张培基英译散文赏析之《哭》

 　　哭

　　吴冠中

　　On the Verge¹ of Tears

　　Wu Guanzhong

　　prose

　　那年，我坐夜车去朝拜圣地——到茂陵瞻仰霍去病墓前的雕刻。

　　Years ago ,I went by night train to Mao Ling ,a sacred place in Shaanxi Province,to pay homage² to the sculptures standing³ before Huo Qubing's tomb.

　　要点：

　　1，题目虽然是《哭》但根据文章内容，题目更确切的意思应为“快要流泪”，或“几乎流泪”，因此译为On the Verge of Tears

　　2，“那年”即“有一年”或“几年前”，译为that year会造成读者困扰，因为that 通常指前面提到过的事物，现译Years ago

　　综述：题目的翻译看似简单，其实是建立在对于全文的理解上。

　　夜车到了终点站，霍去病墓还老远。在那满天星斗的西北草原上，我时而顺着大车道，时而踏着羊肠小径往前赶路，及至霍去病墓地，天色才开始曙明。附近没有行 人,我迫不及待的扑向墓前那几座庞然巨物的伟大雕刻作品。我十分激动，它们永远是活着的，并一直是我精神上的支柱。当我在异国遭到歧视的时候，当世界上其 他国家的杰出艺术品令我敬仰的时候，我自馁的时候，痛苦的时候……这几座气势磅礴的永恒的石头雕刻便总会呈现在我的眼前。

　　As it was a long way from the terminal station to Huo's tomb,I had to hurry on with my journey on foot under the starry⁴ sky of Northwest China,sometimes on along a broad road,sometimes on a narrow footpath⁵.The day was just dawning when I arrived at Huo's tomb.Not a pedestrian in sight.I lost no time in presenting myself before the majestic⁶ carved works of great magnitude before the tomb ,I was beside myself with agitation⁷ .The immortal⁸ art treasures will be my permanent spiritual prop⁹.Whenever I am discriminated¹⁰ against in a foreign country ,whenever I stand in awe¹¹ before a foreign outstanding work of art ,whenever I am disheartened,whenever I suffer agony … these imperishable stone carvings¹² of amazing grandeur¹³ will inevitably¹⁴ appear in my minds eye.

　　要点：

　　1，“夜车到了终点站，霍去病墓还老远。”译为As it was a long way from the terminal station to Huo's tomb，以as串句简洁流畅，如果用when the night train arrived at its terminal station, Huo’s tomb still a long way off…则不如第一种译法通顺

　　2，“我…往前赶路”译为I had to hurry on with my journey，to hurry on with 意为“匆忙做某事”如：He promised to hurry on with the report and send it to us today.  (他答应赶紧写好报告,今天就给我们送来.)

　　3,“附近没有行人”译为Not a pedestrian in sight,其中省略了was，不知道有多少童鞋想译成there be……

　　4，“我迫不及待地扑向…”译为I lost no time in presenting myself before… 其中“迫不及待”还可译为hurriedly ,“扑向”即“奔向”，还可译为came up to…

　　5,“它们永远是活着的，并一直是我精神上的支柱”译为The immortal art treasures will be my permanent spiritual prop,其中art treasure 是译者后加的，属于增添词，为的是满足造句的需要

　　综述：本段在简化句子结构和增加流畅性上有很多出彩的表达，比如Not a pedestrian in sight…和借用增译词来引导句子，值得我们借鉴。

　　我 久久徘徊于霍墓雕刻间，远看，浑然一体；近看，耐人寻味，在粗犷的斧凿中行走着蜿蜒的线。斯是顽石，却生意盎然，全世界的艺术家到此不能不肃然起敬！“我 们的祖先比你强的多！”我也许是继承了阿Q精神胜利的一面吧，但有了这样矗立在世界艺术史上的祖先爷爷，确实得天独厚。这总是值得欣慰的！

　　I loitered for quite a long while among the sculptures, which were an integrated mass when viewed from afar and very intriguing¹⁵ when scrutinized¹⁶ lose by. Traceable among the rough marks of loitered and chisel¹⁷ were delicate lines zigzagging¹⁸ .Insensate as they were, the carved stones were brimming with life and vigor¹⁹, Artists from all over the world cannot help feeling awed²⁰ when they visit this place."Our forefathers²¹ did much better than you!" I declared  ,maybe affected²² by Ah Q's philosphy of "spiritual victory". We are indeed very lucky to have our forefathers standing tall and upright in the world history of art. This is certainly a matter for rejoicing.

