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Article published In: FORUM
Vol. 18:2 (2020) ► pp.127–149

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A study of poetics in Coleman Barks’ translations of Rumi

 | Ferdowsi University of Mashhad
 | Ferdowsi University of Mashhad
Published online: 11 November 2020
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https://doi.org/10.1075/forum.20004.has
Abstract
Coleman Barks’ translations of Rumi’s works are astonishingly popular, especially among the American public. The study presented here deals particularly with the role of poetics in shaping the image and reception of Rumi’s works in the target language and culture. Thus, it describes and analyses Barks’ approach/strategies in rendering the poetic elements of Rumi’s poems, and examines Barks’ translation poetics in the context of the dominant poetics in the target literature. The corpus of the study is delimited to Barks’ renditions of the poems of the first book of the Masnavi included in The Essential Rumi (1995). The findings involve Barks’ modifications in favor of the formal and structural conventions of English poetry, the linguistic and literary norms of the target language and the taste and communicative needs of the target audience as well as the conformity of Barks’ translation poetics with the dominant poetics and ideology of his time.
Résumé
Les traductions des œuvres de Rumi faites par Coleman Barks ont été remarquablement accueillies aux États-Unis, notamment par les interlocuteurs ordinaires. La présente étude vise particulièrement à étudier le rôle de la poétique dans la représentation de l’image et la réception des poèmes de Rumi dans la langue et la culture du pays destinataire. Ainsi, l’approche de Barks a été analysée et décrite selon sa traduction des éléments poétiques des poèmes de Rumi. Et la poétique de sa traduction a été étudiée dans le contexte de la poétique dominante, dans la littérature du pays destinataire. Le corpus de recherche se limite aux poèmes du premier livre de Masnavi dans l’ouvrage intitulé The Essential Rumi (1995), traduit par Barks. Cette étude montre enfin que Barks a changé le texte original afin de l’accorder aux coutumes formelles et structurales de la poésie anglaise, aussi bien qu’aux normes langagière et littéraire de la langue cible et au goût et aux besoins communicatifs des interlocuteurs du pays destinataire. La poétique de la traduction de Barks se met donc en harmonie avec la poétique et l’idéologie dominante de son temps.
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Review of literature
  • 3.Poetic elements: Barks’ translation approach/strategies
    • 3.1Poetic form and structure
    • 3.2Poetic diction
    • 3.3Symbols
  • 4.Barks’ translations: Dominant poetics
  • 5.Conclusion
  • Note
  • References
References (36)
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