 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:9 r8 g0 C0 ~3 `4 h6 W( {, G
8 ]1 ?% H. G* g1.富贵功名,前缘分定。(《西游记》)$ K4 Z! ~' P2 H1 x% m) f
5 b/ Y- v7 S5 S) w5 W
Wealth and honor, glory and fame, are predetermined by fate. (W.J.F. Jenner 译)! Y: i. N/ y) K- }: X
1 g1 b; Y9 T6 |0 W9 Q. ^# Q
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》) 5 _8 s$ p9 z% P8 L
% i* X$ Y5 I/ e& `3 j: x: BIt‘s partly fate, and partly a case of "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder."(杨宪益、戴乃迭 译) ' }8 O4 j [. e, x2 M3 b8 s
2 B" Z# o7 E! c; O% a3.[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》)0 C6 t* ?( l# Z9 l/ j6 A* O
6 T/ {: s# V) K9 d; C$ B: N1 E
Who says there isn‘t? It‘s just that my marriage luck has been bad. I‘ve never met the right one. (S. Shapiro 译)
. }# ]3 C& K0 H. O$ u6 C2 E* R7 @8 r% w( p+ \
4.她无缘,小生薄命。 (《西厢记》) , a( n8 h. D& o9 u
% X% z0 |+ I7 }
She lacks the karma; I‘m out of luck. (S. H. L. Idema 译)3 n" Q7 Z& c! g! P( T! P9 N! N
. |5 f# k6 l+ F8 f
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》)$ {6 B) a1 t/ ]4 `. _& c
9 a3 b: y4 Y& ]* `3 X" f
My meagre lot, my partly destiny keep us from remaining together.( M. Robers 译)0 k9 e5 ^! {) u" p8 }$ ?6 V
' f6 x. v' P# j# {6.[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》)
! H0 B: C- P' @0 I" h- _, ^' D2 M* }2 x; _# V# P7 s0 R. R/ c
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)6 K9 t, e2 j5 e5 b9 l
5 m" F! M: k& z5 F
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; i$ |# R2 ?/ e7 L% e
$ s: R, f+ @' j$ G7 LYou are like a matching lute and zither set. You can appreciate each other‘s music. Fate has been too unkind to allow me5 L# k6 ] Q8 }: u$ K" @
. H2 v8 Y6 o6 ^+ n
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); @$ \: Y' @7 l% G1 n! Z$ v3 ^
; M& E1 Z4 y* A) v
8.[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》)4 M6 C! V6 M. A! h" ~/ F
& Q* |4 B1 q' u9 fMiss Wo-Ni-Ta, we just weren‘t meant to "raise the bowl To the eyebrows." I hope some other lucky guy falls in love
: ~' x; j% r! T, N1 Z
7 g; G [! E+ L( f+ xwith you. (J. Kelly、 N. K. Mao 译): \( E! o8 a/ F0 Z. `
/ e! t# K8 U9 O/ a
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。8 q3 U2 J- l* j7 `9 z" D
: ]3 J. J8 ]' V! N0 T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:
) U2 O0 @2 }- A z5 D1 o
2 Q ^) i5 q6 U1 R* 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。
5 J+ p* a) e, r1 ~! Y9 Q( [- S
5 y0 }% k, x& ZYour talents and your virtue have ever been the objects of my esteem. But I have not had the honour of being presented to you.
( f5 [3 k8 y' p, }2 o
3 I' X8 ?& K: u( _: z+ `$ Y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:6 N1 M$ |4 y7 d0 s3 H: z
, G7 @# ^% e4 j& N2 u0 ?; U
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?* Y( i% L3 r) e0 c2 h# O
6 ]! V+ ]: ~6 e
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
4 q# ^# q3 G. t4 { Z( k8 E
7 `' ^2 t7 O2 M% bthat your life is always bound up with the Bai‘s. (林语堂 译) |
|