Language: When auspicious and charming, like a luxuriant vine creeper, whose minds does it not win over? भाषा प्रशस्ता सुमनो लतेव केषां न चेतांस्यावर्जयति |
Sanskrit sūkta (traditional maxim)
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The Diacritics
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Language: When auspicious and charming, like a luxuriant vine creeper, whose minds does it not win over? भाषा प्रशस्ता सुमनो लतेव केषां न चेतांस्यावर्जयति |
Sanskrit sūkta (traditional maxim)
Ambarish are discussing. 
The Diacritics 6:57 pm on October 11, 2011 Permalink |
An example of how translations can sometimes ruin the aesthetics of poetic language: the Sanskrit word “latā” literally means “creeper” — a type of beautifully lush vine common in Asia. In this quote, it appears in the inflected form “lateva” लतेव to describe words that are luxuriant and quick to gain hold in one’s mind (like a fast-growing creeper).
“Latā” is a recurring image in Sanskrit poetry, often used to describe the curves of a voluptuous woman. But having a body “like a creeper” just sounds terrible in English — especially in modern slang, where a “creeper” describes any sort of shady character.
Can you think of any other particularly bad translations in poetry from one language to another?
Ambarish 9:29 pm on October 11, 2011 Permalink |
Just a minor nit – the words are केषान्न (or केषां न).
The Diacritics 10:31 pm on October 11, 2011 Permalink |
Thanks for the fix. Sandhi rules are hard to remember sometimes.
Fun with abugidas (Part 1) « The Diacritics 9:38 pm on October 16, 2011 Permalink |
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