Volume 17, Issue 68 (2025)
LCQ 2025, 17(68): 225-270 |
Back to browse issues page
Download citation:
BibTeX | RIS | EndNote | Medlars | ProCite | Reference Manager | RefWorks
Send citation to:
BibTeX | RIS | EndNote | Medlars | ProCite | Reference Manager | RefWorks
Send citation to:
mohammadi E. The Hidden Text of Abu Bishr Matta’s “Threshold Translation” of Aristotle’s Poetics. LCQ 2025; 17 (68) :225-270
URL: http://lcq.modares.ac.ir/article-29-77182-en.html
URL: http://lcq.modares.ac.ir/article-29-77182-en.html
Associate professor in Persian Language and Literature, Department of Persian Language and Literature, University of Birjand, Birjand, Iran , emohammadi@birjand.ac.ir
Abstract: (260 Views)
Advanced research based on the model of “contextual interpretation” and relying on the rule of “tradition as context” to investigate the reflection of the “tradition of reciting poetry” in the language of the first surviving Arabic translation of the Poetics, that is, the translation of Abu Bishr Matta and specifically the translation of comedy to satire. The premise of the research is that the reciting of poetry has a dramatic nature in the tradition and Abu Bishr Matta has paid attention to it; therefore, the art of reciting poetry should be regarded as the “textual texture” that dominates his mind and perception, and the “hidden text” of his translation language of Aristotle’s Poetics. The study shows that the rendering of word “comedy” to “satire” in the translation of Abu Bishr Matta has roots in two things: a) the connection of comedy and satire in the textual network of source language, that is, the Greek language and literature, referencing the historical fact that signs of satire can be seen in ancient Greek comedies. b) dramatic nature of reciting satire in the target textual network i.e. Arabic language and literature, referring to numerous reports about the dramatic pattern of poets in reciting satire. The distinction of Matta’s work is his combination method in translating the specialized terms of the Poetics, such as “comedy”; a method that has led to preserving the dramatic nature of comedy in translation; The translation of comedy into satire is a “hybrid and threshold” translation and is close to the linguistic-literary context of source and target, that is, has roots in the cultural, literary and social contexts of both.
Introduction
This article does not seek to confirm or reject Abu Bishr Matta’s work in translating comedy into satire, rather, it attempts to employ the model of “contextual interpretation” and situate Abu Bishr Matta’s translation within its linguistic, literary, and historical context to highlight a question: What relationship existed between comedy and satire (in the source) and al-Hija and drama (in the target) that led Abu Bishr to translate comedy as al-Hija? This question itself rests on one principle and two presuppositions. the principle: Abu Bishr Matta, in the interpretation of Bassnett and Lefevere (Bassnett, 2015; Lefevere & Bassnett, 2013), has transferred a cultural asset from one textual network to another, and in analyzing the nature, manner, and even the rationale behind this transfer, in addition to the nature of the cultural asset itself, the target textual network must also be carefully examined; Can one truly analyze Matta’s choices of equivalents without considering the linguistic, literary, and cultural traditions that shaped his mind and language? Presupposition One: Satire in the target textual network was performative or at least possessed some characteristics of the art of performance. Presupposition Two: Matta’s translation is integrative, hybrid, liminal, and threshold-like, where the source and target textual networks intertwine and coexist in a third space, breathing side by side.
Questions
What relationship existed between comedy and satire (in the source) and al-Hija and drama (in the target) that led Abu Bishr to translate comedy as al-Hija?
Which Arabic and Persian literary traditions played a role in the formation of this translation?
