柳宗元《捕蛇者说》 -英语翻译教程-中英双语赏析

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捕蛇者说

柳宗元
The Snake Catcher
Liu Zongyuan
柳宗元在唐顺宗时期,参与了以王叔文为首的永贞革新运动。最后失败被贬为永州(今属湖南)司马。在永州的十年期间,柳宗元大量地接触下层,目睹当地人民「非死则徙尔」的悲惨景象,他以进步的思想和身边的素材构思了这篇《捕蛇者说》
 
永州之野产异蛇,黑质而白章,触草木,尽死;以啮人,无御之者,
In the wilderness on the outskirts of Yong zhou there exists a kind of snake with black skin marked with white stripes. Any plant dies upon its touch and anyone bitten by it is doomed to die. 
🎈「黑质而白章」:黑色的身体,白色的花纹。质:质地,底子,东西的本体,在这里指蛇的身体。章,花纹。译作「with black skin marked with white stripes」,其中「stripe」是条纹之意。
🎈「触草木,尽死;以啮人,无御之者」这句话中省略了多个主语,其中「触草木」和「以啮人」的主语都是这种蛇,这句话原意是「(如果)这种蛇碰到草木,草木全都干枯而死;(如果)蛇咬了人,人无法抵御蛇毒」,在这两个分句中主语都有变化,但是在英语中倾向于使用相同的主语,所以分别用「草木」和「人」做了主语,把原文的条件状语处理做了其他结构。
🎈dies upon its touch中的upon相当于on,是「immediately after sth 就在…之后;一…就」之意。
🎈be doomed to sth注定会…
 

然得而腊之以为饵,可以已大风,挛踠、瘘,疠,去死肌,杀三虫。
But once it is caught and dehydrated, it can serve as an ingredient of a traditional medicine for the cure of leprosy, arthritis, swollen necks, malignant tumors, the removal of decayed flesh, and the elimination of three kinds of worms that cause illness.
🎈文言词汇:「得」,抓住。「而」,表顺接。「腊」:干肉,这里作动词用,指把蛇肉晾干。「饵」,糕饼,这里指药饵,即药引子 。「可以」:可以用来。「已」:止,治愈。「大风」:麻风病。「挛踠」:手脚弯曲不能伸展。「瘘」:脖子肿。「疠」:毒疮恶疮。「去死肌」:去除腐肉。「三虫」:泛指人体内的寄生虫。
🎈「已大风,挛踠、瘘,疠,去死肌,杀三虫」是三个动宾结构,有「已」「去」和「杀」三个动词,由于原文已经有谓语动词,这里进行词性转换,译作了三个名词,分别是「cure」「removal」以及「elimination」
🎈有关疾病的表达积累:
药引子an ingredient of a traditional medicine
麻风病leprosy
关节炎arthritis
恶性肿瘤malignant tumors

其始,太医以王命聚之,岁赋其二。
Since early times the court physician has ordered the people in the name of the emperor to hand in snakes twice a year.
🎈文言词汇:「岁」,每年。「赋」,征收敛取。「其」,这种蛇,指永州异蛇。
🎈太医court physician
🎈以…的名义in the name of
 

募有能捕之者,当其租入。
Whoever does so is exempted from taxation.
🎈「当其租入」:(允许用蛇)抵他的税赋。「当」,抵充。
🎈「能捕之者」和「当租入」的关系是被动关系,是被免除,被动语态要译出。
🎈「exempt」释义为「to give or get sb’s official permission not to do sth or not to pay sth they would normally have to do or pay 免除;豁免」,例句如下:
His bad eyesight exempted him from military service. 
他因视力不好而免服兵役。

 

永之人争奔走焉。
People in Yongzhou are vying with one another to catch snakes.
🎈vie with sb与…激烈竞争/争夺

有蒋氏者,专其利三世矣,
There is a man whose surname is Jiang. His family has been enjoying this privilege for three generations.
🎈「专其利」:独占这种(捕蛇而不用交税的)好处。「利」也就是一种「优势/特权」,译作了「privilege」
🎈 姓氏surname

