A case study:

1. A case study: • A Comparative Study of Nature Images in Chinese and English Poems

2. Introduction of the topic “image”

3. Cuckoo in Chinese poems • 杜鹃鸟俗称布谷，又名子规、杜宇、子鹃。春夏季节，杜鹃彻夜不停啼鸣，啼声清脆而短促，唤起人们多种情思。如果仔细端详，杜鹃口腔上皮和舌部都为红色，古人误以为它啼得满嘴流血，凑巧杜鹃高歌之时，正是杜鹃花盛开之际，人们见杜鹃花那样鲜红，便把这种颜色说成是杜鹃啼的血。正像唐代诗人成彦雄写的“杜鹃花与鸟，怨艳两何赊，疑是口中血，滴成枝上花。”中国古代有“望帝啼鹊”的神话传说。望帝，是传说中周朝末年蜀地的君主，名叫杜宇。后来禅位退隐，不幸国亡身死，死后魂化为鸟，暮春啼苦，至于口中流血，其声哀怨凄悲，动人肺腑，名为杜鹃。杜鹃在中国古典诗词中常与悲苦之事联系在一起。李白诗云：“杨花飘落子规啼，闻道龙标过五溪。”又如李白《蜀道难》：“又闻子归啼夜月，愁空山。”白居易《琵琶行》：“杜鹃啼血猿哀鸣。”秦观《踏莎行》“可堪孤馆闭春寒，杜鹃声里斜阳暮。”文天祥《金陵驿二首》：“从今别江南路，化作啼鹃带血归。”杜鹃的啼叫又好像是说“不如归去，不如归去”，它的啼叫容易触动人们的乡愁乡思，宋代范仲淹诗云：“夜入翠烟啼，昼寻芳树飞，春山无限好，犹道不如归。”

4. Fixed images in English poemsTo the Cuckoo By William Wordsworth O blithe new-comer! I have heard, I hear thee and rejoice. O Cuckoo! shall I call thee Bird, Or but a wandering Voice? While I am lying on the grass Thy twofold shout I hear; From hill to hill it seems to pass At once far off, and near. Though babbling only to the Vale, Of sunshine and of flowers, Thou bringest unto me a tale Of visionary hours. Thrice welcome, darling of the Spring! Even ye thou art to me No bird, but an invisible thing, A voice a mystery; The same whom in my schoolboy days I listened to; that Cry Which made me look a thousand ways In bush, and tree, and sky. To seek thee did I often rove Through woods and on the green; And thou wert still a hope, a love; Still longed for, never seen. And I can listen to thee yet; Can lie upon the plain And listen, till I do beget That golden time again. O blessed Bird! the earth we pace Again appears to be An unsubstantial, faery place; That is fit home for thee!

5. Chinese version • 啊，快乐的新客！听到你啭鸣，我满怀喜悦；啊，布谷，是否称你为鸟？或为妙音，回荡清越？当我躺在草地上，听到你的二重唱：似从这山传到那山，似在近旁，又在远方。你的歌声在山谷回荡，伴着繁华和阳光；你还把我带到追忆往事的幻想。我再三地欢迎你是阳春的先行。在我眼中，你可不是鸟，而是无形的神奇之音。想当年我还是小学生，曾倾听同样的鸣声；我千方百计寻找，从天上到丛林。我时常漫游，为了找你，踩着草地，穿过密林；如今仍在期待，虽不眼见，你仍是希望，是恋情。此刻我躺在平原，你的歌声仍能听见。我专心谛听，直到召回金色的童年。

6. Images are frequently employed in poems, for they are the soul of meaning of poetry. Actually, poetry writes in images. Poetry is a language art with the core of images which play the role of basic aesthetic element of poems. A poem without images is plain and pedestrian. In respect of the “image”, there are varied definitions. However, they share a characteristic, i.e., they must be presented as an object entrusting the poet’s feeling and any plainspoken lyric poetry does not contain images. The term “image” is equivalent to a perfect complexion of feelings of poets that are subjective and object things melted and expressed in the way of language 2. The definition of image Images are frequently employed in poems, for they are the soul of meaning of poetry. Actually, poetry writes in images. Poetry is a language art with the core of images which play the role of basic aesthetic element of poems. A poem without images is plain and pedestrian. In respect of the “image”, there are varied definitions. However, they share a characteristic, i.e., they must be presented as an object entrusting the poet’s feeling and any plainspoken lyric poetry does not contain images. The term “image” is equivalent to a perfect complexion of feelings of poets that are subjective and object things melted and expressed in the way of language

