Galleries and Translations > Models of Masterpieces > Modelling and English Translation of Sun Guoting's "A Narrative on Calligraphy" 孫過庭 《書譜》之臨習與英譯
Modelling and English Translation of Sun Guoting's "A Narrative on Calligraphy"
(Part VIII)
by Kwan Sheung Vincent POON (潘君尚)
Jan. 15, 2018
Published on www.vincentpoon.com, Toronto
A. Modelling (by KS Vincent POON)
A model of Sun Guoting's "A Narrative on Calligraphy" (Part I)
臨孫過庭《書譜》 (第一部份)
35 X 137cm (11)
Click to Enlarge. In reserve, not available in Shop.
B. Historical Information
Please see Part I
Readers are strongly encouraged to read the blue numerical footnotes below to gain a better understanding of the original Chinese text and to review some major errors in the translations made by others.
English Translation
Original Chinese Text
180. 夫運用之方，雖由己出；規模所設，信屬目前。
[There is a saying:] “A deviation, even of a hair’s breadth, will result in a mistake of a thousand mile.” If one were to correctly understand and grasp the methods in arranging and organizing structures and layouts, then one will be adept at other general aspects of the art.
181. 差之一豪，失之千里。苟知其術，適可兼通。
The mind will then not grow tired of pursuing excellence, whereas the hands will not forget to apply their familiar skills.
182. 心不厭精，手不忘孰(即熟)。
FOR LINES 183-211,
PLEASE PURCHASE THE REVISED AND ENHANCED EDITION WITH FOOTNOTES AND BIBLIOGRAPHY:
183. 若運用盡於精熟，規矩闇於胸襟，自然容與徘徊:
184. 意先筆後，蕭灑流落；
185. 翰逸神飛，亦猶弘羊之心，預乎無際；
186. 庖丁之目，不見全牛。
187. 嘗有好事，就吾求習。
188. 吾乃粗舉綱要，隨而授之。
189. 無不心悟手從，言忘意得。
190. 縱未窮於眾術，斷可極於所詣矣!
191. 若思通楷則，少不如老；
192. 學成規矩，老不如少。
193. 思則老而逾妙，學乃少而可勉。
194. 勉之不已，抑有三時，時然一變，極其分矣。
195. 至如初學分布，但求平正；
196. 既知平正，務追險絕；
197. 既能險絕，復歸平正。
198. 初謂未及，中則過之，後乃通會。
199. 通會之際，人書俱老。
200. 仲尼云：「五十知命。七十從心。」
201. 故以達夷險之情，體權變之道;
202. 亦猶謀而後動，動不失宜;
203. 時然後言，言必中理矣。
204. 是以右軍之書，末年多妙;
205. 當緣思慮通審，志氣和平，不激不厲，而風規自遠。
206. 子敬已下，莫不鼓努為力, 標置成體。
207. 豈獨工用不侔，亦乃神情懸隔者也。
208. 或有鄙其所作，或乃矜其所運：
209. 自矜者將窮性域，絕於誘進之途；
210. 自鄙者尚屈情涯，必有可通之理。
FOR FURTHER TRANSLATION, FOOTNOTES, AND
ELABORATIONS
PLEASE SEE :
A Narrative on Calligraphy by Sun Guoting Revised and Enchanced Edition 英譯書譜 增訂版Translated by KS Vincent POON and Kwok Kin POON (Mar. 2019)
ISBN 978-1-989485-10-1
A Narrative on Calligraphy (Shu Pu, 書譜) was written in 687AD by the renowned Tang dynasty calligrapher Sun Guoting (孫過庭) of the seventh century and is regarded to be one of the most important narratives in examining the traditional art of Chinese calligraphy. Yet, there is currently no satisfactory English translation of it. This book provides readers an accurate, annotated, line-by-line, consistent and comprehensive English translation of A Narrative on Calligraphy. Furthermore, various major and fundamental mistakes found in the two previous English translations by Chang & Frankel and De Laurentis are detailed and discussed.
This book is the revised and enhanced version of the previous book and delivers an even more precise translation with 20 titled thematic paragraphs that is based on Dr. Kwok Kin POON’s The Vernacular Chinese Translation of Sun Guoting’s A Narrative on Calligraphy (孫過庭書譜白話對譯. Toronto: The SenSeis, Feb. 2019).
WorldCat/Library: [WorldCat] [Oxford U] [U of T] [Harvard U] [Columbia U] [HKU] [CUHK] [Kyoto U] [National Taiwan U]
211. 嗟乎！蓋有學而不能，未有不學而能者也；考之即事，斷可明焉。
END OF PART VIII (Jan. 15, 2018)