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Arthur Waley: Translator of Chinese poetry
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Arthur Waley: Translator of Chinese poetry
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Content
ARTHUR WALEY: TRANSLATOR OF
CHINESE POETRY
by
C h i- y iu Cheung
A D i s s e r t a t i o n P r e s e n t e d to t h e
FACULTY OF THE GRADUATE SCHOOL
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
I n P a r t i a l F u l f i l l m e n t o f th e
R e q u ire m e n ts f o r th e D egree
DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY
(C o m p a ra tiv e L i t e r a t u r e )
J a n u a r y 1979
U M I Number: DP22538
All rights reserved
INFORMATION TO ALL USERS
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In the unlikely event that the author did not send a complete manuscript
and there are missing pages, th ese will be noted. Also, if material had to be removed,
a note will indicate the deletion.
Dissertation Publishing
UMI DP22538
Published by ProQuest LLC (2014). Copyright in the Dissertation held by the Author.
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789 E ast Eisenhower Parkway
P.O. Box 1346
Ann Arbor, Ml 4 8 1 0 6 -1 3 4 6
U N IV E R SITY O F S O U T H E R N C A L IF O R N IA
TH E GRADUATE SC H O O L
UN IV ER SITY PARK
LOS A N G ELES, C A L IF O R N IA 9 0 0 0 7
This dissertation, written by
Gh -i-T.y i„u. - Che g-...........................................................
under the direction of Jiff..... Dissertation C om
mittee, and approved by all its members, has
been presented to and accepted by The Graduate
School, in partial fulfillment of requirements of
the degree of
D O C T O R O F P H I L O S O P H Y
AO*(
Dean
ATION COMMITTEE
TABLE OF CONTENTS
C h a p te r P age
I . INTRODUCTION .............................................................................. 1
I I . EDITIONS AND R E V I S I O N S ............................................... 12
I I I . WALEY'S THEORY OF TRANSLATION . . . . . . 39
IV. TRANSLATIONS . . ........................................................... 69
V. MISTRANSLATIONS...................................................................... 106
V I. CONCLUSION . . ............................................................ 143
SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY 164
ii
CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTION
R e v ie w in g A r th u r W a le y 's Yuan Mel ( 1 9 5 7 ), K en n eth
R e x ro th w r i t e s , " F o r f o r t y y e a r s A r th u r W aley h a s b e e n th e
l e a d i n g i n t e r p r e t e r o f th e p o e t r y o f C h in a ." ^ I n d e e d ,
W aley was t h e l e a d i n g i n t e r p r e t e r o f t h e p o e t r y o f C hina o f
h i s tim e i n t h e s e n s e t h a t f i r s t l y , h e d id a l a r g e amount
o f t r a n s l a t i o n s , s e c o n d ly , h i s t r a n s l a t i o n s a r e th e m ost
r e l i a b l e com pared t o h i s c o n te m p o r a r ie s , an d t h i r d l y , and
m o st i m p o r t a n t l y , t h a t t h e d i r e c t o r i n d i r e c t im p a c t o f h i s
t r a n s l a t i o n s on t h e g e n e r a l p u b l i c i s u n p a r a l l e l e d .
The b u lk o f W a le y 's w orks i s i m p r e s s iv e . F. A.
J o h n s , i n h i s b i b l i o g r a p h y o f W aley, l i s t e d f o r t y b ooks and
p a m p h le ts , m ore th a n two h u n d re d p i e c e s o f t r a n s l a t i o n s ,
a r t i c l e s and book r e v ie w s by W aley, an d t h i s b i b l i o g r a p h y
2
i s a d m i t t e d l y n o t c o m p le te . B ut e v e n m ore i m p r e s s iv e th a n
^K enneth R e x r o th , " P o e t s , O ld an d New," i n A ssay s
(N o rf o lk : New D i r e c t i o n s B ooks, 1 9 6 1 ), p . 206.
2
See F. A. J o h n s , A B i b lio g r a p h y o f A r th u r W aley
(New B ru n sw ic k : R u tg e rs U n i v e r s i t y P r e s s , 1 9 6 8 ), p . 139.
th e enorm ous b u lk o f h i s w orks i s th e v a r i e t y o f s u b j e c t s
w h ic h W aley w ro te a b o u t. C h in e se p a i n t i n g i s t h e s u b j e c t
i n h i s An In d e x o f C h in e s e A r t i s t s R e p r e s e n te d i n t h e Sub
d e p a rtm e n t o f O r i e n t a l P r i n t s an d D raw ings i n t h e B r i t i s h
Museum ( 1 9 2 2 ) , A C a ta lo g u e o f P a i n t i n g s R e c o v e re d from
T un -h u an g by S i r A u re l S t e i n , K .C .I .E . P r e s e r v e d i n th e
S u b d e p a rtm e n t o f O r i e n t a l P r i n t s and D raw ings i n th e
B r i t i s h Museum, and i n t h e Museum o f C e n t r a l A s ia n A n t i q u i
t i e s , D e lh i ( 1 9 3 1 ), and An I n t r o d u c t i o n t o t h e S tu d y o f
C h in e s e P a i n t i n g (1 9 2 3 ). H is w o rks on C h in e s e p h ilo s o p h y
i n c l u d e The Way and I t s Pow er (1 9 3 4 ), The A n a le c ts o f
C o n fu c iu s ( 1 9 3 8 ), and T h re e Ways o f T houg ht i n A n c ie n t
C h in a (1 9 3 9 ). The R e a l T r i p i t a k a (1952) and The T r a v e ls o f
an A lc h e m is t (1931) d e a l w i t h h i s t o r y an d r e l i g i o n , and
The Opium War T hro ugh C h in e s e E yes (1958) i s a t r a n s l a t i o n
o f C h in e s e h i s t o r i c a l a c c o u n ts a b o u t th e w a r. On th e
J a p a n e s e s i d e , W aley p u b l i s h e d a p a m p h le t c a l l e d The
O r i g i n a l i t y o f J a p a n e s e C i v i l i z a t i o n (1 9 2 9 ), an d h i s t r a n s
l a t i o n s fro m J a p a n e s e l i t e r a t u r e i n c l u d e J a p a n e s e P o e t r y :
The " U ta " ( 1 9 1 9 ), The P i l l o w Book o f S e l Shonagon (1 9 2 8 ),
The Lady Who L oved I n s e c t s (1929) , and th e c e le b r a te 'E
c l a s s i c a l J a p a n e s e n o v e l The T a le o f G e n ji (1 9 2 5 -1 9 3 3 ).
A lm o s t^ e q u a lly c e l e b r a t e d i s W a le y 's a b r i d g e d
2
t r a n s l a t i o n o f Wu C h 'e n g - e n 's C h in e s e n o v e l Money (1 9 4 2 ),
and W a le y 's w o rk s on C h in e s e l i t e r a t u r e o u tn u m b e r h i s
J a p a n e s e w o rk s . A H undred and S e v e n ty C h in e s e Poems
( 1 9 1 8 ), More T r a n s l a t i o n s . from t h e C h in e s e (1 9 1 9 ), The
Tem ple an d O th e r Poems ( 1 9 2 3 ), T r a n s l a t i o n s fro m t h e
C h in e s e ( 1 9 4 1 ), and C h in e s e Poems (1946) a r e a l l a n t h o l o
g i e s o f t r a n s l a t i o n s from C h in e s e l i t e r a t u r e , m a in ly
p o e t r y . The Book o f Songs (1937) a n d The N in e S o n g s : A
S tu d y o f Sham anism i n A n c ie n t C h in a a r e t r a n s l a t e d f o r
t h e i r a n t h r o p o l o g i c a l and r e l i g i o u s i n t e r e s t as w e l l as
f o r t h e i r p o e t i c v a l u e . I n The L i f e and Tim es o f Po C h u -i
( 1 9 4 9 ), The P o e t r y and C a r e e r o f L i Po (1950) , and Yuan
M ei: E i g h t e e n t h C e n tu ry C h in e s e P o e t (1 9 5 6 ), W aley
f o llo w e d h i s own p r a c t i c e i n The R e a l T r i p i t a k a a n d The
T r a v e ls o f an A lc h e m is t i n co m b in in g h i s t o r y , b io g r a p h y ,
and t r a n s l a t i o n ( i n t h e s e c a s e s , t r a n s l a t i o n o f C h in e se
p o e tr y ) i n t o o n e , an d i n B a ll a d s and S t o r i e s from T un-huang
(1 9 6 0 ), W aley t u r n e d h i s e y e s t o f o l k l o r e .
As D av id Hawkes once w r o te o f W aley , " I t i s as a
t r a n s l a t o r o f C h in e s e p o e t r y t h a t h e i s j u s t l y m o st
3
fa m o u s." W a le y 's t r a n s l a t i o n c a r e e r s t a r t e d w ith th e
3
D avid Hawkes, "From t h e C h in e s e ," i n M adly S in g in g
i n th e M o u n ta in s , e d . I v a n M o rris (New Y o rk : W a lk e r & C o .,
1 9 7 0 ), p . 46.
3
p u b l i c a t i o n o f A H undred and S e v e n ty C h in e s e Poems i n 1918,
and i n a s l a t e a s 1961, h e i n c o r p o r a t e d a d d i t i o n a l
m a t e r i a l s i n t o h i s new e d i t i o n o f C h in e s e P oem s. I n th e
p e r i o d o f m ore th a n f o r t y y e a r s i n b e tw e e n , h e c o n tin u e d
t o r e v i s e h i s t r a n s l a t i o n s o f C h in e s e p o e t r y , g i v i n g us
d i f f e r e n t v e r s i o n s f o r t h e same poem s, and c o n s e q u e n t ly ,
c r e a t e d a l a b y r i n t h i n e p ro b le m o f e d i t i o n s . O ut o f t h i s
l i f e - l o n g e f f o r t com es, t o b o rro w t h e w ords o f H s ie h Wen
4
Tung, " t h e b e s t t r a n s l a t i o n we h a v e o f C h in e s e P o e t r y " i n
t h e p e r i o d , t h e i n f l u e n c e o f w h ic h , a c c o r d in g t o R e x r o th ,
5
h a s b e e n tr e m e n d o u s .
B ut w h at does " t h e b e s t t r a n s l a t i o n " mean? Does
i t mean t o t a l l y a c c u r a t e t r a n s l a t i o n p ro d u c e d o u t o f an
" im p e c c a b le " k n o w led g e o f C h in e s e , a s r e p o r t e d b y Y vor
6
W in te rs ? I f n o t , i s t h e o p p o s i t e c o n c l u s i o n on W a le y 's
t r a n s l a t i o n by A u ro u s s e a u t r u e ? He s t a t e s i n t h e r e v ie w
o f The Tem ple and O th e r P oem s, " J ' a i e t e s u r p r i s de
^ H sie h Wen T ung, " E n g l i s h T r a n s l a t i o n o f C h in e s e
P o e t r y , " The C r i t e r i o n , XVII (1 9 3 8 ), 424.
^ R e x ro th , l o c . c i t .
6
S ee Y vor W in te r s , Forms o f D is c o v e ry ( n .p . 1 9 6 7 ),
p . 354.
4
c o n s t a t e r q u ' e l l e s 'e l o i g n e du t e x t e t r o p s o u v e n t ." ^ What
d i d W aley h i m s e l f t h i n k o f h i s t r a n s l a t i o n ? Edw ard
S c h a f e r and I v a n M o rris b o th s p e a k o f h a v in g t a l k e d t o
W aley on t h i s s u b j e c t , and y e t w h i l e S c h a f e r r e p o r t s t h a t
g
W aley " a im e d a t l i t e r a l t r a n s l a t i o n , " M o rris s t a t e s t h e
v e ry o p p o s i t e :
As W aley p o i n t e d o u t t o me many y e a r s ago when I
b r o u g h t up t h e p e r e n n i a l q u e s t i o n o f f r e e v e r s u s
l i t e r a l t r a n s l a t i o n , so much i s i n e v i t a b l y l o s t
i n t r a n s l a t i n g O r i e n t a l l i t e r a t u r e t h a t one m u st
g iv e a g r e a t d e a l i n r e t u r n . 9
As f o r t h e " i n f l u e n c e " o f W a le y 's t r a n s l a t i o n , G eorge
S t e i n e r c la im s t h a t " h e w id e n e d t h e t o n a l i t y o f E n g li s h
v e r s e , " r e f e r r i n g t o " t h e u s e s o f s t r e s s and t h e a b s e n c e
o f rhym e" i n h i s t r a n s l a t i o n . " ^ W a le y 's s t r e s s m e te r i n
h i s t r a n s l a t i o n a p p a r e n t l y h a s much i n common w i t h t h e
sp ru n g rh y th m o f G e ra ld M anley H o p k in s , b u t was h e
^L. A u ro u s s e a u , " B i b l i o t h e q u e ," B u l l e t i n de l 'E c o l e
F r a n q a i s e d 'E x tre m e O r i e n t , XXVI (1 9 2 6) . , y 395.
g
Edw ard S c h a f e r , "R eview o f M adly S in g in g i n th e
M o u n t a i n s P a c i f i c A f f a i r s , XLIV ( 1 9 7 1 ), 118.
9
I v a n M o r r i s , "The G en iu s o f A r th u r W a le y ," i n
M adly S in g in g i n t h e M o u n ta in s , e d . I v a n M o rris (New Y ork:
W alk er 6 c C o ., 1 9 7 2 ), p . 71.
"^ G eo rg e S t e i n e r , "A P i l l o w B o o k ," New Y o r k e r ,
Ju n e 12, 1971, p . 112.
5
— - ■ -I -I .
i n f l u e n c e d by H o p k in s a s J . M. Cohen t h i n k s ?>i And m ore
i m p o r t a n t l y , th r o u g h t h i s m eth o d , d id W aley s u c c e e d i n
p ro d u c in g " r e g u l a r r h y th m ic e f f e c t s s i m i l a r t o t h o s e o f
12
t h e o r i g i n a l ? " Above a l l , how s u c c e s s f u l i s W aley, t h i s
"d o y en o f B r i t i s h s i n o l o g y , p o s s i b l y t h e m o st w id e ly
13
known o r i e n t a l i s t o f h i s t i m e ," i n r e p r o d u c i n g e f f e c t s
o f th e o r i g i n a l ? How much, i f a n y , i s l o s t i n t h e t r a n s
l a t i o n p r o c e s s ? And w h a t le a d s t o t h e s e l o s s e s ?
F o r t h e a n sw e rs o f t h e s e q u e s t i o n s , one lo o k s i n
th e num erous s h o r t , an d b y n a t u r e s k e tc h y , r e v ie w a r t i c l e s
on W a le y ’ s w orks i n v a i n . I n f a c t , i n c o n t r a s t t o th e
l a r g e num ber o f w orks done by W aley, s u r p r i s i n g l y l i t t l e
h a s b e e n w r i t t e n on him . A f t e r a 1 7 0 -p a g e b i b l i o g r a p h y o f
W a le y 's w o rk s , F. A. J o h n s ’ l i s t o f m a t e r i a l on W aley
14
c o n s i s t s o f o n ly two p a g e s an d tw e lv e i te m s . And a s i d e
fro m J o h n s ' b i b l i o g r a p h y , t h e o n ly p u b l i s h e d b o o k on W aley
i s M adly S in g in g i n t h e M o u n ta in s (1 9 7 0 ) , s u b t i t l e d "An
■ ^J. M. C ohen, "D r. W a le y 's T r a n s l a t i o n s , " i n
M adly S in g in g i n t h e M o u n ta in s , p . 33.
12
A r th u r W aley, " T h i r t y - E i g h t Poems by Po C h ii- i,"
B u l l e t i n o f t h e S c h o o l o f O r i e n t a l S t u d i e s , I ( 1 9 1 7 ), 53.
13
D av id Haw kes, " O b itu a r y o f D r. A r t h u r W a le y ,"
A s ia M a jo r, N .S ., X II ( 1 9 6 6 ), 144.
14
J o h n s , op. c i t . , p p . 1 7 3 -1 7 4 .
A p p r e c i a t i o n and A n th o lo g y o f A r th u r W a le y ," an d e d i t e d
by I v a n M o r r is . W h ile t h e s e c o n d p a r t o f t h e bo ok i s an
a n th o lo g y o f s e l e c t i o n s from W a le y 's own w o rk s , t h e f i r s t
p a r t c o n s i s t s o f p r e v i o u s l y p u b l i s h e d re v ie w s o f W a le y 's
b o o k s , s e l e c t i o n s c o n c e r n in g W aley fro m t h e c o r r e s p o n d e n c e s
and w o rk s o f W a le y 's f r i e n d s , a n d e s s a y s on W aley n o t
p u b l i s h e d b e f o r e . The a r t i c l e s p r o v i d e much v a l u a b l e
b i o g r a p h i c a l an d p e r s o n a l m a t e r i a l a b o u t W aley o t h e r w i s e
u n a v a i l a b l e , a n d w i l l , a s M o rr is p o i n t s o u t , be " u s e f u l
f o r any f u t u r e b i o g r a p h e r . " ^ Y et m a in ly i n f o r m a t i o n a l ,
th e y d w e ll m ore on W aley t h a n on h i s w o rk s.
The o n ly f u l l - l e n g t h s tu d y on W aley i s R u th P e r l -
m u t t e r 's d o c t o r a l d i s s e r t a t i o n , " A r t h u r W aley and H is P l a c e
i n t h e M odem Movement B etw een t h e Two W a rs," a c c e p t e d by
t h e U n i v e r s i t y o f P e n n s y lv a n ia i n 1971. W ith t h e a s s i s t
a n c e o f W a le y 's w i f e , M rs. A l i s o n W aley , P e r l m u t t e r p r e
s e n t s by f a r t h e m o st d e t a i l e d b i o g r a p h i c a l a c c o u n t o f
W aley i n t h e f i r s t c h a p t e r o f h e r d i s s e r t a t i o n . The r e s t
o f t h e s tu d y i s " a s u r v e y o f W a le y 's w ork b e tw e e n t h e two
15
M o r r is , M adly S in g in g i n th e M o u n ta in s , p . 7.
w a r s , " - ^ o r , t o b e m ore e x a c t , b e tw e e n 1916 and 1939.
Tw enty b ooks a r e d i s c u s s e d , a n d t h i s p a r t o f t h e d i s s e r t a
t i o n i s l e s s s u c c e s s f u l p a r t l y b e c a u s e t h e a u t h o r s im p ly
a tt e m p t s t o d e a l w i t h to o many b o o k s i n to o l i t t l e s p a c e .
The d i s c u s s i o n o f More T r a n s l a t i o n s from t h e C h i n e s e , f o r
e x a m p le , t a k e s up o n ly s i x p a g e s , t h e f i r s t t h r e e p a g e s a
summary o f t h e b o o k i t s e l f and t h e l a s t t h r e e sum m aries
o f re v ie w s on th e book."*"7 A n o th e r r e a s o n f o r t h e o v e r l y
g e n e r a l a n d s k e tc h y d i s c u s s i o n o f W a le y 's w o rk s i s t h a t
P e r l m u t t e r 's k n o w led g e o f C h in e s e an d J a p a n e s e la n g u a g e s
and l i t e r a t u r e s seem s t o b e d e f i c i e n t . T h e re i s no
r e f e r e n c e t o t h e J a p a n e s e o r i g i n a l s o f t h e t r a n s l a t i o n s
t h r o u g h o u t t h e d i s s e r t a t i o n , an d w h i l e P e r l m u t t e r i s v e r y
g e n e ro u s i n q u o t in g from o t h e r t r a n s l a t i o n s fro m C h in e s e
to com pare them w i t h W a le y 's w o rk s , t h e r e a r e o n ly s i x
q u o t a t i o n s fro m t h e o r i g i n a l C h in e s e , f o u r among them
18
i n d i r e c t c i t a t i o n s fro m W e s te rn s o u r c e s . T h u s, s p e a k in g
16
R u th P e r l m u t t e r , " A r th u r W aley a n d H is P l a c e i n
t h e M odern Movement B etw een t h e Two W ars" ( u n p u b lis h e d
d o c t o r a l d i s s e r t a t i o n , U n i v e r s i t y o f P e n n s y l v a n ia , 1 9 7 1 ),
p . x x x v i i .
l 7 I b i d . , p p . 7 3 -7 8 .
■^Poems c i t e d i n pp. 85, 145 a n d 292 a r e fro m R. E.
T e e l e 's T h ro u g h a G la s s D a rk ly (Ann A rb o r: U n i v e r s i t y o f
M ic h ig a n , 1 9 4 9 ), p . 37 ( n o t 17 as i n d i c a t e d by P e r l m u t t e r ) ,
8
a b o u t t h e l a s t l i n e o f E z r a P o u n d 's " L iu C h e 'e ," s h e c o u ld
o n ly w r i t e , "Pound p r e s e n t s an o b j e c t i v e c o r r e l a t i v e f o r
t h e e m o tio n o f g r i e f , p r o b a b ly n o t p r e s e n t i n t h e o r i g i n a l
19
p o em ," a n d Sung Yu i s d e s c r i b e d a s t h e nephew o f
C h 'u Yuan i n h e r summary o f A H u n d red an d S e v e n ty C h in e s e
20
Poem s.
T h is d i s s e r t a t i o n p u r p o r t s t o a n sw e r t h e q u e s t i o n s
m e n tio n e d ab o v e th r o u g h a d e t a i l e d s tu d y o f W a le y 's t r a n s
l a t i o n s o f C h in e s e p o e t r y . To a v o id d e a l i n g w i t h to o much
i n to o s m a ll a s p a c e , I s h a l l l i m i t m y s e lf t o t h e a lm o s t
t h r e e h u n d re d p i e c e s o f t r a n s l a t i o n s fro m C h in e s e p o e t r y
c o l l e c t e d i n W a le y 's A H undred an d S e v e n ty C h in e s e P o em s,
More T r a n s l a t i o n s from t h e C h in e s e , The Tem ple and O th e r
P o em s, T r a n s l a t i o n s from t h e C h i n e s e , an d C h in e s e P o em s,
s i n c e t h e s e p i e c e s a r e r e g a r d e d a s t r a n s l a t i o n s o f p o e t r y
and n o t h i n g e l s e , w h i l e t h e t r a n s l a t i o n s i n The L i f e and
pp. 2 9 -3 1 an d p p . 2 5 -2 7 . And t h e poem on p . 304 i s q u o te d
from L . S . Dembo, The C o n fu c ia n Odes o f E z ra Pound
( B e rk e le y & Los A n g e le s : U n i v e r s i t y o f C a l i f o r n i a P r e s s ,
1 9 6 3 ), p . 26.
19
P e r l m u t t e r , op . c i t . , p . 109, i t a l i c s m in e . T h is
l a s t l i n e o f P o u n d 's a c t u a l l y comes from t h e f o u r t h l i n e
o f H. A. G i l e s ' t r a n s l a t i o n o f th e poem.
2° I b i d . , p . 57.
9
Tim es o f Po C h u - i , The P o e t r y and C a r e e r o f L i P o , and
Yuan Mei a r e t h e r e p a r t l y to p r o v i d e b i o g r a p h i c a l in f o r m a
t i o n , and The N ine Songs an d The Book o f Songs a r e t r a n s
l a t e d f o r t h e i r a n t h r o p o l o g i c a l a s w e l l a s f o r t h e i r
p o e t i c v a l u e . A f t e r e l u c i d a t i n g i n C h a p te r I I t h e com plex
p ro b le m o f e d i t i o n s e v o lv in g o u t o f W a le y 's p r a c t i c e o f
c o n tin u o u s r e v i s i o n s , I s h a l l , i n C h a p te r I I I , th r o u g h t h e
e x a m in a tio n o f W a le y 's t h e o r y o f t r a n s l a t i o n , p ro v e t h a t
w h a te v e r te rm h e u s e d t o d e s c r i b e i t , h i s t r a n s l a t i o n aim s
a t r e - c r e a t i n g t h e o r i g i n a l ' s p o e t i c e f f e c t m a in ly th r o u g h
t h e t r a n s m i s s i o n o f im a g e ry a n d rh y th m , a lt h o u g h h i s s t r e s s
m e te r i n C h in e s e t r a n s l a t i o n , i t w i l l b e show n, d o es n o t
p ro d u c e r e g u l a r r h y th m ic e f f e c t s i m i l a r t o t h e C h in e s e
o r i g i n a l . C h a p te rs IV an d V w i l l lo o k a t h i s t r a n s l a t i o n s
a s com p ared t o t h e o r i g i n a l s . C h a p te r IV f i r s t i l l u s t r a t e s
t h e n e c e s s i t y o f e s t a b l i s h i n g W a le y ' s u s e o f o r i g i n a l
t e x t s a n d C h in e s e c o m m e n ta rie s , t h e n g o es on to show v a r y
in g d e g r e e s o f a c c u r a c y a n d s u c c e s s i n W a le y 's t r a n s l a t i o n
o f d i f f e r e n t g e n r e s o f C h in e s e p o e t r y . C h a p te r V s i n g l e s
o u t W a le y 's t r a n s l a t i o n o f h i s f a v o r i t e p o e t , Po C h u - i,
a n d w i l l show t h a t t h e p ro b le m s an d m i s t r a n s l a t i o n s a r i s e
n o t o n ly o u t o f i n a d e q u a t e k n o w le d g e o f th e C h in e s e l a n
guage and t h e l a n g u a g e 's d i f f e r e n c e w i t h E n g l i s h , b u t a l s o
10
o u t o f W a le y ' s te n d e n c y to d r a m a ti z e and p o p u l a r i z e .
C h a p te r V I, i n c o n c l u s i o n , e m p h a s iz e s t h a t w h ile W a le y 's
im p a c t on t h e s i n o l o g i c a l c i r c l e o f t h e E n g l i s h - s p e a k i n g
w o rld i s l a r g e , s t i l l m ore i m p o r t a n t i s h i s a b i l i t y to
a p p e a l to t h e g e n e r a l r e a d e r s , many o f whom owe t h e i r
f i r s t g lim p s e o f t h e E a s t th r o u g h h i s w o rk s . As W a lte r
Simon s a y s , "He r e f u s e d t o n e g l e c t t h e n e e d s o f th e
21
g e n e r a l r e a d e r , " and i t i s t h i s r e f u s a l t h a t r e f l e c t s
th e s u p p l e , f l u e n t E n g l i s h s t y l e o f h i s t r a n s l a t i o n . Con
s e q u e n t l y , h i s g r e a t e s t a c h ie v e m e n t i s l i k e l y t o l i e i n
t h e f a c t t h a t , t o b o rro w t h e w ords o f W a lte r Simon o n ce
a g a i n ,
I t was i n t h e f i r s t i n s t a n c e f o r t h i s k in d o f
a u d ie n c e t h a t h e u n lo c k e d t h e t r e a s u r e h o u se o f F a r
E a s t e r n l i t e r a t u r e , th u s p l a c i n g c o u n t l e s s num ber
o f r e a d e r s u n d e r an immense d e b t o f g r a t i t u d e . 22
21
W a lte r Sim on, " O b i t u a r y : A r th u r W a le y ,"
B u l l e t i n o f t h e S c h o o l o f O r i e n t a l S t u d i e s , XXI ( 1 9 6 7 ),
270.
2 2 I b i d . , p p . 2 7 0 -2 7 1 .
11
CHAPTER I I
EDITIONS AND REVISIONS
A r t h u r W aley came to l e a r n C h in e s e i n a s t r a n g e l y
a c c i d e n t a l w ay. A f u l l a c c o u n t o f i t i s g iv e n i n h i s
i n t r o d u c t i o n t o t h e 1962 e d i t i o n o f One H undred a n d
S e v e n ty C h in e s e P oem s. He to o k C l a s s i c s a t C am bridge an d
w o u ld h a v e l i k e d t o becom e a Don. " B u t i n th e T r ip o s I
o n ly g o t a 1 . 3 , " h e w r o t e , " a n d my c h a n c e o f g e t t i n g a
F e llo w s h ip was v e r y r e m o t e ." ^ A c t u a l l y h e d id n o t do
p o o r l y i n t h e T r ip o s a t a l l : a c c o r d in g t o A. N. L. Munby,
L i b r a r i a n o f K in g s C o l le g e , W aley was p l a c e d i n t h e s e c o n d
d i v i s i o n o f t h e f i r s t c l a s s i n p a r t I o f t h e C l a s s i c a l
2
T r ip o s i n 1910. W hat p r e v e n t e d him fro m g e t t i n g a F e llo w
s h i p i s t h a t i n 1910 h e l o s t t h e s i g h t o f h i s l e f t e y e ;
■^Arthur W aley, One H u n d red a n d S e v e n ty C h in e s e
Poems (L ondon: J o n a t h a n C ape, 1 9 6 9 ), p . 3.
2
See R uth P e r l m u t t e r , " A r th u r W aley and H is P l a c e
i n t h e M odern Movement B etw een th e Two W ars" ( u n p u b lis h e d
d o c t o r a l d i s s e r t a t i o n , U n i v e r s i t y o f P e n n s y l v a n ia , 1 9 7 1 ),
p . lO n.
12
c o n s e q u e n t ly , h e d i d n o t c o m p le te p a r t I I o f t h e T r i p o s .3
I t was d e c id e d a t t h a t tim e t h a t h e s h o u ld j o i n h i s u n c l e 's
f i r m w h ic h e x p o r t e d p ia n o s t o S o u th A m e ric a , a n d s i n c e
S p a n is h was e s s e n t i a l f o r t h a t b u s i n e s s h e w as s e n t t o
S e v i l l e t o l e a r n S p a n is h . T h e re h e came t o know t h e F re n c h
p a i n t e r B r e a l , a n d o nce c o n f i d e d t o him t h a t h e d id n o t
much l i k e t h e e x p o r t b u s i n e s s . B r e a l t o l d him t h a t h i s
f r i e n d O sw ald S i c k e r t h a d r e c e n t l y becom e d i r e c t o r o f t h e
E n c y c lo p a e d ia B r i t a n n i c a and s h o u ld b e a b l e t o g i v e him a
j o b . T h u s, a f t e r a y e a r i n S p a in h e r e t u r n e d to E n g la n d
w i t h a re c o m m e n d a tio n l e t t e r t o S i c k e r t . "He was e x tr e m e ly
k i n d and w e lc o m in g ,” W aley w r o t e ,
b u t i t t u r n e d o u t t h a t h e was n o t a " d i r e c t o r " a t
a l l . He h a d s e c u r e d , n o t w i t h o u t d i f f i c u l t y , a
v e r y m in o r p o s t , and was f a r fro m b e in g i n a p o s i
t i o n to h a n d o u t j o b s t o o t h e r p e o p l e . ^
3
S ee D a v id Haw kes, " O b itu a r y o f D r. A r t h u r W a le y ,"
A s ia M a jo r , N .S ., X II (1 9 6 6 ), 143.
4
W aley, op. c i t . , p . 4. I n a l e t t e r fro m M ic h e l
B r e a l , so n o f A u g u s te B r e a l t h e p a i n t e r , t o R u th P e r l m u t t e r ,
h o w e v e r, t h i s a c c o u n t o f W a le y 's i s c o n t r a d i c t e d . H is
f a t h e r c o u ld n o t h a v e t o l d W aley t h a t S i c k e r t was th e
d i r e c t o r , M ic h e l B r e a l c l a i m s , an d on t h e o t h e r h a n d ,
S i c k e r t ' s jo b was t o lo o k a f t e r t h e d i s t r i b u t i o n an d s e l l
in g o f t h e E n c y c lo p a e d ia B r i t a n n i c a i n E n g la n d an d a b r o a d ,
f a r fro m " a v e r y m in o r p o s t . " See P e r l m u t t e r , o p . c i t . ,
p . l l n .
11
H ow ever, S i c k e r t d i d t e l l him o f a v a c a n c y a t t h e P r i n t
Room o f t h e B r i t i s h Museum. He a p p l i e d , p a s s e d an e x a m i
n a t i o n a n d was h i r e d . From th e n on t i l l h i s r e t i r e m e n t i n
1930 h e w o rk e d i n t h e B r i t i s h Museum.
H is f i r s t p o s t , a c c o r d i n g t o W aley , was a t e d i o u s
o n e . He was t o c o u n t an d s o r t a l a r g e b a t c h o f German
b o o k p l a t e s r e c e n t l y p u r c h a s e d b y t h e h e a d o f t h e P r i n t
Room, C am p bell D odgson. "As th e y w e re on v e r y t h i n p a p e r ,
one s i d e o f w h ic h was a d h e s i v e , " W aley r e p o r t e d ,
th e y s t u c k t o g e t h e r and e a c h tim e I c o u n te d them t h e
t o t a l came o u t d i f f e r e n t . I t was my h a l f - d a y , b u t I
was " k e p t i n " l i k e a b oy a t s c h o o l , u n t i l l a t e i n
t h e a f t e r n o o n I m anaged to c o n v in c e D odgson t h a t I
h a d c o u n te d them r i g h t . 5
To e s c a p e from t h i s , h e j o i n e d t h e o r i e n t a l s u b d i v i s i o n
a n d becam e an a s s i s t a n t t o L a u re n c e B in y o n . He so o n fo u n d
t h a t i t was v e r y d i f f i c u l t t o do h i s j o b t h e r e w i t h o u t some
k n o w led g e o f C h in e s e an d J a p a n e s e . " S o ," W aley c o n ti n u e d
i n t h e i n t r o d u c t i o n , " I s e t to w o rk t o l e a r n b o th la n g u a g e s
5
W aley, op. c i t . , p . 4 . B a s i l G ray c a s t s d o u b ts
upon W a le y 's a c c o u n t h e r e , h o w e v e r. A c c o rd in g t o G ra y ,
W aley was a p p o i n t e d a s L a u re n c e B in y o n 's a s s i s t a n t when
h e f i r s t j o i n e d t h e . B r i t i s h Museum i n J u n e 1913, an d d id
n o t w ork d i r e c t l y u n d e r D odgson. See G r a y 's " A r t h u r W aley
a t th e B r i t i s h M useum ," i n M adly S i n g i n g i n t h e M o u n ta in s ,
ed . I v a n M o rr is (New Y ork: W alk er & C o ., 1 9 7 0 ), p p . 37-
38.
14
s i m u l t a n e o u s l y .
W aley s t a r t e d t r a n s l a t i n g C h in e s e p o e t r y so o n
a f t e r w a r d s . He d i s c o v e r e d i n t h e l i b r a r y o f t h e n e w ly -
fo u n d e d S c h o o l o f O r i e n t a l S t u d i e s h u n d re d s o f v o lu m e s o f
C h in e s e p o e t r y and b e g a n m ak in g ro u g h t r a n s l a t i o n s o f some
o f th em , " n o t a t a l l w i t h a v ie w t o p u b l i c a t i o n , " h e s a i d ,
" b u t b e c a u s e I w a n te d my f r i e n d s t o s h a r e i n t h e p l e a s u r e
t h a t I was g e t t i n g fro m r e a d i n g C h in e s e p o e t r y . " ^ O ut o f
t h e s e t r a n s l a t i o n s came h i s f i r s t p r i n t e d w ork:
F o r a few po u n d s I h a d a b o u t f o r t y s h o r t poems
p r i n t e d i n a n o rm a l way by an o r d i n a r y p r i n t e r ,
b o und t h e s h e e t s i n some s p a r e w a l l - p a p e r an d s e n t
t h e r e s u l t i n g b o o k l e t t o a num ber o f f r i e n d s a s a
s o r t o f C h r is tm a s c a r d . ^
Named s im p ly C h in e s e Poems ( n o t t o b e c o n fu s e d w i t h t h e
l a t e r C h in e s e Poems o f 1 9 4 6 ), t h e p a m p h le t, p r i n t e d i n
1916, had. lo n g gone o u t o f s i g h t u n t i l 1965, w hen F. A.
J o h n s p u b l i s h e d a f a c s i m i l e r e p r i n t o f i t .
W a le y 's f i r s t p u b l i s h e d t r a n s l a t i o n s o f C h in e s e
p o e t r y a p p e a r e d i n 1917, i n t h e f i r s t num ber o f t h e
6
W aley, op . c i t . , p . 5.
''i b i d .
^ I b i d . , p . 6.
15
B u l l e t i n o f t h e S c h o o l o f O r i e n t a l S t u d i e s . The two
a r t i c l e s , one e n t i t l e d " P r e - T 'a n g P o e t r y , " a n d t h e o t h e r
" T h i r t y - E i g h t Poems b y Po C h li- i," s t a r t e d t h e c a r e e r o f
W aley a s a t r a n s l a t o r o f C h in e s e p o e t r y . F o r on Novem ber
1 5, 1917, a r e v ie w o f t h e s e a r t i c l e s a p p e a re d i n t h e Tim es
L i t e r a r y R e v ie w , p r o c l a im i n g t h a t " i t i s a s t r a n g e an d
w o n d e r f u l e x p e r i e n c e t o r e a d t h e t r a n s l a t i o n s " an d p r o m is
in g t h e p u b l i c : "R ead them an d you w i l l f i n d t h a t a new
9
p l a n e t swims i n t o y o u r k e n ." W aley was t o l d t h a t t h i s
r e v ie w was w r i t t e n by A. C lu tt o n - B r o c k , an d h e a t t r i b u t e d
t h e p u b l i c a t i o n o f h i s f i r s t b o o k , A H u n d red a n d S e v e n ty
C h in e s e Poem s, n e x t y e a r t o i t : " P e a r s a l l - S m i t h c a l l e d
t h e a t t e n t i o n o f C o n s t a b l e 's t o t h i s a r t i c l e and so t h e
H undred a n d S e v e n ty came i n t o e x i s t e n c e .
I n c o r p o r a t i n g t h e two a r t i c l e s , A H undred and
S e v e n ty C h in e s e Poems b e g in s w i t h a l e n g t h y i n t r o d u c t i o n
on C h in e s e l i t e r a t u r e . Y e a rs a f t e r 1918, t h e y e a r i t was
p u b l i s h e d , W aley com m ented upon t h i s i n t r o d u c t i o n :
9
"T he New P l a n e t , " Tim es L i t e r a r y S u p p le m e n t,
Novem ber 15, 1917, p . 545.
■^W aley, op. c i t . , p . 7.
16
The f i r s t t h i n g t h a t s t r i k e s me t o - d a y , i n r e
r e a d i n g t h e H u n d red a n d S e v e n ty C h in e s e Poems
( w r i t t e n o v e r f o r t y y e a r s ago) i s t h a t t h e o r i g i n a l
i n t r o d u c t i o n i n s t e a d o f b e g in n i n g w i t h " t h e l i m i t a
t i o n o f C h in e s e l i t e r a t u r e " o u g h t t o h a v e b e g u n w i t h
so m e th in g a b o u t my own l i m i t a t i o n s . R a th e r t h a n
em bark on enorm ous g e n e r a l i z a t i o n s a b o u t t h e w h o le
o f C h in e s e l i t e r a t u r e I o u g h t t o h a v e c o n f e s s e d t h a t
th o u g h d u r i n g t h e f o u r y e a r s I h a d b e e n d o in g C h in e s e
I h a d r e a d f a i r l y w i d e ly , w h a t I h a d r e a d ( i n a n c i e n t
p o e t r y f o r e x am p le ) am o u n ted to no m ore th a n a few
th o u s a n d poems o u t o f h u n d re d s o f t h o u s a n d s . H
I n d e e d t h e c a t e g o r i c a l p ro n o u n c e m e n ts i n t h i s u n f o r t u n a t e
i n t r o d u c t i o n , s u c h a s " t o m o st E u ro p e a n s t h e m om entary
f l a s h o f A th e n ia n q u e s t i o n i n g w i l l seem w o r th m ore t h a n a l l
12
t h e c e n t u r i e s o f C h in e s e a s s e n t , " h a d draw n a t t a c k s fro m ,
13
f o r i n s t a n c e , Chang H s i n - h a i a n d H s ie h Wen Tung.
B u t W a le y 's " l i m i t a t i o n s " a r e m a n i f e s t n o t o n ly i n
t h i s i n t r o d u c t i o n . W aley was a d m i t t e d l y a r e m a r k a b le
l i n g u i s t a n d m u st h a v e h a d a v e r y s p e c i a l t a l e n t i n . 1
1LI b i d . , p . 3.
12
A r t h u r W aley, A H un d red and S e v e n ty C h in e s e
Poems (New Y ork: K n o p f, 1 9 1 9 ), p . 17.
13
S ee Chang H s i n - h a i , "The Vogue o f C h in e s e
P o e t r y , " E d in b u rg h R e v ie w , CCXXXVI (1 9 2 2 ), 1 0 2 -1 0 4 ; and
H s ie h Wen Tung, " E n g l i s h T r a n s l a t i o n o f C h in e s e P o e t r y , ”
The C r i t e r i o n , XVII (1 9 3 8 ), 424.
17
l e a r n i n g la n g u a g e s . ^ B ut o n ly a p p r o x im a te ly f o u r y e a r s
o f l e a r n i n g C h in e s e a n d r e a d i n g C h in e s e p o e t r y , l a r g e l y
on h i s own, r e s u l t e d i n e v i t a b l y i n num bers o f m i s i n t e r
p r e t a t i o n s i n W a le y 's t r a n s l a t i o n s . Some tim e b e f o r e 1917,
h e d i d s e c u r e t h e a s s i s t a n c e o f a Mr. S. H. T in g . He
a c k n o w le d g e d T i n g 's h e l p i n h i s t r a n s l a t i o n s o f p r e - T 'a n g
p o e t r y : " I w is h t o t a k e t h i s o p p o r t u n i t y o f th a n k in g
Mr. S. H. T in g f o r t h e k i n d an d i n t e l l i g e n t a s s i s t a n c e h e
15
h a s g iv e n me i n many d i f f i c u l t i e s . ” And i n " T h i r t y -
E i g h t Poems by Po C h u -i" h e w r o te : "As i n t h e c a s e o f t h e
p r e - T 'a n g poems t r a n s l a t e d i n a n o t h e r a r t i c l e , I h a v e b e e n
16
i n d e b t e d to t h e i n t e l l i g e n t a s s i s t a n c e o f Mr. T in g ."
