The Harps That Once . . .: Sumerian Poetry In Translation

Thorkild Jacobsen's "Harps That Once" makes accessible for the English-speaking reader the cultural heritage of ancient Sumeria. And be certain, this is every bit as much of our cultural heritage as Greek and Roman literature or the Bible. This is an immensely important work of scholarship and the poetry he presents is undeniably great, especially "The Lament For Ur", which remains both chilling and profoundly moving. An English-speaking reader might note the strong use of repetition, refrains, etc. in this poetry. Of course, this bespeaks the poetry's roots in both oral culture and music. Although I intend the very broadest of broad comparisons here, you might consider the poetic practice here in comparison with the poetic practice of the French troubadours. The literature in both the widely removed cultural contexts reveals roots inextricably bound in the tension between written culture and oral culture. Though one cannot reproduce the original sonorities of the Sumerian poetry without knowledge of the language, one might capture the general effect by reading this poetry aloud with full rhetorical emphasis - "The Lament For Ur" particularly gains from oral presentation. While there is a huge cultural divide between us and our Sumerian ancestors, it is amusing to note that in this poetry we see some things never change. In one poem, there is even passing reference made to oral sex - there is truly nothing new under the sun! Some Internet reviewers have taken the translator to task for introducing 'foreign' terms to Sumerian culture(mixing mythologies, as it were) - in particular, the word 'Hades.' I have to admit I'm not hung up on this. The word 'Hades' has come to have a general meaning in the English language - 'go to Hades!' and so forth. I don't find this a major bar to either understanding or enjoyment. The translator does apologize overmuch for using the word 'basilisk' - once would perhaps have been enough. It is hard sometimes to translate a term from one language to another without being unnecessarily wordy. Sometimes brevity is a virtue. I remember many years ago a translation of Aristophanes which bandied about words like 'communist' and 'socialist' in the text - if Mr. Jacobsen is indeed playing a tiny bit fast and loose with some terms, he would appear to have some fine academic company. All in all, Thorkild Jacobsen is performing a fine cultural service here with admirable tact, perception, and (if you will) art. This is an importand and necessary book. In this age of profound anomie, people often seek personal and cultural roots in things that I, for one, find sadly misguided - research into family trees, developing an interest in ethnic(or, more often than not, pseudo-ethnic) musics, etc. I suggest you become familiar with your more distant ancestors. This book is an admirable tool to that end. May some day academics view Sumerian literature the same way the view Greek, Roman, and Biblical literature. My sincere respect goes out to Thorkild Jacobsen. Greg Cameron, Surrey, B.C., Canada