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《水浒传》英译品读:武松是个狠角色

 
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作者:王晓辉

《水浒传》中的武松,是一副顶天立地的英雄形象。第二十三回,武松刚一出场,就让人眼前一亮:

宋江在灯下看那武松时,果然是一条好汉。但见:身躯凛凛,相貌堂堂。一双眼光射寒星,两弯眉浑如刷漆。胸脯横阔,有万夫难敌之威风;语话轩昂,吐千丈凌云之志气。心雄胆大,似撼天狮子下云端;骨健筋强,如摇地貔貅临座上。如同天上降魔主,真是人间太岁神。

小说中的人物,身高多少,相貌如何,完全取决于作者。武松如此身材相貌和气质,可以说是施耐庵对他的偏爱。如果读者足够细心,还会发现武松还是个有洁癖、重穿戴的男人。小说中武松每一次出场,都要“洗漱”一番,而且,他还特别爱洗澡,就是在孟州城的监狱里,他也经常洗澡。再看武松的衣着,或是“新衲红绸袄”,或是“鹦哥绿纻丝衲袄”,即使是穿布衫时,腰间也要系上一条“红绢搭膊”。整部小说看下来,武松就没有灰头土脸邋邋遢遢的时候,总是干净光鲜又不失英武之气,这在《水浒传》一群粗糙汉子中,还是比较另类的。

武松虽有如此雄壮威猛的相貌和绝世武功,却不幸出身在社会的最底层,从小父母双亡,由身材矮小性格懦弱的哥哥武大郎抚养长大。没有父母的照顾,哥哥又不能替他撑腰,可以想象武松在成长过程中遭了多少欺负,受了多少委屈,胸中憋了多少怨恨。贫寒的出身,让武松对受人尊重的生活格外向往,但是,向上的挣扎注定是艰难且痛苦的。好不容易凭借拳头和力量成了打虎英雄,被阳谷县的县令赏识,安排他在县衙做了个步兵都头。武松对县令的抬举感恩戴德,跪谢道:“若蒙恩相抬举,小人终身受赐。”这一脚跨进了体制内,是武松梦寐以求的机遇,如果一切顺利,说不定有一天他会像林冲和鲁智深那样成为中产阶级的一员。

但现实是残酷的,一个接一个的灾难和陷阱在等着他。先是从小把他拉扯大的哥哥被害,嫉恶如仇的武松为哥哥报仇,杀了潘金莲和西门庆,自己也锒铛入狱。虽然孟州城监狱的小管营施恩对武松照顾有加,那也是看上了武松的拳脚功夫,让他充当打手,从蒋门神手里夺回快活林酒店的经营权。结果,武松刚刚爬出一个陷阱,又掉进了另一个陷阱。蒋门神和武松一样,是在前面出头的马仔,背后是更大的靠山张团练和张都监。张都监为了置武松于死地,亲自设下陷阱,将武松招至家中,酒食相待,看作亲人一般,还许诺将使女玉兰许配给他。张都监的虚情假意,竟然让武松感动不已,他跪下称谢道:“小人是个牢城营内囚徒,若蒙恩相抬举,小人当以执鞭坠镫,伏侍恩相。” 

旁观者一眼就能看清楚的勾当,武松为什么就看不明白呢?我想,他是太渴望进入体制内了,太想借助一点运气跃上一个社会阶层了!所以,他选择了相信,相信天上会掉下馅饼来。

等待他的是又一个死亡陷阱。张都监和蒋门神给武松设计了一个入室盗窃的罪名,人赃俱获,打入大牢,脸上刺字,发配恩州。路上,张都监又安排下杀手,准备结果武松。此时的武松彻底清醒了,也彻底绝望了。对他来说,更好的生活和出人头地只是一种幻想,无形的天花板和刀枪棍棒在等着他。

好吧,既然这个世界如此待我,那我就让你们尝尝血的滋味!小说作者施耐庵只用了一句话,就把武松的心态刻画得淋漓尽致:“(武松)提着朴刀,踌躇了半晌,一个念头,竟奔回孟州城里来。”短短的一句话,让人看了脊背发凉。

武松开始杀人了。不论好人坏人,男人女人,跟自己有没有仇怨,甚至张都监家的丫鬟仆人,包括那个为他清唱过苏学士“明月几时有”的玉兰,一个不留。刀砍得卷刃了,换一把接着砍,临出门时,还从死尸身上割下一片衣襟来,蘸着血,去白粉壁上写下八字:“杀人者,打虎武松也!”

