Accompanying a drunk man from “coupin’ gless for gless” to silence – An es-say in translating Hugh MacDiarmid

Bill Boyd

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Accompanying a drunk man from “coupin’ gless for gless” to silence – An es-say in translating Hugh MacDiarmid

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Accompanying a drunk man from “coupin’ gless for gless” to silence – An es-say in translating Hugh MacDiarmid

Bill Boyd

Coolabah, Vol.30

03/06/2021

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Abstract

Hugh MacDiarmid

Scots language

Caledonian antisyzygy

translation as repurposing

translations as reworking

This essay explores possibilities for translating the Scots language poetry of 20th cenury poet, Hugh MacDiarmid. Mirroring MacDiarmid’s propensity to draw on and recontextualise other sources of poetry and to create new poetic language, the essay illustrates options of translation as (i) repurposing the ideas of the poem, and (ii) reworking events associated with the poem. Two examples are contextualised in an overview of MacDiarmid’s prolific and intellectual Scots and English language poetry. MacDiarmid drew on both languages to create what he called synthetic Scots and synthetic English. This allowed him to explore Scottish cultural, social and political identity, in part to promote Scottish independence and autonomy, and in part to stimulate a new Scottish intellectual and literary tradition. His work typified what is known as Caledonian antisyzygy. Antisyzygy allows for borrowing, appropriation, reworking and decontextualisation of language, ideas and other writers’ work. The essay describes my own appropriation of one poem, On a Raised Beach, to inform a discussion of future education (translation as repurposing). It closes on a contemporary retelling of the construction of the book-length poem, A Drunk Man Looks at the Thistle (translation as reworking).

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Title: Accompanying a drunk man from “coupin’ gless for gless” to silence – An es-say in translating Hugh MacDiarmid
Creators: Bill Boyd - Southern Cross University
Publication Details: Coolabah, Vol.30
Publisher: University of Barcelona
Identifiers: 991013154189402368
Copyright: Copyright© 2021 Bill Boyd. This text may be archived and redistributed both in electronic form and in hardcopy, provided that the author and journal are properly cited and no fee is charged, in accordance with our Creative Commons Licence.
Academic Unit: Office of the Vice Chancellor
Language: English
Resource Type: Journal article

Accompanying a drunk man from “coupin’ gless for gless” to silence – An es-say in translating Hugh MacDiarmid

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