Diving Into the Lake: On the Necessity, Joy, and Anxiety of (Re)Translating Tulsidas’ Ramcaritmanas – Lecture by Philip Lutgendorf

The epic retelling of the Ramcaritmanas composed in ca. 1574 AD by the poet Tulsidas, in the dialect of Hindi known as Avadhi, has long been considered one of the most sacred and beloved texts of the North Indian Hindu tradition. It has also, through nine complete English renderings, become one of the most translated works of pre-modern Indian vernacular literature. In this presentation, I will first briefly introduce the epic and some of its notable features as a work in the larger “Ramayana tradition.” I will then reflect on some of the difficulties that it presents for the translator into English, discuss why I am offering a new translation at this time, and share some examples of my approach.