Well after looking in a number of dictionaries offline and on, it does seem that
the Greek uses αγάπη, στοργή as 'love' and ο Έρως, ο θεός Έρωτας for "eros."
So there is a distinction of terms in Greek, just as there are in other languages. I
don't have the original Cavafy at the moment to know which word he chose, and
it may have been something else altogether from either of these,
best,
Rebecca
---- Original message ----
>Date: Sun, 16 Jan 2005 14:27:36 -0500
>From: Mark Weiss <[log in to unmask]>
>Subject: Re: Names of the god, was Re: Mark, two translations/same Cavafy
poem
>To: [log in to unmask]
>
>Back to the poem:
>
>What we know of the watercolor (whether real or fictional) is that it
>depicts a young man. We can't say whether the presentation is allegorical.
>That said, translating the perfectly common Greek "eros" as Eros would
>appear to limit a functioning ambiguity in the original.
>
>Mark
>
>
>At 01:06 PM 1/16/2005, you wrote:
>>and here they say:
>>Cupid - Eros - Amor
>>The Roman love god Cupid is often equated with the Greek god Eros. Cupid
is
>>also called Eros by the Romans
>>
>>http://ancienthistory.about.com/od/cupideros/
>>
>>Anny Ballardini
>>http://annyballardini.blogspot.com
>>http://www.fieralingue.it/modules.php?name=poetshome
>>The aim of the poet is to awaken emotions in the soul, not to gather
>>admirers.
>>Stalker, Andrei Tarkovsky
>>
>>
>>----- Original Message -----
>>From: "MJ Walker" <[log in to unmask]>
>>To: <[log in to unmask]>
>>Sent: Sunday, January 16, 2005 6:28 PM
>>Subject: Re: Names of the god, was Re: Mark, two translations/same Cavafy
>>poem
>>
>>
>>Nom d'un dieu!! - for momentary lack of a red red Robin, I will just say
>>that I think you're on the ball here, Mark - Eros, according to SOED, is
>>first noted 1775, quite late (erotic being about a century earlier); La
>>Fontaine's delightful *Les amours de Psiché et de Cupidon* (1669)
>>generally refers to the latter as l'Amour.
>>mj
>>
>>Mark Weiss wrote:
>>
>> > The Romans also played on both, or rather didn't separate them: Cupid
was
>> > also Amor--Love, in for example the story of Amor and Psyche in
Apuleius.
>> > In French, as well, Cupide is often Amour.
>> >
>> > I don't have an OED available, but I'm guessing that the common usage of
>> > Eros in English is pretty recent. I also remember frequent use in Middle
>> > English and Elizabethan poetry of Love in this sense--for instance, in
>> > Chaucer's translation of the Roman de la Rose.
>> >
>> > Robin, are you there? It would be nice to hear from someone who unlike
me
>> > actually knows something (and has the necessary books).
>> >
>> > Mark
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> > At 03:43 AM 1/16/2005, you wrote:
>> >
>> >> On 16/1/05 7:14 PM, "Mark Weiss" <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>> >>
>> >> > If I'm not mistaken, eros in Greek is an ordinary word meaning
>> >> erotic love,
>> >> > and to a Greek ear Eros the god is simply the god Love, in which case
>> >> > translating Eros as Eros is anachronistic.
>> >>
>> >> I assumed something like that was behind Economou's choice to
>> >> translate it
>> >> as "love". But also, the painting of Eros, the lovely boy god, is a
>> >> standard European trope. I suppose te original was able to play on both
>> >> meanings more directly...
>> >>
>> >> Best
>> >>
>> >> A
>> >>
>> >>
>> >> Alison Croggon
>> >>
>> >> Blog: http://theatrenotes.blogspot.com
>> >> Editor, Masthead: http://masthead.net.au
>> >> Home page: http://alisoncroggon.com
>> >
>> >
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