Alchemical Terms and Imagery in the Russian Translation of John Donne ’s "Devotions upon Emergent Occasions" Cover Image

Kody alchemiczne w rosyjskim przekładzie "Devotions upon Emergent Occasions" Johna Donne’a
Alchemical Terms and Imagery in the Russian Translation of John Donne ’s "Devotions upon Emergent Occasions"

Author(s): Piotr Plichta
Subject(s): Language and Literature Studies, Literary Texts, Studies of Literature, Modern Age, Russian Literature, Other Language Literature, 16th Century, 17th Century, Translation Studies
Published by: Polskie Towarzystwo Rusycytyczne
Keywords: translation studies; John Donne; Nesterov's translatio; Devotions upon Emergent Occasions; alchemistry; English literature; comparative study

Summary/Abstract: John Donne’s Devotions upon Emergent Occasions is a very difficult work to translate because it is abundant in alchemical terms and imagery the contemporary reader may hardly understand as alchemy is long a dead language code. Unfortunately, that imagery often refers to a specific theological background and it should be elucidated either by means of clever translation or by virtue of footnotes or commentary. Otherwise, grasping the proper meaning of the entire Donne’s work may be impossible. Russian translation of Donne’s Devotions by Anton Nesterov is perhaps the best existing attempt to render the original text with all its intricacy into language other than English. However, there are some treacherous and fascinating passages in Devotions upon Emergent Occasions Niestierow mistranslated because he did not fully understand the alchemical background they refer to.

  • Issue Year: 2014
  • Issue No: 148
  • Page Range: 53-64
  • Page Count: 12
  • Language: Polish