许渊冲大学三年级时的留影1941年,美国空军“飞虎队”援华抗日,西南联大外文系的所有男生都被调去作翻译。在欢迎宴会上,如何把言简意深的“三民主义”翻译给美国小伙伴,让大家都犯了难。宴会主持人、时任国民党高级官员的黄仁霖亲自上阵,译为:“Nationality, People's Sovereignty, People's Livelihood.”(民族主义、民权主义和民生主义)美国小伙伴面面相觑不知所云,这个时候,许渊冲站了出来,大嗓门喊到:“Of the people, by the people, for the people.”(民有、民治、民享)一下子就把“三民主义”的内涵说明白了。
许渊冲感动于林徽因情感的真挚美好,将诗译成英文,下面就是他的译文。别丢掉 Don’t Cast Away 林徽因(许渊冲 译)别丢掉这一把过往的热情,现在流水似的,轻轻在幽冷的山泉底,在黑夜 在松林,叹息似的渺茫,你仍要保存着那真!Don’t cast awayThis handful passion of the bygone day,Which flows like running water soft and lightBeneath the cool and tranquil fountain,At dead of night,In pine-clad mountain, As vague as sighs, but youShould e’er be true.一样是月明,一样是隔山灯火,满天的星只有人不见,梦似的挂起,你向黑夜要回那一句话——你仍得相信山谷中留着有那回音!The moon is still so bright;Beyond the hills the lamp sheds the same light.The sky besprinkled with star upon star,But I do not know where you are.It seems You hang above like dreams.You ask the dark night to give back your word,But its echo is heardAnd buried though unseenDeep, deep in the ravine. 据央视称,许先生现在还会反思,觉得当年有些地方译得不当:
关于许渊冲,还有不少趣闻轶事,我们试举一二,可以一窥先生的性情。 ① 机智翻译化解尴尬 《光明日报》的一篇文章讲到许先生求学时的轶事,那时他风华正茂,初显才情。
1941年末,陈纳德上校率美国志愿空军来华支援。由于缺乏翻译,西南联大外文系的所有男生被集体征调到了“飞虎队”。在欢迎会上,“三民主义”让语言不通的宾主双方冷了场。就在这时,年轻的许渊冲站起来,大声引用林肯的话来解释孙中山的“三民主义”(民族,民权,民生):“of the people, by the people, for the people”(民有,民治,民享),机智地化解了尴尬。② 王婆卖瓜,那也要看我的瓜到底甜不甜 《文汇报》记者江胜信在《许渊冲:译道独行侠》一文中写道:
③ 许渊冲的英文采访 我们找到许老95岁高龄时的一段英文采访,他口齿清晰,声音洪亮,侃侃而谈,讲了自己对汤显祖和莎士比亚文学的看法。
“Shakespeare describes love in life. Tang Xianzu describes love in dreams, and describes love after death. This shows that Shakespeare is more realistic than Tang Xianzu, while Tang is more romantic than Shakespeare. This shows the difference between the Chinese and the English drama. If the two combined, we can make progress.”莎士比亚描绘生活中的爱情,汤显祖描绘梦中和死后的爱情。由此看出,莎士比亚更现实,而汤显祖则更浪漫。这也显示了中国戏剧和英国戏剧的不同。如果把二者结合,定能有所进步。
水光潋滟晴方好,The brimming waves delight the eyes on sunny days,山色空蒙雨亦奇。the dimming hills present rare views in rainy haze.欲把西湖比西子,West Lake may be compared to Beauty of the West,淡妆浓抹总相宜。Whether she is richly adorned or plainly dressed.
