"Yes. Nothing is more ordinary than the dreams of Emperors."

March 23, 2008 9:12 PM

What is the best collection of Zbigniew Herbert's poetry translated into English?

After reading Michael Hoffman's savage review of Alissa Valles' translation of Herbert in The Collected Poems: 1956-1998, I'm tempted to purchase the individual volumes translated over the years by John and Bogdana Carpenter.

Has anybody read both and have anything to say on the matter? Anybody read Herbert in Polish and have a recommendation?

posted by inoculatedcities to Writing & Language (2 answers total)

I have not read both versions. I can, however, state that the Valles translation is poop. I got it as a gift from a friend. I don't think I finished reading more than 2 or 3 of the poems before I put it on the shelf with no desire to take it back up.
posted by dobbs at 9:41 PM on March 23, 2008

I've read the Valles and the Carpenter--both were disappointing. I think the only translations worth buying separately are by Czesław Miłosz and Peter Dale Scott in Selected Poems. (Valles actually kept these translations in her book, rather than write new versions, which at least shows she has taste.)

From the above ("Fragment"):

...
not for the stone wreath of Troy do we implore You o Master
not for a plume of flame white women and gold
but restore if you can to blemished faces goodness
and put simplicity into our hands just as you once put iron

send down white clouds Apollo white clouds white clouds
posted by crookedneighbor at 7:05 AM on March 24, 2008