Ricordi di un traduttore da Catullo: problemi metrici, lessicali, di tono

A lessandro Fo, Memories from Translating Catullus: Questions of Meter, Lexicon and Tone This paper summarizes some of the theoretical and practical problems encountered while recently translating Catullus into Italian-“barbarian” meters. The author explains his choice of a metrical version and describes the metrical structure it entailed. He reflects in particular on some problems of fidelity and especially on the necessity of recreating – in the translated text – the same figures of speech used in the original text, such as recurring words, close lexical repetitions, alliterations and sound patterns. Of particular interest here are translation problems relative to Lesbia’s arrival at Allius’ house in c. 68b.