This book by Andrew W.F. Wong (the last President of Hong Kong's Legislative Council before sovereignty reverted in 1997 to China) is a collection of 60 Tang dynasty (618–907) Chinese quatrains (4-line poems) he has rendered into English in verse form. These are all new translations, never published before in book form.
The English verse form he has chosen is that of “accentual verse” (much like that of hymns, ballads, and nursery rhymes) which counts only the stressed syllables both for the rhythm and for the length of the poetic lines. This has made his renditions melodious to the English ear --- English being an accentual language. And so, accentual, must verse in English be.
Melody and rhythmicity are further enhanced by his end-rhyming lines 1, 2, and 4 or just lines 2 and 4, as the case may be in the original, and by the provision of a caesura or pause in or near the middle of the line.
Just listen to his reading of any of these poems, particularly ones of 6-beat or 7-beat lines, to experience the music of this poetry. Please use the QR Code on the top right-hand corner of the poem to gain access to his reading.
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3 comments:
Lok just gave me your book. It's absolutely beautiful and my Chinese students (I teach ESOL) said the translations were spot on. Congratulations! I also discovered that you have an MPA from SU. I graduated from the program in 1971, so I'm guessing that we knew some of the same professors--Scotty Campbell, Seymour Sacks, Guthrie Birkhead. Syracuse is my home town, so I lived there (off and on) until 1986. Who knows, maybe we actually met back then! Anyhow, it's a pleasure to have Lok, John and Lucus as neighbors and to know you (perhaps again). Lok has been so kind to us, watching our pet, sharing her time to talk with us, and being active in a school that is dear to my heart. Looking forward to seeing you 'for real' soon.
Dear Syracuse Alumnus, I am glad you like my book and think my translations are spot on. I hope you like my verse in English too although my versification may be unorthodox if, granted, only accentual-syllabic verse is orthodox and mine is purely accentual. You said you and my daughter Lok are neighbours. I am sure we will meet soon, as soon as the pandemic is over, as my wife and I will certainly be visiting. Best wishes, Andrew.
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