Sidney Shapiro in Translating Outlaws of the Marsh1沙博理翻譯《水滸傳》

I ihad my own “great turning point”2 in 1979. That year I completed my last project as a literary translator. For 30 years I had been transforming Chinese fiction into English for publication in China and sale abroad. I had produced a large number of translations3， ranging from ancient to modern， from short stories to novels， plus some essays and poetry. During the “cultural revolution” I had the chance to translate China’s great classical novel Outlaws of the Marsh.

1979年我也迎來了自己的“偉大轉折點”，完成了我文學翻譯生涯里的最后一部作品。三十年來，我一直在翻譯中國小說，英譯本在中國出版，銷往國外。我可翻譯了不少作品吧，有古代的和現(xiàn)代的，短篇、長篇小說也都有，還有一些散文和詩歌?！拔母铩逼陂g，我有緣翻譯了中國古典名著《水滸傳》。

China’s first major novels were created in the Ming and Qing dynasties. Their milieu was the feudal era， which lasted roughly from the second century BC to well into the twentieth century. Feudalism was based on the control by a small landlord minority over the vast majority who tilled the soil in an agricultural society. In medieval China these were mainly tenants or serfs. The tenants， who had to pay the lion’s share of the yield as rent， were compelled to borrow seed or food grain at exorbitant interest from the landlords to tide them over after bad harvests. Usually， it was only a question of time before a crushing burden of debt reduced the tenant to serfdom or beggary， or forced him to sell his wife or his children.4

中國最早的幾部重要長篇小說均成書于明清時期，以封建社會為背景，封建社會的時間跨度大致從公元前2世紀一直到20世紀。封建制度的基礎是農(nóng)業(yè)社會里少數(shù)地主控制著耕作土地的大多數(shù)人。從唐朝一直到明朝，耕作土地的人主要是佃戶和農(nóng)奴。佃戶須把大部分收成當?shù)刈饫U納給地主，遇到莊稼歉收就不得不以高昂的利息向地主借種子、借糧食度過饑荒。通常情況下，沉重的債務負擔會把佃戶壓垮，直到淪為農(nóng)奴、乞丐，或者被迫賣妻賣子，這都是遲早的事。

This was the economic foundation of a political pyramid which extended upward through layers of bureaucratic officialdom， backed by armies and courts and police， all the way to the emperor. He was China’s biggest landlord， since theoretically he owned all the land， sublet by him to lesser landlords.

這就為自上而下的政治體系奠定了經(jīng)濟基礎，在官兵、衙門、捕快的支持下形成層級官僚體制，一直到皇帝?；实勰酥袊畲蟮牡刂?，因為普天之下，莫非王土，皇帝再把土地分配給大大小小的地主。

He was also the infallible fountainhead of justice and wisdom， modestly known as the “Son of Heaven.” Every few hundred years， when China slid into chaos， popular uprisings5 might remove a particular emperor， but only because he was deemed to have “l(fā)ost Heaven’s Mandate.” Another emperor was quickly put in his place. Feudalism as an imperial political and social system was never questioned.

皇帝也是不容置疑的公正之本與智慧之源，謂之“天子”。每過幾百年，中國陷入混亂，民眾起來造反就可能推翻一個皇帝，原因不過是民眾認為他“失卻天命”，很快就另立新君取代他的位置。作為皇權政治和社會制度，封建制度從未被質疑過。

Prevailing religious beliefs and philosophic concepts praised submissiveness and respect for authority as the supreme virtues in a male chauvinist world.6 Women， at the bottom of the ladder， had to obey their husbands who took their orders from the local magistrates—euphemistically called “the parents of the people.” The magistrates were under the command of the provincial governors who were ruled by the emperor. He had a direct pipeline to God—popularly hailed as Lao Tian Ye—the “Old Lord of the Sky.”

在男權社會的主流宗教信仰和哲學觀念中，人們將唯命是從和尊重權威視為最大的美德。處于最低階層的婦女必須服從丈夫，而丈夫聽命于被尊稱為“父母官”的地方官。地方官又服從州府官，州府官則由皇帝統(tǒng)治。而皇帝直接受命于上天（即“老天爺”）。

It was an autocratic， paternalistic society in which the average Chinese respected the traditional ethical values and was generally law-abiding. At the same time he recognized the venality of the bureaucracy and the corruption of the clergy， and harbored no illusions about many who called themselves his superiors. If they harried him beyond endurance， he might rationalize resistance or even crime7， always in the name of upholding righteousness and opposing immorality.

這是一個家長式的專制社會，普通百姓遵從傳統(tǒng)道德價值觀，普遍遵紀守法。同時呢，他們也認清了官場貪腐，對眾多自稱的上級不抱幻想。一旦被逼到絕路，他們可能據(jù)理抗爭，甚至鋌而走險殺人越貨，經(jīng)常打著匡扶正義、反抗無道的旗號。

China’s creative writers were of course thoroughly saturated with8 the concepts and attitudes of feudal China. This is very evident in Outlaws of the Marsh， the most popular of the Ming novels. A rip-roaring tale， even the violence and carnage of its protagonists are always presented as manifestations of the purest virtue9.

