By George Orwell

Thinkings and poems 1 Minute

I am going to translate a passage of good English into modern English of the worst sort. Here is a well-I Iknown verse from Ecclesiastes:

I returned and saw under the sun, that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favour to men of skill; but time and chance happeneth to them all.

Here it is in modern English:

Objective considerations of contemporary phenomena compel the conclusion that success or failure in competitive activities exhibits no tendency to be commensurate with innate capacity, but that a considerable element of the unpredictable must invariably be taken into account.

This is a parody, but not a very gross one.

George Orwell

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Published by Katherine

Poetry writer and author

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2 thoughts on “By George Orwell”

    1. Hello David I have been looking at your blog. I see some poems about women which I have begun to read and I like them a lot. I have not yet put any comments on but I am looking at them and will continue to do so in the coming weeks. Tomorrow my physiotherapist is coming and really looking forward to that and the flowering trees have begun to show their blossom it feels like spring is in the air … My heart is singing
      Love, Katherine

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