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Strategies for Translating Poetry Aesthetically

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DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.2.22475.28961

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 Strategies for Translating Poetry Aesthetically

By
Maha Tahir Eesa, Ph.,D
Dept of English/College of Education
AL_Qadisiya University

24/12/2008
Abstract
Poetic translation is the most debatable field in Translation
Science. Many theorists have different reasoning about its possibility and
impossibility .Most of them agree that the loss of aesthetic value is that
which hinders the translation of poetry.Yet, this value can be preserved if
the translator finds suitable strategies for achieving his task. Strategies of
aesthetic accommodation (proposed by Aiwei 2005) added to the strategy
of compensation (proposed by Eesa, 2006) help to achieve this task, in
addition to following the processes of selection and arrangement and their
principles (proposed by Nida ,1990)on the macro and micro levels of the
poetic texts. Approaching any poetic text with these strategies the
translator of poetry would be able to preserve the overall aesthetic value
.These strategies of aesthetic accommodation and compensation are
applied to an extract from the first part of Burnt Norton(the first quartet in
T.S. Eliot's Four Quartets )to investigate the validity of following them in
translating poetry. Other strategies based on following processes of
selection and arrangement on macro and micro levels are applied to an
extract from the second part of Burnt Norton. Yet, principles of selection
and arrangement are not applied in this study due to the lengthy space they
need if applied.
 Following such strategies makes the translator see the text as a
whole unit in which any loss in any place or device can be compensated
for either in another place or by means of another device to preserve the
overall aesthetic value of the text.
1.Poetic Translation :Pros and Cons

The difficulty of translating poetry comes from the fact that poetry
is seen as the hardest of all literary genres to translate due to the
various linguistic features of sound ,rhyme and meter that are difficult
to account for (Newmark,2004:9) .
The reproduction of the style of the original work is necessary
and possible but it is a hard task to accomplish,Xiaoshu (2003:3) states
.Thus, literary (and poetic) translation has to reproduce the original artistic
images in another language so that the reader of the translation may be
inspired and entertained aesthetically in the same way the native reader is
being done by the original and this makes poetic translation is an ever
debatable matter.
1.1. Unfeasibility of Poetic Translation
Many translators and theorists are skeptic about the translatability
of poetry .They have different reasoning for that, but, they all agree with
Frost’s statement that “poetry is what is lost in translation”, which became
a cliché for those who disavow the translation of poetry.
Jacobson (in Shulte&Biguenet,1992:151) states that by definition
poetry is untranslatable, and only creative transposition is possible. This
transposition could be intralingual(from one poetic shape into another) or
interlingual(from one language into another) or intersemiotic (from one
system of signs into another).
Untranslatability of poetry, for Bonnyfoy (ibid:186),comes from
the many contradictions that the translator meets and can not eliminate that
he must make too many sacrifices. Another source for this untranslatability
could be seen in Benjamin’s notion about the difference in the relationship
between content and language (form) in the original and in the translation.
Such content and form form a certain unity in the original like a fruit and
its skin while the form of the translation envelops content like a royal robe
with ample folds .The language (or form) of the translation is more exalted
than the language of the original and “thus remains unsuited to its content,
overpowering and alien ” which makes the translation
superfluous(ibid:76).This notion is supported by Nietzsche’s position that
the tempo of style in any language is the most difficult to translate(ibid:69).
Raffel(1988:12) attributes the impossibility of translating poetry to
the differences between the SL and the TL that many significant aspects
of the original literary work can not be reproduced in the new language
.This covers phonology, syntactic structures, vocabulary, literary history
and prosody .
The impossibility of translating a poem ,for some, comes from its
being an organic whole in which it is impossible to dissociate its content
from form as far as the functional and aesthetic values are concerned
though content and form can be dissociated as far as the structural or
linguistic and stylistic analyses are concerned (Najjar,1987:103-4).
Nida (1964:177) attributes the problem in translating poetry to
Mukarovsky’s distinction between poetic language and standard language
from the systematic violation of language norm that poetic language
makes and the superimposition of one set of constraints upon another. The
poetic superstructure which is diverse in different languages seems
untranslatable and makes formal agreement rare. Hence ,it is improper to
seek formal equivalence to communicate or elicit similar feelings.
 All these notions make the difficulty of poetic translation spring
from two areas: on the one hand the words and meanings; and the flow
and rhythm(or rhyme)on the other hand.

