INTERFACE OF POETRY
AND TRANSLATIONS IN SOUTHERN LANGUAGES
Neela Padmanabhan
(Talk as Chairperson
in the first session of National seminar of Sahitya Akademi at
Thiruvananthapuram on
August 30 2014)
Nowadays when one turns the pages of periodicals or
supplements of newspapers one cannot but come across short poems on light and
heavy subjects. Most of them deal with contemporary social problems with sharp
and piercing diction. In between serious cerebral and hair-splitting analysis
of current topics, it is no surprise that these crispy poems easily catch hold
of readers’ mind kindling their emotions as well as thoughts. I think it is
common not only in regional languages but also in English. It does not mean
that lengthy poems like epics on grave issues being written with great efforts
are either under estimated or neglected.
As a vast country of many languages, it is not surprising
that readers those who have an aesthetic urge desire to share their reading
experience to another language quite familiar to them. As Jean Paris pointed
out that a poet is first a translator, the translator of an unknown world to
which he gives a tangible form, a sensitive expression. In effect both the
poets and translators are re-creators or co-creators.
Though the form, content and development of poetry in all
Indian languages including southern ones are uneven, there are certain common
features like poverty, hunger and diseases, social evils, tension and conflict
between idealism and realism, between tradition and modernity etc. Of these,
translations of contents of contemporary nature to another language win the
popular attention easily and quickly. I recollect here the English translation
by late T.K.Duraiswami(Nakulan) of a short Tamil poem of late Shanmuga Subbiah
appeared few years ago (1974) in the anthology New Writing in India edited by Adil Jussawalla. Let me
read that poem which is quite relevant not only to law framing houses but also
to the whole country, even today;
AFTER
READING THE DAILY
Of the top floor
Of Parliament House
A dead rat
Stinks.Phew!
Is there no one
To sweep it away
And bury it
Fathoms deep?
In this land
The only thing
That can be said
For the likes of us
Is
We can smell things.
You great ones
Who rule over us
Haven’t you the heart
To feel it?
1968
I shall read the Tamil original;
CHEYTHI
THAALONDU PADITHU VITTU
Arasiyal veettin
Mel thattil
Eli chethu
Naaruthayyoo!
Athai eduthu
puthaithiduvoor
Evarumillaiyaa?
In nattil
En poondrookku
Iruppathellaam
Muukku mattumthanaiyyaa.
Emai yaalum
Periyuuree
Athai unara
Ungalukku
Ulamendru ondru
Undoo aiyyaa!
1968
Since the translator is a scholar cum poet in the both
languages he more or less succeeds in bringing the form along with the content
of the source language to the target one. However, in most of the cases form,
diction, phonetic elements, ambiguity-dhwani etc of the individuality of a
particular poet cannot be brought to another language.
In fact, translation means introducing the culture of one
language to another one. To find out exact equivalent of the words that have
minute meaning in one culture to another culture is a Himalayan task. Also
there are entirely different colloquial terms-snags and proverbs even in one
language which are not popular among the usage of that particular language
itself. That is why Robert Frost has made the cryptic comment, “Poetry is that
which is lost in translation.” However, even if all translations are imperfect
in the larger sense, it is somewhat a necessary evil, which cannot be avoided
in a pluralist society like India.
When one comes specifically to the translating experience-Bhaashaanthra Anubhava of poetry
in Southern languages, even though
above mentioned aspects hold good in general, there may be some ease because of the historical
and geographical nearness of the four languages of these regions viz Tamil,
Malayalam, Kannada and Telugu. On approaching the translation among these
languages from one to another one can make use of the Sanskrit words, as they
are prevalent in all the three, except Tamil. As all these four southern
languages belong to the same Dravida Gotra, other three languages have no
aversion to Sanskrit; instead they have some affinity with it, like English has
to Greek and Hebrew. I don’t want to
discuss here the age old historical, political and social background of Tamil
Nadu which led to this puritan attitude of the anti-Sanskrit feeling. But, when I was engaged by Sahitya Akademi a
few years back to translate Ayyappa Paniker’s Malayalam poetry collection in to
Tamil, Sanskrit words used by the poet have not been substituted with
equivalent pure or standard Tamil words, as far as possible because of my
ambition to bring the individuality and sweetness of the poet to Tamil. Of
course, no particular language can claim that Sanskrit is only its possession
and all Indian languages have an equal right to Sanskrit.
