Re: The utter irrelevance of 5-7-5
citycabn (citycabn@gateway.net)
Thu, 14 Oct 1999 09:41:54 -0700
Sonny,
It was intended as a very tiny quibble. :)
For my money, the best translations--which really are adaptations--of the
great and glorious Li Po (one of the original six-packers--and, when Tu Fu
comes to call they need a case)--are by none other than Erza Ideogram
Pound, to be found in his volume "Cathay", reprinted in "Personae" and "Ezra
Pound's Translations." [Brevity? Clarity?] Note: in his books, Pound
refers to Li Po as Rihaku [Japanese name? Gee, almost "haiku".]
--Bruce
-----Original Message-----
From: Sundeep Dougal <holden@giasdl01.vsnl.net.in>
To: bananafish@lists.nyu.edu <bananafish@lists.nyu.edu>
Date: Thursday, October 14, 1999 9:18 AM
Subject: Re: The utter irrelevance of 5-7-5
>
>> A quibble: did Li Po, who was Chinese, ever write in the haiku
>style?
>> Thought he just drank alot. :)
>
>I thought so too - but didn't look hard enough. Don't know much about
>Chinese or Japanese poetry apart from whatever little I've come across
>here and there, and a favourite collection of Chinese poetry
>translated by Vikram Seth. I first thought it was Po Lo being talked
>about, then was reminded of Li Bai or something similar to that, and
>though it seemed that this Li Po would definitely be Chinese, and have
>nothing to do with haikus, proceeded to go on with my discourse on
>haikus that fascinates me in Hofstadter's book.
>
>And, yes, Matt, what a shame about poetry translators.
>
>Sonny
>
>
>