Translation in Arabic language and literature
Majid Salehbek
Abstract
In this research, an attempt has been made to criticize and analyze the Arabic translations of Khayyam's quatrains. Therefore, at the beginning, the history of the quatrains, Khayyam's quatrains, the translations done in the West, and how they entered the Arab world have been discussed. Next, Arab translators’ ...
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In this research, an attempt has been made to criticize and analyze the Arabic translations of Khayyam's quatrains. Therefore, at the beginning, the history of the quatrains, Khayyam's quatrains, the translations done in the West, and how they entered the Arab world have been discussed. Next, Arab translators’ methods have been criticized and analyzed under titles such as ideology, source and target language discourse, translation formats, and translation from the intermediate language by bringing evidence. In the topic of ideology, the influence of the ideology of the translator and the target language, and in the context of discourse, the evolution and transformation of the text and the potential of the translator's success have been discussed. The translator's adherence to the main quatrain format or non-adherence to it, as well as its results in the translation process, in addition to the use of the intermediary language and its positive and negative and sometimes destructive effects in the translation, like other cases, have a special place in this study. In the present research, in addition to what has been said, the personal choices and methods of translators and their influence in clarifying, stylization, changing and deleting, the transfer of the received meaning from the source language which is affected by misunderstanding or intermediate language or cultural differences, have been critically analyzed.Keywords: Khayyam's Quatrains, Arabic Translation, Ideology, Context of Discourse, Quatrain Format. IntroductionAlthough the great brilliance of men like Ferdowsi, Hafez, Saadi, Attar, Khayyam, and Molavi in the sky of the vast land of Iran has aroused the admiration of the researchers of the Arab world and many works in this regard have entered the field of literature, but among the Persian language poets, Omar Khayyam has a special place and fame in the Arab world. In such a way, Omar Khayyam and his quatrains have attracted the attention of researchers and Arabic gatherings more than any Persian poet. The existence of nearly a hundred translations of his quatrains in Arabic shows this attention. In this respect, Adib Taqi Dameshqi says: Despite the fact that Khayyam's quatrains are not among the best masterpieces of Iranian genius, and although Khayyam's position is not such that other Iranian poets have not been able to achieve it, what is the secret of this superiority and priority of literature, a phenomenon that may make people wonder (Safi Najafi, N.D.: 17). In response to this question, Reza Tawfiq Bek, a Turkish philosopher, says in his book "Khayyam's Quatrains" that: This success achieved by Khayyam's quatrains is derived from his understanding of the meaning of life based on the present taste and civilization, the basic principles of which are arranged in a new way in his quatrains; Westerners have not turned to Khayyam except because they saw him as a contemporary European sage and followed his teachings (Ibid: 18).Khayyam's name is Omar, his nickname (Kunya) is Abū al-Fatḥ, and known as Ghiyāth al-Dīn. The reason for his fame as Khayyam or Khayami is not known correctly. It has been said that his father had this title and may have been a curtain maker (Foroughi, 1379: 13).What is certain is that during the reign of Jalal al-Din Malik Shah Seljuqi and the ministry of Khwaja Nizam al-Mulk in the year 467 A.H. when they wanted to correctly determine the order of the calendar according to the astronomical rules, they chose a group of scientists for this purpose to arrange the calculation, and Khayyam was one of those scientists, and it seems that he was ahead of everyone (Foroughi, 1379 AD: 13 and 14).Literature ReviewAlthough the research studies that have been done about Khayyam and his quatrains cannot be counted, in line with the title of this research, we can refer to the following items:- The article Analysis of Yusuf Hossein Bekar's critical views on the translations of Khayyam's quatrains based on Antoine Berman's theory written by Zahra Bavand, Shahriar Rahmati, Touraj Zeinivand, and Ali Salimi. In this article, the respected authors' critical opinions on the book "Al-Tarjamat al-Arabiyyah Lerobaiyat al-Khayyam" are examined based on Carman's theory.- The article Review and Analysis of Arabic Translations of Khayyam's Quatrains written by Hossein Kiani and Saeed Hesampour, respected authors, although they have discussed the translation of Rami and Saraf in general terms in their research, but they have not provided an example for their theoretical discussions.- The article Abdul Rahman Shukri and Khayyam's Quatrains written by Jamil Jafari and Sherafat Karimi, in this article the subject of Shukri's influence on Fitzgerald's poetry is examined.