The Metrics of Four Czech Poets in Russian Translations

Abstract

The paper considers the poetry of four Czech authors – František Gellner, Viktor Dyk, Karel Toman, and Fráňa Šrámek – in their Russian-language translations. Based on known published translations made by 17 Russian translators throughout the 20th century, it describes their metrical and stanzaic forms in comparison with the original Czech poems. The description and comparative analysis serve to consider a number of questions, including which of the Czech forms appear most attractive to Russian translators, which formal elements are typically preserved and which are significantly altered in the translations, and how Russian readers’ overall perception of the four Czech poets and their oeuvres is shaped through the choices made by translators, in terms of versification.