On Rhyme and Symmetry in the Translation of Tang Poetry: A Case Study of Xu Yuanchong’s English Translation of 300 Tang Poems

Abstract

Ancient poetry represents historical and cultural legacies accumulated by the Chinese nation for thousands of years and underpins the strong cultural confidence of the Chinese people. Tang poetry distinguishes itself from other literary works with its beautiful rhyme and symmetry. Previous studies of English translations of Tang poetry mostly focused on appreciation, analysis, and critics of different translation versions. Few researchers have delved into the specific translation methods for achieving the rhyming and symmetrical effects of Tang poetry in the target text. This paper examined Professor Xu Yuanchong’s English translation of 300 Tang Poems as the research object, and elaborated on how to retain the rhyming and symmetrical effects of Tang poems. This paper also summarized some practical methods that can be applied to translating Tang poems. Rhyming can be realized by the addition of end rhyme words and changes in word or line order. Symmetry can be achieved by the omission of a modifier or predicate, the addition of function words, changes in word order, or parallelism with the original sentence structure.

Keywords

• tang poetry
• rhyme
• symmetry
• xu yuanchong
• 300 tang poems