Gina DeCagna
on translating Henry David Thoreau
This is a substitution translation. I took Thoreau’s famous opening lines to Walden and substituted the words for a satirical alternative that highlights the awkwardness of the syntactical structure by contemporary standards.
about the author
Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862) was an essayist and poet, perhaps best known for Walden, his account of living alone in the Massachusetts woods beside Walden Pond. A vocal abolitionist and conductor on the Underground Railroad, Thoreau wrote forcefully against slavery and advocated (through his essays and his life) for civil disobedience against unjust governments.
about the translator
Gina DeCagna, C’16, is an emerging artist, writer, and editor working across several different media. Since 2012, she has been the founder and editor-in-chief of Symbiosis, a creative community and publication of collaborating artists and writers dedicated to the interrelationship of the visual and literary arts.
