Each week, students examined poems that were written in a different foreign language. Students also read background information on the different languages and cultures, in order to gain an appreciation for the challenges inherant in translating poems from those languages into English. If students were able to read the poem in its original language, they were asked to prepare their own translations of the original poem.
Course readings.
| WEEK # | POETS | POEMS | TRANSLATIONS | ADDITIONAL INFORMATION |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Alexander Pushkin Background: |
Ty i vy (You and Thou) Ja vas lyubil (I loved you) |
Ty i vy (You and Thou) Online Translations: “You and thee” - Alexandr S Pushkin Ja vas lyubil (I loved you) Online Translations: |
The Alexander Pushkin Homepage |
| 2 |
Charles Baudelaire Background: Charles Baudelaire (1821-1867) Information about Charles Baudelaire and Les Fleurs de Mal |
Au Lecteur Les Aveugles Je n’ai pas oublieé, voisine de la ville Le Chat Le Lethe A une passante Harmonie du soir |
Au Lecteur Baudelaire, Charles. Complete Poems. Translated by Walter Martin. Manchester, UK: Carcanet Press, 1998. ISBN: 9781857540499. ———. One Hundred Poems from Les Fleurs du mal. Translated by C. F. MacIntyre. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press, 1947. ———. Poems; A Translation of Les Fleurs du mal. Translated by Roy Campbell. London, UK: Harvill Press, 1952. Les Aveugles and Je n’ai pas oublieé, voisine de la ville Baudelaire, Charles*. Baudelaire in English*. Edited by Carol Clark and Robert Sykes. New York, NY: Penguin Classics, 1998. ISBN: 9780140446449. The poem from the book, Reed, Jeremy. You’d sleep with Anything, and written “after Charles Baudelaire” was also discussed. Online Translations: |
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| 3 |
Frederico Garcia Lorca Background: |
La Aurora Vuelta de Paseo Soneto de la guirnalda de rosas; Soneto de la dulce queja Pueblo |
La Aurora Garca Lorca, Federico. Selected Poems. Translated by Merryn Williams. Newcastle upon Tyne, UK: Bloodaxe Books, 1992. ISBN: 9781852241605. ———. Poet in New York; Complete Spanish Text. Translated by Ben Belitt. Introduced by ngel del Ro. New York, NY: Grove Press, 1997. ———. The Poetical Works of Federico Garca Lorca. Edited by Christopher Maurer. New York, NY: Farrar Straus Giroux, 1988. ISBN: 9780374520830. Vuelta de Paseo Garca Lorca, Federico. The Poetical Works of Federico Garca Lorca. Edited by Christopher Mauer. New York, NY: Farrar Straus Giroux, 1988. ISBN: 9780374520830. ———. Poet in New York; Complete Spanish Text. Translated by Ben Belitt. Introduced by ngel del Ro. New York, NY: Grove Press, 1997. ———. Poet in New York. Edited, Introduction, and Notes by Christopher Mauer. Translated by Greg Simon and Steven F. White. New York, NY: Farrar, Straus and Giroux; Bilingual edition, 1998. ISBN: 9780374525408. Soneto de la guirnalda de rosas; Soneto de la dulce queja Garca Lorca, Federico. Selected Poems. Translated by Merryn Williams. Newcastle upon Tyne, UK: Bloodaxe Books, 1992. ISBN: 9781852241605. ———. Poet in New York. Edited, Introduction, and Notes by Christopher Mauer. Translated by Greg Simon and Steven F. White. New York, NY: Farrar, Straus and Giroux; Bilingual edition, 1998. ISBN: 9780374525408. Pueblo Garca Lorca, Federico. Selected Poems. Translated by Merryn Williams. Newcastle upon Tyne, UK: Bloodaxe Books, 1992. ISBN: 9781852241605. ———. The Poetical Works of Federico Garca Lorca. Edited by Christopher Mauer. New York, NY: Farrar Straus Giroux, 1988. ISBN: 9780374520830. |
n/a |
| 4 |
Sappho Background: All of the Poems listed have Translations given on: |
Hymn to Aphrodite The Moon has Set … Hail, Gentle Evening, that bringst back … That one Seems to Me the Equal of the Gods … |
Hymn to Aphrodite This is the only complete Sappho poem we have. The Moon has Set … Hail, Gentle Evening, that bringst back … Sappho ‘Hesperus, You Bring Back Again’ That one Seems to Me the Equal of the Gods … The first Web site includes 26 translations of the poem, some of them into languages other than English. |
