Translating Persian poetry to English is not a skill that most acquire, but Dick Davis, a professor in Persian, has mastered the skill and received recognition.
Davis’ translations and other works were honored with a university-wide Distinguished Scholar Award.
“Wentworth Dillon wrote a poem about translating and said to ‘choose an author as you choose a friend’ … and find a kinship,” Davis said. “I tend to translate those of which are of that kinship. I pick authors because I see they are emotionally involved with things I am involved with.”
Through his translation work, Davis has become the best living translator of Persian poetry, especially medieval poetry.
Davis also has published his own poetry and articles as a scholar on medieval Persian literature. In all of these areas, his books have won prizes or have been well reviewed.
“He is a prominent poet and translator,” said Margaret Mills, chairwoman of the Department of Near Eastern Languages and Cultures. “He is quite clearly the best translator from Persian literature into English in the last century.”
“Persian poetry is virtually unknown in the West,” Davis said. “When I learned Persian, I decided that that could be my niche, bringing Persian poetry over into English.”
Verse translation fulfills a scholarly aspect because the translator has to understand the context of the original work, he said.
The six recipients of the Distinguished Scholar Awards are active research scholars who are well published and have received awards for their publications, Mills said.
Davis got the award committee’s attention through his works as an active scholar, poet and translator. It is rare that all three roles are filled at this level, she said.
Davis enjoys writing his own poetry, which he began when he was a child in England. His better works came in time, noticeably from his travels. He writes in a traditional form and focuses on cultural change, love for his wife and two daughters and other personal fulfillment.
Davis’s poetry is vivid, personal and accessible to everyone, Mills said. Readers can appreciate and understand it whether or not they are scholarly or have specific interests, she said.
Davis pursued his love of writing as an English major at the University of Cambridge in England. He then traveled the world, teaching in different parts.
During his travels he met his wife in Iran, where he learned more about the Persian culture. He later received his doctorate degree in medieval Persian from the University of Manchester in England.
“(Dick) has vast knowledge of the field and can draw on similar experiences not in Persian,” said Saghi Gazerani, a third-year graduate student in Persian literature who has studied with Davis for two years. “He also has tremendous respect for Persian culture and the material he works with.”
Gazerani came to Ohio State from Maryland partly because of Davis. Knowing her medieval Persian interests, other scholars highly recommended Davis to her, she said.
Working with Davis gives students a good introduction to the medieval-Persian field and arms them with the methodology to approach different texts, she said.
Saba Boland, a second-year graduate student in Persian folklore, said that through his publications, Davis sheds light on different aspects of the Persian literature field and shows ways to approach those aspects.
Davis is very innovative in his field and scholars can learn a lot from him, she said.
