füGGEléK
8.1. DANTE: DIVINA COMMEDIA
Inferno – Canto primo
Nel mezzo del cammin di nostra vita Mi ritrovai per una selva oscura ché la diritta via era smarrita.
Ah quanto a dir qual era è cosa dura esta selva selvaggia e aspra e forte che nel pensier rinova la paura!
Tant’ è amara che poco è più morte;
ma per trattar del ben ch’io vi trovai, dirò del’altre cose ch’i’ v’ho scorte.
Io non so ben ridir com’io v’entrai, tant’era pieno di sonno a quel punto che la verace via abbandonai.
Ma poi ch’i’ fui al piè d’un colle giunto, là dove terminava quelle valle
che m’avea di paura il cor compunto, Guardai in alto, e vidi le sue spalle vestite già de’ raggi del pianeta che mena dritto altrui per ogni calle.
Allor fu la paura un poco queta che nel lago del cor m’era durata la notte ch’i’ passai con tanta pièta.
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De Hel – Eerste zang (vertaald door Albert Verwey) Op ’t midden van de levensweg gekomen,
Vond ik mij door een donker bosch omgeven, Omdat de rechte weg mij was benomen.
Hoe moeilijk wordt dit woud door mij beschreven, Het wilde en woeste, ’t ondoorworstelbae,
Dat, als ik denk, mijn vrees weer doet op leven.
zoo bitter is ’t dood haast liever ware.
Wel zeg ik van mijn zijn daar andre dingen, Opdat ik ’t heil dat ik daar vond verklare.
De ingang leeft vaag in mijn herinneringen, zoo was ik in die wijl door slaap bevangen Toen van de ware weg mijn voeten gingen.
Maar daar waar hellingen dat dal behangen Dat mij van vrees het hart zoo had doen lijden, Voelde ik mijn oogen naar een heuvel langen.
Ik blikte omhoog en zal alreeds zijn zijden Door stralen van die vaste ster betogen Die met zijn licht ons oovral pleegt te leiden.
Toen werd een weinig wel de vrees me onttogen Die in mijn hartemeer was blijven waken, Die nacht van mijn ellende en onvermogen.
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Pokol – Első ének (Babits Mihály fordítása) Az emberélet útjának felén
egy nagy sötétlő erdőbe jutottam, mivel az igaz utat nem lelém.
ó szörnyű elbeszélni mi van ottan, s milyen e sűrű, kusza, vad vadon, már rágondolva reszketek legottan.
A halál sem sokkal rosszabb, tudom.
De hogy megértsd a Jót, mit ott találtam, hallanod kell, mit láttam az uton.
Akkortájt olyan álmodozva jártam:
nem is tudom, hogyan kerültem arra, csak a jó útról valahogy leszálltam.
De mikor rábukkantam egy hegyaljra, hol véget ért a völgy, mély, mint a pince, melyben felébredt lelkem aggodalma, a hegyre néztem s láttam, hogy gerince már a csillag fényébe öltözött,
mely másnak drága vezetője, kincse.
így bátorságom kissé visszajött, mely távol volt szívemből teljes éjjel, melyet töltöttem annyi kín között.
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9.
Summ ary
This dissertation examines the translation approaches, or in other words the views formulated on the possibilities, the role, the process, the methods, and strategies of translation in the first half of 20th century in Holland and Hungary.
I compare one particular period of translation history of the two different cul-tures by presenting parallel chapters about the approaches towards translation.
The explanation for selecting this era is very simple. At the beginning of 20th century dramatic changes took place in both of the cultures studied, in the fields of translation and the related discourse: translation bloomed, and at the same time the number of meditations about translation increased.
In my dissertation I intend not to deal with the analysis of the translations of the examined authors in great detail but try to clarify, interpret, analyse, and sometimes assess and criticise their translation principles. What did they trans-late, under what circumstances and for who? What kind of views and norms dominated the translation practice? How did the translation proceed from selection to reception? How do literature and literary translation relate to each other? When and what kind of shifts can be observed in the history of transla-tion? I am looking for answers to these general questions.
According to literary history, Roman literature started with the translation of a Greek play in 240 BC. The first Hungarian written linguistic record is also a translation, and the Dutch written tradition also started with translations. The medieval Hungarian and Dutch written tradition generally strongly relied on foreign – especially Latin – sources. Wherever we dig into either Hungarian or Dutch literary history, we find an amazing amount of translations. Already in the 19th century the Dutch Jonckbloet ‘complained’ that medieval literature consisted of, almost without exception, translations (1888), and a hundred years later Knuvelder could only ease this by the remark that most of these transla-tions should be called adaptatransla-tions (1970). The literary achievements of 18th cen-tury were represented by translations and adaptations to such an extent that, on the covers of the original novels there was the blaring sign ‘Not Translation’;
included even on the cover of the very first modern Dutch novel Sara Burgerhart
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(1782) by Betje Wolff and Aagje Deken. Also in the Hungarian language, because it is an isolated language, translation played a major role from the beginning.
The so-called small cultures were often considered mere imperfect copies in history, and their history was often written in terms of duplication and belat-edness. The defining element in how Hungarian literature viewed itself up to recent times was the spirit of smallness, the awareness of inferiority, and the same can be said about the Dutch view at the beginning of the early 20th century.
The place and role of translation in a culture is closely connected to inner state of the recipient literature: this could be the reason for the similarities in trans-lation approach. In 19th century and at the beginning of 20th century both in Holland and Hungary it had to be proven that both the Dutch and the Hungar-ian languages are indeed suitable for translating foreign classics, and that these languages are flexible and rich in expression. Naturally, this left its mark on the principles related to literary translation and the culture of translation.