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Poets Translate Poets: A Hudson Review Anthology
Poets Translate Poets originates from the perception that while the poetry translated in the Hudson Review over the years—from ancient Greek to contemporary Russian—constitutes a history of world literature, the translators themselves are among the most distinguished American and British poets. These poems belong as much to them as to the original authors.
The collection features eighty-three poets in twenty-four languages, translated by sixty writers; it represents the best of more than five hundred translated works originally published in the Hudson Review over the last seven decades. The value of this anthology lies in the artistry of its translators, including William Carlos Williams and Marianne Moore, combined with the range of its originals, from classical epics to Old French, Middle English, and medieval Japanese, to lesser-known twentieth-century works by Bulgarian and Swedish poets. Among its translations are Ezra Pound’s remarkable re-creation of Sophocles’ Women of Trachis and Richard Wilbur’s transformation of Pierre Corneille’s alexandrines into English heroic couplets in Le Cid.
Beyond the pleasures it provides as a collection of world poetry translated for an English reader, Poets Translate Poets offers a privileged exploration of the craft of translating poetry. The collection includes an introduction by poet Mark Jarman providing a history of the Hudson Review and its translated literature. The book is organized chronologically by language, and also features an index of the translators, adding another lens for appreciating the collected works. The range and depth of poems found here showcase a singular editorial vision from one of America’s oldest and most revered independent literary quarterlies.
The collection features eighty-three poets in twenty-four languages, translated by sixty writers; it represents the best of more than five hundred translated works originally published in the Hudson Review over the last seven decades. The value of this anthology lies in the artistry of its translators, including William Carlos Williams and Marianne Moore, combined with the range of its originals, from classical epics to Old French, Middle English, and medieval Japanese, to lesser-known twentieth-century works by Bulgarian and Swedish poets. Among its translations are Ezra Pound’s remarkable re-creation of Sophocles’ Women of Trachis and Richard Wilbur’s transformation of Pierre Corneille’s alexandrines into English heroic couplets in Le Cid.
Beyond the pleasures it provides as a collection of world poetry translated for an English reader, Poets Translate Poets offers a privileged exploration of the craft of translating poetry. The collection includes an introduction by poet Mark Jarman providing a history of the Hudson Review and its translated literature. The book is organized chronologically by language, and also features an index of the translators, adding another lens for appreciating the collected works. The range and depth of poems found here showcase a singular editorial vision from one of America’s oldest and most revered independent literary quarterlies.
- GenresPoetry
460 pages, Hardcover
First published September 1, 2013
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October 19, 2013
"In Pound's version of this tradition, translation is meant to transform one literature into another. A good poem translated should become another good poem- one belonging as much to the translator as to the original author."
Poets Translate Poets: A Hudson Review Anthology is an impressive collection of poetry. It contains 83 poems translated from 24 languages. From poetry in ancient Greek to Japanese you will find poetry that you will not run across in other popular anthologies. Besides the poetry, which is itself of great artistic value the translations become artistic treasures themselves. Having poets translate other poets will of course retain the integrity of the poem, but when you have poets the likes of William Carlos Williams and Erza Pound the works become remarkably close to the original. Although I have seen and read some of the poetry in the original language (some of the French pieces) reading them here I would not have guessed that any of the poems in this anthology were not originally written in English.
Just to give you an example of the stellar translations here are a few of my favorite lines from one of the Polish poems in the anthology:
A blonde girl is bent over a poem, With a stiletto-sharp pencil she transfers the words to a sheet of paper and changes them into stresses, accents, caesuras. The lament of a fallen poet now looks like a salamander eaten away by ants. - from Episode in a Library (translated by Peter Dale Scott, 1963)
This collection is a pleasure to read. It would be a great work anthology to use in a poetry classroom or just to do a little armchair world travel. Besides the collection of poetry there is also a brief history of the Hudson Review and the work they have done for translation and literature. There are also snippets about the poets and the translators (also poets) which are valuable to any student of poetry.
