Poundians obviously have lots at stake in this matter!  I'd put in my
appeal for any translation that has the facing Italian and all three
cantiche in one volume. Here at Columbia we use Mandelbaum, which is fine.
We might also remember Binyon's translation, which Pound helped edit
line-by-line (see pages and pages in Paige).  I have a terrific old Modern
Library edition in hardcover--is it still available?
 
And there's always Longfellow, who was the first president of the American
Dante Society, the inventor of comparative literature, well-known
judeophile, and...Pound's distant cousin!
 
Jonathan Gill
Columbia University
 
 
On Thu, 18 Nov 1999, Richard Edwards wrote:
 
> If you want a good and readable translation of Dante, there's a lot to be
> said for CH Sisson's version, recently re-issued by somebody or other (in
> the UK at least). It doesn't attempt terza rima, a wise decision in my view.
> Unfortunately what can't be said for it is that it has a parallel text in
> Italian; it doesn't. But otherwise the apparatus (notes etc) is good.
>
> Richard Edwards
>
>
> >From: pcockram <[log in to unmask]>
> >Reply-To: [log in to unmask]
> >To: [log in to unmask]
> >Subject: Re: Looking to get Pounded...
> >Date: Thu, 18 Nov 1999 01:16:48 -0500
> >
> >Steven,
> >re the Odyssey, there are strong opinions about different translations.
> >Lattimore is quite literal, Fitzgerald more fluid.  The new Fagles is good
> >and
> >has an introduction by Bernard Knox, a great classical scholar.
> >     There are also strong differences about Dante translations.  I like
> >Pinsky's
> >better than I expected to; it is audacious in trying to accomplish an
> >analogous
> >but different sense of Dante's style -- but it is only the Inferno.  The
> >John
> >Ciardi quite good and has very useful notes on the political and religious
> >issues
> >referred to (I've used it to teach Dante and found it as accessible as
> >Dante can
> >be).
> >best,
> >Patricia
>
> ______________________________________________________
> Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com
>