Vergilija „Eneīdas” mēģinājumi latviešu heksametros

Abstract

This paper presents the compilation and analysis of the Latvian translations of the Aeneid, the Latin epic poem written by Virgil (Publius Vergilius Maro), from the first attempts in the late 19th century until the most recent publication in 1970. The materials analysed also include republications of translation excerpts. The source texts are arranged and revised chronologically, and the text analysis is achieved through the comparative method. Particular attention is paid to the translation issues of the dactylic hexameter, the ancient meter also known as “the meter of the epic”. There is no tradition in the Latvian cultural context to render epic poems into prose or any other meter than the dactylic hexameter. Augusts Ģiezens is the most prolific translator of epic poems in Latvian and has translated all Ancient Greek epic poems and the Roman Aeneid. Consequently, his version of the dactylic hexameter has established itself as an example for many generations of readers. The reason for this is the lack or unavailability of other translations. The comparison of translations also offers a look into the rendering of ancient proper nouns. Particular care is devoted to critiques of the translations as published by contemporaries in the press. The variations of translation strategies in early 20th-century poetry renderings in terms of both meter and proper noun rendering lead to the conclusion that attempts in creating a Latvian hexameter have not yet been exhausted and are likely to find new manifestations, particularly in Latvian ancient poetry translation.