Poets Translate Poets: A Hudson Review Anthology is an impressive collection of poetry. It contains 83 poems translated from 24 languages. From poetry in ancient Greek to Japanese you will find poetry that you will not run across in other popular anthologies. Besides the poetry, which is itself of great artistic value the translations become artistic treasures themselves. Having poets translate other poets will of course retain the integrity of the poem, but when you have poets the likes of William Carlos Williams and Erza Pound the works become remarkably close to the original. Although I have seen and read some of the poetry in the original language (some of the French pieces) reading them here I would not have guessed that any of the poems in this anthology were not originally written in English.
Just to give you an example of the stellar translations here are a few of my favorite lines from one of the Polish poems in the anthology:
A blonde girl is bent over a poem, With a stiletto-sharp pencil she transfers the words to a sheet of paper and changes them into stresses, accents, caesuras. The lament of a fallen poet now looks like a salamander eaten away by ants. - from Episode in a Library (translated by Peter Dale Scott, 1963)
This collection is a pleasure to read. It would be a great work anthology to use in a poetry classroom or just to do a little armchair world travel. Besides the collection of poetry there is also a brief history of the Hudson Review and the work they have done for translation and literature. There are also snippets about the poets and the translators (also poets) which are valuable to any student of poetry.
October 8, 2020
When poets translate poets, both are transformed. Though Robert Frost claimed poetry is what is lost in translation, and Galway Kinnell made the counterclaim that poetry is what is found in translation...
Poets Translate Poets: A Hudson Review Anthology edited by Paula Deitz is a collection of poetry that has appeared in The Hudson Review over the last seven decades. The Hudson Review was founded in 1947 by William Arrowsmith, Joseph Bennett, and George Morgan and is still published today.
I am fairly new to reading and reviewing poetry and as my background is firmly rooted in political science and history, I cannot not help to be amazed by the power of words. From "Workers of the world, unite." to asking not what your country can do for you, words pass on a powerful message. Poetry takes the same words and amplifies their power several times over. Poetry, much more so than a sound bite, activates our brains, brings vision, feeling, and lasting memory.
The introduction describes the some of the translation methods as well as Erza Pounds contribution to translations. Years ago, reading a collection of French poetry, I wondered how can something from one language be translated to another and keep its flow and imagery. In fiction it is easier. It really doesn't matter much if it takes ten words in translation to capture the meaning of two words. In poetry it can't be done that way. How can the rhymes translate so well? What of alliteration? A line in Spanish would not translate to English and remain intact. Do words in Japanese rhyme? These are things I didn't understand. The introduction helps answer these questions.
However the translation are done, The Hudson Review seems to capture the original intent. From the opening with "The Cricket" by Bulgarian poet Himmirsky to closing with Vietnam's Tu Ke Tuong's "The Painter in the City" the lines read like they were originally written in English. Some works are unbelievably amazing. The excerpt from Pierre Corneille's "El Cid" is brilliant. The rhymes, the meter, are all perfect; its flawless. It is as much of a tribute to translator Richard Wilbur as to Corneille.
The poems range in complexity from a very visual, but very short “The Cypress Tree” by Palamas and translated by David Mason to the epic like the modern translation of "Beowulf" translated by Alan Sullivan. The poems are grouped by country in alphabetical order. The nations represented go beyond the typical French poets most people know; Germany, Hungary, Macedonia, Persia, Poland, and many others are represented.
Following the poems is a section cover a short biography of the poets and another section giving a short biography of the translators. Poets Translate Poets is an amazing collection. Far more than just a collection of poetry, it is tribute to those who translate the works. Translation can change the whole meaning of a work. For years, everyone who read Camus' The Stranger read the cold and distant feeling opening line: “Mother died today.” In 1988 Mathew Ward translated The Stranger and left the original French word “Maman died today” A word more closely resembling “mama” and having a much warmer and personal meaning.* It changes the entire first impression. Translating is serious and difficult work in fiction and one can only imagine that capturing essence and beauty of a poem in a translation is near impossible work. It is done by The Hudson Review and their translators and done amazingly well.
