Poetry
- Thread starter jenks
- Start date
Corpsey
bandz ahoy
I sympathise, but in this case I don't really care about that, I was interested in Hughes's use of language, Hughes's retelling of those stories.
Obviously if I wanted a (more) accurate translation I would read someone like Golding (although I've no idea how accurate he is, either).
Obviously if I wanted a (more) accurate translation I would read someone like Golding (although I've no idea how accurate he is, either).
It's an interesting one, because I think for a translator to accurately translate poetry they would often have to take the literalist route of Nabokov translating Pushkin, rendering the results bad poetry in English. The other route is to write good poetry in English, which as you say involves taking liberties."In his introduction to Tales from Ovid, Hughes described the author ofMetamorphoses as being “of little use” as a guide to the historic, original forms of the myths. Ovid is an “adaptor” who only takes up the stories which “catch his fancy” and who engages with each story only to the extent that it “liberates his own creative zest” [4]. In Tales from Ovid Hughes too is an adaptor and, as we will see, his late interest in the adaptation of myth relates to the poetic he employs in Birthday Letters. "
Tales from Ovid — The Ted Hughes Society
thetedhughessociety.org
Benny B
Well-known member
From hence the Bore was rowzed out, and fiersly forth he flies
Among the thickest of his foes like thunder from the Skies,
When Clouds in meeting force the fire to burst by violence out.
He beares the trees before him downe, and all the wood about
Doth sound of crashing. All the youth with hideous noyse and shout
Against him bend their Boarspeare points with hand and courage stout.
He rushes forth among the Dogs that held him at a bay,
And now on this side now on that, as any come in way,
He rippes their skinnes and splitteth them, and chaseth them away...
And streyning out himselfe upon his tiptoes streight he takes
His Pollax up with both his hands. But as this bragger ment
To fetch his blow, the cruell beast his malice did prevent:
And in his coddes (the speeding place of death) his tusshes puts,
And rippeth up his paunche. Downe falles Ancaeus and his guts
Come tumbling out besmearde with bloud, and foyled all the plot.
Among the thickest of his foes like thunder from the Skies,
When Clouds in meeting force the fire to burst by violence out.
He beares the trees before him downe, and all the wood about
Doth sound of crashing. All the youth with hideous noyse and shout
Against him bend their Boarspeare points with hand and courage stout.
He rushes forth among the Dogs that held him at a bay,
And now on this side now on that, as any come in way,
He rippes their skinnes and splitteth them, and chaseth them away...
And streyning out himselfe upon his tiptoes streight he takes
His Pollax up with both his hands. But as this bragger ment
To fetch his blow, the cruell beast his malice did prevent:
And in his coddes (the speeding place of death) his tusshes puts,
And rippeth up his paunche. Downe falles Ancaeus and his guts
Come tumbling out besmearde with bloud, and foyled all the plot.
Corpsey
bandz ahoy
Interesting reading Golding's "Acteaon" here https://sourcetext.com/arthur-goldings-ovids-metamorphoses/
Golding's romps along in heroic couplets, which has the effect (for me) of rendering even tragic things quite sunny and cheery. Hughes's version is very sparse, sober, solemn.
Obviously I'm not going to type out Hughes's version in full but here's a quick comparison of the openings
Golding
Hughes
Perhaps not the best bit to compare because for me Hughes's version is particularly good in evoking physicality and violence, e.g.
Not sure what the original tone of Ovid is. Perhaps the originals were light and musical.
Golding's romps along in heroic couplets, which has the effect (for me) of rendering even tragic things quite sunny and cheery. Hughes's version is very sparse, sober, solemn.
Obviously I'm not going to type out Hughes's version in full but here's a quick comparison of the openings
Golding
Hughes
Perhaps not the best bit to compare because for me Hughes's version is particularly good in evoking physicality and violence, e.g.
He makes these mythical tales seem real, and authentically tragic.
Not sure what the original tone of Ovid is. Perhaps the originals were light and musical.
Corpsey
bandz ahoy
Benny B
Well-known member
From that little extract I'd say the Golding's much more energetic, you romp your way through it as you pick up the rhythm. Hughes is more sombre and serious, not to say it's bad but not as fun to read.
Corpsey
bandz ahoy
I think Hughes is interested in making things more vivid, more real. Hence extrapolations like
"Our weapons and our toyles are moist and staind with bloud of Deere:" becomes "Our nets are stiff with blood, Our spears are caked, and our knives Are clogged in their sheaths with the blood of a glorious hunt."
It's interesting, too, that instead of putting the words "savage beasts" in Actaeon's mouth he describes from some more detached perspective "so many animals" – not sure if his intention is to portray hunting as prosaically brutal from the start vs. combat with "Savage beasts" as in Golding.
"Our weapons and our toyles are moist and staind with bloud of Deere:" becomes "Our nets are stiff with blood, Our spears are caked, and our knives Are clogged in their sheaths with the blood of a glorious hunt."
It's interesting, too, that instead of putting the words "savage beasts" in Actaeon's mouth he describes from some more detached perspective "so many animals" – not sure if his intention is to portray hunting as prosaically brutal from the start vs. combat with "Savage beasts" as in Golding.