Customer Reviews

The Selected Poems of Wang Wei

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Nobody can dispute the translator's knowledge of Chinese; it's the English that is bizarre. Hinton tends to
translate everything, especially titles, e.g most translators leave Huazi Ridge at that, but H. has "Master-Flourish Ridge." Cf also "At Azure-Dragon Monastery for Monk-Cloud Wall's Courtyard Assembly", "Apricot-Grain Cottage." This verges on the quaint - Chinoiserie. H. tends towards clipped English, but it doesn't match, as I imagine it's intended to, Chinese economy of language, but again a kind of orientalism intrudes, especially when religion comes into question, e.g. "Grasses cushion legs sitting ch'an stillness/up here...Inhabiting emptiness beyond dharma cloud,...("Climbing to Subtle-Aware Monastery"). There are uneasy echoes of Pound and 60s zen freaks. Occasionally, H. is cute:"Dear stone, little platter alongside cascading streamwater..." ("Playfully Written on a Flat Stone"). H. can be mannered, too. Lotus blossoms adrift out across treetops/flaunt crimson calyces among mountains." ("Magnolia Slope"). I'm afraid even H. falls into the trap of all too many English translators of Chinese poetry:they put on their singing robes and start writing English verse.

Christopher Busby

Hinton has done a fine job translating some of Wang Wei's more famous works in this book. If you appreciate translations from folks like Watson, Seaton, and Rexroth, then you will like what he has done here. There is a nice introduction to the life of Wang Wei (not too long-winded, just right), and the notes following the poems are clear and concise. This is a nice work to add to any collection of poetry.

I do not read Chinese, either ancient or modern, so I cannot compare or evaluate the quality of the translation. Anyway I found the English versions of these poems really beautiful and feel that the translator has succeed in conveying their essence. Having read other translations by Hinton this does not come as a surprise.
As for the poems themselves, I find them incredibly beautiful, with a subtle and deep wisdom lying behind the superficial simplicity. In this sense I put the poetry by Wang Wei in the same glorious category as that of T'ao Ch'ien. Both shine through the centuries like a guiding star.

The classic nature of this book of poems reflects the authors intellectual background so be sure to read the introduction. The poetry is of a very high quality and although it appears to be not as spontaneous as some Zen poetry this is offset by the quality and insights in his writings.

As he lived from 700 to 761 it is an insight into the age that produced the greatest Zen Master in Chinese history Hui Neng. Some might argue that Zen has never surpassed this age.

As a book for a non Zen person it is fine for its nature insights and interactions with zen masters and persons of influence but there are better books for the unitiated.

The translation appears, from someone who doesnt read chinese to be well thought out and the zen in the poems is not trampled over.

These selected poems of Wang Wei are translated by David Hinton
beautifully. After reading his, others translations seem pale.

A wonderful collection of work by a great 8th century Chinese Poet. The translations and introduction by David Hinton are excellent. A necessary addition to the libraries of anyone interested in great poetry and/or Ch'an, which became Zen in Japan.
Classical Chinese Poetry: An Anthology