This is for you.
We know that there are several modes of translation specially when it comes to poetry. Contextual, idiomatic, literal and poetic/rhythmic..
Who is qualified to translate, specially such delicate language as poetry?
Must not one know both languages perfectly, literally, idiomatically and culturally?
Don’t look at me. I don’t know either language to even pass a drivers’ license application. The reason why I have so many dictionaries in my library, to view words from as many angles as offered.
Here is one of many opinions. This is obviously by a non-European speaker (Farsi? Arabic?). It could easily apply to Armenian as well;
QUOTE
The translation process
It’s very rare to find someone who is steeped in a non-European language well enough to understand its poetry and who is also capable of writing poetry in English. This is why all our translations are collaborations. They’re produced either by poet-translator pairings, or as a result of discussions in our poetry translation workshops.
The translation process has three stages. First we look at the original poem: even if most of us can’t understand a word, it’s always important to hear its music, and to look at how the poet has placed it on the page. Secondly, the language expert produces a literal translation that’s as close to the original as possible. And finally, there’s the long and detailed negotiation that ends with the translated poem.
It’s very rare to find someone who is steeped in a non-European language well enough to understand its poetry and who is also capable of writing poetry in English. This is why all our translations are collaborations. They’re produced either by poet-translator pairings, or as a result of discussions in our poetry translation workshops.
The translation process has three stages. First we look at the original poem: even if most of us can’t understand a word, it’s always important to hear its music, and to look at how the poet has placed it on the page. Secondly, the language expert produces a literal translation that’s as close to the original as possible. And finally, there’s the long and detailed negotiation that ends with the translated poem.
I am known as the house iconoclast, so let me clast/break a few more icons. People should learn the languages in question before they launch a career.
Who am I to criticize her? When is the last time I have appeared in the annals and respected journals of poetry?
With all due respects to Diana as she has single handedly done more to spread Armenian literature to the world as never before. We know Diana DerHovanessian is an icon, a goddess in her own right, but should she not first learn the respective languages? I have not met her in person or heard her speak Armenian. I would dare say that it is probably limited to what some call “kitchen Armenian”. Look above “pairing”, the reason why she “pairs” with the likes of Marzbed Margosian, who may know the Armenian language (doubtful ?, see the translation of բար=fruit, harvest to mean բառ=word, and his mastery of the English language or the Armenian is questionable at best). Does she qualify as our goddess of poetry when she does not know the difference between բար and բառ? Look how they translated “երկաթագիր”, which is a proper noun not a description, it is often substituted with “mesropian or capital letters , գլխագիր”. The reason it is called “yerkatagir” refers to rock writings chiseled with iron tools. They translated լուսապսակ as “brow”, not knowing that it meals “halo”, you know, that circle of light around the saints’ head., I would have used “haloed, or hallowed”.
Do either of them know what “nayirian” means? Did they consult our house linguist Nairi?
We will not talk about how she transliterates her Name as DER, rather than TER, that the AybBenGim is juxtaposed to the AlpaBetaGamma.
Poetry in motion.
Yes, we love and adore our modern day "erato", goddess of poetry Diana-Aanaid, but shlould not someone discreetly take her aised and advise her that she learn our Mesropian language in all its delicacy and nuances?
http://apps.facebook...In Motion?apv=1
I have not read Diana’s translations, I don’t need to as I can read them in their original Armenian, but she must be a saint in her own right for those who cannot.
Look how Diana translated “բար”**, and surprise, surprise someone translated it to furkish from her English. “Guneshde bishmish lezzetini, ermeni sosjuklerini) ((sunbaked taste of Armenian words?).” I don’t know who it is but the translator (to furkish, Vehbi Tashar) in that site cannot hide their admiration of the Charents, poem. See how Ararat was translated to furkish. He may not known that Masis also refers to that same mountain.
Another site had it- (Note that even in this version someone typed ԲԱՌ in stanza 3).
