 鲜花( 1)  鸡蛋( 0)
|
缘分”是所谓命中注定的人与人遇合的机缘。英译“缘分”(亦作“天缘”)以及“有缘”、“无缘”常用的英文词有fate, luck, lot, destiny 等。请看几个例子:: J2 J# L9 J S% v4 p) s
9 Z F' N; Y- I T1.富贵功名,前缘分定。(《西游记》)7 W9 [4 W" z) A$ A0 I
4 M8 N* }6 V: JWealth and honor, glory and fame, are predetermined by fate. (W.J.F. Jenner 译)0 \+ o/ u2 s5 L0 ]% Q
( X8 A2 q7 w/ H7 A3 T8 q9 G
2.[宝玉问香菱为何薛蟠相亲定下了金桂,香菱笑道] 一则是天缘,二来是“情人眼里出西施”(《红楼梦》)
6 x2 U, l% Y. o+ p, ~# d: Q& J) A4 _2 y6 h
It‘s partly fate, and partly a case of "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder."(杨宪益、戴乃迭 译) * T7 R/ d/ L( M
* ~) T: W5 r8 w
3.[王婆为了撮合西门庆和潘金莲,故意问前者是不是妻子死后,没有别的女人他中意的。西门庆争辩说]做甚么了便没?只恨我夫妻缘分上薄,自不撞着!(《水浒》): J; \( E% @6 s$ X
- }7 M r _' N u7 P( lWho says there isn‘t? It‘s just that my marriage luck has been bad. I‘ve never met the right one. (S. Shapiro 译)
6 @, N3 H4 Q* |. a G" o7 E6 U3 N* `1 v! {7 E9 F. U8 q3 Q
4.她无缘,小生薄命。 (《西厢记》) ' i/ i: r3 v- ?9 G2 M- _6 G# y
# @/ U. ^6 K) ^/ Z& N
She lacks the karma; I‘m out of luck. (S. H. L. Idema 译)
' \* A$ W9 D V3 I6 r9 a) D7 c9 w" F( y3 `
5.[刘备送别徐庶时说]备分浅缘薄,不能与先生相聚。(《三国演义》)4 g; y3 @; B4 o5 D4 x$ h+ |
5 ^6 ` y. k- o! k6 r, f- _My meagre lot, my partly destiny keep us from remaining together.( M. Robers 译)" h: i: d& E- h+ A! {1 _/ T' e1 U
; C8 \1 A- V h" w2 b6.[杜慎卿向季苇萧诉说自己没有知心朋友]只为缘悭分浅,遇不着一个知己,所以对月伤怀,临风洒泪!(《儒林外史》)
! n. J% M, P* I2 G' V3 g9 b' |6 x" s8 d3 Z/ X0 |# _" y. v
But I have not been lucky enough to find a true friend, and that is why I so often give way to melancholy! (杨宪益、戴乃迭 译)
' Q! W; X0 f! }6 B( J; |( Z1 f" C# H) N# q& s5 m6 f. i3 W
7.君琴瑟之好,自相知音;薄命人乌有此福。如有缘,再世可相聚耳。(《聊斋.宦娘》)
: p* ]: }' s1 D! ~, Z8 r
- }: [# o6 Q+ `' F% a& `/ RYou are like a matching lute and zither set. You can appreciate each other‘s music. Fate has been too unkind to allow me1 h( e* e/ ^8 q, e" X! ~
; |+ p$ A5 [ S) w+ r3 e1 Y& L
such blessings. If we are linked by the ties of destiny, we will meet again in the next life. (D.C. & V. H Mair 译)
9 M4 x" Y0 H! A9 L
# e7 i/ ^4 @6 g7 J2 X$ B$ g8.[方鸿渐看不中张小姐,心中暗说]“我你他”小姐,咱们没有“举碗[案]齐眉”的缘分,希望另有好运气的人来爱上您。 (《围城》)
L( H+ o& k. v. h ?& J2 X0 n3 b0 P
: ^$ T1 z" Z$ P# y4 dMiss Wo-Ni-Ta, we just weren‘t meant to "raise the bowl To the eyebrows." I hope some other lucky guy falls in love
! G6 |. g' ?+ y! r5 M2 ?
: m7 y! a8 d- b7 @" d, G6 f5 Uwith you. (J. Kelly、 N. K. Mao 译)
+ r, _% }4 o2 U! v3 v) m! M/ e$ c* N9 \- O' e% c% y
可以看出,以上句子里的中心词都含有“命运”的意识,英译亦然。《围城》一例所mean,据New World Dictionary 等词典的解释也有 to destine or seem to destine 的意思,颇为妥帖。
- U0 a( B1 o/ K- E4 Y& c/ i4 S0 j7 g4 Q6 o* F/ s! s$ \% M0 ?- _
然而,“缘分”等词和命运的关联在有的用法里变得淡化了,甚至完全消失了。它只是泛指一种机遇或者机会。所以M. Roberts翻译《三国演义》的以下两句,用的词语和上边英译句子中的相应部分不同:
) l' G/ d0 o: D6 Q" m
0 D: F# f0 x" V h. o/ o o' v) R9.[刘备二顾草芦时误认诸葛均为为诸葛亮,说]备久慕先生,无缘拜会。
9 q6 }$ t, [: ]/ z3 x* q2 g! B% Q h$ C4 }5 R" X
Your talents and your virtue have ever been the objects of my esteem. But I have not had the honour of being presented to you.
9 U$ [( ?3 B8 H, ?4 ]0 l; d
{! D2 h; @- D& T不仅如此,这种机遇还可以发生在人和事物之间。体育报道里说的“无缘(进入)决赛(be barred from entering the finals; be disqualified for the finals) 即其一例。《浮生六记》的作者沈复(字三白)因妻子陈芸喜欢李白和白居易的诗,就跟她说:8 s' S& j. G8 g# ~+ j
: ?! B$ t0 f3 g% J" N# q$ l# J
11.异哉!李太白是知己,白乐天是启蒙师,余适逢字三白,为卿婿;卿与“白”字何其有缘耶?
* p- A$ w* G% g- b( |8 A: G: z: }0 _+ i
This is very strange. So LiBai is your bosom friend, Bai Juyi is your first tutor and yours band‘s literary name is Sanbai. It seems
* A/ t* e- }/ \. D% D: t% |0 t
/ C3 I% P1 l I( p0 B) J# xthat your life is always bound up with the Bai‘s. (林语堂 译) |
|