《虎》The Tiger

巴金B(yǎng)a Jin

| 譯文摘自張培基《英譯中國散文選二》

我不曾走入深山，見到活潑跳躍的猛虎。但是我聽見過不少關(guān)于虎的故事。
I have never been to the depths of remote mountains to see a lively fierce tiger, but I have heard quite a few stories about it.

在獸類中我最愛虎；在虎的故事中我最愛下面的一個(gè)：
Of all animals, I like the tiger best. And of all the stories about it, the following is my favorite:

要點(diǎn)：
1，“深山”即“偏遠(yuǎn)的山”譯為remote mountains
2，OF表示“在…中“這個(gè)句型的出鏡率之高都趕上”天天見“的大寶了，，，of也可根據(jù)情景換為among ，文學(xué)非文學(xué)都適用~

綜述：本篇的巴金先生的一篇隨筆，娓娓道來，夾敘夾議，開頭兩句并不難，一般都能翻下來，注意要盡量簡潔~

深山中有一所古廟，幾個(gè)和尚在那里過著單調(diào)的修行生活。同他們做朋友的，除了有時(shí)上山來的少數(shù)鄉(xiāng)下人外，就是幾只猛虎?；⒉惑@擾僧人，卻替他們守護(hù)廟宇。作為報(bào)酬，和尚把一些可吃的東西放在廟門前。每天傍晚，夕陽染紅小半個(gè)天空，虎們成群地走到廟門口，吃了東西，跳躍而去。
There was deep in a mountain an ancient temple where several pious Buddhist monks lived a monotonous life. They had for company only a number of tigers apart from a few country folks who occasionally came up the mountain for visit. Instead of harassing the monks, the tigers voluntarily stood guard at the gate of the temple. As a reward for it, the monks would place some edibles in front of the gate for tigers to eat. Towards evening, when the setting sun had dyed half of the sky red, the tigers would come up to the gate in groups to eat their fill and then left skipping and jumping.

要點(diǎn)：
1，“幾個(gè)和尚在那里過著單調(diào)的修行生活“譯為There was deep in a mountain an ancient temple where several pious Buddhist monks lived a monotonous life.如果直譯則是where several monks lived the monotonous life of pratising Buddhism(修行)但前者顯然更加簡潔，其中pious（虔誠的）已經(jīng)涵蓋”修行生活“之意
2，“同他們做朋友的…”意即“陪伴他們的…”譯為they had…for company
3, “虎們成群地走到廟門口，吃了東西，跳躍而去。”譯為the tigers would come up to the gate in groups to eat their fill and then left skipping and jumping.“走“和”吃“可以連在一起翻譯，即”走到某地去吃“（“走”基本上和任何動(dòng)詞都可以連在一起譯
“跳躍而去”即“跳躍著離去”（這個(gè)動(dòng)作對于老虎太過復(fù)雜了，本寶寶實(shí)在想像不出來。。。）
譯為leave skipping and jumping~

綜述：注意以上三點(diǎn)在翻譯時(shí)意思的轉(zhuǎn)換~

廟門大開，僧人安然在廟內(nèi)做他們的日課，也沒有誰出去看虎怎樣吃東西，即使偶爾有一二和尚立在門前，虎們也視為平常的事情，把他們看作熟人，不去驚動(dòng)，卻斯斯文文地吃完走開。如果看不見僧 人，虎們就發(fā)出幾聲長嘯，隨著幾陣風(fēng)飛騰而去。
The monks usually left the gate wide open while peacefully engaged in their daily routine of chanting Buddhist scripture inside the temple. Normally none of them came out to watch the tigers eat. Sometimes, however, one or two monks did appear standing at the gate, but the tigers would remain unalarmed and, taking the monks for their friends, did nothing to harm them. They just kept on eating unhurriedly until they finished and left. Sometimes, when they found no monks at the gate, they would whisk away like the wind after uttering several thunderous roars

要點(diǎn)：
1，“僧人安然在廟內(nèi)做他們的日課”可按“僧人安然在廟內(nèi)念經(jīng)”譯為while peacefully engaged in their daily routine of chanting Buddhist scripture inside the temple，或while chanting Buddhist scripture undisturbed inside the temple,”安然“即不受打擾，譯為peacefully undisturbed
2,” 虎們也視為平常的事情”意即“虎們沒有為此感到驚恐“，故譯the tigers would remain unalarmed
3，“卻斯斯文文地吃完走開“中“斯斯文文”意即”不慌不忙“，譯eating unhurriedly，AABB的四字短語通常譯AB，本段中”斯斯文文“譯”斯文“，可譯為gentle,refined，此處是根據(jù)上下文語境來譯的
4,” 隨著幾陣風(fēng)飛騰而去”即“一陣風(fēng)似的跑掉了“譯為they would whisk away like the wind，whisk away意為”掃去，拂去“，生動(dòng)地再現(xiàn)了老虎飛快離去的場景

