Chronology Entry
Year
1905
Text
[Byron, George Gordon]. Ai Xila ge. Ma Junwu yi. [ID D26395].
Chu Chih-yu : Ma Junwu could read Byron in the original. One of the outstanding features of his translation of The Isles of Greece is its readability, or 'singability'. Although he made a number of mistakes, innocent or intentional, in many places his version reads better and smoother than others. The influence of Ma's version, and of The Isles of Greece itself, is also reflected in the earliest history of English literature.
The major theme of Byron's poem The Isles of Greece is to recall the past glories and lament the present degeneration of the Greeks. Ma Junwu's version stresses this theme, faithfully conveying the original idea. But, as his title suggests, he over-emphasized the melancholy aspect of the poem. In fact he was reading his own feelings into Byron's verse. In the short preface, he says, "Alas ! Byron lamented the fate of Greece, and we are too busy lamenting ourselves". If Byron's poem contains heroism, melancholy, and sarcasm, In Ma Junwu's translation the sad mood permeates the whole poem, and sarcasm fades into the background. Ma Junwu's translation of the couplet is more inspired and creative than Su Manshu's and Hu Shi's versions, for it is authentic and beautiful Chinese poetry ; and it is also closer to the original in sense.
Ma Junwu borrowed the image of Byron to 'lament' the fate of his country'. He used septisyllabic lines with occasional variations.
Chu Chih-yu : Ma Junwu could read Byron in the original. One of the outstanding features of his translation of The Isles of Greece is its readability, or 'singability'. Although he made a number of mistakes, innocent or intentional, in many places his version reads better and smoother than others. The influence of Ma's version, and of The Isles of Greece itself, is also reflected in the earliest history of English literature.
The major theme of Byron's poem The Isles of Greece is to recall the past glories and lament the present degeneration of the Greeks. Ma Junwu's version stresses this theme, faithfully conveying the original idea. But, as his title suggests, he over-emphasized the melancholy aspect of the poem. In fact he was reading his own feelings into Byron's verse. In the short preface, he says, "Alas ! Byron lamented the fate of Greece, and we are too busy lamenting ourselves". If Byron's poem contains heroism, melancholy, and sarcasm, In Ma Junwu's translation the sad mood permeates the whole poem, and sarcasm fades into the background. Ma Junwu's translation of the couplet is more inspired and creative than Su Manshu's and Hu Shi's versions, for it is authentic and beautiful Chinese poetry ; and it is also closer to the original in sense.
Ma Junwu borrowed the image of Byron to 'lament' the fate of his country'. He used septisyllabic lines with occasional variations.
Mentioned People (2)
Byron, George Gordon
(London 1788-1824 Mesolongion, Griechenland) : Dichter
Ma, Junwu
(Guilin 1881-1940 Guilin) : Übersetzer, Wissenschaftler, Erzieher, Präsident von Guangxi
Subjects
Literature : Occident : Great Britain
Documents (1)
| # | Year | Bibliographical Data | Type / Abbreviation | Linked Data |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1998 | Chu, Chi Yu [Chu, Chih-yu]. Lord Byron's "The Isles of Greece" : first translations. In : Translation and creation : readings of Western literature in early modern China, 1840-1918. Ed. by David Pollard. (Amsterdam : Benjamins, 1998). | Publication / Byr4 |
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