Literature Review
Abd al-Rahman Badawi considered Abu Bishr Matta’s equivalence of comedy with satire to be a “mistake” (Aristotle, 1953, p. 55-56), Zarrin-Koub as a “misunderstanding” (Aristotle, 2002, p. 105), Zarqani as “the indigenousization of foreign poetics” (2011, p. 284-286), and the translators of the Poetic Treatises of Muslim Philosophers (2014) and Aristotle’s Poetics as Narrated by Islamic Sages (2021) as “misunderstood” and “mistaken.” When examining the background of Ibn Sina’s treatise (Dahiyat, 1974, p. 3-7), Dahiyat considers Abu Bishr’s translation to be literal and the translation of comedy into satire (and tragedy into praise) to be a type of circumlocution, that is, translation with the addition and expansion of words and meaning. In general, it can be said that the “consideration of error” in equating comedy with satire is a common point among most critics. Studies show that the background of the work suffers from two shortcomings: first, the ideological bias of those who have translated the poetic treatises of “Muslim” philosophers or “Islamic” sages into Persian; this group, due to relying on an unjustified selection criterion, namely the author’s religious belief, has discarded Abu Bishr’s treatise, because he was a Christian and outside the circle of Islam. This is despite the fact that Matthew’s translation “was copied word for word from the Syriac translation into Arabic, and the Syriac translation was based on an older Greek text, so some translators and correctors of the book of poetry have corrected the Greek manuscripts based on it” (Aristotle, 1958, p. 22-23). Second, the analytical avoidance of those who, by merely stating that Abu Bishr’s translation of comedy into satire is a “misunderstanding, misinterpretation, misconception, and error,” have closed the door to dialogue about the origins of this translation. This means that they have fundamentally overlooked the core issue. But truly, wouldn’t it be better to reflect on the reasons behind the formation of this “error”.
Results and Discussion
This article seeks to demonstrate, with scientific caution, that satire in tradition, at least in its reciting, possessed elements of theatricality, and the translation of comedy into satire in Matta’s work stems from this aspect of the target textual network. In other words, Abu Bishr Matta attempted to understand comedy both in terms of its original nature in the source and Aristotle’s discourse, while also adapting it to the linguistic-literary traditions of the target language, presenting it in Arabic as a hybrid and liminal translation.
Based on the comprehensive model of reciting (Inshad) poetry that is mentioned in the eulogy and naturally includes satire, we can accept the theatrical nature of satire, but here, for the sake of discussion and to further clarify the issue, it is added that the body of reciting in comedy/satire, both in the West and in the East, sometimes had more specific theatrical features. In the West, comedic masks were ridiculous and unusual, and had exaggerated features, such as staring and repulsive eyes, wide noses, and open mouths that were stretched out to both sides in a sneer, and in this way, human faces were distorted and deformed for greater comic effect (Kamali, 2022, p. 27-28). In the East, poets sometimes exaggerated in the distortion of form and appearance, in the disfigurement of the face, and even in the ugliness of their appearance; Hassan ibn Thabit “dipped his moustache and the hair between his lips and chin with henna without dyeing the rest of his beard, so that at first glance it looked like a lion licking blood with both sides of his tongue” (Al-Rafi’i, 2000, vol. 3, p. 25). Or the poet would make special movements while reciting satire, like Bashshār ibn Burd Tokharistani who “when he got angry and wanted to recite satire, he would clap his hands together and spit to his left and right” (Al-Rafi’i, 2000, Vol. 3, p. 70). In addition to all that has been said, what makes the performative aspect of satire more plausible is a recurring performative pattern in the recitation of satire, which was executed with attention to scenic details and actions to enhance the impact of the words. We can understand this from an ancient and very famous narration that is mentioned in various sources with examples: A pre-Islamic poet when he wanted to satire his enemies and his tribe;
- He would retreat for days and nights (or at least for hours) like someone who wants to perform the rituals of worship.
- The act of composing satire concludes in that space filled with prayer and supplication, with the hope that the curses raining down upon the enemies will be accompanied by the approval of God (or the gods).
- He would choose a mocking mask to increase the function and effectiveness of the satire.
- He shaved his head (like the pilgrims).
- He left two braids of hair in front of his head unshaven and hung them down.
- He greased one half or one side of his head with oil.
- He wore a special robe and clothing (like the pilgrims’ Ihram robe) or the special clothing of priests.
- He wore a pair of sandals (heel shoes).
- He loosened the belt and hung it as if it were falling.
- He stood in front of the audience
- In a special place.
- And accompanied by special behavior and movements.
