古典诗歌

透过水晶窗帘
听读系列 中国人认为唐诗是他们文化的巅峰。它能被翻
译吗？

Classical verse
THROUGH A CRYSTAL CURTAIN
The Chinese celebrate Tang poetry as a pinnacle of
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their culture. Does it survive translation?
另有加更文章

1. EZRA POUND, an American
modernist, described poetry as
“news that stays news”. The
versions of classical Chinese poetry
he published in “Cathay” in 1915
were a declaration that, in a world
of Model Ts and machine guns,
1,200-year-old verse still mattered.
Ezra Pound noun 埃兹拉·庞德，美国诗人、文学评
论家、意象派诗歌代表人物，他是宣扬中国文明、
翻译介绍中国古诗的西方诗人之一。
modernism /'mɒd(ə)nɪz(ə)m/ noun [U] modern
ideas or methods 现代主义；现代思想（或方法）
classical /'klæsɪk(ə)l/ noun [usually before
noun] widely accepted and used for a long time;
traditional in style or idea 古典的；经典的；传统的
Cathay noun 中国古诗英译本《中国》（Cathay）
Model T 福特T型汽车
machine gun noun a gun that automatically fires
many bullets one after the other very quickly 机关枪；
机枪
verse /vɜːs/ noun [U] writing that is arranged in lines,
often with a regular rhythm or pattern of RHYME 诗；韵
文

2. That is certainly what the Chinese
think today. In the West poetry is a
minority pursuit; in China it is
woven into people’s lives. Children
learn classical verse throughout
their schooling, new poems
celebrate births and marriages, and
idiomatic speech is embroidered
with ancient couplets.
minority /maɪ'nɒrɪtɪ/ noun [sing. + sing./pl. v.] the
smaller part of a group; less than half of the people or
things in a large group 少数；少数派；少数人
pursuit /pə'sjuːt/ noun [C, usually pl.] something that
you give your time and energy to, that you do as a
hobby 事业；消遣；爱好
weave /wiːv/ verb [T, I] to make cloth, a carpet,
a BASKET, etc. by crossing threads or strips across, over
and under each other by hand or on a machine called
a LOOM（用手或机器）编，织
idiomatic adjective containing expressions that are
natural to a NATIVE SPEAKER of a language表达方式地道
的；符合（某一）语言习惯的
embroider /ɪm'brɒɪdə/ verb [T] ~ sth to make a story
more interesting by adding details that are not always
true 加以渲染（或润饰）；对 … 添枝加叶
couplet /'kʌplɪt/ noun two lines of poetry of equal
length one after the other 对句（相连的两行长度相
等的诗句）；对联
3. Can this ancient poetry come
alive to readers who, like your
correspondent, speak no Chinese?
The barriers are immense: not just
temporal, but linguistic and
philosophical.
correspondent /kɒrɪ'spɒnd(ə)nt/ noun a person
who reports news from a particular country or on a
particular subject for a newspaper or a television or
radio station 记者；通讯员
barrier /'bærɪə/ noun something that exists between
one thing or person and another and keeps them
separate 分界线；隔阂；障碍
immense /ɪ'mens/ adjective extremely large or
great 极大的；巨大的
temporal /'temp(ə)r(ə)l/ adjective
(formal) connected with or limited by time 时间的
linguistic /lɪŋ'gwɪstɪk/ adjective connected with
language or the scientific study of language 语言的；
语言学的
philosophical /ˌfɪləˈsɔfɪkəl/ adjective connected
with philosophy 哲学的

However, the rewards are immense,
too: a glimpse into a great
civilisation, the spritz of fresh
imagery, and sudden, consoling
moments when an eighth-century
poet rises up off the page, a human
being like any other. Nowhere are
these rewards stacked higher than in
the poetry of the Tang dynasty.
glimpse /glɪm(p)s/ noun [usually sing.] a short
experience of sth that helps you to understand it 短暂
的感受（或体验、领会）
civilisation /ˌsivilai'zeiʃən/ noun [U, C] a society, its
culture and its way of life during a particular period of
time or in a particular part of the world （特定时期和
地区的）社会文明
spritz /sprits/ verb ~ sth (especially NAmE) to spray
very small drops of liquid on sth quickly喷
imagery /‘ɪmɪdʒ(ə)rɪ/ noun [U] language that
produces pictures in the minds of people reading or
listening 形象的描述；意象 poetic imagery诗的意象
console /kən‘səʊl/ verb to give comfort or sympathy
to sb who is unhappy or disappointed 安慰；抚慰；慰
藉
stack /stæ k/ verb [T] ~ sth (with sth) to fill sth with
piles of things 使成叠（或成摞、成堆）地放在 … ；
使码放在 …

4. The Tang lasted from 618 to
907AD. During its first half, as
China flourished, the Silk Road
brought luxuries, wealth and
exoticism.
A.D. abbr. used in the Christian CALENDAR to show a
particular number of years since the year when Christ
was believed to have been born (from Latin ‘Anno
Domini’) 公元（源自拉丁语 Anno Domini）
flourish /'flʌrɪʃ/ verb [I] to develop quickly and be
successful or common 繁荣；昌盛；兴旺
luxury /'lʌkʃ(ə)rɪ/ noun [C] a thing that is expensive
and enjoyable but not essential 奢侈品
exoticism /iɡˈzɔtisizəm/ noun [U] (formal)the quality
of being exciting and unusual that sth has because it is
connected with foreign countries 异国情调；外国风情

The capital Chang’an, modern-day
Xi’an, had about 1m inhabitants.
Perhaps 5% of them were literate.
Before a rebellion knocked
everything off centre in 755, it may
have been the most prosperous and
cosmopolitan city in the world.
inhabitant /ɪn'hæbɪt(ə)nt/ noun a person or an
animal that lives in a particular place （某地的）居民，
栖息动物
literate /'lɪt(ə)rət/ adjective able to read and write 有
读写能力的；有文化的
rebellion /rɪ'beljən/ noun [U, C] an attempt by some
of the people in a country to change their government,
using violence 谋反；叛乱；反叛
prosperous /'prɒsp(ə)rəs/ adjective (formal)rich and
successful 繁荣的；成功的；兴旺的
cosmopolitan /ˌkɒzmə'pɒlɪt(ə)n/ adjective
(approving) containing people of different types or from
different countries, and influenced by their culture 世界
性的；全球各国的；有各国人的；受各国文化影响
的

5. As in Shakespeare’s England and
J.S. Bach’s Germany, something
was in the air. Early in the Tang,
poetry-writing was brought into the
examination that selected scholars
for the bureaucracy. Among the
finest Tang poets were great
drinkers who had studied for the
exam but failed it, or who could not
hold down a government job (some
things never change).
Shakespeare noun 莎士比亚（1564-1616，英国
诗人、剧作家）
J.S. Bach noun 约翰·塞巴斯蒂安·巴赫，德国巴洛克
作曲家
in the ˈair felt by a number of people to exist or to be
happening 在传播中；流行；可感觉到
bureaucracy /ˌbjʊ(ə)'rɒkrəsɪ/ noun [U, C] a system
of government in which there are a large number of
state officials who are not elected; a country with such
a system 官僚体制；实行官僚体制的国家
drinker /'drɪŋkə/ noun a person who drinks alcohol
regularly, especially sb who drinks too much饮酒者；
（尤指）酗酒者，酒徒

6. Verse was communal. Tian Yuan
Tan, professor of Chinese at Oxford,
explains that, during this time, it
spread from the court into everyday
life. When somebody left town, you
wrote a poem. To dignify a banquet,
you declaimed a poem. If your
friend was out when you dropped by,
you left a poem behind.
communal /'kɒmjʊn(ə)l/ adjective shared by, or for
the use of, a number of people, especially people who
live together （尤指居住在一起的人）共享的，共有
的，共用的
Chinese /ˌtʃai'ni:z/ noun [U] the language of China 中
国话；汉语；中文
court /kɔːt/ noun the court [sing.] the king or queen,
their family, and the people who work for them and/or
give advice to them 王室人员；王宫人员
dignify /'dɪgnɪfaɪ/ verb ~ sb/sth to make sb/sth seem
impressive 使有尊严；使崇高；使显贵；使增辉
banquet /'bæŋkwɪt/ noun a formal meal for a large
number of people, usually for a special occasion, at
which speeches are often made 宴会；盛宴
declaim /dɪ'kleɪm/ verb [T, I] ~ (against) sth | ~
that … | + speech (formal) to say sth loudly; to speak
loudly and with force about sth you feel strongly about,
especially in public （尤指在公众前）慷慨激昂地宣
讲，慷慨陈辞
7. Plenty of people could write Tang
verse. Stephen Owen, a Harvard
professor who may have translated
more of it than anyone, says that,
even if writing good poetry was
formidably hard, everyday poems
were easy to toss off—Chinese has
plenty of rhymes and stock allusions.
Fortunately, the best verses were
rapidly anthologised, one reason so
many still exist.
anthologise /ænˈθɒlədʒaɪz/ verb ~ sb/sth to
include a writer or piece of writing in an ANTHOLOGY 把
（作者或作品）收入选集
formidable /'fɔːmɪdəb(ə)l/ adjective if people, things
or situations are formidable, you feel fear and/or
respect for them, because they are impressive or
powerful, or because they seem very difficult 可怕的；
令人敬畏的；难对付的
ˌtoss sth↔ˈoff (BrE) to produce sth quickly and
without much thought or effort 未经思索（或费力）
很快做好
rhyme /raɪm/ noun [C] a word that has the same
sound or ends with the same sound as another word 押
韵词；同韵词
stock /stɒk/ adjective (of an idea, expression, or
action) usual or typical, and used or done so many
times that it is no longer original（想法、表达方式或
行动）老一套的，陈腐的，一成不变的
a stock phrase/response 常用的字眼／老一套的回答
allusion /ə'luːʒ(ə)n/ noun [C, U] ~ (to
sb/sth) (formal) something that is said or written that
refers to or mentions another person or subject in an
indirect way (= ALLUDES to it) 暗指；引喻；典故
 contemplative /kən'templətɪv/ adjective
8. And poetry was becoming more (formal) thinking quietly and seriously about sth 沉思默
contemplative. Some wrote of the 想的；深思熟虑的

