The Influence of Translation on Shakespeare's Reception in Iran
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
The Influence of Translation on Shakespeare'sReception in Iran: THREE FARSI HAMLETS AND SUGGESTIONS FOR A FOURTH Dissertation submitted to Middlesex University in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Abbas Hoiri School of Arts, Middlesex University February 2003 iii CONTENTS Abbreviations vii The Alphabet and the key to pronunciation viii Diphthongs ix Acknowledgements x Abstract X11 Introduction xiii Part 1: THE DEVELOPMENT OF TRANSLATION IN IRAN 1.0 The preliminary 1.1 From the reign of Anowshiravan to the establishment of Dar al-fonoon 2 1.1.1 Panchatantra is translated into Pahlavi 3 1.1.2 The fall of Sassanianand the spread of Islam over Iran 6 1.1.3 The replacement of Pahlavi script with Arabic 7 1.1.4 Translation in the Abbasid period 8 1.1.4.1 Translation to preserve the heritage 10 1.1.4.2 The translation of the Qura'n 10 1.1.4.3 The building of Baghdad 12 1.1.4.4 The contribution of Persian to the advancement of translation 14 1.1.5 The Moghul invasion and the fall of the Caliphate 15 1.1.5.1 The exaltation of mystical poetry 16 1.1.5.2 The proliferation of Loghatnameh 17 1.1.5.3 The rise of Persian to prominence 18 1.1.5.4 The East India Co. and the fate of the Persian language 20 1.1.6 The Enlightenment 20 1.1.6.1 A fatal blow to Persian 21 1.2 From Dar al-fonoon to W. W. II (1939) 22 1.2.1 Dar al-fonoon (The Polytechnic) 23 1.2.1.1 A supreme translator 25 1.2.1.2 The translation of three masterpieces 26 1.2.1.3 French falls from grace 32 1.3 From W. W. II to Islamic Revolution 34 1.3.1 Iranian Writers' and Translators' Congress 35 1.3.2 The translation of Russian works 36 1.3.3 The Institute for Translation and Publication of Books 37 1.3.4 Schools of translation 38 1.3.5 The dispatch of students abroad 38 1.4 From the Revolution to 2000 41 1.4.1 Translation and language schools 41 1.4.2 The'Brain Drain' 42 1.4.3 The translation of Ulysses 43 1.4.4 Schools of translation mushroom 44 1.4.5 Translation conferences 45 iv Part 2: SHAKESPEARE'S RECEPTION IN IRAN 2.0 The preliminary 47 2.1 A glance at Shakespeare's global significance 47 2.1.1 Britain 48 2.1.2 France 49 2.1.3 Germany 52 2.1.4 Central and East Europe 54 2.1.5 Latin America 56 2.1.6 Africa 59 2.1.7 India 63 2.1.8 Shakespearein cinema 67 2.2 Shakespeare in Farsi translation 68 2.2.1 The first Farsi translation of Shakespeare 73 2.2.2 The Merchant of Venice 77 2.2.2.1 Shakespeareand Semitism 78 2.2.2.2 Bahmanyar's translation of The Merchant 80 2.2.3 Othello 82 2.2.3.1 The first translation of Othello 84 2.2.3.2 Behazin's translation 86 Part 3: THREE FARSI HAMLETS 3.1 Farzad and Behazin's translations 91 3.1.0 The preliminary 91 3.1.1 The translation of puns 96 a) Decent puns 99 3.1.1.1 99 eruption ... state 3.1.1.2 101 unimproved ... mettle 3.1.1.3 stomach 102 3.1.1.4 hard 103 3.1.1.5 kin kind 104 ... 3.1.1.6 sun 105 3.1.1.7 matter 106 3.1.1.8 air 107 3.1.1.9 dear 108 3.1.1.10 hawk handsaw 109 ... 3.1.1.11 sounded 110 3.1.1.12 stew'd 111 3.1.1.13 grave 112 3.1.1.14 peace 114 3.1.1.15 straight 115 b) Bawdy puns 116 3.1.1.16 frailty 121 3.1.1.17 blood 122 3.1.1.18 fishmonger 123 3.1.1.19 privates 124 3.1.1.20 country matters 125 V 3.1.1.21 nothing 125 3.1.1.22 keen 126 3.1.1.23 edge 127 3.1.1.24 maid 128 3.1.2 The translation of imagery 130 3.1.2.1 mind's eye 132 3.1.2.2 clouds hang on you 133 3.1.2.3 season 134 3.1.2.4 temple 135 3.1.2.5 slave 138 3.1.2.6 interpret 139 3.1.2.7 purgation 140 3.1.2.8 a murdering piece 141 3.1.2.9 kind life-rendering pelican 142 3.1.2.10 fine evolution 143 3.1.3 The translation of 'To Be or Not to Be' 145 3.1.3.1 Noncommittal syntax 147 3.1.3.2 that (non-proximal demonstrative deixis) 148 3.1.3.3 there (non-proximal spatial deixis) 148 3.1.3.4 mixed imagery 149 3.1.3.5 quietus, bare 150 3.1.3.6 translations be ' 152 other of'To ... 