Glossary entry (derived from question below)
Chinese term or phrase:
每日见中华
English translation:
I've seen Chinese from day to day.
Added to glossary by
Wenjer Leuschel (X)
Dec 5, 2008 12:57
15 yrs ago
1 viewer *
Chinese term
每日见中华
Chinese to English
Art/Literary
Poetry & Literature
Seemingly common expression
廿年居上海，每日见中华：
有病不求药，无聊才读书。
一阔脸就变，所砍头渐多。
忽而又下野，南无阿弥陀。
This poem was written by Lu Xun for his Japanese friend Uchiyama Kanzo in 1931. I should have asked the question in language pair Chinese-Chinese, but it would be interesting to know how it could be translated into English. It would be even better, if a translation of it could be better than the original.
TIA!
有病不求药，无聊才读书。
一阔脸就变，所砍头渐多。
忽而又下野，南无阿弥陀。
This poem was written by Lu Xun for his Japanese friend Uchiyama Kanzo in 1931. I should have asked the question in language pair Chinese-Chinese, but it would be interesting to know how it could be translated into English. It would be even better, if a translation of it could be better than the original.
TIA!
Proposed translations
(English)
| 2 | I saw China daily |
Scott Webber (X)
|
Proposed translations
1 day 8 hrs
Selected
I saw China daily
At 20 in Shanghai,
I saw China daily:
She sought no cure for her ills,
and read only to evade boredom.
A little money had spun her head around;
her pile of severed heads was on the rise.
Just like that she had become wild again—
Praise to Amitābha.
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Note added at 3 days8 hrs (2008-12-08 21:18:12 GMT) Post-grading
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I agree that 中華台北 is usually translated as "Chinese Taipei". But in this poem, "China" is a better translation of 中華.
Lu Xun is not talking about the land of China, the Chinese people, or the Chinese state; he is talking about the Chinese culture. (This is not clear from the poem, but it is clear from Lu Xun's other writings that he believed the Chinese culture to be a sort of spiritual illness which literature might cure.)
In English, "China" is an appropriate poetic name for this culture. Compare "Europe". It can name a place (the continent), a people (Europeans), a state (the EU), but also a culture.
In prose, we write "European culture". But a poet might just write "Europe". (Originally, Europe was the name of a female figure from mythology, and this sense remains: we have the habit of personifying nations.)
Suppose a poet were to write: "Europe is declining." I would not usually suppose that he meant that the land is eroding, the population decreasing, or even the state losing power. The most natural meaning would be that the importance and vitality of European culture was on the wane.
Similarly, I used "China" in my translation to indicate that it is not the people which Lu Xun laments but their culture.
After reading your translation, I am not sure whether 廿年居上海 means "Living in Shanghai when I was 20 years old", which is what my translation says in less words, or "After living in Shanghai for 20 years".
If the second meaning is correct, I might write: "During 20 years in Shanghai, / I watched China from day to day: / She sought no cure for her ills, / and read only to evade boredom. / A little money had turned her head, / and set around her a pile of corpses. / Just like that she had become wild again — Praise to Amitābha."
Your translation would also work, however, with a few corrections: "During 20 years in Shanghai, / I saw the Chinese from day to day: / They sought no cure for their illnesses, / and read only to evade boredom. / A little money would turn their heads around; / their pile of severed heads is growing. / Oh Amitābha, / wild again — just like that."
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Note added at 25 days (2008-12-31 05:26:54 GMT) Post-grading
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Translating poetry is hard! I read 下野, to go down into the wilds, to mean to become wild, in the sense of barbarous and uncivilized. But I think that your reading, to mean to lose power, is correct. So I would revise my translation:
Over 20 years in Shanghai, / I watched China from day to day: / She sought no cure for her ills, / and read only to evade boredom. / When a little wealth turned her head, / she piled up corpses around her. / When she suddenly lost it all, / she prayed to Amitābha.
A depressing poem.
I saw China daily:
She sought no cure for her ills,
and read only to evade boredom.
A little money had spun her head around;
her pile of severed heads was on the rise.
Just like that she had become wild again—
Praise to Amitābha.
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 3 days8 hrs (2008-12-08 21:18:12 GMT) Post-grading
--------------------------------------------------
I agree that 中華台北 is usually translated as "Chinese Taipei". But in this poem, "China" is a better translation of 中華.
Lu Xun is not talking about the land of China, the Chinese people, or the Chinese state; he is talking about the Chinese culture. (This is not clear from the poem, but it is clear from Lu Xun's other writings that he believed the Chinese culture to be a sort of spiritual illness which literature might cure.)
In English, "China" is an appropriate poetic name for this culture. Compare "Europe". It can name a place (the continent), a people (Europeans), a state (the EU), but also a culture.
In prose, we write "European culture". But a poet might just write "Europe". (Originally, Europe was the name of a female figure from mythology, and this sense remains: we have the habit of personifying nations.)
Suppose a poet were to write: "Europe is declining." I would not usually suppose that he meant that the land is eroding, the population decreasing, or even the state losing power. The most natural meaning would be that the importance and vitality of European culture was on the wane.
Similarly, I used "China" in my translation to indicate that it is not the people which Lu Xun laments but their culture.
After reading your translation, I am not sure whether 廿年居上海 means "Living in Shanghai when I was 20 years old", which is what my translation says in less words, or "After living in Shanghai for 20 years".
If the second meaning is correct, I might write: "During 20 years in Shanghai, / I watched China from day to day: / She sought no cure for her ills, / and read only to evade boredom. / A little money had turned her head, / and set around her a pile of corpses. / Just like that she had become wild again — Praise to Amitābha."
Your translation would also work, however, with a few corrections: "During 20 years in Shanghai, / I saw the Chinese from day to day: / They sought no cure for their illnesses, / and read only to evade boredom. / A little money would turn their heads around; / their pile of severed heads is growing. / Oh Amitābha, / wild again — just like that."
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 25 days (2008-12-31 05:26:54 GMT) Post-grading
--------------------------------------------------
Translating poetry is hard! I read 下野, to go down into the wilds, to mean to become wild, in the sense of barbarous and uncivilized. But I think that your reading, to mean to lose power, is correct. So I would revise my translation:
Over 20 years in Shanghai, / I watched China from day to day: / She sought no cure for her ills, / and read only to evade boredom. / When a little wealth turned her head, / she piled up corpses around her. / When she suddenly lost it all, / she prayed to Amitābha.
A depressing poem.
Note from asker:
| Thank you! Quite close. Not bad at all. I guess you must have been in Taiwan or China. You might remember how we translate 中华台北 into English. 中华 cannot be translated as "China" in this case. |
| Basically your translation with a bit changed, how about this? Living in Shanghai for 20 years, I've seen Chinese from day to day: They seek no cure for illness and read only to evade boredom. A little money would spin their head around; the pile of their severed heads is on the rise. There steps down someone just like that — Praise to Amitābha. |
| I take "Chinese" instead of "China" for "Chinese Taipei" is somewhat different from "China Taipei." |
| Thank you for the explanation of the meaning of denoting cultures. Either "After living 20 years in Shanghai" or "Living in Shanghai since 20 year" will do, I guess. There is only one point more to discuss, that is, the contrast between 一阔脸就变 and 忽而又下野. 下野 means losing power and stepping down. 升官发财 is seemingly a normal wish in Chinese culture. That's the most quick way to become 阔. But once the one loses power just like that, he loses everything. That's why there comes the last phrase of 南无阿弥陀. May be you have some other ideas about this. |
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer.
Comment: "Thanks!"
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