Translating the songs of the “Sirens” in James Joyce’s Ulysses

Abstract

<p>Song lyrics function in James Joyce’s Ulysses like any other literary and cultural allusion. However, in the musical episode of Ulysses, “Sirens”, lyrics may function as music as well. In the episode, where songs are performed by characters and, de facto, by the narrative itself, musical allusions are evoked in the readers’ mind, enriching their experience of the episode. The following question may arise then: how can the Sirens’ songs be translated for a target reader who is not familiar with the music or words of the songs mentioned? Addressing foundational word and music studies research and recent research on the translation of musical texts, this article investigates how lyrics alluded to in “Sirens” perform a musical role in the episode. Through the study of the Italian and Finnish (re)translations of the episode, it examines the creative options for translators of song lyrics in musico-literary texts.<br></p>