譯林絮談

沙楓

嚴(yán)復(fù)翻譯的《天演論》

最近有一篇談到嚴(yán)復(fù)翻譯的《天演論》時(shí)說(shuō)：

“嚴(yán)復(fù)翻譯的《天演論》（英國(guó)赫胥黎著，原名《進(jìn)化與倫理》），是一部他用自己的觀點(diǎn)加以發(fā)展和改造了的譯作。它的前半是唯物的，后半是唯心的。這部著作的發(fā)表，震動(dòng)了十九世紀(jì)末二十世紀(jì)初的中國(guó)思想界，影響了當(dāng)時(shí)整整一代的知識(shí)分子?！?/p>

《天演論》的原名為“Evolution and Ethics and other Assays”，也即是《進(jìn)化與倫理》。中譯本在辛亥革命前出版。

嚴(yán)復(fù)的譯文是這樣開頭的：

赫胥黎獨(dú)處一室之中，在英倫之南，背山而面野，檻外諸境，歷歷如在幾下。乃懸想二千年前，當(dāng)羅馬大將愷徹未到時(shí)，此間有何景物。計(jì)惟有天造草昧，人功未施，其借征人境者，不過(guò)幾處荒墳，散見坡陀起伏間，而灌木叢林，蒙茸山麓，未經(jīng)刪治如今日者，則無(wú)疑也。怒生之草，交加之藤，勢(shì)如爭(zhēng)長(zhǎng)相雄。各據(jù)一抔壤土，夏與畏日爭(zhēng)，冬與嚴(yán)霜爭(zhēng)，四時(shí)之內(nèi)，飄風(fēng)怒吹，或西發(fā)西洋，或東起北海，旁午交扇，無(wú)時(shí)而息。上有鳥獸之踐啄，下有蟻蝝之齧傷，憔悴孤虛，旋生旋滅，菀枯頃刻，莫可究詳。是離離者亦各盡天能，以自存種族而已。數(shù)畝之內(nèi)，戰(zhàn)事熾然。強(qiáng)者后亡，弱者先絕。年年歲歲，偏有留遺。

譯文是爾雅的，是否信呢？請(qǐng)看原文：

It may be safely assumed that, two thousand years ago, before Caesar set foot in southern Britain, the whole countryside visible from the windows of the room in which I write, was in what is called "the state of nature". Except, it may be, by raising a few sepulchral mounds, such as those which still, here and there, break the flowing contours of the downs, man's hands had made on mark upon it; and the thin veil of vegetation which overspread the broad-backed heights and the shelving sides of the coombs was unaffected by his industry. The nature grasses and weeds, the scattered patches of gores contended with one another for the possession of the scanty surface soil; they fought against the droughts of summer, the frosts of winter, and the furious gales which swept, with unbroken force, now from the Atlantic, and now from the North Sea, at all times of the year; they filled up, as they might, the gaps made in their ranks by all sorts of underground animal ravagers. One year after another, with an average population, the floating balance of the unceasing struggle for existence among the indigenous plants, maintained itself.

嚴(yán)復(fù)在“譯天演論例言”中稱：故詞句之間，??????，不斤斤于字比句次；而意義則不倍本文；題曰“達(dá)旨”，不云“筆譯”，取便發(fā)揮，實(shí)非正法。

嚴(yán)幾道可謂夫子自道。上述這一段譯文，確實(shí)是意譯，隨意發(fā)揮了。文句的次序多不依原文，而且有頗多的意思，是他加上去的。后半更漸與原文脫節(jié)，變成夾“作”夾“譯”，正如嚴(yán)復(fù)本人所說(shuō)的：“實(shí)非正法。”這倒是老實(shí)話。

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