經典雙語散文閱讀
英語散文的發展歷程十分曲折,散文大家風格多變,兼之中英語言個性殊異,若要成功地把英語散文大家的作品翻譯到中文,既須瞭解英語散文發展的概況,又須注意保證氣韻邏輯通暢,文氣沛然,才能傳神譯出,曲盡其妙,令漢語讀者獲得相同或相近的審美感受。下面小編為大家帶來，希望大家喜歡!
：西式幽默
學院請來一位洋教師，長得挺怪，紅臉，金髮，連鬢大鬍鬚，有幾根鬍子一直逾過面頰，挨近鼻子，他個子足有二米，每迸屋門必須低頭，才能躲過門框子的攔擊，叫人誤以為他進門先鞠躬，這不太講究禮貌了嗎?
Our institute employed an English teacher. He looked very strange red-faced, golden-haired,with a thick growth of whiskers that reached all the way to the nose. He was really tall– no lessthan six foot five. When he came in through the door, he had to lower his head to avoidbanging against the door frame. It looked as though he always bowed to you at the door andthat was much too polite.
頂怪的是，他每每與中國學生聊天，聊到可笑之處時，他不笑，臉上也沒表情，好象他不喜歡玩笑;可是有時毫不可笑的事，他會冷不防放聲大笑，笑得翻江倒海，仰面朝天，幾平連人帶椅子要翻過去，喉結在脖子上亂跳，滿臉鬍子直抖。常使中國學生面面相覷，不知這位洋教師的神經是不是有點問題?
What was more, he never laughed, when he chatted with his Chinese students on amusingstories, nor did his face show any expression as if he knew no sense of humour. However,when it came to topics of the most dull nature, he would burst into uncontrollable laughter,roaring while rocking in his chair, almost falling flat on his back, his Adam’s apple dancing up anddown in his throat and his whiskers fluttering all over his face. The students would then look ateach other, wondering if he was in his right mind.
一天，洋教師出題，考察學生們用洋文作文的水準，題目極簡單，隨便議論議論校園內的一事一物，褒貶皆可。中國學生很靈，一揮而就，洋教師閱後。評出了最佳作文一篇，學生們聽後大為不解，這種通篇說謊的文章怎麼能被評為“最佳”?
One day he set the students an essay to see how well they could write in English, the topicbeing A Comment on Life on the Campus-it her complimentary or critical. That was simple.And his students, quick at writing, finished it at one go and turned it in no time. He wentthrough the papers and picked one that he thought the best. When he read it out to thestudents, they were greatly perplexed. Of all the comments, why did he like this one best, Nota single word of it was true.
原來這篇作文是寫學校食堂。寫作文的學生來自郊區農村，人很老實，膽子又小, 生伯得罪校方，妨礙將來畢業時的分數、評語、分配工作等等，便不顧真假，胡編亂造，竭力美化，唱讚歌。使得一些學生看後慣慣然。可是……洋教師明知學校食堂糟糕透頂的狀況，為什麼偏要選這篇作文?有人直問洋教師。
It was about the campus cafeteria and the author was a peaceable and timid guy from a villagenear the town. In order not to offend the school authorities — a decisive factor: concerninghis final grading, evaluation and, above; all, where he was to go after graduation — he hadmade up a high-sounding story in praise of the cafeteria regardless of reality, thus making hisClaSS- mates very angry. The teacher was as well aware of the cafeteria’s terrible conditions,but why should this piece in particular have appealed to him so much, Someone asked.
洋教師說：“這文章寫得當然好，而且絕妙無比。你們聽一一”他拿起作文念起來，“我們學校最美的地方，不是教室，不是操場，也不是校門口那個帶噴水的小花壇，而是食堂。瞧，玻璃乾淨得幾乎叫你看不到它的存在——。”洋教師唸到這兒，眼睛調皮地一亮，眉毛一挑，“聽聽，多麼幽默!”
“This is undoubtedly a good one,” the teacher insisted. “Unprecedentedly good! Just listen –”He began to read. “‘The most beautiful spot on campus is not the Classrooms, nor the sportsground, nor the small lawn with a fountain at the school gate; it is our cafeteria. Look! Thewindows are so clean , that you scarcely notice any glass on them’ –” “He paused, his eyesflashing with a glint of humour and his brows shooting upward. “Listen! Isn’t it humorous?”
幽默?怎麼會是幽默大家還沒弄明白。
Humorous? But what was humorous about it? The students were hard put to it.
