Style and Poetic Artistry

Abstract

Previous chapters have discussed some aspects of Thunder’. style and form in terms of its genre, particularly how it transforms and even parodies aretology-the literary genre that consists of a list of a goddess’s or god’s virtues and powers. We have discussed problems of translation, in terms of how much of the gendered language, particularly gender-bending language, of Thunde. has been softened in translation. Yet another stylistic aspect of this is its poetic quality.¹ For example, Thunde. contains highly rhythmic passages (although the rhythm usually only lasts for about six to ten lines at a time), and uses alliteration and wordplay throughout the poem. There are even some occasions of rhyme. Unfortunately, this wordplay and alliteration is untranslatable into English,² but its very untranslatability leads one to consider a startling and unforeseen conclusion-it is not retro-translatable either. In other words, the alliteration and wordplay, including highly balanced phrasing in use of sounds, could not be translated from Coptic back into Greek. There are occasional passages that appear to make more poetic sense in Greek,³ but for the most part we have come to the conclusion that Thunde., even if it is a translation from Greek, in its current state is nearly a thoroughly Coptic poem. The Coptic poem is the only version that has survived. It is the only version we know of that ancient people would have written, read, recited, and heard. As such, it is important to listen to how this poem plays on sounds in its current Coptic form.⁴