[coopierez]

> If the poem was written with full self-consciousness of word choice, then the meaning really is lost by “updating” it, and where the poetry is best written, the meaning will be most lost.

Tolkien essentially said this in "On Translating Beowulf". That it is essentially impossible to capture the artistry and effect of poetry by translating it, not only because of the flow and meter but also the specific choice of vocabulary.