Analysis of Translations of Li Qingzhao’s Ci Poems on the Principles of Three Beauties

海燕

Abstract： Li qingzhao is a remarkable female poet in China and she made great achievements in poetry， especially in Ci poems. She wrote not only her daily life but also lofty aspiration. Most of her works are woven with a “delicate restraint” and have the beauty of music， which is special in history. Many translators have dedicated in rendering Li Qingzhaos Ci poem into English and made great success. However， Chinese and English have many differences in sound， form and sense. In order to represent beauty of Li Qingzhaos Ci poems， this thesis will analyze them on the principles of three beauties.

Key words： Li Qingzhao， Ci poem， three beauties

I Introduction

As the orthodox idea that man is superior to woman was advocated firmly by ancient Chinese people， compared with men， women rarely had access to education. Poetesses in record are also few and far between. Thus， Li Qingzhaos emergence as a brilliant Ci poetess is particularly commendable and is the very embodiment of acknowledgement of talent without gender prejudice.

In her poems， Li Qingzhao intones the everyday mirth and mawkishness typically owned by women also laments she over the period of turbulence of her country. Li Qingzhaos works are closely combined with her life as resort to expressing and recording her feelings. The study of Li Qingzhaos works has significance. First， when sticking to traditional Chinese culture， the study can work as promotion of Chinese classical literature. Second， there is beauty in Li Qingzhaos poems in Chinese， however， when translated into English， it may be lost. Though the saying beauty is what can be understood by sense and cannot be explained by words is popular， beauty deserves everybodys appreciation and this thesis will try to help regain the beauty of the poems for the own sake of beauty. This thesis will analyze translations of Li Qingzhaos Ci poems on the basis of the principles of three beauties.

II Definition of Principle of Three Beauties

The theory of “Three beauties” was first proposed by Lu Xun when he explained how to learn a character fully. “When one tries to learn a character， one should know its form， pronunciation and sense. One should read it loud and listen to what it sounds like. Also， one should observe its form and keep its sense in mind. When one grasps these three basic points， he will know how exactly the character functions.

Xu Yuanchong applies this theory into translation and named it principle of three beauties. He states， “To gain beauty in sense， the translated poem should touch readers as strongly as the original one does； to gain beauty in sound， the translated poem should have as pleasing cadence as the original one does； to gain beauty in form， the translated poem also need to preserve the arrangement of words as the original one.

“Among three beauties， beauty in sense is most important， followed by beauty in sound and then beauty in form. Beauty in sense is the precondition for beauty in sound. If beauty in sense and beauty in sound have already been achieved， translator should try to achieve beauty in form. The preservation of three beauties is considered the best. If it is not realistic， beauty in form can be given up. ”

Beauty in sense

To reproduce the beauty in sense connote that the meaning of the translated work should accord with the original one. Nida remarked， “The influence of culture on the meaning of words and idioms are so pervasive that scarcely any text can be adequately understood without careful consideration of its cultural background.” In the case of China， poets and poetesses tend not to express their feelings and thoughts directly， instead they employed images as tools to interpret what they thought. Figures of speech were also frequently employed to achieve certain effects.

Image

Most commonly， image here means a mental picture of some visible thing or things. It can also involve senses other than sight such as sensation. Chinese poems are teeming with images and image is deemed to be the core of Chinese poetry.Li Qingzhao， too， is good at using images in her works.

1.

雁过也，正伤心、却是旧时相识。 《声声慢》

I recognize the geese flying overhead：

My old friends，

Bring not the old memories back！

（Lin Yutang）

2.

征鸿过尽，万千心事难寄。 《念奴娇》

All message-bearing swans are gone，

To whom will my teeming messages be borne？

（Xu Yuanchong）

The characters雁and鴻 or the word 鸿雁 are all referring a certain kind of bird- swan goose， a rare large goose with a natural breeding range in northernmost China. It is migratory and winters mainly in central and eastern China. It is said that in Han dynasty an ambassador was detained in Huns realm. When the emperor of Han asked for the ambassadors release he was told that the ambassador was dead. A spy told the emperor that the ambassador was not dead and sent to shepherd sheep beside a lake. So the emperor lied to the Hun that he had shoot dead a swan goose flying from Huns realm and its claw was tied with a scrip which said the ambassador was shepherding beside a lake. And then the ambassador was released. Since then swan goose is seen as a messenger who will bring news of peoples beloved. In Chinese poems， swan goose implies not only the bird but also the expectation of messages.

