Artikel
Translating John Ashbery
Effective vagueness
_w336.jpg)
27 mei 2013
Over the years Ashbery has used a familiar technique: effective vagueness. Ashbery’s phrasing sounds concrete, but is in fact so general and ambiguous, that each time it smoothly fits in with the reader's experiences, tuning his or her thinking to the poem. I rarely feel uncomfortable near an Ashbery poem.
This effective vagueness is an important criterion for finding the proper words: whenever I have a choice, I always opt for the Dutch word that enlarges the meaning of the text in its entirety, even if it creates new connotations in comparison with Ashbery’s original work. Although I’ve never asked him, I believe that that is what he would want me to do.
Another effect of this vagueness is that every reader reads his or her very own John Ashbery poem. While discussing my translations online, I notice that interpretations of his words may vary widely, to a greater extend than in other cases. The sharing of these reading experiences has helped me very much in translating John Ashbery into Dutch. An excellent editor finished the job. The making of Ergens in Amerika (‘Somewhere in America’) was above all a joint effort.
Ergens in Amerika by John Ashbery, translated by Ton van ’t Hof, with an epilogue by Jan Baeke, Azul Press / Poetry International, 2013
Ton van ’t Hof writes about the joys and difficulties of translating US poet John Ashbery into Dutch.
John Ashbery is one of my favorite poets. I’ve read and reread most of his works, all characterized by a constant development and refinement. His latest book, Quick Question, is one of the best. He being in his eighties, it is full of cut diamonds: seemingly loosely written, but dazzlingly striking, again and again.Over the years Ashbery has used a familiar technique: effective vagueness. Ashbery’s phrasing sounds concrete, but is in fact so general and ambiguous, that each time it smoothly fits in with the reader's experiences, tuning his or her thinking to the poem. I rarely feel uncomfortable near an Ashbery poem.
This effective vagueness is an important criterion for finding the proper words: whenever I have a choice, I always opt for the Dutch word that enlarges the meaning of the text in its entirety, even if it creates new connotations in comparison with Ashbery’s original work. Although I’ve never asked him, I believe that that is what he would want me to do.
Another effect of this vagueness is that every reader reads his or her very own John Ashbery poem. While discussing my translations online, I notice that interpretations of his words may vary widely, to a greater extend than in other cases. The sharing of these reading experiences has helped me very much in translating John Ashbery into Dutch. An excellent editor finished the job. The making of Ergens in Amerika (‘Somewhere in America’) was above all a joint effort.
Ergens in Amerika by John Ashbery, translated by Ton van ’t Hof, with an epilogue by Jan Baeke, Azul Press / Poetry International, 2013
© Ton van ’t Hof
Sponsors
Partners
LantarenVenster – Verhalenhuis Belvédère