batch.motif.hindu-mahabharata-dutt-gutenberg-l6969-l7087
---
record_id: batch.motif.hindu-mahabharata-dutt-gutenberg-l6969-l7087
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/hindu/project-gutenberg/mahabharata-dutt.md
passage_locator:
label: BOOK XII / ASWA-MEDHA / CONCLUSION / TRANSLATOR'S EPILOGUE; lines 6969-7087
start: '6969'
end: '7087'
translation: Maha-bharata
notes: Generated from OpenAI Batch run motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority;
human review required.
canonical_text:
quote: ''
summary: The translator explains why he chose a metrical English rendering rather
than prose for selected passages of the Maha-bharata, contrasts the reception
of Homer and the Maha-bharata among European readers, cites views on the inadequacy
of prose translation for poetry, describes attempts to approximate the Sanskrit
Sloka metre in English, thanks Edmund Russell for assistance, gives metrical examples,
and asks indulgence for the plainness of the resulting narrative.
language: English
quote_policy: summarized
literal_observations:
- id: obs:1
text: The speaker says that the prose translation of Homer by Butcher and Lang led
him to consider prose translation for selected Maha-bharata passages, but he rejected
the idea after further reflection.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:2
text: The speaker contrasts Homer’s familiarity and authority for European readers
with the relative unfamiliarity of the Maha-bharata to European readers.
category: relationship
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:3
text: Butcher and Lang are cited as saying that without the music of verse only
a partial truth about Homer can be conveyed.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:4
text: Stopford Brooke is cited as saying that prose translation of poetry is highly
inaccurate and that translations of poetry should try to preserve musical movement.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:5
text: The speaker identifies one difficulty of the translation as preserving something
of the musical movement of Sanskrit poetry in English.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:6
text: The speaker states that much of the Sanskrit epic is in Sloka metre, described
here as sixteen syllables in each line.
category: attribute
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:7
text: The speaker says Edmund Russell gave valuable advice and suggestions about
the metrical problem.
category: relationship
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:8
text: The speaker presents Sanskrit Sloka examples alongside English metrical examples
for comparison.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:9
text: The speaker says he cannot assume that his English has fully transferred the
sweep and majesty of Sanskrit verse, and he asks readers’ indulgence if the translation
is plain and simple.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: obs:10
text: The speaker states that modern ornate English poetic decoration would not
suit an old epic whose chief feature is simple and easy narrative flow.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
figures:
- id: fig:1
name_or_label: translator-speaker
description: First-person speaker who explains the translation method and metrical
choices.
role_refs:
- role:1
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:4
- ev:6
- id: fig:2
name_or_label: Homer
description: Poet described as the father of European poetry and as familiar to
European readers through the original and translations.
role_refs:
- role:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: fig:3
name_or_label: Messrs. Butcher and Lang
description: Translators of Homer whose prose translation of the Odyssey and remarks
on translating Homer are cited.
role_refs:
- role:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- id: fig:4
name_or_label: Mr. Stopford Brooke
description: A contemporary interpreter of Anglo-Saxon poetry whose comments on
translating poetry are cited.
role_refs:
- role:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: fig:5
name_or_label: Mr. Edmund Russell
description: Friend of the translator who helped with advice and suggestions about
reproducing Sanskrit metre in English.
role_refs:
- role:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: fig:6
name_or_label: European readers
description: Audience group discussed as familiar with Homer but largely unfamiliar
with the Maha-bharata.
