中国文学英译絮谈

沙枫

汉高祖和汉武帝的诗歌

汉高祖刘邦有此《大风歌》：

大风起兮云飞扬，
威加海内兮归故乡，
安得猛士兮守四方。

据《史记•高祖本纪》载称：

十二年，十月，高祖已击布军会甀，布走，令别将追之。高祖还归，过沛，留。置酒沛宫，悉召故人父老子弟纵酒，发沛中儿得百二十人，教之歌。酒酣，高祖击筑，自为歌诗曰：“大风起兮云飞扬，威加海内兮归故乡，安得猛士兮守四方！”令儿皆和习之。高祖乃起舞，慷慨伤怀，泣数行下。

《大风歌》有英人 Robert Payne 的英译，如下：

The great wind rises, clouds are scattered;
Master of all seas, I return to my home.
Where are my warriors who guard the four frontiers?

汉武帝刘彻的《秋风辞》，第一句也用“风起”、“云飞”，全诗如下：

秋风起兮白云飞，草木黄落兮雁南归。
兰有秀兮菊有芳，怀佳人兮不能忘。
泛楼船兮济汾河，横中流兮扬素波。
萧鼓鸣兮发棹歌，欢乐极兮哀情多。
少壮几时兮奈老何！

英人翟理士（Giles）的英译如下：

The autumn blast drives the white scud in the sky,
Leaves fade, and wide geese sweeping south meet the eye;
The scent of late flowers fills the soft air above,
My heart full of thoughts of the lady I love.
In the river the barges for revel carouse
Are lined by white waves which break over their bows.
Their oarsmen keep time to the piping and drumming......
Yet joy is as naught
Alloyed by the thought
That youth slips away and that old age is coming.

翟理士的译文，以音韵胜。

英人韦理（Waley）的英译则是这样的：

Autumn wind rises: white clouds fly.
Grass and trees wither: geese go south.
Orchids all in bloom: chrysanthemums smell sweet.
I think of my lovely lady: I never can forget.
Floating-pagoda boat crosses Fen River.
Across the mid-stream white waves rise.
Flute and drum keep time to sound of the rowers' song:
Amidst revel and feasting, sad thoughts come;
Youth's years how few! Age how sure!

韦理的译文，则是简而明的。

除了上述三人所译的，刘彻的《秋风辞》现再多介绍几种英译于后，可以做一比较。

蔚成的《大风歌》英译如下：

The big wind rises,
And the clouds fly up and down;
Having spread power and sway over the empire,
Now I am back to my nature town.
But where I am to find fierce warriors
To guard the frontiers around!

这首英译，胜在押韵，二、四、六行的 down，town around 押韵。

而 Payne 把“威加四海兮归故乡”译作“Master of all seas, I return to my my home”，译得较有气势。

蔚成又翻译了汉武帝刘彻的《秋风辞》，译文如下：

The autumn wind rises and the white clouds fly,
Vegetation grows faded and yellow,
and the wild geese are homeward southerly.
Orchid has its excellence and chrysanthemum its fragrance,
It is hard for me to forget the fair lady that I cherish.
We sail the storied boat across the Fen River,
And the boat ploughs through the middle stream and turn up white waves;
The flutes and drums sound as the oaring song starts.
Extreme joy leads to much brief;
What can we do with old age, youth being brief?

Rexroth 的译文如下：

The autumn wind blows white clouds
About the sky. Grass turn brown.
Leaves fall. Wild geese fly south.
The last flower bloom, orchids
And chrysanthemums with their
Bitter perfume. I go for
A trip on the river. The barge
Rides the current and dips with
The white-capped waves, They play flutes
And drums, and rovers sing.
I am happy for a moment
And then the old sorrow comes back.
I was young only a little while,
And now I am growing old.

最后一句“少壮几时兮奈老何”，蔚成译作“what can we do with old age, youth being brief”，与 Rexroth 之译作“I was young only a little while, And now I am growing old”，一神似，一貌似。