Why should you read Sylvia Plath? - Iseult Gillespie

Prevoditelj: Katarina Mikjel Recezent: Sanda L

“From the tip of every branch,

„S vrha svake grane,

like a fat purple fig,

poput krupne grimizne smokve,

a wonderful future beckoned and winked…

jedna od čudesnih budućnosti dozivala me i namigivala,

but choosing one meant losing all the rest,

no izabrati jednu značilo bi odreći se svih ostalih

and, as I sat there, unable to decide,

i dok sam sjedila ondje, ne mogavši odlučiti,

the figs began to wrinkle and go black,

smokve su se počele mežurati i crnjeti,

and, one by one, they plopped to the ground at my feet.”

i jedna po jedna rasprsnule su se o tlo pod mojim nogama.”

In this passage from Sylvia Plath’s "The Bell Jar,"

U ovom odlomku iz „Staklenog zvona” Sylvije Plath

a young woman imagines an uncertain future–

mlada žena zamišlja neizvjesnu budućnost

and speaks to the universal fear

i dočarava univerzalni strah

of becoming paralyzed

od paraliziranosti

by the prospect of making the wrong choice.

mogućnošću pogrešnog izbora.

Although she considered other careers,

Iako je razmatrala druge karijere,

Plath chose the artist’s way.

Plath se odlučila za umjetnost.

Poetry was her calling.

Poezija je bila njezin poziv.

Under her shrewd eye and pen,

Njezino oštro oko i vješto pero

everyday objects became haunting images:

pretvarali su svakodnevne predmete u upečatljive slike:

a “new statue in a drafty museum,”

„nova statua u muzeju punom propuha”,

a shadow in a mirror, a slab of soap.

sjena u zrcalu, komad sapuna.

Fiercely intelligent, penetrating and witty,

Iznimno inteligentnoj, pronicljivoj i duhovitoj Plath

Plath was also diagnosed with clinical depression.

dijagnosticirana je i klinička depresija.

She used poetry to explore her own states of mind

Uz pomoć poezije istraživala je stanja vlastitog duha

in the most intimate terms,

na najintimniji način,

and her breathtaking perspectives on emotion,

a njezino impresivno shvaćanje emocija,

nature and art continue to captivate and resonate.

prirode i umjetnosti i dalje fascinira i dopire do čitatelja.

In her first collection of poems,

U prvoj zbirci pjesama,

"The Colossus,"

„Kolosu”,

she wrote of a feeling of nothingness:

pisala je o osjećaju ništavnosti:

"white: it is a complexion of the mind.”

„bijelo: to je boja uma.”

At the same time,

Istovremeno je

she found solace in nature,

pronalazila utjehu u prirodi:

from “a blue mist” “dragging the lake,”

u „plavoj magli što se vuče preko jezera”,

to white flowers that “tower and topple,”

bijelim cvjetovima što se „uzdižu i padaju”,

to blue mussels “clumped like bulbs.”

plavim dagnjama „poput grozda gomolja”.

After "The Colossus" she published "The Bell Jar,"

Nakon „Kolosa” objavila je „Stakleno zvono”,

her only novel,

svoj jedini roman,

which fictionalizes the time she spent working for Mademoiselle magazine

u kojem piše o vremenu koje je provela radeći za časopis „Mademoiselle”

in New York during college.

kao studentica u New Yorku.

The novel follows its heroine, Esther,

Roman prati protagonisticu Esther,

as she slides into a severe depressive episode,

koja tone u tešku depresiju,

but also includes wickedly funny and shrewd depictions

no sadržava i zlobno duhovite i pronicljive prikaze

of snobby fashion parties and dates with dull men.

snobovskih mondenih zabava i izlazaka s dosadnim muškarcima.

Shortly after the publication of "The Bell Jar,"

Nedugo nakon što je objavila „Stakleno zvono”,

Plath died by suicide at age 30.

tada 30-godišnja Plath počinila je samoubojstvo.

Two years later, the collection of poems she wrote in a burst of creative energy

Dvije godine kasnije, zbirka pjesama koje je napisala u naletu kreativne energije

during the months before her death

u mjesecima prije smrti

was published under the title "Ariel."

objavljena je pod nazivom „Ariel”.

