《致那位說人在死去時語法是不重要的學生》 by 法薩諾

致那位說人在死去時語法是不重要的學生  林木譯

 

不清楚的表達是致命的。

比如修飾語放錯位置：

毫無希望，風沒有打動他。

難道是風毫無希望？

顯然作者本意是，

毫無希望，他不為風所動。

可是肯定有人告訴過作者

要避免被動語態，不惜一切

代價，就像要避開激情，

而作者，也確實感受到了那種寒意——

當我們變得被動時，

生命的代價有多高昂（那個戀人最後的敲門聲

永遠沒有被回應），

所以作者選擇了這個句式：

毫無希望，風沒有打動他。

而其中的差別，

是在謎與混亂之間，

是在風的靜止與靈魂的

緊閉之間。

而且為什麽不呢？為什麽

風不能有希望？

我不知道。我隻知道

這重要。每一件事都重要。什麽

被抹去。誰在轟炸誰。

我花了一整天，才終於正確地誤解了：

忘記了他們的孩子，征服者

摧毀了他們。

 

For the Student Who Said Grammar Doesn’t Matter When People Are Dying

Joseph Fasano

 

What can kill is unclarity.

The misplaced modifier, for instance:

Having no hope, the wind didn’t move him.

Did the wind have no hope?

Clearly the writer meant,

Having no hope, he wasn’t moved by the wind.

But someone no doubt had told the writer

about the passive voice, to avoid it

at all costs, like passion,

and the writer, feeling with a chill

how costly life can be

when we are passive (the lover’s last knock

unanswered at the door),

opted for this construction.

Having no hope, the wind didn’t move him.

The difference

is between mystery and confusion,

between the wind’s stillness and a soul

that won’t be opened.

And why not? Why can’t

the wind hope?

I don’t know. I just know

it matters. Everything matters. What is erasing

what. Who is bombing whom.

It took me all day to misunderstand correctly:

Forgetting their children, the conquerors

destroyed them.

[菲兒天地]

好譯。題目就發人深省。