Poetry Translation：Chan Meditation of Wang Wei

万亨悦

Abstract：Poetry translation is always tricky in translation practice for the huge gap between the two languages and cultures. This paper throws light on translation of one of Wang Weis representative works， aiming to explore a new perspective on poetry translation from the aspect of culture and religion.

Key words：Wang Wei； Poetry Translation； Chan

中图分类号：H315.9 文献标识码：A 文章编号：1672-1578（2015）11-0004-02

送别

王维

下马饮君酒，问君何所之？

君言不得意，归卧南山陲。

但去莫复问，白云无尽时。

1 A Monologue of the Poet

This poem was written by Wang Wei（699-759）， a famous Chinese poet of the Tang dynasty who is also called “Poet Buddha”（诗佛） because his works often contain a sense of Chan. Throughout his life， Wang Wei experienced ups and downs in his political career. In his last few years， he resigned to live in seclusion in Zhongnan Mountain. A conventional understanding of this poem is that Wang Wei bid farewell to his friend who just resigned from his post and planed to live in Zhongnan Mountain. And this poem is a dialogue between the two persons.

However， this poem is a monologue of Wang Wei which reflects the process of his Chan meditation. Through the monologue， Wang Wei got rid of the grip of his ego and waked up to a universal and non-dual self （不二本我）.

There are many signs in this poem which suggest that it is a monologue.

a. If the word“君” were omitted， the poem would still make sense.

下马饮酒，问何所之？

言不得意，归卧南山。

但去莫问，白云无尽。

It can be regarded as a monologue of a man who intends to leave for a tranquil life.

b. The sentence“但去莫复问” should be divided into two parts，“但去”and“莫复问”. The former means “just go” which is said by the invisible “I”. The latter means “ask no more” which is said by “you”. The poet put the two sentences into one， intimating that “you” is also the poet himself.

c. Last but not least， the development of the plot corresponds to the process of Chan meditation. The goal of Chan meditation is to penetrate self as it really is（明心见性）.Wang Wei first calls a part of himself as “you” because he has not totally understood himself. Through Chan meditation， Wang Wei unites “you” and finally finds himself. This is the ultimate state of Chan meditation which also can be seen from the last sentence “白云无尽时”. In this state， the ideas of Buddha nature cant be revealed in words and explored by thinking. Who conducts the meditation should feel the truth through his or her intuition. Therefore， Wang Wei uses clouds to depict his feelings， which indicates that he achieves the state of non-dual self in Chan meditation.

2 The Influence of this View on the Translation

Since this poem is regarded as the depiction of the process of Chan meditation. Translation should reveal the information in this regard.

a. “南山”should be translated into “Zhongnan Mountain” instead of “south hill” or “southern mountain”. There are two reasons.

First， “终南山” is also called “南山”. It is one of the holy Taoism Mountains in China. Zhongnan Mountain is an ideal place to study Chan and has been attracting many recluses in all times. Besides， Wang Wei lived in Zhongnan Mountain in his old age. Obviously， “south hill” and “southern mountain” used separately by Xu Yuanchong and Witter Bynner can not reveal the mountains connection with Chan and its position in Wang Weis life.

Second， Wang Wei wrote a poem named Zhongnan Mountain in which there is a sentence “白云回望合，青霭入看无”.It suggests the boundless white clouds in this mountain.

b. The sentence“但去莫复问” is supposed to be translated into two parts—one said by the invisible “I” and another by“you”.However， in the translation of Xu Yuanchong and Witter Bynner， this sentence is rendered as “Be gone， ask no more， friend” and “give me leave and ask me no questions”. We can see that both of them think that the sentence “但去莫复问” is said by “you”. This translation loses the sign of unity of “you” and “I” in Chan meditation. The original put“但去” and“莫复问” in one sentence， bearing the sign that “you” and Wang Wei are going to unite. The poet is going to penetrate himself and realize that what he really longs for is to live a tranquil life. If it is translated into one persons words， it can not reveal this struggle in Chan meditation.

c. Since Chan advocates that a person should get rid of the grip of his ego in the meditation practice， the personal pronoun “I” referring to the poet does not appear in the original. Therefore， it should not be used in the translation either， especially the translation of the first sentence “下马饮君酒，问君何所之？”. It is hard to omit “I” here because it is a subject. Even in the translations of Xu Yuanchong and Witter Bynner， the pronoun “I” exists. Here is my translation.

Where horses have a rest，

Have a drink with you

And ask about where you go.

I render “下马” as “where horses have a rest” because in ancient times， travelers often stopped at the pavilions along the road to feed their horses and take a break. This translation not only solves the problem of the subject “I”， but also introduces the cultural background of the place.

d. The sentence “归卧南山陲” is said by “you”. Since it is a monologue of the poet， I render it as “why not go back to Zhongnan Mountain？”. It seems that “you” are persuading the poet to live in the mountain， which also corresponds to his gradual acknowledgement of himself.

3 Conclusion

This poem seems rather simple and easy to understand， but it cant be defined by the literal meaning if studied from a different perspective. Therefore， the difficulty of its translation is to convey the implicit meaning and maintain its simplicity in the meantime. In the study above， I， as a reader and translator， try to capture Chan in Wang Weis work and use appropriate expressions in the translation. And his farewell， I believe， is a goodbye to the life in the past and a wish for upcoming tranquil life.

So here is my translation：

Farewell

Wang Wei

Where horses have a rest，

Have a drink with you

And ask about where you go.

“Since no ambitions can be fulfilled，

Why not go back to Zhongnan Mountain？”

You may leave. Ask no more.

White clouds drift there without end.

References：

[1]许渊冲.唐诗三百首：汉英对照=300 Tang Poem： Bilingual

Edition.北京市：高等教育出版社，1921，2000. Print.

[2]吕叔湘.中诗英译比录.China：上海外语教育出版社，1980.Print.