Zhaparova A.

Al-Farabi Kazakh National University,

Department of Translation Theory and Methodology

Abai's poetry in Russian translation

Poetic art is the most valued, appreciated, respected one among the Art of Words; it is the highest measurement of creative willpower and genuine talent that a poet possesses; it is beautiful world of poetic strength, where delectable poetic tradition and poet's inspiration meet. Therefore, brilliant world of its translations can show its entire essence. Accordingly, poetic skills and abilities of those poets, who сooperated to develop Kazakh translation, made a contribution with their own author originality and distinctiveness.

To do translation, to turn precious treasure of one nation, which they are proud of, from one language into another, to make it available for your people, to serve such noble thing like translation, deserve one's respect and deference.

A translator is a creative individual. He is a representative of his epoch, his native literature. Hence, he glorifies the content and ideas of his age in his own way, he accepts all these happenings in his own way, we can hear his voice in his translations. Otherwise, content and ideas of original text can go with one path, with the same system, this way a translator is not considered like an individual person. That's why, during translation of any work, diverse translators try to add some changes into original text, they alter essential parts of the text or they narrate original text on their own. Translation of one artistic work from one language into another is truly difficult task, complicated and arduous path, tough challenge. It is world, where personality of an author and a translator personalities, their thoughts and notions, essences, their inside spiritual worlds, individual perceptions, their tastes in transforming thoughts into words, styles of 2 poets, their abilities, skills, knacks can be met.

M.Auezov wrote in his article named "Some matters of artistic translation": "In the sphere of translation, many duties and tasks are fulfilled in concrete method, in order to present whole singularities of original text, a translator uses multiple methods, by how skillfully he applied all these methods, we can judge about the translation; singularities of text are intonation, rhythm, imagery and figurativeness (here we can name figurative meanings of synonyms, idioms, proverbs and sayings, aphorisms) and other elements like that, as well as various and different peculiarities of national forms, historical features". It means, that among complex problems of Translation Theory, the author of the article highlighted transferring author’s style like the most significant matter. But it doesn't mean that in order to present genuine style of original text, we can damage systems of Kazakh language or make incorrect, wrong, improper and inappropriate sentences. The matter is to keep individual author style and to make it sound in real Kazakh language. It is extremely hard task. It demands creative deliberation, exceptional and extraordinary talent, experience and knowledge. But for true creative translation, somehow freedom is necessary. If not, a translation will be literal: word for word or interlinear, it will be incomprehensible, unclear, obscure, and inexplicable to read and understand. If do not follow a word, sentence, way of an original text, its style, manner, character, feature, generally speaking, its total spirit, one cannot achieve adequate translation. Well then, veritable and perfect creative translation is a combination of freedom and accuracy; a translator should be able to connect 2 major components equally and evenly. Creative freedom denotes when a translator does not exceed the limits of an original text, he keeps style of an author, his aptitude and competence to do translation, which is easy and appealing to read. Right here, a translator shouldn’t be influenced by an original text, but nevertheless, a specialist in the sphere of translation, has to convey all originality, sense, inner meaning and implication of an original text into the second language. All said above requires creative freedom.

Abai Kunanbayuly’s first collection of poems was published in 1909 in Peterburg, in publishing house named I.Boraganskiy. Kakitay and Turagul Kunanbayuly prepared the book for publishing. In 1914 In the book «East collections», which was devoted to an eminent and outstanding Russian scientist A.N.Veselovskiy, Abai’s poems like «In the silent, luminous night», «Summer», «Some moments of a Man», «I die, my place is cold ground». This means, Russian readers’ first acquaintance with Abai was in 1914. Abai’s work transferred into Byelorussian, Armenian, Moldavian languages and also into Arabic and English was done on the basis of Russian translations (interlinear translation) of Abai’s poems, the work was available for readers in 1970. Take for example a collection of Abai's poems published in 1954 in Moscow, we can see that more than 20 specialists translated Abai's poems. Translation matters of Abai's work into Russian language is the most actual and topical problem, it has current importance. The quality of those translations is not perfect up to present days. As many of Abai's poems translated into another languages exactly from Russian language, property of Russian translations is vitally important. The most crucial, momentous fact is that Russian translations of Abai's work cannot utterly transmit great poet's notions and thoughts, inside richness of his concepts, ideological and conceptual content of his сompositions. However, overwhelming majority of translations of Abai's poems is published like initial variants {1}.

