FROM THE HISTORY OF TRANSLATIONS OF FABLES BY I.A. KRYLOV IN CHINA: THE FIRST TRANSLATION IN VERSE (1924)

Abstract

. The article deals with the translation of Krylov’s fable “The Oak and the Cane”, made by Li Bingzhi and published in 1924. In China, this was the first poetic translation of Krylov’s fable and the first made directly from the Russian language. The article discusses the features of this translation and its place in the history of popularization of the work of the great Russian fabulist in China. The fable “The Oak and the Cane” itself was a translation of the fable by J. La Fontaine, but Li Bingzhi considered it an original work. His translation is the only poetic translation of Krylov’s fable that appeared before the formation of the PRC (1949). The translation is in Chinese free verse (without constant rhyme); the number of words in the lines varies from 7 to 15, which contradicted the Chinese literary tradition, but it corresponded to the diverse iambic of Krylov’s fables. The translation language is colloquial Chinese (Baihua); the article shows that the translator strove for comprehensibility for ordinary readers and for the sake of this in some cases deviated from the original, although in general his translation is quite accurate Li Bingzhi’s translation is the only poetic translation of Krylov’s fable that appeared before the formation of the PRC (1949). In a sense, he was ahead of his time and paved the way for the later Chinese translators of Krylov, such as Gu Yu, He Shiying and others.