Critical essays on the practice and theory of translating poetry
David Stones is an accomplished performance poet. I have watched him perform his one-man show, Infinite Sequels at stage several times, and I am always struck by his confidence, easy pace, and deep emotional presence.
A cat moved in. About a year after I translated my first poem. Her adoption papers say she was found in the London woods. And that she was friendly on approach. We both have beef with London, Ontario.
I came to the poetry of Edith Södergran, an icon of Nordic modernism, through World Poetry Books’ new translation of her 1916 debut collection, Dikter (Poems), published as Modern Woman, translated from the Swedish by CD Eskilson.
Curator’s Note:John Dryden's 1680 Preface to Ovid's Epistles laid out three types of translation: metaphrase (word-for-word), paraphrase (sense-for-sense), and imitation (loose adaptation). His argument for the middle path of paraphrase, along with his practical observations on the translator's work, made this an early and clear discussion of translation in English. This transcription begins where Dryden transitions from discussing Ovid's life and work to articulating his translation theory.…
Curator’s Note:This is a radical abridgment of Matthew Arnold’s 1861 lectures, On Translating Homer. I have retained only about 10% of the original text, focusing on some of his key insights into the practice of translation. I have worked primarily through excision rather than alteration.I have also eliminated Arnold’s specific critiques of other translators.…
Curator’s Note:Dante Gabriel Rossetti's 1861 preface to The Early Italian Poets offers a thoughtful meditation on translation. His central principle—'that a good poem shall not be turned into a bad one'—and his distinction between literality and fidelity speak directly to enduring challenges in the translator's art.…