miseries of exile. The rebellion misery /'mɪz(ə)rɪ/ noun [C] something that causes
caused upheaval and suffering, great suffering of mind or body 不幸的事；痛苦的事

some of which coloured poetry. exile /'eksaɪl/ noun [U, sing.] the state of being sent to
live in another country that is not your own, especially
for political reasons or as a punishment 流放；流亡；
放逐

upheaval /ʌp'hiːv(ə)l/ noun [C, U]a big change that

causes a lot of confusion, worry and problems 剧变；
激变；动乱；动荡

colour /'kʌlə/ verb [T] ~ sth to affect sth, especially in

a negative way （尤指负面地）影响

David Hinton, a poet and translator,
argues that Tang China was
perfused by Chan Buddhism, better
known by its Japanese name, Zen.
All this gave verse a depth that court
poetry had lacked.
perfuse /pə'fjuːz/ verb 灌注；洒；使充（铺，撒）
满;
Chan Buddhism 禅宗
Zen /zɛn/ noun [U]a Japanese form of Buddhism 日本
禅宗
depth /depθ/ noun [U] (approving) the quality of
knowing or understanding a lot of details about sth; the
ability to provide and explain these details 渊博；深刻；
洞察力
court poetry 宫廷诗歌

9. It is one thing for Chinese-
speakers to look back on the Tang
poets in awe. It is quite another for
their poetry to work in modern
English. Robert Frost, a 20th-
century American writer, is
supposed to have said that “poetry is
what is lost in translation”. If so,
grappling with Chinese poetry is
doubly futile.
awe /ɔː/ noun [U] feelings of respect and slight fear;
feelings of being very impressed by sth/sb 敬畏；惊叹
Robert Frost 罗伯特·弗罗斯特，美国农民诗人，
代表作品：《诗歌选集》《一棵作证的树》《未选
择的路》
grapple /'græp(ə)l/ verb [I] to try hard to find a
solution to a problem 努力设法解决
doubly /'dʌblɪ/ adverb (used before adjectives 置于形
容词前) more than usual 更加；越发；倍加
futile /'fjuːtaɪl/ adjective having no purpose because
there is no chance of success 徒然的；徒劳的；无效
的

English has no tones, or
characters—which may add layers
of meaning. Eliot Weinberger, who
wrote a book that compares 36
translations of a single, celebrated
four-line Tang poem, points out that
Chinese verbs have no tense, the
sentence may have no subject and a
single character could have several
meanings (modern Chinese is less
ambiguous, because it tends to
group text into two-character units).
tone /təun/ noun a particular PITCH pattern on a
syllable in languages such as Chinese, that can be used
to distinguish different meanings （字的）声调；字调
character /'kærəktə/ noun [C] a letter, sign, mark or
symbol used in writing, printing or on computers （书
写、印刷或计算机上的）文字，字母，符号
celebrated /'selɪbreɪtɪd/ adjective famous for having
good qualities 著名的；闻名的；驰名的
tense /tens/ noun (grammar 语法) any of the forms of
a verb that may be used to show the time of the action
or state expressed by the verb （动词的）时，时态
subject /'sʌbdʒekt/ noun 主语；主词
ambiguous /æmˈbiɡjuəs/ adjective that can be
understood in more than one way; having different
meanings模棱两可的；含混不清的
group /gruːp/ verb [T] ~ sb/sth (together) to divide
people or things into groups of people or things that are
similar in some way 将 … 分类；把 … 分组

That leaves the translator with a lot
to fill in. Mr Hinton says that
European poetry is “the same
grammatical world just reorganised.”
By contrast, “for Chinese, you
pretty much have to reinvent it
because the language is so radically
different.”
translator /træns'leɪtə/ noun a person who translates
writing or speech into a different language, especially as
a job （尤指专职）翻译，译员，译者，翻译家
grammatical /grə'mætɪk(ə)l/ adjective connected
with the rules of grammar 语法的；文法的
reorganise /ˌri:'ɔ:ɡənaiz/ verb [T, I] ~ (sth) to change
the way in which sth is organized or done 重新组织；
改组；整顿
radical /'rædɪk(ə)l/ adjective [usually before
noun] concerning the most basic and important parts of
sth; thorough and complete 根本的；彻底的；完全的

10. Inevitably, there are plenty of
bad versions of Chinese poetry. It is
unfortunate that the first Tang poem
in English, “Climbing Qi Mountain
in The Double Ninth Day” by Du
Mu (803-852), from a missionary
called Robert Morrison in 1815,
mixes up the words for wild geese
and swallows. The rhymes of
Launcelot Cranmer-Byng, a respected 有名的；闻名的；受尊敬的
renowned British translator who
died in 1945, are hard for the
modern ear to bear.
Climbing Qi Mountain in The Double Ninth
Day noun 《九日齐山登高》杜牧
missionary /'mɪʃ(ə)n(ə)rɪ/ noun
pl. mis·sion·aries a person who is sent to a foreign
country to teach people about Christianity传教士
ˌmix sb/sth ˈup (with sb/sth) to think wrongly
that sb/sth is sb/sth else 误以为 … 是；弄错；搞错
goose /guːs/ noun pl. geese 鹅
swallow /'swɒləʊ/ noun 燕
renowned /rɪ'naʊnd/ adjective famous and
 epigram /'epɪgræm/ noun a short poem or phrase
11. Yet Frost’s epigram is either that expresses an idea in a clever or amusing way 诙谐
obvious or fatuous. Obvious 短诗；警句；隽语

because nobody could imagine that fatuous /'fætjʊəs/ adjective (formal)stupid 愚蠢的；
the sounds and layers of meaning 愚昧的

which make poetry sing in one map /mæ p/ verb ~ sth to discover or give information
language could ever map directly about sth, especially the way it is arranged or
organized 了解信息，提供信息（尤指其编排或组织
onto another. 方式）

Fatuous because of the in-your-face
fact that, from Chapman’s Homer to
Seamus Heaney’s “Beowulf”,
poetry books are bursting with
inspiring translations.
in-your-face /'in,juə'feis/ adjective (informal)used to
describe an attitude, a performance, etc. that is
aggressive in style and deliberately designed to make
people react strongly for or against it （态度、表演等）
赤裸裸的，富刺激性的，有意惹人发怒的
Chapman’s Homer noun 乔治•查普曼(Georga
Chapman)翻译的荷马史诗
Seamus Heaney’s “Beowulf” noun 谢默斯·希尼
把古英语史诗《贝奥武夫》译成现代英语
谢默斯·希尼，爱尔兰诗人、诺贝尔文学奖得主
inspiring /ɪn'spaɪərɪŋ/ adjective exciting and
encouraging you to do or feel sth 鼓舞人心的；激励的；
启发灵感的
 Middle Chinese noun 中古汉语，南北朝、隋朝、
12. Indeed, the language has 唐朝、宋朝时期的汉语
changed so since the Tang that
incomprehensible /ˌɪnkɒmprɪ'hensɪb(ə)l/
poems read out loud in the original adjective ~ (to sb) impossible to understand 无法理解
Middle Chinese would be 的；难懂的

incomprehensible to speakers of millennium /mɪ'lenɪəm/ noun pl. mil·len·nia a period

modern standard Putonghua. In a of 1 000 years, especially as calculated before or after
the birth of Christ 一千年，千年期（尤指公元纪年）
sense, everybody who experiences
rebuke /rɪ'bjuːk/ noun (formal) to speak severely to sb
poetry across a millennium because they have done sth wrong 指责；批评
experiences it in translation. As a
rebuke to Frost, Mr Weinberger
begins his study: “Poetry is that
which is worth translating.” Here
are five Tang poems. Judge for
yourself.
 frontier /'frʌntɪə/ noun (BrE) [C] a line that separates
13. China has hundreds of poems two countries, etc; the land near this line国界；边界；
about the frontier. Most of them 边境

were heroic, but here Li He (791- heroic /hɪ'rəʊɪk/ adjective showing extreme courage
and admired by many people 英勇的；英雄的
817), a Late Tang maverick, instead
paints a desolate picture of a Li He noun 李贺，唐朝中期浪漫主义诗人

barbarian threat out in the maverick /'mæv(ə)rɪk/ noun a person who does not
nothingness. behave or think like everyone else, but who has
independent, unusual opinions 持不同意见者；独行
其是者；言行与众不同者

desolate /'des(ə)lət/ adjective (of a place 地

方) empty and without people, making you feel sad or
frightened 无人居住的；荒无人烟的；荒凉的

barbarian /bɑː'beərɪən/ noun a member of a group

of people from a very different country or culture that is
considered to be less socially advanced and more
violent than your own 野蛮人，未开化的人

nothingness /'nʌθɪŋnɪs/ noun [U]a situation where

nothing exists; the state of not existing 不存在；虚无
 tartar /'tɑ:tə/ adjective 鞑靼人的
14. On the Frontier
translated by A. C. Graham horn /hɔːn/ noun [C] a simple musical instrument that
consists of a curved metal tube that you blow into （乐
A Tartar horn tugs at the north 器）号
wind,
tug /tʌg/ verb [T] ~ sth + adv./prep. to pull sth hard in
Thistle Gate shines whiter than the a particular direction （朝某一方向用力）拉，拖，拽
stream. thistle /'θɪs(ə)l/ noun 蓟（野生植物，叶有刺，花呈
The sky swallows the road to 紫色、黄色或白色，为苏格兰民族象征）
Kokonor. stream /striːm/ noun a small narrow river 小河；溪
On the Great Wall, a thousand
swallow /'swɒləʊ/ verb [T, often passive] to take
miles of moonlight. sb/sth in or completely cover it so that they cannot be
seen or no longer exist separately 吞没；淹没；侵吞
塞下曲
李贺 Kokonor noun 青海，蒙古语称“库库诺尔”,意即“青
色的湖”
胡角引北风，蓟门白于水。
天含青海道，城头月千里。

