英文译文

【英文译文】

简介

本文作者：冰心

冰心（1900年10月5日─1999年2月28日）享年99岁，人称“世纪老人”，福建长乐人，原名为谢婉莹，笔名为冰心 。“一片冰心在玉壶”。现代著名诗人，翻译家，作家，儿童文学家，崇尚“爱的哲学”，母爱，童真，自然是其作品的主旋律。她非常爱小孩，把小孩看做“最神圣的人”，深受人民的敬仰。她的作品中充满了对大自然的热爱，以及对母爱与童真的歌颂。

本篇最初发表于《晨报副镌》1923年10月6日，后收入诗集《春水》。

On the Sea

On the afternoon of August 17th, multicolor paper streamers flew out of the many scuttles of the ocean liner Yorkson and landed on the retreating shore, nonchalantly leaving those who came to see their relatives or friends off to catch hold of their ends. At the moment, how full I felt of both delight and sorrow!

Those sentimental individuals, standing in large numbers on the increasingly distant shore, could only hold on to the paper streamers until they would eventually break, reluctantly letting the iron mammoth sail westward, loaded down as it was with the heavy grief of parting!

Daily life on the ship was refreshing and active. Outside of the three meals, all my time was spent playing games and taking walks on the decks as I pleased. For the first three days, I seemed to have totally reverted to my childhood. I tossed rings and small beanbags, never tiring of playing these games. Then three days later, I cut all connection with such pastimes. As I recalled it all later, I felt very strange though there was nothing more to it than this: The sea had unmoored my childhood memories, and midst the sound of the surging waves, a sense of childlike innocence and my young playmates flooded my mind. My only regret was that there were only a few children on board, so that my three days of returned childhood did not hold really wonderful children's games.

I have lived near the sea ever since I was a child, but never once had I seen such a sea, as smooth and composed as a mirror. On the voyage's first day, once we were out of the Wusong estuary, a boundless sea of limpid wavelets stretched out before us. The breeze was cool; the ship slid forward as if on ice. As we sailed past Korean waters, the sea unexpectedly imparted the ambience of a lake, with its incredibly intense blue and green waters. The golden glowing rays of the setting sun, like long snakes, radiated directly from the horizon on the people standing behind the railings. From the firmament to the waters in front of our ship, a panoply of hues from light pinks to deep greens each rippled, layer upon layer, patch by patch. ... My little friends, I hated myself then for being unable to paint. The language of words at such a moment is the most useless thing in this world, unable to present to you such ethereal beauty!

August 18th was the night for the Cowherd and the Weaving Maid to enjoy their once-a-year rendezvous. After supper, I leaned alone over the railings as the cool wind blew over and caressed my clothes. The Milky Way was an expanse of bright stars, illuminating the deep dark seas. From the distant passages down below floated up the laughter and chatter of other passengers. It suddenly dawned on me that my hometown was getting farther and farther away! The galaxies of stars shone brilliant, the waves soughed, and I stood there quiet, awash in melancholy.

At dusk on the 19th, we neared Kobe. Green hills were seen on the shores, and from time to time fishing boats sailed to and fro. Hills in Japan are mostly oblate, and they invoked laughter and comment from the passengers, who nicknamed them "Bun Mountains." These bun-shaped hills dotted the scenery along our voyage through the night until we saw in the distance a brightly-lit Kobe. Slowly the ship moored, and people began to disembark. Deep in the night as it was, I went up alone to the topmost deck of the ship again. For the first time in my life I saw a world of such resplendence, of moon, stars and the lights from shore setting each other off in serene relief. Every now and again a chain of illumination flew across the hills. I imagined it to be the train going round. Silence prevailed throughout the ship. Tonight there was no soughing of waves. In this immense silence, I was struck by the idea, "If only Mother were here with me now...". Beijing leapt clearly into my mind.

中文原文

【中文原文】

八月十七日的下午，约克逊号邮船无数的窗眼里，飞出五色飘扬的纸带，远远的抛到岸上，任凭送别的人牵住的时候，我的心是如何的飞扬而凄恻！

痴绝的无数的送别者，在最远的江岸，仅仅牵着这终于断绝的纸条儿， 放这庞然大物，载着最重的离愁，飘然西去！

船上生活，是如何的清新而活泼。除了三餐外，只是随意游戏散步。海上的头三日， 我竟完全回到小孩子的境地中去了，套圈子，抛沙袋，乐此不疲，过后又绝然不玩了。后来自己回想很奇怪，无他，海唤起了我童年的回忆，海波声中， 童心和游伴都跳跃到我脑中来。我十分的恨这次舟中没有几个小孩子， 使我童心来复的三天中，有无猜畅好的游戏！

我自少住在海滨，却没有看见过海平如镜。这次出了吴淞口，一天的航程，一望无际尽是粼粼的微波。凉风习习，舟如在冰上行。到过了高丽界，海水竟似湖光。蓝极绿极，凝成一片。斜阳的金光，长蛇般自天边直接到阑旁人立处。 上自苍穹，下至船前的水，自浅红至于深翠，幻成几十色，一层层，一片片的漾开了来。……小朋友，恨我不能画， 文字竟是世界上最无用的东西，写不出这空灵的妙景！

