99 Poems in Translation: An Anthology

Anthologies are seemingly making a comeback. This one is designed to represent some of the finest poetry--living poets excluded--in translation and, ostensibly, to provide a far-reaching overview of the tradition of translation. But given the fact that none of the poems is accompanied by its original text, and that the collection is peppered with quirky, if wonderful, choices, it is perhaps best not read too studiously. Paging through the poems (each rarely running for more than a page) becomes a delightful chance to catch, say, a riotous piece by Antiphanes entitled ``Piddle-paddling race of critics, rhizome-fanciers,'' and then, on the next page, a beautiful translation by W. S. Merwin of Guillaume Apollinaire's ``Le Pont Mirabeau.'' One notices the enormous energy of the Latin American poets Pablo Neruda and Cesar Vallejo, as opposed to the more subtle refinements of the French poets Paul Eluard and Henri Michaux. The cacaphony of voices, the range of styles, cultures, and time periods, and, above all, the humor with which these selections were made, makes this an immensely enjoyable anthology. (Oct.)