The dew comes down, the banners
drizzle,
Cold bronze rings the watches of
the night.
dew /'djuː/ noun [U]the very small drops of water that
form on the ground, etc. during the night露；露水
banner /'bænə/ noun a long piece of cloth with a
message on it that is carried between two poles or hung
in a public place to show support for sth 横幅；旗幡

露下旗濛濛，寒金鸣夜刻。 drizzle /'drɪz(ə)l/ verb [I] when it is drizzling, it is

raining lightly 下毛毛雨；下蒙蒙细雨

watch /wɒtʃ/ noun [C, U] a fixed period of time, usually

while other people are asleep, during which sb watches
for any danger so that they can warn others, for
example on a ship; the person or people who do
this （如在船上）值班（人）；警戒（人）；守夜
（人）

The nomads’ armour meshes
serpents’ scales.
Horses neigh, Evergreen Mound’s
champed white.
蕃甲锁蛇鳞，马嘶青冢白。
nomad noun a member of a community that moves
with its animals from place to place 游牧部落的人
armour /'ɑːmə/ noun [U] special metal clothing that
soldiers wore in the past to protect their bodies while
fighting 盔甲；甲胄
mesh /meʃ/ verb [I] (technical 术语) (of parts of a
machine 机器零件) to fit together as they move 啮合
serpent /'sɜːp(ə)nt/ noun (literary)a snake, especially
a large one 蛇；（尤指）大蛇
scale noun [C] any of the thin plates of hard material
that cover the skin of many fish and REPTILES 鳞；鳞片
neigh /neɪ/ verb [I]when a horse neighs it makes a
long high sound （马）嘶鸣
Evergreen Mound 青冢，王昭君墓
champ /tʃæmp/ verb [I, T] ~ (sth) (especially of
horses 尤指马) to bite or eat sth noisily 大声地咬（或
咀嚼）

In the still of autumn see the
Pleiades.
Far out on the sands, danger in the
furze.
North of their tents is surely the
sky’s end
Where the sound of the river
streams beyond the border.
秋静见旄头，沙远席羁愁。
帐北天应尽，河声出塞流。
still /stɪl/ adjective not moving; calm and quiet 静止的；
平静的；安静的；寂静的
Pleiades noun 昴星团。 梅西叶星表编号为 M45，
位于金牛座天区明亮的疏散星团，构成星团几个亮
星在昴宿，由此得名。
古人以此星特别明亮时，主战事。
furze /fɜːz/ noun [U] (BrE)= GORSE [U]a bush with thin
leaves with sharp points and small yellow
flowers. Gorseoften grows on land that is not used or
cared for. 荆豆（开小黄花，长于荒野）

15. A lot of Chinese poetry layers
images on top of each other. In the
first stanza, Li He begins with a
panorama—Kokonor comes from
the Mongolian word for Qinghai, a
region 1,700km west of Beijing.
stanza /'stænzə/ noun (technical 术语)a group of
lines in a repeated pattern that form a unit in some
types of poem（诗的）节，段
panorama /pænə'rɑːmə/ noun a description, study
or set of pictures that presents all the different aspects
or stages of a particular subject, event, etc. （某专题或
事件的）全面叙述，综合研究；全景画卷
Mongolian /mɔŋˈgəʊli:ən/ noun adjective (a person)
from Mongolia 蒙古人；蒙古的；蒙古人的
region /'riːdʒ(ə)n/ noun [C] one of the areas that a
country is divided into, that has its own customs and/or
its own government 行政区

16. Then he zooms in on the
soldiers, down to the plates in their
armour. The Evergreen Mount is the
tomb of Wang Zhaojun, who was
sent as a wife to appease a
Barbarian leader. The mound was
supposed to be green—but here, in
the moonlight, it is drained of colour,
like the steppe.
ˌzoom ˈin/ˈout (of a camera 摄影机或摄像机) to
show the object that is being photographed from
closer/further away, with the use of a ZOOM LENS （用变
焦距镜头）拉近，推远；使画面放大（或缩小）
plate /pleɪt/ noun [C] a thin flat piece of metal, used
especially to join or make sth stronger （金属）板条，
板材
Wang Zhaojun noun 王昭君
appease /ə'piːz/ verb ~ sb to make sb calmer or less
angry by giving them what they want 安抚；抚慰
mound /maʊnd/ noun a large pile of earth or stones;
a small hill 土墩；小丘；小山岗，指青冢，王昭君墓
drain /dreɪn/ verb [T, I] ~ (sth) to make sth empty or
dry by removing all the liquid from it; to become empty
or dry in this way 排空；（使）流光；放干
steppe /step/ noun [C, usually pl., U]a large area of
land with grass but few trees, especially in SE Europe
and Siberia （尤指东南欧及西伯利亚树少的）大草原，
干草原

17. And the last stanza pulls back
out again. Mr Tan points out that Li
He mixes scenery and emotion. The
flickering starcluster that Westerners
call the Pleiades was an omen of
barbarian invasion. Although the
soldiers cannot see the horde, they
sense it and they are apprehensive.
The Yellow River flows from the
wilderness into China, unstoppable.
scenery /'siːn(ə)rɪ/ noun [U] the natural features of
an area, such as mountains, valleys, rivers and forests,
when you are thinking about them being attractive to
look at 风景；景色；风光
flicker /'flɪkə/ verb [I] (of a light or a flame 灯光或火
焰) to keep going on and off as it shines or burns 闪烁；
闪现；忽隐忽现；摇曳
starcluster noun 星团
omen /'əʊmən/ noun a sign of what is going to
happen in the future 预兆；前兆；征兆
horde /hɔːd/ noun (sometimes disapproving)a large
crowd of people 一大群人
apprehensive /æprɪ'hensɪv/ adjective worried or
frightened that sth unpleasant may happen 忧虑的；
担心的；疑惧的；恐惧的
18. The next poem is about a
woman at court who is let down by
her lover. As in much Chinese
poetry, it draws its power from what
is left unsaid.
court /kɔːt/ noun [C, U] the official place where kings
and queens live 王宫；宫殿；宫廷

let sb down to disappoint someone by failing to do

what you agreed to do or were expected to do
辜负（某人），使（某人）失望
 grievance /'griːv(ə)ns/ noun ~ (against sb) something
18. The Jewel Stairs’ Grievance that you think is unfair and that you complain or protest
translated by Ezra Pound about 不平的事；委屈；抱怨；牢骚

The jewelled steps are already jewelled /ˈdʒu:əld/ adjective decorated

quite white with dew, with JEWELS 饰以宝石的；镶有宝石的

It is so late that the dew soaks my dew /'djuː/ noun [U]the very small drops of water that
gauze stockings, form on the ground, etc. during the night露；露水

And I let down the crystal curtain gauze /gɔːz/ noun [U] a type of light transparent cloth,
usually made of cotton or silk 薄纱，纱罗（通常由棉
And watch the moon through the 或丝织成）
clear autumn.
stocking /'stɒkɪŋ/ noun either of a pair of thin pieces
玉阶怨 of clothing that fit closely over a woman's legs and
feet 长筒女袜
李白
玉阶生白露，夜久侵罗袜。
却下水晶帘，玲珑望秋月。

20. This lament is unusual for Li
Bai (701-762). He was an extrovert
best-known for writing about
friendship and drinking. The woman
has been waiting for her lover for
some time because her stockings are
soaked. It is a clear night: he has no
excuse.
lament /lə'ment/ noun (formal) a song, poem or other
expression of great sadness for sb who has died or for
sth that has ended 挽歌；哀诗；悼辞
Li Bai noun 李白，唐代诗人
extrovert /'ekstrəvɜːt/ noun a lively and confident
person who enjoys being with other people 性格外向
者；活泼自信的人
clear /klɪə/ adjective without cloud or MIST 无云（或
雾）的；晴朗的
excuse /ɪk'skjuːz/ noun a reason, either true or
invented, that you give to explain or defend your
behaviour 借口；理由；辩解

