely helpful. Yomichan is particularly handy if you use the Chrome or Firefox browser.

Here’s the link to the spreadsheet with all the upcoming senryu as well as the translations to date.

1 Like
#219

You greatly overestimate my abilities, sir.

  1. 雑草の名前わかると抜きにくい

ざっそうのなまえわかるとぬきにくい

When knowing the name of a weed, it’s harder to pull it out.

3 Likes
#220

Heh. Not at all, I think you got the gist.

I think it means that you end up learning the names of weeds you spend a lot of time trying to remove (researching various strategies, asking friends and neighbors, etc.). If they are easy to pull out and go away, you don’t even bother.

Oh! I have to admit that I love the fact that the Japanese word for “weed” is “random grass”!

1 Like
#221

Translation attempt

  1. 雑草の名前わかると抜きにくい

ざっそうの・なまえわかると・ぬきにくい

The weeds you can name are the hardest to pull.

(@Gorbit99: You have a typo in the last stanza of your hiragana.)

1 Like
#222

This is why I need typing practice you see

1 Like
#223

Translation attempt

  1. 雑草の名前わかると抜きにくい

Once you know the name of that weed, it’s hard to pull it out.

EDIT: Now that I provided my translation, I read the previous comments :slight_smile:

Ah, interesting take! I thought it means that it’s easier to harm/kill a stranger than a friend.

6 Likes
#224

Mando Way This Is The Way GIF - Mando Way This Is The Way Mandalorian GIFs

1 Like
#225

There’s also here for quickly viewing all translation attempts

Although I tend to delay updating it some days cause my memory is so spotty

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#226

Maybe like

It’s (emotionally) hard to pull up weeds once you know their names
or for a 5-7-5:
Names of garden weeds.
It’s tearful to pull them up
After you learn them

2 Likes
#227

That’s what I wanted to express as well :joy_cat:

Although in your poem version it sounds a little bit like you’re pulling up the names… or is this just me?

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#228

It does a bit! It was difficult to fit it into a 5-7-5 without sounding strange added the word garden too

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#229

I’m using my phone-a-friend (family, actually) to see which sense is more likely. I’m 50/50 — either way makes sense.

I’ll be interested to read what my family thinks. It’s quite possible that it’s open to interpretation in Japanese.

2 Likes
#230

Maybe something like:

Just knowing the names
of the many garden weeds
 - can’t pull them any more

:sweat_smile:

2 Likes
#231

Quoting myself to bring up the dilemma I’m having with whether にくい is a physical difficulty or a mental difficulty

I’ve heard that づらい = mental and にくい = physical, but just from what I’ve seen, that doesn’t always seem to be the case? Currently reading articles to try and get more info

1 Like
#232

Ooh smart
I like the inclusion of the dash

1 Like