Page 110 - Translation Journal July 2015
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aphors in the original poem or replacing a metaphor in the source poem with one in the target language will result in discord among
the images of the poem and might cause confusion in the reader about the time and location of the story. In view of this, we will look
into the various types of intentional or unintentional mistakes in the English translations of classical Chinese poetry in the late nineteenth
and early twentieth century.
Eight Types of Alterations in Translating Chinese Poetic Metaphors and Metonymies into English
After analyzing British and American translators’ translations of classical Chinese poetry in the late nineteenth century and early
twentieth century, we find that the translators make the following six types of alterations in their translations.
(1) Replace a metaphor in the source poem by one in the target culture. “The Deserted Wife”(《诗经·卫风·氓》), a poem in
Book of Odes, employs the devices of fu and bi. The poem is about a deserted wife telling her story about how she eloped with a
young man and how after three years of hard life staying with him she was dumped. In her narrative, she uses the metaphor of a dove
loving to eat mulberry and getting drunk（“鸠喜食桑葚，醉而伤其性”）to warn young women not to fall in love with men easily
because women will often be blinded by men’s love and do silly things, but that kind of love usually has an unhappy ending.
The metaphor of a dove eating mulberry presents a vivid picture and perfectly conveys the deserted wife’s message. Herbert Allen
Giles (翟理斯, 1845-1935, an important British Sinologist and translator, who published Gems of Chinese Literature: Verse《中诗英
韵》）translates “于嗟鸠兮，无食桑葚”（literally “Ah little dove, please don’t eat the mulberry”）into “O tender dove, beware the fruit
that tempts thy eyes”, which reminds us of the story of Eve who was tempted by “the fruit that tempts thy eyes”. Due to the image’s
connection with the text of Bible, the background of the story is somewhat shifted from an ancient Chinese context to a Christian one.
This is called domestication of the original metaphor.
The very first poem in Shi Jing, or Book of Odes, “Song of Welcome to the Bride of King Wan”（《关雎》） is a celebration of the
wedding of King Wan（文王）or a princely gentleman（君子）. Osprey is a kind of bird that is devoted and faithful to its spouse and
a couple will stay together all their lives. William Jennings（坚宁士，a British poet and translator who published The Shi King: The Old
“poetry Classic” of the Chinese: A Close Metrical Translation in 1891, London: George Routledge and Sons) translated jujiu (雎鸠) as
“waterfowl”（水鸟，水禽）. Below is his translation of the first stanza of “Song of Welcome to the Bride of King Wan”.
关关雎鸠 Waterfowl their mates are calling
在河之洲 On the islets in the stream.
窈窕淑女 Chaste and modest maid! Fit partner
君子好逑 For our lord (thyself we deem).
This stanza is famous for its use of the device of xing. That is to say, the image of ospreys wooing each other on the islets in
the stream serves as a stimulus and inspiration to the celebration of King Wan marrying a beautiful and virtuous lady. Generations of
Chinese critics have noted that jujiu (osprey) is a loyal bird, who carefully picks his/her spouse and stays with her/him all his/her life. So
the image of the bird has something in common with the prince and the lady being celebrated in the poem. However, Jennings uses a
more general word “waterfowl” to replace a particular kind of waterfowl “osprey”, and as a result removes the metaphoric implications
of the bird that is important to the message of the poem.
(2) Misinterpret the metaphoric meaning of a vehicle. Arthur Waley (阿瑟·韦利，1889-1966, British sinologist and translator)
is famous for the fidelity of his translations of Chinese poetry. In his 1937 translation of Book of Odes, however, he misinterprets the
metaphoric meanings of a few vehicles. For example, “The Pepper Plant”（《诗经·唐风·椒聊》） is a poem that praises the
prosperity of a duke’s land and his blessing of having many capable sons and grandsons.
The pepper-plant, for its abundant seeds, is a well-known metaphor in Chinese culture for the ability of reproduction, which is seen
as a blessing. There are quite many poems in Shi Jing whose theme is singing praise of the reproductivity of the hero or heroine. For
instance, “Locusts”（《诗经·周南·螽斯》）is a poem in which the poet uses the image of locusts, a kind of insect that reproduces
very fast, to wish the empress having many sons and grandsons. Below is Waley’s translation of the poem “The Pepper Plant”.
椒聊之实 The seeds of the pepper-plant
蕃衍盈升 Overflowed my pint-measure.
彼其之子 That man of mine,，
硕大无朋 None so broad and tall!
椒聊且 Oh, the pepper-plant,，
远条且 How wide its branches spread!
