Translating rhymed poetry - Thomas Hardy's Neutral Tones

Abstract

Among the many approaches towards translating rhymed metrical poetry from English into German, the probably most challenging approach aims to create a poem that, aspiring to poetic art in the target language, integrates as far as possible the meaning and formal features of the original. Drawing upon the example of Neutral Tones by Thomas Hardy, my paper will analyse the process of translation and suggest ways of structuring it. What to prepare, where to begin, and how to proceed: these are questions that will be tackled and tentatively answered. The paper will not provide a ready-made solution but open up new avenues towards a better awareness and understanding of the translational process.