Twenty-Nine Goodbyes

An Introduction to Chinese Poetry

Timothy Billings

• Publisher: Fordham University Press
• Year: 2024
• Print ISBN:
  9781531514792
  9781531508357
• Edition: 1
• eBook ISBN:
  9781531508364
• Topic: Literature
• Subtopic: Translating & Interpreting
• Index: Literature

CHOICE: OUTSTANDING ACADEMIC TITLE

A primer for those with no previous knowledge of Chinese, this book introduces readers to the fundamentals of classical Chinese poetry through twenty-nine ways of understanding a single poem. "Seeing Off a Friend," by the great Tang poet Li Bai (701–762) has long been praised for its vividness, subtlety, and poignancy. Anthologizing twenty-nine translations of the poem, Timothy Billings not only introduces the poem's richness and depth but also the nuanced art of translating Chinese poetry into European languages.

A famous exemplar of "seeing off poetry," which was common in an empire whose literati were continually on the move, Li's poem has continued to fascinate readers far removed from its moment of composition, from the Victorians, to Ezra Pound, to contemporary translators from around the world. In talking us through these linguistic crossings, Billings unpacks the intricacies of the lüshi or "regulated verse poem," a form as pivotal to Chinese literature as the sonnet is to European tradition.

This book promises to transform its readers, step-by-step, into adept interpreters of one of the most significant verse forms in Chinese literary history. Billings's engaging teaching style, backed by a lightly worn but deep scholarly engagement with Chinese poetry, makes this work an indispensable guide for anyone interested in poetry, translation, or the cultural heritage of China.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Copyright
• Contents
• Introduction
• 1. “Taking Leave of a Friend,” Ezra Pound
• 2. “A Farewell,” Herbert Giles
• 3. 送友人 (Seeing Off a Friend)
• 4. Categorical Comparatives, with Wang Li
• 5. “Sending Off (a) Friend(s)”
• 6. “Le depart d’un ami,” Judith Gautier
• 7. “Saying Good- Bye to a Friend,” Amy Lowell and Florence Ayscough
• 8. “Adieu,” W. J. B. Fletcher
• 9. “Valedicit amico,” Angelo Zottoli
• 10. “Geleit,” Alfred Forke
• 11. “Taking Leave of a Friend,” Obata Shigeyoshi
• 12. “Je reconduis un ami,” Bruno Belpaire
• 13. “Le chanson d’adieu,” Jean- Marie Guislain
• 14. “Farewell to a Friend,” Henry Hart
• 15. “A Farewell to a Friend,” Witter Bynner and Kiang Kang-hu
• 16. “J’ai reconduit mon ami … ,” Tchou Kia Kien and Armand Gandon
• 17. “Saying Farewell to a Friend,” Robert Payne
• 18. 語譯 (Paraphrase), Xu Zhengzhong
• 19. “Farewell to a Friend,” Adet Lin
• 20. “Taking Leave of a Friend,” Innes Herdan
• 21. “Farewell to a Friend,” Xu Yuanchong
• 22. “taking leaves (1),” “parting friend,” Harry Gilonis
• 23. Tonal Balance: Ping 平 and Ze 仄
• 24. “Seeing Off a Friend,” Jonathan Stalling
• 25. “Seeing Off a Friend,” Gregory Whincup
• 26. “Seeing Off a Friend,” Edward Chang
• 27. “Seeing Off a Friend,” Red Pine / Bill Porter
• 28. Yinsong: In Song
• 29. “Seeing Off a Friend,” Timothy Billings
• Epilogue: What’s in a Name? The Sonnet
• Acknowledgments
• Notes
• Credits
• References