Seeger Center for Hellenic Studies

Suzanne Abrams Rebillard (Post-Doctoral Fellow, Program in Hellenic Studies)
Humanities Program Building, Room 103

How does one most effectively translate the purportedly personal poetry of a man who, after his death in the late fourth century, became a definitive voice on the nature of the Trinity? How does one bring the personas of the author, the historical man of Nazianzus, and "The Theologian" into the 21st century? I will begin confronting this problem using translation theory and close analysis of two poems. Before considering the theory and texts, I will present a brief biography of Gregory and a few comments on the history and nature of his autobiographical collection. The body of the talk opens with an examination of the three-line poem 2.1.4 as an example of some of the major elements — historical, theological, poetic — a translator of Gregory must take into account. I will proceed by considering problems applicable to these poems that have been exposed by translation theorists, specifically those working with "sensitive texts" (e.g. Biblical translation): the assumption of commonality between the author and translator or their respective cultures; the difficulty in identifying receptors, Gregory's and contemporary; and finding the appropriate method — word for word? sense for sense? "energy" to "energy"? Next I will walk the audience through my translation of 2.1.87, an elegy entitled "Concerning the Desire for God." The poem is exemplary of some of the lexical, metrical, and conceptual challenges posed by the collection. I will point to the problematic points, such as how to translate nous — particularly as opposed to Nous, and the reasoning behind my decisions. In conclusion, I would like to consider with the audience whether it is possible to create a translation close in structure and vocabulary that is also historically accurate. Is the so-called translation process a recreation, transference, or a rewriting?

Suzanne Abrams Rebillard, last year Adjunct Assistant Professor of English and Comparative Literature at the American University of Paris, France, received her Ph.D. in Classics from Brown University in 2003. Her dissertation is a study of Gregory of Nazianzus' self-representation as poet and priest in his 99 autobiographical poems, with translations of 96 poems. She also holds BAs in Classics from King's College, University of Cambridge (1993) and Columbia College in New York (magna cum laude, 1990). She was awarded fellowships by the American School of Classical Studies at Athens (ASCSA) and Brown, has conducted research at the Center for Hellenic Studies (Washington, D.C.) and Princeton, and has studied papyrology at the University of Oxford and archaeology at the American Academy in Rome (AAR). She has presented papers at numerous Classical and Patristic conferences and has two publications forthcoming, in Studia Patristica and L'antiquiti tardive. She has been a Greek and Latin instructor at Brown University and an Assistant Editor for the ASCSA.  [Last Updated 2004]

Firestone Library Exhibit
Summer 2004

• Archaeological Finds of Ancient Olympia
• Princeton Athletes as Representatives of America in the 1896 Olympics
• Continuation of the Princeton Olympic Connection (post 1896)
• 2004 Current Involvement: Today and the Near Future