Comp Stud Trans EN 7
A Comparative Study on Xu Yuanchong’s and Ezra Pound’s Theories and Practices on the Translation of Classical Chinese Poetry
Abstract：The Classical Chinese poetry is an important part of the Chinese culture, and also a valuable contribution of the Chinese literature to the world literature. For the last one and a half centuries or so, scholars both at home and abroad have made significant efforts in the translation of the classical Chinese poetry. Quite a few of them have not only attributed excellent versions but also insightful views on translation theories. In the history of verse translation, Ezra Pound took up a crucial and unique position. His Cathy made a stir upon publication in 1915 and was considered his “most enduring contribution” to the English poetry. The success of Cathy is actually the success of the classical Chinese poetry in the United States. “Ever since then, the classical Chinese poetry began to attract the western eyes.”(赵毅衡：1985，150）As for the translation in contemporary China, Xu Yuanchong is definitely the most influential one, whose excellent versions of the classical Chinese poetry are well accepted by readers both in China and overseas, whose criteria of verse translation - “beauty in sense, beauty in sound and beauty in form” have been widely recognized and appreciated. Taking Pound and Xu Yuanchong as the research objects, this paper attempts to clearly demonstrate the similarities and differences between Pound and Xu's thoughts on translation of Chinese poetry into English. On this basis, this paper makes a comparative analysis of Xu Yuanchong's "three Beauties" translation principles and Pound's creative translation theory considering skopos theory, in an attempt to find out the social and cultural factors that influence their translation activities. The first chapter of this paper introduces Xu Yuanchong's life and translation thoughts in detail. Chapter two introduces Pound‘s life and then examines Pound's thoughts and achievements from the perspective of a translator. The third chapter is the focus of this paper, which makes a comparative analysis of Xu Yuanchong's translation of classical Chinese poetry by applying Xu Yuanchong's "three Beauties" translation principle and Pound's creative translation theory. Chapter four analyzes the social and cultural factors that influence their translation practice on the basis of the above mentioned and skopos theory.
Key Words: the Classical Chinese Poetry, Xu Yuanchong, Ezra Pound, translation theory, comparative study
中文摘要：古典诗歌是中国文化的重要组成部分，也是中国文学对世界文学宝库的巨大贡献。中外学者在古典诗歌翻译方面做很多有益的尝试，不少学者亲自从事翻译实践，而且还就诗歌翻译理论提出了精辟的见解。在早期译者中，埃兹拉•庞德无疑占据着一个极为重要而又特殊的地位。他的《神州集》在一九一五年四月出版后就引起了极大的轰动，从而被看作是他对英语诗歌的“最持久的贡献”，也是中国古典诗歌在美国的第一次真正的成功。“自此以后，庞德将中国诗变成了大众瞩目的东西”。（赵毅衡：1985，150）而在当今中国的诗歌翻译界，许渊冲是最具影响力的翻译家。在其六十年的翻译生涯中，许渊冲翻译了大量的古典诗词，并在国内外深受好评。他关于诗歌翻译的“意美、音美、形美”的标准也得到了广泛的认同。本文以庞德和许渊冲为研究对象，试图清晰地展示庞德和许渊冲中诗英译思想的异同。在此基础上，本文运用许渊冲的“三美”翻译原则以及庞德的创意性翻译理论并结合翻译目的论对他们的译本进行了对比分析，试图找出影响他们翻译活动的社会和文化因素。本文第一章详细介绍了许渊冲的生平及其翻译思想。第二章介绍了庞德的生平，然后从翻译家的角度考察了庞德的思想及成就。第三章是本文的重点，运用许渊冲的“三美”翻译原则以及庞德的创意翻译理论对他们对中国古典诗歌的译本进行了对比分析。第四章在前文的基础上，并结合翻译目的论，分析了影响他们翻译实践的社会和文化因素。
关键词：中国古典诗歌；许渊冲；庞德；翻译理论；比较研究