Kłopotliwi mistrzowie, czyli o rymotwórcach tłumaczących literaturę antyczną
Troublesome Masters: Rhymesters Translating Ancient Literature

Summary/Abstract: This article outlines the history of rhyme in Polish translations of ancient literature and focuses on the role of major Polish poets, the “troublesome masters.” They were the ones who, through the use of rhyme in their translations, created a tradition so strong that it could not be easily defied. This rhyme routine had spawned multitudes of translators-verse mongers, who paid more attention to the structure and arrangement of their work than to the quality of their translation. The dominance of rhyme created the illusion that rhyme itself should be blamed for translation weaknesses, which resulted in hostility toward that stylistic measure. After years of its widespread use, or rather its misuse, in translation of ancient literature, rhyme was almost entirely abandoned in favour of prose or blank verse. Today rhyme slowly returns from exile, but only in those genres which in the Polish language have always been connected with it, such as epigram or fable. Moreover, rhyme re-appears where it is used to strengthen humour or alleviate the indecency of wit.

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