有一種人我最不喜歡和他下棋,那便是太有涵養(yǎng)的人。殺死他一大塊,或是抽了他一個(gè)車(chē),他神色自若,不動(dòng)火,不生氣,好像是無(wú)關(guān)痛癢,使得你覺(jué)得索然寡味。君子無(wú)所爭(zhēng),下棋卻是要爭(zhēng)的。當(dāng)你給對(duì)方一個(gè)嚴(yán)重威脅的時(shí)候,對(duì)方的頭上青筋暴露,黃豆般的汗珠一顆顆地在額上陳列出來(lái),或哭喪著臉作慘笑,或咕嘟著嘴作吃屎狀,或抓耳撓腮,或大叫一聲,或長(zhǎng)吁短嘆,或自怨自艾口中念念有詞,或一串串的噎嗝打個(gè)不休,或紅頭漲臉如關(guān)公,種種現(xiàn)象,不一而足,這時(shí)節(jié)你“行有余力”便可以點(diǎn)起一支煙,或啜一碗茶,靜靜地欣賞對(duì)方的苦悶的象征。我想獵人困逐一只野兔的時(shí)候,其愉快大概略相仿佛。因此我悟出一點(diǎn)道理,和人下棋的時(shí)候,如果有機(jī)會(huì)使對(duì)方受窘,當(dāng)然無(wú)所不用其極,如果被對(duì)方所窘,便努力作出不介意狀,因?yàn)榧炔荒芊e極地給對(duì)方以煩惱,只好消極地減少對(duì)方的樂(lè)趣。
背景介紹
《下棋》是梁實(shí)秋散文中較有代表性的一篇,其顯著特點(diǎn)之一,就是細(xì)致入微地寫(xiě)出了下棋、觀棋和悟棋的獨(dú)到而深刻的感受。下棋的最大樂(lè)趣在于自己局勢(shì)有利時(shí),靜靜地欣賞對(duì)方痛苦不堪的種種窘態(tài)。梁實(shí)秋先生一口氣用了八個(gè)“或”字,把對(duì)方的窘態(tài)繪聲繪色、惟妙惟肖地列舉出來(lái),使人如臨其境,如聞其聲。而在自己處于下風(fēng)時(shí),也應(yīng)不動(dòng)聲色,減少對(duì)方的樂(lè)趣。
難點(diǎn)解析
1. 君子無(wú)所爭(zhēng): “君子”即 “gentleman”, “爭(zhēng)”即 “競(jìng)爭(zhēng)”(contest ),下棋也算是兩人間的比賽 ,所以這里選用“contest”。全句譯為“A real gentleman seldom contests with others.”。
2. “下棋卻是要爭(zhēng)的”:這里的“爭(zhēng)”也有 “競(jìng)爭(zhēng)”的意思,但更含有一種想贏的心態(tài) ,因此譯為“do sb. down”,有“勝過(guò)某人”的意思。全句譯為“He will, however, seek to do his opponent down in a game of chess.”。
3. “當(dāng)你給對(duì)方一個(gè)嚴(yán)重威脅的時(shí)候”:譯為“when you put him on the spot”,詞組“put sb. on the spot”意思是“使人為難,使某人陷入窘境”。
4. “頭上青筋暴露”:“青筋”即“blue veins”,全句譯為“see blue veins standing out on his temples”,“頭上”譯為“on the temples”,“temple”指“太陽(yáng)穴”。
5. “黃豆般的汗珠”: “黃豆般的”即“the size of soybean”,故詞組譯為“drops of cold sweat the size of soybean”。
6. “一顆顆地在額上陳列出來(lái)”:“一顆顆”并不需要譯出 ,因?yàn)榍懊娴?ldquo;drops”一詞已經(jīng)體現(xiàn)出來(lái) 了。
7. “哭喪著臉作慘笑”:“哭喪著臉”譯為“a long face”,即“悶悶不樂(lè)的,不悅的臉色”。 “慘笑”譯為“a wan smile”,“wan”原意為“無(wú)血色的,蒼白的”。全句譯為 “...wear a wan smile on his long face”。
8. “咕嘟著嘴作吃屎狀”:意思是 “涵養(yǎng)低的人落下風(fēng)時(shí)嘟囔著嘴心情不好”,譯為 “purse his lips in displeasure”,“purse”指“皺起 ,縮攏”。
9. “抓耳撓腮”:“scratch his head”。
10. “大叫一聲”:“let out a sharp cry”。“cry”一般指因恐懼、痛苦、驚奇等而喊叫。“shout”指有意識(shí)地高聲喊叫 ,常用于提出警告、發(fā)出指令或喚起注意等。“exclaim ”多指因高興、憤怒、痛苦、驚訝等突發(fā)感情而高聲喊叫。“roar”指發(fā)出大而深沉的聲音、吼叫或咆哮 。 “scream”指因恐懼、快樂(lè)或痛苦而發(fā)出的尖叫聲。“shriek”指因驚恐 、痛苦等或其他感情而發(fā)出比scream更為尖銳、刺耳的叫聲。“yell”多指求援 、鼓勵(lì)時(shí)的呼叫,也可指因外界因素刺激而發(fā)出尖厲的聲音。“call”指大聲說(shuō)話或喊叫,以引起某人 的注意。
11. “長(zhǎng)吁短嘆” :譯為“sigh and groan”。“sigh”即“嘆息,嘆氣 ”,“groan”即 “呻吟 ,抱怨”。
12. “自怨自艾口中念念有詞”:“自怨自艾”譯為“bitterly”即可“口中念念有詞”譯為 “repent his folly”,“repent”指 “后悔、懺悔”,“folly”指“愚蠢 、荒唐事”。
