Mirela Zaneva
on translating Pavel Matev
My initial steps in translating a given work are attempts to place the poem inside a larger context of the author’s life, views, experiences. Afterwards, I begin with a quick translation, something crude and instantaneous. I focus on the new text and circle, underline, highlight all ideas that come up until there is more ink than words on the page. I then look at the original and take on more edits based on both the rough translation and the original. I rinse and repeat quite a bit over a day or two and then try to forget the whole matter ever happened. When I return to the poem, fresh connections usually appear. So far, this is what I have done with “The Paths.” The current version is still a quite humble attempt to carry over the images from Bulgarian to English. I have recently memorized the poem fully and have created a memory palace of sorts, with the hopes that this will aid me in future revisions.
about the author
Pavel Matev (Павел Матев, 1924–2006) is celebrated as one of the best lyricists in Bulgarian poetry. Growing up in the countryside, he devoted his work to the study of nature and love, and focused on the quiet, simple beauty of both. He is considered notoriously difficult to translate because his distinct melancholic tone is rooted in his rhyme patterns and heavily embedded in the minimalism and succinctness of his phrases.
about the translator
As a psychology major, poetry has not been central to my academic pursuits. However, after taking Professor Taije Silverman’s class, my interest in translation and my connection with poetry has grown. Nowadays, most of my time goes to applying concepts from game theory to evolutionary models, but translating has become a favorite hobby.
photo by Mirela Zaneva
