Charles Baudelaire's "Duellum" has been translated many times, and below there are five excerpts that act as examples of these numerous translations. This essay will attempt to assess each of the five translations from different translators to ascertain as to which stands out among the five translations. In evaluating which is the best translation, special attention will be paid on the diction, rhythm, metaphors, rhymes, and similes utilized in each poem. These details will help shape the argument and justify the chosen translation as the best.
William Aggeler has translated ‘Duellum’ into simple to understand English with a word to word translation from the French version of the poem. William Aggeler’s Duel is ideal for first time learners and new users of the English language as it is told in a simple manner without the loss of meaning during the translation. This version of Willianm Aggeler’s translation lacks the rhyming expected in a poem but it makes up for this by containing the metaphors from Charles Baudelaire’s original version of the poem. Moreover, William Aggeler has also retained the number of …show more content…
From the onset, it is conspicuous to the reader that the translator Roy Campbell has distinguished his poem from William Aggeler’s translation through the use of poetic rhymes. It goes without saying that this creates an enjoyable read for the poem reader as there is flow within the poem structure in terms of rhythm. However, unlike William Aggeler, Roy Campbell choice of words is for the seasoned English user as the diction used is heavy with vocabularies that would trouble a first time English user or learner. But there are similarities between the two translators since like William Aggeler, Roy Campbell has also retained the stanza structure in his translation and he has also employed the use of similes and metaphor like in the original French version of the same
William Aggeler has translated ‘Duellum’ into simple to understand English with a word to word translation from the French version of the poem. William Aggeler’s Duel is ideal for first time learners and new users of the English language as it is told in a simple manner without the loss of meaning during the translation. This version of Willianm Aggeler’s translation lacks the rhyming expected in a poem but it makes up for this by containing the metaphors from Charles Baudelaire’s original version of the poem. Moreover, William Aggeler has also retained the number of …show more content…
From the onset, it is conspicuous to the reader that the translator Roy Campbell has distinguished his poem from William Aggeler’s translation through the use of poetic rhymes. It goes without saying that this creates an enjoyable read for the poem reader as there is flow within the poem structure in terms of rhythm. However, unlike William Aggeler, Roy Campbell choice of words is for the seasoned English user as the diction used is heavy with vocabularies that would trouble a first time English user or learner. But there are similarities between the two translators since like William Aggeler, Roy Campbell has also retained the stanza structure in his translation and he has also employed the use of similes and metaphor like in the original French version of the same