A Comparative Study onWaley's and Bynner's English Versions of Drinking Alone under the Moon

English Sinologist Waley and American Sinologist Bynner have made remarkable achievements in translating Tang poetry into English and contributed to the spread of Tang poetry in the English-speaking world. Their English versions of Drinking Alone under the Moon are compared in terms of artistic conception and rhythm in this paper. It is found that Waley's literal translation and Bynner's free translation both achieve the reproduction of the original poetic mood to a great extent. At the same time, Waley's "elastic rhythm"takes into account both the beauty of Tang poetry and the sense of rhythm in English poetry. Both of the two English versions strive to maintain the beauty of artistic conception and rhythm of Tang poetry, which is worth learning by Chinese and western translators.