A lso i n t h e A r t h u r W aley c o l l e c t i o n a t R u tg e r s U n i v e r s i t y
14
I n t h e i n t r o d u c t i o n t o U ta : J a p a n e s e P o e t r y
(O x fo rd : C la r e n d o n P r e s s , 1 9 1 9 ), p . 12, h e p r o c la im s t h a t
s i n c e c l a s s i c a l J a p a n e s e " h a s an e a s y gram m ar and l i m i t e d
v o c a b u l a r y , a few m o nths s h o u ld s u f f i c e f o r t h e m a s te r in g
o f i t , " b u t a s I v a n M o r ris s a y s i n M adly S in g in g i n t h e
M o u n ta in s , p . 70, " s t u d e n t s o f c l a s s i c a l J a p a n e s e w i l l f i n d
t h a t t h i s s t a t e m e n t a p p l i e s e x c l u s i v e l y t o i t s a u t h o r . "
" ^ A r th u r W aley , " P r e - T 'a n g P o e t r y , ” B u l l e t i n o f
t h e S c h o o l o f O r i e n t a l S t u d i e s , I ( 1 9 1 7 ) , 33.
16
A r t h u r W aley, " T h i r t y - E i g h t Poems b y Po C h ii- i,"
B u l l e t i n o f t h e S c h o o l o f O r i e n t a l S t u d i e s , I (1 9 1 7 ), 54.
18
i s p r e s e r v e d an o l d , s m a ll n o te b o o k w i t h p e n c i l i n s c r i p
t i o n s i n W a le y 's h a n d . A b o u t h a l f o f t h e n o t e s a r e
ro m a n iz e d E n g l i s h e q u i v a l e n t s o f C h in e s e c h a r a c t e r s an d
id io m s a p p e a r i n g i n t h e poems i n c l u d e d i n t h e " P r e - T 'a n g
P o e t r y " p a p e r . And among a l l t h e s e n o t e s i s a s e n t e n c e ,
17
"G ave Mr. T in g E l f r . 6 l e s s o n s . " One h a s no way o f
kn o w in g w h e th e r W aley h a d a l s o h a d Mr. T i n g 's h e l p i n t h e
t r a n s l a t i o n o f o t h e r poems i n t h e b o o k , s i n c e no o t h e r
n o te b o o k on C h in e s e p o e t r y i s e x t a n t i n t h e W aley C o l l e c
t i o n . W ith o r w i t h o u t t h e a s s i s t a n c e o f Mr. T in g , W aley
d i d comm it a num ber o f o b v io u s m is ta k e s i n A H u n d red and
S e v e n ty C h in e s e P o em s. To c i t e j u s t one e x a m p le , t h e
f o l l o w i n g a r e l i n e s 3 t o 12 o f W a le y 's "B lam in g S o n s " :
And th o u g h I h a v e g o t f i v e s o n s ,
They a l l h a t e p a p e r an d b r u s h .
A -sh u i s e i g h t e e n :
F o r l a z i n e s s t h e r e i s n o n e l i k e h im ,
A -h siian d o e s h i s b e s t ,
B ut r e a l l y l o a t h e s t h e F in e A r t s .
Y u n g -tu a n i s t h i r t e e n ,
B ut d o es n o t know " s i x " fro m " s e v e n ."
T ’u n g - t z u i n h i s n i n t h y e a r
I s c o n c e rn e d w i t h t h i n g s t o eat.-*-^
17F o l . 27.
18
W aley, A H u n d red a n d S e v e n ty C h in e s e P o e m s,
p . 110.
19
A lth o u g h l i n e 3 m e n tio n s " f i v e s o n s , ” s im p le a r i t h m e t i c
shows t h a t W a le y 's s u b s e q u e n t l i n e s a c c o u n t f o r o n ly f o u r .
W hat h a p p e n s i s t h a t t h e n i n t h l i n e o f t h e o r i g i n a l poem,
" T se Tzu” ) :
i s m i s t r a n s l a t e d . Yung Tuan ( ; ) a r e two p e r s o n s ,
n o t o n e , a n d i n s t e a d o f t r a n s l a t i n g t h e l i n e as
Y u a n g -tu a n i s t h i r t e e n ,
W aley s h o u ld h a v e t r a n s l a t e d
Yuan and Tuan a r e t h i r t e e n .
I t i s u n f a i r , h o w e v e r, t o b e l a b o r W aley on t h i s
p o i n t i n 1 9 7 4 , a s Sha Feng d i d i n h i s Chung
s h i h y in g i h s u t ' a n ( tj? "% ) > 2° f o r
W aley becam e c o n s c io u s o f h i s m i s t a k e s a s h i s k n o w led g e o f
C h in e s e la n g u a g e a n d l i t e r a t u r e p r o g r e s s e d , an d h e p r e
s e n t e d r e v i s e d v e r s i o n s o f h i s e a r l y t r a n s l a t i o n s i n l a t e r
19 f c J ?
, & T ' ao C h' i e n , C hing c h ie h h s i e n sh e n g c h i ( irfc
i n S su p u p e i yao ( yen ) (S h a n g h a i f
Chung h u a sh u c h u , 1 9 3 6 ), Chiian 3 ( _ ^ Jr- 2 7a.
^^S ee Sha Feng cHr ) , Chung s h i h y in g i h sii
t ' an ( ) (Hong Kong: Ta k u an g c h 'u p a n
s h e , 1 9 / 4 ) , p . 38.
20
a n t h o l o g i e s . T h u s , th e n i n t h l i n e o f "B lam in g S o n s" was
c o r r e c t e d i n 1946 an d becam e
Yung an d Tuan a r e t h i r t e e n
21
i n C h in e s e P o e m s. T h is i s t r u e n o t o n ly w i t h A H u n d red
an d S e v e n ty C h in e s e P oem s, b u t a l s o w i t h h i s two o t h e r
e a r l y c o l l e c t i o n s o f C h in e s e t r a n s l a t i o n s , More T r a n s l a
t i o n s fro m t h e C h i n e s e , p u b l i s h e d i n 1919, and The T em ple
an d O th e r P oem s, p u b l i s h e d i n 1923. A f t e r th e f i r s t p u b
l i c a t i o n o f W a le y ’ s t r a n s l a t i o n s , a s t h e r e v i e w e r o f F. A.
J o h n s ’ A B i b l i o g r a p h y o f A r t h u r W aley w r o te i n t h e Tim es
L i t e r a r y S u p p le m e n t, "Volume a f t e r volum e c o n ti n u e d t o
a p p e a r d u r i n g t h e n e x t t h i r t y y e a r s . O fte n t h e same poems
a r e r e p e a t e d i n l a t e r c o l l e c t i o n s , so m etim es w i t h a l t e r a -
22
t i o n s ."
The f i r s t c o l l e c t i o n o f W a le y ’ s t r a n s l a t i o n s o f
C h in e s e p o e t r y c o n t a i n i n g a l t e r a t i o n s on h i s e a r l y w o rk s
i s a r e l a t i v e l y unknown volum e e n t i t l e d S e l e c t C h in e s e
21
A r th u r W aley, C h in e s e Poems (L ondon: U nw in,
1 9 4 6 ), p . 104.
22
"Introducing the East," Times Literary Supple
ment, May 2, 1968, p. 464.
21
V e r s e s , p u b l i s h e d i n S h a n g h a i i n 1934. The b o o k i s
a c t u a l l y a s e l e c t i o n o f t r a n s l a t i o n s fro m C h in e s e p o e t r y
by H. A. G i l e s an d W aley w i t h C h in e s e t e x t s p r i n t e d a l o n g
s i d e t h e E n g l i s h v e r s i o n s . I t s p r e f a c e , w r i t t e n i n C h in ese
by Chang Y iia n -c h i ) > s a y s t h a t t h e s e l e c t i o n s
w e re made by S i r Jam es L o c k h a r t an d w e re r e p r i n t e d w i t h
23
t h e p e r m i s s i o n o f G i l e s a n d W aley. The s e l e c t i o n s from
W aley w e re " a d o p te d and e d i t e d " fro m , a c c o r d i n g t o t h e
" P u b l i s h e r 's N o t e ," " 170 C h in e s e P oem s, The T em ple a n d
24
O th e r P o em s, an d M ore T r a n s l a t i o n s fro m t h e C h in e s e ,"
b u t a c t u a l l y o n ly poems from A H undred an d S e v e n ty C h in e s e
Poems a r e i n c l u d e d . T h e re i s no m e n tio n o f r e v i s i o n s m ade,
y e t i n a few c a s e s t h e t r a n s l a t i o n s a r e a l t e r e d . I n t h e
f i r s t l i n e o f Tso S s u 's " L o n g in g s " ("Day D ream s" i n A
H u n d red a n d S e v e n ty C h in e s e Poem s) h e r e , f o r e x a m p le , we
25
h a v e " b r u s h p en " i n s t e a d o f " s o f t b r u s h " ; t h e w o rd
23
See S e l e c t C h in e s e V e rs e s ( S h a n g h a i, 1 9 3 4 ),
p . 1.
24 “ r «• 1 * 1 a a •
I b i d . , p . i n .
25
Waley, A Hundred and Seventy Chinese Poems, p.
95, and Select Chinese Verses, p. 73.
22
" f a i l i n g " i n l i n e s 1 -2 i n Po C h u - i 's "M adly S in g in g i n t h e
26
M o u n ta in s " i s c h a n g e d t o " p r o p e n s i t y ” ; a n d i n T 'a o
C h 'i e n 's " R e tu r n i n g t o t h e F i e l d s , " l i n e 14:
S te a d y t h e smoke o f t h e h a l f - d e s e r t e d
v i l l a g e
i n t h e o l d v e r s i o n becom es i n S e l e c t C h in e s e V e r s e s :
S te a d y comes t h e smoke o f t h e h a l f - d e s e r t e d
v i l l a g e .27
More e x t e n s i v e a r e t h e c h a n g e s i n Po C h u - i 's "T he G ra in
T r i b u t e " an d "T he H a rp e r o f C h a o ." L in e s 4 -5 a n d l i n e 14
i n th e e a r l y v e r s i o n o f "T he G r a in T r i b u t e " a r e :
B ut b r o u g h t c a n d l e s and s e t them o n t h e
b a r n - f l o o r .
P a s s e d th r o u g h t h e s i e v e , c le a n - w a s h e d
a s p e a r l s . . . .
T h a t "g o o d a n d i l l f o l l o w i n an e n d l e s s
c h a i n . "2 8
B u t i n S e l e c t C h in e s e V e r s e s , th e y a r e :
B ut b r o u g h t c a n d le s and s e t them on t h e
f a r m - y a r d
T h ro u g h s i f t i n g a n d w in n o w in g , c l e a n -
w ash ed a s p e a r l s . . .
26
W aley, A H undred and S e v e n ty C h in e s e P o em s, p .
2 0 8 , and S e l e c t C h in e s e V e r s e s , p . 92.
27
W aley , A H un d red a n d S e v e n ty C h in e s e P oem s, p .
113, and S e l e c t C h in e s e V e r s e s , p . 79.
28
W aley, A H u n d red a n d S e v e n ty C h in e s e Poem s, p .
182.
23
T h a t " s u p e ra b u n d a n c e a n d s c a r c i t y f o l lo w
e a c h o t h e r i n a c i r c u i t . "2 9
And i n "T he H a r p e r o f C h a o ," "R o ck s a n d sw ays" i n l i n e 4
o f t h e e a r l y v e r s i o n becom es " s t r e s s e s an d s k i f f s " i n
S e l e c t C h in e s e V e r s e s ; " s w e l l " i n l i n e 5 i s c h a n g e d to
" b r a w l" ; i n l i n e 9 , " s o n g " i s r e p l a c e d by " c h i r p " ; a n d
30
"o m in o u s c r y " i n l i n e 10 becom es " s a d c r y . "
E x c e p t f o r t h e l a s t c a s e , i n w h ic h " s a d c r y " i s
a n im p ro v e m e n t up on "o m in o u s c ry " t o t r a n s l a t e " T ' i k 'u "
) , m o s t o f t h e c h a n g e s a r e n o t s i g n i f i c a n t . W hat
i s w o r th n o t i n g a b o u t them i s t h e f a c t t h a t n o n e o f t h e s e
c h a n g e s i n S e l e c t C h in e s e V e r s e s i s c a r r i e d o v e r t o l a t e r
a n t h o l o g i e s . "T he H a r p e r o f C h a o ," f o r e x am p le , h a s i t s
A H u n d red a n d S e v e n ty C h in e s e Poems v e r s i o n o f 1918 i n t a c t
i n T r a n s l a t i o n s fro m t h e C h in e s e ( 1 9 4 1 ). The poem i s
r e v i s e d i n C h in e s e Poems (1 9 4 6 ) , a n d c a l l e d t h e r e m ore
l i t e r a l l y "T he F i v e - S p r i n g , " b u t t h e r e v i s i o n seem s t o b e
i n d e p e n d e n t o f t h e S e l e c t C h in e s e V e rs e s v e r s i o n . The
w h o le o f l i n e 4 t h e r e i s c h a n g e d , a n d n e i t h e r "R o ck s and
29
S e l e c t C h in e s e V e r s e s , p p . 9 4 -9 5 .
30
Waley, A Hundred and Seventy Chinese Poems, p.
186, and Select Chinese Verses, p. 95.
24
sw ays" n o r " S t r e s s e s a n d s k i f f s " i s u s e d , b u t t h e w ords
" s w e l l , " " s o n g ," an d "o m in o u s c ry " i n t h e 1918 v e r s i o n a r e
a l l r e t a i n e d . T h i s , c o u p le d w i t h t h e f a c t t h a t a w rong
s t a n z a o f th e o r i g i n a l C h in e s e poem " T 'i n g yiin” ! % >
31
by T 'a o C h 'i e n i s g i v e n i n t h e b o o k , r a i s e s o n e ’ s s u s
p i c i o n a b o u t t h e a u t h o r s h i p o f t h e a l t e r a t i o n s i n S e l e c t
C h in e s e V e r s e s . A f t e r a l l , n e i t h e r t h e C h in e s e p r e f a c e
n o r t h e E n g l i s h " P u b l i s h e r 's N o te " m e n tio n s any a c t i v e
p a r t i c i p a t i o n on W a le y 's p a r t i n p r o d u c in g t h e b o o k o t h e r
t h a n h i s p e r m i t t i n g h i s t r a n s l a t i o n s t o b e r e p r i n t e d . On
t h e o t h e r h a n d , th e " P u b l i s h e r 's N o te" s p e a k s o f W a le y 's
32
t r a n s l a t i o n s a s h a v in g b e e n " a d o p te d a n d e d i t e d . " T h u s,
i t i s c o n c e iv a b le t h a t t h e s e c h a n g e s i n S e l e c t C h in e s e
V e rs e s a r e r e a l l y t h e r e s u l t o f some e d i t i n g w ork by
L o c k h a r t o r o t h e r s .
T h e re i s n o d o u b t, h o w e v e r, t h a t t h e c h a n g e s i n
T r a n s l a t i o n s fro m t h e C h in e s e w e re made by W aley. F o r , i n
th e p r e f a c e , h e e x p l i c i t l y s t a t e s :
31
S e l e c t C h in e s e V e r s e s , p . 78. W a le y 's v e r s i o n
i s t h e t r a n s l a t i o n o f t h e se c o n d s t a n z a o f t h e C h in e s e
poem; w h a t i s g i v e n h e r e i n t h e C h in e s e t e x t i s t h e f i r s t
s t a n z a .
~^I b i d . , p . i i i .
25
The t r a n s l a t i o n s h e r e p r i n t e d w e re made o v e r tw e n ty
y e a r s a g o . S in c e th e n my own k n o w le d g e o f C h in e s e
an d t h e g e n e r a l s tu d y o f i t i n A m e ric a an d E u ro p e
h a v e made enorm ous p r o g r e s s . I n a r r a n g i n g t h e poems
f o r t h i s i l l u s t r a t e d e d i t i o n I h a v e c o r r e c t e d a
c e r t a i n num ber o f m i s t a k e s . 33
The book i s an i l l u s t r a t e d A m e ric an e d i t i o n o f h i s t r a n s
l a t i o n s , i n c o r p o r a t i n g m o st o f A H u n d red a n d S e v e n ty
C h in e s e Poems a n d M ore T r a n s l a t i o n s fro m t h e C h in e s e , and
was p u b l i s h e d i n 1941. F . A. J o h n s r i g h t l y p o i n t s o u t
t h a t i t i n c l u d e s t h e c o m p le te M ore T r a n s l a t i o n s fro m t h e
C h in e s e e x c e p t f o r Po C h u - i 's "To L iu Y u - h s i " ; h e i s m is
t a k e n , h o w e v e r, w hen h e w r i t e s t h a t " A p a r t from t h e P r e f
a c e , Num bers 17, 6 9 , 80, 133, an d 134, t h e w h o le o f 170
34
(A2) i s c o l l e c t e d i n T r a n s l a t i o n s . " Num bers 17 a n d 69
o f A H u n d red a n d S e v e n ty C h in e s e P o em s, a c c o r d i n g t o J o h n s '
b i b l i o g r a p h y , a r e r e s p e c t i v e l y " S e v e n te e n O ld Poem s" and
C h 'i e n [C h ien ] W e n - t i 's " W in te r N i g h t , " 33 b o th o f them
3 6
i n c l u d e d i n T r a n s l a t i o n s fro m t h e C h i n e s e . As c i t e d
33
A r t h u r W aley , T r a n s l a t i o n s fro m t h e C h in e s e
(New Y o rk : V in ta g e B ooks, 1 9 7 1 ), p . v .
3^F . A. J o h n s , A B i b l i o g r a p h y o f A r t h u r W aley
(New B ru n sw ic k : R u tg e r s U n i v e r s i t y P r e s s , 1 9 6 8 ), p . 72.
35I b i d . , p p . 1 0 -1 2 .
36
W aley , T r a n s l a t i o n s fro m t h e C h i n e s e , p p . 3 7 -4 8 .
26
above, Waley i n th e p r e f a c e sp e ak s o f h a v in g " c o r r e c t e d a
c e r t a i n num ber o f m i s t a k e s . " B ut h e goes on to sa y t h a t
on th e w hole h e h a s " r e p r i n t e d th e poems as th e y s t o o d i n
37
1918 and 1 9 1 9 ." I n d e e d th e r e v i s i o n s a r e m o s tly m in o r
o n e s. A sid e from th e change i n p u n c t u a t i o n and o r d e r o f
poems, th e d a te s o f s e v e r a l p o e t s - - L u Yun, Wang C h i, Yuan
3 8
C h ieh , and Lu Y u - - a r e r e v i s e d . I n o n ly two c a s e s i s th e
c o n t e n t o f th e t r a n s l a t i o n changed, an d i n b o th th e changes
a r e o f m in o r im p o rta n c e . I n l i n e 14 o f Tso S s u 's "Day
D ream s,” th e w ord "And" w hich b e g in s th e l i n e i n A Hundred
39
and S e v e n ty C h in ese Poems i s o m it t e d ; and i n l i n e 4 o f
Pao C h a o 's "The S c h o l a r R e c r u i t , " th e l a s t w ord " h i d e " i s
a r e v i s i o n from th e 1918 v e r s i o n " r h i n o c e r o s - s k i n .
I n 1946, C h in e se Poems a p p e a re d i n London. Though
w i t h th e same t i t l e , t h i s i s o f c o u rs e a d i f f e r e n t book
37
I b i d . , p. v.
38
See W aley, A H undred and S e v e n ty C h in e se Poem s,
pp. 100, 146, 148, 152, and T r a n s l a t i o n s from th e C h i n e s e ,
pp. 79, 114, 115, 320.
39
W aley, A H undred and S e v e n ty C h in e se Poem s, p. 95,
and T r a n s l a t i o n s from th e C h i n e s e , p. 74.
40
W aley, A H undred and S e v e n ty C h in e se Poem s, p.
129, and T r a n s l a t i o n s from th e C h i n e s e , p. 97.
27
from th e one p r i n t e d i n 1916 b u t n o t p u b l i s h e d u n t i l 1965.
A gain i t c o n t a i n s s e l e c t i o n s from W a le y 's p r e v i o u s w o rk s:
A H undred and S e v e n ty C h in ese Poem s, More T r a n s l a t i o n s
from th e C h i n e s e , The Temple and O th e r Poem s, and The Book
o f Songs (1 9 3 7 ). F. A. J o h n s ' n o t e s on t h i s book e r r a g a in
on s e v e r a l p o i n t s . Ite m number 10 o f More T r a n s l a t i o n s
41
from t h e C h i n e s e , L i P o 's " C l e a r i n g a t Dawn," i s r e p o r t e d
to b e m is s i n g from C h in ese Poem s, b u t i t a c t u a l l y i s
42
in c l u d e d . Ite m number 58(1 ) o f A H undred and S e v e n ty
43
C h in ese Poem s, t h e f i r s t o f " F iv e T zu -y e h S o n g s ," a g a in
r e p o r t e d t o be e x c lu d e d , a p p e a rs as "Summer Song" i n th e
44
book, and i s a t t r i b u t e d r i g h t l y t h e r e t o [L iang] W u -ti.
Johns w r i t e s i n h i s n o t e s on T r a n s l a t i o n s from t h e C h in ese
t h a t " C h in ese Poems (A30) .c o n ta in s e v e r y t h i n g i n T r a n s l a -
45
t i o n s " ; h e r e he r e i t e r a t e s t h a t " a l l o f T r a n s l a t i o n s
41
See J o h n s , A B i b li o g r a p h y o f A r t h u r W aley , p . 19.
42
See J o h n s , A B i b lio g r a p h y o f A r t h u r W aley , p . 75,
and W aley, C h in e se Poem s, p. 117.
43
See J o h n s , A B i b li o g r a p h y o f A r t h u r W aley , p . 12.
Z lA
I b i d . , p. 75, and W aley, C h in e se Poem s, p. 112.
45
J o h n s , A B i b li o g r a p h y o f A r t h u r W aley, p. 72.
28
(A28) i s h e r e " i n C h in ese Poem s. ^ The t r u t h , h o w ev er, i s
t h a t more th a n two dozen p i e c e s o f t r a n s l a t i o n s i n T r a n s
l a t i o n s from t h e C h in ese a r e e x c lu d e d . A l l th e p r o s e
p i e c e s , Sung Yii's "The Man-Wind and t h e Woman-Wind,"
" M a s te r T e n g - t 'u . " Wang W ei’ s " P r o s e L e t t e r , " Po C h u - i 's
" P r o s e L e t t e r t o Yuan C h en ," Po H s i n g - c h i e n 1s "The S to r y
o f M iss L i , " Yuan C h e n 's "The S t o r y o f T s 'u i Y in g - y i n g ,"
and O u-yang H s i u 's "Autumn" a r e n a t u r a l l y d i s c a r d e d from
47
a book named C h in ese Poem s. Many poems, how ever, a r e
a l s o o m it t e d . Po C h li- i's "The Dragon o f t h e B la c k P o o l ,"
"The P e o p le o f T a o -c h o u ," "The G r a i n - T r i b u t e ," "The Chan
c e l l o r ' s G r a v e l - D r i v e ," "The Man Who Dreamed o f F a i r i e s , "
"M a g ic," "The Two Red T o w e rs," "The B ig R ug," and "Song o f
48
P a s t F e e l i n g s " a r e a l l m is s i n g . A lso e x c lu d e d a r e "The
S ic k W if e ," Sting T z u - h o u 's " S o n g ," Wei W e n - t i 's "The
Campaign A g a in s t Wu," C h 'e n g -k u n g S u i ' s " I n v i t i n g G u e s t s ,"
[H sieh ] T a o -y iin 's "C lim b in g a M o u n ta in ," Pao C h a o 's "The
46
I b i d . , p . 75.
47
W aley, T r a n s l a t i o n s from th e C h in e s e , pp. 5 - 6 ,
7 -8 , 1 16-11 7, 2 1 7 -2 2 0 , 2 7 5 -2 9 6 , 299 -3 1 3 , 317-319.
48
I b i d . , pp. 16 6 -1 6 7 , 1 6 8 -1 6 9 , 170, 178, 1 7 9-181 ,
182, 183, 1 8 4 -1 8 5 , 239, 263.
29
S c h o l a r R e c r u i t , " and "The Red H i l l s , " Tsang C h i h 's " S o n g ,"
[L iang] Y i i a n - t i 's "The R e j e c t e d W if e ," Ch’ i e n [C hien]
W e n - t i 's "The F e r r y , " Wang C h i 's "On Going t o a T a v e r n ,"
L i P o 's " D r in k in g A lone by M o o n lig h t" and "Waking from
D runkenness on a S p rin g D ay," and Su T u n g - p -o ’ s "On t h e
49
B i r t h o f H is S o n ."
J o h n s , h o w ever, i s r i g h t i n s a y in g t h a t C h in e se
Poems "m u st b e c o n s i d e r e d , i n t h e a b se n c e o f f u r t h e r
r e v i s i o n s , t o g i v e A. W .'s p r e f e r r e d v e r s i o n s , W a l e y
c la im s t h a t " a l l t h e t r a n s l a t i o n s have b e e n th o r o u g h ly
51
r e v i s e d " i n t h e bo o k , and in d e e d , more th a n e i g h t y poems
a r e c h an g ed , some e x t e n s i v e l y . Of t h e s e r e v i s i o n s o n ly a
52
few, a s Waley t e l l s u s , a r e " s t y l i s t i c a l t e r a t i o n s , "
l i k e th e m o d e r n i z a t io n o f th e a r c h a i c " t h o u , " " t h y , " "w a st,"
53
and " d i d s t " i n Yang H s iu n g 's " P o v e r t y ." Most o f th e
4 9
I b i d . , pp. 2 2 -2 3 , 5 7 -5 8 , 6 2 -6 3 , 80, 92, 97, 98,
100, 105, 106, 113, 11 8 -1 2 0 , 122, 324.
50
J o h n s , op. c i t . , p . 72.
^ H ja le y , C h in e s e Poem s, p. 5.
5 4 , ,
I b i d .
53
See A r t h u r W aley, The Temple and O th e r Poems
(New York: K nopf, 1 9 2 3 ), pp. 76 -8 0 , and C h in e se Poem s,
pp. 4 5 -4 8 .
30
c hang es a r e t h e r e s u l t o f W a le y 's im p ro v ed know ledge o f
C h in ese la n g u a g e and l i t e r a t u r e . L in e s 35-38 o f Po C h u - i 's
" C h u - c h 'e n V i l l a g e ” ( " Chu C h 'e n t s ' u n s h i h ”
f o r ex am ple, a r e t r a n s l a t e d
A lo ne, I l e a r n t t o d i s t i n g u i s h b e tw ee n
E v i l and Good;
U n tu to r e d , I t o i l e d a t b i t t e r t a s k s .
The W o r ld 's Law h o n o u rs L e a r n in g an d Fame
S c h o la r s p r i z e m a r r ia g e s and Caps
54
i n e a r l i e r v e r s i o n s . But t h e o r i g i n a l l i n e s r u n :
* 6 , & f h
-i£- yk M K .
■ f f - i f 4 . 5 5
T hus, i n C h in e se Poem s, t h e l i n e s a r e r e v i s e d to :
In v a i n I l e a r n t t o d i s t i n g u i s h b e tw ee n
E v i l and Good;
B r in g in g m y s e lf o n ly l a b o u r and t o i l .
The age we l i v e i n h o n o u rs th e D o c tr in e
o f Names;
S c h o la r s p r i z e m a r r ia g e s an d rank.
54
A r t h u r W a le y , More T r a n s l a t i o n s from t h e C h in ese
(London: A l l e n 6c Unwin, 1 9 1 9 ), p. 32. The same v e r s i o n
i s r e p r i n t e d i n T r a n s l a t i o n s from t h e C h i n e s e , p. 158.
55Po H s ia n g - s h a n c h i ( ) i n Kuo h su e h
c h i pen t s 'u n g sh u ($H J g c ) (S h a n g h ai:
Shang wu y i n sh u k u a n ) ; dhuan 10, Book I I I , p. 12.
56
W aley, C h in e se Poems, p. 137.
31
" T 'u " i n t h e f i r s t l i n e does mean " i n v a i n , ” n o t
" a l o n e , ” and i n t h e se c o n d l i n e " l a b o u r and t o i l " i s a
t h a n " b i t t e r
t a s k s , " w h ile t h e word " u n t u t o r e d " i n th e e a r l i e r v e r s i o n
i s an u n j u s t i f i e d s u p e r f l u i t y . "Ming c h ia o " ( ) i n
t h e t h i r d l i n e h e r e i s a compound noun and c e r t a i n l y s h o u ld
n o t b e t r e a t e d as two s e p a r a t e term s and r e n d e r e d " L e a r n in g
and Fam e." The l a s t w ord o f t h e l a s t l i n e i n th e o l d
v e r s i o n i s " C a p s ," p r o b a b ly stem m ing from th e c o n f u s i o n o f
t h e homonyms " k u a n " i t ) and " k u a n " (/3 L ) , and t h e w ord
" ra n k " i n C h in e s e Poems i s an im provem ent. I t i s , t h e r e
f o r e , i n a p p r o p r i a t e f o r G. L. A nderson to h av e i g n o r e d
t h e s e e x t e n s i v e r e v i s i o n s and s e l e c t e d f o r h i s M a s t e r p i e c e s
o f t h e O r i e n t th e v e r s i o n i n T r a n s l a t i o n s from th e C h in ese
57
i n s t e a d o f t h a t i n C h in ese Poem s. Even more u n f o r t u n a t e
i s t h e i n c l u s i o n o f "The H at G iven t o th e P o e t by L i C hien"
i n i t s u n r e v i s e d v e r s i o n i n Madly S in g in g i n t h e M o u n ta in s ,
a memento t o W aley. The f i r s t two l i n e s o f t h e poem i n
i t s e a r l y v e r s i o n s a r e :
57
See G. L. A n d erso n , M a s te r p ie c e s o f t h e O r i e n t
(New York: N o rto n & C o ., 1 9 6 1 ), p . 223. A l l o f A n d e r s o n 's
s e l e c t i o n s o f Po C h u -i a r e "fro m T r a n s l a t i o n s from th e
C h in e s e " (p. 2 2 1 n ) .
32
b e t t e r t r a n s l a t i o n o f " h s i n c h 'i n " (
Long ago a w h i t e - h a i r e d g e n tle m a n
You made t h e p r e s e n t o f a b l a c k gauze h a t .
The " w h i t e - h a i r e d g e n tle m a n " h e r e r e f e r s t o " y o u ," i . e . ,
L i C hien. The change i n th e C h in ese Poems v e r s i o n
a d m i t t e d l y am ounts t o o n ly t h e a d d i t i o n o f one w ord:
Long ago ;to a w h i t e - h a i r e d g e n tle m a n
You make t h e p r e s e n t o f a b l a c k gau ze h a t . 59
But w i t h t h e a d d i t i o n o f a s i n g l e " t o " t h e " w h i t e - h a i r e d
g e n tlem an " h a s become th e p o e t Po C h u -i h i m s e l f . The
C h in ese o r i g i n a l
o f c o u r s e le a v e s no d o u b t t h a t th e r e v i s i o n i s c o r r e c t .
A lth o u g h t h e C h in ese Poems o f 1946 g iv e s W a le y 's
p r e f e r r e d v e r s i o n s o f h i s t r a n s l a t i o n s , i t i s n o t th e l a s t
on t h e lo n g l i s t o f e d i t i o n s o f W a le y 1s t r a n s l a t i o n s o f
C h in e se p o e t r y . A p a p e r b a c k e d i t i o n o f C h in e se Poems
a p p e a re d , w i t h a d d i t i o n s and o m is s io n s , i n 1961. Added
w i t h and " po t ' o u
weng" ( 1^7 ^ , w h i t e - h a i r e d man) i n t h e se c o n d l i n e ,
59
W aley, C h in e se Poem s, p. 174. I t a l i c s m ine.
^ Po H s ia n g - s h a n c h i , chuan 8, Book I I , p . 94.
33
a r e tw e n ty - s e v e n poems by Han Shan and a lo v e poem by
Feng M eng-lung, b u t t h e a d d i t i o n a l n o t e s i n th e b a c k o f
th e book and t h e t e x t u a l r e f e r e n c e s i n th e t a b l e o f con
t e n t s a r e o m it t e d from th e new C h in e se Poem s. I n t h e s h o r t
p r e f a c e W aley w r i t e s :
The t r a n s l a t i o n s w ere made o v e r a lo n g p e r i o d - -
b e tw e e n 1916 and 1959. I h av e c o r r e c t e d some m is
t a k e s i n t h o s e made lo n g ag o, b u t i n two o r t h r e e
c a s e s I h av e n o t a l t e r e d i n a c c u r a c i e s b e c a u s e I
fo u n d t h a t I c o u ld n o t do so w i t h o u t s p o i l i n g th e
g e n e r a l e f f e c t o f t h e p o e m .61
The r e v i s i o n r e f e r r e d t o h e r e m u st b e th e same one made i n
th e 1946 C h in ese Poem s, b e c a u s e e x c e p t f o r th e change o f
Yuan C h i e h 's b i r t h d a t e from 723 t o 719, I can d e t e c t no
v a r i a t i o n i n th e poems c o n t a i n e d i n b o th v e r s i o n s .
The l a s t ite m t o b e d i s c u s s e d i n t h i s c h a p t e r i s
th e 1962 e d i t i o n o f One H undred and S e v e n ty C h in ese Poem s,
t h e new e d i t i o n o f W a le y 's f i r s t p u b l i s h e d book, A H undred
and S e v e n ty C h in ese Poem s. A f t e r c o n c lu d in g c o r r e c t l y t h a t
C h in ese Poems c o n t a i n s t h e p r e f e r r e d v e r s i o n s o f W a le y 's
t r a n s l a t i o n , F. A. Johns goes on t o s a y , a g a i n e r r o n e o u s l y ,
t h a t " t h e se c o n d e d i t i o n o f 1 7 0 , 1962, c o n t a i n s a few
^ A r t h u r W aley, C h in e s e Poems (London: A l l e n 6c
Unwin, 1 9 6 1 ), p . 5.
34
f u r t h e r c o r r e c t i o n s . " ^ Though p u b l i s h e d i n 1962, more
th a n t e n y e a r s l a t e r th a n C h in e se Poem s, t h e book n o t o n ly
does n o t c o n t a i n " a few f u r t h e r c o r r e c t i o n s , " i t a c t u a l l y
c o n t a i n s f a r l e s s c o r r e c t i o n s . Waley w r i t e s i n words
s i m i l a r t o th o s e i n h i s p r e f a c e o f th e 1961 e d i t i o n o f
C h in ese P oem s:
I am c o n s c i o u s , i n lo o k in g th ro u g h t h e s e poems, o f
a number o f s m a ll i n a c c u r a c i e s , n o t how ever o f a
k i n d t o d i s t o r t th e m eaning o f th e poem, I h av e
rem oved s e v e r a l o f them, b u t i n some e a s e s I h av e
fo u n d t h a t i t was im p o s s i b l e t o b e more a c c u r a t e
w i t h o u t damaging th e poem as a w h o le , an d h a v e p r e
f e r r e d t o le a v e t h e t e x t as i t s t a n d s . 63
In d e e d th e m a j o r i t y o f t h e t e x t i s l e f t as i t s t a n d s i n
th e 1918 v e r s i o n . The " H a rp e r o f Chao" o f t h e 1918 v e r
s i o n , f o r ex am p le, a s p o i n t e d o u t a b o v e, i s r e v i s e d i n
C h in ese Poems to t h e more l i t e r a l "The F i v e - S t r i n g . " H ere
i t t u r n s b a ck i n t o "The H a r p e r o f C h ao ," an d i t s c o n t e n t
64
i s a l s o i d e n t i c a l w i t h th e 1918 v e r s i o n . Only i n v e ry
few c a s e s a r e th e c o r r e c t i o n s i n C h in ese Poems c a r r i e d o v e r
h e r e . An exam ple i s T 'a o C h 'i e n 's "B lam ing Sons" d i s c u s s e d
6 2
J o h n s , A B ib li o g r a p h y o f A r th u r W aley , p . 72.
63
W aley , One H undred and S e v e n ty C h in ese Poem s,
p. 9.
^ I b i d . , pp. 9 8-9 9 .
35
above. The C h in e se Poems r e v i s i o n o f i t s n i n t h l i n e ,
65
"Yung and Tuan a r e t h i r t e e n , " i s r e t a i n e d . Y et t h e
se c o n d l i n e o f t h e same poem, t r a n s l a t e d i n th e 1918 v e r
s i o n as
I am w r i n k l e d and s e a r e d b eyon d r e p a i r
and l a t e r r e v i s e d t o
I am w r i n k l e d and g n a r l e d b ey o n d r e p a i r
becomes h e r e , p r o b a b ly as a r e s u l t o f W a le y 's n e g l i g e n c e
i n r e v i s i o n an in c o m p le te
I am w r i n k l e d . . . ^
B e s id e s t h i s , t h e o n ly o t h e r c a s e i n w hich t h e 1962 t e x t
i s d i f f e r e n t from t h e 1918 A H undred and S e v e n ty C h in e s e
Poems v e r s i o n and th e 1946 C h in e s e Poems v e r s i o n i s fo und
i n Po C h u - i 's " P l a n t i n g F lo w e rs on t h e E a s t e r n Embankment."
The n i n t h l i n e o f t h e 1962 v e r s i o n i s
The r e d f lo w e r s hang l i k e a s u n s e t m i s t
i n s t e a d o f t h e o t h e r v e r s i o n ,
The r e d f l o w e r s han g l i k e a h e av y m i s t ,
65I b i d . , p. 57.
^ S e e W aley, A H undred and S e v e n ty C h in ese Poem s,
p. 110; C h in e se Poem s, p. 104; and One H undred and S e v e n ty
C h in ese Poem s, p . 57.
36
ft 7
an im provem ent i n t r a n s l a t i n g t h e o r i g i n a l l i n e . 7
Thus, we come to t h e end o f th e lo n g l i s t o f
e d i t i o n s o f W a le y 's t r a n s l a t i o n s o f C h in ese p o e t r y . I n
summary, e x c e p t f o r h i s C h in e se Poems o f 1916, t h e c o l l e c
t i o n o f h i s e a r l y w orks n o t i n t e n d e d f o r p u b l i c a t i o n ,
Waley p u b l i s h e d f i v e c o l l e c t i o n s o f t r a n s l a t i o n s - - t h e t h r e e
e a r l y w o rk s: A H undred and S e v e n ty C h in ese Poems (1 9 1 8 ),
More T r a n s l a t i o n s from t h e C h in ese (1 9 1 9 ), and The Temple
and O th e r Poems (1 9 2 3 ); th e i l l u s t r a t e d A m erican e d i t i o n
T r a n s l a t i o n s from t h e C h in e se (1 9 4 1 ), w hich c o n t a i n s m ost
o f A H undred and S e v e n ty C h in e se Poems and More T r a n s l a
t i o n s from t h e C h in e se w i t h m in o r r e v i s i o n s ; and C h in ese
Poems (1946) w h ich i n c l u d e s works from a l l t h r e e o f W a le y 's
e a r l y w o r k s ,a s w e l l a s The Book o f Songs (1937) w i t h m ajo r
r e v i s i o n s . Some o f W a le y 's t r a n s l a t i o n s from A H undred
and S e v e n ty C h in e s e Poems a r e a l s o c o n ta in e d i n S e l e c t
C h in ese V e rse s (1 9 3 4 ), b u t i t i s d o u b t f u l w h e th e r Waley
p a r t i c i p a t e d i n p r o d u c in g th e book o r i n m aking t h e few
6 7
See W aley, One H undred and S e v e n ty C h in e se Poem s,
p. 119, and A H undred and S e v e n ty C h in e se Poem s, p . 220,
T r a n s l a t i o n s from t h e C h i n e s e , p . 216, C h in e se Poems
(1 9 4 6 ), p. 165. The C h in e s e o r i g i n a l can b e fo u n d i n
Po H s ia n g - s h a n c h i , chuan 11, Book I I I , p . 32.
37
c hang es i n i t . Two new e d i t i o n s o f W a le y 's c o l l e c t i o n s
a p p e a re d a f t e r th e p u b l i c a t i o n o f C h in e s e Poems i n 1946.
A new e d i t i o n o f C h in e se Poems w i t h some ad d ed m a t e r i a l s
was p u b l i s h e d i n 1961, and One H un dred and S e v e n ty C h in ese
Poems, a new e d i t i o n o f A H undred and S e v e n ty C h in ese
Poems, was p u b l i s h e d i n 1962. S in c e t h e 1961 C h in ese Poems
o m its th e a d d i t i o n a l n o t e s and t e x t u a l r e f e r e n c e s c o n t a i n e d
i n i t s o r i g i n a l e d i t i o n , and s i n c e th e 1962 One H undred
and S e v e n ty C h in e se Poems r e t a i n s many m is ta k e s o f i t s
f i r s t e d i t i o n i n 1918, one em erges from t h i s l a b y r i n t h o f
e d i t i o n s o f W a le y 's t r a n s l a t i o n s from C h in e se p o e t r y w i t h
t h e c o n c l u s i o n t h a t t h e 1946 C h in e s e Poem s, w ith i t s m ost
e x t e n s i v e r e v i s i o n s , g iv e s m ost o f W a le y 's p r e f e r r e d t e x t s
o f th e poems c o n t a i n e d i n th e book. I t i s t r u e t h a t a t th e
o u t s e t o f h i s t r a n s l a t i o n c a r e e r , W aley h a d h a d o n ly f o u r
y e a r s o f s e l f - t a u g h t C h in ese and d i d make a num ber o f
m is ta k e s i n h i s t r a n s l a t i o n s o f C h in e s e p o e t r y . However,
h i s p r a c t i c e o f c o n tin u o u s r e v i s i o n s c u lm in a te d i n a v e ry
much im p ro v ed e d i t i o n o f C h in e se Poems, and i t w o uld be
g r o s s l y u n f a i r f o r anyone t o d i s c u s s W a le y 's t r a n s l a t i o n o f
C h in ese p o e t r y w i t h o u t t a k i n g h e e d o f t h e s e r e v i s e d
v e r s i o n s .
