張院玲
《紅樓夢》兩種完整譯本,分別為大衛(wèi)·霍克斯、約翰·閔福德所譯The Story of the Stone以及楊憲益、戴乃迭翻譯的A Dream of Red Mansions。前兩位是師生兼翁婿,后兩位則為跨國伉儷。這兩對組合分別于20世紀70~80年代獨立將《紅樓夢》譯成英文,雙璧輝映,楊譯在國內更為知名,而霍譯在國際獨擅勝場。
作為文學巨著,《紅樓夢》原作氣象恢宏,結構謹嚴,辭章華麗卻又雅俗共賞。中西文化,背景各殊,而作者為避諱故,書中頗多隱語,夢境與現(xiàn)實若即若離。暗示、隱喻、地名及人名諧音比比皆是,兼有大量詩詞俗語,翻譯之難可想而知。兩位主要譯者皆紅學專家,在理解原文上,楊有母語之利,而在譯文行文上霍克斯或許更勝一籌。二者對理解原文上偶有歧見,其翻譯策略亦仁者見仁,各有千秋,因此,在具體翻譯中,會有不同處理方式及策略。
《紅樓夢》存在大量的象征、隱喻、諧音和文字游戲,這是翻譯過程必須面對的一大難題。霍克斯在前言中提道:“我恐怕這種微妙筆觸會在翻譯中消失。我所堅持的原則就是‘全譯’,雙關語也一樣。雖然這部小說是未竟之作,但它是一位偉大的藝術家以畢生心血屢次修改而成。因此,書中內容皆有其目的,而我(在翻譯時)必須想辦法處理……”
從以上文字可以看出,霍克斯的翻譯原則就是“足譯”或全譯,力爭反映原作的全貌,做到高度忠實。因此,也不難理解作者煞費苦心,在涉及諧音隱喻的人名、詩詞翻譯上字斟句酌,力臻完美。如第一回中甄家丫鬟嬌杏,后被賈雨村納妾,很快又扶作正室?!芭家蛞恢e,便為人上人”,此嬌杏自然為“僥幸”之諧音,霍克斯翻譯為“Lucky”,妥帖自然。《紅樓夢》人物關系復雜,中國人尚且不易理順,外國人更如同霧里看花,但霍氏處理人物自有高招。賈府人物以賈政為中心,譯為“Master Jia”或“Sir Zheng”,女性同輩則概稱“Lady”,再往上賈母尊稱“the Old Ladyship”,往下寶黛則稱“Miss”,這樣處理使人物輩分一目了然。除了長幼有序,在表示尊卑關系的主仆關系上,霍氏對奴婢一律意譯,如襲人譯為“Aroma”,晴雯“Skybright”,平兒“Patience”,紫鵑譯為“Nightingale”,奴婢之名大多即綽號,反映人物個性,選擇意譯更佳。相比之下,楊譯人名基本采取通行的音譯,個別例外,如賈母譯為尊稱“the Lady Dowager”,王夫人“Lady Wang”,薛姨媽“Aunt Xue”等。音譯人名,雖屬通行慣例,然亦失于單調,若干原文旨趣未能盡顯,常有遺珠之憾,因此楊氏在章節(jié)后加注,以補純音譯之失。因此,在翻譯含實義之名稱時,可根據(jù)情況結合音譯和意譯,力求最大限度傳遞原文含義,全以音譯未必最佳。
兩位譯者在翻譯策略的選擇上存在差異,下面將以第一回為例進行分析探討?!都t樓夢》首章,于全書布局有導引統(tǒng)攝之功,除交代小說緣起,衍引出故事起源外,其因果空無之觀念亦總攝全篇,預示小說后事及結局。文章風格布局,往往于開篇便顯露端倪,翻譯亦然,譯者之才情、品味及策略開篇即見。
第一回標題“甄士隱夢幻識通靈,賈雨村風塵懷閨秀”。
楊譯:Zhen Shiyin in a dream sees the Jade of Spiritual Understanding;Jia Yucun in his obscurity is charmed by a maid.
霍譯:Zhen Shi-yin makes the Stone's acquaintance in a dream;and Jia Yu-cun finds that poverty is not incompatible with romantic feeling.
