A History of Western Appreciation

of English-translated Tang Poetry

Lan Jiang

Foreign Language Teaching and Research Press

March 2018

79.00 （GBP）

Brief introduction：

This book examines the development of English-translated Tang poetry and its propagation to the Western world. It consists of two parts， the first of which addresses the initial stage of English-translated Tang poetry’s propagation， and the second exploring its further development. By analyzing the historical background and characteristics of these two stages， the book traces the trend back to its roots， discusses some well-known early sinologists and their contributions， and familiarizes readers with the general course of Tang poetry’s development. In addition， it presents the translated versions of many Tang poems.

Lan Jiang

Currently teaching in the Department of Modern and Classical Languages， St. Peter’s University， New Jersey. She holds a PH.D. degree in Classical Chinese Literature from Suzhou University， China; and a M.S. degree in Educational Technology from Lehigh University， Pennsylvania.

The Western recognition of Chinese classical poetry long remained only with Shi Jing （The Book of Songs）， which by then was believed to have been written by Confucius. Western pioneer sinologists， most of whom were missionaries and diplomats， translated The Book of Songs but this arose from their need to study Confucianism rather than an interest in Chinese classical literature. The publication of Poésies De l’époque des Thang in 1862 by French scholar d’Hervey Saint-Denys （1823–1892） is believed to be the first work to recognize the beauty of Chinese classical poetry.

After the mid-19th century， sinology developed rapidly in the United Kingdom. Among the British academics in the field， Professor Herbert Allen Giles （1845–1935） from the University of Cambridge， made significant contributions and built the foundation for spreading awareness of Chinese classical literature in the English-speaking world. At the turn of the 20th century， Giles published Gems of Chinese Literature （1884）， Chinese Poetry in English Verse （1894）， A History of Chinese Literature （1901）， and other works which brought together Chinese classical literature and attracted academic attention in sinology studies.

As an excellent writer with a rich background in European classical literature， as well as being a rigorous academic， Giles possessed an outstanding wealth of vocabulary and pragmatic competence in the English language. His consideration of rhyming， the format of stanzas and the precise meaning of Chinese characters led Jiang （2009， p. 16） to comment that “Giles’s work is second to none at his time， in terms of presenting the whole picture of Chinese classical poetry across Chinese ancient dynasties” but that “elegant， rare， and obscure wordings are not hard to find in his English-translated verses.” As a result， most of his work did not spread beyond the realms of academia.

Cranmer-Byng was not an academic scholar， and his knowledge of the Chinese language was considerably limited. His biographical information， especially the details of his connections and interaction with the Giles family， still needs further investigation. However， some of his own writing suggests that his interest in Chinese classical poetry and culture came directly from Herbert Giles and his son Lionel Giles （1875–1958）. Lionel Giles was also a well-known British sinologist who translated The Art of War， The Analects of Confucius， Zuo Zhuan （Tradition of Zuo）， and other Chinese classical works.

Guided by the Giles family， Cranmer-Byng was able to appreciate the beauty of classical Chinese literature with his keen sensibility as an excellent poet. When he felt he captured and understood what was conveyed in those foreign characters， the pedantry in the translations by sinologists， including Giles， could no longer satisfy his aesthetic sense. He proclaimed： The great literatures of the world have been too long in the hands of mere scholars， to whom the letter has been all-important and the spirit nothing. The time has come when the literary man should stand forth and claim his share in the revelation of truth and beauty from other lands and peoples whom our invincible European ignorance has taught us to despise.