有些节日，看似春光明媚，却让路人伤心断魂，比如清明；有些诗歌寥寥数语，却让译者用尽才思，比如杜牧的那首《清明》。一句“雨纷纷”，一句“欲断魂”，堪称《清明》的点睛之笔，却也是英译时最困难的部分，如何才能译出意又译出情？且看翻译家们如何妙译！

清明清明时节雨纷纷路上行人欲断魂借问酒家何处有牧童遥指杏花村

 

 

许渊冲 译

A drizzling rain falls like tears on the Mourning Day;

The mourner's heart is going to break on his way.

Where can a wineshop be found to drown his sad hours?

A cowherd points to a cot 'mid apricot flowers.

 

 

杨宪益、戴乃迭 译

It drizzles endless during the rainy season in spring,

Travelers along the road look gloomy and miserable.

When I ask a shepherd boy where I can find a tavern, 

He points at a distant hamlet nestling amidst apricot blossoms.

 

 

吴钧陶 译

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It drizzles thick and fast on the Pure Brightness Day,

I travel with my heart lost in dismay.

"Is there a public house somewhere, cowboy?"

He points at Apricot Village faraway.

 

 

孙大雨 译

Upon the Clear-and-Bright Feast of spring, the rain drizzleth down in spray.

Pedestrians on countryside ways, in gloom are pinning away.

When asked "Where a tavern fair for rest, is hereabouts to be found", 

The shepherd boy the Apricot Bloom Vill, doth point to afar and say.

 

 

蔡廷干 译

The rain falls thick and fast on All Souls' Day,

The men and women sadly move along the way.

They ask where wineshops can be found or where to rest,

And there the herdboy's fingers Almond-Town suggest.

 

 

万昌盛、王中 译

The ceaseless drizzle drips all the dismal day, 

So broken-hearted fares the traveler on the way.

When asked where could be found a tavern bower,

A cowboy points to yonder village of the apricot flower.

 

 

吴伟雄 译

 

吴伟雄 译

It drizzles thick and fast on the Mourning Day,

The mourner's heart is going to break on his way.

When asked for a wineshop to drown his sad hours?

A cowboy points to a hamlet amid apricot flowers.

 

马上学：看过上面的译本，不难发现大多数译者都将“雨纷纷”中的“雨”译为drizzle（小雨、毛毛雨）。在英文中，不同大小的雨有不同的词语来表达，比如：

 

thundershower  雷阵雨

shower  阵雨

rainstorm  暴风雨

light rainshower  小阵雨

heavy shower  强阵雨

isolated shower  局部阵雨

scattered shower  零星阵雨

cloud-burst  大暴雨

pouring rain  倾盆大雨

freezing rain  冻雨

 

各个译本中关于“清明节”的译法也有所不同，既有译作Mourning Day的，也有译为Pure Brightness Day的，还有Clear-and-Bright Feast等等。目前，“清明节”还没有官方统一的译名，但是中外媒体使用较多的主要有两个译本，一是音译的Qingming Festival，一是意译的Tomb Sweeping Day。

 

来源：21世纪英文报