“The unconsecrated foe entered my
courts,
Placed his unwashed hands upon me,
And caused me to tremble.
Putting forth his hand
He smote me with fear.”
Babylonian Cuneiform, “Ishtar” (transl by Lewis Spence)
Translation of ancient texts, especially in languages
unknown, is a bit of an if-you-say-so experience. It is also an essay in
desire; the desire to find the fluency in some dead language to understand
their thoughts, their imagery, and their poetic sense.
No comments:
Post a Comment