ANALYSIS OF THE POETIC TRANSLATION FROM CHINESE INTO PORTUGUESE IN LIGHT OF PAULO HENRIQUES BRITTO'S THEORY - THE CASE OF LI BAI'S POEM

Abstract

This paper aims to analyze the translation of Li Bai's classic Chinese poem The Jewel Stairs' Grievance by Brazilian poet Haroldo de Campos, in light of Paulo Henriques Britto's translation theory. Using a qualitative and comparative approach, three essential aspects of poetic translation are examined—form, rhyme and imagery—with a focus on the compensation strategy employed to to deal with losses resulting from linguistic and cultural differences between Chinese and Portuguese. The results reveal that, although the translation departs from the traditional structure of the original, Campos succeeds in preserving the emotional charge and poetic impact of the source text through formal and imagery recreations. Thus, Campos' translation is not a mere linguistic transposition, but a poetic reinterpretation that balances fidelity and creativity, contributing to the reflection on the possibilities and limits of translating classical Chinese poetry into Portuguese.