Poetry in Translation

Calendar

WEEK #	TOPICS
1	Introductions. Discussion of goals of poetry translation, special challenges of translating poetry. Discussion of two Russian poems by Alexander Pushkin.
2	Discussion of assignment from the previous week. An introduction to Charles Baudelaire and his times, and a detailed look at multiple translations of a few of his poems. Particularities of French language and culture.
3	An introduction to Garcia Lorca and his times, and a detailed look at multiple translations of a few of his poems. Particularities of Spanish language and culture.
4	An introduction to Sappho, and a detailed look at multiple translations of a few of her poems. Old translations of Sappho are read and compared to modern ones. Particularities of Ancient Greek language and culture.
5	An introduction to Catullus, and a detailed look at multiple translations of a few of his poems. Particularities of Latin language and culture.
6	Haikus from a range of time periods, both Japanese and international, are discussed. Difficulties of translation from Japanese and of the poetic form. Particularities of Japanese language and culture.
7	Chinese poetry: Li Bai and Du Fu. Difficulties of translation from Chinese. Particularities of Chinese language and culture.
8	Discussion of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, which is read both in translation and in the original. Discussion of Middle English to Modern English translation.
9	Discussion of Geoffrey Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales, including the author and his times.
10	Discussion of Beowulf, including the language and the times. Comparison of Beowulf with the previous two works studied.
11	Persian poetry: Mawlūnū Jalūl ad-Din Muhammad Rūumi and Omar Khayyám. Difficulties of translation from Persian. Particularities of Persian language and culture, including Sufism.
12	Poetry from Africa and the Caribbean. Several poems written in Papiamento, Afrikaans and Swahili are discussed. Discussion of poetry written in languages that have lacked official status. Culture and history of the Caribbean and of South Africa.
13	Student presentations of final projects.