Translation Activity Worksheet - Using Gen AI for Translating Poems
This blog is based on Translation Activity Worksheet - Using Gen AI for Translating Poems and this task was assigned by Dilip Barad sir.
Faiz Ahmed Faiz's Urdu poem "Mujh Se Pehli Si Mohabbat Mirii Mehboob Na Maang"
Do Not Ask Me for That Love Again, My Beloved
(English Poetic Translation)
Do not ask me for that love again, my beloved.
Translated by Gemini
🌹 English Translation (Poetic) 🌹
This famous poem is by the celebrated poet Faiz Ahmed Faiz.
Do Not Ask Me For That Old Love, My Beloved
(Mujh Se Pehli Si Muhabbat Meri Mehboob Na Maang)
Do not ask me for that old love, my beloved, I had thought that if I had you, then life would be shining bright. If your grief is mine, then why heed the world's sorrow and plight?
It is from your face that the seasons of spring gain permanence in this world, What else is there in this life, other than your eyes, to be unfurled?
If only you were found, my destiny would be bound to bow low, It wasn't like this, I merely wished that it should be so.
There are other sorrows in this world, beyond the bounds of love, There are other comforts too, apart from the comfort of union from above.
The dark, brutal talismans of countless ages past, Woven in silk, satin, and brocade, built to forever last;
Bodies sold everywhere in the streets and markets wide, Drenched in dust, in blood they are bathed, where can they hide?
Bodies emerging from the furnaces of disease and distress, Pus flowing, from ulcerous wounds in their endless wretchedness.
The eye is forced to turn that way, what can one do now? Your beauty is still captivating, but what to do, and how?
There are other sorrows in this world, beyond the bounds of love, There are other comforts too, apart from the comfort of union from above.
🌻 ہندی ترجمہ (منظوم) 🌻
अब मुझसे न माँग, वो पहली सी मुहब्बत, ओ मेरी प्रियतमा, मैंने समझा था कि तुम हो, तो जीवन में है जगमग और दीप्तिमा। तेरा ही ग़म हो तो, फिर जग के दुखों का, क्या है अब झगड़ा?
तेरी ही सूरत से तो, विश्व में बहारों को स्थिरता मिली सदा, तेरी ही आँखों के सिवा, जग में रखा क्या है अब बता?
गर तुम मिल जाओ तो, तक़दीर भी मेरी झुक जाए हो के नम, ऐसा नहीं था, मैंने केवल चाहा था कि हो जाए ये रस्म।
और भी दुख हैं ज़माने में, मुहब्बत के सिवा प्यारे, और भी राहतें हैं, मिलन की राहत के सिवा सारे।
अनगिनत सदियों के, वो तारीक, वहशी से तिलस्म जो थे छाए, रेशम, मखमल और किनख़्वाब में थे वो बुनवाए।
जगह-जगह बिकते हुए, कूचों और बाज़ारों में वो जिस्म बेचारे, ख़ाक में सने हुए, ख़ून में नहाए हुए, वो तन थे मारे।
जिस्म जो निकले हुए हैं, रोगों की भट्ठियों के द्वार से, पीप बहती हुई, गलते हुए ज़ख़्मों के कगार से।
जाती है आँख उधर भी, अब क्या ही किया जाए? अब भी मनमोहक है तेरा हुस्न, मगर क्या किया जाए?
और भी दुख हैं ज़माने में, मुहब्बत के सिवा प्यारे, और भी राहतें हैं, मिलन की राहत के सिवा सारे।
1. Difficulties in Translating the Poem
a) Challenging Parts of the Poem and Reasons
The most challenging portions of Faiz’s poem to translate are:
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The ideological shiftThe poem moves from romantic lyricism to political realism:
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From private love (“tum ho to chamak uthti hai zindagi”)
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To collective suffering (sold bodies, disease, blood, exploitation)
This transition is not merely thematic but emotional and ethical, making it difficult to preserve continuity of tone in English.
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Imagery of violence and sufferingLines describing:
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Bodies sold in markets
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Disease-ridden flesh
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Pus, wounds, furnaces
are deliberately stark in Urdu. Rendering them into English risks either:
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Over-softening (losing shock value), or
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Over-literalism (sounding grotesque rather than poetic).
