中国文学英译絮谈

沙枫

“一舞剑器动四方”

中国武术代表团在香港表演,有好些人借用杜甫的《观公孙大娘弟子舞剑器行》的诗句,以形容剑术表演之优美。

《舞剑器行》是这样开头的:

“昔有佳人公孙氏,
一舞剑器动四方。”

“一舞剑器动四方”,这是常常被人引用的一句。

另有两句,也是常常被人引用的,就是:

“来如雷霆收震怒,
罢如江海凝清光。”

吴经熊翻译了这两句如下:

In motion, it was like thunder and lightning boiling with intense anger,
At rest, it was like a calm ocean crystallized into serene light.

最近香港商务印书馆重印艾黎(Alley)所译的《杜甫诗选》英译本,这两句的英译是这样的:

......watching her
One could see thunder, lightning,
Storm, then quiet rays over a peaceful sea;.....

论气势,艾黎的英译是不及吴经熊的了。

Bynner 的英译则是这样的:

She began like a thunderbolt, venting its anger,
And ended like the shining calm of rivers and the sea.....

“来如”译作“began like”,“罢如”译作“ended like”,又比吴译忠实于原文。

Cooper 的译文则是这样:

She came on, the pent storm before it thunders;
And she ceased, the cold light off frozen rivers!

“来如”、“罢如”中的两个“如”字,甚有气势,未译这两个“如”字,译来的气势就不及了。

“一舞剑器动四方”,这一句,Cooper 的译文是这样的:

And her "Mime of the Sword" made the World marvel!

艾黎的英译则是这样:

......whose Sword Dance
Was loved by all,...

Bynner 的英译则是:

Who, dancing with the dagger, drew from all four quarters.

Bynner 把“剑”译作“dagger”(匕首、短剑),恐怕不是人们所敢苟同的。

至于“一舞剑器动四方”的气势,三种英译之中,“made the World marvel”较有气势,“loved by all”太平淡,“drew from all four quarters”是直译。

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