欧阳修《丰乐亭记》 -英语翻译教程-中英双语赏析

朗读这篇文章

丰乐亭记

欧阳修

THE PAVILION OFPLENTY AND HAPPINESS

OUYANG XIU

欧阳修三次遭贬使他对当时冷酷的社会现实有了比较清醒的认识；官场的倾轧，使他希图摆脱世俗纷扰，向往恬静的归隐生活。滁州地处偏僻，民风淳厚。欧阳修被贬至此，倒也悠闲自在。在这里，清山绿水涤除他心头的烦恼，大自然触发了他无拘无束的天性和丰富的感情。他几乎陶醉于山水美景之中。由于他把「与民同乐」看成是「刺史之事也」，虽然是「载评流徙」，远离了政治斗争的中心，不能直接向朝廷指陈时弊了，其心倒也安然，作者这时的人生观比较旷达的。《丰乐亭记》就是在这样的背景下写成的。

修既治滁之明年，夏，始饮滁水而甘。

I did not know the sweet taste of the spring water in Chuzhou until the second summer after I came here to govern.

🎈「明年」：第二年，即庆历六年。

🎈「始」就是「才」之意，可用英文中的「not…until」结构。

问诸滁人，得于州南百步之远。

I asked the local people and learned that its fountainhead was only about a hundred footsteps south from Chuzhou.

🎈「问诸滁人」：向滁人打听泉水的出处。「诸」，兼词，之于。

🎈「滁人」指的就是当地人，译作了「local people」。

其上则丰山，耸然而特立；下则幽谷，窈然而深藏；中有清泉，滃然而仰出。

Above it was the Mountain of Plenty, which rose upright and high. Below it was a deep and secluded valley, the depth of which was immeasurable. Midway was a spring which gushed upwards in torrents.

🎈文言词汇：「耸然」，高耸的样子。「特」，突出。「窈然」：深幽的样子。「滃然」：水势盛大的样子。

🎈在译文「which rose upright and high」中，形容词「upright and high」不是修饰动词，而是主语的逻辑表语。对于这种用法，再举两个例句如下：

She brought us up completely unaided.她只身把我们养大。

He can now walk unaided.他现在可以独立行走。

🎈「窈然而深藏」是说「山谷幽深，深度难测」，翻译时要进行具体化，「immeasurable」的是「the depth of the valley」

俯仰左右，顾而乐之。

I was pleased to look at it from all directions.

🎈「俯仰左右」：这里是「环顾」之意，译作了「look at it from all directions」

于是疏泉凿石，辟地以为亭，而与滁人往游其间。

Then I had the waterway dredged, rocks chiseled, and a flat space opened up. On it a pavilion was built, which I used to visit with the people of Chuzhou.

🎈「疏泉凿石，辟地以为亭」中的一系列动作都不是作者自己完成的，而是让别人做的，使用了「have sth done」结构。

🎈「dredge」释义为「to remove mud, stones, etc. from the bottom of a river, canal , etc. using a boat or special machine, to make it deeper or to search for sth 疏浚；清淤；挖掘」

例句

They’re dredging the harbour so that larger ships can use it.

他们正在疏浚港湾以便大船驶入。

🎈「chisel」既可作名词也可作动词，作名词是「凿子」之意，这里是动词的用法，意思为「（用凿子）凿，刻」

🎈「it」指代前文的「a flat space」，英文中善用代词来实现与前后文的衔接，翻译时要学会替代与还原。

滁于五代干戈之际，用武之地也。

During the armed conflicts of the Five Dynasties, Chuzhou was a place where many battles had been fought.

🎈文言词汇：「五代」：指后梁、后唐、后晋、后汉、后周。「干戈」：古代兵器，此指战争。

🎈武装冲突armed conflicts

🎈「用武之地也」意思是「被武力争夺的地区」，译作了「a place where many battles had been fought」

昔太祖皇帝，尝以周师破李景兵十五万于清流山下，

In former times, Emperor Taizu, leading an army of the Later Zhou Dynasty, defeated at the foot of Qingliu Mountain an army of one hundred and fifty thousand soldiers under the leadership of Li Jing, the Emperor of the Southern Tang Dynasty.

🎈结构分析：太祖皇帝曾经率领后周兵，在清流山下击溃李景领导的十五万军队，而李景是南唐中主。这句话较长，原文中动词较多，句子的主干其实是「太祖皇帝率兵击溃李景的军队」。「率兵」在这句话中分别处理做了不同的次要结构，一为「leading an army of the Later Zhou Dynasty」，分词短语作状语；二为「under the leadership of Li Jing」，介词结构作状语。

生擒其皇甫辉、姚凤于滁东门之外，遂以平滁。

Then Emperor Taizu restored order in Chuzhou after capturing alive Huangfu Hui and Yao Feng outside its eastern city gate.