 

问之,则曰「吾祖死于是,再父死于是,今吾嗣为之十二年,几死者数矣。」言之,貌若其戚者。
When asked, he told me with deep grief, 「My grandfather was killed by a snake, and so was my father. I myself have been engaged as a snake catcher for twelve years and might have been killed many a time.”
🎈文言词汇:「嗣」:继承。「为之」:做捕蛇这件事。「几死者」:几乎死掉的情况。「戚」,悲伤。
🎈engage sb as sth雇佣某人做某事,这里用了被动。
🎈「might have done」虚拟语气,对过去的猜测,是「本可能…」之意。
🎈many a time很多次

 

余悲之,且曰:「若毒之乎?余将告于莅事者,更若役,复若赋,则何如?
I sympathized with him, saying, 「Are you complaining about this work? I shall ask the official in charge to transfer you to your former work and renew the taxation on you. How would you like that?”
🎈文言词汇:「若毒之乎」:你怨恨(捕蛇)这件事吗。「莅事者」:管理政事的人,指地方官。「复」:恢复。「赋」:赋税。
🎈sympathize with sb同情某人

 

蒋氏大戚,汪然出涕曰:「君将哀而生之乎?
My words threw him into great agony. He burst into tears and said, 「Do you pity me and want me to live on?
🎈「蒋氏大戚」的原因是听了「我」的话,这里有因果关系,可用「无灵主语+有灵谓语」的结构,这里用了「throw… into…」,是非常地道的表达,注意积累。
🎈live on是「继续生活/活下去」之意。

 

则吾斯役之不幸,未若复吾赋不幸之甚也。
But the misery I am suffering now is not at all worse than what I suffered before.
🎈这里涉及比较,注意形容词要用比较级。

 

向吾不为斯役,则久已病矣。
If I had not taken this work, I would be in desperate straits.
🎈「向」:从前。「病」:困苦不堪。
🎈「strait」常指缺钱造成的困境。

 

自吾三世居是乡,积于今六十岁矣,而乡邻之生日蹙。
Three generations of my family have been living here for sixty years. Our neighbors are growing poorer day by day. 
🎈「蹙」:窘迫。「乡邻之生日蹙」是说「乡邻们的生活一天天地窘迫」,译作「Our neighbors are growing poorer day by day」,用了进行时态,表示一个变化的过程。

 

殚其地之出,竭其庐之入。
In order to pay the taxes, they are compelled to hand over all the produce of their land and all the possessions in their house.
🎈文言词汇:「殚」:尽,竭尽。「竭」:尽。
🎈村民们这样做的原因是为了交租税,原文中没有这个信息,但是在译文中要译出,否则译文信息会不完整。
🎈村民们这样做并不是出于自愿,而是「被迫/不得不」,这一层感情色彩要译出,译作了「are compelled to」

 

号呼而转徙,饥渴而顿踣。
They shuffle from village to village, wailing in distress, and many of them die of hunger along the way.
🎈文言词汇:「顿踣」:(劳累地)跌倒在地上。
🎈「徙」译作了「shuffle」,释义为「to walk slowly without lifting your feet completely off the ground 拖着脚走」,生动形象,注意表达积累。
🎈die of/from死于…

触风雨,犯寒暑,呼嘘毒疠,往往而死者,相藉也。
They are beaten by wind and rain, suffering freezing cold in winter and scorching heat in summer. What’s more, they have to inhale the pernicious air of deceased districts. In this way, people are dying one after another, and their dead bodies are piling up.
🎈文言词汇:「疠」:这里指疫气。「藉」:枕垫。死者相藉,形容尸体互相压着。
🎈「犯寒暑」具体化:在冬天冒着严寒,夏天冒着酷暑,译作「suffering freezing cold in winter and scorching heat in summer」
🎈句间衔接词:「触风雨,犯寒暑」是天气恶劣,除此之外人们的生存环境也很差:「呼嘘毒疠」,要增加表示递进关系的衔接词,例如「what’s more」。由于这些原因,人们接连死去,增加了衔接词「in this way」

