导读:我们在英伦探访诗人足迹,流连于他们的出生地、博物馆,寻访藏书馆,一睹手稿真容,全身心浸润其中——莎士比亚故居倾斜的地板、济慈凝望心上人的那扇窗、华兹华斯在客厅就可望见的“山峦峡谷”、带给丁尼生节奏灵感的崖边草甸子……
主持人
晚枫 王琳
Introduction
小引
This column was initially to be launched last June, right after we returned from our journey of poetry in UK. But one thing led to another, as matters of “more urgency” kept popping up and pushed our column to the back burner, then into oblivion when the pandemic of COVID-19 broke out and got hold of everyone’s attention and energy. Needless to say, we were also hijacked by the ever-gloomier news and lost our focus.
2019年6月,我们从英国诗歌之旅归来,本该立刻着手推出此栏目,谁料更紧迫的事情接踵而至,栏目首发只能一推再推。之后疫情爆发,阴霾之下,人人诚惶诚恐,心神俱疲。病毒蔓延全球后,坏消息不断,牵动着所有人的神经,栏目推出更似遥遥无期。
So, as we were getting used to social distancing and being cooped up, it became a timely interjection when William Wang, Chief Editor of the Foreign Language Section of the China Poetry Forum (CPF), came back to remind us of the launching of the column.
正当我们无奈地适应宅居模式,困于无形藩篱之中,中诗网翻译版首席版主王磊老师重提栏目启动一事,让我们精神为之一振。
In the foreign language section of CPF, the traditional format has focused on translation of poems, Chinese to English and vice versa, often completed with vocal rendition. We felt that most of famous English poems, as well as some popular classical Chinese poems, have been translated many times, of which a considerable number was done by renowned translators. The current generation of translators, with the aid of online resources, are also producing fantastic translation works. So, it is the least of our wishes to repeat what has been done, and done well, Both of us have given seminars and classes on English poetry, and our experience taught us the life stories are as inspiring as the lines themselves, sometimes even more so. It is with these considerations that we decided to approach English poetry from a new angle. We want to go further than the dissection of words and lines, meters and stanzas; we would like, together with our readers, to experience poetry from its birth place, the historical background, the storms the poets weathered, and how it transpired and affected our ideas of how vicissitudes are epitomized in words.
中诗网诗歌翻译栏目,向来以中英诗歌互译为主,常辅以朗诵演绎。中外名诗多已有译文传世,不少诗作更有多个译本,其中不乏名家妙译。加之当代翻译者,借助网络资源,也多有精彩版本。若栏目仍以诗词互译为主,不免缺乏新意。以往主持英诗讲座的经验告诉我们,对英诗作品的文本品读固然重要,但作品背后的逸闻趣事也值得发掘。有感于此,我们决定以新的角度探索英诗的奥妙——不局限于字句剖析,格律赏鉴,而致力于全方位近距离的接触,和读者共同走入英诗诞生之地,探寻历史渊源,于诗人走过的凄风冷雨中,一窥隐于诗行之间的沉浮兴衰。
During our journey of poetry, we learned with all our senses the richness of life from visiting the poets' birthplaces, museums or manuscripts displayed at various venues: the slanting floor of Shakespeare’s birthplace, the windows where Keats had looked at the young lady he was ardently in love but could not marry, the “vales and hills” one could have perceived from Wordsworth’s living room window, and the downs Tennyson walked and gave him the unique cadence for his lines…. We wish to bring that richness to our column, through prose and essays on poetry, journals of our poetry travel, cross talks on poets and poems, translation and recitation of well-known poems, and calligraphic transcriptions. With these components, we hope to add colorful dimensions to the enjoyment of English poetry.
我们在英伦探访诗人足迹,流连于他们的出生地、博物馆,寻访藏书馆,一睹手稿真容,全身心浸润其中——莎士比亚故居倾斜的地板、济慈凝望心上人的那扇窗、华兹华斯在客厅就可望见的“山峦峡谷”、带给丁尼生节奏灵感的崖边草甸子……如此种种,诗人的多彩人生鲜活地呈现在眼前。我们希望通过散文随笔、游记、有声对话、诗歌翻译和书法作品,把这些多姿多彩的内容带到栏目中,在诗情画意的浸染中,和读者一起领略英诗的魅力。
We are grateful to William Wang’s trust and support, who has done tremendous amount of work pro bona for the dissemination of Chinese poetry, specifically the translation of Chinese poems to foreign languages and the converse; his devotion and dedication to the growth and proliferation of poetry sets a great example for us in the endeavor of the same pursuit, and the pleasant collaboration with him in the past has given us more motivation for this new column.