中國古代的小說家當然對封建觀念和人情世故稔熟于心，從最受歡迎的明代小說《水滸傳》中可見一斑。這是一部打打殺殺的傳奇，主人公們即便使用暴力大加殺伐，也總被刻畫成品行最高純的形象。

During the final years of Song Emperor Hui Zong， who reigned from 1101 to 1125， 100-odd men and women fled persecution to band together on a marsh-girt mountain in what today is Shandong Province. They became the leaders10 of an outlaw army of thousands and fought bold and resourceful battles against the powerful military forces of the corrupt ministers who， the outlaws11 alleged， were deceiving the emperor. While the outlaws used no-holds-barred tactics against evil officials， they were not opposed to the imperial establishment， in fact they staunchly supported traditional feudal rule. They were rebels， not revolutionaries. They did not， and could not conceive of， changing the existing social and political system. They ran their internal affairs in a strictly “correct” manner， and took a high moral benevolent tone in their relations with the local populace.

宋徽宗在位（1101—1125）的最后幾年間，有一百零八位男女好漢為躲避迫害齊上如今山東境內的水泊梁山。他們成了一支上萬人起義大軍的頭領，英勇機智地抗擊腐敗奸臣帶領的強大官兵，起義軍宣稱那些奸臣蒙蔽了皇帝。他們對付貪官污吏可謂不擇手段，但并不反對皇權體制，事實上他們堅決擁護傳統(tǒng)的封建統(tǒng)治。他們是造反者而非革命者，他們沒有想到，也不會想到改變現(xiàn)存的社會和政治制度。他們用完全“正確的”方式管理內部事務，在處理同當?shù)匕傩盏年P系時則表現(xiàn)出高度仁義。

The trials and triumphs12 of these brigands became the fabric of one of the best-loved episodic thrillers of the professional story tellers， and their tale was polished and elevated into the 14th century Ming Dynasty novel Outlaws of the Marsh. Most of the events actually occurred， and most of the personae actually existed， although much liberty was taken in the novel with the facts. During the Ming and Qing dynasties it appeared in numerous editions ranging from 70 to 124 chapters， the denouement changing with the political temper of the ruling monarch. Arguments over the authorship and the authenticity and dates of the various editions continue to this day. The prevailing opinion is that Shi Nai’an and Luo Guanzhong， Jiangsu Province literati， should be credited with the original creation13.

這些好漢遭遇的種種磨難和取得的大小勝利成了說書人最愛講的故事素材，他們嘴里講出的故事經(jīng)過一番潤色，加工成14世紀的明代小說《水滸傳》。書里的大部分事件確實發(fā)生過，里面的人物也大都確有其人，只是小說對歷史事件做了大量演義。此書在明清年間出現(xiàn)過眾多版本，少則70回，多則124回，小說的結局也隨著最高統(tǒng)治者的政治傾向而有所改變。關于各版本的作者、真?zhèn)魏湍甏两袢源鏍幾h。普遍的看法是，《水滸傳》的初創(chuàng)成書為江蘇文人施耐庵和羅貫中所作。

The authors committed many inaccuracies. Fourteenth century dress， weapons， government offices are superimposed on the twelfth. Some time sequences and place locations are wrong. The authors often put their native Jiangsu Province colloquialisms in the mouths of Shandong provincial characters....

兩位作者犯了不少失真筆誤。14世紀的服裝、武器、官府機構放在了12世紀的故事里；有些時間順序和事件地點搞錯了；兩位作者常常把自己的江蘇方言安在山東的人物嘴上……

This is of little consequence to any but the most nit-picking scholars， for the novel is intriguing14 and beautifully constructed. In spite of its enormous cast， the characters come across as distinct personalities， convincingly and in depth. The reader finds it difficult to remain objective and neutral as he becomes enmeshed in the complexities of Song Dynasty society.

不過，這部小說情節(jié)錯綜復雜，構思極為巧妙，除非遇到吹毛求疵的學者，否則這些筆誤無傷大雅。盡管出場人物陣容龐大，但每個人都刻畫得個性鮮明、令人信服、有血有肉。讀者置身于書中描繪的錯綜復雜的宋朝社會，就會發(fā)現(xiàn)自己很難再保持客觀和中立了。

In many respects it was the most advanced society in the twelfth century world. China was already using inventions like gunpowder， the compass and movable type. Her great merchant ships plied trade routes between China and southeast Asia and northern Africa. The arts flourished. There was heavy commerce between the cities and the countryside.

12世紀的宋朝在諸多方面領先世界。那時中國已經(jīng)在使用火藥、指南針和活字印刷等發(fā)明成果。中國的商船大規(guī)模往返于本土和東南亞及北非開展貿(mào)易。藝術創(chuàng)作繁榮發(fā)展。城鄉(xiāng)之間商業(yè)往來密切。

But the court and the bureaucracy were corrupt. By the late 12th century the empire was beginning to crumble， hammered by continuous attacks by tribal nations from the north. Internal disturbances gave rise to the formation of gangs of “brigands，” such as the one described in Outlaws of the Marsh.