- The article Researching on Khayyam based on the Arab World written by Naser Mohseninia, this article focuses more on Khayyam's life and his works in the Western world and the Arab world, and in another section, Khayyam's influence on the Akhawan al-Safa, as well as Ma’ari, has been discussed by referring to the debate between him and Zamakhshari.MethodologyThe method used in this research is descriptive-analytical. It is worth mentioning that in order to clarify the discussions raised in this research as much as possible, an effort has been made to use different examples of well-known Arab translators from different Arab countries, such as Safi Najafi, Ahmed Rami, Abdulhaq Fazil, Ibn Tavit, Ariz, Heydari, etc. and at the end while answering the research questions, present a summary of the findings to the readers.ConclusionAt the end, the results of this research are:- The translation of literary works is always influenced by various factors such as the culture and ideology and personal belonging of the translator, so it is impossible to come across a translation that is not influenced by the culture and ideology that governs the worldview and the translator's belonging, and does not have traces of these things. In other words, any concept and meaning in the form of language cannot be free from culture and ideology, because translation is based on language. It is for this reason that Fitzgerald and his translation, under the influence of the dominant culture and the special position of Great Britain and its undisputed power in the 19th century, have a contemptuous view of the Eastern culture; to the extent that he considered meddling in the works of Iranian poets, including Khayyam, as a source of his entertainment, he stated that they do not have the qualities of a poet and need a little art. Another aspect of it is the cultural and ideological ties of poets such as Safi Najafi and Ahmed Hamed Saraf, who are related to the completely traditional society of Iraq, especially to the religious cities of Karbala and Najaf, or Ibrahim Ariz and Aqqad, whose origin is a society with traditional customs and traditions such as Bahrain and Egypt. As we can see, the apparent invitation to wine in Khayyam's quatrains in Safi Najafi's translation loses its clarity and is used in an inspirational way; and finally, the translator of those quatrains feels remorse because of the popularity of his translation, and seeks to destroy it; or because Ariz who avoids the translation of wine and calls to it and shows a different perception or neglects himself; Aqqad's confrontation with Khayyam and Ahmad Rami's recklessness in saying wine and drinking are also interesting.- The Arab translators not sticking the Persian quatrain format and choosing other formats such as Solasiyat (three stanzas). Moraba’at (four stanzas). Khumasiyat (five stanzas). Musaba’at (seven stanzas). although it has been chosen under the pretext of ease of translation, so that the translator feels free in choosing more words and expressions; but this intention has not been realized, because we come across many evidences that despite the size of the format and the change in meter, not only the entire quatrain has not been translated, but sometimes one or two stanzas have been removed or focus has been made on one or two stanzas.- The polysemous words and their dependence on the sphere of different discourses are other significant things in translation, and at the same time, they provide an opportunity for a capable translator; where the translator can make the necessary balance between the source language and the target language, taking into account the discourse of the age and the audience, to undergo a positive transformation. Among its examples, the interaction of translators such as Wehbi, Saraf, Abdul Haq Fazil, Ibrahim Ariz, Noble Abdul Ahed, Abdul Latif Nashar, Mohammad Jamil Al-Aqili, Abushadi and... with the addition of "Jam Jam" in the negative and positive aspects of the translation of "Water of Life" by Saleh Jafari.- Distance from the original language of the text and the translation from the intermediate language, which, according to the translator himself, is an interpretative translation; or misunderstanding and misinterpretation of the nuances and subtleties of the source language, by the translators' own admission, who do not know even a word of Persian, and the whole translation from translation and lack of adherence to the same Latin text, along with the distance of the Latin text from the Persian equivalents of quatrains, are other challenges. In any case, the results of distance from the Persian original of quatrains in the translation of this group of translators are not surprising. In addition, Fitzgerald, who is the authority of many Arab translators, refrained from bringing the part of Khayyam's prayer that was not in accordance with his poetry. As a result, the comprehensiveness of Khayyam's thought has been damaged in Arabic translations.- In addition to verse translations, a group of Arab writers have turned to prose and word-for-word translations, and their main concern has been to adhere to the text and be faithful in preserving the concepts, preferring the melodious language and style of poetry.- Not adhering to the semantic relationship and the unity of the subject of each stanza and relying on the taste of the source language or pure captivity in the target language to the extent that it leads to the elimination of the subtleties and nuances of the text, all tell about the importance of this issue. Finally, the methods of the translator in clarifying or simplifying or changing and deleting, etc., are all positive or negative aspects of the translation and translator.