　　要点：

　　1，“在粗犷的斧凿中行走着蜿蜒的线”即“蜿蜒的线条行走于粗犷的斧凿痕迹中” 译为Traceable among the rough marks of hatchet²³ and chisel were delicate lines zigzagging .译者采用倒装句，更加突出“线条”的主语地位

　　2，“都不能不”译为“都禁不住要…”译为can not help doing

　　3,“我也许是继承了阿Q精神胜利的一面吧”即“我也许是受了阿Q‘精神胜利法’的影响”译为maybe affected by Ah Q's philosphy of "spiritual victory". philosophy作“人生哲学”“观点”解，外国读者可能不理解什么是“阿Q精神”此处要稍微解释一下

　　综述：四字词值得积累。

　　1989 年我重返巴黎，感慨万千。返回后，我怀着一种极其复杂的心情又一次去老了西安，再一次瞻仰霍墓雕刻。在霍去病墓前，在秦俑坑前，在碑林博物馆的汉唐石雕前，我只想嚎啕痛哭。老伴跟随我，还有那么多观众，我不敢哭。哭什么？哭它太伟大了，哭老鹰的后代不会变成麻雀吧？

　　In 1989,While revisiting Paris ,I felt all sorts of emotion surging up within me, Back in China, when I paid another visited to Xi'an and the sculptures before Huo's tomb,I was seized with mixed feelings, I just felt like crying with abandon as I stand once more before Huo's tomb, before the Chin Dynasty terra cotta warriors²⁴ and horses and before the Han Tang Upright stone tablets bearing ancient inscriptions²⁵ .But I refrained from tears because I was then accompanied by my wife and surrounded by numerous spectators. Why did I feel like having a good cry？Because my motherland is so great and because of my fears about the descendants of the eagles turning out to be sparrows.

　　要点：

　　1，“我只想嚎啕痛哭”译为I just felt like crying with abandon，其中with abandon作“放任”“纵情”解，如：People were shouting and cheering with abandon.  意即”人们兴高采烈,纵情欢呼.”后面的good  cry也是“痛哭一场”的意思

　　2，“哭老鹰的后代不会变成麻雀吧”意即“因为担心老鹰的后代会变成麻雀而哭”译为because of my fears about the descendants of the eagles turning out to be sparrows.其中my fears about 和I am worried that 都是根据意思的增益的词，为了文章的顺畅表达

　　综述：本段乃至全文都有许多增益的部分，它们在保证文章流畅和准确传达原文意思中的作用功不可没，值得注意。

1 verge   

n.边，边缘；v.接近，濒临

参考例句：

• The country's economy is on the verge of collapse.国家的经济已到了崩溃的边缘。
• She was on the verge of bursting into tears.她快要哭出来了。

2 homage   

n.尊敬，敬意，崇敬

参考例句：

• We pay homage to the genius of Shakespeare.我们对莎士比亚的天才表示敬仰。
• The soldiers swore to pay their homage to the Queen.士兵们宣誓效忠于女王陛下。

3 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

4 starry   

adj.星光照耀的, 闪亮的

参考例句：

• He looked at the starry heavens.他瞧着布满星星的天空。
• I like the starry winter sky.我喜欢这满天星斗的冬夜。

5 footpath   

n.小路，人行道

参考例句：

• Owners who allow their dogs to foul the footpath will be fined.主人若放任狗弄脏人行道将受处罚。
• They rambled on the footpath in the woods.他俩漫步在林间蹊径上。

6 majestic   

adj.雄伟的，壮丽的，庄严的，威严的，崇高的

参考例句：

• In the distance rose the majestic Alps.远处耸立着雄伟的阿尔卑斯山。
• He looks majestic in uniform.他穿上军装显得很威风。

7 agitation   

n.搅动；搅拌；鼓动，煽动

参考例句：

• Small shopkeepers carried on a long agitation against the big department stores.小店主们长期以来一直在煽动人们反对大型百货商店。
• These materials require constant agitation to keep them in suspension.这些药剂要经常搅动以保持悬浮状态。

8 immortal   

adj.不朽的；永生的，不死的；神的

参考例句：

• The wild cocoa tree is effectively immortal.野生可可树实际上是不会死的。
• The heroes of the people are immortal!人民英雄永垂不朽！

9 prop   

vt.支撑；n.支柱，支撑物；支持者，靠山

参考例句：

• A worker put a prop against the wall of the tunnel to keep it from falling.一名工人用东西支撑住隧道壁好使它不会倒塌。
• The government does not intend to prop up declining industries.政府无意扶持不景气的企业。

