美学视角下《红楼梦》第三回两个译本比较

2011-04-01吴启雨

池州学院学报 2011年2期

关键词：霍译杨译凤姐

吴启雨

(西安外国语大学研究生部，陕西西安710128)

美学视角下《红楼梦》第三回两个译本比较

吴启雨

(西安外国语大学研究生部，陕西西安710128)

翻译的审美再现包括人物形象美、叙述美和语言美三个方面。通过比较《红楼梦》的两个译本发现，由于译者原则不同，杨译忠实于原文，有利于爱好中国古典文学的英语学者研究；霍译则更加顺畅，容易为普通读者接受。

美学视角；人物形象美；叙述美；语言美

1 引言

《红楼梦》是中国四大古典文学名著之一。其作品结构严谨,语言优美生动,善于刻画人物,具有高度的思想性和卓越的艺术成就，被视为封建社会的“百科全书”。随着东西文化的交流，许多有志之士试图把这朵文学奇葩译成外文。目前《红楼梦》的全译本和节译本共有十多种，影响最大的当属杨宪益，戴乃迭 (Gladys Yang)夫妇的译本The Dream of Red Mansion以及戴卫·霍克斯(David Hawkes)和约翰·敏福德 (John Minford)翁婿的译本The Story of the Stone[1]。自从两个译本面世之日起，研究者就从各类视角对两个译本进行了比较分析。然而，其分析大都属于语言学视角。以美学视角来分析，无疑会对两个译本的比较提供一种新的思路。顾永芝在《美学原理》中指出：“审美活动是由多种要素构成的综合复合体。其构成包括审美客体、审美主体和审美环境三个要素。审美活动则是审美主体和审美客体在审美环境中互动的结果”[2]。那么以美学的视角来看待翻译的审美活动，就必然涉及到翻译的审美客体和审美主体。翻译的审美客体就是译者所要翻译加工的原文。刘宓庆在《翻译美学导论》中指出：“翻译的审美客体分为两个表里相托、形意相融的系统：形式系统和非形式系统”[3]89。形式系统，作为审美符号集，包括四个层面：即语音层审美信息，表现为音韵和节奏；文字层审美信息，表现为文字本身具有的形体特征；词语层审美信息，主要涉及到用词；句、段中的审美信息，包括“句法变异”、“句式频度”和宏观的的句式安排[3]90。而非形式系统，作为审美模糊集，则由“情”、“志”、“意”、“象”构成[3]141。本文即是以刘宓庆对审美客体的划分为大致依据，把《红楼梦》的审美再现分为人物形象美、叙述美和语言美本身三个方面，以此来探讨两个译本在这些审美层面上的具体再现情况。

2 各个层面上的审美再现

2.1 人物形象美比较

小说的内容是表现故事，而故事是以人物的活动为生命的，人物活动（包括内心世界）在作者笔下写得精彩与否，这关系到人物形象是否能树立得起来。译者应该透彻了解作者的苦心，对人物形象之美予以再现。

2.1.1 对王熙凤的描述原文：一双丹凤三角眼，两弯柳叶吊梢眉，身量苗条，体格风骚，粉面含春威不露，丹唇未起笑先闻。

杨译：She had the almond-shaped eyes of a phoenix,slanting eyebrows as long and drooping as willow leaves.Her figure was slander and her manner vivacious.The springtime charm of her powdered face gave no hint of her latent formidability.And before her crimson hips parted,her laughter rang out.

霍译：she had,moreover,

eyes like a painted phoenix,

eyebrows like willow-leaves,

a slender form,seductive grace;

the ever-smiling summer face

of hidden thunders showed no trace;

the ever-bubbling laughter started

almost before the lips were parted.

