春望: looking at spring
國破山河在
城春草木深
感時花濺淚
恨別鳥驚心
烽火連三月
家書抵萬金
白頭搔更短
渾欲不勝簪
i came across Du Fu's lament on the nature of war while studying mandarin, and was immediately unsatisfied with the elementary translation given to me. research did not seem necessary at first; i did not think that it would be that hard of a poem to translate...
i was so wrong.
to translate 春望 into english is to dance a waltz to a 4/4 beat. it does not seem well suited for such a wordy language as english. however, many talented people have attempted the task, to varying degrees of success.
one of the main difficulties in translating this poem is the limited syllables in the original, which belie the rich and nuanced meaning that the poet has woven into his opus.
thus, some translators choose to retain the semantic information, whereas others opt to preserve the spirit of the original. it seems to boil down to Preference: what is more important, the literal translation or the poetic "feel"?
it is a pity to come to such a compromise, and to learn the language truly seems the most logical choice. unfortunately, not everyone has the time to pick up mandarin... so translations remain a necessity for those non-sinophones who wish to grasp the poem's quiet, grief-stricken message.
Alley, Rewi Peace Through the Ages: Translations from the Poets of China (Peking: R. Alley, 1954)
Looking out on Spring
Though our country has been crushed
rivers and hills stay the same; the city
is filled with tall trees and the high
grasses of spring; even the flowers seem to shed
tears for the sadness of our time, and birds
grieve at the sight of people
parting from their beloved;
now
for these three months
have the beacon fires
flared unceasingly
while a letter from home is as precious
as gold
and when I strive to bind up
my grey hairs, they are so few
the pin will not hold them.
Barnstone, Tony & Chou Ping (www.7beats.com/2006_12_01_7beats_archive.html))
Gazing in Springtime
The empire is shattered but rivers and peaks remain.
Spring drowns the city in wild grass and trees.
A time so bad, even the flower rain tears.
I hate this separation, yet birds startle my heart.
The signal fires have burned three months;
I'd give ten thousand gold coins for one letter.
I scratch my head and my white hair thins
till it can't even hold a pin.
Chang, Edward C. (www.poetry-chinese.com)
Spring View
The country is ruined; / the mountains and rivers remain.
Springtime in the city, / grass and trees are densely green.
Facing hard times, / flowers trigger my tears;
fearing separation, / birds startle my heart.
Beacon fires / last for three consecutive months.
A letter from home / is worth ten thousand gold coins.
Ah, my gray hair / gets too thin to scratch.
It simply / can no longer hold a hairpin!
Yu, Pauline (afe.easia.columbia.edu/china/lit/spring.htm)
Spring Gaze
Nation broken mountain river exist
City-wall spring grass tree deep
Feel times flower sprinkle tears
Hate parting bird alarm heart
Beacon fire consecutive three month
Family letter worth ten-thousand gold-pieces
White hair scratch more short
Quite about-to not bear hairpin