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Poetry loses almost everything in translation. Tom Send a noteboard - 05/04/2017 04:05:34 AM

I'm willing to concede that, for example, Latin poetry translated into Italian might lose very little in the process, due to the similarity of the languages (or Spanish to Italian and vice versa). I could also see translation from, say, Norwegian to Swedish as being a relatively effortless matter (though why even bother at that point?).

Too much of poetry has to do with meter, sound and emotion for the sense to be easily passed along into another language. After all, you can translate the Chinese "shi" poem (see link), but it's pretty much meaningless to do so.

Political correctness is the pettiest form of casuistry.

ἡ δὲ κἀκ τριῶν τρυπημάτων ἐργαζομένη ἐνεκάλει τῇ φύσει, δυσφορουμένη, ὅτι δὴ μὴ καὶ τοὺς τιτθοὺς αὐτῇ εὐρύτερον ἢ νῦν εἰσι τρυπώη, ὅπως καὶ ἄλλην ἐνταῦθα μίξιν ἐπιτεχνᾶσθαι δυνατὴ εἴη. – Procopius

Ummaka qinnassa nīk!

*MySmiley*
Shi shi shi
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