“Ես իմ անուշ Հայաստանի արեվահամ ԲԱՌ ն եմ սիրում”
**Btw. I did not know the meaning of «բար» either, even if I had been puzzled how Komitas used it in «Tsirani tsar, bar mi tar vay» and Charents used it in «Arevahamay barn em siroum» until I looked it up, and voila! It means «fruit/harvest(baren)»
QUOTE
Ես իմ անուշ Հայաստանի արևահամ բարն եմ սիրում,
Մեր հին սազի ողբանվագ, լացակումած լարն եմ սիրում,
Արնանման ծաղիկների ու վարդերի բույրը վառման,
Ու Նայիրեան աղջիկների հեզաճկուն պա՛րն եմ սիրում։
Սիրում եմ մեր երկինքը մուգ, ջրերը ջինջ, լիճը լուսէ,
Արևն ամռան ու ձմեռվա վիշապաձայն բուքը վսեմ,
Մթում կորած խրճիթների անհյուրընկալ պատերը սև
Ու հնամյա քաղաքների հազարամյա քա՛րն եմ սիրում։
Ուր է՛լ լինեմ - չե՛մ մոռանա ես ողբաձայն երգերը մեր,
Չե՜մ մոռանա աղոթք դարձած երկաթագիր գրքերը մեր,
Ինչքան էլ սո՜ւր սիրտս խոցեն արյունաքամ վերքերը մեր -
Էլի՛ ես որբ ու արնավառ իմ Հայաստան - բա՛ռն եմ սիրում։
Իմ կարոտած սրտի համար ո՛չ մի ուրիշ հեքիաթ չկա.
Նարեկացու, Քուչակի պես լուսապսակ ճակատ չկա.
Աշխա՛րհ անցի՛ր, Արարատի նման ճերմակ գագաթ չկա.
Ինչպես անհաս փառքի ճամբա՝ ես իմ Մասիս սա՛րն եմ սիրում։
Մեր հին սազի ողբանվագ, լացակումած լարն եմ սիրում,
Արնանման ծաղիկների ու վարդերի բույրը վառման,
Ու Նայիրեան աղջիկների հեզաճկուն պա՛րն եմ սիրում։
Սիրում եմ մեր երկինքը մուգ, ջրերը ջինջ, լիճը լուսէ,
Արևն ամռան ու ձմեռվա վիշապաձայն բուքը վսեմ,
Մթում կորած խրճիթների անհյուրընկալ պատերը սև
Ու հնամյա քաղաքների հազարամյա քա՛րն եմ սիրում։
Ուր է՛լ լինեմ - չե՛մ մոռանա ես ողբաձայն երգերը մեր,
Չե՜մ մոռանա աղոթք դարձած երկաթագիր գրքերը մեր,
Ինչքան էլ սո՜ւր սիրտս խոցեն արյունաքամ վերքերը մեր -
Էլի՛ ես որբ ու արնավառ իմ Հայաստան - բա՛ռն եմ սիրում։
Իմ կարոտած սրտի համար ո՛չ մի ուրիշ հեքիաթ չկա.
Նարեկացու, Քուչակի պես լուսապսակ ճակատ չկա.
Աշխա՛րհ անցի՛ր, Արարատի նման ճերմակ գագաթ չկա.
Ինչպես անհաս փառքի ճամբա՝ ես իմ Մասիս սա՛րն եմ սիրում։
Another site has it Ես իմ անուշ Հայաստանի արեվահամ ԲԱՌ ն եմ սիրում
A direct, literal translation from the English below.
The Armenian saying goes; “From mouth to mouth, the needle turns to log- Բերնէ բերան, ասեղը դառնայ գերան”
QUOTE
Severim güneşte pişmiş lezzetini Ermeni sözcüklerinin,
Tatlı hüzünlerde canlı makamını eski zaman utlarının,
Kan kırmızımızı,
Eğilen kokulu gülleri, Nayiran danslarındaki gibi
Durduğu yerde oynadıkları kızlarımızın.
Severim gökyüzünü derin gecenin,
Işıktan göllerimizi,
Ateş püskürten ejderhalar gibi uluyan kış rüzgârlarımızı.
Kararmış duvarlarıyla değer verdiğim en çirkin kulübelerimizi;
Herbir eski şehir taşını bin senelik.
Nereye gitsem,
Götürürüm hüzünlü musikimizi,
Dualara çevrilen çelikten dövülmüş mektuplarımızı
Ne derece içine işlese yaralarım, kurusa kanım ya da kalsam yetim,
Oraya sevgiyle döner özlem çeken kalbim.
