《论读书》翻译赏析

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Of Studies

by Francis Bacon

Studies serve for delight, for ornament, and for ability. Their chief use for delight is in privateness and retiring; for ornament, is in discourse; and for ability, is in the judgment and disposition of business. For expert men can execute, and perhaps judge of particulars, one by one; but the general counsels, and the plots and marshalling of affairs, come best, from those that are learned. To spend too much time in studies is sloth; to use them too much for ornament is affectation; to make judgment wholly by their rules, is the humor of a scholar. They perfect nature, and are perfected by experience: for natural abilities are like natural plants, that need pruning, by study; and studies themselves, do give forth directions too much at large, except they be bounded in by experience. Crafty men contemn studies, simple men admire them, and wise men use them; for they teach not their own use; but that is a wisdom without them, and above them, won by observation. Read not to contradict and confute; nor to believe and take for granted; nor to find talk and discourse; but to weigh and consider. Some books are to be tasted, others to be swallowed, and some few to be chewed and digested; that is, some books are to be read only in parts; others to be read, but not curiously; and some few to be read wholly, and with diligence and attention. Some books also may be read by deputy, and extracts made of them bothers; but that would be only in the less important arguments and the meaner sort of books, else distilled books are like common distilled waters, flashy things.

Reading makes a full man; conference a ready man; and writing an exact man. And therefore, if a man write little, he had need have a great memory; if he confer little, he had need have a present wit: and if he read little, he had need have much cunning, to seem to know, that he doth not. Histories make men wise; poets witty; the mathematics subtitle; natural philosophy deep; moral grave; logic and rhetoric able to contend. Abeunt studia in mores.Nay, there is no stand or impediment in the wit, but may be wrought out by fit studies; like as diseases of the body, may have appropriate exercises. Bowling is good for the stone and reins; shooting for the lungs and breast; gentle walking for the stomach; riding for the head; and the like. So if a man's wit be wandering, let him study the mathematics; for in demonstrations, if his wit be called away never so little, he must begin again. If his wit be not apt to distinguish or find differences, let him study the Schoolmen; for they are cymini sectors. If he be not apt to beat over matters, and to call up one thing to prove and illustrate another, let him study the lawyers' cases. So every defect of the mind may have a special receipt.

《论读书》

弗朗西斯·培根 王佐良 译

读书足以怡情, 足以博采, 足以长才。其怡情也, 最见于独处幽居之时; 其博采也, 最见于高谈阔论之中, 其长才也, 最见于处事判事之际。练达之士虽能分别处理细事或一一判别枝节，然纵观统筹、全局谋划，则舍好学深思者莫属。读书费时过多易惰, 文采藻饰太盛则矫, 全凭条文断事乃学究故态。读书补天然之不足, 经验又补读书之不足, 盖天生才干犹如自然花草, 读书然后知如何修剪移接; 而书中所示, 如不以经验范之, 则又大而无当。有一技之长者鄙读书, 无知者羡读书, 唯明智之士用读书, 然书并不以用处告人, 用书之智不在书中, 而在书外, 全凭观察得之。读书时不可存心诘难作者, 不可尽信书上所言, 亦不可只为寻章摘句, 而应推敲细思。书有可浅尝者, 有可吞食者, 少数则须咀嚼消化。换言之, 有只须读其部分者, 有只须大体涉猎者, 少数则须全读, 读时须全神贯注, 孜孜不倦。书亦可请人代读, 最其所作搞要, 但只限题材较次或价值不高者, 否则书经提炼犹如水经蒸馏, 淡而无味矣。

读书使人充实,讨论使人机智, 笔记使人准确。因此不常作笔记者须记忆特强, 不常讨论者须天生聪颖, 不常读书者须欺世有术, 始能无知而显有知。读史使人明智, 读诗使人灵秀, 数学使人周密, 科学使人深刻, 伦理使人庄重, 逻辑修辞使人善辨: 凡有所学, 皆成性格。人之才智但有滞碍, 无不可读适当之书使人顺畅, 一如身体百病, 皆可借相宜之运动除之。滚球利睾肾, 射箭利胸肺, 慢步利肠胃, 骑术利头脑, 诸如此类。如智力不集中, 可令读数学, 盖演题须全神贯注, 稍有分散须重演; 如不能辨异, 可令读经院哲学, 盖是辈皆吹毛求疵之人; 如不善求同, 不善以物阐证另一物, 可令读律师之案卷。如此头脑中凡有缺陷, 皆有特药可医。