綜述：注意本段對于老虎擬人化的寫法，翻譯時(shí)切記死板，其實(shí)這些我們都能譯出來，關(guān)鍵是有沒有文采

可惜我不能走到這座深山，去和猛虎為友。只有偶爾在夢里，我才見到這樣可愛的動(dòng)物。在動(dòng)物園里看見的則是被囚在“狹的籠”中搖尾乞憐的馴獸了。
It’s a pity that I’m unable to go to the mountain to make friends with the fierce tigers. I can only see the lovely animal in my dreams once in a while. As to the tiger we see in a zoo, it is nothing but a wretched tame animal confined to a cage.

要點(diǎn)：“搖尾乞憐“此處按“溫順的”理解,譯為wretched tame

其實(shí)說“馴獸”，也不恰當(dāng)。甚至在虎圈中，午睡醒來，昂首一呼，還能使猿猴顫栗。萬獸之王的這種余威，我們也還可以在作了檻內(nèi)囚徒的虎身上看出來。倘使放它出柙，它仍會(huì)奔回深山，重做山林的霸主。
Nevertheless, it is improper to call such a tiger “tame animal” because caged as it is, the roar it raises on waking up from a nap is still such as to make monkeys tremble with terror. One can visualize in the caged animal the power of the erstwhile king of beasts. Set it free, and it will go right back to the remote mountains to lord it over the forest again.

要點(diǎn)：
1，“在虎圈中”即“即使被關(guān)在籠子里”譯為caged as it is
2,” 它仍會(huì)奔回深山，重做山林的霸主?！逼渲小爸刈錾值陌灾鳌笨勺greign over the forest again,或是to lord it over the forest again.這兩種譯法都比較生動(dòng)形象，比干巴巴的become king/lord 好多了，在譯“(使)做…”類短語時(shí)，這樣更簡潔，比如“做…的霸主“譯為”稱霸…”看起來就高大上一些

綜述：本段的一些詞，比如“昂首一呼”“余威”“使得猿猴戰(zhàn)栗”都是要在理解的基礎(chǔ)上進(jìn)行翻譯~

我記起一件事情：三十一年前，父親在廣元做縣官。有天晚上，一個(gè)本地獵戶忽然送來一只死虎，他帶著一臉惶恐的表情對我父親說，他入山打獵，只想獵到狼、狐、 豺、狗，卻不想誤殺了萬獸之王。他絕不是存心打虎的。他不敢冒犯虎威，怕虎對他報(bào)仇，但是他又不能使枉死的虎復(fù)活，因此才把死虎帶來獻(xiàn)給“父母官”，以為可以減輕他的罪過。
Thirty-one years ago, I remember, when my father was magistrate of Guangyuan County a local hunter suddenly visited him one evening to present him with a dead tiger. He told my father nervously that he had killed the king of beasts by mistake for he had been to the mountains exclusively to hunt wolves, foxes, jackals and dogs. He added that he had by no means killed the tiger on purpose, that he was afraid that the mighty tiger would retaliate against him for his serious offence and that since the dead animal could not be revised, he had brought it as a gift to my father the magistrate in order to have his own crime mitigated.

要點(diǎn)：
1，“他絕不是存心打虎的。他不敢冒犯虎威，怕虎對他報(bào)仇，但是他又不能使枉死的虎復(fù)活”這四個(gè)分句其實(shí)都是獵人說的話，譯一個(gè)said，之后用that連接各個(gè)部分的內(nèi)容
2，“父母官”是舊時(shí)民間對縣官的稱呼，在此可按上下文譯為my father the magistrate

綜述：本段出現(xiàn)好幾個(gè)“他“，看看譯者是怎么處理這些代詞的~

父親給了獵人若干錢，便接受了這個(gè)禮物。死虎在衙門里躺了一天，才被剝了皮肢解了。后來父親房內(nèi)多了一張虎皮椅墊，而且常常有人到我們家里要虎骨粉去泡酒當(dāng)藥吃。
My father accepted it and gave him some money in return. The dead tiger lay in the yamen for a day until it was skinned and dismembered. From then on, my father had a new acquisition in his room—namely, the tiger-skin chair cushion, and people often came to our home to ask for some tiger-bone powder, with which they were to make a medicinal drink by steeping it in liquor.

