ABSTRACT
In 1952, Jean Lescure, a French poet, offered to translate the poems of Italian poet Giuseppe Ungaretti into French. A search of the Jean Lescure archives revealed that for the poems in the La Terra Promessa collection (1950), Ungaretti had prepared what he called “translation attempts” or “translation with literal indications of meaning” in French. This chapter discusses a case of poetry translation based on a self-translation, whose process was closely followed by the author, from the first draft to final editing. Looking specifically at the manuscripts of one poem in this collection, “Canzone”, this study analyses a creation process that began with a literal translation by the author, seeking interventions in both poets’ manuscripts to unveil the mechanisms involved in this four-handed poetry translation. The poets’ correspondence is also studied, illustrating the creative process through the cross-references of the poet–translator and the poet. An understanding of how this process fits into a collaborative translation perspective was also sought: what are the freedoms and limitations of a poet–translator who is guided by a poet–author? What issues emerge from a self-translation that is then re-created or rewritten in the translator’s own language?