By the third line she has accepted
that he is not coming and returns to
her room, lowering a beaded curtain.
The moon could represent two
people’s separation, grievance or a
mirror of the woman’s mind, empty
and at peace. As Pound remarks in a
gloss, “the poem is especially prized
because she utters no reproach”.
beaded /'bidɪd/ adjective decorated with BEADS 饰以
珠子的
mirror /'mɪrə/ noun a ~ of sth [sing.] something that
shows what sth else is like 写照；反映某种情况的事物
gloss /glɒs/ noun [C] ~ (on sth) a note or comment
added to a piece of writing to explain a difficult word or
phrase 注释；评注
prized /praɪzd/ adjective [only before noun]very
valuable to sb 珍贵的；宝贵的
utter /'ʌtə/ verb ~ sth (formal) to make a sound with
your voice; to say sth 出声；说；讲
reproach /rɪ'prəʊtʃ/ noun [C] a word or remark
expressing blame or criticism 责备的话语；批评的言
辞

21. Pound did not speak Chinese.
He was working from notes
provided by the widow of Ernest
Fenollosa, an American professor in
Japan and he makes mistakes. The
steps are white jade—marble—not
jewelled; the stockings silk.
note /nəʊt/ noun [C] a short piece of writing to help
you remember sth笔记；记录
jade /dʒeɪd/ noun [U] a hard stone that is usually
green and is used in making jewellery and decorative
objects 玉；翡翠；碧玉
marble /'mɑːb(ə)l/ noun [U] a type of hard stone that
is usually white and often has coloured lines in it. It can
be polished and is used in building and for making
statues, etc. 大理石

By tradition, poems like this are in
the third person, with the poet as an
omniscient observer. Mr Owen says
that in the original the moonlight in
the last line is scattered by the
crystal curtain, just as it was by the
dew: the lovers’ moon is in
fragments.
in the third person noun 第三人称
omniscient /ɒm'nɪsɪənt/ adjective (formal)knowing
everything 无所不知的；全知全能的；博闻广识的
observer /əb'zɜːvə/ noun a person who watches and
studies particular events, situations, etc. and is
therefore considered to be an expert on them 观察家；
观察员；评论员
scatter /'skætə/ verb [T] to throw or drop things in
different directions so that they cover an area of
ground 撒；撒播
fragment /'frægm(ə)nt/ noun a small part of sth that
has broken off or comes from sth larger 碎片；片段

22. Pound’s versions of Chinese
poems were so fresh that “Cathay”
had a profound and lasting influence
on modern American poetry. Pound
wanted to escape the sentimentality
and prolixity of the Victorians.
profound /prə'faʊnd/ adjective very great; felt or
experienced very strongly 巨大的；深切的；深远的
sentimentality /ˌsentɪmen'tælɪtɪ/ noun
[U] (disapproving)the quality of being
too SENTIMENTAL 感伤情调；多愁善感
prolix /'prəʊlɪks/ adjective (formal)(of writing, a
speech, etc. 文章、讲话等) using too many words and
therefore boring 冗长乏味的；繁琐的；啰嗦的
Victorian /vik'tɔ:riən/ noun a British person who was
alive during the period from 1837 to 1901, when Queen
Victoria ruled 维多利亚时代的英国人
 crystalline /'krɪst(ə)laɪn/ adjective (technical 术
In the crystalline economy of 语) made of or similar to CRYSTALS 结晶的；水晶制的；
Japanese Haiku and classical 晶状的

Chinese poetry he found the means. haiku /'haiku:/ noun pl. haiku or haikus (from
Japanese)a poem with three lines and usually 17
syllables, written in a style that is traditional in Japan 俳
句（日本传统诗体，三行为一首，通常有 17 个音节）

means /miːnz/ noun pl. means [C] ~ (of sth/of doing

sth) an action, an object or a system by which a result is
achieved; a way of achieving or doing sth 方式；方法；
途径

23. Farewell poems make up a lot of
Tang verse. Most were formulaic,
but this stands out not only for its
emotional subtlety, but also because
its author, Xue Tao (ca.768-831),
was a courtesan famed for her
writing.
farewell /feə'wel/ noun [C, U] the act of saying
goodbye to sb 告别；辞行
formulaic /ˌfɔːmjʊ'leɪɪk/ adjective (formal)made up
of fixed patterns of words or ideas 由固定套话堆砌的；
公式化构思的
ˌstand ˈout (as sth) to be much better or more
important than sb/sth 出色；杰出；更为重要
subtlety /'sʌt(ə)ltɪ/ noun [U] the quality of
being SUBTLE 细微；微妙；狡猾；巧妙；敏锐
Xue Tao noun 薛涛，唐代女诗人
ca abbr.(especially before dates 尤用于日期前) about;
approximately (from Latin circa) 大约，约（源自拉丁
语 circa）
courtesan /ˌkɔːtɪ'zæn/ noun (in the past) a PROSTITUTE,
especially one with rich customers （旧时尤指伺候富
豪的）高级妓女
famed /feɪmd/ adjective ~ (for sth) very well
known 著名的
 darken /'dɑːk(ə)n/ verb [I, T] to become dark; to make
24. Seeing off Zheng, Prefect of sth dark （使）变暗，变黑
Meizhou
Mothbrow Mountain noun 峨眉山
translated by Jeanne Larsen
Rain darkens Mothbrow Mountain; parting /'pɑːtɪŋ/ noun [U, C] the act or occasion of
leaving a person or place 离别；分手；分别
the river waters flow.
Parting: atop /ə'tɒp/ prep. (especially NAmE)BrE old-
fashioned or literaryon top of; at the top of 在 … 顶上
her face behind her sleeves, she
watchtower /'wɒtʃtaʊə/ noun a tall tower from which
stands atop the watchtower. soldiers, etc. watch when they are guarding a place瞭望
塔；岗楼
送郑眉州
薛涛
雨暗眉山江水流，离人掩袂立高楼。

Two matched pennons,
a thousand mounts
in pairs on the Eastern Road—
alone she gazes
like a faithful
wife toward the column’s head.
双旌千骑骈东陌，独有罗敷望上头。
pennon /'penən/ noun a long triangular or swallow-
tailed flag, especially one of a kind formerly attached to
a lance or helmet; a pennant. （长矛等上的）狭长三
角旗；燕尾旗；
mount /maʊnt/ noun (formal or literary) a horse that
you ride on 坐骑
in ˈpairs in groups of two objects or people 成对的；
成双的
gaze /geɪz/ verb [I] + adv./prep. to look steadily at
sb/sth for a long time, either because you are very
interested or surprised, or because you are thinking of
sth else 凝视；注视；盯着
column/'kɒləm/ nouna long, moving line of people or
vehicles （人或车辆排成行移动的）长列，纵队

25. The figure two runs through this
poem. The woman’s sleeves, the
standards, the columns of cavalry all
contrast with the couple who are
separated as he leads his troops to
war and she is left behind.
figure /'fɪgə/ noun [C] a symbol rather than a word
representing one of the numbers between 0 and 9 数字
符号；字码；位数
standard /'stændəd/ noun [C] a flag that is used
during official ceremonies, especially one connected
with a particular military group 仪式上使用的旗帜；
（尤指）军旗
cavalry /'kæv(ə)lrɪ/ noun (usually the cavalry) [sing. +
sing./pl. v.](in the past) the part of the army that fought
on horses; the part of the modern army that
uses ARMOURED vehicles （旧时的）骑兵；装甲兵
troop /truːp/ noun troops [pl.] soldiers, especially in
large groups 军队；部队；士兵

26. According to Jeanne Larsen, the
translator, the complete Tang
anthology features about 2,250
poets; 130 of them are women,
represented by 600 poems.
Courtesans were entertainers. They
were meant to be gifted poets and
musicians. In an age when wives
were usually uneducated, their
conversation lubricated the dealings
between powerful men. “Sex was
part of it, of course,” Ms Larsen
writes, “but only part of it.”
anthology /æ n'θɒlədʒɪ/ noun pl. an·thol·ogiesa
collection of poems, stories, etc. that have been written
by different people and published together in a
book （不同作家作品的）选集
entertainer /entə'teɪnə/ noun a person whose job is
amusing or interesting people, for example, by singing,
telling jokes or dancing （歌唱、说笑话、舞蹈等的）
演员，表演者，艺人
lubricate /'luːbrɪkeɪt/ verb ~ sth to put a LUBRICANT on
sth such as the parts of a machine, to help them move
smoothly 给 … 上润滑油；上油
dealing/'diːlɪŋ/ noun[U, C] buying and selling 买卖；
交易

27. Xue Tao was especially
successful. Eventually she retired
and was able to live
independently—a fate denied most
courtesans, who were forced into
marriage, concubinage or
prostitution. Before that, she spent
years in the service of a military
governor in modern-day Chengdu in
Sichuan. It is said that he asked her
to be awarded the title Collator, the
office of collecting and combining
texts, as recognition of her writing.
deny /dɪ'naɪ/ verb (formal) to refuse to allow sb to
have sth that they want or ask for 拒绝；拒绝给予
concubine /'kɒŋkjʊbaɪn/ noun (especially in some
societies in the past) a woman who lives with a man,
often in addition to his wife or wives, but who is less
important than they are（尤指旧时某些社会里的）妾，
姨太太，小老婆
prostitution /ˌprɒstɪ'tʃuːʃn / noun [U] the work of
a PROSTITUTE 卖淫；为娼；当男妓
Collator noun 校书郎，唐代中央基层文官，工作职
责是校勘、整理图书典籍
recognition /rekəg'nɪʃ(ə)n/ noun [sing., U] ~
(that … ) the act of accepting that sth exists, is true or is
official 承认；认可

28. Pound was drawn by Chinese
poets’ focus on images. Nobody saw
more clearly than Wang Wei (699-
761), who here writes on another
Tang theme: going home.
image /'ɪmɪdʒ/ noun [C] a word or phrase used with a
different meaning from its normal one, in order to
describe sth in a way that produces a strong picture in
the mind 比喻；意象
Wang Wei noun 王维，唐代诗人、画家

