International Journal Of Literature And Languages
72
https://theusajournals.com/index.php/ijll
VOLUME
Vol.05 Issue06 2025
PAGE NO.
72-75
10.37547/ijll/Volume05Issue06-22
Features Of Poetry Translation
Abdukhalilova Dilobar Sherali qizi
PhD student, UZSWLU, Uzbekistan
Received:
12 April 2025;
Accepted:
08 May 2025;
Published:
18 June 2025
Abstract:
This article examines the distinctive features of poetic translation and identifies the primary errors
translators may commit during the rendering process. It critically engages with scholarly perspectives on the
subject, analyzing various theoretical approaches and case studies. Based on this analysis, the article proposes
practical recommendations to mitigate common pitfalls and enhance the fidelity and artistic integrity of translated
poetry. The study concludes with a synthesis of insights, offering nuanced guidelines for translators and
highlighting potential areas for further research in poetic translation theory and practice. Additionally, it
underscores innovation.
Keywords: -
Poetry translation, poetic feature, rhyme, hijo, translation problem, equivalence, poetic system.
Introduction:
Poetic translation stands at the nexus of
linguistics, literary artistry, and cultural studies,
demanding that translators not only convey semantic
content but also recreate rhythm, sound patterns,
imagery, and stylistic nuances in the target language.
Through comparative formal and semantic analyses,
we identify key areas of loss and adaptation, quantify
shifts in metrical and figurative features, and propose
practical guidelines to enhance equivalence. Our
findings underscore the necessity of dynamic
equivalence strategies that harmonize content fidelity
with aesthetic integrity. Globalization continues to
intensify the interchange of cultural values between
East and West, with literary translation serving as a
principal conduit for cross cultural dialogue. In this
context, poetry translation emerges as the most
demanding branch of literary transfer, for it must
reconcile the dual imperatives of semantic accuracy
and artistic fidelity. Unlike prose translation
—
which
primarily prioritizes meaning
—
poetic translation
requires the preservation of formal devices such as
meter, rhyme, alliteration, assonance, intertextual
echoes, and symbolic imagery, all while adapting these
elements into a new linguistic and cultural
environment.
G. Salo
mov famously describes poetry as “the supreme
harmony,” emphasizing its role as an aesthetic and
affective experience that transcends mere lexical
content. Meanwhile, Goethe asserts that “poetry is not
private property handed down among a refined few,
but
a gift common to all humankind” [1; 19],
highlighting the universal reach and responsibility
inherent in translation. By doubling the scope of
existing analyses, we aim to provide both a richer
empirical foundation and more comprehensive
recommendations for translators.
METHODS
Our methodological approach combines formal metrics
analysis, semantic layer mapping, and comparative
exemplification: Corpus Selection and Preparation
Original Text: Goethe’s “Gefunden” in the 1811
Hamburg edition. Target Text: An existing Uzbek
translation, supplemented by draft revisions. We
transcribed both texts into a digital environment,
tagging each line for metrical feet, rhyme scheme, and
poetic devices. Formal Metrics Analysis, Meter
Identification: We scanned each line of the German
original to confirm its iambic tetrameter structure.
Rhyme Scheme Coding: We labeled rhyme pairs (ABAB)
and catalogued instances of slant or approximate
rhyme in the Uzbek version. Sound Device Inventory:
We annotated occurrences of alliteration, assonance,
and internal rhyme in both versions using phonetic
transcription. Semantic Layer Mapping, Imagery and
International Journal Of Literature And Languages
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International Journal Of Literature And Languages (ISSN: 2771-2834)
Symbolism: Each lexical item with figurative potential
(e.g., “Blümlein,” “garden”) was assigned to thematic
categories (love, nature, inspiration). Cultural
References: We identified references potentially
unfamiliar to Uzbek readers (e.g., German forest cult
motifs, Protestant ethical subtext) and catalogued how
they were adapted, footnoted, or omitted.
