李白《夜靜思》10種英譯版本

李白《夜靜思》10種英譯版本-欣賞

 

古詩英譯是一個古老的課題。晚清時期就有記錄。但直到如今一些名篇的翻譯仍然不能定稿，甚至永遠都不能定稿，這是因為不同的譯者有不同的翻譯理念。

這裏列出李白《夜靜思》的10種英譯版本，都是出自名家之手。其中翁顯良先生的譯本可能算是最差的。

 

           《夜靜思》    李白

            床前明月光，疑是地上霜。

            舉頭望明月，低頭思故鄉。

  (1)    Night Thoughts

            I wake, and moonbeams play around my bed,

            Glittering like hoar-frost to my wandering eyes;

            Up towards the glorious moon I raise my head,

            Then lay me down---and thoughts of home arise.

            ( 譯者Herbert A. Giles，生於1845年，英國外交家，精通中文。)

(2)   Thoughts in a Tranquil Night

            Athwart the bed

            I watch the moonbeams cast a trail

            So bright, so cold, so frail,

            That for a space it gleams

            Like hoarfrost on the margin of my dreams.

            I raise my head, -

            The splendid moon I see:

            Then droop my head,

            And sink to dreams of thee -

            My father land , of thee!

(譯者L.Cranmer-Byng， 生於1872， 英國著名漢學家。)

 

(3)    The Moon Shines Everywhere

            Seeing the moon before my couch so bright

            I thought hoar frost had fallen from the night.

            On her clear face I gaze with lifted eyes:

            Then hide them full of Youth's sweet memories.

 (譯者 W.J.B. Fletcher，生於1879，英國外交家。)

 

(4)    In the Quiet Night

            So bright a gleam on the foot of my bed---

            Could there have been a frost already?

            Lifting my head to look, I found that it was moonlight.

            Sinking back again, I thought suddenly of home.

 (譯者Witter Bynner，生於1881年，美國著名詩人。)

     

(5)    On a Quiet Night

            I saw the moonlight before my couch,

            And wondered if it were not the frost on the ground.

            I raised my head and looked out on the mountain moon,

            I bowed my head and thought of my far-off home.

     (譯者 Shigeyoshi Obata, 生於1888，日本翻譯家和中國古詩愛好者。)

 

(6)   In the Still of the Night

            I descry bright moonlight in front of my bed.

            I suspect it to be hoary frost on the floor.

            I watch the bright moon, as I tilt back my head.

            I yearn, while stooping, for my homeland more.

（譯者徐忠傑，1901年出生於香港，後移居上海。1922年赴美國留學，在俄亥俄州邁阿密大學攻讀英國文學）

 

(7)   Night Thoughts

             Before my bed there is bright moonlight

             So that it seems like frost on the ground

             Lifting my head, I watch the bright moon

             Lowering my head, I dream that I'm home

  (譯者：Arthur Cooper，生於1916，英國外交家)

 

    （8） A Tranquil Night

            Abed, I see a silver light,

            I wonder if it's frost aground.

            Looking up, I find the moon bright;

            Bowing, in homesickness I'm drowned.

  (譯者許淵衝，1921年生於江西南昌，北京大學著名教授，中國大翻譯家)

 

 （9） Nostalgia

            A splash of white on my bedroom floor. Hoarfrost?

            I raise my eyes to the moon, the same moon.

            As scenes long past come to mind,

            My eyes fall again on the splash of white

            And my heart aches for home.

   (譯者：翁顯良生於1924，暨南大學教授，翻譯家)

 

  （10） Night Thoughts

            In front of my bed the moonlight is very bright.

            I wonder if that can be frost on the floor?

            I lift up my head and look at the full noon, the dazzling moon.

            I drop my head, and think of the home of old days.

  (譯者：Amy Lowell，生於1974，美國詩人。)

 

在所有的譯本中，我最喜歡的是L.Cranmer-Byng的譯本。他真正做到了“以詩譯詩”。唯一不足之處是譯詩中的節奏感略微差了些，這也難免，因為英文的抑揚頓挫與中文的抑揚頓挫無法等同。

 

如今有不少翻譯愛好者在自己的博客中推出了比較好的譯本。本人也做了嚐試，主要是注意了節奏感。我的嚐試如下：

 

Thinking at midnight

 

In front of my bed, why it’s so bright?

Is it the chilly frost sticking to floor so tight?

Lifting myself to look, I see moonlight beams.

Sinking again in bed, hometown is in my dreams.

 

 

所有跟帖： 

• Thanks for your sharing! -~葉子~- ♀ (0 bytes) () 03/17/2015 postreply 15:42:55

• You are welcome! -閑貓- ♂ (0 bytes) () 03/17/2015 postreply 15:46:45

• I like # 8 very much. Thanks for sharing:) -南山鬆- ♀ (0 bytes) () 03/17/2015 postreply 18:08:57

• 許先生這一首譯得不錯，既保持了原詩的含意，又使詩詞帶韻。 -聚曦亭- ♀ (6 bytes) () 03/17/2015 postreply 19:32:25

• #8. drown vs. drive, secret -走馬讀人- ♂ (0 bytes) () 03/17/2015 postreply 19:48:32

• 謝謝分享這麽多的翻譯版本，還有你自己的譯本，歡迎你常來美語壇。 -婉蕠- ♀ (669 bytes) () 03/18/2015 postreply 21:13:14