Was zipping along nicely with 1Q84 until I hit the Heike Monogatari passage near the end (and no, I don't remember every other verb in Heike ending with a form of tamau. Tatematsuru, *maybe*. It's been twenty-four years, after all.) Had recourse to the translation. Dear god but the translation is awful. I don't doubt Rubin's Japanese is better than mine, but I think I prefer the slant my language scrim gives the action to the one his does. F'rinstance, to me 'dowager' has all sorts of Lady Catherine de Burgh connotations that are very different from 老婦人's, and certainly *that* 老婦人.

But vol 2 arrived in today's mail, zipping along as well, to provide me reading matter this long weekend. Remains to see if I read it.