38
CHAPTER III
WALEY'S THEORY OF TRANSLATION
I n r e v ie w in g Madly S in g in g i n t h e M o u n ta in s ,
Edward H. S c h a f e r w r i t e s :
The Waley s e r v e d up to us h e r e seems t o b e lo n g t o
th e h e a r t - t h r o b s c h o o l o f c r i t i c i s m and t r a n s l a
t i o n . We a r e in fo rm e d t h a t he r e j e c t e d " s u r f a c e
m ean in g s" ( i . e . , f a i t h f u l r e n d e r i n g s ) i n f a v o r o f
" t h e a r t i s t r y o f th e o r i g i n a l " (p. 7 1 ), w h a te v e r
t h a t m eans. W aley c e r t a i n l y h a d a r t i s t r y o f h i s own,
b u t h e made s e r i o u s e f f o r t s t o p r e s e r v e th e e s s e n t i a l
im ag ery o f t h e o r i g i n a l ( i . e . , th e d e s p i s e d " s u r f a c e
m e a n in g " ) .1
S c h a f e r i s h e r e r e f e r r i n g t o a p a s s a g e i n I v a n M o r r i s 's
"The G enius o f A r t h u r W a le y ," w here M o rris r e p o r t s t h a t
as Waley p o i n t e d o u t t o me many y e a r s ago when I
b r o u g h t up t h e p e r e n n i a l q u e s t i o n o f f r e e v e r s u s
l i t e r a l t r a n s l a t i o n s , so much i s i n e v i t a b l y l o s t i n
t r a n s l a t i n g O r i e n t a l l i t e r a t u r e t h a t one m ust g iv e
a g r e a t d e a l i n r e t u r n . L a t e r I r e a l i z e d t h a t w hat
e n a b le d him t o do t h i s was a r a r e m a s te r y o f s t y l e
and a s e l f - a s s u r a n c e t h a t a llo w e d h i m , ’ a f t e r h e h a d
th o r o u g h ly u n d e r s t o o d a C h in e se o r J a p a n e s e t e x t ,
to r e c a s t i t i n s u p p l e , i d i o m a t i c , v i b r a n t E n g l i s h ,
r a t h e r th a n s t i c k t o a p h r a s e - b y - p h r a s e o r s e n t e n c e -
1P a c i f i c A f f a i r s , XLIV (1 9 7 1 ), 118.
39
b y - s e n t e n c e r e n d e r i n g , w h ich m ig h t convey t h e s u r f a c e
m eaning b u t w o u ld i n e v i t a b l y mar t h e a r t i s t r y o f th e
o r i g i n a l .2
A g a in s t t h i s p e r s o n a l t e s tim o n y i s S c h a f e r 's r e p o r t t h a t
W aley "aim ed a t l i t e r a l t r a n s l a t i o n , " and t h a t h e p u t t h i s
t o S c h a f e r " e v e n more e m p h a t i c a l l y th e y e a r b e f o r e h i s
d e a th .
Whom a r e we t o b e l i e v e ? I s W aley, o r i s h e n o t ,
a " l i t e r a l " t r a n s l a t o r ? The d i s p u t e a r i s e s l a r g e l y , I
s u s p e c t , b e c a u s e M o rris and S c h a f e r w ere t h i n k i n g o f
d i f f e r e n t w orks o f W a le y 's when th e y t a l k e d a b o u t h i s
t r a n s l a t i o n . M o r r is , h i m s e l f a t r a n s l a t o r o f J a p a n e s e
l i t e r a t u r e , may w e l l be t h i n k i n g o f The No P la y s o f J a p a n ,
w h ic h ,a s Waley once a d m i t te d , a r e t r a n s l a t e d r a t h e r f r e e l y
4
and " a r e n o t l i t e r a l t r a n s l a t i o n a t a l l " ; t h e C h in e s e and
J a p a n e s e t e x t s h e h a d i n m ind a r e p r o b a b ly Monkey and The
T a le o f G e n j i , from t h e o r i g i n a l s o f w hich w hole c h a p t e r s
2
I v a n M o r r i s , "The G enius o f A r t h u r W a le y ," i n
Madly S in g in g i n t h e M ou ntains (New York: W alker & C o . ,
1 9 7 0 ), p. 71.
3
S c h a f e r , op. c i t . , p . 118.
4
" A r th u r W aley i n C o n v e r s a t i o n ," i n Madly S in g in g
i n th e M o u n ta in s , p. 142.
40
a r e o m it t e d . ^ S c h a f e r , on t h e o t h e r h a n d , i s b a s i c a l l y a
s i n o l o g i s t , and he m ust b e t a l k i n g a b o u t W aley ’ s t r a n s l a
t i o n o f C h in e s e p o e t r y when h e i n s i s t s t h a t Waley "aim ed
a t l i t e r a l t r a n s l a t i o n . " I n d e e d , t o s t r e n g t h e n h i s a r g u
m ent, h e q u o te s i n h i s re v ie w from t h e i n t r o d u c t i o n t o
A H undred and S e v e n ty C h in ese Poems w here Waley s a y s :
I h a v e aim ed a t l i t e r a l t r a n s l a t i o n , n o t p a r a p h r a s e .
I t may be p e r f e c t l y l e g i t i m a t e f o r a p o e t t o b o rro w
f o r e i g n them es o r m a t e r i a l , b u t t h i s s h o u ld n o t be
c a l l e d t r a n s l a t i o n . 6
B ut t h e te rm " l i t e r a l t r a n s l a t i o n " means d i f f e r e n t
t h i n g s t o d i f f e r e n t p e o p le . F o r M o r r is , a l i t e r a l t r a n s l a
t i o n i s one t h a t "m ig h t convey t h e s u r f a c e m eaning b u t
w ould i n e v i t a b l y mar th e a r t i s t r y o f th e o r i g i n a l . " W ith
a s i m i l a r c o n c e p ti o n i n m ind, W a i-lim Yip s t a t e s t h a t
"Waley h a s e n d o r s e d th e t h e o r y o f l i t e r a l t r a n s l a t i o n " and
e q u a te s i t w i t h " t h e t r a n s m i s s i o n o f t h e p r o s e s e n s e o r
d i c t i o n a r y s e n s e a l o n e . F o r W aley, how ever, " l i t e r a l
5
See Hu S h i h 's i n t r o d u c t i o n t o th e A m erican e d i t i o n
° f Monkey (New Y ork, 1 9 5 8 ), pp. 4 -5 , and E a r l M i n e r 's "Some
T h em atic and S t r u c t u r a l F e a t u r e s o f t h e G e n ji M o n o g a ta r i,"
Monumenta N i p p o n l e a , XXVI (1 9 6 9 ), 1 -1 9 .
6
A r t h u r W aley, A H undred and S e v e n ty C h in ese Poems
(New York: K nopf, 1 9 1 9 ), p. 33.
^W ai-lim Y ip , E z ra P o u n d ’s C athay ( P r i n c e t o n :
P r i n c e t o n U n i v e r s i t y P r e s s , 1 9 6 9 ), p p . 88 and 89n.
41
t r a n s l a t i o n " h e r e i s s e t as a c o n t r a s t t o p a r a p h r a s e .
F u r th e r m o r e , h e goes on t o w r i t e i n th e same i n t r o d u c t i o n ;
Above a l l , c o n s i d e r i n g im ag ery t o b e t h e s o u l o f
p o e t r y , I h a v e a v o id e d e i t h e r a d d in g im ages o f my
own o r s u p p r e s s i n g th o s e o f th e o r i g i n a l . ^
T hus, as S c h a f e r p o i n t s o u t , W aley "made s e r i o u s e f f o r t s
to p r e s e r v e t h e e s s e n t i a l im agery o f t h e o r i g i n a l , " and
th e t h e o r y o f l i t e r a l t r a n s l a t i o n W aley h e l d i s " t h e t r a n s
m is s i o n o f im a g ery " r a t h e r th a n " t h e t r a n s m i s s i o n o f th e
p r o s e s e n s e o r d i c t i o n a r y s e n s e a l o n e . "
T h is a t t i t u d e o f t r a n s m i t t i n g t h e p r o s e s e n s e o r
d i c t i o n a r y s e n s e a l o n e , a t l e a s t i n th e t r a n s l a t i o n o f
l i t e r a t u r e , i s a c t u a l l y deno unced by W aley:
. . . i f one i s t r a n s l a t i n g l i t e r a t u r e one h a s to
convey f e e l i n g a s w e l l a s g ra m m a tic a l s e n s e . The
a u t h o r p u t s h i s f e e l i n g - - e x a s p e r a t i o n , p i t y , d e l i g h t - -
i n t o th e o r i g i n a l . They a r e t h e r e i n h i s rh y th m , h i s
e m p h a sis, h i s e x a c t c h o ic e o f w o rd s, and i f t h e
t r a n s l a t o r does n o t f e e l w h i l e h e r e a d s , and sim p ly
g iv e s a s e r i e s o f r h y th m le s s d i c t i o n a r y m e a n in g s,
he may t h i n k h e i s b e in g " f a i t h f u l , " b u t i n f a c t
h e i s t o t a l l y m i s r e p r e s e n t i n g th e o r i g i n a l . 9
A t r a n s l a t i o n t h a t i s " t h e t r a n s m i s s i o n o f t h e p r o s e s e n s e
o r d i c t i o n a r y s e n s e a l o n e , " t h a t i s " a s e r i e s o f r h y th m le s s
8
W aley, op. c i t . , p. 33.
9
A r t h u r W aley, "N o tes on T r a n s l a t i o n , " i n Madly
S in g in g i n t h e M o u n ta in s , p. 152.
42
d i c t i o n a r y m e a n in g s ," t h a t c o nveys o n ly " t h e s u r f a c e
m eaning" ( f o r one m ust d i s p u t e w i t h S c h a f e r 's sim p le
e q u a t i o n s o f " s u r f a c e m ea n in g s" to " f a i t h f u l r e n d e r i n g s "
to " im a g e ry o f th e o r i g i n a l " ) w i t h o u t a l s o a t t e m p t i n g to
t r a n s m i t th e o r i g i n a l a u t h o r ’ s f e e l i n g , i s n o t w hat Waley
m eant by a " l i t e r a l t r a n s l a t i o n . " And when a t r a n s m i s s i o n
o f p r o s e conveys o n ly th e s u r f a c e m eaning b u t m ars " t h e
a r t i s t r y o f t h e o r i g i n a l , " he c h o o se s a f r e e r t r a n s l a t i o n .
Thus, when H. A. G i l e s a c c u s e d W a le y 's t r a n s l a t i o n o f "The
G r e a t Summons" a s " f r e e , to o f r e e , h e d e fe n d e d h i m s e l f
by s a y in g t h a t "no l i t e r a l t r a n s l a t i o n o f t h e poem can
p r e s e r v e i t s c h a r a c t e r a s a poem . " " I t i s u n f a i r , " he
f u r t h e r s t a t e d ,
t o sa y t h a t I am " a t r a n s l a t o r who c la im s t o be
s t r i c t l y l i t e r a l " s im p ly b e c a u s e i n a n o t h e r book,
I h a d s a i d t h a t i n i t I h a d "aim ed a t l i t e r a l t r a n s
l a t i o n n o t p a r a p h r a s e ."1 1
Y e t, on t h e w h o le , " l i t e r a l t r a n s l a t i o n " o r n o t ,
W a le y 's t r a n s l a t i o n o f C h in ese p o e t r y i s " c l o s e t o th e
"^H. A. G i l e s , "A R e - t r a n s l a t i o n , " The New C hina
R eview , I I (1 9 2 0 ), 320.
11
A r t h u r W aley, "N o tes on t h e ' L u t e - G i r l ' s S o n g , '"
The New C h ina Review, I I (1 9 2 0 ), 595, 596.
43
o r i g i n a l s " a t l e a s t i n t h e i r p r o s e s e n s e . The f r e e
v e r s i o n s o f "The G r e a t Summons" and t h e f u ) i n w hich
W aley o m its p a s s a g e s , r e o r g a n i z e s s t r u c t u r e and c h an g es
l i n e s , a r e t h e e x c e p t i o n s r a t h e r th a n t h e r u l e . I t i s
vi. 13
t r u e t h a t ev en w i t h t h e s h i h ) , t h e r e a r e c a s e s i n
w hich W aley does s i m i l a r t h i n g s . "M e etin g i n t h e Road"
and Wang C h i e n 's " H e a rin g t h a t h i s f r i e n d was coming b ack
from t h e w a r ," f o r e x am p le, le a v e o u t t h e l a s t l i n e s o f
th e o r i g i n a l s . " F lo o d " i s o n ly one s t a n z a o f T 'a o C h 'ie n * s
" T 'i n g yiin" ) w h i l e " P l u c k in g R ush es" t r e a t s th e
o r i g i n a l two songs as i f t h e y w e re one. I n i t s e a r l i e r
v e r s i o n s , Po C h u - i 's " G e t t i n g up e a r l y on a s p r i n g m orning"
h a s o n ly s i x l i n e s ; th e 1946 C h in e s e Poems v e r s i o n adds th e
l a s t two l i n e s b u t u n f o r t u n a t e l y f a i l s t o c o r r e c t t h e h e a d -
14
n o t e w hich t e l l s t h a t i t i s " p a r t o f a poem ." These
12
" A r t h u r W aley i n C o n v e r s a t i o n ," i n Madly S in g in g
i n t h e M o u n ta in s , p . 142.
13
As Waley sa y s i n The Temple and O th e r Poems (New
York: K nopf, 1 9 2 3 ), p . 137, " T h e re i s no w ord f o r p o e t r y i n
C h in e s e . The w ord s h i h , w h ich i s commonly t r a n s l a t e d
' p o e t r y , ' h a s a much n a rr o w e r m e a n in g ." S h ih i n c l u d e s
v e r s e s w h ic h h a v e a u n if o r m num ber o f c h a r a c t e r s i n one
l i n e , m a in ly f o u r , f i v e o r se v e n c h a r a c t e r s . Fu, on th e
o t h e r h a n d , h a s no f i x e d p a t t e r n o f p r o s o d y , and i s some
tim e s t r a n s l a t e d a s " rh y m e -p r o s e " o r " r h a p s d d y ."
14
A r t h u r W aley, C h in e s e Poems (London: A l l e n &
44
e x a m p le s, h ow ev er, a r e c h o se n from a l a r g e num ber o f
p i e c e s t h a t f o l lo w th e o r i g i n a l s v e r y c l o s e l y . The
f o l l o w i n g i s W a le y 's "The L i b e r a t o r " :
I n t h e h ig h t r e e s - - m a n y d o l e f u l w i n d s ;
The o c ea n w a t e r s - - l a s h e d i n t o w aves.
I f t h e s h a r p sw ord b e n o t i n y o u r h a n d ,
How can you hope y o u r f r i e n d s w i l l re m a in many?
Do you n o t s e e t h a t s p a rro w on t h e fe n c e ?
S e e in g t h e hawk i t c a s t s i t s e l f i n t o th e s n a r e .
The f o w l e r t o c a t c h t h e s p a rro w i s d e l i g h t e d ;
The Young Man t o s e e t h e s p a rro w i s g r i e v e d .
He t a k e s h i s sw ord and c u ts th r o u g h t h e n e t t i n g ;
The y e llo w s p a rro w f l i e s away, away.
Away, away, up t o th e b l u e sky
And down a g a i n t o th a n k t h e Young Man.
Compare t h i s w i t h th e o r i g i n a l poem " Yeh t ' i e n huang
c h 'iie h h s i n g " ( ) , and t h e l e x i c a l
m eaning o f t h e C h in e s e c h a r a c t e r s :
i h
H igh t r e e
Sea
M
Sharp
T 'K -
w a t e r
sw ord
>
many
r o u s e
n o t
&
sa d
J t
/ >
i t s
w ind
&
m
waves
hand
Unwin, 1 9 4 6 ), p. 176. F o r i t s e a r l i e r v e r s i o n s , s e e W aley,
More T r a n s l a t i o n s from t h e C h in e s e (London: A l l e n & Unwin,
1 9 1 9 ), p. 56, and T r a n s l a t i o n s from t h e C h in e se (New York:
V in ta g e B ooks, 1 9 7 1 ), p. 241.
15
W aley, C h in e se Poem s, pp. 8 1 -8 2 .
45
&
F r i e n d s , a c q u a i n t a n c e s
&
&
Not s e e f e n c e
&
$
See hawk s e l f
JP-
£g-
N et ho use(m an) g e t
4 ;
4
Young man s e e
P u l l sw ord c u t
/ N
Y ellow s p a rro w a b l e
i f l
F ly
f l y
to u c h
"b
l § t
Come down th a n k
x f s j
w hat
f t f l
among
i k
c a s t
M
n e e d many
J .
sp a rro w
n e t
A
g l a d
%
b i r d
M
nei
sa d
s n a r e
-jfk M
fly f l y
sky b l u e
young man
16
I n e a r l i e r v e r s i o n s , W aley w ro n g ly a t t r i b u t e d t h e poem t o
L ia n g W u -ti ) , and o n ly i n t h e r e v i s e d
v e r s i o n o f C h in e s e Poems d i d h e c o r r e c t l y a t t r i b u t e i t t o
16
, The C h in e s e t e x t i s q u o te d from Shen T e - c h 'i e n
( ?aLi fj& T q ) > Ku s h i h yuan ( -j£* ^ ) , chUan 5, f .
12a. *
46
T s ! ao Chih ( 4 1 ) . O th e r th a n t h i s , h o w e v er, t h e r e i s
^ 17
no d i f f e r e n c e b e tw e e n t h e s e v e r a l v e r s i o n s . T h at Waley
d i d f o l l o w t h e o r i g i n a l v e r y c l o s e l y i s o b v io u s . E x c e p t
f o r th e ad d ed a r t i c l e s and p r e p o s i t i o n s , t h e t r a n s l a t i o n
o f t h e f i r s t two l i n e s i s e x a c t : f o r " d o l e f u l ” and
" l a s h e d " a r e c e r t a i n l y a l s o c o r r e c t t r a n s l a t i o n s f o r " p e i "
( %. ) and " z jm g ” ( | | ) . " Yang c h ’ i p o " )
i n t h e o r i g i n a l s e c o n d l i n e i s i n a c t i v e v o i c e and " l a s h e d
i n t o w aves" p a s s i v e , b u t t h i s i s n o t s i g n i f i c a n t s i n c e th e
c o n d i t i o n o f t h e s e a r a t h e r th a n i t s a c t i o n i s i m p o r t a n t
h e r e i n s y m b o liz in g th e d o l e f u l t u r m o i l o f t h e c o n te m p o ra ry
w o rld . The t h i r d and f o u r t h l i n e s a r e t h e o n ly two l i n e s
t h a t a r e q u e s t i o n a b l e , b u t th e y a r e tr o u b le s o m e ev en i n
t h e o r i g i n a l . Wu J u - l u n < Jgrvk ) to o k th e f o u r t h
l i n e to mean so m e th in g l i k e " i t does n o t h e l p to h av e many
18
f r i e n d s . " I f h e i s c o r r e c t , t h e c o n d i t i o n a l " I f . . ."
o f W a le y 's t h i r d l i n e , th o u g h n o t w rong, i s u n n e c e s s a r y ,
^ S e e W aley, A H undred and S e v e n ty C h in e se Poems,
p. 132, and T r a n s l a t i o n s from t h e C h i n e s e , p . 102.
18
bee 4 uang u n ie n w g y r s ' ao x z u -c
98
^ See Huang C hieh (~J^~ ) , T s 1 ao T z u - c h ie n s h i h
chu ( ^ .J- ) (Hong Kong, 1 9 7 3 ), p
47
and h i s f o u r t h l i n e i s m is ta k e n . The l i n e s h o u ld be
t r a n s l a t e d "What i s t h e u s e o f h a v in g many f r i e n d s ? " The
r e s t o f t h e poem i s f o l lo w e d v e r y c l o s e l y by t h e t r a n s l a
t i o n , e s p e c i a l l y i n l i n e s 7 and 8, w h ere W aley, f o l l o w i n g
t h e C h in e se w ord o r d e r , p r o d u c e s two l i n e s t h a t a r e a
l i t t l e awkward i n E n g l i s h . I n s t e a d o f
The f o w le r i s d e l i g h t e d to c a t c h t h e sp a rro w ;
The young man i s g r i e v e d t o s e e t h e sp a rro w ,
he w r i t e s :
The f o w l e r t o c a t c h t h e s p a rro w i s d e l i g h t e d ;
The Young Man t o s e e t h e s p a rro w i s g r i e v e d .
T hu s, W a le y 's t r a n s l a t i o n h e r e n o t o n ly f o llo w s t h e o r i g i
n a l l i n e by l i n e , s e n t e n c e by s e n t e n c e , p h r a s e by p h r a s e ,
i t a t t e m p t s even t o f o l lo w i t w ord by w ord, and i n t h e
o r i g i n a l w o rd o r d e r .
B ut " i f one i s t r a n s l a t i n g l i t e r a t u r e one h a s t o
convey f e e l i n g as w e l l as g r a m m a tic a l s e n s e . ” T h is i s
e s p e c i a l l y t r u e i n t h e t r a n s l a t i o n o f c l a s s i c a l p o e t r y ,
w here s u b j e c t s , t e n s e s , n u m b e rs, p r e p o s i t i o n s , an d some
tim e s even v e r b s a r e o m i t t e d . H ence, ev en th o u g h e v e ry
w ord o f t h e o r i g i n a l i s u n d e r s t o o d c o r r e c t l y , an e r r o n e o u s
i n t e r p r e t a t i o n o f t h e poem as a w hole w i l l r e s u l t i n a
t o t a l l y m is ta k e n t r a n s l a t i o n . T h a t W aley n o t o n ly a t t e m p t s
t o convey th e g ra m m a tic a l s e n s e o f t h e o r i g i n a l b u t i s a l s o
48
e a g e r t o convey i t s f e e l i n g can be i l l u s t r a t e d i n h i s
t r a n s l a t i o n o f a n o t h e r poem by T s 'a o C hih.
I n b o t h A H undred and S e v e n ty C h in e s e Poems and
T r a n s l a t i o n s from t h e C h in e s e i s a poem e n t i t l e d M The Ruins
o f L o -y a n g ," w i t h a h e a d n o te w h ich s t a t e s : "By T s 'a o
Chih . . . I n t h i s poem h e r e t u r n s t o lo o k a t th e r u i n s
o f L o-yang, w here h e u s e d to l i v e . I t h a d b e e n s a c k e d by
19
Tung Cho." I n t h e o r i g i n a l t h i s poem i s t h e f i r s t o f
two poems e n t i t l e d " Sung Y ing S h ih s h i h " (
" S e e in g Mr. Y ing O f f . " The w h o le se c o n d poem t a l k s a b o u t
b u t t h e r e i s no e x p l i c i t m e n tio n o f t h i s r e l a t i o n s h i p i n
th e f i r s t poem. H ere i s th e o r i g i n a l f o llo w e d by W a le y 's
t r a n s l a t i o n :
th e f r i e n d s h i p b e tw e e n T s ' ao Chih
),
I ^ ^ M ountain
And lo o k down on t h e c i t y o f L o -y an g .
I n L o-yang now s t i l l i t i s :
19
W aley, A H undred and S e v e n ty C h in e s e Poems ,
p. 86, and T r a n s l a t i o n s from t h e C h in e s e , p. 64.
49
P a l a c e s and h o u s e s a l l b u r n t t o a s h e s .
i t - t
W alls an d f e n c e s a l l b r o k e n and g a p in g ,
M ~ a ^
T horns and b ra m b le s s h o o t i n g up t o t h e sky.
* m l
I do n o t s e e t h e o l d o ld -m en ;
/T J L jr
I o n ly s e e th e new young men.
e
1 t u r n a s i d e , f o r t h e s t r a i g h t r o a d i s l o s t :
tL &
The f i e l d s a r e o verg ro w n and w i l l n e v e r b e p lo u g h e d
a g a in . v '
42L 4 - A 4 ' If
I h av e b e e n away su c h a lo n g 'tim e
4 if% 73 4 4 T - f -
T hat I do n o t know w h ich s t r e e t i s w h ic h .
7°\ ■ J s ’
How s a d and u g ly t h e empty moors a r e !
-f J- 4 4 k A j $ L
A th o u s a n d m i l e s w i t h o u t t h e smoke o f a chim ney.
50
I t h i n k o f th e h o u s e I l i v e d i n a l l t h o s e y e a r s :
20
I am h e a r t - t i e d and c a n n o t sp e a k .
T h e re a r e some m in o r i n a c c u r a c i e s h e r e i n th e t r a n s l a t i o n :
" s h a n " ( lX \ ) i n l i n e 2 i s " h i l l , " n o t " c i t y , " and l i n e 10
" w i l l n e v e r b e p lo u g h e d a g a i n ” i s to o s t r o n g f o r " p u f u
t ' i e n " ( • 'f ' ® )» w h ich s im p ly means t h a t t h e f i e l d s
" a r e n o t p lo u g h e d " a t t h e tim e . L in e 9 o f th e o r i g i n a l
s h o u ld be t r a n s l a t e d " T h e re i s no p a t h w id e r th a n my f o o t " ;
" t s ' e t s u " (4i‘ J A ) h e r e means w a lk in g w i t h t h e f e e t
p o i n t i n g sid e w a y s i n s t e a d o f p o i n t i n g s t r a i g h t a h e a d . But
a s i d e from t h e s e p o i n t s , t h e t r a n s l a t i o n i s q u i t e c l o s e
t o t h e o r i g i n a l i n t h e p r o s e s e n s e . T h e re i s , o f c o u r s e ,
no m e n tio n o f Mr. Y in g , and w i t h t h e t i t l e c h a n g e d , t h e
r e a d e r o f t h i s t r a n s l a t i o n i s a p t t o r e g a r d t h e poem j u s t
a s a n o t h e r poem d e s c r i b i n g t h e r u i n o u s a f t e r m a t h o f w a r,
and t h e f e e l i n g c o nveyed i n i t t h a t o f t h e n a r r a t o r ' s
20
I q u o te W a le y 's v e r s i o n from h i s T r a n s l a t i o n s
from t h e C h i n e s e , p. 64; th e v e r s i o n i n A H undred and
S e v e n ty C h in e s e Poems i s j u l e n t i c a l . The C h in e s e t e x t i s
c i t e d from H s ia o T 'u n g » ^ en h s u a n )
(Hong Kong, 1 9 6 0 ), ch tian'TO, p . 438.
51
g r i e f o v e r th e d e s t r u c t i o n o f h i s home and c i t y .
"The R u in s o f L o -y an g " a l s o a p p e a r s i n C h in ese
Poem s. S e v e r a l c h a n g e s, h o w ev er, h a v e b e e n made. The
h e a d n o t e , i n s t e a d o f s a y in g t h a t T s 'a o C hih " r e t u r n s t o
lo o k a t t h e r u i n s o f L o -y a n g , w h ere he u s e d t o l i v e , "
s t a t e s s im p ly t h a t " t h i s i s one o f two poems o f f a r e w e l l
21
t o a f r i e n d who was g o in g n o r t h . ” T h e re a r e o t h e r
changes t o o . I n l i n e 12, t h e w ord " p a t h " i s s u b s t i t u t e d
f o r " s t r e e t " t o e m p h a size f u r t h e r t h e d e c l i n e o f t h e c i t y ;
and t h e l a s t l i n e ru n s
My h e a r t i s t i e d w i t h so rro w an d I c a n n o t sp e a k
i n s t e a d o f
I am h e a r t - t i e d and c a n n o t s p e a k ,
p r o b a b ly b e c a u s e " h e a r t - t i e d " i s a b i t p u z z l i n g . B ut t h e
m ost i m p o r t a n t change comes i n a l i n e b e f o r e . L in e 15
r e a d s i n t h e e a r l i e r v e r s i o n s :
I t h i n k o f t h e h o u se I l i v e d i n a l l t h o s e y e a r s
now i t r e a d s
I t h i n k o f o u r l i f e t o g e t h e r a l l th o s e y e a r s .
Waley i s j u s t i f i e d i n t h i s r e v i s i o n s i n c e a d i f f e r e n t t e x t
f o r t h i s l i n e i s " n i e n wo p ' i n g sh en g c h ' i n " (
^ H j a l e y , C h in e s e Poem s, p . 79.
52
,) i n s t e a d o f " n i e n wo p ' i n g c h 'a n g ch u"
22
) . By c h a n g in g t h i s l i n e a c c o r d i n g l y , t h e poem i s
now r e l e v a n t to t h e o r i g i n a l t i t l e : " S e e in g Mr. Ying O f f . "
And i n i t t h e n a r r a t o r now m ourns o v e r th e r u i n o f L o-yang
n o t b e c a u s e o f t h e d e s t r u c t i o n o f h i s home, b u t b e c a u s e
o f t h e d e s t r u c t i o n o f a p l a c e t h a t c a r r i e s t h e memory o f
h i s l i f e w i t h h i s f r i e n d t o g e t h e r ; gone t o g e t h e r w i t h t h e
g l o r i o u s p a s t o f t h e c i t y a r e t h e happy days th e y s p e n t
t o g e t h e r t h e r e . I n c h a n g in g th e l i n e , W aley th u s conveys
a f e e l i n g w h ich he b e l i e v e s t o b e c l o s e r t o t h e o r i g i n a l .
As Wen I - t o p o i n t e d o u t , Waley p a i d s p e c i a l a t t e n -
23
t i o n t o t h e rh y th m o f h i s t r a n s l a t i o n . H is w ords on t h i s
s u b j e c t i n h i s "N o tes on T r a n s l a t i o n " h a v e b e e n q u o te d
on ce b e f o r e :
. . . i f t h e t r a n s l a t o r does n o t f e e l w h i l e he
r e a d s , and s im p ly g i v e s a s e r i e s o f r h y th m le s s
d i c t i o n a r y m e a n in g s , he may t h i n k h e i s b e in g
" f a i t h f u l , " b u t i n f a c t he i s t o t a l l y m i s r e p r e
s e n t i n g th e o r i g i n a l .
22T h is i s th e t e x t o f T ing Yen (^T ) , T s ' ao c h i
chuan p 1 in g ( ) (P e k in g , 1 9 5 7 ), ch han 4
„ O C _ ___ ] J „ J l * A „ 'j ------- J * -J „
p. 36, and i s t h e v e r s i o n a d o p te d i n Shen T e - c h r i e n ’s Ku
s h i h y u a n , chuan 5, f . 15b.
23See W e n .I - t q ( r " ^ )> "Y ing i L i T 'a i - p o
s h i h " ( '&? ), i n Wen I - t o h s u a n c h i
( ^ ^Hong Kon§» 1 9 6 9 ), p . 198.
53
F in d in g i t " i m p o s s i b l e to p ro d u c e i n E n g l i s h rhyme -
e f f e c t s a t a l l s i m i l a r to t h o s e o f t h e o r i g i n a l " and t h a t
" t h e r e s t r i c t i o n s o f rhyme n e c e s s a r i l y i n j u r e e i t h e r t h e
v i g o u r o f o n e 's la n g u a g e o r t h e l i t e r a l n e s s o f o n e 's
24
v e r s i o n , " he a b s t a i n s from u s i n g rh y m es, a lt h o u g h o c c a
s i o n a l l y , a s i n t h e c a s e o f t h e " Im m e a su ra b le P a in " by
L i H ou-chu (L i Yu, # f t h e c a n n o t r e s i s t t h e te m p ta
t i o n . And s i n c e b l a n k v e r s e , t h e m o st common rh y m e le s s
v e r s e i n E n g l i s h p o e t r y , i s n o t s u i t a b l e f o r t h e t r a n s l a
t i o n o f C h in e s e p o e t r y " b e c a u s e t h e e s s e n c e o f b l a n k v e r s e
i s t h a t i t v a r i e s t h e p o s i t i o n o f i t s p a u s e s , w h e re a s i n
26
C h in e se th e s t o p alw ay s comes a t t h e end o f t h e c o u p l e t "
( a l t h o u g h a g a i n t h e r e a r e e x c e p ti o n s l i k e Po C h u - i 's "The
T e m p le " ), W aley d e v i s e s h i s own m ethod o f a p p r o x im a tin g
th e rh y th m o f C h in e s e p o e t r y . I n h i s i n t r o d u c t i o n t o
" T h i r t y - E i g h t Poems by Po C h ii- i," one o f h i s e a r l i e s t
a r t i c l e s on C h in e s e p o e t r y , h e s t a t e s :
24
W aley, A H undred and S e v e n ty C h in e s e Poem s, p . 34.
25
The poem f i r s t a p p e a r e d i n t h e a p p e n d ix o f
W a le y 's The Temple and O th e r Poem s, p p . 1 4 4 -1 4 5 , and was
l a t e r c o l l e c t e d i n h i s C h in e s e Poem s, p. 194.
2 6
W aley, A H undred and S e v e n ty C h in e s e Poems , p . 34.
54
I h a v e . . 7 t r i e d t o p ro d u c e r e g u l a r r h y th m ic
e f f e c t s s i m i l a r to t h o s e o f t h e o r i g i n a l s . E ach
c h a r a c t e r i n th e C h in e se i s r e p r e s e n t e d by a s t r e s s
i n t h e E n g l i s h ; b u t b e tw e e n t h e s t r e s s e s u n s t r e s s e d
s y l l a b l e s a r e o f c o u r s e i n t e r p o s e d . 27
T h is i n t r o d u c t i o n i s i n c o r p o r a t e d i n t h e i n t r o d u c t i o n o f
A H undred and S e v e n ty C h in e se Poem s, and h i s d e s c r i p t i o n
28
o f t h i s m eth od i s r e p e a t e d w ord f o r w ord t h e r e . W aley
f u r t h e r e l a b o r a t e s a b o u t t h i s " r u l e . . . t o h a v e one
s t r e s s t o e a c h C h in e se s y l l a b l e " i n "N o tes on T r a n s l a t i o n , "
p u b l i s h e d i n t h e November 1958 i s s u e o f t h e A t l a n t i c
M o n th ly :
The s t r e s s e d s y l l a b l e s c o u ld come s i d e by s i d e , as
i n x , ✓
On th e h i g h h i l l s no c r e a t u r e s t i r s
o r th e y c o u ld b e s e p a r a t e d by a n y t h i n g up t o t h r e e
u n s t r e s s e d sy ljL ab les , as i n ^ ^ 2 9
I h a v e s t i l l t o t r a v e l i n my s o l i t a r y b o a t .
However, " n o r m a lly n o t m ore t h a n two u n s t r e s s e d s y l l a b l e s
come b e tw e e n s t r e s s e s . S t r e s s e s n o t s e p a r a t e d by u n
s t r e s s e d s y l l a b l e s , " Waley w r o te i n t h e i n t r o d u c t i o n t o
^ W a l e y , " T h i r t y - E i g h t Poems by Po C h u - i , " B u l l e t i n
o f t h e S c h o o l o f O r i e n t a l S t u d i e s , I ( 1 9 1 7 ), 53.
2 8
W aley, A H undred and S e v e n ty C h in e s e P oem s, p. 33.
29
W aley, "N o te s on T r a n s l a t i o n , " i n Madly S in g in g
i n t h e M o u n ta in s , p. 158.
55
t h e 1962 One H undred and S e v e n ty C h in e se P o em s, "m u st o c c u r
s u f f i c i e n t l y f r e q u e n t l y t o g iv e th e v e r s e i t s g e n e r a l
c h a r a c t e r and movement; b u t th e y n e e d n o t n e c e s s a r i l y
30
o c c u r i n e a c h l i n e . " P o s s i b l y b e c a u s e s e p t e n a r y l i n e s
i n E n g l i s h soun d cum bersom e, W aley a p p l i e s h i s m ethod o n ly
t o t h e t r a n s l a t i o n o f f i v e - c h a r a c t e r poems. But m o st o f
t h e poems h e t r a n s l a t e s i n any c a s e a r e " i n t h e o r i g i n a l ,
31
i n l i n e s c o n s i s t i n g o f f i v e o n e - s y l l a b l e w o r d s ." The
" C h in e s e se v e n -w o rd l i n e , " th o u g h an e q u a l l y p o p u l a r v e r s e
form i n C h in e s e p o e t r y , i s , W aley a d m its i n t h e p r e f a c e to
32
C h in e se Poem s, "much more d i f f i c u l t t o h a n d l e , " and he
h a s n o t a t t e m p t e d any lo n g poems i n t h i s m e te r .
T h is m e te r , a s W aley p o i n t s o u t , " i s b a s e d on
33
What G e r a r d M anley H opkins c a l l e d 's p r u n g r h y t h m . '" But
J . M. Cohen i s wrong when h e s t a t e s i n h i s re v ie w on th e
r e p r i n t o f The No P la y s o f J a p a n : " h i s [W aley1s] m e t r i c a l
p r a c t i c e , so h e s t a t e s , i s b a s e d on G. M. H o p k in s ' t h e o r i e s
30
W aley, One H undred and S e v e n ty C h in e s e Poems
(London: J o n a t h a n Cape, 1 9 6 9 ), p . 8.
31
I b i d .
32
W aley, C h in e se Poem s, p. 5.
33
I b i d .
56
o f 's p r u n g r h y t h m . '" F o r th oug h Cohen g o e s on t o sa y t h a t
" i n no s e n s e does he [Waley] owe any d e b t t o t h e J e s u i t
34
f a t h e r ' s p r a c t i c e , " he i m p l i e s t h a t W aley was a d m i t t e d l y
i n f l u e n c e d by H o p k in s ' t h e o r i e s . By c h a n g in g "w h at G e ra rd
M anley H opkins c a l l e d 's p r u n g r h y t h m '" t o "G. M. H o p k in s'
t h e o r i e s o f 's p r u n g r h y t h m , " ' he c h an g es W a le y 's m eaning
t o t a l l y . W aley l a t e r on e x p l i c i t l y r e f u t e s t h e t h e o r y
t h a t h i s p r a c t i c e was i n f l u e n c e d by H opkins i n h i s i n t r o
d u c t i o n t o t h e 1962 e d i t i o n o f One H undred and S e v e n ty
C h in e se P oem s:
I t i s t r u e t h a t i n t r a n s l a t i n g t h e l y r i c p a r t s o f
J a p a n e s e No p l a y s some y e a r s l a t e r I was a s r e g a r d s
d i c t i o n a good d e a l i n f l u e n c e d by H o p k in s. But I
h a d i n v e n t e d t h e s o r t o f Sprung Rhythm t h a t I u s e d
i n t r a n s l a t i n g C h in e se p o e t r y s e v e r a l y e a r s b e f o r e
th e poems o f H opkins w ere p r i n t e d , so t h a t ( c o n t r a r y
t o w h a t some c r i t i c s h a v e s u g g e s t e d ) H opkins h a d no
i n f l u e n c e on t h e m e t r i c o f t r a n s l a t i o n s from
C h i n e s e . 35
The poems o f H opkins w ere p u b l i s h e d i n 1918 by R o b e rt
B r id g e s , an d s i n c e W aley f i r s t spo ke o f h i s m e t r i c o f
t r a n s l a t i o n s from C h in e s e i n h i s " T h i r t y - E i g h t Poems by
Po C h ii- i," w h ic h was p u b l i s h e d i n t h e B u l l e t i n o f th e
^ J . M. Cohen, "D r. W a le y 's T r a n s l a t i o n s , " i n
Madly S i n g in g i n t h e M o u n ta in s , p. 33.
35
W aley, One H undred and S e v e n ty C h in e s e Poem s,
p . 8 .
57
S c h o o l o f O r i e n t a l S t u d i e s i n 1917, i t i s o b v io u s t h a t h e
h a d in d e e d d e v e lo p e d h i s m ethod b e f o r e t h e poems o f H opkins
w ere p r i n t e d .
On t h e o t h e r h a n d , W aley i n d i c a t e d i n t h e c o n v e r
s a t i o n w i t h Roy F u l l e r t h a t " q u i t e c o n s i d e r a b l y b e f o r e "
t h e p u b l i c a t i o n o f t h e c o l l e c t e d B r id g e s e d i t i o n , h e was
a c q u a i n t e d w i t h H o p k in s' p o e t r y th r o u g h R oger F r y , who was
r e l a t e d t o B r i d g e s ' w i f e . " I t was s h e , " h e t o l d F u l l e r ,
"who l e n t t h e s e t h i n g s w hich w e re i n t h e c u s to d y o f
B r i d g e s , lo n g b e f o r e t h e y w ere p u b l i s h e d , and R oger F ry
3 6
u s e d to r e a d them o u t lo u d t o u s . " I n h i s "N o tes on
T r a n s l a t i o n " p u b l i s h e d i n t h e A t l a n t i c M onthly i n 1958,
h ow ever, i s a p a s s a g e w h ic h b e g i n s :
When I h a d b e e n t r a n s l a t i n g C h in e s e p o e t r y f o r
a b o u t s i x y e a r s , g u id e d m e t r i c a l l y by i n s t i n c t
a l o n e , I d i s c o v e r e d t h a t I h a d b e e n u n c o n s c i o u s l y
o b e y in g a c e r t a i n r u l e .
W aley t h e n goes on t o d e s c r i b e t h i s r u l e , and th e n h e s a y s :
" T h is gave so m e th in g w h ic h G e ra rd M anley H opkins (whom I
37
h ad n o t t h e n r e a d ) c a l l e d , I t h i n k , 's p r u n g r h y t h m . " '
36
" A r th u r Waley i n C o n v e r s a t i o n , " i n Madly S in g in g
i n th e M o u n t a in s , p. 144. T h is c o n v e r s a t i o n to o k p l a c e i n
1963.
37
W aley, "N o tes on T r a n s l a t i o n , " i n Madly S i n g in g
i n t h e M o u n ta in s , p. 158.
58
We h a v e s e e n i n C h a p te r I I t h a t Waley d i d n o t s t a r t l e a r n
in g C h in e se 'ta n til h e to o k t h e jo b i n t h e B r i t i s h Museum
38
i n , a c c o r d i n g t o B a s i l G ray, 1913; " a b o u t s i x y e a r s "
from 1913, th e u tm o s t a llo w a n c e b e in g made f o r t h e word
" a b o u t , " c a n n o t be e a r l i e r th a n 1918. W aley i s th u s s a y in g
i n t h i s p a s s a g e t h a t h e h a d n o t r e a d H o p k in s ’ poems i n
1918, th e y e a r t h e y w e re p u b l i s h e d . T h is c e r t a i n l y i s
i n c o n s i s t e n t w i t h w h at W aley s a i d i n h i s c o n v e r s a t i o n w i t h
Roy F u l l e r . S in c e W aley i n t h e l a t e r p a r t o f t h e same
c o n v e r s a t i o n a g a i n d e n ie d t h a t H o p k in s' p o e t r y h a d h a d any
i n f l u e n c e on h i s t r a n s l a t i o n s from C h in e s e , and s i n c e
W aley c o u ld n o t p o s s i b l y d i s c o v e r t h a t h e h a d b e e n u n con
s c i o u s l y o b e y in g t h a t r u l e l a t e r th a n 1917, t h e y e a r i n
w hich h e f i r s t d e s c r i b e d h i s m e t r i c i n " T h i r t y - e i g h t Poems
by Po C h ii-i," t h e s i x - y e a r f i g u r e m ust b e a m i s t a k e .
