Rainy Alley

雨巷

戴望舒

walks silently,

apathetic, sad and disconsolate (P32 left)

As in a dream she glides past

like a lilac spray,

this girl glides past beside me;

she silently moves away, moves away,

up to the broke-down bamboo fence,

to the end of the rainy alley. (P32 right)

At first reading, the poem “Rain Alley” sounds to me like describing the poet’s beloved and desired girl who passed by “like a lilac spray”, but considering the historical background of the poem and referring to some analysis of the poem, I realize that it is not merely about love and pursuit for a specific girl. Dai Wangshu is using the image of a graceful girl, whom he loves, desires, yet misses the opportunity to get closer to as a personification of his beloved country. When he says “apathetic, sad and disconsolate” and “broke-down bamboo fence”, he is referring to his home country who is experiencing hard times. The “moving away” girl also symbolizes the disillusion of his passion and wish.

I also read a different translated version by Gladys Yang and Xianyi Yang. which I like better. For example, the counterpart of the line “apathetic, sad, and disconsolate” is “aloof, sad, and melancholy” in Gladys and Xianyi’s version. The original text in Chinese is “冷漠，凄清，又惆怅”。Compared with apathetic, which means “having or showing little or no emotion” (Merriam-Webster.com), aloof , which means “ distant either physically or emotionally”, is a better translation of “冷漠”，because it vividly portrays the poet’s desire to catch and the feeling of lack of capacity. Another word “melancholy” is more poetic-sounding than “disconsolate”, and more accurate to the Chinese word “惆怅“， which doesn’t only mean cheerless, but also depression of sprits.

My question after reading this poem and the poem “Dead Water” is: Why did both poets use personalization to refer to their home country in the poem instead of expressing it in a direct way?

P.S. The Gradys and Xianyi Yang’s translation

A Lane in the Rain

Dai Wangshu

杨宪益、戴乃迭 译

Alone holding an oil-paper umbrella,

I wander along a long

Solitary lane in the rain,

Hoping to encounter

A girl like a bouquet of lilacs

Gnawed by anxiety and resentment.

A girl

The colour of lilacs,

The fragrance of lilacs,

With the worries of lilacs,

Feeling melancholy in the rain,

Plaintive and hesitating.

She wanders along the solitary lane in the rain,

Holding an oil-paper umbrella

Just as I do,

Just like me,

Walking slowly in silence,

Aloof, sad and melancholy.

Silently she comes closer,

Closer, giving me

A glance like a sigh;

Then she floats past

Like a dream,

Dreary and blank like a dream.

Like a lilac

Floating past in a dream,

the girl floats past me;

Silently she goes further and further,

To the crumbling wall,

Out of the lane in the rain.

In the mournful melody of the rain,

Her colour has faded,

Her fragrance has disappeared,

Vanished into the void;

Even her glance like a sigh,

Melancholy like lilacs.

Alone, holding an oil-paper umbrella,

I wander along a long

Solitary lane in the rain,

Hoping to pass

A girl like a bouquet of lilacs

Gnawed by anxiety and resentment.