Figurative language

figurative language is language that employs one or more figures of speech to supplement and even modify the literal， denotative meaning of words with additional connotations and richness. figurative language adds color and immediacy to imagery. It can be used for decorative or purely aesthetic purposes and primarily it is used to attain some specific effect on the reader. Figures of speech are divided into two general categories： rhetorical figures and tropes. Both of them are frequently seen in Li Qingzhaos poems.

Personification

1. 应是绿肥红瘦。《如梦令》

The red should languish and the green must grow （Xu Yuanchong）

Metonymy

2. 门外谁扫残红 《怨王孙》

Whos swept away the fallen blooms before the door？ （Xu Yuanchong）

Metaphor

3. 泪染轻匀 《减字木兰花》

Sprinkled with tears of rosy hue（Xu Yuanchong）

Simile

4. 如今憔悴，但馀双泪，一似黄梅雨。

Now we're languid and drear

In two streams of sad tears

Like drizzling rain when mumes are brown. （Xu Yuanchong）

Overstatement

5. 四叠《阳关》，唱到千千遍。《蝶恋花》

The farewell song

With refrain and refrain was sung again and again （Xu Yuanchong）

In example 1， leaves and flower are described fat and thin and they are definitely personified. The translator personified them with words languish and grow； in example 2， 残红is a typical metonymy. 红represents the blossoms since they are red. However， redness cannot associate readers with flowers in English so the translator did not use metonymy in translation； in example3， 淚 refers to dew on the petals. Metaphor was used and the translator also found a equivalence in English； in example 4， tears are compared to rain and both the original and translated ones have simile； in example 5， 千千遍 is an overstatement for it is not realistic for one to sing a song for thousands of times. The translator did not used overstatement because again and again is sufficient to show the poetess unwillingness to part.

2.2 Beauty in sound

Ci poem is new style of literature rising in Tang dynasty. After a lasting development， Ci poem enjoyed its prosperity in Song dynasty. When people in old time gathered together in a banquet， they usually added to the fun by playing tunes. And Ci poems are the lyrics of such tunes. Different tunes have different names and the lyrics have to follow different rules. As the initial purpose of writing Ci poems is to sing it， the musicality in translation should be valued.

Chinese uses tones and degree of pitch， which cannot be reproduced exactly in English. Since the purpose is to reproduce musical beauty， translators can take advantage of English to create the same effects by using idiomatic musical devices.

Rhyme

寻寻觅觅，

冷冷清清，

凄凄惨惨戚戚。 《声声慢》

I look for what I miss，

I know not what it is，

I feel so sad， so drear，

So lonely， without cheer.

（Xu Yuanchong）

The original lines consist of 14 characters，Version has made good use of rhyme and rules and forms of traditional English poems. The translator has employed masculine rhyme in the ends of line 1 and 2（miss， is）， feminine rhyme in the ends of line 3 and 4（drear， cheer）. Following the iambic meter with end rhymes aabb， the poem is more acceptable by English-speaking readers. Alliteration is also employed （so sad）. And what most amazing is that “miss” and “cheer” sound respectively like 觅and 戚. The translator fulfill the his own standard brilliantly.

Onomatopoeia

Onomatopoeia is a word that imitates or suggests the source of the sound that it describes.

小风疏雨萧萧地。 《孤雁儿》

1.

Light wind/sprinkle of rain/hissing

（C. H. Kwock & Vicent McHugh）

2.

A grizzling wind and drizzling rain

（Xu Yuanchong）

3.

The whispering breeze， the pattering rain

（Hu Pingqing）

萧萧 is a frequently used onomatopoeia in Li Qingzhaos poems. It imitates the sound of fine rain and breeze and gives a sense of desolation.

