Glossary entry (derived from question below)
Spanish term or phrase:
todo apretar, nada cogiendo
English translation:
Grabbing everything, catching nothing
Added to glossary by
Cecilia Gowar
Oct 28, 2016 17:26
7 yrs ago
Spanish term
todo apretar, nada cogiendo
Spanish to English
Art/Literary
Poetry & Literature
Francisco de Aldana
I'm having trouble grasping the literal and figurative meaning of this phrase from a poem by Francisco de Aldana (16th-century Castilian poet). Apparently this is his description of life. The full poem is:
La vanidad del mundo.
En fin, en fin, tras tanto andar muriendo,
tras tanto varïar vida y destino,
tras tanto de uno en otro desatino
pensar todo apretar, nada cogiendo,
tras tanto acá y allá yendo y viniendo
cual sin aliento inútil peregrino,
¡oh Dios!, tras tanto error del buen camino,
yo mismo de mi mal ministro siendo,
hallo, en fin, que ser muerto en la memoria
del mundo es lo mejor que en él se asconde,
pues es la paga de él muerte y olvido,
y en un rincón vivir con la victoria
de sí, puesto el querer tan sólo adonde
es premio el mismo Dios de lo servido.
La vanidad del mundo.
En fin, en fin, tras tanto andar muriendo,
tras tanto varïar vida y destino,
tras tanto de uno en otro desatino
pensar todo apretar, nada cogiendo,
tras tanto acá y allá yendo y viniendo
cual sin aliento inútil peregrino,
¡oh Dios!, tras tanto error del buen camino,
yo mismo de mi mal ministro siendo,
hallo, en fin, que ser muerto en la memoria
del mundo es lo mejor que en él se asconde,
pues es la paga de él muerte y olvido,
y en un rincón vivir con la victoria
de sí, puesto el querer tan sólo adonde
es premio el mismo Dios de lo servido.
Proposed translations
(English)
Change log
Nov 2, 2016 13:41: Cecilia Gowar Created KOG entry
Proposed translations
+1
12 mins
Cecilia Gowar
United Kingdom
United Kingdom
Native in Spanish
Specializes in field
United Kingdom
I read the Alethiometer
Native in: Spanish 
Works in: English to Spanish, Spanish to English, French to Spanish, and 1 more.
Related KudoZ points
:
227
Selected
Grabbing everything, catching nothing
There is a good translation here:
goo.gl/QBekJW
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Note added at 23 mins (2016-10-28 17:49:23 GMT)
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You have the same idea in this saying, from the 12th Century, which we still use today "El que mucho abarca poco aprieta":
http://cvc.cervantes.es/lengua/refranero/ficha.aspx?Par=5942...
goo.gl/QBekJW
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 23 mins (2016-10-28 17:49:23 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------
You have the same idea in this saying, from the 12th Century, which we still use today "El que mucho abarca poco aprieta":
http://cvc.cervantes.es/lengua/refranero/ficha.aspx?Par=5942...
Peer comment(s):
| agree |
JohnMcDove
: Pensé en el mismo refrán antes de ver tu respuesta... Aunque aquí es "el que mucho aprieta nada logra"... :-)
6 hrs
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¡Gracias John!
|
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer.
Comment: "Thanks to all!"
+1
13 mins
Margarida Martins Costelha
Portugal
Portugal
Native in English
Works in field
Portugal
25 YEARS OF HAPPY CLIENTS
Native in: English (Variant: UK) , Portuguese (Variant: European/Portugal)
Works in: Portuguese to English, English to Portuguese, French to English, and 7 more.
Related KudoZ points
:
4
thinking/wanting to grab everything, but actually getting nothing
Suggestion
+4
17 mins
Carol Gullidge
United Kingdom
United Kingdom
Native in English
Specializes in field
United Kingdom
poetically precise prose with... panache
Native in: English 
Works in: French to English, Spanish to English, English
Related KudoZ points
:
315
trying to have it all, and ending up with nothing
OR Clutching at straws (??)
Peer comment(s):
| agree |
Helena Chavarria
: Your comment in the discussion box is worth an agreement! I also thought of 'achieving nothing' for the second part.
