中国文学英译絮谈

沙枫

中学会考的“卖花女”

英国幽默大师萧伯纳（George Bernard Shaw）一九二一年写的戏剧《卖花女》（Pygmalion）是有名的。后来这出戏剧被改编为歌唱剧《窈窕淑女》（My Fair Lay）。

刘大白一九二四年写的新诗《卖花女》，

春寒料峭，女郎窈窕，
一声叫破春城晓；
“花儿真好，价儿真巧，
春光贱卖凭人要。”

东家嫌少，西家嫌小，
搂头娇骂嫌迟了！
春光潦草，花心懊恼，
明朝又叹飘零早！

江南春早，江南花好，
卖花声里春眠觉；
“杏花红了，梨花白了。”
街头巷底声声叫。

浓妆也要，淡妆也要，
金钱买得春多少？
买花人笑，卖花人恼，
红颜一例和春老。

这首诗有罗旭龢（Robert Kotewall）的英译如下：

Spring's chill is sharp;
The little girl is comely.
One call breaks the dawn of the town at Spring:
"Flowers very fine!
Prices very fair!
Spring's glory to sell as cheap as you will."

The family at the East complains of short measure,
The family at the West complains of under-size,
Upstairs there is a mild chiding for lateness.
The wind of Spring harries,
The flowers' hearts are vexed.
Tomorrow they will grieve for their early withering.

South of the River the Spring is early,
South of the River the flowers are fine.
The flower-seller's cry invades Spring's slumber:
"Apricot blooms red!
Pear blooms white!"
At the head of the street, at the end of the lane, cry after cry.

The richly dressed want them!
The plainly dressed want them!
How much of Spring can money buy?
The buyers smile,
The seller frets,
But rosy cheeks will all alike age with Spring.

英译是忠实流畅的。

香港上海书局依照中国文学科会考课程编撰的《中国文学》一书，对这首《卖花女》有如下分析：

一、作者以深切的同情，在这首诗中写出卖花女的生涯和内心意境。

二、全诗分四段，每段分四行，每句字数显出诗篇严谨的形式，读来使人感到江南民谣的韵味。

三、描写事物真切而又概括，句子揉合了文言与白话的一些优点。

四、诗句有脚韵，句子的结构匀称，读来易于上口，也适宜作为歌词入乐。

五、诗句精练，内容丰富而词句简括，意味深长，但文字浅白。