“閑人”難尋

文/任東升 譯/曲磊

In the closing pages ofA Dream of Red Mansions, the Reverend Void brought the scripts of theStory of the Stoneto“the land of prosperity” to seek “a man of leisure” to read and pass on the story.However, what he could only fi nd were busy and occupied men: “there are only men striving to go after fame and wealth or feed and clothe themselves,” and there was no way to fi nd such a man as he wished. Finally, he came across Cao Xueqin, the owner of the “Mourningthe-Red Studio” who was a real “man of leisure” in “kalpas and aeons.”

[2] Well, Mr. Cao was not among those who had “nothing to do” or had“time to spare.” Actually, he was reading and commenting historical records.As Gu Hongming (1這里的“建功立業(yè)之人”實際上與后面的“糊口謀衣之輩”形成對比，與下文也有呼應(yīng)，并不是特指真正建大功立大業(yè)之人，而是指一種生活狀態(tài)，與“倉稟實而知禮節(jié)”有異曲同工之妙，所以靈活處理為go after fame and wealth，也符合英文常見的表達(dá)習(xí)慣。857—1928) put it,“l(fā)eisure” literally means “free or comfortable.” Rather than sayA Dream of Red Mansionsimplies in its closing pages that “men of leisure” like Cao

《紅樓夢》末尾講到，空空道人攜帶《石頭記》抄本來至人間“那繁華昌盛的地方”，欲尋一位“閑人”來閱裁這樁故事。道人卻見世人忙碌的景象：“不是建功立業(yè)之人1這里的“建功立業(yè)之人”實際上與后面的“糊口謀衣之輩”形成對比，與下文也有呼應(yīng)，并不是特指真正建大功立大業(yè)之人，而是指一種生活狀態(tài)，與“倉稟實而知禮節(jié)”有異曲同工之妙，所以靈活處理為go after fame and wealth，也符合英文常見的表達(dá)習(xí)慣。，即系糊口謀衣之輩”，哪有此等“閑人”！最終，空空道人又不得不經(jīng)歷“幾世幾劫”，才找到“悼紅軒”的主人曹雪芹這個“閑人”。

[2]其實，曹雪芹并不是“沒事做”或者有“閑空兒”，他在“翻閱歷來的古史”。辜鴻鳴理解的“閑”，字面意思是“自在或者悠閑”。《紅樓夢》末尾暗示，像曹雪芹這樣的“閑人”難覓，倒像是提醒“各位看官”照照自己：是否為“建功立業(yè)”或者“糊口謀衣”所累？活得是否還算“自在”“悠閑”？Xueqin rarely exist, why not consider it this way: we should ask ourselves whether we are enslaved by “going after fame and wealth” or by “feeding and clothing ourselves,” or, whether we really enjoy a “free and comfortable” life in some way.

[3] In such a big and populous world,there are indeed three kinds of men as the Reverend Void observed: the first are “those struggling to feed and clothe themselves” and busy with making ends meet at the bottom of society; the second are the middle class who are “going after fame and wealth” with some career achievements and not plagued by breadand-butter issues; the third are “men of leisure” who will not be bothered by sophisticated connections among people and mundane affairs, possess a “mood of leisure,” enjoy “l(fā)eisure and comfort”to some extent, and even behave in a manner of “l(fā)eisure and elegance” more or less. However, not all at the very top of society are such people.

[4] Some 30 years ago, workers,farmers and soldiers could be identified by the color of what they wore.Back then, you couldn’t fi nd real “men

[3]滾滾紅塵，蕓蕓眾生，確如空空道人的觀察，不外乎這三等人。第一種“糊口謀衣之輩”，指為生存而奔波2“為生存而奔波”實際上是對社會底層勞苦大眾生活狀態(tài)的一種概括性描述，而英文中正好有常見的對應(yīng)表達(dá)，即make ends meet，這種譯法也有助于英文受眾去理解原文作者的表達(dá)本意。的人們，處于社會的最下層；第二種“建功立業(yè)之人”，基本擺脫了生計之憂、有自己的事業(yè)可言，屬于社會的中等階層；第三種是“閑人”，應(yīng)該是不屑于3對“不屑于”的理解應(yīng)該深入到文字背后所隱含的意思，如果字對字的去譯成scorn抑或是despise，則顯得過于刻板，“閑人”不會簡單地去輕視“人情世故”，只是看透了世事，不受其擾而已，所以這里處理為will not be bothered by則完整地表達(dá)了作者的原意。世間人情或俗務(wù)，胸有“閑情”之人，他可以“閑適”到一定的程度，或者多少有些“閑逸”之風(fēng)。生活在社會上層的人士，卻不全是這等人。

