Shiven Sharma
on translating Théophile Gautier
“Sonnet 1” was one of many in Gautier’s Poésies Complètes (Volume I), published in 1889 by the Charpentier Library. The sonnet is the first of seven in the volume and is quite possibly the most thematically profound. “Sonnet 1” is a nostalgic reflection of the past, filled with memories of the ornate and grandiose basilicas that Gautier encountered in his youth. Gautier describes various features of these basilicas, such as their multicolored stained-glass windows, the beautiful silver coating on the church pinnacle, and the pleasant chimes of their church bells. This sonnet is rich with imagery as it activates an entwinement of senses (i.e. aural and visual), giving the reader an almost synaesthetic experience.
Gautier wrote the poem in a now-archaic form of French, employing some words and phrases that are not used today, such as poëte (line 12) and Argentant à demi (line 6). As such, it took some time to translate the piece and understand the poem’s context and phrasing. The term poëte, whose modern French counterpart is poète, translates to “poet.” The expression argentant à demi refers to the literal act of coating half of an object with a reflective substance (e.g. silver) and is now an idiom that means “to recover money.”
I tried to be as true to the original as possible, but sometimes altered the wording for the sake of clarity. For instance, the literal translation of line 1 is “Through the multi-coloured stain-glass windows of the gloomy basilica.” This is too complex, and actually draws focus away from the synaesthetic imagery that underlies the setting. The expression “prismatic windows,” though it does not fully capture the intended meaning, allows for the interpretation of stained-glass windows within the context of the basilica setting. Furthermore, there are modern expressions in the French that sound awkward when translated into English. Literally, line 14 translates to “Looks up to heaven, and sad remembers.” Without the addition of “in” and replacement of “sad” with “sadness,” it seems that Gautier personifies sadness, which couldn’t be further from the intended purpose. In fact, Gautier wanted to depict the melancholic internal reflection of a poet that was situated on a beach, gazing into the sky.
The translation process was quite difficult, especially because I had to decide between translating literally or changing the phrasing of the original. With the former, I risked losing coherence and creating confusion, while with the latter, I risked losing Gautier’s intended meaning. I tried my best to find the most accurate translations of the diction and idioms employed in the original work. Thus, the actual translation of the work is not the source of difficulty, especially if one is familiar with French, but the real problem arises from efforts to capture the ideas and meanings originally conveyed by Gautier. In order to do so, one must be precise in one’s use of language and make sure that changes of phrasing do not result in an alternative interpretation of the text. I feel great about this translation as I believe I communicated the original meanings and themes expressed in Gautier’s “Sonnet 1.”
about the author
Théophile Gautier (1811–1872) was a journalist, art critic, and novelist, but most importantly, he was a poet. Living in Paris for most of his life, he spent much of his time pondering the nuanced and free-flowing nature of the arts, especially paintings and architecture. However, after attending Collège Charlemagne, he became an early proponent of Romanticism and, accordingly, turned to poetry, publishing his first poetry collection, Poésies, in 1830. Poésies is one of his most notable works, despite its being primarily an attempt to imitate other, more established Romantic poets, such as Victor Hugo. In the forty-two-poem collection, which includes “Sonnet 1,” Gautier displays his artistic prowess through variation of verse forms, vivid imagery, and sound internal reflection. “Sonnet 1,” in particular, was written by Gautier at the height of Romanticism, and therefore presents a synthesis of several themes present during the movement, such as supernaturalism, the sublime, and Hellenism. Interestingly, after the publication of Poésies, Gautier once more shifted his artistic stance. Rather than the utilitarian artistic philosophy of Romanticism, he came to prefer the more aesthetic artistic philosophy of art pour l’art or “art for art’s sake.” Nevertheless, Gautier is one of the best poets of his time and his voice deserves to be heard by all, irrespective of language.
about the translator
Shiven Sharma is a senior in the School of Arts and Sciences at the University of Pennsylvania who is majoring in biology and minoring in French studies. He enjoys reading twentieth-century French literature from postmodern novelists, such as Albert Camus and Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. Sharma also appreciates nineteenth-century poetry from prominent French poets, such as François Coppée and Alfred de Musset. Furthermore, due to his long-standing interest in the culture of Quebec, a Francophone province in Canada, he created an exploratory dissertation regarding the influence of the Roman Catholic Church on the Quebecois sociocultural climate.
