On Rhyme and Symmetry in the Translation of Tang Poetry:A Case Study of Xu Yuanchong’s English Translation of 300 Tang Poems

Ancient poetry represents historical and cultural legacies accumulated by the Chinese nation for thousands of years and underpins the strong cultural confidence of the Chinese people.Tang poetry distinguishes itself from other literary works with its beautiful rhyme and symmetry.Previous studies of English translations of Tang poetry mostly focused on appreciation,analysis,and critics of different translation versions.Few researchers have delved into the specific translation methods for achieving the rhyming and symmetrical effects of Tang poetry in the target text.This paper examined Professor Xu Yuanchong’s English translation of 300 Tang Poems as the research object,and elaborated on how to retain the rhyming and symmetrical effects of Tang poems.This paper also summarized some practical methods that can be applied to translating Tang poems.Rhyming can be realized by the addition of end rhyme words and changes in word or line order.Symmetry can be achieved by the omission of a modifier or predicate,the addition of function words,changes in word order,or parallelism with the original sentence structure.

The Land of Shu:Where Tang Poetry Rose and Fell

During the Tang Dynasty,the land of Shu was composed of the Ba and Shu areas,which were adjacent to present-day Hanzhong city of Shaanxi province to the north,northern Yunnan province to the south,Wushan county of Chongqing to the east,and Xichang city of Sichuan province to the west.In the nearly 300 years of rule under the dynasty,a number of poets,whether they were born or just worked and lived there for a short period of time,wrote many immortal poems,which constitute an integral part of Tang poetry.They range from Chen Zi’ang and Wang Bo of the early Tang to Li Shangyin,Wen Tingyun,and Wei Zhuang of the late Tang.The land of Shu is,therefore,the witness of the rise and fall of Tang poetry.

The Image and Text Relationship in TANG Yin＇s Scroll of Poetry and Painting

This paper seeks to examine the image and text relationship in TANG Yin＇s scroll of poetry and painting from three aspects： The first aspect focuses upon the schema type of its image and text relationship in physical form; the second aspect, explores the text＇s/poetry＇s functions of anchorage and relay while appreciating those images/paintings; the third aspect, traces the semiosis process of image, exploring how image and text as cultural products in the epistemological world mediates with the phenomenological world

A Comparative Study of Three English Versions of Du Fu’s“Spring Perspective” under the Theory of“Three Beauties”

Translation is an art.The translation of Tang poetry,the cultural treasure of our country,is even more"an art of arts",in the sense that Tang poetry not only pays heed to the content,artistic conception,and emotion expressed by the poet,but also to the refinement of language,the rhyme of antithesis,with its creation background behind even more obscure.At all times and all over the world,translation theories emerge one after another,but the highest standard of poetry evaluation should be the"Three Beauties Theory",that is,the beauty of image,the beauty of sound,and the beauty of form,which was put forward by Xu Yuanchong,the great master in Chinese translation circle.The purpose of this paper is to analyze and compare the three different English versions of Spring Perspective by Du Fu.

On Translation Strategies of C-E Translation of The Everlasting Regret from“Three Beauties”Principle

Tang poetry can be described as the treasure of Chinese culture.For a long time,both domestic and foreign scholars have devoted themselves to disseminating the immortal Chinese cultural heritage and have made great contributions to the translation of classical poetry.The Everlasting Regret is one of the excellent narrative poems in Chinese classical poetry.It is highly valued by many translators."Three Beauties" principle are the principles of po­etry translation proposed by Mr.Xu Yuanchong,in his work On Chinese Verse in English Rhyme.On the basis of the"Three Beauties" principle and translation version of Mr.Xu Yuanchong's The Everlasting Regret,this paper analyzes how to achieve the beauty in sense,sound and form in translation,aiming at providing some reference methods for the translation of Chinese classical poetry.

Metaphors of Despair and Enlightenment: A Case Study Based on Du Fu's Four Poems on Sick or Withered Trees

In the second year of the Shangyuan period(761),Du Fu wrote a quartet of poems on sick or withered trees.They are“The Sick Cypress,”“The Withered Palms,”“The Sick Orange Tree,”and“The Withered Nanmu Tree.”Different from his previous practice of using trees to embody personal aspirations,the poet employed sick or withered trees to allude social realities.These poems,rich with profound contemplation on individuals,society,and the Tang Dynasty,cover many important topics,such as the poet's bleak future,the decline of people's livelihoods,the immorality of rulers,and even the decline of the Tang Dynasty.These poems reveal his disappointment with the future of his country and his personal ambitions.This disenchantment reflects the pivotal shift in Du Fu's later thoughts,revealing the impetus behind his relinquishment of political aspirations in favor of poetic creation.In this regard,this quartet of poems is the most thought-provoking exploration,with an undeniable value among Du Fu's later works.

Some Remarks on the Earliest Poetry of Guo Moruo （1904-12）

This is a study of the earliest poetry by the modern Chinese writer Guo Moruo （1892-1978）, composed between 1904 and 1912. He became famous mostly due to his ＂early poetry＂ composed in the 1920s, such as Niishen （The Goddesses）, but he was also an author of autobiographies. His autobiography Shaonian shidai （Childhood） and the poems published in the volume Guo Moruo shaonian shigao （Guo Moruo＇s childhood poetry）, are analysed here in comparison with the traditional Tang poetry.