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An Aesthetic Approach to the Translation of Wang Wei's Projections No 2 (2013) 1 An aesthetic approach to the translation of Wang Wei’s landscape poetry CHEN Xi, University of Macau Abstract Chinese landscape poetry is not only the concentration and embodiment of the unique Chinese landscape culture, but also demonstrates the harmonious integration of poetry and painting. The key question in translating Chinese landscape poetry into English is how to keep the aesthetic quality of an image. Through analysis of different English versions of Wang Wei’s landscape poems from the perspective of Chinese painting theory, this paper argues that aesthetic concepts in Chinese painting theory provide significant new perspectives for the translation of Chinese landscape poetry. An understanding of the method of creating “artistic conception” (Yi Jing) in Chinese painting and of composition skills such as “blank-leaving” (Liu Bai) and “cavalier perspective” (San Dian Tou Shi) might help to retain the beauty of artistic conception, beauty of blankness, and beauty of pictorial composition, representing the harmonious fusion of poetry and painting in the original poem. http://www.umac.mo/fsh/projections Projections No 2 (2013) 2 Key Words Chinese landscape poetry; Chinese painting theory; artistic conception; blank-leaving; cavalier perspective 摘要 中国山水诗歌是中国山水文化的浓缩和体现，也是诗画融合的绝佳诠释。在中国 山水诗的英译中，使译作保留原诗的画面美是翻译的关键。本文通过中国画论的 视角对王维山水诗的不同英译本进行分析，发现中国画论可以为中国山水诗的翻 译提供崭新的视角，借鉴中国画论中的意境营造和“留白”、“散点透视”等构图技 巧，可以使译文保留原诗的意境美、留白美和构图美，再现原诗中诗画融合的艺 术特色。 关键词 中国山水诗；中国画论；意境；留白；散点透视 http://www.umac.mo/fsh/projections Projections No 2 (2013) 3 1. Introduction China has been a country of poetry since ancient times and Chinese classical poetry has marked its significant place in the realm of world poetry by its melodious rhythms, refined language, profound cultural backgrounds, and the pursuit of artistic conception. As a notable part of Chinese classical poetry, landscape poetry is characterized by its harmonious combination of affective states and poetic imagery, which can be explained by Wang Guowei’s idea that “all the scenes are the expressions of feelings” (Wang, 2007: 42). Landscape poetry presents landscape as an aesthetic object and brings landscape into poetry as the main source of poetic imagery (Li, 2004: 214). In Chinese landscape poetry, the sensibilities conveyed by the poems are produced through the description of the landscapes; the sensibilities and landscapes blend and interact with each other and constitute a verbal picture filled with sensibilities. The idea of shi hua tong yuan (poetry and painting sharing the same origin) has arisen since ancient times as poetry and painting are always closely connected. Meanwhile, some landscape poets were also talented landscape painters; the renowned landscape poet Wang Wei of the Tang Dynasty (618 CE - 907 CE) is a representative among them. This paper argues that Chinese painting theory has had a significant influence on the creation and practice of Chinese landscape poetry. Elements of Chinese painting http://www.umac.mo/fsh/projections Projections No 2 (2013) 4 theory, such as composition skills and ink drawing techniques, play a significant role in the creation of visual effect and the construction of artistic conception in poetry. Artistic conception is a unique term in China, which refers to not only the soul of Chinese classical poetry, but also the essence of Chinese classical aesthetics. Artistic conception in Chinese classical poetry means an artistic sphere produced by the fusion of a poet’s emotions and the scenes described by him or her (Gu, 2006: 18). Consequently, retaining the quality of an image in the original poem is the key to the translation of Chinese landscape poetry. As such, aesthetic concepts in Chinese painting theory may provide significant new perspectives for the translation of Chinese landscape poetry. Focusing on the poetry and painting of Wang Wei, this paper analyses the transfer and the reconstruction of the aesthetic qualities of images in the translation of Chinese landscape poetry from the perspective of Chinese painting theory. 