KULISH AND BYRON (TO THE HISTORY OF DON JUAN’S TRANSLATIONS INTO UKRAINIAN)

Abstract

Translations of Byron’s works occupy a special place in the work of P. A. Kulish (1819– 1897). They can be divided into three parts: nine poems included in the poetry collection Borrowed kobza; Don Juan, first canto; Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage. As far as we know, Kulish was the first to attempt to translate Byron’s last, unfinished poem into Ukrainian. He chose not the “learned” type of translation, but “rehash”, which allowed more free experimentation in the field of vocabulary and rhythm. The edition was published as a separate reprint in 1891. Kulish saw his task in providing a translation of Byron’s poem Don Juan to help the younger generation of Ukrainians as a kind of textbook of life, as a means of protecting oneself from spiritual passions, from human egoism. In addition, the translation of the poem was important for Kulish in terms of developing a lyrical narrative style, which he applied in his last poem Kulish in Hell. Byron developed his own style of narration and used a confidential tone in the poem, referring to the direct experience of the reader. Kulish’s translation into Ukrainian of such a complex and rich work in terms of vocabulary, intonation, and rhyme was a rather difficult experiment. This translation is important both for the study of the creativity of Kulish and the processes of formation of the Ukrainian literary language and Ukrainian poetry. Refs 10.