Global Journal of Human-Social Science, A: Arts and Humanities, Volume 22 Issue 5

Poem 1: My Mother Characteristics Source Poem: My Mother Target poem: Nne m Ọ ma Stanza 6 Stanzas , the same number of lines and consistent 6 Stanzas, the same number of lines but inconsistent, divergence from the source poem. Rhyme Rhymes: a a a b, follows an identifiable pattern, end line and consistent There are rhymes but different for each stanza. Does not follow an identifiable pattern due to structural differences, not consistent Rhythm Shorter rhythms Longer rhythms Figurative expressions Imagery, metaphor, Imagery, metaphor Culture The title portrays the culture of Igbo people. Nnem in Igbo could be used for someone’s mother or any female. But from the context of the poem and to portray that affection from a biological mother that carried a child in her womb for nine months and nurtured the child, we rendered the title as Nnem ọ ma. Poem 2: Rain Characteristics Source Poem: Rain Target Poem: Mmiri Ozizo Stanza 2 Stanzas of the same number of lines, 2 Stanzas of the same number of lines Rhyme First stanza: a b b a a Second stanza: a a b b c d e e f c, End rhyme First stanza: a b c c a Second stanza: a b c d b c e a f g c a, End rhyme Rhythm Shorter rhythms Longer rhythms because of the nature of the language. Figurative expressions More figurative expressions, metaphor, simile etc. Figurative expressions but limited Metaphor, simile etc. Culture Mmiri Igwe ka Ala nn ọ . This has to do with the belief of the Igbo people. d) Challenges We are constrained by the metrics, the syntax and the poets’ ideas. The dilemma faced is how to cope with the form, the shape: number of verses, word meanings which may be connotative or denotative, the imagery, figures of speech in the target language. Will the stylistic effect be achieved? Since there are no exact equivalents in two languages, what matters is that the text in the target language expresses the meaning, sense and intention of the source text in such a way that it flows and sounds natural. It was not easy task to painstakingly find appropriate words to express the effect of the source poem in the target poem. On the challenges of poetry translation, Bellos (op. cit) opines that, “Translation of poetry provides translators with a task that is not only difficult, but in some senses beyond translation altogether” . All hope is not lost as he further postulates that anything that can be expressed in any language can be said in another. V. C onclusion From the above, translation of poetry into indigenous languages is possible, despite the structural differences. The biggest dilemma is how to strike a balance between the semantic content and aesthetic form of the poems. We have tried as much as possible to retain the poetic structure: stanza, rhyme, rhythm, figurative expressions, aesthetic nature and cultural aspect while transferring the meaning which is central to any translation. Newmark (op.cit) in stressing the importance of meaning opines that, “in a significant text, semantic truth is cardinal, (meaning is not more or less important, it is important. In other words, meaning is the core of any translation. The translator, therefore, should as much as possible transfer the specific values into the target language without destroying the beauty or distorting the beauty of the original poem. He should maintain as much as possible stylistic structure of the original. A literary translator, especially a poetry translator should have stylistic skills, deep cultural knowledge, be creative and imaginative. R eferences R éférences R eferencias 1. Baker, M. (1992). In Other Words: A Course in Translation. London, Routeledge. 2. Bellos, D. (2011). Bellos, D. (2011). Is This a Fish in Your Ear? Translation and the Meaning of Everything. London: Penguin Books. 3. Burton, R. (1988). The Art of Translating Poetry: The Double Labyrinth . University of Iowa Press. 4. Dylan, T. (1994). The Columbia History of British Poetry. Columbia, Columbia University Press. 5. Ijioma, P. N. (2018). Translating Abbreviations and Acronyms into Igbo: A Myth or A Reality? NITI Volume XXII Issue V Version I 96 ( ) Global Journal of Human Social Science - Year 2022 © 2022 Global Journals A Translating Poetry into Indigenous Languages: The Case of Igbo Language