譯林絮談

沙楓

“守株待兔”這句成語

“守株待兔”這句成語，出自韓非的《五蠹》一文。是這樣說的：“宋人有耕者，田中有株，兔走觸株，折頸而死。因釋其耒而守株，冀復得兔，兔不可復得，而身為宋國笑?！?/p>

“守株待兔”，《辭源》解釋為：“喻先入為主，不知變通也?！薄掇o海》解釋為：“喻拘泥不變也?！薄爸辍?，乃“樹身”。

韓非子文中上述這一段話，有好幾個人譯過，有蔡氏父子（Chu Chai and Winfred Chai）的英譯如下：

There was once a man of Sung, who was tilling his field. In the midst of the field stood the trunk of a tree. One day a hare, while running fast, bumped into the trunk, broke its neck, and died. Thereupon he cast his plough aside and kept watch at the trunk, hoping that he would get another hare. However he never caught another hare and was himself ridiculed by the people of Sung.

“株”是譯作“Trunk”的。

W. K. Liao 的英譯是這樣的：

There was in Sung a man, who tilled a field in which there stood the trunk of a tree. Once a hare, while running fast, rushed against the trunk, broke its neck, and died. Thereupon the man cast his plough aside and watched that tree, hoping that he would get another hare. Yet he never caught another hare and was himself ridiculed by the people of Sung.

M. W. Ho 的英譯如下：

There was a farmer in the State of Sung; in the field there was a tree. A hare knocked against the tree trunk while running, broke its neck and died. Thereupon, the farmer gave up ploughing his field and waited by the tree in the hope of getting another. Eventually none could be got and he was laughed at by the people of Sung.

這則寓言，簡而明，是易懂易譯的。人是不能守株待兔的，是要進取的。

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