苏轼《喜雨亭记》 -英语翻译教程-中英双语赏析

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喜雨亭记

苏轼
The Timely Rain Pavilion
Su Shi
《喜雨亭记》是北宋文学家苏轼创作的一篇散文。文章从该亭命名的缘由写起,记述建亭经过,表达人们久旱逢雨时的喜悦心情,反映了作者儒家重农、重民的仁政思想。文章句法灵活,笔调活泼,在风趣的对话中轻松含蓄地发表见解。
 
亭以雨名,志喜也。
It was to express my happiness with the timely fall of the rain that I named my pavilion 「The Timely Rain Pavilion」. 
🎈对「喜」要进行具体化,「及时雨到来的喜悦之情」,译作了「my happiness with the timely fall of the rain」
🎈及时雨timely rain

 

古者有喜,则以名物,示不忘也。
In ancient times, people used to name something after a happy event so that it would be always remembered. 
🎈「名」在这里是动词,给…命名name…after。
🎈「不忘」反说正译,译作了「be always remembered」

 

周公得禾,以名其书;
Duke of Zhou named his book The Auspicious Grain when a special kind of grain was bestowed on him by the Emperor.
🎈典故:周成王得一种「异禾」,转送周公,周公遂作《嘉禾》一篇。
🎈「auspicious」是「吉祥的,吉利的」之意。
🎈「bestow sth (on/upon sb)」:to give sth to sb, especially to show how much they are respected (将…)给予,授予,献给。

 

汉武得鼎,以名其年;
Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty changed the title of the year into 「Yuanding”, when he got a ding.
🎈典故:汉武帝元狩七年(前116),得一宝鼎,于是改年号为元鼎元年。
🎈年号the title of the year

 

叔孙胜敌,以名其子。
Shu Sun defeated the enemy and named his youngest son after the king of the invading army. 
🎈典故:鲁文公派叔孙得臣抵抗北狄入侵,取胜并俘获北狄国君侨如。叔孙得臣遂更其子名为「侨如」

 

其喜之大小不齐,其示不忘一也。
These happy events might differ in importance, but they were all well remembered in the things named after them.
🎈这句话的意思是:「他们的喜事大小不一样,但表示不忘的意思却是一样的」
🎈「喜之大小」中的「大小」不能用「big or small」来翻译,这里是说事情的重要程度不同,译作了「importance」

余至扶风之明年,始治官舍。
I did not build my official residence until the second year after my arrival at Fufeng. 
🎈「明年」是「第二年」之意,译作了「the second year」,整个前半句处理成了时间状语,做次要成分。
🎈官舍official residence。

 

为亭于堂之北,而凿池其南,引流种树,以为休息之所。
I built a pavilion to the north of the central hall and dug a pond to its south. Spring water was fed into the pond and trees were planted, so this was an ideal place for rest. 
🎈「在…的东/西/南/北」用介词to。
🎈「引流种树」是从作者的角度来讲,译文在此处断句,分别以「spring water」和「trees」做主语,动词要用被动语态。

 

是岁之春,雨麦于岐山之阳,其占为有年。
In the spring of that year wheat fell from the sky south of the Qi Mountain. It was foretold by divination that there would be a bumper harvest. 
🎈文言词汇:「阳」:山的南面;水的北面。「占」:占卜。「有年」:年将有粮,引申为大丰收。
🎈「其占为有年」这句话暗含被动语态,翻译时要体现出来。
🎈「divination」释义为「the act of finding out and saying what will happen in the future 占卜;预测;预言」,注意积累。
🎈「有年」意即丰收之年,译作了「there would be a bumper harvest」,其中「bumper」释义为「unusually large; producing an unusually large amount 异常大的;丰盛的」,「大丰收/丰年」还可译作「a bumper crop/harvest/season/year 丰收;丰收季节;丰收年」

 

既而弥月不雨,民方以为忧。
But people began to worry after a month had passed and there had not been a drop of rain. 
🎈这句话中既有时间先后关系,又有因果关系,译文用「after」来体现这两层关系,而且调整了语序,结果在前,原因在后。

 

