《意態由來畫不成﹖》(翁顯良)

本文想初步探討一下文學風格是否可譯的問題。
　文學翻譯是再創作﹐同繪畫不無相似之處。王安石《明妃曲》一句話就否定了繪畫藝術﹐且不論當時是否錯殺了毛延壽。意態果真畫不成嗎﹖可是﹐「斯須九重真龍出﹐一洗萬古凡馬空」﹐說明藝術超乎現實。我們相信杜甫沒有汆張﹐曹將軍畫的玉花驄雖未及見﹐齊白石畫的蝦是見過的﹐無須鑒賞力特別高﹐也看得出確是比活的蝦更活。可見不是畫不成﹐而是非畫成不可。貌是神非﹐有何藝術可言﹖
　繪畫未必纖介不遺﹐貴在氣韻生動﹔文學翻譯要求意足神完﹐不在乎詞句一一對應。繪畫的技法多種多樣。同一人物﹐同一姿勢﹐同一表情﹐一百個高明的畫家可以創作一百幅維肖維妙的畫像﹔即使是同一畫家﹐也可以運用不同的技法畫出不同的肖像。這些肖像﹐彼此相似又不相似。文學翻譯是以另一種語言形式再現原作的內容。高明的譯者﹐一百個人的再創作都會同原作相似又不相似﹐這一百種譯本也會彼此相似又不相似。相似的是內容﹐是思想感情﹐是境界氣象﹔不相似的是形式﹐是表層結構﹐是文詞句法。
　因此﹐討論文學風格能不能翻譯的問題﹐首先要辨明所謂風格指的是什麼。倘若指文體﹐則中國的駢四儷六與英國的綺麗體﹐就體來說﹐同樣無法翻譯。莎士比亞的十四行詩﹐譯成漢語﹐罐管可以模仿原作分行押韻﹐每行字數若干﹐力求與五步抑揚格相對應﹔英國人譯漢詩也有以若干音節對應五言﹐若干音節對應七言的﹔但都難免削足適履。即如「斯須九重真龍出﹐一洗萬古凡馬空」兩句﹐庫珀（Arthur Cooper）譯作In a flash he appeared, born of Nine Dragons,/At once clearing the mind of common horses﹗(Li Po and Tu Fu, 1973)﹔撇開born of Nine Dragons的明顯錯誤不說﹐每行音節不多不少﹐恰好十一﹐又有何裨益﹖
且文體因時而 。如果要在翻譯中反映這種變化﹐豈不是要以古對古﹐以今對今﹖然而這是做不到的。事實上也從來沒有誰試圖這樣做。荷馬史詩無須譯成四言﹐拜侖的《哀希臘歌》倒不妨譯成七古。郭沫若譯《招「不幸」詞》（Invocation to Misery）用騷體﹐因為原作「情調哀惻﹐音節婉轉﹐最宜以我國騷體表現」（見《沫若譯詩集》﹐新文藝出版社﹐一九五四）﹐雖然雪萊與屈原相隔二千年也還適宜。
可是﹐話說回來﹐罐管有譯作的文體比原作更古的實例﹐一般來說﹐翻譯仍以 用當代文體為佳。即使 用舊體﹐這種體裁也應該是當代依然有人使用的。外國詩歌的漢譯有時 用舊體﹐而中國讀者不但能夠接受﹐甚至頗為喜歡﹐這是因為舊體詩至今還有人創作﹐ 且在報刊上發表﹐也就是說還有生命力﹐還不能視為已經「作古」。翻譯的目的是向讀者介紹原作﹐是要人家懂而不是要人家不懂﹐所以不能不現代化﹐而且是不斷地現代化﹐過了一定時期又得把譯過的作品重新再譯。這種情 是人所共知的。
　翻譯不受原作的文體所拘束﹐自然也不受原作語句結構所拘束﹐沒有必要以繁對繁﹐以簡對簡。求信與達﹐往往是寧可化繁為簡的。比如愛德華?吉本《羅馬帝國衰亡史》（Edward Gibbon, The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire）第三章談到帝位繼承時說﹕
In elective monarchies, the vacancy of the throne is a moment big with danger and mischief. The Roman emperors, desirous to spare the legions that interval of suspense, and the temptation of an irregular choice, invested their designed successor with so large a share of present power as should enable him, after their decease, to assume the remainder without suffering the empire to perceive the change of masters.