- He recited or performed satire (Al-Sharif al-Murtaza, 1954, Part One, p. 189-192; Ali 1993, Vol. 9. P. 85-87; Al-Rafi’i, 2000, Vol. 3, p. 23; Muhammad Hossein, 1947, p. 59; Al-Alusi, (n.d), Vol. 3, p. 407; Nicholson, 1907, p. 73; Nicholson, 1970, p. 128; Zaif, 2005, Vol. 1. P. 197; Zaif, 1972, p. 98; Zaif, 1997, p. 115-116). Most sources have only quoted the pattern itself, but Shawqi Zaif has also added some interpretations to it (Zaif, 2005, Vol. 1, p. 197). The aforementioned pattern can be considered close to a type of drama or play called “Closet drama”; “drama suited primarily for reading rather than production” (Merriam-Webster, 2025): a play that is primarily suited for reading or recitation rather than production or construction.
Conclusion
There is a secret in translating comedy into al-Hija, the trace of which must be sought in Abu Bishr Matta’s translation method, a method that can be considered a combined method in translation or a combined translation. In this method, Matta, as a translator who thinks both about preserving the dramatic nature of comedy in the source text and about preserving the dramatic nature of the tradition of satire in the target language and literature, tries to link the dramatic nature of satire with the dramatic nature of comedy and create a correct translation in which the colors of both the source and the target language are simultaneously evident. Satire in the tradition has had the motifs of drama and performance, and Abu Bishr Matta could not fail to see these dramatic motifs, however small, in translating Aristotelian comedy into al-Hija, that is, he could not fail to see the background of the word and the literary type of al-Hija in the target language and literature, and especially the tradition of poetic satire and its dramatic motifs. He could not fail to see the background of Aristotle’s text and work, and for example, he could not fail to pay attention to the central drama and central tragedy of Aristotle’s Poetics, or even to the connection between comedy and satire in Greek Poetics. He saw both of these and tried, by keeping both in mind, not to de-dramatize Aristotle’s Poetics, but to use and perpetuate the sign of drama in some of the target literary genres in his translation; thus, in his threshold translation, Matthew was able to create hybrid texts and words that reflect both worlds or both textual networks of origin and destination.
References
Al-Alousi, A.M. (n.d). The maturity of the Arabs in the knowledge of the Arabs. edited and recorded by Mohammad Behjah Athari. [in Arabic]
Al-Rafei, M.S. (2000). History of Arab customs. Beirut: Dar al-Kitab al-Alamiya. [in Arabic]
Al-Sharif al-Murtaza A.A. (1954). Amali Al-Mortaza; Gharr al-Fouad and Darr al-Qalaid. The research of Mohammad Abolfazl-Ibrahim. Cairo: Dar Ihya Al-Kitab-Al-Arabiya. [in Arabic]
Ali, J. (1993). Al-Mufasal fi Tarikh al-Arab before Islam. second edition. Baghdad: Society of Baghdad / [Bi-Na]. [in Arabic]
Aristotle (1958). The art of poetry (Poetics). Translated by Fathullah Mojtabai. Tehran: Andisheh Publishing Company. [in Persian]
Aristotle (1953). The art of poetry. Translated from Al-Yonaniyyah and Commentary by Abd al-Rahman Badawi. Cairo: Maktaba al-Nahda al-Mesriyyah. [in Arabic]
Aristotle (2003). Aristotle and the art of poetry. Translated and written by Abdul Hossein Zarin Koob. Third edition. Tehran: Amir Kabir Publications. [in Persian]
Bassnett, S. (2014). Culture and translation. In Cultural Turn in Translation Studies. Mazdak Boluri translation. Tehran: Nashr -e Ghatreh, 69-43.
Dahiyat, I. (1974). Avicenna’s Commentary on the “Poetics” of Aristotle: A Critical Study with an Annotated Translation of the Text. Leiden: Brill.
Kamali, M. (2022). A sign of the mask of ancient Greek dramas in the book Asas al-Aqtabas. Ayene Miras. 20(2), 11-34. [in Persian]
Lefevre, A. & S. Bassnett (2012). “What stage are we in translation studies?”. How are cultures made? Translated by Nasr Allah Moradiani. Tehran: Nashr Ghatreh, 70-49.
Merriam- Webster. (2024). Closet drama. In Merriam- Webster dictionary. Retrieved August 25, 2024, from http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ closet%20drama.
