On Subjective Aesthetics Of Image In Classical Chinese Poetry Translation

Classical Chinese poetry is the most brilliant achievement of Chinese literature and also an irreplaceable literary heritage not only to Chinese people but also to the world as a whole. For years, translators, both at home and abroad, have made significant efforts in translating the classical Chinese poetry, so as to present this precious Chinese cultural and literary heritage to the world. Among these translators, some of them not only give their outstanding renditions, but also have established their own theories on translating classical Chinese poetry.Image is always regarded as the essence of classical Chinese poetry and the beauty of classical Chinese poetry is thought to be reflected by the beauty of images. Many scholars and translators seek to present the beauty of image in translating classical Chinese poetry into English. In the Western world, Ezra Pound takes up an important position in doing so. Pound is the leader of imagism, and in translation he emphasizes each single image and individual detail which he thinks reveal the truth of the original poem. In modern China, Xu Yuanzhong is surely the most influential figure in classical Chinese poetry translation. Focusing on the combination of formal and spiritual resemblance in the said translation, Xu put forward his theory of Three Beauties (or Three Aspects of Beauty) - beauty in sense, in sound and in form. His beauty of sense is related to the images and the artistic conception created by them in classical Chinese poetry.This thesis would make a study on the subjective aesthetics of image in classical Chinese poetry translation. Translator is the aesthetic subject of poetry translation and image is the aesthetic object. The translator should have the courage to add his/her subjective aesthetics into the translation and properly handle the dialectical relation between the poet and the translator, the poetic text and the translator, as well as the original and the translation. Only both the objective aspectand the subjective aspect of the beauty is correctly understood and properly processed, could the translation of classical Chinese poetry be a success.This thesis consists of six parts. Part one will give a brief introduction to classical Chinese poetry - its significance, characteristics, artistic features and cultural importance. Various views on classical Chinese poetry translation will also be introduced and briefly analyzed. Part two will introduce the concept of image in classical Chinese poetry, and study its classification, combination and artistic features. To study the artistic feature of image would be conducive to the translator's reading of the original poem and also the translating of the poetic beauty into the target language and culture. Part three will focus on Ezra Pound - the poet and translator who has largely redefined the nature and ideal of poetic translation for the twentieth century. As the leader of imagism in Western literature, Pound also brings his theory of imagery into classical Chinese poetry translation, and he thinks that during translation the translator should emphasize each single image and individual detail which he thinks reveal the truth of the original poem. Part four would study Xu Yuanzhong the most influential poetry translator in contemporary China. His philosophy of literary translation will be analyzed in order to find out how he tries to present the beauty of classical Chinese poetry in translation. Part five is the study of subjective aesthetics image in classical Chinese poetry translation. Poetry translation would first be defined as a creative aesthetic process with the translator acting both as reader and writer. And then the thesis would further study the translator's aesthetic process during his/her translation. Different translations of one famous poem would be used as a case study to reveal the subjectivity of the translator. The last part would be the conclusion of the thesis.