From Carol, with love

There are very few literary undertakings as risky as translations, and cultural translations from an oriental language to one comprehensible in the West endure a shaky relationship pinned beneath the weight of troublesome, hegemonic histories. 

There are very few literary undertakings as risky as translations, and cultural translations from an oriental language to one comprehensible in the West endure a shaky relationship pinned beneath the weight of troublesome, hegemonic histories. Mainstream Western translations of Rumi, Hafez and other spiritual poets display the absence of their Islamic philological origins, leading to the erasure of the writer and the cultural roots shaping his world-views. Thirty years ago, a passionate Professor from the University of Washington's Department of Asian Languages and Literatures embarked on a unique journey to penetrate the little known spiritual syncretism of Bauls, seeking to undo the much lamented obfuscation of Lalon Shai's works caused by problematic translations, and little concerted efforts towards that direction. Aside from deep research, Dr. Carol Salomon, one of the only few non-Bangalees in the world with a PhD in Bangla, maintained close friendships with folk researchers and artistes in Bangladesh in an endeavour to deliver a project that retained historical and contextual authenticity, with annotated translations offering insight into a virtually unknown world. The work culminated in a volume titled City of Mirrors: Songs of Lālan Sā̃i, edited by noted folk researcher Saymon Zakaria and Keith E Cantú, published by Oxford University Press on August 17 this year.

Carol's journey came to a tragic end in 2009, when she met her demise in a road accident. Towards the end of her life, she corresponded with Saymon Zakaria, who sought an interview about her work. “We spoke over the phone during her last visit to Bangladesh in 2008,” he reminisced, “but she had very little time, and said we would sit down for a proper chat during her next trip here. Fate determined otherwise.” In 2012, Zakaria met Carol Salomon's family during his trip to the US, and her husband Richard Salomon -- who has written the foreword to the book, requested him to finish what she had started, and let the material finally come to light.

“I was stunned by the sheer amount of research she had done,” Zakaria added. “Her notes were in Bangla to display the manifold layers of folklore orality before the translations. The staggering amount of Carol's research weighed about 140kgs, and I had to procure it all in three trips. As an editor I determined that the book must contain the Bangla scriptures, as well as the phonemic diction in addition to the translated segments.”

Saymon Zakaria informed the Daily Star that he is departing for the US on October 29 to deliver a series of lectures, as well as attend a publication ceremony on November 8 for City of Mirror, launched by the University of Washington.

Despite such deep collaborative efforts between professors around the world, Saymon Zakaria notes a persistent lacking in Bangladesh. “It is a sad scenario that our nation does not seek out those who are contributing so much towards our literary and intellectual heritage. It is imperative that we develop our skills at home, and encourage learning of our own folk traditions.”