The Tang Poems

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The Tang Poems
The literature that induces a concentrated and imaginative awareness of experience or particular emotional response constitutes poetry. Poetry involves choosing a specific language and arranging it to create sound, meaning, and rhythm. Among the Chinese, this art was introduced by Qu Yuan, who pioneered the unique form of classical poetry in both mythological and romantic poems. Most Chinese dynasties, including the Tang dynasty, adopted this art. Like Du Fu and Li Bai, some of its people propagated the art by writing two famous poems, From a Height and Drinking with a Gentleman of Leisure in the Mountains, respectively. These two poems have garnered popularity in the Tang dynasty as they possess various critical teachings in morals and ethics, which Chinese people need to adopt. The two poets, Du Fu, and Li Bai, were contemporary during the Tang dynasty era and identified this era as the Golden Age of Chinese Poetry. After the works of these two writers were published, other upcoming writers are said to refer to some sections of them as Du Fu, and Li Bai's pieces of literature were regarded as epic (Xu et al. 23). The following paper plans to analyze two poems belonging to the Tang dynasty, written by Le Bai and Du Fu, and compare them with their different translations.
Gentleman of Leisure in the Mountains by Li Bai
Gentleman of Leisure in the Mountains is one of the most famous poems ever written by Li Bai. Li Bai was born in 701, about ten years before his counterpart Du Fu. From Gentleman of Leisure in the Mountains and other poems written by Li Bai, it is evident that this poet was instead a romantic temperament and lived a lifestyle that can be termed as debauched. Additionally, most of Li Bai's poems are passionate, carefree, and portray a sense of pastoralism. Another critical feature that defies most of Li Bai's is the sense of ruling bureaucracy that encompasses most of his poems (Liu et al. 35). While the Gentleman of Leisure in the Mountains may not reflect leadership, other poems manifest Li Bai's attachment towards ruling as it is believed the writer had spent some time as the emperor's guest.
Gentleman of Leisure in the Mountains has evolved and has continuously been translated into different versions by various modern poets. The traditional poem may have involved the traditional beliefs and context, but as the translations increased, the poem has been westernized, incorporating modern artifacts or aspects (Yang 56). The following are two different forms of Gentleman of Leisure in the Mountains.
Comparing the Two Translations
Arthur Cooper's and All Poetry's translations possess some similarities showing that the original poem had vital aspects focused on. For instance, both of these translations capture nature through the involvement of mountains flowers. These two poets capture the elegance of nature, which Li Bai most likely wanted to be evident in his works. Li Bai wanted to capture the reader's emotions while experiencing the outdoors by incorporating nature in his poems. Although it might be subjective to the translators, he employs styles such as the personification' mountain flowers blossoms' in this poem (Liao et al. 678). Unequivocally, both translations include nature showing that Li Bai wanted an aspect of the natural world in terms of topography and appearance to be captured in his poem.
Both Cooper's and All Poetry's translations include drinking as a social activity. Analyzing both translations, it is evident that drinking is one of the social activities that the Chinese cherish during social gatherings. Typically, drinking is a serious business in China as it is part and parcel of the culture which continuously thrives. Some researchers argue that drinking is a pervasive social ritual that often occurs during formal banquets where the host toast to the honored guest, who then is supposed to toast back. While drinking may be cherished in the Chinese culture, the activity occurs in a more controlled, purposeful, and ritualized manner (Yi et al. 675). Therefore, from Li Bai's poem, a reader can acknowledge that drinking epitomizes some Chinese rituals.
Both Cooper's and All Poetry's translation acknowledges the role of instrument playing and music. In both of these translations, a 'lute' is mentioned. A lute refers to any plucked instrument with a neck and deep round back that encloses a hollow cavity and typically has a sound opening in its body. This instrument is used to play music ranging from Medieval to Late Baroque. Among the Chinese, the lute or Pipa has long remained the king of instruments due to the various songs it can be used to play. While the lute may capture the role of an instrument playing in the Chinese culture, the role of music is also evidence. Traditionally, music was used as a social and political tool among the Chinese where it would be applied in conducting and governing the people. Generally, music optimized happiness or social utility (Liao et al. 680). Therefore, Li Bai wanted to show the role of music in his culture hence all translations constituting the lute.
Both Cooper's and All Portry's translations portray the theme of friendship. In Cooper's and All Poetry's translation, friendship is illustrated by coming together and drinking. In Cooper's translation, the persona urges his friend to drink until he is sleepy. Additionally, the persona tells his friend to remember coming the following day to continue the fun. Generally, both Cooper's and All Poetry's translations capture friendship through drinking and coming together.
Contrasting the Two Translations
Although Cooper's and All Poetry's translations may possess similarities, a few differences are also apparent. In Cooper's translation, repetition is applied, which is lacking in All Poetry's translation. Cooper repeats 'toast' severally to emphasize the feeling, develop a sense of urgency, and create rhythm. Consequently, rhythm creates memorability; thus, one can easily remember Cooper's translation compared to All Poetry's translation. Also, in Cooper's translation, there is specificity based on time since there is an inclusion of 'early' before tomorrow, lais lacking in All Poetry's translation. This specificity helps the reader picture time with accuracy and not incomplete information while reading. For All Poetry's translation, cannot precisely tell when the next meetup of the characters in the poem (Liu et al. 35). Generally, Cooper's translation incorporates repetition and specificity, which All Poetry's translation lacks.
The ending in Cooper's translation differed from that of All Poetry's based on the emphasis created by the 'if you like.' In Cooper's translation, the persona's friend is guaranteed to come the...