H ence, W a le y 's c la im t h a t h e d e v e lo p e d h i s m e t r i c in d e p e n d
e n t o f H o p k in s' i n f l u e n c e i s j u s t i f i e d . I n any c a s e , W aley
i s r i g h t i n b e l i e v i n g t h a t " s p r u n g rhy thm " i s " j u s t a s much
38
See B a s i l G ray, " A r th u r Waley a t t h e B r i t i s h
Museum," i n Madly S in g in g i n t h e M o u n ta in s , pp. 3 7 -3 9 .
59
O Q
an E n g l i s h m e tr e as b l a n k v e r s e " ; w i t h a n t e c e d e n t s i n
J o n s o n , Donne, M i l to n , B la k e , B u rn s, and even S h e l l e y and
40
K e a t s , i t i s c e r t a i n l y p o s s i b l e t h a t W aley c an em erge
fro m t h i s t r a d i t i o n o f E n g l i s h p o e t r y w i t h h i s s t r e s s
rh yth m .
I n u s i n g t h i s s p ru n g rh y th m , d i d W aley s u c c e e d i n
p r o d u c in g " r e g u l a r r h y th m ic e f f e c t s s i m i l a r t o t h o s e o f
41
t h e o r i g i n a l , " as h e aim ed t o do i n 1917? A r e v ie w o f
t h e way i n w hich W aley d e v e lo p e d h i s m e t r i c i s m ost
r e v e a l i n g on t h i s q u e s t i o n . " T r a n s l a t i n g l i t e r a l l y , w i t h
o u t t h i n k i n g a b o u t t h e m e tr e o f t h e v e r s i o n , " he s a y s ,
" o n e f i n d s t h a t a b o u t two l i n e s o u t o f t h r e e h a v e a v e r y
d e f i n i t e sw ing s i m i l a r t o t h a t o f t h e C h in e s e l i n e s " f o r
42
th e rh y th m o f th e o r i g i n a l o b t r u d e s i t s e l f . S in c e
C h in e s e i s an e l l i p t i c a l la n g u a g e and economy o f w ords i s
so i m p o r t a n t a f e a t u r e i n c l a s s i c a l C h in e s e p o e t r y ,
39
W aley, C h in e s e P oem s, p. 5.
^ S e e W a l te r J . Ong, " H o p k in s ’ S p rung Rhythm and
t h e L i f e o f E n g l i s h P o e t r y " i n Im m o rtal Diam ond, e d . Norman
Weyand (New Y ork: Sheed 6c W ard, 1 9 4 9 ), p p . 1 5 9 -1 7 2 .
^ W a l e y , " T h i r t y - e i g h t Poems by Po C h u - i ," p . 53.
42
* I b i d .
60
p r e p o s i t i o n s , a r t i c l e s , and o t h e r c o n n e c t i v e s v e r y seldo m
come i n t o a C h in e s e poem, e s p e c i a l l y i n a f i v e - c h a r a c t e r
l i n e . A l i n e i n a C h in e se poem h e n c e c o n s i s t s m a in ly o f
i m p o r t a n t n o u n s , v e r b s , an d m o d i f i e r s , e a c h o f w h ic h , when
t r a n s l a t e d i n t o E n g l i s h , n a t u r a l l y c a l l s f o r a t l e a s t one
s t r e s s . T hus, i t i s in d e e d q u i t e n a t u r a l t h a t " i f one
t r a n s l a t e s l i t e r a l l y one g e n e r a l l y g e t s a l i n e w i t h f i v e
s t r e s s e s and (as many E n g l i s h w ords h a v e s e v e r a l s y l l a -
b l e s ) a num ber o f u n a c c e n te d s y l l a b l e s . " To c la im t h a t
su c h a l i n e h a s a s i m i l a r r h y th m ic e f f e c t t o t h e o r i g i n a l
i s , h o w e v er, a n o t h e r m a t t e r . C. M. Bowra i s r e p o r t e d to
h a v e re m a rk e d t h a t " W a le y 1s t r a n s l a t i o n s from t h e C h in e s e
w e re , i n form and so u n d , a b s o l u t e l y d i f f e r e n t from t h e
o r i g i n a l s w h ich h a d b e e n r e a d t o him by a C h in e se s tu - -
44
d e n t . " E n g l i s h i s so d i s s i m i l a r t o C h in e s e , and t h e
m e t r i c a l c o n v e n tio n s o f t h e two la n g u a g e s so v e r y d i f f e r
e n t , t h a t p e r h a p s any a t t e m p t t o r e - c r e a t e a rh y th m i n
E n g l i s h s i m i l a r t o t h e o r i g i n a l C h in e s e i s f u t i l e . Waley
W aley, One H undred and S e v e n ty C h in e s e Poem s,
p . 8 .
44
J . M. Cohen, "D r. W a le y 's T r a n s l a t i o n s , " i n
Madly S i n g in g i n t h e M o u n t a in s , p . 30.
61
h i m s e l f d i d n o t make t h e same c la im o f s i m i l a r i t y when
45
t a l k i n g a b o u t h i s s p ru n g rh yth m l a t e r .
But n o t o n ly i s i t d u b io u s w h e th e r W a le y 's s p ru n g
rh y th m p ro d u c e s " r h y th m ic e f f e c t s s i m i l a r t o t h o s e o f t h e
o r i g i n a l , " i t i s e v en d o u b t f u l w h e th e r t h i s s p ru n g rh y th m
p ro d u c e s " r e g u l a r r h y th m ic e f f e c t s . " F o r i f r e g u l a r , i t
i s o n ly r e g u l a r i n h a v in g a r e g u l a r number o f s t r e s s e s ,
s i n c e th e num ber o f u n a c c e n t e d s y l l a b l e s v a r i e s from z e ro
t o t h r e e . And as D avid Hawkes p o i n t s o u t:
Used w i t h o u t p r i n t e d a c c e n t s (an d Dr. W a le y 's t r a n s
l a t i o n s n e v e r h a v e them) " s p r i n g rh y th m " h a s , i n
common w i t h c e r t a i n o t h e r k i n d s o f v e r s e , one s e r i o u s
draw back. The s t r e s s i s a m b ig u o u s.^
W a le y 's own e x am p le , "On th e hxgh h i l l s no c r e a t u r e s t i r s , "
to one u n f a m i l i a r w i t h W a le y 's m ethod , p r o b a b l y w i l l b e
— x _ / —
sc a n n e d a s an ia m b ic t e t r a m e t e r : "On t h e h i g h h i l l no
c r e a t u r e s t i r s . " A f t e r a l l , t h a t t h i s m e t r i c i s a r b i
t r a r i l y im posed upon t h e poems a f t e r t h e t r a n s l a t i o n Waley
d i d n o t deny. He t e l l s us t h a t i t was a f t e r " t r a n s l a t i n g
The i n t r o d u c t i o n i n A H undred arid S e v e n ty C h in e s e
Poems i s o f c o u r s e an e x c e p t i o n s i n c e i t i s b a s e d on t h e
i n t r o d u c t i o n i n " T h i r t y - e i g h t Poems by Po C h u - i . "
46
D avid Hawkes, "From t h e C h i n e s e ," i n Madly S i n g
i n g i n t h e M o u n ta in s , p . 48.
62
C h in e s e p o e t r y f o r a b o u t s i x y e a r s , g u id e d m e t r i c a l l y by
i n s t i n c t a l o n e , " t h a t h e d i s c o v e r e d h e h a d b e e n f o l lo w in g
t h i s r u l e . The s i x - y e a r f i g u r e , as we h a v e s e e n , i s
i n c o r r e c t , b u t th e s u g g e s t i o n t h a t i t was o n ly a f t e r some
y e a r s o f t r a n s l a t i o n t h a t W aley d i s c o v e r e d h i s s p ru n g
rhythm i s r e i n f o r c e d by h i s d e s c r i p t i o n s o f t h e way i n
w hich h e d e v e lo p e d h i s m eth o d , and t h i s we h a v e no r e a s o n
t o d o u b t.
What C onrad A ik e n s a y s a b o u t t h e rh y th m o f A
H undred and S e v e n ty C h in e s e Poems i s , on t h e w h o le , a l s o
c o r r e c t a b o u t W a le y 's o t h e r t r a n s l a t i o n s o f C h in e s e p o e t r y :
Mr. W aley h a s em ployed as h i s t r a n s l a t i o n - m e d i u m ,
f o r t h e m o st p a r t , a f r e e v e r s e i n w h ic h , d e s p i t e
h i s p r e f a c e (he a p p e a r s t o c o n s i d e r t h a t h e h a s
k e p t t h e rh y th m o f t h e o r i g i n a l ) , t h e r e i s h a r d l y a
t r a c e o f any s o r t o f rh y th m , o t h e r t h a n t h a t o f a v>. .
w e l l - f e l t p r o s e . 4-7
When Wen I - t o p r a i s e d W a le y 's c a r e f o r rh y th m , he was
r e v i e w i n g E n g l i s h t r a n s l a t i o n s o f L i P o 's p o e t r y . Waley
p u b l i s h e d a p a p e r , "The P o e t L i P o ," i n t h e A s i a t i c Review
i n 1919, and some o f t h e poems c o n t a i n e d i n t h i s p a p e r
w ere a l s o i n c l u d e d i n The P o e t r y and C a r e e r o f L i Po (1950)
y e a r s l a t e r . A c o m p a ris o n o f s e v e r a l o f them w i l l p ro v e
47
Conrad A ik e n , "W aley, A r t h u r , " R eview er * s ABC
(London: W. H. A l l e n , 1 9 6 1 ), p . 377.
63
b e n e f i c i a l to t h e u n d e r s t a n d i n g o f W a le y ’ s rh y th m i n h i s
t r a n s l a t i o n o f C h in e s e p o e t r y .
I n h i s p a p e r on L i Po, W aley t r a n s l a t e d a lo n g
poem e n t i t l e d " S e n t t o t h e Com missary Yuan o f C h 'i a o C i t y ,
i n Memory o f Form er E x c u r s i o n s , " an i m p o r t a n t poem b e c a u s e
i n i t L i Po o u t l i n e s h i s own l i f e . H ence, i n w r i t i n g t h e
l i f e o f L i Po, W aley a f t e r w a r d s a l s o i n c l u d e d t h i s poem.
Coming to t h e e a r l y v e r s i o n o f t h e t r a n s l a t i o n a l o n e , one
w ould h av e d i f f i c u l t y r e a l i z i n g t h a t one i s c o n f r o n t e d
w i t h p o e t r y . I t b e g i n s :
Do you rem ember how once a t L o -y a n g , Tung T sao -
c h ’ i n b u i l t us a w in e -to w e r s o u t h o f t h e T 'i e n - c h i n g '
B rid g e ?
W ith y e ll o w g o ld and t a l l i e s o f w h i t e j a d e we
b o u g h t so ngs and l a u g h t e r , and we w ere dru n k m onth
a f t e r m o nth, w i t h no th o u g h t o f k i n g s and p r i n c e s ,
th o u g h among us w ere t h e w i s e s t and b r a v e s t w i t h i n
th e F o u r S e a s , and men o f h i g h p r o m o tio n .
(B ut w i t h you above a l l my h e a r t was a t no
c r o s s - p u r p o s e . ) Going ro u n d m o u n ta in s and s k i r t i n g
l a k e s was a s n o t h i n g t o them . They p o u r e d o u t t h e i r
h e a r t s and m in d s , and h e l d n o t h i n g b a c k . 4-8
Compare i t w i t h t h e l a t e r v e r s i o n :
Do yo u rem em ber how once a t L o-yang
Tung T s a o - c h ’ i u b u i l t us a w in e - to w e r s o u t h o f
t h e T 'i e n - c h i n g B rid g e ?
W ith y e llo w g o l d and t a l l i e s o f w h i t e j a d e
we b o u g h t so ngs and l a u g h t e r
^ W a l e y , "The P o e t L i P o ," A s i a t i c R ev iew , XV
(1 9 1 9 ), 603.
64
And we w ere d ru n k m onth a f t e r m onth,
s c o r n i n g p r i n c e s and r u l e r s .
Among u s w ere t h e w i s e s t and b r a v e s t w i t h i n
th e F ou r S e a s , w i t h th o u g h ts h i g h as t h e c l o u d s .
(B ut w i t h you above a l l my h e a r t was a t no
c r o s s - p u r p o s e .)
Going ro u n d m o u n t a i n s , s k i r t i n g l a k e s
was as n o t h i n g to them ,
A l l t h e i r f e e l i n g s , a l l t h e i r t h o u g h ts w ere o u rs
to s h a r e ; th e y h e l d n o t h i n g b a c k . 4-9
Among t h e s e e i g h t l i n e s , th e f i r s t , s e c o n d ( " T s a o - c h * in "
i n t h e e a r l i e r v e r s i o n i s p r o b a b l y a m i s p r i n t o f " T sa o -
c h ’ i u " ) , t h i r d , s i x t h , a n d s e v e n t h l i n e s a r e t a k e n word
f o r w ord from t h e e a r l i e r v e r s i o n , and th e o t h e r t h r e e l i n e s
h a v e some a l t e r a t i o n s . T h u s , t h e p r i n c i p a l d i f f e r e n c e
b e tw een th e two v e r s i o n s i s t h e ty p o g ra p h y ; W aley s im p ly
b ro k e down t h e o r i g i n a l p a r a g r a p h s i n t o l i n e s . Nor i s t h i s
th e o n ly poem w i t h w h ich W aley d i d t h i s . "The D i s t a n t
P a r t i n g , " w h ich b e g in s t h i s way i n The P o e t r y and C a r e e r o f
L i P o ,
Long ago t h e r e w e re two queen s c a l l e d Huang
and Y ing.
They s t o o d on th e s h o r e s o f t h e H s i a o - h s i a n g ,
s o u th o f t h e T u n g - t 'i n g L ake.
Deep was t h e i r s o rro w as t h e w a t e r s o f t h e la k e
t h a t go down t e n th o u s a n d l e a g u e s .
49
W aley, The P o e t r y and C a r e e r o f L i Po (London:
A l l e n & Unwin, 1 9 6 9 ), pp . 1 2 -1 3 .
65
Dark c lo u d s b l a c k e n e d th e su n , a p es ho w led i n
th e m i s t and g h o s t s w h i s t l e d i n t h e r a i n , 50
rim s l i k e t h i s i n t h e e a r l i e r v e r s i o n :
Long ago t h e r e w e re two q u e en s c a l l e d Huang
and Y ing. And th e y s t o o d on t h e s h o r e s o f th e
H s i a o - h s i a n g , t o t h e s o u t h o f Lake T u n g - t 'i n g .
T h e i r so rro w was deep as t h e w a t e r s o f th e Lake t h a t
go s t r a i g h t down a th o u s a n d m i l e s . Dark c lo u d s
b l a c k e n e d th e su n . S h o jo ho w led i n t h e m i s t and
g h o s t s w h i s t l e d i n th e r a i n . 51
And "The Szechwan Road" i n th e p a p e r b e g i n s :
Eheu! How d a n g e r o u s , how h ig h ! I t w o uld be
e a s i e r t o clim b to H eaven t h a n to w a lk th e Szechwan
r o a d .
S in c e T s ’ an T s 'u n g an d Yu Fu r u l e d t h e l a n d ,
f o r t y - e i g h t th o u s a n d y e a r s h a d gone by; and s t i l l
no human f o o t h a d p a s s e d from Shu t o th e f r o n t i e r s
o f C h 'i n . To th e w e s t a c r o s s T ’ a i - p o shan t h e r e was
a b i r d - t r a c k , by w h ich one c o u ld c r o s s t o t h e r i d g e
o f O-mi. B u t t h e e a r t h o f th e h i l l cru m b led and
h e r o e s p e r i s h e d . 52
I n t h e r e v i s e d v e r s i o n i t i s :
Eheu! How d a n g e ro u s , how h ig h !
I t w ou ld b e e a s i e r t o clim b t o Heaven
Than w a lk th e Szechwan Road.
S in c e T s ' an T s 'u n g and Yii Fu r u l e d th e la n d
F o r t y - e i g h t th o u s a n d y e a r s h a v e gone by ,
And s t i l l from t h e kingdom o f Shu t o th e
f r o n t i e r s o f C h 'i n
No human h e a r t h was l i t .
50I b i d . , pp. 3 6 -3 7 .
51W aley, "The P o e t L i P o ," p. 595.
52I b i d . , p. 596.
66
To th e w e s t , s t a r t i n g from t h e g r e a t W hite
M o u n ta in , i t was s a i d
T h ere was a b i r d - t r a c k t h a t c u t a c r o s s to th e
m o u n ta in s o f Szechwan;
B ut t h e e a r t h o f t h e h i l l cru m b led
and h e r o e s p e r i s h e d . 53
"A Dream o f T 'ie n - m u M o u n tain " i s o n ly p a r t o f t h e o r i g i n a l
C h in e s e poem. The same t h i n g h a p p en s h e r e . P u b l i s h e d i n
a p r o s e form o r i g i n a l l y (th o u g h w i t h t h e s u b t i t l e " P a r t o f
a Poem i n I r r e g u l a r M e t r e " ) , i t i s l a t e r b ro k e n up i n t o
l i n e s . The f i r s t p a r t s o f th e two v e r s i o n s a r e , r e s p e c
t i v e l y , as f o l l o w s :
On th r o u g h th e n i g h t I fle w , h i g h o v e r t h e M i r r o r
L ake. The lak e-m o o n c a s t my shadow on t h e waves
and t r a v e l l e d w i t h me to th e s t r e a m o f Shan. The
L o rd H s i e h 's l o d g i n g - p l a c e was s t i l l t h e r e . The
b l u e w a t e r s r i p p l e d ; th e c r y o f t h e a p es was s h r i l l .
I shod my f e e t w i t h t h e sh o e s o f t h e L o rd H s ie h and
" c lim b e d to H eaven on a l a d d e r o f d a rk c l o u d s . "-54
On th r o u g h th e n i g h t I fle w ,
H igh o v e r t h e M i r r o r L ake.
The lak e-m o o n c a s t my shadow on t h e waves
And t r a v e l l e d w i t h me t o th e S tre a m o f Shan.
The L o rd H s i e h 's l o d g i n g - p l a c e was s t i l l t h e r e ;
The g r e e n w a t e r s r i p p l e d , th e c ry o f th e apes
was s h r i l l .
I sh o d my f e e t w i t h t h e sh o e s o f th e L ord H s ie h
And c lim b e d t o H eaven on a l a d d e r o f d a rk c l o u d s . 55
51
W aley, The P o e t r y and C a r e e r o f L i P o , p p . . 3 8 -3 9 .
54
W aley, "The P o e t L i P o ," p . 605.
55
W aley, The P o e t r y and C a r e e r o f L i P o , p p , 4 2 -4 3 .
67
A c o m p a riso n w i l l show t h a t w i t h t h e e x c e p t i o n o f " g r e e n "
r e p l a c i n g " b l u e " n o t a w ord i s c h an g ed . Only th e t y p o g r a
phy i s d i f f e r e n t .
R ev iew in g L i l y P a o -h u Chang and M a r j o r i e S i n c l a i r ' s
The Poems o f T 'a o C h 'i e n , W aley p r o c l a im s t h a t t h e i r t r a n s
l a t i o n s a r e to o o f t e n " s im p ly p r o s e p r i n t e d as th o u g h i t
56
w ere p o e t r y . " B ut i s h e n o t d o in g t h e same t h i n g h e r e ?
One h a s t o a g r e e w i t h A iken t h a t t h e s o r t o f rh y th m one
g e n e r a l l y f i n d s i n W a le y 's t r a n s l a t i o n s i s t h a t o f a w e l l -
f e l t p r o s e , n o t t h a t o f a r e g u l a r m e t e r . H is w orks a r e
l i k e th e " p o l y p h o n ic p r o s e " d e v e lo p e d by Amy L o w ell and
Jo hn G ould F l e t c h e r , on th e b o r d e r b e tw e e n p r o s e and
p o e t r y . T h is i s , h o w ev er, n o t t o b e l i t t l e W aley. Even
Whitman, whom h e c la im s he a d o r e s , i s , h e s a y s , " r e a l l y
57
p r o s e p r i n t e d d i f f e r e n t l y . "
56
A r t i b u s A s i a e , XVII (1 9 5 4 ), 179.
57
" A r t h u r W aley i n C o n v e r s a t i o n ," i n Madly S in g in g
i n th e M o u n ta in s , p. 139.
68
CHAPTER IV
TRANSLATIONS
P i e c e s o f W a le y 's t r a n s l a t i o n s o f C h in e se p o e t r y
hav e b e e n r e f e r r e d t o i n p r e v i o u s c h a p t e r s i n t h e d i s c u s
s i o n o f th e e d i t i o n s an d r e v i s i o n s o f h i s w orks and h i s
t h e o r y o f t r a n s l a t i o n . Thus f a r , ho w ev er, t h e t r a n s l a t i o n s
th e m s e lv e s h a v e n o t y e t b e e n t a k e n as t h e s u b j e c t f o r
s t u d y . T h is c h a p t e r w i l l p r e s e n t a c r i t i c a l e x a m in a tio n
o f W a le y 's t r a n s l a t i o n s o f C h in e s e p o e t r y .
B e fo re th e d i s c u s s i o n o f t r a n s l a t i o n s and t h e com
p a r i s o n o f them w i t h t h e i r o r i g i n a l s , h o w e v er, we m ust
f i r s t t a k e n o t e o f t h e o r i g i n a l t e x t s t h a t a r e b e in g t r a n s
l a t e d . I n th e p r e f a c e o f C h in e s e P oem s, W aley w r i t e s :
" I h o p e , i f o p p o r t u n i t y o f f e r s , to make a s e p a r a t e e d i t i o n
w i t h th e C h in e s e t e x t o p p o s i t e t h e poems."'*' U n f o r t u n a t e l y ,
t h i s e d i t i o n n e v e r m a t e r i a l i z e d . T e x t r e f e r e n c e s a r e g iv e n
1
A r t h u r W aley, C h in e s e Poems (London: A l l e n &
Unwin, 1 9 4 6 ), p. 5.
69
i n t h e t a b l e s o f c o n t e n t s i n The T em ple and. O th e r Poems
and C h in e se Poems, b u t t h e y a r e in c o m p l e t e , and e x c e p t i n
t h e c a s e o f Po C h ii-i, s p e c i f i c e d i t i o n s o f w orks u s e d a r e
n o t g iv e n . Lu Y u 's " B o a tin g i n Autumn" and "The H erd
B o y ," f o r e x am p le , h a v e no t e x t r e f e r e n c e , and t h e s o u r c e
o f t h e same p o e t ' s "The P e d l a r o f S p e l l s " i s g iv e n as
chuan 28 o f " S h ih Pa C h i a ," ^ w h i l e S h ih p a c h i a s h i h c h ’ ao
( - j~ / V m e a n t. The poems o f T ’ ao C h 'i e n ,
a c c o r d i n g t o t h e t e x t r e f e r e n c e s , s h o u l d b e fo u n d i n chUan
3
3 t o chuan 6 o f h i s W o rk s. No s p e c i f i c e d i t i o n o f T 'a o
C h 'i e n 's Works i s g iv e n , h o w ev er, and a f t e r lo o k in g up more
th a n t e n d i f f e r e n t e d i t i o n s , I h a v e n o t b e e n a b l e t o f i n d
one t h a t p u t s T ' a o ' s poems i n chuan 3 t o chu an 6 i n s t e a d
o f i n chuan 1 t o chuan 4. T h is p r e s e n t s o f c o u r s e a p r o b
lem t o e v e ry o n e who t a l k s a b o u t W a le y 's t r a n s l a t i o n s , f o r
v a r i a n t r e a d i n g s o f C h in ese c l a s s i c a l poems a r e n o t
uncommon and d e te r m i n i n g t h e b a s i c t e x t t h a t i s b e i n g
t r a n s l a t e d i s no e a s y t a s k . When Chang C h 'i - c h ' u n
) com pares u n f a v o r a b l y W a le y 's t r a n s l a t i o n o f T 'a o
C h 'i e n 1 s "Y in c h i u s h i h " 7$} ) t o T e r e s a L i ' s , he
3I b i d . , p . 14.
3I b i d . , p . 9.
70
n e g l e c t s t h a t W aley may h a v e t r a n s l a t e d from t h e t e x t i n
Wen H suan, w here th e two l i n e s i n q u e s t i o n a r e
" c h i e n " may p ro d u c e a m ore d e s i r a b l e p o e t i c e f f e c t th a n
"wang" i n e n h a n c in g t h e s p o n ta n e o u s a t t i t u d e o f t h e
n a r r a t o r i n t h e o r i g i n a l poem. R uth P e r l m u t t e r i n h e r
d i s s e r t a t i o n on W aley t a l k s a b o u t h i s t r a n s l a t i o n o f
a n o t h e r T 'a o C h 'i e n poem, "New C o m ," p r o v i d i n g t h e C h in e s e
o r i g i n a l as w e l l a s a s h o r t d i s c u s s i o n . W a le y 's v e r s i o n ,
l i k e " F lo o d " m e n tio n e d i n C h a p te r I I I , i s a g a i n o n ly one
s t a n z a , t h i s tim e t h e f i r s t s t a n z a , o f a f o u r - s t a n z a poem
4
i n s t e a d o f
as q u o te d i n C h a n g 's book.
5
T h u s, W a le y 's " g a z e a t "
p r o p e r l y t r a n s l a t e s t h e w ord as L i ' s " s e e "
a lt h o u g h a d m i t t e d l y
^ H siao T 'u n g , Wen Hsuan (Hong Kong, 1 9 6 0 ), chuan
30, p. 658.
5„
See Chang C h 'i - c h ' u n , Fan i c h ih i s h u (
&) ( T a i p e i , 1 9 7 2 ), p. 104.
71
" S h ih yiin" ) . B ut s i n c e i t i s q u i t e c l o s e t o th e
o r i g i n a l , one can s e e from t h e f i f t h and s i x t h l i n e s
By t h e m o u n ta i n - s t r e a m a m i s t h o v e r s ,
H o vers a moment, t h e n s c a t t e r s 6
t h a t W aley i s n o t t r a n s l a t i n g from t h e t e x t P e r l m u t t e r
a r e t h e o r i g i n a l l i n e s . T hus, i t goes w i t h o u t s a y in g t h a t
th e w ord "y u " w h ich d oes n o t e x i s t i n t h e o r i g i n a l
t e x t o f W a le y 's t r a n s l a t i o n , c a n n o t p o s s i b l y " c o n t r i b u t e
to th e i d e a o f n a t u r e as m a n 's s h e l t e r " a s P e r l m u t t e r
8
c la im s i t does i n h e r d i s c u s s i o n o f t h e t r a n s l a t e d poem.
^W aley, C h in e s e Poem s, p . 107.
^See t h e n o t e s o f T 'a o Shu (1*^0 ) on t h e poem
i n C h in g - c h ie h h s i e n sneng c h i , chuan 1, f . 2a.
g
R u th P e r l m u t t e r , " A r t h u r W aley and H is P l a c e i n
th e Modern Movement B etw een t h e Two W ars" ( u n p u b l is h e d
d o c t o r a l d i s s e r t a t i o n , U n i v e r s i t y o f P e n n s y l v a n ia , 1 9 7 1 ),
p. 61.
72
I n s t i l l a n o t h e r poem by T 'a o Ch.'Ten, " Hsirig y in g s h e n "
( ) » W a le y 's " S u b s t a n c e , Shadow, and S p i r i t , "
l i n e s 7 and 8 o f t h e s p e e c h o f S p i r i t ,
Nor by any means can we e s c a p e
The i n t i m a t e s h a r i n g o f good and i l l ,"
a r e b a s e d on th e t e x t :
I n th e l a s t c h a r a c t e r "y u " cm- ) h e r e W aley f o l lo w s a
t e x t u a l n o t e i n t h e T 'a n g T u n g -c h ie n ( $|jr> ) e d i
t i o n , d i f f e r i n g from t h e homophonous "yu" C'^%' ) i n o t h e r
e d i t i o n s .
T h a t W aley som etim es f o llo w s s e v e r a l e d i t i o n s i n
t r a n s l a t i n g one poem i s f u r t h e r b o r n e o u t by h i s t r a n s l a -
t i o n o f o t h e r p r e - T 'a n g poem s. Kuo M a o - c h 'i e n 's (Jgj
Yiieh f u s h i h c h i , W a le y 's Yo Fu S h ih C h i)
and Shen T e - c h ' i e n ' s Ku s h i h y u an b o t h a p p e a r i n W a le y 's
n o te b o o k o f p r e - T 'a n g poems p r e s e r v e d i n t h e W aley C o l l e c
t i o n o f R u tg e r s U n i v e r s i t y , " ^ and t h e s e two c o l l e c t i o n s o f
9
W aley, C h in e s e Poem s, p . 103.
■^See T 'a o S h u 's n o t e s i n C h in g - c h ie h h s i e n sheng
c h i , chuan 2 , f . 2a.
11,
F o l . 1, 2, 24, 25.
73
C h in e s e p o e t r y a r e t h e m ain s o u r c e s o f t h e t e x t u a l
r e f e r e n c e s i n The Temple and O th e r Poems a n d C h in e s e Poems
r e s p e c t i v e l y . T hus, t h e s o u r c e o f "The Song o f Lo Fu" and
" C h iao Chung- c h ' i n g 1s W ife" i s Yiieh f u s h i h c h i i n The
12
Temple and O th e r Poem s, b u t t h e same poems w i t h s l i g h t l y
a l t e r e d t i t l e s , "T he Song o f L o - fu " and "A P e a c o c k Flew
. . ." q u o te Ku s h i h yuan a s t h e i r t e x t u a l r e f e r e n c e s
13
i n s t e a d . The same t h i n g h a p p e n s w i t h "The B a l l a d o f
M u la n ." The t e x t r e f e r e n c e i n C h in e s e Poems c i t e s Ku s h i h
yuan as i t s s o u r c e , b u t i n a p a s s a g e i n w h ic h Mulan r e p l i e s
t o t h e Khan upon b e in g a s k e d w h at sh e w ou ld l i k e t o h av e
a s a r e w a rd , t h e C h in e s e Poems v e r s i o n g o e s :
"Oh, Mulan a s k s n o t t o b e made
A c o u n s e l l o r a t t h e K h a n 's c o u r t ;
I o n ly beg f o r a cam el t h a t can m arch
A th o u s a n d l e a g u e s a d ay, ^
To t a k e me b a c k t o my hom e."
12
A r t h u r W aley, The Temple and O th e r Poems (New
Y ork: K nopf, 1 9 2 3 ), p. 6 .
13
W aley, C h in e s e P oem s, pp . 8 and 9.
^ W a l e y , C h in e s e P oem s, p . 114. The v e r s i o n i n
The Temple and O th e r Poems i s s l i g h t l y d i f f e r e n t : f o r " I "
i n l i n e 3 h e r e r e a d s " S h e ," and f o r "me" and "my" i n l i n e
5 r e a d " h e r " and " h e r . "
74
The o r i g i n a l l i n e s i n Ku s h i h yuan a r e
si 4 - ifj ^
4k i t -f ^
15
The Temple and O th e r Poems q u o t e s , on t h e o t h e r h a n d ,
Yiieh fu s h i h c h i as t h e t e x t u a l r e f e r e n c e o f t h e poem. The
same t e x t a p p e a r s t h e r e , b u t u n d e r t h e s e c o n d l i n e / ^ j i
t h e r e i s a n o t e w h ic h r u n s : " M .
f T £ -# ! /M ^ -f £ A. .-1 6
O b v io u s ly , t h i s v a r i a n t r e a d i n g , a d o p te d by W aley, i s th e
s o u r c e f o r th e l i n e s
I o n ly beg f o r a cam el t h a t can m arch
A th o u s a n d l e a g u e s a day.
One more c a s e i n w h ic h W aley a d o p ts v a r i a n t r e a d
i n g s i n h i s t r a n s l a t i o n o f C h in e s e p o e t r y i s a poem by
C h 'u Yuan fro m t h e a n c i e n t a n th o l o g y C h 'u T z 'u ( /
o r The E l e g i e s o f C h 'u ) . The v e r s i o n e n t i t l e d " B a t t l e "
■^Shen T e - c h 'i e n , Ku s h i h y u a n , chiian 13, f . 18b,
19a.
16
' i v 5 uo M a o - c h 'ie n , Sung p e n yu eh f u s h i h c h i
( r %\ ^ r ‘-tfs $$ > chiian 25, 5. 10b. Chiian 16 o f
Tuan c h 1 e n g - s h i h 's Yu yang t s a t s u , a s we h a v e i t to d a y ,
h ow ever, o n ly sa y s 'f& jlL , f % # f, f %
. . 1 5 s ) •
75
x T • 1 8
i n A H undred and Severity C h in e se Poems b e g i n s :
"We g r a s p o u r b a t t l e - s p e a r s : we don o u r b r e a s t
p l a t e s o f h i d e . . . .1 7
T h is i s o b v i o u s l y t h e t r a n s l a t i o n o f t h e f i r s t l i n e o f
"Kuo s h a n g " ( ) i n C hiu ko ( '/b ) :
I n C h in e s e Poem s, ho w ev er, t h e same poem, now c a l l e d "Hymn
t o t h e F a l l e n , " s t a r t s :
"We h o l d o u r f l a t s h i e l d s , we w e a r o u r j e r k i n s
o f h i d e . . . .
F o r t h i s a b r u p t chang e from " b a t t l e - s p e a r s " t o " f l a t
s h i e l d s , " W aley i n an a d d i t i o n a l n o t e r e f e r s t h e r e a d e r to
T z 'u t 'u n g ( j ^ Jj|[^ ) by Chu Ch’ i - f e n g , w here
i t i s shown t h a t one o f " t h e v a r i o u s ways i n w h ic h t h i s
e x p r e s s i o n " "wu k o " ) " i s w r i t t e n " i s "wu k ' o "
~3p\ )> t h e s o u r c e o f " f l a t s h i e l d s . B ut W aley
17
A r t h u r W aley, A H und red and S e v e n ty C h in e s e Poems
(New York: K nopf, 1 9 1 9 ), p. 39.
^^Hung H s i n g - t s u ( ) , Ch' u T z 1u pu chu
( ) (Hong Kong, 1 9 6 3 ), chiian 2, f . 22a.
19
W aley, C h in e se Poem s, p. 35.
20
W aley, C h in e s e P o e m s, p. 200; s e e a l s o Chu
C h 'i - f e n g , T z 'u T 'u n g (S h a n g h a i, 1 9 3 4 ), p. 411.
76
c o u ld h a v e r e l i e d on a much e a r l i e r and m ore r e l i a b l e
s o u r c e t h a n t h e 1934 T z 'u T 'u n g , w h ic h h e h i m s e l f e ls e w h e r e
21
w a rn s "m u st be u s e d w i t h c a u t i o n , " f o r i n t h e e a r l i e s t
com m entary s t i l l p r e s e r v e d to d a y , Wang I ( JfL i f c . c. 120)
22
a c t u a l l y g i v e s "wu k ' o" as a v a r i a n t r e a d i n g o f t h e t e x t .
And Waley i s n o t u n f a m i l i a r w i t h Wang I ' s com m entary on
Ch1u t z * u , s i n c e h e r e f e r s t o i t i n The Temple and O th e r
23
Poem s.
T h is b r i n g s up t h e s e c o n d p ro b le m t h a t b e a r s d i s
c u s s i o n b e f o r e we d e a l d i r e c t l y w i t h t h e t r a n s l a t i o n : th e
c o m m e n ta rie s. I n a d i s p u t e b e tw e e n W aley and H. A. G i l e s
c a r r i e d on m a in ly i n t h e New C h in a Review fro m 1920 t o
1922, G i l e s a t t a c k e d W a le y 's t r a n s l a t i o n o f "The G r e a t
Summons" as b e in g to o f r e e , and W aley r e p l i e d t h a t p a r t o f
t h e r e a s o n G i l e s ' s t r a n s l a t i o n d i f f e r e d fro m h i s was
24
b e c a u s e G i l e s h a d f o l lo w e d o t h e r c o m m e n ta to rs. I n d e e d
21
A r t h u r W aley, The Book o f S o n g s , S u p p le m e n t Con
t a i n i n g T e x t u a l N o te s (London: A l l e n & Unwin, 1 9 3 7 ), p. 5.
22
See Hung H s i n g - t s u , C h 'u T z 'u pu c h u , chiian 2,
f . 22a.
23
W aley, The Temple and O th e r Poem s, pp . 23 and
147.
24
See H. A. G i l e s , "A R e - t r a n s l a t i o n ," New C hina
R ev ie w , I I (1 9 2 0 ), 320, an d A r t h u r W aley, " N o te s on t h e
' L u t e - G i r l ' s S o n g , '" New C h in a R e v ie w , I I ( 1 9 2 0 ) , 596.
77
a l l o f t h e i m p o r t a n t i s s u e s i n t h i s d i s p u t e a r e r e l a t e d to
c o m m e n ta rie s. A g r e a t num ber o f d i v e r s e c o m m e n ta rie s on
a n c i e n t C h in e s e p o e t r y e x i s t s , e s p e c i a l l y on th e two o l d e s t
a n t h o l o g i e s , S h ih c h in g and C h 'u t z ' u , and f o l l o w i n g
d i f f e r e n t c o m m e n ta rie s may w e l l r e s u l t i n e n t i r e l y d i f f e r
e n t i n t e r p r e t a t i o n s o f a poem. A poem from S h ih c h in g
t r a d i t i o n a l l y c a l l e d " Chi m ing" (^pL ) , f o r e x am p le,
i s r e g a r d e d a s a song o f c o u r t s h i p i n W a le y 's The Book o f
Songs (1937) and t r a n s l a t e d t h e r e as a d i a l o g u e b e tw e e n a
la d y who i s b e s e e c h i n g h e r l o v e r to l e a v e b e f o r e m o rn in g
25
comes and h e r l o v e r who i s r e l u c t a n t t o l e a v e . I n
C h in e s e P o em s, h o w e v er, f o l l o w i n g t h e t r a d i t i o n a l com
m e n t a r i e s o f Cheng Hslian ( ) and Chu H s i ) »
Waley r e n d e r s t h e poem a s one i n w h ich t h e q u e en e n t r e a t s
26
th e k in g to l e a v e h e r s i d e t o go to t h e m o rn in g c o u r t .
A s i m i l a r t h i n g h a p p e n s when G i l e s t r a n s l a t e s n i n e o f th e
" Ku s h i h s h i h c h i u s h o u " ( 'flj "jij~ , " N in e te e n
25
See A r t h u r W aley, The Book o f Songs (New York:
Grove P r e s s , 1 9 6 0 ), p. 37.
2 6
S eeJW aley, C h in e s e Poem s, p p . 2 1 -2 2 , K 'a n g Y ing-
ta CfU i f L )> Mao s h i h cheng i ( j £ j 1 ) , ^
chiian 5, f . l a - 4 b , an d Chu H s i, S h ih c h i chiian ( m ,
chiian 5, f . l a - 2 a .
78
O ld Poem s") i n h i s "A P o e t o f t h e 2nd C ent . .B.C.
p o i n t i n g o u t t h a t h i s " r e n d e r i n g s d i f f e r c o n s i d e r a b l y from
Mr. W a l e y 's . " They d i f f e r b e c a u s e G i l e s f o llo w s w h a t h e
c a l l s " t h e l a t e s t r e s e a r c h e s " w h ic h h a v e shown t h a t th e
n i n e poems w ere a l l w r i t t e n by Mei Sheng , an d
t h a t " t o be u n d e r s t o o d , th e y m u st b e r e a d i n a c e r t a i n
o r d e r , i n c o n n e x io n w i t h t h e p o l i t i c a l e v e n t s o f th e
27
p e r i o d . " G i l e s f a i l s t o i d e n t i f y t h e s e " l a t e s t
r e s e a r c h e s , " b u t t h e u n i q u e , i f n o t b i z a r r e , p o l i t i c a l
i n t e r p r e t a t i o n o f t h e poems and t h e c i t a t i o n o f th e
s e n t e n c e " Ching mi p ' o e r h t z ' u mi h u a n " ( M & ' f
ilL.) l e a v e l i t t l e d o u b t t h a t he i s f o l lo w in g
S h ih p i h s i n g c h ie n ( ) by Ch' en Hang
( ) , w h ic h was f i r s t p u b l i s h e d a ro u n d 1854, h a r d l y
28
t h e " l a t e s t " r e s e a r c h . O th e r t h a n t h e s e n i n e poem s, a
l i n e i n a n o t h e r o f t h e " N in e te e n Old Poems" i s a l s o a t
i s s u e : t h e t e n t h l i n e o f " C h 'in g c h 'i n g l i n g shang p o "
^ H . A. G i l e s , "A P o e t o f t h e 2nd C ent. B . C . , "
New C h ina R e v ie w , I I ( 1 9 2 0 ), 25.
28
See G i l e s , op. c i t . , 34n, and C h 'e n Hang, S h ih
p i h s i n g c h ie n (Hong Kong, 1 9 6 5 ), ch u an 1, pp. 1 6 -2 1 ; t h e
c i t a t i o n t a k e n from p . 2 0 .
79
, W a le y 's " G re e n , g r e e n , t h e c y p r e s s on
t h e m o u n d " ). In t h e o r i g i n a l , i t i s :
M L n
1=0 IK . 29
W aley t r a n s l a t e s i t as
The "Caps and B e l t s " go s e e k i n g e a c h o t h e r o u t ,
w i t h a f o o t n o t e t h a t e x p l a i n s "C aps and B e l t s " as m eaning
30
"H igh O f f i c e r s . " G i l e s c a l l s W a le y 's v e r s i o n an " a b s o
l u t e i n a c c u r a c y " and c la im s t h a t " o f c o u r s e t h e w ord 't
h a s h e r e i t s o r i g i n a l m ean in g o f ' r o p e , 1 w h ich c o n veys t o
t h e r e a d e r t h e p i c t u r e o f ' s t r i n g s o f h i g h o f f i c i a l s p a s s -
31
i n g to and f r o . " ' I n r e p l y , W aley q u o te s from t h e com
m e n ta ry t o s u p p o r t h i m s e l f :
P r i n c e C hao-m ing, t h e c o m p ile r ( i n t h e 6t h c e n t u r y )
o f t h e Wen Hsiian s a y s : /J?
" So means 1 t o s e e k ' ; t h e p o e t s a y s t h a t t h e h i g h
o f f i c i a l s f o l lo w and s e e k one a n o t h e r . "32
29 * •
Shen T e - c h ie n , Ku s h i h y u a n , chuan 4 , f . 6b.
30
W aley, A H undred and S e v e n ty C h in e se Poem s, pp.