越三月,乙卯乃雨,甲子又雨,民以为未足。
It was not until another three months had passed that it rained on the second day of the fourth month of the lunar calendar and again on the eleventh day. People thought that this much of rain was not enough. 
🎈文言词汇:「乙卯」:农历四月初二。「甲子」:农历四月十一日。这些都是中国古代表示时间的词,如果只是音译,译文读者将无法完全理解原文内容,因此要将具体的时间关系译出。
🎈这句话强调雨水缺乏,用了强调句。
🎈农历lunar calendar

 

丁卯大雨,三日乃止。
Then on the fourteenth it started to rain heavily for three days.
🎈文言词汇:「丁卯」:农历四月十四日。
🎈英文中有关「雨」的表达:
细雨/毛毛雨drizzle
小雨light rain/thin rain
阵雨shower
大雨heavy rain
急雨rapid rain
倾盆大雨(torrential ) downpours
茫茫大雨blinding rain
瓢泼大雨drenching rain
猛烈的雨driving rain

 

官吏相与庆于庭,商贾相与歌于市,农夫相与忭于野。
Officials congratulated each other in the office. Merchants sang in the market place. Farmers beamed with joy in the fields. 
🎈文言词汇:「相与」:汇聚。「忭」:欢乐、喜悦。
🎈市场/商业中心地market place
🎈「beam」是眉开眼笑/笑容满面之意,例句如下:
He beamed at the journalists. 他笑容满面地面对记者。 
She was positively beaming with pleasure. 她的确喜不自胜。

 

忧者以喜,病者以愈,而吾亭适成。
Those who had been worried became happy and those who had been sick recovered their heath. My pavilion was completed on this happy occasion.
🎈翻译这句话要注意时态问题,「忧者以喜,病者以愈」指的是「之前忧愁的人因此而高兴,之前生病的人因此而痊愈」,「忧」和「病」发生在「喜」和「愈」之前,要用过去完成时。
🎈恢复健康recover one’s heath/pull through /recuperate/on one’s feet
🎈「适」:恰巧。

 

于是举酒于亭上,以属客而告之:「曰:‘五日不雨,可乎?’曰:‘五日不雨,则无麦。’
Then a feast was held in the pavilion. While offering drinks to my guests, I said, 「If I ask you, ‘Will it be all right if it does not rain for five days?” You will say ‘If so, the wheat will not grow.’
🎈文言词汇:「举酒」:开酒宴。「属」:同「嘱」,意为劝酒。
🎈中文中倾向于重复字词,而英文中善用替代与省略,原文中的第二个「五日不雨」译作了「If so」,so指代前文刚刚提到的内容,避免重复。

 

曰 ‘十日不雨,可乎?’曰:‘十日不雨,则无禾。’
If I ask you, ‘Will it be all right if it does not rain for ten days?’ You will say, If so, the rice will not grow.’
🎈「禾」指的是稻子,译作了rice。

 

无麦无禾,岁且荐饥,狱讼繁兴,而盗贼滋炽。
If there is neither wheat nor rice, there will be starvation for several consecutive years. Lawsuits will increase drastically and theft and robbery will be rampant.
🎈文言词汇:「荐饥」:古人说:「连岁不熟曰荐」,因此「荐饥」意应为:连续饥荒。「滋」:增多。「炽」:旺盛。
🎈这句话较长,信息较多,要将联系紧密的小句放在一起,然后对原文进行断句。「无麦无禾,岁且荐饥」之间有逻辑关系,放在了一个句子中,且以前一小句为状语从句,做次要成分。「狱讼繁兴,而盗贼滋炽」这两个小句处理做了并列关系。
🎈诉讼lawsuit
🎈盗窃theft
🎈抢劫robbery

 

则吾与二三子,虽欲优游以乐于此亭,其可得耶?
Under such circumstances, how could we have enjoyed ourselves with ease and leisure in this pavilion despite our longing to do so?
🎈文言词汇:「优游」:安闲舒适、无优无虑的神态。
🎈「under such circumstances」既指代上文内容,也起到了衔接下文的作用,英文中的衔接词非常重要。
🎈「虽欲…」译作了「despite our longing to do so」,介词短语作让步状语。

 

今天不遗斯民,始旱而赐之以雨,使吾与二三子得相与优游以乐于此亭者,皆雨之赐也!其又可忘耶?」
Now God has not forgotten the common people. No sooner had the drought begun than it rained. Hence we can gather here and pass the time pleasantly. Since we owe our happiness to the rain, how can we forget it?”
🎈一…就…no sooner than…
🎈这句话中的衔接词有hence,since,都表示因果关系,前者加结果,后者加原因。