Mohammad Hossein, M. (1947). Al-Hija and Al-Hijaoon in Al-Jahiliyyah. Cairo: Al-Jamamiz School of Al-Adab. [in Arabic]
Nicholson, R.A. (1970). The history of Arabic literature in Jahiliyyah and Sadr al-Islam. Translated and researched by Safa Khulusi. Baghdad: Al-Maarif Press. [in Arabic]
Nicholson, R. A. (1907). A Literary History of The Arabs. New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons.
Yusuf Thani, M. (2021). Aristotle’s Poetics according to Islamic sages. Second edition. Tehran: Research Institute of Hikmat and Philosophy of Iran. [in Persian]
Zaif, Sh. (2005). History of Arabic literature. Qom: Dhavi-al-Qorba manifestos. [in Arabic]
Zarqani, S.M. (2010). Classic poetics. Tehran: Sokhan. [in Persian]
Zarqani, S.M. and M.H. Hassanzadeh Niri (2013). Poetic treatises of Muslim philosophers. Tehran: Sokhan. [in Persian]
Introduction
This article does not seek to confirm or reject Abu Bishr Matta’s work in translating comedy into satire, rather, it attempts to employ the model of “contextual interpretation” and situate Abu Bishr Matta’s translation within its linguistic, literary, and historical context to highlight a question: What relationship existed between comedy and satire (in the source) and al-Hija and drama (in the target) that led Abu Bishr to translate comedy as al-Hija? This question itself rests on one principle and two presuppositions. the principle: Abu Bishr Matta, in the interpretation of Bassnett and Lefevere (Bassnett, 2015; Lefevere & Bassnett, 2013), has transferred a cultural asset from one textual network to another, and in analyzing the nature, manner, and even the rationale behind this transfer, in addition to the nature of the cultural asset itself, the target textual network must also be carefully examined; Can one truly analyze Matta’s choices of equivalents without considering the linguistic, literary, and cultural traditions that shaped his mind and language? Presupposition One: Satire in the target textual network was performative or at least possessed some characteristics of the art of performance. Presupposition Two: Matta’s translation is integrative, hybrid, liminal, and threshold-like, where the source and target textual networks intertwine and coexist in a third space, breathing side by side.
Questions
What relationship existed between comedy and satire (in the source) and al-Hija and drama (in the target) that led Abu Bishr to translate comedy as al-Hija?
Which Arabic and Persian literary traditions played a role in the formation of this translation?
Literature Review
Abd al-Rahman Badawi considered Abu Bishr Matta’s equivalence of comedy with satire to be a “mistake” (Aristotle, 1953, p. 55-56), Zarrin-Koub as a “misunderstanding” (Aristotle, 2002, p. 105), Zarqani as “the indigenousization of foreign poetics” (2011, p. 284-286), and the translators of the Poetic Treatises of Muslim Philosophers (2014) and Aristotle’s Poetics as Narrated by Islamic Sages (2021) as “misunderstood” and “mistaken.” When examining the background of Ibn Sina’s treatise (Dahiyat, 1974, p. 3-7), Dahiyat considers Abu Bishr’s translation to be literal and the translation of comedy into satire (and tragedy into praise) to be a type of circumlocution, that is, translation with the addition and expansion of words and meaning. In general, it can be said that the “consideration of error” in equating comedy with satire is a common point among most critics. Studies show that the background of the work suffers from two shortcomings: first, the ideological bias of those who have translated the poetic treatises of “Muslim” philosophers or “Islamic” sages into Persian; this group, due to relying on an unjustified selection criterion, namely the author’s religious belief, has discarded Abu Bishr’s treatise, because he was a Christian and outside the circle of Islam. This is despite the fact that Matthew’s translation “was copied word for word from the Syriac translation into Arabic, and the Syriac translation was based on an older Greek text, so some translators and correctors of the book of poetry have corrected the Greek manuscripts based on it” (Aristotle, 1958, p. 22-23). Second, the analytical avoidance of those who, by merely stating that Abu Bishr’s translation of comedy into satire is a “misunderstanding, misinterpretation, misconception, and error,” have closed the door to dialogue about the origins of this translation. This means that they have fundamentally overlooked the core issue. But truly, wouldn’t it be better to reflect on the reasons behind the formation of this “error”.
