Guest guest Posted January 8, 2007 Report Share Posted January 8, 2007 I agree with Braja Sevaki's analysis. Whenever I read the verse, I always visualize an acne-filled face, or psorisis (spelling?), or pockmarks. Although I lived in South Africa for twenty years during the heydays of apartheid, I never even thought of equating "bad complexion" with skin color. Your servant, Visakha Priya dasi > > > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ > > Indeed, one should overlook a devotee's having a body born in a low > > family, a body with a bad complexion, a deformed body, or a diseased or > > infirm body. > > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ > > > > > > I wonder how to render "bad complexion" in Dutch. Throughout Srila > > Prabhupada's books "complexion" refers to "skin colour" (at least in the > > word-for-word translations; "golden complexion", "having a complexion > > resembling bluish rainclouds", etc.). > > > > > > However, "skin colour" in combination with "bad" will very likely get us > > into trouble with Dutch readers who are not unlikely to consider us as > > racist if I render this as "bad skin colour" (even though the "good" > > colour isn't mentioned). > > > > > > I'm inclined to use "(outward) appearance". Would that cover the > > meaning, you think, or should the meaning specifically pertain to the > > skin (colour)? > > No, it's limiting the word's meaning to confine it simply to skin color. > It's not only color that is referred to when speaking of complexion: AHD > and Wesbsters both refer to complexion as pertaining to color, texture, > and appearance. In that sense, it means scarring from skin diseases, acne, > unsightly skin afflictions that might weep, etc. And, while I'm reluctant > to speculate about what Prabhupada "might have been thinking," in this > sense it's not a stretch (considering he was in the medical field) to > consider that he may also have been including "white leprosy," which was > not an uncommon sight for him -- it's not such a rare thing in India -- > where the pigment of the skin is damaged and so there are white patches -- > usually quite large -- over the surface of the skin. > > > > Otherwise, perhaps it's an idea to use "unhealthy" or something similar > > for "bad"? > > It's a better idea to understand the full meaning of a word, then one can > see it's context within a sentence. > > Your servant > Braja Sevaki dd . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 8, 2007 Report Share Posted January 8, 2007 This is the only place in Prabhupada's words where "bad complexion" appears. I question whether he even said it. Is there any ms or ot for this book? All the Skrt. says is "bodily faults." At 12:30 PM 1/8/2007 +0100, Kesava Bharati Dasa Goswami (NE BBT, Govardhan) wrote: >Complexion doesn't refer only to skin color. In American English at least >the words "bad complexion," for example is an idiomatic expressing meaning >skin that is diseased with acne or disfigured by scars from acne, small pox, >or someother irregularity. > >Hare Krsna > >ys, kbdg > > > > > Please accept my humble obeisances. > > All glories to Srila Prabhupada! > > > > > > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ > > Indeed, one should overlook a devotee's having a body born in a low > > family, a body with a bad complexion, a deformed body, or a diseased or > > infirm body. > > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ > > > > > > I wonder how to render "bad complexion" in Dutch. Throughout Srila > > Prabhupada's books "complexion" refers to "skin colour" (at least in the > > word-for-word translations; "golden complexion", "having a complexion > > resembling bluish rainclouds", etc.). > > > > > > However, "skin colour" in combination with "bad" will very likely get us > > into trouble with Dutch readers who are not unlikely to consider us as > > racist if I render this as "bad skin colour" (even though the "good" > > colour isn't mentioned). > > > > > > I'm inclined to use "(outward) appearance". Would that cover the meaning, > > you think, or should the meaning specifically pertain to the skin > > (colour)? > > > > > > Otherwise, perhaps it's an idea to use "unhealthy" or something similar > > for "bad"? > > > > > > > > OED > > > > 1. a. In the physiology and natural philosophy of the Middle Ages: The > > combination of supposed qualities (cold or hot, and moist or dry) in a > > certain proportion, determining the nature of a body, plant, etc.; the > > combination of the four ‘humours’ of the body in a certain proportion, or > > the bodily habit