22. Dunkel

»Wenn der Leser nicht weiß, was ein Elefant ist, dann ist das Wort dunkel.«

»If reader don’t know what an elefant IS, then the word is obscure.«

Ezra Pound in einem Brief, 1939

Die Stelle im Kontext:

»Skip anything you don’t understand and go on till you pick it up again. All tosh about foreign languages making it difficult. The quotes are all either explained at once by repeat or they are definitely of the things indicated. If reader don’t know what an elefant is, then the word is obscure. I admit there are a couple of Greek quotes, one along in 39 that can’t be understood without Greek, but if I can drive the reader to learning at least that much Greek, she or he will indubitably be filled with a durable gratitude. And if not, what harm? I can’t conceal the fact that the Greek language existed.«