Domestication and Foreignization in the Translations of Mystic Poems of Hafez by Clarke and Shahriari

Abstract

Hafez's mystic poems are among the most difficult to translate, because to fully understand them, you must be a Persian native speaker. The present article uses a descriptive-analytical method to examine some of Hafez's mystic poems translated into English by Clarke and Shahriari, to identify the tendencies of domestication and foreignization and the degree of visibility of the source text’s author in the target text. In this study, 14 samples of Hafez's mystic lyrical poems were randomly selected and analyzed in terms of domestication and foreignization methods for the two translations from which 5 poems have been discussed in this article. The findings show that both translators have used these two strategies, to a different extent. Shahriari's translation, which used the domestication method to a greater extent, seems more natural and more understandable for the target language reader (according to Nida). However, as much as fidelity to the source text is concerned, foreignization is more appropriate than domestication. In general, none of the localization and foreignization methods could fully transfer the main concept of the verses to the target text. Therefore, it is recommended to use footnotes in the translation to convey the full meaning and aesthetic taste in Hafez's poems.