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drealuc's review against another edition
2.0
My low star rating is not for the poetry of St. John, which is truly the most beautiful and inspiring poetry I have ever read.
The translation was absolutely terrible. St. John was a master wordsmith, creating beauty not only in the content of his words, but in the form as well - crafting them to sound like music as they are being read. In his notes, the translator discusses his attempt to focus on the poetic form rather than on merely the content of the poems so that his English version would also have a musical quality. I would argue that in an attempt to translate poetically rather than directly, he went too far and practically erased the content. The translation falls flat. It removes all the mysticism and beauty and leaves behind bland generic English rhymes that are far removed from the original meaning.
For instance:
Que bien se yo la fonte, que mana, y corre:
aunque es de noche.
The poem, composed while St. John was wrongfully and horrifically imprisoned for 9 months, is about his joy in being able to know and trust in God and to see His goodness DESPITE being in such a terrible place. His words throughout the poem “aunque es de noche” - even though / despite it being night. In contrast, the translation is blandly written as “in the dark of night,” which removes any implication of struggle or conflict, which is inherent in understanding where St. John is writing from.
Another example:
y que el en sus mismas manos
al mismo Dios tomaria
This poem describes the promise to Simeon that he would not see death until “he in his very own hands would take God Himself.” What a beautiful and awe-ful promise of being able to hold God himself in one’s arms. Contrast that with the pathetic translation “the good old man would dandle the marvelous boy.” How could it even compare?
Don’t pick up this version, trust me. If you were to simply read the English translation you would think St. John the most uninspired poet of all time.
The translation was absolutely terrible. St. John was a master wordsmith, creating beauty not only in the content of his words, but in the form as well - crafting them to sound like music as they are being read. In his notes, the translator discusses his attempt to focus on the poetic form rather than on merely the content of the poems so that his English version would also have a musical quality. I would argue that in an attempt to translate poetically rather than directly, he went too far and practically erased the content. The translation falls flat. It removes all the mysticism and beauty and leaves behind bland generic English rhymes that are far removed from the original meaning.
For instance:
Que bien se yo la fonte, que mana, y corre:
aunque es de noche.
The poem, composed while St. John was wrongfully and horrifically imprisoned for 9 months, is about his joy in being able to know and trust in God and to see His goodness DESPITE being in such a terrible place. His words throughout the poem “aunque es de noche” - even though / despite it being night. In contrast, the translation is blandly written as “in the dark of night,” which removes any implication of struggle or conflict, which is inherent in understanding where St. John is writing from.
Another example:
y que el en sus mismas manos
al mismo Dios tomaria
This poem describes the promise to Simeon that he would not see death until “he in his very own hands would take God Himself.” What a beautiful and awe-ful promise of being able to hold God himself in one’s arms. Contrast that with the pathetic translation “the good old man would dandle the marvelous boy.” How could it even compare?
Don’t pick up this version, trust me. If you were to simply read the English translation you would think St. John the most uninspired poet of all time.
simonvv's review against another edition
5.0
The further this book got, the more complex. I understood the first halve, but after that.
Topic: spiritual progress through purgation
Topic: spiritual progress through purgation
mimima's review against another edition
3.0
This meditation on the "Dark night of the Soul" is very Catholic and as such, talks a lot about purgatory and the purging that this night causes. While this is not my faith tradition's teaching, I found a lot of value in the acknowledgement of this night and that we must push though it.
optimisticowl's review against another edition
5.0
I started off reading this book with the translation from E. Allison Peers and got over half way through but I found it very hard to read. So I started reading it again from the beginning with this translation from Mirabai Starr and it made the world of difference to my comprehension as it had much more clarity. I did not notice much difference in what I had already read from Peers in terms of core content but in Starr's version I could read with little faltering and it made St. John's writings much much more accessible.
Translation aside, this book is very heavy and I cannot begin to relate to what St. John went through. I have never had depression or a strong spiritual experience. But this book beautifully puts these unique and powerful experiences in words. He uses delicious metaphors ranging from "dark" rays of light to lovers meeting in the night. As someone who has not even gone through what he calls the Night of the Sense (the less intense of the two "Nights") I still found this very interesting and thought provoking read on how people of strong faith go through great suffering, especially if they keep their faith and think God has abandoned them.
The beginning of the book goes into "Spiritual Vices" where he lists spirtual envy, greed, lust, pride amongst others. He attributed these vices to beginners in the faith. I liked this section rather a lot since I could most relate to what was said here and could reflect on which vices I have.
He had a particular passion for the Book of Job and the Song of Solomon (or Song of Songs) and he references them in showing glimpses of this dark night of the soul.
I am no scholar or a Catholic so I cannot speak of the accuracy of the translation, or the importance in the Catholic faith of St. John's writings. But they made him a Saint and he is a very well known poet in Spain. Google him!
Translation aside, this book is very heavy and I cannot begin to relate to what St. John went through. I have never had depression or a strong spiritual experience. But this book beautifully puts these unique and powerful experiences in words. He uses delicious metaphors ranging from "dark" rays of light to lovers meeting in the night. As someone who has not even gone through what he calls the Night of the Sense (the less intense of the two "Nights") I still found this very interesting and thought provoking read on how people of strong faith go through great suffering, especially if they keep their faith and think God has abandoned them.
The beginning of the book goes into "Spiritual Vices" where he lists spirtual envy, greed, lust, pride amongst others. He attributed these vices to beginners in the faith. I liked this section rather a lot since I could most relate to what was said here and could reflect on which vices I have.
He had a particular passion for the Book of Job and the Song of Solomon (or Song of Songs) and he references them in showing glimpses of this dark night of the soul.
I am no scholar or a Catholic so I cannot speak of the accuracy of the translation, or the importance in the Catholic faith of St. John's writings. But they made him a Saint and he is a very well known poet in Spain. Google him!
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