李白的一首《黃鶴樓送孟浩然之廣陵》膾炙人口,已然成了千古絕唱。原詩寫道:
故人西辭黃鶴樓,
煙花三月下?lián)P州。
孤帆遠(yuǎn)影碧空盡,
唯見長江天際流。
詩中出現(xiàn)“廣陵”和“揚(yáng)州”兩個地名。盡管在歷史上兩地歸屬和范圍有時并不一致,但在此詩中卻同指一地。文學(xué)家章燮在其注疏的《唐詩三百首》中對“煙花三月下?lián)P州”就明確注疏道:“敘時。通典:廣陵郡,今之揚(yáng)州?!庇貌煌拿Q指稱同一個地方是一種慣常的寫作范式。
從交際的角度講,在原文文化的語境中,兩個地名出現(xiàn)于同一個語境中一般不會產(chǎn)生誤解,但在異域文化的語境中卻會令人疑竇叢生:題目上講的是去Guangling,怎么在詩中變成去Yangzhou(Yangchow、Yang-chou)呢?該詩存在多個譯本,涉及多名譯者,有中國的,也有外國的,還有中外合作的。他們有著類似或迥異的譯者行為,為什么如此?借用譯者行為批評理論,可以使譯者的行為得到比較合理的解釋。
1. 兩個地名均不譯
許淵沖譯本(簡稱“許譯”):
(1)Seeing Meng Hao-ran Off at Yellow Crane Tower
My friend has left the west where towers Yellow Crane
For River Town when willow-down and flowers reign.
His lessening sail is lost in the boundless azure sky,
Where I see but the endless River rolling by.
(2)Seeing Meng Haoran Off at Yellow Crane Tower
My friend has left the west where Yellow Crane towers
For River Town veiled in green willows and red flowers.
His lessening sail is lost in the boundless blue sky,
Where I see but the endless River rolling by.
埃茲拉·龐德(Ezra Pound)譯本(簡稱“龐譯”):
(3)Separation on the River Kiang
Ko-jin goes west from Ko-kaku-ro,
The smoke-flowers are blurred over the river.
His lone sail blots the far sky.
And now I see only the river,
The long Kiang, reaching heaven.
2. 兩個地名均保留
孫大雨譯本(簡稱“孫譯”):
(4)Seeing Meng Haoran Off to Guangling on the Yellow Crane Tower
Mine old friend leaveth the West
From the Yellow Crane Tower.
In this flowery April clime
For thickly peopled Yangzhou.
A solitary sail’s distant speck
Vanisheth in the clear blue:
What could be seen heavenward
Flowing is but the Long River.
任治稷、余政譯本(簡稱“任譯”):
(5)Sending Off Meng Haoran to Guangling at Yellow Crane Tower
My old friend faced west to bid farewell to Yellow Crane Tower,
In the blooming month of March to sail down to Yangzhou.
A lonely sail, a distant speck and the end of the skyey blue,
And all one saw was the Yangtze River into the heavens rolls.
許景城譯本(簡稱“許景城譯”):
(6)A Farewell to Meng Haoran Leaving for Guangling
Alas! To Yellow Crane Tower my old friend waved goodbye.
In thriving March down to Yangzhou eastwards was he sailing.
Away the boat was fading at the kiss of sea and sky.
I saw but Yangzi River at horizon billowing.
陳君樸譯本(簡稱“陳譯”):
(7)Farewell at the Yellow Crane Tower to Mr. Meng Going to Guangling
Leaving Yellow Crane Tower, east my old friend will go;
In misty and flowery March he sails down to Yangzhou.
The lonely boat dims and is lost at the end of blue sky,
And all I can see is the Yangtze River’s seaward flow.
屠岸、屠笛譯本(簡稱“屠譯”):
(8)Seeing Meng Haoran Off to Guangling
My friend leaves Yellow Crane Tower towered in the west,
Going to Yangzhou in the third moon when blooms are vying their best.
His lonely sailing boat floats far away into the azure sky,
Only the Yangtze River flowing towards heaven on hight.
