Dave, (et alii on this thread)
you are right — there are tremendous problems with the English
translations of most contemporary Arab poets. At one level the
concerns of the poets in question & the work they are doing / have to
do in terms of complexities of writing in (classical) Arabic, i.e. in
the fixed form of written Arabic even when it is slightly "simplified"
into what the Westerners call "Modern Standard Arabic" while most
speak & function daily in more dialectical versions of the language.
"Modern" Arabic poetry only came to the fore in the fifties via the
Sheikh ("Poetry") group & magazine around Adonis et alii in Beirut
(cf my intro to the Arabic poetry section in vol 2 of my _Poems for
the Millennium_ ) and breaking the traditional forms has been a major
achievement, which of course is not visible in the (often flat)
translations into standard "free verse" in English. Prose is a
different (easier?) matter & to check out Darwish as a major writer
you can also go to his memoir of the Lebanese war when he was living
under the bombs in Beirut (Memory for Forgetfulness, U of Cal Press).
This spring in Tangiers I had a long discussion with a good friend,
the Moroccan poet Abdallah Zrika, someone brought up in one of the
worst slums in Casablanca, who by all means was destined to
illiteracy, except there was a flame, a desire to write in him, & he
started writing young, studying written Arabic, becoming an outrageous
and inspired beat-like poet who'd draw 2 to 3 thousand kids to his
readings at the local Universities, sell hundreds of copies of his
basically home-made chap books, before being thrown in jail for 3
years as such popularity in a poet who spoke directly to the
rebellious young & the workers was not to be tolerated by King
Hassan's regime. I have heard Zrika called the Ginsberg /
Ferlinghetti / Bukowski of Morocco — and yet, as we talked about the
language problems and the use of darija (Moroccan dialectical Arabic)
he was adamantly opposed to this, saying that poetry, contemporary or
not, and certainly his own was only possible in "classical" Arabic,
even if form-wise he completely break with any of the traditional
structures. Interesting too is that in a culture where poetry is a
very popular art, people from every walk of life love and know how to
appreciate spoken poetry (i.e. even those who are unable to read) in
the most classical form of language. It is a fact that many people
know a range of classical Arabic poetry, be it from the great "modern"
Arabic period (in the 10/11th century the poets in Baghdad created a
totally urban & modern poetry & poetics, as Adonis points out, as
avant-garde as Baudelaire was in the Euro-19th century) back to the
great pre-Islamic odes, the Mu'allaqat, and forwards to a range of
both popular and erudite poems from later centuries.
So it's a very complex — & indeed, often vexing — question, & too much
to deal with in one quick sunday morning post here,
Pierre
On Aug 30, 2008, at 4:26 AM, David Bircumshaw wrote:
> Al
>
> I don't know too much about courageous, fear I am better acquainted
> with.
>
> I'd like to like Darwish in translation, however it doesn't quite work
> for me. In the little world I know about, there's a friend of mine
> whose son is going on trial on Monday for something appalling, now
> whatever the rights and wrongs of things, he is still her son, I don't
> have answers to these matters, wish I did.
>
> Hope the Calderon goes well!
>
>
> Best
>
> Dave
>
> 2008/8/30 Alison Croggon <[log in to unmask]>:
>> Maybe the challenge of Darwish is that he writes poetry that reachs
>> into the world as it is and which matters to his audience -
>> excavating
>> the truths for multiple deceptions and in particular self-deceptions.
>> That's clear I think even through the odd clunkinesses of the
>> translation, which is still enjoyable to read. It's courageous and it
>> speaks and it doesn't compromise the complexities of poetry.
>>
>> Anyway, off to see Calderon tonight. Which I am muchly looking
>> forward to.
>>
>> A
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> --
>> Editor, Masthead: http://www.masthead.net.au
>> Blog: http://theatrenotes.blogspot.com
>> Home page: http://www.alisoncroggon.com
>>
>
>
>
> --
> David Bircumshaw
> Website and A Chide's Alphabet http://homepage.ntlworld.com/david.bircumshaw/
> The Animal Subsides http://www.arrowheadpress.co.uk/books/animal.html
> Leicester Poetry Society: http://www.poetryleicester.co.uk
___________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
Hey,
Want a free Obama/Biden sticker? MoveOn's giving them away totally
free--even the shipping's free. I just got mine, and wanted to share
the opportunity with you.
Click this link to get a free Obama/Biden sticker:
http://pol.moveon.org/barackstickers/?id=-10178572-xj0q2zx&rc=manual_forward
Thanks!
____________________________________________________________
The poet: always in partibus infidelium -- Paul Celan
___________________________________________________________
Pierre Joris
244 Elm Street
Albany NY 12202
h: 518 426 0433
c: 518 225 7123
o: 518 442 40 71
Paris: 09.52.80.14.18
Euro cell: (011 33) 6 75 43 57 10
email: [log in to unmask]
http://pierrejoris.com
Nomadics blog: http://pjoris.blogspot.com
____________________________________________________________
|