Typesetting long poetry side by side across multiple pages

Question

I've been trying to typeset a long poem (The Lady of Shalott) and putting the translated text besides it, as it is shown in this question: How to typeset two verse environments side by side

However, the poem in question is quite long and using the minipage envinronment is not feasible since it doesn't let the poem span across multiple pages.

The fact is that, for example, I need to keep the line-to-line correspondence (if a verse bar goes to a new line because it's too long, the other one should reflect that change).

There are, I'm sure, better solutions when only two "columns" are needed. Nonetheless, this approach developed for 6 columns may (or may not) have something to offer: http://tex.stackexchange.com/questions/130907/how-do-i-create-6-parallel-texts-aligned-by-paragraph-with-3-texts-on-each-page/131394#131394 — Steven B. Segletes, Sep 13 '13 at 21:36
@StevenB.Segletes Thanks for the link! However, that solution seems a bit too complicated for what I want to do. I was hoping for something simpler. :D — Alenanno, Sep 13 '13 at 23:02

score 8 · Accepted Answer · edited Jan 11 '23 at 21:54

You could use the parallel package.

To achieve the result you want, you can use:

\begin{Parallel}
\ParallelLText{<left-text>}
\ParallelRText{} % empty right column
\ParallelPar
\ParallelLText{} % empty left column
\ParallelRText{<right-text>}
\end{Parallel}

Example:

\documentclass{scrartcl}
\usepackage{lmodern}
\usepackage{parallel}
\begin{document}
\begin{Parallel}[c]{0.5\textwidth}{0.5\textwidth}
\ParallelLText{%
{\noindent \bfseries PASADO EN CLARO}

\medskip
\noindent
Oídos con el alma\
pasos mentales mas que sombras,\
sombras del pensamiento más que pasos,\
por el camino de ecos\
que la memoria inventa y borra:\
sin caminar caminan\
sobre este ahora, puente\
tendido entre una letra y otra.\
Como llovizna sobre brasas\
dentro de mí los pasos pasan\
hacia lugares que se vuelven aire.\
}
\ParallelRText{%
{\noindent \bfseries A DRAFT OF SHADOWS}

\medskip
\noindent
Heard by the soul, footsteps\
in the mind more than shadows,\
shadows of thought more than footsteps\
through the path of echoes\
that memory invents and erases:\
without walking they walk\
over this present, bridge\
slung from one letter to the next.\
Like drizzle on embers,\
footsteps within me step\
toward places that turn to air.\
}
\renewcommand{\ParallelAtEnd}{\hfill\textit{Octavio Paz}
}
\end{Parallel}
\end{document}

Result:

Typesetting long poetry side by side across multiple pages

1 Answers1