 

曩与吾祖居者,今其室十无一焉。与吾父居者,今其室十无二三焉。
Out of ten families that were my grandfather’s neighbors, only one has survived, and out of ten families that were my father’s neighbors, only two or three remain.
🎈「曩」:从前。此小句的时态为过去时。
🎈out of sth: from a particular number or set 从(某个数目或集)中

 

与吾居十二年者,今其室十无四五焉。
As to the neighbors who have been living near me for the past twelve years, only four or five out of ten families have survived.
🎈与前面两句形成对比,祖辈和父辈的事发生在过去,而吾辈的事应该用现在时。

 

非死则徙尔,而吾以捕蛇独存。
Most of them are dead or have moved to other places. I luckily remain alive simply because I am a snake catcher.
🎈与前文提到的这些人相比,「我」能活下来是件幸事,译文增译了「luckily」,属于增词不增义。
🎈「活下来」可译作remain alive/survive/sustain

 

悍吏之来吾乡,叫嚣乎东西,隳突乎南北;哗然而骇者,虽鸡狗不得宁焉。
Whenever the relentless officers come to the village, they make a row and bully the people. The village people scream from terror. Even fowls and dogs are not left in peace.
🎈文言词汇:「嚣」:叫喊。「隳突」:骚扰。「骇」:使人害怕。
🎈make a row吵吵嚷嚷
🎈bully the people欺凌村民
🎈「村民因恐惧而哗然」译作「village people scream from terror」,介词要用from,后面加原因,注意用词的准确性。

 

吾恂恂而起,视其缶,而吾蛇尚存,则弛然而卧。
I start from my bed with fear and look into the jar. To my relief the snakes are still there. Then my mind is at ease and I return to bed.
🎈文言词汇:「恂恂」:小心谨慎的样子;提心吊胆的样子。「缶」:瓦罐。「弛然」:放心的样子。
🎈be at ease安心自在

谨食之,时而献焉。
I feed the snakes with great care and deliver them to the authorities in time.
🎈「时而」是说「到了规定的日子」,译作「in time」

 

退而甘食其土之有,以尽吾齿。
Back at home, I eat the produce of the land so that I may live on till my death.
🎈文言词汇:「甘」:有味地。「有」:生产出来的东西。「齿」:年龄。
🎈「produce」在这里是「things that have been made or grown, especially things connected with farming 产品;(尤指)农产品」之意
例句
The shop sells only fresh local produce. 
这家商店专售当地的新鲜农产品。

 

盖一岁之犯死者二焉,其余则熙熙而乐,岂若吾乡邻之旦旦有是哉。
I risk my life only twice a year. The rest of the time, I spend my days quite happily, unlike other village people whose lives are constantly threatened.
🎈文言词汇:「犯」:冒着。「熙熙」:快乐的样子。「旦旦」:天天。「是」:这,指冒死亡的危险。
🎈risk one’s life 冒着生命危险
🎈「旦旦」:天天,也就是说村民的生命安全一直受到威胁,这个词译作了「constantly」

 

今虽死乎此,比吾乡邻之死则已后矣,又安敢毒耶?」
Even if I were killed by a snake today, I would still have lived longer than my neighbors. Why should I complain?”
🎈「比吾乡邻之死则已后矣」是说「与我的乡邻相比,我已经死在(他们)后面了」,也就是「我活得比他们长」,译作「lived longer than my neighbors」,简单明了。
🎈「又安敢毒耶」意思是「怎么敢心怀怨恨呢」,译作「Why should I complain?」

 

