中國文學(xué)英譯絮談
王安石幾首詩的英譯
香港中文大學(xué)出版的半年刊《譯叢》(Renditions)創(chuàng)刊號,刊登了劉若愚翻譯的王安石詩歌六首。《新花》、《即事二首》、《染云》、《南浦》、《竹里》。
《染云》全詩是:
染云為柳葉,剪水作梨花。
不是春風(fēng)巧,何緣有歲華。
英譯如下:
Dyeing clouds to make willow leaves,
Cutting water to form pear blossoms;
If it weren't for the spring wind's skills,
How could we have the glory of the year?
是譯得不錯的。
王安石寫詩愛用“春風(fēng)”兩字,又如上文提到《竹里》,全詩是:“竹里編茅倚石根,竹徑疏處見前村。聞眠盡日無人到,自有春風(fēng)為掃門?!弊詈笠痪?,又有“春風(fēng)”兩字了。
劉師舜在“One Hundred and One Chinese Poems”中也譯了一首王安石的《元日》,詩中又有“春風(fēng)”,全詩是:
爆竹聲中一歲除,春風(fēng)送暖入屠蘇。
千門萬戶曈曈日,總把新桃換舊符。
英譯如下:
Amidst the noise of firecrackers, the year
Comes to and end;
The spring wind helps and the tu-su warms.
The rising sun shines on innumerable thresholds,
New peach-wood boards replace the old charms on the doors.
王安石愛用“春風(fēng)”,也用“春色”,例如一首《夜直》,全詩是這樣的:
金爐香盡漏聲殘,翦翦輕風(fēng)陣陣寒。
春色惱人眠不得,月移花影上欄干。
此詩有兩人英譯。英人羅旭龢(Robert Kotewall)的譯文如下:
The golden bowl's incense burns to ashes, the sound of the water-clock fades;
Snip, snip goes the light breeze with its gusts of chill.
Spring's hues tease me, and I cannot sleep;
While the moon moves the shadows of the flowers up the balustrade.
英人翟理士(Giles)的譯文如下:
The incense-stick is burnt to ash, the water-clock is stilled,
The midnight breeze blows sharply by and all round is chilled.
Yet I am kept from slumber by the beauty of the spring,
Sweet shapes of flowers across the blind the quivering moonbeams fling!
翟理士譯詩勝在押韻,而羅旭龢的譯文則勝在明白。
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