This is the third volume in a series that renders classic Western works in classical Chinese.
Western poetry should not be translated in poetic form. Once rendered in Chinese, it cannot capture the rhythmic beauty of Chinese poetry, and to Chinese readers it feels awkward and out of place, as though something is just not quite right.
But once recast as classical prose or as a narrative treatise, it can preserve the beauty of the language while still conveying the story. In this way, it becomes a work of Chinese literature from within, and reads like a story from our own tradition.
Let me say again: this is a book written for our ancestors and for the future. After all the effort poured into it, the goal is not to win cheap applause in great numbers, but to offer readers an enriching experience.