1.2. Feasibility
Jacobson’s “creative transposition” is not the only outlet for the
poetic translation .Some theorists find different strategies for poetic
translation.

Holmes(1970:94-9)proposes four approaches to translate poetry

with relation to form and content , which reflect also poetic translation
through history. The first one is form –derivative .It comprises the
“mimetic form” in which the metapoem (the translated poem) retains the
form of the original. The translator does his best to imitate the form of the
original though he can not produce an identical one. Since this form
attempts the style of the original, and the rhythm and flow of the original
are essential parts of the message to be transmitted ,it employs a high
degree of dynamic equivalence(Kelly,1979:192).
The second approach is form-derivative as well represented by
the “analogical form” .It looks beyond the original poem itself to the
function of its form within the poetic tradition of the SL then seeks a form
that fills a parallel function within the poetic tradition of the TL .
The third approach is content-derivative and refers to the
“organic form”. In this form the translator starts from the semantic
material and allows it to take on its own unique poetic shape as the
translation develops (Holmes,1970:96).In this form the metapoem has two
inseparable aspects: form and content.
The fourth approach (of extraneous or deviant form) is very
rare. The metapoem does not derive from the content or form of the
original. It transfers the meaning of the poem with greater flexibility than
the mimetic or the analogical forms allow.
Kuic (1970:185) states that an adequate translation of poetry
should be built on three kinds of faithfulness : faithfulness to the meaning
(content) of the original(SL),to the music (form) of the original and to the
spirit of the translator’s mother tongue (the TL).The dualism in the
semantic and stylistic structures of the literary work are surmounted by
a unified interpretation of the work as a structure of meanings on the basis
of the thesis that meaning and its conveyers are one (Popovic,1970:86) .
Since form and content represent integral parts that go hand in
hand to form the poem, they both should be preserved in translation ,but it
is impossible to achieve that without a loss .Being confronted with these
constituents the translator has to choose the essential elements of these
constituents to render at the expense of other subsidiary ones since no
work can be translated without loss. What supports the choice of the
translator underlies the literary and poetic competencies and sensitivity he
has. The literary conventions the translator is endowed with enable him to
distinguish the basic devices and elements to be sensitive to the
peculiarities of each poem to render with the least sacrifice (or loss)
(Eesa,2000:110).
Moreover, aesthetic standards and norms differ from culture to
culture, Wong and Shen (1999:15) states , and for this reason “the
translator should have a clear idea about where the difference is and how
it should be treated ,so that the TL reader might have an analogous ,or at
least not negative ,aesthetic reaction”. If not, no matter how faithful the
translation is ,it may be a failure in aesthetic and pragmatic terms (ibid).
Thus, it is seen that the aesthetic qualities of poetry from one
language into another could be achieved to a limited extent and require
from the translator to become a “literary merchant” trading sense for sound
and meaning for form (Kim,2002:1).
If such qualities are achieved in form ,this would be at the expense
of content and vice versa .This notion is supported by Santiago
(2004:5)who admits that “when the poetic meaning of the TT is bound to
the form it becomes impossible to translate to the text as a whole. It is here
that the translator must choose between translating the form ,or translating
the meaning”. This seems to be one of the outlets for the translatability of
poetry.
Translatability of poetry is supported also by Dastjardi’s position
that poetry does not lose in translation rather it can be preserved ,illustrated
and illuminated if a good job is done because “poetry is in large part found
again and re-painted by the translator”(2005:2).Yet, he admits that many
of the original poetical touches of colour cannot be transposed and must be
arranged .Some arrangements may be more luminous than the original if
the translator considers the “dynamics” of poetry and not its “mechanics”,
as he quotes Kopp’s words (ibid).
This instigates the translator to quest for some strategies to preserve
form and content , though in different proportions, to translate literary texts
aesthetically.
2. Strategies for an Aesthetic Poetic Translation
Aesthetic language ,in Newmark’s sense, is a language that is
designed to please the senses. It achieves that through its actual or imagined
sound effects (onomatopoeia, alliteration, assonance ,rhyme ,meter ,
intonation, stress); through its metaphors and rhythm; balance and contrast
of sentences, clauses and words(1988:42). Thus, in translating expressive
texts(particularly poetry) “there is often a conflict between the expressive
