The New Directions Anthology of Classical Chinese PoetryEliot Weinberger A groundbreaking anthology of classical Chinese translations by giants of Modern American poetry. A rich compendium of translations, The New Directions Anthology of Classical Chinese Poetry is the first collection to look at Chinese poetry through its enormous influence on American poetry. Weinberger begins with Ezra Pound's Cathay (1915), and includes translations by three other major U.S. poetsWilliam Carlos Williams, Kenneth Rexroth, Gary Snyderand an important poet-translator-scholar, David Hinton, all of whom have long been associated with New Directions. Moreover, it is the first general anthology ever to consider the process of translation by presenting different versions of the same poem by various translators, as well as examples of the translators rewriting themselves. The collection, at once playful and instructive, serves as an excellent introduction to the art and tradition of Chinese poetry, gathering some 250 poems by nearly 40 poets. The anthology also includes previously uncollected translations by Pound; a selection of essays on Chinese poetry by all five translators, some never published before in book form; Lu Chi's famous "Rhymeprose on Literature" translated by Achilles Fang; biographical notes that are a collage of poems and comments by both the American translators and the Chinese poets themselves; and also Weinberger's excellent introduction that historically contextualizes the influence Chinese poetry has had on the work of American poets. |
Contents
SHIH CHING The Book of Odes | 3 |
Heaven conserve thy course in quietness EP | 9 |
Great hand King Wu EP | 15 |
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Common terms and phrases
anthology Arthur Waley autumn bamboo birds boat Buddhist Burton Watson Cathay Ch'an China Chinese poetry Chü-i classical clear clouds Cold Mountain comes dark David Hinton dawn deep dream drifting dust Dynasty empty Ezra Pound fall Fenollosa fish flowers garden Gary Snyder gate gone gorges grass green hair Han-shan heart heaven horse Hsieh Ling-yün Imagist jade Japanese Kenneth Rexroth lament leaves Li Po light Liu Ch'e lone look Lu Yu Meng Chiao mist moon moonlight mulberries never night Orchid peaks plum blossoms poems poet poetic rain recluse river Shih snow Song sorrow sound South Spring streams Sung T'ang T'ao Ch'ien Taoist things thought thousand towering trans translation trees Tu Fu Univ verse village wandering Wang Wei waves William Carlos Williams willow wind wine words Yüan