The Gabo Prize for Literature in Translation & Multilingual Texts

Special Guest Judge, Dr. Sorcha de Brún:

The choice of these poems for translation was an inspired one. “Petition” was an extraordinary translation and an excellent choice. The shape of the poem resembles a concrete poem with its visual cues inviting the reader to view language as a palimpsest. This was an interesting choice as the art and act of translation was embedded in the poem itself. The use of brackets, for example, highlights not just the subject matter but the rewriting of personal and political histories. This was used to great effect in the translation. The translator artfully shows the possibilities and problems with gaps in language and chose to use a voice which spoke at once poetically and practically, combining consonance, alliteration and symbolism, at times with panache and at other times using a more laconic tone when detailing the gruesome killings. Examples of such use of language were dry strike, lofty love, and farmer/gardens. Where he/she could have opted to use two different words to achieve greater variety, the translator opted to use the same word twice, enraptured, while skilfully bestowing the contrasting lines in the poem with layers of meaning. This approach led to the reader to a more unsettling and more nuanced interpretation. The translation successfully carried the idea of an outpouring of water, blood, bullets and violence throughout. Furthermore, a notable aspect of the translation was the way in which the translator used words such as shore, shark, to reflect the sibilance of the final syllable in Khorramshahr, frequently using consonance and assonance to achieve this effect. The effect of such prosody was that the reader was reminded of the contrast between the peaceful place Khorramshahr once was, with the violence described in the poem. At the same time, the use of the word shore aptly reflected both Khorramshahr’s geographical location as a port city, an imaginative concept of border, and Khorramshahr’s importance in terms of the memory of an outpouring. The translation “Khorramshahr and Free-for-All Coffins (Without Lids and Bodies)” shows a similar approach and technique and a surety of language that steers the poem to its bitter conclusion. As with “Petition”, the translator builds on the tension inherent in the trajectory from the innocence of children playing ball, to the recess bell, to bullets through a skilful use of prosody, all contained in the form of free verse.

Dr. Sorcha de Brún was awarded her PhD in Irish from Ulster University in Belfast, Northern Ireland and is a lecturer, writer and translator working in modern Irish in the School of English, Irish and Communication in the University of Limerick, Ireland. Her Irish language poetry has been published in various anthologies, such as Comhar, Washing Windows and An Gúm. She is a recipient of the Duais Foras na Gaeilge/Foras na Gaeilge Prize, the Máirtín Ó Cadhain Short Story Award, numerous Oireachtas na Gaeilge literary awards, and her short stories and poetry feature on the Séideán Sí Irish Primary Curriculum. She was a awarded a place on Poetry Ireland’s Introductions/Céadlínte series in 2024. Her translations include Shakespeare’s sonnets as well as the works of numerous German, Irish and American poets. A former organist and choral director, she has arranged both art song Lieder for the Irish language as well as a wide range of Irish language church music. A regular contributor to Irish language media, she is a former recipient of the John and Pat Hume Scholarship Award and recent publications include ‘Absolute Music as a Framing Device in Desiderius a Dó by Pádraig Ó Cíobháin’ and her visual art poem, ‘I mo Bholg’ [In my Belly] combining poetry with Gaelic script calligraphy, Fire: Brigid and the Sacred Feminine (2024). Her forthcoming monograph, An Chruinne Fhireann: Micheál Ó Conghaile, Pádraig Ó Cíobháin, Joe Steve Ó Neachtain agus Fireannachtaí na Gaeilge [The Male World: Micheál Ó Conghaile, Pádraig Ó Cíobháin, Joe Steve Ó Neachtain and Irish Language Masculinities] will be published in 2025 by Arlen House.