Female poets of the Tang Dynasty shine in Floating on Clouds
Susan Wan Dolling’s work in translating and interpreting Tang Dynasty poetry offers a contemporary take on classical Chinese literature. Her series, My China in Tang Poetry, published by Earnshaw Books, introduces readers to new translations of iconic poets while providing context to their historical and cultural significance. The series comprises three volumes: Superstars, Floating on Clouds, and Friends and Lovers. Dolling’s background as a teacher and translator informs her ability to balance scholarly analysis with accessibility, making Tang poetry approachable to modern audiences.
How did your focus shift or expand in Floating on Clouds compared to your previous book?
Floating on Clouds, Volume Two of My China in Tang Poetry, is the continuation of stories and poems of Tang China found in Superstars. Again, the guiding principle is to make these poets and poems accessible to today’s audience. Superstars was constructed from the two giants, Li Bai and Du Fu. This time, I have chosen the two recluses, Meng Haoran and Wang Wei, each “floating on clouds” in their own ways, and the four so-called “Female Talents” of the Tang Dynasty, metaphorically “floating” on romantic clouds.
How do you interpret the relationship between Meng Haoran’s reclusion and the broader themes of Tang poetry?
I chose the two so-called “recluses” of the period, Meng Haoran and Wang Wei, one somewhat older and the other younger – Wang being the same age as Li Bai, who also admired Meng – partly for their reputation and partly to point out their differences. As I argue in the book, Meng Haoran’s reclusion is somewhat exaggerated by our literary tradition, and though he exhibits that ease of mind and spacious perspective which recluses tend to have in common, especially in his later poems, his “hermitage” is not solitary and includes friends and neighbors. I find Meng’s poetry warm and engaging and far less remote than that of other recluses, such as Wang Wei.
Why do you think the works of Wang Wei maintain such timeless resonance with both Eastern and Western audiences?
Wang Wei is loved by Western poets partly because he is more often translated than other Tang poets. It can be argued of course that he is more often translated because Western poets find resonance in his poetry! If I were to hazard a guess, I would say that Wang’s poetry is relatively free of allusions and apparently simple to translate and understand. Leaving behind “the world of fret and care,” as is often the theme of Wang’s poems, is also a universal longing.
Did you approach translating female poets like Yu Xuanji or Xue Tao differently, considering their unique historical positions?
In terms of approach, I don’t think I enter into the women’s poetry any differently than I do the men’s. In fact, despite the fact that I myself am a woman and do sympathize with these women and the limitations their times and their roles – they were nuns and courtesans, performers and concubines — have imposed on them, my favorite poet among these six in Floating on Clouds is Meng Haoran, especially the old man, with whom I have little in common in terms of our quotidian realities. And come to think of it, I have little in common with these particular women either. The path I take into the poetry of any of these poets is very much the same. I imagine myself into their circumstances and especially at the time in which I imagine they wrote the poems.
Were there particular poems that challenged you more than others in terms of maintaining their poetic integrity?
I usually find the “simpler” poems harder to bring across. Allusions and historical references can be supplied in footnotes or what I usually rely on, that is pre-reading information. To provide resonance and substance to the sophistication of simplicity without having to resort to footnotes and explanations, is more challenging.
How do you convey cultural nuances that are specific to Tang China when translating for a global audience?
Whether I do succeed in conveying cultural nuances will be decided by the audiences themselves. I simply give as much background information as I tell my stories with the poems and tell it in as accessible a manner as I can muster.
How did your experience living in Hong Kong influence your understanding and interpretation of these poets’ works?
I think the historical accident of my birth and upbringing has everything to do with who I am and how I interpret and translate these poems. On the section “About” in my website – www.susanwandolling.com – you will find more on this topic.
Tang poetry often reflects political struggles. How do these poets speak to today’s socio-political landscape?
I do not have a ready answer to this question. Readers should decide for themselves. I will say, however, that I am often surprised to find how open-minded these Tang poets strike me when compared to the thinking in our own time, Chinese or Western.
Are there any modern poets or writers who you believe are influenced by Tang Dynasty poetry, perhaps even unconsciously?
Too many to name, but Ezra Pound of course, and more recently, Gary Snyder, Robert Blythe, Kenneth Rexroth, and many who came after them.
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