Men in Aida
 | |
| Author | David Melnick |
|---|---|
| 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 a homophonic translation of Book One of Homer's Iliad into a farcical bathhouse scenario, perhaps alluding to the homoerotic aspects of ancient Greek culture.[2] It was written by the language poet David Melnick and is an example of poetic postmodernism. In 2015, all three books of the Iliad translated by Melnick were published under a Creative Commons non-commercial license by the independent publishing house Uitgeverij under the title Men 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
- ↑ Melnick, David (1983). Men in Aida. Tuumba. Vol. 47. Berkeley, California: Tuumba Press. OCLC 13478109.
- ↑ Perelman, Bob (28 July 1996). The marginalization of poetry: language writing and literary history (book). Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press. p. 24. ISBN 978-0-691-02138-6. OCLC 185423402. Retrieved 24 December 2009.
- ↑ Melnick, David (2015). Men in Aïda. The Hague & Tirana: Uitgeverij. ISBN 9789491914041. Archived from the original on 2015-01-22.
- ↑ Homer, trans. A.T. Murray, The Iliad, Loeb Classical Library, 1924. at Perseus
External links