6 responses to “Stray Thoughts 76”
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Sorry, I was too lazy to write a detailed comment 😅😁 This is part of a poem by Baudelaire titled ‘Hymn to Beauty’. When I read the text, this poem came to mind as I suppose our beautiful expectations—even if planted in our hearts by an infernal hand that sows the greatest heartbreaks—may still make the world more beautiful.
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Thank you so much for the translation. 😊🙏
I’ve read some poems by Baudelaire, and I like him. Generally, I like French literature; unfortunately, I can’t speak French. Once I tried to learn it, but… I should try again. Because I think that, especially in poetry, the specific language’s characteristics and beauty are demonstrated in its original language. To translate poems, it’s very difficult.
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Then—another quote for you (and for Google translate:), this time from my beloved Hugo:
« J’appartiens à la Grèce autant qu’à la France. Je donnerais pour la Grèce mes strophes comme Tyrtée et mon sang comme Byron. […] Votre pays sacré a mon profond amour. Je pense à Athènes comme on pense au soleil. »
French poetry is beautiful, yes—but in sheer poetic power, Greek and my own tongue, Persian, are unmatched. I can’t begin to describe how translations of Aeschylus from Classical Greek into Persian capture their vigour far better than modern European languages. And how immense Greek still seems, even through the glass of translation.
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