29. Returning to Mount Song
translated by Stephen Owen
A clear stream lined by long tracts
of brush,
There horse and coach go rumbling
away.
tract /træ kt/ noun an area of land, especially a large
one 大片土地；地带
brush /brʌʃ/ noun [U] land covered by small trees or
bushes 灌木丛
coach /kəʊtʃ/ noun [C] a large closed vehicle with four
wheels, pulled by horses, used in the past for carrying
passengers （旧时载客的）四轮大马车

The flowing waters seem to have rumble /'rʌmb(ə)l/ verb [I] + adv./prep. to move
slowly and heavily, making a rumbling sound 轰鸣着缓
purpose, 慢行进
And birds of evening join to turn
purpose /'pɜːpəs/ noun [C] the intention, aim or
home. function of sth; the thing that sth is supposed to
achieve 意图；目的；用途；目标
归嵩山作
王维
清川带长薄，车马去闲闲。
流水如有意，暮禽相与还。
 ford /fɔ:d/ noun a shallow place in a river where it is
Grass-grown walls look down on possible to drive or walk across （可涉过或驶过的）
an ancient ford, 河流浅水处

As setting sunlight fills the autumn
mountains,
And far, far beneath the heights of
Mount Song,
set /set/ verb [I] to go down below the HORIZON 落（下）
beneath /bɪ'niːθ/ prep. (formal) in or to a lower
position than sb/sth; under sb/sth 在（或往）… 下面；
在（或往）… 下方

I return and close my gate.

荒城临古渡，落日满秋山。
迢递嵩高下，归来且闭关。

30. The first couplet sets up a
contrast between nature and noise,
as the cart trundles beside the water.
Then the poet sees the river
returning to the ocean and the birds
to their nests: Wang Wei wants to
leave behind the stresses of
government work and retire in
peace.
couplet /'kʌplɪt/ noun two lines of poetry of equal
length one after the other 对句（相连的两行长度相
等的诗句）；对联
cart /kɑːt/ noun a vehicle with two or four wheels that
is pulled by a horse and used for carrying loads （两轮
或四轮）运货马车
trundle /'trʌnd(ə)l/ verb [I, T] ~ (sth) + adv./prep. to
move or roll somewhere slowly and noisily; to move sth
slowly and noisily, especially sth heavy, with
wheels （使缓慢、轰鸣地）移动，滚动
nest /nest/ noun [C] a hollow place or structure that a
bird makes or chooses for laying its eggs in and
sheltering its young 鸟巢；鸟窝
 barrier /'bærɪə/ noun an object like a fence that
The next three lines describe a prevents people from moving forward from one place
series of barriers—ancient walls, the to another 屏障；障碍物

forded river and a range of tall ford /fɔ:d/ verb ~ sth to walk or drive across a river or
mountains. But the last barrier, the stream 涉过，驶过（浅水）

gate, subverts them. Behind it lies subvert /səb'vɜːt/ verb (formal) [T, I] ~ (sth) to try to
seclusion and awareness. destroy the authority of a political, religious, etc. system
by attacking it secretly or indirectly 颠覆；暗中破坏

seclusion /sɪ'kluːʒ(ə)n/ noun [U]the state of being

private or of having little contact with other people 清
静；隐居；与世隔绝

awareness /ə'wɛənis/ noun [U, sing.] ~ (of sth) | ~

(that … ) knowing sth; knowing that sth exists and is
important; being interested in sth 知道；认识；意识；
兴趣

31. Wang Wei was also a painter. He
is “a guy that can see”, says Mr
Owen, the translator. “Always
visualising what’s there and what’s
not there.” The surface of his poems
are often just a series of statements
about nature, as in “The Deer Park”,
the poem Mr Weinberger compares
in translation. The details seem
natural, but the closer you look the
more you find.
visualise /'vizjuəlaiz/ verb to form a picture of sb/sth
in your mind 使形象化；想象；构思；设想
surface /'sɜːfɪs/ noun [sing.] the outer appearance of
a person, thing or situation; the qualities that you see
or notice, that are not hidden 表面；外表；外观
statement /'steɪtm(ə)nt/ noun [C] something that
you say or write that gives information or an opinion 说
明；说法；表白；表态
The Deer Park
《鹿柴》
王维
空山不见人，但闻人语响。
返景入深林，复照青苔上。

32. Wang Wei was a Buddhist, too.
From the age of 30 he studied under
a Chan master. This poem is usually
thought of as a reflection on the
universal desire to withdraw from
the hurly-burly of life. Mr Hinton
also detects a deeper, Buddhist
yearning for meditative peace and
enlightenment.
Buddhist /'budist/ noun 佛教徒
Chan master noun 禅师
universal /juːnɪ'vɜːs(ə)l/ adjective done by or
involving all the people in the world or in a particular
group普遍的；全体的；全世界的；共同的
hurly-burly /'hə:li,bə:li/ noun [U]a very noisy and
busy activity or situation 骚动；喧闹
detect /dɪ'tekt/ verb ~ sth to discover or notice sth,
especially sth that is not easy to see, hear, etc.发现；查
明；侦察出
yearning /'jɜːnɪŋ/ noun [C, U] (formal)a strong and
emotional desire 渴望；向往
meditative /'medɪ,tətɪv/ adjective thinking very
deeply; involving deep thought 深思的；陷入沉思的
enlightenment /ɪn'laɪt(ə)nm(ə)nt/ noun
[U] knowledge about and understanding of sth; the
process of understanding sth or making sb understand
it 启迪；启发；开导；开明

33. The An Lushan Rebellion of 755
lasted seven years and brought
destruction that the Tang Dynasty
never fully overcame. Roughly
1,200 of the poems of Du Fu (712-
770) are from that time, 80% of
what survives. This is about how it
feels when the world falls apart.
The An Lushan Rebellion noun 安禄山叛乱，安
史之乱是中国唐代玄宗末年至代宗初年(755年12月
16日至763年2月17日)由唐朝将领安禄山与史思明
背叛唐朝后发动的战争，是同唐朝争夺统治权的内
战，为唐由盛而衰的转折点。
destruction /dɪ'strʌkʃ(ə)n/ noun [U]the act of
destroying sth; the process of being destroyed 摧毁；
毁灭；破坏
overcome /əʊvə'kʌm/ verb ~ sth to succeed in
dealing with or controlling a problem that has been
preventing you from achieving sth 克服；解决
Du Fu noun 杜甫，唐代著名现实主义诗人
fall apart to have so many problems that it is no
longer possible to exist or function破裂；崩溃
 in ˈruins destroyed or severely damaged 毁坏；严重
34. Spring Landscape 受损；破败不堪
translated by David Hinton
lush /lʌʃ/ adjective (of plants, gardens, etc. 植物、花
The country in ruins, rivers and 园等) growing thickly and strongly in a way that is
mountains attractive; covered in healthy grass and plants 茂盛的；
茂密的；草木繁茂的
continue. The city grows lush with
spring. blossom /'blɒs(ə)m/ noun [C, U] a flower or a mass of
flowers, especially on a fruit tree or bush （尤指果树或
Blossoms scatter tears for us, and 灌木的）花朵，花簇
all these scatter /'skætə/ verb [T] to throw or drop things in
separations in a bird’s cry startle different directions so that they cover an area of
ground 撒；撒播
the heart.
startle /'stɑːt(ə)l/ verb to surprise sb suddenly in a
春望 way that slightly shocks or frightens them 使惊吓；使
杜甫 吓一跳；使大吃一惊

国破山河在，城春草木深。
感时花溅泪，恨别鸟惊心。
 beacon/'biːk(ə)n/ noun (in the past) a fire lit on top of
Beacon-fires three months ablaze: a hill as a signal （旧时）烽火
by now
ablaze /ə'bleɪz/ verb [not before noun] burning
a mere letter’s worth ten thousand quickly and strongly 猛烈燃烧
in gold,
mere /mɪə/ adjective [only before
and worry’s thinned my hair to noun] superlative mer·est no comparative used when
such white you want to emphasize how small, unimportant, etc.
sb/sth is 仅仅的；只不过
confusion I can’t even keep this
thin /θɪn/ verb [I] to become less thick 变稀疏;变稀少
hairpin in.
hairpin /'heəpɪn/ noun a small thin piece of wire that
烽火连三月，家书抵万金。 is folded in the middle, used by women for holding their
白头搔更短，浑欲不胜簪。 hair in place 发夹

35. The first line is one of the most
famous in all Chinese poetry. Du Fu
is stuck in the capital, separated
from his wife and children, the
country is at war but, as spring
comes, the natural world keeps
turning. As he reflects on the
devastation and the misery, he
smiles wryly at the hopelessness of
his situation.
reflect /rɪ'flekt/ verb [I, T] to think carefully and deeply
about sth 认真思考；沉思
devastation /ˌdevə'steɪʃn/ noun [U]great destruction
or damage, especially over a wide area （尤指大面积
的）毁灭，破坏，蹂躏
wry /raɪ/ adjective [usually before noun] showing that
you are both amused and disappointed or annoyed 啼
笑皆非的