Widely considered her masterpiece,

Općenito smatrana njezinim remek-djelom,

Ariel exemplifies the honesty and imagination

Ariel je primjer iskrenosti i mašte

Plath harnessed to capture her pain.

s pomoću kojih je Plath dočarala svoju bol.

In one of "Ariel's" most forceful poems,

U jednoj od najsnažnijih pjesama iz „Ariel”,

"Lady Lazarus," she explores her attempts to take her own life through Lazarus,

„Ženski Lazar”, istražuje pokušaje oduzimanja vlastitog života preko Lazara,

the biblical figure who rose from the dead.

biblijskog lika koji je uskrsnuo od mrtvih.

She writes, “and I a smiling woman/ I am only thirty/

Plath piše: „a ja, žena sa smiješkom / tek mi je trideset /

And like the cat I have nine times to die.”

i baš kao mačku, čeka me devet smrti”.

But the poem is also a testament to survival:

No ta je pjesma također svjedočanstvo preživljavanja:

“I rise with my red hair/ And I eat men like air.”

„Crvene kose, podižem se / I gutam muškarce kao zrak.”

This unflinching language has made Plath an important touchstone

Zbog takva smionog jezika Plath je postala značajnim uzorom

for countless other readers and writers

brojnim drugim čitateljima i piscima

who sought to break the silence

koji su nastojali prekinuti šutnju

surrounding issues of trauma, frustration, and sexuality.

o problemima traume, frustracije i seksualnosti.

"Ariel" is also filled with moving meditations on heartbreak and creativity.

„Ariel” obiluje i dirljivim meditacijama o slomljenom srcu i kreativnosti.

The title poem begins “Stasis in darkness/

Naslovna pjesma započinje stihovima: „Zastoj u tami /

Then the substanceless blue/ Pour of tor and distances.”

Zatim bestjelesna plavet / grli humke i daljine.”

This sets the scene for a naked ride on horseback in the early morning—

Ta nas scena priprema za nagu ranojutarnju jahačicu –

one of Plath’s most memorable expressions of the elation of creative freedom.

jedan od Plathinih najupečatljivijih izraza zanosa kreativne slobode.

But it is also full of foreboding imagery,

No pjesma obiluje i zloslutnim slikama,

such as “a child's cry” that “melts in the wall”

kao što je „dječji krik” koji se „rastapa u zidu”

and a “red/eye, the cauldron of morning.”

i „crveno/oko, kotao jutra”.

This darkness is echoed throughout the collection,

Tama prožima cijelu zbirku,

which includes controversial references to the holocaust and the Kamikazes.

koja sadržava kontroverzne aluzije na holokaust i kamikaze.

Even the relics of seemingly happier times are described as crucifying the author:

Čak su i tragovi naizgled sretnijih vremena

opisani kao vrlo mučni za autoricu:

“My husband and child smiling out of the family photo;

„Moji suprug i dijete smiješe se s obiteljske fotografije;

Their smiles catch onto my skin, little smiling hooks.”

njihovi se osmijesi zabijaju u moju kožu, male nasmiješene kuke.”

Her domestic dissatisfaction and her husband’s mistreatment of her

Nezadovoljstvo obiteljskim životom i suprugovo zlostavljanje

are constant themes in her later poetry.

stalne su teme njezine kasnije poezije.

After her death, he inherited her estate,

Nakon njezine smrti, on je naslijedio njezino imanje

and has been accused of excluding some of her work from publication.

te je optužen da je spriječio objavu nekih njezinih djela.

Despite these possible omissions and her untimely death,

Unatoč tim možda neobjavljenim djelima i njezinoj preranoj smrti,

what survives is one of the most extraordinary bodies of work

ostaje nam jedan od najimpozantnijih korpusa

by a twentieth century poet.

poezije dvadesetog stoljeća.

While her work can be shocking in its rage and trauma,

Iako njezino djelo ponekad šokira bijesom i traumom,

Plath casts her readers as witnesses–

Plath svojim čitateljima daje ulogu svjedoka –

not only to the truth of her psychological life,

ne samo vjernog prikaza njezine psihe,

but to her astounding ability to express what often remains inexpressible.

već i njezine zapanjujuće sposobnosti da izrazi ono što je često neizrazivo.