“Into the night” and “the baby in pink Tarlatan”, by João do Rio: gothic and fantastic elements in translation

Ruffini, Mirian

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Artigo • Rev. Bras. Lit. Comp. 24 (47) • Sep-Dec 2022 • https://doi.org/10.1590/2596-304x20222447mr copy

“Into the night” and “the baby in pink Tarlatan”, by João do Rio: gothic and fantastic elements in translation

Authorship SCIMAGO INSTITUTIONS RANKINGS

ABSTRACT

This article carries out analysis regarding the translation of João do Rio’s short stories “Into the night” and “The baby in pink tarlatan” to the English language, with a focus on the transposition of gothic and fantastic elements in these short decadentist fictional narratives. The configurations of thematic webs concerning space, fear as well as gothic and fantastic elements are analyzed in the translations, with particular emphasis on the networks of semantic fields as compared between the source text and its translation. The theoretical bases of Translation Studies and Compared Literature are consulted in the works by Lanzetti et. al. (2009), Antoine Berman (2007), Baker (1992), Venuti (2002) and Brunel et. al. (2019). The theoretical-critical studies concerning João do Rio’s aesthetics and literatry work written by Levin (1996), Tardin (2021), Todorov (2017), Ceserani (2006) and França (2015) supply the framework for discussion around the aesthetics and their elements observed within the translations. The translated texts seem to transfer the thematic and lexical networks connected to those semantic fields and aesthetics, resulting in a foreignizing target text, to a great extent, and bearer of Paulo Barreto’s literary marks to the English language.

KEYWORDS:
João do Rio; gothic and fantastic fiction; literary translation.

Dentro da Noite

Into the Night

Eu estava louco, apenas. Não poderás nunca imaginar o caos da minha alma naqueles momentos em que estive a seu lado no sofá, o maelstrom de angústias, de esforços, de desejos, a luta da razão e do mal, o mal que eu senti saltar-me à garganta, tomar-me a mão, ir agir, ir agir... Quando ao cabo de alguns minutos acariciei-lhe na sombra o braço, por cima da manga, numa carícia lenta que subia das mãos para os ombros, entre os dedos senti que já tinha o alfinete, o alfinete pavoroso. (RIO, 1910RIO, João do. Dentro da noite. Rio de Janeiro: H. Garnier, 1910. 268 p. Disponível em: https://digital.bbm.usp.br/handle/bbm/2488 . Acesso em: 27 jan. 2022.
https://digital.bbm.usp.br/handle/bbm/24... , p. 7)

I was just crazy. You can never imagine the chaos of my soul in those moments when I stayed beside her on the couch, the maelstrom of anguish, of efforts, of desires, the struggle between reason and evil, the evil that I felt spring to my throat, take my hand, set to action, set to action... When after a few minutes I stroked her arm in the shade, over her sleeve, in a slow caress that went up from her hands to her shoulders, I felt I already had the pin between my fingers, the ghastly pin.

Dentro da Noite

Into the night

- Então causou sensação? --Tanto mais quanto era inexplicável. Tu amavas a Clotilde, não? Ela, coitadita! Parecia louca por ti, e os pais estavam radiantes de alegria. De repente, súbita transformação. Tu desapareces, a família fecha os salões como se estivesse de luto pesado. Clotilde chora... Evidentemente havia um mistério, uma dessas coisas capazes de fazer os espíritos imaginosos arquitetarem dramas horrendos. Por felicidade, o juízo geral é contra o teu procedimento. (RIO, 1910RIO, João do. Dentro da noite. Rio de Janeiro: H. Garnier, 1910. 268 p. Disponível em: https://digital.bbm.usp.br/handle/bbm/2488 . Acesso em: 27 jan. 2022.
https://digital.bbm.usp.br/handle/bbm/24... , p. 1).

“Was it a cause of commotion then?” “As much as it was an inexplicable matter.” “You were in love with Clotilde, were you not? And her, the poor thing! She seemed crazy for you, and the parents were exhilarated. Then, the unexpected transformation. You vanish, the family shuts its ballrooms as though they were in deep mourning. Clotilde weeps... There was evidently some mystery, one of those issues capable of making creative spirits picture dreadful tragedies. Fortunately, general judgement goes against your actions.”.

Dentro da noite

Into the night

O trem rasgara a treva num silvo alanhante, e de novo cavalava sobre os trilhos. Um sino enorme ia com ele badalando, e pelas portinholas do vagão viam-se, a marginar a estrada, as luzes das casas ainda abertas, os silvedos empapados d’água e a chuva lastimável a tecer o seu infindável véu de lágrimas. Percebi então que o sujeito gordo da banqueta próxima - o que falava mais - dizia para o outro: - Mas como tremes, criatura de Deus! Estás doente? O outro sorriu desanimado. - Não; estou nervoso, estou com a maldita crise. E como o gordo esperasse: - Oh! meu caro, o Prates tem razão! E teve razão a família de Clotilde e tens razão tu cujo olhar é de assustada piedade. Sou um miserável desvairado, sou um infame desgraçado. (RIO, 1910RIO, João do. Dentro da noite. Rio de Janeiro: H. Garnier, 1910. 268 p. Disponível em: https://digital.bbm.usp.br/handle/bbm/2488 . Acesso em: 27 jan. 2022.
https://digital.bbm.usp.br/handle/bbm/24... , p. 2).

