The symbol of the rose in two Estonian translations of W. B. Yeats’ The Secret Rose

Abstract

The thesis focuses on how two Estonian translations of William Butler Yeats’ The Secret Rose interpret the symbol of the rose. The thesis is divided into two main sections: literature review and analysis. The first section discusses how Yeats has employed the rose himself, and also how other scholars have addressed the question of symbol translation. The second section is subdivided into comparison and discussion: the thesis first highlights the key comparative passages as well as omissions concerning the symbol of the rose and later discusses the findings along the axes of ontology, epistemology and ethics. The conclusion presents the major findings of the thesis. Key words: William Butler Yeats, The Secret Rose, translation, symbolism