Results and Discussion
This article seeks to demonstrate, with scientific caution, that satire in tradition, at least in its reciting, possessed elements of theatricality, and the translation of comedy into satire in Matta’s work stems from this aspect of the target textual network. In other words, Abu Bishr Matta attempted to understand comedy both in terms of its original nature in the source and Aristotle’s discourse, while also adapting it to the linguistic-literary traditions of the target language, presenting it in Arabic as a hybrid and liminal translation.
Based on the comprehensive model of reciting (Inshad) poetry that is mentioned in the eulogy and naturally includes satire, we can accept the theatrical nature of satire, but here, for the sake of discussion and to further clarify the issue, it is added that the body of reciting in comedy/satire, both in the West and in the East, sometimes had more specific theatrical features. In the West, comedic masks were ridiculous and unusual, and had exaggerated features, such as staring and repulsive eyes, wide noses, and open mouths that were stretched out to both sides in a sneer, and in this way, human faces were distorted and deformed for greater comic effect (Kamali, 2022, p. 27-28). In the East, poets sometimes exaggerated in the distortion of form and appearance, in the disfigurement of the face, and even in the ugliness of their appearance; Hassan ibn Thabit “dipped his moustache and the hair between his lips and chin with henna without dyeing the rest of his beard, so that at first glance it looked like a lion licking blood with both sides of his tongue” (Al-Rafi’i, 2000, vol. 3, p. 25). Or the poet would make special movements while reciting satire, like Bashshār ibn Burd Tokharistani who “when he got angry and wanted to recite satire, he would clap his hands together and spit to his left and right” (Al-Rafi’i, 2000, Vol. 3, p. 70). In addition to all that has been said, what makes the performative aspect of satire more plausible is a recurring performative pattern in the recitation of satire, which was executed with attention to scenic details and actions to enhance the impact of the words. We can understand this from an ancient and very famous narration that is mentioned in various sources with examples: A pre-Islamic poet when he wanted to satire his enemies and his tribe;
- He would retreat for days and nights (or at least for hours) like someone who wants to perform the rituals of worship.
- The act of composing satire concludes in that space filled with prayer and supplication, with the hope that the curses raining down upon the enemies will be accompanied by the approval of God (or the gods).
- He would choose a mocking mask to increase the function and effectiveness of the satire.
- He shaved his head (like the pilgrims).
- He left two braids of hair in front of his head unshaven and hung them down.
- He greased one half or one side of his head with oil.
- He wore a special robe and clothing (like the pilgrims’ Ihram robe) or the special clothing of priests.
- He wore a pair of sandals (heel shoes).
- He loosened the belt and hung it as if it were falling.
- He stood in front of the audience
- In a special place.
- And accompanied by special behavior and movements.
- He recited or performed satire (Al-Sharif al-Murtaza, 1954, Part One, p. 189-192; Ali 1993, Vol. 9. P. 85-87; Al-Rafi’i, 2000, Vol. 3, p. 23; Muhammad Hossein, 1947, p. 59; Al-Alusi, (n.d), Vol. 3, p. 407; Nicholson, 1907, p. 73; Nicholson, 1970, p. 128; Zaif, 2005, Vol. 1. P. 197; Zaif, 1972, p. 98; Zaif, 1997, p. 115-116). Most sources have only quoted the pattern itself, but Shawqi Zaif has also added some interpretations to it (Zaif, 2005, Vol. 1, p. 197). The aforementioned pattern can be considered close to a type of drama or play called “Closet drama”; “drama suited primarily for reading rather than production” (Merriam-Webster, 2025): a play that is primarily suited for reading or recitation rather than production or construction.
Conclusion
There is a secret in translating comedy into al-Hija, the trace of which must be sought in Abu Bishr Matta’s translation method, a method that can be considered a combined method in translation or a combined translation. In this method, Matta, as a translator who thinks both about preserving the dramatic nature of comedy in the source text and about preserving the dramatic nature of the tradition of satire in the target language and literature, tries to link the dramatic nature of satire with the dramatic nature of comedy and create a correct translation in which the colors of both the source and the target language are simultaneously evident. Satire in the tradition has had the motifs of drama and performance, and Abu Bishr Matta could not fail to see these dramatic motifs, however small, in translating Aristotelian comedy into al-Hija, that is, he could not fail to see the background of the word and the literary type of al-Hija in the target language and literature, and especially the tradition of poetic satire and its dramatic motifs. He could not fail to see the background of Aristotle’s text and work, and for example, he could not fail to pay attention to the central drama and central tragedy of Aristotle’s Poetics, or even to the connection between comedy and satire in Greek Poetics. He saw both of these and tried, by keeping both in mind, not to de-dramatize Aristotle’s Poetics, but to use and perpetuate the sign of drama in some of the target literary genres in his translation; thus, in his threshold translation, Matthew was able to create hybrid texts and words that reflect both worlds or both textual networks of origin and destination.
