Room of Whisper: Selected Essays and Sketches by Bian Zhilin

Author: Bian Zhilin | Editor-in-Chief
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-02-01
Features: Three Notes on Translating Poems – Seven Shakespearean Sonnets
Shakespeare’s 154 sonnets, regardless of who they were originally addressed to, are all classified as love poems when judged purely by their poetic merit. From these love poems, we can also see that in the Renaissance, Shakespeare was passionate about life. During the period of feudal society’s disintegration and the rise of capitalist relations, he was particularly sensitive to the rapid changes of metabolism. The central themes of these poems are not much more than: time, love, and art (poetry). The central idea is: life is short, and one should seize the day – within the realm of love, it means seizing love. For love to last, it depends on the expression of art (poetry), while on the other hand, the enduring value of art (poetry) relies on sincere emotions (love) – more broadly speaking, it relies on rich content.
The seven poems selected here have been reordered according to the central idea in the standard version of the Sonnets collection – the original 106th sonnet is placed first, the 104th as the second, the 73rd as the third, the 65th as the fourth, the 79th as the fifth, the 82nd as the sixth, and the 32nd as the seventh – and they can stand as a complete set on their own.
The first sonnet describes the lover’s (the poet’s) admiration for the beloved’s beauty. In intense adoration, the lover often believes the beloved to be perfect, as if they stepped out of a book or a painting. They further believe that even if all ancient descriptions and praises are concentrated on them, it is still not enough to fully capture their beauty. The lover laments their fate of witnessing such perfection yet being unable to express a single word of praise. Here, the poet exaggerates to the fullest extent but also remains deeply human and reasonable.
In contrast to the exaggeration of the first sonnet, the second does not praise the beloved from the perspective of being "unprecedented" or "unparalleled." However, the focus lies in the lover’s fear that the beloved’s youthful beauty will change unnoticed. The second sonnet is essentially filled with the atmosphere of midsummer, while the third presents a desolate winter landscape – the external scenery reflects the inner sense of aging. One’s body and mind can age to this extent; if one wants to live, they must live quickly; if one loves, they must seize the moment. In the fourth sonnet, the poet cries out loudly, feeling as though everything is changing like a storm. However, the last two lines, though a common witty remark of the time, "Love glows in the ink," take on a different meaning within the poem’s structure – they reveal the clarity of the sky after the storm, with stars and moon shining brightly; the tone also perfectly matches the mood and meaning.
The next two sonnets, the fifth and the sixth, though still lyrical, have a slightly playful tone but can be seen as meaningful discussions on poetry (art). In the fifth sonnet, the poet (lover) tells the beloved: "In the past, only I drew inspiration from you, and my poetry was particularly good. Now that you favor others, their poetry is better than mine: thus, good poetry depends on a good person." From this, we can extend the idea that art cannot be separated from life. The sixth sonnet states that good poetry lies not in fancy rhetoric,, or bombastic talk, but in authenticity. Shakespeare also criticized the over-the-top and loud performances of some bad actors on the stage in Hamlet.
The final sonnet, placed here as a conclusion, also holds significance. Art (poetry) also evolves with the times, but its enduring value still depends on the profound emotions (love) within it – more broadly speaking, it depends on its genuine content.
1954, P17-19