7. 意 “concept”（概念）“idea”（想法）、“meaning”（意义）。“意”是诗学中最难翻译的一个技术概念，因为它不可思议地囊括了若干截然不同的英文概念。“意”的语义范围非常之广：“意”是对某种物质的精巧解释（很像文艺复兴后期的“concetto”这个概念）也是“一般情况”（来自某种特殊观察的推论或特殊观察的基点），甚至还是“重要”和“意义重大”。“意”通常被说成是发生在意念而非世界之中。它经常是给意识数据赋予关系的一种活动。例如，诗人看见开放的花朵并感到微风吹过，根据这两个感觉事实，他得出了暮春时节花会衰落等情况的暗示，这就是“意”，即感官事实的解释性关系。表达出来的“意”就是从个别之中推演出来的一般范畴，如“暮春”。该诗只提到花和微风，读者从中读出诗人之“意”。“意”有时是“意图”或“意愿”，它用于文学通常总是携带某种意图性。另外一些时候，“意”泛指“某人思考事物的方式”。与后一种用法有关的复合词有“古意”、古题（一个诗的亚文类）。 • ——宇文所安：《中国文论：英译评论·术语集释》，第665页。

8. The term “image” in classical Chinese poetics • 象 一个事物的标准视觉图式（schematization)或图式花过程中的一个观念（例如《易》中的一个变化阶段或卦象）的体现。按照新道家王弼在《易》“明象”章的说法，“象”是概念（“意”）和语言之间的必要的中介。“象”既非特定的事物（虽然可以感觉到它就在特定的事物之中）亦非事物的观念，它是对标准事物的一种感官图式。南宋以来，文学中的“象”越来越强烈地与“外貌”联系起来，因此改词有时有时不准确地用来指现象世界，例如“象外”暗示感官世界之外，“万象”指感官世界的一切现象。 • ——宇文所安：《中国文论：英译评论·术语集释》，第657页 。

9. The term “image” in classical Chinese poetics

12. 3.What is an image in poetry? • A. An image is organic combination of subjective views and objective things.

13. B. Ezra Pound defined an image as an intellectual and emotional complex in an instant of time, as a vortex or cluster of fused ideas endowed with energy. Ezra Pound proposed two different kinds of images, namely, " subjective image " coming from the brain and " objective image " from external which shared some characteristics with the term “xing xiang (兴象) " in ancient Chinese critics.

14. 4.Nature image • Nature is home of human beings. The close relationship between human beings and nature is an everlasting topic of poetry due to the great important role it plays in human life; therefore nature images become the highlights of critics of different nations and times. Everything in nature, whether an anonymous flower or a smart animal, may offer distinctive aesthetic rejoice to poets and become an independent aesthetic object with special symbolization of cultural value. Poets always write not only nature scenery but also the landscape of their novel horizons, which are often closely related to the natural environment they live in and cultural background. However, different aesthetic taste and expression ways in the description of “nature images” are shaped according to different cultural traditions and natural environment in western and eastern world.

15. 自然意象举例 • 青山碧水，日月星辰 ,花草树木,各种动物,几乎无一例外地不可入诗……这些本是自然物象，无所谓情感，但到了诗人笔下，它们都带上了情感，所有这些“原原本本”的物象并不就是客观事物的原真状态，而是经过了诗人主观意志处理的东西。以中国古典诗词中的明月为例.一般说来，古诗中的月亮是思乡的代名词。李白《静夜思》：“床前明月光，疑是地上霜，举头望明月，低头思故乡。”这首诗表现了李白什么样的感情？思乡之情。诗中的月亮就不再是纯客观的物象，而是浸染了诗人感情的意象了。杜甫《月夜忆舍弟》：“露从今夜白，月是故乡明。”露总是白的，但今夜更白，因为感受在今夜；月无处不明，但故乡更明，因为忆弟思家。诗人以幻作真，为的是突出对故乡的思念。唐人王建《十五夜望寄杜郎中》：“今夜月明人尽望，不知秋思落谁家。”诗句以委婉的疑问点出了这月圆之夜人间普遍的怀人心绪，含蓄地表现了诗人对故乡朋友的深切思念。

18. 5.National characteristics of nature image • 5. 1. The influence of natural environment on the selection of nature images a) With different natural environment, there are different animals and plants , which influenced upon the selection of images. In such a period of selection, fixed images have been shaped , compared with free images.

19. 5.2 Fixed images. For readers, the meaning and connotation of fixed images are relatively steady, without ambiguity that mislead them. When reading these images, the readers associate the same or similar pictures more or less. They also have similar feelings in reading. On the other hand, the free images depend more on the context and give readers varied feelings with their individual elements ,such as education background, character , experiences and so on.

