ABSTRACT
This paper mainly studies the English translation of classical Chinese elegy. It first introduces the development and literary characteristics of classical Chinese elegy, especially the elegies written by Su Shi and Nalan Xingde, two great poets in ancient China. The Three-beauty Theory is also introduced to prove its guiding significance in poetry translation practice, Chinese elegy translation in particular. With the elaborate case study, the paper focuses on the application of Three-beauty Theory (beauty in sound, beauty in form and beauty in sense) in the translation of SuShi and Nalan Xingde’s elegies, and draws a conclusion that translators should deliver not only the beauty of sound and form in English version, but also the unique sense of Chinese elegy.
Key words：Three-beauty Theory; Chinese elegy; translation
Contents
1．Introduction 1
2. Introduction to Classical Chinese Elegy 2
2.1 Development of Chinese Elegy 2
2.2 Literary Characteristics of Chinese Elegy 3
2.3 Brief Introduction of Su Shi and Nalan Xingde’s Elegy 4
3. Three-beauty Theory 6
3.1 Background and Content of Three-beauty Theory 6
3.2 Relationship between Three-beauty Theory and Poetry Translation 7
4. Case Studies on Classical Chinese Elegy Translation 8
4.1 Current Situation of Chinese Elegy Translation 8
4.2 Case Studies of Su Shi and Nalan Xingde’s Elegy Translation 9
5．Conclusion 15
Acknowledgements 16
References 17