36. Du Fu is writing regulated verse,
which sets up a perfect series of
parallels visible in the literal
translation. Mr Tan points out that in
the first couplet Du Fu stands back
to contrast the city’s suffering with
nature’s indifference. In the second
he draws in: water droplets and
birds’ cries are now echoing his
sorrow.
regulate /'regjʊleɪt/ verb [T, I] ~ (sth) to control sth by
means of rules （用规则条例）约束，控制，管理
parallel /'pærəlel/ noun [C, usually pl.] similar
features 相似特征；相似特点
literal /'lɪt(ə)r(ə)l/ adjective [usually before noun] that
follows the original words exactly 完全按原文的
a literal translation直译
indifference /ɪn'dɪf(ə)r(ə)ns/ noun [U, sing.] ~ (to
sb/sth) a lack of interest, feeling or reaction towards
sb/sth漠不关心；冷淡；不感兴趣；无动于衷
droplet /'drɒplɪt/ noun a small drop of a liquid 小滴
echo /ˈekəu/ verb [T] ~ sth to repeat an idea or
opinion because you agree with it 重复，附和（想法
或看法）

The third speaks of the civil war,
comparing it with his own isolation
from his family. And the last
focuses on the poet himself. He is
not falling into self-pity, but gently
laughing at his own ridiculous
transfer of worry from the ruin of
the nation to the security of the
hairpin he uses to fix his official
hat—mockery all the more
penetrating because, as Mr Owen
notes, Du Fu never won high office.
All that in 40 characters.
civil war noun [C, U] a war between groups of people
in the same country 内战
self-pity adjective [U] (often disapproving)a feeling of
pity for yourself, especially because of sth unpleasant or
unfair that has happened to you 自怜
gently /'dʒentlɪ/ adverb in a gentle way 温柔地；温
和地；文静地；和缓地
ridiculous /rɪ'dɪkjʊləs/ adjective very silly or
unreasonable 愚蠢的；荒谬的；荒唐的
official hat noun 官帽
mockery /'mɒk(ə)rɪ/ noun [U] comments or actions
that are intended to make sb/sth seem ridiculous嘲笑；
愚弄
penetrating /'penɪtreɪtɪŋ/ adjective showing that
you have understood sth quickly and completely 深刻
的；精辟的

37. In translation you lose the
parallelism of Du Fu—indeed Mr
Owen and Mr Hinton say that in
English end-stopped lines using
repeated patterns soon pall. You also
miss literary allusions and the
resonance of phrases that have
entered the Chinese language.
pall /pɔːl/ verb [I] (not used in the progressive
tenses 不用于进行时) ~ (on sb) to become less
interesting to sb over a period of time because they
have done or seen it too much （因见或做得过多而）
失去魅力，使人厌倦
literary /'lɪt(ə)(rə)rɪ/ adjective (of a language or style
of writing 语言或写作文体) suitable for or typical of a
work of literature 适于文学作品的；有典型文学作品
特征的
allusion /ə'luːʒ(ə)n/ noun [C, U] ~ (to
sb/sth) (formal) something that is said or written that
refers to or mentions another person or subject in an
indirect way (= ALLUDES to it) 暗指；引喻；典故
resonance /'rez(ə)nəns/ noun [U, C] (formal) (in a
piece of writing, music, etc. 文章、乐曲等) the power
to bring images, feelings, etc. into the mind of the
person reading or listening; the images, etc. produced
in this way 激发联想的力量；引起共鸣的力量；引起
的联想（或共鸣）

38. However, Mr Tan observes that
translation has one advantage. To
the Chinese, voluminous
commentaries weigh down these
poems, rather as Hamlet’s “To be, or
not to be” is freighted with overuse.
voluminous /və'ljuːmɪnəs/ adjective (of a piece of
writing, a book, etc. 文章、书等) very long and
detailed 浩繁的；大部头的；长篇的；冗长的
commentary /ˈkɔmentəri/ noun [C] a written
explanation or discussion of sth such as a book or a
play 注释；解释；评注；评论
ˌweigh sb/sth↔ˈdown to make sb/sth heavier so
that they are not able to move easily 压得 … 难以移动；
压弯
To be, or not to be 生存还是毁灭——《哈姆雷特》
中的一段独白
freight /freɪt/ verb [usually passive] ~ sth with
sth (literary) to fill sth with a particular mood or tone 使
充满（某种心情或口气）
overuse /əʊvə'juːz/ noun [U, sing.] to use sth too
much or too often 使用过度；滥用

But readers in English coming to
this poetry for the first time will
find it waiting like Pound’s white-
silk fan, “as clear as frost on the
grass-blade”.
white-silk fan
Fan-Piece for Her Imperial Lord
Ezra Pound - 1885-1972
O fan of white silk,
clear as frost on the grass-blade,
You also are laid aside.
扇诗
白绢扇啊，
纯洁如草上霜，
你也被搁置一边。
（郑建青译）
frost /frɔst/ noun [U] the thin white layer of ice that
forms when the temperature drops below 0°C 霜
blade /bleɪd/ noun a single flat leaf of grass （草的）
叶片
 古典诗歌
透过水晶窗帘
听读系列 中国人认为唐诗是他们文化的巅峰。它能被翻
译吗？