*Most agree that this is a much better translation using the original French instead of mother. However, there is still debate if it should be read as “Today, Maman died”, following the original French word order.
Poets Translate Poets: A Hudson Review Anthology edited by Paula Deitz is a collection of poetry that has appeared in The Hudson Review over the last seven decades. The Hudson Review was founded in 1947 by William Arrowsmith, Joseph Bennett, and George Morgan and is still published today.
I am fairly new to reading and reviewing poetry and as my background is firmly rooted in political science and history, I cannot not help to be amazed by the power of words. From "Workers of the world, unite." to asking not what your country can do for you, words pass on a powerful message. Poetry takes the same words and amplifies their power several times over. Poetry, much more so than a sound bite, activates our brains, brings vision, feeling, and lasting memory.
The introduction describes the some of the translation methods as well as Erza Pounds contribution to translations. Years ago, reading a collection of French poetry, I wondered how can something from one language be translated to another and keep its flow and imagery. In fiction it is easier. It really doesn't matter much if it takes ten words in translation to capture the meaning of two words. In poetry it can't be done that way. How can the rhymes translate so well? What of alliteration? A line in Spanish would not translate to English and remain intact. Do words in Japanese rhyme? These are things I didn't understand. The introduction helps answer these questions.
However the translation are done, The Hudson Review seems to capture the original intent. From the opening with "The Cricket" by Bulgarian poet Himmirsky to closing with Vietnam's Tu Ke Tuong's "The Painter in the City" the lines read like they were originally written in English. Some works are unbelievably amazing. The excerpt from Pierre Corneille's "El Cid" is brilliant. The rhymes, the meter, are all perfect; its flawless. It is as much of a tribute to translator Richard Wilbur as to Corneille.
The poems range in complexity from a very visual, but very short “The Cypress Tree” by Palamas and translated by David Mason to the epic like the modern translation of "Beowulf" translated by Alan Sullivan. The poems are grouped by country in alphabetical order. The nations represented go beyond the typical French poets most people know; Germany, Hungary, Macedonia, Persia, Poland, and many others are represented.
Following the poems is a section cover a short biography of the poets and another section giving a short biography of the translators. Poets Translate Poets is an amazing collection. Far more than just a collection of poetry, it is tribute to those who translate the works. Translation can change the whole meaning of a work. For years, everyone who read Camus' The Stranger read the cold and distant feeling opening line: “Mother died today.” In 1988 Mathew Ward translated The Stranger and left the original French word “Maman died today” A word more closely resembling “mama” and having a much warmer and personal meaning.* It changes the entire first impression. Translating is serious and difficult work in fiction and one can only imagine that capturing essence and beauty of a poem in a translation is near impossible work. It is done by The Hudson Review and their translators and done amazingly well.
*Most agree that this is a much better translation using the original French instead of mother. However, there is still debate if it should be read as “Today, Maman died”, following the original French word order.
February 18, 2014
Read: January 2014
Where It Came From: eARC from publisher via NetGalley*
Genre: Poetry
Rating: 4 Stars
As two people whose academic pursuits involved both poetry and translation (one of us focused on classics and the epic tradition, the other with a thesis actually about translating poetry), this book was definitely something we were interested in when we saw it come up on NetGalley for review. The premise is pretty much summed up in the title: It is a collection of poetry that has appeared in The Hudson Review, translated into English by other poets, with the idea being that, a) who is better to translate poetry than real live poets, and b) when a poem is translated, it becomes as much, if not more, a creation of the translator as of the original poet. Speaking for myself, as I went into reading this book I had a list of things in my head that I think are important when it comes to translating poetry, and I was very happy to see all my concerns addressed in the foreword and prologue to the book.
