A STUDY ON THE TANG POETRY TRANSLATION IN THE PERSPECTIVE OF “HARMONY-GUIDED THREE-LEVEL POETRY TRANSLATION CRITERIA” - A CASE STUDY OF LI BAI’S “CLIMBING THE PHOENIX TERRACE IN JINLING”

Ning Gao,Feng Wang

doi:10.46827/ejals.v3i1.196

Abstract

Tang poetry is the precious cultural heritages of the Chinese. Li Bai is one of the most outstanding poets in the Tang Dynasty and his poems have had a far-reaching impact on following generations. This paper attempts to use the “Harmony-Guided Three-Level Poetry Translation Criteria” put forward by Dr. Wang Feng, from the macro, middle and micro levels to analyze and compare four English versions of Li Bai’s “Climbing the Phoenix Terrace in Jinling”. Then, the authors retranslate the original poem and encourage researchers to pay more attention to the field of Tang poetry translation and promote the dissemination of Chinese classical poetry. Article visualizations:<img src="/-counters-/edu_01/0666/a.php" alt="Hit counter" />

Highlights

IntroductionGao, Ning; Wang, Feng A STUDY ON THE TANG POETRY TRANSLATION IN THE PERSPECTIVE OF “HARMONY-GUIDED THREE-LEVEL POETRY TRANSLATION CRITERIA” – A CASE STUDY OF LI BAI’S “CLIMBING THE PHOENIX TERRACE IN JINLING”
Fenollosa’s translated version is based on the explanation of Japanese sinologist Mori Kainan, while Pound’s translation is based on Fenollosa’s notes and translation; Pound is better than Fenollosa in terms of understanding the original poem (Wu, 2012)
A Chinese scholar made a comprehensive appreciation and comparison of Sun Dayu’s translation and Pound’s translation and concludes that only through an in-depth analysis of the aesthetic components of the original poem can the translator fully reproduce the charm of the original poem and make the reader get the same aesthetic feeling (He, 2016)

Summary

Introduction

Gao, Ning; Wang, Feng A STUDY ON THE TANG POETRY TRANSLATION IN THE PERSPECTIVE OF “HARMONY-GUIDED THREE-LEVEL POETRY TRANSLATION CRITERIA” – A CASE STUDY OF LI BAI’S “CLIMBING THE PHOENIX TERRACE IN JINLING”. In the second half of the 20th century, many Chinese scholars participated in the English translation of Li Bai’s poems, among which Xu Zhongjie and Sun Dayu were the representatives. As for the translations and researches of “Climbing the Phoenix Terrace in Jinling”, American scholar Ernest Fenollosa and American poet Ezra Pound once translated it. Fenollosa’s translated version is based on the explanation of Japanese sinologist Mori Kainan, while Pound’s translation is based on Fenollosa’s notes and translation; Pound is better than Fenollosa in terms of understanding the original poem (Wu, 2012). A Chinese scholar made a comprehensive appreciation and comparison of Sun Dayu’s translation and Pound’s translation and concludes that only through an in-depth analysis of the aesthetic components of the original poem can the translator fully reproduce the charm of the original poem and make the reader get the same aesthetic feeling (He, 2016)

Macro Level

Middle Level

Micro level

An Analysis of Li Bai’s “Climbing the Phoenix Terrace in Jinling”

Conclusion