role_refs:
- role:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
roles:
- id: role:1
label: translator and metrical adapter
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: The speaker describes choosing an English metre, comparing it with Sloka,
and defending the translation’s style.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:5
- ev:6
- id: role:2
label: canonical European epic poet used for comparison
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: Homer is described as the father of European poetry and as a point of contrast
with the Maha-bharata’s European reception.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: role:3
label: cited prose translators of Homer
assigned_to:
- fig:3
basis: Their prose translation of the Odyssey and their statement about losing the
music of verse are cited.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- id: role:4
label: cited authority on poetic translation
assigned_to:
- fig:4
basis: His statements on the inadequacy of prose translation for poetry are quoted
or summarized.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: role:5
label: advisor on Indian poetry and metre
assigned_to:
- fig:5
basis: The speaker says Russell’s advice and suggestions gave valuable assistance
in the metrical choice.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: role:6
label: intended or comparative reading public
assigned_to:
- fig:6
basis: The speaker discusses European readers’ familiarity with Homer and unfamiliarity
with the Maha-bharata.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
symbols: []
scenes:
- id: scene:1
label: Rejection of prose translation
summary: The speaker considers but rejects a prose translation for selected Maha-bharata
passages after comparing the reception of Homer and the Maha-bharata among European
readers.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:3
- fig:6
symbol_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: scene:2
label: Authorities on verse and prose translation
summary: The speaker cites Butcher and Lang and Stopford Brooke to support the view
that poetry loses essential qualities when rendered merely as prose.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:3
- fig:4
symbol_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
- id: scene:3
label: Choice of English metre for Sanskrit Sloka
summary: The speaker describes the difficulty of preserving Sanskrit musical movement,
identifies Sloka metre, explains the search for an English equivalent, and acknowledges
Edmund Russell’s assistance.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:5
symbol_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: scene:4
label: Metrical demonstration
summary: The speaker presents Sanskrit Sloka lines and English verse examples to
show perceived resemblance in metre.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
symbol_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: scene:5
label: Translator’s closing apology and aesthetic principle
summary: The speaker says the translation may lack the full majesty of Sanskrit
verse, asks readers’ indulgence, and rejects ornate modern decoration as unsuitable
for the old epic’s simple narrative flow.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
symbol_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
candidate_motifs: []
comparison_claims: []
evidence:
- id: ev:1
type: summary
locator: lines 6969-6991
quote_or_summary: The speaker says Butcher and Lang’s prose Odyssey led him to consider
prose translation, but the different status of Homer and the relative unfamiliarity
of the Maha-bharata to European readers made the case different.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/hindu/project-gutenberg/mahabharata-dutt.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized for extraction.
- id: ev:2
type: quote
locator: lines 6992-7007
quote_or_summary: 'Butcher and Lang are cited: “Without the music of verse, only
a half truth about Homer can be told.”'
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/hindu/project-gutenberg/mahabharata-dutt.md
rights_note: Public domain source; short quotation.
- id: ev:3
type: summary
locator: lines 7008-7017
quote_or_summary: Stopford Brooke is cited as saying that a merely prose translation
is the most inaccurate form of poetry translation and that translations should
preserve poetic musical movement.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/hindu/project-gutenberg/mahabharata-dutt.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized for extraction.
- id: ev:4
type: summary
locator: lines 7018-7041
quote_or_summary: The speaker says he tried to preserve the musical movement of
Sanskrit poetry, notes that much of the epic uses Sloka metre of sixteen syllables
per line, sought an English metre to approximate it, and thanks Edmund Russell
for advice.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/hindu/project-gutenberg/mahabharata-dutt.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized for extraction.
- id: ev:5
type: summary
locator: lines 7042-7076
quote_or_summary: The speaker reports reciting an English metre and a Sloka before
listeners and then gives Sanskrit and English examples to compare metrical patterns.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/hindu/project-gutenberg/mahabharata-dutt.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized for extraction.
- id: ev:6
type: summary
locator: lines 7077-7087
quote_or_summary: The speaker says his English cannot fully transfer the sweep and
majesty of Sanskrit verse, asks indulgence for a plain narrative, and says ornate
modern poetic style would not suit the epic’s simple flow.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/hindu/project-gutenberg/mahabharata-dutt.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized for extraction.
confidence:
extraction: high
motif_candidates: high
comparison_claims: high
notes: The passage is a translator’s epilogue about translation method, reception,
and metre rather than a mythic narrative. No passage-supported mythology motif
candidates or symbolic objects from the supplied taxonomy were extracted.
reviewer_status:
status: needs_review
reviewer: ''
reviewed_at: ''
notes: Machine-generated draft from OpenAI Batch; not human-reviewed.
extracted_by: openai_batch:gpt-5.5
extracted_at: '2026-04-28'
notes: |-
No taxonomy motif or symbol refs assigned because the passage does not narrate a mythic episode and the comparisons concern translation and metre rather than mythic motifs.
batch_run_id=motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority
custom_id=motif_extract:hindu-mahabharata-dutt-gutenberg__l6969-l7087
passage_sha256=86e1c28acf4bc26ce179bff515e48a73a6242c002fa1d324fcd5ef801a508e59