The train had torn across the darkness with a depressing hiss, and again it was riding on the tracks. A huge bell went on with its chimes, and through the hatches of the wagon, one could see, siding the road, the lights of still open houses, the soggy hiss of water and the disgraceful rain weaving its endless veil of tears. I realized then that the guy on the nearby stool -the one who spoke more-said to the other: “But you are trembling so strongly, creature of God! Are you sick?” The other one smiled disheartened. "No; I'm nervous, I have got the doomed crisis.” And, as the fat man expected: “Oh! my dear, Prates is right! And Clotilde’s family was right, and you, whose look is one of frightened pity, are right. I am a miserable lunatic, I am indeed an infamous lunatic.”

O bebê de tarlatana rosa

The baby in pink tarlatan

As praças, horas antes incendiadas pelos projetores elétricos e as cambiantes enfurnadas dos fogos de bengala, caíam em sombras - sombras cúmplices da madrugada urbana. E só, indicando a folia, a excitação da cidade, um ou outro carro arriado levando máscaras aos beijos ou alguma fantasia tilintando guizos pelas calçadas fofas de “confetti”. Oh! A impressão enervante dessas figuras irreais na semi-sombra das horas mortas, roçando as calçadas, tilintando aqui, ali um som perdido de guizo! Parece qualquer coisa de impalpável, de vago, de enorme, emergindo da treva aos pedaços... (RIO, 1910RIO, João do. Dentro da noite. Rio de Janeiro: H. Garnier, 1910. 268 p. Disponível em: https://digital.bbm.usp.br/handle/bbm/2488 . Acesso em: 27 jan. 2022.
https://digital.bbm.usp.br/handle/bbm/24... , p. 160).

The squares, which, hours before, had been blazed by electric projectors and Bengal lights’ changing colors, now fell into shadows - accomplice shadows of the urban night. And as remainders of the revelry and of the city’s excitement, there were only one or two fully-loaded cars, driving kissing masks; or there would just be some costumes clinking their rattles along the pavements that had been softened by confetti. Oh, the nerve-racking impression of these unreal figures in the semi-shadow of dead hours, brushing the pavements, some tinkling here, or a lost rattling sound there! It seems like some sort of elusive, vague, enormous thing, emerging from the darkness into pieces….

O bebê de tarlatana rosa

The baby in pink tarlatan

Presa dos meus lábios, com dois olhos que a cólera e o pavor pareciam fundir, eu tinha uma cabeça estranha, uma cabeça sem nariz, com dois buracos sangrentos atulhados de algodão, uma cabeça que era alucinadamente - uma caveira com carne... [...] Despeguei-a, recuei num imenso vômito de mim mesmo. Todo eu tremia de horror, de nojo. O bebê de tarlatana rosa emborcara no chão com a caveira voltada para mim, num choro que lhe arregaçava o beiço mostrando singularmente abaixo do buraco do nariz os dentes alvos. (RIO, 1910RIO, João do. Dentro da noite. Rio de Janeiro: H. Garnier, 1910. 268 p. Disponível em: https://digital.bbm.usp.br/handle/bbm/2488 . Acesso em: 27 jan. 2022.
https://digital.bbm.usp.br/handle/bbm/24... , p. 162-3).

Stuck to my lips, with two eyes that fury and terror seemed to merge, I had a strange head, a head without a nose, with two bloody holes stuffed with cotton, a head that was, deliriously, a fleshened skull... […] I let go off her, backed off in an immense vomit of myself. The whole of me was shivering in terror, in disgust. The pink tarlatan baby had fallen to the ground with her skull facing towards me, crying in such a way that her lips were pulled up, and showing her white teeth below her abnormal nose holes.

O bebê de tarlatana rosa

The baby in pink tarlatan

Heitor de Alencar parou, com o cigarro entre os dedos, apagado. Maria de Flor mostrava uma contração de horror na face e o doce Anatólio parecia mal. O próprio narrador tinha a camarinhar-lhe a fronte gotas de suor. Houve um silêncio agoniento. Afinal o barão Belfort ergueu-se, tocou a campainha para que o criado trouxesse refrigerantes, e resumiu: - Uma aventura, meus amigos, uma bela aventura. Quem não tem do carnaval a sua aventura? Esta é pelo menos empolgante. E foi sentar-se ao piano. (RIO, 1910RIO, João do. Dentro da noite. Rio de Janeiro: H. Garnier, 1910. 268 p. Disponível em: https://digital.bbm.usp.br/handle/bbm/2488 . Acesso em: 27 jan. 2022.
https://digital.bbm.usp.br/handle/bbm/24... , p. 163-4).

Heitor de Alencar paused, with his burnt out cigarette between his fingers. Maria de Flor displayed a horror contraction on her face and sweet Anatólio looked sick. Even our narrator showed some sweat droplets on his forehead. There was an anguished silence. At last, Baron Belfort rose, rang the bell so that his valet brought us some refreshments, and summarized: “Quite an adventure, my friends, a fine adventure. Who has not had their carnival adventure? This one is exciting nonetheless”. And he went to sit at the piano.

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