Корейська поезія солідарності: стратегії інтерпретації та лінгвокультурної адаптації “Слова про Дніпро” Хан Ґьонйона

Abstract

The article offers a comprehensive examination of the translational trajectory of contemporary Korean poetry into Ukrainian, focusing on Han Gyeong-yong’s poem “A Word about the Dnipro River”, written in solidarity with Ukraine. The study delineates the stages of decoding the source text’s semantic core through literal translation, followed by a nuanced artistic interpretation across three distinct formal frameworks: free verse, blank verse, and rhymed adaptation. Each iteration is accompanied by a hermeneutic commentary that elucidates the structural, lexical, and stylistic shifts occurring as the original work is transposed into the target linguistic and cultural environment. By analyzing the decision-making logic behind the selection of linguistic resources, the research highlights representative challenges and solutions in modern translation practice.

The scholarly interest in the selected poem stems from its profound sincerity and its role as a cross-cultural testament in support of Ukraine. By aligning with historical truth, the poet engages Korean-speaking audiences while simultaneously contributing to the Ukrainian cultural resistance against unprovoked aggression. Rendering this voice into Ukrainian is a timely endeavor aimed at fostering mutual intelligibility and cultural exchange.

Particular emphasis is placed on the phenomenon of the “stylistic repatriation” of Taras Shevchenko’s codes and the complexities of harmonizing Far Eastern poetic aesthetics with the Ukrainian literary canon. The research addresses issues of imagery accretion, intertextual resonance, and the dialectical tension between “foreignization” and the risks of excessive “domestication”. The findings suggest that a multi-level synthesis – combining the cognitive precision of free verse with the evocative power of classical metrical forms – constitutes the most effective strategy for rendering Korean lyricism. Acknowledging that no singular “ideal” translation exists, the article invites scholarly dialogue on translational expediency and underscores the necessity of translator self-reflection. Given the burgeoning interest in Korean literature within Ukraine, the study serves as a valuable resource for comparative philology and translation pedagogy, filling a gap in the literature regarding professional translatological commentaries.