The specialty of translating poetry with my literary translation of S. T. Coleridge’s poem Kubla Khan

Abstract EN

Those who translate know well that translating literature, particularly poetry, is a complex process.

Thus, this paper explores the specialty of translating poetry because this type of translation needs, in my opinion, a unique translator--a poet.

Translating poetry into poetry is a skill that requires the same level and degree of creativity as writing a poem, complete with its new system of sounds and rhythm.

A poet-translator is an artist who reveals his emotions and ideas and, at the same time, he needs to strike a balance between his desire to produce a translation that is poetry and his faithfulness to the original text in the source language.

Consequently, despite his faithfulness, there are gains achieved by the poet-translator through his creation of fresh and striking images in the target language.

As an example, the poem “Kubla Khan” by Samuel Taylor Coleridge is included at the end of the paper, followed by my two literary translations of this poem using the traditional form and the free verse form, respectively.