Studia Metrica et Poetica

Rhyme in dróttkvætt, from Old Germanic Inheritance to Contemporary Poetic Ecology I: Overview and Argument

2023-09-11T12:31:15+00:00

This paper is the first in a three-part series or tryptic that argues for the Old Germanic origins of rhyme in the Old Norse dróttkvætt meter. This meter requires rhymes on the stressed syllables of two words within a six-position line, irrespective of the syllables that follow. This first instalment introduces both the Old Germanic poetic form and the dróttkvætt meter. It outlines the background of the discussion and presents the basic argument. The second instalment presents a portrait of rhyme in Old Germanic meters outside of Old Norse, providing foundations for viewing rhyme as an inherited part of the Old Germanic poetic system. That portrait highlights the use of rhymes including the stressed vowel within a short line and the tendency to use such rhymes in the b-line, corresponding to the rhymes in even lines of dróttkvætt. The third instalment turns to dróttkvætt within its poetic ecology, beginning with a portrayal of rhyme in Old Norse eddic poetries, followed by dróttkvætt in relation to its contemporary poetic ecology and unravelling its impacts on that ecology, gradually working backward to a perspective on the ecology in which it emerged.

The Development of a Poetic Tradition. A Study of a Dutch Renaissance Poetry Corpus

2023-09-11T12:36:54+00:00

The present paper introduces a corpus of Dutch Renaissance poetry which was automatically annotated by using neural networks. The analysis of the annotations provides a clear picture of the process of implementing the new poetic form into Dutch poetic tradition, and of its different stages. The development of iambic metre was a gradual process that required various attempts; this can be well observed when comparing Dutch poems from a 100 year time window. While syllabic instances can be observed among the first attempts, most of the earlier poems are not isosyllabic and have a rather varied syllable length. This study shows that isosyllabicity developed together with iambicity. Finally, automatic poetry annotation allows for testing and validating theoretical hypotheses and for investigating literary questions with the aid of large amount of data.

Strophes in Peshitta Psalms? A Study of Selected Examples

2023-09-11T12:39:43+00:00

As the Peshitta plays an essential role in literary and textual criticism, the literary features of the Peshitta must be examined not only from the perspective of translation technique but also from the perspective of other factors, such as poetical devices and form. Little attention has been paid to the translation technique in the Peshitta Psalms despite the substantial research conducted on the Peshitta. Most studies have focused on the relationship between the Peshitta Psalms, the Hebrew Masoretic text, and other ancient versions. Therefore, the Peshitta Psalms have yet to be examined from the perspective of classical Syriac poetry. This study investigates how well the Syriac translator employed poetical devices to produce strophic structures and poetic style in the psalms, with particular attention to potential approaches to strophic structure that have not previously been explored. The paper addresses the question of whether the Peshitta Psalms are strophic. The study indicates that Peshitta Psalms 29, 96, 136, and 148 use strophic markers such as word repetition, alliteration, repetition of syntactical structures, parallelism and a balanced number of syllables and words.

The Metrics of Four Czech Poets in Russian Translations

2023-09-11T12:42:28+00:00

The paper considers the poetry of four Czech authors – František Gellner, Viktor Dyk, Karel Toman, and Fráňa Šrámek – in their Russian-language translations. Based on known published translations made by 17 Russian translators throughout the 20th century, it describes their metrical and stanzaic forms in comparison with the original Czech poems. The description and comparative analysis serve to consider a number of questions, including which of the Czech forms appear most attractive to Russian translators, which formal elements are typically preserved and which are significantly altered in the translations, and how Russian readers’ overall perception of the four Czech poets and their oeuvres is shaped through the choices made by translators, in terms of versification.

Hybrids in Literary Translation: Binary Translation Strategies in Howard Goldblatt’s English Translation of Mo Yan’s Frog

2023-09-11T12:46:23+00:00

Mo Yan’s Frog has been widely recognized and welcomed by readers since its publication. Apart from the Western readers’ love of Chinese culture, it also owes its popularity to the translator’s skillful handling of the translation. Specifically, this paper examines the translation strategies used in the English translation of Frog. The term hybrid translation is derived from Homi Bhabha’s hybrid theory, which advocates the mixing of different cultures in order to create a hybrid and fuzzy third space. This hybrid translation approach consists of mixing and integrating translation strategies, such as domestication and foreignization, literal translation and free translation, and finally forming a translation that reflects cultural hybridity. To demonstrate a cultural hybrid effect, translators must adopt a variety of approaches to the transformation of the text so that the target readers are able to fully understand its meaning and connotations.

Russian Binary Meters. Part Two. Chapters 7–8

2023-09-11T12:49:55+00:00

Russian Binary Meters. Part Two. Chapters 7–8