3.1.4 Miscellaneous 153 3.1.4.1 what, piece 153 3.1.4.2 sledded Polacks 154 3.1.4.3 for food and diet 154 3.1.4.4 I 155 pray ... most convenient 3.1.4.5 jointress, warlike 155 3.1.4.6 young 156 3.1.4.7 weak supposal 157 3.1.4.8 dread 157 3.1.4.9 our eye 157 3.1.4.10 dead waste 158 3.1.4.11 requite 158 3.1.4.12 himself 159 ... pastors, 3.1.4.13 a pin's fee 159 3.1.4.14 circumstance 160 3.1.4.15 here, swear 160 3.1.4.16 delivered 161 3.1.4.17 virtue 161 3.1.4.18 with 162 3.1.4.19 fat 162 3.2 Rahimi's translation for the stage 164 3.2.0 The preliminary 164 3.2.1 Hamlet's adaptability to different cultural systems 166 3.2.2 A severely acculturated Hamlet 168 3.2.3 The development of the play 168 3.2.3.1 The town crier 3.2.3.2 Confusing 'Sunday' 3.2.3.3 The ragtags 3.2.3.4 Polonius' political exhortation 3.2.3.5 The Ghost 3.2.3.6 The sweeper of the Palace 3.2.3.7 The adaptation of'To be or not to be' 3.2.3.8 The Palace storehouse 3.2.3.9 The nunnery scene 3.2.3.10 The'Mouse-trap' 3.2.3.11 The King at prayers 3.2.3.12 The closet scene 3.2.3.13 Laertes returns 3.2.3.14 Ophelia goes out of her mind 3.2.3.15 A miscomprehension 3.2.3.16 The crowds disperse 3.2.3.17 Hamlet returns to Elsinore 3.2.3.18 Ophelia's mysterious death 3.2.3.19 A cageling in the graveyard 3.2.3.20 A 'lord' from the Court 3.2.3.21 'The rest is silence' Concluding remarks Notes Appendices Bibliography Vll ABBREVIATIONS ADO Much Ado about Nothing * A. D. Anno Domini ALL'S All's Well that Ends Well AOD American Oxford Dictionary ANTONY Antony and Cleopatra B Mahmood Etemadzadeh (Behazin) AS As You Like It B. C. Before Christ CAES. Julius Caesar ed. editor, edited by ERR Comedy of Errors edn edition GENT. The Two Gentlemen of F Masoud Farzad Verona H AbbasHorri H4A First Part of Henry IV ibid ibidem (in the same place) H4B Second Part of Henry IV 1. line (p1.11.) H5 Henry V LH Lunar Hejira H6A First Part of Henry VI lit. literal(ly), literature H6B Second Part of Henry VI MFD Mo'in Farsi Dictionary H8 Henry VIII MO Mark of direct object HAM. Hamlet N AbolqasemNasser al-molk JOHN King John n.d. no date LLL Love's Labour's Lost no. number LR. King Lear OED The Oxford English Dictionary MCB. Macbeth p. page (pl. pp.) MEAS. Measure for Measure pl. plural MERCH. The Merchant of Venice poss e possessive e MIDSUM. A Midsummer-night's Dream R Mostafa Rahimi OTH. Othello S Hasanqoli Saloor R3 Richard III sfx suffix ROMEO Romeo and Juliet sg. singular SHREW The Taming of the Shrew SH Solar Hejira SONN. Sonnets SLQD ShakespeareLexicon and TIM. Timor of Athens Quotation Dictionary TIT. Titus Andronicus ST source text TEMP. Tempest TT target text TROIL. Troilus and Cressida TL target language TWELF. Twelfth Night trns. translation/translated by VENUS Venus and Adonis univ. university WINT. The Winter'sTale vol. volume WIVES The Merry Wives of Windsor W. W. World War yr(s)" year(s) Key to Pronunciation Iran-senptgn At Farsi Alphabets symbols At the beginning In the middle the end (pronounced like French does not occur I a) a; r (a: jor) brick (rarangimab) French-like a (beginning) (mid. alef aa and It (abr) cloud ' (sheteab) haste ' (tavaanaa) able end) be b 44 (baad) wind '-e (panbeh) cotton --: S (ketaab) book (par) feather (separ) (lop) pe p - jr- shield :' cheek to t Cu (taaj) crown A (patoo) blanket Z,»4 (baaroot) gun-powder (savaab) deed k- (masal) t--º (khabis) se s n-'r good . example wicked c jim j ý-'»- (jooraab) socks (najib) noble r-I (kaaj) pine S the ch r- (charm) leather .- (bache) child C. (moch) wrist he h -' (hekaa),at) story ý»-- (mahroom) deprived - (sobh) morning khe kh 'ý- (khodaa) god ---- (sakht) hard (shaakh) horn daal d ý--P (doost) friend )' (bidaar) awake (shaad) glad zaal z (zorrat) maize A (bazr) seed (laziz) delicious re r .