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美国中文网
2024.8.8
泰戈尔诗译(6)
51.
You idol is shattered in the dust to prove that God's dust is greater than your idol.
为证明神的尘埃比你的偶像还大,你这位偶像便被敲碎在尘埃中。
译注
You idol 与your idol是不同的,但不少翻译者都将二者混为一谈。前者两词的关系是同位语关系,故而翻译成“你这个偶像”,后者两词是物主代词和名词的关系,故而翻译成“你的偶像”。
感言
偶像的力量是无穷的。
The power of idols is unlimited.
52.
Man does not reveal himself in his history, he struggles up through it.
人不是在自己的历史中揭示自己,而是通过自己历史拼搏而崛起。
译注
注意in his history 和through it(his history)的含义,前者一定是“在他的历史中”,后者则有两种含义:“在他的历史中”和“通过他的历史”。二者字面意思显然不同,但含义无大区别,因此二者都翻译成“在他的历史中”未尝不可。
感言
揭示是手段,崛起是目标。
Revealing is the means and rising is the end.
53.
While the glass lamp rebukes the earthen for calling it cousin the moon rises, and the glass lamp, with a bland smile, calls her, ---- My dear, dear sister.
正当玻璃灯因为泥灯称其为表兄而责备他时,月儿悄然升起,玻璃灯莞尔一笑,招呼明月 -“我亲爱的,亲爱的姐姐。”
译注
这首诗里麻烦的是两盏灯的性别和cousin的称谓。从calling it看,glass lamp 是it 它。按照中文里习惯,如果是拟人法,应该将本无生命的it改用人类的男女代名词he和 she。但为避免麻烦不如用个中性的文言词“其”。至于cousin一词,英文所指太空泛,只能随机而译。译成堂兄弟,堂姊妹,表兄弟,表姊妹,是最一般的译法。再细致一些,还有姑表和姨表之分。
感言
灯如明月,明月如灯;目如明月,心如明灯。灯月心目,息息相通。
The lamp is like the bright moon and the bright moon is like the lamp. The eyes are like the bight moon and the mind is like the bright lamp. All these, the lamp, the moon, the mind, the eyes, have a lose bearing on one another.
54.
Like the meeting of the seagulls and the waves we meet and come near.
The seagulls fly off, the waves roll away and we depart.
我们如海鸥与波涛相遇般,遇到了,走近了。
海鸥飞走了,波涛滚滚,流淌而去,我们也分别了。
译注
The seagulls fly off, the waves roll away and we depart. 起初译作:“海鸥飞走了,波涛滚滚地流开,我们也分别了”。但读一读,中间一句拖沓,缺乏节奏感。改成两个“四字格”,就好多了。注意depart最好不译成“分手”,因为它的词含义是恋人断绝关系。
感言
相遇相别,分分合合,世间万物,概莫能外。
Meeting and parting; separating and merging. Nothing in the world would be able to escape this principle.
55.
My day is done, and I am like a boat drawn on the beach, listening to the dance-music of the tide in the evening.
我的一天结束了。我像一只被拖上海滩的小船,谛听晚潮的伴舞曲。
译注
注意:drawn不是“停泊”,是“被拖”。 listening 译成“谛听”或“聆听”比较文气。前者含“仔细”之义。后者就是简单的书面语。dance-music起初译成“舞乐”似乎有些牵强,不如译成通俗的“伴舞曲”。
感言
潮起潮落,方显出英雄本色。
The tide is rising up and falling down. Only in this case, can heroes show their nature.
56.
Life is given to us, we earn it by giving it.
生命本属天赐。惟有奉献,方能赢得。
译注
一首诗译文的语言风格,要整体保持一致。或文雅,或通俗,都无不可。本诗初译:“生命是天赋的。惟有奉献,方能赢得”。后面一句分成两个“四字格”,工整雅致。但相形之下,第一句就显得拖沓,原因就是采用了通俗译法。改译成“生命本属天赐”,就和后句的风格一致了。读起来节奏韵律都比初译略胜一筹。
感言
生命不息,奋斗不止;唯有奋斗,方有价值。
No cease to the life and no cease to the struggle. Only struggle can make life valuable.
57.
We come nearest to the great when we are great in humility.
大谦大卑,方能近乎伟大。
译注
译文和原文的句式可以不同。如本诗直译为:“我们大谦大卑的时候,我们就离伟大最近了”。
最后改译成“方能”这样一个条件句,不仅语义更加突出,而且凭添一抹强调的感情色彩。
感言
谦卑并非猥琐,伟大并非高不可攀。
Humbleness is no wretchedness. Greatness is nothing too high to scale.
58.
The sparrow is sorry for the peacock at the burden of its tail.
孔雀承受翎尾之重,麻雀为之惋惜。
译注
注意本诗的at是在某一方面的意思。因此直译本诗就是:“麻雀为孔雀在其尾巴的负担方面为它感到哀伤”。而sorry一词的含义非常广泛,可以酌情选择。
感言
夹着尾巴做人,翘着尾巴做鸟。尾巴不是累赘,它是起飞动力的源泉。
Behave oneself by tucking one's tail between one's legs. Be a bird with its tail rising up. A tail is not a burden but a source of the motive force to take up.
59.
Never be afraid of the moments--thus sings the voice of the everlasting.
决不因光阴转瞬即逝而诚惶诚恐 ? 永恒之声就是这样在歌唱。
译注
句中的the moments直译就是短暂的时间,如一会儿,一刹那,片刻等。如果化静为动,译成“光阴转瞬即逝”就显得生动。
感言
永恒是瞬间的延续,无瞬间,便无永恒。抓住瞬间,永恒便被收入囊中。
Eternity is the continuity of instantaneousness. No instantaneousness, no eternity. Grasp instantaneousness and eternity would fall into your bag.
60.
The hurricane seeks the shortest road by the no-road, and suddenly ends its search in the Nowhere.
飓风走投无路,却在寻觅捷径,身处乌有之乡,寻觅却戛然而止。
译注
其实就是:飓风在无路之地寻觅捷径,却在不可知之地,突然终止它的寻觅。
感言
有他的路便有你的路;他的路就是你的路。有追求就有路,没有追求还谈什么路?
There is a way for him and there must be a way for you. His way is yours. So long as there is something to pursue, there is a way. If nothing to pursue, how can you talk about ways?