By Vincent Potter
Limited Verse
by David Martin
University of Calgary Press (2024)
The best science fiction uses its theoretical framing to investigate our current reality from pretend perspectives—by stepping forward in time, it looks at the present backwards. In Limited Verse, David Martin makes full use of this future-historian advantage in what reads more like translation study than poetry collection, releasing himself from the limitations of existing research by fabricating a future where English is—by law and by biological procedure—reduced to 850 words.
At first, Limited Verse may appear to be a classic poetic challenge, a test of whether verse requires complex vocabulary to achieve its message; however, it quickly unfolds into much more. Because of the severe limitation of 850 words, translating into “New English” is akin to translating between distinct languages. Concepts need to be illustrated without idioms. Vocabulary that no longer exists must be replaced with artful substitution and amalgamation (e.g., “balloon” becomes “ballofair”). Much of the difficulty in translating between unique languages is here, but because New English takes its vocabulary from our English, both the origin and translated text can be read without the prerequisite understanding of dual tongues. As such, Limited Verse is a remarkably accessible text approaching translation discourse and debate. Martin—and his fictional editor characters—shy away from no conflict: the argument between literal and conceptual translation, the question of whether a poem can be effectively translated (or if there is always loss), and even the ethics and value behind such translations… they’re all here, and with practical examples readable by any English speaker. Every success and failure of translation is on open display.
There are two voices in Limited Verse: the Translator’s and the researchers. Through their translations and prose interludes, the Translator’s frustration and urgency are ever-present—the work is both essential and impossible. Each poem is an example of the effort, not just of the character but of translators everywhere, and readers need only compare them with the originals to arrive at their own questions and answers. Is the meaning expressed? Is the poem true to the original, or has it taken on its own persona? Has the reduction of vocabulary led to a more readable verse, proving the original was perhaps overwritten? Or is it the opposite, a translation weary with form overstuffed by multiple simplicities in place of a single complexity? It is up to the reader to decide, and, in doing so, learn.
The researchers, in realistically distinct voices, interject throughout the collection in the form of endnotes. It would be a mistake to skip said notes. Within them, Martin provides context about both his fictionalized world of New Earth and the nonfiction world of translation and linguistics. Each element of New English, the difficulties of the Translator’s task, and the implications of language genocide are reinforced with real-world sources. Quotations from actual translators and poets are integrated alongside Martin’s fictions, enhancing the educational value of the collection; even New English itself is based in the real Basic English, created by Charles Kay Ogden in 1925. Martin slips these nonfiction elements into the endnotes seamlessly, instilling the researcher characters with his own obvious passion and learnedness for language.
Limited Verse is a unique and valuable experiment. Martin has created a work that will satiate lovers of poetry and wordplay, especially those who are well-read and fascinated by the workings of verse. But, perhaps more importantly, Martin has also presented a peerlessly accessible step into translation theory, one that will surprise readers into getting uncomfortable with their own language.
Vincent Potter is a Calgarian writer and pansexual pancake flipper. His poetry can be found in 2015 – 2018 print issues of our magazine, and his book reviews are available both in print and online.