从这一刻起,武松从一个精神干净、衣着讲究、追求向上的青年,转变成了一个杀人不眨眼的狠角色,而等待他的归宿只有一个,那就是梁山。

【配图:彭靖雯】

梁山的好汉个个身怀绝技,而武松更是出类拔萃。别的好汉都是打人,武松则不然,他能打虎。在梁山泊108个好汉中,武松排在第十四位,但论在民间的声望地位,他是妥妥的第一,原因就是他打过老虎。《水浒传》第二十三回“横海郡柴进留宾,景阳冈武松打虎”是这样描写的:

那一阵风过处,只听得乱树背后扑地一声响,跳出一只吊睛白额大虫来。武松见了,叫声:“呵呀!”从青石上翻将下来,便拿那条梢棒在手里,闪在青石边。那个大虫又饥又渴,把两只爪在地下略按一按,和身望上一扑,从半空里撺将下来。武松被那一惊,酒都做冷汗出了。说时迟,那时快,武松见大虫扑来,只一闪,闪在大虫背后。那大虫背后看人最难,便把前爪搭在地下,把腰胯一掀,掀将起来。武松只一躲,躲在一边。大虫见掀他不着,吼一声,却似半天里起个霹雳,振得那山冈也动;把这铁棒也似虎尾倒竖起来,只一剪,武松却又闪在一边。原来那大虫拿人,只是一扑,一掀,一剪,三般提不着时,气性先自没了一半。那大虫又剪不着,再吼了一声,一兜兜将回来。武松见那大虫复翻身回来,双手轮起梢棒,尽平生气力,只一棒,从半空劈将下来。只听得一声响,簌簌地将那树连枝带叶劈脸打将下来。定睛看时,一棒劈不着大虫。原来慌了,正打在枯树上,把那条梢棒折做两截,只拿得一半在手里。那大虫咆哮,性发起来,翻身又只一扑,扑将来。武松又只一跳,却退了十步远,那大虫却好把两只前爪搭在武松面前。武松将半截棒丢在一边,两只手就势把大虫顶花皮肐嗒地揪住,一按按将下来。那只大虫急要挣扎,早没了气力,被武松尽气力纳定,那里肯放半点儿松宽。武松把只脚望大虫面门上、眼睛里只顾乱踢。那大虫咆哮起来,把身底下扒起两堆黄泥,做了一个土坑。武松把那大虫嘴直按下黄泥坑里去,那大虫吃武松奈何得没了些气力。武松把左手紧紧地揪住顶花皮,偷出右手来,提起铁锤般大小拳头,尽平生之力,只顾打。打得五七十拳,那大虫眼里、口里、鼻子里、耳朵里都迸出鲜血来。

施耐庵真是讲故事的高手,把这段惊心动魄的人兽大战描写得有声有色,如在眼前。那么,这么精彩的叙述翻译成英文还有同样的效果吗?我们来欣赏一下沙博理的译文:

Suddenly a wild gale blew, and when it passed a roar came from behind the thicket and out bounded a huge tiger. Its malevolent upwardslanting eyes gleamed beneath a broad white forehead.

"Aiya!" cried Wu Song. He jumped down, seized his staff, and slipped behind the rock.

Both hungry and thirsty, the big animal clawed the ground with its front paws a couple of times, sprang high and came hurtling forward. The wine poured out of Wu Song in a cold sweat. Quicker than it takes to say, he dodged, and the huge beast landed beyond him. Tigers can't see behind them, so as its front paws touched the ground it tried to side-swipe Wu Song with its body. Again he dodged, and the tiger missed. With a thunderous roar that shook the ridge, the animal slashed at Wu Song with its iron tail. Once more he swivelled out of the way.