Classical verse
THROUGH A CRYSTAL CURTAIN
The Chinese celebrate Tang poetry as a pinnacle of
请多多点赞！谢谢大家
公众号：狂奔的外刊 分享PDF链接
their culture. Does it survive translation?
另有加更文章
1. EZRA POUND, an American 美国现代主义诗人埃兹拉·庞德
modernist, described poetry as (EZRA POUND)将诗歌描述为
“news that stays news”. The “新意永存的消息”。1915年，他
versions of classical Chinese 发表了中国古诗英译本《中国》，
poetry he published in “Cathay” in 这是一个宣言：在一个充斥着福
1915 were a declaration that, in a 特T型车和机枪的世界里，有着
world of Model Ts and machine 1200年历史的诗歌仍然很重要。
guns, 1,200-year-old verse still
mattered.
2. That is certainly what the 这无疑是当今中国人的想法。在
Chinese think today. In the West 西方，诗歌是少数人的追求；在
poetry is a minority pursuit; in 中国，它融入了人们的生活。古
China it is woven into people’s 典诗歌贯穿了孩子们的上学时代，
lives. Children learn classical verse 新的诗歌庆祝着出生和婚姻，古
throughout their schooling, new 老的对联润饰着人们的惯用语。
poems celebrate births and
marriages, and idiomatic speech is
embroidered with ancient couplets.
3. Can this ancient poetry come 对于像记者这样不会说中文的读
alive to readers who, like your 者来说，中国这种古老的诗歌能
correspondent, speak no Chinese? 变得活灵活现吗？障碍是巨大的：
The barriers are immense: not just 不仅仅是时间上的，还有语言和
temporal, but linguistic and 哲学上的。然而，回报也是巨大
philosophical. However, the 的:对伟大文明的了解，新鲜的意
rewards are immense, too: a 象，以及当一位与常人无异的八
glimpse into a great civilisation, 世纪的诗人跃然纸上——令人欣
the spritz of fresh imagery, and 慰的时刻。这些奖励在唐代诗歌
sudden, consoling moments when 中体现得最为突出。
an eighth-century poet rises up off
the page, a human being like any
other. Nowhere are these rewards
stacked higher than in the poetry
of the Tang dynasty.
4. The Tang lasted from 618 to 唐朝从公元618年持续到公元
907AD. During its first half, as 907年。在前半段，随着中国的
China flourished, the Silk Road 繁荣，丝绸之路带来了奢侈品、
brought luxuries, wealth and 财富和异国情调。首都长安，即
exoticism. The capital Chang’an, 现在的西安，有大约100万居民。
modern-day Xi’an, had about 1m 他们中可能有5%的人识字。在
inhabitants. Perhaps 5% of them 755年一场叛乱摧毁了一切之前，
were literate. Before a rebellion 它可能是世界上最繁荣的大都市。
knocked everything off centre in
755, it may have been the most
prosperous and cosmopolitan city
in the world.
5. As in Shakespeare’s England 就像莎士比亚的英国和J.S .巴赫
and J.S. Bach’s Germany, 的德国一样，有些东西正在流行。
something was in the air. Early in 早在唐代，诗歌创作就被纳入为
the Tang, poetry-writing was 官僚机构选拔学者的考试之中。
brought into the examination that 在唐代最优秀的诗人中，有一些
selected scholars for the 嗜酒如命的人，他们为了考试而
bureaucracy. Among the finest 学习，但却没有通过考试，或者
Tang poets were great drinkers 他们无法在政府部门工作(有些
who had studied for the exam but 事情永远不会改变)。
failed it, or who could not hold
down a government job (some
things never change).
6. Verse was communal. Tian Yuan 诗歌是公共的。牛津大学汉学教
Tan, professor of Chinese at 授陈靝沅解释说，在此期间，诗
Oxford, explains that, during this 歌从宫廷传播到了日常生活中。
time, it spread from the court into 当有人离开小镇时，你会写一首
everyday life. When somebody left 诗。为了给宴会增色，你朗诵一
town, you wrote a poem. To 首诗。如果你顺便拜访时你的朋
dignify a banquet, you declaimed a 友不在家，你留下一首诗。
poem. If your friend was out when
you dropped by, you left a poem
behind.
7. Plenty of people could write 很多人会写唐诗。哈佛大学教授
Tang verse. Stephen Owen, a 史提芬·欧文翻译的中文可能比任
Harvard professor who may have 何人都多，他说，即使写一首好
translated more of it than anyone, 诗非常困难，写一首日常诗歌还
says that, even if writing good 是手到擒来——中文有大量押韵
poetry was formidably hard, 和典故。幸运的是，最好的诗句
everyday poems were easy to toss 很快就会被收录，这也是如此多
off—Chinese has plenty of rhymes 的诗句仍然存在的原因之一。
and stock allusions. Fortunately,
the best verses were rapidly
anthologised, one reason so many
still exist.
8. And poetry was becoming more 诗歌变得越来越深沉。一些人写
contemplative. Some wrote of the 了流亡的痛苦。叛乱导致动乱和
miseries of exile. The rebellion 苦难，其中一些影响了诗歌。诗
caused upheaval and suffering, 人兼翻译家大卫·辛顿(David
some of which coloured poetry. Hinton)认为，唐朝的中国深受
David Hinton, a poet and translator, 禅宗的影响，它还有一个更为人
argues that Tang China was 所知的日本名字Zen。所有这一
perfused by Chan Buddhism, 切赋予诗歌一种宫廷诗所缺乏的
better known by its Japanese name, 深度。
Zen. All this gave verse a depth
that court poetry had lacked.
9. It is one thing for Chinese- 说汉语的人敬畏地回顾唐代诗人
speakers to look back on the Tang 是一回事，用现代英语翻译完全
poets in awe. It is quite another for 是另一回事。罗伯特·弗罗斯特，
their poetry to work in modern 一位20世纪的美国作家，传闻曾
English. Robert Frost, a 20th- 说“诗歌是在翻译中丢失的东西”。
century American writer, is 如果是这样的话，研究中国诗歌
supposed to have said that “poetry 是徒劳的。
is what is lost in translation”. If so,
grappling with Chinese poetry is
doubly futile.
English has no tones, or 英语没有音调，也没有字符——
characters—which may add layers 这可能会增加多层含义。艾略
of meaning. Eliot Weinberger, who 特·温伯格(Eliot Weinberger)写
wrote a book that compares 36 了一本书，比较了一首著名的四
translations of a single, celebrated 行唐诗的36种翻译，他指出，中
four-line Tang poem, points out 文动词没有时态，句子可能没有
that Chinese verbs have no tense, 主语，一个字可能有几个意思
the sentence may have no subject (现代汉语不那么模糊，因为它
and a single character could have 倾向于将文本分成两个字的单
several meanings (modern Chinese 位)。
is less ambiguous, because it tends
to group text into two-character
units).
That leaves the translator with a lot 这就给译者留下了很多要补充的
to fill in. Mr Hinton says that 内容。辛顿先生说欧洲诗歌是
European poetry is “the same “刚刚重组的同一个语法世界。”
grammatical world just 相比之下，“对中文来说，你几
reorganised.” By contrast, “for 乎必须重新发明它，因为这种语
Chinese, you pretty much have to 言是如此的完全不同。”
reinvent it because the language is
so radically different.”
10. Inevitably, there are plenty of 不可避免的是，中国诗歌的翻译
bad versions of Chinese poetry. It 有很多糟糕的版本。不幸的是，
is unfortunate that the first Tang 1815年传教士罗伯特·莫里森
poem in English, “Climbing Qi (Robert Morrison)所译的第一
Mountain in The Double Ninth 首唐诗《九日齐山登高》(杜牧，
Day” by Du Mu (803-852), from a 803-852)中，将大雁和燕子的
missionary called Robert Morrison 单词搞混了。于1945年去世的
in 1815, mixes up the words for 英国著名翻译家朗斯洛·克兰
wild geese and swallows. The 默·宾的押韵很难为现代人所接受。
rhymes of Launcelot Cranmer-
Byng, a renowned British
translator who died in 1945, are
hard for the modern ear to bear.
11. Yet Frost’s epigram is either 然而，弗罗斯特的警句要么是显
obvious or fatuous. Obvious 而易见的，要么是愚蠢的。显而
because nobody could imagine that 易见，因为没有人能够想象，让
the sounds and layers of meaning 诗歌，以一种语言吟诵的声音和
which make poetry sing in one 意义层能够直接映射到另一种语
language could ever map directly 言上。愚蠢是因为一个赤裸裸的
onto another. Fatuous because of 事实，从查普曼翻译的《荷马史
the in-your-face fact that, from 诗》到谢默斯·希尼翻译的《贝奥
Chapman’s Homer to Seamus 武夫》，诗歌书籍充斥着鼓舞人
Heaney’s “Beowulf”, poetry books 心的翻译。
are bursting with inspiring
translations.
12. Indeed, the language has 事实上，自唐代以来，汉语已经
changed so since the Tang that 发生了如此大的变化，以至于用
poems read out loud in the original 中古汉语大声朗读的诗歌对于讲
Middle Chinese would be 现代标准普通话的人来说是无法
incomprehensible to speakers of 理解的。从某种意义上来说，每
modern standard Putonghua. In a 个感受到诗歌流传千年的人都会
sense, everybody who experiences 再次在翻译中体会到。作为对弗
poetry across a millennium 罗斯特的反驳，温伯格先生开始
experiences it in translation. As a 了他的研究:“诗歌是值得翻译的
rebuke to Frost, Mr Weinberger 东西。”这里有五首唐诗。请自
begins his study: “Poetry is that 行判断。
which is worth translating.” Here
are five Tang poems. Judge for
yourself.
13. China has hundreds of poems 中国有数百首关于边疆的诗歌。
about the frontier. Most of them 他们中的大多数都是英雄，但在
were heroic, but here Li He (791- 这里，李贺(791-817)，一个晚
817), a Late Tang maverick, 唐特立独行的人，却描绘了一幅
instead paints a desolate picture of 荒凉的画面——匈奴在虚无中威
a barbarian threat out in the 胁。
nothingness.
塞下曲
李贺
胡角引北风，蓟门白于水。
天含青海道，城头月千里。
露下旗濛濛，寒金鸣夜刻。
蕃甲锁蛇鳞，马嘶青冢白。
秋静见旄头，沙远席羁愁。
帐北天应尽，河声出塞流。
15. A lot of Chinese poetry layers 许多中国诗歌的意象层层叠叠。
images on top of each other. In the 在第一节，李贺以一幅全景图开
first stanza, Li He begins with a 始——Kokonor来自蒙古语，意
panorama—Kokonor comes from 为青海，位于北京以西1700公
the Mongolian word for Qinghai, a 里。
region 1,700km west of Beijing.
16. Then he zooms in on the 然后他讲镜头拉近到士兵，直到
soldiers, down to the plates in their 他们盔甲上的金属板。青冢是王
armour. The Evergreen Mount is 昭君的坟墓，她被许配，用于安
the tomb of Wang Zhaojun, who 抚一位匈奴首领。这个土堆应该
was sent as a wife to appease a 是绿色的——但在这里，在月光
Barbarian leader. The mound was 下，它失去了颜色，就像大草原
supposed to be green—but here, in 一样。
the moonlight, it is drained of
colour, like the steppe.
17. And the last stanza pulls back 最后一节被提及。谭先生指出，
out again. Mr Tan points out that 李贺将风景和情感融为一体。西
Li He mixes scenery and emotion. 方人称之为昴宿星的闪烁星团是
The flickering starcluster that 匈奴入侵的预兆。虽然士兵们看
Westerners call the Pleiades was 不到匈奴人，但他们感觉到了，
an omen of barbarian invasion. 并且感到忧虑。黄河从旷野流入
Although the soldiers cannot see 中国，势不可挡。
the horde, they sense it and they
are apprehensive. The Yellow
