红楼梦的翻译美学

时间:2021-08-31

  汉语运用“模糊”语言写人叙事,皆有意外之神效 -- 形象栩栩在眼前,旧事历历如重演。一个经典例证恐怕要数《红楼梦》中林黛玉进贾府那一节。曹雪芹如此走笔:

  宝玉早已看见一个袅袅婷婷的女儿,便料定是林姑妈之女,忙来见礼;归了坐细看时,真是与众不同,只见:

  两弯似蹙非蹙笼烟眉,一双似喜非喜含情目。态生两靥之愁,娇袭一身之病,泪光点点,娇喘微微。娴静似娇花照水,行动如弱柳扶风。心较比干多一窍,病似西子胜三分。

  从古至今,文人墨客之最怕,要算是描写美女了。因为,若从正面落笔,用“工笔画”手法,那肯定吃力不讨好。因为,世人对美女的评判的标准林林总总,此外,美女之最动人处,在其眼神,在其意态,在其“精气神”,而这些恰恰只能意会,而难以言传。这正应了一句唐诗:意态由来画不成,当时枉杀毛延寿。

  用画笔描绘美女,与用笔来描写美女,事不同而理同。曹雪芹深谙此妙。在描写林黛玉首次“亮相”时,他舍“工笔”的细描手法,而取“泼墨”技巧。“泼墨”者,从小处着眼,大处着手之模糊手法也。作者弃细节描绘,用粗犷笔法,在像与不像之间求像,在似和不似之间求似,其着笔的出发点:不是嚼饭于人式的“请你欣赏”,而是启迪神思式的“请你想象”。取这种“借助模糊描述的广远外延”的哲学视角,取这种“借助审美主体主观能动性”的哲学视角,描绘林黛玉之“美”,才是大家的手笔,才有《红楼梦》的成功。

  试想,以上这段文字从林黛玉的肖像(眉目、两靥、身材)描写、行为描写到心理描写一应俱全。但是,如此面面俱到的描写,如此着眼宏观的描写,实在是“大而空”,实在是“全而虚”。“大而空”+“全而虚”= “模糊”也。

  值得庆幸的是,汉语为我们的文人墨客准备了充足的“写诗却是一个优点”(杨振宁语)的表达。写林黛玉的`句子很美丽,却又很模糊,诸如“袅袅婷婷”、“似蹙非蹙”、“似喜非喜”、“态生两靥”、“娇袭一身”、“娇花照水”、“弱柳扶风”、“……多一窍”、“……胜三分”,等等。

  令人称奇的是,表达虽然模糊,而给读者留下的印象却并不模糊,相反,凡是读过《红楼梦》的,没有一个不认为林黛玉是一个绝色美人,可能一千个读者有一千个林黛玉的影像在脑海头脑里。

  上段写林黛玉的成功,我们不必去追究是汉语琳琅的模糊词语成全了曹雪芹,还是曹雪芹善驾能驭汉语的模糊词语。但是有一点可以肯定,这段模糊描述,激活读者联想,驰骋读者想象。反观英语,模糊遁迹,逻辑登场,那将是怎样的译文呢?

  Of course, Pao-Yu had seen this new cousin earlier on and guessed that she was the daughter of his Aunt Lin. He made haste to bow and, having greeted her, took a seat. Looking at Tai-yu closely, he found her different from other girls.

  Her dusky arched eyebrows were knitted and yet not frowning, her speaking eyes held both merriment and sorrow; her very frailty had charm. Her eyes sparked with tears, her breath was soft and faint. In repose she was like a lovely flower mirrored in the water; in motion, a pliant willow swaying in the wind. She looked more sensitive than Pi Kan, more delicate than Hsi Shih. (杨宪益,戴乃迭合译)

  袅袅婷婷 → 无相应译文

  似蹙非蹙笼烟眉 → dusky arched eyebrows were knitted and yet not frowning

  似喜非喜含情目 → her speaking eyes held both merriment and sorrow

  态生两靥之愁 →无相应译文

  娇袭一身之病 → her very frailty had charm.

  泪光点点 → Her eyes sparked with tears

  娇喘微微 → her breath was soft and faint

  呜呼!应该承认,杨戴合译,乃珠联璧合。我们又不得不承认,如此上乘英译,绝非陋译,但是,让native speaker来读此译文,他们决计不会得到一个美女的影像。笔者的美国友人Bill Hofmann教授对此段描述的评价是:

  I can hardly see, through this passage, a beauty before my eyes, the overwhelming impression being that the young woman is frail and pale. When we say somebody’s breath is soft and faint, we do believe that she or he is fatally sick and should be hospitalized as soon as possible.

  (通过本段描写,我眼前所见并非是一美女,主要印象是此女虚弱苍白。当我们说某人breath is soft and faint时,我们总以为她或他病得不轻,应该急送医院接受住院治疗。)

  Bill Hofmann教授的评价幽默闪烁,但确是真情实感。以“娇喘微微”为例,在国人读来,疏放中出意境;朦胧里演清晰。“娇喘”二字,不是一般意义上的“微弱喘气”,也不是breath was soft and faint所能译出的。“娇喘”二字用汉语解释,尚难,遑论英译。

  此外,写林黛玉的“袅袅婷婷”、“态生两靥之愁”杨戴两人皆避而不译。这不仅有道理,而且值得肯定。余尝想,若是硬译“袅袅婷婷”和“态生两靥之愁”,说不准,林黛玉会不幸成为西方读者心目中的女妖。

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