6 1 -6 2 ; t h e v e r s i o n re m a in s u n c h an g e d i n C h in e s e Poem s, p.
57.
*^H. A. G i l e s , "Mr. W aley and 'T h e L u te G i r l ' s
S o n g , " ' New C hina R ev ie w , I I I ( 1 9 2 1 ) , 288.
32
A r t h u r W aley, " 'T h e L u te G i r l ' s S o n g , '" New
C h in a R eview , I I I (1 9 2 1 ), 377.
80
D e s p i t e G i l e s ' s i n s i s t e n c e t o " c o n t i n u e t o c l i n g f o r
s a f e t y " t o h i s " r o p e , " £o ( / i ^ V ) does mean " t o s e e k " h e r e
and W aley i s r i g h t i n h i s i n t e r p r e t a t i o n o f t h i s l i n e .
Y et G i l e s ' s d o u b t t h a t t h e com m entary may n o t b e by P r i n c e
33
Chao-ming (H sia o T 'u n g , 5 0 1-531 ) i s o f c o u r s e j u s t i f i e d .
A c c o rd in g t o t h e Lu c h 'e n chu e d i t i o n o f Wen Hsuan ( 7 n ^
y i- t h e f i r s t p a r t o f t h e s e n t e n c e c i t e d by
W aley, " ," i s from t h e com m entary by L i Shan
c M - , i n t h e s e v e n t h c e n t u r y ) who i n t u r n i s q u o t in g
fro m th e C hia K 'u e i (Jj^-3^1 3 0 -1 0 1 ) com m entary on Kuo YU
( d§] 'p'o' ) . The l a t t e r p a r t o f t h e s e n t e n c e " /^p :ZL_
A . is M M & i s from t h e Wu c h ' en chu
( Jk. ) , i n t h i s c a s e , from t h e com m entary by Lu
f 3 Z |.
H sia n g (Q \xf] , i n t h e e i g h t h c e n t u r y ) .
The same l a c k o f f a m i l i a r i t y w i t h t h e co m m en ta rie s
a t t h a t tim e on b o t h G i l e s ' s and W a le y 's p a r t s shows i n
t h e i r e x c h a n g e s a b o u t "The G r e a t Summons." As q u o te d
a b o v e, W aley d e fe n d s h i m s e l f p a r t l y by c la im i n g t h a t he
33
H. A. G i l e s , " 'T h e Caps and B e l t s , " ' New C hina
R eview , IV (1 9 2 2 ), 400 and 395.
34
See H s ia o T ung , Wen Hsuan i n t h e Ssu pu ts u n g
k ' an ( \$Q ) > chu.an. 29, 2b.
81
and G i l e s f o l l o w d i f f e r e n t c o m m e n ta to rs . Y et h e n o t o n ly
n e g l e c t s t o p o i n t o u t w h a t com m entary G i l e s f o l l o w s , b u t
a l s o f a i l s t o t e l l w h a t com m entary h e h i m s e l f r e l i e s on.
G i l e s , on t h e o t h e r h a n d , th o u g h r e f e r r i n g t o " t h e com
m e n ta ry " c o n s t a n t l y i n h i s a r t i c l e , n e v e r i d e n t i f i e s i t .
I t h a s b e e n p o i n t e d o u t t h a t W aley r e f e r s to Wang I ' s
com m entary on C h 'u T z 'u i n The Temple and O th e r P o e m s, and
i t i s Wang I ' s comm entary t h a t h e f o l lo w s i n t h e t r a n s l a
t i o n o f "The G r e a t Summons." The s h o r t h e a d n o te w hich
a t t r i b u t e s t h e poem t o C h 'u Yuan,
When C h 'u Yuan h a d b e e n e x i l e d fro m t h e c o u r t f o r
n i n e y e a r s , he became so d e s p o n d e n t t h a t h e f e a r e d
h i s s o u l w ould p a r t fro m h i s b o d y , and he w ou ld
d i e . I t was t h e n t h a t h e made t h e poem c a l l e d
"The G r e a t Summons," c a l l i n g upon h i s s o u l n o t t o
l e a v e h i m , 35
36
35
A r t h u r W aley, More T r a n s l a t i o n s from t h e C h in e s e
(London: A l l e n & Unwin, 1 9 1 9 ), p . 11.
36
Hung H s i n g - t s u , C h 'u T z 'u p u c h u , chiian 10,
f . l a .
82
And when G i l e s w r i t e s o f l i n e 6 o f s t a n z a 7, ” The 'c u n n in g
cook ' does n o t a p p e a r i n t h e poem, b u t w i l l b e fo u n d i n
t h e com m en tary , f £ * 5 e t c . h e i s r e f e r r i n g t o Wang
37
I ' s com m entary. O th e r l i n e s i n W a le y 's v e r s i o n s i n g l e d
o u t i n d i s a p p r o v a l by G i l e s a r e a l s o b a s e d on W ang's com
m e n ta ry : " t h e c o l d c u t s and k i l l s ” i n l i n e 7 o f s t a n z a 5
from W ang's " if £ ^ i f ^ " ; 38 " T i l l
so rro w i s f o r g o t " i n l i n e 5 o f s t a n z a 6 from W ang's "
*5^ v" ^ ^ 2 and l i n e s 5 and 6 o f s t a n z a 10,
"And w is e d i s t i l l e r s from t h e l a n d o f W u/B lend u n f e r m e n te d
s p i r i t w i t h w h i t e y e a s t and brew t h e l i o f C h 'u " from
W ang's " , > “> &
40
" A r e v i s e d l i n e i n th e C h in e s e Poems v e r s i o n
r e v e a l s even m ore c l e a r l y W a le y 's i n d e b t e d n e s s t o Wang I
i n h i s e a r l i e r v e r s i o n . L in e 7 o f t h e f i r s t s t a n z a i s
3^ G i l e s , "A P o e t o f t h e 2nd C e n t. B . C . , " p. 326,
s e e a l s o Hung H s i n g - t s u , C h 'u T z 'u pu c h u , chuan 10, f . 4 a.
38
W aley, More T r a n s l a t i o n s from t h e C h i n e s e , p. 12;
s e e a l s o G i l e s , op. c i t . , p. 325, and Hung H s i n g - t s u ,
op. c i t . , chiian 10, f . 3a.
39
W aley, o p . c i t ., p. 13; s e e a l s o G i l e s , op. c i t . ,
p. 325, an d Hung H s i n g - t s u , op. c i t . , chiian 10, f . 3b.
40
W aley, op . c i t . , p . 14; s e e a l s o G i l e s , op. c i t . ,
p. 328, and Hung H s i n g - t s u , op. c i t . , chiian 10, f . 5a.
83
" I n t h o s e d a rk c a v e s w h e re W in te r l u r k e t h ” i n t h e o l d
v e r s i o n ; i n t h e new v e r s i o n , i t becom es "The d a rk i c e m e lts
41
and moves . . . B o th , o f c o u r s e , t r a n s l a t e t h e
o r i g i n a l l i n e " ," b u t w h i l e Wang I ' s com
m e n ta ry r u n s " j^ T ^ ^
Chu H s i ' s com m entary h a s a d i f f e r e n t o p i n i o n : . ^
, l$l : / & ~ T $ & ± ^ 1 Ait%k ^
^ /iiLif’ J*. W aley a p p a r e n t l y s h i f t s from f o l lo w in g
Wang I t o f o l l o w i n g Chu H s i i n t h i s i n s t a n c e .
Upon t h i s l i n e , th o u g h r e g a r d i n g W a le y 's v e r s i o n
as to o f r e e , G i l e s q u o te s fro m W ang's com m entary " 4 b ^
" and f o l lo w s i t i n h i s own v e r s i o n . ^ T h is and
h i s c i t a t i o n e t c . " above c o n c e r n i n g W a le y 's
w ords " t h e c u n n in g cook" t e s t i f y t h a t d e s p i t e th e f a c t t h a t
h e s i n g l e s o u t i n d i s a p p r o v a l s e v e r a l l i n e s i n W a le y 's
v e r s i o n w h ic h a r e b a s e d on Wang I , he t o o h a s a c c e s s t o
41
W aley, More T r a n s l a t i o n s from t h e C h i n e s e , p . 11,
a n d C h in e se P oem s, p . 36.
42
Hung H s i n g - t s u , C h 'u T z 'u pu c h u , chiian 10, f .
l b ; and Chu H s i, C h 'u T z 'u c h i chu ( $ $ JL. yjL )
( P e k in g , 1 9 5 3 ), chiian 7, f . 13a.
^ G i l e s , "A P o e t o f t h e 2nd C e n t. B . C . , " pp. 321
a n d 320; s e e a l s o Hung H s i n g - t s u , op. c i t . , chiian 10, f .
l b .
84
t h e com m entary. I n f a c t , some o f t h e l i n e s i n h i s own
v e r s i o n r e l y as h e a v i l y on W ang's com m entary a s W a le y 's
d o e s. The se c o n d l i n e i n s t a n z a 7 o f h i s v e r s i o n " s e e t h e
c a l d r o n s o f co oked fo o d , w i t h t h e i r s a l t , s o u r , p e p p e r y ,
a n d g i n g e r y f l a v o u r s com bined" i s a t r a n s l a t i o n o f t h e
o r i g i n a l l i n e s " »" b u t i t s
i n d e b t e d n e s s t o W ang's "
i f m i > k i j t • ■ "
i s o b v io u s . Y e t b e s i d e s Wang s com m entary, G i l e s a l s o
r e f e r s t o t h e comm entary o f Hung H s i n g - t s u , th o u g h h e
i n d i s c r i m i n a t e l y c a l l s b o t h " t h e co m m en tary ." He r e n d e r s
'J$$) " as ’’B ovine m o n s t r o s i t i e s ” i n l i n e 3 o f s t a n z a
3 i n h i s v e r s i o n b e c a u s e " t h e com m entary sa y s
On h i s t r a n s l a t i o n o f s im p ly a s "Kua" i n
t h e f i r s t l i n e o f h i s n i n t h s t a n z a , h e n o t e s t h a t "The
com m entary s a y s "46 i n b o t h c a s e s , " t h e com
m e n ta ry " i s H u n g 's com m entary, n o t W an g 's. T hus, i n l i n e s
44
G i l e s , op. c i t . , pp. 3 2 5 -3 2 6 ; s e e a l s o Hung
H s i n g - t s u , op. c i t . , chiian 10, f . 3b, 4a.
^ G i l e s , op. c i t . , p. 323; s e e a l s o Hung H s i n g - t s u ,
op. c i t . , chiian 1 0 , f . 2b .
G i l e s , op. c i t . , p . 327; s e e a l s o Hung H s i n g - t s u ,
op. c i t . , chiian 10, f . 4b.
85
l i k e t h e s e a t l e a s t , t h e d i f f e r e n c e b e tw e e n W a le y 's and
G i l e s ' s v e r s i o n s d oes come a b o u t b e c a u s e t h e y f o l lo w
d i f f e r e n t c o m m e n ta rie s.
L e a v in g a l o n e t h e p ro b le m o f c o m m e n ta rie s , one
m u st, on t h e o t h e r h a n d , a g r e e w i t h G i l e s t h a t W a le y 's
t r a n s l a t i o n o f "The G r e a t Summons" i s q u i t e f r e e . Two
p a s s a g e s o f t h e o r i g i n a l , one o f t e n l i n e s and t h e o t h e r
o f e i g h t , a r e , W aley h i m s e l f t e l l s u s , " c u t o u t i n t e n -
47
t i o n a l l y . " A t l e a s t one " o b s c u r e p a s s a g e , " he c o n f e s s e s
i n t h e a d d i t i o n a l n o t e s o f C h in e se P o e m s, i s " g e n e r a l i z e d .
i n t h e t r a n s l a t i o n , " and t w ic e h e a d m its t h a t s e v e r a l
p h r a s e s u s e d i n h i s v e r s i o n a r e " p u r e s t o p - g a p s " f o r w hat
48
h e c o n s i d e r s c o r r u p t t e x t . I n f a c t , th o u g h o b j e c t i n g t o
t h e te rm " p a r a p h r a s e , " h e does n o t deny e v en i n h i s r e p l y
t o G i l e s t h a t h i s i s "no l i t e r a l t r a n s l a t i o n o f t h e
49
poem ." He s a i d i n h i s i n t e r v i e w w i t h Roy F u l l e r : " T h ere
a r e c e r t a i n k i n d s o f t h i n g s I t r a n s l a t e r a t h e r f r e e l y .
47
W aley, " N o te s on t h e ' L u t e - G i r l ' s S o n g , '" p.
596.
48
W aley, C h in e s e P oem s, p . 200.
49
W aley, "Notes'. on tithe i L u t e - G i r l ' s S o n g, " 1 p.
595.
86
. . . And o t h e r t h i n g s a r e v e r y c l o s e t o th e o r i g i n a l s ." 5 0
The k i n d s o f t h i n g s h e t r a n s l a t e s r a t h e r f r e e l y m u st t h e n
i n c l u d e "The G r e a t Summons" and f u ) p o e t r y .
One o f t h e e a r l i e s t t r a n s l a t o r s t o i n t r o d u c e f u
p o e t r y t o t h e E n g l i s h - s p e a k i n g w o r ld , W aley y e t h a s much
d i f f i c u l t y i n r e n d e r i n g t h e s e lo n g p i e c e s o f w h a t B u rto n
51
W atson l a t e r c a l l s " r h y m e - p r o s e . " How c l o s e t h e r e l a t i o n
i s b e tw e e n t h e poems i n C h 'u T z 'u and t h e e a r l y f u p o e t r y
i s s u b j e c t t o d i s p u t e , b u t i t i s c e r t a i n t h a t t h e y b o t h
c o n t a i n lo n g d e s c r i p t i v e p a s s a g e s f i l l e d w i t h e x u b e r a n t
v e r b i a g e . I t i s p r o b a b l y f o r t h i s r e a s o n t h a t W aley f i n d s
t h a t , a s w i t h "The G r e a t Summons," "no l i t e r a l t r a n s l a t i o n
52
o f t h e poem can p r e s e r v e i t s c h a r a c t e r a s a poem ," and
p r o b a b l y f o r t h e same r e a s o n , t h e f u p o e t r y i s a l s o t r a n s
l a t e d r a t h e r f r e e l y . I n d e e d , th o u g h i n s i s t i n g t h a t i n a
p a s s a g e o f a f u , " t h e rh y th m w i l l b e s u s t a i n e d s u f f i c i e n t l y
53
lo n g t o b u i l d up a c o h e r e n t p a r a g r a p h o f v e r s e , " and
50
" A r t h u r W aley i n C o n v e r s a t i o n , " i n Madly S in g in g
i n t h e M o u n ta in s , ed . I v a n M o r r is (New York: W alk er & C o . ,
1 9 7 2 ), p. 142.
" ^ S e e B u r to n W atso n , C h in e s e K hym e-Prose (New York:
C olum bia U n i v e r s i t y P r e s s , 1 9 7 1 ).
~^W aley, "N o tes on t h e ' L u t e - G i r l ' s S o n g , '" p . 595.
53
Waley, The Temple and Other Poems, p. 15.
______________________________________________________________ 87
th u s t r a n s l a t i n g i t i n m o st o f t h e c a s e s i n t o v e r s e form ,
W aley r e n d e r s Sung Yii’ s ( ^ ) " Feng f u " ( )
i n t o "The Man Wind and t h e Woman Wind" i n p r o s e . I n
a n o t h e r f u o f th e same a u t h o r , "The Kao T 'a n g Fu"
)» t h e p r e f a c e , w h ic h i s w r i t t e n o r i g i n a l l y i n p r o s e ,
i s t r a n s l a t e d a c c o r d i n g l y , and t h e v e r s e p a r t s o f th e
o r i g i n a l a r e a p p r o p r i a t e l y p u t i n v e r s e form . Y e t th e l a s t
p a r t o f th e poem b e g i n n i n g w i t h t h e w ords "B u t s h o u l d my
l o r d d e s i r e t o h u n t . . . " i s i n e x p l i c a b l y r e n d e r e d i n t o
p r o s e , and m o re o v e r, t e n l i n e s a r e o m i t t e d w i t h o u t any
n o t i c e b e tw e e n t h e l i n e s "R e e d -m u sic t o t h e w ind" and
54
"Clim b h i g h e r , lo o k a f a r . " The " sa m p le o f Sung Yii's
p r o s e " p r e s e n t e d t o us i n " M a s te r T e n g - t ’ u" i s t a k e n from
th e p r e f a c e o f Teng t ' u t z u h ao se f u ^ $^0>
e x c e p t f o r t h e l a s t l i n e , "Sung Yii was n o t d i s m i s s e d from
c o u r t , " w hich i s r e a l l y t h e l a s t l i n e o f t h e u n t r a n s l a t e d
f u . 55 A gain no i n d i c a t i o n i s g i v e n . What W aley does
i n d i c a t e i s t h a t t h e a u t h o r o f t h e s e poem s, Sung Yii, i s a
54
See W aley, The Temple and O th e r Poem s, p . 71 and
pp . 6 8 -6 9 ; s e e a l s o Wen H s u a n , chiian 19, p . 395.
55
W aley, A H un dred and S e v e n ty C h in e s e P oem s, p.
44; s e e a l s o Wen H s u a n , chiian 19, p. 401.
88
"nephew o f C h 'u Y i i a n , " ^ w h ic h l e a d s R uth P e r l m u t t e r to
w r i t e i n h e r d i s s e r t a t i o n o f " C h 'u Yuan and h i s nephew
57
Sung Yii." W a le y 's m i s t a k e p r o b a b l y stem s from t h e same
com m entary on C h 'u T z 'u by Wang I m e n tio n e d abov e. I n th e
p r e f a c e t o C hiu p i e n ( tb ) . Wang w r i t e s : " %
ti58 s i n c e t i ( ^ > ) means " b r o t h e r "
and t z u (^ ) means " s o n , " W aley t a k e s t i t z u t o mean " s o n
o f a b r o t h e r , " and h e n c e W ang's s e n t e n c e i s t r a n s l a t e d as
"Sung Yii i s t h e nephew o f C h 'u Y u a n ." However, t i t z u i s
o f c o u r s e a compound noun m eaning " d i s c i p l e , " and Wang I
i s r e a l l y j u s t s a y i n g t h a t "Sung Yii i s a d i s c i p l e o f C h 'u
Y u a n ."
Compared t o f u p o e t r y , W a le y 's t r a n s l a t i o n o f th e
s h i h p o e t r y i s much c l o s e r t o t h e o r i g i n a l . Take T 'a o
C h ' i e n ' s " T 'i n g ylin" ) a s an exam ple:
"*^Waley, A H undred and S e v e n ty C h in e se P o em s, p.
41; The Temple and O th e r P oem s, p . 23, and T r a n s l a t i o n s
from t h e C h i n e s e , p . 5.
57
R uth P e r l m u t t e r , " A r t h u r W aley and H is P l a c e i n
t h e M odem Movement Betw een t h e Two W a rs ," p. 57.
58
Hung H s i n g - t s u , Ch' u T z 1u p u c h u , chuan 8 ,
f . l b .
89
4% t € &
The l i n g e r i n g c l o u d s , r o l l i n g , r o l l i n g ,
m # y f i
And t h e s e t t l e d r a i n , d r i p p i n g , d r i p p i n g ,
/ x v ^ I®] ^
I n t h e E i g h t D i r e c t i o n s - - t h e same d usk .
- I p
The l e v e l l a n d s - - o n e g r e a t r i v e r .
4
Wine I h a v e , w in e I h a v e ;
f i f l i t f
I d l y I d r i n k a t t h e e a s t e r n window.
M-t 1 i t
L o n g i n g l y - - I t h i n k o f my f r i e n d s ,
-# ^ 5 9
B ut n e i t h e r b o a t n o r c a r r i a g e com es.
As p o i n t e d o u t i n C h a p te r I I , W a le y 's t r a n s l a t i o n h e r e i s
a c t u a l l y o n ly t h e s e c o n d s t a n z a o f a f o u r - s t a n z a poem, b u t
w i t h t h e s t a n z a i t s e l f s u r e l y one c a n n o t go much c l o s e r to
th e o r i g i n a l . W ith t h e e x c e p t i o n o f l i n e 2 w here " s h i h
59
W aley, C h in e s e Poem s, p. 107; and C h in g - c h ie h
h s i e n sh en g c h i , f . l b .
90
yu" ( \ s f y ), t i m e l y o r s e a s o n a l r a i n , s h o u l d n o t b e
t r a n s l a t e d by " s e t t l e d r a i n , " and th e l a s t l i n e , w h e re one
may p r e f e r t o t r a n s l a t e " N e i t h e r b o a t n o r c a r r i a g e can
com e," n o t o n ly i n t h e m ean in g s o f w ords b u t e v en i n w ord
o r d e r , t h e t r a n s l a t i o n f o l lo w s t h e o r i g i n a l . O nly two
c o n n e c t i v e s , "And" i n l i n e 2 a n d "B u t" i n t h e l a s t l i n e ,
a r e ad d ed . On t h e o t h e r h a n d , t h e r e p e t i t i o n s o f t h e
o r i g i n a l , " a i a i " ( 4 f e ) , "meng meng" ( ) and
" yu c h i u y u c h iu " ( 7ljf ^ 7/S ) a r e r e t a i n e d and
i m i t a t e d by t h e r e p e t i t i o n s o f " r o l l i n g , r o l l i n g , " " d r i p
p i n g , d r i p p i n g , ” and "Wine I h a v e , w in e I h a v e . " T hese
and th e a b s e n c e o f s e n t e n c e s t r u c t u r e i n t h e f i r s t f o u r
l i n e s make t h e p a s s a g e a p p e a r u n p o l i s h e d , a lm o s t c r u d e - - a n
e f f e c t p e r h a p s n o t t o t a l l y i n a p p r o p r i a t e t o t h e a r c h a is m
in v o k e d by t h e o r i g i n a l f i f t h l i n e ' s " yu c h iu yu c h i u "
a n d t h e s e v e n t h l i n e ' s " y u an y e n h u a i
j e n " ( y$:j§ % . ^ T h is i s c e r t a i n l y a f a r c r y
from t h e f r e e u s e o f p a d d in g w ords and a r b i t r a r y a t t r i b u
t i o n o f l i n e s i n W a le y 's t r a n s l a t i o n o f "The G r e a t
Summons" o r t h e f u p o e t r y .
^ B o t h m odel upon s p e e c h e s i n S h ih C h in g . See
Wang Shu-m in ( , T ' ao Yuan-m ing s h i h c h ie n cheng
^ 2 ° < ■ Jfo 7$ tk %£.-0} > - ( T a i p e i , 1 9 / 5 ) , p . 5.
91
A d m itte d ly n o t e v e r y s h i h poem i s t r a n s l a t e d so
c l o s e t o t h e o r i g i n a l . The a lm o s t p i d g i n s t y l e o f " F l o o d , ”
l i k e t h e v e r b o s e s t y l e o f t h e f u p o e t r y , i s n o t r e a l l y
W aley ’ s norm . The f o l l o w i n g poem, e n t i t l e d i n W a le y ’ s
v e r s i o n s im p ly a s "O ld Poem ," p e r h a p s i s a b e t t e r i l l u s t r a
t i o n o f W a le y 's la n g u a g e :
A t f i f t e e n I w e n t w i t h t h e arm y,
At t o u r s c o r e l came nome.
On t h e way I m et a man from t h e v i l l a g e ,
I a s k e d him who t h e r e was a t home.
" T h a t o v e r t h e r e i s y o u r h o u s e ,
A l l c o v e r e d o v e r w i t h t r e e s and b u s h e s ."
R a b b its h a d r u n i n a t t h e d o g - h o l e ,
P h e a s a n t f le w down from t h e beams o f t h e r o o f .
I n t h e c o u r t y a r d was gro w in g some w i l d g r a i n ;
92
- t - 'J l JK
And by t h e w e l l , some w i l d m a llo w s.
I ' l l b o i l t h e g r a i n and make p o r r i d g e ,
I ' l l p l u c k t h e m allow s and make soup.
Soup and p o r r i d g e a r e b o t h c o o k ed ,
T * J
B ut t h e r e i s no one t o e a t them w i t h .
£ it7 - * L
I w e n t o u t and lo o k e d to w a rd s t h e e a s t ,
M- g A ^
61
W h ile t e a r s f e l l and w e t t e d my c l o t h e s .
U n lik e T 'a o C h ' i e n ' s " F l o o d , ” w h ich i s a f o u r - c h a r a c t e r
l i n e poem, t h e o r i g i n a l o f "O ld Poem" i s w r i t t e n i n f i v e -
c h a r a c t e r l i n e s , as a r e t h e m a j o r i t y o f poems t r a n s l a t e d
by W aley. R e n d ere d i n n a t u r a l , f l u e n t E n g l i s h , W a le y 's
v e r s i o n h e r e i s s t i l l q u i t e c l o s e to th e o r i g i n a l . The
o n ly i m p o r t a n t d e v i a t i o n o c c u r s i n l i n e 6 w h ere t h e w ord
^ S h e n T e - c h 'i e n , Ku s h i h y u a n , chiian 4 , f . l i b ;
and W aley, C h in e s e Poem s, p . 51.
93
"chu ng" < I R , g r a v e s ) i s o m i t t e d i n t h e t r a n s l a t i o n ,
and " po su n g " ) i s g e n e r a l i z e d t o ’’t r e e s and
b u s h e s . " The p ro n o u n " I " i s a b s e n t from t h e o r i g i n a l , a
common c h a r a c t e r i s t i c o f C h in e s e p o e t r y , and t h e " I " i n
t h e t r a n s l a t i o n i s j u s t l y a d d e d by W aley. The f o u r t h l i n e
i s r e n d e r e d i n t o i n d i r e c t s p e e c h , h e n c e , t h e w ords " I
a s k e d . " The q u o t a t i o n m arks o f l i n e s 5 and 6 a r e o f
c o u r s e a g a i n p r o v i d e d by t h e t r a n s l a t o r s i n c e c l a s s i c a l
C h in e s e p o e t r y b e f o r e m odern tim e s was n o t p r i n t e d w i t h
any p u n c t u a t i o n m a rk s. I t i s p o s s i b l e t h a t t h e a n sw er o f
t h i s man fro m t h e v i l l a g e t a k e s up o n ly one l i n e , i n w h ich
c a s e l i n e 6, t o g e t h e r w i t h t h e f o l l o w i n g f o u r l i n e s , i s a
d e s c r i p t i o n o f w h a t t h e n a r r a t o r s e e s when h e r e a c h e s h i s
h o u s e . T h e re i s , h o w e v e r, no way t o a s c e r t a i n w h ich i s a
more c o r r e c t r e a d i n g , a n d W aley h a s th e s u p p o r t o f Shen
T e - c h 'i e n who n o t e s t h a t l i n e s 5 and 6 a r e t h e a n sw e r from
6 2
th e v i l l a g e man. T h re e c o n n e c t i v e w o r d s , "And” i n l i n e
10, " B u t" i n l i n e 14, and "W h ile" i n t h e l a s t l i n e , a r e
a l s o a d d ed , t h e l a s t one m o st u n f o r t u n a t e l y , f o r i t d i s
r u p t s t o a l a r g e d e g re e t h e d r a m a ti c s t r u c t u r e o f th e
o r i g i n a l poem, w h ich l e a d s t o t h e c lim a x o f b e l a t e d
62
See Shen T e - c h 'i e n , Ku s h i h y u a n , chu an 4 , f .
l i b .
94
r e c o g n i t i o n and su d d e n g r i e f .
I w e n t o u t and lo o k e d to w a rd s t h e e a s t ;
T e a rs f e l l and w e t t e d my c l o t h e s
w ould be a much m ore p o i g n a n t and e f f e c t i v e e n d in g . As
i t i s , t h e t r a n s l a t i o n n e v e r t h e l e s s s u c c e e d s i n r e p r e
s e n t i n g i n r e s t r a i n e d an d s im p le la n g u a g e an a n t i - w a r poem
w hich i s e f f e c t i v e p r e c i s e l y b e c a u s e o f i t s r e s t r a i n t and
s i m p l i c i t y .
"O ld Poem" i s an anonymous poem, p r o b a b l y a f o l k
b a l l a d . W aley t r a n s l a t e s a p p r o x i m a t e ly e i g h t y p i e c e s o f
anonymous poems i n h i s a n t h o l o g i e s , and m o st o f t h e s e a r e
f o l k b a l l a d s and f o l k s o n g s . And when C onrad A ik en sp e a k s
63
a b o u t " s o r r o w " b e in g " t h e m o st p e r s i s t e n t " n o t e i n
C h in e s e p o e t r y o r when Jo h n Gould F l e t c h e r s e e s i n C h in e se
poems a " f u n d a m e n ta l i d e a " o f " t h e v a n i t y and t h e n o t h i n g -
64
n e s s o f e x i s t e n c e , " t h e y a r e r e p o r t i n g t h e i m p r e s s io n
th e y r e c e i v e from t h e b a l l a d s and t h e f o l k s o n g s . F o r,
" i n t h e y tie h - f u so n g s an d b a l l a d s , " as B u r to n W atson p o i n t s
63
C onrad A ik e n , "W aley, A r t h u r , " i n R e v ie w e r 's ABC
(London: W. H. A l l e n , 1 9 6 1 ), p. 379.
64
Jo h n G ould F l e t c h e r , "P e rfu m e s o f C a th a y ,"
P o e t r y , X I I I ( 1 9 1 9 ), 278.
95
o u t , " t h e p o v e r t y o f t h e common p e o p l e , t h e h a r d s h i p s
i n f l i c t e d upon them by m i l i t a r y c o n s c r i p t i o n a n d t h e
65
e x a c t i o n s o f r a p a c i o u s o f f i c i a l s a r e r e f l e c t e d , " and
W aley i s m ost s u c c e s s f u l i n b r i n g i n g t h i s mood a c r o s s i n
h i s E n g l i s h v e r s i o n s .
I t i s t r u e t h a t W aley comm its m i s t a k e s h e r e as
e ls e w h e r e : " M e e tin g i n t h e Road” o m its t h e l a s t e i g h t e e n
l i n e s o f t h e o r i g i n a l " H s ia n g f e n g h s i n g " ( xfii
" P l u c k in g t h e R ushes" com bines two so n g s named " Pa p 'u "
as t h e s e c o n d o f "O a th s o f F r i e n d s h i p , " i s a c t u a l l y a lo v e
poem, and "The L i t t l e Lady o f C h 'i n g C h 'i " i s n o t " a
n o t a s i m p o r t a n t a s , f o r e x a m p le , t h e o m is s io n o f t h e f i r s t
t r a n s l a t e d
c h i l d r e n ' s song" a t a l l . T h ese m i s t a k e s , h o w e v e r, a r e
t e n l i n e s o f Pao C h a o 's
? 1
Ni ku s h i h '
65
B u rto n W atso n , C h in e s e L y r ic is m (New Y ork &
London: C olum bia U n i v e r s i t y P r e s s , 1 9 7 1 ), p. 31.
^ S e e W aley, C h in e s e P oem s, p. 51, and Shen Te-
c h ie n , Ku s h i h y u a n , chiian 3, f . 13b, 14a.
6 7
See W aley, op. c i t . , p . 109, and Kuo M a o -c h ’ i e n ,
Sung p en ytieh f u s h i h c h i , chiian 49, f . 6a.
6 8
W aley, op. c i t . , pp . 55 and 109.
96
i n "The S c h o l a r R e c r u i t , s i n c e t h e t e x t s o f t h e o r i g i n a l
b a l l a d s and f o l k son gs a r e o f t e n n o t v e r y r e l i a b l e , ^ and
s i n c e t h e i r p o e t i c e f f e c t s d epend m ore on t h e d r a m a ti c
s t r u c t u r e o f t h e poems t h a n on t h e m a n e u v e rin g o f w ords o r
rhythm . M o reo v er, as one can s e e fro m t h e "O ld Poem"
a b o v e , t h e m a t t e r - o f - f a c t n e s s o f W a le y 's n a t u r a l and s im p le
la n g u a g e o f t e n g i v e s an a lm o s t e x a c t e q u i v a l e n t o f t h e
o r i g i n a l t o n e .
The m a j o r i t y o f t h e anonymous b a l l a d s and f o l k
s o n g s , l i k e t h e "O ld Poem ," a r e " k u t ' i s h i h " ( ^ ,
a n c i e n t - s t y l e p o e m s ) , a g e n r e w h ic h h a s no l i m i t on t h e
num ber o f l i n e s and i s u s u a l l y much l o n g e r t h a n t h e f o u r -
l i n e o r e i g h t - l i n e " c h in t ' i s h i h " ( jjf_ , m odern-
s t y l e p oem s). W hile W a le y 's f l u e n t and n a t u r a l E n g l i s h
conveys e x tr e m e l y w e l l t h e to n e o f t h e b a l l a d s and f o l k
s o n g s , t r a n s l a t i n g a s h o r t l y r i c poem w i t h t h e same l a n
guage i s a d i f f e r e n t m a t t e r . Compare th e o r i g i n a l and
69
See Wen H s u a n , chu an 31, p. 689, an d W aley, A
H undred and S e v e n ty C h in e s e P oem s, p . 129.
70
S c h o l a r s f i n d i t n o t u n u s u a l t h a t one b a l l a d i s
d i v i d e d i n t o two o r l i n e s o f d i f f e r e n t s o n g s g e t m ix ed up.
S e e , f o r e x am p le , Yu K u a n -y in g ( ^ JgjT ) , "Yueh f u
ko t z ' u t i P 'i-ng t s ' ou ho f e n k ' o " ( _a§.
) i n Han Wei l i u chao s h i h lu n t s 1ung
( S h a n g h a i, 1 9 5 6 ). p p . 2 6 -3 8 .
97
W a le y 's t r a n s l a t i o n o f L i P o 's " Tzu c h ' i e n " ( ^ ) :
- f i - M
I s a t d r i n k i n g and d i d n o t n o t i c e t h e d u sk,
T ^ r - Jtcj $2-
T i l l f a l l i n g p e t a l s f i l l e d t h e f o l d s o f my d r e s s .
(P H
D runken I r o s e and w a lk e d t o t h e m o o n l i t s tr e a m ;
'Ik -it 'T P ^
The b i r d s w ere g o n e , and mbn a l s o few. ^
N ot a t a l l a v e r s i o n t o b e asham ed o f , y e t com pared t o t h e
o r i g i n a l , W a le y 's t r a n s l a t i o n l o s e s a g r e a t d e a l . The
E n g l i s h v e r s i o n h e r e i s a r e c o r d o f t h e n a r r a t o r ' s a c t i v i
t i e s ; from h i s s i t t i n g w h i l e d r i n k i n g t o h i s w a lk in g t o
t h e s tr e a m , and t h e n t o h i s n o t i c i n g t h a t "The b i r d s w ere
g o n e , and men a l s o fe w ." I t i s a s e r i e s o f s e q u e n t i a l
s c e n e s s e e n t h r o u g h t h e e y e s o f t h e n a r r a t o r . The C h in e s e
o r i g i n a l , h o w e v e r, c o nv ey s a h a rm o n io u s mood i n h e r e n t i n
t h e u n f o l d i n g o f th e f o u r s c e n e s , e a c h o f w h ich i s more
i m p o r t a n t f o r t h e mood i t i n s p i r e s th a n f o r th e a c t i o n i t
p o r t r a y s . The s e q u e n t i a l r e l a t i o n e s t a b l i s h e d i n t h e
compound s t r u c t u r e " I . . . d i d n o t . . . t i l l . . . " i n
^ L i T 'a i - p o c h 'u a n c h i , chiian 23, 5. 10a, and
W aley, C h in e s e Poems, p . 117.
98
t h e f i r s t two l i n e s o f t h e E n g l i s h v e r s i o n does n o t e x i s t
i n t h e C h in e s e . The o r i g i n a l c h a r a c t e r s " p u chiieh m ing"
) t r a n s l a t e d by W aley a s ” 1 . . . d i d n o t
n o t i c e t h e d u sk ” c a r r y w i t h them t h e s e n s e o f a g r a d u a l ,
i m p e r c e p t i b l e d a rk e n in g ; p u chiieh can b e t a k e n a s th e
n e g a t i v e o f a v e r b , th u s W a le y ’ s " n o t n o t i c e , ” b u t t h e y
can a l s o be t a k e n as an a d v e rb m ean in g " i m p e r c e p t i b l y , "
The e m p h a sis on t h e o r i g i n a l s e c o n d l i n e i s a l s o on th e
g r a d u a l a n d i m p e r c e p t i b l e f a l l i n g and a c c u m u l a t i n g o f t h e
p e t a l s . U n lik e i t s E n g l i s h v e r s i o n , tim e p a s s e s g r a d u a l l y
and i m p e r c e p t i b l y i n t h e C h in e s e poem. The c h a r a c t e r s
" pu h s i yueh" ( -fjjT 7$^ f t ) i n t h e t h i r d l i n e a r e i n t r i g u
i n g . F i r s t , " h s i y u e h ," t r a n s l a t e d by W aley a s " m o o n lit
s t r e a m , " mean l i t e r a l l y " s t r e a m moon" and m ig h t a s w e l l
b e t r a n s l a t e d "moon by t h e s tr e a m " o r " m o o n lig h t by t h e
s t r e a m . " S e c o n d ly , t h e w ord "pu" ( ) , l i t e r a l l y " s t e p , "
does n o t s u g g e s t w a lk in g p u r p o s e f u l l y t o a d e s t i n a t i o n .
T hus, w h i l e W a le y 's "D ru nken I r o s e and w a lk e d t o th e
m o o n li t s tr e a m " t e l l s o f a p u r p o s e f u l a c t on t h e n a r r a t o r ' s
p a r t o f w a lk in g from w h e re h e was d r i n k i n g t o t h e s t r e a m ,
p e r h a p s t o a d m ire t h e moon, th e C h in e s e l i n e s u g g e s t s a
l e i s u r e l y and p u r p o s e l e s s w a lk b y t h e s tr e a m i n t h e moon
l i g h t ( " w a lk in g on t h e s t r e a m m oon "). I n f a c t , th e
99
o r i g i n a l i s am biguous a b o u t w h e th e r t h e n a r r a t o r h a d t o
w a lk t o th e s t r e a m , o r w h e th e r h e was a l r e a d y by t h e s t r e a m
a l l t h e tim e . M is s in g from W a le y 's v e r s i o n , t h e r e f o r e ,
a r e t h e s p o n t a n e i t y o f a l e i s u r e l y and p u r p o s e l e s s w a lk ,
t h e g r a d u a l and i m p e r c e p t i b l e p a s s a g e o f tim e , a n d t h e
a b s e n c e o f s e l f - c o n s c i o u s n e s s on t h e n a r r a t o r ' s p a r t , a l l
o f w h ic h i n s p i r e an a lm o s t m a g ic a l mood o f harm ony a n d j o y
t h r o u g h o u t t h e poem. The c h a r a c t e r " h u a n " (3^ ) i n t h e
l a s t l i n e means l i t e r a l l y " r e t u r n " ; t h e b i r d s t h u s w e re
gone b e c a u s e t h e y r e t u r n e d t o t h e i r n e s t . And t h i s f i n a l
s c e n e , j u x t a p o s e d w i t h t h e t h r e e p r e v i o u s s c e n e s i n t h e
f i r s t t h r e e l i n e s , en d s t h e poem i n an a tm o s p h e re o f
s e r e n i t y r a t h e r t h a n d e s o l a t i o n .
S h o r t l y r i c s a r e , W aley a d m i t s , " p a r t i c u l a r l y h a r d
72
t o t r a n s l a t e s a t i s f a c t o r i l y . " F o r , u n l i k e more
d r a m a ti c b a l l a d s and s o n g s , t h e n e c e s s a r i l y e x tre m e economy
o f w ords makes them c a r r y t h e u tm o s t l o a d . T r a n s l a t e d i n
E n g l i s h , t h e e l l i p t i c a l C h in e s e becom es e i t h e r w ordy o r
c u r t a i l e d . A n a t u r a l and f l u e n t E n g l i s h v e r s i o n l i k e
W a le y 's means t h e a d d i t i o n o f v e r b s , s u b j e c t s and c o n n e c
t i v e w ords o m i t t e d i n t h e o r i g i n a l . The m u l t i p l i c i t y o f
72
A r t h u r W a le y , The P o e t r y an d C a r e e r o f L i Po
(London: A l l e n & Unwin, 1 9 6 9 ), p . 45.
100
m eaning c r e a t e d b y a m b i g u i t i e s i n C h in e s e t e x t s i s th u s
d e s t r o y e d . Take two l i n e s from a n o t h e r poem by L i Po as
an exam p le. The t h i r d an d f o u r t h l i n e s o f " H s ia o c h ’ i n g "
) a r e , i n C h in e s e f o l lo w e d by t h e i r l e x i c a l
m e a n in g s :
' f f ^
F i s h l e a p g r e e n ( b l u e ) pond f u l l
c t f c r f - M ' f o j 73
T h ru sh s i n g ( c h a n t ) g r e e n t r e e low.
I t i s p o s s i b l e t o t r a n s l a t e t h e s e two l i n e s :
F i s h l e a p s ; t h e b l u e pond i s f u l l .
T h ru s h e s s i n g ; t h e g r e e n t r e e s a r e low.
B ut t h e r e i s c e r t a i n l y a r e l a t i o n b e tw e e n t h e f i s h and t h e
po nd, an d t h e t h r u s h e s and t h e t r e e s . P e r h a p s one can
t r y :
The f i s h l e a p s i n t h e f u l l , b l u e pond;
T h ru sh e s s i n g on t h e low , g r e e n t r e e s .
B e s id e s th e r a t h e r awkward " f u l l , b l u e pond" an d "lo w ,
g r e e n t r e e , " t h i s v e r s i o n h a s t a k e n t h e l i b e r t y o f l i m i t i n g
t h e t h r u s h e s t o s i n g "on" t h e t r e e s , w h e re a s t h e C h in e s e
o r i g i n a l s a y s n o t h i n g t o p r e c l u d e t h e p o s s i b i l i t y o f t h e i r
73
L i T ' a i - p o c h 'u a n c h i , chuan 30, f . 6b.
101
s i n g i n g i n t h e t r e e s , by t h e t r e e s , among t h e t r e e s , o r
a ro u n d t h e t r e e s . F u r th e r m o r e , i n t h e i r s y n t a x , t h e
v e r b s as w e l l a s a d j e c t i v e s . T h u s, t h e l i n e s can a l s o be
r e n d e r e d
The b l u e pond i s f i l l e d w i t h l e a p i n g f i s h ;
The g r e e n t r e e i s lo w e re d by s i n g i n g t h r u s h e s .
