Every translator knows the temptation to over-explain. Confronted with a dialect noun that designates both the first frost on larch needles and the silence that follows an avalanche, the dutiful translator reaches for an adjective. The poet, however, reaches for cadence.
The Bilingual Page as Dialogue
When we print a poem en face—original on the left, translation on the right—the gutter of the book ceases to be a boundary and becomes a resonant chamber. Readers whose eyes travel across both pages experience a third poem: the interval between two ways of attending to the world.
About the Author
Full Bibliography & Profile →Claire Moreau
Claire Moreau is a Franco-Canadian poet and translator whose collections examine Alpine ecology, silence, and polyphonic voice. She leads LVN's monthly Translation & Poetics workshop series.
