How to Choose English Translation of The Tale of Genji
November 15, 2008
If you are planning to read what some consider the world’s first novel, The Tale of Genji, several translations can guide you through the fascinating world of the Heian Period. Let us examine major English translations of The Tale of Genji.
Original Text
The Tale of Genji was written by a Japanese noblewoman Murasaki Shikibu in the early eleventh century. Both the original and the modern Japanese versions are available online. The website at the University of Virginia kindly provided an option to read the work in three parallel frames: original, modern Japanese, and romaji versions.
Incomplete Translations
Suematsu, Kenchō. Genji Monogatari : The Most Celebrated of the Classical Japanese Romances. London: Trubner, 1882.
- First translation into English
- Considered poor quality
- Only few chapters were completed
Helen McCullough. Genji & Heike: Selections from The Tale of Genji and The Tale of the Heike. Stanford: Stanford University Press., 1994.
- Only selected chapters
- Only the first half of the book
Complete English Translations
Arthur Waley. The Tale of Genji. London: George Allen & Unwin. (1926-1933)
- Very free translation
- Omitted several chapters
- Great achievement of its time
- Very well received at the time of publication
Edward Seidensticker. The Tale of Genji. New York: Alfred A. Knopf. (1976)
- Closer to original than Waley
- Some liberties were taken to improve readability
- Characters are identified by name instead of title as in the original
- Succinct yet naturally flowing narration
- Early editions of the book have many typos
Royall Tyler. The Tale of Genji. New York: Viking Press. (2001)
- Closest to the original than any previous translation
- Extensive notes and commentaries about poetical and cultural aspects
- Attempted to mimic the original style of Murasaki
- Used titles, just like the original, instead of names
- Text may be difficult to follow because titles change over time
- Poems are somewhat wordy
First Sentence
Arthur Waley: ”At the Court of an Emperor (he lived it matters not when) there was among the many gentlewomen of the Wardrobe and Chamber one, who though she was not of very high rank was favored far beyond all the rest.”
Edward Seidensticker: ”In a certain reign there was a lady not of the first rank whom the emperor loved more than any of the others.”
Royall Tyler: ”In a certain reign (whose can it have been?) someone of no very great rank, among all His Majesty’s Consorts and Intimates, enjoyed exceptional favor.”
Chapter Five: “Murasaki”
Genji visits a Buddhist monastery in the mountains
Arthur Waley: “Genji felt very disconsolate. It had begun to rain; a cold wind blew across the hill, carrying with it the sound of a waterfall–audible till then as a gentle intermittent plashing, but now a mighty roar; and with it, somnolently rising and falling, mingled the monotonous chanting of the scriptures. Even the most unimpressionable nature would have been plunged into melancholy by such surroundings. How much the more so Prince Genji, as he lay sleepless on his bed, continually planning and counter-planning.”
Edward Seidensticker: “Genji was not feeling well. A shower passed on a chilly mountain wind, and the sound of the waterfall was higher. Intermittently came a rather sleepy voice, solemn and somehow ominous, reading a sacred text. The most insensitive of men would have been aroused by the scene. Genji was unable to sleep.”
Royall Tyler: “Genji felt quite unwell, and besides, it was now raining a little, a cold mountain wind had set in to blow, and the pool beneath the waterfall had risen until the roar was louder than before. The eerie swelling and dying of somnolent voices chanting the scriptures could hardly fail in such a setting to move the most casual visitor. No wonder Genji, who had so much to ponder, could not sleep. “
Source: Amazon Customer Review
Poetry
Waley ran the poems right into the text, and Seidensticker set them off as couplets; neither strategy was entirely faithful to the original, though Seidensticker’s was perhaps more effective. Tyler’s solution is to present each as a single sentence broken into two lines, and he makes his task even more difficult by preserving the 5-7-5-7-7 syllabic pattern of waka.
Edward Seidensticker:
Beneath a tree, a locust’s empty shell.
Sadly I muse upon the shell of a lady.
Royall Tyler:
Underneath this tree, where the molting cicada shed her empty shell,
my longing still goes to her, for all I knew her to be.
Choose Your Guide
My favorite translation is by Edward Seidensticker due to its succinct approach, beautiful poems, and natural flow. However, I’ll be reading Royall Tyler’s version because it is close to the original and offers extensive notes about the history.
Janice P. Nimura summarized it very well: “Waley is the most entertaining, Seidensticker the most unobtrusive, and Tyler the most instructive.”
Sources
Book: Tale of Genji (Wiki)
Translators: Arthur Waley, Edward Seidensticker, Royall Tyler
The Tale of the Genji review by Janice P. Nimura (New York Times, 2001)
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I heard that an older version of the Genji was discovered earlier this year. It would be nice to read one translated from that version, but I believe I will pick up a copy of the Tyler edition because it may be quite some time before any such thing is released. Then again, I already have a Seidensticker edition…
Yes, some older versions of the manuscripts were found this year. As far as I know, they are not complete versions though – only chapters six and 32. It would be good to know how exactly they differ from other versions.
