The Chinese Written Character as a

Medium for Poetry: An Ars Poetica

Part One
XU Minghao
College of Foreign Studies
September 28, 2021
 China & her social status

A B C
Harvest of recorded Idealists and
High type of experience experimenters
doubles occidental in the making of great
cultivation culture principles

Full exploitation of Chinese market since First Opium War of 1842

Stereotype of the Occidental world

Ignore and mistake the deeper problems of Oriental Culture

Negative
forcomments from the occidental perspective
a long period

-“Chinese and Japanese poetry are hardly more than an amusement,

Ragard Chinese people as a materialistic, debased and
and not worn-out
to be reckoned
race in the world’s serious literary performance.”

-“These brances of poetry are fields too barren to repay the toil
Deny their humanity, toy with their ideas, and shout that
oriental
necessary leads to slight change in social evolution, no reflection
for cultivation.”
obout spirit or mentality
 Va l u e o f a p p r o a c h i n g O r i e n t a l a r t s

Oriental painting, as the key to the Eastern soul, has proved its vitality
A
and practical value.

① De-exoticizing features in ekphrasis:

“ 如果要探讨西方绘画诗与中国题画诗的历史渊源关系 , 其考据的源头便可从 庞德
的绘画诗入手 , 而 《七湖诗章 》与 《潇湘八景图 》和苏轼的 《题王定国所 藏
〈烟江叠嶂图 〉》之间的关联则是一个典型的例证。”（谭琼琳， 2010:19 ）

② Social ideological features of Chinese painting:

“ 庞德并不满足于诗歌创作和诗歌理论方面的建树，他以中国绘画的时空观为跳板，
追根溯源，发现了其根植的中国传统文化。”（高莉敏， 2019:84 ）
Principles taking of Discussion about Chinese
Chinese painting values of individual and nation
 Va l u e o f a p p r o a c h i n g O r i e n t a l a r t s

Occidental world needs ideas in Oriental Painting, Chinese art, literature

B
and in the tragedies of their lives to supplement our lives.

① “ 庞德对于中国瓷所象征的博大精深的东方文化倾注了自己的才思与想象 , 所以中国文字
就像一片片中国茶叶从中国瓷里倒出来 镶嵌在他的恢弘巨作《诗章》中
·To reform traditional poetry and make it as the medium, for
而书中的中国诗章
cultural
则可以说是美国现代绘画诗中最早具有东方原始图腾艺术感的文字意象图。”（谭琼
communication of co-existence
琳， 2010:81 ）
·To mediate Oriental Culture in his own ekphrasis for improving artistic
②“ 庞德从日本能剧中感受到现代主义诗歌需要的元素，通过西方现代主义诗歌与日本能
charm and tension
剧结合的方式探索着新的诗歌表现形式，《诗章》中的《诗章 4 》和《比萨诗章》完美地展现
·To convey the expectation for Occidental peace and social crisis solution
了现代英语诗歌与日本能剧融合的美学效果。”（朱伊革， 2012:137 ）

③“ 凯奇的《主调与变奏》是他融合《十牛图颂》（中国禅画）所蕴含的禅宗思想而创作的诗
歌 , 也是他破能所二心的经典之作。” （谭琼琳， 2020:189 ）
 Va l u e o f a p p r o a c h i n g O r i e n t a l a r t s

C The intense part of oriental value is the poetry.

① “ 中国诗影响起伏的规律或许是每当美国诗人试图松动欧洲文化传统的束缚，摆脱学院派保
守主义的压力他们就需要中国古典诗歌的支持，中国古典诗歌的影响似乎始终与美国诗中的激
进倾向相联系。”（赵毅衡， 1983:22 ）

“the inventor of Chinese poetry for our time”

②“ 他的本意并非要充当一个翻译家，而是通过模仿和改写的方法，借鉴和学习中国诗歌中“
直接处理事物”，呈现“ 鲜明意象”的诗歌表达方式。”（罗朗 & 李炜， 2011:105 ）

③“ 于庞德而言，中国古诗的翻译是一个中国古诗经典的重建过程 , 也是中国诗歌史在美国诗
歌现代化的语境下被重写的过程。这个过程以创作为导向，也以创作为归宿，为自己、也为同
时代的诗人打开了言说方式上的多种可能性 。” （李林波， 2010:105 ）
Mediumof presenting poetry
Presenting any alien poetry in English must depend largely upon poetic
workmanship in the chosen medium.

