Interpretation of the metaphor of poetic creativity in the poem "Brise marine" by S. Mallarmé in the translations of O. E. Mandelstam and M. V. Talov.

Li Polina Viktorovna ORCID: 0009-0004-7878-1297 Assistant Professor; Department of Intercultural Communications and Translation Studies; Vladivostok State University 41 Gogol Street, office 5517, Vladivostok, Primorsky Krai, 690014, Russia shmatokpolina@gmail.com Other publications by this author

Translations of Stephane Mallarmé's works played a key role in the development of Russian symbolism as a literary trend. Although Mallarmé was translated less than other French symbolists, the Russian symbolists paid homage to Mallarmé with their translations of his works, adopting his themes and images, and using lines from his poems as epigraphs. It was his understanding of the symbol not only as an aesthetic form, but as part of a philosophical understanding of the world that became fundamental to Russian symbolism ^[1]. The researchers emphasize the special importance of the concept of the word Mallarmé for the master of Russian symbolism, V. Y. Bryusov ^{[1, 2]}. He was the first translator of Mallarme's lyrics in Russia, followed by K. N. Ledov, L. L. Kobylinsky, M. A. Voloshin, F. K. Sologub, I. F. Annensky and O. E. Mandelstam.

The peculiarities of S. Mallarme's aesthetics and poetics have formed the main range of themes, motifs and images of his lyrics. Researchers note that the main themes of the French poet's lyrics were outlined in his early work. D. R. Vidrin explores creative impotence as the main theme, additionally examines the theme of escape from the inexorable azure (Ideal) through love, obsession with azure, which is replaced by obsession with "nothing" in later work, on the themes of emptiness and night ^[3]. According to S. N. Zenkin, "the cross–cutting problematic" of Mallarme's work "consists in the poet's spiritual self-determination in the face of the material, real world," hence the search for a "poetic double", the changing of masks in the poet's early works, and subsequently the depersonalization and elimination of the lyrical hero. The researcher examines the theme of the poet's creative impotence, revealed in a symbolic and loving way, the theme of "nothing" in the home interior, as well as the theme of nature, hostile to the poet because of its inherent fullness of being ^{[4, p. 9]}. Ya.S. Linkova, following O. E. Mandelstam, calls Mallarme of the 1860s an artist of "big themes" and highlights "the search for perfection, tragic worldview, escape from reality" ^{[5, p. 116]}.

The search for the Ideal in Mallarme's lyrics is realized in the motive of travel, which has a twofold nature: firstly, it is an escape from one's creative destiny, and secondly, the path to it. The motive of escape from the Ideal appears in the poems "Windows" ("Les Fenêtres", 1863), "Azure" ("L'Azur", 1864), it is also present in "The Punished Clown" ("Le Pitre Château", 1887), where the lyrical hero pays for betrayal.

Mallarme presents the poetic path in the form of a journey – a lonely wandering in search of the promised land. In 1866, in one of his letters to a friend, he described his work as a journey "through unknown countries", he saw reality as "scorching heat", and the habitat of the Ideal as "pure glaciers of aesthetics" ^{[4, p. 389]}. The search for the Ideal embodies Igitur's path ("Igitur", 1869) to the tomb of his ancestors, when, with a candle in his hand, he must pass through the darkness of an ancient castle. In "Prose pour des Esseintes" (1884), the lyrical hero and his companion discover a beautiful island where the Ideal blooms in all its glory: "As if a gigantic forest had grown orchids floating in the sky, so that I would put a sudden, new brilliance of ideas on papyrus!" (translated by R. M. Dubrovkin) (Gloire du long désir, Idées tout en moi s'exaltait de voir la famille des iridées surgir à ce nouveau devoir). An island, an isolated land– is a great place to leave behind everything that prevents a poet from creating.

