The Fifth Month of the lunar calendar is seen as being a precarious time: the height of summer approaches and pests and pestilence threaten the wellbeing both of people and of crops.… Read

The Fifth Lunar Month in the Chinese calendar is regarded as being a time fraught with danger and grief. The arrival of summer brings forth all kinds of noxious threat both to people and to crops; while there may be the promise of future bounty, an immediate danger is posed by the Five Poisonous Creatures 五毒: snakes 蛇, scorpions 蝎, centipedes 蜈蚣, toads 蟾蜍 and spiders 蜘蛛.… Read

David Hawkes (1923-2009) and the Translation of The Story of the Stone is the fifth and final lecture in the series ‘On Culture & Translation’. It was presented by John Minford at the Hang Seng Management College on 12 March 2016.… Read

Arthur Waley (1889-1966) and the Translation of Chinese Poetry is the fourth lecture in the series ‘On Culture & Translation’. It was presented by John Minford at the Hang Seng Management College on 5 March 2016.… Read

It must however always be borne in mind that translators are but traitors at the best, and that translations may be moonlight and water while the originals are sunlight and wine.… Read

John Minford has provided the notes (class handout) for the Introductory Lecture in his series of talks under the title ‘On Culture & Translation’, previously published in China Heritage. The notes are reproduced below; a PDF version can be downloaded here.… Read