八月十八夜，正是双星渡河之夕。 晚餐后独倚阑旁，凉风吹衣。银河一片星光， 照到深黑的海上。远远听得楼阑下人声笑语，忽然感到家乡渐远。繁星闪烁着，海波吟啸着，凝立悄然，只有惆怅。

十九日黄昏，已近神户，两岸青山，不时的有渔舟往来。日本的小山多半是扁圆的，大家说笑，便道是“馒头山”。这馒头山沿途点缀，直到夜里，远望灯光灿然，已抵神户。船徐徐停住，便有许多人上岸去。我因太晚，只自己又到最高层上，初次看见这般璀璨的世界，天上微月的光，和星光，岸上的灯光，无声相映。不时的还有一串光明从山上横飞过，想是火车周行。……舟中寂然，今夜没有海潮音，静极心绪忽起：“倘若此时母亲也在这里……”。 我极清晰的忆起北京来。

讲解1

【讲解】

1. 远远的抛到岸上： 英文用retreating shore而不是distant shore，表达了一种船慢慢启动、岸慢慢远离的感觉。

2. 送别的人：英文没有对应词，所以译成those who came to see their relatives and friends off (为亲戚朋友送行的人)。

3. 我的心是如何的飞扬而凄恻：“我的心如何如何”是中文的一种表达方式，其他还有“我心里想”等。翻译成英文时，不要把“心”这个字译出来，通常译为I feel或I think就可以了。

4. 痴绝：这里表示为离别折磨得伤感到了极点，故译为sentimental较为合适。

5. 在最远的江岸：应是随着船的起航，江岸慢慢远去，直到最远时纸带断裂， 所以英文为on the increasingly distant shore。

6. 牵着：hold on to。

7. 放这庞然大物……飘然西去： reluctantly letting the iron mammoth sail westward. 译文是一个动名词词组，加了reluctantly (勉强地)和iron（铁的）两字使译文更形象生动。

8. 离愁：grief of parting 或pain of separation。

9. 小孩子的境地：即“孩提时代”。

10. 过后又绝然不玩了：“过后”一词，可以只用later一个单词，但这里译成Then three days later, 是为了跟前面的for the first three days相呼应。绝然不玩：cut all connection with such pastimes 比 didn't play them anymore 更具文学色彩，而且避免了重复使用play这个词。

11. 无他：即“除此之外没有别的”，译为there was nothing more to it than this。

12. 唤起：unmoor原为“起锚”的意思，这里用作比喻，意为“唤起”，正好跟主语The sea 对应，非常巧妙。

13. 跳跃到我脑中来：flooded my mind比jumped into my mind好。

14. 恨：意为“遗憾”，译为regret。

15. 有无猜畅好的游戏：意为“有孩童时代真正好的游戏”。根据上下文，这句话的意思是：遗憾的是，因为船上没有很多小孩，所以在作者回到童年时代的三天中，没有真正好的游戏。无猜：两小无猜的省略，即孩童时代。畅好：非常好。

16. 却没有看见过海平如镜：译文用倒装句，表示强调。

17. 一天的航程：意为航程的第一天。

18. 一望无际尽是粼粼的微波：即“展现在我们面前的是一望无际粼粼的微波”，故英译文为a boundless sea of limpid wavelets stretched out before us。

讲解2

19. 高丽：高丽为朝鲜的旧称。“过了高丽界”即“过了朝鲜地界”，这里显然是指朝鲜的水域。注意水域的英文为waters。

20. 海水竟似湖光： 即“竟然想不到大海有湖泊的景色”，翻译为the sea unexpectedly imparted the ambience of a lake。这里用动词imparted，把大海拟人化，非常生动形象。湖光：湖的风景、光彩、氛围，对应的英文ambience,比scenery更为恰当。

21. 自浅红至于深翠，幻成几十色：注意译文a panoply of hues from light pinks to deep greens中颜色的复数形式。pink和green的复数形式在这里意为“各种深浅不同的粉红和绿色。”

22. 空灵的妙景：ethereal beauty。

23. 双星渡河之夕：即传说中牛郎织女一年一度的相会，在农历的七月初七。本文用的是阳历，故说八月十八。

24. 凉风吹衣：即“凉风吹拂我的衣服”，译文用caress这个动词赋予了风一种感情色彩。

25. 远远听得楼阑下人声笑语：即“人声笑语从下面的船舷栏杆飘上来传到我的耳朵里”。楼阑：栏杆，这里指船舷的栏杆或船舷。

26. 忽然感到：It suddenly dawned on me或I suddenly realized。

27. 只有惆怅：即“只留下惆怅，沉浸在惆怅中”。

28. 往来：to and fro。

29. 大家说笑：即“扁圆的山引起旅客的笑声和评论”。

30. 沿途点缀：即“点缀沿途的风景”。

31.这般璀璨的世界：a world of such resplendence。

32. 舟中寂然：英文经常用silence做主语，如Silence fell. / Silence ruled. / Silence reigned.等。

33. 海潮音：海浪的声音（soughing of waves）。

34. 心绪忽起：忽然想到，主语为“我”，所以英文为：I was struck by the idea。

35. 倘若此时母亲也在这里：这只是一个不能实现的希望，英译文用虚拟语气（If only Mother were here with me now.）。