Attempts to realize the Ideal were painful for Mallarmé: he spent many hours at work, honing every word; therefore, the motif of creative impotence often arose next to the theme of the poet and poetry. He realized himself in the images of boredom (boredom, the poet called the state of creative stagnation), infertility, and horror of an empty white page. The realization of his own inability to create drives him away from the Ideal. In the poem "Spring Renewal" ("Renouveau", 1862), the content contradicts the inspiring title – instead of the freshness of spring, it is dominated by despondency and longing generated by the inability to create. Impotence spread through the poet's "yearning blood.": "My whole being was flooded with yawning" (translated by R. M. Dubrovkin) (L'impuissance s'étire en un long bâillement). The lyrical hero sadly wanders through the fields, and the scents of spring do not calm him, and the feeling of powerlessness grows.: "And boredom expands from sunny fences" (translated by R. M. Dubrovkin) (J'attends, en m'abimant que mon ennui s'éleve). In the finale of the poem, the motif of the Ideal arises in the image of the merciless heavens mocking the poet: "Where the brazen azure sways with laughter" (translated by R. M. Dubrovkin) (Cependant l'Azur rit sur la haie et l'éveil). The motif of impotence also appears in the poem "Fear" ("Angoisse", 1864). The woman in this poem symbolizes matter, reality. In her arms, the lyrical hero tries to forget himself and get a break from the tyranny of the Ideal. But "incurable boredom" cannot be overcome by earthly love: the hero realizes that he is infertile, just like this vicious woman. Once again, the hero runs in fear.

The image of travel as a metaphor for poetic creativity, the motives of escape from reality, boredom and creative impotence are embodied in the poem "Brise Marine", one of Mallarme's most popular and frequently quoted works. It was written in 1865, during a period of crisis for the poet. Straitened financial circumstances, despondency caused by the long winter, and recent fatherhood – all this led Mallarme into a depressed state of mind, hindering his creative rise. In one of the letters to a friend A. Casalis Mallarma admits: "Unfortunately, I am not at all given to taste the joy that usually reigns around the cradle. Don't get me wrong. I am too much a poet and too passionate about one Poetry to experience inner pleasure, if I cannot work, then it seems to me that this joy takes the place of another, higher one, that which the Muse bestows" ^{[4, p. 383]}. The poet admits that the birth of a child is a joyful event, but the highest joy for him is poetic inspiration. This higher joy does not allow him to be satisfied with earthly joy, he cannot enjoy it and strives for creativity. Table 1 shows the original text with a subscript translation.

Table 1

The poem opens with a note of despair, marked by the interjection "alas." The reason is boredom, capitalized at the beginning of the second stanza. Before identifying this reason, Mallarme provides several observations explaining the despair of the lyrical hero.: It is characterized by both a lack of pleasure and a lack of interest in what surrounds it. These two elements are placed in parallel in the semi-verses of the first line. They are separated by the interjection "alas", which has great power due to its central position in the line.

The first reason for boredom is the vanity of the "flesh." The pleasures of love and sensuality cannot be enough to fill a life. "Books," for their part, offer both an escape into a fictional world, and the discovery of the real world, and knowledge about it. In both cases, this is a vain pastime, according to the poet. "I've read all the books" suggests that he's explored what the world had to offer him. Since there is nothing left to explore, the poet experiences a deep sense of emptiness, expressed by images: "Nothing, desolate, empty, without (masts)." The personification of "boredom" leads to the inevitable conclusion: "Boredom, devastated by cruel hopes, still believes in a farewell wave of handkerchiefs!".

The eighth line mentions the lyrical hero's family, but both his wife and his child seem detached from him, without any emotional connection. He doesn't say "my wife," but "a young woman," as if hinting at distance and lack of connections. Similarly, he is not talking about their child, but about "her child" (a young woman). In general, the touching image of a nursing woman here emphasizes boredom and emotional detachment.

The everyday environment mentioned in the first lines is banal. Mallarme lists "books, old gardens, a lamp," and "paper." "A young woman breastfeeding" stands at the end of the list, of which she thus unwittingly becomes a part, as if she were an unknown person.

Everything around the lyrical hero seems unbearable to him. That's why he strives to travel to exotic places that can relieve him of boredom and bring him the desired freedom. The journey is primarily an escape, which is emphasized by the double exclamation "Escape! run there!". Thus, it is synonymous with newfound freedom after suffering the shackles of the real world and everyday life.

