Comments on Dabbler: Lot's Wife - Anna Akhmatova / Richard Wilbur

Arrived here via the yAnai poem. A beautiful idea ...

2008-08-28T19:33:00.000-07:00

Arrived here via the yAnai poem. A beautiful idea and imagery too!

But in this poem, the first and last paragraph's translation leaves much to be desired for - flow, imagery and word choice-wise. கொஞ்சம் refine செய்யலாமே? The 'least of our losses' conveys a lot because a whole town is getting destroyed and one more life should not matter. மற்ற பத்திகள் நன்றாக ஒலிக்கின்றன.

Nice translation considering that, Akhmatova is a difficult poet to translate. Both in paucity of words and yet effectiveness of imagery its tough to reproduce that style.

Thanks for introducing and translating an excellen...

2008-08-09T10:46:00.000-07:00

Thanks for introducing and translating an excellent poem. All our lives we have to turn back on things we love, not because we will be turned into salt but because good things don't last -- childhood, boyhood, youth and so on. It is even more wrenching for women who are transplanted after marriage. Who can forget Vairamuthu's Poraale Ponnuthaayi song.

Excellent translation.

2008-07-31T11:10:00.000-07:00

Excellent translation.

Krishnan - Here is her wiki page. Some of her poem...

2008-07-23T01:41:00.000-07:00

Krishnan - Here is her wiki page. Some of her poems were translated by Latha Ramakrishnan and published by Uyirmmai last year. You can find the book here. I haven't read it so far.

Good effort ! I have often heard of this great Rus...

2008-07-23T00:38:00.000-07:00

Good effort ! I have often heard of this great Russian poet Anna Akhmatova but somehow never found time to check her out. I have read somewhere that there is book with Tamizh translation of her poems.