This article outlines some of the translation decisions encountered in the process of translating into English a single poem by Tadeusz Różewicz: “14 lipca 2004 – w nocy,” from the poet’s 2004 collection wyjście. I describe some of the major issues of word choice and syntax that the translation involved. Furthermore, I compare the esthetics of Polish versus English-language poetry, and consider the difficulties of rendering Różewicz’s voice in English. Lastly, I set the translation of this poem in the broader context of Różewicz’s recent poetry–the translation in question is part of a forthcoming English-language collection of Różewicz’s three most recent books, wyjście, szara strefa (2002) and nożyk profesora (2001).

przełożyła Anna Skucińska

This article outlines some of the translation decisions encountered in the process of translating into English a single poem by Tadeusz Różewicz: “14 lipca 2004 – w nocy,” from the poet’s 2004 collection wyjście. I describe some of the major issues of word choice and syntax that the translation involved. Furthermore, I compare the esthetics of Polish versus English-language poetry, and consider the difficulties of rendering Różewicz’s voice in English. Lastly, I set the translation of this poem in the broader context of Różewicz’s recent poetry–the translation in question is part of a forthcoming English-language collection of Różewicz’s three most recent books, wyjście, szara strefa (2002) and nożyk profesora (2001).

translated by Anna Skucińska