A Log Cabin Out of Stone: - Dartmouth College

final product is one that someone may enjoy reading on its own, not as the next best
substitute for the original.
The striking difference between Carson’s and Martin’s translation is the form.
Carson’s poem takes the form of an alphabetized list rather than a lot of descriptions and
metaphors. If the point of the poem is to show how incredibly disgusting Aemilianus’s
mouth is, that it is worse than a disgusting asshole, or any of these things which Catullus
describes, Ann Carson certainly gets the point across simply from her list. She is also
spared of having to spell out some uncomfortable metaphors.
One of the most troubling aspects of translating ancient poetry in general is how
to make the poem seem both ancient as well as new. Martin’s translation does not seem
new, it just seems grotesque. Ann Carson takes what Catullus has written and reduced it
to its most substantial points and renders the poem in a way that is new for the reader.
The way she presents the problem and lists the solution is both witty and innovative.
While we are aware that we are reading something that once was Catullus, we are also
reading something that is astonishing as a poem on its own. Nabokov would object
however. Catullus did not write a list of obscenities, Carson did. Catullus wrote a
narrative. So, would Catullus say that this is a translation of his work? Carson herself
doesn’t even think it’s a translation, so much as her own personal take on the poem.
Conclusions
The preceding set of Catullus translation variations helps identify a few issues in
translating. The Frank Copley, Billy Blythe and Ann Carson translations are all really
different and do very different things with the translations. However, they all have a few
things in common. The first issue that all three translators deal with is sacrifice. Each
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