【英文佳作欣赏】The Rhodora 紫杜鹃 诗/R.W.爱默生

云天2010

这首诗是爱默生的名诗.
两个版本, 一为直译, 一为意译.  各位如何看?
The Rhodora
by Ralph Waldo Emerson
On Being Asked, Whence Is The Flower?
In May, when sea-winds pierced our solitudes,
I found the fresh Rhodora in the woods,
Spreading its leafless blooms in a damp nook,
To please the desert and the sluggish brook.
The purple petals, fallen in the pool,
Made the black water with their beauty gay;
Here might the red-bird come his plumes to cool,
And court the flower that cheapens his array.
Rhodora! if the sages ask thee why
This charm is wasted on the earth and sky,
Tell them, dear, that if eyes were made for seeing,
Then Beauty is its own excuse for being:
Why thou wert there, O rival of the rose!
I never thought to ask, I never knew:
But, in my simple ignorance, suppose
The self-same Power that brought me there brought you.
龙应台译本:
五月，海风刺透静寂
林中忽遇紫杜鹃
叶空，花满，遍缀湿地
荒原缓溪为之一亮
紫瓣缤纷飘落
黑水斑驳艳丽
绯鸟或暂歇凉
爱花瓣令羽色黯淡
若问汝何以
绝色虚掷天地
请谓之：眼为视而生
则美为美而在
与玫瑰竞色
何必问缘起
吾来看汝，汝自开落
缘起同一

另一版本的翻译(作者不详):
有人问起这花从哪里来?
五月，当凄厉的海风穿过荒漠，
我看到树林里紫杜鹃灿然开放
无叶的花朵点缀于阴湿的角落，
荒漠和缓流的小溪有多么快乐。
紫色的花瓣纷纷扬扬飘入水池，
乌黑的池水因这美丽欢欣无比。
红鸟可能会飞来这里浸湿羽毛，
向令它们惭愧的花儿倾吐爱慕，
紫杜鹃!如果圣人问你，为何
你把美艳白白抛掷在天地之间，
告诉他们，亲爱的，
如果眼睛生来就是为了观看，
那么美就是它们存在的理由。
你为什么在那里。玫瑰的匹敌
我从未想起要问，也从来不知道。
不过，以我愚人之见，我以为，
把我带来的神明也把你带到这里。



本云凑兴版:

献拙:
The Rhodora [1839]
by Ralph Waldo Emerson
紫杜鹃
R. W. 爱默生
云天译
On being asked, Whence is the flower?
君问花自何方来?
In May, when sea-winds pierced our solitudes,
I found the fresh Rhodora in the woods,
Spreading its leafless blooms in a damp nook,
To please the desert and the sluggish brook.
五月海风刺孤寂
林间杜鹃跃眼底
潮湿角落无叶花
笑伴荒野与缓溪.
The purple petals, fallen in the pool,
Made the black water with their beauty gay;
Here might the red-bird come his plumes to cool,
And court the flower that cheapens his array.
紫花飘零逐水行
幽水欢畅为落英
红鸟浸羽来歇凉
愧向花儿诉衷情
Rhodora! if the sages ask thee why
This charm is wasted on the earth and sky,
Tell them, dear, that if eyes were made for seeing,
Then Beauty is its own excuse for being:
圣人质问紫杜鹃
何掷娇颜天地间
双眸生来为睹物
美丽因之绽芳颜
Why thou wert there, O rival of the rose!
I never thought to ask, I never knew:
But, in my simple ignorance, suppose
The self-same Power that brought me there brought you.
玉姿堪与玫瑰比
因何在此做隐士
且以愚见来揣测
来来去去皆神意.


zt:
爱默生（Ralph Waldo Emerson, 1803-1882）是19世纪最重要的美国作家之一。他提倡超验主义（Transcendentalism）。
所谓“超验主义”，就是这样一种信仰，认为在人类的理性和经验之上有一种更高的存在。这种存在无法从科学和经验中得到验证，只能通过直觉领悟和把握。通俗一点说，“超验主义”就是相信上帝存在于我们的直觉，超乎客观世界之上，无所不在。

rlee

好诗！！我最喜欢这两句：
Here might the red-bird come his plumes to cool,
And court the flower that cheapens his array
红翎的小鸟也许飞来濯洗羽裳，鸟儿向娇花致以爱意，花儿却黯淡了鸟儿的盛装。

云天2010

nice interpretation!  :-)

rlee

我记得上学的时候有这首诗，当时读不懂。今天一读，果然好。Emerson的文笔不凡，最喜欢他的自然和自助。

rlee

云天2010

[quote]我记得上学的时候有这首诗，当时读不懂。今天一读，果然好。Emerson的文笔不凡，最喜欢他的自然和自助。
是很耐读. 这是爱默生最有名的诗吧.
" if eyes were made for seeing,
Then Beauty is its own excuse for being"
有人拿来做座右铭的.
龙的版本不错.
自己译时, 就不知意译该走多远?

rlee

这首诗确实美，我收藏了。
翻译不是万能的，还是欣赏原文吧。有时候意译只能表现其中的某个意思。在每个流畅的译文后面，有多少美妙被掩饰掉了呢？阅读原作的时候，我们尚不能体会诗人写作的痛苦，难道在译文中就能读出其中的辛酸么？Heard melodies are sweet, but those unheard /Are sweeter; therefore, ye soft pipes, play on; / Not to the sensual ear, but, more endear'd, /Pipe to the spirit ditties of no tone.

云天2010

"Heard melodies are sweet, but those unheard /Are sweeter".
i don't disagree with you.  the original is certainly the best to savor.
but i have occasionally stumbled upon a few translations which are amazingly superb.

云天2010

献拙:
The Rhodora [1839]
by Ralph Waldo Emerson
紫杜鹃
R. W. 爱默生
云天译
On being asked, Whence is the flower?
君问花自何方来?
In May, when sea-winds pierced our solitudes,
I found the fresh Rhodora in the woods,
Spreading its leafless blooms in a damp nook,
To please the desert and the sluggish brook.
五月海风刺孤寂
林间杜鹃跃眼底
潮湿角落无叶花
笑伴荒野与缓溪.
The purple petals, fallen in the pool,
Made the black water with their beauty gay;
Here might the red-bird come his plumes to cool,
And court the flower that cheapens his array.
紫花飘零逐水行
幽水欢畅为落英
红鸟浸羽来歇凉
愧向花儿诉衷情
Rhodora! if the sages ask thee why
This charm is wasted on the earth and sky,
Tell them, dear, that if eyes were made for seeing,
Then Beauty is its own excuse for being:
圣人质问紫杜鹃
何掷娇颜天地间
双眸生来为睹物
美丽因之绽芳颜
Why thou wert there, O rival of the rose!
I never thought to ask, I never knew:
But, in my simple ignorance, suppose
The self-same Power that brought me there brought you.
玉姿堪与玫瑰比
因何在此做隐士
且以愚见来揣测
来来去去皆神意.

金沙文字

Made the black water with their beauty gay;
1.黑水斑驳艳丽
2.乌黑的池水因这美丽欢欣无比
3.幽水欢畅为落英
:T...............................