[Richard Wakefield]

I should have mentioned that John Ridland's new translation of several passages from Sir Gawain appear in the new Dark Horse. Not having read the original in decades I can only say that this version is vivid, engaging, and musical. John is a sometimes-visitor here and a fine poet whose translation of John the Valiant, the Hungarian national epic, is a wonderful read. That book will be reviewed in an upcoming issue of Light -- can't recall the reviewer's name.
Richard

[macambrose]

Yes, I was interested that Edwin Morgan, Scotland's foremost living poet, and a translator himself from around a dozen languages, should have picked this out for special praise in the new issue, in particular how the epic sweep of the original reflected on the lack of ambition and self-centredness of much contemporary verse. It really is an astonishing poem. A second section of John Ridland's version, from the opening scenes of the original, will appear in Horse 18.

Gerry Cambridge

[macambrose]

I'm interested to note that Tim Murphy's dismissal of the Gawain poem has been taken down before anyone could respond to it (myself included). Why is that?

Gerry Cambridge

[Tim Murphy]

Gerry, I took it down after reflecting on Auden's invariable comment on something canonical that he hated: "I fear I am unworthy of that poet." I like John's translation, I think it's better than Tolkien, not as good as Boroff's. But I think the original is metrically inept, the crowning achievement of a complete dead end in English poetry which we call the 14th C. Alliterative Revival.

Give me Henrysoun and Dunbar and Gavin Douglas, who knew their Chaucer.

[Richard Wakefield]

The one and only time I read the original version I was lucky to follow the story, let alone judge the technique. But I do remember liking the story and feeling that I was connected to something obscure and allegorical but universal. John's translation overcomes the obscurity and retains the allegory and universality.
Maybe it's the flawed classics that are the best candidates for translation, the ones least likely to lose the precious coherence of form and content because they are least likely to have had it to begin with.
RPW