Zhao Yanchun, a professor of translation at Shanghai University, has published collections of English translations of poems by four renowned Tang Dynasty (618-907) poets, Li Bai, Du Fu, Wang Wei and Bai Juyi. [Photo provided to China Daily]
The English translations of poems by four renowned Tang Dynasty (618-907) poets have recently been published, allowing these literary masterpieces to be appreciated in lands beyond China.
The works of poets Li Bai, Du Fu, Wang Wei and Bai Juyi were translated by Zhao Yanchun, an esteemed professor of translation at Shanghai University, and have been published under the Shanghai University Press.
To date, Zhao has translated 1,052 poems by Li, more than 1,500 poems by Du, and 400 poems by Wang. Translations of Bai's 3,000 poems are still a work in progress.
Zhao says Wang's poems were renowned for his descriptions of nature and landscapes, while Li masterfully inserted his sentiments into romantic and unrestrained poetic lines. Du, on the other hand, was known for his poetry that delved into his worries about the nation and wars, while Bai often expressed concerns of his friends and homeland in his works.
Zhao, who is also president of the International Sinological Studies and Education Association, says that China boasts a long history of poetry that goes back to the age of the legendary Yellow Emperor, or Huangdi, dating back to around 2600 BC. "The Tang Dynasty is the golden age in Chinese literature, and poems by the four poets are like the jewels on the crown of Tang poetry," says Zhao.
"The language has changed little and remains easy for modern Chinese people to read. The themes are still relevant today too, ranging from friendship to love and scenery. I wish the translated poetry will spread knowledge of traditional Chinese culture to more foreign readers."
The volumes of Tang Dynasty poet Li Bai is one of two of Zhao Yanchun's complete editions of poems in Chinese and English. [Photo provided to China Daily]
Pursuit of excellence
Translating poetry is unlike regular translation work as Zhao says it requires one to be proficient in the ancient Chinese language and English, skilled in translation theories, and have well-versed knowledge of literature styles.
"Translation in other fields usually deals with content that only deliver information, but literary translation-especially poetry translation-must show readers the beauty and artistic values of words. This is the trickiest part," he says.
Zhao adds that a good translation of a poem should have rhythm and words that compel readers to form images in their minds.
"Many people regard poetry translation as something that is impossible to accomplish. But it is possible, you just need to put in a lot of effort," he says, referring to how he spent at least 14 hours a day translating Li's poems.
His quest to producing high-quality translations also involves not referring to other translations of the same work. Zhao explains that this self-imposed rule prevents him from subconsciously following the ideas and styles of others.
"What I do is read an analysis-not the translation-of the original work to gain a better understanding," he says.
Annotation is another key step in the translation process. Zhao took three months just to do annotations for Li's poems.
"There are only two words in English that refer to the moon, but there are about 200 phrases that can mean the same thing in Chinese. Each phrase has a story behind it which demands an annotation to explain ancient culture," he explains.
Besides words, the form and rhyme must also be translated appropriately.
"A translator is like god looking down at the original text and translated language, and finding a bridge between them. This process must be backed up by solid knowledge in interdisciplinary fields such as linguistics," he says. "Otherwise, the translated text will lose the charm that was present in the original."
Zhao wrote about this process in detail in his 2005 book A Reductionist Approach to Translatology. Throughout his career, he has translated and published over 20 traditional Chinese literature works, including The Book of Songs, comprising some 300 poems dating back to 7 BC; Tao Te Ching, a Chinese Taoist philosophical classic; and The Analects, a collection of sayings attributed to Confucius and his disciples.
Despite having translated thousands of works, Zhao still sees every poem as a new challenge.
"Every poem is like a code that cannot be copied. My experience has armed me with aesthetic knowledge and language abilities that allow me to do translation more efficiently," says Zhao, who took just three months to complete the translations of Li's poems.
Most translators would require years to accomplish this same feat.
"That being said, choosing the right words is always a challenge and requires a lot of research. But once I crack the code, the gratification I get is uplifting," he says.
The volumes of Tang Dynasty poet Wang Wei is one of two of Zhao Yanchun's complete editions of poems in Chinese and English. [Photo provided to China Daily]
Stellar reviews
For his professionalism and passion, Zhao received praise from local linguistics experts for his work. Zhao currently leads a team of 12 teachers and postgraduates to do research on Chinese literature at the university.
