Arthur Waley and James Legge are translators who never seem to become dated. They stay close to the source material and thus become a valuable point of reference for subsequent translators and poets. Yet their poems and passages are well-written English. Two of my favorite books are Legge's nearly interlinear translations of Confucious and Mencius. Beautiful books, with deep footnotes and delicious, block style characters for the original language. Waley's "Translations from the Chinese", which can still be had in large format hardback for under ten dollars in big city used book stores is, for me, a perfect starting point for Chinese Poetry. This book looks very good as well.
Here is a lovely poem by Chi K'ang, who was born just as the Han Dynasty, the Asian equivalent of Rome, collapsed:
I will cast out Wisdom and reject Learning.
My thoughts shall wander in the Great Void.
Always repenting of wrongs done
Will never bring my heart to rest.
I cast my hook in a single stream;
But my joy is as if I possessed a Kingdom.
I loose my hair and go singing;
This is the purport of my song:
"My thoughts shall wander in the Great Void."
- Taoist Song
A very reasonable response to political and military anarchy, wouldn't you say?
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