朱純深譯本(簡稱“朱譯”):
(9)Yellow Crane Tower: Seeing Meng Off to Guangling
An old friend has left me and the Yellow Crane Tower,
Heading for that glamorous Yangzhou in the misty florescence of spring.
His lonely sail is merging into a distant sky,
Only the Yangtze River now flowing on the verge of an azure void.
3. 保留其一
楊憲益、戴乃迭譯本(簡稱“楊譯”):
(10)Seeing Meng Haoran Off from Yellow Crane
At Yellow Crane Tower in the west my old friend says farewell;
In the mist and flowers of spring he goes down to Yangzhou;
Lonely sail, distant shadow, vanish in blue emptiness;
All I see is the great river flowing into the far horizon.
路易·艾黎(Rewi Alley)譯本(簡稱“艾黎譯”):
(11)Farewell Meng Haoran at Yellow Crane Tower
At the Yellow Crane Tower there comes farewell to Meng Haoran;
It is the sweetest time of spring, he goes east to Yangchow;
I watch the sail of his boat going ever further and further,
until at last it vanishes in the clear blue sky;
Yet my heart runs with the Yangtze waters flowing, ever flowing.
王守義、約翰·諾弗爾(John Knoepfle)譯本(簡稱“王、諾弗爾譯”):
(12)Seeing Meng Haoran Off
My old friend leaves yellow crane pavilion
He is going to the east
Sailing to Yangzhou in March
While blossoms curl like smoke on the river
How far away the lone sail
Fading into the clear blue sky
Only the yangtze river remains
It is flowing at the edge of the world
萬昌盛、王間中譯本(簡稱“萬”譯)︰
(13)Seeing Meng Haoran Off at Tower of Yellow Crane
From Tower of Yellow Crane my friend is going away to
Yangzhou in the month of glowing blooms and dimming willows
The distant shadow of a lonely sail now melt into the blue,
And I can see yonder only a mighty river idly flows.
王大濂譯本(簡稱“王譯”)︰
(14)A Farewell Song to Meng Haoran at Yellow Crane Tower
From west Crane Tower my friend is on his way
Down to Yangzhou in misty, flowery May.
A sail’s faint figure dots the blue sky’s end
Where’s seen but River rolling till its bend.
張炳星譯本(簡稱“張譯”):
(15)Seeing Meng Haoran Off to Guangling
When my old friend left the Yellow Crane Tower,
it was just March of the lovely spring full of flower
A lonely sail and a distant shadow
gradually disappeared in the blue zone.
I saw only the Yangtze River flowing on the horizon.
4. 合二為一:
威特·賓納(Witter Bynner)、江亢虎譯本(簡稱“賓納譯”)∶
(16)A Farewell to Meng Hao-Jan on His Way to Yang-chou
You have left me behind, old friend, at the Yellow Crane Terrace,
On your way to visit Yang-chou in the misty month of flowers,
Your sail, a single shadow, becomes one with the blue sky.
Till now I see only the river, on its way to heaven.
大衛(wèi)·辛頓(David Hinton)譯本(簡稱“辛頓譯”):
(17)On Yellow-Crane Tower, Farewell to Meng Hao-jan
Who’s Leaving for Yang-chou
From Yellow-Crane Tower, my old friend leaves the west.
Downstream to Yang-chou, late spring a haze of blossoms,
distant glints of lone sail vanish into emerald-green air:
nothing left but a river flowing on the borders of heaven.
