It takes a poet to translate a poet
Subtitle: ezra Pound's translations of Zeami's no libretti.
Published: 2004
Language: eng
Number of pages: 96
Description: Around 1916, Ezra Pound (1885--1972) translated into English sixteen no plays. Many of them are representative of the poetic style of Zeami (ca. 1363--1443), the foremost dramatist of the classical n6 theatre. The aim of this thesis is to reveal how Pound achieved substantial success in translating the poetic essence of Zeami's style, despite the fact that he was virtually ignorant of Japanese language and culture and had to rely only on the imperfect notes of Ernest Fennollosa (1853--1908). The errors and inadequacies of Pound's translations have been examined by other scholars, but this thesis focuses on the surprising effectiveness with which Pound managed to convey the poetic quality of three aspects of Zeami's style: metaphor, prosody, and ellipsis. Close readings of original textual excerpts will be compared with Pound's renderings and those of other translators.
Notes: Adviser: Sonja Arntzen.

Thesis (M.A.)--University of Toronto, 2004.

Electronic version licensed for access by U. of T. users.

Source: Masters Abstracts International, Volume: 43-03, page: 0684.

MICR copy on microfiche (2 microfiches).