雙語散文:On the Sea 海上
【英文譯文】
簡介
本文作者：冰心
冰心（1900年10月5日─1999年2月28日）享年99歲，人稱“世紀老人”，福建長樂人，原名爲謝婉瑩，筆名爲冰心 。“一片冰心在玉壺”。現代著名詩人，翻譯家，作家，兒童文學家，崇尚“愛的哲學”，母愛，童真，自然是其作品的主旋律。她非常愛小孩，把小孩看做“最神聖的人”，深受人民的敬仰。她的作品中充滿了對大自然的熱愛，以及對母愛與童真的歌頌。
本篇最初發表於《晨報副鐫》1923年10月6日，後收入詩集《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】
八月十七日的下午，約克遜號郵船無數的窗眼裏，飛出五色飄揚的紙帶，遠遠的拋到岸上，任憑送別的人牽住的時候，我的心是如何的飛揚而悽惻！
癡絕的無數的送別者，在最遠的江岸，僅僅牽着這終於斷絕的紙條兒， 放這龐然大物，載着最重的離愁，飄然西去！
船上生活，是如何的清新而活潑。除了三餐外，只是隨意遊戲散步。海上的頭三日， 我竟完全回到小孩子的境地中去了，套圈子，拋沙袋，樂此不疲，過後又絕然不玩了。後來自己回想很奇怪，無他，海喚起了我童年的回憶，海波聲中， 童心和遊伴都跳躍到我腦中來。我十分的恨這次舟中沒有幾個小孩子， 使我童心來複的三天中，有無猜暢好的遊戲！
我自少住在海濱，卻沒有看見過海平如鏡。這次出了吳淞口，一天的航程，一望無際盡是粼粼的微波。涼風習習，舟如在冰上行。到過了高麗界，海水竟似湖光。藍極綠極，凝成一片。斜陽的金光，長蛇般自天邊直接到闌旁人立處。 上自蒼穹，下至船前的水，自淺紅至於深翠，幻成幾十色，一層層，一片片的漾開了來。……小朋友，恨我不能畫， 文字竟是世界上最無用的東西，寫不出這空靈的妙景！
八月十八夜，正是雙星渡河之夕。 晚餐後獨倚闌旁，涼風吹衣。銀河一片星光， 照到深黑的海上。遠遠聽得樓闌下人聲笑語，忽然感到家鄉漸遠。繁星閃爍着，海波吟嘯着，凝立悄然，只有惆悵。
十九日黃昏，已近神戶，兩岸青山，不時的有漁舟往來。日本的小山多半是扁圓的，大家說笑，便道是“饅頭山”。這饅頭山沿途點綴，直到夜裏，遠望燈光燦然，已抵神戶。船徐徐停住，便有許多人上岸去。我因太晚，只自己又到最高層上，初次看見這般璀璨的世界，天上微月的光，和星光，岸上的燈光，無聲相映。不時的還有一串光明從山上橫飛過，想是火車周行。……舟中寂然，今夜沒有海潮音，靜極心緒忽起：“倘若此時母親也在這裏……”。 我極清晰的憶起北京來。
【講解】
1. 遠遠的拋到岸上： 英文用retreating shore而不是distant shore，表達了一種船慢慢啓動、岸慢慢遠離的感覺。
2. 送別的人：英文沒有對應詞，所以譯成those who came to see their relatives and friends off (爲親戚朋友送行的人)。
3. 我的心是如何的飛揚而悽惻：“我的心如何如何”是中文的一種表達方式，其他還有“我心裏想”等。翻譯成英文時，不要把“心”這個字譯出來，通常譯爲I feel或I think就可以了。
4. 癡絕：這裏表示爲離別折磨得傷感到了極點，故譯爲sentimental較爲合適。
5. 在最遠的江岸：應是隨着船的起航，江岸慢慢遠去，直到最遠時紙帶斷裂， 所以英文爲on the increasingly distant shore。
6. 牽着：hold on to。
7. 放這龐然大物……飄然西去： reluctantly letting the iron mammoth sail westward. 譯文是一個動名詞詞組，加了reluctantly (勉強地)和iron（鐵的）兩字使譯文更形象生動。
8. 離愁：grief of parting 或pain of separation。
9. 小孩子的境地：即“孩提時代”。
10. 過後又絕然不玩了：“過後”一詞，可以只用later一個單詞，但這裏譯成Then three days later, 是爲了跟前面的for the first three days相呼應。絕然不玩：cut all connection with such pastimes 比 didn't play them anymore 更具文學色彩，而且避免了重複使用play這個詞。
11. 無他：即“除此之外沒有別的”，譯爲there was nothing more to it than this。
12. 喚起：unmoor原爲“起錨”的意思，這裏用作比喻，意爲“喚起”，正好跟主語The sea 對應，非常巧妙。
13. 跳躍到我腦中來：flooded my mind比jumped into my mind好。
14. 恨：意爲“遺憾”，譯爲regret。
15. 有無猜暢好的遊戲：意爲“有孩童時代真正好的遊戲”。根據上下文，這句話的意思是：遺憾的是，因爲船上沒有很多小孩，所以在作者回到童年時代的三天中，沒有真正好的遊戲。無猜：兩小無猜的省略，即孩童時代。暢好：非常好。
16. 卻沒有看見過海平如鏡：譯文用倒裝句，表示強調。
17. 一天的航程：意爲航程的第一天。
18. 一望無際盡是粼粼的微波：即“展現在我們面前的是一望無際粼粼的微波”，故英譯文爲a boundless sea of limpid wavelets stretched out before us。
19. 高麗：高麗爲朝鮮的舊稱。“過了高麗界”即“過了朝鮮地界”，這裏顯然是指朝鮮的水域。注意水域的英文爲waters。
20. 海水竟似湖光： 即“竟然想不到大海有湖泊的景色”，翻譯爲the sea unexpectedly imparted the ambience of a lake。這裏用動詞imparted，把大海擬人化，非常生動形象。湖光：湖的風景、光彩、氛圍，對應的英文ambience,比scenery更爲恰當。
21. 自淺紅至於深翠，幻成幾十色：注意譯文a panoply of hues from light pinks to deep greens中顏色的複數形式。pink和green的複數形式在這裏意爲“各種深淺不同的粉紅和綠色。”
22. 空靈的妙景：ethereal beauty。
23. 雙星渡河之夕：即傳說中牛郎織女一年一度的相會，在農曆的七月初七。本文用的是陽曆，故說八月十八。
24. 涼風吹衣：即“涼風吹拂我的衣服”，譯文用caress這個動詞賦予了風一種感情色彩。
25. 遠遠聽得樓闌下人聲笑語：即“人聲笑語從下面的船舷欄杆飄上來傳到我的耳朵裏”。樓闌：欄杆，這裏指船舷的欄杆或船舷。
26. 忽然感到：It suddenly dawned on me或I suddenly realized。
27. 只有惆悵：即“只留下惆悵，沉浸在惆悵中”。
28. 往來：to and fro。
29. 大家說笑：即“扁圓的山引起旅客的笑聲和評論”。
30. 沿途點綴：即“點綴沿途的風景”。
31.這般璀璨的世界：a world of such resplendence。
32. 舟中寂然：英文經常用silence做主語，如Silence fell. / Silence ruled. / Silence reigned.等。
33. 海潮音：海浪的聲音（soughing of waves）。
34. 心緒忽起：忽然想到，主語爲“我”，所以英文爲：I was struck by the idea。
35. 倘若此時母親也在這裏：這只是一個不能實現的希望，英譯文用虛擬語氣（If only Mother were here with me now.）。