2. Wang Wei’s Landscape Poetry and his Painting Theory In The Literature Mind and the Carving of Dragons, considered China’s foremost aesthetic treatise dating from the fifth century, the acknowledgement that “with Daoism receding into the background, nature poems came to the fore” is regarded as the starting point of research on landscape poetry (Wu, 2010: 20). According to the http://www.umac.mo/fsh/projections Projections No 2 (2013) 5 Landscape Poetry Appreciation Dictionary, “landscape poetry takes mountains and rivers as aesthetic objects, illustrating an expansive world of natural scenery rather than simply describing flowers, grass, trees or stones. Meanwhile, what is represented in landscape poetry are not the simple mountains and rivers, but rather ‘poetic’ natural scenes” (Zhang, 1989: 2). Landscape was used as a medium to convey emotions in the Book of Songs and Songs of Chu. During the Jian-An Period (196 CE - 220 CE) of the Han Dynasty (206 BCE - 220 CE), landscape description was widely used to express the turbulent but dynamic social atmosphere of that time. In the Tang Dynasty, China achieved national strength through a prosperous economy, a stable social atmosphere and wide-ranging development. The philosophical doctrines of Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism coexisted and people enjoyed freedom of thought and faith, the phenomenon of the hermitage was prevalent in society and poets were fond of sightseeing in the mountains and rivers. Landscape poetry reached its artistic peak during this time and became a significant sub-genre of Chinese classical poetry. A large number of landscape poets emerged, such as Wang Wei, Meng Haoran, Wei Yingwu, and Liu Zongyuan. Known collectively as the School of Wang Wei, their landscape poems convey an appreciation of the beauty of nature with a peaceful and elegant style. Wang Wei (701 CE – 761 CE), an outstanding poet and painter in the Tang http://www.umac.mo/fsh/projections Projections No 2 (2013) 6 Dynasty, is regarded as the master of poetry, calligraphy, and painting. He created his own style of landscape painting from his understanding of poetry—pure ink drawing composed in the pursuit of an elegant artistic state. He infused his landscape painting with the poetic flavor of his poems and was regarded as the predecessor of the South School of Literati Painting. Wang Wei produced more than four hundred poems throughout his lifetime, most of which describe his secluded leisure life and the landscape scenery he saw during his travels. The description of natural scenery and landscape in his poems reveal his keen insight and his poems are full of beautiful imagery. Wang Wei’s landscape poetry presents a harmonious fusion of poetry and painting; the beautiful artistic conception and visual effect in his poems have been appreciated by many scholars. Just as Su Shih commented, “Reading Mojie’s poem, one can sense the beauty of a picture; appreciating Mojie’s painting, one can taste the flavor of his poetry” (Su Shi, Shu Mojie Lan Tian Yan Yu Tu《书摩诘蓝田烟雨图》). Chinese painting theory has had a profound and extensive influence on the creation and practice of Chinese landscape poetry; the composition skills and ink drawing techniques play a significant role in the creation of visual effect and the construction of artistic conception. As a landscape painter, Wang Wei wrote two articles on Chinese painting theory, “Shan Shui Jue” and “Shan Shui Lun,” in which he briefly put forward the techniques of landscape painting: http://www.umac.mo/fsh/projections Projections No 2 (2013) 7 When painting landscapes, one should conceive before painting. Mountains, trees, horses and people should appear in corresponding size in the painting. When painting people or trees in the distance, details such as people’s eyes or branches of trees should be omitted; when painting mountains in the distance, stones should not be drawn and the mountains seem like eyebrows; when painting water in the distance, waves should be omitted and water can be the same height as clouds. These are the painting techniques. (Yu, 1986: 592) Wang Wei’s painting techniques emphasise that landscapes should present different forms of mountains and rivers with the change of seasons and time. The arrangement of distant and close images as well as the techniques of ink drawing should all be taken into consideration when composing a painting. Wang Wei’s painting theory is fully demonstrated in his landscape poetry and his poetry and painting are a good example of poetry composition under the influence of painting theory. 3. An Aesthetic Approach to the Translation of Wang Wei’s Landscape Poetry It is useful to explore the transfer or reconstruction of aesthetic qualities and sensibilities in the translation of Chinese landscape poetry in relation to three aesthetic concepts in Chinese painting theory: artistic conception, blank-leaving, and cavalier perspective. 3.1 Artistic Conception In the Dictionary of Chinese Ancient Literary Theories (1985: 640), the concept of http://www.umac.mo/fsh/projections Projections No 2 (2013) 8 “artistic conception” (Yi Jing) refers to “an artistic realm that can lead the readers to an imaginary space through vivid artistic description with the fusion of emotion and scene.” Artistic conception is not only an indispensable aesthetic concept in Chinese classical aesthetics, but also the essence of Chinese painting theory. It has been widely used in Chinese poetry, painting,
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