社科网首页|论坛|人文社区|客户端|官方微博|报刊投稿|邮箱 中国社会科学网

论著评介

梦忆里的梦呓

来源:网络来源作者:汪荣祖2010/03/04

【内容提要】 史景迁为当今著名汉学家,其著作不仅在英语世界脍炙人口,在两岸三地读者亦多,且多有膜拜者。书商也趋之若鹜,每有景迁新著,迅即译为中文;盛名之下,岂能不责备于贤者。 

  擅长讲中国历史故事的美国耶鲁大学教授史景迁(Jonathan D. Spence)近有一书叙述明末散文家、诗人、史家张岱(字宗子,1597-1680?),内容计分九章,一、“人生之乐乐无穷”(Circles of Pleasure);二、“科举功名一场空”(Charting the Way);三、“书香门第说从头”(On Home Ground);四、“浪迹天涯绝尘寰”(The World Beyond);五、“乱世热血独怆然”(Levels of Service);六、“王朝倾颓乱象生”(Over the Edge);七、“散尽家产留忠心”(Court on the Run);八、“繁华靡丽皆成空”(Living the Fall);九、“寄诸石匮传后世”(Reclaiming the Past)。从这些标题大略可知,史景迁主要在叙述张岱的一生,像他其他许多著作一样,重点不在理论与议题,而在叙事。史景迁的叙事依旧优美,不过读者很快会发现,这本叙述张岱的英文书,很不寻常地翻译了大量的张岱原文,即使不计“覆述”(paraphrase)部分,篇幅亦已超过全书之半,随便翻开第174-175页,几乎全是英译张文。

  这篇书评因而聚焦于中译英的问题。史景迁所译张岱文,有其妥帖而又雅致的一面,例如译张岱在一篇游记中的一段话:“山后人家,闭门高卧,不见灯火,悄悄冥冥,意颇凄恻。余设凉簟卧中看月,小傒船头唱曲,醉梦相杂,声声渐远,月亦渐淡,嗒然睡去。”(On the slopes of the hills, the house gates were all closed and people were sleeping deeply, one could not see the light from a single lamp.  In the silent darkness, the mood was somber.  I laid out a clean mat in the boat so I could lie there and look at the moon; in the prow of the boat, one of my young serving companions began to chant a song.  The drinking I had done blurred with the dream I was having, the sound of the song seemed to recede, the moon itself also seemed to grow paler.  Suddenly I was asleep. 见温译本页33;原书页28)这一段中英两种文字一样优美。我们注意到史景迁必须用比张岱多三倍有余的文字来达到相等的美感,但这不是任何英译者的能力问题,只是显示古文比现代文字更具简洁之美。不幸的是,史景迁的译文有太多的错误或可待商榷之处。由于译文所占全书篇幅如此之大,指出其中的许多误译,应非“找碴儿”(nitpicking);不过,在此仅能举其大者,不及细微,以备读者参考,或也将有功于作者。

  此书已有汉文译本,译者温洽溢不取直译,书名《前朝梦忆》固胜于《回到龙山》(Return to Dragon Mountain),汉译书名与篇名都比较合乎中文读者的口味,亦甚切题,值得赞赏。译者将英文原著所有汉译部分恢复了张岱的原文,为读者提供了中英文互观之便。

  史景迁开笔即亟写张岱居处的乐趣,所谓“便寓、便交际、便淫冶”(温译本页23),作者将“便淫冶”译作“有许多性欲发泄的机会”(many chances of sexual adventure,页13),其实,“冶”指“艳丽”;“淫”形容“艳丽”之盛,若谓“淫雨绵绵”,喻雨水之多,与性并无必然的关系。张岱形容“士女凭栏轰笑,声光凌乱,耳目不能自主”(温译本页23),作者误将“士女”译作“年轻男女”(Young men and women,页13),其实士女就是女士,男性无与也。至于把士女们“星星自散”(温译本页23),译作“天上的星星散去了”(the stars disperse,页14),则是闹了大笑话,把形容词当名词了。张岱说:“从巷口回视巷内,复迭堆垛,鲜妍飘洒,亦是动人。”(温译本页24)形容巷子内房舍林立,美观动人,不能将“飘洒”这个形容词翻译作“在风里移动与颤抖”(stirring and shivering in the wind,页15)。

