Stephen Spender Prize 2008 for poetry in translation Stephen Spender Prize 2008 for poetry in translation Joint winners of the Winners of the Winners of the 14-and-under prize 18-and-under category Open category Paula Alonso-Lalanda FIRST FIRST ‘Let’s Go to the Market!’ Daniel Galbraith Imogen Halstead by Gloria Fuertes Amores I.V Amores I.I (Spanish) by Ovid by Ovid (Latin) (Latin) Scarlett Koller SECOND SECOND ‘Roundelay’ Iwona Luszowicz Jane Draycott by Charles d’Orléans ‘In Remembrance an extract from Pearl (French) of Marie A.’ (anon) by Bertolt Brecht (Middle English) (German) THIRD JOINT THIRD Rupert Mercer Emily Jeremiah Catullus VIII ‘Theorem’ (Latin) by Eeva-Liisa Manner (Finnish) Timothy Allen an extract from ‘Broken Heart, New Lament’ by Nguyễn Du (Vietnamese) Commended Commended Commended Henry Bishop Arabella Currie Duncan Forbes Peter Rumney ‘Sleep, My Child’ ‘Eclipse’ by Archilochus and ‘To His Soul’ ‘Alone in Solitude’ by Elalongué Epanya Yondo ‘Cupid Does Not Have Wings’ by Hadrian by Petrarch (French) by Eubulus (Latin) (Italian) (Ancient Greek) Thomas Hughes Laura Napran The Rev Mervyn ‘Unsaid’ Daniel Galbraith ‘Snow’ Wilson by Aliette Audra ‘The Lay of Fáfnir’ by Cathal Ó an extract from (French) from Poetic Edda (anon) Searcaigh The Consolation (Old Norse) (Irish) of Philosophy by Boethius Katharine Gray John Richmond (Latin) ‘First Love’ ‘Boaz Asleep’ by Shimazaki Toson by Victor Hugo (Japanese) (French) Oliver Moody ‘Copa Surisca’ (anon) (Latin) Michael Warner Amores I.VI by Ovid (Latin) 3 Introduction The number of languages represented continues its inexorable unanimously selected as the winner of the 18-and-under category climb; the figure of 27 which seemed so impressive in 2005 looks that they ended up voting it the winner of the Open category – an paltry next to the 42 of 2008. While, as always, French, Spanish, unprecedented occurrence and a great achievement by 18-year-old Latin, German and Russian dominated, the judges were pleased to Imogen Halstead. see translations for the first time from Albanian, Belarusian, Hausa My thanks to judges Josephine Balmer, Susan Bassnett, Karen and Vietnamese. This year also brought what may be the shortest Leeder and Wynn Thomas, who read and made notes on every ever entry, a text message from Catullus: ‘I h8 + I luv. / Y, u may entry; to Erica Wagner, Literary Editor of The Times, for not only ask. I dunno. / But ’strue + kills me.’ publicising the prize in the Books section but also giving work The judges’ shortlists were reassuringly similar in the two experience to some of the younger winners; and to Hawthornden junior categories. Despite an initial lack of consensus in the Open Castle, where four previous winners, aged 20–75, spent three group, there were no fights, no raised voices (though a terse productive and cosseted weeks in April working on translation ‘rhythmically inert’ was heard as one judge vetoed a translation projects. The final vote of thanks must go to the Old Possum’s from Polish being championed by another), and from the disparate Practical Trust, for its generous financial support. shortlists emerged a list of winners with which all declared Robina Pelham Burn themselves happy. So impressed were the judges by the translation Director of the Stephen Spender Memorial Trust Judges’ comments In a splendidly wide- inventive versions of Ancient Greek lyric of around 30 or so entries that caught ranging year for The Times particularly outstanding. It was reassuring, our notice to varying degrees. Often the Stephen Spender prize too, to see translations of little-known, non- commentaries produced the most heart- – with entries offering examination texts such as Oliver Moody’s stopping moments as entrants related how gnomic four-line Welsh lively version of the late Latin ‘Copa Surisca’ their chosen texts had reverberated for folk verses alongside alongside Old Norse (another entry from them through the years, whether from novel-length Vietnamese the versatile Galbraith), while Iwona remembrance of a lost love or a grief that epics and entrants’ ages stretching from Luszowicz’s beautiful rendition of Brecht’s still haunted them decades later. Others 10 to 93 years – the true victor emerged German and Katharine Gray’s assured translated poems for a family occasion, as a familiar Spender favourite, the two- translation from Japanese – skilfully repli- such as a child’s wedding, or to bring their thousand-year-old verse of Latin poet cating the original’s strict syllabics – offered own pleasure in a work to a new, wider Ovid. The judges often debate the welcome attempts at contemporary texts. audience. All revealed the passion that our importance of choosing the right poem There were also some very interesting entrants feel for their poems year after year, to translate (not to mention the difficult choices from our youngest