5 hrs
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many thanks Helena!
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| agree |
JohnMcDove
6 hrs
|
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thanks John!
|
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| agree |
Marian Vieyra
1 day 15 hrs
|
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thanks Marian!
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| agree |
Elizabeth Joy Pitt de Morales
: Very nice!
2 days 19 hrs
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many thanks :)
|
39 mins
biting off more than he can chew
tratando de abarcar más de lo que se puede o algo por el estilo como lo presentado en contexto, podría exprese en inglés así:
biting off more than he can chew.
To try to do too much; to take on or attempt more than one is capable of doing.
https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/bite_off_more_than_one_can_ch...
biting off more than he can chew.
To try to do too much; to take on or attempt more than one is capable of doing.
https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/bite_off_more_than_one_can_ch...
3 hrs
James A. Walsh
Spain
Spain
Native in Spanish
&
English
Works in field
Spain
A cut above the rest in translation...
Native in: English (Variants: Irish, US, UK) , Spanish (Variants: Latin American, Standard-Spain)
Works in: Spanish to English, French to English, English to Spanish, and 2 more.
Related KudoZ points
:
48
Spanish term (edited):
pensar todo apretar, nada cogiendo
all that effort, for nothing
After reading the whole poem, I feel "apretar" is being used in the sense of "esforzarse" here - as in, to make an effort.
There may be better ways to express this, of course - I'm certainly no poet!
There may be better ways to express this, of course - I'm certainly no poet!
8 hrs
JohnMcDove
United States
United States
Native in Spanish
Specializes in field
United States
Related KudoZ points
:
16
Be stingy with [about] everything, ending up with nothing
Be stingy with everything, ending up collecting nothing.
While I agree with the answers already given, it should be noted that if this is 16th century Spanish, then “apretar” is very synonym to “to be stingy on”, as well.
Covarrubias gives for “endurar”.
Endurar: apretar, escatimar, guardar avaramente.
http://www.cervantesvirtual.com/portales/fray_luis_de_leon/o...
relaciona los significados 'apretado' y 'mísero
http://cvc.cervantes.es/lengua/thesaurus/pdf/09/TH_09_123_00...
Covarrubias gives in his dictionary: “APRETAR, restringir, del verbo premo, premis, apretado, y prieto, lo muy recogido. Apretado llamamos al miserable, y avariento, que guarda con estrecheza el dinero, y la hazienda. (PAGE 56)
https://archive.org/stream/tesorodelalengua00covauoft#page/n...
coger, is defined by Covarrubias as, “allegar, y juntar en uno lo que está esparcido”…
https://archive.org/stream/tesorodelalengua00covauoft#page/n...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sebastián_de_Covarrubias
Best wishes!
While I agree with the answers already given, it should be noted that if this is 16th century Spanish, then “apretar” is very synonym to “to be stingy on”, as well.
Covarrubias gives for “endurar”.
Endurar: apretar, escatimar, guardar avaramente.
http://www.cervantesvirtual.com/portales/fray_luis_de_leon/o...
relaciona los significados 'apretado' y 'mísero
http://cvc.cervantes.es/lengua/thesaurus/pdf/09/TH_09_123_00...
Covarrubias gives in his dictionary: “APRETAR, restringir, del verbo premo, premis, apretado, y prieto, lo muy recogido. Apretado llamamos al miserable, y avariento, que guarda con estrecheza el dinero, y la hazienda. (PAGE 56)
https://archive.org/stream/tesorodelalengua00covauoft#page/n...
coger, is defined by Covarrubias as, “allegar, y juntar en uno lo que está esparcido”…
https://archive.org/stream/tesorodelalengua00covauoft#page/n...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sebastián_de_Covarrubias
Best wishes!
14 hrs
clutching all and catching nothing
suggestion...
Discussion
I say this because I translate a good deal of poetry, and whenever I need help from KudoZ with understanding the text, the last thing I ever want is suggestions on how to make it fit into the rest of the poem. For starters, I'd be embarrassed to submit someone else's brilliant (!) work and pass it off as my own, but if the translation is to be published, there could also be copyright implications
Have to say I agree with Helena here, a little focus would make it much easier to decide which of these ideas works best.