and the aesthetic function[‘truth’ and ‘beauty’] _ the poles of ugly literal
translation and beautiful free translation”(ibid).
 This aesthetic or poetic function is centered in the sound effect of
language which includes meter, repetition and euphony. When this
function is dominant ,the translator may ignore the sense because it
becomes irrelevant ;and when this function is combined with the
expressive and informative functions, equivalence in sound effect should
be taken into consideration(Newmark,1982:141)
Although the myth of untranslatability looks upon poetry as an
untranslatable beauty that once it is touched it is destroyed,Aiwei believes
that poetry is translatable because aesthetics can be reproduced in another
language and culture if accommodation is made(2005:2).The target
readers can obtain similar, if not the same , aesthetic pleasure of the source
readers ,and this should be the criterion for evaluating a successful
translation since the aesthetic function stays at the top in poetic texts.
Aiwei bases his thesis of translatability of poetry on the notion of
accommodation which is of “urgent necessity”. Aesthetics influences
people with different elements and for this reason the accommodation to
target culture, the translator’s consciousness of linguistic and cultural
adaptations to make it easy for readers to understand translated work
without pain or effort in addition to the function or purpose of translation
all are interrelated factors for good translation.
2.1. Aesthetic Accommodation and Compensation
Accommodation requires loss or addition. It is “an aesthetic
accommodation” that represents a strategy for aesthetic poetic translation
(ibid:35)in which the translator adopts artistic modification or adaptation
to make the translated poem read like the original.Aiwei sets this position
against advocators of the untranslatability of poetry and whose belief
springs from two questions:first,the holiness of the original text, and
second ,the absolute unity of meaning and form that they admit no addition
or loss in the transferring process of translation(ibid:6).yet, this strategy
would be refined better if one makes further considerations of aesthetic
compensation.
As a matter of fact ,loss is a by product of any translation of poetry;
therefore, attention should be paid for what stands as a compensation for
that loss to examine whether such compensation succeeds in making up to
preserve the overall value of the work. The aesthetic value of the literary
work(a poem) as a whole should be preserved at the expense of other
irrelevant details. This is achieved through various devices that translators
can compensate by means of which as:metaphor,pun,poetic diction
,neologism …,etc.If the translator feels compelled to skip or neglect one of
these devices, he may be excused to offer something else in its
place(Savory,1967:85)and this helps him to be able to preserve the overall
aesthetic value of the work .
The translator should think of the overall unity of form and content
.If one aspect of the form fails him to produce a certain content, he should
preserve content and endeavour to compensate for the lost aspect of form
somewhere else in the text to preserve the whole value of the work and the
same thing should be done with content .
2.2. Following the Processes of Selection and Arrangement
Another strategy for achieving an aesthetic translation of poetry
could be detected from Nida’s view which represents a solution for the
dichotomy of content –form . He sees content and form as being related to
the processes of selection and arrangement and to the principles that make
content-form effective and in a sense aesthetic.Nida(1990:145)states that
content and form are determined by the processes of selection and
arrangement in many ways on both the macro-level and the micro-level:
On the macro-level of content selection involves “the primary
theme or themes of a discourse, the events , the participants, the setting and
in the case of a fictional narrative, the role of the author or
speaker…”(ibid)while selection of form involves the discourse type(genre)
as well as subtypes. In this sense if one chooses the structure of a lyric
poem, he must choose which grade of formal rigidity to be employed.
Formal selection involves also the level of language (register)whether
ritual, intimate or else and dialectical variety(as archaic ,regional,
supersophisticated and professional(ibid).
As for the arrangement (on the macro-level)Nida adds that it
involves putting together the units of content and form derived through the
process of selection. Arrangement of such units is based on: time ,space
,class, rank, consequence and dialogic sequencing.
On the micro-level , selection involves both content and form : a
set of thematic possibilities that are coherent with the primary themes, in
addition to: "a number of formal techniques or devices ,e.g.,
repetition ,measured lines ( as in poetry), ellipsis asyndeton ,
parallelism , chiasm , nongrammaticality,
and several semantic techniques ,e.g., figurative language, paradox,
irony, hyperbole, euphemism, and indirection". (ibid)

