讀書筆記之外國人眼裏的中國古詩(二)

讀書筆記之外國人眼裏的中國古詩(二)

下麵這幾首中國古詩出自Love Poems。

1. Willow by Li Shang-Yin

Awakening in spring: how many leaves!

Rusting dawn: how many branches!

Does she know the pangs of love?

Never a time she wouldn’t dance.

Pussy willows aflutter – hide white butterfly,

Tendrils hanging limp – bare yellow oriole.

All-conquering beauty, perfect through and through:

Who would enjoy just the brows of her eyes?

《柳》作者: 李商隱

動春何限葉，撼曉幾多枝。解有相思否，應無不舞時。

絮飛藏皓蝶，帶弱露黃鸝。傾國宜通體，誰來獨賞眉。

我手中李商隱的詩集裏有好幾首題目為柳的詩，可惜都不是。我又用‘白蝶’，‘李商隱’，‘柳’為關鍵詞百度，還是不行。最後在詩詞名句網裏找到了李商隱全集，終於找到了這首詩。

我一直很喜歡李商隱的詩，最愛的有‘錦瑟無端五十弦’，‘相見時難別亦難’，‘昨夜星辰昨夜風’，很多很多。這首詩是我第一次讀到。憑心而論，這首詩的翻譯還算不錯，頗有意味。可是李商隱描寫愛情的詩那麽多，為什麽選這一首？

 

2. A Song of Chuang Ching-Yuan Picking Lotus Flowers by Wen Ting-Yun

Essence of orchids in her tumbled hair, a goddess of spring,

She takes the swallow hairpin from her nape, loosens coiled tresses.

Under the willows by west gate, near the bridge at dusk,

Moated waters past doorways, dabbled, riffled flow.

A prince of rare talents, visitor to the imperial count,

Shell fitting on his saddle all a-jangle, cross the spring lane.

Dancing effortlessly on an open palm, her sheer skirt,

Tailored shagreen dress, best the colors of spring.

Like wafting smoke embracing the moon, waist one measure round,

Scent of musk and dragon marrow, how lovely, gracefully is she!

Clouds like autumn curtains brush the water – fragments of bright movement;

Dew-laden, flowers in profusion, their fragrance unfading.

Mandarin ducks go to and fro on the brimming pond,

`Midst duckweeds green like tassels, and short lotus stems.

One evening the west wind comes bring showers,

Scaring, stripping bare the flowers, a melancholy pale red.

Boat prows sever lotus stems, but strands unseen hold fast.

For lotus roots, lotus seeds, preserve a mutual bond.

His heart is like the moon, a moon not yet on the wane,

Clear, bright and full of mid-month days.

《相和歌辭·張靜婉采蓮曲》 作者: 溫庭筠

蘭膏墜發紅玉春，燕釵拖頸拋盤雲。城西楊柳向嬌晚，門前溝水波潾潾。

麒麟公子朝天客，佩馬璫璫度春陌。掌中無力舞衣輕，翦斷鮫綃破春碧。

抱月飄煙一尺腰，麝臍龍髓憐嬌饒。秋羅拂衣碎光動，露重花多香不銷。

鸂鶒膠膠塘水滿，綠萍如粟蓮莖短。一夜西風送雨來，粉痕零落愁紅淺。

船頭折藕絲暗牽，藕根蓮子相留連。郎心似月月易缺，十五十六清光圓。

 

這首詩的名字裏有采蓮，所以搜出來還是很容易的。隻是真的不出名啊！即便是中文原詩，也很一般，太雕琢堆砌了。我看書裏那些英美詩，選得都挺好的，怎麽中國詩就沒選好呢？

 

3. In The Moonlit Chamber by Wen Ting-Yun

 

In the moonlit chamber, always she thinks of him.

Soft wisps of silken willows, languor in the air of spring.

Verdant were the grasses beyond the gate;

At their parting, she heard the horses neigh.

 

Draperies patterned of gold kingfishers;

Within, fragrant candle melts in tears.

Falling petals, the morning plaints of the cuckoo,

Green-gauze windows – fragments of an illusive dream.

