Saat Saheliyan (2002)

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Good Translation Facts For Poetry Versus the Wardrobe

When it comes to translation of poetry, almost all poets will agree that it is a challenging task to carry a poem from one language to another. Many have considered this task difficult, on occasions deemed impossible. The reasons can be summarized by some facts listed below:

• Poetry is actually designed to work and sound well in one particular language.

• It has never been designed to be an informative text to convey a message to the reader. Therefore it may not be possible to extract a message from it to translate.

• Multiple meanings of words or phrases deliberately used to enrich the poetical text which can be read in multiple layers. This becomes a problem since only one of those meanings can be translated and not all of them at the same time.

• It uses some well known writing techniques like rhymes, rhythm, alliterations, and measures (which is more likely to be seen in classical poetry but no hard and fast rules apply to good poetry) and apparently these characteristics of poetry is not always translatable to the same or similar meaning.

Yet, we all know there are multiple good examples of translated poetry. If we analyse those examples, following three good translation facts for poetry would generally makes this challenging task a success:

The translator;

1. must have a good understanding and appreciation of poetry and advanced language skills in both languages.
2. must attempt to reproduce the original poem in another language after getting inspiration from the original.
3. preferably must be translating from a language into his/her first language.

In my translation of "The Wardrobe", I gave priority to the meaning rather than attempting to reproduce a new poetical text in English. In this instance, it was against good translation facts for poetry number two. But I also endeavored to keep a similar rhythm as in its original, and used some colloquial words in sake of gaining a better sound and rhyme. Although this translation is from my first language into English which does not adhere with the third fact, it worked quite well compared to some earlier versions.

In the poem the word "wardrobe" is used as a metaphor for form, and outlook, but the poet also implies that it is one-to-one representation of our inner identity for most of the time. Nevertheless wardrobe also gets humanized by the poet and generates a vivid image in the eyes of its reader as it reads below:

The Wardrobe

Wardrobe opens to a day or a time
Wardrobe closes to ourselves or memories
Wardrobe hides which they don't know
Ah! smell the utmost grave part of a memory
You open take it out and put it on
And they will not see that you are wearing yourself only
The thing which you call time but in fact
One thousand and one summer afternoon collapsed inside you

Wardrobe door opens creakingly
The smell of that past night comes out slightly
Not a smell as if it is a fairy
Wardrobe is our inner side
But denies silently and appears like our outlook only

Wardrobe gets old rich and poor
Moreover it speaks walks climbs and descends
Wardrobe hides both the time and ourselves
And sometimes even hides our first sweetie

Wardrobe migrates from one house to another
From city to city and I don't know if need to say more
Forbearing! It carries you today and tomorrow me
And one day breaks and stops as same as a tired hearth be

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