One of the things that I have always found to be one of the most basic challenges of translating poetry is the choice between hewing as closely as possible to the content and style of the original, and blazing a new trail with a translation that perhaps captures some of the original, but is essentially very, very different. Editor Mark Jarman discussed this idea very thoroughly, referring to the two translation styles as the Wilbur style and the Pound style, after poets and translators Ezra Pound and Richard Wilbur, whose work often appeared in The Hudson Review. Though I try to find a balance between the two, I find myself more of the Wilbur school in my translations, but reading some of Pound’s translations that appear in the book has convinced me of the fun and effectiveness of sometimes throwing all that to the wind and doing something wild and crazy with a translation. Case in point: His translation of The Women of Trachis from the Greek is a radical tour de force that managed to be both hilarious and, at its heart, wholly tragic. One does not generally expect country/old-timey/Southern-ish dialogue in a translation of Sophocles, and it was completely engaging.
The diversity of languages represented in the translations in this collection is impressive, ranging from classics of Latin and Ancient Greek, to the expected French and Spanish, to the more unusual Quechua, Provençal, and Romanesco. Some of the poems were more to my taste than others, and I particularly enjoyed the translations of Tufu (affecting), Sir Gawain and the Green Knight (our love of this poem already firmly established), Walther von der Vogelweide (charming), and G.G. Belli (startlingly vulgar, but very funny!). Having such a range of poets and translators ensures a wide array of topics, styles, and themes, and there are certainly many more that I enjoyed that I have not listed here.
If I had a wish for this book, it’s that the poems would appear in the original language alongside the translation—probably no one would be able to read all the poems in their original languages, but if you can read some, it’s interesting to see what choices were made in translating. If you can’t, it’s still interesting to visually experience the original. Another wish I’d have for the book regards the context of the poems—there is a bit of biographical and contextual information about the original poets and translators at the end of the book, with additional context appearing in Jarman’s introduction. I’m glad it was available, but I personally would’ve preferred a bit more of it, and closer to the poem it was associated with. At the same time, however, I can understand why it wasn’t—if the point of the book is that translated poems become new poems entirely, it is easier to appreciate the poems on one level, as they are, standing on their own, and then later on a new level when some context has been provided.
I could probably wax nerdy about this stuff all day. Talking about how much I loved poems/translations is all well and good, but it’s no substitute for experiencing them yourself. If you like poetry, or foreign languages, or find translation fascinating, or want to broaden your reading, or any combination of these things, I’d recommend this book to you. Of the many, many poems included, you are sure to find some that speak to you.
*As ever, much as we are grateful for the copy, our review is uninfluenced by its source.
Originally posted on Read This / Eat That
Where It Came From: eARC from publisher via NetGalley*
Genre: Poetry
Rating: 4 Stars
As two people whose academic pursuits involved both poetry and translation (one of us focused on classics and the epic tradition, the other with a thesis actually about translating poetry), this book was definitely something we were interested in when we saw it come up on NetGalley for review. The premise is pretty much summed up in the title: It is a collection of poetry that has appeared in The Hudson Review, translated into English by other poets, with the idea being that, a) who is better to translate poetry than real live poets, and b) when a poem is translated, it becomes as much, if not more, a creation of the translator as of the original poet. Speaking for myself, as I went into reading this book I had a list of things in my head that I think are important when it comes to translating poetry, and I was very happy to see all my concerns addressed in the foreword and prologue to the book.
One of the things that I have always found to be one of the most basic challenges of translating poetry is the choice between hewing as closely as possible to the content and style of the original, and blazing a new trail with a translation that perhaps captures some of the original, but is essentially very, very different. Editor Mark Jarman discussed this idea very thoroughly, referring to the two translation styles as the Wilbur style and the Pound style, after poets and translators Ezra Pound and Richard Wilbur, whose work often appeared in The Hudson Review. Though I try to find a balance between the two, I find myself more of the Wilbur school in my translations, but reading some of Pound’s translations that appear in the book has convinced me of the fun and effectiveness of sometimes throwing all that to the wind and doing something wild and crazy with a translation. Case in point: His translation of The Women of Trachis from the Greek is a radical tour de force that managed to be both hilarious and, at its heart, wholly tragic. One does not generally expect country/old-timey/Southern-ish dialogue in a translation of Sophocles, and it was completely engaging.