110 | Translation Journal - July 2015
the images of the poem and might cause confusion in the reader about the time and location of the story. In view of this, we will look
into the various types of intentional or unintentional mistakes in the English translations of classical Chinese poetry in the late nineteenth
and early twentieth century.
Eight Types of Alterations in Translating Chinese Poetic Metaphors and Metonymies into English
After analyzing British and American translators’ translations of classical Chinese poetry in the late nineteenth century and early
twentieth century, we find that the translators make the following six types of alterations in their translations.
(1) Replace a metaphor in the source poem by one in the target culture. “The Deserted Wife”(《诗经·卫风·氓》), a poem in
Book of Odes, employs the devices of fu and bi. The poem is about a deserted wife telling her story about how she eloped with a
young man and how after three years of hard life staying with him she was dumped. In her narrative, she uses the metaphor of a dove
loving to eat mulberry and getting drunk（“鸠喜食桑葚，醉而伤其性”）to warn young women not to fall in love with men easily
because women will often be blinded by men’s love and do silly things, but that kind of love usually has an unhappy ending.
The metaphor of a dove eating mulberry presents a vivid picture and perfectly conveys the deserted wife’s message. Herbert Allen
Giles (翟理斯, 1845-1935, an important British Sinologist and translator, who published Gems of Chinese Literature: Verse《中诗英
韵》）translates “于嗟鸠兮，无食桑葚”（literally “Ah little dove, please don’t eat the mulberry”）into “O tender dove, beware the fruit
that tempts thy eyes”, which reminds us of the story of Eve who was tempted by “the fruit that tempts thy eyes”. Due to the image’s
connection with the text of Bible, the background of the story is somewhat shifted from an ancient Chinese context to a Christian one.
This is called domestication of the original metaphor.
The very first poem in Shi Jing, or Book of Odes, “Song of Welcome to the Bride of King Wan”（《关雎》） is a celebration of the
wedding of King Wan（文王）or a princely gentleman（君子）. Osprey is a kind of bird that is devoted and faithful to its spouse and
a couple will stay together all their lives. William Jennings（坚宁士，a British poet and translator who published The Shi King: The Old
“poetry Classic” of the Chinese: A Close Metrical Translation in 1891, London: George Routledge and Sons) translated jujiu (雎鸠) as
“waterfowl”（水鸟，水禽）. Below is his translation of the first stanza of “Song of Welcome to the Bride of King Wan”.
关关雎鸠 Waterfowl their mates are calling
在河之洲 On the islets in the stream.
窈窕淑女 Chaste and modest maid! Fit partner
君子好逑 For our lord (thyself we deem).
This stanza is famous for its use of the device of xing. That is to say, the image of ospreys wooing each other on the islets in
the stream serves as a stimulus and inspiration to the celebration of King Wan marrying a beautiful and virtuous lady. Generations of
Chinese critics have noted that jujiu (osprey) is a loyal bird, who carefully picks his/her spouse and stays with her/him all his/her life. So
the image of the bird has something in common with the prince and the lady being celebrated in the poem. However, Jennings uses a
more general word “waterfowl” to replace a particular kind of waterfowl “osprey”, and as a result removes the metaphoric implications
of the bird that is important to the message of the poem.
(2) Misinterpret the metaphoric meaning of a vehicle. Arthur Waley (阿瑟·韦利，1889-1966, British sinologist and translator)
is famous for the fidelity of his translations of Chinese poetry. In his 1937 translation of Book of Odes, however, he misinterprets the
metaphoric meanings of a few vehicles. For example, “The Pepper Plant”（《诗经·唐风·椒聊》） is a poem that praises the
prosperity of a duke’s land and his blessing of having many capable sons and grandsons.
The pepper-plant, for its abundant seeds, is a well-known metaphor in Chinese culture for the ability of reproduction, which is seen
as a blessing. There are quite many poems in Shi Jing whose theme is singing praise of the reproductivity of the hero or heroine. For
instance, “Locusts”（《诗经·周南·螽斯》）is a poem in which the poet uses the image of locusts, a kind of insect that reproduces
very fast, to wish the empress having many sons and grandsons. Below is Waley’s translation of the poem “The Pepper Plant”.
椒聊之实 The seeds of the pepper-plant
蕃衍盈升 Overflowed my pint-measure.
彼其之子 That man of mine,，
硕大无朋 None so broad and tall!
椒聊且 Oh, the pepper-plant,，
远条且 How wide its branches spread!
110 | Translation Journal - July 2015