entrants. Scarlett making the task of judging so rewarding. but essential task of putting aside our Koller’s translation of Charles d’Orléans’s As previous Spender winner Jane Tozer own preferences – and prejudices – about ‘Rondel’ impressed with its attempt at the wrote on translating the Anglo-Norman such chosen originals). But although a original’s rhyme scheme. We also enjoyed romance Tristran – just one of many worthy translation can only be as good as its the verve of our youngest entrant Paula entries which caught the eye but, regrettably, source text, it is also the case that complex, Alonso-Lalanda’s ‘Let’s Go to the Market!’, narrowly missed out: ‘Memories that once multi-faceted texts, such as Ovid’s sinuous as well as the maturity of Thomas Hughes’ howled wolfishly now sing like Muses’. Amores, can prove treacherous for the version of French poet Aliette Audra, all of Josephine Balmer unwary or inexperienced translator, slipping which offered fine attempts at capturing the through their fingers as they try, in vain, to integrity of their original poems. Translating poetry well pin it down. Bearing this is in mind, the The Open category also fielded some requires a special talent. achievement of our overall prize winner, excellent versions of lesser known texts. A good translator has 18-year-old Imogen Halstead, is only Alongside Timothy’s Allen’s gripping Viet- to be firstly a sensitive the greater, tackling Ovid’s notoriously namese tale, we were also very taken with reader, able to grasp the difficult metrical, mythological and literary Jane Draycott’s stately rendering of the Pearl nuances of the original in-jokes and references with an ease and poet’s Middle English and Emily Jeremiah’s writer and to comprehend maturity beyond her years. She provided delicate interpretation of Eeva-Liisa the way in which the poem is structured. one of the best entries of this and indeed Manner’s ethereal Finnish (I also admired Then the translator has to build upon any year, outclassing, as our final judging Adrian Pascu-Tulbure’s compelling that reading and recreate the poem in shows, even the many fine adult entries. translation of George Topârceanu’s another language, taking care to remain Ovid triumphed again in the 18-and- Romanian and Roger Cockrell’s of Joseph close, though not slavishly so, to the under category where Daniel Galbraith’s Brodsky’s Russian, although both failed to original while not sacrificing good poetry almost equally fine version of Amores 1.5 make the final cut). In contrast, Duncan on the altar of literalness. In short, a good admirably captured the playful sensuality of Forbes took a well known, almost clichéd translator of poetry has to be Janus-faced, the original. As in previous years, classical text, Hadrian’s poem to his soul, and made looking backwards at the original, forwards entries here remained the most consistently it new again with great verve. But with towards a new set of readers. The success impressive, with Rupert Mercer’s refreshingly few outstanding entries, the competition of the poem in translation is entirely the teasing Catullus VIII and Arabella Currie’s was indeed open this year with a core responsibility of the translator. 4 Judges’ comments This year, there was one outstandingly good The 14-and-under cate- cheek lyricism. One also has to admire a translation, incredibly produced by someone gory produced a small contestant who goes through at the end who is only 18. What makes this so good number of excellent striking all their ‘long-losts’, ‘bygones’ and is that the translator has struck just the entries of very different ‘erstwhiles’. Absolutely right: and very right balance, demonstrating a thorough kinds. Scarlett Koller’s Brechtian to boot. The third place prize understanding of the original and able to translation from French winner Rupert Mercer produced another construct a poem that works brilliantly in of the highly-wrought wonderfully confident modern version of English. That the author was writing 2,000 ‘Rondel’ by Charles d’Orléans showed the classics, this time of Catullus’ half- years ago adds to the problems the translator great ingenuity in this most challenging serious half-mocking Poem VIII and had to face, for when a poem comes from a of forms, the roundelay. But equally, the an excellent commentary. Among the culture distant in time as well as place, the judges were beguiled by the genuine sense commended translations perhaps I could task of the translator is so much harder. The of fun and freshness of Paula Alonso- single out Arabella Currie’s wonderfully principle decision to take is whether to try Lalanda’s translation from Spanish of ‘Let’s vivid translation from Ancient Greek and modernise the poem or to try and convey Go to the Market!’ by Gloria Fuertes. of ‘Eclipse’ by Archilochus. I certainly a sense of its antiquity in some other way.