Translation of poetry

By Ko Chang-soo

Recently, I read ``Beowulf,” the oldest epic in English literature and the greatest extant poem in Old English.

As is widely known, the poem is about the heroic deeds of Beowulf, his victories over the monster Grendel and the monster's mother, his battle with a dragon, and his death and burial.

This time around, I read the Modern English translation by Dr. Lee Sung-il, professor emeritus at Yonsei University (``Beowulf and Four Related Old English Poems; A Verse Translation with Explanatory Notes by Sung-Il Lee; With a Foreword by Robert D. Stevick; published by The Edwin Mellen Press, USA”).

I greatly enjoyed Lee's translation, as I previously did his excellent English translation of Joseon prose poetry. The original Old English text is almost Greek to me, so Lee's translation filled me in on what I have missed.

As I'm not familiar with some technical details discussed in the foreword and the introduction, about translating Old English texts, it behooves me to fill this column largely with quotations. In deference to the momentous feat of translating such a great classic work, it would suffice for me to quote some of the expert comments about the translation and what the translator himself thinks about his own work.

The foreword by professor Stevik, who happens to be a life-long scholar of Beowulf and a professor emeritus at Washington University, Seattle, says, in part:

``Why read this translation of Beowulf? Because there isn't a better one to be found ... In reading this translation I had a sense of the sweep and cohesion of the source text that I have not found in other translations ... If we still offered seminars on The Art of Translation, this would be a good centerpiece. An old poem here unimpaired in translation. It is the best we have among the remnants of Anglo-Saxon culture, and in its newer voice."

Lee observes:

``Providing a Modern English verse translation of Beowulf that can touch the heartstrings of the readers has ever been a dream of mine ... The major task of a translator of the poem is thus to make the sound quality of the original lines felt all along in translation ― to transfigure it in a modern tongue all the way through. In order to attain that goal, neither providing a word-for-word lexical rendition nor creating new verse for the sake of comfortable reading in a modern tongue will do.

Within the confinement set by the verbal rhythm and the sound quality of the original poem, a translator must produce verses acceptable to the ears of the speakers of a modern tongue ... Poetry means condensation of verbal expressions of human thoughts and emotions; and it demands not only succinctness but also accuracy in hitting the right notes that capture all the feelings that have to be expressed ... Translation means reliving the moments when the poet was composing the lines. It is not a later-age person's attempt to record what he or she has understood while reading the original lines to his or her contemporary readers. As a translator's pen glides on a blank sheet, it should be a moment that resurrects the agony that the poet embraced while groping for the right words, line after line."

In my view, certain elements of poetry that thrive in the original text fail to survive translation into other languages; they vanish into thin air as soon as they leave the original one. They include the sound and music of poetry and some symbols, messages and imagery which is deeply ingrained in the languages and cultures involved. Among these elements, sound and music suffer the most. Translation of poetry involves, not a mere mechanical or technical rendering, but a creation of wholly new poems. In this regard, the translator requires the utmost poetic sensibility, acumen and skill.

I decided to write this column because I thought that such a great feat of translation like Lee's should not go unnoticed.

While reading Lee's Beowulf and his remarks in the notes, I realized, more concretely than ever before, that the translator should thoroughly understand, appreciate and love the source text before undertaking the task and that love and passion should accompany the translation process. I recall hearing someone say that a photograph somehow reflects the state of mind of the photographer at the time of taking the picture.

This reading has offered me a rare occasion when the thought of literary translation uplifted me so much. It also had an immediate relevance and impact on me as a translator. It gave me an opportunity to reflect on translations of poetry, goading me into pondering my meager status as a half-hearted and part-time translator.

Speaking of me and Lee as friends and colleagues, the two of us share a great love of the English language and literature, a passion for poetry as well as practical interests and concerns about translating and introducing Korean literature overseas. I may say we agree that translating poetry is part of an effort to introduce an essential aspect of a people's cultural heritage and thereby enrich mankind's common endowment. We have attended international conferences on translating Korean literature. I relish and cherish occasional conversations with him about literature over a glass of soju.

In conclusion, let me take off my hat and helmet to a translation exceedingly well done and to an extraordinary example of excellence.

The writer and is a poet and translator of poetry. He can be reached at kochangsoo@hanmail.net.

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