Thursday, November 30, 2006

Search for Augustine

I had my library get a few different translations through inter-library loan. I have looked so far at Oxford university Press, World's Classics translated by Henry Chadwick; Signet Classic translated by Rex Warner and my copy which is Modern Library translated by Edward Pusey. I like Chadwick the best so far. This line from book 7 will show you why:

Pusey: "What were the pangs of my teeming heart, what groans, O my God! yet even there were Thine ears open, and I knew it not: and when in silence vehemently sought, those silent contritions of my soul were strong cries unto thy mercy" (one sentance).

Warner: "What agonies I suffered, what graons, my God came from my heart in its labor! And you were listening, though I did not know it. When in silence I strongly urged my question, the quiet contrition of my soul was a great cry to you for mercy."

Chadwick: "What torments my heart suffered in mental pregnancy, what groans, my God! And though I did not know it, your ears were there.
"As in silence I vigorously pursued my quest, inarticulate sufferings of my heart were loudly pleading for your mercy" (2 paragraphs).

It is the poetry that Chadwick provides that originally atracted me to the mystical Augustine.

Saturday, November 25, 2006

Strining Christmas Lights

Next year I have it all figured out. I will wind a string of white lights tight to the trunk of the tree, to light the insides. Then I will swirl flashing lights up the tree like a candy cane, so that no single flash will black out the color of that part of the tree, those lights will be back into the tree a ways too. Then around the whole thing I will wind another layer of white lights to give the tree a continual shapely glow.

Friday, November 17, 2006

A story about "The Confessions of St. Augustine"

by Augustine

I am going to give this another go. I have the Modern Library version, translated by Pusey. I gave up a few years back because the sentance structure and syntax were at times challenging. I have been searching for a better translation, but in the mean time I thought I’d go back and see if I’d changed enough to handle this one.