 

既以名亭,又从而歌之,曰:「使天而雨珠,寒者不得以为襦;使天而雨玉,饥者不得以为粟。
After I had named the pavilion after the rain, I further sang a song in praise of it. 「If it should rain pearls, the shivering people could not be clothed with them. If it should rain jade, the hungry people could not feed on it.
🎈文言词汇:「襦」:本意短衣,此处代表所有的衣服。
🎈if引导的条件状语从句中的should表示「万一/假如」
🎈「不得以为襦」和「不得以为粟」分别是难以蔽体、难以饱腹之意,分别译作了「could not be clothed with them」「could not feed on it」。

 

一雨三日,伊谁之力?
Who should be given the credit for a rain that lasted for three days?
🎈「伊」:语助词,无意。
🎈归功于give credit to/own to

 

民曰:‘太守’。太守不有,
People said that credit should go to the prefect, but the prefect said that he did not deserve the credit.
🎈「不」:通「否」,意为不然。
🎈「credit」在这里是「赞扬/称赞/认可」之意。

 

归之天子。天子曰:‘不然’,
He said that the credit should go to the emperor, but the emperor said that he did not deserve the credit.
🎈这句原文与上文结构相同,译文亦是如此。

 

归之造物。造物不自以为功,归之太空。
He said that the credit should go to the Creator, but the Creator said that He did not deserve the credit. He said that credit should go to the great void.
🎈「造物」:造物主(即上帝)或指上天,译作了「the Creator」
🎈太空/太虚the great void

 

太空冥冥,不可得而名。
But as it was profound and obscure, I could not find anything in it to name after.
🎈文言词汇:「冥冥」:高远渺茫。译作了「profound and obscure」,其中「obscure」是「difficult to understand 费解的;难以理解的」之意。

 

吾以名吾亭。
So I named my pavilion after the timely rain.
🎈上文都在讲这个亭子名字的由来,上述人和物皆不可归因,所以作者以「timely rain」给亭子命名,译文增加了衔接词so。
🔥重点词汇
auspicious      adj.吉利的;吉祥的  
英义
showing signs that sth is likely to be successful in the future 
例句
His career as a playwright had an auspicious start. 
他的剧作家生涯有一个好的开头。
 
divination     n.占卜;预测;预言
英义
the act of finding out and saying what will happen in the future
例句
Superficially, the Book of Changes is indeed about divination. 
从表面上看《周易》的确是一部占卜吉凶的书。
 
beam     v.笑容满面;眉开眼笑
英义
to have a big happy smile on your face 
例句
He beamed at the journalists. 
他笑容满面地面对记者。 
She was positively beaming with pleasure. 
她的确喜不自胜。
 
obscure     adj.费解的;难以理解的
英义
difficult to understand
例句
Her poetry is full of obscure literary allusion. 
她的诗随处可见晦涩的文学典故。
🔥重点表达
及时雨timely rain
给…命名name…after
(将…)给予,授予,献给bestow sth (on/upon sb)」年号the title of the year
官舍official residence
丰收;丰收季节;丰收年a bumper crop/harvest/season/year 
农历lunar calendar
细雨/毛毛雨drizzle
小雨light rain/thin rain
阵雨shower
大雨heavy rain
急雨rapid rain
倾盆大雨(torrential ) downpours
茫茫大雨blinding rain
瓢泼大雨drenching rain
猛烈的雨driving rain
恢复健康recover one’s heath/ pull through /recuperate/on one’s feet
诉讼lawsuit
盗窃theft
抢劫robbery
一…就…no sooner than…
🔥表达对比
恢复健康有几种表达方式?
1. 忧者以喜,病者以(愈),而吾亭适成。
Those who had been worried became happy and those who had been sick recovered their heath. My pavilion was completed on this happy occasion.
 
2. 每个人都很关心他是否能(恢复健康)。
Everyone was very concerned whether he would pull through or not. 
 
3.她还需要很长时间才能完全(恢复健康)。
She still has a long way to go before she’s fully fit. 
 
4.我们会让她(恢复健康),但这或许需要时间。
We will restore her to health but it may take time. 
 
5.苏手术后又(恢复健康)了。
Sue’s back on her feet again after her operation.

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