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  3. Poetry & Literature

como si tratase de dibujar con la luz de sus miradas

English translation: as if trying to draw with the light of his/her gaze

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)
Spanish term or phrase:como si tratase de dibujar con la luz de sus miradas
English translation:as if trying to draw with the light of his/her gaze
Entered by: Steven Huddleston

15:24 Dec 28, 2020
Spanish to English translations [PRO]
Art/Literary - Poetry & Literature / In An Autobiography
Spanish term or phrase: como si tratase de dibujar con la luz de sus miradas
Contexto:

Se echó de bruces sobre la cama todavía sin preparar, y en plena oscuridad, se puso a abrir los ojos como si tratase de dibujar con la luz de sus miradas quién sabe que cosas de la imaginación en el lienzo de las sombras...

A guy has just proposed to a naive young woman, and overwhelmed, she has escaped to a bedroom to try to process all of it.

"Light of her gaze" sounds too much like a description of Jesus Christ.

Muchas Gracias,

Barbara
Barbara Cochran, MFA
United States
Local time: 20:11
as if trying to draw with the light of his gaze
Explanation:
It sounds to me like the author is describing the quality of his wide-eyed, searching gaze into the darkness.

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Note added at 41 mins (2020-12-28 16:05:58 GMT)
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Correction: It should read "the light of *her* gaze."
Selected response from:

Steven Huddleston
Mexico
Local time: 18:11
Grading comment
3 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
3 +3Piercing the darkness with her mind's eye
ormiston
3 +2as if trying to draw with the light of his gaze
Steven Huddleston
4as if by shining their light ... she could outline/give shape
Cecilia Gowar
3...as if to paint who knows what on the canvas of the shadows with the light of her perception
matt robinson
3as if trying to draw forth who knows what from the shadows of her imagination and cast it there befo
Sophie Cherel
3as if she was trying to draw from glances in the light
Lisa Rosengard
3as if she could project some figment of her imagination onto the canvas of shadows
Pablo Waldman


  

Answers


8 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +2
as if trying to draw with the light of his gaze


Explanation:
It sounds to me like the author is describing the quality of his wide-eyed, searching gaze into the darkness.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 41 mins (2020-12-28 16:05:58 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Correction: It should read "the light of *her* gaze."

Example sentence(s):
  • ...as if trying to draw with the light of his gaze who knows what object of the imagination upon a canvas of shadows/gloom...
Steven Huddleston
Mexico
Local time: 18:11
Works in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish, Native in SpanishSpanish
PRO pts in category: 39
Notes to answerer
Asker: This is good, as long as I use "searching gaze", because otherwise it sounds to much like something Biblical, like the "light of his gaze", referring to Jesus, something I mentioned in my question.


Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
neutral  ormiston: I think the subject is SHE
6 mins
  -> Yes she is. Thank you for pointing that out!
agree  philgoddard: I'm not clear who the subject is, though "her" sounds more likely. Nor am I clear what Jesus has to do with this.
11 mins
  -> Thank you, Philgoddard. You are correct, the subject is female. I have added a note to that effect.
agree  Marcelo González: yes, 'her' gaze, maybe "...with the light of her searching gaze [who knows what figment of her imagination]"
11 hrs
  -> Thank you, Marcelo! Yes, I know, I mistyped. Sorry!
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15 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
...as if to paint who knows what on the canvas of the shadows with the light of her perception


Explanation:
My effort.

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Note added at 47 mins (2020-12-28 16:11:38 GMT)
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Or perhaps "using the light of her perception". I like "perception". I considered "vision" but went with the former.

matt robinson
Spain
Local time: 02:11
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 20
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53 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +3
Piercing the darkness with her mind's eye


Explanation:
Perhaps this approach would convey her vivid imaginings and could be worked into the sentence

ormiston
Local time: 02:11
Works in field
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 34

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Carol Gullidge: this sounds more logical - also more literary
36 mins
  -> Thank you Carol
agree  Michele Fauble
10 hrs
agree  Yvonne Gallagher: this looks more like idiomatic English!
2 days 39 mins
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1 hr   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
as if by shining their light ... she could outline/give shape


Explanation:
as if by shining their light on the canvass of darkness she could outline who knows what figments of her imagination



Cecilia Gowar
United Kingdom
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: Native in SpanishSpanish
PRO pts in category: 227
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2 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
as if trying to draw forth who knows what from the shadows of her imagination and cast it there befo


Explanation:
Not quite a literal translation but I think it conveys the meaning accurately.
There are many options, of course.
I chose to lose the drawing / painting analogy and replace it with "casting" which still expresses the creative process (otherwise the whole sentence becomes too wordy).

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Note added at 2 hrs (2020-12-28 17:28:42 GMT)
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Sorry, the answer is supposed to include:
cast it there before the light of her very eyes"


--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 2 hrs (2020-12-28 17:30:18 GMT)
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In fact I mean:
..."cast it there before her, in the light of her eyes"

Sophie Cherel
Spain
Local time: 01:11
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 16
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21 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
as if she was trying to draw from glances in the light


Explanation:
"En plena oscuridad se puso a abrir los ojos como si se tratase de dibujar con la luz de sus miradas quién sabe que cosas son de la imaginación de las sombras."

Example sentence(s):
  • "In total darkness she opened her eyes as if she was trying to draw from glances in the light, who knows what things are in the imagination from the shadows."
Lisa Rosengard
United Kingdom
Local time: 01:11
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 8
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1 day 20 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
as if she could project some figment of her imagination onto the canvas of shadows


Explanation:
I'm changing the metaphor from painting to film, but this might be an alternative for avoiding "the light of her gaze" and similar options.

Pablo Waldman
Argentina
Local time: 21:11
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: Native in SpanishSpanish
PRO pts in category: 12
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