　倘若逐詞對譯 且不打破原來的結構﹐可能譯成﹕
在實行選舉的君主國中﹐帝位的空缺是充滿危險與禍害的時刻。羅馬皇帝們意欲使各軍團免除這一懸而未決的間歇以及不正當選擇的誘惑﹐授予他們的預定繼位者以如此大的一份現行權力﹐以致他應能在他們去世後取得其餘而無須讓帝國察覺主人的更替。
　要是擺脫原文形式的束縛﹐可以譯作﹕
　實行選舉君主的國家﹐帝位一旦出缺就危機四伏﹐禍患滋生。歷任羅馬皇帝為使軍隊不致在大局未定之際遭受誘惑而選擇不當﹐生前即授予預定繼位者以很大實權﹐務求自己去世後新君能在國人不知不覺中取得全權﹐為天下主。
又如陶 《五柳先生傳》中的「好讀書﹐不求甚解﹔每有會意﹐便欣然忘食。」James Robert Hightower譯作He was fond of reading, without puzzling greatly over difficult passages. When he came across something to his liking he would be so delighted he would forget his meals. (The Poetry of T'ao Ch'ien, 1970)這無疑沒有原文那麼簡潔。兩種語言﹐結構規律不同﹐在翻譯中──尤其是在文學翻譯中──要求形式上一一對應是不可能的﹐就是要求譯文大體上與原作形式一致也未必可取。如果說﹐保持原作的風格指的是保持其語言形式上的特徵﹐要問是否可譯﹐竊以為不能不作否定的回答。
　歷來所謂直譯與意譯之爭﹐歸結起來﹐是要不要以及在什麼程度上保持原作語言形式上的特徵。譯文必須表達原作的意思﹐否則根本不是翻譯﹐這一點誰也不會反對。但是﹐主張寧信而不順者在實踐上往往成了寧信而不達﹐殊不知不達即無所謂信。有人將杜甫名句「香稻啄余鸚鵡粒﹔碧梧棲老鳳凰枝」譯成Grains from the fragrant rice-stalks, pecked and dropped by the parrots:/On the green wut'ung tree branches which the perching phoenix aged. (A. C. Graham, Poems of the Late T'ang, 1965)這叫英美讀者如何理解﹖舍達求信則信亦無有﹔但求形似則原作的風格盡失。
　風格可譯﹐指的是原作意象的隱或顯?婉或直?艷麗或質朴?莊重或諧謔都可以譯﹔何止可以譯﹐簡直非譯不可。
隱與顯
　文學作品的意象有時 不明晰。不是說不可領會﹐而是說迷離惝 ﹐有一種特殊的魅力。比如李商隱《錦瑟》詩﹐歷來注家聚訟不休﹐張三說李四誣妄﹐李四說張三穿鑿﹐然而千載以後的今日﹐這首詩雖無確解﹐卻能感染讀者。這樣的作品﹐如果一定要翻譯﹐只好以隱對隱。特別是頸聯「淪海月明珠有 ﹔藍田日暖玉生煙」﹐唯有以不解為解。下面三種譯法﹐恐怕都有強解之嫌﹕
（一）Tears that are pearls, in ocean moonlight streaming:/ Jade mists the sun distils from Sapphire Sward﹕
(A Golden Treasury of Chinese Poetry, Translated by John Turner, 1976)
(二)Moonlight in the blue sea, pearls sheddingtears, /In the warm sun the jade in the blue fields engendering smoke─
( The White Pony, Edited by Robert Payne, 1947)
(三)The moon is full on the vast sea, a tear on the pearl./ On Blue Mountain the sun warms, a smoke issues from the jade.
