This thesis explores the English translation of the concept of "sorrow" in Du Fu's poems from the perspective of creative treason. As one of the most prominent poets in the Tang Dynasty, Du Fu's poems are renowned for their profound expression of sorrow, which is intertwined with personal misfortune, social upheaval, and national crisis. Creative treason, a core concept in translation studies proposed by French literary theorist Antoine Berman, refers to the inevitable deviations and innovations that occur during the translation process due to cultural, linguistic, and contextual differences (Berman, 1992). By analyzing several representative English translations of Du Fu's poems (e.g., translations by Arthur Waley, Xu Yuanchong, and Burton Watson), this paper examines how translators employ creative treason to convey the multifaceted sorrow in Du Fu's works, and discusses the effects and rationality of such treasonous practices. The study finds that creative treason plays a crucial role in bridging the cultural and linguistic gaps between Chinese and English, enabling English readers to better understand the depth and complexity of Du Fu's sorrow. However, it also notes that translators need to strike a balance between creative treason and faithfulness to the original text to ensure the authenticity of the poetic connotation is preserved.
Wang et al. (Thu,) studied this question.