首先对涉及到文化特色词丹凤三角眼的处理，杨氏用了“the almond-shaped eyes of a phoenix”,霍氏则为 “eyes like a painted phoenix”两位译者都保留了重要的意象 “丹凤”，但对“三角眼”做了不同的处理，杨氏做了形象转译，而霍氏舍弃了此类形象。而在总体布局上，霍氏采取了基本押尾韵的诗体形式译出，读来朗朗上口，原文的音美得以再现；其用词准确简练，凤姐的那种美丽、富有心计和善于造作的形象也较好地得以展现。相比之下，杨氏采取散文化的手法，凤姐的形象虽然得以勾勒出来，但由于语言本身的限制，其形象之美的传递无法做到和霍译比肩。另外，音美本身也在杨氏散文化的译法中散失殆尽。

2.1.2 对贾宝玉的描述原文：面若中秋之月，色如春晓之花，鬓若刀裁，眉如墨画，面如桃瓣，目若秋波。虽怒时而若笑，即嗔视而有情。

杨译：His face was as radiant as the midautumn moon,his complexion fresh as spring flowers at dawn.The hair above his temples was sharply outlined as if cut with a knife.His eyebrows were as black as if painted with ink,his cheeks as red as peach-blossom,his eyes bright as autumn ripples.Even when angry he seemed to smile,and there was warmth in his glance even when he frowned.

霍译：As to his person,he had:

a face like the moon of Mid-Autumn,

a complexion like flowers a dawn,

a hairline straight as a knife-cut,

eyebrows that might have been painted by an artist’s brush,

a shapely nose,and

eyes clear as limpid pools,

that even in anger seemed to smile,

and,as they glared,beamed tenderness the while.

模糊性是自然语言的客观属性，其内涵较之精确语言具有更多的暗示性和蕴含性等特点。语言的这种模糊性在对贾宝玉的描述中表现的凌厉尽致。杨氏和霍氏都注意到了这种模糊性，并力求予以再现。两个译文分别采用了 “like”，“as” 和“as …as…”模糊限定词，以模糊译模糊，原文的暗示性和蕴含性需要读者自己去补充和品位；在音美上，霍氏依旧采取以诗译诗的方式，追求诗的押韵，而杨氏仍采用散文化译法。其中，我们可以发现在“面如桃瓣”的译法上，霍氏译成 “a shapely nose”，展现在读者面前的宝玉形象稍微与原文形象不同，这体现了译者的审美态度，在西方人的眼中，鼻子是重要的审美对象之一。因而，英美读者能够站在自己的文化审美角度接受宝玉的这种形象。相比而言，杨译对“面”的处理，分别用了“face”和 “cheeks”,完全是以中国人的审美视角去再现贾宝玉的形象。

原文：天然一段风骚，全在眉梢，平生万种情思，悉堆眼角。

杨译：But his natural charm appeared most in his brows,for his eyes sparkled with a world of feeling.

霍译：His glance was soulful,

yet from his lips the laughter often leaped;a world of charm upon that brow was heaped;

a world of feeling from those dark eyes peeped.

霍译着实精彩，尤其是 “leaped”,“heaped”,“peeped”三词运用是点睛之笔：长元音/i:/使得一种畅快平和的感觉油然而生，暗示宝玉的美是醉人的，值得细看的；轻辅音/p/、/t/有种破空而出的感觉，宝玉的美也跃然而出。再加上/p/,/t/重复使用更加强了宝玉自然，动态形象之美。值得注意的是，yet from his lips the laughter often leaped属于霍译添加成分，虽然这和传统“信”的标准不相符，但却使得宝玉的形象更加饱满。相比而言，杨译很平实，译者的审美主体性未能充分发挥。

2.1.3 对林黛玉的描述原文：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。闲静似娇花照水，行动如弱柳扶风。心较比干多一窍，病如西子胜三分。

杨译：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 sparkled 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 Pikan（1）,more delicate than His Shih（2）.

（1）A prince noted for his great intelligence at the end of the Shang Dynasty.

（2）A famous beauty of the ancient kindom of Yueh.

霍译：Her mist-wreathed brows at first seemed to frown,yet were not frowning;Her passionate eyes at first seemed to smile,yet were not merry;Habit had given a melancholy cast to her tender face;

Nature had bestowed a sickly constitution on her delicate frame.

Often the eyes swam with glistening tears;

Often the breath came in gentle gasps.

