3。4 The Principle and Strategies 14

Chapter 4 Conclusion 18

References 19

Chapter 1 Introduction

China has always been called a country of poetry and Chinese classic poems have touched Chinese people of one generation after another, as well as those of the world。 The combination of emotion and scenery and that of form and spirit together bring about its charm like a boundless sea。 Therefore, the revivification and reproduction of scenery is of great importance for the translation of Chinese poetry。 In order to make scenery description in Chinese poetry understood better by English readers, the author aims to make a study of scenery translation in Chinese classical poetry from the perspective of Functional Equivalence Theory and try to put forward some possible principles and strategies for translation。

1。1 Research Background

China has been a country of poetry since ancient times and Chinese classical poetry has marked its unique place in the realm of world poetry by its melodious rhythms, refined language and profound cultural backgrounds。 As a splendid pearl of Chinese culture, Chinese classical poetry has drawn more and more widespread concerns。 China is growing mightier from day to day, and it is no doubt that China’s economic power has blossomed out into a new level。 However, at the same time, its cultural impact hasn’t caught up on its equivalent level。 As a Chinese, everyone should take up the mantle to do his or her bit for the nation, to spread our culture across the globe。 

The culture of Chinese ancient poetry, is derived from the word, seeded in folk, and prospered in singing。 From the Warring States period to the current literature, poetry has always been playing a role in Chinese literature。 As far as 2,000 years ago, ancient Chinese people composed the first collection of Chinese classical poems Book of Poetry and Elegies of the South。 Later, with the prosperity of great amount of poetry of Tang Dynasty and poem of Song Dynasty, Chinese classical poetry has enjoyed a world-wide reputation。 These works link the thoughts and affections of ancient Chinese people, are invaluable fruits of thousands of years' cultural accumulation, and serve as a fantastic window through which the world can observe Chinese culture。

Poetry translation, which is not simple as it seems to be, has attracted much attention at home and abroad。 Numerous researches on the translation of Chinese classical poems from various perspectives have been carried out by scholars。 Nida’s Functional Theory suggests that translation, as a kind of communication, will not only transmit correct information but also try to meet the needs of target readers。 To spread Chinese culture in a more effective way, making the translation understood by foreigners is really important。 Therefore, applying Functional Equivalence in poetry translation is worth trying。 

Chanting scenery through poems is a prominent characteristic of Chinese poetry, through which it presents us a perfect combination of feelings and poetic illusions。 Scenery is composed of different kinds of images, and different scenery in the poetry shows various emotions of the poets。 In Chinese poetry, the natural landscape and the related cultural feelings are expressed through the images in a smooth and natural way。 Readers can sense the broad and profound Chinese culture from the scenery description in the Chinese poetry。 Thus during the process of translating scenery description in poetry, taking readers’ reaction is very important, which meets the spirit of Nida’s functional equivalence。

Therefore, the integration of Functional Equivalence Theory and scenery translation in Chinese poetry is feasible。 However, up to now, the study of translation from the perspective of Functional Equivalence Theory has rarely been conducted in the area of scenery translation。 As a result, the author intends to take scenery translation as a breach to explore the possible methods of poetry translation from Functional Equivalence Theory。