Taboo in Translation in the Polish Versions of Philip Larkin’s “This Be The Verse
Taboo in Translation in the Polish Versions of Philip Larkin’s “This Be The Verse

Summary/Abstract: The presented article examines the notion of taboo in translation in Philip Larkin’s poem “This Be The Verse” and its three Polish translations by Jerzy Jarniewicz, Jacek Dehnel and Maciej Froński. In the first part of the article, we find information on Larkin's reception in Poland and translations of his poems. We also learn that in addition to supporters such as Barańczak, Jarniewicz and Dehnel, he also had well-known opponents, the most famous of whom was Czesław MiłoszThe second part of the article deals with the idea of different types of taboo is presented together with an analysis of Larkin’s dealings with this notion. The types of taboo discussed here are: profanity, ancestors, immediate family and God. Larkin seens to be breaking all of them, yet retaining a classic verse structure and certain elegance that present a great challenge to his translatorsIn the third part, we look closer at the three Polish translations of “This Be The Verse”, focusing on how the subsequent translators have dealt with its taboos. They all had a difficult task, which they accomplished in a variety of ways, all of which have been carefully researched and described. Finally, as the author, I also present my own version of Larkin's translation of the poem, but leave its assessment to subsequent researchers.

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