1862年同治皇帝給林肯總統的信

20190715補，找到同治給林肯信的圖片了，藏於美國檔案館：

有一些破損，但基本完好，字跡沒有損失：

  大清國

 大皇帝問

  大亞美利駕合眾國

 大伯理璽天德好本年七月二

     十五日使臣浦玲堪安臣

到京呈遞來書披閱之餘

備見詞意肫誠惟以永敦

友睦為念朕心實為欣悅

使臣浦玲堪安臣已敕總

理各國事務衙門妥為接

待朕寅承

天命撫馭寰區中外一家罔有歧

      視推誠相與務在含宏嗣

      願與

  大伯理璽天德益敦和好同享

      昇平諒必深為歡喜也

大清同治元年十二月 初七

皇帝之寶 印章（漢滿文）

滿文

20190715補完

 

接上篇，同樣的資料來源--Foreign Relations of the United States,簡稱FRUS，美國國務院解密電文。這裏引用的是1862-3年間，美國駐中國使節浦安臣發給美國國務卿的電文。裏麵有同治帝給美國總統的信，浦安臣說信是用中文和滿文寫的，但是這裏隻有英文的翻譯件，而且有兩個版本的英文翻譯。有意思的是浦安臣電報裏談到同治原信的兩個字。

這篇電報，是浦安臣（Burlingame)發給國務卿蘇華德（Seward）的，浦說，恭親王及其隨行人員來拜訪浦，並帶來一個盒子，裏麵有一封裝飾精致的信，是大清皇帝同治，寫給美國總統的，向美國總統致以親切問候。浦說他讓一家公司--Russell & Co.--把這封信帶回美國麵交，信是用漢文和滿文寫成。但是裏麵有兩個詞，浦安臣特別提出來向蘇華德匯報，他當然說的是英語，這兩次詞是soothe，和bridle。soothe就是安撫，bridle是馬的籠頭，這裏用作動詞，信中的話翻譯成英語是說：to soothe and bridle the world。浦說：您看到這兩詞一定會笑。然後浦還在電報上附了該信的兩個英文翻譯件，一個是由Mr. Schewescwesky翻的，他是代替Dr.Williams作的翻譯，另一個版本的英文翻譯由英國使團的Mr.Wade作的。浦還說，他的理解，同治皇帝的用意是好的，整個信的調子是友好的。

從附的翻譯中，英國翻譯還加了自己的注解，這個裏麵提到這兩詞，他用了拚音，fu，yu。這就提供了漢語原文的線索，fu，顯然是“撫”，所謂soothe；yu，敲進拚音，在出現的字裏一個一個看，應該是“禦”字最有可能（也有可能是“馭”），查百度，“禦”的意思是駕馭馬車，是象形字，是一個人握著轡行於道中。所以，同治給美國總統的信中用了“撫禦環宇"這樣的字眼。剛想起看看當時美國總統是誰，百度下，居然是林肯！（1861-1865）另外，譯者注實際上還提到兩個漢文，在信的最後部分，說tung hsung，不知是哪兩個字，tung應該對應拚音dong或tong，hs是x，hsung對應xiong，dongxiong，或者tongxiong，不知何意，全句是：that we may tung hsung together, or alike enjoy peace increasing，既然用了together，tong可能是“同”字，剩下的是xiong/xun，這時顯出文言文太差了，想不出是哪個字，用拚音打，然後一個字一個字找可能的，也不得要領。

但是，還有一些不太明白的地方。浦安臣的電文落款地址日期是北京1863年1月29日，電文中說，恭親王是中國新年（first day of the Chinese new year）來訪的，但是1863年春節應該是2月18日，所以可能有誤。查同治，生於1856年，所以1862年還是個孩子，顯然，這封信不可能是他自己寫的，應該是攝政大臣或者其他什麽人寫的。

附上相關電文原文，其中有些字母可能在在生成PDF文件時，從紙張掃描，然後用軟件進行圖像到文字轉換時出現錯誤，比如Ta-tsing-大清-中的s變成了e，Tungchi-同治-的T變成了J。

 

Mr. Burlingame to Mr.Seward

No.33.] Peking, January 29,1863

Sir: I have the honor to inform you that on the first day of the Chinese new year, Prince Kung and suite made a formal call upon me for the purpose of tendering their good wishes. At the same time the Prince brought in a box the highly illuminated letter to the President, which I send you through the house of Russell & Co. The letter is in Chinese and Manchow. There is an assumption in the words “to soothe and bridle the world” which will cause you to smile. My first thought was to object to the language; but when I learned that it was formal, and was, substantially, what had been used before, and that the government really intended to be unusually kind, I thought it would be impolite and ungracious to criticise the form in which that kindness was sought to be expressed.