(A. C. Graham, Poems of the Late Tang, 1965）
何以見得（一） 即珠﹐珠即 ﹖（二）明珠洒 ﹐（三）一顆珠上一滴 ﹐也都說實了﹐反而不美。似不如虛一點﹐讓讀者自己細味﹕
（四）Dark green sea, tears, pearls, moonlight streaming:/ Sunny blue jade fields, warm haze shimmering.
沒有一個結構詞﹐streaming的邏輯主語可能不止moonlight﹐ shimmering的邏輯主語可能不止warm haze﹐不明確有不明確的好處。
然而有另一種隱──用典的隱﹐翻譯時卻宜化隱為顯。文學作品中的典故﹐即使本族讀者﹐由於歷史文化知識的限制﹐也不是都能一望而知其意或稍加思索就懂的﹐外國讀者就更不用說了。與其直譯加注﹐不如將典故的含義融入本文。比如劉禹錫《陋室銘》中「南陽諸葛廬﹐西蜀子雲亭」兩句﹐倘若譯作Zhug Liang had his thatched cottage in Nanyang and Yang Xiong a pavilion in Western Shu﹐再加注說明諸葛亮居隆中﹐苟全性命於亂世﹐不求聞達於諸侯﹐以及揚雄不汲汲於富貴﹐不戚戚於貧賤等等﹐恐怕頗費筆墨而效果未必佳。既然作者本意無非是說明陋室不陋﹐以孔明?子雲自 ﹐似可譯作Sanctuaries there have been of wary wisdom and patient poverty﹐根本不提兩位古人。又如《五柳先生傳》末二句「無懷氏之民歟﹖葛天氏之民歟﹖」譯作Is he not one of those who have lived in the spacious days of yore﹖（見方重《陶淵明詩文選譯》﹐1980）也是 取這種處理方法。比之A.C. Graham將杜甫的「匡衡抗疏功名薄﹔劉向傳經心事違」譯成A disdained K'uang Heng, as a critic of policy:/As promoter of learning, a Liu Hsiang who failed.（ibid.）要容易理解得多。
翻譯典故之所以要化隱為顯﹐是因為這些典故對於作者當時心目中的讀者 不隱晦。用典是以含蓄的說法喚起讀者的聯想﹐而要收到預期的效果﹐則個中含義必須是讀者一看就明白的﹔倘若非詳加注釋不可﹐就沒有多大作用了。含義不能融入本文的典故﹐勉強照字面譯出﹐實在是白費心機。林和靖的「茂陵他日求遺稿﹐猶喜曾無封禪書」﹐說破了沒意思。辛 疾《賀新郎?別茂嘉十二弟》更是無法翻譯。這一類作品自然不在討論之列。
婉與直
有人說為文忌直貴曲﹔雖然不能絕對化﹐但用筆牖旋轉折確有妙處﹐翻譯起來也不容易。以C.P. Snow的小說The Masters中的一段為例﹕
He was a man of fifty, and some, seeing that he had gone both bald and grey, thought he looked older. But the first physical impression was deceptive. He was tall and thick about the body, with something of a paunch, but he was also small-boned, active, light on his feet. In the same way, his head was massive, his forehead high and broad between the fringes of fair hair; but no one's face changed its expression quicker, and his smile was brilliant. Behind the thick lenses, his eyes were small and intensely bright, the eyes of a young and lively man. At a first glance, people might think he looked a senator. It did not take them long to discover how mercurial he was. His temper was as quick as his smile; in everything he did his nerves seemed on the surface. In fact, people forgot all about the senator and began to complain that sympathy and emotion flowed too easily. Many of them disliked his love of display. Yet they were affected by the depth of his feeling. Nearly everyone recognized that, though it took some insight to perceive that he was not only a man of deep feeling, but also one of passionate pride.
