quiet night thoughts
[2021 njg/rg]

静夜思

李白 (701-762)

床前明月光，
疑是地上霜。
举头望明月，
低头思故乡。

contextual reflections [njg] ...

The translation of classical Chinese poetry has a history thick with controversial intentions and assumptions. This is exemplified by Cathay, a 1915 collection of classical poems that poet Ezra Pound rendered based on the notes of Ernest Fenollosa. Pound had no knowledge of Chinese, and Fenollosa was learning it with a Japanese teacher. Nevertheless, this modernist take became an anchor point for the West’s view of Chinese poetry, and for an approach to translation that decentered continuity of understanding.

I’ve found that it is common for translations of Chinese poetry to come across as either free verse or nursery rhyme. In hopes of providing an alternative, I prioritized both sound patterns and the sense of reading between and beyond the lines.

This poem has a particular modern context. Despite the literary register, it is learned by millions of children, often before they even start school. It is debatable whether this should affect the translation, but I do see it as a reflection of two poetic elements: consistent, undulating rhythms, and strong imagery created by the concrete nouns that end each line. I tried to maintain these elements in my translation.

interactive transfluxion [njg/rg] ...

in order to foreground multiplicity and tap into the agency of readers, we created an "interactive transfluxion" version of the poem. here, by clicking a given line, you are able to toggle through the permutated variations included above. if the version below does not seem to be working, you can download the html file here and then open it in any browser.

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