I send you two translations of the letter, one marked A, by Mr. Schewescwesky, who interprets in the absence of Dr. Williams; the other with note marked B, by Mr. Wade, of the British Legation. From these you will learn its true meaning. 

The fullest equality is conceded to the President and the United States, by the position in which they are placed in the Chinese text, as well as by the language used in the beginning and at the end of the letter.

I feel that I am here to secure essentials, and not to raise questions about unimportant matters.

I do not suppose the President will be troubled to learn that the Emperor of China thinks he has received a commission “to soothe and bridle the world,” but I imagine that he will be pleased to learn that I have established the most friendly relations with the Chinese government.

I have the honor to be, sir, your obedient servant,

Anson Burlingame.

Hon. William H. Seward, &c., &c., &c.

 

A.

The Emperor of the Tateing dynasty salutes the President of the United States of America.

On the 25th day of the 7th moon of the present year, (August 19, 1862,) the President’s envoy, Anson Burlingame, presented a letter from the President. On perusing it, we found it to be entirely expressive of sincereity and truth, and a desire for relations of long-continued friendship and peace, at which we were indeed greatly rejoiced; and we have instructed the office managing foreign affairs to show all proper attention to the envoy, Anson Burlingame. 

Having, with reverence, received the commission from Heaven to rule the universe, we regard both the middle empire and the outside countries as constituting one family, without any distinction. 

And acting sincerely in our mutual intercourse, we must endeavor to extend forbearance to each other. And we wish that our friendly relations with the President may henceforth increase in strength, and may we both enjoy the blessings of peace, the attainments of which undoubtedly will be most gratifying. 

The 7th day of the 12th moon in the first year of the reign of Jungchi,(January 22, 1863.)

 

B.

His Majesty the Emperor of Ta-Tsing dynasty salutes his Majesty, the President of the United States of America.

Upon the 25th day of the 7th moon, [the President’s] envoy, Anson Burlingame, having arrived in Peking, presented (or brought up) a letter from (the President,) which, when (we) had read it, (we) found to be written in a spirit of cordial friendliness, (breathing) nothing but a desire for relations of amity that should ever increase in strength. Our heart was much rejoiced, indeed, (by the perusal of the letter,) and we have instructed the office for the superintendence of foreign affairs to show all suitable attention to (or to receive satisfatorily) the envoy, Anson Burlingame.   

In virtue of the commission we have with awe received from Heaven, (God,) to rule (to soothe and bridle) all the world, native and foreigner must be to us as one family, without distinction, and in our relations with man we must be thoroughly sincere in all things.

May our friendly relations with his Majesty the President henceforth increase in strength, and may both of us alike enjoy the blessings of peace. The attainment of such objects, we cannot doubt, would be most gratifying.

[Traslator’s note.]

The words signifying “to soothe and bridle the world,” no doubt, imply that the Emperor, as Tien-Tzie, son of Heaven, is to the sovereigns of the earth a superior much of the sort that the Pope, at various periods, from the days of Hildebrand down, claimed to be. But beyond a remark to the Prince that we foreign nations do not admit that we can be “fu yu,” “soothed and bridled,” by any but our own governors.

I should not, were I responsible for an opinion, recommend that further notice should be taken of the, at first sight per se, objectionable expressions. For the position of the terms United States and President admits the fullest equality between the nation and its ruler and the Chinese empire and its sovereign; and the salutation with which the letter commences is as significant of the equality of the President with the Emperor as words can be; while the close of the letter is scarcely less so, “that we may tung hsung together, or alike enjoy peace increasing,” would certainly not have been written thus had the writer intended to hint that the person addressed was less than his equal.

T.W.

我的博客，並不一定關注重大曆史事件，當然也不排除，但感興趣的主要是能夠有人性閃光的細節，所謂人性閃光，並不指高大上，隻要不是冰冷的數字，而是有具體的人的活動，語言，乃至表情等等都可以。