余闻而愈悲,孔子曰:「苛政猛于虎也!」吾尝疑乎是,
I feel all the more depressed upon hearing his story. I was once disbelieving of Confucius’s words: “Tyrannical rule is more ferocious than a tiger.”
🎈upon+…可做时间状语。
🎈disbelieving of不相信
🎈「苛政猛于虎也」这句话的比喻在译文中进行了保留,这是因为中英文读者都能理解这样的比喻,所以译文将其直译,译作「Tyrannical rule is more ferocious than a tiger」

今以蒋氏观之,犹信。
From Jiang’s example I have come to realize that this saying is true.
🎈「今以蒋氏观之」要进行具体化,是说从蒋氏的遭遇/例子来看,译作「from Jiang’s example」

 

呜呼!孰知赋敛之毒,有甚是蛇者乎!
Alas! Who could have known that oppressive taxation is worse than venomous snakes?
🎈在这句话中实际进行对比的内容是「赋敛」与「毒蛇」,所以是用「oppressive taxation」和「venomous snakes」作比较,中间用形容词比较级进行连接。

故为之说,以俟夫观人风者得焉。
Hence I write down this story for those who are making investigations relating to the life of the common people.
🎈文言词汇:「俟」:等待。「人风」:即民风。唐代为了避李世民的讳,用「人」字代「民」字。
🎈「观人风」意即「体察民情」,译作「making investigations relating to the life of the common people」 
🔥重点词汇
exempt     v. 免除;豁免
英义
to give or get sb’s official permission not to do sth or not to pay sth they would normally have to do or pay
例句
His bad eyesight exempted him from military service. 
他因视力不好而免服兵役。
 
shuffle     v.拖着脚走
英义
to walk slowly without lifting your feet completely off the ground
例句
He shuffled across the room to the window. 
他拖着脚走到房间那头的窗户跟前。
 
pernicious      adj. 有害的,恶性的(尤指潜移默化地)
英义
( formal ) having a very harmful effect on sb/sth, especially in a way that is gradual and not easily noticed 
例句
They don’t really, in their ivory towers, understand how pernicious drug crime is. 
身处象牙塔里,他们并不真正懂得毒品犯罪多么有害。
 
produce     n. 产品;(尤指)农产品
英义
things that have been made or grown, especially things connected with farming
例句
The shop sells only fresh local produce. 
这家商店专售当地的新鲜农产品。
 
tyrannical     adj. 暴君的;专横的;残暴的
英义
using power or authority over people in an unfair and cruel way 
例句
She grew up with a drunken mother and a tyrannical father. 
她从小就和酗酒的母亲和专横的父亲一起生活。
🔥重点表达
注定会…be doomed to sth 
药引子an ingredient of a traditional medicine
麻风病leprosy
关节炎arthritis
恶性肿瘤malignant tumors
太医court physician
以…的名义in the name of
与…激烈竞争/争夺vie with sb 
姓氏surname
雇佣某人做某事engage sb as sth 
很多次many a time
同情某人sympathize with sb 
继续生活/活下去live on
被迫/不得不be compelled to
活下来remain alive/survive/sustain
安心自在be at ease 
冒着生命危险risk one’s life 
不相信disbelieving of 
🔥表达对比
哭有几种表达方式?
Most of us were in tears by the time he’d finished his story.
他讲完故事时,我们大多数人都已(泪流满面)。
 
Laura burst into tears and ran out of the room.
劳拉突然(大哭)了起来,然后从房子里跑了出去。
 
He stood silently, tears rolling down his cheeks, while the music played.
音乐声响起时,他静静地站着,(泪水顺着脸颊淌下来)。
 
Bill fought back his tears and tried to comfort Sarah’s mother.
比尔(抑制住泪水),并试图安慰桑拉的母亲。
 
Her hands were shaking. She was on the verge of tears but Paul didn’t realize that.
她的手在颤抖,她(快要哭出来了),但保罗一点也没有意识到这一切。
 
Cecil came round later, crying his eyes out, asking me to forgive him.
赛西尔后来来了,(哭得很伤心),请求我原谅他。

未经允许不得转载:帕布莉卡 » 柳宗元《捕蛇者说》 -英语翻译教程-中英双语赏析

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