The diversity of languages represented in the translations in this collection is impressive, ranging from classics of Latin and Ancient Greek, to the expected French and Spanish, to the more unusual Quechua, Provençal, and Romanesco. Some of the poems were more to my taste than others, and I particularly enjoyed the translations of Tufu (affecting), Sir Gawain and the Green Knight (our love of this poem already firmly established), Walther von der Vogelweide (charming), and G.G. Belli (startlingly vulgar, but very funny!). Having such a range of poets and translators ensures a wide array of topics, styles, and themes, and there are certainly many more that I enjoyed that I have not listed here.
If I had a wish for this book, it’s that the poems would appear in the original language alongside the translation—probably no one would be able to read all the poems in their original languages, but if you can read some, it’s interesting to see what choices were made in translating. If you can’t, it’s still interesting to visually experience the original. Another wish I’d have for the book regards the context of the poems—there is a bit of biographical and contextual information about the original poets and translators at the end of the book, with additional context appearing in Jarman’s introduction. I’m glad it was available, but I personally would’ve preferred a bit more of it, and closer to the poem it was associated with. At the same time, however, I can understand why it wasn’t—if the point of the book is that translated poems become new poems entirely, it is easier to appreciate the poems on one level, as they are, standing on their own, and then later on a new level when some context has been provided.
I could probably wax nerdy about this stuff all day. Talking about how much I loved poems/translations is all well and good, but it’s no substitute for experiencing them yourself. If you like poetry, or foreign languages, or find translation fascinating, or want to broaden your reading, or any combination of these things, I’d recommend this book to you. Of the many, many poems included, you are sure to find some that speak to you.
*As ever, much as we are grateful for the copy, our review is uninfluenced by its source.
Originally posted on Read This / Eat That
October 21, 2013
"In Pound's version of this tradition, translation is meant to transform one literature into another. A good poem translated should become another good poem- one belonging as much to the translator as to the original author."
Poets Translate Poets: A Hudson Review Anthology is an impressive collection of poetry. It contains 83 poems translated from 24 languages. From poetry in ancient Greek to Japanese you will find poetry that you will not run across in other popular anthologies. Besides the poetry, which is itself of great artistic value the translations become artistic treasures themselves. Having poets translate other poets will of course retain the integrity of the poem, but when you have poets the likes of William Carlos Williams and Erza Pound the works become remarkably close to the original. Although I have seen and read some of the poetry in the original language (some of the French pieces) reading them here I would not have guessed that any of the poems in this anthology were not originally written in English.
Just to give you an example of the stellar translations here are a few of my favorite lines from one of the Polish poems in the anthology:
A blonde girl is bent over a poem, With a stiletto-sharp pencil she transfers the words to a sheet of paper and changes them into stresses, accents, caesuras. The lament of a fallen poet now looks like a salamander eaten away by ants. - from Episode in a Library (translated by Peter Dale Scott, 1963)
This collection is a pleasure to read. It would be a great work anthology to use in a poetry classroom or just to do a little armchair world travel. Besides the collection of poetry there is also a brief history of the Hudson Review and the work they have done for translation and literature. There are also snippets about the poets and the translators (also poets) which are valuable to any student of poetry.
Poets Translate Poets: A Hudson Review Anthology is an impressive collection of poetry. It contains 83 poems translated from 24 languages. From poetry in ancient Greek to Japanese you will find poetry that you will not run across in other popular anthologies. Besides the poetry, which is itself of great artistic value the translations become artistic treasures themselves. Having poets translate other poets will of course retain the integrity of the poem, but when you have poets the likes of William Carlos Williams and Erza Pound the works become remarkably close to the original. Although I have seen and read some of the poetry in the original language (some of the French pieces) reading them here I would not have guessed that any of the poems in this anthology were not originally written in English.