Hiss means a voiceless fricative sound like that of a prolonged “s” often used to express disapproval； Grizzle means to cry or complain continuously in a way that is annoying or to make or become grey； Drizzle rain in many fine drops； Whisper to make a low soft rustling sound； Patter means a quick succession of light tapping sounds or to say or repeat in a rapid mechanical way； Sigh means to exhale audibly in a long deep breath， as in weariness or relief. Words in version 2 and 3 perfectly describe the sound of fine rain and associate readers with the mood of sadness of the poetess.

2.3 Beauty in form

The structure of Chinese poems has several features： the sentences are of regularity； sentences are concise and terse； the device antithetical couplet is frequently employed. These features make the poems look neat and pleasing to eyes.

Regularity

一剪梅

紅藕香残玉簟秋。轻解罗裳，独上兰舟。

云中谁寄锦书来？雁字回时，月满西楼。

花自飘零水自流。一种相思，两处闲愁。

此情无计可消除，才下眉头，却上心头。

TUNE： “A TWIG OF MUME BLOSSOMS”

When autumn chills my mat， the fragrant lotus fade.

My silk robe doffed， I float

Alone in orchid boat.

Who in the cloud would bring me letters in brocade？

When wild geese come， Ill wait

At moonlit bowers gate.

As flowers fall on running water here as there，

I am longing for thee

Just as thou art for me.

How can such sorrow be driven away foreer？

From eyebrows kept apart，

Again it gnaws my heart.

（Xu Yuanchong）

By the use of enjambment， the translator divined the poem into four parts echoing four lines of the original one. And each part consists of a long line followed by two short ones. Though not exactly the same with the original poem， the translated one has the feature regularity and the arrangement of lines is pleasing to eyes. Thus， this version definitely has the beauty in form.

Terseness

渔家傲

天接云涛连晓雾，

星河欲转千帆舞。

仿佛梦魂归帝所。

闻天语，

殷勤问我归何处。

我报路长嗟日暮，

学诗漫有惊人句。

九万里风鹏正举，

风休住，

蓬舟吹取三山去。

TUNE： “PRIDE OF FISHER MEN”

A Dream

The morning mist and surging clouds spread to the sky；

The Silver River fades， sails on sails dance on high.

In leaflike boat my soul to Gods abode would fly.

It seems that I

Am kindly asked where Im going. I reply：

“Ill go far， far away， but the sun will decline.

What is the use of my clever poetic line！

The roc will soar up ninety thousand miles and nine.

O whirlwind mine，

Dont stop， but carry my boat to the three isles divine！”

（Xu Yuanchong）

“The gift of terseness is the least dispensable literary qualification of a translator from Chinese.” The original poem has four long lines and one short line. The translator perfectly duplicated the arrangement of the original poem by using four long lines and one between them. He also rendered it tersely and specifically showing the beauty in form.

2.3.3 Antithesis

Antithesis means the juxtaposition of contrasting ideas， phrases， or words so as to produce an effect of balance. Antithesis is a very important rhetorical figure and enjoys appreciation. However， in English it is rare to be seen.

舊时天气旧时衣，只有情怀，不似旧家时。 《南歌子》

1.

Old-time weather， old-time clothes

Only bring back memories

But nothing like the good old times.

（Ouyang Zhen）

2.

In old-time weather still I wear my old-time dress，

But my heart is so cold

And the mood Im in so different from that of old.

（Xu Yuanchong）

Translator of version 1 didnt employ antithesis but old time was used three times paralleling to the original one， which makes it a rather successful translation； as it can be perceived， translators of version 2successfully used antithesis， fulfilling the beauty in form.

III Conclusion

This thesis has tentatively analyzed different translation versions of Li Qingzhaos Ci poems by applying comparative analysis and contrastive analysis under the instruction of hermeneutics theory. The goal of comparative analysis is to seek for the similarity between Chinese and English， while that of contrastive analysis is to focus on the differences in the aspects of phonetics， morphology， syntax and rhetoric etc.

A lot of problems remained unsolved and there is large room for innovation. This thesis has achieved some results through painstaking efforts. Anyway， it is far from being thorough and the analysis is not profound enough. However， the author always has the hope of contributing her own efforts in the promotion of traditional Chinese culture and expansion of its influential power. Translation is an effective way to bridge western and Chinese culture and a wonderful approach to enable foreigners to recognize the charms and glamour of Chinese classical literature.

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