The following site has been mentioned above and has a great collection of links to translations of Sappho poetry: |
| 5 |
Catullus Background: |
LI. Ille mi par esse deo videtur … XCII, XCIII, XCIV LXXIV. Gellius audierat, partuum obiurgare solere … II. Passer, deliciae meae puellae … CI. Mulatas per gentes et multa per aequora vectus … XIII. Cenabis bene, mi Fabulle apud me … |
LI. Ille mi par esse deo videtur … This poem is a translation of Sappho’s “That one Seems to me the Equal of the Gods … “. Catullus, Gaius Valerius. The Poetry of Catullus. Translated by C. H. Sisson. New York, NY: Orion Press, 1967. ———. Catullus. Edited, Translated, Introduced, and Notes by G. P. Goold. London, UK: Duckworth, 1983. ISBN: 9780715614358. ———. The Complete Poetry. Translated and Introduced by Frank O. Copley. Ann Arbor, MI: University of Michigan Press, 1957. XCII, XCIII, XCIV Catullus, Gaius Valerius. Catullus. Edited, Translated, Introduced, and Notes by G. P. Goold. London, UK: Duckworth, 1983. ISBN: 9780715614358. ———. The Complete Poetry. Translated and Introduced by Frank O. Copley. Ann Arbor, MI: University of Michigan Press, 1957. ———. Carmina. Translated by Barriss Mills. West Lafayette, IN: Purdue University Studies, 1965. LXXIV. Gellius audierat, partuum obiurgare solere… Catullus, Gaius Valerius. The Poetry of Catullus. Translated by C. H. Sisson. New York, NY: Orion Press, 1967. ———. Carmina. Translated by Barriss Mills. West Lafayette, IN: Purdue University Studies, 1965. ———. The Poems of Catullus. Translated by Horace Gregory. New York, NY: Covici-Friede, 1931. II. Passer, deliciae meae puellae … Catullus, Gaius Valerius. The Poetry of Catullus. Translated by C. H. Sisson. New York, NY: Orion Press, 1967. ———. The Complete Poetry. Translated and Introduced by Frank O. Copley. Ann Arbor, MI: University of Michigan Press, 1957. ———. The Poems of Catullus. Translated by Horace Gregory. New York, NY: Covici-Friede, 1931. CI. Mulatas per gentes et multa per aequora vectus … Catullus, Gaius Valerius. Carmina. Translated by Barriss Mills. West Lafayette, IN: Purdue University Studies, 1965. ———. The Poetry of Catullus. Translated by C. H. Sisson. New York, NY: Orion Press, 1967. ———. Catullus. Edited, Translated, Introduced, and Notes by G. P. Goold. London, UK: Duckworth, 1983. ISBN: 9780715614358. XIII. Cenabis bene, mi Fabulle apud me … Catullus, Gaius Valerius. The Poems of Catullus. Translated by Horace Gregory. New York, NY: Covici-Friede, 1931. ———. Catullus. Edited, Translated, Introduced, and Notes by G. P. Goold. London, UK: Duckworth, 1983. ISBN: 9780715614358. ———. The Poetry of Catullus. Translated by C. H. Sisson. New York, NY: Orion Press, 1967. |
Complete collection of Catullus poems, each with an English translation: Complete list of the poems of Catullus A Variety of Catullus Resources: |
| 6 |
Translating Asian Poetry Students read the following chapters from The poem behind the poem: translating Asian poetry. Edited by Frank Stewart. Port Townsend, WA: Copper Canyon Press, 2004. ISBN: 9781556592003 The Chinese Poem: The Visible and the Invisible in Chinese Poetry, by Forms Transformed: Japanese Verse in English Translation, by Hiroaki Sato Midwifing the Underpoem, by Leza Lowitz Once More, on the Empty Mountain, by J. P. Seaton The Poem Behind the Poem: Literary Translation as American Poetry, by Tony A Poem Should Mean and Be: Remarks on the Translation of Sustenance: A Life in Translation, by Sam Hamill Haiku Rather than comparing a large number of haikus translations, the class read a variety of haikus from different eras, both from Japan and other countries. Background: |
Error Message Haikus Classic Japanese Haiku Miscellaneous Modern Japanese Haiku Modern International Haiku |
