Translation Discussion

topwaybest

    A friend sent me a translation of a paragraph from a Chinese classic Liji (Book of Rites), which made me have a quite good laugh. Here is the version:
   
     \"Emperor Wu-wang defeated Yan and rebelled against Shang, … scattering horses to the sunny slopes of Hua Mountains so that they would never again be mounted, dispersing cattle in the wilderness of Tao-lin so that they would never again be yoked, and his bloodied arms were put away in the arsenal so that they would never again be used. Gan (shields) and ge (halberds) were turned upside down and wrapped in tiger-hides; generals and commanders were elevated to dukes and counts; and this act was known as jian-gao. Thereafter everyone under heaven knew Emperor Wu-wang would cease to wage war. The army was disbanded and field-archery (‘jiao-she’) was practiced at Li-shou in the east and Chu-yu in the west, but the practice of armour-penetrating archery (‘guan-ge-zhi-she’) was put to rest. Donning ritual crown and costume, and carrying ceremonial boards in their hands (‘pi-mian-jin-hu’), Huben warriors spoke on swords.\"

     The original text reads:

     武王克殷反商 …… 馬散之華山之陽，而弗複乘；牛散之桃林之野，而弗複服。車甲衅而藏之府庫，而弗複用。倒載干戈，包之以虎皮；將帥之士，使為諸侯；名之曰建櫜。然後知武王之不復用兵也。散軍而郊射，左射狸首，右射騶虞，而貫革之射息也。裨冕搢笏，而虎賁之士說劍也。

    Come to remark and express your oppinions, please. : ) Later I'll provide a standard version by a renowned scholar translator.

topwaybest

    Many friends have come here but none has left even a word. It's strange enough! Well, here I'd like to post, as I promised, the rendition by a great Sinologist, James Legge, which reads,

    King Wu, after the victory over Yin, proceeded to (the capital of) Shang. … … His horses were set free on the south of mount Hwa, not to be yoked again. His oxen were dispersed in the wild of the Peach forest, not to be put to the carriages again. His chariots and coats of mail were smeared with blood, and despatched to his arsenals, not to be used again. The shields and spears were turned upside down and conveyed away, wrapped in tiger skins, which were styled "the appointed cases." The leaders and commanders were then constituted feudal lords; and it was known throughout the kingdom that king Wu would have recourse to weapons of war no more. The army having been disbanded (the king commanded) a practice of archery at the colleges in suburbs. At the college on the left (or east) they shot to the music of the Li-shau; at that on the right (or west) they shot to the music of the Sau-yu; and (from this time) the archery which consisted in going through (so many) buffcoats ceased. They wore (only) their civil robes and caps, with their ivory tokens of rank stuck in their girdles; and the officers of the guard put off their swords.