/lit/ - Literature

>>19230570
>When, fitter cupbearer than Ganymede
Now appears the main character of the poem (which follows an epic structure), a boy fitter than Ganymedes to be Zeus cupbearer, meaning a more beautiful ephebe. See Ganymedes myth for reference.
Also, in the original Spanish Ganymedes is not mentioned, he says literally the "garzón de Ida", garzón is an archaism to mean a cupbearer (where French garçon comes from), most Spanish speakers today won't know the meanign of this word; and Ida was the caretaker of Zeus when he was young. Very obscure reference making it even harder to follow.
>For Jupiter, the lovesick boy gave tears
In Spanish it says "Lagrimosas de amor dulces querellas", a more complicated structure and word order (more elegant and beautiful too)
>(Absent, disdained and shipwrecked) to the tide
>And winds, which moved by his complaining lays
>As to a second Arion’s harp gave heed.
A reference to Arion's myth, a singer who got saved by dolphins because of his beatuiful singing when he was thrown into the sea. See the myth for reference.
This last part is also very convoluted in Spanish becuase of the weird word order and vocabulary used. So you have to pair the obscure mythological references (Ida, Arion, the astrological references, etc.) with the archaic choice of words and the constant anastrophes, and hte poem hasn't even started yet.

I can provide other examples later if anyone is interested. There are much more complicated poems of his.

/ Perennialist souls. What are you reading these days? I've noticed it doesn't seem to be as talked about these days. Is it just a matter of having grown out of this hole?

Books for that "memento mori", "sic transit gloria mundi", etc. feel?