蘇軾(1037~1101),字子瞻,號東坡居士。1075年,蘇軾寫下《水調(diào)歌頭·明月幾時有》這一經(jīng)典詞篇,以此懷念分別五年的弟弟蘇轍。
Thinking of You
Su Shi
When will the moon be clear and bright?
With a cup of wine in my hand, I ask the blue sky.
I don’t know what season it would be in the heavens on this night.
I’d like to ride the wind to fly home.
Yet I fear the crystal and jade mansions
Are much too high and cold for me.
Dancing with my moon-lit shadow
It does not seem like the human world.
The moon rounds the red mansion
Stoops to silk-pad doors
Shines upon the sleepless.
Bearing no grudge
Why does the moon tend to be full when people are apart?
People may have sorrow or joy, be near or far apart
The moon may be dim or bright, wax or wane
This has been going on since the beginning of time.
May we all be blessed with longevity.
Though far apart, we are still able to share
The beauty of the moon together.
明月幾時有
蘇 軾
明月幾時有,
把酒問青天。
不知天上宮闕,
今夕是何年?
我欲乘風(fēng)歸去,
又恐瓊樓玉宇,
高處不勝寒。
起舞弄清影,
何似在人間!
轉(zhuǎn)朱閣,
低綺戶,
照無眠。
不應(yīng)有恨,
何事長向別時圓?
人有悲歡離合,
月有陰晴圓缺,
此事古難全。
但愿人長久,
千里共嬋娟。
信、達(dá)、雅是翻譯的至高境界。信,指譯文忠實(shí)于原著內(nèi)容,沒有任何篡改、歪曲、遺漏或任意增刪的現(xiàn)象;達(dá),指譯文通順易懂,符合英語的語言規(guī)范,沒有文理不通、結(jié)構(gòu)混亂的現(xiàn)象;雅,指譯文簡明優(yōu)雅,文采卓然。該篇譯文表達(dá)貼切、譯解地道、行文流暢,不僅忠實(shí)于原作的語言,更生動地傳達(dá)了原作的思想感情,堪稱杰作。具體分析如下:
1. 明月幾時有,把酒問青天。
When will the moon be clear and bright?
With a cup of wine in my hand, I ask the blue sky.
本句中的“把”在古漢語里是“手握住”的意思。譯文用“With a cup of wine in my hand”, with復(fù)合結(jié)構(gòu)使用得很傳神。
2. 不知天上宮闕,今夕是何年?
I don’t know what season it would be in the heavens on this night.
句中“今夕”被譯為on this night,因為作者是在中秋的夜晚看著一輪明月而發(fā)出的感慨。從形式上看,本句原文是疑問句,但譯文用陳述句表達(dá)了作者的真實(shí)含義。
3. 我欲乘風(fēng)歸去,又恐瓊樓玉宇,高處不勝寒。
I’d like to ride the wind to fly home.
Yet I fear the crystal and jade mansions
Are much too high and cold for me.
本句中“乘風(fēng)歸去”的表達(dá)譯者用了ride the wind to fly home。ride (on) the wind(乘風(fēng))是英語中固有的搭配;“歸去”的表達(dá),譯者沒有用go home,而是用fly,表示駕著風(fēng)“飛”回家,真是妙極?!案咛幉粍俸敝小安粍佟币鉃椤安豢俺惺堋?,譯者用much too high and cold for me,言簡意賅地傳達(dá)出了原意。
4. 起舞弄清影,何似在人間!
Dancing with my moon-lit shadow
It does not seem like the human world.
本句中的“弄”是動詞,表示“耍、玩弄”的意思,譯者用dance with來表達(dá),生動貼切;“清影”指的是在月光的映照下作者自己的身影,所以譯者用moon-lit shadow來表達(dá)。
5. 轉(zhuǎn)朱閣,低綺戶,照無眠。
The moon rounds the red mansion
Stoops to silk-pad doors
Shines upon the sleepless.
本句中的“轉(zhuǎn)”,譯者用round來表示。round通常用作副詞或介詞,意為“圍繞”,在這里用作動詞,意思是“繞……轉(zhuǎn)”(move in a curve past the edge or corner of something);“無眠”在這里指“睡不著的人”,所以譯者用了the sleepless,“定冠詞+形容詞”表示一類人。
6. 不應(yīng)有恨,何事長向別時圓?
Bearing no grudge
Why does the moon tend to be full when people are apart?
本句中“圓”指的是月圓。英語中常用 a full moon來表示“一輪滿月”,而不用round,所以譯文表達(dá)非常地道。
7. 人有悲歡離合,月有陰晴圓缺,此事古難全。
People may have sorrow or joy, be near or far apart
The moon may be dim or bright, wax or wane
This has been going on since the beginning of time.
本句中“有”的真正的含義是“有時有,可能有”,所以譯者用“may have …”,“(may) be …”來表達(dá),準(zhǔn)確地譯出了原作的意義。
8. 但愿人長久,千里共嬋娟。
May we all be blessed with longevity.
Though far apart, we are still able to share the beauty of the moon together.
英語中may用于正式場合,表示希望或愿望;bless本意是“保佑”,譯文中的be blessed with常表示“有幸具有……”,用在這里既達(dá)意,也非常地道;“嬋娟”是“美好”的意思,也指月亮,“共嬋娟”,即共享美好的月色。