On
Sunday afternoon, Macculloch Hall’s schoolroom gallery was packed with
Morristownians enjoying an unusual Valentine’s Day event.
Longtime neighbor
and museum member Henry M. Hoyt presented a reading of a novel in verse, "Eugene
Onegin," which he translated from the original Russian into English.Hoyt, who
first started studying Russian when he was stationed in Canada during World War
II, also explained why he chose to translate poetry.
“I think it’s more
important to translate poetry because so much is concentrated into so few
words,” he said.
Another popular translation of "Eugene Onegin" was
written by Vladimir Nabokov, best known for writing "Lolita." Hoyt said that it
was that translation that inspired him to write one of his own. “Nabokov omitted
the meter, but kept the rhyme,” Hoyt said. “I thought to leave the rhyme out,
but follow the meter, which Nabokov didn’t do. I figured it would be an
interesting experiment, to see if it would work. And I think it did.”
The
audience at Macculloch Hall seemed to agree; many guests lined up after the
program to purchase copies of the translation and have them signed by
Hoyt.