attributed to such combination; ‘temperament’. Obs. exc. > > Hist. > > > > lb. Also used as equivalent to ‘humour’, or to ‘collection of humours’. > > Obs. > > > > l2. a. Bodily habit or constitution (orig. supposed to be constituted > > by the ‘humours’). Obs. > > > > lb. Physical constitution or nature (of members of the body). Obs. > > > > l3. Constitution or habit of mind, disposition, temperament; ‘nature’. > > Obs. (exc. as fig. of 4). > > > > 4. a. The natural colour, texture, and appearance of the skin, esp. of > > the face; orig. as showing the ‘temperament’ or bodily constitution. (Now, > > without any such notion, the ordinary sense.) > > > > lb. Rarely, the colour of hair or beard. Obs. > > > > lc. Countenance, face. Obs. rare—1. > > > > 5. transf. Of other things: Colour, visible aspect, look, appearance. > > > > l6. A colouring preparation applied (by women) to ‘give a complexion’ > > to the face. Obs. > > > > 7. a. fig. (from senses 13). Quality, character, condition; in mod. > > use often with some notion of ‘tinge, colour, aspect’ from senses 45. > > > > b. (fig. from 4 or 5.) Appearance, aspect. > > > > ------ > > > > > > Thank you very much! > > > > Hare Krishna. Your humble servant, > > Rupa Sanatana Dasa > > >-- > > >Version: 7.5.432 / Virus Database: 268.16.7/618 - Release 1/6/2007 >7:47 PM > > > > >-- > > >Version: 7.5.432 / Virus Database: 268.16.7/618 - Release 1/6/2007 >7:47 PM -- Version: 7.5.432 / Virus Database: 268.16.7/618 - Release 1/6/2007 7:47 PM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 13, 2007 Report Share Posted January 13, 2007 I suggest "sickly complexion" or something like it if in the foreign language "bad complexion" won't fly. dd At 03:03 AM 1/8/2007 -0500, Visakha Priya (dd) GRS (Vrindavan - IN) wrote: >I agree with Braja Sevaki's analysis. Whenever I read the verse, I always >visualize an acne-filled face, or psorisis (spelling?), or pockmarks. >Although I lived in South Africa for twenty years during the heydays of >apartheid, I never even thought of equating "bad complexion" with skin >color. > >Your servant, >Visakha Priya dasi > > > > > > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ > > > Indeed, one should overlook a devotee's having a body born in a low > > > family, a body with a bad complexion, a deformed body, or a diseased or > > > infirm body. > > > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ > > > > > > > > > I wonder how to render "bad complexion" in Dutch. Throughout Srila > > > Prabhupada's books "complexion" refers to "skin colour" (at least in the > > > word-for-word translations; "golden complexion", "having a complexion > > > resembling bluish rainclouds", etc.). > > > > > > > > > However, "skin colour" in combination with "bad" will very likely get us > > > into trouble with Dutch readers who are not unlikely to consider us as > > > racist if I render this as "bad skin colour" (even though the "good" > > > colour isn't mentioned). > > > > > > > > > I'm inclined to use "(outward) appearance". Would that cover the > > > meaning, you think, or should the meaning specifically pertain to the > > > skin (colour)? > > > > No, it's limiting the word's meaning to confine it simply to skin color. > > It's not only color that is referred to when speaking of complexion: AHD > > and Wesbsters both refer to complexion as pertaining to color, texture, > > and appearance. In that sense, it means scarring from skin diseases, acne, > > unsightly skin afflictions that might weep, etc. And, while I'm reluctant > > to speculate about what Prabhupada "might have been thinking," in this > > sense it's not a stretch (considering he was in the medical field) to > > consider that he may also have been including "white leprosy," which was > > not an uncommon sight for him -- it's not such a rare thing in India -- > > where the pigment of the skin is damaged and so there are white patches -- > > usually quite large -- over the surface of the skin. > > > > > > Otherwise, perhaps it's an idea to use "unhealthy" or something similar > > > for "bad"? > > > > It's a better idea to understand the full meaning of a word, then one can > > see it's context within a sentence. > > > > Your servant > > Braja Sevaki dd . > > >-- > > >Version: 7.5.432 / Virus Database: 268.16.7/618 - Release 1/6/2007 >7:47 PM > > > > >-- > > >Version: 7.5.432 / Virus Database: 268.16.7/618 - Release 1/6/2007 >7:47 PM -- Version: 7.5.432 / Virus Database: 268.16.10/624 - Release 1/12/2007 2:04 PM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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