I n e a c h v e r s i o n , s o m e th in g fro m t h e o r i g i n a l i s l o s t .
W aley h a s done h i s b e s t i n t r y i n g t o r e t a i n t h e m u l t i p l i c
i t y o f m eaning h e r e i n h i s v e r s i o n :
W ith l e a p i n g f i s h t h e b l u e pon d i s f u l l ;
W ith s i n g i n g t h r u s h e s t h e g r e e n b o ugh s d ro o p .
The i n v e r s i o n s h e r e a r e d e l i b e r a t e . The a m b ig u ity i n t h e
f i r s t l i n e a t l e a s t i s r e t a i n e d ; t h e l i n e can b e u n d e r s t o o d
as m ean in g " t h e b l u e pond i s f u l l o f ( o r f i l l e d w it h )
l e a p i n g f i s h , " b u t i t a l s o can r e a d a s an e q u i v a l e n t t o
" t h e b l u e pon d w i t h l e a p i n g f i s h i s f u l l . " I n d o in g s o ,
h o w e v er, W aley h a s t o s a c r i f i c e t h e n a t u r a l n e s s and f l u e n c y
i n h i s l a n g u a g e . And e v e n t h i s i s n o t o f t e n p o s s i b l e . I n
th e s e c o n d l i n e h e r e , d e s p i t e a l l h i s e f f o r t s , h e c a n n o t
p r e s e r v e t h e "lo w t r e e " p a r t o f t h e o r i g i n a l m e a n in g .
c h a r a c t e r s "man" c an b e t a k e n a s
74
W aley, C h in e s e P o em s, p. 117.
102
The T ' ang d y n a s t y , o f w h ic h L i Po i s one o f t h e
o u t s t a n d i n g p o e t s , i s o f c o u r s e o f t e n r e g a r d e d as th e
g o ld e n age o f C h in e s e p o e t r y , an d e v e r s i n c e M a rq u ise
d * H e rv e y -S a in t-D e n y s 1s P o e s i e s de I 'e p o q u e des Thang
( 1 8 6 2 ) , t r a n s l a t o r s i n t h e W est h a v e n e v e r c e a s e d to fo c u s
t h e i r a t t e n t i o n on t h e p o e t r y o f t h i s p e r i o d . T hu s, Roy
E a r l T e e le d e v o te d a w h o le c h a p t e r t o t h e T 'a n g p o e t s i n
h i s s u r v e y on E n g l i s h t r a n s l a t i o n s o f C h in e s e p o e t r y . ^
P r e - T ’ ang poems and T 'a n g poems e a c h c o m p ris e a b o u t h a l f
o f W a le y 's t r a n s l a t i o n s i n h i s a n t h o l o g i e s , y e t o u t o f a
m u l t i t u d e o f o u t s t a n d i n g p o e t s i n t h e t h r e e c e n t u r i e s o f
th e d y n a s ty (6 1 8 -9 0 7 ) , W aley h a s i n f a c t t r a n s l a t e d o n ly a
few . I n c l u d e d i n t h e 1946 C h in e s e Poems a r e one poem e a c h
by Wang Chi ( JE. ) » C h 'e n T zu -a n g CP ) , Yuan Chen
and T s ' ao Sung ) , two poems by Yuan
Chi eh ) , two poems by Wang C h ien ) , and
f o u r poems by L i Po. The 1961 p a p e r b a c k e d i t i o n o f
C h in e s e Poems adds t w e n ty - s e v e n poems by Han Shan (
One m ore poem by Wang Chi and f o u r poems b y L i Po can be
fo u n d i n A H u n d red an d S e v e n ty C h in e s e Poems and More
75
See Roy E a r l T e e l e , T hrough a G la s s D a rk ly
(Ann A rb o r: U n i v e r s i t y o f M ic h ig a n P r e s s , 1 9 4 9 ), chap. v ,
pp . 9 5 -1 3 2 .
103
T r a n s l a t i o n s from t h e C h i n e s e , r e s p e c t i v e l y . I n c o n t r a s t ,
more t h a n a h u n d re d o f Po C h i i - i 's poems a r e i n c l u d e d .
Q u e s t i o n in g on th e s e l e c t i o n , h o w e v er, h a s b e e n a n t i c i
p a t e d by W aley. I n t h e p r e f a c e t o t h e 1946 C h in e s e P oem s,
he w r i t e s :
My book i s n o t a b a l a n c e d a n th o l o g y o f C h in e se
p o e t r y , b u t m e r e ly a c o l l e c t i o n o f poems t h a t
h a p p e n t o w ork o u t w e l l i n a l i t e r a l b u t a t th e
same tim e l i t e r a r y t r a n s l a t i o n . T h is o f c o u r s e
e x c l u d e s poems o f a h i g h l y a l l u s i v e n a t u r e , r e q u i r
i n g an undue amount o f a n n o t a t i o n . The f a c t t h a t
I h a v e t r a n s l a t e d t e n tim e s m ore poems by Po Chii-I
t h a n b y any o t h e r w r i t e r does n o t mean t h a t I t h i n k
him t e n tim e s a s good a s any o f t h e r e s t , b u t m e r e ly
t h a t I f i n d him by f a r th e m o st t r a n s l a t a b l e o f
t h e m a jo r C h in e s e p o e t s . 76
Found by W aley t o b e "by f a r th e m o st t r a n s l a t a b l e o f t h e
m a jo r C h in e s e p o e t s , " Po C hii-i i s c e r t a i n l y t h e m o st t r a n s
l a t e d o f C h in e s e p o e t s i n W a le y 's w o rk s , and f o r t h i s
r e a s o n , we s h a l l exam ine W a le y 's t r a n s l a t i o n o f Po C h i i - i 's
poems i n a s e p a r a t e c h a p t e r .
Among th e poems d i s c u s s e d i n t h i s c h a p t e r , we h a v e
s e e n t h a t W aley a d o p ts t h e f r e e s t ''; a p p ro a c h i n t r a n s l a t i n g
th e f u p o e t r y , and L. A u r o u s s e a u 's f i n d i n g t h a t W aley o f t e n
d e p a r t s fro m t h e t e x t i s n o t r e a l l y s u r p r i s i n g s i n c e h e i s
r e v i e w i n g The Temple and O th e r Poems, t h e book w h ic h
^ W a l e y , C h in e s e Poems , pp . 5 - 6 .
104
m a in ly c o n s i s t s o f f u poems. W a le y 's t r a n s l a t i o n o f s h i h
p o e t r y i s much c l o s e r to t h e o r i g i n a l s a s " F lo o d " t e s t i
f i e s . Y et w i t h s h o r t l y r i c poem s, W aley som etim es h a s
d i f f i c u l t y i n b r i n g i n g o v e r t h e t o t a l o r i g i n a l p o e t i c
e f f e c t from t h e e l l i p t i c a l C h in e s e t o E n g l i s h , and i t i s
i n t h e t r a n s l a t i o n o f b a l l a d s o r f o l k s o n g s , w h e re h i s
n a t u r a l s im p le la n g u a g e o f t e n r e s e m b le s t h e o r i g i n a l s ' ,
t h a t W aley h a s t h e g r e a t e s t s u c c e s s .
105
CHAPTER V
MISTRANSLATIONS
T h ro u g h o u t t h e d i s s e r t a t i o n , I h a v e m e n tio n e d
m i s t a k e s c o m m itte d by W aley i n h i s t r a n s l a t i o n s o f C h in e s e
p o e t r y . I n t h i s c h a p t e r , we s h a l l m ore s y s t e m a t i c a l l y
s tu d y h i s m i s t r a n s l a t i o n s , and a t t e m p t t o u n c o v e r th e
u n d e r l y i n g f a c t o r s o f h i s m i s t a k e s i n t h e p r o c e s s . F o r
i l l u s t r a t i o n , we s h a l l c o n c e n t r a t e on t h e poems by Po
C h ii-i, whom W aley f i n d s , a s we h a v e s e e n , "by f a r t h e m ost
t r a n s l a t a b l e o f t h e m a jo r C h in e s e p o e t s . ” " * "
T h e re i s no d o u b t t h a t t h e w o rk s o f Po C hii-i o ccupy
a s p e c i a l p o s i t i o n i n W a le y 's t r a n s l a t i o n s . In d e e d W aley
h a s t r a n s l a t e d by f a r m ore poems by Po C hii-i t h a n poems by
any o t h e r p o e t , n o t j u s t b e c a u s e Po i s " t h e m ost t r a n s l a t
a b l e o f t h e m a jo r C h in e s e p o e t s , " b u t a l s o b e c a u s e h e
a p p e a ls e s p e c i a l l y t o W aley. I n a famous l e t t e r t o Yuan
Chen, Po C hii-i w r o te a b o u t t h e p u b l i c ' s f a i l u r e to
^"Arthur W aley, C h in e s e Poems (London: A l l e n &
Unwin, 1 9 4 6 ), p p . 5 -6 .
106
a p p r e c i a t e t r u l y h i s p o e t r y and t h e n ad d ed :
W aley t r a n s l a t e s :
I n f a c t t h e o n ly p e r s o n o f my own g e n e r a t i o n who does
l i k e them i s y o u r s e l f . B ut who knows w h e t h e r h u n d r e d s ,
th o u s a n d s o f y e a r s h e n c e t h e r e may n o t a p p e a r someone
who u n d e r s t a n d s and l o v e s my p o e t r y as yo u d o ? 3
And i n a n o t e h e w r i t e s :
" h u n d r e d s , th o u s a n d s o f y e a r s . . . Po p r o b a b l y
means "‘i n t h e d i s t a n t f u t u r e . " B ut i t w o u ld b e
p o s s i b l e t o i n t e r p r e t c h ' i e n - p a i i n t h e s e n s e "'one
th o u s a n d one h u n d r e d ," and I s h o u ld h a v e l i k e d t o
do s o , f o r i t was i n 1915 t h a t I b e g a n t o r e a d P o 's
p o e m s. 4-
The l e t t e r by Po was w r i t t e n i n 815, e x a c t l y one th o u s a n d
one h u n d re d y e a r s e a r l i e r t h a n 1915. W aley, n e e d l e s s t o
s a y , i s n o t s e r i o u s l y c o n s i d e r i n g h i m s e l f t o b e t h e f u l
f i l l m e n t o f P o 's p ro p h e c y one th o u s a n d an d one h u n d r e d
2
Po C h li-i, Po H s ia n g - s h a n c h i (S h a n g h a i, 1935)
chuan 28, Book V, p. 30.
3
A r t h u r W a le y , The L i f e and Times o f Po C h u -i
(London: A l l e n & Unwin, 1 9 4 9 ), p . 113.
4 I b i d . , p. 224.
107
y e a r s a g o , b u t f o r one a s r e t i c e n t a b o u t p e r s o n a l f e e l i n g s
as W aley, t h i s i s a f o r c e f u l p r o c l a m a t i o n o f u n d e r s t a n d i n g
and lo v e f o r P o 's p o e t r y .
T h is u n d e r s t a n d i n g and lo v e m a n i f e s t i n a s p e c i a l
c a r e t a k e n i n t h e t r a n s l a t i o n s . Two t e x t u a l r e f e r e n c e s
i n s t e a d o f one a r e q u o te d f o r e a c h o f P o 's poems t r a n s l a t e d
i n C h in e s e P oem s: o n e , as W aley p o i n t s o u t , i s " t h e com
p l e t e Works i n t h e B a s ic S i n o l o g i c a l S e r i e s , " o r t h e Po
H s ia n g - s h a n c h i i n Kuo h s u e h c h i p e n t s ' u n g sh u (
a n d t h e o t h e r , t h e " P o e t i c W o rk s," i s
t h e emended e d i t i o n o f Wang L i - m i n g 's ( ) Po
H s ia n g - s h a n s h i h c h i ( ' £ } ) . W a le y ’ s p r a c t i c e
o f c o n ti n u o u s r e v i s i o n , p o i n t e d o u t i n C h a p te r I I , i s
e s p e c i a l l y t r u e w i t h w o rks b y Po. More t h a n f o r t y o f P o 's
poems a r e r e v i s e d i n C h in e s e P o em s, and i n t h e a d d i t i o n a l
n o t e s o f The L i f e and Times o f Po C h u - i , s e v e r a l m ore
a l t e r a t i o n s a r e i n d i c a t e d . ^ As a r e s u l t o f t h i s u n d e r -
W aley, C h in e s e P o em s, p . 14. T h is t e x t i s b a s e d
on t h e S su p u t s ' u n g k ' a n ( W ) e d i t i o n , w h ic h
i n t u r n i s a f a c s i m i l e copy o f t h e Nawa Doen ( - ^ | J] )
e d i t i o n , a s e v e n t e e n t h c e n t u r y J a p a n e s e copy o f a Sung
e d i t i o n o f P o 's w o rk s .
6
See W aley, The L i f e and Times o f Po C h u - i , pp .
219 and 221.
108
s t a n d i n g , lo v e an d c a r e , W a le y 's t r a n s l a t i o n o f P o 's
p o e t r y , w h ich i n i t s e l f i s s t r i k i n g f o r i t s " v e r b a l sim
p l i c i t y " and a " r e l a t i v e fre e d o m from t h e a r c h a is m s and
l i t e r a r y a l l u s i o n s , " ^ m u st be c o n s i d e r e d as among t h e b e s t
o f W a le y 's t r a n s l a t i o n s .
T h e re a r e s t i l l s e v e r a l c a s e s i n w h ic h l i n e s from
P o 's o r i g i n a l poems a r e l e f t o u t i n W a le y 's v e r s i o n .
E i g h t l i n e s a r e o .m itted a f t e r t h e f i r s t e i g h t l i n e s o f
" V i s i t i n g t h e H s i - l i n Tem ple" ( t h e o r i g i n a l , " C h 'u n y u
H s i - l i n S su ) ; f o u r l i n e s a r e l e f t o u t
b e f o r e t h e l a s t s i x l i n e s o f " t o h i s B r o t h e r H s i n g - c h i e n "
( t h e o r i g i n a l , " T u i c h i u s h i h H s i n g - c h i e n " 7?' ^ I
) ; " L a s t Poem” i s o n ly t h e l a s t e i g h t l i n e s o f " Tzu
yung l a o sh e n s h i h chu c h i a s h u " ( f|) Tf" ) ;
two l i n e s a r e l e f t o u t b e tw e e n th e f i r s t Js,ix:and( l a s t '
f o u r l i n e s o f "G o ing t o t h e M o u n ta in s w i t h a L i t t l e D an cin g
G i r l " ( t h e o r i g i n a l , " Shan yu s h i h h s i a o c h i " 'lA 7f\
- t i ) ; t h e l a s t s i x l i n e s , as w e l l as t h e t h i r d a n d f o u r t h
l i n e s o f " Meng yu L i C h 'i Yu San S h ih San t ' u n g fa n g Yuan
C hiu ( -f |£) 'gft ) a r e
7
See A r t h u r W aley, A H undred and S e v e n ty C h in e s e
Poems (New York: K nop f, 1 9 1 9 ), p. 167, and The L i f e and
and Times o f Po C h i i- i , p . 161.
109
o m i t t e d i n "D ream ing t h a t I w e n t w i t h L i and Yu t o v i s i t
Yuan C hen." W ith t h e e x c e p t i o n o f t h e l a s t c a s e , h o w e v e r,
8
t h e o m is s io n s a r e i n d i c a t e d by d o ts i n C h in e s e P oem s.
The same f a u l t y s c h o l a r s h i p on W a le y 's p a r t i s r e s p o n s i b l e
i n an i n s t a n c e w here two poems a r e p r i n t e d as i f th e y w ere
two p a r t s o f one poem. "T ao ism and Buddhism " a r e a c t u a l l y
two f o u r - l i n e s e v e n - c h a r a c t e r poems " K 'e yu sh u o "
%$j) and " Ta k ' e sh u o " ) . I t i s t r u e t h a t
t h e y a r e , as t h e o r i g i n a l t i t l e s i n d i c a t e , two p a r t s o f a
c o n v e r s a t i o n b e tw e e n Po an d a f r i e n d , a n d a r e e x tr e m e l y
c l o s e l y r e l a t e d :
A t r a v e l l e r came from a c r o s s t h e s e a s
T e l l i n g o f s t r a n g e s i g h t s .
" I n a deep f o l d o f t h e s e a - h i l l s
I saw a t e r r a c e and to w e r.
I n t h e m i d s t t h e r e s t o o d a F a i r y Temple
W ith one n i c h e em pty.
They a l l t o l d me t h i s was w a i t i n g
f o r L o - t ' i e n t o com e."
T r a v e l l e r , I h a v e s t u d i e d t h e Empty G a te;
I am no d i s c i p l e o f F a i r i e s .
The s t o r y you h a v e j u s t t o l d
I s n o t h i n g b u t an i d l e t a l e .
The h i l l s o f o c e a n s h a l l n e v e r be
Q
W aley, C h in e s e P oem s, pp. 161, 170, 191, 187.
D ots i n C h in e s e P oem s, h o w e v er, do n o t n e c e s s a r i l y i n d i
c a t e an o m is s io n . I n b o t h " L o s in g a S l a v e - G i r l " (p . 182)
and "The O ld L u te " (p. 1 2 6 ), t h e y s i g n i f y o n ly a p a u s e i n
t h e poem.
110
L o - t ' i e n ' s home.
When I l e a v e t h e e a r t h i t w i l l b e t o go
To t h e H eaven o f B l i s s F u l f i l l e d . 9
H ere a r e t h e o r i g i n a l p o e m s:
10
The s t o r y o f a s e a m e rc h a n t d r i v e n by a s to r m t o a f a i r y
i s l a n d and shown t h e r e a h a l l r e s e r v e d f o r Po i s t r a n s l a t e d
by W aley i n The L i f e and Times o f Po C h U -i. T h e re W aley
a l s o o f f e r s a p r o v o c a t i v e b u t d u b io u s s p e c u l a t i o n t h a t t h e
9
W aley, C h in e s e P oem s, p. 191.
1QPo H s ia n g - s h a n c h i i n t h e B a s i c S i n o l o g i c a l
S e r i e s , chuan 69, Book X, p . 92. U n le s s o t h e r w i s e i n d i
c a t e d , t e x t s q u o te d from P o 's w orks from h e r e on w i l l be
fro m t h i s same e d i t i o n .
Ill
t a l e may h a v e o r i g i n a t e d fro m t h e r i s i n g p o p u l a r i t y o f P o 's
w orks i n J a p a n . The poems a r e q u o te d and r e c o g n i z e d as
two poems t h i s t im e , b u t no d a t e f o r them i s g i v e n.^ I f
C h 'e n Y i n - k 'o ( ^ 'J? ) i s r i g h t i n d a t i n g t h e s e poems
12
a ro u n d 842, h o w e v e r, W a le y 's h e a d n o t e " W r i t t e n s h o r t l y
b e f o r e h i s d e a th " on th e poems i n C h in e s e Poems c a n n o t be
t r u e , s i n c e Po d i e d f o u r y e a r s l a t e r i n 846. We a r e l e s s
c o n c e r n e d , h o w e v e r, w i t h t h e d a t e o r ’ ev en w i t h t h e B u d d h is t
and T a o i s t p h i l o s o p h y r e f l e c t e d i n t h e poems t h a n w i t h th e
13
t r a n s l a t i o n , and a t l e a s t two p o i n t s i n i t a r e w o rth
e x a m in in g .
The f i r s t and an o b v io u s p o i n t t h a t one d i s c o v e r s
a f t e r co m p arin g t h e o r i g i n a l s to t h e t r a n s l a t i o n s i s t h a t
one l i n e i n t h e C h in e s e o r i g i n a l i s t r a n s l a t e d i n t o two
l i n e s . A ntony T a tlo w d e s c r i b e s W a le y 's m etho d o f
"^W aley, The L i f e and Times o f Po C h l i - i , p p . 197-
198. W aley t r a n s l a t e s h e r e from T ' a i P ' i n g kuan g c h i
( ^ ) , ch u an 48, f . 9a, 9b. A s l i g h t l y d i f f e r e n t
v e r s i o n o f t h e s t o r y can b e fo u n d i n Yeh M e n g - t e 's ("TF
P i sh u l u h u a ( -iffi ) , ch u an 1, f . 13b, 1^-a.
12
See C h 'e n Y i n - k 'o , Yuan Po s h i h c h i e n cheng kao
( 'XJ ^ ^ * 4 ) (Hon§ Kong, 1 9 7 2 ), p. 307.
13
F o r P o 's i n t e r e s t i n Buddhism an d T aoism ( o r
a lc h e m y ), s e e W aley, The L i f e and Times o f Po C h li- i, pp.
9 8 -1 0 0 , 1 2 6 -1 2 8 , Ch' en Yu- c h ' i n ( f f ^ jj&Q , Wen kuo c h i
> (S h a n g h a i, 1 9 5 9 ), pp\ 5 8 -6 8 .
112
t r a n s l a t i o n as a "m eth o d o f l i n e - b y - l i n e c o r r e s p o n d e n c e , " 14
and i t i s c e r t a i n l y t r u e t h a t W aley g e n e r a l l y t r a n s l a t e s
one l i n e o f C h in e s e p o e t r y i n t o one l i n e i n t h e E n g l i s h
v e r s i o n . T h e re a r e o c c a s i o n s , h o w e v er, when h e t r a n s l a t e s
one l i n e i n t o two. O th e r t h a n t h e poems we a r e d i s c u s s i n g ,
"Wen ko che c h 'a n g W e i- c h ih s h i h " ( ,
W a le y 's "On H e a r in g Someone S in g a Poem by Yuan C h e n " ),
" Tu Lao Tzu" ( "|jj[ ^ . W a le y 's "Lao T zu") and " Tu Chuang
Tzu" ( , W a le y 's "Chuang Tzu, t h e M o n is t" ) a r e
a l l f o u r - l i n e s e v e n - c h a r a c t e r poem s, and a r e a l l r e n d e r e d
i n t o e i g h t l i n e s . W aley c o n f e s s e s t h a t com pared t o t h e
f i v e - c h a r a c t e r l i n e s , "The C h in e s e se v e n -w o rd l i n e i s much
15
more d i f f i c u l t t o h a n d l e , " f o r a l i n e o f s e v e n c h a r a c t e r s
t r a n s l a t e d i n t o E n g l i s h i s o f t e n s im p ly to o lo n g . W aley
th u s o c c a s i o n a l l y s p l i t s one s e v e n -w o rd l i n e i n t h e C h in e s e
o r i g i n a l i n t o two l i n e s i n h i s E n g l i s h v e r s i o n ; i n d o in g
s o , u n f o r t u n a t e l y , h e o f t e n h a s t o add o t h e r w i s e u n n e c e s
s a r y p a d d in g w ords t o some l i n e s w h ic h w ou ld o t h e r w i s e be
to o s h o r t . The w ho le s e c o n d l i n e o f "T ao ism and B uddhism ,"
14
A ntony T a tlo w , "The H e rm it and t h e P o l i t i c i a n :
On t h e T r a n s l a t i o n o f C h in e s e P o e t r y , " B r e c h t H e u t e ,
J a h r g a n g 3 (1 9 7 3 - 1 9 7 4 ) , 203.
15
W aley, Ch i n e s e P o em s, p. 5.
113
" T e l l i n g o f s t r a n g e s i g h t s , " f o r e x am p le, i s ad d ed by
W aley, and t h e r e s u l t i s a w o r d in e s s n o t p r e s e n t i n t h e
o r i g i n a l . A n o th e r p o i n t w o r th d i s c u s s i n g i s t h e u s e o f
d i r e c t s p e e c h i n l i n e s 3 -8 o f t h e t r a n s l a t i o n . S in c e t r a
d i t i o n a l o r t h o g r a p h y o f c l a s s i c a l C h in e s e d oes n o t u s e
p u n c t u a t i o n m a r k s , t h e q u o t a t i o n m arks i n d i c a t i n g s p e e c h
h e r e a r e p r o v i d e d by W aley. We h a v e s e e n i n t h e c a s e o f
"O ld Poem" i n C h a p te r IV t h a t som etim es t h e la n g u a g e o f
t h e t e x t i t s e l f does n o t i n d i c a t e o r i n t r o d u c e d i r e c t '
s p e e c h , and i t i s n o t c l e a r w h ere a s p e e c h s t a r t s and w h ere
i t e n d s . C o n s e q u e n tly , t h e t r a n s l a t o r h a s t o make a
c h o ic e o f h i s own. M i s ta k e s o f c o u r s e a r e p o s s i b l e . I n
"My s e r v a n t w akes m e," t h e f i r s t two l i n e s i n t h e o r i g i n a l
a r e :
jg . # .
(c h u a n 62, Book IX,
p . 84)
C l e a r l y w r i t t e n i n t h e i n d i r e c t s p e e c h , t h e y y e t become i n
W a le y 1s t r a n s l a t i o n :
My s e r v a n t w akes me: " M a s t e r , i t i s b r o a d day.
R is e from b e d ; I b r i n g you bowl and comb. . . .16
16
W aley, C h in e s e P oem s, p . 188. U n le s s o t h e r w i s e
i n d i c a t e d , t e x t s q u o te d fro m W a le y 's w o rk s fro m h e r e on
w i l l b e t a k e n from t h i s book.
114
One and a h a l f o f t h e two l i n e s h e n c e t r a n s f o r m i n t o a
v e r b a t i m r e p o r t o f t h e s e r v a n t ’ s s p e e c h . The same t h i n g
h a p p e n s i n "The F lo w e r M a rk e t" w h ere l i n e s 5 -1 2 a r e p u t
i n t o d i r e c t s p e e c h (p. 1 3 2 ). C hang ing an o r i g i n a l i n d i r e c t
s p e e c h i n t o d i r e c t s p e e c h o f t e n t r a n s f o r m s a r e f l e c t i v e
to n e i n t o a d r a m a t i c o n e. I n t h e above two c a s e s , h o w ev er,
t h e E n g l i s h v e r s i o n s , th o u g h more d r a m a ti z e d , h a v e n o t
c h an g ed t h e m eaning o f t h e o r i g i n a l s . Som etim es t h e
i n c o r r e c t a t t r i b u t i o n o f s p e e c h c an h a v e e v en m ore s e r i o u s
c o n s e q u e n c e s . I n an anonymous poem "O ld and New," f o r
i n s t a n c e , l i n e s 9 and 10 i n t h e o r i g i n a l ru n :
17
W aley, f a i l i n g t o r e c o g n i z e t h e s e two l i n e s -as t h e f o r s a k e n
w i f e ' s m il d re b u k e t o h e r h u s b a n d , m i s t a k e s them f o r a
c o n t i n u a t i o n o f t h e h u s b a n d 's s p e e c h , and comes up w i t h a
f a r - f e t c h e d
My new w i f e comes i n from t h e r o a d t o m eet me;
My o l d w i f e alw ays came down from h e r to w e r. (p . 53)
—t r r r —
17,
Shen T e - c h 'i e n , Ku s h i h y u a n , chuan 4, f . 11a.
F o r an i n t e r p r e t a t i o n o f t h e two l i n e s b a s e d on a v a r i a n t ^
r e a d i n g , s e e Yu K u a n -y in g , Yueh f u s h i h hlsuan ( J ^
(Hong Kong, n . d . ) , p. 59. ^
115
H ere i n "T a o ism and B ud d h ism ," l i n e s 3 -8 ( l i n e s 2 -4 o f th e
o r i g i n a l ) a r e p u t i n q u o t a t i o n m a r k s , i n d i c a t i n g t h e y a r e
w ords o f t h e t r a v e l l e r . The f i r s t l i n e o f t h e se c o n d p a r t
( t h a t i s , t h e o r i g i n a l s e c o n d poem) s t a r t s w i t h th e
n a r r a t o r (Po h i m s e l f ) a d d r e s s i n g h i s g u e s t " T r a v e l l e r . "
Thus, t h i s p a r t o f t h e t r a n s l a t e d v e r s i o n i s a r e p l y o f Po
t o t h e t r a v e l l e r . A n o t e by Po h i m s e l f on t h e t i t l e o f
t h e o r i g i n a l f i r s t poem, h o w e v er, s t a t e s :
18
The t i t l e " K 'e yu sh u o " th u s means t h a t t h e f i r s t poem
( f i r s t p a r t o f t h e t r a n s l a t i o n ) i s t o l d by L i C h e -tu n g
(L i S h i h - c h i , ) , who i s o n l y r e p o r t i n g w h a t he
h a s h e a r d from t h e t r a v e l l e r . The s e c o n d p a r t o f t h e
t r a n s l a t i o n , t h e o r i g i n a l poem e n t i t l e d " Ta k* e s h u o ," i s
th u s a r e p l y n o t t o th e t r a v e l l e r b u t t o L i, and t h e r a t h e r
u n c e re m o n io u s c o n t r a d i c t i o n t o t h e f a c e o f t h e t r a v e l l e r
w hose r e p o r t o f w h a t h e h a s p e r s o n a l l y s e e n and h e a r d i s
Po s h i h c h 'a n g c h 'i n g c h i ( lAj ' ^ s. )
( P e k in g , 1 9 5 5 ), chtfan 36, f ~ . 4 4 a . T h is e d i t i o n i s a f a c
s i m i l e copy o f a Suns e d i t i o n . The Nawa Doen e d i t i o n o f
P o 's C om plete Works does n o t c o n t a i n t h e c i t e d n o t e s i n c e
a l l n o t e s by Po a r e d e l e t e d i n t h a t e d i t i o n . I t i s co n
t a i n e d , h o w e v er, i n Wang L i - m i n 's Po H s ia n g - s h a n s h i h c h i
(h o u c h i , ch u an 17, f . 1 0 a ) , th e t e x t r e f e r e n c e W aley
h i m s e l f g i v e s i n C h in e s e Poems (p. 1 3 ).
116
c a l l e d " a n i d l e t a l e " i n t h e t r a n s l a t i o n i s a c t u a l l y i n t h e
o r i g i n a l a m il d and g e n t l e d i s a g r e e m e n t:
w h ic h can b e t r a n s l a t e d , " T h is s t o r y , I am a f r a i d , i s n o t
t r u e . "
T h is m i s t a k e , as a l r e a d y p o i n t e d o u t , i s c o m m itted
b e c a u s e o f t h e a b s e n c e o f q u o t a t i o n m arks i n t h e o r i g i n a l
t e x t . O th e r s p e c i a l f e a t u r e s o f t h e la n g u a g e u s e d i n
c l a s s i c a l C h in e s e p o e t r y l e a d t o d i f f i c u l t i e s i n t r a n s l a
t i o n . I t i s n o t u n u s u a l , f o r e x a m p le , f o r p ro n o u n s ,
e s p e c i a l l y th e f i r s t p e r s o n a l p ro n o u n , " I , " t o b e l e f t o u t
i n C h in e s e poem s. T h is l e a d s o c c a s i o n a l l y t o m i s t a k e n
i d e n t i t i e s . L in e s 5 -8 o f " T u i c h i u s h i h H s i n g - c h i e n "
a r e t r a n s l a t e d by W aley i n C h in e s e Poems a s :
I h a v e b u t two b r o t h e r s
And b i t t e r l y g r i e v e d t h a t b o t h w e re f a r away;
T h is s p r i n g , b a c k th r o u g h t h e G orges o f P a ,
I h a v e come t o them s a f e l y , t e n th o u s a n d l e a g u e s .
, W a le y 's "To H is B r o t h e r H s in g - c h i e n )
(p . 169)
The o r i g i n a l i s :
( ch u an 7, Book
I I I , p. 90)
117
F o llo w in g Wang L i- m in , W aley f i r s t d a t e s t h e poem i n 8 2 0 ,- ^
p re s u m a b ly t h i n k i n g t h a t Po w r o te t h e poem a f t e r he h a d
r e t u r n e d from e x i l e to C h 'a n g - a n . I n an a d d i t i o n a l n o t e
i n The L i f e and Times o f Po C h u - i , h o w ev er, h e c h a n g e s h i s
m ind an d s a y s t h a t t h e poem " s h o u l d be p l a c e d i n 817 and
r e v i s e d a c c o r d i n g l y , i . e . , 'we a r e b u t two b r o t h e r s , ' and
20
' t h i s s p r i n g you came b a c k . ' " The poem a c t u a l l y was
21
p r o b a b l y w r i t t e n i n 818, b u t W a le y 's r e v i s i o n o f t h e
t r a n s l a t i o n i s c o r r e c t . P o 's o n ly o t h e r b r o t h e r , Yu-wen
) , d i e d e a r l i e r i n 8 1 7 , ^ and th e f i r s t l i n e h e r e
^ W a n g L i - m i n 's c h r o n o l o g i c a l t a b l e (
i n Po H s ia n g - s h a n s h i h c h i p u t s t h e poem i n t h e f i f t e e n t h
y e a r
820.
y e a r o f th e Y uan-ho r e i g n ( f - >» i - e -
20
W aley, The L i f e and Times o f Po C h u - i , p . 224.
21
P o 's b r o t h e r H s i n g - c h i e n , as W aley s a y s , "came
t o l i v e w i t h Po a t C h ian g -ch o u "/ . . . [±i]n t h e s p r i n g o f
818" (The L i f e an d Times o f Po C h ii- i, p. 124) , an d t h e l a s t
s i x l i n e s o f t h e poem, e v en i n W a le y 's v e r s i o n , c l e a r l y
i n d i c a t e t h a t H s i n g - c h i e n was w i t h Po when h e w r o te t h e
poem:
H s i n g - c h i e n , d r i n k y o u r cup o f w in e ,
Then s e t i t down and l i s t e n t o w h a t I s a y .
Do n o t s i g h : t h a t y o u r home i s f a r away;
Do n o t m ind i f y o u r s a l a r y i s s m a ll .
Only p r a y t h a t a s lo n g a s l i f e l a s t s
You an d I may n e v e r b e f o r c e d to p a r t .
22
As W aley p o i n t s o u t i n t h e same n o t e , an d n ro v e n
by t h e t e x t p r e s e r v e d i n Wen y u an y in g h ua ( 'jC.ydj -§§* ,
chiian 992, f . 2b) , t h a t t h e b e g i n n i n g w ords o f " Chi f o u l
J i l R .
" H siu n g t i w e i e r h j e n ( ) m u st b e "We a r e
b u t two b r o t h e r s " r a t h e r t h a n " I ha.ve b u t two b r o t h e r s . "
Po i n a n o t h e r poem w r i t t e n i n 817, " Te H s i n g - c h i e n sh u wen
yii h s i a h s i a h s i e n i t z ' u c h i " ( ;f,fp ^ ~ f *
" R e c e iv in g H s i n g - c h i e n 's l e t t e r and
h e a r i n g t h a t h e p l a n s to come down t h r o u g h th e G o rg e s, I
se n d him t h i s " ) , w r o t e :
(ch u an 17, Book
IV, p . 5)
The l a s t two l i n e s h e r e r e f e r t o t h e same j o u r n e y h i s
b r o t h e r made t h a t s p r i n g th r o u g h t h e G o rg e s. T hus, " I h a v e
come t o them s a f e l y " i s w ro n g , a n d s h o u l d b e c h an g e d t o
l i a n g t a h s i u n g wen ^ -0- ) , "The Yuan Ho
t h i r t e e n t h y e a r . . . i s a m i s t a k e f o r ' t w e l f t h y e a r , ' as
i s shown by t h e c y c l i c a l s i g n s and t h e m e n tio n o f an
i n t e r c a l a r y m onth" (The L i f e and Times o f Po C h u - i , p.
2 2 4 ) ., The o r i g i n a l f i r s t l i n e o f t h e e s s a y i s
>T M ^ ( ch uan 23, Book
IV, p . 86) ; t h e t w e l f t h y e a r o f Ylian-ho i s 817. A n o th e r
b r o t h e r o f Po, Y u-m ei ( ) h a d d i e d lo n g ago i n 792;
s e e " T ' ang T ' a i - y u an Po s h i h c h i h sh a n g mu c h ih m ing p in g
C M ^ C^ M & ^ ^ M ' ^ n }
(chitan 25, Book V, p. 8). Hence, at the time when* Po
wrote the poem, there were only two brothers left.
119
so m e th in g l i k e "y o u came b a c k s a f e l y . "23 The a b s e n c e o f
a few p ro n o u n s i n t h i s way c an r e s u l t i n two d i f f e r e n t
v e r s i o n s , and b i o g r a p h i c a l i n f o r m a t i o n i s c r u c i a l i n
d e c i d i n g w h ic h i s r i g h t .
I n t h i s c a s e , w i t h a m ore d e t a i l e d f a m i l i a r i z a t i o n
o f P o 's w orks and l i f e , W aley l e a r n s o f h i s m i s t a k e and
r e v i s e s i t a c c o r d i n g l y . He i s l e s s f o r t u n a t e i n a n o t h e r
i n s t a n c e . I n "Na su s h i h " ( t o # - # , W a le y 's "The
G r a i n - T r i b u t e " ) , a poem s t a r t i n g w i t h an o f f i c e r k n o c k in g
a t t h e d o o r by n i g h t dem anding g r a i n - t r i b u t e , Po w r i t e s
i n l i n e s 5 an d 6 t h a t a f t e r h i s s e r v a n t s h a v e p r o d u c e d a
w hole c a r t o f t h i r t y b u s h e l s o f g r a i n ,
U & * f
- ^ 5 ft . . . ( c h u a n 1 ,
* s ' * T> ^ — 1 , T T
Book I I ,
p. 13)
W aley t r a n s l a t e s :
23
F o r m ore s u p p o r t i n g e v id e n c e f o r W a le y 's r e v i - _
s i o n , s e e H an ab usa H i d e k i 's ( Haku s h i m onju
no h i h a n t e k i k en k y u (
k en k y u ( 4> fa withal
(K yoto, 1 9 6 0 ), p . 407. F urth erm o re,^ Po s t a t e d i n " Shang
sh a n l u yu k a n hsli ( ^ / f fif ^ ) ( ch u an 2 0 ,
B °°k IV p . 4 9 ) of & ft (822"): ft. & &
+tJ ’ W) ' T hus, h e r e t u r n e d t o C han g-an
i n 820 i n t h e summer, n o t s p r i n g .
120
But s t i l l t h e y c r y t h a t i t i s n o t p a i d i n f u l l :
W ith w h ip s and c u r s e s t h e y g o ad my s e r v a n t s a n d
b o y s .2 4
W aley h e r e t a k e s t h e o m i t t e d s u b j e c t o f t h e s e two l i n e s
as t h e p ro n o u n " t h e y , " p r e s u m a b ly t h e o f f i c e r and h i s men.
B ut t h e s u b j e c t o f t h e f i r s t l i n e h e r e s h o u l d r e a l l y b e
" I , " an d t h e w h ip p in g and c u r s i n g h a v e n o t r e a l l y t a k e n
p l a c e . The k e y w ord i n t h e s e two l i n e s , m i s t r a n s l a t e d by
W aley, i s " ^ u , ' t o w o r r y . " The o r i g i n a l s a y s t h a t
Po i s s t i l l w o r r i e d t h a t t h e g r a i n w i l l n o t b e a c c e p t e d
and h i s s e r v a n t s m ig h t t h e n b e w h ip p e d o r r e p r im a n d e d .
W aley f a i l s t o r e c o g n i z e t h a t t h e d r a m a ti c a c t i o n ends i n
l i n e 4, and t h e p a r t fro m l i n e 5 t o t h e en d o f t h e poem i s
25
t h e c o n t e m p l a t i o n o f Po a s t h e n a r r a t o r . The t r a n s l a t i o n
f a i l s t o convey t h e c o n c e rn o f t h e p o e t f o r h i s s e r v a n t s ,
24
W aley, A H undred and S e v e n ty C h in e s e P oem s, p.
182.
25
T h a t t h e n a r r a t o r i n t h e s e s e v e r a l poems i s Po
h i m s e l f and n o t a p o e t i c p e r s o n a i s a p p a r e n t b e c a u s e o f
a u t o b i o g r a p h i c a l r e f e r e n c e s i n t h e poem s, i n t h e i r t i t l e s ,
o r i n P o 's own n o t e s . I t s h o u l d b e p o i n t e d o u t t h a t Po
i s n o t e d f o r h i s f r e q u e n t r e f e r e n c e s t o h isy o w n l i f e i n h i s
poems. S e e , f o r e x am p le , Hung M a i 's ( * £ A . > Ju n g c h a i
s h i h h u a ( , ch uan 1, f . 2b_-4b, l l b - 1 2 a ) ,
and Chao 1 1 s (jgfi j&L ) Qu p e l s h i h h u a
chu an 4 , f . l - f 7 ^ 2 2 ) . E x c e p t i n some o f h i s s a t i r e s o r
d i d a c t i c poem s, Po v e r y se ld o m em ploys t h e d e v i c e o f a
p o e t i c p e r s o n a .
121
v i t a l l y i m p o r t a n t i n th e o r i g i n a l poem.
A n o th e r s p e c i a l f e a t u r e o f t h e C h in e s e la n g u a g e
i s t h a t t h e p l u r a l o f nouns i s n o t e x p l i c i t l y i n d i c a t e d .
F a c ed w i t h a noun o r a p ro n o u n w h ic h may b e s i n g u l a r o r
p l u r a l , a t r a n s l a t o r c a n o n ly b a s e h i s g u e s s on h i n t s
fro m t h e c o n t e x t o r , i n t h e c a s e o f an a u t o b i o g r a p h i c a l
poem, on i n f o r m a t i o n d e r i v e d from t h e p o e t ' s l i f e . One o f
P o 's e a r l i e s t poem s, "C h i t i hou k u e i c h in l i u p i e h chu
W a le y 's " A f t e r P a s s i n g t h e E x a m i n a t i o n " ) , was w r i t t e n i n
800 a f t e r he h a d p a s s e d t h e L i t e r a r y E x a m in a tio n . L in e s
3 and 4 o f t h e poem a r e
f a t h e r d i e d on t h e t w e n t y - e i g h t h day o f t h e f i f t h month i n
ch u an 29, Book V, p. 4 2 ) , t h a t i s , i n t h e y e a r 794, s i x
t ' ung n i e n ” (
( ch uan 5, Book I I ,
p . 63)
They a r e t r a n s l a t e d by W aley as
My h i g h p l a c e I do n o t much p r i z e ;
The j o y o f my p a r e n t s w i l l f i r s t make me p ro u d .
