白居易《賣炭翁》“信達(dá)雅”英譯的文化出海價(jià)值

作者 王永利

白居易的《賣炭翁》，寥寥數(shù)筆，寫盡一位底層勞動(dòng)者的辛酸與無奈，也藏著中國古人最樸素的人道情懷與社會(huì)關(guān)懷。這樣一首誕生于千年之前的唐詩，想要真正走向世界，翻譯的“信”，必須忠于原作的風(fēng)骨與悲憫；“達(dá)”，必須跨越語言的通暢與理解；“雅”，必須承載東方的詩意與審美。

白居易（772年2月28日—846年9月8日），字樂天，號(hào)香山居士、醉吟先生，華州下邽（今陜西渭南東北）人。作為唐代杰出詩人，白居易留下了約30萬字的作品，其中存詩約2900首，其數(shù)量在唐代詩人中名列前茅。《賣炭翁》是白居易組詩《新樂府五十首》中的第三十二首。其題下作者自注云：“苦宮市也。”白居易寫作《新樂府》是在元和初年，這正是宮市為害最深的時(shí)候。“宮市”的“宮”指皇宮，“市”是買的意思。白居易對(duì)宮市有十分深入的調(diào)查和了解，對(duì)人民又有深切的同情，所以才能寫出這首感人至深的《賣炭翁》。

白居易·《賣炭翁》

賣炭翁，伐薪燒炭南山中。

滿面塵灰煙火色，兩鬢蒼蒼十指黑。

賣炭得錢何所營？身上衣裳口中食。

可憐身上衣正單，心憂炭賤愿天寒。

夜來城外一尺雪，曉駕炭車碾冰轍。

牛困人饑日已高，市南門外泥中歇。

翩翩兩騎來是誰？黃衣使者白衫兒。

手把文書口稱赦，回車叱牛牽向北。

一車炭，千余斤，宮使驅(qū)將惜不得。

半匹紅紗一丈綾，系向牛頭充炭直。

今天我們首先來看看漢學(xué)家宇文所安的譯作：

The Old Charcoal Seller

What am I thinking of, when I turn toward the palace gate?
The old charcoal seller—
He cuts firewood in the southern hills and burns it into charcoal.
His face, covered with dust and smoke, shows the color of ash and earth;
The hair at his temples is gray, his ten fingers black.
By selling charcoal, how does he earn his keep?
The clothes on his back, the food he eats—
The clothes on his back are so thin he’s cold, but he wishes it were colder.
Last night, a full foot of snow fell outside the city;
At dawn, he drives his charcoal cart over the frozen ruts.
The ox is weary, the man is hungry; as the sun climbs high,
Outside the south gate of the market, they rest on the mud.
Who are those two prancing ones who appear?
A palace messenger in a white-lined robe, his follower in yellow.
In his hand he holds a writ, which he says comes from the Emperor;
Then they turn the cart around, curse the ox, and lead it northward.
One cartload of charcoal—a thousand catties’ weight—
The palace messengers drive it off, and it’s hard to begrudge them.
They throw a length of red silk and ten feet of raw silk
Onto the ox’s head, as payment for the charcoal.

（摘自宇文所安（Stephen Owen）主編的AnAnthology of Chinese Literature: Beginnings to 1911 《中國文學(xué)選集：從開端到 1911 年》 W. W. Norton & Company 諾頓出版社，于1996年出版，第572-573頁。）

這是一個(gè)非常經(jīng)典的英譯版本，具體分析如下：

優(yōu)點(diǎn)：

一是，標(biāo)題的準(zhǔn)確。“The Old Charcoal Seller” 直譯為“老賣炭翁”，準(zhǔn)確傳達(dá)了原詩的中心人物，既保留了“賣炭”的職業(yè)，也保留了“翁”的年老意味，比單純譯為“The Charcoal Seller”更好。

二是，敘事清晰流暢：譯文整體上是一首完整的、可讀性很強(qiáng)的英文敘事詩。宇文所安采用了流暢的現(xiàn)代英語句法和節(jié)奏，讓不熟悉中文的讀者也能輕松跟隨故事的發(fā)展，這是其作為教學(xué)和普及譯本的最大成功之處。

三是，關(guān)鍵細(xì)節(jié)翻譯到位：如“兩騎翩翩”的翻譯，用“prancing”（昂首闊步、神氣活現(xiàn)）一詞精妙地傳達(dá)了宮使騎馬飛馳、趾高氣揚(yáng)的神態(tài)。“黃衣使者白衫兒”，通過“palacemessenger”明確了其官方身份，并用“white-lined robe”和“yellow”保留了顏色細(xì)節(jié)。“半匹紅紗一丈綾”：譯為“a length of red silk and ten feet ofraw silk”，單位換算（丈 to feet）合理，讓英語讀者能直觀理解“價(jià)值不對(duì)等”的掠奪本質(zhì)。