The journey to unknown lands described in the poem metaphorically represents the search for freedom in poetic creativity. A. V. Akimova interprets it as a symbol of the transition to the infinite, to an ideal that is not connected with reality, noting the use of real-life images that can only be contextualized, and not an isolated interpretation. The researcher considers the creation of an image of an abstract, non–existent dimension through consistent denial – the rejection of nature, creativity and family (in the form of old gardens, lamplight and a young woman) - to be "the main direction of Mallarme's poetics" ^{[6, pp. 32-33]}.

The poetic images are striking in their brevity and capacity: "intoxicated birds" symbolize newfound freedom and the pleasure it brings. Personification presupposes that the poet merges with the birds and sees himself in the "sky" (one can compare it with the image of the Baudelaire Albatross, the personification of the free poet in the sky). The enthusiasm and intensity of emotions are conveyed by exclamations. Determination is expressed by the words that nothing can keep the lyrical hero from escaping, he says: "I will leave!". This determination is palpable in repeated denials, as if sweeping away obstacles with a wave of the hand.: "neither the old gardens, nor the deserted lamplight, nor the young woman."

What the poet aspires to is idealized. In the hero's dreams, nature is presented as "exotic", with "fertile islands", and the "song of the sailors" – the anthem of a free, romantic life – seems to appeal to the poet, encouraging him to leave. And at the same time, there is some doubt about the lyrical hero, as evidenced by the intermittent, indecisive rhythm of the fifteenth line: "Lost, without masts, without masts and fertile islands." The journey, though idealized, does not exclude dangers. There is a gap in the poem between the desire to leave, and a certain fear, and overcoming it.

The lyrical hero is going through a creative crisis, his metaphor is the image of a white page, "on empty paper, protected by whiteness," illuminated by the desert light of [his] lamp." A family, a young mother with "her baby" cannot prevent her from escaping into infinite space, striving for the ideal. Compared to the "old gardens", a metaphor for old and hackneyed themes, travel brings new poetic images. The poet celebrates his newfound inspiration. The lexical field of the image of the sea is extensive and is associated with liberation: "foam, sea, steamer, anchor, masts, shipwrecks, sailors."

The poet's image is expressed by a metonymy – "a heart that sinks into the sea." A slightly different shade was highlighted by P. Benisha, pointing out a different meaning of the verb "se tremper", which, in addition to "plunge, dive", can also mean "to harden" ^{[7, p. 118]}. That is, the poet's heart, like a red-hot iron, must undergo a sharp cooling in order to gain strength, perhaps in following the path of creativity. P. Benichou compares this hardening immersion with the "restorative bathing" (bain régénérateur) encountered by the lyrical hero in the poem "The Punished Clown" ^{[7, p. 119]}. The restoration that occurs through immersion in water can be compared to the biblical image of baptism, which returns a person to the path originally intended for him by God – the dedication of life to a higher goal, abandoning the previous way of life, death for all earthly things.

The general dynamics of the poem presupposes elevation. The birds in the "sky" represent the poet's rediscovered inspiration, surveying the world from above. The vastness of the sea is doubled by the vastness of the sky, which symbolizes freedom, and the "islands" are described as "fertile," which implies an abundance of ideas.

Mallarme, in a way, confesses to the reader the anxieties peculiar to him as a young poet. Allusions to Baudelaire's poems, the theme of sea voyages, and exotic space become lighthouses for him. The motives of musicality and rhythm are of particular importance. "The sailors' singing" can be understood as a detail that gives an exotic touch to the journey, but it is also associated with the musicality of poetry and creative inspiration. These sailors are comparable to mythological sirens, dragging the poet far from home, on a dangerous journey of poetic creativity.

The poem has been translated into Russian more than once: O. E.'s translations are known. Mandelstam (1910), M. A. Eizler (1919), M. V. Talov (until 1937), V. F. Markov (1951), Yu. B. Korneev (1960), V. V. Levik (1967), E. B. Kunina (1960s), E. L. Linetskaya (1974), R. M. Dubrovkin (1985). Let us consider how the image of poetic creativity is embodied in two translations: O. E. Mandelstam, who at the time of the translation had just entered the poetic path, and M. V. Talov, an outstanding representative of the "Russian Montparnasse", the author of the only complete translation of S. Mallarme's collected poems.

