Transforming Milton’s Paradise Lost into Arabic

Abstract

This paper analyzes Mohamed Enani’s [Muhammad Muhammad ‘Inani] Arabic translation of Milton’s Paradise Lost . It shows how linguistic and stylistic aspects of the translation enhance, shift, or distort some of the emphases of Milton’s original text. Factors such as lexical substitution, the use of Qur’anic diction, and the translator’s annotational method are likely to affect, and often intensify, an Arab-Muslim reader’s response to the language and meaning of the poem. Through these analyses, it becomes clear that cultural and theological dimensions of the translation can significantly shape and color an Arab-Muslim reader’s understanding of the epic poem today.