Exploring the Path of ‘Domestic Appropriation’ in the English Translation of Cold Mountain Poetry from the Perspective of Translation Studies

College of Liberal Arts and Law, Yanshan University, Qinhuangdao, Hebei, 066000, China

^* Corresponding author: eileen@uok.edu.gr

Abstract

Cold Mountain poems originally came from the Tang Dynasty poet-monk Hanshan, whose creative style is unique. Cold Mountain poems were accidentally introduced to Europe and the United States in the post-World War II period and caused a great uproar. The spirit conveyed by Cold Mountain poems fits in with contemporary social trends in Europe and the United States, and the unique linguistic style of Cold Mountain poems has become an important reason for their great popularity. Taking the 24 Cold Mountain poems translated by Gary Snyder as an example, this paper aims to study how the translation strategies and theories reflect the Translation Studies’ emphasis on cross-cultural communication of literature, and how the process of “domestic appropriation of literature” is accomplished. The study finds that Cold Mountain poems have found their home in a foreign land through the bridge of Gary Snyder’s translation. After being exposed to Cold Mountain poems, Western readers reinterpreted and recreated the poems according to their own cultural background and aesthetic needs. In the end, a cultural space of Cold Mountain beyond national boundaries was constructed. In this cultural space, Cold Mountain poems have become a global cultural symbol, constantly renewing their vitality and vigour.