“Shagi / Steps” the Journal of the SASH

SHAGI/STEPS 5(3)

Keywords: French poetry, Verlaine, school of translation, original, translation, re-translation, culture, civilization

Abstract: The article deals with re-translation as exemplified by translations of Paul Verlaine. Within each generation there develops a discontent with previous interpretations of the classics: the language changes, elements of the historical context come into clear focus, various ideological and ethical taboos are lifted. Translation presupposes polyauthorship stretched out over time. This is exemplified by several poems by Verlaine that illustrate three reasons for the re-translation udertaken by the author of this article: firstly, formal technique is no longer productive in translating the poem (“The Autumn Song” / “Chanson d’automne”); secondly, details of the historical background need to be specified (“The noise of heinous drinking houses…” / “Le bruit des cabarets”); thirdly, the translation needs to be brought as close as possible to the original on various levels, including alliteration (“The Art of Poetry” / “Art po?tique”). In the case of “The Autumn Song”, translations by Anatoly Yakobson and Vladimir Vasilyev, which demonstrate various ways to transmit the abundant musicality of Verlaine’s poem, are provided for comparison.

To cite this article: Yasnov, M. D. (2019). Translation as polyauthorship: Concerning re-translations. Shagi/Steps, 5(3), 206–215. (In Russian). DOI: 10.22394/2412-9410-2019-5-3-206-215.