On Seamus Heaney’s Translations

Seamus Heaney won the1995Nobel Prize in Literature. As one of the most significant poet in Irish literature, Heaney’s reputation for poetry is well-known. Nowadays, in the domestic research of Irish literature, Heaney’s poetry and poetics have obtained particular attention. However, Heaney is not only a notable poet, but also a translator who has acquired brilliant achievement. Since the early1970s, Heaney has gotten down to translation. The source of his translation is rich and complicated; in addition, the form of translation is varied. There are four translation works by Heaney: Sweeney Astray, The Cure at Troy, Beowulf and The Burial at Thebes. Among these, The Cure at Troy and The Burial at Thebes are both originated in the plays by the great Greek tragedian Sophocles.Literary production is always closely connected with historical and social contexts. Heaney’s two versions of translation works The Cure at Troy and The Burial at Thebes are originated in the Greek tragedies. However, we found that the plots and the characters of the roles reflect the complicated situation in Ireland. Therefore, this thesis attempts to put the two plays under Irish historical context:from the independence of the republic of Ireland in the middle of20th to the putting forward the Peace Process in the late20th, which aims to show Heaney’s national consciousness and is concerned with the troubles in Northern Ireland. In this thesis, except the introduction and conclusion, there are three chapters in the main content.The introduction gives a brief description of Heaney and his achievement on translation, the current study on his translation at home and abroad, the deficiency of his translation in China, the research perspective, research purposes as well as the structure of the thesis.Chapter one puts forward the great Greek tragedian Sophocles and his achievement, the situation that Irish authors translated Sophocles’ drama, and the troubles when Sophocles’play was replayed in Ireland. In addition, it demonstrates the cultural background that Heaney chose Sophocles’ plays to translate. This chapter reveals Sophocles on the Irish stage. Chapter two conducts a detailed study into the two plays The Cure at Troy and The Burial at Thebes. From the postcolonial translation perspective, this part explores the translation strategies employed by Heaney in the two versions of Sophocles’plays. Heaney rewrited the title and chorus, added and cut the content in the text, as well as embedded the Irish words in the plays, which disclosed the effect driven by the translation strategies.Chapter three discusses the plots and characters of the roles in the two plays which mirror the Irish reality, and shows the relationship between the contents of the two plays and social context in Ireland. Through analyzing the roles and plot in the two dramas as well as linking the historical context, this chapter reveals the significance of Heaney’s translation:Heaney placed his hope on the contemporary situations and the future development of the Ireland, which made his translation contain the cultural value and practical significance.Through the above analysis, the conclusion sums up that the two versions of Heaney’s translation under Irish context, the hope of reflecting the reality in Northern Ireland is expressed. It transmits the information that as an Irish scholar, Heaney shows his sense of mission and commitment to his country. Heaney impels the nation’s cultural construction by translation, which is the core value in classical translation.