The Value and Importance of Translation in Poetry
Khalid H Khan:
Translation in literature is a vital means of conveying ideas and emotions across different cultures. Literature includes many forms such as poetry, prose, drama, and fiction. Among these, poetry is the most challenging to translate because of its rhythm, symbolic and figurative expressions, and cultural nuances. Hence, translating poetry is a highly complicated task.
The essence of poetry often encounters difficulties in conveying the original meaning, even under the best possible translation. This is because poetry develops within its own cultural context and is expressed through a particular language. Culture varies significantly from one society to another; therefore, the deeper meanings of a poem are not always easy to carry from one language to another.
There are some moments in real life within our Bengali culture that are also reflected in literature—in prose, poetry, or even in songs—which go beyond the expressive power of language itself and can only be felt. In such cases, translation becomes almost helpless.
Two simple but highly touching examples may be cited instantly.
As the first example, we may refer to what we sometimes see when a mother affectionately addresses her son as “পাগল ছেলে আমার!”, which is a divine expression of affection from a mother for her son.
As a second example, we may imagine a scene in a moderately conservative family atmosphere where a mother is inviting her nephew to visit their house again, while she senses a hidden eagerness in her daughter who is standing close beside her. When the boy begins to hesitate and fumble for words, the daughter becomes upset with her cousin and says, “থাক, আপনাকে আসতে হবে না”, which is in fact a powerful expression filled with emotion and a subtle shade of affection.
If we translate the above two expressions literally into English, the true emotional nuances they carry in our cultural context may not be conveyed properly.
In literature, a simple word-for-word translation cannot fully capture the essence of the original work. A translator may come close to the original in prose and general writings by explaining the situation in some ways. However, in poetry—particularly in sonnets—it becomes much more difficult for many reasons, mainly structural limitations. In fact, translation can sometimes diminish the core message that exists in the original.
I personally feel that the true embodiment of a literary creation can reach and resonate with another culture if it is adapted thoughtfully from a societal and cultural perspective. In such cases, a creation that is truly meaningful and harmonized with the original can be achieved through influence and inspiration rather than mere linguistic translation.
Readers can enjoy poems in two different languages when the translation is carried out with great care and sensitivity, allowing the poem to retain its spirit while living naturally in another language.
If we refer to two great poems by Rabindranath Tagore, the matter becomes clearer. Tagore’s poem ‘Kaler Jatrar Dhoni Shunitey Ki Pao’, which he used in his novel Shesher Kobita, gives immense pleasure to Bengali readers. However, its translated version cannot come close to the original, thereby depriving readers from other cultures of its full beauty.
But we see a different outcome in the case of another great poem by Tagore, ‘Ananta Prem’, whose English version ‘Unending Love’ conveys almost the same emotional depth to international readers. That is why it is admired by readers in many languages. The poem was among the favorites of Audrey Hepburn, the legendary actress and humanitarian. Its emotional power becomes even more striking when we recall its recitation by her co-artist Gregory Peck during her memorial service.
During our school life, we studied the poem ‘Meghnar Dhol’ by Humayun Kabir, which was not translated line by line from the English poem ‘The Sands of Dee’ by Charles Kingsley, but was written while preserving the same core idea, the tragic story of a girl who, at her mother’s request, goes to the river to bring back the cattle but finally drowns in the river.
In another example, while watching a drama by Humayun Ahmed, I learned that Rabindranath Tagore’s poem ‘Ek Gaye’ was influenced by Edgar Allan Poe’s famous poem ‘Annabel Lee’. I do not know whether Tagore himself confirmed this anywhere. However, although there is no direct similarity between the two poems, yet both depict deep love and a tragic fate.
The issue of the translation of poetry has a special significance in the context of Gitanjali by Rabindranath Tagore. This remarkable work, comprising English renderings of many of Tagore’s Bengali literary pieces, brought immense pride to Bengali culture when he received the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1913. While there is a common perception that reading Gitanjali would provide the same profound pleasure as reading the original creations written in Bengali, in reality this is not the actual case. The emotional depth, rhythm, and cultural nuances present in the Bengali originals have not been fully conveyed in Gitanjali, the English translated version of the works of Rabindranath Tagore.
Therefore, the word “translation” in literature perhaps should be defined differently. It should not be confined to word-for-word rendering but should be understood as something broader—an effort to convey the spirit, emotion, and cultural essence of the original work.
(The writer is an engineer, industrialist, and science & literature enthusiast)
