张培基英译散文赏析之《书的抒情》

书的抒情

Eulogizing Books

柯灵

Ke Ling

| 译文摘自张培基《英译中国散文选二》

说到书，我很动感情。因为它给我带来温暖，我对它满怀感激。

I always think of books with profound feeling, being deeply indebted to them, as I am, for the warmth they have brought me.

要点：

1，题目“书的抒情“在此不宜直译，通过文章内容，我们可以将其理解为”书赞“译为Eulogizing Books或A Eulogy on Books,简译为On Bookes也是可以的，但缺乏感情色彩，不及前者贴切~

2，“说到书，我很动感情”即“我对书有很深的感情”，故译为I always think of books with profound feeling

3，“因为它给我带来温暖，我对它满怀感激。“译为being deeply indebted to them, as I am, for the warmth they have brought me。英汉差异的原因，英语中表示原因的句子通常后置（如果不是表特殊强调的话~），这点在英译汉时尤为凸显

综述：柯灵的散文一项讲究文字的优美洗脸，他的文章在文字上非常讲究，这点在文章的题目上就可以就看出，因此我们在翻译时，在选词和理解上要尤为注意

书是我的恩师。贫穷剥夺了我童年的幸福，把我关在学校大门的外面，是书本敞开它宽厚的胸脯，接纳了我，给我以慷慨的哺育。没有书，就没有我的今天。——也许我早就委身于沟壑。

Books are my beloved teachers. In my childhood, when I was deprived of happiness and schooling by poverty, books took me to their large bosoms and nurtured me generously. It is to them that I owe what I am today. Without them, I would probably have ended up in abject misery long ago.

要点：

1，”贫穷剥夺了我童年的幸福，把我关在学校大门的外面，是书本敞开它宽厚的胸脯，接纳了我，给我以慷慨的哺育”注意本句在合译时，，将“贫穷剥夺了我童年的幸福，把我关在学校大门的外面”译为时间状语从句，取“书本”作主语，这种译法很巧妙地将分句意思串联在了一起，也值得我们学习和借鉴

2，“剥夺了我童年的幸福，把我关在学校大门的外面”译者将其视为一个意思，即“剥夺了我童年的幸福和受教育的机会”，进行合译，译为was deprived of happiness and schooling by poverty

3，“沟壑”本指“溪谷”山沟，常引申指“野死之处”，因此本句意为“死无葬身之处”，译为would probably have ended up in abject misery，意思是“结局悲惨”

综述：可以借鉴本段的合译技巧~句中出现时间状语，可将时间状语单独拿出来独立作一分句~

书是我的良友。它给我一把金钥匙，诱导我打开浅短的视界、愚昧的头脑、闭塞的心灵，它从不吝惜对我帮助。

Books are my good friends. They have offered me a golden key to broadening my horizons and ridding myself of stupidity and ignorance. They spare no efforts to help me.

要点：

1， 注意本段词语搭配问题，中文可以说“打开视界，头脑，心灵”但译为英语就要分别找其对应的搭配了~分别为“开拓视野”以及“使我摆脱愚昧和物质”，分别译broad horizon, rid sb of sth

书是我青春期的恋人，中年的知己，暮年的伴侣，有了它，我就不再愁寂寞，不再怕人情冷暖，世态炎凉。它使我成为精神世界的富翁。我真的是”不可一日无此君”。当我忙完了，累极了；当我愤怒时，苦恼时，我就想亲近它，因为这是一种绝妙的安抚。

Books are my sweethearts in my youth, my bosom friends in my middle age, and my companions in m y declining years. Accompanied by books, I never feel lonely, nor fear social snobbery or fickleness of the world. They have made a rich man of me in the inner world. I cannot do without them even for a single day. When I feel tired out after finishing my work, or when I am in a bad mood, I’ll try to get close to books for comfort ----the best way for me to find spiritual consolation.

要点：

1， make A of B,即“使B成为A”，之前的文章中也见过~

2， inner world 即“内心世界”，“ 人情冷暖”即social snobbery or fickleness of the world

这些都是文学翻译很常见的词~

综述：本段是很出名的一段，译文流畅自然，可以记下来哦

我真愿意成为十足的“书迷”和“书痴”，可惜还不够条件。

Oh, if only I were a confirmed bibliomaniac or bookworm! But, unfortunately, I’m still not fully qualified for one yet!

要点：

1， 本句表达了一种不能实现的愿望，故使用了虚拟语气，oh是添加成分，用以加重语气

不知道谁是监狱的始作俑者。剥夺自由，诚然是人世最酷虐的刑法，但如果允许囚人有读书的权利，那还不算是自由的彻底丧失；我对此有惨痛的经验。

I don’t know who was the despicable originator of the prison. Deprivation of freedom is the most savage punishment on earth for sure, but, as I’ve learned from my own personal bitter experience, if prisoners are permitted the right to read they should not be regarded as totally devoid of freedom.

要点：

1，“监狱的始作俑者”意即“可鄙的监狱创始人”，故译为the despicable originator of the prison

2， for sure即“诚然，毫无疑问”

3， devoid of即“缺乏，没有”，同义词还有lack of

对书的焚毁和禁锢，是最大的愚蠢，十足的野蛮，可怕的历史倒退。当然书本里也有败类，那是瘟疫之神，死亡天使，当与世人共弃之。

Burning or banning books is the height of folly and barbarity, signifying a most horrible retrogression in history.Of course there is also some rubbish among books to be avoided like the plague or Death by all.

要点：

1，“最大的愚蠢，十足的野蛮”译为is the height of folly and barbarity，等于is an act of the greatest folly and barbarity

2,” 那是瘟疫之神，死亡天使，当与世人共弃之”合译时，可按“他们就像瘟疫或死亡天使，人皆避之”，译为be avoided like the plague or Death by all.

作家把自己写的书，送给亲友，献与读者，是最大的愉快。如果他的书引起共鸣，得到赞美，那就是对他最好的酬谢。在宁静的环境，悠闲的心情中静静地读书，是人生中最有味的享受。在“四人帮”覆亡的前夜，我曾经避开海洋般的冷漠与白眼，每天到龙华公园读书，拥有自己独立苍茫的世界这是我一个终生难忘的经历。书本是太阳、空气、雨露。我不能设想，没有书的世界是什么样的世界。

It is the greatest pleasure for a writer to present to his friends gift copies of a book authored by himself or to have it offered to the reading public. And he will feel richly rewarded if his books arouses public interest and earns wide acclaim.

It is the greatest joy of life for one to spend his leisure time reading in quiet surroundings. On the eve of the fall of the “Gang of Four”, I used to go to Longhua Park every day for a reading session, seeking shelter from a sea of frosty looks and hostile stares in a world of my own. That will forever remain an unforgettable experience of my life.Books are sunlight and air, rain and dew. I can’t imagine what would become of the world without books.

要点：

1，“…是最好的酬谢”或“…是人生最有味的享受”均采取了it作形式主语的句式，将重心移到了句子的尾部，这也是我们处理“事实+评论”的句子时最常使用的手法，如”西方列强发现使中国接受不平等条约是轻而易举的“译为The western power found it was easy to force China to accept the unequal treaty.

2,”海洋般的“译为a sea of ,此处of 理解为同位语关系，比如an angle of a child(一个天使般的孩子)

3，“每天到龙华公园读书“译为used to go to Longhua Park every day for a reading session，其中session（本意为”阶段，环节“在此处表示”从事某项活动的一段时间“，这种译法跳出了常规，显得别具一格~