PREFACE

W. J. B. Fletcher（1879-1933）, whose full name is William John Bainbridge Fletcher, was a British diplomat, who had worked and lived in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou successively for 25 years since 1908. Due to his love for Chinese culture, especially traditional Chinese poetry, Fletcher did not return to England after retirement. Instead, he taught at Sun Yat-Sen University as a professor and engaged in cultural exchanges between China and the West till his death. In 1918, Fletcher published Gems of Chinese Verse, an English anthology of 181 Tang poems, including 36 of Li Bai, 45 of Du Fu and 100 of other 56 poets. One year later, More Gems of Chinese Poetry was made public, which contains 17 pieces of Li Bai, 30 of Du Fu and 58 of other 28 Tang poets. The two works demonstrate quite clearly the translator's preference for Li Bai and Du Fu, two foremost poets of the Tang Dynasty. Before the Gems and More Gems, Li Bai had received some attention in the West while little was known about Du Fu. Fletcher's equal treatment of them, therefore, is a groundbreaking contribution to the translation of Chinese poetry.

The first English translation of Tang poetry dates back to the early nineteenth century. Ever since then, however, 100 years had witnessed only scattered pieces coming out from time to time, without a single volume devoted to the gems of Chinese literature. In this sense, Fletcher's two anthologies of 1918 and 1919 are so significant that they should be rightly regarded as a milestone in the introduction of Tang poetry to the English-speaking world.

Fletcher adopts the strategy of verse for verse translation and rhyming.At the same time he makes much account of readability, taking the general public as the target reader. To illustrate the notable features of his translation, let us look at the “Ode to Autumn, No. 1” by Du Fu:

Before the Autumn's pearling dew the maple woods decay,
O'er Magic Hill and Wizard Gorge broods desolation's sway.
The billows of the river leap to touch the boiling sky,
The stormclouds driven o'er the Pass o'er Earth as shadows fly.
The asters twice have opened a fresh year's tears to view,
The lone boat once tied up acquires old longings ever new.
All round, their winter clothes to make, the rule and scissors ply,
Till sunset thuds the busy block o'er Po-ti's towers high.

True to the original Chinese version, the translation is made up of eight iambic lines with end rhymes. The rhyming format is aabbccdd, the so called couplet rhyme, which is quite common in English poetry.

Fletcher lived in an era when China was subjected to domestic strife and foreign aggression. Against this backdrop we could have nothing but praise for his respect and reverence for Tang poetry in particular and Chinese culture in general, which is best indicated by the “Dedication” of More Gems of Chinese Poetry —“To Tatung”:

My heart had never Venus thrilled,
My breast had passion never filled
Mine art perchance had never brought
To thee these Gems of ancient thought.
Then strung on sweet affection's string
These Gems about thy neck I fling.
For they upon thy breast will shine
With twice the beauty that is mine.

Concise, straightforward and elegant, Fletcher's translation of Tang poetry still boasts an irresistible charm despite the passage of 100 years. It remains a valuable guide and reference for introducing Chinese literature and culture to the rest of the world today.

Gu Jun
September 30, 2018
Professor of Beijing Foreign Studies University,
Vice president of International Institute of Chinese Studies, BFSU）