這一段足以代表作者的風格。句子不長﹐結構不湍雜﹐用詞也不艱深﹔可是一段之中包含著許多矛盾﹐有些表達方式與漢語頗有差 ﹐有些詞語在文內的特殊意義很費推敲。譯成漢語﹐在選詞煉句兩方面都要下功夫﹐否則有失原作的筆調。試譯如下﹕
他行年五十﹐頭頂已經禿了﹐鬢絲也斑白了﹐所以有些人覺得他看起來不止那個歲數。然而﹐初次接觸﹐外貌給人的印象未必正確。他身材高大﹐肚子有點凸出﹐而骨骼卻 不粗笨﹐倒是動作敏捷﹐步履輕快。同樣﹐他的頭很雄偉﹐淡淡的兩鬢之間﹐眉宇高敞﹐而神情變化卻比誰都快﹐笑起來報採粲然。厚厚的眼鏡後面﹐一雙小眼炯炯如電﹐彷 他還是青春年少﹐充滿活力。乍一看﹐人們也許會認為他儼然有元老風度﹐可是不久就察覺他很不穩重。忽而笑容可掬﹐忽而火冒三丈﹐無論做什麼事﹐他似乎總是神經緊張﹐現於顏色。於是﹐人們不再覺得他像個元老﹐而且開始對他不滿﹐說他太容易表同情﹐太容易卸動。許多人不喜歡他愛自我表現﹐可是﹐看他的感情如此深切﹐又不能無動於衷。他感情深切這一點﹐幾乎人人都看得出來﹐但要洞察他不僅感情深切﹐而且傲岸憤激﹐可要有點知人之明。
原作婉轉曲折的﹐翻譯時怕摸不透﹐不能達意。原作直抒胸臆的﹐翻譯時怕情不切﹐流於淺薄。比如杜甫《聞官軍收河南河北》﹐又驚又喜﹐又哭又笑﹐感情迸發﹐手舞足蹈。頷聯頸聯四句「卻看妻子愁何在﹐漫卷詩書喜欲狂。白日放歌須縱酒﹔青春作伴好還鄉。」何等激動﹐有人卻譯成﹕
I stare on my wife's face, and do not know where my sorrow is.
Then I gather up my poems and books in a wild pleasure.
We shall sing and drink wine,
We shall sing and return home together.
見The White Pony。編者Robert Payne談到該詩集的Method of Translation時說﹕It has seemed best to translate the poems as simply and literally as possible, and to avoid footnotes wherever possible. The Chinese has therefore been translated line by line─whthout rhyme, for to have succeeded in rhyme would have necessitated padding out the lines or so changing their forms that they would have become unrecognizable.主張逐行直譯﹐而且不得改變每一行的形式﹐以為這樣才可以保持原作的風貌。從上面引的四行看﹐結果適得其反。原作那種熱烈奔放的情緒﹐其疾如風的節奏﹐由此而產生的藝術感染力﹐都哪 去了呢﹖就連「愁何在」?「喜欲狂」?「放歌」?「縱酒」等字眼也譯得不甚妥當。
婉與直都不是形式上的問題。譯者得其情則不必拘謹﹐不得其情則拘謹也無用。
艷麗與質朴
「煙花三月下揚州」﹐蘅塘退士譽為「千古麗句」﹔但從李白《送孟浩然之廣陵》的幾種英譯看﹐外國讀者是很難同意的。
?The smoke-flowers are blurred over the river.
?In March, among smoking flowers, making your way to Yangchow.
?He leaves for Yang-chou in the third moon of the spring.