洋教師接著念道：“如果你不小心在學校食堂跌了一跤，你會驚奇地發現你並沒跌跤，因為你身上半點塵上也沒留下;如果你長期在學校食堂裡工作，恐怕你會把蒼蠅是什麼樣子都忘了……”洋教師又停住，舌頭“得”地彈一聲，做一個怪臉說，“聽呀，還要多幽默，我簡直笑得念不下去了。”
“If you were not careful enough,’” the teacher read on, ‘”and had a fall on the floor, you wouldbe amazed to find that you had not fallen at all because you did not get a single particle of duston your clothes. If you had worked in the cafeteria long enough, you would have forgotten whata fly looks like … ” He paused again, his tongue clicking admiration. Working up a very funnyexpression on his face, he went on, “Listen, please! Could anyone else have made it morehumorous?” He laughed so hard that he could scarcely continue.
學生們忽然明白了什麼。
By now the students seemed to be cottoning on.
洋教師一邊笑，一邊繼續往下念：“食堂天天的飯菜有多麼精美、多麼豐富、多麼解饞!只有在學校食堂裡，你才會感到吃飯是一種地道的享受……”
The teacher went on his reading punctuated by fits of laughter .”How wonderfully is the foodcooked here! What a great variety of dishes you have here and how well your appetite issatisfied! In fact it is only at the cafeteria of the institute that you eating enjoyable….”
忽然，學生們爆發起大笑來!
Suddenly the students laughed, rocking the classroom with their laughter.
依照這種思維，我們會從身邊發現多少聰明、機智、絕妙、令人捧腹的好文章啊!
Following this logic, God knows how many articles we would be able to produce, articles thatare just as well-worded, quick-witted, artfully-conceived and set you rolling with laughter!
：我若為王
在電影刊物上看見一個影片的名字：《我若為王》。從這影片的名字，我想到和影片毫無關係的另外的事。我想，自己如果做了王，這世界會成為一種怎樣的光景呢?這自然是一種完全可笑的幻想，我根本不想做王，也根本看不起王，王是什麼東西呢?難道我腦中還有如此封建的殘物麼?而且真想做王的人，他將用他的手法去打天下，決不會放在口裡說的。但是假定又假定，我若為王，這世界會成為一種怎樣的光景?
Recently in a movie magazine I came across the title of a film: If I Were King. It has put me inmind of something entirely foreign to the film in question. I wonder what would become of thisworld if I myself were king. This is of course a ridiculous fancy, for being a king is the last thingI aspire to and also a thing I utterly despise. What the hell is a king? How can I still be sofeudalistic in my mind? Moreover, if one is really bent on being a king, he will try to carry out hisdesign by deeds instead of by words. But, to put it hypothetically, suppose I were king, whatwould this world look like?
我若為王，自然我的妻就是王后了。我的妻的德性，我不懷疑，為王后只會有餘的。但縱然沒有任何德性，縱然不過是個***，那時候，她也仍舊是王后。一個王后是如何地尊貴呀，會如何地被人們像捧著天上的星辰一樣捧來捧去呀，假如我能夠想象，那一定是一件有趣的事情。
If I were king, my wife would of course be queen. With all her moral excellence, of which I makeno doubt, she would be more than qualified for being a queen. But even if she had no virtueto speak of, or were just a whore, she would be queen all the same. Imagine how noble anddignified a queen would be and how people would keep lauding her to the skies like mad! It isindeed great fun for me to visualize all of this.
我若為王，我的兒子，假若我有兒子，就是太子或王子了，我並不以為我的兒子會是一無所知，一無所能的白痴，但縱然是一無所知一無所能的白痴，也仍舊是太子或王子。一個太子或王子是如何地尊貴呀，會如何地被人們像捧天上的星星一樣地捧來捧去呀。假如我能想象，倒是件不是沒有趣味的事。
If I were king, my son, if any, would be crown prince or prince. I don't think my son will beignorant or worthless in every way like an idiot. But even if that were not the case, he wouldstill be crown prince or prince. Imagine how noble and dignified a crown prince or prince wouldbe and how people would keep lauding him to the skies like mad! It is indeed great fun for meto visualize all of this.
我若為王，我的女兒就是公主;我的親眷都是皇親國戚。無論他們怎樣醜陋，怎樣頑劣，怎樣……也會被人們像捧天上的星星一樣捧來捧去，因為他們是貴人。
If I were king, my daughters would be princesses, and my relatives by marriage would allbecome members of the royal family. No matter how ugly and perverse or whatnot they were,people would keep lauding them to the skies like mad just the same because they weredignitaries.