In order to be effective such rhetorical devices should be skillfully

arranged. The arrangement of such devices is very important in addition to
some other factors related to the number and variety of such features and
their density within a text and the order in which they occur and their
relation to the content (ibid:146).
There are some principles for selection and arrangement, of form
and content to be effective (i.e.), to create impact and appeal. The
principles that relate to impact are : novelty ,relevance and realism while
the principles that relate to appeal are of three classes (ibid) :

1.Those which primarily involve content: wholeness , proportion and

coherence,
2.Those which primarily involve form :appropriateness ,cohesion and
prominence;
3.The principle of clarity, which is a matter of form and content in almost
equal measure. (These principles are defined and analyzed with their
applications in a forthcoming study for the lengthy space they need to be
covered).
Strategies of aesthetic accommodation and compensation, and
processes of selection and arrangement are adopted in the analysis and
translation of extrtacts from the first two parts of Burnt Norton ,the first
poem in T.S.Eliot's Four Quartets.
3. Aesthetic Translation of Some Poetic Extracts
Generally Burnt Norton represents the most abstract and difficult
poem in the Four Quartets. Though the Four Quartets is said to be Eliot’s
great Christian poem, Burnt Norton is less close to Christianity than the
ensuing quartets.
3.1. Extract from Part I
The first part opens with a meditation on time and the possible
relationship of present ,past and future. It speculates that such temporal
division may be an allusion and all time is eternally present. The poem
focuses on “what might have been” (the past) more than on what actually
has been. This past is conceived only because we are in the present. This
past is depicted as a passage that leads to an unopened door and an unvisited
garden.
The verse form that constitutes the base for this poem is the four
stress line with strong middle pauses. Eliot uses the base line of four-stress
in addition to five-stress and three-stress lines for variation which can be
regarded a source of beauty as shown in the extract that follows:
 . . . .
Time present and time past 1
. . . .
Are both perhaps present in time future,
. . . . .
And time future contained in time past.
. . .
If all time is eternally present
. . .
All time is unredeemable. 5
(Eliot,1944:13)
Eliot is well aware of the value of the four-stress line and for this
reason he uses it flexibly to overcome monotony. This extract is a good
example of the various use of metre with rising rhythm and which represents
a source for beauty in the poem. Such fact is considered by the translator to
produce an equivalently beautiful translation:
1 ‫اﻟزﻣن اﻟﺣﺎﺿر واﻟزﻣن اﻟﻐﺎﺑر‬
،‫رﺑﻣﺎ ﯾﺣﺿران ﻛﻼﻫﻣﺎ ﻓﻲ زﻣن اﻟﻣﺳﺗﻘﺑل‬
.‫وزﻣن اﻟﻣﺳﺗﻘﺑل ﯾﺣﺗوﯾﻪ زﻣن اﻟﻣﺎﺿﻲ‬
‫ﻟو أن ﻛل زﻣﺎن ﺣﺎﺿر أﺑدا‬
5 .‫ﻻﺿﺣﻰ ﻛل زﻣﺎن ﻏﯾر ﻣﻔﺗدى‬

