Appreciation of the Different Translations of ChineseLiterary Classics姓名:温嘉茵班级:英语09-02学号:540908010220Appreciation of the Different Translations of ChineseLiterary Classics【Abstrac t】The focus of the paper is to appreciate some good translation of Chinese literary classics, including 《椒聊》from The Book of Songs, Li Qingzhao‟s Ci---- 《声声慢》, Liu Zongyuan‟s poem----《江雪》and Zhang Ji‟s poem----《枫桥夜泊》. The translators who translate these works all are famous scholars, including Chinese translators, Xu Yuanchong, Wang Rongpei and Yang Xianyi couple and so on, and famous foreign Sinologists, James Legge, Waley, Ezra Pound and so on. These translators open a door for us to the world of translation and let foreigners read more good Chinese literary works.Key words: appreciation, translations, Chinese literary classics【Introduction】The purpose of the paper is to let those people who like translating appreciate more good works of translation. The focus is to appreciate some good works of the classical literature. Although these works are not modern works, they are eternal cultural heritage that our ancestors leave to us.Ⅰ. Appreciation of the translations of 《椒聊》from The Book of Songs In Scholarship of The Book of Songs, the view of the interpretation of poetry has a big important influence on the translation of The Book of Songs. To get “the meaning of poet” is almost the mainstream of the translation of The Book of Songs, so the theme of the translation presents diversification. James Legge supported some principles in his first version of translation----“不以言害辞,不以辞害志,以意逆志,是为得之”, which was the first time to put forward the view to getting “the meaning of poet”. Alien, C. F. R. improved this principle, using transcultural anthropology to understand the poetry. Other scholars put forward different principles of the translation of The Book of Songs. The following is to appreciate different translations of 《椒聊》.《椒聊》The original work as follows:椒聊之实,蕃衍盈升。
彼其之子,硕大无朋。
椒聊且,远条且。
椒聊之实,蕃衍盈匊。
彼其之子,硕大且笃。
椒聊且,远条且。
The following is some translations of the poem from different translators.①The clusters of the pepper plant,Large and luxuriant, would fill a pint.That hero thereIs large and peerless.O the pepper plant!How its shoots extend!The clusters of the pepper plant,Large and luxuriant, would fill both your hands.That hero thereIs large and generous.O the pepper plant!How its shoots extend!(James Legge) ②Mark ye the fruit of the pepper-plant-tree,So fine, so full,-and a pint to the brim.-Mark ye the Chief with the stalwart form;Ne‟er will you meet with the like of him.Then hail to the pepper-tree,And its shoots that spread so free!Mark ye the fruit of the pepper-tree,So fine, so full, the two hands‟ twould fill.—Mark ye the Chief with the stalwart form;I‟faith, and a man of great goodwill.Then hail to the pepper-tree,And its shoots that spread so free!(Jennings)③He shall be like the tree that growthFast by the river side,Which bringth forth most pleasant fruit,In her due time and tide;Whose leaf shall never fade nor fall,But flourish and stand.Even so all things shall prosper wellThat this man takes in hand.(Alien, C.F.R.)④Oh, the pods keep a sprouting‟upon the pepper tree,the sprouts keep a risin‟and the big pods hangin‟ down,the pods keep a growin‟for a strong man on his own.The big pods keep a hangin‟,the sprouts keep a risin‟and the big pods hangin‟ down,the new sprouts keep a growin‟for a strong man on his own.(Ezra Pound)⑤The seeds of the pepper-plantOverflowed my pint-measure.That man of mine,None so broad and tall!Oh, the pepper-plant,How wide its branches spread!The seeds of the pepper-plantOverflowed my hands as well.That man of mineBig, tall an strong!Oh, the pepper-plant,How wide its branches spread!(Arthur Davi Waley) ⑥The fruit of pepper plantIs so luxuriant.The woman thereIs large beyond compare.O pepper plant, extendYour shoots without end!The pepper plant there stands;Its fruit will fill our hands.The woman hereIs large without a peer.O pepper plan, extendYour shots without end!(Xu Yuanchong)⑦The pepper-plant bears lots of seeds,A heavy load of pepper seeds!The lady bears a lot of heirs,All stalwart, robust heirs!What a fertile pepper-plant!How fragrant! How exuberant!The pepper-plant bears lots of seeds,A weighty load of pepper seeds!The lady bears a lot of heirs,All stalwart, honest heirs!What a fertile pepper-plant!How fragrant! How exuberant!(Wang Peirong) In version ①, the word of “hero” is very important to illuminate the theme. “Hero” refers to “桓叔” and “pepper plant”, “shoots”, “extend”, “luxuriant” all refer to the great power of “桓叔”. In his annotation, James Legge make the subaudition of the poem clear----“Allusive and metaphorical. Supposed to celebrate the power and prosperity of Huan-Shuh, and to predict the growth of his family.” In version ②, Jennings uses the same metaphor as Legge and his version is full of the tone of praise. In his annotation, Jennings writes “Supposed to refer to Hwan-shuh, and his house”. In version ③, literal meaning is very different from the original text. Alien, C. F. R. turns metaphors into similes and adds subaudition into the version. His annotation is “Huan Shu, of the last piece, is said to be the hero of this.” In version ④, Pound don‟t use the tone of praise, which is different from other versions. In version ⑤, Waley considers the poem as a poem of courtship. His annotation is “The fine stature of the lover is compared to the luxuriance of the pepper-plant, which at the same time symbolizes the heat of his passion”, which presents Waley‟s understanding to the poem. Comparing to the foreign sinologists, the Chinese translators focus the theme on the different theme, which is not to praise “桓叔”. And in Xu‟s version, he eulogizes, blesses and prays the protagonist, but in version ⑦, Wang only eulogizes the protagonist.Ⅱ. Appreciation of the translation of Li Qingzhao’s Ci-----《声声慢》In English world, the first translation study of Li Qingzha began in 1949, collecting in The White Peony. Bing Xin was the first Chinese translator to introduce Li Qingzhao to the western world in 1926 when she studied the woman poet in her master thesis. At home, translation and studies of Li Qingzhao increased in the late 1980s.The following is to appreciate the poem----《声声慢》.《声声慢》The original work as follows:寻寻觅觅,冷冷清清,凄凄惨惨戚戚。