?Mid April mists and blossoms go,……
?出自Ezra Pound手筆﹐?見The White Pony﹐均有錯誤。?見劉師舜譯《中詩選輯》﹐保留「揚州」而略去「煙花」﹐不知是何緣故。?是西僧Jonh Turner譯的﹐保留「煙花」而略去「揚州」﹐亦不知是何緣故。四位譯者似乎都沒有考慮到原句之所以為「千古麗句」﹐就在於「煙花三月」春光最美之時前往最繁華之地──揚州﹔其時其地﹐二者缺一即不能在讀者心中喚起如此艷麗的聯想﹐二者俱全而讀者沒有必要的歷史文化知識也不能產生如此 麗的聯想。這種 麗﹐非關詞藻﹐不像秦觀《望海潮?唐陵懷古》的「花發路香﹐鶯啼人起﹐珠哿十裡東風」﹐「巷入垂楊﹐畫橋南北翠煙中」﹐「紋錦片帆﹐明珠濺雨」﹔後者顯而前者隱﹐非適當點明不可。外國讀者不一定要知道揚州在現今的江蘇省﹐但至少要對這個「九裡三十步街中﹐珠翠填咽﹐邈若仙境」的大都會有點認識﹐知道是a profligate's paradise。
不假雕飾的麗句難譯﹐非止上述。陳與義憶洛中舊 詞﹕「憶昔午橋橋上飲﹐坐中多是豪英。長溝流月去無聲。杏花疏影 ﹐吹笛到天明。」苕溪漁隱謂此數語奇麗。的確﹐有景有情﹐有聲有色﹐有動有靜﹐有光有影﹐境界很美。既有美的感受﹐能夠進入這個境界﹐就不妨試譯﹕
In the Meridian Bridge pavilion it was. We did drink and make merry. What a gathering, so many aspirants to glory﹗The moon glimmered in the stream below; I watched it glide silently into the distant darkness. Where the blossoming apricot cast lacy shadows, a flute played on and on, right till dawn.
不能說沒有斧鑿痕 ﹐但原作也是鍛 而歸於自然的。
情詞綺艷的反而比較容易翻譯。如李煜有一首《菩薩蠻》﹕
蓬萊院閉天台女﹐畫堂晝寢人無語。拋枕翠雲光﹐繡衣聞異香。潛來珠鎖動﹐驚覺鴛鴦夢。慢臉笑盈盈﹐相看無限情。
有人譯作﹕
An angel enclosed in paradise,
There in her room, hushed with silence, she sleeps at noon,
With jade trinket and cloudy hair flung over the pillow,
Her embroidered gown suffusing exotic fragrance.
I enter stealthily, but the tinkling of my jade ornaments Awakens her from her dream of two lovebirds.
Slowly her face becomes gracious with smiles.
She gazes in my eyes with infinite gentleness.
在The White Pony中﹐這一首算是紕漏不多的。「翠雲」的「翠」非指翠玉首飾﹐「慢臉」的「慢」與速度無涉﹔但外國讀者不會考究這些。整篇的格調還不至於與原作相違。
金碧珠玉等等﹐無須高手也能譯出。翻譯質朴的作品可就要在簡易處見功夫。比如《桃花源記》開頭幾句﹕
晉太元中﹐武陵人捕魚為業﹐緣溪行﹐忘路之遠近。忽逢桃花林。夾岸數百步﹐中無雜樹﹐芳草鮮美﹐落英繽紛。漁人甚 之。
John Turner譯成﹕
During the reign period T'ai-yuan (376-396) of the Chin dynasty, a man of Wu-ling who plied the fisher's trade, losing all count of distance as he made his way along a certain brook, suddenly came on a grove of peach-trees in blossom which fringed the shoresome hundred paces, no other tree interspersed, where on scented grasses fresh and pleasing to the eye lay fallen blossoms in gay profusion, at sight of which the fisherman was much amazed.
就英文而論英文﹐當然無可非議﹔但這和陶淵明單純自然的文風有何相似之處﹖由於英語本身的規律﹐譯文不可能同原文一樣簡潔﹔可是﹐為什麼要特意 用層次繁多的複雜結構把它合成一個長句呢﹖
請看方重先生的譯文﹕
During the reign of Emperor Shao-Wu of Eastern Tsin there was once a native of Wu-Lin, who lived on fishing. One day he rowed up a stream, and soon forgot how far he had gone. All of a sudden he came upon a peach grove. For hundreds of paces along both banks of the stream, the peachtrees were in full bloom. No other trees were to be seen in the whole grove. The soft grass looked fresh and beautiful. Here and there falling blossoms where dancing gracefully in a thousand hues. The fisherman was beside himself with amazement.
