JUNIOR STUDENTS/ Is Poetry Translatable?

Is Poetry Translatable?
A Translation Course for Junior Students
Prepared by Dr. Hany Abdelfattah

Before you lose your self in translation, you have to know that everything is translatable provided that you transmit the original content of the original text into the target text, along with keeping the "soul" of the original work. The "soul" of the original text is the bottom line here.

First of all, one of the most-celebrated Arabic literati Amr Bin El-Gahez stated that poetry is not translatable since the translation of poetry would definitely distort the rhyme, the metre and would do havoc to its eloquence. This opinion had been backed by many proponents like the notable American poet and critic Robert Frost who asserted that translation of poetry wastes the poetic talent and harms the target language. Much in the same vein, John Dryden necessitated that the translator must be a poet who is knowledgeable of the two languages.


Sir John Denham opted for the opposite, claiming that translation of poetry must be done by adaptation not by abiding to the original text. According to Denham, you have too preserve the "soul" of the text in the target language.

When you translate poetry keep in mind the following steps: Try to get medieval in your language, as medieval language grants poetry sense of sublimity and tradition. Beware that Old English is full of rare words and expressions that might do harm to the translated poem. The medieval language works properly especially with the old Arabic poems.

Pronouns are the first and foremost important thing you have to think of and, of course, their Verb Conjugations. The following is a table with all the archaic pronouns that you may need.

ü Here is an example : قصيدة للمتنبى فى سيف الدولة الحمدانى (مديح)
واحر قلباه ممن قلبه شبم و من بجسمى و حالى عنده سقم
مالى أكتم حبا قد برى جسدى و ندعى حب سيف الدولة الامم

إن كان يجمعنا حب لغرته فليت أنا بقدر الحب نقتسم
قد زرته و سيوف الهند مشهرة و قد نظرت اليه و السيوف دم
فكان أحسن خلق الله كلهم و كان أحسن مافى الاحسن الشيم
المفردات الصعبة:
شبم: بارد/ سقم: مرض/ برى: أضعف/ الغرة: الوجه أو بياض فى جبهة الحصان أو طلوع القمر/ الشيم: الاخلاق

How glows my heart from him whose heart to me is frigid
And who liketh to sick my heart and thy heart is ill not
Why should I hide thy love that hath worn thin my body?
To SaifEldoulla, all the world vows love



§ Here are some examples to practice:

لنا الدنيا و من أمسى عليها و نبطش حين نبطش قادرينا
بغاة ظالمين و ما ظلمنا و لكنا سنبدأ ظالمينا
ملانا البحر حتى ضاق عنا و ماء البحر نملوءه سفينا

***
إليكن عنى فتلك الشفاه
عذوبتها حنث باليمين
و تلك العيون ضياء مبين
و فجر يضل مسير الصباح
و لكن أعيدوا إلى القبل
أعيدوا الرواء
طوابع حب طواها الأجل
و ضاعت هباء

***
رمانى الدهر بالأرزاء حتى فؤادى فى غشاء من نبالٍ
فصرت إذا اصابتنى سهام تكسرت النصال على النصال

***
لغيرك ما ممدت يدا
و غيرك لا يفيض ندى
و ليس يضيق بابك بى
فكيف ترد من قصدا
وركنك لم يزل صمدا
فكيف تذود من وردا
و لطفك، يا خفى اللطف
إن عادى الزمان عدا