Seidensticker and Tyler wrote good translations. One of the advantages of Tyler’s translation is the extensive notes and charts. However, there are some additional books that provide context for The Tale of Genji, so either one should be fine. I wouldn’t want to read Waley’s edition though because it sounds too saturated to me.
http://www.asahi.com/english/Herald-asahi/TKY200807220341.html
Oh, it looks like Osawa Book is a full version of the novel. Thank you for mentioning it
This is an excellent guide. Thanks a million for that. I was planning to try Tyler’s, but after this, I’m torn between Waley’s and Seidensticker’s. I like the intensity of Waley’s, but that “VERY free translation” irk me. In any case, definitely not Tyler’s, no matter how close to original.
Thank you – I am glad you found it useful
If you like Waley’s translation, read it. The text might not be very close to the original, but what matters the most is your enjoyment from the reading
The titles are not confusing in the Tyler version because he provides * and footnotes to make sure that the reader is aware of who the person is when the titles have changed. Personally, I like Tyler’s poems a lot more, and I don’t really think you should have written this guide before you read the Tyler version.
Yes, Tyler’s translation does include footnotes, but, according to the feedback I read, some people did find the titles somewhat confusing to follow. Individual perception may vary of course.
The information I provide in this article is mostly facts, including citations from different translations, with little personal preference.
I’ve read both Seidensticker and Tyler’s versions. I like them both. Tyler’s method of shifting the titles and terms of address for characters is not confusing, as long as you read the introductory character list at the beginning of each chapter. It’s also worth slipping a bookmark into the start of each chapter – that way if you do get half way down a page and forget who the person is, you can easily flip back and forth the start of the chapter to recheck.
You do get into the swing of it, though, and once you’re settled with it, Tyler’s translation is easy to get on with. His notes and the extra information at the back on characters, buildings, etc, are also very interesting and well worth reading.
I think, over all, I prefer Tyler’s version because of all this extra information about how the Japanese text flowed and why he’s made translation decisions that he’s made. However, both versions are very good. I haven’t felt much inclination to read Waley’s version.
The bookmark does seem useful for Tyler’s translation
Indeed, Tyler’s notes can be educational
I have all 3 English tranlations, each has its own merits. Which I choose to read depends on the mood I am in.
Go for all three and you will have a life time of interesting reading.
Yes, it would be best to taste each flavor if time permits
Wow… Thank you so much for this!
Such dedication and passion for this tale.
I was planning to get Tyler’s version, but after reading that last comment, reading all 3 does seem like a good idea if you’ve got the time, love and dedication for it (^_^)
You sound like you’ve read a lot of greats!
You are welcome!
Have fun reading
I’m not sure why people are so enamoured of Seidensticker’s translation. I’ve read works by Mishima, Kawabata, and a bit of The Tale of Genji in English, all translated by Seidensticker, and they all read like …. Edward Seidensticker. If you read Mishima’s “Sea of Fertility” tetralogy, the first three volumes, translated by different people, read like normally textured English. The tone and style change completely in the final volume, translated by Edward Seidensticker, and suddenly become harder to read because of Seidensticker’s preference for short, uncomplicated sentences. The sudden change in style has nothing to do with Mishima; it’s a result of Seidensticker’s signature style: short sentences delivered in a flat, emotionless voice. I once did a brief comparison of Seidensticker’s translation of Mishima with that of the other volumes in the tetralogy and discovered that Seidensticker, despite pretensions to fidelity, actually leaves out words and phrases in the original, flattening everything down in the process. I’m sure you could do a linguistic analyis of Seidensticker’s style and find that he makes less use of the varied syntactic resources of English than anyone else, including Hemingway. The sentences quite simply drone along without any attempt to bring the English alive. If you think that emotionless bland prose is a ‘faithful’ recreation of Murasaki Shikibu, then go ahead and buy Seidensticker’s version. If you want flowing prose and a bit of verve, read Waley, even if it is a bit more ‘gushing’ than Murasaki. Tyler I haven’t read, but he does look like a good compromise between Seidensticker and Waley.
Thank you for your detailed comment – I appreciate it
It sounds like you find Seidensticker’s translations quite bland.
How can i get a free copy of Arthur Waley’s version?
Unfortunately, I didn’t find a free version online after a brief search. Perhaps, you could try your local library. Even if it is not available in your library, most libraries nowadays can take a request and ship a book from another library.
I’ve read both Seidensticker’s and Tyler’s translations and the first volume of Waley. Overall, I prefer Tyler and I think it would be the easist to follow for a first time reader.
My impression of the Seidensticker text was that it was very dry and almost ‘silent’ in my head. After reading it (it was the one I bought first), I was on the look-out for a better translation that would pull me more into the story, so I treated myself to the Tyler when it came out and found it a much richer read (and much easier to follow – the sections at the start of the chapters are invaluable). Having said that, I do prefer Seidensticker’s poetry translations.
I picked up the Waley second-hand after reading hte other two and its a very enjoyable read – I’m mostly curious to see how it differs from the others and am on the look-out for ther other volumes.
Thank you for your input, Rosie
It sounds like Tyler’s translation is quite good.