相迎不道遠，直至長風沙。 Phrase by phrase: 相迎: meeting together 不道遠: not-say far 直至: All the way to 長風沙: Chang-Feng Sands (place name)
I admit, I'd never thought of translating it the other way, because most people accept the interpretation that it means she doesn't care how far it is (she won't complain about the distance) as long as she can meet him at the end of it. That's the interpretation that assumes adoration and affection in the rest of the poem, anyway.
This... could be an interesting deconstructionist commentary on Chinese societal values, actually. For instance, interpreting from the tropes of that time, "facing the wall" and "eyes downcast" meant the woman was being demurely bashful, but this translation takes a negative (modern/feminist?) view of it. Reminds me of one of my friends commenting on the fact that the word "乖", which is usually used synonymously with the Western word/concept "good" for adults to praise children (or owners to praise pets), actually literally means "obedient". The things you see when you examine cultural assumptions askance...
Phrase by phrase:
相迎: meeting together
不道遠: not-say far
直至: All the way to
長風沙: Chang-Feng Sands (place name)
I admit, I'd never thought of translating it the other way, because most people accept the interpretation that it means she doesn't care how far it is (she won't complain about the distance) as long as she can meet him at the end of it. That's the interpretation that assumes adoration and affection in the rest of the poem, anyway.
This... could be an interesting deconstructionist commentary on Chinese societal values, actually. For instance, interpreting from the tropes of that time, "facing the wall" and "eyes downcast" meant the woman was being demurely bashful, but this translation takes a negative (modern/feminist?) view of it. Reminds me of one of my friends commenting on the fact that the word "乖", which is usually used synonymously with the Western word/concept "good" for adults to praise children (or owners to praise pets), actually literally means "obedient". The things you see when you examine cultural assumptions askance...
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