Translating a short poem—but one so deep with powerful imagery and meaning—was challenging. Throughout my interpretive process, I often found myself stuck on specific words in translation so as to keep the initial meaning of the poem. In our conversation with Alberto Ríos, we discussed the idea of multiple floors or levels of translation, and the impacts of keeping, raising, or lowering the floor of the original poem in our translation of the piece. The idea of having ‘floors’ in a translation implies that translators can both subtly and explicitly change the lexicon, colloquialisms, and linguistic idiosyncrasies of a piece to bring it to a different level of understanding for its new audience. For example, bringing a poem with more formal diction to an easier level of understanding may broaden the possible audiences. In my translation, I made the decision to keep it on the same floor so as not to interfere with the intent of the original piece. Part of keeping this piece on the same floor meant thoroughly understanding the piece, and going through it word by word to make sure each French word had the same effect as the original. While doing this is not exactly possible with translation, the translator’s job is to approximate. One specific instance, for example, was the translation of the word “drifted” in the third line. In French, drifted has two translations based on if it’s more of a flight (voler) or more like wood on the water (dériver.) I decided on voler, a sort of flight, in order to go with the poem’s central metaphor, which provides a deep and intimate description of love in its fullest. Love, in the truest sense of the word, is a form of flight that transports us to a different plane of existence, just as this poem did for me.
About the Translator:
Camden Beal is a current undergraduate at Arizona State University, where he studies English Literature. In his free time, he enjoys writing, reading, cooking, and spending time with loved ones and friends. His work carries a strong focus on personal identity, grief, loss, and impermanence.
Translations:
"Horses on the Beach" by Emelie Griffin (French)
With grateful acknowledgment to translation reviewers: Marie Winter & Brandon Blue