  张岱在海宁观潮,形容那惊心动魄的片刻,甚是精彩,史景迁也力图转化为同样精彩的英文,可惜他还是误解了一些句子。如“再近则飓风逼之,势欲拍岸而上”(温译本页25),意指当海潮愈来愈逼近时,声势更加浩大,犹如飓风击扬,惊涛拍岸,不是忽然真有“一阵飓风吹来”(a howling gale pushed the wave onwards,页17)。

  张岱说他父亲虽然双眼已看不太清楚,仍然“漆漆作蝇头小楷,盖亦乐此不为疲也”(温译本页62)。蝇头小楷为考试所必须,故虽视茫茫,仍乐此不疲;然而史景迁的理解是 “父亲完全无法阅读用小楷写的或印的文本”(Father altogether lost the ability to read texts written or printed in small characters. 页57)。张岱的堂弟张培虽然眼瞎,仍喜欢听读,入耳不忘,如“朱晦庵的《纲目》百余本,凡姓氏世系,地名年号,偶举一人一事,未尝不得其始末”(温译本页64)。史景迁似不知朱熹的《通鉴纲目》是一部书,有百余卷之多,故译为“他(张培听读后)从头到尾记得朱熹历史文摘中所列举的百余种书目”(There was not one among the hundred or more titles listed in Zhu Xi's historical digest that he did not memorize from beginning to end. 页59-60),又误译了。

  张岱的族祖张汝森喜好饮酒,“月夕花朝,无不酩酊大醉”(温译本页70),史景迁将前半句解释为:“不论是月宴或花节”(be it at the moon feast or the festival of flowers,页70);然而月夕指晚上,花朝指白天,意即整天,原文中并无宴会与节日的意思。这位族祖也喜欢跟张岱的祖父出游,所谓“杖履追陪”(温译本页70),“杖履”为敬老语,指张岱的族祖追陪张岱的祖父,不是如史景迁所谓“他(族祖)拿起拐杖,穿上鞋子,随他(祖父)而去”(he would grab a staff, put on his shoes, and be off to join him. 页71)。族祖汝森“卜居龙山之阳”(温译本页71),“卜居”早已成为选择居所的名词,不是史景迁所谓“汝森用卜卦来决定在龙山之南建屋”(Rusen used divination to find a site for a house on the southern side of Dragon Mountain. 页71)。

  张岱的祖父张汝霖与汝森相比,酒量很小,故谓:“余量最下,效东坡老尽十五琖,为鼠饮而已矣。”(温译本页71)他的小酒量只能效法苏东坡喝十五小杯,比起汝森的酒量,犹如鼠饮,但史景迁不知“琖”是小杯,又误会了,说是“我(如霖)的酒量很小,与(诗人)苏东坡一口气喝十五杯酒相比,我真是饮酒界的小老鼠”(My capacity for drink is small, and compared to [the poet] Su Dongpo who could drain fifteen wine cups in a row, I am a mere mouse at this drinking business! 页73)。张岱的祖父是跟他会喝酒的堂弟比,而以苏东坡的小酒量自比,史景迁把整个“文义”弄错了。

  张岱祖父的媳妇朱氏是礼部尚书朱赓的女儿,然而朱赓“子孙多骄恣不法,文懿公(朱赓)封夏楚,贻书大父,开纪纲某某,属大父惩之犹我”(温译本页85-86)。史景迁不知“夏楚”是体罚的刑木,以至于译为:“朱赓的许多子孙骄恣不法,当他收到他公署的木棍,写信给祖父,列出一系列的规条,授权祖父处罚他们像他自己的子孙一样。”(Many of Zhu Gang's sons and grandsons were arrogant and disobedient.  When he received his staff of office, he wrote a letter to grandfather, listing a whole series of rules item by item.  He authorized grandfather to punish the Zhu offspring as though they were his own. 页88)其实是张岱的祖父收到朱赓寄来的刑木,并在信中要求祖父处罚这些骄恣的子孙,像对待自己的子孙一样,这样句子才通顺。

