Here is an interview with Eirin Mouré
http://www.poetryfoundation.org/harriet/2010/02/poetries-languages-and-selves-the-being-of-erin-moure/
In the light of this and any other factors, namely the preface to Sheep's Vigil by a Fervent Person (anthology, pp. 57-58), comment on text II's "transelation" by Erin Mouré (p. 61)
Considerando que traduzir poesia é uma das tarefas mais dificeis da area, a traduçao de Erin Moure de O Guardador de Rebanhos (II) está extremamente bem conseguida. Como lemos na introduçao e na entrevista, o tradutor está também a criar, nao se limita a escrever noutra lingua. Acrescenta algo ao texto e mostra-nos muito de quem é na sua traduçao.
ReplyDeleteNeste caso, penso que Moure adiciona alguns elementos que, apesar de estranhar ao inicio, adicionam riqueza ao poema. Por exemplo, o ultimo verso que nao existe na versao portuguesa do poema, ou ate "I walk up Winnett to Vaughan Road..." que se afasta bastante do original.
Apesar de achar sempre que os poemas sao sempre mais ricos na lingua em que foram escritos, é essencial a sua beleza transparecer nas traduçoes, mesmo que isso signifique algumas diferenças.
_O Guardador de Rebanhos_ by Alberto Caeiro (one of Fernado Pessoa’s personas) was “transelated” by Eirin Moure (Erin Mouré’s persona), resulting in _Sheep's Vigil by a Fervent Person_.
ReplyDeleteMoure understands that transferring works from one culture to another presents serious challenges, such as a lack of linguistic equivalences and her own unavoidable positioning and subjectivity as a translator. Therefore, she elected to make her presence known by transferring this collection of pastoral poems about everyday rural life to a modern-day Canadian setting (in Toronto, Ontario). Moure inserted names of places (e.g., “Winnett [Avenue]” and “Vaughan Road,” v.2, p.61 of the Anthology) and modern features (e.g., “t-shirt,” vv.8 and 26). She embellished with such enthusiasm that the translation took on its own personality by superimposing the original author's. However, she never undermines the author’s ideals, such as Alberto Caeiro’s aversion to abstract thought, instead valuing the beauty and purity of things in their natural form. Moure heeded Caeiro's advice to see things for what they are rather than misinterpret nature.
For example, in v.3 of the 2nd st. of the poem “II” (“Porque pensar é não compreender…” -> “For thinking can’t understand…”), the act of thinking becomes the agent incapable of understanding. From my interpretation, the original verse seems more in line with “Because thinking is to not understand...” i.e., the poetic subject chooses to see rather than think because thinking distorts the intended perception of the world. Additionally, this repetition of “Because” connects vv.1 and 3. Nonetheless, Moure chose to frame this idea differently, slightly altering the original author’s intended message.
In my opinion, Moure created a completely new poem collection that was inspired by, but not bound by, the work of Alberto Caeiro. The intentional misspelling of translation as “transelation” illustrates this by having “elation” (to be glad or thrilled) be a prominent component of the translation and imbuing the language with Eirin Moure's touch (a “trans-eirin-elation”). She adds her own spin and insight to the poem while still providing the original texts. This demonstrates that she is not simply translating or mimicking but rather paying a creative homage.
The poetry "Sheep's Vigil by a Fervent Person," found in Text II of the anthology, is extremely powerful and deeply rooted in Azorean language and cultural traditions. As a Canadian poet and translator, Erin Mouré's "translation" of the poem reflects her own distinctive viewpoint.
ReplyDeleteMouré's "translation" is more of a creative reinterpretation of the original poem than a literal translation. She employs a number of literary devices, including wordplay and alliteration, to effectively transmit the emotional impact of the original poem to an English-speaking audience.