Poetry translation is for poetry but it is rooted in the language.

Behind it: A Shift of reflection over the true poetry

from: focus on the verbal definitions such as successive sound effects

to: the question about ‘What makes verse written by visible

hieroglyphics be reckoned true poetry with the semi-pictorial appeals to
eyes?’
 Distinguished features of Chinese as form
Chinese English
月耀如晴雪 Moon Rays Like Pure Snow
人見馬 Man Sees Horse

● Chinese could realize the whole process
without reliance on sounds.
● Chinese is no more than arbitrary symbols, and
is based upon vivid picture of the operations of
nature. (thought picture is called up by both signs
and words)
● Phonetic symbols stands for the
natural process. （ by sounds)
● Exchange of thoughts depends upon sheer
convention because there is no natural connection
between thing and sign.

“vividness of painting and mobility of sounds”

 Distinguished features of Chinese as structure

 Chinese characters are pictorial.

A picture is naturally a picture of ● A true noun or a pure action doesn’t exist in nature.
the thing.
 Chinese character is a shorthand ● Chinese character: things in motion and motion in things
picture of action or process.

Farmland （ 田 ） : A noun with

vitality and energy

Force （力） : An action with sickle

 Exitence of Sentence form

False Definition 1

A sentence expresses a “complete thought” (with the form).

-Without such form, a thought can be clearly told.
（嗨！）
-Thought cannot be fully completed. ( 人见马）
False Definition 2

A sentence unites a subject and a predicate (with the form).

-It falls back on pure subjectivity.
-It means that a sentence is an accident of man conversation.
 Exitence of Sentence form

Unit of process in nature

term transference term
 All natural process is a transference of
from of to
which force which force and its redistribution.

 The act process can also apply to this.

Unit of process in act  Both Chinese and English sentences

agent act object
Farmer pound rice expresses this natural process of act.
农夫 舂
米
“The sentence form was forced upon primitive men by nature”
 Translation suggestion 1

English: Xu’s version:

The Chinese problem alone is so vast 光中国问题就已经是十分巨大了，以至于我
that no nation can afford to ignore it. 们任何一个国家都不能去忽视它。
Their harvest of recorded experience 他们有记载的经验成果是我们的数倍。
doubles our own.
Zhao’s version: Xu’s reasons:
光中国问题，就是如此巨大，没有任 欧化表述 / 不符合现代汉语语言表述。
何一个国家能够忽视。 1. 我们会说，没有任何一个国家能够忽视这
他们有记载的经验成果数倍于我们。 样的问题 / 没有任何一个国家能够忽视
它 / 任何一个国家都不能忽视
2. 数倍于已成为一个形容词，不做动词使用
 Translation suggestion 2

English: Xu’s version:

One, that a sentence expresses a 一是说使得完整意义为句子所表达；另一是
“complete thought”; the other, that in it 说，在句子中使主语和谓语相结合。
we bring about a union of subject and
predicate.
Zhao’s version: Xu’s reasons:
一是说句子表达了一个“完整的定 1. 原译文结构不对称，前者的陈述性表述不
义”；另一是说，在句子中我们使主 能体现出 sentence form 的功能意义概念。
语和谓语相结合。 2. 根据语境可知，作者要讨论的一个点是不
仅句子可以表达完整意义，不需要句子也可
以表达，原译文则排除了这种讨论的必要。
 Translation suggestion 3

English: Xu’s version:

term transference term 起始项 力的作用过程 终点项
from of to 假如我们把这种力的作用过程看作是 XXX
which force which
If we regard this transference as ....
Zhao’s version: Xu’s reasons:
起始项 力的转移 终点项 1. 作者强调这里的 sentence form 是自然
假如我们把这种力的转移看作是 XXX 作用的结果。即作者表达的 force 是一种自
然力。（物理学中 force 缩写 F ）
2. 自然科学常识中，力无法转移，可以进行
（界面）转递，但显然这里作者表达的是起
始点到终止点之间力的作用过程。
 References

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Thank you!