10 discriminated   

分别，辨别，区分( discriminate的过去式和过去分词 )； 歧视，有差别地对待

参考例句：

• His great size discriminated him from his followers. 他的宽广身材使他不同于他的部下。
• Should be a person that has second liver virus discriminated against? 一个患有乙肝病毒的人是不是就应该被人歧视？

11 awe   

n.敬畏，惊惧；vt.使敬畏，使惊惧

参考例句：

• The sight filled us with awe.这景色使我们大为惊叹。
• The approaching tornado struck awe in our hearts.正在逼近的龙卷风使我们惊恐万分。

12 carvings   

n.雕刻( carving的名词复数 )；雕刻术；雕刻品；雕刻物

参考例句：

• The desk was ornamented with many carvings. 这桌子装饰有很多雕刻物。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Shell carvings are a specialty of the town. 贝雕是该城的特产。 来自《简明英汉词典》

13 grandeur   

n.伟大，崇高，宏伟，庄严，豪华

参考例句：

• The grandeur of the Great Wall is unmatched.长城的壮观是独一无二的。
• These ruins sufficiently attest the former grandeur of the place.这些遗迹充分证明此处昔日的宏伟。

14 inevitably   

adv.不可避免地；必然发生地

参考例句：

• In the way you go on,you are inevitably coming apart.照你们这样下去，毫无疑问是会散伙的。
• Technological changes will inevitably lead to unemployment.技术变革必然会导致失业。

15 intriguing   

adj.有趣的；迷人的v.搞阴谋诡计(intrigue的现在分词)；激起…的好奇心

参考例句：

• These discoveries raise intriguing questions. 这些发现带来了非常有趣的问题。
• It all sounds very intriguing. 这些听起来都很有趣。 来自《简明英汉词典》

16 scrutinized   

v.仔细检查，详审( scrutinize的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The jeweler scrutinized the diamond for flaws. 宝石商人仔细察看钻石有无瑕庇 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• Together we scrutinized the twelve lemon cakes from the delicatessen shop. 我们一起把甜食店里买来的十二块柠檬蛋糕细细打量了一番。 来自英汉文学 - 盖茨比

17 chisel   

n.凿子；v.用凿子刻，雕，凿

参考例句：

• This chisel is useful for getting into awkward spaces.这凿子在要伸入到犄角儿里时十分有用。
• Camille used a hammer and chisel to carve out a figure from the marble.卡米尔用锤子和凿子将大理石雕刻出一个人像。

18 zigzagging   

v.弯弯曲曲地走路，曲折地前进( zigzag的现在分词 )；盘陀

参考例句：

• She walked along, zigzagging with her head back. 她回头看着，弯弯扭扭地向前走去。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• We followed the path zigzagging up the steep slope. 我们沿着小径曲曲折折地爬上陡坡。 来自互联网

19 vigor   

n.活力，精力，元气

参考例句：

• The choir sang the words out with great vigor.合唱团以极大的热情唱出了歌词。
• She didn't want to be reminded of her beauty or her former vigor.现在，她不愿人们提起她昔日的美丽和以前的精力充沛。

20 awed   

adj.充满敬畏的，表示敬畏的v.使敬畏，使惊惧( awe的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The audience was awed into silence by her stunning performance. 观众席上鸦雀无声，人们对他出色的表演感到惊叹。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• I was awed by the huge gorilla. 那只大猩猩使我惊惧。 来自《简明英汉词典》

21 forefathers   

n.祖先，先人；祖先，祖宗( forefather的名词复数 )；列祖列宗；前人

参考例句：

• They are the most precious cultural legacy our forefathers left. 它们是我们祖先留下来的最宝贵的文化遗产。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• All of us bristled at the lawyer's speech insulting our forefathers. 听到那个律师在讲演中污蔑我们的祖先，大家都气得怒发冲冠。 来自《简明英汉词典》

22 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

23 hatchet   

n.短柄小斧；v.扼杀

参考例句：

• I shall have to take a hatchet to that stump.我得用一把短柄斧来劈这树桩。
• Do not remove a fly from your friend's forehead with a hatchet.别用斧头拍打朋友额头上的苍蝇。

24 warriors   

武士，勇士，战士( warrior的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• I like reading the stories ofancient warriors. 我喜欢读有关古代武士的故事。
• The warriors speared the man to death. 武士们把那个男子戳死了。

25 inscriptions   

（作者）题词( inscription的名词复数 )； 献词； 碑文； 证劵持有人的登记

参考例句：

• Centuries of wind and rain had worn away the inscriptions on the gravestones. 几个世纪的风雨已磨损了墓碑上的碑文。
• The inscriptions on the stone tablet have become blurred with the passage of time. 年代久了，石碑上的字迹已经模糊了。