3 replies to this topic

[xiechunmao]

Hi everyone,
I am wondering can anyghbody really catch the meaning of an ancient Chinese poem just through the translation(here I mean English translation).
I think when people translate the poem into English they can`t totally expess the meaning for they can`t express the Yi Jing(意境）.You see,many good poems just consist of several characters but they express a lot.
Can anybody recomend some really good translations.
And I come from China.

[fcharton]

I am wondering can anyghbody really catch the meaning of an ancient Chinese poem just through the translation(here I mean English translation).

The answer is probably no. But then, can we claim to really catch the meaning of a poem written several centuries ago? Even ancient commentators disagree on the meaning of most famous poems. The same could probably be said for modern poems as well. Can a young reader, born in the 80s, and therefore lacking the personal experience of Maoism, really understand a Bei Dao?

I think it is not possible to really understand a poem. It might not be desirable either : poems, like all works of art, are meant to be enjoyed, not understood...

Which leads to another question: can one enjoy a chinese poem in translation? And here, the answer would be yes. All it needs is that the translator is a good writer.

As for examples of great translations, since you are from China, read anything by Fu Lei...

Francois

Edited by fcharton, 17 September 2008 - 01:42 AM.

[General_Zhaoyun]

What the English translation for chinese poetry cannot convey (no matter how good the translation is) is the rhyming technique seen in ancient chinese poem (esp. Tang poetry). This is because the translation would make the poetry an English poetry instead of Chinese poetry. Only the meaning and metaphor are conveyed, but not the rhyming heard.

However, even if ancient chinese poem were to be recited in today's Mandarin language, it also doesn't rhyme very well, because they were supposed to be recited in archaic/middle chinese language, not in today's Mandarin language. Probably chinese dialect such as Hokkien/Cantonese can help (esp. with Tang poetry) as they rhyme alot better than Mandarin.

[shunyadragon]

Hi everyone,
I am wondering can anyghbody really catch the meaning of an ancient Chinese poem just through the translation(here I mean English translation).
I think when people translate the poem into English they can`t totally expess the meaning for they can`t express the Yi Jing(意境）.You see,many good poems just consist of several characters but they express a lot.
Can anybody recomend some really good translations.
And I come from China.

I would say yes and no, language today whether in Chinese or English does not necessarily impart the original meaning. I specialize in poems concerning the symbolism of jade in ancient culture. Since by far, most Chinese know little about the ancint view of jade, few Chinese today would understand these poems, particularly since jade does not necesarily refer to jade in Chines poetry.