Paul Valéry

Paul Valery Author: Carmel Mallia Year: 2017 Pages: 48

Paul Valéry (1871-1945) is one of the renowned poets of France, associated with the symbolist movement in literature. At a referendum, he was elected the greatest contemporary poet. His cerebral poetry is in conflict with other poets headed by André Chénier for whom “l’art ne fait que des vers; le coeur seul est poète” (art generates mere verses; only the heart is a poet). Valéry is considered as the last symbolic French poet, artistic colleague of renowned poets like Verlaine, Rimbaud, Mallarmé.

Dr Mallia’s book is composed of the translation of two poems by Valéry: Le Cimitière Marin (Iċ-Ċimiterju Ħdejn il-Baħar)) and La Jeune Parque (Id-Destin Żagħżugħ). This latter work is Valéry’s masterpiece which according to Justin Quinn is “One of the finest attempts at absolute poetry” and published in 1917. So last year (2018) was the centenary of its publication.This he carried out after twenty years silence “au cloître de l’intellect” (at intellect’s cloister). This commemoration inspired Mallia to carry out his very difficult task with this poem running into 512 lines, rhyming AA all along. On the other hand, Le Cimetière Marin runs into 24 stanzas with six lines each, with difficult rhymes and which Mallia imitated all along according to the original thecnique, which consisted in musicality, alliteration,metaphors.

Dr Mallia tells us in his introduction that in translating these two difficult poems he could evaluate and compare the aesthetic possibilities of both languages, i.e. French and Maltese. He evaluates these two long poems as “une fête de l’intellect” (an intellectual feast). Through his translation, Mallia provides us with rhythmic lines that truly transmit the original which is not easily eccessed to in the original form.

Mallia declares that Maltese is sufficiently capable to translate from other rich languages such as French. He already experienced this, he tells us, when some years ago he translated from Spanish Juan de la Cruz’s abstract and romantic poems: Llama de amor viva, La noche oscura and Cántico espiritual.

This booklet is well presented, adorned as it is with Paul Valéry’s photo, his tomb at Sète’s graveyard where he is buried and his museum at his birthplace Sète, France.]