  张岱外出游山玩水时接触到许多奇人轶事,包括来自西洋的利马窦(Matteo Ricci,1552-1610),当比较中西文化的差别时,张岱有言:“其俗,凡读书学道者不娶,中制科为荣耳。”(温译本页119)所谓“读书学道者”,就是像利马窦那样的天主教神父,当然不娶,也不能娶,然而作者却误译为:“按照他们的习俗,凡读书人皆不娶。”(According to their custom, all those engaged in academic pursuits never marry. 页132)在中国也有读书学道者不娶之例,绝不可能凡读书人皆不娶;接着“中制科为荣耳”明明说在中国则以考科举为荣,而竟被张冠李戴译作:“(他们)认为通过考试是他们唯一的荣耀。”(consider passing the examinations their only source of glory. 页132)

  论及写史,张岱认为“拾遗补阙,得一语焉,则全传为之生动;得一事焉,则全史为之活现”,于是说:“盖传神正在阿堵耳。”(温译本页155)“阿堵”是晋代俗话,意谓“这个”,或“这里”。大画家顾恺之绘像,数年不点目睛,人问其故,答曰:“传神写照,在阿堵中。”此阿堵,谓眼也,张岱用此典来比喻,写历史也要能画龙点睛,才能拾遗补阙,呈现历史真相,增加文字感染力;史景迁不解其意,只好胡乱译之为:“传神写照要能确认明显的性格。”(The key to capturing the spirit of someone is to identify the salient characteristics. 页173)张岱的堂弟张燕客性情最为暴躁,“有犯之者必讼,讼必求胜”(温译本页161),主词显然是燕客,但史景迁在译文里把主词变成了受词:“被他(燕客)侵犯的人们不得已将他诉之于公所,如果他们诉之于法,他们决计要赢。”(Those people he had violated felt compelled to bring lawsuits against him, and if they invoked the law, then of course they were determined to win. 页182)

  张岱晚年在快园回忆往事,随即“命儿辈退却书之,岁久成帙”(温译本页202),“岁久成帙”不能译作“岁久成习”(After some time, this became a habit. 页231),盖“帙”者“书物”也,儿辈们记下他的回忆,久而成册,文义才通。张岱为他五个叔叔写了《五异人传》之后,认为他的高祖以下到他的父亲,都值得写传,所以“自足以传”不是史景迁所理解的“他们足有能力写他们自己的传记”(they were fully able to be their own biographers)。关于祖父的事知道得不够,所以“有不能尽传之者也”(there would still be some things that I would not be able to record completely);关于父亲的事知道得很多,于是“又不胜其传焉者也”,即所谓少则不尽,而多则不胜,但史景迁把“不胜其传”解作“我仍然无法写得完全”(I am not yet equal to catching his fullness. 页234,温译本页204-205),然则,“不尽”与“不胜”的差别又在哪里呢?

  论及著史,张岱谦虚地说:“能为史而能不为史者世尚不乏其人,余其执简俟之矣。”(温译本页209)“余其执简俟之矣”,不能译作“彼其执简俟之矣”(he would hold his brush in expectation of their coming,页241),因史景迁明明是引录张岱自己的话,更何况此话在引号内。张岱有云:“非颊上三毫,则睛中一画”(温译本页209),画龙点睛的典故,固不必再说;顾恺之为裴楷画像,在裴颊上加三毛,看到的人立刻说:“神明殊胜”,所以都是在比喻如何使文章传神。史景迁不解此典故,故而照字面硬译之为:“若不在脸上加上三根好毛,则在眼睛上轻轻一点,就够了。”(if not three fine hairs on a cheek then one light dot on the eye would suffice. 页241)

  张岱于兵燹之后,“讯问遗老,具言兵燹之后,反复再三”(温译本页210),说那些遗老们告诉他兵燹后的情况,令他“反复再三”,以喻印象深刻,挥之不去,然而史景迁的错误理解是:“他们(遗老)详细告诉我,军队如何焚掠州县,有时还回来好几次。”(they told me in detail how the armies ravaged and burned these communities, in some cases returning several times. 页243)张岱来到信州,发现该地之人,无论乡村百姓、缙绅先生,或知名文人莫不以不同方式抵抗清朝,史景迁整段翻得不错,却忽然犯了一个大错,把“戴发”误作“剃发”,于是将“乡村百姓强半戴发”,译作“乡村百姓强半剃发以及选择了辫子”(in the smaller rural villages over half the common folk had shaved their foreheads and adopted the queue,页243)。如果这样,怎会“鼎革已十载,雒邑顽民犹故主之思”(温译本页210)呢?

