Nineteen Ways of Looking at Wang Wei, Week 2 of 2

[x_los]

This week, we're finishing Eliot Weinberger's "Nineteen Ways of Looking at Wang Wei". This short book discusses many ways to translate a single, brief Tang dynasty poem and the choices involved therein. This week, we'll look at the last ten poems. 

I'll reproduce the translations under discussion here, but c/ping from the pdf is not very reliable and frequently introduces errors. I'm including the text here primarily as a reference point for our discussions: I advise you to look at the book file itself for your reading.

Comments

10. Untitled

[x_los]

On the empty mountains no one can be seen,
But human voices are heard to resound.
The reflected sunlight pierces the deep forest
And falls again upon the mossy ground.

- James J.Y. Liu, 1962

11. Deep in the Mountain Wilderness

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Deep in the mountain wilderness
Where nobody ever comes
Only once in a great while
Something like the sound of a far off voice.
The low rays of the sun
Slip through the dark forest,
And gleam again on the shadowy moss.

- Kenneth Rexroth, 1970

12. Deer Fence

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Empty hills, no one in sight,
only the sound of someone talking;
late sunlight enters the deep wood,
shining over the green moss again.

- Burton Watson, 1971

13. Deer Enclosure

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Empty mountain: no man is seen,
But voices of men are heard.
Sun's reflection reaches into the woods
And shines upon the green moss.

- Wai-Lim Yip, 1972

14. Deer Park

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Hills empty, no one to be seen
We hear only voices echoed-
With light coming back into the deep wood
The top of the green moss is lit again.

- G.W. Robinson, 1973

15. En la Ermita del Parque de los Venados

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No se ve gente en este monte.
Solo se oyen, lejos, voces.
Por los ramajes la luz rompe.
Tendida entre la yerba brilla verde.

- Octavio Paz, 1974

[In the Deer Park Hermitage. No people are seen on this moun­tain. Only voices, far off, are heard. Light breaks through the branches. Spread among the grass it shines green,]

16. Li Ch'ai

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In empty mountains no one can be seen.
But here might echoing voices cross.
Reflecting rays
entering the deep wood
Glitter again
on the dark green moss.

- William McNaughton, 1974

17. Clos aux cerfs

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Montagne deserte. Personne n'est en vue.
Seuls, les echos des voix resonnent, au loin.
Ombres retoument dans la foret profonde:
Dernier eclat de la mousse, vert.

- Francois Cheng, 1977

[Deer Enclosure. Deserted mountain. No one in sight.! Only, the echoes of voices resound, far off.! Shadows return to the deep forest:/ Last gleaming of the moss, green.]

18. The Deer Park

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Not the shadow on a man on the deserted hill-
And yet one hears voices speaking;
Deep in the seclusion of the woods,
Stray shafts of the sun pick out the green moss.

- H.C. Chang, 1977

19. Untitled

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Empty mountains:
no one to be seen.
Yet--hear­--
human sounds and echoes.
Returning sunlight
enters the dark woods;
Again shining
on the green moss, above.

- Gary Snyder, 1978

Further Comments, Octavio Paz

[x_los]

lol re never found his theory persuasive, but man litnerd guys this age are absolutely dick drunk on Pound, like an English boy with Oasis: neither is even good?

This point about parallels is good.

Postscript

[x_los]

antistrophic?
Great drama
Overall a very interesting, if sometimes frustrating, book

Some comments I made earlier on in the reading process:

"Ok finished reading and making notes on 19 Ways of Looking at Wang Wei which I think poetry club can do after du fu in 1-2 weeks, it’s a really interesting insight into the history of translating Chinese into European languages even if it’s also frustrating
Like it’s really given me to understand how BIG an influence Pound had on everyone’s process

Also this is maybe me being a ween but it is weird to have a big fash brought up again and again in these inherently raced translation and lit canon discourses like it’d be impolite or unreasonable to remember he did all that
Like oh you wouldn’t be so uncool as to recall that and wonder why we are not speaking of it at all SURELY
idk it does change how I think of Heidigger how can it not
Because it’s just like. Wiki curiosity
Lit is KEEN to not say
It is a Thing
Like you can’t gloss over this AND YET
I feel like the description of conditions is supposed to make me go oh poor scholar as well
But uh fuck around and find out
You know whose survival id trade Benjamin
Soooo"