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The Poems of Goethe

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Start date: May 1, 2017

Finish date: May 31, 2017

Discussion leader: Emiliy200

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Aug 25, 2021 Manybooks rated it it was ok · review of another edition

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Sorry, but to be perfectly honest, the only part of Goethe’s Poems, the only part of the 2015 Kindle edition of Graham Good’s translation into English of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe’s poetry I have indeed appreciated and as such also kind of enjoyed perusing (and which in fact has therefore felt worthwhile and as such equally not a waste of my reading time) is Good’s informative and detailed introduction. For to and for me, Graham Good absolutely does both spiritually and intellectually manage to Sorry, but to be perfectly honest, the only part of Goethe’s Poems, the only part of the 2015 Kindle edition of Graham Good’s translation into English of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe’s poetry I have indeed appreciated and as such also kind of enjoyed perusing (and which in fact has therefore felt worthwhile and as such equally not a waste of my reading time) is Good’s informative and detailed introduction. For to and for me, Graham Good absolutely does both spiritually and intellectually manage to “get” Goethe as a lyricist (and I am therefore and definitely also in total agreement with the vast majority of Good’s musings in his opening words to Goethe’s Poems on the hows and whys of what makes Johann Wolfgang von Goethe such a wonderful, engaging and indeed simply delightfully and utterly brilliant wordsmith).

But with regard to Graham Good’s actual Goethe poetry translations, sadly and frustratingly, not even one of them have I personally found in ANY WAY to be either adequately readable or even a tiny bit paying enough homage, sufficiently honouring Johann Wolfgang von Goethe as a poet, as a lyricist, with every single rendered by Graham Good into English Goethe verse I have read in Goethe’s Poems feeling strangely halting, awkward and with Good’s renderings of some of my personal favourites (such as for example his translation for Goethe’s Ganymed) indeed feeling and reading so very much lacking and unpoetic in scope and feeling that I have almost been wanting to cry.

And well, while I certainly was not in fact even expecting Goethe’s Poems to actually provide adequate renderings of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe’s lyrical output into English (as in my humble opinion, poetry is hardly ever translated all that well and particularly so with and for lyrical geniuses such as Johann Wolfgang von Goethe) I do have to admit that I am coming away from my perusal of Goethe’s Poems pretty much flabbergasted at just how consistently horrible Graham Good’s translations of Goethe’s poems in fact are and how they really never ever do managed to capture any of the magic, of the delightfulness of Goethe the lyricist, of Goethe the Poet. And yes, me very actively and vehemently textually despising how Graham Good has rendered Goethe’s poetry from German into English, this also means that I will not and can never consider recommend Goethe’s Poems or in fact Graham Good as a translator (and to also point out that the poetry of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe should in my humble opinion really be read in the German original as none of the translations into English I have encountered to date have been even remotely adequate, have been even remotely enjoyable and readable). ...more

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Shelves: german, poetry

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