Justin Wadland reviews The Mountain Poems of Stonehouse, translated by Red Pine (Copper Canyon) and Yellow River Odyssey by Bill Porter (Chin Music) for Rain Taxi (author Bill Porter’s nom de guerre as translator is Red Pine). The review begins:

The translator known as Red Pine thinks of translating in terms of dancing. “I see the poet dancing, but dancing to music I can’t hear. Still, I’m sufficiently enthralled by the beauty of the dance that I want to join the poet. And as I do,” he writes. “I try to get close enough to feel the poet’s rhythm, not only the rhythm of the words but also the rhythm of the poet’s heart.” Over a career spanning three decades, Red Pine has danced with many classical Chinese poets and important works of Taoist and Buddhist literature…. Informed by his own Buddhist practice and travels in Asia, Red Pine’s work is consistently characterized by a generosity of spirit that opens up these challenging texts to the English-speaking world.

Click either of the images for the full review.