Too much verse translation is too free and loose. We must take the time and effort to preserve both meaning AND form (including meter and rhyme where they exist) without sacrificing one for the other. Though we can never fully translate verse from one language to another, we can come close if we’re willing to work hard enough. To illustrate this, I want to give some French to English examples of my own. I don’t claim they are perfect by any means but I think they make my point. I ask the reader to pull the original French texts and compare them with what I have done. I break my examples into seven parts (I-VII).
Showing posts with label Rimbaud. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Rimbaud. Show all posts
Wednesday, May 4, 2016
Verse Translation: A Call for Harder Work and Greater Care
Too much verse translation is too free and loose. We must take the time and effort to preserve both meaning AND form (including meter and rhyme where they exist) without sacrificing one for the other. Though we can never fully translate verse from one language to another, we can come close if we’re willing to work hard enough. To illustrate this, I want to give some French to English examples of my own. I don’t claim they are perfect by any means but I think they make my point. I ask the reader to pull the original French texts and compare them with what I have done. I break my examples into seven parts (I-VII).
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