Siete 'Miniaturas medievales': el poema 'Miniatura średniowieczna' de Wisława Szymborska en sus traducciones al español, portugués, francés, inglés y alemán

Abstract

The article analyzes seven translations of the poem 'Miniatura średniowieczna' written by the Polish poet and Nobel Prize laureate Wisława Szymborska. The translations are into five languages: Spanish (2), Portuguese, French, English (2) and German. The poem can be construed as an ekphrasis of the illuminated manuscripts of the Late Gothic. The 'Très Riches Heures du Duc de Berry' are cited as a possible source of inspiration. The poem’s stylistics reflect – or rather deconstruct – the philosophical and aesthetic values of the Late Middle Ages. In translation, the main points to consider are the creative use of superlatives and diminutives, as well as that of idioms, which the poet transforms, drawing attention to their cognitive origins. The different morpho-syntactic properties of the target languages offer varied possibilities of rendering the key elements. However, the aptitude of the translator is of even greater importance.