中国文学英译絮谈

沙枫

昧于文法的误译

“却看妻子愁何在？漫卷诗书喜欲狂”，杜甫这两句诗，本是不难懂的。

可是，把唐诗三百首全译了的美国人 Bynner，却把上引的一句诗译错了。他把“却看妻子愁何在”译作“Where is my wife? Where are my sons? Yet crazily sure of finding them......”。

全诗是这样的：

剑外忽传收蓟北，初闻涕泪满衣裳。
却看妻子愁何在？漫卷诗书喜欲狂。
白日放歌须纵酒，青春作伴好还乡。
即从巴峡穿巫峡，便下襄阳向洛阳。

Bynner 的英译是这样的：

News at this far western station!
The north has been recaptured!
At first I cannot check the tears from pouring on my coat——
Where is wife?
Where are my sons?
Yet crazily sure of finding them, I packed my books and poems——
And loud my song and deep my drink,
On the green spring-day that starts me home.
Back from this mountain, past another mountain,
Up from the south, north again——to my own town!

张振玉在《译学概论》一书中认为这是昧于文法的误译：似将“愁”字作动词“忧虑”解，因而全句译为“不必忧虑妻与子之失踪不在，终必可寻得”之意。殊非有意。

兹将杜甫这首题为《闻官军收河南河北》另一英译介绍如下（译者为 Pu Hsiang-hsing）*：

It is suddenly known that we have captured Chi-peh.
When I first heard it, I shed tears on my clothes.
I stare on my wife's face, and do not know where my sorrow is.
Then I gather up my poems and books in a wild pleasure.
We shall sing and drink wine,
W shall sing and return home together.

*（编者注）最后两句英译在文章中遗漏。