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斯坦纳曾在《通天塔之后——语言与翻译面面观》一书中说：“对于本族语过去的文学作品要想彻底弄懂，就要从多方面加以理解。在大多数情况下，人们不大这样做，甚至并不意识到需要这样做。一般的读者最多只是依赖脚注或词汇表。在读1800年以来的英文散文作品的时候，或在读大部分诗作的时候，一般读者认为除了几个难词或怪词以外，每个词的意思和他们自己使用这些词时意思是一样的。有人甚至把这种想法进一步用于十八世纪初期的古典文学作品，如笛福和斯威夫特的作品。甚至几乎用于德莱顿的作品，不过这当然是异想天开的事情。”[1]他谈的是以英语为母语的读者的阅读体验，其实以汉语为母语的读者情况也是如此，比如杜世杰曾说“苏雪林教授在《试看红楼梦的真面目》一书中，对红楼第四回‘他两家的房舍极是便宜’一语说‘薛姨妈又不买贾王二家的房子，怎么说便宜’因而骂曹雪芹不通。”[2]此处的“便宜”指的是“方便”，不是“价钱不高”的意思。苏雪林犯的正是斯坦纳所批评的毛病。《红楼梦》中有许多词语是今天的汉语读者不再使用的，如何在不违背愿意的前提下将它们翻译成现代英语读者所能够接受的形式，是摆在译者面前的难题。下面让我们举例来说明。 例1 第三回， 这院门上也有四五个才总角的小厮，都垂手侍立。 By the gate several young pages, their hair in tufts, stood at attention. Y 1, 45 There were a few young pages at the gate of the courtyard who, when they saw Lady Wang coming, all stood to attention with their hands at their sides. H 1, 98-9[3] 82版48页注释：“儿童向上分开的两个发髻。代指儿童时代。《诗经·齐风·甫田》：‘总聚其发，以为两角。’”《红楼梦语言词典》1179页也说：“未成年的人把头发总起来扎成髻（角），也借指幼年。”因此霍克思此处显然就没有翻译出“总角”的意思，他用更简单的“年幼”代替了。当然这种省略可以理解，因为译者还是抓住了最主要的意思——“幼年”。只不过和杨宪益的译文比起来，略微少了一些中国文化的意味罢了。 例2 （1）第七回， 刚至院门前，只见王夫人的丫鬟名金钏儿者，和一个才留了头的小女孩儿站在台阶坡上顽。 On the verandah steps there, Lady Wang’s maid Chin-chuan was playing with a girl who had just let her hair grow. Y 1, 102 As she reached the gate of the Court, she came into Lady Wang’s maid, Golden, playing on the front steps with a young girl. H 1, 167 （2）第二十六回， 只见一个未留头的小丫头子走进来，手里拿着些花样子并两张纸，说道：“这是两个样子，叫你描出来呢。” Before she could say any more in came a little maid who had not yet let her hair grow, to deliver two sheets of paper and some patterns. Y 1, 374 …since just as she was about to comment, a little maid came running in, so young that her hair was still done up in two little girl’s horns. She was carrying some patterns and sheets of paper. H 1, 509 （3）第四十二回， 两边四个未留头的小丫鬟都拿着蝇帚漱盂等物；又有五六个老嬷嬷雁翅摆在两旁， On either side stood two short-haired young maids holding whisks, rinse-bowls and the like, while ranged beside them were half a dozen old nurses; Y 2, 19 Four little maids, their hair still done up in childish ‘horns’, stood two on either side of her, holding fly-whisks and spittoons, and five or six old serving-women were fanned out in a sort of bodyguard behind her. H 2, 328 根据《红楼梦语言词典》的解释，“留头”指的是蓄发。“从前女孩不留长发，束短发为两结，到十多岁时才蓄长发，以备梳髻。”如此看来，霍克思的译文似乎比杨宪益的译文更准确些，点明了小丫头子“束发为结”。此外，我们还可以看到霍克思对这个词的翻译从简略到繁杂，而杨宪益的译文则是从繁杂到简略。 例3 古汉语中“更衣”一词也作“上厕所”的婉称，清代也保留了这种用法。但同样的词语在英语里是找不到对应的委婉含义的，所以对译者来说就是一个相当麻烦的问题。霍克思的做法是通过加引号来表示此处并非字面意思，然而什么时候该加引号，什么时候不该加引号，原文是没有明确提示的，只能通过译者的阅读来判断。我们根据具体的情况来分析。在特定的上下文中，“更衣”的含义应当是确定的。确凿无疑是指“更换衣服”的例子有： （1）第十四回， 贾政忙退下来，命宝玉更衣，领他前来谒见。