Re: For the birds
- From: Steve Marshall <asmarsh@xxxxxxxx>
- Date: 29 Aug 2005 03:10:51 GMT
Albert wrote:
>In taking up his task of translation, Shoghi Effendi faced the challenge of
>finding an English style which would not only faithfully convey the
>exactness of the text's meaning, but would also evoke in the reader the
>spirit of meditative reverence which is a distinguishing feature of
>response to the original.
The Universal House of Justice says the exact same thing in the
introduction to the Aqdas, page 9.
>Thus pointing out where the Guardian did not
>exactly follow the script in MHO is a judgment we as mere mortals can't
>make.
No, that does not follow. As I've shown, no judgement was made. As you
and the House have already partially indicated, translation is an art.
It involves finding an appropriate means of conveying the meaning.
Sometimes a poetic translation of a word, phrase or passage is
appropriate, sometimes a literal translation is appropriate.
Evidently, the Guardian went for a non-literal translation of the word
'varqa', and Susan made no value judgement about that.
>We do not now nor will we in the future posses the spiritual were with
>all to have his station as the unerring interpreter of His Word.
Shoghi Effendi did not claim claim infallibility in matters of
translation. Your interpretation of "unerring interpreter" appears to
put you at odds with what Shoghi Effendi said in the foreword to his
translation of the Kitáb-i-Íqán. Here it is, in full:
"This is one more attempt to introduce into the West, in language
however inadequate, this book of unsurpassed pre-eminence among the
writings of the Author of the Baha'i Revelation. The hope is that it
may assist others in their efforts to approach what must always be
regarded as the unattainable goal -- a befitting rendering of
Bahá'u'lláh's matchless utterance"
(Wilmette: Bahá'í Publishing Trust, 1989)
As further evidence, Shoghi Effendi revised his own translation of the
"Hidden Words" several times during his life. He first published an
English translation of The "Hidden Words" in 1923. He added a revised
foreword in 1925. In 1929 a fresh translation, revised with the
"assistance of some English friends", was published in London. This
version was revised at least once more by the Guardian towards the end
of his life and republished in 1954.
http://bahai-library.com/bsr/bsr09/9D1_commentaries.htm
ka kite
Steve
.
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