Talk:Prometheus (Goethe)

Translation

Whose translation is this? If it is a published translation, the source should be quoted. If it isn't, I would still think that the translator should be acknowledged. In some places, the translation could be seen as being somewhat inexact: "Ihr nähret kümmerlich | [...] | Eure Majestät": "Eure Majestät" -- "Your majesty" is here a direct object, not -- as suggested by the given English translation -- an interjected address, it seems to me. 138.232.126.43 (talk) 20:36, 4 May 2010 (UTC)[reply]

This translation stems from a series of four edits on 10 December 2009 by 24.238.139.231. I agree that not all of the changes were improvements. Maybe we should go back to the version before those edits, as added by BruchConcerto on 24 December 2008, which looks to be the one at Wikisource by Steven J. Plunkett, or you can find a more authoritative –and free– translation. -- Michael Bednarek (talk) 12:41, 5 May 2010 (UTC)[reply]

We have the same situation at Ganymed_(Goethe). — goethean ॐ 14:15, 5 May 2010 (UTC)[reply]

The translation sounds good. It should be noted, though, that "an Eichen dich und Bergeshöhn / mußt mir meine Erde doch lassen stehn" is a rhyme - possibly the only one in the poem. It may be impossible to render it as such in English, but maybe a footnote would be appropriate.--2001:A61:260C:C01:B9EE:88F1:DAEA:A5C8 (talk) 11:13, 4 May 2018 (UTC)[reply]

Verb Forms

"Bedecke," (Line 1) and "übe" (Line 3) are in the verb form of bedecken and üben respectively which correlates with I(Ich in German), i.e. "I [verb]," not "you [verb]." Essentially: "I cover thine Heaven, Zeus, With clouds of steam, And I act, just like boys, Beheading thistles, On Oaken trees and mountaintops!" Very different meaning than leaving the subject off and assuming the implied "you."

Your reading of the verb forms is incorrect; both are imperatives. -- Michael Bednarek (talk) 08:07, 28 June 2014 (UTC)[reply]

Ah, well, I'll take your word for it. In my head it worked really well as an allusion to industrialization.