May 14, 2001 08:41
23 yrs ago
English term

a kol in a frozen pond

Non-PRO English to Danish Art/Literary
It's in the new R.E.M. song "Imitation of life

Proposed translations

20 hrs
Selected

en fisk i en bundfrossen sø

That should be 'a koi in a frozen pond'.
A koi is a Japanese carp which looks a bit like a foot-long goldfish (hence the second line in the song: 'like a goldfish in a bowl'). Kois are kept in garden ponds for their beauty.
It's not an idiomatic expression as much as a metaphor.
You can probably find a more poetic translation than mine. The question you have to ask yourself is whether you want to find a similar metaphor or explain its meaning in your translation. Personally, I think it could perhaps be interpreted as an image of the empty (frozen) feeling of a person who realises they're all glitter and no substance--like a decorative fish.

Hope this helps,
Mads
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4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer.
2 hrs

En skoldet skid i en æske

Det må være et ideomatisk udtryk, hvor der ikke findes noget tilsvarende på US English.

Har du evt. en kontext.

MVH
Kate
Peer comment(s):

Mads Grøftehauge
Something went wrong...
2 hrs

En skoldet skid i en æske

Det må være et ideomatisk udtryk, hvor der ikke findes noget tilsvarende på US English.

Har du evt. en kontext.

MVH
Kate
Something went wrong...
2 hrs

En skoldet skid i en æske

Det må være et ideomatisk udtryk, hvor der ikke findes noget tilsvarende på US English.

Har du evt. en kontext.

MVH
Kate
Something went wrong...
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