Another source of beauty in this extract of the poem comes from

alliteration of /p/ in “present” and “past” in the first line ,a device lost in
the translation. For the sake of aesthetic compensation the translator
chooses the word ‫ﻏﺎﺑر‬instead of ‫ ﻣﺎﺿـ ـ ـ ـ ـ ـ ــﻲ‬for the word “past” to make it

rhyme(internally) with ‫ ﺣ ــﺎﺿـ ـ ـ ـ ـ ـ ــر‬to achieve an aesthetic satisfaction and

compensate for the aesthetic loss of alliteration by another aesthetic

addition(or gain).Eye-rhyme with which lines three and four of the ST end
are substituted by end-rhyme in lines four and five in the TT by means of
aesthetic compensation.
 There are some other aesthetic sources that can be detected in the
rest of the following extract and its translation :
What might have been is an abstraction
Remaining a perpetual possibility
Only in a world of speculation.
What might have been and what has been
Point to one end, which is always present.
10
Footfalls echo in the memory
Down the passage which we did not take
Towards the door we never opened
Into the rose-garden. My words echo
Thus, in your mind.
15
But to what purpose
Disturbing the dust on a bowl of rose-leaves
I do not know.

(Eliot,1944:13)

ً‫ﻓﻣﺎ ﻗد ﻛﺎن ﺗﺟرﯾدا‬

‫ﻣﺎﺛﻼً إﻣﻛﺎﻧﯾﺔ ﺳرﻣدﯾﺔ‬
.‫ﻓﻲ ﻋﺎﻟم اﻟﺗﺄﻣل وﺣﺳب‬
‫ﻣﺎﻗد ﻛﺎن وﻣﺎ ﻗد ﯾﻛون‬
10 . ‫ دوﻣﺎ ﺣﺎﺿرة‬،‫ﯾﺷﯾران ﻟﻧﻬﺎﯾﺔ واﺣدﻩ‬
‫ﯾﺗردد وﻗﻊ أﻗدام ﻓﻲ اﻟذاﻛرة‬
‫ﻓﻲ ﻣﻣر ﻣﺎ ﺳﻠﻛﻧﺎﻩ‬
‫ﺻوب ﺑﺎب أﺑدا ﻣﺎ ﻓﺗﺣﻧﺎﻩ‬
‫ ﺗﺗردد ﻛﻠﻣﺎﺗﻲ‬. ‫ﻓﻲ ﺣدﯾﻘﺔ اﻟزﻫور‬
15 .‫ﻓﻲ ذﻫﻧك‬، ‫ﻫﻛذا‬
ٍ
‫ﻏرض‬ ‫إﻧﻣﺎ ﻷي‬
‫ﻗض اﻟﺗراب ﻋن ﻗدح أوراق اﻟزﻫر‬
. ‫ﻻ اﻋرف‬
 The alliteration in “perpetual” and “possibility” could not be
achieved in the translation,therefore,the translator yields to another device
to compensate for such a loss .Rhyming words ‫ إﻣﻛﺎﻧﯾﺔ‬and ‫ ﺳ ــرﻣدﯾﺔ‬are used

to enrich the translation aesthetically .Alliteration could not be achieved

also in the tenth line and this represents a loss of such aesthetic device .To
compensate for this loss the translator uses end rhyme so that to preserve
the total value of the original text. This is done by making lines ten and
eleven rhyme though they do not rhyme in the original. The same act of
compensation is conducted in lines twelve and thirteen compensating for
the loss of alliteration in line twelve.
An aesthetic accommodation is reflected in the translation of the
active participle “disturbing” into ‫( ﻗـ ـ ـ ــض‬noun)and not ً‫( ﻗـ ـ ـ ــﺎﺿ ـ ـ ـ ـ ـ ـ ـ ـ ـ ـ ـﺎ‬active

participle)_though grammatically the latter is a more correct and accurate

translation of “disturbing”in carrying the sense of continuity _because in
such a context ‫ ﻗض‬is structurally more correct in the TT .Furthermore, it is

harmonious with ‫ ﻏرض‬in the repetition of sound /d/ to compensate for the

alliteration of /d/ in “disturbing” and “dust” in the ST.

