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Comment 4 of 4, added on July 23rd, 2006 at 7:14 PM.
Peter Maffly-Kipp--thanks for posting your comment! Translations do make such a difference. This poem adds a wonderful twist of the event by focusing on Lot's wife. That one look cost her everything. Ironic how there are so many examples of "one decision" that carried steep penalties (Moses striking the rock more than once, Adam and Eve's action with eating the fruit,...). The last two lines are so moving, because the poet has embraced the wife as almost a type of patron saint. By this embracing, Akhmatova somehow absolves the disobedience, and deems it as a noble act.
dallas from United States
Comment 3 of 4, added on June 21st, 2006 at 7:28 AM.
This version of Lot's Wife was translated by Max Hayward, a Russian language scholar, and Stanley Kunitz, an American poet. It is by far the best English translation of a very difficult style of poetry. Ahkmatova was an Acme-ist, and tried to capture large events in the smallest of gestures. Her poems were also tightly structured and metred. This translation is so good (in English) because it captures more of the lyrical qualities. Those translators (DM Thomas, Coffin or Amanda Haight, for example) who have tried to manage the metre and structure more end up with poems that sound rather clunky and awkward in English. I believe the quality here is the result of using a poet to fashion the translation. Others tried similar combos later, especially with poems by Yevtushenko and
Brodsky (both of whom lived in the US in their later years) All the poems in this volume are wonderful, and if you can actually find one, I would get it.
Peter Maffly-Kipp from United States
Comment 2 of 4, added on March 20th, 2006 at 7:40 AM.
This is a question. You don't indicate the translator. This is important. Who translated this poem? Joan
Joan DeRosa from United States
Comment 1 of 4, added on November 15th, 2005 at 9:19 AM.
This isnt too shabby for a russian
skam from Canada
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Peter Maffly-Kipp--thanks for posting your comment! Translations do make such a difference. This poem adds a wonderful twist of the event by focusing on Lot's wife. That one look cost her everything. Ironic how there are so many examples of "one decision" that carried steep penalties (Moses striking the rock more than once, Adam and Eve's action with eating the fruit,...). The last two lines are so moving, because the poet has embraced the wife as almost a type of patron saint. By this embracing, Akhmatova somehow absolves the disobedience, and deems it as a noble act.
dallas from United States