要點(diǎn)：
1，”衙門“指辛亥革命以前中國的官署，可譯yamen，屬英語中的外來語
2，“后來父親房內(nèi)多了一張虎皮椅墊“譯為From then on, my father had a new acquisition in his room—namely, the tiger-skin chair cushion,，這句話譯者翻得頗有新意，a new acquisition較something new確切，前者能更加確切地表達(dá)”新增添的東西“
3，“泡酒當(dāng)藥吃“意即”浸泡虎骨當(dāng)藥酒“

綜述：注意第二點(diǎn)即可

我們一家人帶著虎的頭骨回到成都。頭骨放在桌上，有時(shí)我眼睛看花了，會(huì)看出一個(gè)活的虎頭來。不過虎骨總是鎖在柜子里，等著有人來要藥時(shí)，父親才叫人拿出它來磨粉。最后整個(gè)頭都變成粉末四處散開了。
Later, when my family moved back to Chengdu, we brought the tiger’s skull with us. Sometimes I would gaze at the skull on the table until it blurred before my eyes and conjured up in me visions of a live tiger’s head. But we always had it locked up in a cupboard. My father would not have it taken out to have part of it ground into powder unless when someone who needed it as medicine came to ask for it. Consequently the whole tiger skull was given away in the form of powder.

要點(diǎn)：
1，“頭骨放在桌上，有時(shí)我眼睛看花了，會(huì)看出一個(gè)活的虎頭來。”這句話的核心主語是“我”，因此翻譯時(shí)以“我”做主語
2，“有人來要藥時(shí)”看似短小實(shí)際信息量不小意為“有人上門找它（虎骨）來做藥”，譯為when someone who needed it as medicine came to ask for it
3，“變成粉末四處散開”即“以粉末的形狀四處散開”譯為the whole tiger skull was given away in the form of powder.

綜述：翻譯時(shí)注意語言要流暢~

經(jīng)過三十年的長歲月，人應(yīng)該忘記了許多事情。但是到今天我還記得虎頭骨的形狀，和獵人說話時(shí)的惶恐表情。如果叫我把那個(gè)獵人的面容描寫一下，我想用一句話：他好像做過了什么褻瀆神明的事情似的。我還要補(bǔ)充說：他說話時(shí)不大敢看死虎，他的眼光偶爾挨到它，他就要變臉色。

死了以后，還能夠使人害怕，使人尊敬，像虎這樣的猛獸，的確是值得我們熱愛的。

Things that happened some thirty years ago are apt to be forgotten. But even to this day I still remember the appearance of the tiger’s skull and apprehension in the hunter’s face while he addressed my father. I should say that his facial expression boiled down to this: he looked as if he had blasphemed the gods. And I would also like to add in passing that while he was talking to my father he didn’t’ even dare to take a glance at the dead tiger. He would turn pale the moment his eye accidentally fell on it.

A fierce animal like the tiger, which continues to inspire us with reverent awe even after death, really deserves our warm love.

要點(diǎn)：

1，“如果叫我把那個(gè)獵人的面容描寫一下，我想用一句話：他好像做過了什么褻瀆神明的事情似的”譯為I should say that his facial expression boiled down to this: he looked as if he had blasphemed the gods.其中boiled down原意為“熬干，煮干，熬稠”此處引申為“簡略到，歸納為”，這樣比直譯更加簡練~
2，“我還要補(bǔ)充說…”譯為And I would also like to add in passing that…其中in passing意為“順便地”，屬增益成分，在譯文中有承上啟下的作用
3，“使人害怕，使人尊敬”譯為inspire us with reverent awe，其中“害怕“與”尊敬“合成reverent awe.把漢語兩個(gè)并列形容詞轉(zhuǎn)變?yōu)橛⒄Z”定語+抽象名詞“的形式，內(nèi)容不變，是文學(xué)翻譯的一個(gè)常用方法，我們在《巷》也提到過多次~

綜述：注意學(xué)習(xí)和借鑒本段的簡練之美

聲明：本雙語文章的中文評析系滬江英語原創(chuàng)內(nèi)容，轉(zhuǎn)載請注明出處。中文評析僅代表作者個(gè)人觀點(diǎn)，僅供參考。如有不妥之處，歡迎指正。