The Rhombus by Ga bor Kira ly Translated from the Hungarian by Katarina Peters

Transcription

1 The Rhombus by Ga bor Kira ly Translated from the Hungarian by Katarina Peters In this installment, we re sharing the most unusual poem: The Rhombus, originally published in the book Csúf versek, by the Hungarian poet Ga bor Kira ly, skillfully translated by Katarina Peters. Peters also included her process notes, detailing her translation challenge of capturing the poem s musicality, accents texture, and its graphic diamond shape. We think the result is terrific. Let us know if you agree. Find us on tag us using #NTM2018 and #TranslateMonth2018, join our mailing list, submit a translation month event, or like our Facebook page. And celebrate your favorite poems in translation and women translators this September and all year long. Claudia Serea and Loren Kleinman

2 TRANSLATOR S NOTE As it happens with most literary translators whose craft is rooted in the challenge of the task more than the actual theme, however contentious or brilliant the latter may be, I have bravely embraced this particular task. It includes not only solving the logical language localization differences but also its interpretation and rythm. I quote Lewis Carrol, who, in simplistic language, describes this form of poetry, which was later named concrete poetry, initiating the movement of other similar forms: When you are describing a shape, or sound, or tint, don t state the matter plainly, but put it in a hint, and learn to look at all things with a sort of mental squint. Standard metrical poetry in Hungarian consists basically of long and short syllables, while in English this is solved by alternating stressed and unstressed syllables. In Hungarian, every first syllable in a word is stressed. This is true whether the word is oh or elkelkáposztásíttalanítottátok. Thus, a long syllable in Hungarian is pronounced in twice as long a time as the short syllable, but luckily the writing style changes according to pronunciation, thus, it can be written in computerized algorythm, which breaks down the text into metres with utmost precision. Not so In English, as the methodology between the writing style and the pronunciation is inconsistent, even though the pronunciation of the stressed syllable is quite precise. So, back to this particular task. The Hungarian author geometrically schematizes the rythm beforehand, in order to reflect the principal image implied in the poem. The character denotes the long syllable, and the U the short one. He then builds a sentence with the number of syllables that would fit the rhythm as well as the intended theme reflected by the geometrical image. The translator, then, has the difficult task of not only finding the right words to fit the stressed and the unstressed syllables, but also to convey the precise meaning of the complex Hungarian text fitting the implied graphic image. And the result speaks for itself

3 A ROMBUSZ Kinyúlnak agyamban az árnyak, a képek, lebegő ködök és nyirkos igézetek nyomulnak a vágyak barlangos egébe, sikolyt szakasztó kéjből vonnak ki rákos U - U U - U levegőt, bűnt zúgnak, ahol nincs is nyoma; U U U U U U ha védhetnének jóságos szellemlények, U U nem sírnék ily képzelt, szörnyű árnyképektől, de nincs más szellemlény, mint prűd, képzelt Isten, kit a furmányos rém papság tett mélyen az agyamba árnynak, test kívánság helyére, ügyelni, a vágyam kínná alakuljon, valahányszor a nőt csak nemi élvezet csatáira vágyom ölembe szerezni U U U U U U U - U

4 THE RHOMBUS Dark shadows expand in my wavering fancies as the clouds float by cool stars all along heaven invading libido s moist, hollow recessions where screams will echo lusty instincts that flow from the malignant vices with no traces behind; If kind spirits rushed up to save and shelter me I would not be wailing of such monstrous devils, but kind souls are nowhere, only one prude God, whose unrelenting phantom clergy placed deep into my brain a grim shadow, switching all my cravings to pain and to ghastly torment every time I long to hold in my arms, hungry for sexual excitement, a woman, for rapturous pleasures. U - U U - U U U U U U U U U U U U - U U - U

5 About the author Gábor Király is a prolific writer, composer and poet, living in Hungary. A civil engineer by profession, he followed a diversified path as an entrepreneur and a philanthropist. In 1993, he founded the Children s Nutrition Fund (GYEA) of Hungary, while his poems gained increasing recognition in his native country. His latest book of poems, Négykezes/Four-Handed/À quatre mains/a quattri mani, translated into three additional languages from the Hungarian (English, French, and Italian), was published in About the translator Katarina Peters is a translator living and working in Canada as projects manager at a multilingual translation agency. A Canadian citizen, born in Hungary and educated in Brazil, she has over 35 years working experience in 7 languages as a translator. Many of her translations of poetry, prose, and song lyrics were published in Brazil, Canada, and Hungary.