就標題翻譯而言,楊譯一如前述,基本照原文譯出,下聯(lián)應參照故事情節(jié),將“閨秀”譯為“maid”,“風塵”譯成“obscurity”,簡潔平穩(wěn)。相比之下,霍譯曲盡原文之意,有意模糊,譯文更具文學色彩。
故事起源,“當日地陷東南,這東南一隅有處曰姑蘇,有城曰閶門者,最是紅塵中一二等富貴風流之地。這閶門外有個十里街,街內有個仁清巷,巷內有個古廟,因地方狹窄,人皆呼作葫蘆廟。廟旁住著一家鄉(xiāng)宦,姓甄,名費,字士隱?!贝硕挝淖挚此坪喴祝瑢崉t大有深意。序言中的所謂癡男怨女要到人間投胎,但等待他們的是“閶門”(雖名為蘇州西城門,與“娼門”諧音)、“十里街”(勢利)、“仁清巷”(人情),皆為人間苦難之因,煩惱之源。
楊譯:Long ago the earth dipped downwards in southeast, and in that southeast part was a city named Gusu;and the quarter around Changmen Gate was one of the most fashionable centres of wealth and nobility in the world of men.Outside this Changmen Gate was a certain Ten-li Street,off which ran the Lane of Humanity and Purity; and in this lane stood and old temple, which being built in such a narrow space was known from its shape as Gourd Temple.Beside this temple lived a gentleman named Zhen Fei,whose courtesy name was Shiyin.
霍譯:Long, long ago the world was tilted downwards towards the south-east;and in that lower-lying southeasterly part of the earth there is a city called Soochow;and in Soochow the district around the Chang-men Gate is reckoned one of the two or three wealthiest and most fashionable quarters in the world of men.Outside the Changmen Gate is a wide thorough-fare called Worldly Way;and somewhere off Worldly Way is an area called Carnal Lane.There is an old temple in the Carnal Lane area which,because of the way it is bottled up inside a narrowCul-de-Sac,is referred to locally as Bottle-gourd Temple.Next door to the Bottle-gourd Temple lived a gentleman of private means called Zhen Shi-yin.
比較兩種譯本,在處理專有名詞時,楊譯還是忠實照原文直譯,甚至連地名“姑蘇”也保持原貌。相比之下,霍譯意譯較多,地名“姑蘇”采用西方人熟悉的威妥瑪式拼寫,并改為現(xiàn)代名稱“蘇州”。在翻譯幾個諧音地名時,采取了轉譯,如“十里街”譯成“Worldly Way”(世俗/勢利街),“仁清巷”譯成“Carnal Lane”(欲望/人情巷),但譯者并未將“閶門”譯成“the Gate of Brothel”,甄士隱的人名也未意譯。說明譯者在考慮音譯和意譯的時候,還是有所取舍。
小說第一回,故事緣起中重要人物賈雨村出場,作者借甄家丫鬟之口對其相貌有一番描述:“那甄家丫鬟掐了花兒方欲走時,猛抬頭見窗內有人:敝巾舊服,雖是貧窘,然生得腰圓背厚,面闊口方,更兼劍眉星眼,直鼻方腮?!贝颂幾髡邔θ宋锿饷?,尤其是五官刻畫非常細致。
楊譯:Just as she was leaving with her flowers, the girl abruptly looked up and caught sight of him.His clothes were shabby yet he was powerfully built with an open face, firm lips, eyebrows like scimitars, eyes like stars,a straight nose and rounded cheeks.
楊譯除了“腰圓背厚”采意譯,對其服飾僅以“shabby”一詞概而略之,其余則幾乎全依中文直譯,略無變化。
霍譯:Having now finished picking her flowers, this anonymous member of the Zhen household was about to go in again when, on some sudden impulse, she raised her head and caught sight of a man standing in the window.His hat was frayed and his clothing treadbare; yet, though obviously poor, he had a fine, manly physique and handsome,well-proportioned features.
