"Boudoir Thoughts" by Hsu Kan

Paper Summary:

This paper explains that there is a striking difference between Ronald Miao's translation of "Boudoir Thoughts" by Hsu Kan, which is closer to the text of the original, than the very Western-style translation by Herbert Giles. The author points out that, in Miao's translation, the speaker seems to be mourning the loss of the beloved without blame or bitterness; whereas, in Giles's reinterpretation, the speaker seems alienated from the beloved and filled with bitterness. The paper relates that the general tone of the poem in Miao's translation is quieter and has more resigned speech; in Giles's translation, the tone is far more exorbitant and uses passionate words.

From the Paper:

"This difference begins when Giles addresses the clouds directly, as if they were human: "O floating clouds... bear on your wings these words... Alas, you float along nor heed my pain, and leave me here..." Giles looks at the clouds and sees them as cruel beings who will betray and abandon the poet. Miao, on the other hand, uses the silence of the clouds as a way to show the scale of the poet in relationship to the world, and to express not abandonment but distance."

More papers on "Boudoir Thoughts" by Hsu Kan:

• Article Review # 103430 : "Just Walk On By"
• Analytical Essay # 66490 : "Just Walk on By"
• Research Paper # 7622 : "Economic and Political Thoughts of Key Economists"

APA Citation:

MLA Citation: