Neighbour Rosicky (Excerpt VIII)《鄰居羅西基》（節選八）

薇拉·凱瑟/文　曹明倫/譯析

Mary sat watching him intently， trying to find any change in his face. It is hard to see anyone who has become like your own body to you. Yes， his hair had got thin， and his high forehead had deep lines running from left to right. But his neck， always clean-shaved except in the busiest seasons， was not loose or baggy. It was burned a dark reddish brown， and there were deep creases in it， but it looked firm and full of blood. His cheeks had a good col- our. On either side of his mouth there was a half-moon down the length of his cheek， not wrinkles， but two lines that had come there from his habitual expression. He was shorter and broader than when she married him; his back had grown broad and curved， a good deal like the shell on an old turtle， and his arms and legs were short.

瑪麗坐在那兒盯著他打量，想從他臉上看出點兒變化?？蓪σ粋€幾乎已和自己融為一體的人，要察覺出什么變化實在太難。不錯，他頭發已經稀疏，額頂上已有深深的皺紋，可是，他那除農忙時節外總刮得干干凈凈的頸部并沒有松垂，那截曬得黑里透紅、布滿深褶的脖子依然挺拔，血氣旺盛。他面色依然紅潤，嘴角邊各有一條半月形的曲線劃過兩邊臉頰，但那不是皺紋，而是他習慣性表情形成的鼻唇溝。比起剛同她結婚那會兒，他變得矮了些，胖了些；背也寬了一點兒，彎了一點兒，像老烏龜的殼，因為他胳膊腿都很短。

He was fifteen years older than Mary， but she had hardly ever thought about it before. He was her man， and the kind of man she liked. She was rough， and he was gentle， —city-bred， as she always said. They had been shipmates on a rough voyage and had stood by each other in trying times. Life had gone well with them because， at bottom， they had the same ideas about life. They agreed， without discussion， as to what was most important and what was secondary. They didnt often exchange opinions， even in Czech—it was as if they had thought the same thought together. A good deal had to be sacrificed and thrown overboard in a hard life like theirs， and they had never disagreed as to the things that could go. It had been a hard life， and a soft life， too. There wasnt anything brutal in the short， broad-backed man with the three-cornered eyes and the forehead that went on to the top of his skull. He was a city man， a gentle man， and though he had married a rough farm girl， he had never touched her without gentleness.

羅西基比瑪麗年長十五歲，可瑪麗之前幾乎沒想過這點。他是她的男人，而且是她喜歡的那種男人。正如她經常所說，自己是個風風火火的鄉下女人，而他卻是個斯斯文文的城里男人。他倆一直是風浪中的同船水手，面對艱難總是同心協力。他們家的日子過得還算不錯，因為從根本上講，他倆對如何過日子有相同的看法。對什么最重要，什么較為次之，他倆無須商討就能達成一致。他倆很少交換看法，哪怕是用捷克語，仿佛他們的心總能想到一處。過他們那種很現實的日子，總有許多東西要犧牲，許多東西要舍棄，可對該犧牲什么或舍棄什么，他倆從來沒發生過分歧。這是種艱難的生活，也是一種溫馨的生活。這個身材不高、肩膀寬闊、有雙三角眼、禿頭到頂的男人不曾有過粗暴的言行。他是個城里長大的男人，一個文雅的男人，雖然娶的是個粗獷的鄉下姑娘，但對她從來都彬彬有禮。

They had been at one accord not to hurry through life， not to be always skimping and saving. They saw their neighbours buy more land and feed more stock than they did， without discontent. Once when the creamery agent came to the Rosickys to persuade them to sell him their cream， he told them how much money the Fasslers， their nearest neighbours， had made on their cream last year.

他倆都認為過日子不能敷衍馬虎，不能一味精打細算?？匆娻従觽冑I更多的地，養更多的牛，他們也不眼饞。有次一個乳品販子上門，勸他們賣奶油給他，并說他們的近鄰法斯勒家去年就靠賣奶油賺了許多錢。

“Yes，” said Mary， “and look at them Fassler children！ Pale， pinched little things， they look like skimmed milk. I had rather put some colour into my childrens faces than put money into the bank.”

