Exploring Translation Theories and Literary Criticism: Translating Al-Jawahiri's Poem 'O Sir! Inspire me' (in Praise of King Hussein bin Talal of Jordan) into English

Abstract

This study examines the translation of Al-Jawahiri’s Arabic classical poem “'O Sir! Inspire me” into English. It is interdisciplinary, using translation studies together with literary criticism, cultural analysis and poetic theory.The goal is to determine the way in which cultural peculiarities, social subtexts, and poetic features formulate major concepts of a poem and how these aspects are transmitted in translation. The study uses an eclectic model to analyze the figurative language, coherence, compatibility, rhythm patterns, and rhyme scheme of this poem as well as its stylistics. It also discusses translation theories like domestication and foreignization to evaluate the translator’s decisions. The results show that the translation does indeed reflect the spirit and cultural meaning of the original poem, while at the same time adapting it to English. The translator succeeds in depicting the poet’s appreciation of King Hussein, his ancestry and what he did for Jordan. The translation also retains the complex poetic devices and figurative language used by Al-Jawahiri. The research highlights the importance of a holistic approach to Arabic poetry translation, which takes into account both linguistic and cultural challenges. It emphasizes the need to have translators who understand both languages and their cultural backgrounds so that they are able to communicate the intended meaning as well as the impact of an original work.