13. “一串串的噎嗝打個(gè)不休”: “打嗝譯為 “hiccup”,全句譯為“keep hiccupping unceasingly”。
14. “紅頭漲臉如關(guān)公” :譯為“flush crimson with shame”。“flush”即“發(fā)紅,發(fā)亮”。 “crimson”即 “深紅色”。
15. “行有余力”: “feeling carefree”。
16. “啜一碗茶”: “啜”在這里譯為名詞 “sip” , “sip”有 “啜飲、抿 、小口喝”的意思 ,全句譯為 “take a sip from your teacup”。
17. “靜靜地欣賞對(duì)方 的苦 悶的象征”:“欣賞”譯為“savor ” ,因?yàn)?ldquo;savor ”有 “盡情享受”的意思 ,可 以體現(xiàn)出 占上風(fēng)者 的從容 、愜意 。全句譯為 “savor the signs of your opponent’s discomfort”。
18. “我想獵人 困逐一只野兔 的時(shí)候 ,其愉快大概略相仿佛”:“其愉快大概略相仿佛”譯為“the pleasure is by no means less than...” ,用“by no means less than”表示做強(qiáng)調(diào)。“獵人困逐一只野兔”要注意“困”字,可以譯為“at one’s mercy” ,表示野兔任其擺布。全句譯為“The pleasure you have from it, I believe, is by no means less than that a hunter gets from a deadbeat rabbit at his mercy.”。
參考譯文
The last man I would like to play chess with is a man with too much self-control. When he sees a huge piece of his position taken by his opponent (as in Go), or a chariot, lost to his opponent through an erroneous move (as in Chinese chess), he remains calm and unruffled, as if nothing whatever has happened. And that air of him will surely make you feel flat and insipid.A real gentleman seldom contests with others; he will, however, seek to do his opponent down in a game of chess. When you put him on the spot, you can expect to see blue veins standing out on his temples and drops of cold sweat the size of soybean appearing on his forehead. He will either wear a warm smile on his long face, or purse his lips in displeasure, or scratch his head, or let out a sharp cry, or sigh and groan, or bitterly repent his folly, or keep hiccupping unceasingly, or flush crimson with shame, and such like. And at such a moment, feeling care-free, you can light a cigarette or just take a sip from your teacup and savor the signs of your opponent ’s discomfort. The pleasure you have from it, I believe, is by no means less than that a hunter gets from a deadbeat rabbit at his mercy. And from this I have found out something—when engaged in a game of chess, you should resort to every conceivable means to embarrass your opponent, and try hard to remain calm when you yourself fall into difficulty. If you are unable to cause your opponent to suffer, why not try to let him find as little pleasure as possible from your trouble?
選 自 《中國(guó)體育(中英文版 )》
(責(zé)任編輯:liushengbao)