中國文學(xué)英譯絮談

沙楓

“葬花詩”三種英譯

張其春在《翻譯之藝術(shù)》一書中，談到翻譯的“周密”（precision）時(shí)，拿《紅樓夢》的《葬花詩》英譯為例，舉了這兩句：

儂今葬花人笑癡，
他年葬儂知是誰？

林語堂的英譯如下：

This year I am burying the dropped blossoms,
Next year who is going to bury me?

“人笑癡”三字，未譯出。

張其春說：“林譯成簡潔有余，縝密稍嫌不足?！?/p>

作者舉另一英文譯文如下：

As I now bury the flowers they laugh at my conceit,
Some future years when I am buried——who knows by whom?

這兩句，顯比林譯縝密。首先，“人笑癡”三字是譯出了。其次，“知是誰”譯作“Who knows by whom”，譯到十足。這兩句，是王際真譯的，他是《紅樓夢》一書的英譯者。

柳無忌在英文《中國文學(xué)概論》中，也譯了這兩句，譯成如下：

People laugh at me for burying the flowers.
But who would bury me when I pass away?

看來，這兩句，柳譯還不及王譯。

現(xiàn)將《葬花詩》最后八句及兩人的譯文錄后，以便作一比較。原文是：

爾今死去儂收葬，未卜濃身何日喪？
儂今葬花人笑癡，他年葬儂知是誰？
試看春殘花漸落，便是紅顏老死時(shí)。
一朝春盡紅顏老，花落人亡兩不知！

王際真的英譯如下：

Now that you are dead and gone I am here to bury you.
I wonder when the day will come when I too shall die?
As I now bury the flowers they laugh at my conceit,
Some future years when I am buried——who knows by whom?
Look! Spring is waning; and one by one the flowers are falling.
Now also will the radiant maiden age and die.
Some morn when spring has departed and the maiden has grown old,
The flowers will fall, the maiden, die——neither knowing of the other.

柳無忌的譯文如下：

I am here to bury you when you fall;
I wonder when will come the day of my death?
People laugh at me for burying the flowers,
But who would bury me when I pass away?
Look, spring is waning and flowers have been falling,
That is the time when fair maidens too wither and die.
One morning spring departs and youth grows old——
Flowers fallen, the maiden dead, one unaware of the other.

“一朝春盡紅顏老，花落人亡兩不知”這兩句，看來則是柳譯較佳了。

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