From: "Mark Weiss" <[log in to unmask]>
> Apart from the question of why anyone would bother to turn Anacreon into
> rhymed jingles (what, for rock lyrics?), the form forces upon you "wealth
> with all its money" and "love's solemnities," the first nonsense, the
> second peculiar.
>
> Nobody reads Anacreon for depth of wisdom--it's the crispness that's lost
> here that counts.
To be picky, Jon was translating the Anacreontea, not Anacreon. There's
more of the former, but what there is of the latter is better.
And how does the "form" of the original force anything? And I'd feel that
rhymed jingles and pop lyrics might be ALL too accurate a description (in
their time) of the Anacreontea, if not Anacreon.
In passing, +The Praise Singer+ by Mary Renault -- her picture of Anacreon
might not be that accurate, but it's a lovely novel.
Robin Hamilton
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