但是朝廷和官吏卻腐敗不堪。到了12世紀后期，宋朝政權不斷遭到北方部落民族的襲擾，開始搖搖欲墜。內部的動亂引起“盜匪”拉幫結伙，就像《水滸傳》描寫的那樣。

The novel has fascinated Chinese readers， young and old， for 600 years. It has been adapted for stage and screen， for television， for puppet theatre， for picture books. Children know the tales by heart. Commented upon by decades of literati， it has been frequently quoted by eminent personalities， including Mao Zedong. In Japan it has long been appreciated in translation， and has exercised a considerable cultural influence. A few translations are also available in English and in European languages. My rendition is the first to have been done in China under the direct guidance of Chinese scholars.

這部小說問世六百年來一直深受中國讀者喜愛，老少咸宜，還被改編成戲劇、電影、電視劇、木偶戲和連環(huán)畫。孩子們對水滸故事爛熟于心。百十年間文人競相評論，名人頻繁征引，就連毛主席也引用過其中詞句?！端疂G傳》早就被翻譯成日文，備受歡迎，并且對日本文化產(chǎn)生了相當大的影響。還有一些英文和歐洲語言譯本。而我的譯本是首個由中國學者直接指導，在中國完成的譯本。

The novel is important not only as a literary tour de force but because it brings out vividly the feudal， Confucian concepts， the attitudes and standards， which are still very much a part of the Chinese psyche. It is an ideal guide to understanding China today. I felt I could not have chosen a better vehicle15 for my “swan song”16 as a translator of Chinese literature.

《水滸傳》之所以重要，不僅在于它是一部文學巨著，還因為它生動地描繪了封建社會和儒家的處世哲學、道德觀念及是非判斷標準，它們至今仍是中國精神的重要組成部分?！端疂G傳》是當下了解中國的最佳指南。作為一名中國文學翻譯工作者，恐怕我再也找不出比它更適合的作品來做我的“天鵝絕唱”了。

That did not mean I had given up translating Chinese literary materials. On the contrary I found that Chinese sources provided valuable information I was able to use in writing books of my own on themes which interested me. An American in China， my first venture in original writing， was published in Beijing in mid-1979. Another personal “turning point”！

可這并不意味著我就此收手不再翻譯中國文學作品了。相反，我發(fā)現(xiàn)中國文學的原始資料能為我就感興趣的話題寫書提供寶貴的信息。我寫的第一本書《一個美國人在中國》1979年年中在北京出版，這是我個人的又一個“轉折點”！

1原文選自沙博理的英文自傳My China： The Metamorphosis of a Country and a Man（Beijing： New World Press， 1997）第220—223頁。標題為譯者所加。" 2前文有所提及，“文革”結束后國家投入經(jīng)濟建設的轉折點。" 3留意沙博理的措辭。如果用“語義對等”的方式翻譯，效果不好。produce包含翻譯過程和譯本出版，“翻譯了不少作品”可以避免歧義——原作是“作品”，“譯文”也是“作品”。

4英語句式會把重要的總結信息前置，細節(jié)后置，即“頭重腳輕”；而中文語序則“頭輕腳重”，傾向于在句末進行總結。此句翻譯照顧到了中英文語序的差異。" 5英語名詞轉換為漢語動詞，詞性轉換符合漢語表達慣例和《水滸傳》語境。

6語序調整，符合漢語習慣。" 7適當增譯才能傳達《水滸傳》文本里的相關情節(jié)，即梁山好漢的暴力行為和情節(jié)。選擇恰當?shù)乃淖指襁M行轉換，語義精準，語句對仗工整、有節(jié)奏感。

8 be saturated with的本義為“被浸透，使飽和”，此處根據(jù)上下文譯為“稔熟于心”。" 9“刻畫成品行最高純的形象”，語義忠實又做到了措辭符合漢語習慣。" 10屬于“回譯”（back translation），譯文措辭要地道，符合《水滸傳》的語言風格。" 11注意詞語的褒貶色彩。實際上，沙博理的《水滸傳》英譯本本想用heroes，但由于是在“文革”期間翻譯的，因特殊原因，沙博理最終選擇outlaws，但表達的是褒義，如中國的“綠林好漢”形象、英國文學中的俠盜“羅賓漢”。

12原文是復數(shù)，譯文適當增譯，“種種磨難”“大小勝利”體現(xiàn)出復數(shù)含義，也將原文含義具體化。" 13兩個詞的內涵要傳達出來，初創(chuàng)和成書是兩個階段。

14根據(jù)上下文理解，指的是故事情節(jié)復雜。譯文選擇四字格。

15 vehicle本指交通工具、載體，這里既指《水滸傳》英譯本這一表現(xiàn)方式，也指翻譯經(jīng)典文學名著這一翻譯行為。" 16本義是“天鵝之歌”，這里指“最后的作品”。譯為“天鵝絕唱”是貌似意譯的直譯。