霍譯可謂反其道而行之,雨村服飾一如原文,忠實得近乎苛刻,其實此處“敝巾舊服”只是泛指。相反,霍譯對雨村外貌只是概略描述,以“well-proportioned features”作一總括,細節(jié)地方一律省去。西方傳統(tǒng)小說,于外貌描寫不甚費墨,而偏重人物心理及語言刻畫。西方作品罕見對人物面貌,尤其五官作精致描繪者?;羰戏g紅樓,自然受到西方文學傳統(tǒng)影響,也會考慮到西方讀者的接受習慣。
《紅樓夢》一書有大量的詩詞賦曲,是翻譯中無可回避的難點,也是最見譯者功力的亮點。第一回中,“雨村思及甄家丫鬟兩度回首,對月抒懷,口占一律:未卜三生愿,頻添一段愁。悶來時斂額,行去幾回眸。自顧風前影,誰堪月下儔?蟾光如有意,先上玉人頭。這是一首抒情五言律詩,境界雖不闊大,但清新可讀,稍有前人遺風?!?/p>
楊譯:“Not yet divined the fate in store for me,
Good reason have I for anxiety,
And so my brows are knit despondently;
But she, as she went off, looked back at me.
My shadow in the wind is all I see,
Will she by moonlight keep me company?
If sensibility were in its power
The moon should first light up the fair one's bower.”
霍譯:“Ere on ambition's path my feet are set,
Sorrow comes often this poor heart to fret.
Yet, as my brow contracted with new care,
Was there not one who, parting, turned to stare?
Dare I, that grasp at shadows in the wind,
Hope, underneath the moon, a friend to find?
Bright orb, if with my plight you sympathize,
Shine first upon the chamber where she lies.”
從譯文形式上看,楊譯和霍譯都采用了英詩傳統(tǒng)的抑揚格五音步,雙句一韻,無可挑剔。在具體的細節(jié)處理上,兩種譯本各有千秋,楊譯一如既往,忠實原文,簡潔明要,但尾聯(lián)“蟾光”一詞化為“sensibility”,稍顯突兀和隨意。相比之下,霍譯完全繼承了英詩傳統(tǒng),用詞、句法、節(jié)奏無不令人想到17~18世紀的英語詩篇,只是內容與情懷稍異。尾聯(lián)擬人化處理,既照顧原詩,又銜接前文,令人擊節(jié),英語讀者于霍譯應有戚戚之心。
《紅樓夢》亦多諺語俗曲,作者對生活觀察入微,俗語常有警策之效,第一回中的“好了歌”當是代表之作:“世人都曉神仙好,只有功名忘不了!古來將相在何方?荒冢一堆草沒了!……”
楊譯:All men long to be immortals/Yet to riches and rank each aspires;/The great ones of old, where are they now?/Their graves are a mass of briars.
霍譯:Men all know that salvation should be won./But with ambition won't have done,have done./Where are the famous ones of days gone by?/In grassy graves they lie now,every one.
兩種譯本工力悉敵,無可挑剔。然此處尤須注意:文化傳統(tǒng)決定了翻譯策略。中國人好道慕仙,此處“神仙”自然是“immortals”,而西方的基督教傳統(tǒng)決定了“神仙”即“得救”,被上帝拯救。值得一提的是,霍譯巧妙地利用了諧音“won”和“done”來對應中文的“好”和“了”,可謂神來之筆。
一如曹雪芹的《紅樓夢》原著,楊譯和霍譯兩種譯本妙筆生花,精微妙語,亦如原著一樣傳神。兩種譯本難分軒輊,雖然細讀之下,定有殊異。楊氏深受中國傳統(tǒng)文化熏陶,后來雖飽學西文,然骨子里仍是中國文化本位。楊譯《紅樓夢》以“信達雅”為標準,尤重信達,忠實原文,表達流暢,偏重直譯,譯文中保留了大量含有中國文化內涵的詞語。就語言風格而言,由于楊氏偏向直譯,可能使語言缺乏彈性,但在理解原文方面,楊譯更勝一籌,因此可說楊譯是完整、準確而忠實的。相比之下,霍譯深受西方文化,特別是英國文學影響,在翻譯中特別考慮了英語讀者的接受度。如果以奈達的“功能對等”原則或錢鐘書的“化境”標準來看,霍譯無疑是成功的?;糇g采取的策略也比較靈活,結合了直譯和意譯、歸化和異化。在語言風格上,霍譯更多地采用了英國傳統(tǒng)文學,尤其是小說中的句法和用詞,語言表達非常細膩,特別是詩詞翻譯可謂典雅傳神,顯示了作者深厚的學養(yǎng)和功力?!都t樓夢》有這兩種譯本,既是作品的幸事,亦是世界讀者之幸。通過對兩種譯本的對比分析,希望對研究《紅樓夢》的學者和譯者帶來一定的借鑒。