 鲜花( 1)  鸡蛋( 0)
|
缘分”是所谓命中注定的人与人遇合的机缘。英译“缘分”(亦作“天缘”)以及“有缘”、“无缘”常用的英文词有fate, luck, lot, destiny 等。请看几个例子:
0 D* L! p# R8 U: ]$ K! X! B- X4 ]
1.富贵功名,前缘分定。(《西游记》)
/ M, p R) B$ d+ |0 w1 ?; e& u' @+ ~$ A m# ?
Wealth and honor, glory and fame, are predetermined by fate. (W.J.F. Jenner 译)
- y6 X& A: s6 l* b' S) F
. Q( I! F5 u& k5 C8 E1 S. ?2.[宝玉问香菱为何薛蟠相亲定下了金桂,香菱笑道] 一则是天缘,二来是“情人眼里出西施”(《红楼梦》)
1 M/ \; s# O, e, a& N0 S2 B0 n) ]0 o* j' O
It‘s partly fate, and partly a case of "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder."(杨宪益、戴乃迭 译)
0 M3 h3 u) r+ W! U4 S! y* F1 Z y+ H3 o% H' }! d; }& z4 q
3.[王婆为了撮合西门庆和潘金莲,故意问前者是不是妻子死后,没有别的女人他中意的。西门庆争辩说]做甚么了便没?只恨我夫妻缘分上薄,自不撞着!(《水浒》)
; H" B- z' o! N! L/ u% u' g/ Z# z
+ M p/ l9 Z8 l8 I0 DWho says there isn‘t? It‘s just that my marriage luck has been bad. I‘ve never met the right one. (S. Shapiro 译)% W4 M4 b+ x0 t. W
4 K4 X4 x) I3 _* Y* y U
4.她无缘,小生薄命。 (《西厢记》) : p8 ]: a$ w: F- O- \, j* \
4 P+ l* `6 ]8 c7 Z+ N
She lacks the karma; I‘m out of luck. (S. H. L. Idema 译)
4 R! ^: x% m, D7 J* _6 G0 j) ~+ n8 e# |+ a, ^: h- R9 m2 c( j
5.[刘备送别徐庶时说]备分浅缘薄,不能与先生相聚。(《三国演义》)
9 m# e4 L; |$ E0 h' [5 z, A P( ~4 b
' `# F) I( r( aMy meagre lot, my partly destiny keep us from remaining together.( M. Robers 译)
8 C' U8 Y+ z w: t! J- {, |2 }; H, Z1 P. J
6.[杜慎卿向季苇萧诉说自己没有知心朋友]只为缘悭分浅,遇不着一个知己,所以对月伤怀,临风洒泪!(《儒林外史》)
5 W2 \& V) g/ g0 o& B4 z+ G1 ^3 g
0 l) u5 r0 X" J; ~+ _# _: e$ C1 lBut I have not been lucky enough to find a true friend, and that is why I so often give way to melancholy! (杨宪益、戴乃迭 译)
% ~) _0 R$ ?7 ^6 F, T& Z% |& U; j0 ~" O! t# Y
7.君琴瑟之好,自相知音;薄命人乌有此福。如有缘,再世可相聚耳。(《聊斋.宦娘》) W7 Z+ ]: V& @3 {# p
7 {$ ` t- R4 i0 {2 e/ J2 GYou are like a matching lute and zither set. You can appreciate each other‘s music. Fate has been too unkind to allow me
* d9 G" q4 n) n8 o" e: \: G: B9 {: U9 [5 D9 |
such blessings. If we are linked by the ties of destiny, we will meet again in the next life. (D.C. & V. H Mair 译)& G/ T% Q) d2 p, u( c4 _
0 a+ S+ y: v: Z, A; ]2 ^/ R1 e
8.[方鸿渐看不中张小姐,心中暗说]“我你他”小姐,咱们没有“举碗[案]齐眉”的缘分,希望另有好运气的人来爱上您。 (《围城》)
& R0 U- Z# C3 c, d% `9 c( A( E: f( F7 c2 L w- N
Miss Wo-Ni-Ta, we just weren‘t meant to "raise the bowl To the eyebrows." I hope some other lucky guy falls in love
0 H# X# E! A1 `: n; J0 A8 x, W: p3 T9 A/ W5 v! v/ z9 |! d. d/ e- `
with you. (J. Kelly、 N. K. Mao 译)
; b2 z3 m7 q1 D) ?4 l Q+ e7 D- ^5 a, B
可以看出,以上句子里的中心词都含有“命运”的意识,英译亦然。《围城》一例所mean,据New World Dictionary 等词典的解释也有 to destine or seem to destine 的意思,颇为妥帖。
% H0 r( }' P$ H- ^6 V; J( e+ L8 s g+ r1 t& h3 D
然而,“缘分”等词和命运的关联在有的用法里变得淡化了,甚至完全消失了。它只是泛指一种机遇或者机会。所以M. Roberts翻译《三国演义》的以下两句,用的词语和上边英译句子中的相应部分不同:& S* J3 X n; ^+ ?$ O/ q
% X! h* x& ^& m2 `1 E6 r9.[刘备二顾草芦时误认诸葛均为为诸葛亮,说]备久慕先生,无缘拜会。
1 _' i9 j9 w! g; c3 Y4 k
* J. u; L4 o3 q# ^) \. H5 B, MYour talents and your virtue have ever been the objects of my esteem. But I have not had the honour of being presented to you.( _: N) F$ _" k: X( W1 Q7 J
" w1 ]6 O+ k) t# A不仅如此,这种机遇还可以发生在人和事物之间。体育报道里说的“无缘(进入)决赛(be barred from entering the finals; be disqualified for the finals) 即其一例。《浮生六记》的作者沈复(字三白)因妻子陈芸喜欢李白和白居易的诗,就跟她说:
# l8 z, E* ^/ s4 F
% k5 r- V$ k! D11.异哉!李太白是知己,白乐天是启蒙师,余适逢字三白,为卿婿;卿与“白”字何其有缘耶?
9 x$ K- z# X6 i1 J
) P& O' P0 J- T; _/ v/ DThis is very strange. So LiBai is your bosom friend, Bai Juyi is your first tutor and yours band‘s literary name is Sanbai. It seems( L8 e$ y V9 y- S- |
7 X! a w% U0 I, {; p8 Q' o' X+ i
that your life is always bound up with the Bai‘s. (林语堂 译) |
|