This excerpt shows how Steiner’s theory of hermeneutic motion threatens to transcend the specific historical moments that inflect every translation. Steiner’s discussions of translated texts either focus on the theoretical concept he wants to illustrate or they analyse and evaluate a translator’s handling of stylistic features. His forte is literary criticism as the appreciation of personal style, which results in suggestive readings of noted translations, especially by poets and philosophers. Historical situations, however, recede behind the innovative performances that occurred in them.