Gabriel Rebourcet 1991
The most recent French translation of the Kalevala is from 1991. Le Kalevala. Épopée des Finnois is a complete translation in poetic meter and it includes a comprehensive introduction and a section with comments. The translation was done by Gabriel Rebourcet (b. 1949), who has a vast knowledge of Finland and the Finnish language. He has, for example, translated works by Timo K. Mukka, Paavo Haavikko, Daniel Katz, Pentti Holappa, Annika Idström and Helena Sinervo into French. Rebourcet is also the honorary consul of Finland in Marseille.
The 2nd edition of Gabriel Rebourcet’n Kalevala, 2010.
A new printing of the translation by Rebourcet was published in 2010. It contains, besides the Kalevala, a selection of Uralian poems, which have been translated into French by Rebourcet as well. There is an extensive comments section about Uralian languages in the book. It also includes a presentation of the Finnish language and the origins of the Finnish people as well as the connections that the Finnish language has to other Finno-Ugric languages. Rebourcet mentions that what makes it difficult to translate the Kalevala into French is the fact that as the work linguistically is a treasure chest of the modern Finnish language, it is simultaneously very archaic when it comes to semantics. Corresponding French words do not exist anymore, or they have never existed, and the translator has to find another substituting word. It also becomes problematic when there is no room in the French verse for the content of the original verse.
Rebourcet mentions the translation by Louis Léouzon Le Duc but he pays no attention to the translation by J. L. Perret. This is surprising as Perret’s translation was the first one that was done using the poetic meter and translated directly from the original language into French. It is regrettable that Rebourcet does not mention this. It would be interesting to know what a French translator today thinks of Perret’s translation and why he has considered it to be necessary to do a new translation. It is certainly wonderful that the Kalevala is considered to be a classic in France and that it, thus, from time to time is important to update its translation and that there are translators who have the ability and strength to finalise an extensive work such as this.
Elina Seppälä: “Proosaa vai poljentoa – Le Kalevala” – Kalevala maailmalla. Helsinki: SKS. 2012.