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The Something Awful Forums > The Finer Arts > The Book Barn > Poetry Megathread: so much depends upon a little forums thread glazed with
 
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SurreptitiousMuffin
Mar 21, 2010

Poutling posted:

I think the key is to find the right translator who can capture not only the direct translation but the spirit of the poem. Translating itself is an art form.
John Ashbery's translations of Rimbaud are absolutely wonderful. I never really understood Illuminations until I saw what Ashbery did with it. It takes a great poet to translate great poetry.

* # ¿ Feb 18, 2014 01:59
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# ¿ May 16, 2024 19:58
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SurreptitiousMuffin
Mar 21, 2010

Sharkie posted:

Do you like Ashberry's own poems? I also really like his translation of Illuminations but don't know where to start with his poetry, though it seems like I'd be interested in it.
I love them, but they are some of the least accessible poems I've ever read. Self Portrait in a Convex Mirror took at least three readings and some extra background material on Ashbery before it started opening up to me. Once it did, I was blown away and genuinely moved and couldn't stop reading it for weeks. It's a drat puzzle box that only rewards the very patient, but rewards them richly.

I think that's why he's so controversial: a lot of people have only done surface readings and think it's pretentious crap.

* # ¿ Feb 18, 2014 07:56
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SurreptitiousMuffin
Mar 21, 2010
 The preface is pretty hilarious. "I like poor people because they're too dumb to lie to me."

Wordsworth is trash. If you really really need a dose of maudlin folsky preachyness, go read Shamus Heany.

* # ¿ May 1, 2015 02:50
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The Something Awful Forums > The Finer Arts > The Book Barn > Poetry Megathread: so much depends upon a little forums thread glazed with