A study of the translations of Du Fu’s lüshi using formal and dynamic equivalence

Du Fu, the most influential poet in the Tang Dynasty, has made great contributions to the development of Tang poetry, especially in the form of the lüshi, a type of modern style poetry. He has used this poetic genre in a powerful and memorable way to depict the socio-political landscape of his time and to convey his concern with the sufferings of his people, as well as his own aspirations. Although the translation of Du Fu’s poems, especially lüshi, is difficult due to the layers of historical and cultural allusions embedded in them and their strict formal poetic rules, many translators have produced great translations. There have been very few studies done to examine these translations and their effectiveness. This dissertation will address the gap and offer a comparative study of different translations to see whether there is a viable translation strategy that will do full justice to Du Fu’s magnificent work. This dissertation aims to figure out whether a balance can be reached through analyzing different translations of Du Fu’s two lüshi poems based on formal and dynamic equivalence. The two chosen poems are Spring View (春望) and Writing of My Feelings Traveling by Night (旅夜书怀), and three translations of each poem chosen for analysis are by W. J. B. Fletcher, Stephen Owen, and Xu Yuanchong. The dissertation will examine the formal features and meanings of each poem and then look at the effectiveness of each translation, to see if all three translations are effective in conveying the original meaning as well as the key poetic features. It will examine how the formal features, especially the tonal patterns, rhymes, rhythm and parallelism, are better retained in the translations. It will also explore how a balance between meaning and form can be achieved.Master of Arts (Translation and Interpretation