In stillness she made one think of a graceful flower reflected in the water;

In motion she called to mind tender willow shoots caressed by the wind.

She had more chambers in her heart than the martyred Bi Gan;

And suffered a tithe more pain in it than the beautiful Xi Shi.

霍译依旧采取诗体形式，杨译采取句式形式。在形式上霍译句式对仗比杨译美，但是霍译基本上也无法再现音美。意象上，霍译再现黛玉风流俊逸的病美人形象也比杨译更细致，传神。然而，霍译对文化词语“比干、西子”处理不太恰当，只是采用解释的办法，英美读者在霍译本中失去了一次了解中国文化片段的机会。事实上，霍氏的这种处理方式和其翻译原则是紧密相关的。他坚持“一切皆译，哪怕是双关语”的原则。但正如刘世聪在《论〈红楼梦〉文化内容的翻译》一文中所作的中肯评述：“这个原则无疑是非常好的,但在保持原著面貌的前提下作到这一点有时也很难。霍译本通篇没有一个注释,所有需要注释的地方都在行文里作了解释性的翻译,这就必然会伤害原著的本来面貌”[4]。

2.2 叙述美比较

作为小说，它有个叙述者角度问题，它涉及到作者与“事实”(facts)的关系，作者与读者的关系以及读者与作品的关系。反映作品中叙述者(narrator)或人物 (character)的态度或观点 (attitude and outlook)，体现叙述者与叙述内容之间的关系。简言之，叙述角度就是一个立足点，叙述者借此审视整个故事并安排读者如何审视整个故事。《红楼梦》第三回写的曲折跌宕，人物纷纷登场，而手法各异，很大程度上得益于各种视角交错使用的结果。既有零视角[5]的使用，又有人物内视角的转换。下面我们通过例子看译文对叙述视角是如何处理的。

原文：邢夫人苦留吃过晚饭去，黛玉笑回道：“舅母爱惜赐饭，原不应辞，只是还要过去拜见二舅舅，恐领了赐去不恭，翌日再领，未为不可。望舅母容谅”。

杨译：Lady Xing insisted that she stayed for the evening meal. “Thank you very much,aunt,you’re so kind,” said Daiyu. “Really I shouldn’t decline.But it might look rude if I delayed in calling on my second uncle.Please excuse me and let me stay another time.”

霍译：Her Aunt Xing was very pressing that she should have a meal with her before she went,but Daiyu smilingly replied that though it was very kind of her aunt to offer,and though she thought really not to refuse,nevertheless she still had to pay respects to her Uncle Zheng,and feared that it would be disrespectful if she were to arrive late.She hoped that she might accept another occasion and begged her aunt to excuse her.

参照原文，我们发现杨译忠实于原文。霍译有了不少改动。他把直接引语变为间接引语，话语结构的变化亦引起叙述视角的变化。黛玉的内视角变成叙述者的全知视角。这与原文语言特色大相径庭。黛玉的话虽不长，但内容深刻，一方面，用词考究，显示出黛玉举止不俗；另一方面，用词恭敬，揭示出黛玉“步步留心，时时在意，不肯轻易多说一句话，多行一步路，惟恐被别人耻笑”的复杂心境。原文中通过语言再现黛玉的形象在霍译中未能完全再现。因而，整体上削弱了黛玉完整形象的塑造。还有另一例：

原文:贾母笑道：“你舅母你嫂子们不在这里吃饭。你是客，原应如此的坐的”。

杨译：Your aunt and sister-in-law don’t dine here,” said her grandmother with a smile. “Besides,you’re a guest today.So do take that seat.”

霍译：Her grandmother explained that her aunt and her elder cousin’s wives would not be eating with them,so that,since she was a guest,the place was properly hers.