鍾嶸《詩品》說陶淵明「文體省 」﹐方譯近之﹐不會使外國讀者對陶產生錯誤的印象。
莊重與諧謔
翻譯文學作品﹐許多人都覺得莊易諧難。為什麼﹖恐怕不完全是我們慣於一本正經的緣故。
舉一個列﹕
For twins they are very dissimilar. Colin is tall and active and Johnny is short and middle-aged. Johnny doesn't kick off his shoes, he doesn't swallow beer caps or tear pages out of the telephone book. I don't think he ever draws pictures with my best lipstick. In fact, he has none of the charming, lighthearted "boy" qualities that precipitate so many scenes of violence in the home. On the other hand, he has a feeling for order and a passion for system that would be trying in a head nurse. If his pajamas are hung on the third hook in the closet instead of on the second hook, it causes him real pain. If one slat in a Venetian blind is tipped in the wrong direction he can't have a moment's peace until somebody fixes it. Indeed, if one of the beans on his plate is slightly longer than the others he can scarcely bear to eat it. It's hard for him to live with the rest of us. And vice versa.
Colin is completely different. He has a lightness of touch and a dexterity that will certainly put him on top of the heap if he ever takes up safecracking. Equipped with only a spoon and an old emery board, he can take a door off its hinges in seven minutes and remove all of the towel racks from the bathroom in five. （Jean Kerr, Please Don't Eat the Daisies, 1954）
作者是美國的喜劇作家﹐以滑稽著稱。她的語言頗有特色﹐俗中有雅﹐平中有奇。翻譯這一類作品﹐前提是讀了會笑。試譯如下﹕
孿生兄弟本應相似﹐然而不然。科林高而活躍﹔約翰矮而老成。約翰脫鞋向來不 用一腳踢掉的妙法﹔他沒有吞食啤酒瓶蓋的習慣﹐不會從電話簿扯下幾頁作 戲﹔至於說拿我最好的口紅去繪畫﹐我認為也絕無此事。其實他絲毫沒有那種輕狂得可愛卻又往往在家中激起暴力行動的男孩子脾氣。可是﹐他太講究條理﹐容不得半點不規則﹔這種癖性﹐即使出在護士長身上﹐也不免令人討厭。誰要是把他的睡衣 在衣櫥 的第三個鉤而不 在第二個鉤﹐他真的會感到痛苦。百葉帘上要是有一條葉片傾側方向不對﹐就一定要叫人弄好﹐否則他一刻也不得安心。的確﹐如果他餐盤上的豆子有一顆比其他的稍微長一點﹐這一顆他就幾乎無法吃下去。跟我們一起生活﹐他覺得難受。我們也有同感。
科林卻完全不同。他雙手輕巧靈活﹐有朝一日﹐倘若以專破保險箱為業﹐必執牛耳無疑。現時只要有一把調羹﹐一條銼過指甲的廢舊金剛砂板﹐他就能在七分鐘內卸下一扇門﹐在五分鐘內把浴室的毛巾架全部拆光。
也許會有人認為第一句就同原文對不上﹐這樣譯法太自由了。可是﹐文學翻譯的基本要求是達到與原作大致相同的藝術效果﹐離開這一點而談嚴謹與自由是沒有意義的。文學翻譯必須有打破原文表層結構的自由。否定這種自由﹐就等於否定文學風格的可譯性﹔而否定文學風格的可譯性﹐就等於否定翻譯作品是文學﹐因為與原作風格不符的譯文只能視為原作大意的遠非准確的湍述﹐當然更談不上藝術效果。如果沒有藝術效果﹐那還算什麼文學翻譯﹖
意態由來畫得成。可是﹐怎樣才畫得成﹐這個問題固非淺陋如某者所能回答。願就教於高明。