可商榷之處：

首先，文化意象的簡化或丟失：如“回車叱牛”譯為“turn the cart around, curse the ox” 用“curse”（叱罵）很到位，但中文“叱”字短促有力的音效感丟失了。“系向牛頭充炭直”譯為“throw...onto the ox's head”（系、掛）這個(gè)具體動(dòng)作變成了更籠統(tǒng)的“throw”（扔），宮使的輕蔑與敷衍態(tài)度被減弱了一些。“it’s hard to begrudge them” 譯意扭曲。原詩“惜不得”是老翁“舍不得卻無可奈何”，而該譯法直譯為“很難怨恨他們”，完全扭曲了原詩的情感——老翁并非“不怨恨”，而是“不敢怨恨、無力反抗”。

其次,韻律與詩歌形式的犧牲。宇文所安的譯本采用的是流暢的散文化英語，而非格律詩體。詩味的淡化：雖然它讀起來很順暢，像是一個(gè)動(dòng)人的故事，但《賣炭翁》原詩是古體詩，具有強(qiáng)烈的節(jié)奏感和音樂性。宇文所安的譯本放棄了押韻和固定的音步，對(duì)于期待讀到“像詩一樣”的英文的讀者來說，可能會(huì)覺得它更像一個(gè)分段講述的散文故事。

此外，譯本的首句為“What am Ithinking of, when I turn toward the palace gate?”（當(dāng)我望向?qū)m門時(shí)，我在想什么？）。此句在白居易原詩《賣炭翁》中并不存在。這很可能不是對(duì)原詩本身的翻譯，而是宇文所安在其編選的《諾頓中國文學(xué)作品選》中，為這首詩所加的、他自己創(chuàng)作的“引言”或“題解”。原文 “黃衣使者白衫兒” 為唐代宮市制度的典型服飾：黃衣使者是品級(jí)較高的宦官，白衫兒是其手下的小吏 / 仆役，而宇文所安譯本將其譯為 “a palace messenger in awhite-lined robe, his follower in yellow”（白衣使者、黃衣隨從），服飾顏色與身份對(duì)應(yīng)完全顛倒。“how does he earn his keep？” 譯為“他如何謀生？”，“earnone's keep”雖有“謀生”之意，但偏口語化，且暗含“值得被供養(yǎng) 的語義，更適合用于描述付出勞動(dòng)換取基本生活保障的普通場景，與賣炭翁被壓榨、朝不保夕的絕境形成違和感。

總之，宇文所安的這個(gè)譯本是一個(gè)出色的學(xué)術(shù)化、散文化意譯。

接下來，我們看看許淵沖大師的譯作：

The Old Charcoal Seller

Bai Juyi Translated by Xu Yuanchong

What does the old man fare?

He cuts the wood in southern hill and fires his ware.

His face is grimed with smoke and streaked with ash and dust,

His temples grizzled and his fingers all turned black.

The money earned by selling charcoal is not just enough forfood for his mouth and clothing for his back.

Though his coat is thin, he hopes winter will set in,

For cold weather will keep up the charcoal’sgood price.

At night a foot of snow falls outside city walls;

At dawn his charcoal cart crushes ruts in the ice.

The sun is high, the ox tired out and hungry he;

Outside the southern gate is snow and slush they rest.

Two riders canter up. Alas! Who can they be?

Two palace heralds in the yellow jackets dressed.

Decree in hand, which is imperial order, one says;

They turn the cart about and at the ox they shout.

A cartload of charcoal a thousand catties weighs;

They drive the cart away. What dare the old man say?

Ten feet of silk and twenty feet of gauze deep red,

That is the payment they fasten to the ox’shead.

（摘自許淵沖《許淵沖譯白居易詩選》中譯出版社 2021年，第131頁）

許淵沖的譯作重視“意美、音美、形美”具體分析如下：

優(yōu)點(diǎn)：

一是，強(qiáng)烈的詩歌韻律與形式美。許譯主要采用了雙行押韻的韻式，并力求保持規(guī)整的節(jié)奏（以抑揚(yáng)格五音步為主體），但并非字字句句完全符合嚴(yán)格的“英雄雙韻體”格律。該譯本讀起來朗朗上口，在形式上將其提升為一首標(biāo)準(zhǔn)的、優(yōu)美的英文詩歌。

二是，情感注入與戲劇化渲染：在“翩翩兩騎來是誰？”后直接加入感嘆詞 “Alas!”（嗚呼！），這是原詩沒有的。許淵沖主動(dòng)添加了敘述者的強(qiáng)烈情緒，引導(dǎo)讀者共鳴，增強(qiáng)了戲劇張力。“官使驅(qū)將惜不得”譯為“Theydrive the cart away. What dare the old man say?”（老翁豈敢言？）將“惜不得”的無奈轉(zhuǎn)化為一個(gè)無力的反問句，極具感染力，直指階級(jí)壓迫的本質(zhì)。