The first Russian translation of this text belongs to the pen of O. E. Mandelstam (1891-1938). He translated this poem in 1910, a turning point in his creative biography. Mandelstam returns to Russia from Paris, where he spent several months studying the work of the French symbolists. Under the influence of French symbolism, Mandelstam's poems become more allegorical, with motifs of mystery and "inaccessible beauty" appearing in them. The key features of his style are being formed: the complexity of metaphors, contrast, rich imagery, and the use of archaic vocabulary. In St. Petersburg, Mandelstam's first poems are published in the magazines Apollo and Libra. He created works that were later included in his first collection "Stone" (1913): "Morning", "Stone", "Venice", "Meeting". N. A. Struve attributes this time to the period of "belated symbolism" in the poet's work ^{[8, p. 163]}.

Mandelstam turned to Mallarme's translation on Annensky's advice. Despite the fact that this is the only Mallarme poem translated by Mandelstam, scientists see stable connections between the poetics of the two authors. Ya. S. Linkova, exploring this issue, cites statements by V. I. Terer, R. Dutli, B. M. Eichenbaum, confirming the similarity, and considers the possibility of calling Mandelstam "the Russian Mallarme." The proximity of Mallarme's themes, motifs, and images – in particular music, emptiness, and creativity –is revealed by Ya.S. Linkova in Mandelstam's poems of the 1910s: "Gold Leaf burns..." (1908), "On pale Blue Enamel" (1909), "A sensitive sail strains the Ear..." (1910), "Silentium" (1910), "Oh, heaven, heaven, I will dream of you!" (1911), "Slowly the urn is Empty" (1911), "Admiralty" (1913) ^[9]. The motif of the "disgusted, saddened body" that appears in "The Sea Wind" is found by A. A. Ustinovskaya in the poems of 1909: "I have been given a body – what should I do with it..." and "The thin decay is thinning...", as well as in the works of 1910: "Like the shadow of sudden clouds...", "It is transparent and dark in a huge pool...", "Silentium", which also develop escape motives ^{[10, pp. 252-253]}. Additionally, we note the motif of captivity, inability to escape from captivity, which appears in the poems "A light smoke has melted in the frosty air..." (1909), "Dark bonds of earthly imprisonment..." (1910), echoing Mallarme's poems about escape ("Azure", "Windows", "Swan", "Sea Breeze"). In the already named poem "A body has been given to me – what should I do with it..." (1909), the motif of a tired body also makes this poem related to Mallarme's "Windows", and the imprint of the lyrical hero's breath left on the "glasses of eternity" refers us to the image of the old man from the "Windows": in an attempt to reach the ideal sunny He spots the transparent window panes with the touch of his lips. All this allows us to talk about the cultural dialogue that arises between Mandelstam and Mallarmé, and the active perception of the French poet's poetics by the Russian author.

Mallarme, who was experiencing a creative crisis during the writing of the poem, turns from longing to the "song of the sailors" – to poetry, and his heart sinks into the sea, that is, into the creative element. Mandelstam is at the beginning of his creative career at the time of translation, so the tone of his translation is different, it lacks the intense drama of Mallarme, who opposed everyday life and matter to the Ideal. In Mandelstam's interpretation, there is a Pushkin intonation: in the poem "The Poet" (1827), Pushkin portrays a poet whose soul sleeps when he is immersed in worldly worries. But as soon as he feels a creative impulse, everything changes. His soul is an "awakened eagle", he can no longer remain in the mundane, but strives for a space of inspiration: "He runs, wild and harsh, / And full of sounds and confusion, / To the shores of desert waves, / Into wide–noiseless forests ...".

