Sunday, September 7, 2008
Rilke
I've given you three versions of the Rilke poem in English, all of which have been translated out of the German by three different translators. It's amazing how different they are! I have a favorite, but what is your's? And why do you think it ends with the line, "You must change your life." Consider this bust at the Metropolitan Museum of Art before you answer.
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6 comments:
My favorite version of this poem is the first one, that was translated by Mitchell. I think the language in this version flows nicely, and i prefer the description of genitalia as "that dark center where procreation flared" over the discriptions in the other peoms, because it doesn't sound as crude and is more poetic. I feel like the final line is "you must change your life" because this image of Apollo was being compared to ourselves as human beings. We can all be judged by our physique, but only we truly know what's within, and only we have the power to change our mental outlooks on the world around us.
i didn't like the other two versions of Rilke at all either. They gave parts of the poem a more i guess you could say "vulgar" feel to it and the first one flowed very nicely until the last stanza and the end where it says you must change your life, it really caught me off gaurd when i was reading it. It gave such an abrupt end to the poem that made me ponder as to why that was in there, it almost sounded like something somebody added in. Now that i rethink it i bet the poem was made to be like that to provoke the exact thoughts that i had. It wasn't my favorite but i didn't hate it either my response is luke warm, i just like the thoughts it provokes when it gets to the end!
For me the Mitchell version was best, but it bothers me the concept of translating poems, it becomes more of Mitchells poem rather than "Rilke." For me to get the REAL poem i must conquer another language (no problem...) Mitchell just used some words which i was more inclined to or sounded more smooth and less plastered like the other two. I cannot stress enough how fluxed i am over the fact that I am not really reading Rilke but Mitchell.
This is why most PhD programs require that you have reading knowledge of another language. To really read Rilke you need to read German.
Alright i guess im by myself on this one, but i like the third one, translated by Landman the best. I like the way he did the second stanza better than any other translated verison. It just fit. I must say that the first version is good to, but the second one is most definatly a no no...i dont wanna hear the words "genitals burned", weird.
When reading it i felt like the line " you must change your life" really only hit home because of the third stanza...without the line "for theres not one spot that doesnt see you"...the you must change your life part would just be an akward ad to this poem. I can understand if you must change your life because everyone is looking at you as and influential person or a hero, but one of those lines without the other and the whole feel of the poem would be shifted...atleast for me.
i also have preferred the first poem. i found several greek sculptures of Apollo in the Louvre and the poem goes along well with most of them, since he is the god of the sun andis normally depicted with rays of sunshine, and his gold curly hair and riding on a chariot in the sky. Almost as if he were "god", just the only god and could oversee everything that went on in the world below him. Thats why the last line of "you must change your life" struck me immediately because i knew they were referring how he was this god above in the sky looking down and watching us, watching all we do. "There is no place that does not see you"; therefore know what you are doing and that someone is always watching.
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