Poetry: Other languages.

[avrelia]

I know that on my friends’ list many people speak and read in two or more languages. And I want to ask you something – about your perception of poetry.

But first, I’ll talk about me.

I love poetry. It came to me rather unexpectedly when I was thirteen and was cleaning the dishes after a dinner. I kid you not. (One can make a whole point about importance of cleaning dishes on this basis.)

I love poetry ever since, and I tortured my friends and loved ones with reciting the poems aloud from time to time. I believe that poetry is the closest thing we have to magic in our world – no wonder that so many spells depends on proper wording.

The poetry is an art to put exact words to exact places – to tell about something, to catch a fleeting thought, dream, or feeling. Sometimes one starts to write about one thing, and it turns out to be about something different – something one was afraid to express any other way.

I savour word, rhythm, and flow of poems. I love when it has rhymes and structure, which (in my book, add strength and energy), but the free form is fine and sometimes more appropriate. It is way better than a bad rhyme any time of the day.

To read is good, but to recite poetry aloud is a special kind of pleasure: you try and seek for the best rhythm, the best intonation to make a poem give out its true light – not necessarily to find the author’s intent behind it, but to make the perfect sense for myself.

That’s about poetry I read in Russian.

Translations from other languages go there as well, however I am wary about them – what part of it is the magic of the poet, and what is the translator’s interpretation? But I cannot possibly read in all languages that have poems written in them, so I deal.

Strangely enough I enjoyed reading Goethe in German as much, even though my German skills were scarce at its best, and now almost non-existent.

Yet, in English… When I read poetry in English, I get it on a purely rational level. That is, I understand what it is about and that it is a poem. I don’t feel it, and I don’t enjoy it – not on the same level, not as poetry.

First, I thought it was my poor English skills. Maybe they are that poor. Yet I enjoy well-written beautiful prose in English the same as in Russian, so I do get the beauty and the feeling of the language. Poetry in English leaves me feeling handicapped.

So I still prefer reading Shakespeare in Russian translations. Oops.

Going back to the beginning: the question I want to ask you – have you ever had such problem? Does your perception and enjoyment of poetry change depending on the language you are reading in?
Or you can just comment on my predicament.

Any comments will be much appreciated. ;)

Comments

[mrissa.livejournal.com]

Have you read Hofstadter's Le Ton Beau de Marot? It's all about poetry and translation. It ate my head.

[avrelia.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the suggestion!

I haven't heard of this book before, but I've just ordered it in the library.

[azdak.livejournal.com]

I think you're wrong wrong WRONG about Shakespeare! Heh. Seriously, I can't bear to read Shakespeare in German or Goethe in English. And that's just the plays. When it comes to poems I can't bear to read translations full stop, although, like you, I bow to necessity when it comes to languages I don't speak. Oh, and quite often German translations are better than English when it comes to languages I don't speak - I mean, English translations of Chekhov? {shudder}

I dunno, I think you're missing something when it comes to English poetry, because all that stuff you say about Russian is just as true of English. Unless maybe English poetry is a bit low key in comparison? It's hard tos ay.

[avrelia.livejournal.com]

See, I know that I am wrong. I actually read the plays I love in English. Elizabethan Engllish still requires more effort to get into.

and I know that English poetry must be as enjoyable as Russian one - so the question really is are we getting poetry in our native languages better, or do we get it differently, or is it just me?

[lillianmorgan.livejournal.com]

I have a book of Rilke's poetry - on one page the text is in German and on the facing page it's in English - and every time I read the poetry in German and then look to the English I just go huh?
I try and read Neruda in Spanish (mainly because the Spanish is easy) not because I'm a big linguist.
Translation is very difficult especially for poetry - not just the words, but the flow and essence have to be captured and reinterpreted into another language, and I've never seen that done well!
I love poetry.
::sigh:: God, yes :)

[avrelia.livejournal.com]

Yes, translations are difficult - one usually goes either for the form (literal) or for the meaning/content, and since the poetry is a blend of both it always loses something in the process.

Yet to read only what is written in our native languges would make us much more poor.

[(Anonymous)]

Hi, hope you don't mind me commenting, but I was so interested in what you wrote. I am English first language, but born and brought up in Wales, second language and I also read French pretty much fluently.
Translations don't work for me, even particularly with the Welsh which can rely on all sorts of internal rhyme schemes it doesn't matter if I miss some of the meaning the way the words flow together is all important, perhaps that's why my favourite poets writing in English are Gerard Manley Hopkins and Dylan Thomas. Jane

[avrelia.livejournal.com]

Hi!

It is great that you commented. And - hey!- great points: for me the way words flow together in poetry is much more important than the meaning. I guess , another interesting topic would be how different languages organize poetry in different periods of time - what you said about the internat rhyme scemes - but I am not that good with philology.

And I'll check out your favourite poets!

[gobi-rex.livejournal.com]

Curiously, I started to enjoy Shakespeare only in English. Well, I can't say it's my favorite reading ever, but I definitely enjoy it more in English.

I have similar experiences when I read poetry in English. I always feel like I'm not getting it entirely, you know? I also wonder if it's because English is not my native language. Also, I've noticed that I tend to race through Russian poetry and thus not get all the subtleties unless I reread. I'm a much more attentive reader when it comes to English poems.

[avrelia.livejournal.com]

Sometimes I think I just try too hard to enjoy it - which is counter-productive.

Also, I've noticed that I tend to race through Russian poetry and thus not get all the subtleties unless I reread.

I get it. Sometimes I also feel like it, and I am not sure whether it's me or the poems just don't grab me.

That's where reading aloud helps. If there are nobody human around (my dog didn't mind.)