（64版） He made him first change into court dress before leading him forward to meet the prince. H 1, 286[4] （2）第十五回， 凤姐等来至净室更衣净手毕， As soon as the first greetings were over, Xi-feng retired to her room to wash and change. H 1, 295 （3）第十六回， 贾政等也猜不出是何来头，只得急忙更衣入朝。 Still no wiser, Jia Zheng hurried into his court dress and hastened to the Palace, H 1, 304 （4）第十六回， 宝玉听了，忙忙的更衣出来，车犹未备，急的满厅乱转。 Bao-yu hurried off to change, only to find, on re-emerging, that the carriage was still not ready. H 1, 320 （5）第五十三回， 贾母起身进内间更衣，众人方各散出。 Grandmother Jia rose and went into an inner room to change out of her court dress, which she had all this time been wearing. H 2, 574-5 （6）第七十二回， 一面说，一面平儿伏侍凤姐另洗了面，更衣往贾母处去伺候晚饭。 Patience came in to help Xi-feng wash and change preparatory to going over to wait on Grandmother Jia at dinner. H 3, 431 这一类例子照字面意思翻译就可以了，不必多做改动。而确定是指“上厕所”的婉称的例子则有： （1）第十四回， 及收拾完备，更衣盥手，吃了几口奶子糖粳米粥，漱口已毕，已是卯正二刻了。 By the time she had completed it, paid her daily tribute to nature, washed her hands, drunk a few mouthful of milk, and rinsed out her mouth,…H 1, 275 （2）第十五回， 不一时，只见从那边两骑马压地飞来，离凤姐车不远，一齐蹿下来，扶车回说：“这里有下处，奶奶请歇更衣。” They had not been driving very long when two horse-men galloped up beside them, dismounted, and leaning into the carriage, informed Xi-feng that they were now near her stopping-place, in case she wished to get out and ‘stretch her legs’. H 1, 291 霍克思的译文也采用近似的委婉说法，这样就保留了原文委婉的语义信息。当然也有模棱两可的情况，这时就需要译者联系上下文做出判断，究竟此时所指为何。最典型的是第十八回，元妃省亲，提到“更衣”的就有四处： （1）自正月初八日，就有太监出来先看方向：何处更衣，何处燕坐，何处受礼，何处开宴，何处退息。 On the eighth of the first month a eunuch came from the Palace to inspect the layout of the Separate Residence and to establish where the Imperial Concubine would ‘change her clothes’, where she would sit to converse with her family, where she would receive their obeisances, where she would feast them, and where she would retire to when she wanted to rest. H 1, 354 （2）那版舆抬进大门、入仪门往东去，到一所院落门前，有执拂太监跪请下舆更衣。 The palanquin passed through the great gate and made for the entrance of a courtyard on the east side of the forecourt. There a eunuch knelt beside it and invited the Imperial Concubine to descend and ‘change her clothes’. H 1, 356 （3）元春入室，更衣毕复出，上舆进园。 Yuan-chun passed beneath it into the room that had been prepared for her, then, having ‘changed her clothes’, came out again and stepped back into the palanquin, which was now borne into the garden. H 1, 356-7 （4）茶已三献，贾妃降座，乐止。退入侧殿更衣，方备省亲车驾出园。 After tea had been offered three times as etiquette prescribed, the Imperial Concubine descended from her throne, the music stopped, and she withdrew into a side room to ‘change her clothes’. H 1, 360 霍克思的译文毫无例外地都加了引号，似乎在提醒读者此处并非字面意思“更换衣服”。但是此处原文所说的“更衣” 一定就是上厕所的婉称吗？元春似乎不至于回趟家不到半日工夫就上了好几次厕所。