本文由微信公众号“中国诗歌网”(id:cnshige)综编自央视新闻、《新华每日电讯》、北京日报、北大外文学堂,原文首发于2021年4月19日,标题为《百岁翻译泰斗许渊冲:将中国诗词译成英法韵文第一人》,不代表瞭望智库观点。
1
从夜里“偷时间”的人
畅春园的一栋老楼,总有一抹暖色很晚才沉入夜幕,那是许渊冲书房的灯光。退休以后,许渊冲每天在那里对着台式电脑,从晚上十点工作到凌晨三四点。晚上对他而言是黄金时段,是“高产期”。
△99岁的许老在电脑前工作
2
“要将一个国家创造的美
转化为世界的美”
1948年,许渊冲赴法留学。新中国成立时,许渊冲身处巴黎,在心中抱定读成归国的志向。
△2017年,许渊冲用中文、法文抄写《诗经•采薇》的名句
他曾说,把一个国家创造的美,转化为世界的美,这是世界的乐趣,也是他翻译诗歌的初衷。他不仅尽最大可能保留诗歌的音韵美,更采用了外国人能看得懂的表达方式,真正实现了翻译中的文明互通,架起了一座中外语言之桥。
3
“好上加好,精益求精
不到绝顶,永远不停”
2017年2月,许渊冲做客《朗读者》节目。96岁的老人拄着拐杖,徐徐迈入会场,颤巍巍递出了一张名片——“书销中外百余本,诗译英法唯一人”。乍一听,似乎有些张狂的意味。可他立马解释道:“我实事求是!”
许渊冲的家中,高悬着“自豪使人进步,自卑使人落后”的条幅。房间里那些塞满旧著新作的书架,是他数十年的翻译实践累积,是他的底气。
“好上加好,精益求精;不到绝顶,永远不停”,这几句简短直白的话,是许渊冲对自己的学术要求。躬耕译林,许渊冲乐在其中,“不知老之将至”。他常常忘记自己的年龄,只有在面对蝇头小字的书本需要拿放大镜时,才会感叹一句“确实是老了”。
2007年,他被医生诊断为直肠癌,断言只有7年可活。2014年他却神采奕奕地站在领奖台上,成为摘得“北极光”杰出文学奖的首位亚洲翻译家。
4
许渊冲的翻译之道
许渊冲在翻译古诗时自有一套理论。他认为,翻译是追求两种语言的“双赢”,求真是低标准,求美是高标准;等值的翻译容易失掉诗的精华,并且难以出精品。
与其将诗翻译得味同嚼蜡,嘴里像嚼着一大块黄油面包似的,不如在不失真的情况下使其优化和再创,以确保原诗的内蕴和存意不流失,在音形上更熨帖、更醒豁,使读者能从中体味诗词艺术的音韵之美。
为了追求译诗艺术的高峰,许渊冲在翻译上遵循孔子提出的“从心所欲不逾矩”的理念,提出“以创补失”“美化之艺术”的中国学派翻译理论,即“意美、音美、形美”三美论、“浅化、等化、深化”三化论和“知之、乐之、好之”三之论,成为翻译理论界的一大成果。
5
许渊冲英译古诗
a spring morning – by meng haoran
(许渊冲 译)
春眠不觉晓,
this morn of spring in bed i’m lying,
处处闻啼鸟。
not woke up till i hear birds crying.
夜来风雨声,
after one night of wind and showers,
花落知多少。
how many are the fallen flowers!
love seeds – by wang wei
(许渊冲 译)
红豆生南国,
red berries grow in southern land,
春来发几枝。
in spring they overload the trees.
愿君多采撷,
gather them till full is your hand:
此物最相思。
they would revive fond memories.
song of good event – by qin guan
(许渊冲、许明 译)
春路雨添花,
the spring rain hastens roadside flowers to grow;
花动一山春色。
they undulate and fill mountains with spring.
行到小溪深处,
deep, deep along the stream i go,
有黄鹂千百。
and hear hundreds of orioles sing.