(p. 120)
I n " H s ia n g chou p i e h c h i a f u chlin s h i h c h u an g " (
1! T ) , h o w e v er, Po w r i t e s t h a t h i s
t h e r e i g n o f C hen-yu an (
122
y e a r s e a r l i e r . R e c o g n iz in g t h i s when w r i t i n g th e b i o g r a p h y
o f Po, W aley t h e r e comments on t h e poem: "We m u s t, o f
c o u r s e , t a k e t h e w ord ' p a r e n t s ' i n a w id e s e n s e ; f o r t h e
f a t h e r , a s you w i l l rem em ber, h a d d i e d i n 7 9 4 ." B u t t h e
w ord " ch* i n " (Mi ) may b e s i n g u l a r a s w e l l a s p l u r a l ,
h e n c e t h e w ord " p a r e n t " o r e v e n " m o th e r" i s m ore s u i t a b l e
i n t h i s c a s e .
S t i l l a n o t h e r c h a r a c t e r i s t i c o f n o n i n f l e c t i o n a l
C h in e s e i s t h e l a c k o f e x p l i c i t i n d i c a t i o n o f t e n s e s .
H ere W aley h a s few p r o b le m s . On a few o c c a s i o n s , h o w e v er,
h i s u s e o f p e r f e c t t e n s e i s p r o b l e m a t i c a l . T ake, f o r
e x am p le , P o 's "Y in hou yeh h s i n g ” ( 4 k XL
W a le y 's " A f t e r G e t t i n g D runk, Becoming S o b e r i n t h e N i g h t " ) ;
i t s f i r s t s i x l i n e s a r e
-4r
i t k- P|
■f\7%
* r j II ^ ^ ^
J&K A % ^ ' (cWlan 20, Book
IV, p . 60)
26
W aley, The L i f e and Tim es o f Po C h il- i, p. 24.
123
Waley translates:
Our p a r t y s c a t t e r e d a t y e ll o w d u sk an d I came
home t o b e d ;
I woke a t m i d n i g h t an d w e n t f o r a w a lk , l e a n i n g
h e a v i l y on a f r i e n d .
As I l a y on my p i l l o w my v in o u s c o m p le x io n ,
s o o t h e d by s l e e p , grew s o b e r ;
I n f r o n t o f t h e to w e r t h e o c e a n moon, accom pany ing
t h e t i d e , h a d r i s e n .
The s w a l l o w s , a b o u t to r e t u r n t o t h e b e a m s , w e n t
b a c k to r o o s t a g a i n ;
The c a n d le a t my window, j u s t g o in g o u t , s u d d e n ly
r e v i v e d i t s l i g h t . ( p p _ 175_ 176)
T h ro u g h o u t t h e poem W aley u s e s t h e s im p le p a s t t e n s e ,
e x c e p t i n l i n e 4, " I n f r o n t o f t h e to w e r t h e o c e a n moon,
a cco m p an y in g t h e t i d e , h a d r i s e n , " w h e re a p a s t p e r f e c t
t e n s e i s u s e d . Upon c l o s e e x a m in a t io n , one w i l l f i n d t h a t
t h e u s e o f a p e r f e c t t e n s e h e r e i s n o t j u s t i f i e d . The
poem aim s to convey t h e i m p r e s s io n s o f t h e n a r r a t o r when
w aking up a f t e r b e i n g d ru n k . The f i r s t t h r e e l i n e s o f th e
poem d e s c r i b e t h e a c t i o n from th e n a r r a t o r ' s g e t t i n g drunk
t o h i s w ak in g u p , b u t t h e tempo o f t h e a c t i o n d i f f e r s
g r e a t l y , s lo w in g down from t h e f i r s t l i n e ' s d r i n k i n g ,
coming home a n d s l e e p i n g , t o a g r a d u a l w a k in g up from
s l e e p and d ru n k e n n e s s i n l i n e 3. L in e s 4 -6 a r e t h e s c e n e s
h e s e e s upon w a k in g u p, b u t n o n e o f t h e s e s c e n e s i s s t a t i c .
L in e 4 , fo rm in g a c o u p l e t w i t h l i n e 3, d e s c r i b e s a s c e n e
i n w h ic h an e q u a l l y g r a d u a l a c t i o n as t h a t i n l i n e 3 goes
124
on; t h e r i s i n g ( o r e m e rg in g ) o f t h e moon, a c c o m p a n ie d by
t h e t i d e . The a c t i o n i n th e s c e n e s o f l i n e s 5 a n d 6
becom es f a s t e r and f a s t e r ; from sw allo w s c i r c l i n g and
r o o s t i n g t o a c a n d l e f l i c k e r i n g . . T hus, a l t h o u g h u n l i k e
l i n e s 1 - 3 , l i n e s 4 -6 a r e d e s c r i p t i o n s o f w h a t t h e n a r r a t o r
s e e s r a t h e r th a n a n a r r a t i v e o f a c t i o n J t h e y a n sw e r th e
f i r s t t h r e e l i n e s ' s lo w in g down o f tempo w i t h a q u i c k e n in g
p a c e i n t h e a c t i o n o f e a c h s c e n e . Once we s e e t h e p o s i t i o n
t h a t e a c h l i n e p l a y s i n t h i s p a t t e r n , we can s e e t h a t l i n e
4 d e s c r i b e s n o t a s t a t i c and c o m p le te d s t a t e , b u t a
g r a d u a l y e t c o n ti n u o u s m o tio n . " H a i yiieh p a n c h 'a o sheng
) i s m ore p r o p e r l y t r a n s l a t e d " t h e
o c e a n , acco m p an y in g th e t i d e , was r i s i n g , " t h a n " t h e o c e a n
moon, acco m p an y in g t h e t i d e , h ad r i s e n . ”
c a n d l e a t my window, j u s t g o in g o u t , s u d d e n ly r e v i v e d i t s
l i g h t . " The w ord " s u d d e n ly " i s ad d ed by W aley, f o r ,
a l t h o u g h t h e f l i c k e r i n g o f a c a n d le does im p ly a q u ic k
m o tio n , t h e o r i g i n a l does n o t s t a t e i t e x p l i c i t l y . W aley
o f t e n h a s p ro b le m s w i t h t h e w ord " s u d d e n l y . " I n " Ch*un
c h ia n g " ( A ->*-. W a le y 's "The S p r i n g R i v e r ) , t h e se c o n d
The s i x t h l i n e o f t h i s poem i s t r a n s l a t e d "The
l i n e
( ch u an 18,
Book IV, p . 26)
125
is translated as
S u d d e n ly I f i n d i t i s two y e a r s s i n c e I came t o
C hung-chou. (p. 168)
The c h a r a c t e r s pu chu eh ) mean " u n n o t i c e a b l y ,"
and t h e l i n e e m p h a s iz e s t h e u n n o t i c e a b l e p a s s i n g o f tim e
f a t h e r t h a n t h e su d d e n c o n s c i o u s n e s s o f t h i s f a c t . I n
" C h 'u n c h ia n g h u a yiieh y e h " ( , W a le y 's
" F lo w e r and M o o n lig h t o f t h e S p r i n g R i v e r " ) by Yang Kuang
(S u i Y a n g - t i , ^ 7 ^ ^ t * le worc* " s u d d e n ly " i n
t h e t h i r d l i n e o f W a le y 's v e r s i o n ,
S u d d e n ly a wave c a r r i e s t h e moon away (p . 1 1 5 ),
i s t h e t r a n s l a t o r ' s a d d i t i o n t o d r a m a ti z e t h e s i t u a t i o n ,
f o r t h e o r i g i n a l i s s im p ly
^ ^ ^ . 2 7
On t h e o t h e r h a n d , l i n e s 21 and 22 o f Yuan C h e n 's " Meng
c h i n g " ( , W a le y 's "The P i t c h e r ) ,
1 1 f i t , % &
-r
28
/ t l j
27
Kuo M a o - c h 'i e h , Y u e h f u s h i h c h i , chu an 47,
f . l a .
^ Ytiah shih ch ' ang ch ' ing chi ( ^ ^ ^
chuan 9, f. 3b.
126
are translated
The p l a i n i n my dream was t h e g r a v e y a r d a t C h 'a n g - a n
T hose h u n d r e d a c r e s o f u n t i l l e d l a n d . (p . 192)
The f i r s t tw e n ty l i n e s o f t h e poem t e l l a b o u t a dream ,
and i t i s t r u e t h a t , f r o m l i n e 21 on , a n i n t e r p r e t a t i o n o f
t h e dream i s g i v e n . B ut v i t a l l y i m p o r t a n t t o t h e poem i s
a l s o th e way t h e n a r r a t o r t h i n k s w h a t h i s dream r e a l l y
i n t h e o r i g i n a l s h o u ld t h e r e f o r e by no m eans b e s u b s t i t u t e d
by W a le y 's "The p l a i n i n my dream was . . . w h ic h
c h an g e s t h e o r i g i n a l ' s su d d e n a s s o c i a t i o n i n t o a c o l d l y
r a t i o n a l e x p l a n a t i o n . A n o th e r c a s e i n w h ic h t h e w ord "h u"
i s m i s t r a n s l a t e d o c c u r s i n an anonymous poem " C h 'i n g c h 'i n g
O ld Poems" t r a n s l a t e d by W aley. L in e s 3 and 4 o f t h e
W aley t r a n s l a t e s :
M an's l i f e l i v e d w i t h i n t h i s w o r ld ,
I s l i k e t h e s o j o u r n i n g o f a h u r r i e d t r a v e l l e r , (p . 57)
m e a n s . " I s u d d e n ly rem e m b e r,"
) , one o f t h e " S e v e n te e n
o r i g i n a l a r e
29
Shen Te-ch'ien, Ku shih yuan, chuan 4, f. 6b.
127
The w ord "hu" th u s becom es i n t h e E n g l i s h v e r s i o n an
a d j e c t i v e " h u r r i e d " m o d if y in g t h e c h a r a c t e r s " y u a n h s i n g
lEle" < ) , " t r a v e l l e r . " But i n th e o r i g i n a l
s t r u c t u r e , i t a c t u a l l y m o d i f i e s t h e w ords " j e n s h e n g "
, m an’ s l i f e ) . I t i s " m a n 's l i f e " ( o r " l i f e " i n
g e n e r a l ) t h a t i s h u r r i e d o r su d d e n , n o t t h e t r a v e l l e r . I n
a n o t h e r anonymous poem " H s in g h s i n g c h 'u n g h s i n g h s i n g "
) , a n o t h e r one o f t h e " S e v e n t e e n Old
P o em s," t h e w ord " s u d d e n ly " somehow g e t s i n t o t h e w rong
l i n e . The t h i r t e e n t h and f o u r t e e n t h l i n e s o f t h e o r i g i n a l
poem a r e :
&
30
W a le y 's v e r s i o n i s
T h in k in g o f yo u h a s made me s u d d e n ly o ld
The m onths and y e a r s s w i f t l y draw t o t h e i r c l o s e .
(p. 56)
The w ord " s u d d e n ly " o f th e f i r s t l i n e h e r e a p p a r e n t l y
comes fro m t h e c h a r a c t e r "h u " i n t h e se c o n d l i n e o f th e
C h in e s e , o t h e r w i s e t r a n s l a t e d a s " s w i f t l y . "
3 0 t^ - j
I b i d .
128
The m i s u s e , m i s p l a c i n g , a n d o m is s i o n o f t h e w ord
" s u d d e n l y ” c a n n o t b e a t t r i b u t e d t o any s p e c i a l c h a r a c t e r
i s t i c o f t h e C h in e s e la n g u a g e . N e i t h e r can one a t t r i b u t e
an a l t e r a t i o n o f p e r s p e c t i v e s t o t h e d i f f e r e n c e b e tw e e n
t h e C h in e s e and E n g l i s h l a n g u a g e s . I n P o 's " Kan c h i u sh a
by L i C h i e n " ) , t h e p o e t , upon w e a r i n g a h a t g i v e n t o him
by h i s d ead f r i e n d L i C h ie n , t h i n k s w i t h g r i e f o f t h e
i r o n i c f a c t t h a t t h e h a t i s s t i l l h e r e , b u t h i s f r i e n d i s
go n e. T h is c o n t r a s t i s f u r t h e r d e v e lo p e d i n l i n e s 5 an d 6 :
W aley t r a n s l a t e s t h e s e a s :
The t h i n g i s o l d , b u t s t i l l f i t t o w e a r;
The man i s gone and w i l l n e v e r be s e e n a g a i n , (p . 175)
T h e re i s n o t h i n g wrong w i t h t h e g r a m m a tic a l s e n s e i n t h e
t r a n s l a t i o n , b u t t h e p e r s p e c t i v e o f t h e l i n e s i s c h an g ed .
The o r i g i n a l l i n e s a r e s t a t e m e n t s o f g e n e r a l i t y and c an be
t r a n s l a t e d i n t o s o m e th in g l i k e
T h in g s , th o u g h o l d , can s t i l l b e u s e d ;
A man once d e a d c a n n e v e r be m et a g a i n .
W a le y 's v e r s i o n s h i f t s t h e p e r s p e c t i v e t o t h e much n a r r o w e r
p r e s e n t s i t u a t i o n . T h e re i s , o f c o u r s e , no d o u b t t h a t t h e
mao ^ ’ W a le y 's "The H a t g i v e n to t h e p o e t
( chuan 8 ,
Book I I , p. 94)
129
g e n e r a l s t a t e m e n t a p p l i e s t o t h e p a r t i c u l a r s i t u a t i o n o f
t h e p r e s e n t , an d " t h e t h i n g , ” t h e h a t , and " t h e m an ,"
L i C h ie n , a r e t h e o n ly r e a s o n s why i t i s e v e r made. But
t h e g e n e r a l i t y o f t h e s t a t e m e n t i m p l i e s a r e s t r a i n t ,
a lm o s t an a t t e m p t t o d i v e r t o n e 's a t t e n t i o n fro m t h e p a r
t i c u l a r and p a i n f u l s i t u a t i o n , and i s a f a v o r i t e d e v ic e o f
C h in e s e p o e t r y o f m o u rn in g and g r i e f . T ak e, f o r i n s t a n c e ,
a n o t h e r anonymous poem t r a n s l a t e d by W aley a s " B u r i a l
T h ese a r e g e n e r a l s t a t e m e n t s , and a g a i n i n W a le y ’ s v e r s i o n ,
th e y a r e a p p l i e d t o p a r t i c u l a r s i t u a t i o n s :
How s w i f t l y i t d r i e s ,
The dew on th e g a r l i c - l e a f ,
The dew t h a t d r i e s so f a s t
To-morrow w i l l f a l l a g a i n .
B ut h e whom we c a r r y t o t h e g r a v e
W i l l n e v e r more r e t u r n . ( p p . 55 -5 6 )
The e m p h a sis o f th e o r i g i n a l i s t h a t n o t o n l y "h e whom we
S o n g " :
31
31
Shen Te-ch'ien, Ku shih yuan, chuan 3, f. 11b.
130
c a r r y t o t h e g r a v e , " t h e one who d i e d on t h i s p a r t i c u l a r
s i t u a t i o n , b u t human b e i n g s i n g e n e r a l , o nce gone t o t h e
g r a v e , w i l l n e v e r r e t u r n . I n b o t h i n s t a n c e s , W a le y ’ s
v e r s i o n s s h i f t t h e p e r s p e c t i v e from a g e n e r a l t o a p a r t i c
u l a r one a n d l o s e t h e u n i v e r s a l i t y o f f e e l i n g as w e l l as
t h e r e s t r a i n e d to n e o f t h e o r i g i n a l s .
The same s h i f t o f p e r s p e c t i v e w i t h a s l i g h t l y
d i f f e r e n t e f f e c t o c c u r s i n a n o t h e r poem by P o , " Kan wu wang
yu an t ' i j u sh a n g j e n p i " (
/§ £ . ) W a l e y 's " R e a l i z i n g t h e f u t i l i t y o f l i f e " ) . The
o r i g i n a l t i t l e i n d i c a t e s ( a s ' a l s o p o i n t e d o u t by W a le y ’s
h e a d n o t e ) t h a t t h e poem was w r i t t e n on t h e w a l l o f a
p r i e s t ’ s c e l l . I t i s a lm o s t an e x p o s i t i o n o f B u d d h is t a n d ,
i n t h e l a s t two l i n e s , Zen p h i l o s o p h y :
k M L fo fa - i
% £ • ^ JL %
* 3 - i f H r
4 > 't & 0 #
Jj t - ^ 7 if3
40 M i k
fa f K V & £
f a % 4 3 %
131
( c h u a n , Book V III,
# 4- % ■ ' f . p-7 ? )
I n W a le y 's t r a n s l a t i o n , t h e f i r s t e i g h t l i n e s t u r n from an
a b s t r a c t i o n on g e n e r a l human b e h a v i o r t o a s p e c i f i c
e x a m p le :
E v er s i n c e t h e tim e when I was a l u s t y boy
Down t i l l now when I am i l l and o l d ,
The t h i n g s I h a v e c a r e d f o r h a v e b e e n d i f f e r e n t
a t d i f f e r e n t t i m e s ,
B ut my b e in g b u s y , t h a t h a s n e v e r c h an g e d .
Then on t h e s h o r e - - b u i l d i n g s a n d - p a g o d a s ;
Now, a t ' c o u r t , c o v e r e d w i t h t i n k l i n g j a d e .
T h is and t h a t - - e q u a l l y c h i l d i s h gam es,
T h in g s w hose s u b s t a n c e p a s s e s i n a moment o f tim e ;
W h ile t h e h a n d s a r e b u s y , t h e h e a r t c a n n o t u n d e r s t a n d ;
When t h e r e i s no A tta c h m e n t, D o c t r i n e i s so u n d .
Even s h o u l d one z e a l o u s l y s t r i v e t o l e a r n t h e Way,
The v e r y s t r i v i n g w i l l make o n e 's e r r o r m ore.
(p p . 1 7 8 -1 7 9 )
The o r i g i n a l f i r s t e i g h t l i n e s , l i k e t h e l a s t f o u r , a r e
m ea n t t o b e a p p l i e d t o a l l human b e i n g s , t h e n a r r a t o r o f
c o u r s e i n c l u d e d . I n W a le y 's v e r s i o n , t h e y become a
d e s c r i p t i o n o f w h a t h a p p e n e d i n th e l i f e o f t h e n a r r a t o r .
The b a s i c im age o f a c h i l d ' s game i s r e t a i n e d , a l t h o u g h i n
l i n e 5, " f o t ' a " ( i s s im p ly t r a n s l a t e d " p a g o d a ."
L e a v in g o u t t h e w ord " f o " (B uddha, o r B u d d h is t) i n t h e
t r a n s l a t i o n o b s c u r e s t h e f a c t t h a t t h e l a s t two l i n e s o f
t h e poem echo t h i s l i n e . Added i n s t e a d a r e t h e p a d d in g
132
w ords "o n t h e s h o r e " ; t h i s i s u n f o r t u n a t e b e c a u s e t h e w ord
" s h o r e , " o f t e n e n c o u n t e r e d i n B uddhism , a r o u s e s a s s o c i a
t i o n s u n c a l l e d f o r i n t h e o r i g i n a l . B u d d h is t term s l i k e
" s e k 'u n g " ( ^ ^ ) , "wu ch o" ( ) , " chen t s u n g "
) i n t h e l a s t l i n e s o f t h e poem, w i t h t h e i r com
p l e x c o n n o t a t i o n s , r e a l l y h a v e no E n g l i s h e q u i v a l e n t s ,
and W a le y ’ s a t t e m p t s , th o u g h n o t e n t i r e l y s a t i s f a c t o r y ,
m u st n o t be d i s c r e d i t e d . T h e re i s an e x c e p t i o n , h o w e v e r,
i n t h e te rm " l i a o i " ( J - # ) i n l i n e 9. " L ia o " h e r e d oes
n o t mean " t o u n d e r s t a n d , ” b u t " t o f i n i s h " o r " t o c o m p l e t e . "
T h is s h i f t o f p e r s p e c t i v e t o g e t h e r w i t h t h e s t r i p p i n g o f
c o n n o t a t i o n s i n t h e B u d d h i s t te rm s t u r n t h e poem from an
a b s t r a c t e x p o s i t i o n o f B u d d h i s t p h i l o s o p h y i n t o a p e r
s o n a l l y r e f l e c t i v e poem.
S h i f t i n g fro m a g e n e r a l p e r s p e c t i v e t o a p a r t i c u l a r
one r e s u l t s i n m ore d r a m a ti c s i t u a t i o n s t h a n i n t h e o r i g i
n a l poem s, and t h i s seems t o be one o f t h e u n d e r l y i n g
f a c t o r s o f W a le y 's m i s t r a n s l a t i o n s . I n t h e i n t r o d u c t i o n
t o A H undred a n d S e v e n ty C h in e s e P oem s, W aley n o t e s t h e
32
a b s e n c e o f i m p o r t a n t d r a m a ti c l i t e r a t u r e i n C h in a. To
c o m p e n sa te f o r t h e l a c k o f d r a m a t i c q u a l i t y w h ic h he s e e s
32
See W aley, A H undred and S e v e n ty C h in e s e Poem s,
pp. 17-18.
133
i n the.vm ainly r e f l e c t i v e C h in e s e p o e t r y , h e so m etim es
y i e l d s , p e r h a p s u n c o n s c i o u s l y , to a te n d e n c y t o d r a m a t i z e
i n t h e t r a n s l a t i o n . The c h an g e o f p e r s p e c t i v e i n "The H at
G iv en t o t h e P o e t by L i C h i e n , ” i n " B u r i a l Song" and i n
" R e a l i z i n g t h e F u t i l i t y o f L i f e " a l l m akes t h e E n g l i s h
v e r s i o n s m ore d r a m a t i c t h a n t h e i r C h in e s e o r i g i n a l s . The
a d d i t i o n o f t h e w o rd " s u d d e n l y " i n " A f t e r G e t t i n g D runk,
Becoming S o b e r i n t h e N i g h t , " i n "The S p r i n g R i v e r , " and
e s p e c i a l l y i n " F lo w e r and M o o n lig h t o f t h e S p r i n g R i v e r , "
a l s o e n h a n c e s t h e poem s' d r a m a ti c q u a l i t y . E ven i n "T ao ism
and B u d d h ism ," "My S e r v a n t Wakes M e," "The F lo w e r M a r k e t,"
and "The G r a i n - T r i b u t e ," w h e re s p e e c h e s a r e a t t r i b u t e d to
t h e wrong p e r s o n s and d i r e c t s p e e c h i s em ployed w h ere
i n d i r e c t s p e e c h s h o u l d b e u s e d , t h e same te n d e n c y to
d r a m a ti z e p r e v a i l s .
I n t h e same i n t r o d u c t i o n , W aley a l s o s a y s ,
Above a l l , c o n s i d e r i n g im a g e ry to b e t h e s o u l o f
p o e t r y , I h a v e a v o id e d e i t h e r a d d in g im ages o f my
own o r s u p p r e s s i n g t h o s e o f t h e o r i g i n a l . 33
I t seems t h a t W aley was n o t e n t i r e l y s u c c e s s f u l i n t h i s
r e g a r d . L in e s 5 and 6 o f P o 's " L in Yu k ' u t o , c h ia n g hu
33
I b i d . , p . 33.
134
pao c h a n g , k ' u e i j e n t u wang, y i n t ' i P e i T ' i n g " (
3 , & .
W a le y 's " R a in " ) a r e i n t h e o r i g i n a l
M f f l
( ch u an 16, Book
^ I I I , p . 106)
W aley*s t r a n s l a t i o n i n t r o d u c e s a new im age:
The l a k e h a s w id e n e d t i l l i t a lm o s t j o i n s t h e sk y ;
The c lo u d s s i n k t i l l t h e y to u c h t h e w a t e r ' s f a c e .
(p. 156)
" Yu s h u i h o " ( ) i n t h e s e c o n d l i n e i s o n ly
" m ix in g w i t h w a t e r , " and t h e o r i g i n a l no w h ere m e n tio n s th e
" w a t e r 's f a c e . " I n " Yeh po l u wang" (/[£_ >
W a le y 's "On t h e Way t o Hang Chou: A n ch o red on t h e R iv e r
a t N i g h t ” ) , on t h e o t h e r h a n d , an im age i n two k e y l i n e s
v a n i s h e s i n W a le y 's v e r s i o n . L in e s 3 and 4 o f t h e C h in e s e
poem a r e q u o te d b e lo w , f o l lo w e d by t h e l e x i c a l m e a n in g s o f
e a c h c h a r a c t e r :
f t p '
f t
Sand b r i g h t j o i n s h o r e m o o n ( l i g h t )
'=7
4 P
£
S a i l w h i t e f i l l ( f u l l ) b o a t f r o s t
( ch u an 20, Book IV,
p . 51)
135
A d m i tt e d ly t h e s e two com pact l i n e s a r e e x tr e m e l y d i f f i c u l t
t o t r a n s l a t e b e c a u s e o f t h e i r a m b i g u i ty . We can t a k e
" sh a m ing " \( J f l f j > " s a n d b r i g h t " ) and " f a n p o " ( ,
" S a i l w h i t e " ) a s i n v e r s i o n s an d t r a n s l a t e :
B r i g h t s a n d s j o i n t h e s h o r e i n m o o n li g h t ;
The w h i t e s a i l c o v e r s t h e b o a t w i t h f r o s t .
We can a l s o t r a n s l a t e :
The sa n d s a r e b r i g h t , j o i n i n g m o o n lig h t and t h e s h o r e ;
The s a i l i s w h i t e , c o v e r i n g t h e b o a t w i t h f r o s t .
We can e v en t r a n s l a t e :
The b r i g h t n e s s o f sa n d s j o i n s t h e sh o re -m o o n ;
The w h i t e n e s s o f t h e s a i l c o v e r s t h e b o a t w i t h f r o s t .
W aley*s v e r s i o n i s :
The sa n d s a r e b r i g h t w i t h m o o n li g h t t h a t j o i n s t h e
s h o r e s ;
The s a i l i s w h i t e w i t h dew t h a t h a s c o v e r e d t h e b o a t .
(p. 173)
W h ile i g n o r i n g t h e m u l t i p l i c i t y o f m e a n in g s , W a le y 's
t r a n s l a t i o n i s s t i l l s y n t a c t i c a l l y a p o s s i b i l i t y . Y e t,
f a i l i n g t o a p p r e c i a t e t h e im age i n t h e w o rd s " man c h 'u a n
s h u a n g " , " f i l l b o a t f r o s t " ) and c o n s i d e r i n g
t h a t two l i n e s down i n t h e poem i t i s c l e a r l y s t a t e d t h a t
t h e s e a s o n i s l a t e summer " a p p r o a c h i n g a u tu m n ," W aley
t r a n s l a t e s t h e c h a r a c t e r " s h u a n g " ( " f r o s t " ) as " d e w ." B ut
" f r o s t " seems t o b e t h e m ean in g i n t e n d e d i n t h e o r i g i n a l .
The l i n e c o n veys t h e i m p r e s s i o n o f t h e n a r r a t o r who s e e s
136
t h e b o a t c o v e re d w i t h f r o s t ; w h e t h e r t h e i m p r e s s i o n i s
c r e a t e d by th e r e f l e c t e d w h i t e s a i l , o r in d e e d i s c r e a t e d
by th e dew s e e n u n d e r t h e m o o n l i g h t , t h e im age i n t h e
o r i g i n a l v a n i s h e s when W aley s im p ly s u b s t i t u t e s h i s e x p l a
n a t i o n f o r t h e im age i n h i s t r a n s l a t i o n .
A n o th e r c a s e o f c h a n g in g t h e o r i g i n a l im age o c c u r s
i n " Meng W e i - c h i h " ( ~2'— * W a le y 's "D ream ing o f Yuan
C h e n " ) . The s i x t h l i n e o f t h e C h in e s e poem i s
“ fk “T*jr X w f e < f . ( ch’ tian 6 8 ,
* Book X, p . 66)
The l a s t t h r e e c h a r a c t e r s " h slieh man t ' o u ” ( / ^
l i t e r a l l y "snow c o v e r h e a d , " form a m e ta p h o r . I n W aley*s
t r a n s l a t i o n , h o w e v e r, i t becom es a s i m i l e :
I - - l o d g i n g i n t h e w o r ld o f men; my h a i r w h i t e
a s snow. (p. 188)
I t i s t r u e t h a t Po by s a y i n g t h a t h i s h e a d i s " c o v e r e d w i t h
snow" r e a l l y means t h a t h i s h a i r i s w h i t e . B ut by t r a n s
l a t i n g "my h a i r w h i t e as snow" i n s t e a d o f "my h a i r c o v e r e d
by sn o w ," W aley a g a i n o f f e r s a d i l u t e d v e r s i o n o f t h e
o r i g i n a l im age. He may h a v e made i t e a s i e r f o r t h e g e n e r a l
r e a d e r to com prehend t h e l i n e , b u t t h e p o i g n a n t p o e t i c
e f f e c t o f t h e o r i g i n a l i s w eakened.
T h is l e a d s u s t o w h a t i s p r o b a b l y t h e m o s t im p o r
t a n t f a c t o r u n d e r l y i n g W a le y 1s m i s t r a n s l a t i o n s and ,
137
i r o n i c a l l y , W a le y 's tre m e n d o u s p o p u l a r i t y i n t h e E n g l i s h -
s p e a k in g w o r ld ; n a m e ly , t h e f a c t t h a t W a le y 's w orks a lw a y s
aim a t t h e g e n e r a l p u b l i c . I n T r a n s l a t i o n s from t h e
C h i n e s e , W aley a d m its t h a t t h e r e a r e ite m s i n t h e t r a n s
l a t i o n s t h a t s p e c i a l i s t s m ig h t q u a r r e l w i t h , b u t t h e s e
3 A -
w o uld n o t b e " m i s l e a d i n g t o t h e g e n e r a l p u b l i c . " I n The
L i f e and Times o f Po C h u - i , h e r e f r a i n s from d i s c u s s i n g
P o 's m e t r i c a l t e c h n i q u e and t h e q u e s t i o n o f P o 's r e p u t a t i o n
a f t e r d e a t h b e c a u s e t o do so w o u ld mean a g r e a t d e a l o f
35
e x p l a n a t i o n f o r t h e g e n e r a l r e a d e r . The P o e t r y and
C a r e e r o f L i Po i s among a s e r i e s o f " E t h i c a l and R e l i g i o u s
C l a s s i c s o f E a s t and W e s t , ” w h ic h w e re i n t e n d e d f o r " t h e
e x - S e r v i c e man who i s i n t e r e s t e d i n t h e E a s t , t h e u n d e r
g r a d u a t e , t h e a d u l t s t u d e n t , t h e i n t e l l i g e n t p u b l i c
generally. In t h e p r e f a c e to Yuan M e i, W aley w r i t e s i n
t h e v e r y b e g i n n i n g : " T h is boo k i s m ea n t c h i e f l y f o r t h e
3
A r t h u r W aley, T r a n s l a t i o n s fro m t h e C h in e s e
(New Y ork: V in ta g e B ooks, 1 9 7 1 ), unnum bered t h i r d p a g e
o f t h e p r e f a c e .
35
W aley, The L i f e and Tim es o f Po C h u - i , p . 6 .
36
A r t h u r W aley, The P o e t r y and C a r e e r o f L i Po
(London: A l l e n & Unwin, 1 9 6 9 ), p . v i i .
138
37
g e n e r a l r e a d e r w i t h no k n o w led g e o f p r e - S o v i e t C h in a ,'
and B a l l a d s and S t o r i e s fro m T un -h u an g " i s m ea n t f o r
l o v e r s o f s t o r i e s and b a l l a d s , i r r e s p e c t i v e o f w h e re th e y
38
come f r o m ." To a p p e a l t o a p u b l i c t h a t h a s s c a n t y
k n o w led g e o f O r i e n t a l c u l t u r e and i s u n f a m i l i a r w i t h
C h in e s e p o e t r y , h e w r i t e s is. a " s u p p l e , i d i o m a t i c ,
39
v i b r a n t E n g l i s h . " T h is d e s i r e t o c r e a t e " n a t u r a l "
E n g l i s h v e r s i o n s o f " c o n v e r s a t i o n a l e a s e , " ^ c o u p le d w i t h
th e d i f f e r e n c e b e tw e e n t h e E n g l i s h and C h in e s e l a n g u a g e s ,
r e s u l t s o c c a s i o n a l l y i n t h e a d d i t i o n o f u n n e c e s s a r y c o n
n e c t i v e s and o t h e r p a d d in g w o r d s , e r r o n e o u s u s e o f p r o
n o u n s , i n c o r r e c t em ploym ent o f t e n s e , and t h e s u p p r e s s i o n
o r m i s t r a n s l a t i o n o f im a g e s.
37
A r t h u r W aley, Yuan Mei ( S t a n f o r d : S t a n f o r d
U n i v e r s i t y P r e s s , 1 9 7 0 ), p . 7.
38
A r t h u r W aley, B a l l a d s an d S t o r i e s fro m Tun-
huang (London: A l l e n & Unwin, 1 9 6 0 ), p . 7.
39
I v a n M o r r i s , "T he G e n iu s o f A r t h u r W a le y ," i n
Madly S i n g in g i n t h e M o u n t a in s , e d . I v a n M o rr is (New York:
W alk er & C o ., 1 9 7 0 ), p . 71.
40
See J . M. Cohen, " D r. W a le y 's T r a n s l a t i o n s , " i n
Madly S i n g in g i n t h e M o u n ta in s , p . 33.
139
W h ile an i n a d e q u a t e k n ow ledge o f t h e C h in e s e
la n g u a g e and C h in e s e p o e t r y and t h e d i f f e r e n c e s b e tw e e n
e l l i p t i c a l C h in e s e and i n f l e c t i o n a l E n g l i s h a r e p ro b le m s
e v e r y t r a n s l a t o r o f C h in e s e p o e t r y m u st f a c e , th e te n d e n c y
t o d r a m a ti z e an d p o p u l a r i z e i s a more i m p o r t a n t r e a s o n f o r
W a le y 's f a i l u r e , o r , f o r t h a t m a t t e r , s u c c e s s , i n h i s t r a n s
l a t i o n o f C h in e s e p o e t r y . I t h a s b e e n p o i n t e d o u t t h a t
W aley h a d more t r o u b l e i n t r a n s l a t i o n w i t h s h o r t l y r i c a l
poems th a n w i t h l o n g e r d r a m a ti c poems. W aley once
re m a rk e d t h a t h e h a d " n e v e r come a c r o s s a s im p le c a s e o f
41
a m b ig u ity " i n h i s own l i f e . W h a te v e r he may h a v e m eant
by t h e w ord " a m b i g u i t y , " i t i s o b v i o u s , a s i n t h e c a s e s
o f L i P o 's " C l e a r i n g a t Dawn" and Po C h u - i 's "On t h e Way t o
Hang Chou: A n c h o red on t h e . R i v e r a t N i g h t , " t h a t h e i s
n o t a lw ay s s u c c e s s f u l i n c o n v e y in g t h e l y r i c s p e c tr u m as
i n t e n d e d i n t h e o r i g i n a l s . " A llo w in g no b a r r i e r s t o
42
s e p a r a t e him from t h e g e n e r a l r e a d e r , " W aley som etim es
^ C a r m e n B l a c k e r , " I n t e n t o f C o u r t e s y , " i n Madly
S in g in g i n t h e M o u n t a in s , p . 21.
42
M o r r i s , Madly S i n g i n g i n t h e M o u n t a in s , p . 69.
140
t u r n s am biguous C h in e s e o r i g i n a l s i n t o n a t u r a l , l u c i d
E n g l i s h v e r s i o n s , b u t i n th e p r o c e s s , much t h a t i s im p o r
t a n t i n a l y r i c poem i s l o s t . The f o l l o w i n g i s a t r a n s
l a t i o n o f P o ' s " Nan t ' a n g m ing h s i n g " ( |<0 ^ >
r e f e r r e d to by W aley a s a " v e r y l i t e r a l , a lm o s t p i d g i n -
E n g l i s h v e r s i o n . ” Y et w i t h some e f f o r t fro m t h e r e a d e r ,
s u r p r i s i n g l y l i t t l e i s l o s t i n t h e p r o c e s s o f t r a n s l a t i o n :
* R - ^ 4#
W a t e r 's c o l o u r s a t d usk s t i l l w h i t e ;
S u n s e t 's glow i n - t h e - d a r k g r a d u a l l y n i l .
4 41 x(U&
Windy l o t u s s h a k e s ( l i k e ) b r o k e n f a n ;
H f t #-
Wave-moon s t i r s ( l i k e ) s t r i n g ( o f ) j e w e l s
C r i c k e t s c h i r p i n g a n sw e r one a n o t h e r ;
M a n d a rin -d u c k s s l e e p , n o t a l o n e .
'b f t #
L i t t l e s e r v a n t r e p e a t e d l y a n n o u n ce s n i g h t ;
J / § ^ ^ 4 3
R e tu r n i n g s t e p s s t i l l h e s i t a t e
43
Po Hsiang-shan chi, chuan 65, Book X, p. 26;
Arthur Waley, More Translations from the Chinese (London:
Allen & Unwin, 1919), p. 5.
141
Though n o t e d by Jo h n G ould F l e t c h e r and h a i l e d by t h e
Times L i t e r a r y Review as " t h e m o st e x q u i s i t e l i t t l e t o n e -
poem i n t h e b o o k ," i t i s a r e j e c t e d poem c i t e d by W aley
t o e x e m p lif y t h a t h e h a s " s e l e c t e d f o r t r a n s l a t i o n a much
45
l a r g e r num ber" t h a n h e h a d " s u c c e e d e d i n r e n d e r i n g . "
P e rh a p s h e t h o u g h t t h a t th e e f f o r t n e e d e d t o r e - c r e a t e
th e o r i g i n a l poem was to o much t o a s k o f t h e g e n e r a l
r e a d e r .
/ | /[
Jo h n G ould F l e t c h e r , "The S t r u c t u r e o f C h in e s e
P o e t r y , " The D i a l , F e b r u a r y , 1920; an d "From t h e C h i n e s e ,"
TLS, O c to b e r 9, 1919, p. 545.
45 *
W aley, More T r a n s l a t i o n s fro m t h e C h in e s e , p . 5.
142
CHAPTER VI
CONCLUSION
We h a v e e x am in e d t h e d i f f e r e n t e d i t i o n s o f W aley*s
t r a n s l a t i o n s o f C h in e s e p o e t r y , h i s r e v i s i o n s , and h i s
t h e o r y o f t r a n s l a t i o n . We h a v e a l s o s t u d i e d h i s t r a n s l a
t i o n s i n v iew o f h i s t h e o r i e s , an d lo o k e d i n t o t h e m i s t a k e s
h e c o m m itted . I n t h i s c o n c l u d in g c h a p t e r , one l a s t q u e s
t i o n re m a in s t o b e a n s w e re d . What s o r t o f im p a c t d i d
W aley*s t r a n s l a t i o n o f C h in e s e p o e t r y make? K en n eth
R e x ro th c la im s t h a t W aley*s " i n f l u e n c e h a s b e e n tr e m e n
d o u s ." ^ What i s t h i s i n f l u e n c e ?
D avid D a ic h e s w r i t e s i n The P r e s e n t Age i n L i t e r a
t u r e t h a t " W a le y 's t r a n s l a t i o n s from C h in e s e p o e t r y h a v e
h a d c o n s i d e r a b l e i n f l u e n c e on t h e p r a c t i c e o f p o e t r y i n
2
b o t h E n g la n d and A m e ric a ." D a ic h e s h a s n o t s p e c i f i e d
^"Kenneth R e x r o th , " P o e t s , O ld and New," i n A ssays
( N o r f o lk : New D i r e c t i o n s B o o k s ,, 1961) , p. 206.
2
D avid D a i c h e s , The P r e s e n t Age i n B r i t i s h L i t e r a
t u r e (London: The C r e s s e t P r e s s , 1 9 5 8 ), p . 208.
143
w h a t s o r t o f an i n f l u e n c e t h i s i s . We know t h a t W a le y 's
w orks w e re w i d e ly r e a d by E n g l i s h and A m erican p o e t s .
E z r a Pound r e v ie w e d A H u ndred and S e v e n ty C h in e s e Poems
3
when i t f i r s t a p p e a r e d . H a r r i e t Monroe w r o te a r e v ie w
e n t i t l e d " W a le y 's T r a n s l a t i o n s fro m t h e C h in e s e " on A
H undred and S e v e n ty C h in e s e Poems and More T r a n s l a t i o n s
4
from t h e C h i n e s e , and J o h n G ould F l e t c h e r p u b l i s h e d
5
s e p a r a t e r e v ie w s on t h e s e two a n t h o l o g i e s . Amy L o w e ll
c o n s t a n t l y h a d W aley i n m in d when sh e c o o p e r a t e d w i t h
F l o r e n c e A yscough i n p r o d u c i n g F i r F lo w e r T a b l e t s . ^
W a lla c e S te v e n s once w r o t e t o a young K o rean p o e t t h a t
" t h e m o st f a s h i o n a b l e t r a n s l a t o r fro m t h e C h in e s e i n
3
See E z r a P ound, "Books C u r r e n t , " The F u t u r e ,
November 1918, p . 287.
4
See H ( a r r i e t ) M ( o n r o e ) , " W a le y 's T r a n s l a t i o n s fro m
t h e C h i n e s e , " P o e t r y , XV (1920) 3 3 7-342 .
~*See Jo h n G ould F l e t c h e r , "P e rfu m e o f C a th a y ,"
P o e t r y , X I I I ( 1 9 1 9 ), 2 7 3 -2 8 1 , and "The S t r u c t u r e o f
C h in e s e P o e t r y , " The D i a l , LXVIII (1 9 2 0 ), 2 6 3 -2 6 6 .
6
T h ere a r e c o n s t a n t e x c h a n g e s on W aley i n L o w e l l 's
c o r r e s p o n d e n c e w i t h A yscough; s e e H a r le y F a r n s w o r th
M acN air, e d . , F l o r e n c e A yscough an d Amy L o w e ll: C o r
r e s p o n d e n c e o f a F r i e n d s h i p (C h ica g o : U n i v e r s i t y o f
C hicago P r e s s , 1 9 4 5 ).
144
E n g la n d a t t h e p r e s e n t tim e i s A r t h u r W a l e y . M arian n e
Moore i l l u s t r a t e d t h e em ploym ent o f a n t i t h e s i s i n a
8
l i t e r a r y w ork w i t h W a le y 's t r a n s l a t i o n s fro m t h e C h in e s e .
