gender in translation

[Paul B. Gallagher]

Valentino, Russell wrote:

> Tolerance for rhyme in contemporary English poetry is not the same as
> tolerance for rhyme in translations into English, especially of
> non-contemporary works, "classics," etc. Of the thousand or so
> unsolicited poetry submissions The Iowa Review gets each year, few
> employ regular rhyme, though I can't agree with Alex that
> versification skills have declined -- that depends on who's teaching
> and who's learning and who's publishing, same as ever.
> ...

I don't claim to be an expert on the subject of poetry, but my 
impression is that the question is not one of tolerance vs. intolerance, 
but of the impression created by rhyming. Rhyming in English tends to be 
associated with less-serious poems -- limericks, ditties, and such -- so 
a modern poet who chooses to rhyme risks having his work taken less 
seriously.

To those who hasten to remind me of Shakespeare, I say I'm aware that 
these things change over the years as the language and the field evolve.

-- 
War doesn't determine who's right, just who's left.
--
Paul B. Gallagher
pbg translations, inc.
"Russian Translations That Read Like Originals"
http://pbg-translations.com

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