用英语讲好中国故事之·桃花源记英译及评论

晋太元中，武陵人捕鱼为业。缘溪行，忘路之远近。忽逢桃花林，夹岸数百步，中无杂树，芳草鲜美，落英缤纷。渔人甚异之，复前行，欲穷其林。

　　林尽水源，便得一山，山有小口，仿佛若有光。便舍船，从口入。初极狭，才通人。复行数十步，豁然开朗。土地平旷，屋舍俨然，有良田、美池、桑竹之属。阡陌交通，鸡犬相闻。其中往来种作，男女衣着，悉如外人。黄发垂髫，并怡然自乐。

见渔人，乃大惊，问所从来。具答之。便要还家，设酒杀鸡作食。村中闻有此人，咸来问讯。自云先世避秦时乱，率妻子邑人来此绝境，不复出焉，遂与外人间隔。问今是何世，乃不知有汉，无论魏晋。此人一一为具言所闻，皆叹惋。余人各复延至其家，皆出酒食。停数日，辞去。此中人语云：“不足为外人道也。”

　　既出，得其船，便扶向路，处处志之。及郡下，诣太守，说如此。太守即遣人随其往，寻向所志，遂迷，不复得路。

南阳刘子骥，高尚士也，闻之，欣然规往。未果，寻病终。后遂无问津者。

In Taiyuan Year of Jin Dynasty, a man living Wuling Prefecture earned his living In the fishing industry. One day, he rowed his boat along a stream, unaware of how far he had gone. All of a sudden, he found himself In the midst of a peach wood In blossom, which extends several hundred steps along the banks, with fragrant grass growing and beautiful peach petals falling In riotous profusion but no other kinds of trees. The fisherman was astonished at It and rowed on In the hope of passing through the wood.

At the end of the wood was just the fountainhead of the steam where stood a mountain with a small opening from which issued a glimmer of light. The fisherman went ashore and walked into the opening which was so narrow that only a man could pass but after scored of paces, It all at once widened into an open field. The land was flat and spacious on which rows of houses were arranged In good order. There were fertile fields, beautiful ponds, bammboo groves, and mulbery trees. The paths on the field crisscrossed, the cock crowing and the dog barking rose and fell. The men and women, dressed like people outside, were busy with farm work, back and forth. They all, old and young, were easy and happy by nature.

They were surpried at seeing the fisherman and eager to ask where he was from. He answered their questions one by one. Then he was invited to their homes and entreated with  wine and chickens as food. The villagers heard the news that he arrived, and came to greet him. They told him that their ancestors came to this isolated place with their families and villagers to escape the turmoil during the Qin Dynasty and from then onwards, they stayed here and was cut off from the outside world. They asked the fisherman what dynasty It was outside, knowing nothing about the Han Dynasty, nor about the Wei and Jin Dynaties. The fisherman told them everything they wanted to know and they sighed. The rest of the villagers invited him to their homes one after anotherr and entertained him with wine and delicious food. After several days, the fisherman took his leave. The villiagers all exhorted him: It Is not worth telling about their conditions to people outside.

The moment he got out of the opening, he found his boat which he rowed homeward, leaving marks all the way. Hardly did he pay a visit to the prefect when he had got back to the prefecture and reported what he experienced. The prefect without delay sent his men to find the place, with the fisherman as guide. However, the marks that he had left could no longer be found, so they got lost and could not find the way to the paradise.

Liu Ziji of Nanyang Prefecture, a scholar of high reputation, was joyful to plan to find the place when he heard the story. But he soon died before he got his plan carried out. After his death, there was no one else who made attempt to do that.

《桃花源记》中，渔人是为人卑劣的一个人。这个人心思绵密，但心怀杂念，受人恩惠而妄图告密，受人之托而无情无义。为献媚而早有谋划，为告密而心有恶念。

他在桃花源受到贵宾一样的接待，家家户户杀鸡奉酒而招待他，对他坦诚相告，无有防备，包括桃花源的历史、现状，以及他们对外部世界的嗟叹惋惜，都毫无戒备之心地坦然相告。但他好吃好喝享受着，却早已怀着谋划告密再来意图其它的心思。这就是他出来之后“处处志之”的原因。因为在桃花源享受着美食、真情的时候，他已经心怀告密的心思，这种人城府深沉，喜怒不形于色，逢场作戏，但心中的人性幽暗却如海洋的黑暗之心，一刻都不曾安宁，而是爆发着人性之恶的熊熊火焰。但桃花源中的村民一再恳求他不要向外人说自己的境况如何时，他表面上答应，实际上却怀着完全不同的心思。等到他从桃花源出来，立即直奔太守那里，迫不及待地去告密，目的是去邀功请赏，献媚讨好。一则以奇事取悦太守，二则以太守派人前往查看，接管桃花源，立功请赏。这两者，就是要生生破坏桃花源里富足安宁、怡然自乐的生活。桃花源里的老百姓本来为了保全自己的生活状态，完全可以将他扣留、管控、甚至杀害，以绝后患。但他们在这种安宁平和的伊甸园般的生活状态下，已经恢复了人性之美、之善、之真的状态，绝不会想到渔人言而无信，早已经心怀恶念。一边享受着桃花源百姓的盛情款待，一边却谋划着告密；一边享受着桃花源老百姓的坦诚相告，一边却谋划着摧毁他们的安宁富足怡然自乐的生活。当他处处志之的时候，当他迫不及待地去见太守并带领人马去找桃花源的时候，他把人性之恶淋漓精致地展现了出来。与桃花源里百姓的善良淳朴纯真形成了鲜明的对比。一个是自由、平等、绝圣弃智的天然乐园，一个是充满等级、官衔、管制与权力横行的阶级社会，前者养成了人民的乐善好施、迎接远客、坦诚自然的个性，后者养成了人民告密报官、奸邪诡诈、城府深沉、心怀鬼胎的个性。看来，什么样的制度产生什么样的人民；什么养的人民产生什么样的制度，是相辅相成、互为因果的。