Quote:
Originally Posted by Carol Taylor
Bingo, Richard. In some languages the infinitive serves as both infinitive (root verb) and noun (gerund). Using the infinitive in English here doesn't make much sense. In idiomatic English we wouldn't say "to cry consumes my heart." We might say "the urge to cry consumes my heart" or "the desire to cry consumes my heart" but not "to cry consumes..." We'd say "crying consumes."
This is the kind of distinction a computer translation program might overlook but a translator should not: what is perfectly correct in the source language (infinite as noun) being translated into awkward or incorrect usage in the target language (infinitive as root verb).
Carol
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Actually, Carol, while we're at it, I wouldn't mind clarification on that point too. I can assure you that I know that the infinitive as a noun in Italian doesn't translate to the same in English. And I did not choose the infinitives for purely metrical reasons, as Petra supposes. I liked the sound of it better that way, it felt stronger and more forceful.
Is it really incorrect to do that in English? It doesn't sound so weird to me.
Dante does use the singular verb by the way, but that's neither here nor there for the English version.
I still prefer singular "consumes" for the reasons the pro-consumes people have been saying.
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