On the Versification Peculiarities of Lesia Ukrainka’s Unfinished Translation of Giacomo Leopardi’s Poem “To Italy”

Abstract

The article presents a comparative analysis of the verse structure of the first stanza of Giacomo Leopardi’s poem “To Italy” (1818) and Lesia Ukraika’s unfinished translation of this stanza (1891). The article points out that the poet turned to this author and this particular poem, as G. Leopardi tragically raised in it the questions that tormented her. An examination of the first stanza of G. Leopardi’s poem by syllables took into account the phenomenon of syneresis (the contraction of syllables), which is so typical of Italian versification. It has shown that the first stanza is syllabic verse with free alteration of 11-syllable and 7-syllable lines within the stanza (11, 11, 7, 7, 11, 11, 11, 7, 11, 11, 7, 11, 11, 11, 11, 7, 7, 11, 7, 11), as well as with a specific pattern of feminine rhymes. The analysis of Lesia Ukrainka’s unfinished translation indicated that it was made in terms of syllabo-tonic versification. The meter of the translation is a heterometric dactyl (ranging from two- to six-foot lines). Almost 89% of the verses are dactylic; apart from them, there are also amphibrachic and dolnik lines. Half of the verses are five- or six-accented, which, together with the absence of rhyme and feminine endings, gives the text a hexametric aura. The article claims that Lesia Ukrainka has rendered the poem in terms of “hexametric sub-code”. She also employed the form of an irregular syllabo-tonic equivalent of ancient Greek hexameter (with deviations from regular meter, foot structure, and line endings) when translating a part of Homer’s “Odyssey” (1888). The meter of that translation was a heterometric dactyl (from four to eight accented lines) (91% of the verses). The remaining lines followed the rhythms of amphibrach, dolnik, or strictly accented verse. A similar structure (D4-7) was typical of Lesia’s translations of ancient Indian “Rigveda” hymns. In this way, she laid the foundation of applying hexametric rhythm in the tanslation of heroic and highly emotional works. The article emphasizes that in addition to syllabo-tonic “hexametric” rhythm, Lesia Ukrainka also paid due attention to the graphic structure of the original (alteration of longer and shorter lines). It is essential that like G. Leopardi, Lesia Ukrainka has created her own “canzone”, which was addressed not to Italy but to Ukraine – the cycle “Tears – Pearls”. The greatest number of parallels with G. Leopardi’s first stanza can be found in the first poem of the cycle “My Dear Homeland! My beloved Land!” (the address to her native land in the opening lines of both the translation and the original; rhetorical appeals to the heaven; the use of the imagery of chains and “terrible wounds”; the use of the exclamation “lele!”). The article also points to approximate versification similarity between the original and translation: both texts are built in trisyllabic meters. However, the translation is marked with the prevalence of dactyl, whereas the original is written in amphibrachs. It is apparent that Lesia did not aim for identical versification: it would have been too noticeable. Therefore, she chose different forms in three poems. It is highly recommended to study Lesia Ukrainka’s translation further in terms of lexicon, imagery, and sound patterning.