Triptych

Excerpt from the new complete translation of Shakespeare's Sonnets

Abstract

About one third of the work of the new complete translation of William Shakespeare’s sonnets has been completed so far. After Lőrinc Szabó’s translation I have knowledge about eight attempts to translate them, but none of them have been accepted either by professionals or readers. The extract published here contains three texts: three consecutive parts of the cycle of poems, which form an independent microcycle within the cycle: instead of big blocks the cycle of poem is set up by shorter series consisting of a few texts, the success of which is due to the fact that all shades of love can be found in them, from subtle, ethereal love to vulgar lust, from realised happiness to jealousy. Evolution can be experienced within the triple series as well: a wide-ranging connection containing religious references is developed from the initial love triangle: the game is getting serious and its stakes are getting higher. First, the study shows briefly the principles of the new translation, then it gives a short presentation about the three poems, and in case of a few lines it comments on the text concentrating on problematic or ambiguous loci.