Now this tiger had three methods for getting its victim — spring, swipe and slash. But none of them had worked, and the beast's spirit diminished by half. Again it roared, and whirled around.

Wu Song raised his staff high in a two-handed grip and swung with all his might. There was a loud crackling, and a large branch, leaves and all, tumbled past his face. In his haste, he had struck an old tree instead of the tiger, snapping the staff in two and leaving him holding only the remaining half.

Lashing itself into a roaring fury, the beast charged. Wu Song leaped back ten paces, and the tiger landed in front of him. He threw away the stump of his staff, seized the animal by the ruff and bore down. The tiger struggled frantically, but Wu Song was exerting all his strength, and wouldn't give an inch. He kicked the beast in the face and eyes, again and again. The tiger roared, its wildly scrabbling claws pushing back two piles of yellow earth and digging a pit before it. Wu Song pressed the animal's muzzle into the pit, weakening it further. Still relentlessly clutching the beast by the ruff with his left hand, Wu Song freed his right, big as an iron mallet, and with all his might began to pound.

After sixty or seventy blows the tiger, blood streaming from eyes, mouth, nose and ears, lay motionless, panting weakly.

翻译文学作品最难的是情绪和气氛的把握,译者不仅要与原文作者心意相通,还要关照读者的感受。施耐庵的原文充满动感,一个动作连着一个动作,沙博理的译文也是一样,采用简单明快的句式,强化动词的作用。

翻译这段文字,快节奏是关键。以第一句为例,“那一阵风过处,只听得乱树背后扑地一声响,跳出一只吊睛白额大虫来”。按照一般人对原文的理解和英文的掌握,很有可能翻译成Suddenly there came a gust of wind. When the wind was over, Wu Song heard a roar from behind the trees. Then a huge tiger with slanting eyes and white hair on its forehead jumped out. 这样翻译肯定没有错,但行文拖泥带水,冗长的句子将原文营造的紧张气氛消解得无影无踪。沙博理在翻译这句话时,先将关键信息收在一个句子里,Suddenly a wild gale blew, and when it passed a roar came from behind the thicket and out bounded a huge tiger,然后再告诉读者这是一只吊睛白额老虎。沙博理宁肯多写一句话,也不肯将with slanting eyes and white hair on its forehead插进去,从而影响叙事的快节奏。

老虎“跳”,武松“闪”;老虎“扑”,武松“跳”,预热动作并不复杂。但是按照英语习惯,一段文字之内用词要尽量避免重复,所以,沙博理用了bound、jump、spring、dodge、charge、leap等多组意思相近的动词来描述一人一虎扑闪跳跃的动作。

“说时迟,那时快”是说书人常用的表现手法,根据上下文可以有多种翻译方法,如It is slow in the telling, but happens in a flash,或It's much faster than I can tell。沙博理为了加快节奏,用了quicker than it takes to say,更为简洁。

中国人叙事有点儿像大写意,经常有“三五天”“八九点”这样大而化之的说法,英语中虽然也有,但并不多见。原文中武松打虎,打了五七十拳,中间相差二十拳,这跨度也太大了吧?为了不让外国读者感到困惑,沙博理将其翻译成sixty or seventy blows,变成了六七十拳。

打虎让武松名震天下,也成为他人生的一个转折点。清代文人张潮说,《水浒传》是一部怒书。这一“怒”字,在武松身上体现得最为鲜明。他没有鲁智深那副柔软善良的心肠,也不会像王进那样惹不起就走,更不会像林冲那样委曲求全,在命运的极致压迫之下,他会奋起回击,而每一次回击,都是带血的、致命的。

不过,在梁山一百单八将中,比起那些鸩酒毒死的和沙场战死的兄弟们,武松的结局算是好的了。虽然在征讨方腊的战斗中断了一只胳膊,但毕竟保全了性命。他没有跟随宋江回朝领赏,而是选择在杭州六和寺出家,后至八十而善终。这不能不说是作者对武松这个角色的偏爱。


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