就算真是实际情况，作家也不见得就非要细细描述不可。元妃省亲，作者有意无意表现的是富贵家庭的排场，此处“更衣”即属一例。邓云乡谈及《红楼梦》中人物的服装时曾说“首先官服与便服不能乱穿，大抵官吏和眷属，在公务和典礼时要穿官服。……平时不当穿朝服时乱穿朝服，或当穿朝服时不穿朝服，均为失礼，乱礼数，且要当处分。”[5]按照他的说法，元妃省亲是必须穿朝服的：“元春加封凤藻宫尚书、加封贤德妃。贾母等进宫入贺；元春省亲，贾母等迎接。都应该穿蟒衣。”他所举的正是此处的几个例子，他说“衣是提到了，但未细加描绘。……以上就是贵妃的服制，元春省亲时，如照此穿着更换，看看该多么复杂呢？ ”[6]可见他也是把此处的“更衣”看作是更换衣服。这些衣服在正式场合要换上，在非正式场合又要脱下，因此才有不断更衣的描写。我们来看原文：第一次更衣是在进入行宫之前，接着有“礼仪太监跪请升座受礼”，说明她第一次更衣是为了“受礼”而换上礼服；第二次更衣是“贾妃降座，乐止”之后，“退入侧殿更衣，方备省亲车出园”，之后写她“至贾母正室，欲行家礼”，可见她因不能穿着皇妃的礼服行家礼，所以又换了衣服。总之，这几处的“更衣”，应当确实指的是更换衣服，因此霍克思译文中的引号似乎就有点多余。这一回中杨宪益的译文中均按字面意思翻译，未加引号。邓云乡在《红楼识小录》中曾经感叹：“具体而真实地理解前人的生活细节，的确是不容易的啊。”[7]要确切地翻译成英文，就更不容易了。 第七十一回，霍克思也用同样的办法： （1）贾母等皆是按品大妆迎接。大家厮见，先请入大观园内嘉荫堂，茶毕更衣，方出至荣庆堂上拜寿入席。 After the initial salutations were over, the visitors were conducted to Prospect Hall inside the Garden, where they took tea and ‘change their clothes’ H 3, 396 （2）大家便更衣复入园来，另献好茶。 After four courses of various dishes and one of soup, the visitors’ attendants gave their mistresses’ largesse to the players, and the ladies returned to the Garden to ‘change their clothes’ and sample a very special tea. H 3, 397 而这两处杨宪益用的是模糊的委婉说法： After greetings had been exchanged the guests were invited to Auspicious Shade Hall in the Garden to drink tea and freshen up, Y 2, 521 …after which they all had a wash and returned to the Garden where fresh tea was served. Y 2, 522 由此可见，“更衣”这个词汇的特殊含义两位译者都注意到了。但在翻译过程中，霍克思更倾向于用加引号的办法来提醒读者注意字面以外的含义，但这种做法却未必正确。相形之下，杨宪益的做法则更科学一些。 例4 第五十七回， 要使什么，横竖有二姐姐的东西，能着些儿搭着就使了。 She said that if there ever was anything I needed, I could always hent it from Cousin Ying’s things’—suppressed emotion was causing her to lapse into her native dialect…H 3, 107 此处霍克思的“suppressed emotion was causing her to lapse into her native dialect”添得奇怪。书中除了史湘云咬舌子爱说话以外，没有再明写别人是语音上有毛病的。想来霍克思觉得这“能着些儿搭着就使了”不是标准的说法，“能着些儿搭着就使了”虽然可能不是标准的北京话，但似乎也不是邢岫烟才说的方言。现有例证：第四回薛姨妈因阻薛蟠先收拾房舍，“他两家的房舍是极便宜的，咱们先能着住下，再慢慢的着人去收拾，岂不消停些。”；第三十二回袭人转述湘云的话“打的粗，且在别处能着使罢；要匀净的，等明儿来住着再好生打罢。”；还有第三十七回袭人带话给湘云：“这绢包儿里头是姑娘上日叫我作的活计，姑娘别嫌粗糙，能着用罢。”这几处“能着”，都是“将就”的意思。但程乙本第四回将“先能着住下”改作“且住下”，第三十二回、三十七回把“能着”改作“将就”，想来都是因为不知“能着”是什么意思的缘故。[8]由于霍克思主要依据的是程乙本，因此一直没有遇到“能着”这个词，直到六十八回、七十五回才见到，但这两处译文虽然也可通，却都没有译出“将就”的意思来： 我劝你能着些儿罢。 My advice to you, is to be a bit more patient. H 3, 338 奶奶不嫌脏，这是我的，能着用些。 If you don’t mind using my stuff, you’re very welcome to some of this. H 3, 484 这三处杨宪益的译文如下，可作参照： She said if I was short of anything I could borrow from Ying-chun and make do. Y 2, 281 I wouldn’t be so demanding if I were you. Y 2, 478 “Our mistress doesn’t use cosmetics, so please make do with these of mine if you don’t think them dirty, madam,” Y 2, 595 另外还有一种情况，那就是译者对一些词汇有不同的理解，但我们无法判断谁才是正确的，因为我们自己就不能准确地知道这些词汇的意思。 