Abstract

A text like the “Nibelungenlied” confronts the translator with a huge responsibility: any endeavour to restore its narrative tension and musicality inevitably yields a new text, one that is inspired by the model but not identical to it. This article delves into several Italian translations of the “Nibelungenlied”, each of which has made significant efforts to amplify the poem’s rhythmic elements. The goal is to explore the interplay between the original text and the reception context, finally reflecting on possible paths to respect the source text’s musicality.