Thank heavens. I've always translated this myself as "harvest", and resented the traditional translation, which feels like an act of violence. A day should be enjoyed, wallowed in, absorbed, but not grabbed by the throat.
I love this scintillating newsletter. . .and this is my favorite edition so far! This week's newsletter, in and of itself, feels like a sweet berry I was lucky enough to pluck out of my inbox. Rather than feeling that internalized cultural pull that I must take it all -- things, experiences, accolades. . . what a lovely reminder to notice the fruit and savor it. Thank you, Jack! (P.S. We loved this one.)
Oct 29, 2023·edited Oct 30, 2023Liked by Jack Shepherd
Absolutely brilliant - you always bring the journey of language to vivid and hilarious life, Jack! I wonder if 'harvest the day' - or even 'harvest the fruits of the day' isn't called for in translation for 'carpe diem', even if it loses the pithy (pun required) nature of the shorter phrasing. Pluck not only feels like it's flattening the metaphor, but could be read in connection to stringed instruments. Nitpickey aside, thank you for this and each of your wonderful essays.
Thank you so much for saying so! And that's a really great point. I thought pretty hard about "Harvest the Day," and I think there are a number of translations that make this choice—it's especially good as the words are cognate. In the end, I was persuaded by a piece that says "carpe" is quite a strong word, and there's a bit more activity in "pluck" that captures that.
I am not a linguist, per se, but as a philosopher I have more than the usual interest in language. 😀
PS: I have added "On Words and Up Words" to my current Substack recommendations for Stranger Worlds, and hope that it brings you in a few extra subscribers. Although with a politically neutral topic and a great deal of of humour, I suspect you'll swiftly eclipse any traffic I can send your way. 😉
How wonderful! I love this phrasing, but I defer to our honourable linguist as the domain-expert regarding how well this works as a translation of 'carpe'.
Thank heavens. I've always translated this myself as "harvest", and resented the traditional translation, which feels like an act of violence. A day should be enjoyed, wallowed in, absorbed, but not grabbed by the throat.
Thoroughly enjoyed this. I love the sentiment behind it and it really made me giggle in places. Thank you.
I like your translation much better.
I love this scintillating newsletter. . .and this is my favorite edition so far! This week's newsletter, in and of itself, feels like a sweet berry I was lucky enough to pluck out of my inbox. Rather than feeling that internalized cultural pull that I must take it all -- things, experiences, accolades. . . what a lovely reminder to notice the fruit and savor it. Thank you, Jack! (P.S. We loved this one.)
Beautifully illustrated: in your words, the poetry, and the pictures.
Absolutely brilliant - you always bring the journey of language to vivid and hilarious life, Jack! I wonder if 'harvest the day' - or even 'harvest the fruits of the day' isn't called for in translation for 'carpe diem', even if it loses the pithy (pun required) nature of the shorter phrasing. Pluck not only feels like it's flattening the metaphor, but could be read in connection to stringed instruments. Nitpickey aside, thank you for this and each of your wonderful essays.
Thank you so much for saying so! And that's a really great point. I thought pretty hard about "Harvest the Day," and I think there are a number of translations that make this choice—it's especially good as the words are cognate. In the end, I was persuaded by a piece that says "carpe" is quite a strong word, and there's a bit more activity in "pluck" that captures that.
When it comes to the choices entailed in moving between languages, I am always reminded of the Italian saying, “Traduttore, traditore” cf.
https://strangerworlds.substack.com/p/all-translation-is-betrayal
I am not a linguist, per se, but as a philosopher I have more than the usual interest in language. 😀
PS: I have added "On Words and Up Words" to my current Substack recommendations for Stranger Worlds, and hope that it brings you in a few extra subscribers. Although with a politically neutral topic and a great deal of of humour, I suspect you'll swiftly eclipse any traffic I can send your way. 😉
Stay wonderful!
I agree with both of you--but how about "gather in"? This has a connotation of harvest, and also of loving.
How wonderful! I love this phrasing, but I defer to our honourable linguist as the domain-expert regarding how well this works as a translation of 'carpe'.
Enjoyable read - thank you ⭐️
I did not know that. Good stuff.