Silvina Ocampo's practice of translation is one of the least known parts of her work, overshadowed by her vast poetic and narrative production. However, Ocampo devoted many years to it: her translations of Emily Dickinson's poems are the most extensive examples of this practice, but they are not the only ones. In this essay, my objective is twofold: in the first half I offer a brief overview of the relationship Silvina Ocampo had with the English and French languages by way of a complete listing of her translations into Spanish and her own compositions originally written in those languages. I organize this part of my argument in three sections: one on translations of Emily Dickinson's poetry, a second on translations of other poetry and prose, and finally, on writing directly in languages other than Spanish and self-translation. Afterwards, I analyze one of Ocampo's original English poems and her own translation of it. “Dream of Death of a Harlot” is particularly important because it is the longest of her poems to be published in English and also because her translation illustrates the author's approach to translation as an intrinsic part of a broader creative process. Perhaps because it was initially published under a pseudonym (a name later given to a character in a short story), it has yet to be included in a book of Ocampo's poetry. Many years later, and under her own name, Ocampo published a Spanish version of the poem, “Sueña con su muerte una prostituta.” The central thesis of this chapter thus proposes that languages were not only sources for Ocampo as a reader, but also formed a fruitful creative space for her as a writer. I claim that translation should be considered as one manner – among others – in which her relationship with languages expressed itself. In this same vein, I argue that in Ocampo's case, translation was not an isolated or episodic practice, but instead reveals a complex connection with languages that in turn sheds light on her literary practice more broadly.

Translation: Emily Dickinson's Poems

The most ambitious translation project embraced by Silvina Ocampo was that of Emily Dickinson's poems. It was perhaps the only sustained project to last for so many years and the only one that has a unity of purpose.