Men in Aida
Appearance
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Author | David Melnick |
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Subject | homophonic translation of ancient Greek into English |
Publisher | Tuumba Press |
Publication date | 1983 |
Publication place | United States |
Published in English | 1983 |
OCLC | 10763257 |
Men in Aida[1]is ahomophonic translationof Book One ofHomer'sIliadinto a farcical bathhouse scenario, perhaps alluding to thehomoeroticaspects of ancient Greek culture.[2]It was written by thelanguage poetDavid Melnickand is an example ofpoetic postmodernism.In 2015, all three books of theIliadtranslated by Melnick were published by the independent publishing house Uitgeverij under the titleMen in Aïda.[3]
It opens:
- Men in Aida, they appeal, eh? A day, O Achilles.
- Allow men in, emery Achaians. All gay ethic, eh?
- Paul asked if team mousse suck, as Aida, pro, yaps in.
Corresponding to the Greek:
- μῆνιν ἄειδε θεὰ Πηληϊάδεω Ἀχιλῆος
- οὐλομένην, ἣ μυρί᾽ Ἀχαιοῖς ἄλγε᾽ ἔθηκε,
- πολλὰς δ᾽ ἰφθίμους ψυχὰς Ἄϊδι προΐαψεν
Transliterated:
- mēnin aeide theā pēlēiadeō Akhilēos
- oulomenēn, he mūri' Akhaiois alge' ethēke,
- pollās d' iphthīmous psukhas Aidi proiapsen
Literal translation:[4]
- The wrath sing, goddess, of Peleus' son, Achilles,
- that destructive wrath which brought countless woes upon the Achaeans,
- and sent forth to Hades many valiant souls
References
[edit]- ^Melnick, David(1983).Men in Aida.Tuumba. Vol. 47. Berkeley, California: Tuumba Press.OCLC13478109.
- ^Perelman, Bob(28 July 1996).The marginalization of poetry: language writing and literary history(book).Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press. p. 24.ISBN978-0-691-02138-6.OCLC185423402.Retrieved24 December2009.
- ^Melnick, David(2015).Men in Aïda.The Hague & Tirana: Uitgeverij.ISBN9789491914041.
- ^Homer, trans. A.T. Murray,The Iliad,Loeb Classical Library,1924.at Perseus