Error Message Haikus These haikus illustrate the kinds of stereotypes Americans have about the haiku form. Classic Japanese Haiku Matsuo, Bashō. The Essential Bashō. Translated by Sam Hamill. Boston, MA: Shambhala, 1999, pp. 116-119, 142, 143, 152, and 153. ISBN: 9781570622823. Ueda, Makoto. Matsuo Bashō. New York, NY: Twayne Publishers, 1970, pp. 60-61. Miscellaneous Addiss, Stephen, Fumiko Yamamoto, and Akira Yamamoto. Haiku People: Big and Small in Poems and Prints. New York, NY: Weatherhill, 1998, pp. 50. ISBN: 9780834804173. Clements, Jonathan, tr. The Moon in the Pines: Zen Haiku. Selected by Jonathan Clements. Studio; 1st American ed edition, 2000, pp. 75. ISBN: 9780670892297. Modern Japanese Haiku Stryk, Lucien, tr. Cage of Fireflies: Modern Japanese Haiku. Swallow Press, 1993. ISBN: 9780804009775. Modern International Haiku Kacian, Jim, ed. Pegging The Wind. Winchester, VA: Red Moon Press, 2003, pp. 26, 27, 44, 45, 60, 61, 74, and 75. ISBN: 9781893959323. |
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| 7 |
Li Bai (Li Po) Background: Du Fu Background: |
Li Bai (Li Po) Sitting Alone on Chingting Mountain Amusing Myself Hearing a Monk of Shu Play the Lute Du Fu Spring Prospect Night at the Tower Staying Overnight at the Chancellery in Spring |
Li Bai (Li Po) Sitting Alone on Chingting Mountain Pine, Red, tr. Poems of the Masters = Qian jia shi: China’s Classic Anthology of T’ang and Sung Dynasty Verse. Port Townsend, WA: Copper Canyon Press, 2003. ISBN: 9781556591952. Liu, Wu-Chi, and Irving Yucheng Lo, eds. Sunflower Splendor: Three Thousand Years of Chinese Poetry. Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Press, 1990. ISBN: 9780253355805. Amusing Myself Whincup, Greg, comp. The Heart of Chinese Poetry. New York, NY: Anchor Press, 1987. ISBN: 9780385239677. Liu, Wu-Chi, and Irving Yucheng Lo, eds. Sunflower Splendor: Three Thousand Years of Chinese Poetry. Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Press, 1990. ISBN: 9780253355805. Hearing a Monk of Shu Play the Lute Whincup, Greg, comp. The Heart of Chinese Poetry. New York, NY: Anchor Press, 1987. ISBN: 9780385239677. Liu, Wu-Chi, and Irving Yucheng Lo, eds. Sunflower Splendor: Three Thousand Years of Chinese Poetry. Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Press, 1990. ISBN: 9780253355805. Du Fu Spring Prospect Whincup, Greg, comp. The Heart of Chinese Poetry. New York, NY: Anchor Press, 1987. ISBN: 9780385239677. Liu, Wu-Chi, and Irving Yucheng Lo, eds. Sunflower Splendor: Three Thousand Years of Chinese Poetry. Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Press, 1990. ISBN: 9780253355805. Night at the Tower Sze, Arthur, ed. The Silk Dragon: Translations from the Chinese. Port Townsend, WA: Copper Canyon Press, 2001. ISBN: 9781556591532. Staying Overnight at the Chancellery in Spring Whincup, Greg, comp. The Heart of Chinese Poetry. New York, NY: Anchor Press, 1987. ISBN: 9780385239677. Pine, Red, tr. Poems of the Masters = Qian jia shi: China’s Classic Anthology of T’ang and Sung Dynasty Verse. Port Townsend, WA: Copper Canyon Press, 2003. ISBN: 9781556591952. |
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| 8 |
Old and Middle English Background: Anonymous (Middle English) Background: |
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight |
Merwin, W. S., tr. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight: A New Verse Translation. 1st ed. Knopf, 2002. ISBN: 9780375414763. Stone, Brian, tr. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. Harmondsworth, UK: Penguin Books, 1959. ISBN: 9780140440928. Lines read: 1-55, 1181-1240, 2265-2326. |
Language: Literature: Anthology of Middle English Literature (1350-1485) Anonymous (Middle English) Full Original Text: Prose Translations: |
| 9 |
Geoffrey Chaucer Background: |
The Canterbury Tales |
