Implementation of the principles of translation of Japanese haiku

The subject of this study was chosen by the haiku (comic poems) of the great Japanese poet Matsuo Basho (1644–1694), who won interest from scientists and translators of many countries of the world. In Japan, thanks to the work of textologists and commentators, a rich hermeneutic literature has developed that allows not only Japanese, but also foreign philologists to solve the problems of interpretation of the text and reproduce it in another language. Poems proposed by V. N. Markova (1907–1995), outstanding Russian translator and poet, allow us to highly appreciate the skill of translation and a wide range of Russian language means aimed at implementing the deep content of the Far Eastern segment of the world culture presented in haiku. The stylistic originality of haiku is analyzed in the context of aesthetic categories (yugen, sabi) inherent in the work of Basho. The associative subtext, reminiscent series, semantic variability and emotional content of the source as an object of translation are investigated. The methods of interpretation and transformation of the Japanese text are revealed, which convey to the reader the implicit properties of haiku, their peculiar technique of organizing the poetic space. It consists in applying a complex system of seasonal images-symbols (kigo), the linguistic cultural content of which calls for a recipient to co-creation. Higher human snowdrift is also achieved by the use of cesura (kireji), the diverse functionality of which requires a close view of the nuances of meanings. The attention of V. N. Markova to the author’s word, Japanese poetic tradition, the possibilities of the language of translation, linguistic contrastness, is noted. The skill of the translator allows, in order to transform the source material, it allows you to effectively use the techniques of translation activity ‒ the addition, modulation, expansion, which are based on attracting background knowledge not only about the culture of Japan, but also in China.

Japanese poetry, Zen-Buddhism, Matsuo Basho, V. N. Markova, haiku, problems of translation