Thoughts on translation, Part 9.11: Lost in translaion and relocation

Song of Solomon: timeless love poetry in contemporary calligraphy.  

Topic Eleven:  Some compliments from 26 centuries ago are just not going to translate into today's love talk.  Lovers of that era compared their beloved to the most beautiful treasures in their world, but the metaphors are so dependent on the context of a desert tribe that they often sound odd in a literal translation today. 

VI: 5 - 6

When you tell today's young woman that her hair is like a flock of goats or that her teeth are beautiful because none are missing, she may not hear it as a compliment.  Whenever I came across these village metaphors, I was extra careful to choose a graceful translation.  And pray for the reader not to take it wrong.