On The English Translation Of Chinese Classical Zen Poetry Under The Guidance Of Benjamin’s Translation Theory:

Poetry is the miracle of language, and Zen is the essence of thoughts. As the best combination of the two, Zen poetry becomes a carrier of truth and beauty.In traditional Chinese culture, Zen has great influence on people’s thinking and living, and that can be seen in all kinds of literary genres, among which poetry embodies it most obviously. Because Zen itself is a state of mind that can only be felt rather than something that can be told directly, poetry becomes the most suitable literary carrier of Zen with its unique features such as beauty of grace and restraint. Compared with the Zen poetry in the Song Dynasty and also other dynasties, those in the Tang Dynasty possess higher artistic value than others. With the appearance of Wang Wei, the Zen poetry in the Tang Dynasty developed into its peak. Wang Wei’s Zen poetry is where the truth and beauty rest on. The Buddhist realm is placidity, leisurely and peaceful.This thesis holds the idea that it is proper to use Benjamin’s translation theories to study a research topic like the reproduction of the Buddhist realm of Zen poetry. Walter Benjamin’s "Pure Language" theory is a very powerful weapon to conquer the problem of special texts translation. The special texts here include religious text which represents language of truth, literary text like poetry which represents language of beauty, etc. Benjamin’s translation theories based on the "Pure Language" theory can help translators successfully get over the barrier between Chinese and English, flexibly deal with the controversial fidelity problem and other problems in the translation process. The English translation of Chinese classical Zen poetry is necessary and feasible. However, the Chinese people can appreciate and understand the Zen from the Buddhist realm in the Zen poetry after they read it, but how can people from English-speaking countries get the same experience when they read it? This is the key to the successful translation of Chinese classical Zen poetry. Translators not only translate the original poem itself, but also convey an idea, a realm, and a feeling. The English translation of Chinese classical Zen poetry is a seldom studied area. This thesis aims to study the English translation of Chinese classical Zen poetry and put forward practical translation principles and strategies under the guidance of Benjamin’s translation theories by using Wang Wei’s Zen poetry as the example. This thesis firstly gives an introduction to Chinese classical Zen poetry and researches on the English translation of Chinese classical Zen poetry, and then analyzes and explains the translatability of Chinese classical Zen poetry under the guidance of Benjamin’s translation theory, which lays the foundation for further study on the English translation of Chinese classical Zen poetry. By using different English versions of Wang Wei’s Xin Yi Wu (《辛夷坞》) and Niao Ming Jian (《鸟鸣涧》), this thesis discusses how to translate Chinese classical Zen poetry. From the perspective of Benjamin’s translation theory, the author believes the English translation of Chinese classical Zen poetry should follow three principles-having a good understanding the of the original Zen poems, reproducing the Buddhist realm for the English readers, and putting similarity of form before similarity of spirit. In addition, the author puts forward seven strategies for the reproduction of the Buddhist realm in the English translation of Chinese classical Zen poetry. They are materialization, transformation, blankness, ellipsis, personification, repetition, and inversion.To sum up, the author holds that the reproduction of the Buddhist realm is the key to the English translation of Chinese classical Zen poetry. Only under the guidance of the proper translation theory can translators achieve the goal of giving English readers the same aesthetic experience of Chinese readers by using proper translation strategies to reproduce the Buddhist realm in Chinese classical Zen poetry.