If this translation were accurate but awkward it could still be useful. But even without knowing Spanish one can see that it is not faithful to the way of speaking. It does not show the parallel constructions when it could even without sacrificing the choice to rhyme. It adds images that are not there. It does not give the feeling.

Nims' translation is nothing short of miraculous. I've read the poems in at least three different translations and Nim's were the only ones which made me cry like when I read the Spanish for the first time. There is something plaintive and erotic about John of the Cross that other tranlators edit out for propriety's sake, but Nims left it in as one should. John was a lover of the Song of Songs and his pursuit of God was the pursuit of one painfully in love and desirous of consummation. Nims brings that aspect to the fore. Gorgeous. But remember, the poems are not enough. One must still read John's commentaries.

John of the Cross is often associated only with the spiritual condition he called the dark night of the soul, experienced as a cold, dry, confusing place. But when you read his poem "On a Dark Night", you realize what wonderful intimacies are hidden for lovers under cover of darkness. For me, this poem, both in its original Spanish and its rich English translation, is itself worth the price of this attractive hardback book.

This is a book that celebrates the soul's love for her Divine Lover in images and language that transcend the limitations of physical gender. When the mystics subliminated, they truly made the energy of loving sublime!

Willis Barnstone wrote this new translation of the New Covnenant for two reasons: first, to allow English speaking readers to see the poetry and clarity of the original, and second, to restore the Gospels to their Jewish origins. He succeeds in his first goal: the translation itself is poetic and easily undertstood. Still, he does not greatly surpass the King James Version. Barnstone also succeeds in his second goal, but to a fault. It is refreshing to see the traditional names returned to their probable Jewish and Aramaic forms (Jesus is "Yeshua"). The problem lies within Barnstones copius notes and commentary. According to Barnstone, the original, Aramaic version of the Gospels (which has never been discoverd) was changed over the years, and the extant Greek versions are "politicized" and anti-Jewish. He sees anti-Judaism in everything from the existence of Judas Escariot to the Greek translation of Rabbi as "teacher." He points out over and over again places in the Gospels where he perceives this anti-Jewishness. This is a distraction and takes away from the reading of the Gospels. Buy this translation only if you're willing to wade through repetative, unnecessary commentary to get to a fair translation of the Gospels and Revelation; otherwise, look elsewhere.

Review of Willis Barnstone, The New Covenant.

Willis Barnstone is a poet, and also renowned for his translations of Classical Greek poetry. Now he has tried his hand at translating the New Testament, which he calls The New Covenant, which is an exact translation of its Greek title: Kaine diatheke.
He presents this foundational book of Christianity in a way that does full justice to its deep poetical qualities. Substantial parts of the Old Testament have long been recognised as verse rather than prose, and many translations have taken account of this. Barnstone goes much farther. In his New Covenant, which contains the four Gospels and the Apocalypse, but not the Acts and the Letters, he renders in free verse all the passages purporting to be Jesus's words -- for instance, the Sermon on the Mount. Similarly for the words of John the Baptist, and the whole of the Apocalypse (The Revelation of John). Many readers, like me, will find that the familiar texts appear in a new light.

Barnstone's aim is to create in his English readers the same impression as the original Greek does to the Greek-speaking ones. Most of the many Jews in the cities of Egypt and Asia minor had at that time Greek as their mother tongue.
One essential feature of Barnstone's translation of the New Covenant is to render all names of persons and places in its Hebrew or Aramaic form: Jesus (Greek Iesous) as Jeshua, Jerusalem as Yerushalayim.. He underlines that the New Covenant is a Jewish book. Jesus was of course a Jew, and so were most of the early Christians. They were an integral part of the Jewish community, by now spread over most of the Eastern Mediterranean area. Contrasting Jews and Christians was a propagandist trick of later writers, who were eager to distance themselves from other Jew .Thus they planted the seeds of Christian anti-semitism. I think Barnstone has taken the right decision on this point.
The book also contains a Foreword of some 20 p ages, and an afterword of 120., where Barnstone places his translation in the wider context of Biblical studies. Further, the book has footnotes explaining obscurities and various points of translation. But they are never obtrusive.
In his comments Barnstone avoids polemics, and reveals himself as a well-informed and urbane liberal-minded scholar. He stresses that the gospel narratives find little or no confirmation in historical accounts. Somewhat surprisingly, he goes on to say that Jesus's crucifixion by the Roman authorities must be regarded as an established fact. This is certainly the opinion of the large majority of New Testament scholars. But there is by no means unanimity on this point. However, this is a minor matter.
All in all, Barnstone succeeds extremely well in making his readers approach the New Testament with fresh eyes, shifting attention from points of doctrine and historicity, on to what is common to great religious poetry all over the world: its power to inspire feelings of hope and joy, and at the same time to convey a sense of the mystery of human existence.
This is a superb achievement.

A refreshing translation that gives a completely new look at the New Testament. Everyone that owns a Bible should own this book.

Willis Barnstone is like an Allen Ginsberg or Lawrence Ferlinghetti for the 90's. The content of many of the poems contained in this book is similar to the great beat poets of the 40's and 50's. While the poetry rarely contains the anger found in Ginsberg's poems, the language occasionally lapses into crudity. Therefore, it may not appeal to all readers, but for those who want a down-to-earth picture of life presented in, of all things, sonnets, this book is definitely worth your time.