Best English translation of Eugene Onegin?

[Robert Chandler]

Dear Linda Scatton and all,

James Falen's is by far the best available translation.  A translation by
Stanley Mitchell is better still, but he is still revising it.  It will be
published by Penguin Classics in autumn 2007.  You might like to look at the
three chapters which have already been printed in the journal MODERN POETRY
IN TRANSLATION.

Just to give you an idea of the quality of Stanley Mitchell's translation:

         The house is full; the boxes brilliant;
         Parterre and stalls - all seethes and roars;
         Up in the gods they clap, ebullient,
         And, with a swish, the curtain soars.
         Semi-ethereal and resplendent,
         To the enchanting bow obedient,
         Ringed round by nymphs, Istomina
         Is still; one foot supporting her,
         She circles slowly with the other,
         And lo! she leaps, and lo! she flies,
         Like fluff she flies across the skies
         Blown by Aeolus, god of weather;
         She twists, untwists; her little feet
         Swiftly against each other beat.
 
Best wishes,

R.
> Dear Slavic Literature specialists:
> Could I please have your recommendations for the best current English
> translation of Eugene Onegin?  I will be leading a small group of
> English-only workplace colleagues who are interested in reading EO. They
> are very discriminating readers of poetry in English and in translation.
> I had figured we'd use the Nabokov translation for background and
> explication of all references, but wanted to suggest to them as our
> primary version a  good translation that conveys as much as possible of
> the poetry. Years ago, I was impressed with the Arndt translation, but
> is there a newer one you'd recommend, perhaps the James Falen one?
> Thanks.
> 
> Linda Scatton
> ______________________
> Linda H. Scatton, Ph.D.
> Director, Policy Evaluation and Research Center
> Educational Testing Service
> Rosedale Road, M/S 01-R
> Princeton, New Jersey 08541
> tel: 609.734.5637    fax: 609.734.5960
> email: <lscatton at ets.org>
> http://www.ets.org/research/perc/index.html
> 
> 
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