tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4638619958588096610.post8701796628693032036..comments2023-11-22T09:11:01.567+00:00Comments on George Szirtes: Judging TranslationsGeorge Shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08889600788146987089noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4638619958588096610.post-22757438617280250662012-09-12T09:53:14.681+01:002012-09-12T09:53:14.681+01:00Some years ago I read two translations of a short ...Some years ago I read two translations of a short part of 'Oedipus at Colonos' to my husband. He doesn't have a literary background at all. Of one, he said, 'that's just striving for effect'; of the other, 'that man's telling the truth.' I expect you can guess the translators, but just to confirm: the first was W.B Yeats, the second, Stephen Spender.<br /><br />The poet, then, needs to convey the truth. Whether in an original, or in a translation.<br /><br />Would you agree? <br /><br />Love and peace<br />Jenihavantaclunoreply@blogger.com