Czy "the small doll" i "a little puppet" to wciąż ta sama kukiełka? : "Macierzyństwo" Anny Świrszczyńskiej w przekładach Margaret Marshment i Czesława Miłosza

The article is an analysis of Anna Świrszczyńska’s poem "Macierzyństwo" and its two English translations, by Margaret Marshment and Czesław Miłosz, poets representing different genders as well as different traditions and cultures. The poem is an attempt at describing the ambivalent nature of motherhood and challenges some stereotypes concerning the mother-child relation. Subtle linguistic devices and aggressive metaphors reveal the violent side of the bond and a struggle for independence on both of its sides. Marshment’s translation makes the image more intimate and tends towards the stereotype. Miłosz’s translation is a completely different poem: the experience is presented in a more abstract way, rather metaphysical than physical. Failing to reflect the exact tone of the original, both translations help to reveal the complexity of experience the poet chose as her subject matter