Masaryk University Faculty of Arts Department of English and American Studies Teaching English Language and Literature for Secondary Schools Petr Husseini Nick Cave’s Lyrics in Official and Amateur Czech Translations Master‟s Diploma Thesis Supervisor: Mgr. Renata Kamenická, Ph.D. 2009 Declaration I declare that I have worked on this thesis independently, using only the primary and secondary sources listed in the bibliography. .................................................. Author‟s signature 2 Acknowledgements I would like to thank my supervisor, Mgr. Renata Kamenická, Ph.D., for her kind help, support and valuable advice. 3 Table of Contents Introduction ..................................................................................................................... 5 1. Translation of Lyrics and Poetry .............................................................................. 9 1.1 Introduction ................................................................................................... 9 1.2 General Nature of Lyrics and Poetry ........................................................ 11 1.3 Tradition of Lyrics Translated into Czech ............................................... 17 1.4 Conclusion ................................................................................................... 20 2. Nick Cave’s Lyrics in King Ink and King Ink II ................................................... 22 2.1 Introduction ................................................................................................. 22 2.2 Analysis of Lyrics by Luboš Snížek and Martina Sweeney .................... 26 2.3 Conclusion ................................................................................................... 48 3. Amateur Translations on the Internet .................................................................... 50 3.1 Introduction ................................................................................................. 50 3.2 Analysis of Amateur Translations ............................................................. 53 3.3 Conclusion ................................................................................................... 69 4. Comparison of Official and Amateur Translations ............................................... 71 5. Translations of Selected Love Songs from 2001 to 2008 ....................................... 76 5.1 Introduction ................................................................................................. 76 5.2 Translations ................................................................................................. 76 5.3 Conclusion ................................................................................................... 95 Conclusion ..................................................................................................................... 96 Czech Résumé ............................................................................................................. 100 English Résumé ........................................................................................................... 101 Bibliography ................................................................................................................ 102 Appendix ...................................................................................................................... 109 4 Introduction In my thesis, I would like to deal with Czech translations of lyrics by the Australian author and songwriter Nick Cave. He is one of the musicians whose lyrics might be read without music and thus be considered as poetry not always dependent on the musical background (similarly like the work of musicians/poets such as Leonard Cohen, Bob Dylan and Tom Waits, for instance). Nick Cave‟s work is a phenomenon on the music scene as for his poetic talent, challenging song lyrics and independent thinking similar to such music icons as the above mentioned artists. Therefore, his lyrics and translations of them are worth exploring in a deep way. Nick Cave‟s professional career as a musician began three decades ago and during this time, he has managed to produce a considerable work with admirers all over the world. His demanding lyrics make Cave‟s readers and hearers think about various topics such as spirituality, religion, existentiality, sexuality, and pure expression of emotions. Moreover, Cave is a very popular musician and author whose live shows in the Czech Republic are broadly attended by a wide range of generations. For the first time, he played in this country in 1992 and returned for instance in 1997, 1999 and 2001. Cave and his band did not omit the Czech Republic on the last two tours in 2005 and 20081. Thanks to the publishing house Maťa appeared in the Czech Republic two publications of Nick Cave‟s translated lyrics. The first one was published in 1995 under the name King Ink which deals with the musician‟s older lyrics (translated by Luboš Sníţek) produced with the band The Birthday Party and his first three albums with his band The Bad Seeds. There are also ten playlets by Cave in the book. The second 1 In Radek Diestler: “Čechům znovu zahrají Nick Cave a Morcheeba”. <http://kultura.idnes.cz/hudba.asp?c=A080130_151715_hudba_rdd> 5 collection was published three years after the first one under the name King Ink II (translated by Martina Sweeney) following The Bad Seeds‟ first three records with the next ones dating chronologically from 1988 to 1997. Lyrics from these two publications will be at the centre of my further interest. I will analyse selected lyrics from the two books. After the 1997 album The Boatman‟s Call, which was the actual peak of the author‟s lyrical period, Nick Cave released four studio records with The Bad Seeds and one album with his other band Grinderman. Lyrics from these releases have not been officially translated into Czech until now. The topic of love appears on these newer records as well. Concerning the translated lyrics in King Ink and King Ink II, I will focus on a number of songs that are thematically (although loosely) connected. The topic of love is one of the major themes in Nick Cave‟s work and that is why I would like to select particular songs dealing with love. The concept of love is a complex feature of Nick Cave‟s writing. Initially in the 1980s Nick Cave‟s lyrics dealt primarily with sexuality, physical expression of love, male power and violence. Later in his career there appeared a shift in his writing where he did not leave the subject of love but modified his approach to it. Since the 1990s, Cave deals mainly with the topic of spiritual love, often addressing God. My intention is to concentrate on the lyrics with the topic of love, namely such songs where Nick Cave addresses a desired and/or beloved person. I will discuss one song from each of his albums recorded with the band The Bad Seeds. Nevertheless, I would like to make an exception with the record The Boatman‟s Call and include three songs from this collection because I regard this release as the very peak of Nick Cave‟s lyrical ballad period. I would like to compare the meaning and form of the lyrics, the use of language, the sound patterns of his lyrics 6 and the corresponding features in translations by Sníţek, Sweeney and the amateur translators. I will also look at the actual translation strategies. I would like to discuss three main points in my thesis: firstly, I will deal with the general issue of lyrics translation, namely its similarities and differences in comparison with translation of poetry. I will look at the broader topic of translating song lyrics and its tradition in the Czech environment – work of singers Bob Dylan, Tom Waits and Leonard Cohen – and why are these musicians considered to be among the most important songwriters. The general topic of translating poetry and lyrics will be the subject of the first chapter. Secondly, I will analyse Nick Cave‟s lyrics and their translations in the second, third and fourth chapter. The official translations by Sníţek and Sweney will appear in the second chapter. There will be eleven Czech translated lyrics from the collections King Ink and King Ink II. The amateur translations appearing on the internet will then be discussed in the third chapter. There will be eight amateur translations selected. Also, I would like to find out whether these amateur versions seem to be inspired by their official counterparts. We can assume that the amateur translators are fans of Cave‟s work and they may be acquainted with the translations of the lyrics in King Ink and King Ink II. The fourth chapter is dedicated to the comparison of the professional and amateur Czech translations of Cave‟s lyrics: I will focus on 1) use of language, 2) sound patterns and 3) translation strategy. Finally in the fifth chapter, I will present translations of seven selected lyrics by Nick Cave from four albums released after 1997. There are no official Czech translations of these records. The primary argument of the thesis is the following: translations of lyrics by Nick Cave should remain poetry and at the same time, they should fulfil the features of the accompanying music and the rhythm of the song. In other words, written lyrics should be intended for silent reading and at the same time for reading or singing aloud. 7 My main concern of the thesis is to find out 1) whether Sníţek‟s, Sweeney‟s and the amateurs‟ translations fulfil both of the requirements, or 2) whether the Czech lyrics by the two professional and the