挚谢王磊老师的信任和倾力支持。王兄素来为中国诗歌的推广和传播不遗余力,无私奉献,尤尽心于推动中外诗歌互译,其热忱和不懈之志堪称志同道合者的楷模;更有以往的愉快合作,为我们推出新栏目注入了莫大的信心和勇气。
“走近英诗”第一期
抵达英国
Up Close with Poetry
Arriving UK (Issue No. 1)
Today marks the beginning of our dream journey--a journey of poetry. Having read and translated many English poems, we are here, finally; we want to see the United Kingdom, with our mind and body devoted to the full appreciation of English poetry, the birthplace of the poems and poets, the evolvements of lines and lives, and the vicissitudes embedded.
我们期待已久的英国诗歌之旅,今天启程了!这些年读过译过不少英语诗歌,终于可以实现夙愿,全方位感受英国诗歌,探寻诗人及名篇的诞生过程,近距离了解和体验字里行间的盛衰荣辱。
England, being the most important locale for literature of English language, has never shown more allure on this beautiful, sunny day of May. Flowers and fresh leaves in various shades of green dot along the railway on our ride from Gatwick Airport to Victoria Station, London. Many townhouses nestle behind trees and shrubs, some distant and some close to the tracks. On the first look, most of them are in similar style, built with dark brown bricks and small white casements (Were they built before the abolishment of window tax? one wonders.) But a closer look reveals that the units are rather compact; reminiscent of a scene from one of our favorite movies, The Portrait of a Lady, where the heroine Isabell lived, so small was the room that a bed and a dresser took the entire space, and the posts almost touched the ceiling. Tiny space as such in England, we reckon, must have given good reasons to the British writers to be creative, for if one felt compressed by his space, he must have more steam to burst into powerful lines.
英语文学原产地英格兰,今天在五月明媚的阳光下显得格外迷人。从盖特威客机场到维多利亚火车站的沿途上,枝头挂满嫩绿新蕊,才绽放的花儿,各自妖娆,点缀着铁道两侧的风景。一排排或远或近的房子隐没在绿树灌木之中,乍看上去,样式雷同,一律的褐砖灰瓦,小小的白窗嵌于其中(恐怕是废除窗税之前所建?)。细细观察却发现,排屋的每个单元都是紧凑的小户型,不禁怀想起《贵妇画像》电影中女主人公伊莎贝尔的房间——空间狭小,只能放下床和梳妆台,床柱几乎碰到天花板。或许正是这种狭小的空间,给了英国作家充分发挥想象力的理由,因为空间对一个人的压抑感,会制造强大的爆发力,让作家的笔端迸发出极具感染力的语言。
The train conductor was a middle-aged man of medium height, profusely eloquent before and during the 30-minute ride, either during the interpersonal conversations when he was checking the tickets, or on the PA with the impossible-to-remember details of all the schedule changes and exceptions. However, the way he speaks invokes such a familiarity that if we were to close our eyes, we would be thrust back to our college years when the only means to listening spoken English was the tape run on a blue, heavy, suitcase-sized box. Ah, how Londoners sound alike for decades, especially when they put on a public voice.
列车管理员是一位中年男人,个子不高不矮。短短30分钟的里程,从开车前他就开始振振有词、滔滔不绝了。且不说查票时和乘客聊得火热,喇叭里那一长串的列车更改信息恐怕没谁能记得住。但是,他那标准的英国口音,着实勾起了老相识的熟悉感,合上眼睛,你一定能重回大学时代的青葱岁月。那时唯一能听到纯正英国音的途径,就是在蓝色箱子上转来转去的大盘录音带。啊!伦敦人一旦在公共场合说话,那腔调几十年如一日的啊!
We alighted at Euston subway station. To our surprise, it took us three long rides on the escalators that connect four levels to reach the ground exit. Someone had done a lot of digging years ago when they built this station. It was around 1 pm and the small square outside the station was packed with office workers, it seemed, who were having either lunch or cigarette breaks. Most of them had this serious and determined look on their faces that were only visible if one had not seen the sun for an extended period of time. On our way to the hotel—a walk of less than 10 minutes, in the heart of this bustling city, we passed two small gardens and both were filled with men and women sitting on the turf enjoying the sun. We both felt lucky to have arrived in such a great weather and we wish it would continue.
