Can English Gurus help me translate this poem to proper English?

Question

Hello everyone,

I have a poem that I translated from Persian to English. This is a poem from Maulavi Jalaludin Rumi.

The poem is about Art and Artists. We are organizing a painting gallery and we would like to use this poem in our banner for the gallery.

I want to ask the English Gurus for a favor to make these sentences sound nice in English. Here is the translation and general meaning of the poem:

No painter makes painting for selling, but for the art of drawing
No potter makes pots for water, but for the art of pottery
No bowl maker makes bowls for serving food, but for the art of bowl making
No calligrapher writes for reading, but for the art of calligraphy

If anyone recognizes this poem and has come across the proper translation please point me to it, I would really appreciate it.

Thanks

Just a reword of the above poem based on your feedback to make it sound better and make it more grammatically correct (maybe):

Painters paint for the art of drawing, not for selling
Potters make pots for the art of pottery, not for watering
Bowl makers make bowls for the art of bowl making, not for feeding
Calligraphers write for the art of calligraphy, not for reading

Any comment is welcome.

Thanks again guys

Answer 1

I like the poem the way you have it. I could reword it to make it more grammatically correct but it would change the rhythm of it. I think it is fine

Answer 2

Well, I happen to be a long-time writer with a degree. I'm not sure what you are getting at, but what you might try is to render a VERY LITERAL English from Persian version, so I / someone can COMPARE your 're-write" to the literal. I have worked with a woman who was trying to translate French poetry into English, and without a knowledgable hand (mine), she was doing some very sloppy translating. I was able to "steer her " into some BEAUTIFULLY translated poetry.
One thing you need to realize in this endeavor is that you likely won't manage a "word-for-word" translation that is "pretty." Focus on translating the IDEA and not necessarily each word.
You may send your poetry to [e-mail]
I'll look at what you have and give you a fee quote.

Answer 3

I think this would be the first one:
Painters don't paint for the money but for the passion of art.

Answer 4

Hello back,

but sorry, I don't know exactly, but it is bugging me because I think I remember it from something.... hmm I'll keep thinking of it and add to my answer if i remember. GoodLuck! =]

p.s I think John1212 is a good resource. =]

Answer 5

no one just does anything for something but to enjoy the results of how you did it.