Snow in August Read Free Page B

postures, set aside all the existing forms of Peking Opera, and start everything afresh”—they were to be spontaneous, and to extricate themselves from Beijing opera completely, so that they could develop the characters according to their own feelings towards their roles and the storyline (Chang 2002b: 13). Snow in August is the manifestation of Gao Xingjian’s understanding of the essence of Zen (Fu 2002: 246), which has provided him with the inspiration and the means to carry out his ideas of theatre and dramatic performance. As he says, “Zen is both extrication and a spiritual sphere. Human beings are confined to a specific time and space, and they want to pursue freedom. Zen is an inspiration to artists living in the world of reality.” (Gao 2001a: 146-47) In embodying an integrative vision of form and content, Snow in August comes close to being Gao Xingjian’s ideal theatre.
     
    A few words on the translation. My aim is to produce a close and faithful rendering of the play. I intend the translation to be natural, so that it will flow with the ease of original composition in English. However, there are also times when it is appropriate to preserve the Chineseness of the source text. The wordplays and puns are retained as much as possible, as are the songs and their rhymes—I try to resist the temptation to sacrifice sense and naturalness for the sake of rhyming.
    The reader may find that the register of the dialogue may appear to fluctuate. At times it may appear formal, as befits the mannerisms, grace and solemnity of religious discourse; at other times it may be colloquial and closer to everyday conversation. This was done in adherence to the original style of the source text, which, like Gao Xingjian’s theatre, seeks to be all-encompassing and integrative.
    I hope that the translation can serve both as a performance text for the stage as well as a reading text, which can be enjoyed as literature and subjected to analysis with all the original literariness intact and unsullied. Translation is always a matter of choice and balance. I also hope that I have made the right choices and struck the right balance that this fascinating theatrical piece deserves.
     
    I wish to extend my thanks to Professor Peter Crisp of the English Department, Chinese University of Hong Kong for reading through the manuscript and making valuable suggestions, and to Ms. Jennifer Eagleton of the Translation Department of the Chinese University of Hong Kong, my daughter Natalia and my son Ian for their assistance in editing and proofreading.
     
    Gilbert C . F . Fong
     
    References
    Artaud, Antonin (2001). “The Theatre and Its Double,” in Artaud on Theatre , ed. by Claude Schumacher with Brian Singleton. London: Methuen. Revised edition.
    Chang Meng-jui 張夢瑞 (2002a). “Shashibiya ye fengkuang: Gao Xingjian tan Bayue Xue hua shiji yanchu” 莎士比亞也瘋狂: 高行健談《八月雪》劃世紀演出 (An Epic Tale in the Making: An Interview with Gao Xingjian), trans. by Phil Newel. In Ronghe dongxi, chaoyue chuantong. Bayue Xue pojian erchu 《融合東西，超越傳統: 八月雪破繭而出》 (A Groundbreaking Fusion of East and West, The Making of Snow in August ). Taipei: Council for Cultural Affairs, pp. 10-24.
    Chang Meng-jui 張夢瑞 (2002b). “Po jian er chu: Bayue Xue diaozhuo quanneng yanyuan” 破繭而出: 八月雪雕琢全能演員 (Creating Holistic Performers for Snow in August ), trans. by Robert Taylor. In Ronghe dongxi, chaoyue chuantong . Bayue Xue pojian erchu 《融合東西，超越傳統: 八月雪破繭而出》 (A Groundbreaking Fusion of East and West, The Making of Snow in August ). Taipei: Council for Cultural Affairs, pp. 12-17.
    Chang Meng-jui 張夢瑞 (2002c). “Wu zhong sheng you you ruo wu: Bayue Xue yi quanxin xiju xingtai huan chanzong yuanmao” 無中生有有若無: 《八月雪》以全新戲劇型態還禪宗原貌 (Made From Scratch: The Premiere of “Total Theater”),