Essay Example on A House in the Bamboo: Wang Wei's Chinese Tang Poem

Introduction

The poem Zhu li guan is a Chinese tang poem that was written by Wang Wei, who was not only a famous poet in China but also a renowned politician. The author is known for his talent and proficiency in music, writing, and drawing which contributed to his competent skills in creating poetry. In the poem Zhu li guan, which is translated into "A house in the Bamboo", Wang Wei describes a beautiful land scenery that describes a peaceful place in the society. The poem is interesting because the author incorporated the use of various stylistic devices to portray his themes and ideas. The author incorporated the use of rhythm while chanting his poetry. The poem is composed in a readable way that is well understood and intelligible to even the common members of society. The poem Zhu li guan is part of a poetry collection that was known as the Tang Dynasty Poetry Collection (Wen-zhong 657).

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Six Poems

The Tang collection contained many poems but only six poems managed to survive. The poem Zhu li guan is therefore considered among the famous poems that are considered excellent, widely known, and often quoted in social interactions. The survival of the poems is attributed to the evolution of the translation and interpretation process. The modifications of transactions of the poem from Chinese to English have undergone a significant transformation which has enhanced the understanding and reception of the poem. This analysis provides a comparison between the translation provided by One Hundred and One Chinese Poems by Terence Foley and my modified translation of the Chinese poem.

Translation

The initial translation provided by the One Hundred and One Chinese Poems provides the word to word translation of the poem. Foley begins the translation by describing the geographical environment of the author as an administrative geographical area in Gansu province. Foley also describes the landscape as the Yellow River over above ascending white clouds. The translation provided, therefore, focuses on the direct translation of the landscape. However, according to my modified translation, I have incorporated the title of the poem " The house in the bamboo" to achieve a more descriptive interpretation and analysis. My interpretation of the beginning of the poem is therefore modified to portray not only the descriptive image of the environment but also mention the actual environment's name. I, therefore, interpreted the first lines of the poem as "sit alone in bamboo forest". Mentioning the bamboo forest was significant because it allows the poem to be understood by any common individual in the society as the author intended.

Short Words in Poetry

The use of short words in poetry has impacted the translation of the poem. Short words can be translated from one language to another, however, the interpretation of these words creates the difference between the various evolution of translation. The local vocabulary of different communities has also experienced the evolution which creates new meanings to words perceived in the current generation. In my modified interpretation, I provided a noun for the words that the author explained in the poem. For example, phrases like " ten thousand measure word meaning eight feet mountain", was modified to mean people. Other phrases like "a city alone", were translated and modified to mean loneliness. Some of the most significant nouns portrayed in my translation of the poem included words like ‘people’, ‘moon’, ‘woods’, ‘forest’, ‘deep’, ‘alone’, ‘sit’, ‘bamboo forest’, and ‘whistling’. The modification of phrases into words, therefore, allows the poem to achieve improved readability and understanding of the intended opinion of the author. The evolution of translation and interpretation has therefore played a critical role in the analysis of poems.

The words used by the author in this poem were therefore specially selected to achieve the intended setting of the poem. There are aspects of the poem that suggests that the author was lonely but despite his lonely condition he seemed happy. The author, therefore, appreciated the calm and peaceful environment provided by the house in the bamboo forest. Zhu li guan belongs to the tang poetry as Wang Wei lived during the Tang dynasty between the Chinese year 699-759 (Hui 456). The poem is among 29 of Wang's poetry that was included in the Chinese anthology collection Three Hundred Tang Poems. From translation, Wang sets the mood and starts by saying where he was. Zhu li guan contains a total of 20 lines. Each line contained one character totaling to the whole poet having 20 characters. Wang was a very talented artist as he could draw and paint letters. His poems were usually short with as minimum letters as he could use as seen in this poem.

Conclsuion

The poem is set on a scene of a house in a bamboo forest where wang seems to be in a happy place and one with nature. Although different translations depict and paint different scenes the element of nature such as wind river trees and a beautiful landscape is shared across all translations. Music is also portrayed with the act of playing a musical instrument. Buddhism is expressed as Wang seems to be one with nature and seems to try and connect with his enlightened self. The poem, therefore, plays a critical role in depicting various elements and practices in society like religion, mood, environment, and personal reflection. The setting of the poem, therefore, played a significant role in enabling the author to achieve objectives.

Works Cited

Hui, Z. H. U. "On Translation and Reception of Tang Poetry in the United States [J]." Journal of Sichuan University (Social Science Edition) 4 (2004).

Wen-zhong, C. H. E. N. "Two Prosperities of Tang Poetry. Academic Approach in Classics Reception History of Tang Poetry [J]." Journal of Anhui Normal University (Hum. & Soc. Sci.) 5 (2010).