在尤斯顿站下了地铁向外走,接连三个长长的扶手电梯,一直向上爬了四层,才到达地面出口,真是出乎意料。不难想象,当年建造地铁时,挖掘量是多么巨大。时约下午一点左右,地铁站出口的小广场上坐满了看似白领的人,他们在这午餐,或抽烟小憩。人人脸上凝重严肃,也许是长期见不到阳光的缘故。从地铁站到旅店走路不足10分钟,在这熙熙攘攘的市区里,居然有两个花园,草坪上坐满了男男女女,尽情地享受日光浴。到达英国的第一天能有这样的好天气,实在是我们的福气,真希望好天气一直陪伴我们的英伦之旅。
(May 15, 2019)
(2019年5月15日)
英文书法:王琳
Composed upon Westminster Bridge
By William Wordsworth
Earth has not any thing to show more fair:
Dull would he be of soul who could pass by
A sight so touching in its majesty:
This City now doth, like a garment, wear
The beauty of the morning; silent, bare,
Ships, towers, domes, theatres, and temples lie
Open unto the fields, and to the sky;
All bright and glittering in the smokeless air.
Never did sun more beautifully steep
In his first splendour, valley, rock, or hill;
Ne'er saw I, never felt, a calm so deep!
The river glideth at his own sweet will:
Dear God! the very houses seem asleep;
And all that mighty heart is lying still!
西敏桥上有感
威廉·华兹华斯 作
晚枫 译
大地从未呈露这般妖娆:
若漠然于如此壮丽景致
必定灵魂麻木行将枯槁:
看这城市无比绮丽曼妙
似披着绚烂晨衣;恬静的
船舶、尖塔、拱顶、剧院、寺庙
袒卧于田野,向天穹舒展
在明澈的天空璀璨闪耀,
旭日浸润于第一抹晨光
辉映着峡谷、岩石、或山岗
何曾感受或见过这样深沉的宁静!
河水恬逸随愿,悄然流淌:
上帝啊!千家万户仍在梦乡
安歇中的,是这宏大的心脏!
主持人简介
晚枫(Qun Grace Liu),原名刘群,原北京语言学院(现北京语言大学)英语教师,爱好诗歌创作与翻译。在《世界诗人》、《诗殿堂》、《诗历》、《大风诗歌》、《中国当代诗歌导读(2010卷)》等刊物发表多篇创作和翻译作品。另出版有英译新编历史剧《黄叶红楼》以及合编翻译教材《汉英笔译全译实践教程》。
Qun Grace Liu (aka Grace Liu,screen name Rhapsodia) was an English teacher in Beijing Language Institute (currently Beijing Language and Culture University). She loves poetry and poetry translation. Some of her original poetry writings and poetry translation works were published in The World Poets Quarterly, Poetry Hall, Poetry Calendar, Gale, and An Introduction of Contemporary Chinese Poetry (2010 volume). She also published a Chinese-English translation of a new historic drama Yellow Leaves, Red Mansion and a co-authored textbook A Coursebook of Complete Chinese-English Translation.
王琳, 在北京长大, 中学毕业后移民美国, 麻省州立大学经济学士。 曾在加拿大政府部门担任翻译,其后在深圳一所私立学校任英语老师12年。
WANG Lin, grew up in Beijing and immigrated to the United States after completing high school. She received a BA in Economics from University of Massachusetts in Amherst and later worked as an interpreter for Canadian government, and taught English for 12 years at a private school in Shenzhen, China.
【本专栏版权归作者所有,未经允许请勿转载,或转载请注明出处。对侵权行为,作者将保留以法律手段追究的权利。】
中诗翻译
主办:中诗网
协办:译诗群、肇庆市翻译协会、安徽工程大学外国语学院、北理工珠海学院外国语学院
总策划:周占林、冬箫、宛城卧龙
顾问组:何功杰教授、海外逸士、李正栓教授、张智中教授、黑马(毕冰宾)、柏敬泽教授、吴伟雄教授、 赵宜忠、黄焰结教授、杨中仁教授、张琼副教授、
编辑组:宛城卧龙、颜海峰、金沙文字、杨中仁、冉瑞侠、王如利、丁立群、晚枫、王琳、张晔、赵佼、岩子、陈赛花、馨阅、余新