Thanks to Luciana and all the others for their advice (both on list and off) on the Pine-Coffin translation.
It has been most helpful, though I've not yet made a decision as to what I'm going to do. We may actually
wind up reading Confessions twice--once at the beginning, followed by some views of selfhood (Philip Cary's
new book on Augustine's Neo-Platonic self, Raymond Coles, some psychoanalytic approaches), then back to
Confessions again--a focused re-read of certain passages from I-IX and all of X. This would open the
possibility of reading two translations, as well as making our own of key passages from the Latin, using
O'Donnell's text and notes
Also, I was reading in U.S. News and World Report the other day that they are planning to reissue the Loeb
Library with up-to-date translations (with, according to the general editor, all the "dirty" words translated
into English). Any word on the edition of Confessions or any other of Augustine's writings?
Ron Ganze
Department of English
University of Oregon
----- Original Message -----
From: "Vivario" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Wednesday, 22 November, 2000 12:42 PM
Subject: Confessions translation?
> Ron:
> A few remarks on the Pine-Coffin translation of some passages in the
> Confessions.
> In general, the P-C translation does not do justice to the constant
> rethinking of Agustine's own life (as you so aptly stated: 'A life
> re-written and revised from the present moment of writing'). This is so
> because Augustine's rethinking is conveyed to the reader by means of
> biblical references, or allusions to the text of the Scripture, which
> becomes a blueprint for Augustine's rethinking and rewriting. The
> Confessions should be read, first of all, in the light of the Scripture,
> because this is the light in which the author saw himself; after this
> preliminary step we can move on to other interpretations. Some examples:
>
> 1.16.26, in cuius conspectu iam secura est recordatio mea, 'in whose
> sight my recollection of these facts is now secure'. I would prefer
> 'secure' to 'safely', because the idea is not so much protection from
> danger as 'steadfastness.' Chapter 16 opens with a vision of 'panta
> rhei' on which Augustine superimposes the biblical 'woe' (Matthew
> 23.13-29),'vae tibi, flumen moris humani'. the 'stream of human culture'
> is placed under the curse of being ever-changing. But God does not
> change, and human life assayed in His presence is secure, i.e. steady
> (cf. 2.1.1., where 'secura' is used in the same sense). "Those days' is
> not the best translation for 'haec', which is neuter plural meaning
> 'these things', i.e. the events of Augustine past life. The writer's
> focus is not on WHEN things happened, but on WHAT happened, i.e. his
> enjoying lewd stories.
>
> 2.1.1 - et colligens me a dispersione, P-C 'retrieve myself from the
> havoc of disruption'. Colligere is to gather together, which is more
> than simply retrieving, and the opposite of 'a dispersione.' It is a
> quest for unity, or unifying principle; what this may be, we learn a few
> lines below, 'ab uno te aversus in multa evanui', 'turning away from
> you, the One, I vanished in multiplicity." It seems to me that we should
> keep the terminology 'One', which is neo-Platonic in origin (O'Donnell
> p. 107 cites Trin. 4.7.11 and underlines the neo-Platonic echoes in this
> passage). But the O.T. is also present, 'You shall have no God but Me.'
>
> 7.21, etsi condelectetur homo legi dei secundum interiorem hominem.
> P-C's 'even if a man inwardly applauds God's disposition' is much too
> weak and misses completely the reference to St. Paul, Rom. 7.22,
> 'condelector enim legi Dei secundum interiorem hominem', "I delight in
> God's law according to the inner self', which is a far cry from P-C's
> rendering. Ditto for 'se captivum ducente in lege peccati' which is a
> clear allusion to Rom. 7.23, captivantem me in lege peccati.'
> Nomen est omen, perhaps P-C really intended to bury the Confessions?
> Cheers, Luciana
> --
>
> ****************************************
> Luciana Cuppo Csaki
> Societas internationalis pro Vivario
> e-mail: [log in to unmask]
> http://www.geocities.com/athens/aegean/9891/
> ****************************************
>
>
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
|