Lithuanian participial structures in “Joys of spring” (K. Donelaitis, The Seasons) and their transformations in the English translations by T. Tempest and N. Rastenis

Abstract

The rural epic METAI (Seasons of the Year) by Kristijonas Donelaitis, a milestone of Lithuanian literature, has been translated into 13 different languages. English enjoys two full renderings of METAI: one by Nadas Rastenis (published in Los Angeles in 1967) and the other by Peter Tempest (published in Vilnius in 1985). In addition to the culturally specific content, the language of the poem is characterized as stylistically marked. Particularly prominent is the use of verb-participle clusters (šokinėdami džiaugės; lakstydami žaidė; rykaudami gyrė), which is one of the most challenging areas for a translator to overcome. The different linguistic backgrounds (Lithuanian and British) of the two translators may provide different models of transformations while rendering the specific content created by such clusters. In P. Tempest’s translations the following transformations of the Lithuanian pusdalyvis (half-participle) have been noted: 1) It is rendered by the -ing form followed by the main verb in present tense (line 1 atkopdama budina – ascending wakes); 2) Both forms in the cluster are rendered as verbs in present tense (line 2 pargriaudama juokės – laughs, as it undoes); 3) The semantic meaning of the half-participle is expressed by other means: a. by a descriptive modification of the main verb (line 74 verkdams irgi dejuodams skambino dangų – makes all heaven ring with mournful calls); b. by a modifying adverb (line 616 merdėdams vos sukasi – hardly turns at all); c. by adj+ noun (line 317 viena boba vis lekuodama bėga – a breathless woman dashing by). 4) The half-participle was not rendered in any way (line 117 viešėdama čiauški – you chirp away).