SPATIOTEMPORAL METAPHORS – BOLESŁAW LEŚMIAN’S “ZWIEWNOŚĆ” IN TRANSLATIONS

Abstract

The article “Spatiotemporal Metaphors – Bolesław Leśmian’s “Zwiewność” in Translations” focuses on analyzing the concept of “zwiewność” (airiness) in Bolesław Leśmian’s work, with particular emphasis on the poem “Zwiewność”. The author presents how Leśmian transforms the traditional understanding of “zwiewność” — as a quality of light, ephemeral, and transient matter — into an existential context where it becomes a term for the way human existence and the world are perceived over time. The article highlights how Leśmian, using juxtaposition and micro-images, creates a narrative that ultimately forms a general principle of being in the world. The author also examines the challenges associated with translating this concept into other languages, noting that different translations introduce varying connotations, potentially altering the metaphors related to existence. She provides a detailed analysis of the differences in interpreting “zwiewność” in translations into Czech, Slovak, and Ukrainian, pointing out the variations in meaning and the diversity of translation strategies used. The article also includes a formal analysis of Leśmian’s text, emphasizing the importance of preserving the original structure in translation to convey the metaphors’ meaning accurately. Ukrainets observes that each translator, depending on the strategies employed, introduces new meanings into the text, which often leads to a change in the interpretation of key metaphors, such as “the airy density of the body”. The author of the article notes how metaphor transformations and translation choices affect the reception and understanding of Leśmian’s work in other languages.