Having probed the aesthetic accommodation in the first part of the
poem, the following analysis investigates the processes of selection and
arrangement on the macro and micro levels in the second part of Burnt
Norton.
3.2. Extract from Part II
This part shows sensitiveness to political overtones and patterning
of earthly and heavenly phenomena.
Processes of selection and arrangement on the macro and micro
levels help the translator to penetrate the content and form of the poem. The
primary theme of this part is the patterning of the universe. On the macro-
level this theme of patterning requires a form that is highly patterned and for
this reason Eliot selected a form of a rhymed lyric. Having made such a
selection ,Eliot arranges the units of form and content in a consequence
sequencing that shows promotion in rank from the lowest to the highest .The
lyric begins with “mud” and ends with “among the stars”. Such motion of
ascent and descent shows promotion .
The “tree” signifies the low level of earthly base symbolized by the
vegetable (garlic).From this level Eliot descends to another level of minerals
(sapphires) then to the animal and human level with the images of the
circulation of the blood .This tree is the tree of Yggdrasil which is rooted in
the earth but reaches towards the heaven and for this reason it represents a
union of earthly and heavenly phenomena (Quinn,1982:16).
On the micro-level Eliot arranges units of content and form
according to three ranks: vegetable ,mineral ,and human being. The high
rank human being gains from ascent is a consequence of having passed
through a previous experience. The constellation of the stars corresponds to
the circulation of the blood .There are two worlds one is below and another
is above the axle-tree. This shows the union between the earthly and
heavenly phenomena. Such thematic possibility selected on the micro-level
coheres with the primary themes of the whole lyric.
On the same (micro) level the poet arranges rhetorical devices of
figurative language (as asyndeton, ellipsis, repetition) skillfully to make the
text effective. Asyndeton is a Greek word for “unconnected” or “leaving
out” .It is a figurative (rhetorical) device, a form of ellipsis , in which a
word (or several words) is omitted for the sake of speed and economy. The
omitted words might take the form of conjunctions, articles and even
pronouns (Cuddon,1982:60-1).
Ellipsis also is a figurative device in which a word or more is left out
in order to achieve a more compact expression (ibid:216-7).As for repetition
it is a figurative device that represents an essential unifying device as well
. It may cover sounds, particular syllables and words, phrases stanzas,
metrical patterns, ideas and allusions. Such repetition takes different forms
of refrain ,assonance, rhyme, internal rhyme ,alliteration and onomatopoeia
(ibid:564).These devices are analyzed below with relation to their thematic
values on the micro-level .
Garlic and sapphires in the mud 1
Clot the bedded axle-tree,
The thrilling wire in the blood
Sings below inveterate scars
Appeasing long forgotten wars. 5
The dance along the artery
The circulation of the lymph
Are figured in the drift of stars
Ascend to summer in the tree
We move above the moving tree 10
In light upon the figured leaf
And hear upon the sodden floor
Below, the boarhound and the boar
Pursue their pattern as before
But reconciled among the stars. 15

(Eliot,1944:15)

This extract is given the following translation:

١ ‫ﺛوم وﯾﺎﻗوت ﻓﻲ اﻟطﯾن‬
‫ﯾﺗﻛﺗﻼن ﻋﻠﻰ ﻣﺣور اﻟﺷﺟرة اﻷﺛﯾل‬
‫وﻓﻲ اﻟدم ﻋرق ﯾﺳﯾل‬
‫ﯾﻐﻧﻲ ﻧدوﺑﺎ ﻏزﯾر ﺟﻧﺎﻫﺎ‬
٥ . ‫ﻟﯾﺳﻛن ﺣروﺑﺎ طوﺗﻬﺎ اﻟﺳﻧﯾن‬
‫اﻟرﻗص ﻋﻠﻰ طول ﺣﺑل اﻟوﺗﯾن‬
‫ودورة اﻟﻠﻣف‬
‫ﻣرﺳوﻣﺗﺎن ﻓﻲ ﻣﺳﯾر اﻟﻧﺟوم‬
‫ﯾﺻﻌدان ﺻﯾﻔﺎ أﻋﺎﻟﻲ اﻟﺷﺟر‬
١٠ ‫ارﺗﻘﯾﻧﺎ ﺑﻌض أﻏﺻﺎن ﺗﻣﯾد‬
 ‫ﻓﻲ اﻟﻧور أﻋﻠﻰ ﺣﻔﯾف اﻟﺷﺟر‬
‫وﺳﻣﻌﻧﺎ ﻣن اﻷرض اﻟﻣﺧﺿﻠﺔ‬
‫ﺧﻧزﯾر وﺗﺎﺑﻌﻪ‬،‫ﻓﻲ اﻷﺳﻔل‬
‫ﯾﺣذون ﺣذو ﻣن ﺳﺑﻘوﻫم‬
١٥ . ‫ﯾﻘرون ﺑﯾن اﻟﻧﺟوم‬
ّ ‫وﻟﻛن‬