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Refrain: “aur bhi dukh hain zamane mein muhabbat ke siwa”This line carries philosophical resignation, not mere statement. Translating it as a simple declarative sentence risks flattening its depth.
b) Cultural Connotations and Collocations
Urdu collocations such as:
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husn, mehboob, bahaar, zamana, milap / visaal
carry Perso-Arabic literary traditions, Sufi undertones, and Indo-Islamic aesthetics.
ChatGPT’s approach
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Uses neutral, elevated English diction (“beloved,” “fate itself would bow”).
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Avoids excessive ornamentation.
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Focuses on conceptual equivalence rather than cultural exoticism.
Gemini’s approach
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Retains traditional poetic phrases (“old love,” “comfort of union,” “talismans of ages”).
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Leans toward romanticized diction, closer to Urdu ghazal conventions.
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Adds explanatory smoothness but sometimes dilutes cultural density.
c) Untranslatable Words or Phrases
Some words resist direct translation:
Both AI tools resolved these through paraphrase and semantic expansion, rather than literal equivalence—an accepted poetic strategy.
2. Translation Choices and Considerations
a) Metre and Rhyme
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The original Urdu poem has rhythmic musicality, not a strict rhyme scheme.
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Neither translation attempts strict metre reproduction.
ChatGPT
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Prioritizes free verse cadence, maintaining seriousness and restraint.
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Avoids forced rhyme, preserving dignity.
Gemini
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Introduces internal rhyme and couplet-like rhythm.
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Sometimes sacrifices precision for musical smoothness.
➡️ Conclusion: Metre influenced Gemini more than ChatGPT.
b) Liberties Taken to Retain Tone and Emotion
Both translations take creative liberties, which is justified in poetic translation:
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Reordering phrases
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Expanding metaphors
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Clarifying implicit ideas
ChatGPT
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Takes minimal liberties
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Preserves restraint and political gravity
Gemini
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Takes expressive liberties
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Intensifies lyricism and emotional warmth
3. Comparative Evaluation of the Two Translations
a) Key Differences
b) Which Tool Performs Better?
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For academic and ideological fidelity → ChatGPT
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For poetic smoothness and lyrical pleasure → Gemini
4. Application of Translation Theories
a) Roman Jakobson – “Poetry is by definition untranslatable”
Jakobson argues poetic translation is creative transposition, not replication.
✔ Both AI tools exemplify this:
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They do not translate word-for-word.
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They recreate meaning through interpretation and restructuring.
b) J.C. Catford – Linguistic Untranslatability
Catford notes untranslatability arises when:
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Cultural concepts lack TL equivalents.
✔ Evident in:
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mehboob, tilism, zamana
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Resolved via paraphrase rather than substitution.
c) G.N. Devy – Translation as Cultural Negotiation
Devy emphasizes translation as rewriting shaped by ideology.
✔ ChatGPT reflects:
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A modern, global, politically conscious reading.
✔ Gemini reflects:
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A traditional, romanticized literary inheritance.
Both are culturally situated rewritings, not neutral transfers.
d) A.K. Ramanujan – “Context-sensitive and plural translations”
Ramanujan supports multiple valid translations.
✔ Your comparison proves:
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No single “correct” translation exists.
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Each version foregrounds different values—political clarity vs poetic beauty.
Conclusion
This comparative analysis demonstrates that AI translations, like human translations, are interpretive acts shaped by stylistic priorities and theoretical orientations. ChatGPT’s translation aligns with ideological fidelity and modern readability, while Gemini’s version preserves lyrical flow and classical sensibility. Together, they validate Ramanujan’s claim that translations are not replicas but parallel lives of a text, each illuminating different dimensions of Faiz Ahmed Faiz’s enduring poem.