1977年2月16日钱锺书致许渊冲信 为什么要采取这种“不忠实”的翻译法呢?许渊冲认为,西方各种语言的词汇基本可以在另一种语言中找到对等表达,所以可以采取“对等翻译”。但中文和西文之间大约只有50%的词汇有对等表达,所以就要发挥译语的优势,用最好的译语表达方式来超越源语,把一个民族文化的味道、精髓、灵魂体现出来。朱光潜曾说过,“从心所欲,不逾矩”是一切艺术的成熟境界。许渊冲认为翻译也是这样:“不逾矩”求的是真,“从心所欲”求的是美,合起来便是“在不违反求真的前提下尽量求美”。让我们通过几个例子来看许老是如何在翻译时做到“从心所欲不逾矩”的。1唐代杜牧的《清明》:清明时节雨纷纷,路上行人欲断魂。借问酒家何处有?牧童遥指杏花村。许渊冲指出,在这首诗中,“清明时节”不是指天气,而是悼念亡人的节日,所以不能按字面对等翻成“the Pure Brightness Day”,而要翻成“the Mourning Day”;“雨纷纷”如果光译为“it drizzles thick”传达不出原文的意境,把雨水比作眼泪则能体现哀悼之情,所以译为“a drizzling rain falls like tears”;“路上行人”不是指一般的过路人,而是特指上坟悼念死者的亲友,所以翻译为“mourner”;“断魂”译成“伤心”略轻,译成“心碎”略重,但许老认为这里“过之”胜于“不及”,所以整句译为“a mourner's heart is going to break on his way”;“酒家”不能直接译为“public house”,因为英国的酒家太热闹,而翻译为“wineshop”又可能指卖酒而不喝酒的酒店,所以需要补充为“a wineshop to drown his sad hours”; “杏花村”是酒店的名字,不能直译为“村”,所以处理为“a cot amid apricot flowers”(一片杏花中的小屋)。整首诗翻译如下:
A drizzling rain falls like tears on the Mourning Day;The mourner's heart is going to break on his way.Where can a wineshop be found to drown his sad hours?A cowherd points to a cot 'mid apicot flowers.
2《诗经》中一首最美的短诗《诗经·采薇》,写战后士兵回家的情形:昔我往矣,杨柳依依。 这句话说的是当我离家去打仗的时候,杨柳也舍不得我走。将“杨柳依依”翻译成了“杨柳飘扬”就不准确了,可以翻成“When I left there , willows shed tear。”3毛泽东气势雄浑的《念奴娇·昆仑》:安得倚天抽宝剑,把汝裁为三截: 一截遗欧,一截赠美,一截还东国。太平世界,环球同此凉热。这首诗讲的是要将昆仑山一分为三赠与世界,共享和平幸福。有些西方汉学家将“三截”直接翻译成了Three pieces或Three parts,都不能表现毛泽东以及中国文化宏伟的气魄与高旷的胸怀。许渊冲翻译为:
I'd give to Europe your crest.(山峰或顶部)And to America your breast.(山腰或中部)And leave in the Orient the rest.(山脚或余部)
最后,附上许渊冲先生对一些经典诗句的精彩翻译,供大家品读。千山鸟飞绝,万径人踪灭。孤舟蓑笠翁,独钓寒江雪。From hill to hill no bird in flight;From path to path no man in sight.A lonely fisherman afloat,Is fishing snow in lonely boat.——柳宗元《江雪》中华儿女多奇志,不爱红装爱武装。Most Chinese daughters have a desire strong,To face the powder and not powder the face.——毛泽东《七绝·为女民兵题照》床前明月光,疑是地上霜。举头望明月,低头思故乡。Before my bed a pool of light;Oh can it be frost on the ground?Looking up, I find the moon bright;Bowing, in homesickness I’m drowned.——李白《静夜思》寻寻觅觅,冷冷清清,凄凄惨惨戚戚。I look for what I miss, I know not what it is, I feel so sad, so drear, so lonely, without cheer.——李清照《声声慢》日出江花红胜火,春来江水绿如蓝。At sunrise riverside flowers more red than fire, In spring green river waves grow as blue as sapphire.——白居易《忆江南》感时花溅泪,恨别鸟惊心。Grieved o'er the years, flowers make us shed tears;Hating to part, hearing birds breaks our heart.——杜甫《春望》一顾倾人城,再顾倾人国。At her first glance, soldiers would lose their town;At her second, a monarch would his crown.——李延年《北方有佳人》少壮不努力,老大徒伤悲。If one does not make good use of his youth,In vain will he pass his old age in ruth.——汉乐府《长歌行》盈盈一水间,脉脉不得语。Where brimful, brimful waves appear,They gaze but can't lay bare their heart.——《迢迢牵牛星》夕阳无限好,只是近黄昏。The setting sun seems so sublime,O but 'tis near its dying time!——李商隐《登乐游原》杳杳寒山道,落落冷涧滨。啾啾常有鸟,寂寂更无人。 淅淅风吹面,纷纷雪积身。 朝朝不见日,岁岁不知春。 Long long the pathway to Cold Hill; Drear, drear the waterside so chill. Chirp, chirp, I often hear the bird; Gust by gust winds caress my face; Flake on flake snow covers all trace. From day to day the sun won’t swing; From year to year I know spring. ——寒山《杳杳寒山道》