Just to give you an example of the stellar translations here are a few of my favorite lines from one of the Polish poems in the anthology:
A blonde girl is bent over a poem, With a stiletto-sharp pencil she transfers the words to a sheet of paper and changes them into stresses, accents, caesuras. The lament of a fallen poet now looks like a salamander eaten away by ants. - from Episode in a Library (translated by Peter Dale Scott, 1963)
This collection is a pleasure to read. It would be a great work anthology to use in a poetry classroom or just to do a little armchair world travel. Besides the collection of poetry there is also a brief history of the Hudson Review and the work they have done for translation and literature. There are also snippets about the poets and the translators (also poets) which are valuable to any student of poetry.
September 20, 2013
http://bookreviewsbyme2.wordpress.com...
This is a very nice collection of poetry. There are a lot of different poems in here, all translated from their original languages into English.
I really enjoyed how this anthology is grouped into different sections based on the original language the poem was published under and then within the language sections the poems are arranged in chronological order. I thought this was a nice way to organize the book because it allowed the reader to easily determine what country a poem was from, thus somewhat how it would sound in the original language.
I enjoyed the wide variety of poems that are presented in this anthology. This book contains everything from epic poetry to very short couplets. It’s a nice variety that allows the reader to experience the genuine poetry of a country/era.
Although there were a wide variety of poems presented in the book, it seemed a little centered on France. I understand that many poems have been published in France throughout the ages but after reading a bunch of poems by French poets, they all started to blur together. I would have liked a few more Chinese poems – or just more poems from other countries in general.
The translation work in the poetry itself is well done. All of the translators did a very nice job of allowing the original message of the poem to shine through. It doesn’t seem like very much of the poems have been lost in translation.
Overall, this is a nice collection of poetry but it was a tad too focused on France.
I received a copy of this book for review purposes via NetGalley.
This is a very nice collection of poetry. There are a lot of different poems in here, all translated from their original languages into English.
I really enjoyed how this anthology is grouped into different sections based on the original language the poem was published under and then within the language sections the poems are arranged in chronological order. I thought this was a nice way to organize the book because it allowed the reader to easily determine what country a poem was from, thus somewhat how it would sound in the original language.
I enjoyed the wide variety of poems that are presented in this anthology. This book contains everything from epic poetry to very short couplets. It’s a nice variety that allows the reader to experience the genuine poetry of a country/era.
Although there were a wide variety of poems presented in the book, it seemed a little centered on France. I understand that many poems have been published in France throughout the ages but after reading a bunch of poems by French poets, they all started to blur together. I would have liked a few more Chinese poems – or just more poems from other countries in general.
The translation work in the poetry itself is well done. All of the translators did a very nice job of allowing the original message of the poem to shine through. It doesn’t seem like very much of the poems have been lost in translation.
Overall, this is a nice collection of poetry but it was a tad too focused on France.
I received a copy of this book for review purposes via NetGalley.
December 1, 2013
(I was provided an electronic galley of this book through Netgalley and the publisher.)
So good, I'm buying a copy! A must-read for anyone interested in world poetry and the art of translation. Only missing the original-language verses for comparison. I'm sure most people don't speak every language, but it's one of the joys of reading translations; when one does know both languages, it's easier to see both poet's visions--that's the theme of this collection, if nothing else is--a poem, translated, is two poems. Does one go literal or does one translate for spirit and image? Mark Jarman's introduction alone is a lovely treatise on this theme.
As well as an overview of world poetry both historical and contemporary, the book contains translations from the careers of several poets, Merwin for one example--you can get an overview of his poetic sensibility over time by reading his translations over time. Though an original conceit of the editors was to arrange the book by translator in order to highlight this, the poems are instead arranged by language and by time within that language. Not a comprehensive collection, but a representation of what's been published in the Hudson Review over the years. Biographical notes on the original authors and the translators place each selection in time and context.
A must-have for any student of poetry and certainly many libraries.
So good, I'm buying a copy! A must-read for anyone interested in world poetry and the art of translation. Only missing the original-language verses for comparison. I'm sure most people don't speak every language, but it's one of the joys of reading translations; when one does know both languages, it's easier to see both poet's visions--that's the theme of this collection, if nothing else is--a poem, translated, is two poems. Does one go literal or does one translate for spirit and image? Mark Jarman's introduction alone is a lovely treatise on this theme.