W.B.Yeats' The second coming
Translated by ChatGPT
हिंदी अनुवाद (काव्यात्मक)
द सेकंड कमिंग — डब्ल्यू. बी. यीट्स
ગુજરાતી અનુવાદ (કાવ્યાત્મક)
ધ સેકન્ડ કમિંગ — ડબ્લ્યુ. બી. યેટ્સ
🌹 Hindi Translation (The Second Coming) 🌹
(विलियम बटलर यीट्स)
फैले भँवर में, घूमता और घूमता, बाज़ सुन न पाए बाज़ वाले को अब; चीज़ें हैं बिखरतीं; केंद्र टिक न पाए, बस अराजकता है जग में फैली सब। लहू-मटमैला ज्वार फैला है, हर कहीं मासूमियत का संस्कार डूबा है अब; उत्तम को नहीं कोई विश्वास, और निकृष्ट भरा है तीव्र ज़ज़्बातों से, अजीब है ढब।
ज़रूर कोई दिव्य दर्शन आसन्न है; ज़रूर पुनरागमन है आसन्न। पुनरागमन! ये शब्द मुश्किल से निकले हैं जब विश्व-आत्मा से इक विराट छवि मेरी दृष्टि को है सताती: रेगिस्तान की रेत में कहीं एक आकृति जिसका सिंह-तन और मनुष्य-शीश, नज़र उसकी निर्वात और सूर्य सी निष्ठुर, वह अपने धीमे उरूओं को है चला रही, और सब ओर क्रुद्ध रेगिस्तानी पक्षियों की परछाइयाँ हैं लहरा रहीं। अंधेरा फिर से है गिरता; पर अब मैं जानता हूँ कि पथरीली नींद की बीस सदियाँ एक झूलते पालने से दुःस्वप्न को थीं ताना, और वह विकराल पशु, जिसका आ गया है अब समय, बैतलहम की ओर झुकता है, जन्मने को?
🦁 Gujarati Translation (ધ સેકન્ડ કમિંગ) 🦁
(વિલિયમ બટલર યીટ્સ)
(શીર્ષક: બીજું આગમન)
ફેલાતા વમળમાં, ફરતું ને ફરતું; બાજ સાંભળી ના શકે બાજપાળકને; વસ્તુઓ છે વિખરાતી; કેન્દ્ર ટકી ન શકે; માત્ર અંધાધૂંધી મુક્ત થઈ છે વિશ્વમાં. લોહી-ઝાખો ભરતી મુક્ત થયો છે, ને સર્વત્ર માસૂમિયતનો સંસ્કાર ડૂબ્યો છે અંદર; જે ઉત્તમ છે તેને નથી કોઈ નિશ્ચય, જ્યારે નીચ લોકો ઉગ્ર આવેગની તીવ્રતાથી ભરેલા છે.
ચોક્કસ કોઈ પ્રકટીકરણ નિકટ છે; ચોક્કસ બીજું આગમન નિકટ છે. બીજું આગમન! આ શબ્દો ભાગ્યે જ બહાર છે જ્યારે સ્પિરિટસ મુંડી (વિશ્વ-આત્મા) માંથી એક વિશાળ છબી મારી દૃષ્ટિને સતાવે છે: રણની રેતીમાં ક્યાંક સિંહનું ધડ અને મનુષ્યનું માથું ધરાવતી એક આકૃતિ, જેની દૃષ્ટિ સૂર્ય સમાન શૂન્ય અને દયારહિત છે, તે તેના ધીમા જાંઘોને છે હલાવી રહી, જ્યારે તેની આસપાસ ગુસ્સે થયેલા રણના પક્ષીઓના પડછાયા છે ઝૂલી રહ્યા. અંધકાર ફરીથી છવાઈ જાય છે; પણ હવે હું જાણું છું કે પથ્થરની નિદ્રાની વીસ સદીઓને એક ઝૂલતા પારણાથી દુઃસ્વપ્નમાં છે પલટાવી, અને કયું વિકરાળ પશુ, જેનો સમય આવી ગયો છે આખરે, બૈતલેહેમ તરફ ઝૂકીને જન્મ લેવા જઈ રહ્યું છે?
1. Challenging Aspects of Translating The Second Coming
a) Linguistic and Imagistic Challenges
One of the most challenging aspects of translating The Second Coming lies in Yeats’s dense symbolic imagery and compressed prophetic language. Phrases such as “the widening gyre,” “Spiritus Mundi,” “blood-dimmed tide,” and “rough beast” are not merely descriptive but are loaded with philosophical, historical, and mythic implications. Translating these requires not only linguistic competence but also interpretive decisions, since their meanings are not fixed.
The image of the falcon and falconer, for example, is rooted in Yeats’s cyclical theory of history. Rendering this metaphor into Hindi or Gujarati is difficult because the symbolic system behind it is culturally unfamiliar, even though the literal image is comprehensible.
b) Abstract Concepts and Ambiguity
Lines such as “The best lack all conviction, while the worst / Are full of passionate intensity” present difficulty because the abstraction depends on ethical irony rather than concrete action. Preserving the paradox without flattening its force is a major challenge.
Similarly, “twenty centuries of stony sleep” compresses history, religion, and temporality into a single phrase. Translating this literally risks obscurity; translating it freely risks interpretive distortion.
