Magin_Edward-thesis

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receptor language. With regard to the linguistic level, no attempt was made to use older
language and every attempt was made to use pure Northern Kurdish in the translations,
which is presently the norm among Northern Kurdish poets. These decisions may be
viewed as modernizing on the linguistic level. Regarding the socio-cultural level, I did
not find that the subject matter of the poem provided much opportunity for historicizing
or modernizing. Even if there were situations that could be modernized, I would likely
prefer to retain socio-cultural aspects of a poem, as I feel they would provide some of the
more interesting features of the poem. Undoubtedly, some who do not believe in God
may not appreciate the poem. But to change “God” to “It” for such an audience would
certainly be inappropriate, as God is the central figure of the poem, and the lines speak of
his character and intervention in the affairs of humankind.
I was fortunate to receive the help of Perwer Shushi, a poet in her own right, who
is actively writing in the Neo-classical style. She possesses a B.A. in journalism from an
American university and works as a writer and editor. Though she presently lives in the
United States, she remains very connected to her homeland in Northern Iraq. Having
become familiar with Northern Kurdish poets from Iraq, Syria, Turkey and Europe, she
has a profound knowledge of the language and how it differs by location.
My work with Shushi began by providing her with my own translation of the
poem, which tended toward being more “literal.” After making some adjustments as per
Shushi’s recommendations, we reached the version found in (351). I will discuss this
version before moving on to Shushi’s own translation of the poem in (352).
6.1 My version of Allah, after Shushi’s input
The rhyme scheme that I used in my version of the poem in (351) is AAXA,
BBXB, CCXC, where the X line is free of end rhyme (see § 5.3.1.1). The syllable
structure for each quatrain is 11-11-10-11. In my original version, I attempted to keep the
syllable count consistent in every line. However, I learned from Shushi that Northern
Kurdish poets, such as Cegerxwîn, often reduce the syllable count of the line that is free
from end rhyme by one syllable. For the reader and listener, it gives the poem a sort of