| This dissertation is a study of the theory and practice of Yu Guangzhong's poetry translation from English into Chinese. It analyses Yu's main skills and strategy of translation, as well as his translation artistry, which includes its cause of formation, connotation and practice.This dissertation consists of seven chapters. Chapter One "Introduction" presents the focus, purpose, methods, and structure of the dissertation. It also contains a brief survey of the studies on Yu Guangzhong's literary works and translation works.Chapter Two introduces and analyzes Yu Guangzhong's views on literary translation and his personal poetic pursuit, which cause the formation of his English poetry translation artistry. It is pointed out that dialogue and fusion is the core spirit of Yu's poetry translation artistry, whose formation is closely related with his view of literary translation and his personal poetic pursuit. His view of literary translation may be summarized into the following seven points: first, literary translation is like marriage, which requires compromise from the two sides; second, literary translation is an art, a kind of restricted literary creation; third, the study of literary translation depends on that of Contrastive linguistics; fourth, literary translation should not be looked down upon; fifth, a literary translator should have great learning and writing competence; sixth, good westernization should be promoted while bad westernization should be avoided in English-Chinese translation; seventh, a literary translation work cannot be regarded as an original itself. Of the seven points, the most important one is the first, from which the other six develop. After briefly reviewing Yu Guangzhong's poetic views and practice, we also point out that dialogue and fusion between tradition and modernity, and between East and West, is always the focus of Yu's poetic pursuit. In conclusion, we argue that, the direct influence of his translational view of "literary translation requires a compromise from the two sides" and the indirect influence of the "dialogue and compromise" focus of his poetic pursuit have caused the formation of his English poetry translation artistry. In this chapter we also see that Yu Guangzhong adopts a dialectic attitude regarding the issue of translatability, and that he does not view translating as a mere act of reproducing. We propose that "literary translating is interpreting" should be his view on the nature of literary translation. With a profound understanding of both Chinese and English language art in poetry and through dialogue between them, Yu Guangzhong fuses his horizon of the poetic art of the Chinese language with that of English and forms a new horizon, and constructs new texts by using language that is saturated with Chinese culture.Chapter Three explores the connotation of Yu Guangzhong's poetry translation artistry by introducing and analyzing its process, which includes two links and three steps with six features. We propose that the whole process of his poetry translation artistry can be divided into two links: the foreshadowing link and the practice link, for former being the basis of the later while the later makes the former worthwhile. In the foreshadowing link, Yu acquires a profound understanding of both Chinese and English language art in poetry, which lays a solid foundation for the whole process of his poetry translation artistry. The practice link can be further divided into three steps: the trust step, the dialogue step and the fusion step. In the trust step, Yu considers the translating of poetry a good way to practice writing poetry, as he believes that poetry translation contributes to the formation of a new horizon of Chinese language art in poetry. With regard to the dialogue step, we propose that the rhythm, grammar and rhetoric of Yu's poetry translation works reflect his new horizon of Chinese language art in poetry. Yu Guangzhong has formed the new horizon on the basis of a profound understanding of both Chinese and English language arts in poetry and through dialogue between them. As for the compromise step, Yu constructs new texts reflecting the new horizon formed in the dialogue step, by using language saturated with the Chinese culture. The compromise step is also the continuation of the dialogue step, for it extends the new horizon. In conclusion, we point out that the whole process of Yu Guangzhong's poetry translation requires sufficient competence in both Chinese and English poetries, a lofty translation goal, and high artistic abilities in coordination and expression.Yu Guangzhong's poetry translation artistry shows the following six features: first, while imitating the form of the original, the translation work has its own poetic form; second, his translation strategy is the result of the fusion of the Chinese and western horizons and good westernization; third, there is always readjustment in translation strategy; fourth, the target text and the source text are two different and independent texts with certain degrees of similarity and certain overlapping parts; fifth, the activities of poetic translating and writing are closely related and mutually supplementary; six, the translation process displays the translator's subjective initiative. In conclusion, we point out that the view of poetry translation practice as influenced by the idea of "spiritual equivalence" fails to explain the activity of writing modern Chinese poetry, and that the view of poetry translation practice as influenced by the idea of "equivalence in both form and spirit" sticks to the form of the original so much that it spoils the poetic form of the translation work, while Yu's poetry translation practice pursues the poetic art of the translation work without paying too much attention to faithfulness to the original.Chapter Four analyzes Yu Guangzhong's poetry translation practice from the aspect of rhythm in two steps: the dialogue step and the fusion step. We point out that Yu Guangzhong realizes that there are mainly three patterns of modern Chinese poetic rhythm, i.e. "even rhythm", "variation in modern Chinese rhythmical verse" and "variation in modern Chinese free verse". Yu stresses that the rhythm of a verse should match its content. In his view, modern people prefer "variation" to "even rhythm" when expressing their ideas in a poem, but it would be ineffective if it did not match well its content. So he stresses that a poem should be read aloud to test its rhythm, and he thinks that sensitivity to features of Chinese is the key to the creation of the rhythm. By analyzing actual examples we point out that relying on his sensitivity to features of Chinese, which includes sensitivities to tonal patterns, musical devices, rules of foot, caesura, and enjambment of Chinese poetry, Yu