Classical Chinese Poetry and Literature: 2013

Welcome

STILL UNDER CONSTRUCTION,

This blog is to help provide a description and literary examination of Chinese poetry and other literature, primarily using traditional characters and Classical Chinese literary sources and grammar.

"A Handbook of Translation" by 鍾述孔, which dates from the 1970s has a brief chapter on Classical Chinese; this book suggests that translating is a (quote) "multi dimensional affair fraught with difficulties [demanding] accurate comprehension of the original [and] adequate representation in the target language" requiring studious appreciation of Chinese custom and tradition.

Sunday, 18 August 2013

錢唐湖春行 : A Springtime Visit to the Qiantang Lake

錢唐湖春行

孤山寺北賈亭西
水面初平云腳低
幾處早鶯爭暖樹
誰家新燕啄春泥
亂花漸欲迷人眼
淺草才能沒馬蹄
最愛湖東行不足
綠楊陰里白沙堤

This is a poem by Bai Juyi, A Springtime Visit to the Qiantang Lake.

I have ony attempted the first line so far, 孤山寺北賈亭西.

# Cultural China web site translates this to "West of Pavilion Jia, north of Lonely Hill"

# Chinese Poetry web site translates it to "Gushan Temple is to the north, Jiating pavilion west"

# and China Heritage Daily web site translates it as "North of Lone Hill Temple, west of the Jia Pavilion".

My faltering translation is "To the north of Gushan Temple, west of the Jia pavilion...". I would leave Gushan rather than translate it to Lonely Hill as I think this rather more attractive. I also have been unable to locate a "Jiating pavilion" on information about West Lake, as per the translation on the Chinese Poetry site!