Book Review: Translations into English: From French, German and Italian Poetry.

Book Re iews De lin, T ansla ions in o English: F om F ench,Ge man and I alian Poe y. Edi ed by Roge Li le. Dublin: The Dedalus P ess, 1992. 360 pages. pape ). I is app op ia e ha his olume should be no iced in an issue de o ed o De ek Mahon's wo k, o bo h De lin and ha e ound ansla ion om F ench o be a aluable poe ic esou ce. By a he g ea e p opo ion o De lin's ansla ions ga he ed in his olume - some 90% eckoning by a simple page coun - a e om F ench. This book is he second s age in a p ojec o make all o De lin's poe y a ailable in p in . The Collec ed Poems appea ed in 1989. As Gene alEdi o J.C.C. Mays explains in a p e ace, De lin's ansla ions om and in o I ish will ollow, and hen he unpublished ea ly and la e poems in English. The olume o T ansla ions English has been edi ed by Roge Li le, and i is a model o sc upulous p esen - a ion. The ansla ions a e gi en wi h he o iginal sou ce poems on he acing page; his eeds and acili a es a p ima y in e es o eading and eac ing o poe y in ansla ion, which lies in obse ing he nego ia ion ha a poe makes wi h a ex . The e a e con - cise no es a he back de ailing he manusc ip sou ces and glossing poin s as necessa y. Cha , Paul Elua d, Spi e, and John Pe se a e he sou ce poe s o mos o he ma e ial. The w i ing ca ee so hese poe s we e oughly con empo a y wi h ha o De lin. He came in o con ac wi h hem du ing his ime as a diploma in he US and I aly and, as P o esso Li le's help ul in oduc ion sugges s, he may ha e been a ac ed o hei wo k h ough ci cums ance. Ne e heless, ansla ion igu ed as pa o De lin's poe ic p ojec om he ea lies s ages, and he ne e los his en husiasm o i . Many o hese ansla ions om Cha appea ed in he ea lie Collec ed Poems, as did he p ose - poem ansla ions om Sain - John Pe se. These las we e a signi ican cons i uen o De lin's wo k, and a e o mo e gene al signi icance in ha Sain - John Pe se was p obably he mos no able exponen o he p ose - poem. Fu he mo e, his edi ion akes he oppo uni y o poin ou and co ec he lawed p in ingo " Exile " in Collec ed Poems, whe e a subs an ial passage was omi ed. In he na u e o his en e p ise, alongside he mo e inished pieces such as he Sain - JohnPe se ansla ions, he e a e d a s and e sions esu ec ed o un imely sna ched - om manusc ip s, wi h lines such as he ollowing awkwa d ende ing o he opening o " La IRISH UNIVERSITY Oh hou who like a ongue esides in a da k place Thou knowes li leand I shall no call hee Wise; and ye when hou speak's I lis en When hou speak's like o a man who ecalle h I lis en;and i is like a b anch when a bi d s andson i . One can see, in pa , wha has happened. Sea ching o an equi alen o he F ench second pe son singula , De lin eso s o he us ian a chaic English o m; his sp eads in ec iously o he hi d pe son in " ecalle h " , and i is only by luck we a e spa ed in he nex line. And a e he ew pieces om Ge man and I alian, he e is a o lo n appendix o o phaned pieces headed " T ansla ions (?) om Un acedSou ces " ,such as " Sou h Wall " (Iquo e i en i e): The no hcone has been lying his coupleo days and mo e The local s a e a pilings in he mud. This is he o hing which gi es poe y in ansla ion - o e en in " ansla ion - a bad name. While admi ing he edi o 's ho oughness, I ques ion whe he De lin's epu a ion is bes se ed by his so o d edging, and whe he his epu a ion is as ye su icien lyassu ed o ake i . Bu we mus also be g a e ul o he successes which T ansla ions English b ings o ligh . O he p e iously unpublished wo k, De lin's ansla ions o Spi e wo k well, and in oduce a poe o whom I was no p e iously awa e. And while he e is no hing he e o equal Va " o " The Hea enlyFo eigne " ,a numbe o he ansla ions show De lin app oaching a ly ical mode which is a ely appa en in his own mo e somb e poems, so ha ou iew o him is b oadened. In pa icula I would men ion his e sion o " Le Pon Mi abeau " which, while i looks sligh ly un inished, none - heless ollows he u nsand eg e so hesingingo iginal. PETER Small, Osca Wilde An Essay on New Ma e ial Me hods o Resea ch. The 1880 - 1920 B i ish Au ho s Se ies: No. 8. G eensbo o, N.C.: ELT P ess, 1993.275 pages. No p ice gi en. I one had some assu ance abou he ue alue o Osca Wilde, i would no be di icul o e alue him. Bu (as he compile o he C i ical He i age complains) despi e he ac ha p obably mo e has been w i en on han mos o he nine een h - cen u y w i e s, his epu a ion is s ill unce ain. Up o he las en o so yea s, Wilde was