Mandelstam translates the first half of the poem. There are two opposing views on this circumstance – it is either a translation failure or a stylistic device. K. Ragozina considers this translation "unfinished and unsuccessful", and the reason for such a fragmentary translation is Mandelstam's inability to complete it ^[11]. The opposite point of view is offered by A. A. Ustinovskaya, who claims that the translator used the technique of intentionally cutting off the text. Noting that the translation omits the title of the text referring to the sea voyage, as well as the maritime theme itself, associated with the metaphor of escape from reality into the world of dreams and creativity, the researcher points to a rethinking of the theme of the work in Mandelstam's translation: "this is a kind of manifesto of escapism, not the desire to escape into the sea, but in general a manifesto of fatigue from a life when "all the books have been read," and nothing can keep you from wanting to escape" ^{[10, pp. 250-251]}. Indeed, apart from the words "foamed water", there is nothing in the translation text that connects the creative process with a sea voyage. The translated original phrase about "a heart that sinks into the sea" – "a dancing heart, a share" – not only breaks the connection with the theme of the sea, but also creates a new image – a living heart striving for something, and nothing will stop its aspirations. Mandelstam's escape is an immersion in poetic ecstasy.

The tone of the text changes in translation. Instead of an abundance of exclamation marks, the translator introduces ellipsis, reflecting the melancholic and meditative state of the poet, who is in anticipation of creativity. This is also facilitated by the omission of the interjection "alas!" and the exclamation "Oh, nights!", expressing the despair of Mallarme's lyrical hero.

Mandelstam changes the rhythmic pattern of the first line, making it energetic rather than minor.

The flesh is saddened, and books are boring...

To run... I can feel the birds getting drunk.

From the novelty of the sky and the foaming water.

There is no sigh of "alas!", two verbs are repeated, the last one becomes in a strong position at the end of the line. The original phrase "I've read all the books" in the first line speaks, on the one hand, about all the tried ways to find inspiration, idle boredom, and on the other, symbolizes the poet's familiarity with all the literature of the past and the need to create something that had never existed before, his willingness to do so. The translated phrase "and I'm tired of books" reflects the boredom of the young poet and the desire to create independently, to create his own works. The image of birds intoxicated by the "novelty of heaven" in the second and third lines creates the impression of spring renewal, symbolizing a new life, a new beginning, youth and prosperity.

The vocabulary that creates a feeling of emptiness in Mallarme's poem is transformed in Mandelstam's translation: "nothing" has become "no", "desert light" has turned into a "desert halo", and "empty paper" has become "unwritten and virgin leaves", that is, it is a blank sheet necessary for a new composition.

No – not in my eyes are the ancient gardens

They won't stop the dancing heart.;

Not with a lamp in a desert halo

On unwritten and virgin sheets;

No young mother with a baby in her arms...

In lines four through eight, the translator reproduces Mallarme's multiple negations. "Ancient gardens" (gardens and parks of St. Petersburg) and "a young mother with a child" are a reality. Mandelstam uses these images to show that no one and nothing will distract the poet from his work.

Ending his translation in the middle, Mandelstam omits the second part about longing, boredom and "barren islands". He writes about poetic inspiration that arises and subdues him. Thus, he recreates Mallarme's poem in his own way in Russian.

Let's compare this translation with that of M. V. Talov (1892-1969). Talov translates the text in full, preserving the title of the poem, the number of words and the features of the rhyme. The translation captures the intonation pattern and syntax of Mallarme's poem, and the translator retains all the exclamations, with the exception of the lyrical hero's exclamation "Oh, nights!"

In M. V. Talov's translation, there is an allusion to the words of Christ addressed to the disciples in the Garden of Gethsemane: "The Spirit is alert, but the flesh is weak" (Matthew 26.41), and with it a religious motive arises in the translation.

The flesh is weak, alas! and I've read all the books.

Run away! Run there! The seagulls are drunk there in a moment

Summers over the foam of the waters or in a clear height.

The omission of the first part of this phrase suggests that the flesh – that is, matter, everyday life – defeated the lyrical hero, and he is unable to obey the guidance of the poetic spirit. The central position of the exclamation "alas!" in the line has been preserved and the second part of the half-verse "and I have read all the books" has been accurately conveyed.

The image of "old gardens reflected in the eyes" as themes and motifs that have long been beaten in creativity has been replaced by "ancient gardens in green beauty," which creates an even more majestic impression that the hero will have to leave.

Neither are the ancient gardens in their green beauty,

No lamp, a fleeting light that fell on the paper,

Whose snowy captivity promises, ruining my courage,

And neither is the breast-feeding mother,

–No, nothing can stop me here.

I'll leave!

