Violets in a Crucible : Translating the Orient

"Hence the vanity of translation; it were as wise to cast a violet into a crucible that you might discover the formal principle of its colour and odour, as seek to transfuse from one language into another the creations of a poet. The plant must spring again from its seed, or it will bear no flower - and this is the burthen of the curse of Babel." (Shelley, A Defence of Poetry)

Although Shelley may have considered the task of translating literature from one language to another as impossible (hence the image of the violets in a crucible), this volume argues otherwise. Looking at a variety of translations from and into different languages, across the ages and across continents (both eastwards and westwards), this collection insists not only on the necessity of translation, its potential for undoing the curse of Babel and opening doors to other cultures, but also on its potential to give rise to works which have their own literary or cultural merit. (jacket)