All about Walt Whitman

A Note On Poetic Translation

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We have learned over the years that a translator’s choice of an author is a very important step in his work. There are a number of reasons for that and many aspects to consider, for one can not have a deep relationship with a text one does not enjoy.

This aspect is taken into consideration when we look at how we accomplish our task, for it is necessary to understand, or at least to interpret, the spirit of the author inscribed in the words of his works, in order to arrive at a given version of the re-created text in the target language (we use the expression “poetic re-creation” to indicate a type of translation that is more than a literal translation, it aims at re-creating the original atmosphere of the texts, rhythm, meter, and specific diction of a poet). This means we have to have a deep comprehension of it.

Haroldo de Campos, a well-known Brazilian translator and poet, shows us, in “Da Tradução Como Criação e Como Crítica” (“Translation As Creation and As Criticism”), how important the understanding of an author’s works is when he considers that: “Translation of poetry [...] is primarily an inner grasp of the world and technique of what is translated” (CAMPOS, 1992, p.43). It means that grasping the world of our chosen text takes time and mental effort, for we need to apprehend or, in Whitman’s words, “absorb”, every bit of linguistic, poetic and aesthetic information in the text and on the text in order to proceed the translation. This requires a number of years in close contact with the author’s works, particularly when the task involves extensive works by the same author. This points out to the questions of closeness or familiarity of the translator critic with the text and his choice of an author. However, these two points are a priori in my current research (I am re-creating a series of poems and books from Leaves of Grass into Portuguese for my doctorate), since our work is the continuation of what we did in our Master’s thesis, ten years ago. Thus, only by establishing a deep relationship with the author and his/hers works, can a translator do a good job of transposing a piece of literary art into another language.

Note: for those who read Portuguese, my poetic re-creations are available

at Mr. Kind.

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