摘 要

在2010年德国举办的最美书评中，诗经一举夺冠。《诗经》作为中国传统文学的基石，其美的特性是显而易见的。一方面，从语言角度来看，其语言简洁，隐晦而含蓄美，另一方面，其兼具意美和形美。所以，“如何恰当地传达出诗经的美”是诗经英译的一个重要问题。由许渊冲老先生提出的“三美论”对诗经英译有重要的指导意义，值得学习和推广。

本文旨在对许老的“三美论”做出客观公正的评价。本文通过分析诗歌和诗经的语言特点，结合三美原则，举例说明其在翻译中的妙用，来肯定“三美原则”在诗经中的指导意义，许译本诗经并非尽善尽美，但他在诗经翻译实践做出的有益尝试对中国文学对外传译有重要影响。

关键词：“三美原则”，许渊冲，《诗经》，翻译

Contents

1. Introduction 1

2. Demonstration 1

2.1 The original Book of Poetry 2

2.1.1 A brief introduction to the original Book of Poetry 2

2.1.2 The language features of the Book of Poetry 3

2.1.2.1 Simile, metaphor and the practice of association 3

2.1.2.2 Four-character Regulated Verse 3

2.1.2.3 Repetition 4

2.2 Three-beauty Principle 4

2.3.1The Origin and the Development 5

2.3.2 Beauty in Meaning 5

2.3.2.1 Translation of Images 5

2.3.2.2 Translation of Simile and Metaphor 6

2.3.3 Beauty in sound 7

2.3.3.1Translation of End-rhyme 7

2.3.3.2 Translation of Alliteration 8

2.3.3.3 Translation of Onomatopoeia 9

2.3.4 Beauty in Form 10

2.3.4.1 Length of lines 10

3. Conclusion 11

Works Cited..................................................................................................................12

Bibliography 13

“Three-beauty Theory” in Xu Yuanchong’s English version of the Book of Poetry

1. Introduction

Standing as the fountainhead of realism and an artistic milestone in Chinese classical literature, the Book of Poetry, a masterpiece, plays an important role in preservation of the Chinese traditional culture, logging nearly every aspect of the ancient society dating from 11th to 6th century B.C. The Book of Poetry not only serves as a treasure in Chinese literature, but also famous across the world. Every translation ways have its merits and demerits.

Three-beauty Principle includes beauty in meaning, beauty in sound and beauty in form (Xu 1979). In a word, the literary work needs to be appealing to the heart in sense, to the ear in sound and to the eye in form. The translator’s version should move the readers to the degree as the original does, when following beauty in meaning. The translator should translate the rhyme of the original when they follow the beauty in sound. When translators follow the beauty in form, they should try to keep the original form, which is the length of poetic lines and antithesis.

The paper is mainly about Book of Poetry, Three-beauty principle and some examples to prove The Three-beauty Principle is the best way to guide the poetry translation.

In a gesture to prove the principle is valuable and instructive, the author of the thesis has analyzed the linguistic features of the Book of Poetry. Some examples are given to prove the value and guiding meaning of Three-beauty Principle in translating Book of Poetry. Though the principle is not perfect, it is a very useful theory in translating Book of Poetry and other classical Chinese literature.

1. Demonstration

2.1 The original Book of Poetry

The first poetry anthology of China is the original Book of Poetry.311 poems are collected in it from the earlier years of the Western Zhou Dynasty to the middle of the Spring and Autumn Period. So the Book of Poetry is also called Three Hundred Poems, which has been honored as the Confucianism Classics since the Western Han Dynasty.

2.1.1 A brief introduction to the original Book of Poetry

According to the music style, the original Book of Poetry is classified into four parts: “国风”,“大雅”,“小雅”,“颂”. “国风”is translated by Professor Xu into Book of Songs, “大雅”into Book of Epics,“小雅”into Book of Odes and “颂’’into “Book of Hymns.

The four parts have different contents and purposes. Book of Songs mainly reflects the life of laboring people, inspiring them to do right things rather than wrong things. For example, the first and second sections reflect the domestic life of the ancient Chinese people, the third to fifth the domestic life of the ancient Chinese，the fifth to seventh mainly admonish the faults of lords, and the seventh to twelfth are love songs mostly.

Book of Odes, reflecting the life of nobles, accuses them of their wrongs and is used for the communication between them. For example, the first decade contains six odes, which is used at the royal banquet; the second decade includes two Odes in district entertainment and two describing the royal hunting.

Book of Epics reflects historical deeds. For example, in the first decade there are 6 epic odes about King Wen, two about King Wu and about their ancestors King Tai and King Ji.