中國文學(xué)英譯絮談

沙楓

漢高祖和漢武帝的詩歌

漢高祖劉邦有此《大風(fēng)歌》：

大風(fēng)起兮云飛揚(yáng)，
威加海內(nèi)兮歸故鄉(xiāng)，
安得猛士兮守四方。

據(jù)《史記?高祖本紀(jì)》載稱：

十二年，十月，高祖已擊布軍會甀，布走，令別將追之。高祖還歸，過沛，留。置酒沛宮，悉召故人父老子弟縱酒，發(fā)沛中兒得百二十人，教之歌。酒酣，高祖擊筑，自為歌詩曰：“大風(fēng)起兮云飛揚(yáng)，威加海內(nèi)兮歸故鄉(xiāng)，安得猛士兮守四方！”令兒皆和習(xí)之。高祖乃起舞，慷慨傷懷，泣數(shù)行下。

《大風(fēng)歌》有英人 Robert Payne 的英譯，如下：

The great wind rises, clouds are scattered;
Master of all seas, I return to my home.
Where are my warriors who guard the four frontiers?

漢武帝劉徹的《秋風(fēng)辭》，第一句也用“風(fēng)起”、“云飛”，全詩如下：

秋風(fēng)起兮白云飛，草木黃落兮雁南歸。
蘭有秀兮菊有芳，懷佳人兮不能忘。
泛樓船兮濟(jì)汾河，橫中流兮揚(yáng)素波。
蕭鼓鳴兮發(fā)棹歌，歡樂極兮哀情多。
少壯幾時兮奈老何！

英人翟理士（Giles）的英譯如下：

The autumn blast drives the white scud in the sky,
Leaves fade, and wide geese sweeping south meet the eye;
The scent of late flowers fills the soft air above,
My heart full of thoughts of the lady I love.
In the river the barges for revel carouse
Are lined by white waves which break over their bows.
Their oarsmen keep time to the piping and drumming......
Yet joy is as naught
Alloyed by the thought
That youth slips away and that old age is coming.

翟理士的譯文，以音韻勝。

英人韋理（Waley）的英譯則是這樣的：

Autumn wind rises: white clouds fly.
Grass and trees wither: geese go south.
Orchids all in bloom: chrysanthemums smell sweet.
I think of my lovely lady: I never can forget.
Floating-pagoda boat crosses Fen River.
Across the mid-stream white waves rise.
Flute and drum keep time to sound of the rowers' song:
Amidst revel and feasting, sad thoughts come;
Youth's years how few! Age how sure!

韋理的譯文，則是簡而明的。

除了上述三人所譯的，劉徹的《秋風(fēng)辭》現(xiàn)再多介紹幾種英譯于后，可以做一比較。

蔚成的《大風(fēng)歌》英譯如下：

The big wind rises,
And the clouds fly up and down;
Having spread power and sway over the empire,
Now I am back to my nature town.
But where I am to find fierce warriors
To guard the frontiers around!

這首英譯，勝在押韻，二、四、六行的 down，town around 押韻。

而 Payne 把“威加四海兮歸故鄉(xiāng)”譯作“Master of all seas, I return to my my home”，譯得較有氣勢。

蔚成又翻譯了漢武帝劉徹的《秋風(fēng)辭》，譯文如下：

The autumn wind rises and the white clouds fly,
Vegetation grows faded and yellow,
and the wild geese are homeward southerly.
Orchid has its excellence and chrysanthemum its fragrance,
It is hard for me to forget the fair lady that I cherish.
We sail the storied boat across the Fen River,
And the boat ploughs through the middle stream and turn up white waves;
The flutes and drums sound as the oaring song starts.
Extreme joy leads to much brief;
What can we do with old age, youth being brief?

Rexroth 的譯文如下：

The autumn wind blows white clouds
About the sky. Grass turn brown.
Leaves fall. Wild geese fly south.
The last flower bloom, orchids
And chrysanthemums with their
Bitter perfume. I go for
A trip on the river. The barge
Rides the current and dips with
The white-capped waves, They play flutes
And drums, and rovers sing.
I am happy for a moment
And then the old sorrow comes back.
I was young only a little while,
And now I am growing old.

最后一句“少壯幾時兮奈老何”，蔚成譯作“what can we do with old age, youth being brief”，與 Rexroth 之譯作“I was young only a little while, And now I am growing old”，一神似，一貌似。

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