[ExI] abandoning hope

[BillK]

On 10/28/07, Eliezer S. Yudkowsky wrote:
> "Abandon any hope" sounds like "Pick one arbitrary hope and abandon it."
>
> My translation by Allen Mandelbaum has:
>   LASCIATE OGNE SPERANZA, VOI CH'INTRATE
>   ABANDON EVERY HOPE, WHO ENTER HERE
>


The trouble with translating The Divine Comedy is that it is an
allegorical poem.
Words used for poetic effect in Italian don't necessarily translate to
the same meaning and overtones in English.

'hope' probably wasn't referring to any specific existing hope, more
the whole possibility of having any future hopes at all.

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Divine_Comedy>
has 15 alternative translations at the foot of the page.

I think this one probably gets closest to the original meaning.
No room for hope, when you enter this place - C. H. Sisson (1980)

BillK