Pearl: A Translation

by Jane Draycott, Bernard O'Donoghue (Introduction)

Jane Draycott's translation of Pearl reissued as a Carcanet Classic

A Poetry Book Society Recommended Translation

In a dream landscape radiant with jewels, a father sees his lost daughter on the far bank of a river: "my pearl, my girl." One of the great treasures of the British Library, the fourteenth-century poem Pearl is a work of poetic brilliance; its account of loss and consolation has retained its force across six centuries. Jane Draycott in her new translation remakes the imaginative intensity of the original. "This is," Bernard O’Donoghue says in his introduction, "an event of great significance and excitement," an encounter between medieval tradition and an acclaimed modern poet.

Genres: Poetry

64 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2011

About the author

Poet

Reviews

[Fern A]

Pearl is a 14th century poem, believed to be by many as one of the most important surviving works written in Middle English. It’s structured along the idea of a vision dream with many religious ideas played out.

I enjoyed this, though slightly preferred J.R.R. Tolkien’s translation. Complex and creative.

[Ygraine]

have been meaning to read this since my first year of undergrad; am dipping my toe by reading translations before i crack open my j.j. anderson. coming away from this one mostly Very Curious abt the lapidary tradition, which i've never come across before, & the image of the new jerusalem made from twelve precious stones, the stones at the bottom of the river, the clothing crusted in pearls, and light shining through all of it, water and glass and colours glowing, v Into it.

as an elegy, i like the image, the lost daughter as buried pearl, better than i like the theological elaboration. "it was you / who first acquainted me with sorrow, / you who'd been the source of all my / bliss" is Lovely, though.

[Maryann Corbett]

I liked this somewhat less than I like the Armitage translation, and I'll repeat what I said of that one.I have certain hesitations about any approach to the translation of a rhymed, metrical poem that deliberately avoids end rhyme. If you believe that naturalness of language is the primary criterion for the translation of a poem, this will probably suit you. I guess most people do believe that; the book won prizes. In my view, this is a version, not a translation. If you want a faithful metrical translation, wait for John Ridland's version, which will be out later in 2017 from Able Muse Press. If you can't wait, read Boroff. Still good after forty-some years.

[🌶 peppersocks 🧦]

Reflections and lessons learned:
“For it is perfect, pure and clear, an infinite sphere, serene and shared amongst us equally”

14th century North West translated poetry? Pre pandemic this would not have been a go to text but as we have the time to stop and take on different things, why not eh? Weird to see that it’s ended up as my 1000 read item listed on Goodreads, and if it took me a while to return to after starting, but the flow considering the translation was quite lovely

“My happiness and my heartache – you were both...”

[Chimene Bateman]

A gorgeous translation of this short 14th c. poem into modern English. Elegantly done and a real pleasure to read. I’m glad, however, that I also read an old-fashioned translation of the poem (Brian Stone’s 1964 translation in the little Penguin Classics paperback, Medieval English Verse), because it gave me a better sense of the alliteration and elaborate rhyme scheme of the original, with the last line of each section linking to the first line of the next (like a string of pearls). Draycott’s translation doesn’t try to observe these formal constraints.

[emilia]

decent translation

[Judith]

Came across this book by chance, I'd no idea it existed. I've read it with great pleasure.

It is Ms Draycott's modern translation of the Middle English poem, Pearl. A good way into the original, also a good poem in its own right.

Unfortunately I prefer the original - tho' this has earned its place on my bookshelves.

Am very much looking forward to reading both side by side, eventually.