20. 5.3 Fixed images • In classical Chinese poems , the image of willow usually symbolized the feeling of homesick and sadness of parting, bamboo symbolizing honest and noble quality of gentleman, the love pea symbolizing love and peach blossom symbolizing the beauty of maid. • Gathering Ferns (selected from the Book of Poetry) ……. My native willows green and gay Did wave me farewell in the past; Now that I’m on my homebound way, This sleet is falling thick and fast. Stricken with such hunger and thrist, I’m staggering at a pace slow; And worst of all, my heart does burst With such sorrow as none could know!

21. b) With different natural environment, the selection of nature images of the same feeling shows a great variety. To express love , in ancient China, people used to select the lotus as their love messenger because “垂莲子”, Chinese equivalence of lotus in English, is the homonym of “垂怜子”which means “love thee” in an euphemism way. While in English poetry, they bestowed their love to rose , especially after the publication of the poem “A red red rose” of great Scottish poet Robert Burns.

22. 　由于“莲”与“怜”音同，所以古诗中有不少写莲的诗句，借以表达爱情。如南朝乐府《西洲曲》：“采莲南塘秋，莲花过人头；低头弄莲子，莲子青如水。”“莲子”即“怜子”，“青”即“清”。这里是实写也是虚写，语意双关，采用谐音双关的修辞，表达了一个女子对所爱的男子的深长思念和爱情的纯洁。

23. O my luve is like a red, red rose,That's newly sprung in June;O my luve is like the melodie,That's sweetly played in tune.As fair thou art, my bonie lass,So deep in luve am I;And I will luve thee still, my dear,Till a' the seas gang dry.Till a' the sea gang dry, my dear,And the rock melt wi' the sun;And I will luve thee still, my dear,While the sands o' life shall run.And fare thee weel, my only luve,And fare thee weel a while;And I will come again, my luve,Tho's it were ten thousand mile!

24. 啊，我的爱人象红红的玫瑰，在六月里苞放；啊，我的爱人象一支乐曲，乐声美妙、悠扬。你那么美，漂亮的姑娘；我爱你那么深切；我会永远爱你，亲爱的，一直到四海涸竭。直到四海涸竭，亲爱的，直到太阳把岩石消融！我会永远爱你，亲爱的，只要生命无穷。再见吧，我唯一的爱人，再见吧，小别片刻；我会回来的，我的爱人，即使万里相隔！

25. 6. The influence of culture and politics on the appreciation of nature images • 6.1With different culture background, the same image often demonstrates different aesthetic temperament and interest in the Chinese and English poetry. Most British and American people believe in Christianity and Catholicism .Affected by Bible, nature images in English poems have developed with direct ,bold and excited feelings, such as paradise, narcissus, snake and apple. Ancient Chinese people usually believed in Buddhism or Taoism, therefore there must be connotation of Buddhism and Taoism in China's classical poem, such as this image of the lotus, permeate strong Buddhism color. I.E “bell" the image

26. 6.2 • The selection of different images in Chinese and English poetry is mirror to the different nature value. The Great Britain is an island country. The conflict between human’s instinct of striving and the rough living conditions led to great contradiction of psychology of human being and the nature itself. Psychologically, people take precautious of wave, attack of the typhoon and storm all the time. U.S.A. is a vast in territory with varied climates there, which shaped the resolute and strong character of the nation. They were ready to fight against nature every second. Besides, the progress of natural science and the ability of human being to control and transform nature had been strengthened thereupon. As a result , more displayed in English poems is pleasant sensation of conquering nature in English poems. Even a sentimental attachment to nature in romantic period is resulted in the disappointment of crisis brought by the industrial civilization of capitalism. The poet showed great desire for freedom rather than satisfaction. And in China of the long feudal society, with relatively steady politics in a long-term and harmonious relationship between people and nature, the poets were more likely to appreciate the beauty of nature from the deep of heart It was also a picture of self-satisfactory popular in feudal society upon the influence of traditional religions in China, Buddhism and Taoism.

27. 举例说明： • 鹿 柴 • ----王 维 空 山 不 见 人 ， 但 闻 人 语 响 。 返 景 入 深 林 ， 复 照 青 苔 上 。 The Deer Enclosure --- Wang Wei Empty the hills,no man in sight, Yet voices echo here; Deep in the woods slanting sunlight, Falls on the jade-green moss.

28. 7.Conclusion • Here we explored the differences of images applied in Chinese and English poems by discussing in the three following aspects, ie., the theory of image, the national characteristics of Chinese and English poetry. With these in mind, you will have a better understanding of poems.

29. Questions • 1.试分析中英诗歌中月亮意象的同与异现象。 • 2.试结合具体作品分析中英诗歌中动物意象的不同的文化原因。