我若為王，我的姓名就會改作：“萬歲”，我的每一句話都成為：“聖旨”。我的意欲、我的貪念，乃至每一個幻想，都可竭盡全體臣民的力量去實現，即使是無法實現的。我將沒有任何過失，因為沒有人敢說它是過失;我將沒有任何罪行，因為沒有人敢說它是罪行。沒有人敢呵斥我，指摘我，除非把我從王位上趕下來。但是趕下來，就是我不為王了。我將看見所有的人們在我面前低頭，鞠躬，匍匐，連同我的尊長、我的師友，和從前曾經在我面前昂頭闊步耀武揚威的人們。我將看不見一個人的臉，所看見的只是他們的頭頂或帽盔兒。或者所能看見的臉都是諂媚的，乞求的，快樂的時候不敢笑，不快樂的時候不敢不笑，悲慼的時候不敢哭，不悲慼的時候不敢不哭的臉。我將聽不見人們的真正的聲音，所能聽見的都是低微的柔婉的畏葸和嬌痴的，唱小旦的聲音：“萬歲，萬歲!萬萬歲!”這是他們的全部語言。“有道明君!偉大的主上啊!”這是那語言的全部內容。 沒有在我之上的人了，沒有和我同等的人了，我甚至會感到單調，寂寞和孤獨。
If I were king, I would be addressed as "Your Majesty" and every word of mine would become a"royal edict". All my subjects would leave no stone unturned to carry out every will, everyavaricious desire and even every whim of mine, even though they were beyond the possible. Iwould do no wrong simply because no one dared to call it a wrong. I would commit no crimesimply because no one dared to call it a crime. No one would dare to berate or find fault withme unless I was removed from the throne, which meant that I was no longer the king. I wouldsee all people hang their heads, bow low or prostrate themselves at my feet, including myrespected elders, teachers, friends and even those who had used to swagger arrogantly infront of me. I could see none of their faces; all I could see were the tops of their heads or thehats or helmets on their heads. The only faces I could see would be ingratiating or supplicating—faces that dared not smile to express joy; faces that dared not refrain from a forced smilewhen there was no joy at all to justify a smile; faces that dared not to cry to express sorrow;faces that dared not refrain from a feigned cry when there was no sorrow to justify a cry. Icould hear no true voices of my people. All I could hear would be the feeble, soft, timid andaffected voice, like that of female Peking opera singer, chanting, "Long live the King!" Thatwould be their language in toto. "Great is the King, our enlightened lord!" That would be thesole content of their language. There would be no one above me or on an equal footing withme. I would even feel bored, lonely and isolated.
為什麼人們要這樣呢?為什麼要捧我的妻，捧我的兒女和親眷呢?因為我是王，是他們的主子，我將恍然大悟：我生活在這些奴才們中間，連我所敬畏的尊長和師友也無一不是奴才，而自己也不過是一個奴才的首領。
Why would people behave like that? Why would they flatter my wife, my children and myrelatives? Because I was king, their master. It would suddenly dawn on me that living amongthese flunkeys, including my esteemed elders, teachers and friends, I myself, too, was nothingbut a mere head flunkey.
我是民國國民，民國國民的思想和生活習慣使我深深地憎惡一切奴才或奴才相，連同敬畏的尊長和師友們。請科學家們不要見笑，我以為世界之所以還有待於改進者，全因為有這些奴才的緣故。生活在奴才們中間，作奴才們的首領，我將引為生平的最大恥辱，最大的悲哀。我將變成一個暴君，或者反而是明君：我將把我的臣民一齊殺死，連同尊長和師友，不準一個奴種留在人間。我將沒有一個臣民，我將不再是奴才們的君主。
I am the citizen of the Republic. Being accustomed to the mode of thinking and living of arepublican citizen, I would deeply abhor all servility and flunkeys, including my esteemedelders, teachers and friends. Dear scientists, please don't laugh at me. Methinks the world isvery much in need of reform simply because of the presence of these flunkeys. I would regardit as the deepest disgrace and sorrow of my life to live among the flunkeys and become theirchief. I would rather become a tyrant or an enlightened king so that I could kill off all mysubjects, among them my respected elders, teachers and friends, and have the flunkeysspecies exterminated once for all. Then, with all my subjects gone, I would no longer be theking of flunkeys.
我若為王，將終於不能為王，卻也真地為古今中外最大的王了。“萬歲，萬歲，萬萬歲!”我和全世界的真的人們一同三呼。
If I were king and ultimately ended up becoming no king at all, I would indeed be the greatestking that had ever breathed since time immemorial. I would join true people all the world over
ingiving three cheers for myself.