Question

The last lines of 'I'm Explaining a Few Things" are very famous.

Come and see the blood in the streets.

Come and see

The blood in the streets.

Come and see the blood

In the streets!

Pablo Neruda wrote in Spanish. Here are the untranslated lines.

Venid a ver la sangre por las calles,

venid a ver

la sangre por las calles,

venid a ver la sangre

por las calles!

Are the original lines more effective? Explain your answer and defend it with support from the text, including explaining the purpose of the lines. Discuss the structure, repetition, and sound of the language in your answer.

Answer 1

The Spanish version is more effective.

Step-by-step explanation:

Even though both versions are beautiful, in the translated one some figures of speech are lost, for example, in "venid a ver" there is an ALLITERATION that has a sound effect (the repetition of letter v) in the original language that is not shown in the English version.

Besides, "venid a ver" would be more effective if translated as 'come to see' (literal translation) instead of 'come and see'.