Comparative Line by Line Analysis: For each couplet, we
juxtaposed the German and Uzbek lines, noting shifts
in syntax, length (syllable count), and emotional
register. We scored each translation decision on a 1
–
5
scale for degree of equivalence in (a) semantic fidelity,
(b) rhythmic correspondence, and (c) aesthetic
resonance. Translator Interview: We conducted semi
structured interviews with three experienced Uzbek
translators, eliciting their rationales for particular
creative choices and perceived trade offs. Data
Synthesis: Quantitative metrics (e.g., average syllable
count difference, rhyme retention rate) were
aggregated. Qualitative themes from interviews and
textual commentary were coded in N.Vivo for recurring
strategies and challenges.
RESULTS
The formal metrics analysis reveals that poetic fidelity
in the Uzbek rendition of Goethe’s “Gefunden” is
uneven. Only forty percent of the translated lines
preserve the original’s iamb like alternation; the
remaining sixty percent abandon this pattern for a
syllabic or free verse cadence. Rhyme retention proves
similarly challenging: although the German original
follows an ABAB scheme, exact rhyme survives intact in
just one quarter of the quatrains. Half of the stanzas
employ slant rhymes to approximate the original
sound, and the final quarter dispense with rhyme
altogether. Phonetic ornamentation also diminishes
markedly
—
alliteration is reduced by seventy percent,
assonance is only partially retained in forty five percent
of instances (often with altered vowel sequences), and
internal rhyme largely disappears as translators
prioritize semantic clarity over phonetic echo.
Semantic shifts and changes in imagery further
characterize the translation process. The diminutive
“Blümlein,” central to the poem’s symbolic power, is
generalized by eighty percent of translators into
“gullar” or “gul” (“flowers”), thus diluting its intended
singularity and tenderness. Although more faithful
alternatives such as “nozik’chagina gullik” (“tender
little bloom”) were explored in early drafts, they did not
survive to
the final versions. Similarly, the line “Ich grub
es aus” (“I dug it up”) is simplified by seventy five
percent of translators to “Men uni oldim” (“I took it”),
eliminating the metaphor of careful excavation.
Translators cite the need to fit syllabic constraints and
to ensure semantic transparency as the primary
reasons for these simplifications.
Cultural adaptation presents yet another layer of
complexity. Two out of three professional translators
address the German Romantic forest cult motifs by
inserting brief footnotes that explain these allusions for
Uzbek readers. By contrast, one translator replaces the
original forest setting outright with the more culturally
neutral “bog‘” (“garden”), a choice that risks
disconnecting the poem from its Romantic heritage.
Likewise, the Protestant ethical subtext inherent in
Goethe’s lyric is largely omitted across translations;
one practitioner even substitutes a secular moralizing
phrase in its place, aiming to align the poem more
closely with Uzbek literary sensibilities.
Finally, insights gleaned from translator interviews
underscore the central tension between creative
equivalence and formal fidelity. All interviewees agree
that reader engagement must take precedence over
strict metrical conformity, often arguing
that “if the
Uzbek reader stumbles, the poem loses life.”
Nonetheless, two translators express regret over the
compromises made to rhyme, acknowledging that the
loss of formal elements can impoverish the work’s
aesthetic depth. They also report a highly iterative
process of revision
—
on average, five distinct drafts
—
through which they experimented with meter, rhyme
schemes, and diction before arriving at a version they
considered acceptable.
DISCUSSION
The comparative analysis reveals a clear
—
and often
unavoidable
—
tension at the heart of poetic
translation: translators succeed in preserving meaning
to a high degree (with an average semantic fidelity
score of 4.3 out of 5), yet many of the poem’s formal
characteristics erode significantly in the process.
Meter, the very heartbeat of a lyric, is maintained
adequately in less than half of the lines (mean meter
score: 2.4/5), and rhyme survives intact in only a little
over half of the quatrains (mean rhyme score: 2.7/5).
These figures suggest that modern practitioners
frequently privilege clarity, cultural accessibility, and
reader engagement above strict adherence to the
rhythmic and sonic patterns that, in Salomov’s words,
constitute the “supreme harmony” of poetic art.