Guangzhong tries to make the rhythm of each of his translated poems match its content well, whether it has "even rhythm", "variation in modern Chinese rhythmical verse", or "variation in modern Chinese free verse". Thus, each of Yu's translated poems has its own rhythmical feature.Chapter Five analyzes Yu Guangzhong's poetry translation practice from the aspect of grammar in two steps: the dialogue step and the fusion step. We point out that in his view translation poetry should comply with the basic grammatical rules of modern Chinese prose. According to these basic rules, which are "Chinese norms" in his terms, modern Chinese should remain to be a paratactic language on the one hand, and, on the other hand, it may comply with some hypotactic rules in grammar, but only to a moderate degree. Yu proves, with ample examples, that Chinese and English have different ways of expression. In fact, these examples demonstrate the difference between the "implicit" features of Chinese grammar and the "explicit" features of English grammar. With his sensitivity to this difference he successfully transfers the "explicit" features of English grammar in the original to the "implicit" features of Chinese grammar in his poetic translation when necessary. He readjusts himself all the way to pursue appropriate westernization in grammar. While he holds that translation poetry should generally comply with the basic grammatical rules of modern Chinese, he advocates an appropriate degree of "good" westernization in grammar in poetry translation.According to the different degrees to which Yu Guangzhong's translation poetry complies with hypotactic rules in different periods, we divide his poetry translation practice into three stages, namely, translation poetry in Translations from English Poetry with Notes (1960) and Anthology of American Poetry (1961) represent the moderate-but-biased-for-westernization stage; translation poetry in Modern English and American Poetry (1968) represent the readjustment stage; his recent translation poetry represent the appropriate westernization period. By analyzing examples at the three stages, we point out that relying on such skills as rewording, using more commas and rearranging word order he successfully transfers the "explicit" features of English grammar in the original to the "implicit" features of Chinese grammar in his translation poetry when necessary. As a result, the grammar of his translation poetry is mainly paratactic. And when Yu Guangzhong's translation poetry complies with hypotactic rules in grammar, it should also be pointed out that such rules are mainly morphological. In most cases, when he allows westernization in syntax, he aims for especially good westernization. We point out that he displays especially good westernization in syntax mainly in the following four aspects: keeping the original length of sentences in order to reflect the poet's writing style, keeping the original word order in order to respect the poet's special arrangement, keeping the original enjambment in order to highlight the key words, and keeping the original complex syntax in order to keep the exquisite logic that lies in the original. In conclusion, the grammatical rules for Yu Guangzhong's translation poetry are elastic.Chapter Six analyzes Yu Guangzhong's poetry translation practice from the aspect of rhetoric in two steps: the dialogue step and the fusion step. We point out that in Yu's view it is difficult to translate phonological rhetorical devices in English poetry. That is to say, Chinese poetry is not as good as English poetry in phonological rhetorical devices. In face of this situation, he tries to make full use of the originally underdeveloped phonological rhetorical devices in Chinese poetry and incorporates them into rhetorical repetition. Undoubtedly, Yu's view about rhetorical repetition represents his new horizon of Chinese rhetorical art in poetry. Compared with English poetry, Chinese poetry has an advantage in Chinese character rhetoric. Well aware of this advantage, he tries to make full use of it in poetry translation. Making flexible use of classical Chinese also belongs to the rhetoric of modern Chinese character. Yu suggests that modern writers should learn to use classical Chinese and four-character phrases in their writings. His view about modern Chinese character rhetoric also represents his new horizon of Chinese rhetorical art in poetry.By analyzing a number of examples we point out that Yu Guangzhong translates phonological rhetorical devices in English poetry in the way of free translation or rhetorical adaptation. In most cases, rhetorical devices in Chinese poetry and English poetry are well-matched, such as rhetorical images. When translating such well-matched rhetorical devices in English poetry, Yu generally adopts the method of literal translation with a little polish. And when translating antidissertation in English poetry, he usually applies the more symmetrical Chinese antidissertation. In some of Yu's translated poems, pictographic Chinese characters are utilized to produce a special rhetorical effect. The translation method employed there is rhetorical addition. We also point out that the most remarkable way to take advantage of Chinese character rhetoric in Yu Guangzhong's translation poetry is to make flexible use of classical Chinese and four-character phrases. Usually, Yu uses classical Chinese in the vernacular context to make the translated poems more refined. If the original is marked by classic elegance, he should translate it mainly in classical Chinese. And sometimes he utilizes four-character phrases or idioms to vary the rhythm of his translated poems. In short, rhetorical devices employed in his translation are highly effective.Chapter Seven, as a conclusion, summarizes the major findings of this dissertation, which include the following:First, our study sums up Yu guangzhong's English poetry translation artistry, which fills a gap in the studies on his literary works and translation works.Second, Yu Guangzhong's translation skills and strategy discussed in our study, especially his method of translating English rhythmical verse, are good examples to be followed by other poetry translators.Third, we analyze Yu Guangzhong's English poetry translation artistry from the perspective of hermeneutics, which may promote the study of "poetry translation hermeneutics" and even the whole poetry translation study.Fourth, Yu Guangzhong's English poetry translation artistry revealed in our study proves that, poetry translation can promote the art of modern Chinese poetry if the translator has sufficient competence in both Chinese and English poetries, a lofty translation goal, and high artistic abilities in coordination and expression.
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