Treny Jana Kochanowskiego w angielskich przekładach
Jan Kochanowski’s Treny in English Translations

Summary/Abstract: This article compares English translations of Jan Kochanowski’s Laments as well as discusses possible reasons and consequences of translatory choices. Dorothea Prall Radin, Stanisław Barańczak and Seamus Heaney, Michał Mikoś and Adam Czerniawski differ considerably in their attitude towards the formal features of the original. While the first three versions preserve the original meter and rhyme schemes more or less successfully, Czerniawski abandons the strict patterns of the original. The article also examines the ways in which the translators deal with such stylistic features of Laments as the apostrophes and diminutives, classical simplicity and references to Psalms. The analysis of specifi c instances reveals the translators’ achievements as well as their failures that occasionally disturb the consistent vision created in Kochanowski’s cycle. Moreover, the analysis refers to selected reviews to illustrate the reception of old Polish literature in English-speaking countries.

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