ABSTRACT
Several decades of translating poetry, while also teaching and writing about that process, have turned up a good few instances of what our ancient art and practice can and sometimes cannot achieve. Here are some samples-proverb, aphorism, axiom, poem, couplet, auto-translation, dictum, graffito, exhortation, pun, Native American prayer, sacred commentary-from Italian, German, Spanish, French, English, Yokuts, and Hebrew, for whatever use they may serve: object lesson, cautionary tale, warm-up, energy bar. We need all the help we can get, so it matters to see how others have fared, faltered, seen the light, missed the boat. Literary translation: an ongoing task, and often thankless. Yet it’s a tide that tosses up startling finds.
