Poetry Factors and Poetical Translation

• Wang Dong

  (1969-04), Master of English Language and Literature, Lecturer of English Department, Foshan University, Foshan, China. In 1991 and 1998, he graduated from School of Foreign Languages, Henan University and was granted Bachelor's Degree and Master's Degree. In June 2019, he was admitted to Assumption University in Thailand as a doctoral student. He is the author of three collections of poetry, The Stars Are Singing (The Earth Culture Press, 2009), More than Love (United Art Press, 2024) and Original Love Poems (Shanghai Literature & Art Publishing House, 2018), English novel, A Fallen Leaf Regaining Life (Walt Whitman Literature Fund, 2009), as well as English monographs, A Study on D. H. Lawrence’s Main Novels and Poetry (Shanghai Jiao Tong University Press, 2024), Lingnan Culture: Research and Translation (United Art Press, 2025) and The Origin of Shakespeare's Greatness (United Science Press, 2025). Till now, fifty-seven academic papers of his have been published.

This book explores the core elements of poetry, the distinctive features of children’s poetry, and the fundamental principles of poetic translation, drawing on a wealth of Chinese and Western poetic texts.

In terms of poetry construction, the book identifies five essential factors: novel and appropriate imagery (exemplified by the unique imagery in the works of Emily Dickinson and Li Qingzhao), strong musicality (manifested in rhythm and rhyme in both English and Chinese poetry), inspiration (regarded as a spiritual driving force for poetic creation), accessibility to readers (emphasizing clarity and avoidance of obscurity), and the eulogy of truth, goodness, and beauty (analyzed through Shakespeare’s sonnets and Dickinson’s poems, which praise noble virtues and criticize falsehood and ugliness).

For children’s poetry, the book outlines eight key constructing factors by analyzing Robert Louis Stevenson’s 'A Child’s Garden of Verses': unique and rich imagination, moral elevation, alignment with children’s characteristics and tastes, beautiful rhythm and rhyme, plain colloquial language, clear and intuitive imagery, innocent and beautiful artistic conception, and adoption of a nationalized form. These elements collectively create works that resonate with children and nurture their sentiments.

Regarding poetic translation, the book proposes three core principles based on the theories and practices of scholars: translating poetry with poetry (preserving the original’s artistic conception, musicality, and poetic flavor), taking a nationalized approach (adapting to the target language’s poetic traditions while retaining the source text’s cultural essence), and conveying both essence and meaning (balancing accurate transmission of content with the expression of the original’s connotations and spirit).

Overall, the book emphasizes that excellent poetry, whether for adults or children, relies on specific constructing elements, and poetic translation requires adhering to appropriate principles to achieve effective cross-cultural communication of poetic art.

The topic of factors in constructing poetry is an important topic worth exploring. As a special type of poetry, children's poetry deserves a dedicated chapter to explore its constituent elements. This book is based on the poetry texts of famous Chinese and foreign poets, exploring the factors that contribute to the construction of poetry, and through the study of famous poetry translators, exploring the principles of poetry translation.

The whole book is divided into three chapters.

The first chapter delves into the factors that construct poetry. It includes five parts: novel and appropriate imagery, extremely strong musicality, inspiration, being able to communicate with readers, and eulogizing truth, goodness and beauty.

The second chapter illustrates the eight factors that construct children's poetry: unique and rich imagination, elevating morality, being in line with the characteristics and tastes of children, beautiful rhythm and rhyme, the simple and plain colloquial language in daily life, clear and intuitive imagery, the beautiful and innocent artistic conception, and adopting a nationalized form.

The third chapter probes into the standards of poetry translation. It includes three parts: translating poetry with poetry, taking the path of nationalization, and conveying essence and meaning.

I sincerely hope that this book can be beneficial for future research on the factors of constructing poetry and the standards of poetry translation.