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spacestationtrustfund's review
4.0
Available to be borrowed from the Internet Archive.
Of the 《離騷》 [lí sāo], Waters noted, "The title means 'Encountering Sorrow.' Because some Chinese characters have two opposite meanings, which makes reading these old texts doubly challenging, we may also read the title as 'Parting from Sorrow.' The former is the generally accepted translation." That's the kind of attitude I like to see. Honestly, Waters's perspective on the best approach to translating this sort of text is so perfect for me personally, I couldn't have come up with a better description myself. I'll let him tell it:
"Though I have analyzed the three Elegies word by word, the basic unit of text is the couplet, and the text is so divided here. For each unit, including the titles, the arrangement of the entries is as follows:
First, the Chinese text of the couplet is presented in regular script, according to the standard edition of the Ch'u Tz'u Pu Chu [Chu Ci 楚辭]. Below each character is given its pronunciation in Archaic Chinese (ARC), Ancient Chinese (ANC), and Modern Standard Chinese (MSC). [...] Beneath the MSC pronunciation is the series number from GSR [Grammata Serica Recensa by Bernhard Karlgren] for the convenience of the reader in checking references and phonetic assumptions, as well as in restoring the diacritical marks omitted here. Words that Karlgren does not include I have reconstructed using Karlgren's rules, or I have substituted the reconstruction of Chou Fa-kao [Zhou Fagao 周法高]. These words are followed by a question mark.
Beneath the pronunciations is a terse English synonym of the basic meaning of the Chinese word. [...] Below the text and pronunciations for each couplet are two translations. The first, marked 'Meta,' is a metaphrase, a 'word-for-word translation, in contradistinction to a paraphrase' (OED VI:385ab). The metaphrase emphasizes the religious context that serves as the vehicle for the political interpretation. The second translation, marked 'Para,' is a paraphrase, 'an expression in other words, usually fuller and clearer, of the sense of any passage or text' (OED VII:266b). The paraphrase amplifies and clarifies the line in the context of the political interpretation as derived from the commentaries and the supplementary analysis.
In addition to the metaphrase and paraphrase, there are occasional 'brocades.' A brocade is an extra meaning of some word or phrase, beyond the two basic levels of metaphrase and paraphrase, which enhances the interpretation or provides an unexpected insight into the author's counterpoint. [...] Following the metaphrase and paraphrase, the four commentaries are translated in full, with page references from the editions indicated in the bibliography.
The main part of each entry is the section headed 'Notes,' which is essentially my own commentary on the text and the earlier commentaries. The notes, representing the results of the study, discuss the text and commentaries, draw Classical and linguistic parallels, offer explanations of points in dispute, compare modern translations of the poems, and in general relate the political associations likely to have been suggested to a classically trained reader. They place the poems within the context of the didactic tradition of Chinese letters and within the bureaucratic milieu common to generations of Chinese writers."
This alone would make the translation valuable in my eyes.
Of the 《離騷》 [lí sāo], Waters noted, "The title means 'Encountering Sorrow.' Because some Chinese characters have two opposite meanings, which makes reading these old texts doubly challenging, we may also read the title as 'Parting from Sorrow.' The former is the generally accepted translation." That's the kind of attitude I like to see. Honestly, Waters's perspective on the best approach to translating this sort of text is so perfect for me personally, I couldn't have come up with a better description myself. I'll let him tell it:
"Though I have analyzed the three Elegies word by word, the basic unit of text is the couplet, and the text is so divided here. For each unit, including the titles, the arrangement of the entries is as follows:
First, the Chinese text of the couplet is presented in regular script, according to the standard edition of the Ch'u Tz'u Pu Chu [Chu Ci 楚辭]. Below each character is given its pronunciation in Archaic Chinese (ARC), Ancient Chinese (ANC), and Modern Standard Chinese (MSC). [...] Beneath the MSC pronunciation is the series number from GSR [Grammata Serica Recensa by Bernhard Karlgren] for the convenience of the reader in checking references and phonetic assumptions, as well as in restoring the diacritical marks omitted here. Words that Karlgren does not include I have reconstructed using Karlgren's rules, or I have substituted the reconstruction of Chou Fa-kao [Zhou Fagao 周法高]. These words are followed by a question mark.
Beneath the pronunciations is a terse English synonym of the basic meaning of the Chinese word. [...] Below the text and pronunciations for each couplet are two translations. The first, marked 'Meta,' is a metaphrase, a 'word-for-word translation, in contradistinction to a paraphrase' (OED VI:385ab). The metaphrase emphasizes the religious context that serves as the vehicle for the political interpretation. The second translation, marked 'Para,' is a paraphrase, 'an expression in other words, usually fuller and clearer, of the sense of any passage or text' (OED VII:266b). The paraphrase amplifies and clarifies the line in the context of the political interpretation as derived from the commentaries and the supplementary analysis.
In addition to the metaphrase and paraphrase, there are occasional 'brocades.' A brocade is an extra meaning of some word or phrase, beyond the two basic levels of metaphrase and paraphrase, which enhances the interpretation or provides an unexpected insight into the author's counterpoint. [...] Following the metaphrase and paraphrase, the four commentaries are translated in full, with page references from the editions indicated in the bibliography.
The main part of each entry is the section headed 'Notes,' which is essentially my own commentary on the text and the earlier commentaries. The notes, representing the results of the study, discuss the text and commentaries, draw Classical and linguistic parallels, offer explanations of points in dispute, compare modern translations of the poems, and in general relate the political associations likely to have been suggested to a classically trained reader. They place the poems within the context of the didactic tradition of Chinese letters and within the bureaucratic milieu common to generations of Chinese writers."
This alone would make the translation valuable in my eyes.
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