Abstract EN:

The present thesis treats the problems of translation from Bengali into French with reference to the translation of a Tagore play and its reception in European countries. This treatment takes into account the cultural distance and the linguistic differences separating a Bengali literary work from the French public. It is also directed by the criteria of scenic necessities as well as by some fundamental currents of Tagore’s thought and poetry. "Le laurier-sang", French translation of the play "Roktokorobi" is the first part in which the problems have found real solutions. The second part situates Tagore in the continuity of the Indian theatrical traditions, classical as well as popular. The symbolic dimension of this play is elucidated mainly in the light of two short texts of the author, also translated in the first part. The second part contains also an interpretation of the seven songs of the play, defining their role and their symbolic significance. The third part analyses and comments a representative selection of translation-problems resolved in the first part. This analysis is accompanied by the following classification: problems related to cultural facts and phenomena, problems of mainly linguistic character, problems related to a particular intention of the author. The conclusion brings some elements of reflexion on the visionary character of this play written in 1923 following Tagore’s visit to European countries, to the battlefields of the first war and to the United States in 1920-21. His impressions of this voyage played a decisive role in the conception of this play and are of importance in its interpretation.