The Poetics of Silence in the Translation of Samuel Beckett’s “Comment dire” / “What Is The Word” into Spanish

Abstract

“L’e?criture m’a conduit au silence,” admitted Samuel Beckett to Charles Juliet in Rencontres avec Samuel Beckett (21). ‘Comment dire,’ his last written poem, was first published in 1989 and summarises a lifetime exercise of self-expression beyond the limits of language and time. Indeed, it was originally written in French only a year before Beckett died, devoid of a great deal of his communicative abilities. Thus, this poem represents a sort of literary testament (Carriedo 50) resonant of both his literary career and personal life. In fact, its misleading austerity reveals a challenging area of work for the translator to draw on the original text to create his/her own poetic interpretation. In Spanish- speaking countries, Beckett’s poetry has not been given as much prominence as his other works. However, there is evidence of three translations of ‘Comment dire,’ which thereafter demonstrates a surprising interest in Beckett’s late poetic production: Laura Cerrato’s ‘Co?mo decir’ (1990), Loreto Casado’s version within Quiebros y Poemas (1998), and Jenaro Talens’ own interpretation in Obra poe?tica completa (2000). The main objective of this paper is to comment on the essential convergences and disparities found in these translations and therefore to identify mutual sources of interest in Beckett’s original poem. I will also observe the predominant strategies they have chosen in translating ‘Comment dire’ on the basis of two fundamental parameters: creative freedom and respect for Beckettian standards founded on the poetics of silence.