A Study On Gary Snyder's Translation Of Han Shan's Poems

Han Shan was a mysterious poet in the Tang Dynasty, whose name and information were rarely recorded in official history. Although he is usually classified as a monk poet, his poems deliver his ideas of Taoist and Confucianist philosophy. He wrote plenty of poems in his lifetime. However, as he often wrote poems out of emotion and recorded them casually, only about three hundred of them were passed down to later generations. His poems were not in line with conventional poet norms, since Han Shan preferred to employ vernacular words and paid less attention to rhymes and rhythms. Thus, he was not regarded as a prominent poet in the history of Chinese literature. Yet, with his poems being spread to Japan and Korea, and then to America, he rose to fame abroad incredibly after nearly a thousand years'silence. Due to the translation of an American poet named Gary Snyder, Han Shan became the spiritual idol of the American youth in the 1950s and 1960s and Snyder's translation became a canon in American literature. Unprecedentedly Han Shan and his poems (which are also referred to as Cold Mountain Poems) became a hot topic among scholars and researchers in the literary circle of the United States. Then, his popularity abroad drew the attention of scholars in China. Hong Kong, Taiwai and mainland experts and scholars began to conduct relevant studies on Han Shan phenomenon.Gary Snyder is an American poet, proser, translator and ecological environmentalist. He is one of the American writers whose studies on Chinese culture are the deepest and the most comprehensive. He became curious about Chinese culture when he was very young. Strongly influenced by Zen Buddhism, Taoism and Confucianism, Snyder resembles Han Shan in these philosophical thoughts. Besides, he lived in the mountain areas in his childhood and settled down near the mountains after he returned from Japan, which was similar to Han Shan who lived in a mountain named Cold Mountain. Thus he shares similar love of nature with Han Shan and has a more profound understanding of Han Shan's poems about nature. These are reasons that Han Shan's poems Snyder chooses to render are all about nature and philosophy. Moreover, as a representative of the "Beat Generation", Snyder knew exactly what the American youth pursued at that time and found that Han Shan and the spirit demonstrated in his poems could meet their demands. Then, through his translation with modern and local features, Han Shan was well accepted by the American youth and highly esteemed as their hero. Snyder became renowned for his translation of Han Shan's poems. Though he only translated twenty-four out of over three hundred poems, his translation was spoken highly of and finally became a canon in the American literary history.The thesis introduces the research background of Han Shan, Han Shan's poems, Gary Snyder and the translation of the Han Shan's poems and reviews related studies carried out previously. Then, following the whole process of Snyder's translation, a detailed analysis is made on Snyder's selection, understanding and expression of Han Shan's poems. As a result, it proves that translator's subjectivity is well embodied in each step. In order to make readers better appreciate Snyder's translation, some examples are given to illustrate main translation strategies and methods Snyder adopts. As for the quality of Snyder's translation, through a brief comparison of three different translated versions of Han Shan's poetry, Snyder's translation is testified to be the best one in some degree. Moreover, its canonization afterwards also serves as a good evidence for Snyder's excellent translation and its impact and prevalence in America. However, the canonization depends not only on Snyder's remarkable translation skills but also on complicated reasons. Thus, in the following chapter, the author analyzes main factors that push forward the canonical process of Snyder's translation of Han Shan's poems.In accordance with the analysis in this thesis, it can be concluded that translator's subjectivity is fully demonstrated in the process of the translation activity. The experience of Snyder's successful translation of Han Shan's poems can be utilized appropriately in the translation of other Chinese classical poems. Furthermore, Snyder's translation activity and the canonization of his translation in the United States certify that translation is not only the conversion of two languages but also the communication and exchange of two cultures. The translated text and the translator are not inferior to the original text and author. In the translation process, the translator has the freedom to make certain creative renderings for the purpose of cultural exchange. Through the analysis in the thesis, it is expected that readers can have a deeper understanding of Snyder's translation of Han Shan's poems and that more attention can be aroused to Han Shan phenomenon as well as the translation of other Chinese poems, thus making some contributions to the cultural communication between the East and the West.