In the foreword for Zhao's translation of Du Fu's poems published in November, Jiang Xiaohua, a professor in translation at the Macao Polytechnic Institute, commends Zhao for his skillful handling of the poems' essence.
Wang Ying, a researcher from the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences' Institute of Literature, also compliments Zhao for his work on Wang Wei's poems, saying that he translated the original text in such a way that "a Western reader without background knowledge can comprehend the beauty and most idyllic pictures showcased in poems".
"Being able to depict an image through a poem is really a characteristic style of his. The poem demonstrates the poet's experience in an ideal spiritual realm. Zhao also explicitly reveals the logic of the sentences and supplements the poetic conception and milieu with the right words," Wang Ying says.
"Rhyme and meter are what Zhao stresses most in his translations, and this perfectly retains the poem's original meaning, form, rhyme and artistic conception."
Famous Tang Dynasty poems
王维(Wang Wei)
相思
红豆生南国，
春来发几枝。
愿君多采撷，
此物最相思。
The Love Bean
The red bean grows in Southern Land.
How many twigs shoot forth in spring?
Pray pick, pick more to fill your hand;
To speak for love, 'tis the best thing.
李白(Li Bai)
将进酒
君不见，
黄河之水天上来，
奔流到海不复回！
君不见，
高堂明镜悲白发，
朝如青丝暮成雪！
人生得意须尽欢，
莫使金樽空对月。
天生我才必有用，
千金散尽还复来。
烹羊宰牛且为乐，
会须一饮三百杯。
岑夫子，
丹丘生，
将进酒，
杯莫停。
与君歌一曲，
请君为我倾耳听。
钟鼓馔玉不足贵，
但愿长醉不愿醒。
古来圣贤皆寂寞，
惟有饮者留其名。
陈王昔时宴平乐，
斗酒十千恣欢谑。
主人何为言少钱，
径须沽取对君酌。
五花马，
千金裘，
呼儿将出换美酒，
与尔同销万古愁。
Do Drink Wine
Don't you espy
The Yellow River surge down from the sky,
Up to the sea it does tumble and flow?
Don't you espy
To my white hair in the mirror I sigh,
As at dawn is black and at dusk turns snow?
Do enjoy life while in prime you run high;
Not to the moon just your empty cup ply.
So born by Heaven we must be of use;
Spend all the money and more will come up.
Cook lamb, kill cattle just for joy profuse;
Do gulp down three hundred fills from your cup.
Ts'en, my teacher,
Redknoll, friend mine,
Don't put down cups,
Do drink the wine.
I'll sing you a song of cheer,
Please listen, prick up your ear.
Bells, drums and dainties are precious no more;
Drink ourselves drunk, ne'er sober, lying down.
Obscure are the sages and saints of yore,
Only drinkers can enjoy high renown.
At olden times Prince Ch'en held a great feast;
He drank barrels and barrels with no stall.
How can a host claim to have money least?
I shall buy more and drink up to you all.
Dapples be sold,
And furs like gold.
Call our son to pawn them, buy wine, buy more,
With you I will drink off our age-long sore.
杜甫(Du Fu)
望岳
岱宗夫如何？
齐鲁青未了。
造化钟神秀，
阴阳割昏晓。
荡胸生曾云，
决眦入归鸟。
会当凌绝顶，
一览众山小。
Looking at Mt. Arch
Behold Mt. Arch, how high it stands
Its green o'er Ch'i and Lu expands.
The nature's made it a great one,
Shade as its moon, shine as its sun.
Unto my chest thick clouds arise;
And homing birds fly to my eyes.
When I reach the top to view all,
All mountains under me are small.
白居易(Bai Juyi)
赋得古原草送别
离离原上草，
一岁一枯荣。
野火烧不尽，
春风吹又生。
远芳侵古道，
晴翠接荒城。
又送王孙去，
萋萋满别情。
Seeing a Friend Off by an Old Grassland
Rolling, rolling, the grassland's grass
Blooms or dries as time turns to pass.
A wild fire can't all of it burn;
A spring wind heralds its return.
The fragrance does the old road drown;
The green spreads to the dreary town.
Now I see you off once again,
Sad, sad, the grass is filled with pain.
TRANSLATIONS BY ZHAO YANCHUN
