Mao Zedong’s Poetry Translated by Eugene Eoyang in Sunflower Splendor: A Textual and Cultural Interpretation

Abstract

Translating Mao Zedong’s poetry into English has been a significant cause since the founding of New China and aroused great academic attention in China and other countries. In 1975, Eugene Eoyang, a Chinese American scholar, translated eight poems of Mao and published them later in the remarkable poetry anthology Sunflower Splendor, which has made a considerable contribution to the promotion and canonization of Mao’s poetry as well as traditional Chinese poetry in the English world. Eoyang is a scholar translator who knows well about both cultures, the identity, cultural concepts, translation strategies, and other aspects that he demonstrated in his translation are of great reference value compared with other versions home and abroad. By analyzing the textual and cultural features and specific cases in his translation, the translator’s valuable first-hand experience, along with the profound literary and cultural attainments reflected in the translation process, can be learned to guide future translation and promotion of Mao’s poetry in foreign cultures.