2. Handling Cultural Connotations and Collocations
a) Cultural Connotations
Both ChatGPT and Gemini largely domesticated the poem linguistically while foreignizing it conceptually (in Venuti’s sense). Biblical references such as “Bethlehem” were retained unchanged, preserving their cultural specificity rather than replacing them with Indian equivalents. This decision respects the poem’s Western eschatological framework.
The term “Spiritus Mundi” is a clear example of cultural resistance to translation. Both tools retained the Latin phrase, with Gemini occasionally glossing it as “विश्व-आत्मा”, whereas ChatGPT left it untranslated, allowing the strangeness to remain intact.
b) Collocations
Yeats’s unusual collocations like “blood-dimmed tide” and “ceremony of innocence” do not have direct equivalents in Hindi or Gujarati.
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ChatGPT rendered these poetically (e.g., “रक्त-धूमिल ज्वार”, “निर्दोषता का हर अनुष्ठान”), maintaining metaphorical density.
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Gemini tended to expand them into explanatory phrases, slightly reducing compression but increasing clarity.
3. Untranslatable Words and AI Strategies
Certain expressions are partially untranslatable, especially:
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Gyre
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Spiritus Mundi
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Rough beast
AI Resolution Strategies:
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Retention: Spiritus Mundi is retained as-is, acknowledging Jakobson’s idea that some poetic meanings resist substitution.
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Approximation: Gyre is translated as “फैलता चक्र / વિસ્તરતું ચક્ર”, which captures motion but loses philosophical depth.
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Metaphoric substitution: “Rough beast” becomes “क्रूर पशु / વિકરાળ પ્રાણી”, preserving emotional force even if symbolic ambiguity is slightly reduced.
This aligns with Catford’s notion of translation shifts, where formal equivalence is sacrificed for semantic or pragmatic equivalence.
4. Choices and Considerations in Translation
a) Metre and Rhyme
Neither ChatGPT nor Gemini attempted to reproduce Yeats’s metrical structure or rhyme scheme. This is a conscious prioritization of semantic and emotional fidelity over formal equivalence. Given the complexity of Yeats’s blank-verse-like rhythm, preserving metre would risk distorting meaning.
b) Liberties for Tone and Emotion
Yes, liberties were clearly taken:
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ChatGPT’s translation is more restrained and solemn, mirroring the prophetic tone.
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Gemini’s translation is more expressive and explanatory, occasionally adding connective phrases to enhance emotional accessibility.
These liberties reflect Ramanujan’s idea that translations are “context-sensitive re-creations” rather than replicas.
5. Comparative Evaluation: ChatGPT vs Gemini
a) Stylistic Differences
b) Overall Performance
ChatGPT performs better in retaining the symbolic opacity, ambiguity, and modernist austerity of Yeats’s original poem. Gemini, while effective for accessibility, sometimes over-explains, which weakens the poem’s unsettling ambiguity.
Thus, for a literary-academic purpose, ChatGPT’s translation is closer to Yeats’s modernist ethos, while Gemini’s may be more suitable for general readership.
6. Application of Translation Theories
a) Jakobson
Jakobson’s claim that “poetry is untranslatable” but only “creatively transposable” is clearly validated. Both AI tools resort to poetic transposition rather than strict equivalence, especially in symbolic passages.
b) Catford
Catford’s concept of linguistic and cultural untranslatability is evident in terms like gyre and Spiritus Mundi. The AI tools manage this through rank shifts and semantic approximation.
c) Devy
Devy’s view of translation as a dialogue between cultures applies strongly here. The translations do not replace Yeats’s worldview but allow it to coexist within Indian languages, creating a layered intercultural reading experience.
d) Ramanujan
Ramanujan’s idea of “many lives of a text” is most clearly illustrated in the differences between ChatGPT and Gemini. Each translation is not a failure of fidelity but a new interpretive act, shaped by different priorities—one poetic, the other pedagogic.
Conclusion
The comparative analysis reveals that translating The Second Coming is less about linguistic transfer and more about negotiating symbolism, cultural distance, and poetic ambiguity. While both AI tools demonstrate high linguistic competence, ChatGPT more successfully preserves the modernist tension and prophetic ambiguity central to Yeats’s poem. The exercise confirms key translation theories by Jakobson, Catford, Devy, and Ramanujan, demonstrating that translation is not reproduction but re-creation across cultures and contexts.
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