Un texte intraduisible, le cas Hâfez

Shamsoddin Mohammad-e Hâfez is probably the finest lyrical poet in the history of the Persian language, but his poetry defies translation and remains virtually unknown to the outside world. By means of examples, this paper tries to show what a translator will have to cope with. First arise the difficulties of translating from an alien culture with values and aesthetic norms different from ours, making it next to impossible to find equivalents with connotations similar to those of the words used in the original. Secondly, one confronts the impossibility of doing justice to the subtle wordplays and brilliant comparisons that occur in almost every line. Finally, Hâfez expected his audience to know their classics by heart and to be willing to memorise his own poetry as well, and therefore often wrote in an extremely condensed form.