Translating Folk Songs into Poetry
To state the obvious, Greek poetry didn’t begin and end with Homer. There is a vast and rich body of modern Greek poetry, much of which has been translated into English for wider appreciation. In this episode of Explaining Greece, we explore some of that poetry—its ties to Greek folk music, and the complexities of translation.
Joshua Barley, a translator of modern Greek literature and poetry, and a passionate enthusiast of Greek folk music, joins us to delve into these connections. Barley discussed common influences and recurring themes in 20th-century Greek poetry. Alongside ancient mythology, Greek folk music was a powerful source of inspiration for many writers.
One poet particularly shaped by this tradition is Michalis Ganas. Barley recently translated A Greek Ballad: Selected Poems of Michalis Ganas and talks through the process. He speaks about the challenges of translating registers and form from Greek into English—especially the difficulty of preserving rhythm and incantatory qualities. The appeal of much of Ganas’ poetry, and of the folk music he was so inspired by, are the universal feelings of longing, exile, and lament. Feelings that sometimes need a poet to be put into words.