ABSTRACT
Classical prose translation provides an important perspective on this notorious tussle between the demand for readability and transparency on the one hand, and the ideal translation's aim of conveying as much of the original work as possible on the other. Grossman's ideals for classical literary translation will make translators of classical Japanese prose sigh. Ambiguity and vagueness on the word or sentence level can, and frequently must, be smoothed over in translation and the implicit made explicit, whatever the cost. Among all the challenges to be overcome in the successful literary translation of a classical Japanese prose work into English, perhaps the most difficult to grapple with is the crucial role of literary allusion. A brief examination of the opening lines of the 11th-century classic, Makura no soshi, will illustrate some of the more specific challenges a literary translator of classical Japanese prose can face: In spring it is the dawn that is most beautiful.