 

菩薩蠻·玉樓明月長相憶 作者: 溫庭筠

 

玉樓明月長相憶，柳絲嫋娜春無力。門外草萋萋，送君聞馬嘶。

畫羅金翡翠，香燭銷成淚。花落子規啼，綠窗殘夢迷。

 

溫庭筠最著名的菩薩蠻應該是‘小山重疊金明滅，鬢雲欲度香腮雪。懶起畫蛾眉，弄妝梳洗遲。 照花前後鏡，花麵交相映。新帖繡羅襦，雙雙金鷓鴣。’。這首‘玉樓明月長相憶’也很精致，隻是‘玉樓明月’給譯成了‘Moonlit Chamber’，讓我在詩集裏找了半天‘月宮’，白費一番力氣。

 

4. The River-merchant’s Wife: A Letter by Li Po

 

While my hair was still cut straight across my forehead

I played about the front gate, pulling flowers.

You came by on bamboo stilts, playing horse,

You walked about my seat, playing with blue plums.

And we went on living in the village of Chokan:

Two small people, without dislike or suspicion.

 

At fourteen I married My Lord you.

I never laughed, being bashful.

Lowing my head, I looked at the wall.

Called to, a thousand times, I never looked back.

 

At fifteen, I stopped scowling,

I desire my dust to be mingled with your

For ever and for ever and for ever.

Why should I climb the look out?

 

At sixteen you departed,

You went into far Ku-to-yen, by the river of swirling eddies,

And you have been gone five months.

The monkeys make sorrowful noise overhead

You dragged your feet when you went out.

By the gate now, the moss is grown, the different mosse

Too deep to clear them away!

The leaves fall early this autumn, in wind.

The paired butterflies are already yellow with August

Over the grass in the West garden;

They hurt me. I grow older.

If you are coming down through the narrows of river Kiang,

Please let me know beforehand,

And I will come out to meet you

As far as Cho-fu-Sa.

 

長幹行

妾發初覆額，折花門前劇。郎騎竹馬來，繞床弄青梅。同居長幹裏，兩小無嫌猜。

十四為君婦，羞顏未嚐開。低頭向暗壁，千喚不一回。十五始展眉，願同塵與灰。

常存抱柱信，豈上望夫台。十六君遠行，瞿塘灩澦堆。五月不可觸，猿聲天上哀。

門前遲行跡，一一生綠苔。苔深不能掃，落葉秋風早。八月蝴蝶來，雙飛西園草。

感此傷妾心，坐愁紅顏老。早晚下三巴，預將書報家。相迎不道遠，直至長風沙。

 

‘十四為君婦’翻譯成‘At fourteen I married My Lord you’實在是太生硬了，非要用‘My Lord’來硬譯‘君’，可見譯者不通中國文化。‘常存抱柱信’給譯成了‘For ever and for ever and for ever’，完全意譯，典故全失。‘豈上望夫台’的‘望夫台’譯成‘look out’其實不錯，可是語氣全錯了，‘Why should I climb the look out?’意思是為什麽我要上望夫台，有不情願的感覺，譯成‘Why shouldn’t I climb the look out?’ 應該更準確一些。‘感此傷妾心，坐愁紅顏老。’變成了‘They hurt me. I grow older.’，韻味全無，感覺從小清新，小傷感的悠悠閨怨變成了撕心裂肺的咆哮。

 

說實話，很不習慣看國外出版的各種詩集，除了專集會在前言中介紹評價一下作者外，一般的詩歌選集，既沒有作者簡介，又沒有背景知識，更何況注釋解析了，一點兒也不 Reader Friendly。簡直要為這裏的詩歌愛好者鳴不平了，也怨不得諾大的書店，詩集隻占了不到一個書架。

外國人和中國人選詩的口味實在不同，那麽多在中國家喻戶嘵的名篇不選，他們的選擇，真讓人不可理解。常常懷疑，那些譯者真得懂中文嗎，他們是從中文直接翻譯的，還是從別的語言（日語？）轉譯的？

雖然沒有買下Chinese Love Poetry，可是我從圖書館裏借到了一本Chinese Erotic Poems，中國愛情／情色（？）詩選， 聽起來是不是更性感一些？我準備好好研讀，看看老外們是如何理解中國的愛情／情色詩。

 

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1. Love Poems (Everyman's Library Pocket Poets)

Publisher: Everyman's Library; First Edition Thus edition (November 2, 1993)

Language: English

ISBN-10: 0679429069

ISBN-13: 978-0679429067

 

 

2. Chinese Erotic Poems by Tony Barnstone(Editor), Chou Ping(Editor)

Publisher: Everyman's Library (Oct. 16 2007)

Language: English

ISBN-10: 0307265676

ISBN-13: 978-0307265678