Other Worlds Than This: Translations

Good translators must somehow avoid the dangers of mere literalism on
the one hand and creative embellishments on the other. Hadas has
succeeded admirably by offering rhythmical and accurate translations of a
wide variety of texts by Tibullus, Seneca, Hugo, Baudelaire, Mallarme,
Rimbaud, LaForgue, Valery, and the modern Greek poet Konstantine
Karyotakis, among others. Nostalgia, ennui, melancholy, and grief are
the dominant tones of these poems, which speak poignantly of love lost
and the inexorable passage of time. Hadas often finds a contemporary
phrase to formulate an older writer’s meaning. Thus, Tibullus can say
that love protects him from
the switchblade knife
while LaForgue is

suddenly zapped by lightning.
Some readers may miss the presence of en
face texts in the original languages, but the author’s assertion that
she did this work purely
for the pleasure
is apparent throughout.
Recommended for larger collections. - Daniel L. Guillory, Millikin Univ., Decatur, Ill.