The paper titled "Al-Muallaqat and their Emotive Meanings" by Eyhab Abdulrazak Bader Eddin and Said M. Shiyab focuses on the challenges of translating the emotive meanings in Arberry’s translation of Al-Muallaqat. The study particularly examines whether Arberry successfully conveys the emotional and cultural nuances of the original Arabic text at the phonological, morphological, lexical, and semantic levels.
The purpose of the study is to explore the extent to which Arberry's translation of Al-Muallaqat retains the emotive meanings present in the original text. The paper aims to identify areas where the emotive content is either preserved or lost in translation and to provide insights into how such losses might be mitigated.
Methodologically, the paper conducts an in-depth analysis of selected phrases and sentences from the odes of five poets: Imru' al-Qais, Tarafa, Zuhair, Antara, and Labid. These poets were chosen due to the cultural significance of their works and the complexity of translating their emotive expressions.
The key findings of the study indicate that while Arberry’s translation generally maintains the referential meaning, it often fails to preserve the emotive resonance inherent in the original text. The study highlights specific instances where the emotive meaning is lost, particularly in the translation of phonological and morphological features that are unique to the Arabic language. For example, Arberry’s translations struggle to capture the nuances of Arabic sound patterns, word formations, and the emotional weight carried by certain linguistic structures.
In conclusion, the paper asserts that the loss of emotive meaning in Arberry’s translation is significant and contributes to a distortion of the original text’s emotional impact. The study suggests that to overcome these challenges, translators need to adopt strategies that go beyond literal translation, incorporating a deeper understanding of the cultural and emotional contexts of the source material. The implications of this research are particularly relevant for future studies in translation, emphasizing the need for approaches that prioritize the preservation of emotive content in literary translations.