Is D-V obscure among readers of French poetry, or do you mean among readers of poetry in English translation? If the latter, I would think all French poets are obscure in the sense that readers don’t have an aural connection to them. Although Simpson’s translation is quite readable and he preserves the rhyme, it probably doesn’t have the sonic impact of the original.
I had subtitles turned on for this episode. During the D-V recitation, it didn’t show the French or an English translation, just (RECITING POEM IN FRENCH). Similar to how they did the Spanish in the new West Side Story. Not helpful at all.
Knowing the meaning of this poem, even a gloss, would help explain Layla’s and Steven’s relationship. I wonder if on the big screen (or on Netflix), it would have been subtitled. Might be something to explore here in a future column, the whole translation / dubbing / subtitle dilemma, both for screen and page.
Thanks for reading, Frank! I think she's certainly lesser known among readers of poetry in English translation, though it's harder for me to judge her reputation in France. I speak and read French, but haven't lived or studied there. You're absolutely right about what's lost in Simpson's translation, and in all translation, really. Desbordes-Valmore's work is so sonorous in the original French.
Yes! I noticed that about the poem on the show, that it was totally ignored by the captions. The way it is now, it sets the poem up to be a kind of Easter egg or special clue that only the nerds and the faithful (cough, me) will have to hit the books (or the internet) for. In essence, it's preserving poetry's old association as an in-language for the elite rather than a heightened level of language that can speak to anyone, which is a bummer.
I'm so grateful for your suggestion to think about how subtitles and translations are handled when poetry appears on film and in television. Fodder for a future post, for certain!
Is D-V obscure among readers of French poetry, or do you mean among readers of poetry in English translation? If the latter, I would think all French poets are obscure in the sense that readers don’t have an aural connection to them. Although Simpson’s translation is quite readable and he preserves the rhyme, it probably doesn’t have the sonic impact of the original.
I had subtitles turned on for this episode. During the D-V recitation, it didn’t show the French or an English translation, just (RECITING POEM IN FRENCH). Similar to how they did the Spanish in the new West Side Story. Not helpful at all.
Knowing the meaning of this poem, even a gloss, would help explain Layla’s and Steven’s relationship. I wonder if on the big screen (or on Netflix), it would have been subtitled. Might be something to explore here in a future column, the whole translation / dubbing / subtitle dilemma, both for screen and page.
Thanks for reading, Frank! I think she's certainly lesser known among readers of poetry in English translation, though it's harder for me to judge her reputation in France. I speak and read French, but haven't lived or studied there. You're absolutely right about what's lost in Simpson's translation, and in all translation, really. Desbordes-Valmore's work is so sonorous in the original French.
Yes! I noticed that about the poem on the show, that it was totally ignored by the captions. The way it is now, it sets the poem up to be a kind of Easter egg or special clue that only the nerds and the faithful (cough, me) will have to hit the books (or the internet) for. In essence, it's preserving poetry's old association as an in-language for the elite rather than a heightened level of language that can speak to anyone, which is a bummer.
I'm so grateful for your suggestion to think about how subtitles and translations are handled when poetry appears on film and in television. Fodder for a future post, for certain!