Why should you read Sylvia Plath? - Iseult Gillespie

Prevodilac: Milenka Okuka Lektor: Ivana Krivokuća

“From the tip of every branch,

„Sa vrška svake grane,

like a fat purple fig,

poput sočne purpurne smokve,

a wonderful future beckoned and winked…

pozivala je i namigivala čudesna budućnost...

but choosing one meant losing all the rest,

ali je odabiranje jedne podrazumevalo gubitak svih ostalih,

and, as I sat there, unable to decide,

i dok sam sedela tamo, nesposobna da se odlučim,

the figs began to wrinkle and go black,

smokve su počele da se smežuravaju i crne,

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

i jedna po jedna su pljaskale o zemlju podno mojih nogu.”

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

U ovom odlomku iz „Staklenog zvona” Silvije Plat,

a young woman imagines an uncertain future–

mlada žena zamišlja neizvesnu budućnost

and speaks to the universal fear

i izražava univerzalni strah

of becoming paralyzed

od stanja paralisanosti

by the prospect of making the wrong choice.

zbog mogućnosti pravljenja pogrešnog izbora.

Although she considered other careers,

Iako je razmatrala druge karijere,

Plath chose the artist’s way.

Plat je odabrala umetnički pravac.

Poetry was her calling.

Poezija je bila njen poziv.

Under her shrewd eye and pen,

Pod njenim pronicljivim okom i perom,

everyday objects became haunting images:

svakidašnji predmeti su postajali opčinjavajuće slike:

a “new statue in a drafty museum,”

„novi kip u promaji muzeja”,

a shadow in a mirror, a slab of soap.

senka u ogledalu, komad sapuna.

Fiercely intelligent, penetrating and witty,

Opako inteligentna, britka i duhovita,

Plath was also diagnosed with clinical depression.

Plat je imala i dijagnostikovanu kliničku depresiju.

She used poetry to explore her own states of mind

Koristila je poeziju da istraži sopstvena stanja uma

in the most intimate terms,

koristeći najintimnije izraze,

and her breathtaking perspectives on emotion,

a njeni očaravajući osvrti na emocije,

nature and art continue to captivate and resonate.

prirodu i umetnost i dalje nas zanose i odjekuju u nama.

In her first collection of poems,

U njenoj prvoj zbirci pesama,

"The Colossus,"

„Kolos”,

she wrote of a feeling of nothingness:

pisala je o osećanju ništavila:

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

„belo: to je ten uma.”

At the same time,

Istovremeno,

she found solace in nature,

pronalazila je utehu u prirodi,

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

od „modre magle” „koja se vuče po jezeru”,

to white flowers that “tower and topple,”

do belog cveća koje se „diže i obara”,

to blue mussels “clumped like bulbs.”

do modrih dagnji „preklopljenih poput lukovica”.

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 kom je kroz fikciju opisala period tokom kog je radila za časopis „Madmoazel”

in New York during college.

dok je studirala u Njujorku.

The novel follows its heroine, Esther,

Roman prati junakinju Ester

as she slides into a severe depressive episode,

dok klizi u težak depresivni period,

but also includes wickedly funny and shrewd depictions

ali on sadrži i opako smešne i pronicljive opise

of snobby fashion parties and dates with dull men.

snobovskih modnih zabava i sastanaka sa tupavim muškarcima.

Shortly after the publication of "The Bell Jar,"

Ubrzo nakon objavljivanja „Staklenog zvona”,

Plath died by suicide at age 30.

Plat je umrla izvršivši samoubistvo u 30. godini.

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

Dve godine kasnije, zbirka pesama

koje je napisala u naboju kreativne energije

during the months before her death

u mesecima pred svoju smrt

was published under the title "Ariel."

objavljena je pod naslovom „Arijel”.

Widely considered her masterpiece,

Naširoko cenjen kao remek-delo,

Ariel exemplifies the honesty and imagination

„Arijel” je primer iskrenosti i imaginacije

Plath harnessed to capture her pain.

koje je Plat uprezala kako bi opisala svoju patnju.

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

U jednoj od najsnažnijih pesama iz „Arijela”,

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

„Ženski Lazar”, istražuje napore da oduzme svoj život kroz Lazara,

the biblical figure who rose from the dead.

biblijsku ličnost koja je ustala iz mrtvih.

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

Piše: „a ja nasmejana žena. Meni je tek trideseta

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

i kao mačka mogu devet puta da umrem.”

But the poem is also a testament to survival:

Međutim, pesma je i testament opstanku:

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

„Ustajem s kosama crvenim i muškarce kao zrak tamanim.”

This unflinching language has made Plath an important touchstone

Zbog nepokolebljivog jezika, Plat je postala važna odrednica

for countless other readers and writers

za bezbrojne čitaoce i pisce

who sought to break the silence

koji su pokušavali da prekinu ćutnju

surrounding issues of trauma, frustration, and sexuality.

u vezi sa pitanjima traume, frustracije i seksualnosti.

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

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

The title poem begins “Stasis in darkness/

Naslovna pesma počinje: „Mirovanje u tami,

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

a potom isprazna modrina obasipa humke i daljine.”

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

Stihovi postavljaju pozornicu za obnaženo jahanje konja u rano jutro -

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

jedan od najupečatljivijih Platinih izraza o ushitu kreativne slobode.

But it is also full of foreboding imagery,

Međutim, ispunjen je i zloslutnim slikama,

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

poput: „detinjeg plača” koji se „topi u zidu”

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

i „crvenog oka jutarnjeg kotla.”

This darkness is echoed throughout the collection,

Ova tama odjekuje kroz čitavu zbirku,

which includes controversial references to the holocaust and the Kamikazes.

koja uključuje kontroverzne reference na holokaust i kamikaze.

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

Čak su i ostaci naoko srećnijih vremena prikazani kao da razapinju pesnikinju:

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

„Moj suprug i dete smeše se sa porodične slike;

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

Osmesi su im malene udice i kače se na moju kožu.”

Her domestic dissatisfaction and her husband’s mistreatment of her

Nezadovoljstvo porodičnim životom i suprugovo maltretiranje

are constant themes in her later poetry.

su stalne teme u njenoj kasnijoj poeziji.

After her death, he inherited her estate,

Nakon njene smrti, suprug je nasledio njen imetak

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

i optuživali su ga de je izbacio neka njena dela iz štampe.

Despite these possible omissions and her untimely death,

Uprkos ovim mogućim omaškama i njenoj preranoj smrti,

what survives is one of the most extraordinary bodies of work

opstao je jedan od najizvanrednijih opusa

by a twentieth century poet.

pesnikinje XX veka.

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

Iako njeno delo može da deluje šokantno zbog besa i traume,

Plath casts her readers as witnesses–

Plat svojim čitocima dodeljuje ulogu svedoka -

not only to the truth of her psychological life,

ne samo istinitosti njenog psihološkog života,

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

već i njenoj zapanjujućoj sposobnosti da izrazi ono što često ostaje neizrecivo.