Sections read: The General Prologue through line 42, The Wife of Bath’s Prologue, The Cook’s Prologue and The Cook’s Tale. Chaucer, Geoffrey. The Canterbury Tales. Edited, Introduced, and Notes by Jill Mann. London, UK: Penguin Classics, 2005. ISBN: 9780140422344. ———. The Canterbury Tales. Translated into modern English by Nevill Coghill. London, UK: Penguin Classics, 2003. ISBN: 9780140424386. ———. Canterbury Tales. Translated into modern English by J. U. Nicolson. Dover Publications; New Ed edition., 2004. ISBN: 9780486431628. |
Audio Recordings: Original Text: |
| 10 |
Anonymous (Old English) Background: |
Beowulf |
Lines read: 1-52, 688-735, 3137-end. Heaney, Seamus, tr. Beowulf: A New Verse Translation. New York, NY: W.W. Norton, 2001. ISBN: 9780393320978. Donoghue, Daniel, ed. Beowulf: A Verse Translation: Authoritative Text, Contexts, Criticism. Translated by Seamus Heaney. New York: W.W. Norton, 2001. ISBN: 9780393975802. M. Anderson, Sarah. Beowulf. Translated by Alan Sullivan and Timothy Murphy. New York, NY: Pearson/Longman, 2004. ISBN: 9780321107206. F. Huppé, Bernard, tr. Beowulf, a New Translation. Binghamton, NY: Longman, 2004. ISBN: 9780321107206. |
Copy of the original Beowulf text. Recording of the Old English version of Beowulf. (YouTube video). Recording of Seamus Heaney reading excerpts from his translation of Beowulf. (YouTube video) |
| 11 |
Rumi Background: Omar Khayyám The class read selections from the Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyám. Background: |
Rumi Ghazal 1919 (This is Love …) A Thief in the Night/And He is With Us Ghazal 116 Omar Khayyám Selected Rubaiyat |
Rumi Ghazal 1919 (This is Love …) Jalūl ad-Din Rūumi, Maulana. Love is a Stranger: Selected Lyric Poetry of Jelaluddin Rumi. Translated by Kabir Edmund Helminski. Putney, VT: Threshold Books, c1993. ISBN: 9780939660322. A Thief in the Night / And He is With Us Jalūl ad-Din Rūumi, Maulana. Love is a Stranger: Selected Lyric Poetry of Jelaluddin Rumi. Translated by Kabir Edmund Helminski. Putney, VT: Threshold Books, c1993. ISBN: 9780939660322. Ghazal 116 Jalūl ad-Din Rūumi, Maulana. Love is a Stranger: Selected Lyric Poetry of Jelaluddin Rumi. Translated by Kabir Edmund Helminski. Putney, VT: Threshold Books, c1993. ISBN: 9780939660322. Omar Khayyám The Rubaiyat are numbered differently in different translations, so the numbers of the Rubaiyat read are given separately for each translation under the citation. Fitzgerald’s translation, second edition: 623. Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam of Naishapur - Rubaiyat Number: 1, 12, 19, 58, and 72. Fitzgerald’s translation, fifth edition (first also available here): The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayam - Rubaiyat Number: 1, 12, 19, 58, and 72. Medieval Sourcebook: Omar Khayyam (d. 1123 CE): The Rubaiyat, c. 1120 - Rubaiyat Number: 452, 104, and 284. [750] The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam A number of translations of the Rubaiyat numbered 12 by Fitzgerald, all of which are to be read. Khayyam, Omar. Omar Khayyám, a new version based upon recent discoveries. Translated by Arthur J. Arberry. London, UK: J. Murray, 1952. Rubaiyat Number: 66, 161, 247, 107, 190. Also discussion on pp. 18, 19. ———. The Romance of the Rubaiyat. Translated by Edward Fitzgerald’s. Introduced and Notes by A. J. Arberry. London, UK: G. Allen and Unwin, 1959. |
Rumi A Tribute to Molana Jalal-e-Din Mohammad Molavi Rumi Recordings: Omar Khayyám |
| 12 |
Selected Papiamento (language) poets Selected Afrikaans (Language) poets Selected Swahili (Language) poets |
Papiamento Poets Gladys do Rego-Kuster Imelda Valerianus-Fermina Belen Kock-Marchena Afrikaans Poets Swahili Poets Traditional (Anonymous) |
Papiamento Poems Creation fire: a CAFRA Anthology of Caribbean Women’s Poetry. Edited by Ramabai Espinet. Toronto, Canada: Sister Vision, 1991. ISBN: 9780920813027. Gladys do Rego-Kuster, “Poem” Imelda Valerianus-Fermina, “Muhe” (“Woman”) Belen Kock-Marchena, “Poem” Afrikaans Poems Antjie Krog, Swahili Poems |
Background: |
| 13 | Student Presentations | Student Presentations | Student Presentations | Student Presentations |
