Paper short abstract:

Foreign translations of waka are produced under the strong influence of the recipient language’s own cultural background, and also the range of sources consulted by the translator. This paper reconsiders how translations should be evaluated, using early English translations of the Hyakunin isshu.

Paper long abstract:

This paper investigates two English translations of the Hyakunin isshu, respectively by Frederick Victor Dickins and William N. Porter, that rank among the most prominent Western translations of that work throughout the 19th and 20th centuries. It considers in particular the influence on both translations of illustrations from Edo-period popular editions of the Hyakunin isshu, arguing that these latter were no less important as a factor than annotated editions of the Edo and Meiji periods, or indeed than cultural differences between Japan and the West. An evaluation of the two translations will be attempted from the perspective of influence relationships among various derivative works.

　An examination of Dickins' and Porter's English editions reveals translations that differ from the original in a number of ways. At times this is a simple difference of poetic scene or season. In some cases, however, double-entendres, epithets, and other such devices are fully transformed, with associated place-names being re-conceived as the poetic subject’s physical environment. There are also many cases in which the English version adds descriptions not found in the original poem. Although these phenomena are often due to differences in cultural background, can all discrepancies from the original be explained away thus?

　When considering this issue, it is essential to clarify the recipient cultural background as well as the sources consulted by the translator. In the case of early Western translations, it was common practice to make use of commentaries from the Edo period. Dickins certainly referred to the commentary Hyakunin isshu Mine no kakehashi by Kinugawa Nagaaki, but there are also other sources, such as the women’s educational text Senzai Hyakunin isshu Yamatokotobuki, in particular its illustrations. When attempting to evaluate these translations, it is necessary therefore to consider, not only how faithful they are to their originals, but also the creativity of the various Japanese and foreign sources referenced in the translation process. The influence relationships among such sources raise the possibility of viewing reception as a kind of acceptance. At the same time, while reevaluating their translations, we can also consider their value as derivative works in their own right.