The translation tries to preserve the units of form and content on the
macro- and micro-levels .On the macro-level the translator selects a
patterned form to reflect the theme of patterning that the poet intends though
with a different rhyme confined to what Arabic diction allows. The
translation also follows the same arrangement of units in the original text.
Moreover, the thematic elements selected on the micro-level which coheres
with the primary theme of the lyric are arranged through rhetorical devices.
The figurative language of the poem is rendered in the translation as
in “sings below inveterate scars” ‫ﯾﻐﻧﻲ ﻧــدوﺑــﺎ ﻏزﯾر ﺟﻧــﺎﻫ ـﺎ‬ in line 4 and “the

dance along the artery” ‫ اﻟرﻗص ﻋﻠﻰ طول ﺣﺑل اﻟوﺗﯾن‬in line 6 .In this image the

vein throbbing with life is given an image of dancing. There is another

literary device used in line 7, represented by asyndeton. The conjunction
“and” is assumed to be deleted from the beginning of this line .Lines 6 and
7 are supposed to be connected originally with the word “and”:
The dance along the artery
And the circulation of the lymph
Both “the dance” and “the circulation” are meant in “are figured”
in line 8.The poet omits the conjunction because rhythm of this line
requires economy.This device should not be followed in the translation
into Arabic. On the contrary, the translator should add the conjunction “‫”و‬

for the sake of rhythm as in:

‫اﻟرﻗص ﻋﻠﻰ طول ﺣﺑل اﻟوﺗﯾن‬
 ‫و دورة اﻟﻠﻣف‬

Moreover, there is a grammatical necessity to add the conjunction

‫ و‬to the translation to make it correct and this correct version in Arabic

endows the text with beauty.

An example of ellipsis could be detected in line 15 :
But reconciled among the stars
Originally this line might have been :
But they are reconciled among the stars
“They are” is omitted to make the line compact to achieve aesthetic
flavour. Such a device is used also in the translation because it is part of
aesthetics in Arabic language as well since stylistically it is preferable as in:
‫ﯾﻘرون ﺑﯾن اﻟﻧﺟوم‬
ّ ‫ وﻟﻛن‬.Before being ellipted it would have been: ‫ﯾﻘرون ﺑﯾن‬
ّ ‫وﻟﻛﻧﻬم‬

‫ اﻟﻧﺟوم‬.

As a figurative device repetition also is used in the ST extract. The

word “stars” appears in lines 8 and 15 to emphasize the image of ascend.
Such a repetition is rendered faithfully in the TT. Yet, there is another
repetition in which the translator does not restrict herself to the lexis of the
ST. The words “move above” and “moving” (l.10) are translated into ‫ارﺗﻘﯾﻧﺎ‬

and ‫ ﺗ ـ ـ ـ ـﻣ ـ ـ ـ ـﯾـ ـ ـ ــد‬respectively to create lexical variety that enriches the TT

aesthetically. Such translation creates unity in variety that deepens the theme
of movement which leads to stillness and which covers different aspects in
life.
The use of paronomasia (‫ ) ﯾﺣـ ــذون ﺣـ ــذو‬in line 14 of the translation

represents another source of beauty in the TT compensating for lost music

in "the boarhound and the boar" .
4. Conclusion
Despite the difficulty and unfeasibility of translating poetry due to
the loss of aesthetic value, there are some strategies to preserve this value
and compensate for it .Following strategies of aesthetic accommodation and
compensation, and processes of selection and arrangement preserves the
overall aesthetic value of poetry and makes the translation of this genre
possible.
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