Abstract
This study investigates whether the poetic structure of terza rima, often considered a Dantesque invention, has been preserved in French translations of the Divine Comedy from the fifteenth century to the present. The analysis begins with the characteristics of terza rima in Dante's work and examines its varied historical reception, particularly the debates in the late twentieth century regarding translations into free verse and unrhymed verse. Versification prompts questions about the poetic function of the message and necessitates reflection on paronomasia and rhythm in translation. The study reviews the perspectives of Roman Jakobson, Henri Meschonnic, André Pézard, Jacqueline Risset, and Umberto Eco, among others. It then analyzes the translations by Kolja Mićević (1996-2017) and Danièle Robert (2016-2021), who have favored terza rima versification despite prevailing trends. The feasibility of translation is shown to depend on the dominant poetic conception within specific cultural contexts, and the translation process is closely linked to the translator's creativity. Recreating the original or a similar textual function in the target language is a complex and challenging endeavor; creative transpositions result from imaginative translations that challenge the notion of poetic untranslatability.