Synopses & Reviews
The Song of Songs, often referred to as the Song of Solomon, is one of the greatest love poems of all time. In their lyrical new translation, Ariel Bloch and Chana Bloch restore the sensuousness of the original language and strip away the veils of mis-translation that have obscured the power and meaning of the poem. Presented en face, this translation is scrupulously faithful to the Hebrew text.
"Ariel and Chana Bloch have succeeded in an extraordinarily difficult task. This is the best and most enjoyable translation of the Song of Songs that I know. Their notes, too, offer excellent insights to readers who know Hebrew and, for that matter, to those who do not". -- Elaine Pagels
"(A) masterpiece (has appeared in America), Chana and Ariel Bloch's beautiful translation of the Song of Songs, with the English and the Hebrew on facing pages, an informative introduction, wonderfully interesting notes, and a thought-provoking afterword by Robert Alter". -- Gabriel Josipovici, Times Literary Supplement International Books of the Year 1995
"(This) translation is lucid and direct, and has a lyrical purity that is delightful. It seems to me a model of how such work may be done". -- W. S. Merwin
"Quite simply the best version in the English language. Its poetic voice, intimate, dignified, and informed by meticulous scholarship, carries us into the Eden of the original Hebrew text: a world in which the sexual awakening of two unmarried lovers is celebrated with a sensuality and a richness of music that are thrilling beyond words". -- Stephen Mitchell
Synopsis
The Song of Songs, often referred to as the Song of Solomon, is one of the greatest love poems of all time. In their lyrical new translation, Ariel Bloch and Chana Bloch restore the sensuousness of the original language and strip away the veils of mistranslation that have obscured the power and meaning of the poem. Presented en face, this translation is scrupulously faithful to the Hebrew text.
Synopsis
"Quite simply the best version in the English language. Its poetic voice, intimate, dignified, and informed by meticulous scholarship, carries us into the Eden of the original Hebrew text: a world in which the sexual awakening of two unmarried lovers is celebrated with a sensuality and a richness of music that are thrilling beyond words."Stephen Mitchell
"Ariel and Chana Bloch have succeeded in an extraordinarily difficult task. This is the best and most enjoyable translation of the Song of Songs that I know. Their notes, too, offer excellent insights to readers who know Hebrew and, for that matter, to those who do not."Elaine Pagels
"[This] translation is lucid and direct, and has a lyrical purity that is delightful. It seems to me a model of how such work may be done."W. S. Merwin
"Chana and Ariel Bloch's translation, a rare conjunction of refined poetic resourcefulness and philological precision, brings us closer to the magical freshness of this ancient Hebrew love poetry than has any other English version."Robert Alter
Description
Includes bibliographical references (p. [227]-243) and index.
About the Author
Ariel Bloch is Professor Emeritus of Near Eastern Studies at the University of California, Berkeley. Chana Bloch is a poet, translator, scholar, and literary critic. She is Professor of English and Director of the creative writing program at Mills College.