References
Al-Alousi, A.M. (n.d). The maturity of the Arabs in the knowledge of the Arabs. edited and recorded by Mohammad Behjah Athari. [in Arabic]
Al-Rafei, M.S. (2000). History of Arab customs. Beirut: Dar al-Kitab al-Alamiya. [in Arabic]
Al-Sharif al-Murtaza A.A. (1954). Amali Al-Mortaza; Gharr al-Fouad and Darr al-Qalaid. The research of Mohammad Abolfazl-Ibrahim. Cairo: Dar Ihya Al-Kitab-Al-Arabiya. [in Arabic]
Ali, J. (1993). Al-Mufasal fi Tarikh al-Arab before Islam. second edition. Baghdad: Society of Baghdad / [Bi-Na]. [in Arabic]
Aristotle (1958). The art of poetry (Poetics). Translated by Fathullah Mojtabai. Tehran: Andisheh Publishing Company. [in Persian]
Aristotle (1953). The art of poetry. Translated from Al-Yonaniyyah and Commentary by Abd al-Rahman Badawi. Cairo: Maktaba al-Nahda al-Mesriyyah. [in Arabic]
Aristotle (2003). Aristotle and the art of poetry. Translated and written by Abdul Hossein Zarin Koob. Third edition. Tehran: Amir Kabir Publications. [in Persian]
Bassnett, S. (2014). Culture and translation. In Cultural Turn in Translation Studies. Mazdak Boluri translation. Tehran: Nashr -e Ghatreh, 69-43.
Dahiyat, I. (1974). Avicenna’s Commentary on the “Poetics” of Aristotle: A Critical Study with an Annotated Translation of the Text. Leiden: Brill.
Kamali, M. (2022). A sign of the mask of ancient Greek dramas in the book Asas al-Aqtabas. Ayene Miras. 20(2), 11-34. [in Persian]
Lefevre, A. & S. Bassnett (2012). “What stage are we in translation studies?”. How are cultures made? Translated by Nasr Allah Moradiani. Tehran: Nashr Ghatreh, 70-49.
Merriam- Webster. (2024). Closet drama. In Merriam- Webster dictionary. Retrieved August 25, 2024, from http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ closet%20drama.
Mohammad Hossein, M. (1947). Al-Hija and Al-Hijaoon in Al-Jahiliyyah. Cairo: Al-Jamamiz School of Al-Adab. [in Arabic]
Nicholson, R.A. (1970). The history of Arabic literature in Jahiliyyah and Sadr al-Islam. Translated and researched by Safa Khulusi. Baghdad: Al-Maarif Press. [in Arabic]
Nicholson, R. A. (1907). A Literary History of The Arabs. New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons.
Yusuf Thani, M. (2021). Aristotle’s Poetics according to Islamic sages. Second edition. Tehran: Research Institute of Hikmat and Philosophy of Iran. [in Persian]
Zaif, Sh. (2005). History of Arabic literature. Qom: Dhavi-al-Qorba manifestos. [in Arabic]
Zarqani, S.M. (2010). Classic poetics. Tehran: Sokhan. [in Persian]
Zarqani, S.M. and M.H. Hassanzadeh Niri (2013). Poetic treatises of Muslim philosophers. Tehran: Sokhan. [in Persian]
Keywords: Aristotle’s Poetics, Threshold translation, comedy and Satire, drama, Siyaqat-e Mahjoor (Abandoned Genre), tradition and language of translation, ideology
Article Type: Original Research |
Subject:
Literary theory
Received: 2024/09/25 | Accepted: 2025/01/27 | Published: 2025/02/28
Received: 2024/09/25 | Accepted: 2025/01/27 | Published: 2025/02/28
Send email to the article author
| Rights and permissions | |
 |
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License. |