Wordsworth in translation

During the idle hours of the COVID-19 lockdown, it's been a joy to revisit the work of Wordsworth, whose birthday was just last week! Amidst the uncertainty and chaos hanging in the air, I found much security and peace in this small project of translating Wordsworth's Lines Written in Early Spring into Spanish. With the warm …

Ancient Mythology in Keats

Last month, I entered the Gould Prize for essays in English Literature which is organised by Trinity College, Cambridge. For my entry, I chose the following question from a range of seven: ‘What was he doing, the great god Pan, Down in the reeds by the river? Spreading ruin and scattering ban, Splashing and paddling …

Lost and Found in Translation

Studying literature in Spanish, Latin, and English at A Level inevitably presents, at some point, the conundrum of translation. 'What makes a good translation?' is a question one in this position has to ask themself constantly; the classroom invariably demands enough fidelity to prove understanding, but enough liberty to provide fluidity. In walking this linguistic …

Poetry and Mathematics

Earlier this year, I wrote an essay for the Thomas Campion Essay Prize held by Peterhouse College, Cambridge, and having been fortunate enough to be among 10 winners from over 200 entrants, I thought I'd share my thoughts on the blog... From a range of questions, I chose number four: In that poetry is always …