3.1.2 Analysis of Pound’s Translation        .....................................5

   3.2 Xu Yuanchong’s Image Translation in Tang Poetry     ............................8

3.2.1 Brief Introduction of Xu Yuanchong.............................................................8

   3.2.2 Analysis of Xu’s Translation...........................................................................9

   3.3 Strategy of Image Translation: Acculturation      ...............................11

Chapter Four Conclusion                        ....12

References                              .....14

The Transfer of Culture Image in Chinese-English Translation of Tang Poems

Chapter One Introduction

   Tang poetry is the most representative period in poetry. Tang Poetry, as an epitome of Chinese culture, mirrors history, culture and economy. The word “image” is embodied mostly in Chinese ancient poetry. Images in poetry are the combination of poet’s inner subjective emotion and the external objective image. 

Hu Yinglin once said in Shisou that old poems which had used images were the best (Hu Yinglin, Ming Dynasty, Shisou). British sinologist Arthur Waley (1889) regards images as the soul of poetry because images reflect Chinese profound cultural foundation. What is the aesthetic pursuit of Chinese ancient poetry are the meaning and image unification as well as the feeling and scene blend, which is perfectly presented in Tang poetry. 

Images in Tang poetry are the important media conveying these implications. It is important to study images first if you want to research on Tang poetry. Therefore, image translation is the key to Tang poetry translation. Traditional poetry translation mostly puts much attention on the original text, emphasizing faithfulness and equivalence, but neglects the target language, its culture and the target language readers.

In the recent few years, foreigners have highly interest in Chinese culture. The craze for Chinese language has been growing constantly and many Confucius Institutes have been established. Tang Poetry, as an epitome of Chinese culture, combines history, culture and economy together. To some extent, poetry translation is image translation. The translation process of a Tang poem is the process of image recombination and reproduction. It is meaningful to research on Tang poetry translation from the aspect of the transfer of culture images.

Chapter Two Literature Review

2.1 Definition of Image

What is Image? There may be more than one answer. Different scholars have different views. For Keats, the organization of images gives shape and form to a poem. In his opinion, it is evident that “its touches of beauty should never be half-way, thereby making the reader breathless, the setting of Imagery should, like the sun, come natural to him, shine over him, and set soberly, although in magnificence, leaving him in the luxury of twilight”(as cited in Thorpe, 1957, p.8). In the west, the most popular statement about image seems given by Coleridge:

Images, however beautiful do not of themselves characterize the poet. They become proofs of original genius only as far as they are modified by a predominant passion; or by associated thoughts or images awakened by that passion (as cited in Lewis, 1949, p.19).

However, it just gives a limited insight into poetic images. Therefore, it may be a good chance to study related literary theories both China and the west.

2.2 Origin of Image

    In Books of Changes (Yi Jing), images are used quite frequently. Wang Bi (2005), a famous Chinese philosopher, talked about the significance of images in his book “Elucidation of the Image”. He pointed out that