Lost in literary translation : reflections upon mercurial interpretations of rumi's works

Abstract EN

The field of translation underwent persistent changes over time; and yet, giving birth to perfectly translated works remains chimerical.

Literature, being central to this interdisciplinary field, proved to be an issue for translators and academics alike.

Poems, particularly, gained massive attentions due to their special structures and aesthetics.

Chiefly, complex poetical works tend to be arduous challenges to translators, for the socio-cultural inclinations and symbols they carry, and poems of Rumi are no exceptions.

The latter is a Persian poet whose works spring from the Sufi tradition.

Translations of Rumi saw light during the nineteenth century, and proliferated by the end of the following one.

In America, the English translations of these poems gained a revolutionary fame, and were known as “The Rumi Phenomenon”.

In the Orient, however, they triggered controversy among Muslims, and were accused of being unfaithful to originals.

Coleman Barks' translations were even considered as fictionalised versions for the transformative changes he introduced to Rumi's poems.

Ergo, this paper intends to delve into the English translations of Rumi, highlighting the motives controlling them.

Also, using in-depth data analysis, this work aims at identifying differences of the social reception of The Rumi Phenomenon in America and the Orient.