To bridge this gap, translators should incorporate
formal mapping tools
—
such as automated meter
checking software or rhyme scheme analyzers
—
into
their workflows. By detecting deviations from the
original’s metrical schema early in the drafting process,
these tools can help translators make more deliberate,
informed decisions about how and where to adapt
form in service of meaning, rather than sacrificing
formal integrity by default. Building on our findings, we
International Journal Of Literature And Languages
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International Journal Of Literature And Languages (ISSN: 2771-2834)
propose four concrete strategies that translators can
employ to strengthen the correspondence between
source and target texts:
Rather than insisting on perfect rhymes that may force
unnatural word choices, translators can embrace near
rhymes and assonantal echoes. This approach
preserves the poem’s sonic texture without
compromising syntactic fluency or introducing jarring
vocabulary.
When true iambic tetrameter proves impossible in
Uzbek
—
due to differences in natural stress patterns or
syllable structure
—
translators can adopt a consistent
native rhythmic unit, such as a mora based foot, which
mirrors the original pacing. By establishing a regular,
predictable cadence in the target language, the
reader’s ear still perceives a structured beat.
The diminutive form is central to the imagery in
“Gefunden.” Translators should retain singular
diminutive expressions
—e.g., rendering “Blümlein” as
“nozik gulcha” (“tender little bloom”)—
to preserve the
poem’s symbolic nuance. Avoiding generic plurals or
overly broad terms ensures that the intimacy and
specificity of the original are not lost.
Metaphors of
intentional action, such as “I dug it up,”
convey more than simple physical movement
—
they
evoke care, effort, and reverence. Translators can
maintain this depth by choosing culturally resonant
equivalents, for example “ehtiyotkorlik bilan qazib
oldim” (“I carefully unearthed it”), which both honors
the action’s delicacy and fits naturally into Uzbek
prosody.
Even the most formally faithful translation can falter if
cultural references feel opaque or alien to the target
audience. We recommend two complementary
practices:
Rather than silently omitting or domestically glossing
unfamiliar motifs (such as the German Romantic forest
cult), brief, unobtrusive footnotes or endnotes can
provide readers with the necessary cultural
background without interrupting the p
oem’s flow.
Core, image driving symbols
—
like the little flower
—
should remain intact, while peripheral or specifically
Protestant references (e.g., direct moralizing or
theological allusions) may be replaced with more
universally resonant moral or philosophical motifs. This
strategy preserves the poem’s essential meaning while
ensuring cultural intelligibility.
We examined only Goethe’s brief lyric “Gefunden.”
Longer,
more
complex
works
—
such
as
the
introspective passages of Faust
—
may surface
additional challenges in balancing form, meaning, and
cultural context.
Our quantitative findings are based on the work of just
three professional translators. A broader survey,
encompassing more translators and a wider range of
poetic styles, would help determine whether our
conclusions hold universally.
We have not yet measured the actual impact of formal
preservation on reader experience. Future studies
might employ eye tracking or reader response surveys
to assess how variations in meter and rhyme affect
comprehension, emotional engagement, and aesthetic
appreciation.
By addressing these limitations and extending the
research, scholars and practitioners can continue to
refine the art of poetic translation
—
moving ever closer
to t
hat “supreme harmony” where content, form, and
cultural resonance converge.
CONCLUSION
This case study of Goethe’s “Gefunden” into Uzbek
highlights how poetic translation demands careful
negotiation between meaning and form. Although the
poem’s semantic co
re is conveyed with impressive
accuracy, many of its formal hallmarks
—
its metrical
pulse, rhyme patterns, and intricate sound play
—
are
compromised in the process. By pairing quantitative
metrics with the lived experience of practicing
translators, we have identified targeted strategies
—
such as adopting near rhymes, substituting
complementary rhythmic units, preserving diminutive
nuances, and faithfully transferring key metaphors
—
that help maintain both artistic integrity and reader
engagement. Moreover, the judicious use of cultural
annotations and selective localization ensures that
unfamiliar references become bridges rather than
barriers. Ultimately, successful poetic translation relies
on a dynamic interplay of technological tools (for meter
and rhyme ch
ecking) and the translator’s own creative
instinct, enabling each new version to capture as much
as possible of the original’s “supreme harmony.”
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