Only in 2 candidate dissertations written from 1938 to 1970 years, translation problems from Kazakh language into Russian language are considered and examined. One of them is S.Kuspanov's "Translation of Abai's poetry into Russian language" and the second one is Z.Zhantekeeva's "Translation issues of Kazakh poetry into Russian language". In S.Kuspanov's dissertation, translations of Abai's work, done within 30 years, are studied and investigated. The research is given in chronological order, so it presents opportunities to observe developing process of Translation Studies in Kazakhstan. Many well-known poets and translators made a contribution into translation of Abai's masterpieces into Russian Language, they are: Vs. Rozhdestvenskiy, Ya. Smelyakov, P.Antkolskiy, M.Lukonin, M.Petrovyh, S.Lipkyn, A.Globy, E.Shehtman, E.Kurdakov and many others. Along with successful and felicitous translations, readers familiarized with poor translations {2, 11} . In 1935 the translations of Abai' spoems, done by Vs.Rozhdestvenskiy, saw the light. Vs.Rozhdestvenskiy and Leonid Sobolev studied Abai's oeuvre with great interest. Today we can meet translations done by G.Belger, M.Adybaev. M.Auezov sat 3 goals in front of translators:

1. Faithfully and aptly transfer life truth depicted in the work.

2. Clearly give an original text itself.

3. Do not inflict harm into the system of native language.

All other problems are sorted out around these 3 purposes. A translator should always be vigilant and alert in the matter of keeping purity of his language. A translator should master his thoughts so well that he is able to convey them into other language.

In the article written by G.Belger " Ruler is a word. Why is it difficult to translate Abai?", he emphasized main complications met during translating Abai, proved them with examples. G.Belger considered Abai like truly national poet, he showed that each of Abai's poem has national trait and singularity. First difficult comes from here, when making interlinear translation for every line by Abai, explanations should be introduced. For instance, the word "pysyk" (Russian word for "nimble") met many timesin Abai's poems has several synonyms in Russian language, such as "nimble, deft, agile, smart, resourceful, skilled, fast, dodger, rogue, crook, swindler, cheater, prompt and so on; the word "tasyr" (Russian word for "сonfident, perky") has also several meanings like "snobby, haughty, arrogant, assertive, opinionated, bold, silly, dumb, dull"; the word "zhar" (Russian word for "spouse, sweetheart") can have the following synonyms like "beloved, dear, spouse, bride, wife or husband, fiance, spousal, bridegroom, fiancee". According to G.Belger, difficulties faced throughout translating Abai's poems can be estimated as follows:

•Brevity and conciseness and imagery of Abai’s poetry;

•National traits of his poems;

•Ambiguity and multiplicity of every Abai’s word;

•A great deal of historical-domestic realia;

•His poems are full of edification, exhortation, admonition, precept addressed for enlightened and educated readers;

•His poems have special rhythmicity and daintiness;

• Distress and spiritual sufferings full of tragedy and sorrow {3}

Translation of poetry is challenging and responsible task. Interlinear translation also plays significant role. Interlinear translation shouldn’t be implemented only like simple calque or loan translation, along with features of an original text, dimension of poems and numbers of lines, rhythm and rhyme, alliteration, assonance (its objective), meanings of idioms and phraseological combinations frequently met in an original text, emotional intonation of the work, descriptive methods should be shown, kepr and thoroughly analyzed.

When Abai’s oeuvre was firstly translated into Russian language, translators devoted their work to Russian-speaking readers. That time put different conditions. Nowadays, readers distinguish from previous ones, they are bilinguals. Not every translation replies for demand and inquiry of bilingual readers. Certainly, we must pay tribute to those translators, who made major and valuable contribution to translation Abai’s work into Russian language. They have done immeasurable and unfathomable job. They tried to keep content, motive, ideas of original texts.

Literature

1. Abai. 37 poems. - Almaty: Publishing House Edelweiss,2006. - 440p.

2. Sagandykova N.Zh. Kazakh poetry in Russian translation. - Almaty: Science, 1982. - 128p.

3. Abai. Poetry, Poems, prose/ Compiler – G.Belger. – Almaty: Mektep, 2006. – 192p.