As with most translation exercises, When it comes to translation of poetry/literature, the central challenge lay in balancing accuracy to the ‘literal’ meaning with the creative liberties necessary to preserve the essence of a piece.
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poetry from different social groups have their own form of poetic structures/devices.
Direct translations without consideration to the unique poetic forms is to lose the essence of a piece and often not capturing sentiment
Example: Somali poetry
.Somali poetry heavily relies on word-initial alliteration. the alliterating sound must always be at the beginning of a word.
The same alliterative sound must be used throughout the entire poem, either in every line or half-line, depending on the poem's metrical structure.
Example: A poem alliterated on the sound "B" would require at least one word starting with "B" in each line or half-line.
There is also emphasizes on heavy or profound vocabulary use
Let's cross examine direct translation and creative translation using a somali poem:
Yabaal
Adigaan ku yaadshaa,
Ku yaboohiyaa weli,
Yuuskana adaa i baray,
Yablas-ciille igu riday,
Adiguna yaqiintii,
Qalbigeenii wada yiil,
Yeelahaad u goysee
Direct:
Whispering Doubts
I search for you
Ask around for you still
You taught me to grumble
Planted in me a screaming rage
Took the certainty
That laid in both our hearts
And snapped its tethers
Creative:
Yabaal,
You, I yearn for yet,
Yielding you my youth's yonder blessings,
You taught me yearning's yoke,
Yet you yoked me to yawning sorrow,
You were the yielding yes,
Yours the yearning hearts yoking,
Yet you yourself yielded and severed.
Notes on the creative rendering:
Alliteration: Nearly every line starts with Y.
Tone: Maintains the elegiac lament.
Although the creative translation leaned towards a looser interpretation rather than a direct word-for-word translation it captured the sentiment, adhered to Somali poetry’s alliterative requirement, and was metred.
.
poetry from different social groups have their own form of poetic structures/devices.
Direct translations without consideration to the unique poetic forms is to lose the essence of a piece and often not capturing sentiment
Example: Somali poetry
.Somali poetry heavily relies on word-initial alliteration. the alliterating sound must always be at the beginning of a word.
The same alliterative sound must be used throughout the entire poem, either in every line or half-line, depending on the poem's metrical structure.
Example: A poem alliterated on the sound "B" would require at least one word starting with "B" in each line or half-line.
There is also emphasizes on heavy or profound vocabulary use
Let's cross examine direct translation and creative translation using a somali poem:
Yabaal
Adigaan ku yaadshaa,
Ku yaboohiyaa weli,
Yuuskana adaa i baray,
Yablas-ciille igu riday,
Adiguna yaqiintii,
Qalbigeenii wada yiil,
Yeelahaad u goysee
Direct:
Whispering Doubts
I search for you
Ask around for you still
You taught me to grumble
Planted in me a screaming rage
Took the certainty
That laid in both our hearts
And snapped its tethers
Creative:
Yabaal,
You, I yearn for yet,
Yielding you my youth's yonder blessings,
You taught me yearning's yoke,
Yet you yoked me to yawning sorrow,
You were the yielding yes,
Yours the yearning hearts yoking,
Yet you yourself yielded and severed.
Notes on the creative rendering:
Alliteration: Nearly every line starts with Y.
Tone: Maintains the elegiac lament.
Although the creative translation leaned towards a looser interpretation rather than a direct word-for-word translation it captured the sentiment, adhered to Somali poetry’s alliterative requirement, and was metred.