外孙女聪明达礼，贾母很是喜欢，看着黛玉推辞座位，说了这样一句话算是给黛玉解了围，同时也显示了对外孙女的疼爱之情。杨译仍旧采用对应的内视角译出，而霍译转换的叙述者视角使得贾母疼爱外孙女的形象顿失，变成好像黛玉不懂道理，贾母费口舌给她作解释。

总体而言，杨译没有改变视角，而是严格按照原文本身的视角发展。从而在叙述美层面上优于霍译。

2.3 语言美比较

小说中人物形象的塑造,故事情节的发展,在很大程度上依赖语言的艺术。《红楼梦》里，不同人物使用的语言也是不同的，正因为个性化的语言运用才刻画出个性鲜明的典型人物。下面我们通过分析凤姐和贾母的一句对话来评价杨译和霍译是否真实再现了人物的鲜明个性。

原文:… “况且这通身的气派竟不像老祖宗的外孙女儿,竟是嫡亲的孙女儿的,怨不得老祖宗天天口头心头一时不忘”…

杨译：“Her whole air is so distinguished!She doesn’t take after her father,son-in-law of our Old Ancestress,but looks more like a Chia.No wonder our Ancestor couldn’t put you out of her mind and was for ever talking or thinking about you.”

霍译: “And everything about her so distingue!She doesn’t take after your side of the family,Grannie.She’s more like a Jia.I don’t blame you for having gone so about her during the past few days.”

深谙拍马之道的凤姐说了这一番具有重要的交际目的。凤姐的话语反映出中国封建社会森严的宗法制度。孙女和外孙女虽然都是自己儿女的女儿，但内外有别，外孙女的地位是无法和孙女相比的。凤姐借机故意提升黛玉的地位，一则讨好了贾母，二则也夸了黛玉。但我们发现，对“外孙女”这一概念的处理，两位译者有很大的不同。霍氏站在贾母的谱系角度，黛玉不像她那一血系（姓史），而更像她丈夫那一血系(姓贾),外孙女的概念得以表达。但霍译却造成了言外之意，即有褒贾抑史之嫌，这显然和王熙凤的初衷是不相符的。杨氏则从黛玉父亲谱系的角度来说明内外之别,这样处理较为准确，凤姐讨好贾母的言外之意得以传达。另外，霍译对“怨不得老祖宗天天口头心头一时不忘”的处理拘泥于字面意思，让读者看来像是贾母挂念黛玉是错，凤姐不予追究过错的感觉。把凤姐本来巴结讨好贾母的形象比成凤姐居高临下说话的姿态，破坏了凤姐机敏，见风使舵的生动形象。而与之相比的杨译保留了原文说话语气，通过话语再现了凤姐的形象。

原文:贾母笑道；“我才好了，你倒来招我。你妹妹路远才来，身子又弱，也才劝住了，快再休提前话”。

杨译： “I’ve only just dried my tears.Do you want to start me off again?”said the old lady playfully “Your young cousin’s had a long journey and she’s delicate.We’ve just got her to stop crying.So don’t reopen that subject.”

霍译： “I’ve only just recovered” laughed Grandmother Jia “don’t you go trying to start me off again!Besides,your little cousin is not very strong,and we’ve only just managed to get her cheered up.So let’s have no more of this.”

“我才好了”霍译处理为 “I've only just recovered”，《牛津高阶英汉双解词典》对“recover”一词的释义为：“get back the control of oneself,one’s actions,one’s emotions,etc”[6]。霍译是准确的，但“recover”一词却容易给读者造成联想意义，即联想到疾病。杨译排除了这样的联想意义。而“快休再提了”杨译处理为“so don't reopen that subject”过于正式，和原文的非正式语体有些出入，而霍克斯译为“so let's have no more of this”则语体对应，贾母和王熙凤的亲密关系得以显现出来。

原文:这熙凤听了，忙转悲为喜道：“正是呢！…竟忘了老祖宗，该打，该打！”

杨译: “Of course,” she cried. “…I forgot our Old Ancestress.I deserved to be caned.”

霍译：“Yes,of course…I’m afraid I quite forgot about you,Grannie dear.I deserve to be spanked,don’t I?

凤姐的话语很得体，有种孙媳妇在老奶奶面前撒娇的感觉。尤其是“该打，该打！”霍译用反意疑问句，本身具有呼吁功能，凤姐的娇嗔得以再现。相比，杨译的陈述句式略显平淡，未能完全展示出凤姐的神态。