“賺了錢沒假?！爆旣悓δ俏簧特溦f，“可你去看看法斯勒家那些孩子！一個個面黃肌瘦，看上去就像脫了脂的牛奶。我寧愿咱家孩子臉上有血色，也不愿銀行里有存款?！?/p>

The agent shrugged and turned to Anton.

乳品販子聳聳肩，把臉轉向羅西基。

“I guess well do like she says，” said Rosicky.

羅西基說：“我想呀，咱們就照她說的辦吧?！?/p>

【背景知識】《鄰居羅西基》是美國女作家薇拉·凱瑟（1873—1947）于1930年發表的一篇重要短篇小說。小說通過回憶和追述的手法，講述了波希米亞移民羅西基樸素而充實的一生，展現了拓荒者及其后代善良、樸素、勤勞、熱愛生活、眷念土地的可貴品質。小說主題深刻，結構勻稱，筆觸細膩，文字優美，人物性格刻畫清晰，翻譯時應注意描摹。

【第1段】注意參考譯文把第四句中的neck譯作“頸部”，但把第五句中指代neck的代詞it翻譯成了“脖子”。這種處理方法叫作“單詞分譯”?！皢卧~分譯”由來已久，西塞羅在談及他翻譯狄摩西尼等人的演說詞時就曾說：“當我沒法用一個拉丁詞翻譯一個希臘詞時，我就用幾個拉丁詞去翻譯?！薄皢卧~分譯”分為“必須的單詞分譯”和“非必須的單詞分譯”兩類：前者是由于原文的某個詞語在譯文語言中沒有完全對應的詞語，只好用多個詞語去表達，例如楊必把Vanity Fair（《名利場》）第十章第一段中的has ten thousand pounds and an establishment secure譯成了“有一萬鎊財產，住宅家具奴仆一應俱全”（把establishment分譯成了“住宅家具奴仆”）；后者則是譯者出于修辭目的或譯文語言習慣的考慮，此處將neck分別譯作“頸部”和“脖子”就屬于這種情況。（另請參閱拙文《〈英漢互譯實用教程〉“單詞分譯法”補遺》，《中國翻譯》2018年第3期，第115—118頁。）

【第2段】參考譯文把原文形容瑪麗的兩個rough分別譯成了“風風火火”和“粗獷”，把形容羅西基的兩個gentle分別譯成了“斯斯文文”和“文雅”，這種譯法并非第一段評析所說的“單詞分譯”，而是譯者根據實際語境選擇的不同措辭（同義詞），因前一個rough和gentle是瑪麗在說她自己和她丈夫，而后一個rough和gentle則是作者在介紹男女主人公。另外，此段原文中的兩個hard也分別翻譯成了“很現實的”（陸谷孫《英漢大詞典》hard詞條第10義項）和“艱難的”（陸谷孫《英漢大詞典》hard詞條第4義項），這同樣是結合語境斟酌的結果。

【第3段】正因為講究斟詞酌句，參考譯文才把not to hurry through life譯成了“過日子不能敷衍馬虎”，把not to be always skimping and saving譯成了“不能一味精打細算”，以及把第二句中的discontent譯成了“眼饞”。

【第4—6段】注意再現原文的口語語體，別把日常對話翻譯得文縐縐的。一般人很容易把put money into the bank翻譯成“把錢存進銀行”，可“寧愿咱家孩子臉上有血色，也不愿銀行里有存款”這樣的句式顯然使說話的語氣更為連貫流暢。

【小結】本次譯析介紹了“單詞分譯法”，強調了譯者斟字組詞的重要性。沉不下心來斟字組詞是初學翻譯者的通病，我在翻譯專業學生的作業中經常發現，譯者所用的字詞幾乎都是英漢雙語詞典釋義用的措辭。我曾對學生說：“英漢詞典不可能為每一個詞條都提供充分的語言環境或充分的具體語境，在絕大多數情況下，詞典編者只能解釋每個詞或詞組的基本意義，至于該詞或該詞組的翻譯，那應該是譯者的任務?！保▍㈤啞队h翻譯二十講》，商務印書館，2019，第187頁。）所以，譯者查詞典主要是為了確定詞義句義。我們常把翻譯比喻成戴著鐐銬跳舞，可許多青年譯者只記住了“戴鐐銬”就是不能脫離原文的本義（包括詞義），卻忘了“跳舞”要講究舞姿，而要展現出“舞姿”，就要講究斟詞酌句。