飞云当面化龙蛇,
flying cloud in my face turns to dragon or snake,
夭矫转空碧。
and swiftly melts in azure sky.
醉卧古藤阴下,
lying drunk neath old vines, i can’t make
了不知南北。
out if it’s north or south by and by.
【词汇解析】
undulate (v.) to go or move gently up and down like waves
起伏;波动;荡漾
oriole (n.) a bird, the male of which is black and orange and the female is yellow-green
黄鹂
azure (adj.) bright blue in color like the sky
天蓝色的;蔚蓝色的
coming across li guinian on the southern shore – by du fu
(许渊冲 译)
岐王宅里寻常见,
at the palatial residence we often met;
崔九堂前几度闻。
in courtier’s hall for many times i heard you sing.
正是江南好风景,
the southern scenery is now not to forget,
落花时节又逢君。
but i meet you again when flower’s part with spring.
【词汇解析】
palatial (adj.) very large and impressive, like a palace
宫殿般的;富丽堂皇的
a song of spring – by liu yuxi
(许渊冲 译)
新妆宜面下朱楼,
she comes downstairs in a new dress becoming her face,
深锁春光一院愁。
when locked up, e en spring looks sad in this lonely place.
行到中庭数花朵,
she counts up flowers in mid-court while passing by,
蜻蜓飞上玉搔头。
on her lovely hair-pin alights a dragon-fly.
【词汇拓展】
hair-pin (n.) a hairpin is a thin piece of metal wire bent back on itself which someone uses to hold their hair in position.
发卡
dreaming of the southern shore – by bai juyi
江南好,
fair southern shore,
风景旧曾谙。
with scenes i adore.
日出江花红胜火,
at sunrise riverside flowers redder than fire,
春来江水绿如蓝。
in spring green waves grow as blue as sapphire,
能不忆江南?
which i can’t but admire.
【词汇解析】
sapphire (n.) a bright blue color
宝蓝色;天蓝色
happy rain on a spring night (excerpts) – by du fu
(许渊冲 译)
好雨知时节,
good rain knows its time right;
当春乃发生。
it will fall when comes spring.
随风潜入夜
with wind it steals in night;
润物细无声。
mute, it moistens each thing.
野径云俱黑,
o’er wild lanes dark cloud spreads;
江船火独明。
in boat a lantern looms.
晓看红湿处,
dawn sees saturated reds;
花重锦官城。
the town’s heavy with blooms.
【词汇解析】
moisten (v.) to become or make sth. slightly wet
(使)变得潮湿,变得湿润
saturated (adj.) completely wet
湿透的;浸透的
spring on the southern rivershore – by du mu
(许渊冲 译)
千里莺啼绿映红,
orioles sing for miles amid red blooms and green trees;
水村山郭酒旗风。
by hills and rills wine shop streamers wave in the breeze.
南朝四百八十寺,
four hundred eighty splendid temples still remain;
多少楼台烟雨中。
of southern dynasties in the mist and rain.
peach blossoms in the temple of great forest – by bai juyi
人间四月芳菲尽,
all flowers in late spring have fallen far and wide,
山寺桃花始盛开。
but peach blossoms are full-blown on this mountainside.
长恨春归无觅处,
i oft regret spring’s gone without leaving its trace;
不知转入此中来。
i do not know it’s come up to adorn this place.
【词汇解析】
full-blown (adj.) having all the characteristics of sb./sth.; fully developed
具所有特征的;成熟的
oft (adv.) (old use) often
(诗、文)时常,经常
adorn (v.) to make sth./sb. look more attractive by decorating it or them with sth.
装饰;装扮
light rain in early spring – by han yu
(许渊冲、许明译)
天街小雨润如酥,
the royal streets are moistened by a creamlike rain;
草色遥看近却无。
green grass can be perceived afar but not nearby.
最是一年春好处,
it’s the best time of a year late spring tries in vain
绝胜烟柳满皇都。
with its capital veiled in willows to outvie.
【词汇解析】
outvie (vt.) 在竞争中胜过
来源: