Sound and Sense: Poetic Form and Translating Sor Juana’s Amor es más laberinto

Abstract

What is the role of rhythm, sound, meter, and rhyme in translations and performances of comedia? This essay discusses Sor Juana’s Amor es más laberinto and my process of translating moments of heightened verse in the play—sonnets spoken by the two princesses and sound-driven texts spoken (or perhaps sung) by the Chorus and by the character Music. The piece asks: How should these moments of heightened verse be translated? What is the relationship between author, translator, actor, and director as each participant in the creative process approaches form through their own understanding of sound and sense? Weaving together analysis of Sor Juana’s own reconfiguring of form and of contemporary innovations in poetic form, which each craft new visions of history and identity, the piece argues that translators are permitted, and perhaps obligated, to wield form and the poetic line to its full affective potential.