🎈「平滁」意思是「平定了滁州」，「平定」译作「restore order」

🎈「遂」体现出「生擒…」和「平滁」有先后关系，译文用「after」来体现。

修尝考其山川，按其图记，升高以望清流之关，欲求辉、凤就擒之所。

I had inspected the mountain and the river around the place, climbed high to look at the gate of Qingliu Pass, and with the help of a map and records prepared beforehand, tried to locate the place where Huangfu Hui and Yao Feng were captured.

🎈文言词汇：「图记」：指地图和文字记载。「清流之关」：在滁州西北清流山上，是宋太祖大破南唐兵的地方。

🎈视察某地常用「inspect」这个词，释义为「to officially visit a school, factory, etc. in order to check that rules are being obeyed and that standards are acceptable」

🎈「按其图记」译作了「with the help of a map and records prepared beforehand」，地图和文字记载一定是先前准备好的，所以「prepared beforehand」属于增词不增义。

而故老皆无在也，盖天下之平久矣。

But the old people who might know something about the fighting were all dead. For many years had passed since the country began to enjoy peace.

🎈翻译「故老」时要进行具体化，指的是可能了解上文战事的老人，译作了「the old people who might know something about the fighting」

🎈翻译「盖天下之平久矣」要注意时态问题，要用过去完成时。

自唐失其政，海内分裂，豪杰并起而争，所在为敌国者，何可胜数？

China was torn asunder after the last Emperor of the Tang Dynasty lost his power. Warlords surged up and fought with one another. Countries hostile to each other were too numerous to count.

🎈「海内分裂」意思是「全国四分五裂」，译作了「China was torn asunder」，其中「asunder」释义为「into pieces; apart 碎；散」。被拆散/分裂rend/tear asunder。

🎈warlord是军阀之意。

及宋受天命，圣人出而四海一。

When the Song Dynasty received the mandate of Heaven the Sage came out and the country was unified.

🎈天命the mandate of Heaven，当指人屈服于命运时常用搭配的动词是resign，「认命」可表达为resign oneself to the mandate of Heaven

向之凭恃险阻，铲削消磨，

Those warlords who had ruled different districts by relying on their strategic terrains were gradually wiped out.

🎈这句话意思是「如先前那些凭借险阻之地称霸的人，有的被诛杀，有的被征服。」

🎈险阻之地自古以来就是兵家必争之地，是「战略要地」，译作「strategic terrains」

🎈消灭wipe out

百年之间，漠然徒见山高而水清。

In the past one hundred years there had been peace everywhere. What I saw was the high mountain and clear water.

🎈这句话是用古今做对比，古时战事频繁，而今「山高而水清」，一片祥和，增译了「there had been peace everywhere」

欲问其事，而遗老尽矣！

None of the old people who could describe the past events survived.

🎈「遗老尽」是说「经历战乱的老人都已不在人世」

今滁介江淮之间，舟车商贾、四方宾客之所不至，民生不见外事，而安于畎亩衣食，以乐生送死。

Chuzhou was situated between the Yangtze and the Huai rivers. No ships, carriages, merchants, and visitors from anywhere came. Its people had no contact with the outside world. They were contented with their rural life of simple food and clothing and never had anything to worry about.

🎈「介」是「地处」之意，译作了「was situated…」

🎈「民生不见外事」意思是「百姓活着不知道外面的事情」，接触have/make contact with。

🎈「以乐生送死」意思是「欢乐地过日子，一直到死」，译文避免使用「死」这个词，将原文转化为「生时一直无忧无虑」，译作了「never had anything to worry about」

而孰知上之功德，休养生息，涵煦于百年之深也。

They did not know that they owed all this to the benevolence of the emperors whose recuperative and rehabilitating policy had benefited the people for a hundred years.

🎈「休养生息」是古时皇帝采取的一项政策，为的是安定社会秩序，恢复生产，增加人口的措施，译作了「recuperative and rehabilitating policy」，既译出了原文的意思，还说明了这是一项政策，使得译文准确具体。

🎈「涵煦」是「滋润教化」，也就是「使百姓受益」之意。

修之来此，乐其地僻而事简，又爱其俗之安闲。

After I came here, I liked the place for its seclusion and its simple affairs of the government. I also liked the people’s leisurely and carefree manner.

