Recently, I attended a posthumous book launch of Private Bestiary by the late Kendrick Smithyman, a distinguished and prolific poet of our shores.
For someone relatively new to the poetry scene, I like to spend time filling in the blanks in my knowledge of my poetic heritage. It seems that I am not alone and that Smithyman himself was involved in mining history and culture through the poetic tradition, in particular the Italian tradition, undertaking numerous translations or ‘versions’ of works by the great Italian poets.
Literary scholar, poet and lecturer Jack Ross (hesiodic.blogspot.com) handed me a book that he edited alongside Marco Sonzogni, entitled Campana To Montale, which showcases Smithyman’s remarkable skill in this area. This came with the instruction to write a blog post about the book.
I must say straight away, that the depth of thought and care which has been given to this book is touching. When you can feel the love, you can’t help but linger for just a bit longer, out of respect for the author and editors if nothing else.
I don’t speak any Italian, and aside from in the introduction, there is not too much for me to have to grapple with. Having the original language alongside would have been nice, but reading the English versions of the poems places the poem in a new context.
Ross makes the point that ‘translating poetry is, strictly speaking, impossible.’ It is more of an envisioning and a fresh context that invites the reader into the world of the original.
To avoid being too wordy here, the book is comprehensive and the editor’s comments charming and not without a touch of wit.
A great insight into an important school of poetry that deserves access.