Yoktur çehre, yoktur akıl, Narek’inki gibi, Kuçak’ınki gibi,
Yoktur dağ zirvesi Ağrınınki gibi.
Araştır dünyayı, doruk yoktur o kadar beyaz, o kadar kutsal.
Böylece erişilmez bir yol gibi görkeme,
Masis dağıdır sevdiğim benim.
Çeviren: Vehbi Taşar
Yeghishe Charents: ATEŞ ÜLKESİ Diana Der Hovanessian ve Marzbed Margossian tarafından düzenlenen ve İngilizceye çevrilen seçilmiş şiirler.
Ardis Publishers, Ann Arbor, 1986
I LOVE THE SUN SWEET TASTE OF ARMENIA
Yeghishe Charents
I love the sun-baked taste of Armenian words,
The lilt of ancient lutes in sweet laments,
Our blood-red,
Fragrant roses bending as in Nayiran dances,
Danced still by our girls.
I love the deep night sky,
Our lakes of light,
The winter winds that howl like dragons exhaling fire.
The meanest huts with blackened walls are dear to me;
Each of the thousand year old city stones.
Wherever I go,
I take our mournful music,
Our steel forged letters turned to prayers.
However sharp my wounds or drained of blood or orphaned,
My yearning heart turns there with love.
There is no brow, no mind, like Narek's, Koutchak's,
No mountain peak like Ararat's.
Search the world there is no crest so white, so holy.
So like an unreached road to glory,
Masis mountain that I love.
Yeghishe Charents: LAND OF FIRE selected poems edited and translated by Diana Der Hovanessian and Marzbed Margossian
Ardis Publishers, Ann Arbor, 1986
Tatlı hüzünlerde canlı makamını eski zaman utlarının,
Kan kırmızımızı,
Eğilen kokulu gülleri, Nayiran danslarındaki gibi
Durduğu yerde oynadıkları kızlarımızın.
Severim gökyüzünü derin gecenin,
Işıktan göllerimizi,
Ateş püskürten ejderhalar gibi uluyan kış rüzgârlarımızı.
Kararmış duvarlarıyla değer verdiğim en çirkin kulübelerimizi;
Herbir eski şehir taşını bin senelik.
Nereye gitsem,
Götürürüm hüzünlü musikimizi,
Dualara çevrilen çelikten dövülmüş mektuplarımızı
Ne derece içine işlese yaralarım, kurusa kanım ya da kalsam yetim,
Oraya sevgiyle döner özlem çeken kalbim.
Yoktur çehre, yoktur akıl, Narek’inki gibi, Kuçak’ınki gibi,
Yoktur dağ zirvesi Ağrınınki gibi.
Araştır dünyayı, doruk yoktur o kadar beyaz, o kadar kutsal.
Böylece erişilmez bir yol gibi görkeme,
Masis dağıdır sevdiğim benim.
Çeviren: Vehbi Taşar
Yeghishe Charents: ATEŞ ÜLKESİ Diana Der Hovanessian ve Marzbed Margossian tarafından düzenlenen ve İngilizceye çevrilen seçilmiş şiirler.
Ardis Publishers, Ann Arbor, 1986
I LOVE THE SUN SWEET TASTE OF ARMENIA
Yeghishe Charents
I love the sun-baked taste of Armenian words,
The lilt of ancient lutes in sweet laments,
Our blood-red,
Fragrant roses bending as in Nayiran dances,
Danced still by our girls.
I love the deep night sky,
Our lakes of light,
The winter winds that howl like dragons exhaling fire.
The meanest huts with blackened walls are dear to me;
Each of the thousand year old city stones.
Wherever I go,
I take our mournful music,
Our steel forged letters turned to prayers.
However sharp my wounds or drained of blood or orphaned,
My yearning heart turns there with love.
There is no brow, no mind, like Narek's, Koutchak's,
No mountain peak like Ararat's.
Search the world there is no crest so white, so holy.
So like an unreached road to glory,
Masis mountain that I love.
Yeghishe Charents: LAND OF FIRE selected poems edited and translated by Diana Der Hovanessian and Marzbed Margossian
Ardis Publishers, Ann Arbor, 1986
Please, stay by me Diana
Edited by Arpa, 07 September 2008 - 03:14 PM.