  张岱在欲传后世的《石匮书》列传中,称颂他的曾祖父文恭“聚徒讲求世务。人才相与籍记之,户外屦尝满;每抵掌,论天下事不为首鼠两端”(温译本页224)。“籍记”是将人才登记在他的门下,史景迁误译为“他甚至记得他不曾见过的人”(He would remember even those he had barely met);“不为首鼠两端”,就是直言无忌,甚至要表达极端的意见,史景迁未能解此,故又误译为:“他不能容忍极端主义,总是要平衡强烈的意见”(He did not tolerate extremism, always seeking a balance between strong views. 页256),欲求平衡,反而不得不“首鼠两端”矣。

  张岱说:“祁中丞之死而名之曰忠,则可及也。名之曰敏,则不可及也。”(温译本页232)明明说祁彪佳的忠,别人可以赶得上,而他思虑敏捷则是赶不上的,然而史景迁将意义扭曲了,说:“祁彪佳之死可说是忠,但不能说是敏。”(As to Qi Biaojia's death, it is appropriate to call him loyal, but not appropriate to call him really shrewd. 页267)祁之“敏”之所以不可及,乃因其可以不死而选择了死,由于他看清楚“除一死别无他法”,所以祁“之忠孝节义,皆中丞之聪明知慧所仓皇而急就之者也”(温译本页232),也就是史景迁所翻译的:“祁彪佳死得其时,他很快作了决断,毫无惧色,他之所以能实践忠,是由于他在危机中的聪敏。”([Qi] Biaojia gave his life when he felt it was the right time.  He made up his mind promptly and went ahead without fear.  He was able to practice moral conduct, because his intelligence was stimulated by crisis events. 页268)既然如此,怎能说祁彪佳只忠不敏呢?

  张岱自问:“学问与经济,到此何所施。”(温译本页233)此“经济”必然是“经世济民”(statecraft)之意,而史景迁将之译作“经济学的知识”(knowledge of economics,页269)。张岱自写墓志铭有云:“蜀人张岱……兼以茶淫橘虐〔围棋。按,译本原注有误,应为象棋〕,书蠹诗魔,劳碌半生,皆成梦幻。”(温译本页235-236)而史景迁将“茶淫橘虐”译作“饮茶使他上瘾,橘子使他心荡神驰”(seduced by tea and ravished by oranges,页272),不知橘指下棋,茶与棋一样使他着迷;将“书蠹诗魔”译作“书使他中毒,诗使他迷惑”(poisoned by stories and bewitched by poems,页272),茫然不知“书蠹”喻读书成迷的书呆子,“诗魔”喻爱诗着魔之人,都是张岱的自嘲。张岱又在生前自造墓穴于项王里的鸡头山,自谓:“伯鸾(梁鸿之字)高士,冢近要离(春秋时代的刺客),余故有取于项里也。”(温译本页237)史景迁不知张岱死后要与伯鸾及要离为邻,于是作非常离谱的字面翻译:“一个孤儿成为高士,墓冢已为这个忠臣准备好,我将前往项王里。”(A lonely orphan can become a lofty scholar, the tomb mound is ready for the steadfast loyalist; thus I am prepared for my journey to [King] Xiang Village. 页275)

  以上所举翻译的错误,为笔者阅读时,就所见随手摘录,组织成文,并不是有系统的勘误。像这样的错误不可能是偶然的失察,而是由于阅读古文的功力有所不足;从前西方的汉学家很讲求文字上的训练,相比之下,而今显然逊色。史景迁为当今著名汉学家,其著作不仅在英语世界脍炙人口,在两岸三地读者亦多,且多有膜拜者。书商也趋之若鹜,每有景迁新著,迅即译为中文;盛名之下,岂能不责备于贤者。英文读者不会去看张岱原文,固不知误译所在,而中文读者见译者所恢复的张岱原文,自无误译问题。此书汉文译者虽覆查张岱原文,然未有译注指陈其失,故不惮繁琐,略费日力,写此纠谬书评,以求教于读者与作者。

    《前朝梦忆:张岱的浮华与苍凉》
  [美]史景迁 著
    温洽溢 译
  台湾时报文化出版企业股份有限公司
  2009年第1版

原载:《东方早报》2009-11-1 
转自:http://www.3hresearch.com/ShowArticle.asp?ArticleID=1902

tags:美国|史学(考古)|近现代中国|中国学|史景迁|张岱
编辑:lixin

相关文章