9
The S i t w e l l s o f c o u r s e w ere good f r i e n d s o f W aley, and
A r c h i b a l d M acL eish gave an a n a l y s i s o f W a le y 's E n g l i s h
v e r s i o n o f Han W u - t 's (y ) " L i F u - j e n " (^T*
i n h i s P o e t r y and E x p e r i e n c e . ^ S te p h e n S p e n d e r q u o te d
W a le y 's v e r s i o n o f Yuan C h e n 's " C h 'o u L o - t ' i e n f u C hiang
chou l u sh a n g c h i e n c h i " ( |j§ ^ ^ )
to e x p l a i n h i s a t t i t u d e to w a rd f r i e n d s h i p i n h i s a u t o
b i o g r a p h y , and C h a r le s T o m lin so n p u b l i s h e d a r e v ie w on
I n h i s J u l y 9, 1 9 5 4 ,l e t t e r t o P e t e r H. L ee; s e e
H o lle y S t e v e n s , e d . , L e t t e r s o f W a lla c e S te v e n s (New York:
K nopf, 1 9 6 6 ), p. 840.
8
M a ria n n e M oore, " F e e l i n g an d P r e c i s i o n , " i n P r e d i
l e c t i o n s (London: F a b e r & F a b e r , 1 9 5 6 ), p. 5.
9
See E d i t h S i t w e l l , The E n g l i s h E c c e n t r i c s (London:
D enn is Dobson, L t d . , 1 9 5 0 ), p . 243; O s b e r t S i t w e l l , N oble
E s s e n c e s (B o sto n : L i t t l e , Brown 6c C o ., 1 9 5 0 ), p p . 5 - 7 ,
pp. 1 5 0 -1 5 1 ; L e f t Hand, R ig h t H and, I (London: M a c m illa n
6c C o ., 1 9 4 5 ), p. 183; and S a c h e v e r e l l S i t w e l l ' s " R e m in is
c e n c e s o f A r t h u r W a le y ," i n Madly S i n g i n g i n t h e M o u n t a in s ,
ed . I v a n M o r ris (New Y ork: W alk er 6c Co. , 1970) , pp. 105-107.
■ ^ A r c h ib a ld M acL eish , P o e t r y an d E x p e r i e n c e ( B a l t i
m ore: P e n g u in , 1 9 6 4 ), pp. 5 2 -5 3 .
■^See S te p h e n S p e n d e r, W orld w i t h i n W orld (London:
H. H a m ilto n , 1 9 5 1 ), p. 316. The poem q u o te d i s from W aley 'f
The L i f e an d Times o f Po C h u -i (London: A l l e n 6c Unwin,
1949), p. 115.
145
Yuan M e l, The N in e S o n g s , and The Way and I t s Pow er i n
12
P o e t r y . T. S. E l i o t c e r t a i n l y was c o r r e c t when he
w r o t e : " . . . i n o u r own t im e , t h e p o e t i c a l t r a n s l a t i o n s
from t h e C h in e s e made by E z r a Pound, and t h o s e made by
A r t h u r W aley, h a v e p r o b a b l y b e e n r e a d by e v e r y p o e t w r i t i n g
i n E n g l i s h . " ^
I n t h e c a s e s o f C onrad A ik e n and K e n n eth R e x r o th ,
t h e in v o lv e m e n t w i t h W a le y 's w orks i s d e e p e r . A ik e n w r o te
14
a r e v i e w on A H undred and S e v e n ty C h in e s e Poems i n 1919,
b u t m ore i m p o r t a n t th a n t h a t , i t h a s b e e n h i n t e d t h a t A ik e n
was a c t u a l l y i n f l u e n c e d b y W aley i n w r i t i n g h i s " I m p r o v i
s a t i o n s : L i g h t s and Snow ." J a y M a r t in w r o t e :
. . . i n o r d e r t o g i v e h i s se q u e n c e a f i r m e r u n i t y ,
A ik en a l s o a t t e m p t e d t o s u g g e s t i n i t a p r e d i c t a b l e ,
b a s i c form upon w h ich h e c o u ld p l a y v a r i a t i o n s .
The fo rm , a s i s c l e a r from t h e v e r y f i r s t poem s, i s
t h a t o f W a le y 's C h in e s e t r a n s l a t i o n s o r o f P o u n d 's
12
C h a r le s T o m lin so n , " S t u d i e s i n C h in e s e L i t e r a
t u r e , " P o e t r y , X C III ( 1 9 5 9 ) , 4 0 8 -4 1 2 .
13
T. S. E l i o t , N o te s Towards t h e D e f i n i t i o n o f
C u l t u r e (New Y ork: H a r c o u r t , B ra c e & C o ., 1 9 4 9 ), p. 117.
14
See C onrad A ik e n , " S u n t re ru m l a c r i m a e : C h in e s e
P o e t r y , " The D i a l , LXVII (1 9 1 9 ) , 23. The a r t i c l e i s l a t e r
i n c l u d e d i n A i k e n 's R e v ie w e r ' s ABC (London: W. H. A l l e n ,
1 9 6 1 ), p p . 3 7 7 -3 8 0 .
146
C a th a y ; i t s e m o tio n i s su b d u e d by t h e c o n j u n c t i o n
o f s h a r p im ages w i t h a d e l i b e r a t e f l a t n e s s o f
t o n e .
I n a n o t e i n P r i a p u s and t h e P o o l , h o w e v e r, A ik e n r e p o r t e d
16
t h a t " I m p r o v i s a t i o n s " was w r i t t e n i n 1917, an d A H undred
and S e v e n ty C h in e s e Poem s, t h e f i r s t a n th o l o g y o f W a le y 's
C h in e s e t r a n s l a t i o n s , was o f c o u r s e n o t p u b l i s h e d u n t i l
1918. F u r th e r m o r e , t h e b a s i c " fo rm ” h e r e , " t h e c o n ju n c
t i o n , ” a c c o r d i n g t o M a r t i n , " o f s h a r p im ages w i t h a
d e l i b e r a t e f l a t n e s s o f t o n e , ” s u r e l y i s n o t c o n f i n e d t o
" W a le y 's C h in e s e t r a n s l a t i o n s o r P o u n d 's C a th a y . ” More
c e r t a i n l y b e n e f i t t i n g from W a le y 's w orks i s a n o t h e r lo n g
poem o f A i k e n 's , "A L e t t e r from L i P o ." H ere A ik e n h i m s e l f
a ck n o w led g ed t h a t i n q u o t i n g o r p a r a p h r a s i n g fro m t h e w orks
o f L i Po and i n d raw in g on t h e c i r c u m s t a n c e s o f L i ' s l i f e ,
h e made u s e o f W a le y 's The P o e t r y and C a r e e r o f L i P o , b u t
e v en h e r e , W aley h a s t o s h a r e A i k e n 's i n d e b t e d n e s s w i t h
" t h e b e a u t i f u l t r a n s l a t i o n s o f L i Po by S h i g e y o s h i O b a ta ,
15
J a y M a r t i n , C onrad A ik e n : A L i f e o f h i s A r t
( P r i n c e t o n : P r i n c e t o n U n i v e r s i t y P r e s s , 1 9 6 2 ), p . 104.
^ S e e C onrad A ik e n , P r i a p u s and t h e P o o l (New York:
B oni & L i v e r i g h t , 1 9 2 5 ), p. 151.
147
The Works o f L i P o , w i t h h i s i l l u m i n a t i n g p r e f a c e . " ^
K e n n e th R e x r o th , h i m s e l f a t r a n s l a t o r o f C h in e s e
p o e t r y , recom m ended W a le y 's A H undred and S e v e n ty C h in e se
Poem s, More T r a n s l a t i o n s from t h e C h i n e s e , an d The Temple
and O th e r Poems h i g h l y i n th e a n n o t a t e d b i b l i o g r a p h y o f
18
one o f h i s own t r a n s l a t i o n s from C h in e s e p o e t r y , and
sp o k e w e l l o f W a le y 's t r a n s l a t i o n s i n h i s r e v ie w o f W a le y 's
19
The T a le o f G e n j i . Of More i n t e r e s t , h o w e v e r, i s h i s
r e v ie w o f Yuan M e i, i n w h ic h h e f r e e l y a d m i t t e d W a le y 's
i n f l u e n c e on him :
H is [W a le y 's ] i n f l u e n c e on my own w orks h a s b e e n
i n c a l c u l a b l e , and b e t t e r s t i l l , h e l e d me to t h e
o r i g i n a l s , b o t h C h in e s e and J a p a n e s e , and o p e n e d up
f o r me t h e w h o le w o n d e r f u l w o r ld o f F a r E a s t e r n
p o e t r y . ^0
One o f h i s poem s, "The W heel R e v o lv e s ," b e g i n s t h i s way:
^ C o n r a d A ik e n , A L e t t e r from L i Po (New York:
O x fo rd U n i v e r s i t y P r e s s , 1 9 5 5 ), p . 8 .
18
K e n n eth R e x r o t h , Love and t h e T u rn in g Y ear
(New Y ork: New D i r e c t i o n s B ooks, 1 9 7 0 ), p. 135.
19
See K e n n eth R e x r o th , C l a s s i c s R e v i s i t e d (New
Y ork: Avon B ooks, 1 9 6 9 ), p p . 1 3 6 -1 4 0 .
20
K e n n eth R e x r o th , " P o e t s , O ld and New," A s s a y s ,
p. 206.
148
You w e re a g i r l o f s a t i n an d g au ze
Now y ou a r e my m o u n ta in an d w a t e r f a l l com panion.
Long ago I r e a d t h o s e l i n e s o f Po Ghu I
W r i t t e n i n h i s m id d le a g e .
Young a s I was th e y to u c h e d me.
I n e v e r t h o u g h t i n my own m id d le age
I w o u ld h a v e a b e a u t i f u l young d a n c e r
To w an d er w i t h me by f a l l i n g c r y s t a l w a t e r s ,
Among m o u n ta in s o f snow and g r a n i t e ,
L e a s t o f a l l t h a t u n l i k e P o 's g i r l
She w ould b e my v e r y d a u g h t e r . 21
The poem a l l u d e d t o h e r e i s Po C h i i - i 's " Shan yu s h i h h s i a o
t r a n s l a t e d by W aley a s "G o in g t o t h e M o u n ta in w i t h a l i t t l e
D an cin g G i r l . " The t h i r d a n d f o u r t h l i n e s o f W a le y 's
v e r s i o n a r e :
You who a r e r e a l l y a la d y o f s i l k a n d s a t i n s
A re now become my h i l l and s t r e a m c o m p a n io n !22
R e x r o t h 's f i r s t two l i n e s o f h i s poem
You w ere a g i r l o f s a t i n and g a u z e
Now yo u a r e my m o u n ta in and w a t e r f a l l com panion
may come d i r e c t l y from W a le y 's v e r s i o n , o r l e d by W aley,
R e x r o th may h a v e gone b a c k t o t h e o r i g i n a l t o p ro d u c e them .
I n v iew o f w h at R e x ro th s a i d i n h i s r e v ie w on Yuan M ei,
c h i ” , W o rk s, chiian 62, Book IX, p . 7 8 ).
21
K e n n eth R e x r o th , The 'C o l l e c te d S h o r t e r Poems
(New Y ork: New D i r e c t i o n s B ooks, 1 9 6 6 ), p. 20.
A r t h u r W aley, C h in e s e Poems (London: A l l e n &
Unwin, 1 9 4 6 ), p . 186.
149
and i n v iew o f t h e f a c t t h a t W aley i s , i f n o t t h e o n ly
t r a n s l a t o r , c e r t a i n l y t h e f i r s t t r a n s l a t o r o f t h i s poem o f
P o 's i n t o E n g l i s h , t h e r e i s l i t t l e d o u b t t h a t d i r e c t l y o r
i n d i r e c t l y , '’The Wheel R e v o lv e s " was i n f l u e n c e d b y W aley.
S p e c i f i c poems l i k e A ik e n 's " L e t t e r t o L i Po" o r
R e x ro th * s "The W heel R e v o lv e s" t h a t can b e p r o v e d t o h a v e
23
b e e n i n f l u e n c e d by W a le y 's w orks a r e few , b u t D a ic h e s
p r o b a b l y h a s s o m e th in g e l s e i n m ind when h e s p e a k s o f
W a le y 's i n f l u e n c e on E n g l i s h and A m erican p o e t r y . W aley
c o m p la in e d i n t h e p r e f a c e t o More T r a n s l a t i o n from t h e
C h in e s e t h a t no r e v i e w e r t r e a t e d A H u ndred and S e v e n ty
C h in e s e Poems " a s an e x p e r im e n t i n E n g l i s h unrhym ed v e r s e ,
th o u g h t h i s was t h e a s p e c t o f i t w h ic h m o st i n t e r e s t e d t h e
24
w r i t e r , " and t h i s i s p r o b a b l y t h e a s p e c t t h a t D a ic h e s h a s
i n m ind. W a le y 's e x p e r im e n t i n a r h y m e le s s f r e e v e r s e
b a s e d on s t r e s s e s h a s b e e n d e a l t w i t h i n d e t a i l i n C h a p te r
23
I f one e x te n d s t h e sc o p e t o i n c l u d e German
p o e t r y , one can add B e r t o l t B r e c h t 's C h i n e s i s c h e G e d i c h t e ;
s e e P a t r i c k B r i d g e w a t e r , " A r t h u r W aley an d B r e c h t , " German
L i f e and L e t t e r s , XVII (1 9 6 4 ) , 2 1 6 - 2 3 2 ,; a l s o A ntony T atlo w ,
B r e c h t s C h i n e s i s c h e G e d ic h te ( F r a n k f u r t : Suhrkemp V e r la g ,
1 9 7 3 ).
24
A r t h u r W aley, More T r a n s l a t i o n s fro m t h e C h in e s e
(London: A l l e n & Unwin, 1 9 1 9 ), p. 6 .
150
I l l , w h ere I p o i n t o u t t h a t t h e rh y th m a c h i e v e d i s t h a t o f
a w e l l - f e l t p r o s e , n o t t h a t o f a r e g u l a r m e t e r . B u t, i s a
s t a t e m e n t l i k e t h e f o l l o w i n g one by G eorge S t e i n e r t r u e ?
He w r i t e s i n a r e v ie w on Madly S i n g in g i n t h e M o u n t a in s :
H is [W a le y 's ] i n f l u e n c e on t h e b e a t o f m odern p o e t r y
h a s b e e n s u b t l e an d p r o f o u n d . From 1919 o n , much o f
E n g l i s h a n d A m erican p o e t r y shows t r a c e s o f W a le y 's
e x p e r im e n ts i n t h e u s e o f s t r e s s and t h e a b s e n c e o f
rh y m e .25
T h ere i s no d o u b t t h a t much o f E n g l i s h a n d A m e ric an p o e t r y
from 1919 on i s w r i t t e n i n r h y m e le s s f r e e v e r s e . W heth er
i t i s b a s e d on W a le y 's c o n c e p t o f s t r e s s i s m ore d i f f i c u l t
t o d e te r m i n e , s i n c e unm arked s t r e s s e s a r e , a s we h a v e s e e n
i n W a le y 's c a s e i n C h a p te r I I I , am big uou s. F u r t h e r m o r e ,
a r t i f i c e r s o t h e r t h a n W aley w ere e x p e r i m e n t in g m ore o r l e s s
i n t h e same d i r e c t i o n . A rh y th m b o r d e r i n g on t h e edge o f
p r o s e and v e r s e was c r e a t e d i n , f o r e x am p le , t h e " p o l y
p h o n ic p r o s e " d e v e lo p e d by Amy L o w e ll and o t h e r s , and
G e r a r d M anley H o p k in s ' " s p r u n g rhythm " was c e r t a i n l y a m ore
c e l e b r a t e d u s e o f f r e e v e r s e b a s e d on s t r e s s . W. H.
G a rd n e r names E z ra Pound a s w e l l a s W aley a s h a v i n g g iv e n
25
G eorge S t e i n e r , "A P i l l o w B ook," New Y o r k e r ,
J u n e 12, 1971, p . 112.
151
some " im p e tu s " t o t h e new mode o f s p ru n g v e r s e made
26
f a s h i o n a b l e by t h e p u b l i c a t i o n o f H o p k in s ' P oem s; and
Roy F u l l e r p o i n t s o u t t h a t " t h e f r e e v e r s e o f T. S. E l i o t , ”
a s w e l l a s t h a t o f W aley, " i s , e a c h i n i t s d i f f e r e n t way,
27
b a s e d on s t r e s s . " T hus, i t w o u ld b e m ore a p p r o p r i a t e
sim p ly t o s t a t e t h a t h i s w ork i s " p a r t o f t h e r e v o l u t i o n
i n E n g l i s h v e r s e a g a i n s t ia m b ic T e n n y s o n ia n v e r s e w h ic h
28
to o k p l a c e j u s t b e f o r e t h e F i r s t W orld W ar."
A s id e from c l a i m i n g t h a t W aley " w id e n e d t h e t o n a l
i t y o f E n g l i s h v e r s e , " S t e i n e r a l s o s a y s t h a t W aley
" b r o u g h t a m a jo r p a r t o f C h in e s e and J a p a n e s e l i t e r a t u r e
29
and t h o u g h t i n t o W e s te rn r e a c h , " and h e r e he i s w i t h o u t
d o u b t c o r r e c t . O th e r s h a d t r a n s l a t e d C h in e s e p o e t r y b e f o r e
W aley, b u t W a le y 's p o s i t i o n among t h e t r a n s l a t o r s o f
C h in e s e p o e t r y i s u n iq u e . F o r d e s p i t e a l l t h e m i s t a k e s
p o i n t e d o u t t h r o u g h o u t t h i s d i s s e r t a t i o n , an d e s p e c i a l l y
26
See W. H. G a r d n e r , Ge r a r d M anley H o p k i n s , I
(London: M a r t in S e e k e r & W arburg, 1 9 4 8 ), pp. 25 5 -2 5 6 .
27
Roy F u l l e r , Owls and A r t i f i c e r s (New Y ork: The
L i b r a r y P r e s s , 1 9 7 1 ), p . 46.
28
" A r t h u r W aley i n C o n v e r s a t i o n , " i n Madly S i n g in g
i n t h e M o u n t a in s , p . 138.
29
Steiner, op. -clt., p. 112.
. 152
i n C h a p te r V, W aley, w i t h h i s c o n tin u o u s r e v i s i o n s , was
r e a l l y t h e m ost r e l i a b l e t r a n s l a t o r i n t h e s i n o l o g i c a l
c i r c l e o f t h o s e d a y s . C h in e s e s c h o l a r s h i p i n t h e E n g l i s h -
s p e a k in g w o r ld w as, a s W aley s a i d , " i n a r a t h e r ru d im e n -
30
t a r y s t a t e " when W aley s t a r t e d h i s w o rk s. The one
s c h o l a r o f C h in e s e m o st famous b e f o r e W aley i s c e r t a i n l y
H..A. G i l e s , w hose t r a n s l a t i o n o f C h in e se p o e t r y W aley once
p r a i s e d a s c o m b in in g "rhym e and l i t e r a t u r e w i t h w o n d e r f u l
31
d e x t e r i t y . " Y e t, i n h i s A H i s t o r y o f C h in e s e L i t e r a t u r e
f i r s t p u b l i s h e d i n 1901, G i l e s w r o t e t h a t Po C hii-i
" g r a d u a t e d a t t h e age o f s e v e n t e e n , and r o s e t o h i g h o f f i c e
32
i n t h e S t a t e . ” T h is was d u ly f o llo w e d by L. C ranm er-B yng
i n h i s a c c o u n t o f P o ’ s l i f e i n A L u te o f J a d e w h ic h b e g in s
" s e v e n t e e n y e a r s o l d and a l r e a d y a d o c t o r o f l e t t e r s , a
30
" A r t h u r W aley i n C o n v e r s a t i o n , " i n Madly S i n g in g
i n t h e M o u n t a in s , p . 143.
31
A r t h u r W aley, A H undred and S e v e n ty C h in e s e Poems
(New Y ork: K nopf, 1 9 1 9 ), p. 35. He may h a v e c h a n g e d h i s
m ind a f t e r u n j u s t i f i e d and e r r o n e o u s s t r i c t u r e s on h i s
t r a n s l a t i o n s i n s e v e r a l a r t i c l e s by G i l e s , F o r t h e s e r i e s
o f e x c h a n g e s b e tw e e n G i l e s and W aley, s e e C h a p te r IV.
32
H. A. G i l e s , A H i s t o r y o f C h in e s e L i t e r a t u r e
(New Y ork.& London: D. A p p le to n & C o ., 1 9 2 3 ), p . 164.
153
g r e a t f u t u r e was b e f o r e h i m " ; 33 M abel L o r e z I v e s p r o b a b l y
was f o l l o w i n g t h e same s o u r c e when sh e w r o te t h a t "Po C hii-i
34
e n t e r e d p u b l i c l i f e a t s e v e n t e e n . ” The t r u t h i s , as
W a le y ’ s c h r o n o l o g i c a l c h a r t o f t h e l i f e o f Po C hii-i i n
More T r a n s l a t i o n s from t h e C h in e s e show s, t h a t Po d i d n o t
p a s s h i s e x a m in a t io n s u n t i l 800, and s i n c e h e was b o r n i n
35
772, he was t w e n t y - e i g h t a t t h a t tim e . T o g e t h e r w i t h
su c h r u d i m e n t a r y s c h o l a r s h i p , G i l e s ' s c o n s i s t e n t e f f o r t s
to rhyme p r o d u c e s e r i o u s a b b e r a t i o n s . The f i r s t two l i n e s
o f Chang P i ' s ) " Chi .jen" ) i s t r a n s l a t e d
by G i l e s as
A f t e r p a r t i n g , dream s p o s s e s s e d me
and I w a n d e re d yo u know w h e r e ,
And we s a t i n t h e v e ra n d a h
an d you sa n g t h e sw e e t o l d a i r . 36
The o r i g i n a l l i n e s a r e , h ow ev er:
33
L. C ra n m e r-B y n g , A L u te o f J a d e (New Y ork: D u tto n
& C o . , 1 9 3 4 ), p . 73.
34
M abel L o re z I v e s , C h in e s e Love Songs (U pper M ont
c l a i r : B. L. H u tc h in s o n , 1 9 4 9 ), p . 8 6 .
35
See W aley, More T r a n s l a t i o n s fro m t h e C h i n e s e ,
p. 24.
3 6
H. A. G i l e s , Getris o f C h in e s e L i t e r a t u r e (New
Y ork: P a r a g o n Book R e p r i n t C orp. & D over P u b l i c a t i o n s ,
1965), p. 388.
154
3 7
The s i t t i n g and s i n g i n g a " s w e e t o l d a i r " i n G i l e s ' s
s e c o n d l i n e i s n o t e v en m e n tio n e d i n t h e C h in e s e . To rhyme
w i t h " w h e re" an d ad d up t o f i f t e e n s y l l a b l e s , G i l e s c h o se
t o change t h e o r i g i n a l c o m p l e t e ly and p r o d u c e a " s w e e t
o l d a i r " o f h i s own o u t o f n o w h ere.
Y et G i l e s was a s i n o l o g i s t , and E z r a Pound and Amy
L o w e ll, t h e o t h e r two t r a n s l a t o r s famous f o r t h e i r book s
on C h in e s e p o e t r y , d i d n o t know C h in e s e . Pound b a s e d h i s
t r a n s l a t i o n s i n C a th a y on E r n e s t F e n o l l o s a ' s n o t e s made
w h i l e F e n o l l o s a was i n J a p a n l e a r n i n g C h in e s e fro m .two
38
J a p a n e s e , a n d L o w e ll c o o p e r a t e d w i t h F l o r e n c e A yscough,
39
who s e n t c r i b s fro m h e r C h in e s e l e s s o n s from C h in a . I t
i s n o t s u r p r i s i n g , t h e n , t h a t th o u g h b o t h c r e a t e d good
^ Ch' u an T 1 ang s h i h ( ) (P e k in g , 1960) ,
chuan 742, p . 8450. ^
38
See W a i- lim Y ip , E z r a P o u n d 's C a th a y ( P r i n c e t o n :
P r i n c e t o n U n i v e r s i t y P r e s s , 1 9 6 9 ).
39
See H a r le y F a r n s w o r th M acN air, e d . , F l o r e n c e
A yscough a n d Amy L o w e ll: C o rre s p o n d e n c e o f a F r i e n d s h i p ,
pp. 56, 6 8 , 71, 72, 75, 77, 8 1 -8 2 , 8 8 , 109 , 110, 111, 125,
126, 129, and 130.
155
poem s, i n some c a s e s poems s u p e r i o r t o W a l e y 's , t h e i r
t r a n s l a t i o n s d e v i a t e e v en m ore fro m t h e o r i g i n a l s t h a n
G i l e s ' s . P o u n d 's "The R iv e r Song" com bines two poems o f
L i P o 's i n t o o n e , r e n d e r i n g t h e t i t l e o f t h e s e c o n d poem
40
i n t o f o u r t r a n s i t i o n a l l i n e s i n t h e m id d l e , and l i n e 7
o f Po C h i i - i 's "Wen t s a o y i n g " ( r g P ) ,
was t r a n s l a t e d by A yscough and L o w e ll a s :
A t t h e h e i g h t o f S p r i n g , i n o c c a s i o n a l moments
o f l e i s u r e ,
I w o u ld lo o k a t t h e g r a s s and g ro w in g t h i n g s .^
The s e c o n d l i n e h e r e o b v i o u s l y comes from t h e c h a r a c t e r s
" s h i h t s ' a o " ( ^ )• W h ile t h e w ord " t s ' ao " g e n e r a l l y
does mean " g r a s s , " h e r e h o w ev er i t means " d r a f t s " o r
" m a n u s c r i p t s . " W aley f i r s t r e n d e r e d t h i s l i n e :
A t t h e h e i g h t o f s p r i n g , when I p a u s e d an
i n s t a n t fro m w ork . . .^ 3
F o r a d e t a i l e d s t u d y o f P o u n d 's t r a n s l a t i o n s as
com pared t o t h e o r i g i n a l s , s e e A c h i l l e s F an g , " F e n o l l o s a
and P o u n d ," H a r v a r d J o u r n a l o f A s i a t i c S t u d i e s , XX (1 9 5 7 ),
21 3 -2 3 8 .
41
Po H s ia n g - s h a n c h i , ch u an 7, Book I I , p . 84.
^ F l o r e n c e A yscough and Amy L o w e ll, F i r F lo w e r
T a b l e t s (New York: H oughton M i f f l i n , 1 9 2 1 ), p . 119.
43
W aley, More T r a n s l a t i o n s fro m t h e C h i n e s e , p. 46.
156
A lth o u g h t r a n s l a t i n g " s h i h t s 1a o " as "w ork" i s a g e n e r a l i
z a t i o n , i t i s a t l e a s t n o t w rong, f o r P o 's w ork a t t h a t
tim e d i d i n c l u d e r e a d i n g d r a f t s . W a le y 's r e v i s e d v e r s i o n
o f t h i s l i n e i s :
A t t h e h e i g h t o f s p r i n g , when I p a u s e d fro m
d r a f t i n g p a p e r s . . .4 4
" D r a f t i n g p a p e r s " i s s t i l l n o t a s e x a c t a s , s a y , " r e a d i n g
d r a f t s , " b u t b o t h v e r s i o n s a r e no d o u b t much b e t t e r th a n
45
" I w o u ld lo o k a t t h e g r a s s a n d g ro w in g t h i n g s . " "The
b e s t t r a n s l a t i o n we h a v e o f C h in e s e p o e t r y , " a s H s ie h Wen
Tung s a i d a f t e r c o m p a rin g t h e t r a n s l a t i o n s o f P ound, W aley,
L o w e ll, and W i t t e r B ynner (who p ro d u c e d w i t h K ian g K ang-hu
The J a d e M o u n ta in i n 1 9 2 9 ), " i s t h a t o f Mr. W aley, who
a l o n e u n i t e s s c h o l a r s h i p a n d c r a f t s m a n s h i p i n one p e r -
44
W aley, C h in e s e P o e m s, p. 159.
45
A n o th e r te n d e n c y o f A yscough and L o w e ll i s t o
s p l i t a C h in e s e c h a r a c t e r i n t o r a d i c a l s an d t r a n s l a t e
a c c o r d i n g l y . See A. C. G rah am 's i n t r o d u c t i o n t o h i s Poems
o f th e L a te T 'a n g (M id d le s e x , E n g la n d : P e n g u in , 1965) ,
pp. 1 5 -2 2 .
H s ie h Wen Tung, " E n g l i s h T r a n s l a t i o n o f C h in e s e
P o e t r y , " C r i t e r i o n , XVII (1 9 3 8 ) , 424.
157
B ut W aley i s n o t o n ly u n iq u e i n t h e s e n s e t h a t he
i s t h e m o st r e l i a b l e t r a n s l a t o r o f t h e p e r i o d . He i s a l s o
u n iq u e i n h i s im p a c t upon a y o u n g e r g e n e r a t i o n o f s i n o
l o g u e s . D a v id Hawkes, t h e t r a n s l a t o r o f Ch*u T z ' u , A
P r im e r o f Tu Fu and t h e S t o r y o f t h e S t o n e , w r o te t h a t
47
Waley i n s p i r e d h i s f i r s t i n t e r e s t i n C h in e s e l i t e r a t u r e .
C h 'e n g H s i r e p o r t e d t h a t h e m et J . D. F rodsham t h r o u g h t h e
i n t r o d u c t i o n o f W aley, an d t h e e n c o u n t e r o f t h e two
r e s u l t e d e v e n t u a l l y i n a c o l l e c t i o n o f t r a n s l a t i o n s o f
48
p r e - T ang p o e t r y . T h is b o o k , An A n th o lo g y o f C h in e se
49
V e r s e , i s d e d i c a t e d " t o t h e Memory o f A r t h u r W a le y ," as
50
i s B u rto n W a ts o n 's C h ih e s e Rhyme- P r o s e . A n o th e r w ork,
w i d e ly u s e d as a t e x t book i n c o u r s e s o f C h in e s e l i t e r a t u r e
i n A m erican u n i v e r s i t i e s , C y r i l B i r c h ' s A n th o lo g y o f
47
D a v id Hawkes, Ch1u T z ' u (B o sto n : Beacon P r e s s ,
1 9 6 2 ), p . v i i i .
^ S e e C h 'e n g H s i ' s ( ) re v ie w o f J . D.
F ro d h s a m 's M urm uring S tre a m i n Ch' i n g Hua hstieh pao (
) , N .S . V II ( 1 9 6 9 ), 252.
49
J . D. F ro dsh am , An A n th o lo g y o f C h in e se V e rse
(O x fo rd : C la r e n d o n P r e s s , 1 9 6 7 ).
50
B u r to n W atso n , C h in e s e R hym e-P rose (New York &
London: C olum bia U n i v e r s i t y P r e s s , 1 9 7 1 ).
158
C h in e s e L i t e r a t u r e , i s a l s o d e d i c a t e d t o W a l e y . ^ The
s e l e c t i o n s o f T 'a o C h ' i e n ' s poems i n t h i s a n th o l o g y a r e
n o t from Ttfaley's t r a n s l a t i o n s b u t from W illia m A c k e r 's ,
w h ic h a r e , h o w e v er, as A c k er h i m s e l f a c k n o w le d g e d , " g r e a t l y
52
i n d e b t e d t o t h e v a r i o u s t r a n s l a t i o n s o f A r t h u r W a le y ."
Some l a t e r t r a n s l a t o r s o f C h in e s e p o e t r y h a d W aley i n m ind
when t h e y w e n t a b o u t t h e i r w ork, as B u r to n W atson c o n
f e s s e d h e d i d i n t r a n s l a t i n g t h e "Ku s h i h s h i h c h i u s h o u "
5 3
( N in e te e n O ld Poem s). A v e r s i o n o f one o f Po C h u - i 's
poems by H. H a r t ,
Good f r i e n d s
Why w a s te y o u r tim e i n w a i l i n g
And i n sym pathy f o r me?
S u r e l y , from tim e t o t im e ,
I s h a l l b e s t r o n g enough
To move a b o u t a b i t ,
As f o r t r a v e l ,
On l a n d t h e r e a r e c a r r y i n g - c h a i r s ,
And on w a t e r t h e r e a r e b o a t s ;
So, i f I c an b u t k e ep my c o u ra g e ,
What n e e d h a v e I o f f e e t ? 54
51
C y r i l B i r c h , e d . , A n th o lo g y o f C h in e s e L i t e r a t u r e
(New Y ork: Grove P r e s s , 1 9 6 5 ).
52
W illia m A c k e r, T 'a o t h e H e rm it (London: Thames &
H udson, 1 9 5 2 ), p . 6 .
53
See B u rto n W atso n , C h in e s e L y r i c i s m (New Y ork:
C olum bia U n i v e r s i t y P r e s s , 1 9 7 1 ), p . 14.
54
H enry H. H a r t , The H undred Names ( B e r k e le y :
U n i v e r s i t y o f C a l i f o r n i a P r e s s , 1 9 3 3 ), p. 118.
159
h a s to o many e c h o e s fro m t h e d i c t i o n o f W a le y 's v e r s i o n
t o b e a c c i d e n t a l :
D ear f r i e n d , t h e r e i s no c a u s e f o r so much
sym pathy.
I s h a l l c e r t a i n l y manage from tim e t o tim e
to t a k e my w a lk s a b r o a d .
A l l t h a t m a t t e r s i s an a c t i v e m ind, w h a t i s
t h e u s e o f f e e t ?
By l a n d one can r i d e i n a c a r r y i n g - c h a i r ; by
w a t e r , b e row ed i n a b o a t . 55
W a le y 's m eth od o f t r a n s l a t i n g C h in e s e p o e t r y i n t o
rh y m e le s s f r e e v e r s e became t h e norm . Jam es J . Y. L iu ,
f o r e x am p le , who h a d e a r l i e r a d v o c a te d r e p r o d u c i n g o r i g i n a l
rhyme schem es i n t h e t r a n s l a t i o n o f C h in e s e p o e t r y , ch an g ed
h i s m ind and a d m i t t e d t h a t h e f o llo w e d W a le y 's m eth o d i n
The P o e t r y o f L i S h a n g - y i n . W a le y 's f a v o r i t e p o e t Po
C h ii-i, who was r e l a t i v e l y unknown b e f o r e W a le y 's t r a n s l a
t i o n ( b o th C h a r le s B u d d 's C h in e s e Poems i n 1912 and H e len
W a d d e l l 's L v r i c s fro m t h e C h in e s e i n 191 3. f o r exam ple do
n o t m e n tio n P o ) , becam e, a f t e r W a le y 's t r a n s l a t i o n o f more
t h a n a h u n d r e d o f P o 's poem s, one o f t h e m o st w e ll-k n o w n
55
W aley, More T r a n s l a t i o n s fro m t h e C h i n e s e , p . 6 6 .
“^ S e e Jam es J . Y. L i u , The P o e t r y o f L i S h a n g -y in
(C h ic a g o : C h ica g o U n i v e r s i t y P r e s s , 1 9 6 9 ), p. 42. L i u ' s
e a r l i e r e f f o r t s a t p r o d u c i n g t r a n s l a t i o n s w i t h t h e o r i g i n a l
rhyme schem es a r e c o n t a i n e d i n h i s The A r t o f C h in e s e
P o e t r y (London: R o u tle d g e & Kegan P a u l , 196 2 ).
160
C h in e s e p o e t s t o t h e E n g l i s h - s p e a k i n g w o rld . Even W aley ’ s
i l l - f a t e d i n t r o d u c t i o n to A H undred and S e v e n ty C h in ese
Poems, w h ich he l a t e r r e c a n t e d , was c o n t i n u o u s l y r e f e r r e d
t o by o t h e r s i n o l o g u e s ; H a r o ld A cton fo u n d t h a t some
q u a l i t i e s W aley n o t e d i n h i s i n t r o d u c t i o n " s t i l l s u r v i v e
57
among m ost c o n te m p o ra ry p o e ts w r i t i n g P a i H u a " ;
L. Cranm er-Byng an d A. R. D avis b o t h r e f e r r e d to t h e same
i n t r o d u c t i o n w h i l e s p e a k in g o f t h e im p o r ta n c e o f f r i e n d s h i p
58
as a them e i n C h in e se p o e t r y ; and W illia m Hung n o t e d
w i t h a p p r o v a l t h a t Waley a l s o o b s e r v e d i n t h i s i n t r o d u c t i o n
" t h e s t r o n g re s e m b la n c e b etw een t h e o l d C h in ese p o e t i c form
and t r a d i t i o n a l E n g l i s h v e r s e i s th e im p o rta n c e a t t a c h e d
59
t o rhyme and m e t e r . "
"How many o f u s , b o th i n E urope and i n t h e U n ite d
S t a t e s , " as P e t e r Q u e n n e ll a s k s , "owe o u r f i r s t g lim p s e o f
“^ H a r o l d A cton and C h 'e n S h i h - h s i a n g , t r a n s . ,
Modern C h in e se P o e t r y (London: D uckw orth, 19 3 6 ), p. 50.
58
See L. Cranm er-Byng, The V i s i o n o f A s ia (New
York: F a r r a r & R i n e h a r t , 1 9 3 3 ), p. 221; and A. R. D a v is ,
Tu Fu (New York: Twayne P u b l i s h e r s , 1 9 7 1 ), p. 146.
59
W illia m Hung, Tu Fu: C h i n a 's G r e a t e s t P o e t
(C am bridge: H a rv a rd U n i v e r s i t y P r e s s , 1 9 5 2 ), p. 5.
161
E a s t e r n c i v i l i z a t i o n t o W a le y 's p a t i e n t l a b o r s ? " ^ We h a v e
s e e n t h a t W a le y 's t r a n s l a t i o n o f C h in e s e p o e t r y i n t r o d u c e d
C h in e s e p o e t r y i n t o t h e E n g l i s h an d A m erican l i t e r a r y
c i r c l e and o p e n e d up a w h o le new w o r l d t o l i t e r a r y men l i k e
61
R e x ro th an d A. C l u t t o n - B r o c k ; i t a l s o , d i r e c t l y o r
i n d i r e c t l y , h a s h a d a s i g n i f i c a n t im p a c t on s i n o l o g i c a l
s t u d i e s o f a l a t e r d a t e . B ut m ore th a n t h a t , s i n c e h i s
w orks alw ay s aim a t t h e g e n e r a l p u b l i c , f a m i l i a r i z a t i o n
w i t h C h in e s e p o e t r y i s c o n s e q u e n t l y n o t l i m i t e d t o t h e
l i t e r a r y an d s c h o l a r l y e l i t e . S p e a k in g o f A H und red and
S e v e n ty C h in e s e Poem s, W aley s a i d :
I t h i n k one o f t h e r e a s o n s t h a t i t r e m a in e d i n
f a i r l y s t e a d y demand f o r f o r t y y e a r s i s t h a t i t
a p p e a ls t o p e o p l e who do n o t o r d i n a r i l y r e a d
p o e t r y . When i n 1940 I was w o rk in g i n a G overnm ent
o f f i c e a num ber o f young g i r l t y p i s t s and c l e r k s
b r o u g h t me c o p ie s o f t h e H undred and S e v e n ty t o
s i g n . S e v e r a l o f them s a i d t h e y d i d n o t o r d i n a r i l y
r e a d p o e t r y and h a d b e f o r e coming a c r o s s my b o o k ,
60
P e t e r Q u e n n e ll, " L i t e r a r y L e t t e r from L o n d o n ,"
New York Times Book R e v ie w , M arch 4, 1962, p . 36.
61
A. C l u t t o n - B r o c k i s , a c c o r d i n g t o w h a t was t o l d
to W aley, t h e a u t h o r o f "The New P l a n e t , " a r e v i e w on
W a le y 's e a r l y t r a n s l a t i o n s i n t h e Times L i t e r a r y S u p p l e
m ent , November 15, 1917. See W aley, One 'Hundred and
S e v e n ty C h in e s e Poems (London: J o n a t h a n Cape, 1 9 6 9 ),
p. 7.
162
a lw a y s su p p o s e d t h a t i t was so m e th in g " s p e c i a l and
d i f f i c u l t . "62
I ^
I t h a s b e e n p o i n t e d o u t i n C h a p te r V t h a t t h e
te n d e n c y to w a rd p o p u l a r i z a t i o n l e d t o some o f t h e d e f e c t s
i n W a le y 's t r a n s l a t i o n . I r o n i c a l l y , W a le y ’ s g r e a t e s t
a c h ie v e m e n t i s l i k e l y t o l i e i n t h e v e r y r o l e o f pop u-
l a r i z e r . As a s c h o l a r o f C h in e s e , W aley w i l l b e s u p e r -
c e d e d as tim e p a s s e s a n d r e s u l t s o f s c h o l a r l y r e s e a r c h
a c c u m u la te . Even h i s t r a n s l a t i o n s c an b e im p ro v e d and
r e p l a c e d , a s h i s P i l l o w Book o f S e i Shonagon i s by I v a n
63
M o r r i s . B ut t h e im p a c t t h a t h e made as a p o p u l a r i z e r
o f C h in e se p o e t r y on t h e E n g l i s h l i t e r a r y w o r l d , on
s i n o l o g i c a l c i r c l e s , and above a l l , on t h e g e n e r a l p u b l i c ,
i s u n iq u e an d u n l i k e l y t o b e r e p e a t e d .
^ ^ W aley , One H un dred and S e v e n ty C h in e s e Poem s,
p . 7.
6 3
See I v a n M o r r i s , P i l l o w Book o f S e i Shonagon
(New Y ork: C olum bia U n i v e r s i t y P r e s s , 1 9 6 7 ).
163
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164
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Creator
Cheung, Chi-yiu
(author)
Core Title
Arthur Waley: Translator of Chinese poetry
Degree
Doctor of Philosophy
Degree Program
Comparative Literature
Publisher
University of Southern California
(original),
University of Southern California. Libraries
(digital)
Tag
literature, Asian,literature, English,OAI-PMH Harvest
Language
English
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Digitized by ProQuest
(provenance)
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[illegible] (
committee chair
), [illegible] (
committee member
), Hayden, George A. (
committee member
)
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UC11344966
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DP22538.pdf (filename),usctheses-c17-735398 (legacy record id)
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DP22538.pdf
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735398
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Rights
Cheung, Chi-yiu
Type
texts
Source
University of Southern California
(contributing entity),
University of Southern California Dissertations and Theses
(collection)
Access Conditions
The author retains rights to his/her dissertation, thesis or other graduate work according to U.S. copyright law. Electronic access is being provided by the USC Libraries in agreement with the au...
Repository Name
University of Southern California Digital Library
Repository Location
USC Digital Library, University of Southern California, University Park Campus, Los Angeles, California 90089, USA
Tags
literature, Asian
literature, English