🎈「俗之安闲」意思是「风俗安恬闲适」，译作了「leisurely and carefree manner」，「leisurely」是「悠闲从容的」之意，「carefree」是「无忧无虑」之意。

既得斯泉于山谷之间，乃日与滁人仰而望山，俯而听泉。

Since I had found this clear spring, I used to come here with the people of Chuzhou. We would look up at the mountain and look down to listen to the murmuring of the spring.

🎈在「俯而听泉」这一小句中，听的是泉水声，翻译时要进行具体化，译作了「the murmuring of the spring」，其中「murmuring」是「淙淙/低微的流水声」之意，注意表达积累。

掇幽芳而荫乔木，风霜冰雪，刻露清秀，四时之景，无不可爱。

We would pluck wild flowers and rest in the shade of the trees. During the frosty and icy season, the place looked more pretty and graceful. It was lovable all year round.

🎈「掇」，拾取。「荫」，荫庇，乘凉。「刻露」，清楚地显露出来。

🎈摘花pluck/pick flowers

又幸其民乐其岁物之丰成，而喜与予游也。

And, luckily, the local people, happy with a good harvest, liked to enjoy themselves together with me.

🎈结构分析：幸运的是，当地居民因收成好而喜悦，乐意与我一同出游。「乐其岁物之丰成」译作了「happy with a good harvest」，形容词短语做原因状语，做了次要结构。

因为本其山川，道其风俗之美，使民知所以安此丰年之乐者，幸生无事之时也。

Therefore, while describing the beauty of nature, I praised the local people’s simple and pure life style. I want the people to know that it was because they were living in times of peace that they were able to enjoy plentiful years.

🎈「无事之时」也就指的是「太平年代」，译作「times of peace」。「乱世」times of turbulence。

🎈「安此丰年之乐」与「生无事之时」有因果关系，翻译时要体现出来。

夫宣上恩德，以与民共乐，刺史之事也。遂书以名其亭焉。

Since the duty of a cishi was to sing the praises of the Emperor’s kindness and to share with people in their happiness, I wrote this essay and named the pavilion after it.

🎈「事」意即「本分、责任、义务」，译作了「duty」

🎈「刺史」还可译作「prefectural governor」

🔥重点词汇

fountainhead     n.泉源；根源；来源

英义

a source or origin

例句

This also is our creativity driving force and the fountainhead.

这也是我们创意的原动力和源泉。

torrent     n.急流；激流；湍流；洪流

英义

a large amount of water moving very quickly

例句

The rain was coming down in torrents .

大雨如注。

inspect     v.视察

英义

to officially visit a school, factory, etc. in order to check that rules are being obeyed and that standards are acceptable

例句

Public health officials were called in to inspect the premises.

公共卫生官员奉召来视察了建筑物。

recuperative     adj.有助于恢复的

英义

( formal ) helping you to get better after you have been ill/sick, very tired, etc.

例句

Human beings have great recuperative powers.

人类拥有极强的恢复能力。

pluck     v.摘；掐；采摘

英义

( old-fashioned ) ( literary ) to pick a fruit, flower, etc. from where it is growing

例句

I plucked an orange from the tree.

我从树上摘了一个橙子。

🔥重点表达

武装冲突armed conflicts

生擒/活捉capture alive

被拆散/分裂rend/tear asunder

军阀warlord

认命resign oneself to the mandate of Heaven

战略要地strategic terrain

消灭wipe out

接触have/make contact with

淙淙/低微的流水声murmuring

摘花pluck/pick flower

太平年代times of peace

动荡之世times of turbulence

🔥表达对比

太平盛世有几种表达方式？

1.而故老皆无在也，盖（天下之平）久矣。

可是，当时的人都已经不在，大概是天下太平的时间长久了。

But the old people who might know something about the fighting were all dead. For many years had passed since the country began to enjoy peace.

2.士或谈殷、周之理者，曰伊傅周召。（「殷、周之理」是指「商周之大治的盛世」）

When scholars talk about peace and order in the country during the times of Yin and Zhou, they would invariably give credit to Yi Yin, Fu Yue, Duke of Zhou, and Duke of Zhao.

3.这种利用「人工智能」下令开打核战争的体系尽管（在和平年代）没有被启动，但仍在运行。

This system using 「artificial intelligence」 to order nuclear war was still operative, though not switched on in peacetime.

4.国家正值（国泰民安、繁荣昌盛的时期）。

The country is enjoying a period of peace and prosperity.

未经允许不得转载：帕布莉卡 » 欧阳修《丰乐亭记》 -英语翻译教程-中英双语赏析