Multiple negations are preserved in the translation text: "no gardens, no lamps, no mother, no, nothing, can't, no masts, no islands," but the lexical field of emptiness is partially lost in translation: "desert light" becomes "fleeting," and the emptiness of paper is metaphorically depicted as "snowiness," adding the image is cold. The situation of confrontation between the creative process and the creator is conveyed in the sixth line: "Whose snow captivity promises, ruining my courage." This line gives a new impression that the journey will not take place if the poet cannot create anything. The image of the "fleeting light" of the lamp indicates movement that is unusual for artificial lamp light, as opposed to natural light, and compensates for the mention of a lightning flash from the thirteenth line of the original text.

The theme of the sea voyage created by Mallarme is accurately conveyed: "foam of waters, canoe, anchors, masts, wreck, sailors." However, the metonymic image of the poet as "a heart that sinks into the sea" is lost in translation. The author compensates for this by introducing additional nautical vocabulary: birds from the original text become seagulls. The steamer at Talov turns into a canoe. The Old Russian word "shuttle" creates a more poetic image than "steamer", that is, it is a majestic journey, dangerous, but attracting a lyrical hero. The last line indicates that, no matter what, the heart is directed towards poetry.

About the shuttle, to the tropical edge,

As I weigh anchor, I sail away with you!

But the boredom in the bitterness of hope is still there.

He tells me to believe in the farewell wave of the handkerchief.

But the masts, they're full, under the breeze

Winds, perhaps, will find death there, by wreck

Broken, without masts, no masts, no islands...

But, my heart, listen to the sailors' song!

The atmosphere of complexity and danger of the task facing the lyrical hero is enhanced in translation by a triple "but" at the beginning of the eleventh, thirteenth and sixteenth lines.

The peculiarity of Talov's translation is that the author strives to accurately recreate the original images in Russian. The translator pays great attention to the marine images embodying the desire for creativity, further enhancing them. The expressiveness of the translation is aimed at depicting the dynamics of feelings in Mallarme's poem. His translation recreates the oppressive atmosphere of the lyrical hero's inability to create and the resistance of the "material". Talov poetically conveys the symbolism of emptiness created by Mallarme with the metaphors of "desert lamp light" and "empty paper protected by whiteness." With the help of sound recording, Talov preserves the musicality and reproduces the feeling of longing of the original text.

The translations of O. E. Mandelstam and M. V. Talov indicate different readings of Mallarme's poem. Talov reproduces the text in full along with the title. In addition, the translator retains the expressivity and leading image of the original text – a sea voyage as a metaphor for the creative process. Although not all the original sea images have been preserved ("the heart that sinks into the sea"), and the image of the steamer has been replaced with the more archaic "shuttle", the poet's desire to comprehend and recreate the author's images in translation is obvious. In the process of rethinking the poem, Mallarm Talov introduces a religious image of "weak flesh", creating an association of the creative process with spiritual action. Talov partially recreates the complex syntax of the original text: "Neither the lamp is a fleeting light that fell on paper, whose snow promises captivity, ruining my courage, and neither the mother breastfeeding the baby." The absence of syntactic complication in Mandelstam's version makes the text more euphonious and understandable. On the one hand, the truncated form of the translation, the different expression, and the omission of marine themes in Mandelstam's translation allow us to speak about the freedom of translation. However, from the point of view of perception of Mallarme's poetic images, Mandelstam's translation has a high artistic value, since the translator, taking as a basis one motif – the motif of a tired body – gives the poem a new reading, creating a mood of creative enthusiasm, joyful anticipation of poetic inspiration. Thus, there is a creative reinterpretation of the original poetic images.

Obviously, Mandelstam and Talov, working on their translations of the poem "Sea Wind", were guided by different tasks, which led to the emergence of two peculiar Russian-language versions of the work. For Mandelstam, the translation of Mallarmé's poem was a translation workshop and a poetic dialogue with Mallarmé, while Talov set out to "create a Russian Mallarmé" ^{[12, p. 50]}. Nevertheless, it is safe to talk about the assimilation and reinterpretation of Mallarme's poetic experience in the work of Mandelstam, first a symbolist, and later an acmeist.