[4] 30多年前，只看衣服的顏色，就能區(qū)別出工、農(nóng)、兵。那時候，全國上下沒有閑人。“人多力量大”“多快好of leisure” across the country. People were mobilized by such enthusiastic slogans as “many hands make light work,” “achieve greater, faster, better and more economical results” and “race to the top,” and you name it. Overall national programs, planned economy and reliance on the local Party organizations put everyone in position and set everything in order. It was understood that it was different jobs and division of labor that resulted in different salaries and bene fi ts. As a student, you needn’t to be anxious about your school performance as there was no competition around you; as a worker, your fellow workers were as much exhausted as you were at work; although you might live in a small home with a big family, you needn’t to squeeze yourself into buying a property at least; you were poor,but your neighbors were no richer than you; when you got sick, you would not be worn out by astronomical medical cost as your employer and government省”“爭上游”等觀念如同口號一樣支配4本段講述的是具有中國特色的特殊年代里的特殊現(xiàn)象，若在譯文中能出現(xiàn)體現(xiàn)時代特色的詞匯會更具感染力，所以這里的“支配”譯成mobilize，即“動員”的意思，也與前面的各種口號相對應(yīng)。著每個人。國家統(tǒng)籌，計劃經(jīng)濟(jì)，信靠組織，各盡其職。雖然在待遇5“待遇”實際上是中文里典型的概括性描述，在翻譯此類詞匯時最好加以解釋，使得英文受眾明白其包含的具體意思，所以解釋性譯成salaries and bene fi ts，即工資和福利。上有所不同，每個人都能理解那是因為職業(yè)不同、分工不同。你上學(xué)不操心成績，同學(xué)對你也不構(gòu)成競爭；你做工累，看看工友也喊累；家口多，住房小6“家口多，住房小”，在英語世界中也是常見的現(xiàn)象，那么必然存在常見的英文表達(dá)，在翻譯此類句子時，最好的策略就是套用一些常見的英文表達(dá)，而不是拘泥于字對字的“死譯”，所以譯成了livein a small home with a big family。，你用不著為房產(chǎn)犯愁；你家窮，鄰居家也不比你家富；等你得病了，藥費、醫(yī)療費再貴，也有組織和政府7“組織和政府“是具有中國特色的表達(dá)，翻譯前要具體情況具體分析，看看原文作者是在表達(dá)什么意思，顯然“組織”和“政府”這里指代的是“集體”，這種理解也與前文的“國家統(tǒng)籌”和“計劃經(jīng)濟(jì)”遙相呼應(yīng)，所以譯成了employers and government，這也符合常識。替你掏。那時，would reimburse you. People would not be laughed at for not wearing decently,or be humiliated for the lack of money,or even lose dignity for not taking dignity seriously. Why? It was because all members of the society were entitled to equal rights, though individuality was not encouraged and individualism was constrained.

[5] Nowadays, “those struggling to feed and clothe themselves” are still making ends meet by pursuing physical labor. Migrant workers, employees, stallholders, and even the low- and middleincome working class are among the rest. They are stuck in repetitious physical toil or no-brainer jobs by the grueling burden of child education old-age insurance and home loans. Farmers and migrant workers have lost their original identities after giving away their own land and leaving their families, but still cannot be accepted in a new labor environment. Small beds, makeshift shacks,boring labor and stereotyped work are all they have. The employed have to survive a career with rare opportunities to get promoted, the harsh punch-theclock system, and reproach from their supervisors. When they fi nally get back home after a day’s work feeling exhausted, they still have to be af fl icted by rents and home loans. They work hard days after days and years after years. As Job says in the Book of Job of the Old你沒有因為穿得寒酸而遭人鄙視，也不會因為錢少而被人嫌棄，更不會因為生活中不講究尊嚴(yán)而失去尊嚴(yán)。究其原因，是社會成員之間存在基本的平等，盡管個體不被凸現(xiàn)、個性被迫收斂。

[5]如今的時代里，“糊口謀衣之輩”依然是主要靠出賣體力換取生計之需的勞動者。農(nóng)民工、打工仔、小攤主，甚至收入不高的工薪階層，都屬這個階層。為了孩子上學(xué)，為了養(yǎng)老保險，為了房子貸款，不得不從事重復(fù)性的手工的或機(jī)械的勞動。農(nóng)民離開了自己的土地，打工仔別親離鄉(xiāng)，失去了原有的身份，在新的勞動環(huán)境中也無法構(gòu)建自己的身份。擁擠的床鋪，簡易的工棚，沒有新意的勞作，缺乏創(chuàng)意的工作。工薪族被卷入晉升渺茫的職業(yè)，鐘點的嚴(yán)卡，督工的聲音，回家時疲憊的腳步，沒有家居感覺的租賃房或貸款房。辛勤的勞作日復(fù)一日，歲歲年年。正如《舊約·約伯Testament, “l(fā)iving is like being forced into the army.”

