巴金《狗》 -经典散文英译-中英双语赏析

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◎ 巴 金

小时候我害怕狗。记得有一回在新年里,我到二伯父家去玩。在他那个花园内,一条大黑狗追赶我,跑过几块花圃。后来我上了洋楼,才躲过这一场灾难①,没有让狗嘴咬坏我的腿。

以后见着狗,我总是逃,它也总是追②,而且屡屡望着我的影子狺狺狂吠③。我愈怕,狗愈凶。

怕狗成了我的一种病④。

我渐渐地长大起来。有一天不知道因为什么,我忽然觉得⑤怕狗是很可耻的事情。看见狗我便站住,不再逃避⑥。

我站住,狗也就站住。它望着我狂吠,它张大嘴,它做出要扑过来的样子。但是它并不朝着我前进一步。

它用怒目看我,我便也用怒目看它。它始终保持着我和它中间的距离。

这样地过了一阵子,我便转身走了。狗立刻追上来。

我回过头。狗马上站住了。它望着我恶叫,却不敢朝我扑过来。

“你的本事不过这一点点⑦,”我这样想着,觉得胆子更大了。我用轻蔑的眼光看它,我顿脚,我对它吐出骂语。

它后退两步,这次倒是它露出了害怕的表情⑧。它仍然汪汪地叫,可是叫声却不像先前那样地“恶”了。

我讨厌这种纠缠不清的叫声。我在地上拾起一块石子,就对准狗打过去。

石子打在狗的身上⑨,狗哀叫一声,似乎什么地方痛了。它马上掉转身子夹着尾巴就跑,并不等我的第二块石子落到它的头上。

我望着逃去了的狗影,轻蔑地冷笑两声。

从此狗碰到我的石子就逃。

The Dog

◎ Ba Jin

I used to be afraid of dogs when I was a child. One day during lunar new year, I remember, I happened to be chased after by a big black dog while I was playing about in the garden of Second Uncle’s home. Fortunately, after running past several flower beds, I gave him the slip by rushing upstairs in a storeyed building, thus avoiding the mishap of having my legs bitten by the fierce animal.

From then on, I always played the fugitive while the dog the pursuer. He would bark furiously at the sight of me. And the more scared I was, the fiercer he became.

I developed a canine phobia.

As I was growing up, one day it suddenly dawned on me somehow that it was shameful to be afraid of a dog. Hence instead of shying away in fear, I stood confronting him.

I stood firm and so did he. He barked angrily with his mouth wide open as if he were about to run at me. But, nevertheless, he never moved a single step towards me.

He glowered at me, and so did I at him. But he always kept the same distance between us.

After a time, the minute my back was turned he immediately followed in pursuit.

However, as I looked back he stopped right away and stood barking at me savagely, but dared not attack me.

“Aha, he’s now used up all his tricks!” said I to myself, feeling much more emboldened. I stared at him scornfully, stamped my feet and shouted vicious abuse.

He backed up a few steps, it being his turn to show signs of inner fear. He kept barking but with reduced savagery.

Disgusted with the din of barks, I picked up a stone from the ground and threw it right at him.

It hit him on the back. He let out a piteous cry apparently with pain and, before my second stone was to fall upon his head, quickly turned round to run away with the tail between the legs.

I gazed after the fleeing animal and gave a disdainful laugh.

Thenceforth he would promptly take to his heels whenever he saw me with a stone in my hand.

巴金的随笔《狗》是另一脍炙人口的名篇。文章写于1941年7月24日,后编入散文集《龙·虎·狗》。作者托物喻志,揭示了这样一个道理:一切邪恶都是纸老虎,必须奋力反抗,才能伸张正气,不应畏惧退缩。

注释

①“才躲过这一场灾难”译为Fortunately… I gave him the slip,是按“幸而把狗甩掉了”的意思加以表达的,等于Fortunately… I succeeded in escaping from him,其中to give one the slip是成语,作“趁……不备时溜掉”或“把……甩掉”解。

②“我总是逃,它也总是追”未按字面直译为I always ran away while the dog always chased,改译I always played the fugitive while the dog the pursuer,较可取,其中the fugitive也可改用the pursued。

③“屡屡望着我的影子狺狺狂吠”意即“屡屡看见我就凶恶地吠叫”,故译He would bark furiously at the sight of me。译文中用He,不用It,来称呼“狗”,是为了使之拟人化。

④“怕狗成了我的一种病”不宜按字面直译,现译I developed a canine phobia(或a phobia about dogs),其中phobia的意思是“恐惧症”(a morbid or unreasonable fear of something)。

⑤“有一天不知道因为什么,我忽然觉得……”译为one day, it suddenly dawned on me somehow that…,其中用somehow表达“不知道因为什么”,等于for some reason that was not clear或for some reason or other。

⑥“不再逃避”译为instead of shying away in fear,其中to shy away作“避开”、“躲开”解,与to start aside同义。

⑦“你的本事不过这一点点”可译为Ana, he’s now used up all his tricks或So that’s all he can do、See he’s at the end of his resources、Now he’s exhausted all his tricks等。感叹词Aha(啊哈)是增益成分,表示得意、看透等心情。

⑧“这次倒是它露出了害怕的表情”意同“现在轮到它流露出内心的恐惧”,故译it being his turn to show signs of inner fear。

⑨“石子打在狗的身上”不宜译为It hit him on the body,因body指“躯体”或“躯干”,意思太泛,故改译It hit him on the back,较切合实际。

未经允许不得转载:帕布莉卡 » 巴金《狗》 -经典散文英译-中英双语赏析

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