Irena Natcheva
on translating Dora Gabe
This poem is deceivingly simple. The gravity of the sadness embedded within is difficult to express. This is in part because Bulgarian has a particularly rich vocabulary for denoting silence. In the last stanza, Gabe uses a direct verb signifying an explicit volition of being silent. Translating this into English seemed like an insurmountable challenge. Gabe further refers to a specific mountain, Stara Planina. I decided not to name this, because it would not carry the same situational meaning for an English reader as it would for a native reader. Another challenge in this text was translating the word заревото, which is a word borrowed from Macedonian that means “glow” or “light,” but has now come to shape the Bulgarian word for fireworks, >заря.
about the author
Dora Gabe (Дора Габе) was one of the most celebrated female Bulgarian poets. She published poetry for adults and children, as well as travel books, short stories, and essays. In her later years, she worked as a translator. In her will, she donated her house to the “youth of Bulgaria,” and her residence now operates as a museum and meeting place for young writers.
about the translator
Irena Natcheva is a first year PhD student in anthropology at the St. Cyril and St. Methodius University of Veliko Turnovo. Her primary research interest is in examining how textiles and embroidery function as carriers of Balkan culture and history.
photo by a DoubleSpeak staffer