例1 第六十二回， 连忙起身扎挣着同人来至红香圃中，用过水，又吃了两盏酽茶。 There she had a wash and two cups of strong tea, and Tan-chun sent for the “pebble to sober drunkards” for her to suck. Y 2, 364 Ashamed to have been discovered in such a predicament, she struggled hastily to her feet and accompanied the others back to the summerhouse, where she rinsed her mouth out with water and drank two very strong cups of tea. H 3, 205 “用过水”到底是洗脸还是漱口呢？似乎都有道理，但都没有确证。庚辰本把“用过水”点改为“漱过口”，说明改者也不明白这里的含义。《红楼梦大辞典》和《红楼梦语言词典》均未立条目，可能是不好解释。因此两种译文似乎都没有足够的把握。 例2 第七十六回， 贾母等都添了衣，盥漱吃茶，方又入坐，团团围绕。 This they did by clearing the tables, replenishing the refreshments and bringing clean cups and chopsticks while the ladies put on warmer clothes, washed their faces and sipped tea. Y 2, 614 While they were doing this, Grandmother Jia and the other members of the family were putting on more clothing, washing their hands, rinsing their mouth out and drinking tea. H 3, 507 “盥漱”原意似乎应是洗脸和漱口，有趣的是两家译文又分别译作“洗脸”和“洗手漱口”，这两种解释似乎也都只是原文的部分意思，但还都是可以接受的。 吉东·图里曾在《描述翻译学及其他》一书中谈到翻译除了应当注意文化间的差异之外，文化内部区域和时间的变化也是译者应该考虑的可变因素。[9]联系到这里我们所举的例子，可以说明这种看法是十分正确的。这些汉语里才可能有的特殊词汇，译者需要花大力气才能译出大意，而英语读者却未必就能够完全领会其中的意思。 斯坦纳则说：“每一个语言现象都具有时间性。没有不受时间影响的语义形式。我们每用一个词，就等于是打开了它的全部历史。每一段话都是属于一定的历史时期的，它具有语言学家所说的历时语言结构。要透彻地理解一段话，就是要尽一切可能恢复原来说话时它所具有的价值和用意。”[10]阅读过去的作品是如此，翻译就更是如此。然而恢复《红楼梦》里这些那个时代才有的特殊词汇的含义，真是谈何容易。两位译者都做了努力，也都有成功和失败之处。但不论成功与否，这些词汇的翻译都可以为我们提供借鉴。 [1] George Steiner, After Babel-Aspects of Language and Translation, Oxford University Press, 1998, p.18，译文见庄绎传编译，《通天塔——文学翻译理论研究》，中国对外翻译出版公司，1987年，第17页。 [2] 杜世杰，《红楼梦考释》，中国文学出版社，1997年，第384页。 [3] 本文所引用的杨宪益、霍克思两种译文，H1, 98-9代表霍克思译本，第1卷第98―99页；Y 1, 45代表杨宪益译本，第1卷第45页。下同。版本则为Hawkes, David, The Story of the Stone, also known as The Dream of the Red Chamber, Vols.1-3, London: Penguin Books1973-1980，以及Yang Xianyi and Gladys Yang, A Dream of Red Mansions, 3Vols. , Beijing: Foreign Languages Press1978-1980. [4] 此处的“更衣”意指“换衣服”，但却未必就是要换上朝服，似乎应当理解作“换去孝服”。宝玉虽是贵族后裔，此时却是白衣。七十五回贾赦对贾环说：“咱们的子弟……可以做得官时就跑不了一个官的”、“将来这世袭的前程定跑不了你袭呢”等语，可见此前无论是宝玉还是贾环还未袭前程，否则贾政也不用一定要逼他读书举业了。所以庚辰、有正本此处说得更明确： 贾政听说，忙回去，急命宝玉脱去孝服，领他前来。（82版） He made him change out of mourning, then took him to meet the prince. Y 1, 198 [5] 邓云乡，《红楼风俗谭》，中华书局，1987年，第69页。 [6] 同上，第151、178页。 [7] 邓云乡，《红楼识小录》，山西人民出版社，1984年，第17页。 [8] 第六十八、七十五回的又不予改动，或许是没有删削干净。但其中原因不在我们考察的范围之内。 [9] Gideon Toury, Descriptive Translation Studies and Beyond, Shanghai Foreign Language Education Press, 2001, p. 31. [10] George Steiner, After Babel-Aspects of Language and Translation, Oxford University Press, 1998, p.24，译文见庄绎传编译，《通天塔——文学翻译理论研究》，中国对外翻译出版公司，1987年，第19页。 （本文由作者提供，中华文史网首发，转载时请注明出处。） |