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Sweet Hunter: The Complete Poems of St. Teresa of Ávila
This bilingual edition of St. Teresa of Avila’s poems with commentary engages readers with all facets of the Saint’s the mystic and monastic reformer, the artist and proto-feminist, and the philosopher with a penchant for paradox.
“What a gift then to read Dana Delibovi’s translations of St Teresa d’Ávila’s complete poems—sweet treasure!—so elegant and concise, the language lyrical yet simple and accessible, the music of the stanzas and the profundity of her voice carried into English. I also appreciated Delibovi’s the short introductions and thematic arrangement of the poems—nothing overly ponderous and academic. It’s as if we are on a pilgrimage into the heart and soul and song of this amazing woman and spiritual leader and poet.” —Julia Alvarez, poet, novelist, and essayist; author of The Cemetery of Untold Stories
“Dana Delibovi’s translations and the essays that accompany them are thoughtful, inviting, insightful, and rich. Through them, Saint Teresa’s passionate words pierce through the page and bloom beautifully in the reader’s mind – and heart.” —Randon Billings Noble, author of Be with Me Essays and editor of A Harp in the An Anthology of Lyric Essays
“Saint Teresa has, at last, found an English translator who has deeply penetrated the poet’s essence, her revelatory reverence and rapturous beauty.” —Christopher Sawyer-Lauçanno, author of Night Suite, Remission, and A Continual American Writers in Paris, 1944-1960
St. Teresa of Avila’s poems, written in the 16th century, speak to the spiritual longing of our times and invite us to find peace amid turmoil. St. Teresa walked a path of grace, seeking the divine within the human soul, and her poetry lights this path for all of us. This is the first translation of St. Teresa’s poetry by a woman poet and captures the saint’s spiritual vigor and famously conversational tone in English. That voice is echoed in well-researched commentary strengthened by the translator’s willingness to share her spiritual journey.
“What a gift then to read Dana Delibovi’s translations of St Teresa d’Ávila’s complete poems—sweet treasure!—so elegant and concise, the language lyrical yet simple and accessible, the music of the stanzas and the profundity of her voice carried into English. I also appreciated Delibovi’s the short introductions and thematic arrangement of the poems—nothing overly ponderous and academic. It’s as if we are on a pilgrimage into the heart and soul and song of this amazing woman and spiritual leader and poet.” —Julia Alvarez, poet, novelist, and essayist; author of The Cemetery of Untold Stories
“Dana Delibovi’s translations and the essays that accompany them are thoughtful, inviting, insightful, and rich. Through them, Saint Teresa’s passionate words pierce through the page and bloom beautifully in the reader’s mind – and heart.” —Randon Billings Noble, author of Be with Me Essays and editor of A Harp in the An Anthology of Lyric Essays
“Saint Teresa has, at last, found an English translator who has deeply penetrated the poet’s essence, her revelatory reverence and rapturous beauty.” —Christopher Sawyer-Lauçanno, author of Night Suite, Remission, and A Continual American Writers in Paris, 1944-1960
St. Teresa of Avila’s poems, written in the 16th century, speak to the spiritual longing of our times and invite us to find peace amid turmoil. St. Teresa walked a path of grace, seeking the divine within the human soul, and her poetry lights this path for all of us. This is the first translation of St. Teresa’s poetry by a woman poet and captures the saint’s spiritual vigor and famously conversational tone in English. That voice is echoed in well-researched commentary strengthened by the translator’s willingness to share her spiritual journey.
- GenresPoetry
191 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 15, 2024
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August 20, 2024
This is a bilingual collection of the poems of Teresa of Avila, one of history's most influential Christian mystics, newly translated by Dana Delibovi. The collection contains about thirty poems, some ecstatic and some philosophic, in both English the original Spanish.
The book also offers an overall introduction and commentaries on each of the five sections by which the poems are grouped. This provides the reader, particularly a neophyte to the history and theology that inform these poems -- such as myself -- with background useful to better experiencing the poems. I do enjoy bilingual editions even when they are in a source language that I don't read because they do allow some insight into rhyme, metering, and other considerations of sound. One can observe to what degree the translator emulates form, even if one remains ignorant of the degree to which meaning is captured.
I enjoyed this collection. If you are interested in the poetry of Christian mystics, I'd recommend you give it a read.
The book also offers an overall introduction and commentaries on each of the five sections by which the poems are grouped. This provides the reader, particularly a neophyte to the history and theology that inform these poems -- such as myself -- with background useful to better experiencing the poems. I do enjoy bilingual editions even when they are in a source language that I don't read because they do allow some insight into rhyme, metering, and other considerations of sound. One can observe to what degree the translator emulates form, even if one remains ignorant of the degree to which meaning is captured.
I enjoyed this collection. If you are interested in the poetry of Christian mystics, I'd recommend you give it a read.
Displaying 1 of 1 review