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许地山《落花生》三种英译本对比赏析

2013-05-28 23:36阅读：

http://blog.sina.cn/dpool/blog/u/1367166814

许地山《落花生》三种英译本对比赏析

《落花生》三种英译对比研究
原文：
落花生
我们屋后有半亩隙地。母亲说，“让它荒芜着怪可惜，既然你们那么爱吃花生，就辟来做花生园罢。”我们几姊弟和几个小丫头都很喜欢——买种的买种，动土的动土，灌园的灌园；过不了几个月，居然收获了!
妈妈说：“今晚我们可以做一个收获节，也请你们爹爹来尝尝我们底新花生，如何?”我们都答应了。母亲把花生做成好几样的食品，还吩咐这节期要在园里底茅亭举行。
那晚上底天色不太好，可是爹爹也到来，实在很难得!爹爹
说：“你们爱吃花生么?”
我们都争着答应：“爱!”
“谁能把花生底好处说出来?”
姊姊说：“花生底气味很美。”
哥哥说：“花生可以制油。”
我说：“无论何等人都可以用贱价买它来吃；都喜欢吃它。这就是它的好处。”
爹爹说：“花生底用处固然很多；但有一样是很可贵的。这小小的豆不像那好看的苹果、桃子、石榴，把它们底果实悬在枝上，鲜红嫩绿的颜色，令人一望而发生羡慕的心。它只把果子埋在地底，等到成熟，才容人把它挖出来。你们偶然看见一棵花生瑟缩地长在地上，不能立刻辨出它有没有果实，非得等到你接触它才能知道。”
我们都说：“是的。”母亲也点头。爹爹接下去说：“所以你们要像花生，因为它是有用的，不是伟大、好看的东西。”我说：“那么，人要做有用的人，不要做伟大、体面的人了。”爹爹说：“这是我对于你们的希望。”
我们谈到夜阑才散，所以花生食品虽然没有了，然而父亲底话现在还印在我心版上。

译文1：选自中国文学出版社编,《中国文学·现代散文卷》（汉英对照）。
The Peanut
Behind our house there was a patch of land. 'It would be a pity to let it go wild. ' said Mother. ' I suggest that since you are all so fond of peanuts you should grow some there. '
We children and the little maidservants were all delighted. Some of us bought seeds, some dug up the plot and others watered it. In just a few months we had a harvest.
Mother said, 'Let' s have a harvest festival tonight and invite your father to taste our fresh peanuts. '
We all agreed. Mother made a variety of dishes using our peanuts and instructed that the festival should be held in the thatched pavilion in the garden.
The weather was not very good that evening, but even Father put in an appearance , which was a rare event.
'Do you all like peanuts?' asked Father.
'Yes! ' we all clamoured to reply.
'Who can tell me what' s good about peanuts?'
'They taste good , ' said older sister.
'They can be made into oil , ' said older brother.
'Everybody can afford to buy them, whoever they might be, and everyone likes them. That' s what' s good about peanuts, ' said I .
Father said, 'In fact the peanut has many uses, but the most valuable thing about this little nut is this: it' s not like the apple, peach or pomegranate , flaunting their bright , beautiful fruits on their branches for all to see and admire. The peanut lies buried in the soil, waiting until it is ripe before letting people dig it up. If ever you come across a shy peanut plant you cannot immediately tell whether or not it has any nuts. You have to find them to be certain.”
We all agreed with this and Mother nodded her head too. Father continued, “So you should all try to be like the peanut, because it is neither grand nor beautiful, but useful.”
“Does that mean that people should try to be useful rather than famous or great?” I asked.
“That is what I hope of you all, ” Father replied.
We talked late into the night before dispersing. Although we ate all the peanuts that evening, Father’s words still remain embedded in my mind.

译文2：张培基译，《英译中国现代散文选》，上海：上海外语教育出版社。

Peanuts
Behind our house there lay half a mu of vacant land. Mother said, 'It's a pity to let it lie waste. Since you all like to eat peanuts so much, why not have them planted here. ' That exhilarated us children and our servant girls as well, and soon we started buying seeds , ploughing the land and watering the plants . We gathered in a good harvest just after a couple of months !
Mother said, 'How about giving a party this evening to celebrate the harvest and invite your Daddy to have a taste of our newly-harvested peanuts?' We all agreed.Mother made quite a few varieties of goodies out of the peanuts, and told us that the party would be held in the thatched pavilion on the peanut plot.
It looked like rain that evening, yet, to our great joy, Father came nevertheless.
'Do you like peanuts?' asked Father.
'Yes, we do! ' We vied in giving the answer.
'Which of you could name the good things in peanuts?'
'Peanuts taste good , ' said my elder sister.
'Peanuts produce edible oil, ' said my elder brother.
'Peanuts are so cheap, ' said I, 'that anyone can afford to eat them. Peanuts are everyone's favourite . That's why we call peanuts good. '
'It's true that peanuts have many uses, ' said Father, 'but they're most beloved in one respect. Unlike nice-looking apple, peaches and pomegranates, which hang their fruit on branches and win people's instant admiration with their brilliant colours, tiny little peanuts bury themselves underground and remain unearthed until they're ripe . When you come upon a peanut plant lying curled up on the ground, you can never immediately tell whether or not it bears any nuts until you touch them. '
'That's true,' we said in unison. Mother also nodded. 'So you must take after peanuts,' Father continued , ' because they're useful though not great and nice-looking. '
'Then you mean one should be useful rather than great and nice-looking, ' I said .
'That's what I expect of you, ' Father concluded .
We kept chatting until the party broke up late at night. Today, though nothing is left of the goodies made of peanuts, Father’s words remain engraved in my mind.

译文3：刘士聪译，《英汉·汉英美文翻译与鉴赏》，南京：译林出版社。
The Peanut
At the back of our house there was half a mu of vacant land. 'It' s a pity to let it go to waste like that, ' Mother said . 'Since you all enjoy eating peanuts, let us open it up and make it a peanut garden.' At that my brother, sister and I were all delighted and so were the young housemaids . Some went to buy seeds, some dug the ground and others watered it and , in a couple of months, we had a harvest!
'Let us have a party tonight to celebrate , ' Mother suggested, 'and ask Dad to come for a taste of our fresh peanuts. What do you say?' We all agreed, of course. Mother cooked the peanuts in different styles and told us to go to the thatched pavilion in the garden for the celebration .
The weather was not very good that night but, to our great delight, Dad came all the same . 'Do you like peanuts?' Dad asked.
'Yes ! ' we all answered eagerly .
'But who can tell me what the peanut is good for?'
'It is very delicious to eat , ' my sister took the lead.
'It is good for making cooking oil, ' my brother followed.
'It is inexpensive , ' I said . 'Almost everyone can afford it and everyone enjoys eating it . I think this is what it is good for. '
'Peanut is good for many things, ' Dad said, 'but there is one thing that is particularly good about it . Unlike apples, peaches or pomegranates that display their fruits up in the air, attracting you with their beautiful colours, peanut buries its fruit in the earth. It does not show itself until you dig it out when it is ripe and, unless you dig out, you can’t tell whether it bears fruit or not just by its frail stems above ground.”
“That’s true,” we all said and Mother nodded her assent. “So you should try to be like the peanut,” Dad went on, “because it is useful, though not great or attractive.”
“Do you mean, ” I asked, “we should learn to be useful but not seek to be great or attractive?”
“Yes, ” Dad said. “This is what I wish you to be.”
We stayed up late that night, eating all the peanuts Mother had cooked for us. But Father’s words remained vivid in my memory till this day.

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