As well as an overview of world poetry both historical and contemporary, the book contains translations from the careers of several poets, Merwin for one example--you can get an overview of his poetic sensibility over time by reading his translations over time. Though an original conceit of the editors was to arrange the book by translator in order to highlight this, the poems are instead arranged by language and by time within that language. Not a comprehensive collection, but a representation of what's been published in the Hudson Review over the years. Biographical notes on the original authors and the translators place each selection in time and context.
A must-have for any student of poetry and certainly many libraries.
June 25, 2016
This is a lovely anthology of poetry translated by modern poets. The introduction frames this collection nicely with an accessible, though unscholarly, thought-piece on what happens when a poet from one culture or time translates a poem from another.
The selection is wide and varied, from the well-known (Beowulf, Gawain and the Green Knight, Sappho, Homer, Catullus, Borges) to the eclectic (poems from Vietnamese, Macedonian, Polish, Swedish and Russian poets). The poetry is organised by country and original author though the editors, rightly, suggest we also read them by translator via the index.
Two small caveats from me: the selections from longer works (Homer, Beowulf, El Cid, Lucretius) don't really work as well as the self-contained poetry and lyric. And while I agree that a translation is a re-making of an `original', this becomes lost when we don't know and can't access the original.
That said, there are some lovely pieces here - my particular favourites are the Charles Martin & Johanna Keller 1999 translations of Christine de Pisan, whose lyrics tend to be overlooked for her City of Ladies texts.
So a lovely anthology for anyone who loves poetry and world literature, and one which is both exploratory and rewarding.
The selection is wide and varied, from the well-known (Beowulf, Gawain and the Green Knight, Sappho, Homer, Catullus, Borges) to the eclectic (poems from Vietnamese, Macedonian, Polish, Swedish and Russian poets). The poetry is organised by country and original author though the editors, rightly, suggest we also read them by translator via the index.
Two small caveats from me: the selections from longer works (Homer, Beowulf, El Cid, Lucretius) don't really work as well as the self-contained poetry and lyric. And while I agree that a translation is a re-making of an `original', this becomes lost when we don't know and can't access the original.
That said, there are some lovely pieces here - my particular favourites are the Charles Martin & Johanna Keller 1999 translations of Christine de Pisan, whose lyrics tend to be overlooked for her City of Ladies texts.
So a lovely anthology for anyone who loves poetry and world literature, and one which is both exploratory and rewarding.
August 30, 2013
I really liked these poems from all over the world, of course I could only compare to the original poems in Italian, Latin and Roman, though the others were still a pleasure to read.
Mi sono davvero piaciute queste poesie provenienti da tutto il mondo, ovviamente ho potuto paragonare agli originali solo alcune poesie in italiano, latino e romanesco, peró le altre sono state comunque un piacere da leggere.
THANKS TO NETGALLEY AND SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY PRESS FOR THE PREVIEW!
Mi sono davvero piaciute queste poesie provenienti da tutto il mondo, ovviamente ho potuto paragonare agli originali solo alcune poesie in italiano, latino e romanesco, peró le altre sono state comunque un piacere da leggere.
THANKS TO NETGALLEY AND SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY PRESS FOR THE PREVIEW!
July 31, 2013
Normally when you translate poetry it just doesn't come through as it does in the language it's originally written in. Here we find beautiful poetry translated flawlessly in keeping with the meaning and soul of the original. There's further information included as well. Well worth sharing and enjoying for ages to come.
December 24, 2019
Darkness
Round my other side
My averted side
My uninhabited side
Darkness in darkness
And in the inmost dark
Something to wrestle with
Strong enough to whirl me away like a leaf
Lars Gustafsson (Swedish)
Round my other side
My averted side
My uninhabited side
Darkness in darkness
And in the inmost dark
Something to wrestle with
Strong enough to whirl me away like a leaf
Lars Gustafsson (Swedish)
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews