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Like the hunter in the
Buru tale, it seemed, this
translation took me on an
unexpected journey: I had
entered a forest cave in Buru
and emerged in the labyrinth
of a Dada poem, following
the threads left behind by
the great storytellers of 20thcentury
world literature. To
me that journey is the power
of translation. I do not claim
to have gained any deep
understanding of the Buru
people or their worldview,
but that graceful image of the
Geba Bohot was a gift that
forged a connection for me
across the seas. Reading such
works—flashes of astonishing
kinship followed by moments
of disorientation—made our
wide world (in its expanding
multiverse) seem less vast
and unknowable. And also far
more complex.
Some argue that artistic
expression in language is what
makes us uniquely human; by
extension, reading each other’s
words and thoughts, especially
those from distant lands, is
part of what binds us together
across distances. But this
sentiment alone cannot convey
the power and importance of
literary translation.
Many readers first
gravitate towards literature in
translation simply because they
enjoy reading it. This pull goes
beyond a passive pleasure; I
believe reading literature in
translation requires us to open
My Recommendations
Dante, Dante, and Dante
I recommend reading three
different translations of Dante’s
Inferno—perfectly in keeping
with the triadic spiraling of
Dante’s terza rima rhyme
scheme. That may sound like
a dusty recommendation, but
Dante has been misconstrued in
contemporary America. He was a
radical poet, exiled for his political
alliances, and very outspoken. The
Inferno is a fascinating work of
poetic mastery and philosophical
complexity—but his scenes of
horror are unmatched.
There are poetic
translations, some attempting to
replicate the rhyme and meter
of the original terza rima, some
transforming the poem into a
more familiar form in English
(Hollander, Pinsky, Mandelbaum).
There are prose translations that
aim to capture the details of the
plot (Sinclair, Singleton). There
are scholarly translations with
extensive footnotes detailing
the many political intrigues
and religious disputes of the
time, not to mention underlying
philosophical notions and literary
tropes, all of which are invaluable
for students and researchers
(Ciardi, and Sinclair again). Many
translations attempt to recreate
an archaic sound akin to Dante’s
Italian, but now there are also
translations that aim to bring
the poem squarely into 21stcentury
parlance, complete with
references to South Park (Mary Jo
Bang).
Abandon all hope of a
single perfect translation, of
course, but enter anyway, and
rejoice in the many paths taken.
The Art of Empathy: Celebrating Literature in Translation
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