To: "Biblical Hebrew" <b-hebrew AT franklin.oit.unc.edu>
Subject: Re: nehemiah, minimalism: giuseppe, ian
Date: Thu, 8 Mar 2001 10:54:00 +0100
>> In Italy, we still read Dante in the original language.
>
>Excuse me, I was at pains finding the proper example. My bilingual edition
of
>Dante is in the original language too. However you may perhaps find a
better
>example.
I'm not sure what you're looking for, but maybe it's an old text revamped
for modern reading, such as one edition of Chaucer I have. Gone goes "Whan
that Aprill with his showres sote/The droghte of Marche hath perced to the
rote" and in comes the bland "When April with his sweet showers has/Pierced
the drought of March to the root". Gone goes the rhythm and cadences, you
can understand it I guess, which is what you were looking for -- an old text
given an overhaul so that it is now appears modern but contains archaisms --
because it was originally old anyway.