River flows from the wilderness
into China, unstoppable.
18. The next poem is about a 下一首诗是关于一位宫廷里的女
woman at court who is let down by 人被她的情人辜负了。正如在许
her lover. As in much Chinese 多中国诗歌中一样，诗歌的力量
poetry, it draws its power from 来自于留白。
what is left unsaid.
玉阶怨
李白
玉阶生白露，夜久侵罗袜。
却下水晶帘，玲珑望秋月。
20. This lament is unusual for Li 这首哀诗对李白(701-762)来说
Bai (701-762). He was an 是不寻常的。他性格外向，最出
extrovert best-known for writing 名的是描写友谊和饮酒。这个女
about friendship and drinking. The 人等她的情人已经有一段时间了，
woman has been waiting for her 因为她的长筒袜湿透了。这是一
lover for some time because her 个晴朗的夜晚:他没有不赴约的借
stockings are soaked. It is a clear 口。
night: he has no excuse.
By the third line she has accepted 到了第三行，她接受了情人不会
that he is not coming and returns to 来的事实，回到自己的房间，放
her room, lowering a beaded 下珠帘。月亮可以代表两个人的
curtain. The moon could represent 分离、委屈或女人内心的映照，
two people’s separation, grievance 空虚而平静。正如庞德在注释中
or a mirror of the woman’s mind, 评论的那样，“这首诗尤其珍贵，
empty and at peace. As Pound 因为她没有任何责备的话语”。
remarks in a gloss, “the poem is
especially prized because she
utters no reproach”.
21. Pound did not speak Chinese. 庞德不会说中文。他根据在日本
He was working from notes 的美国教授欧内斯特·费诺洛萨的
provided by the widow of Ernest 遗孀提供的笔记翻译而成，他犯
Fenollosa, an American professor 了一些错误。台阶是白玉——一
in Japan and he makes mistakes. 种大理石，而不是宝石；不是长
The steps are white jade— 筒袜而是长筒丝袜。按照传统，
marble—not jewelled; the 像这样的诗是用第三人称写的，
stockings silk. By tradition, poems 诗人是一个全知的观察者。欧文
like this are in the third person, 先生说，在原作中，最后一行的
with the poet as an omniscient 月光被水晶窗帘散射，就像露珠
observer. Mr Owen says that in the 散射一样：情人的月亮成了碎片。
original the moonlight in the last
line is scattered by the crystal
curtain, just as it was by the dew:
the lovers’ moon is in fragments.
22. Pound’s versions of Chinese 庞德翻译的中国诗歌如此清新，
poems were so fresh that “Cathay” 《中国》这本诗集对现代美国诗
had a profound and lasting 歌产生了深远的影响。庞德想摆
influence on modern American 脱维多利亚时代的多愁善感和啰
poetry. Pound wanted to escape the 嗦。在日本俳句和中国古典诗歌
sentimentality and prolixity of the 的结晶经济中，他找到了方法。
Victorians. In the crystalline
economy of Japanese Haiku and
classical Chinese poetry he found
the means.
23. Farewell poems make up a lot 送别诗构成了许多唐诗。大多数
of Tang verse. Most were 都是公式化的，但这本书之所以
formulaic, but this stands out not 引人注目，不仅因为它的情感微
only for its emotional subtlety, but 妙，还因为它的作者薛涛(约
also because its author, Xue Tao 768-831)是一位以写作闻名的
(ca.768-831), was a courtesan 妓女。
famed for her writing.
送郑眉州
薛涛
雨暗眉山江水流，离人掩袂立高楼。
双旌千骑骈东陌，独有罗敷望上头。
25. The figure two runs through 数字“二”贯穿这首诗。这个女人
this poem. The woman’s sleeves, 的袖子，旗帜，骑兵的纵队都与
the standards, the columns of 这对夫妇形成了鲜明的对比，当
cavalry all contrast with the couple 丈夫带领自己的部队去打仗时，
who are separated as he leads his 这对夫妇分开了，妻子留了下来。
troops to war and she is left behind.
26. According to Jeanne Larsen, 根据译者珍妮·拉森的说法，全唐
the translator, the complete Tang 诗选本收录了大约2250位诗人；
anthology features about 2,250 其中130首是女性，以600首诗
poets; 130 of them are women, 为代表。妓女也是艺人，她们注
represented by 600 poems. 定是天才诗人和音乐家。在妻子
Courtesans were entertainers. They 通常没有受过教育的时代，她们
were meant to be gifted poets and 的谈话润滑了与有权势的男人之
musicians. In an age when wives 间的交易。“性当然也包括其
were usually uneducated, their 中，”拉森女士写道，“但只是一
conversation lubricated the 部分。”
dealings between powerful men.
“Sex was part of it, of course,” Ms
Larsen writes, “but only part of it.”
27. Xue Tao was especially 薛涛尤其成功。最终她退休了，
successful. Eventually she retired 能够独立生活——大多数妓女都
and was able to live 没有这种命运，她们被迫结婚、
independently—a fate denied most 成为妾或卖淫。在此之前，她在
courtesans, who were forced into 今四川成都为一名军事长官服务
marriage, concubinage or 了数年。据说，长官要求授予她
prostitution. Before that, she spent 校书郎的头衔，即收集与合并文
years in the service of a military 本的机构，作为对她写作能力的
governor in modern-day Chengdu 认可。
in Sichuan. It is said that he asked
her to be awarded the title Collator,
the office of collecting and
combining texts, as recognition of
her writing.
28. Pound was drawn by Chinese 庞德被中国诗人对意象的专注所
poets’ focus on images. Nobody 吸引。没有人比王维(699-761)
saw more clearly than Wang Wei 看得更清楚了，他在这里写的是
(699-761), who here writes on 另一个唐诗的主题：归乡。
another Tang theme: going home.
归嵩山作
王维
清川带长薄，车马去闲闲。
流水如有意，暮禽相与还。
荒城临古渡，落日满秋山。
迢递嵩高下，归来且闭关。
30. The first couplet sets up a 第一幅对联在自然和喧嚣之间建
contrast between nature and noise, 立了对比，因为运货马车在水边
as the cart trundles beside the 移动。然后诗人看到河流回到海
water. Then the poet sees the river 洋，鸟儿回到它们的巢里:王维想
returning to the ocean and the 摆脱政府工作的压力，平静地退
birds to their nests: Wang Wei 休。接下来的三行描述了一系列
wants to leave behind the stresses 障碍——古老的城墙、涉过的河
of government work and retire in 流和一系列高大的山脉。但是最
peace. The next three lines 后一道屏障，大门颠覆了前面的
describe a series of barriers— 屏障。它的背后代表着隐居和觉
ancient walls, the forded river and 悟。
a range of tall mountains. But the
last barrier, the gate, subverts them.
Behind it lies seclusion and
awareness.
31. Wang Wei was also a painter. 王维也是一名画家。翻译欧文先
He is “a guy that can see”, says Mr 生说，他是“一个能看得见的人”。
Owen, the translator. “Always "总是想象那里有什么，那里没
visualising what’s there and what’s 有什么。"他的诗表面上往往只
not there.” The surface of his 是一系列关于自然的陈述，就像
poems are often just a series of 温伯格先生在翻译中比较的那首
statements about nature, as in “The 诗《鹿柴》一样。这些细节看起
Deer Park”, the poem Mr 来很自然，但是你看得越仔细，
Weinberger compares in 发现的也就越多。
translation. The details seem
natural, but the closer you look the
more you find.
32. Wang Wei was a Buddhist, too. 王维也是一位佛教徒。从30岁开
From the age of 30 he studied 始，他师从一位禅宗大师。这首
under a Chan master. This poem is 诗通常被认为反映了人们普遍渴
usually thought of as a reflection 望逃离喧嚣的生活。辛顿先生还
on the universal desire to withdraw 发现了一种更深层次的佛教对冥
from the hurly-burly of life. Mr 想中的宁静和开悟的渴望。
Hinton also detects a deeper,
Buddhist yearning for meditative
peace and enlightenment.
33. The An Lushan Rebellion of 755年的安史之乱持续了七年，
755 lasted seven years and brought 带来了唐朝从未完全克服的破坏。
destruction that the Tang Dynasty 杜甫(712-770)大约有1200首诗
never fully overcame. Roughly 出自那个时代，80%的作品留存
1,200 of the poems of Du Fu (712- 至今。这是当世界分崩离析时的
770) are from that time, 80% of 感受。
what survives. This is about how it
feels when the world falls apart.
春望
杜甫
国破山河在，城春草木深。
感时花溅泪，恨别鸟惊心。
烽火连三月，家书抵万金。
白头搔更短，浑欲不胜簪。
35. The first line is one of the most 第一句是所有中国诗歌中最著名
famous in all Chinese poetry. Du 的一句。杜甫被困在首都，与妻
Fu is stuck in the capital, separated 子和孩子分离，国家处于战争状
from his wife and children, the 态，但春天来了，自然世界不断
country is at war but, as spring 转动。当他反思灾难和痛苦时，
comes, the natural world keeps 他苦笑着面对自己的绝望处境。
turning. As he reflects on the
devastation and the misery, he
smiles wryly at the hopelessness of
his situation.
36. Du Fu is writing regulated 杜甫写的是规范的诗句，在直译
verse, which sets up a perfect 中可以看到一系列完美的相似之
series of parallels visible in the 处。谭先生指出，第一句，杜甫
literal translation. Mr Tan points 站在后面，对比城市的苦难和大
out that in the first couplet Du Fu 自然的冷漠。第二句，他走近了:
stands back to contrast the city’s 水滴和鸟儿的叫声正在回应他的
suffering with nature’s indifference. 悲伤。
In the second he draws in: water
droplets and birds’ cries are now
echoing his sorrow.
The third speaks of the civil war, 第三句谈到了内战，将内战与他
comparing it with his own 自己远离家庭相比较。最后一个
isolation from his family. And the 重点是诗人本人。他并没有陷入
last focuses on the poet himself. 自怜，而是轻轻地笑着，把自己
He is not falling into self-pity, but 可笑的担忧从国家的毁灭转移到
gently laughing at his own 保全固定官帽的发夹——这种嘲
ridiculous transfer of worry from 笑更加尖锐，因为正如欧文先生
the ruin of the nation to the 指出的，杜甫从未身居高位。所
security of the hairpin he uses to 有这些都在40个字中。
fix his official hat—mockery all
the more penetrating because, as
Mr Owen notes, Du Fu never won
high office. All that in 40
characters.
37. In translation you lose the 在翻译中，你无法体会到杜甫的
parallelism of Du Fu—indeed Mr 排比——事实上，欧文先生和辛
Owen and Mr Hinton say that in 顿先生说，在英语中，重复使用
English end-stopped lines using 相同的结尾终止模式很快就会让
repeated patterns soon pall. You 人厌倦，你也会错过文学典故和
also miss literary allusions and the 已经进入中国语言的短语共鸣。
resonance of phrases that have
entered the Chinese language.
38. However, Mr Tan observes that 然而，谭先生认为翻译有一个优
translation has one advantage. To 势。对中国人来说，浩如烟海的
the Chinese, voluminous 评论让这些诗歌显得沉重，就像
commentaries weigh down these 哈姆雷特的“生存还是毁灭”被过
poems, rather as Hamlet’s “To be, 度使用一样。但是第一次阅读唐
or not to be” is freighted with 诗的英语读者会发现它会像庞德
overuse. But readers in English 的白绸扇一样等待着你，“纯洁
coming to this poetry for the first 如草上霜”。
time will find it waiting like
Pound’s white-silk fan, “as clear as
frost on the grass-blade”.