[6] For teachers, government of fi cials,managers and business owners, work

stress has overshadowed personal fulfillment and happiness at work,though they work without exposing themselves to the weather, and have enviable welfare, secure monthly salaries,and a superior sense of belonging and high social status. It is true that they have to endure peer competition, pressure from job performance, and rare promotion opportunities, but they could still see the silver lining and “go after fame and wealth” as long as they excel in what they do, stay optimistic and have good people connections. With higher academic or professional qualifications, they work harder and dare not記》中約伯（Job）的感慨，人生在世如同被迫當(dāng)兵8這里涉及“回譯”。作者化用了圣經(jīng)內(nèi)容，《約伯記》第7章第1節(jié)，英文“欽定本”是“Is there not an appointed time to man upon earth? Are not his day like the days of an hireling? ”，意思是：人在地上沒有定期嗎？他的日子不像雇工的日子嗎？現(xiàn)代中文圣經(jīng)譯本里的譯文是：人在世上，好像被迫當(dāng)兵一般，天天過著負(fù)重勞苦的生活。（英文和中文表述不一樣的根本原因是各自參照的圣經(jīng)“原文”有差別。）因此在翻譯時有必要查考圣經(jīng)英文版本和中文版本里的相關(guān)譯法，然后再決定照抄現(xiàn)成譯文還是自行翻譯。這里，譯者是自行翻譯，對圣經(jīng)內(nèi)容無不敬重之意，也不影響全文的精神。。

[6]教師、公務(wù)員、管理者，還有自己開公司的人，工作的壓力超出了職業(yè)本身帶來的滿足和快樂。擺脫了日曬風(fēng)寒之苦，享受著不少9“不少”是修飾福利的程度，但在翻譯時我們可換位思考，從另外一個角度進(jìn)行英文表達(dá)，譯成enviable，即“令人羨慕的”福利有時候也不失為一種選擇。福利，有穩(wěn)定的月薪，享受優(yōu)越的歸屬感和社會地位。盡管同事間存在競爭，業(yè)績指標(biāo)添壓力，升遷機(jī)會不易得，但是只要精于業(yè)務(wù)，積極向上，人脈暢通，“建功立業(yè)”的前景并不渺茫10“前景并不渺茫”這里內(nèi)含希望之意，而英文中常見的類似表達(dá)the silver lining (a hopeful and comforting prospect in the midst of dif fi culty)正好貼合此處，可以套用過來。。學(xué)位和職稱高了，為保住頭上的光環(huán)，更加兢兢業(yè)業(yè)，更加不敢茍閑。是誰逼著你腳步加快嗎？不是的。政績多了，官位高了，indulge themselves in “l(fā)eisure” in order to live up to the fame and reputation they have earned. Are they compelled to do so? No. More achievements and higher official positions only compel them to reach a greater status. Does it have anything to do with their supervisors? No, it doesn’t. Higher income and better living conditions induce them to think hard on how to earn more.Do their families have any complaints about their incomes? Absolutely not.They still don’t think they are “men of leisure” though they have succeeded in“going after fame and wealth” through hard work. It seems that everyone tries to prove something, but what do they really try to prove?

[7] For us, “good times” do not lie in innocent childhood or in carefree days after retirement. In our busy lives, each and every one of us does not feel “free”or “comfortable.”

[8] It dawns on me that Mr. Wang Meng said earlier this year: “Never and ever say you are a man of leisure.Otherwise, God will take care of you himself for he cannot tolerate to see you have nothing to do or have nothing to be concerned about.” So, I really doubt there are real “men of leisure” in our era. ■對位置的追求更高。是上司在強(qiáng)迫嗎？不是的。收入多了，條件好了，還要苦思冥想賺大錢的門道。是家人嫌你掙錢少嗎？不是的。拼搏進(jìn)取，完成了“建功立業(yè)”。之后，卻還是沒有收獲“閑人”的感覺。似乎每個人都想證明什么。究竟想證明什么呢？

[7]人活著，“好光景”不在于未諳世事的少年時代，更不在退休以后的閑散時日。在茫茫碌碌中，每個人都覺得不“自在”，不“悠閑”。

[8]記起王蒙今年說過的話11這里“記起王蒙今年說過的話”的意思比較耐人尋味，有受其啟發(fā)之意，故沒有直譯，而是選擇了英文常見的表達(dá)dawn on來承接原文意思，符合英文受眾的表達(dá)習(xí)慣。：千萬不要說你是閑人。否則，老天爺見你無事可做，啥事也不操心，就快收你了。連王蒙都這么想，我真的以為，在我們這個時代，“閑人”難尋了。 □