Thinking Through the Body

Rubin's article on pornography has kept me thinking about other issues which are fought on the basis of moral grounds, but often turn out to be a question of taste, aesthetic. She emphasizes in the article that she does not believe women are 'more' exploited in the sex industry than they are in general in the work force. Yet, the 'body' makes it obscene, makes it degrading [because sex isnt inherently degrading?].. I want to be perfectly clear that I am not dismissing this exploitation and its realities, but there does appear to be an unfair and curious imbalance of attention...

I see parallels with the 'sex scandals' of politicians. Almost never is the scandal about the potential exploitation of the women involved, or an abuse of power on the part of the man-- rather an infidelity, or the fact that sleeping with a prostitute is 'sleazy'.. (who is that more 'degrading' to?)

Gallop comes to mind, with her call to 'think through the body'... how prudish are we? In how many ways are we constantly disembodying women in the name of a higher ideal?

I am very interested to hear your own experiences/thoughts on the matter. I find as an 'intellectual woman' I am constantly being disembodied by those around me-- in another sense it is a refuge-- arguably a masculine one....?

Translation: Jane Kenyon's "Otherwise"

Today I attempted for the second time to translate Jane Kenyon's wonderful poem "Otherwise." My last attempt ended in a frustration over my inability to convey the tone of the poem: simple, earthly, and stark; a mood situated deep within New England. Today was a new day, and I encountered problems perhaps more intriguing...here is the original poem, with my translation below.

Otherwise
Jane Kenyon

I got out of bed
on two strong legs.
It might have been
otherwise. I ate
cereal, sweet
milk, ripe, flawless
peach. It might
have been otherwise.
I took the dog uphill
to the birch wood.
All morning I did
the work I love.

At noon I lay down
with my mate. It might
have been otherwise.
We ate dinner together
at a table with silver
candlesticks. It might
have been otherwise.
I slept in a bed
in a room with paintings
on the walls, and
planned another day
just like this day.
But one day, I know,
it will be otherwise.

De otra manera

Jane Kenyon

Me levanté de la cama
sobre dos piernas fuertes
Podría haber sido
de otra manera. Comí
cereales, leche
dulce, un melocotón, maduro
impecable. Podría
haber sido de otra manera.
Subí con el perro la cuesta
arriba a los abedules.
La mañana entera hacía
el trabajo que amo.

Al mediodía me tumbé
con mi pareja. Podría
haber sido de otra manera.
Nos cenamos
en una mesa con candeleros
de plata. Podría
haber sido de otra manera.
Yo me dormía en una cama
en un cuarto con cuadros
sobre las paredes, y
planeé otro día
igual como este día.
Pero algún día, ya sé,
será de otra manera.

Clearly this poem presents us with a number of issues, not the least of which being translating "It might have been otherwise," the clave phrase. I think "podría haber sido" work well for "it might have been," the verb form here translates well in my opinion. The real problem is "otherwise." Possibly translating compound words presents a special challenge, but the particular compound troubles me because of "other." Perhaps I was too preoccupied with preserving the presence of "other" and for that reason I settled on "de otra manera." This translation does not bother me too much, excluding in the last two lines: "But one day, I know/ It will be otherwise" translated "word for word" would give us "Pero un día, sé, será de otra manera." To my ear at least this falls flat, for that reason I decided on the above translation, substituting "un" for "algún" and adding "ya."
It seems unnecessary to explicate everything in full here, so I'll leave off with a vague list of "problems," or better said, debatable and important 
1. Choosing between Peninsular Spanish and Latin American Spanish: succumbing to linguistic hegemony and the problem of dialects in translation. "melocotón" and "me tumbé" being specific examples.
2. "I took the dog uphill" 
3. "the birch wood"
4. "flawless" as "impecable"
5. "We ate dinner together" as "nos cenamos"
The list could and does go on. For now I'm proud of the little bit of art that I think this translation makes. In all seriousness, we have to keep in mind that done another day, it might have been, well, different.