“許譯”雖有兩個不同的譯本,但之間差異不大。許淵沖有意對詩名中的“廣陵”避而不譯,且把詩文中的“揚(yáng)州”譯為River Town,摒棄了揚(yáng)州這個地名,避免了上下文地名不一致的問題。River Town,意為江邊之城,意境優(yōu)美,與揚(yáng)州地名所反映出來的文化內(nèi)涵異曲同工。許淵沖對原文雖有一定修改,但其譯本實(shí)現(xiàn)了語碼轉(zhuǎn)換,也再現(xiàn)了原文的內(nèi)涵,只是這種“求真”是選擇性的,以“求美”為上。雖然沒有反映原文的全部意義,但增強(qiáng)了可讀性,減少了閱讀障礙,促使譯文在異域得到了廣泛傳播,至少對于中國詩歌之美而言,客觀上達(dá)到了“務(wù)實(shí)”的效果。
“龐譯”把詩名譯為Separation on the River Kiang,意為“江上送別”,但將“黃鶴樓”“孟浩然”和“廣陵”全部舍去,這與他重視意象的使用是分不開的,跳脫了原文形式的約束而選擇將離別的畫面?zhèn)鬟f給了讀者。總的看來,不翻譯地名這樣的務(wù)實(shí)信息,是淺化的一種處理方法。而不追求史實(shí)真實(shí)的淺化處理,是美化的一種舉措,將“求美”作為最高的目標(biāo)追求。僅從文本類型上講,這是一首送別詩,是應(yīng)該清楚地交代地點(diǎn)、時間這樣最基本的信息的。
“楊譯”“萬譯”“艾黎譯”“王、諾弗爾譯”以及“王譯”同樣省譯了詩名中的“廣陵”,但將詩文中的“揚(yáng)州”直譯出來,考慮到了上下文地名不一致所可能帶來的問題?!巴踝g”也舍棄了原文的文化信息,但在傳遞原詩意義的同時也再現(xiàn)了形式之美,讀起來更加順口。
“屠譯”“陳譯”“許景城譯”“任譯”以及“朱譯”與上面談到的譯本有所不同,將詩名和詩文中的“廣陵”和“揚(yáng)州”均譯了出來,似乎未考慮由兩個地名可能導(dǎo)致的歧義。
“孫譯”將“揚(yáng)州”“廣陵”均予以保留,但對“廣陵”做了大量的腳注,明確了“廣陵”與“揚(yáng)州”的關(guān)系,本文僅為篇幅計而未錄,看來他也考慮到了兩個地名可能會引起歧義的問題?!皩O譯”還補(bǔ)充了一個原文沒有的信息thickly peopled,這已足以表現(xiàn)唐代揚(yáng)州的繁華和春季人頭攢動的景象。
“張譯”保留了“廣陵”而略去了“揚(yáng)州”,但“賓納譯”以及“辛頓譯”將詩名中的“廣陵”處理為Yang-chou,與詩文中的Yang-chou保持了一致,有效避免了兩個地名可能引起的歧義
按照譯者行為批評理論,譯者具有“語言人”和“社會人”雙重身份,統(tǒng)一受制于“意志性”的屬性,所以才會有各種意志性的表現(xiàn),即使對于詩歌這種唯美度極高的體裁類型,也仍然表現(xiàn)出為實(shí)現(xiàn)特定的“務(wù)實(shí)”目標(biāo)而進(jìn)行的選擇性“求真”。也就是說,譯者的行為既可以在“求真-務(wù)實(shí)”譯者行為連續(xù)上進(jìn)行詳細(xì)的描摹和解釋,而且大體上也符合譯者“求真為本,務(wù)實(shí)為用(上)”的一般性行為原則。
但是,這只是一般性的行為原則。其中,中國人譯詩和外人譯詩又有所不同,進(jìn)行群體譯者行為的對比研究,會抽繹出一般的行為規(guī)律。即使同為外國人譯詩的角度也有不同。比如Paul Kroll(保羅·克羅爾)的翻本為:
Seeing Meng Hao-jan Off to Kuang-ling
My old friend, going west, bids farewell at Yellow Crane Terrace,
Among misty blossoms of the third month, goes down to Yang-chou.
His lone sail’s far shadow vanishes into the azure void.
Now, only the Long River flowing to the sky’s end.
他就把兩個地名都照直翻譯出來了,似乎沒有顧及交際方面的問題。也確實(shí)存在這樣一種情形,愿意讀詩者,以欣賞美為第一需要,不求真于異域的地域信息也是本能的忽略。但不管怎樣,譯者最好首先調(diào)查目標(biāo)語讀者的接受,才有利于做出更加理性的選擇。
(作者單位:揚(yáng)州大學(xué))
* 博士,二級教授,博導(dǎo),中國英漢語比較研究會副會長,“譯者行為批評”理論創(chuàng)建者。