三是，用詞精煉典雅：如“黃衣使者白衫兒”：譯為“palace heralds in the yellow jackets dressed”，保留了“黃衣”意象，并用“heralds”（傳令官）點(diǎn)明身份，搭配“dressed”押韻，處理巧妙。

可商榷之處：

首先，為押韻和格律而導(dǎo)致的語義偏移或增刪：比較有爭議的是“賣炭得錢何所營？“身上衣裳口中食”。譯文為了與下一句“dust/black”押韻并湊足音節(jié)，增加了“not just enough”（僅僅不夠）這層“入不敷出”的意思，這是對(duì)原意的細(xì)微但重要的添加，為了“雅”凌駕于“信”之上。千余斤的“余”字，未翻譯出。“余”是約數(shù)，表“超過一千斤”，并非簡單數(shù)字漏譯，而是弱化了炭的實(shí)際重量。原詩‘千余斤’更能凸顯‘一車炭的厚重’與‘半匹紅紗一丈綾的輕薄’的對(duì)比，強(qiáng)化掠奪的不合理性。ware作“商品/制品”解時(shí)多為復(fù)數(shù)形式（wares），單數(shù)形式極少用于指代“炭”這種燒制物，英文母語者易產(chǎn)生理解偏差，且用該詞代指炭，與賣炭翁“伐薪燒炭”的原始勞作屬性不符，屬于詞匯使用的硬傷。

其次，文化意象的詩化歸化：“市南門外泥中歇”“outsidethe southern gate is snow and slush they rest”。唐代長安城實(shí)行“坊市制度”，市南門是官方指定的交易區(qū)域，老翁在此歇腳是等待買主，這一背景能強(qiáng)化“辛苦等待卻遭掠奪”的悲劇性，用許譯“snow and slush”（雪和雪泥）替代了“泥”，意象雖符合英語詩歌的審美，但削弱了“泥濘不堪”的污濁與艱辛感。

再次，部分句式因韻律而顯拗口：如“For cold weather will keep up thecharcoal’s good price.” 這句為了湊足五音步和押韻，表達(dá)略顯生硬直白。

總之，許譯對(duì)于重視詩歌審美體驗(yàn)的讀者，這是一個(gè)杰出版本；對(duì)于追求逐字精確的研究者，則需要謹(jǐn)慎對(duì)待其中的意譯部分。

紙上得來終覺淺，絕知此事要躬行。本人不揣深淺，斗膽把自己試譯拙作獻(xiàn)丑，向前輩和大師致敬！

The Old CharcoalBurner

By Bai Juyi (772–846)

Translated by WangYongli

Beneath the southernhills he hews the pine and oak,

To burn intocharcoal—his lifelong yoke.

His face is veiledwith smoke’s dark dye,

His templesfrost-white, his fingers black as ink.

The coins he earns butbuy him coat and bread,

Yet in thin rags heprays the cold winds spread.

He longs for morefrost, more chill, more snow,

Lest warm days melthis only hope and woe.

Last night the townwas clad in snow one foot deep,

At dawn he urges hisox through frost bound steep.

Both man and beast areworn to the core,

By South Gate’s mudthey rest their weary frame.

Who come with proudshouts and prancing pace?

Two palace heralds inyellow and white robes of rank.

They rush forth with ascroll of imperial edict,

And turn his cartwhere their command is strict.

A thousand-odd cattiesof charcoal, hard-baked long,

Taken for naught byimperial wrong.

This silk they tieupon the ox’s horn—

The paltry pay forcharcoal he hath borne.

（A trophy torn from thestarving old man.）

在意美方面，我力圖保留原詩悲憫、控訴、沉郁的靈魂，不直譯、不生硬，用英文母語者最能共情的詩意表達(dá)。增加了注釋（對(duì)饑寒人的掠奪），便于英語讀者理解宮廷以不等值絲織物掠奪賣炭翁一車木炭的核心內(nèi)涵。

在形美方面，我力圖句式長短均衡、對(duì)仗工整，視覺上如詩行排列，莊重典雅，符合世界對(duì)“東方詩” 的審美。

在音美方面，我力圖全詩雙行嚴(yán)格押韻，節(jié)奏如唐詩般抑揚(yáng)頓挫，英文朗誦如吟唱。

當(dāng)然，本人才疏學(xué)淺，拙作還存在許多不足，希望大家不吝賜教。本人愿意為中華文化出海減少“文化折扣”盡綿薄之力。

總之，在今天文化出海的時(shí)代語境下，把《賣炭翁》譯好、傳好、立住，意義早已超出一首詩本身。它不僅是讓世界看見中國古典文學(xué)的力量，更是讓人類共通的苦難、善良與正義，在不同文明之間彼此照亮。（王永利）