The Profile of the Poet-Translator - A Case Study on the Translation of the Poetic Work of Charles Baudelaire

Abstract

This article explores the intersection between poetic creation and literary translation by focusing on a selection of translators who have engaged with the poetry of Charles Baudelaire. Rather than offering a historical overview, the study aims to examine how individual translator profiles - particularly those of poet-translators - shape the reception and reinterpretation of Baudelaire’s verse in another linguistic and cultural space. The discussion draws attention to the nuanced dynamics that emerge when a poet attempts to translate another poet: the interplay between fidelity and creative voice, the presence or absence of aesthetic affinity, and the ways in which a translator’s own poetic identity influences the act of translation. By analyzing case studies of Romanian translators who have contributed to the rendering of Baudelaire’s work, this article questions whether poetic sensibility is an asset or a hindrance in achieving effective translation. It also addresses the implications of assigning a major literary figure the task of translating another one, and whether such a pairing inevitably leads to interpretative transformation. Ultimately, the article considers how the translator’s dual role - as interpreter and creator - may alter both the translated text and the translator’s own poetic output. The study contributes to broader debates on poetic translatability, authorship, and the ethics of literary mediation.