Another major problem to be tackled in translation is slang
or colloquial terms and proverbs, as I mentioned earlier. For example, Ayyappa
Paniker’s original Malayalam version of one of his cartoon poems Moshttaavu in
Ayyappa Panikerude Krithikal Volume 2 (1994);
Verumoru
Moshttaavaayorenne
Kallanennu
Vilichille, (page 102)
Here the two words Moshttaavu and Kallan have the same
meaning thief, but different effects in the poem. In Tamil, I had to translate
the lines as follows, though I am not fully satisfied;
Verumoru Thirudanaana
Ennai
Kallanendru Azhaithaaye,
Of all Indian languages especially southern I find Tamil and
Malayalam have many resemblances-similarities and nearness not only in the
languages but also in people’s culture and behaviour. Hence translation between
these two languages is not painstaking and tiresome if it is done with
enthusiasm and enjoyment. When a few years ago some modern Tamil poems were
transliterated to Malayalam alphabets in Kerala Kavitha-a Malayalam poetry
journal, as requested by Ayyappa Paniker, Malayalam readers experienced not
much difficulty to understand them. The spirit and overall poetic beauty of
even many stanzas of the classical Tamil literature, for example in world
famous Thirukkural- one of the great classics of Tamil literature authored by
the Saint poet Thiruvalluvar in between 2nd century B.C. and 8th century .A.D.
can be communicated to a certain extent to Malayalam readers by transliterating
it. Here, I shall quote-transliterate the first stanza of Kural hereunder in
English, as a sample;
Akara Muthala
Ezhuthellaam Aadhi
Bagavan Muthathre
Ulaku.
Meaning; just as all the alphabetical letters have the
letter “A” for their first, the whole universe has God, the Eternal as its
first.
Before concluding, as I indicated earlier, I would like to
point out that it is very difficult to bring to another language the
individuality in the craft of writing, namely diction, form of expression to
another language. Nowadays, there is a common tendency among most of the
translators content themselves by translating mechanically only the main
content or central idea as a newspaper report in the conventional or standard
style of the target languages, ignoring completely individual flavour of the
poetic language in diction, rhythm etc. Of course, it may be appreciated as it
can be read like the original work in the translated or target language. But,
how can a sincere or genuine translator neglect or sacrifice the unique
individuality or personal stamp achieved by the poet after a long period of
efforts, experiments and experiences, trial and error method, as penance.
Hence, a good translator of poetry should have at least an inner consciousness
to segregate translation or trans-creation from adaptation. For example, though
Thirukkural is a work of ethical aphorisms on high moral ideas and ideals
applicable to the whole universe, its greatness lies not only on this aspect;
but also the peculiar-unusual way of expression of the content or form that
compressed in one and half line metre-stanzas. Even a couplet cannot be fully
interpreted in many pages. Most of the translations in other languages are only
commentaries. A few attempts of translations in verse form have not succeeded,
as the lines in them could not be suppressed within crispy one and half or two
lines, as in the original. However, we may content ourselves with the view that
something is better than nothing.
On the whole, as indicated earlier, the translator should
have at least this consciousness and awareness of bringing not only the content
and dimensions of the poem he intend to translate but also the individuality of
that poet’s particular diction and craft from the source language to target
language.
I shall conclude my words with reading of one of my recent
short poem Vanaprastham. First, English version, then Tamil original and
Malayalam version;
VAANA
PRASTHAM
Neela Padmanabhan
Same sex mingling has now a social
license
And no bar nowadays….
Under the veil of friendship
first ashramam has cracks
without waiting for next ashramam
and without the fear of society…..
There is no forest in these days
for the third ashramam to live…
One may practice it in home and outside….
Though no scare from life partner
who is now interested
neither in sex nor in lovemaking ,
one should know to overcome
the pinpricks on materialistic necessities
that come from that partner everyday…..
If the urge due to past experience
on biological necessity arises
and jumps to other places,
should
know to suppress and succeed it
as abandoned bitter fruit…
Though the superficial materialistic
inclinations and desires
could be controlled to a certain extent,
if one cannot conquer the hidden
minute feelings and urges
inherent, in born ,
the mass media
to give world wide publicity,
let the conquering practice continue
till the last breath….
be careful……
(Translated from Tamil by the poet)