《论读书》

弗兰西斯·培根 张和声 译

读书乃人生一乐，它能陶冶性情，增长才干。其乐趣主要体现在独处闲居之时；性情见于谈吐：才干见于处事决断。经验老道的人会干实事，也善于应付具体事务。运筹决策，统领全局则非学识过人者莫属。

读书太久易生惰性，炫耀知识未免做作，死搬教条失之迂腐。学问滋养天性，实践充实知识。植物需要修剪，人的素质则要通过学习加以强化。学习要靠经验来加以规划，否则可能歧路亡羊。工于心计者鄙视学问，单纯愚钝者仰慕学问，聪明能干这学以致用。会学不等于会用，运用之道在书本之外，得靠亲身的经验才能掌握。

读书的目的不是挑剔质疑，不是盲从，也不是为了增加谈资，而是为了明断是非。有些书可浅尝辄止，有些书可囫囵吞食，个别的书则需细嚼慢咽，充分消化。这就是说，有的书只要读其中部分章节，有的书可随意游览，有个别的书则要通读，并仔细钻研。有的书可请人代读，做点摘要。不过这仅限于无甚高论的三流作品。否则，读书摘就如喝蒸馏水一样索然寡味。读书令人充实；讨论令人机智；写作令人谨严。懒得动笔的人，除非有好记性；补偿向他人咨询的，除非有急智；不读书的人，除非狡黠过人，能够不懂装懂。历史令人明智；诗歌令人聪颖；数学令人精细；自然哲学令人深沉；伦理学令人庄重；逻辑和修辞令人善辩。“读书可以养性。”运动可以治疗身体上的病患，学习可以弥补精神上的缺陷。保龄球有利于肾脏；射箭有利于肺胸；散步有利于肠胃；骑马有利于大脑。诸如此类，不一而足。如果精神恍惚，应该学数学，因为解题求证，稍不留神就得重新计算。如果不善于辨别差异，最好去研究经院哲学，因为这派学者最擅长条分缕析，繁琐考证。如果不善于由此及彼，推理举证，就可以去研究一下律师的案例。可见，心理上的各种缺陷都有其特定的治疗法。

在《论读书》的两个不同译文中，我从英语散文的翻译语言美感、文体、英语和汉语的语言习惯以及修辞的角度去分析了几个例子。第一；散文是一种独特的文学体裁，其选材范围广泛，结构自由灵活，表现手法不多样，语言不受韵律的拘束，又称“形散神聚”。但却又以其结构上潜在的层次感和语言的生动简介来打动读者的心扉；语言功能上，散文往往具备表情功能、信息功能、美感功能以及祈使功能。

基于散文的以上特点，将英语散文译成汉语时，译文应完整的再现原文的结构特点，达到与原文相似的功能，使译文的意义完整，语言流畅，地道。也就是所说的信、达、雅。王佐良先生的译文与原文是句句对应，有的句子根据汉语语法特点语言进行了相应的调整，另一些句子则根据汉语表达的习惯而相应的调整了语序，从而使译文语言流畅。例如；Studies serve for delight, for ornament, and for ability.王译：读书足以怡情, 足以博采, 足以长才。上述译文中，三个介词被译成三个动词，三个并列的介词短语因此也成了三个动词短语。这样译文是符合汉语的层层递进的。而张译：读书乃人生一乐，它能陶冶性情，增长才干。译文则通过汉语意合形的特点，增强了逻辑关系，有了连接词“乃，他能 ”的衔接更通俗化。汉语重意合，句子之间常靠内部的逻辑关系联系在一起，所谓的“形散神聚”。

第二；王佐良先生汉语文言文的译法，具有简洁、庄严、严谨的格调，与原文正式的论说性散文文体风格正好相符，达到了异曲同工之妙。而张和声先生的译文在文体风格上则没有如此的优点。首先，从语言的庄重程度来看，王佐良先生的译文使用了文言虚词诸如“之，则，然，亦”等，营造了浓厚的文言文气氛；使译文具有正式文体的韵味。而张和声先生的译文更加口语化，如:They perfect nature, and are perfected by experience: for natural abilities are like natural plants, that need pruning, by study; and studies themselves, do give forth directions too much at large, except they be bounded in by experience. 王译： 读书补天然之不足, 经验又补读书之不足, 盖天生才干犹如自然花草, 读书然后知如何修剪移接; 而书中所示, 如不以经验范之, 则又大而无当。译文中使用了“之，盖，然后，而，如，则”等；而张译：学问滋养天性，实践充实知识。植物需要修剪，人的素质则要通过学习加以强化。学习要靠经验来加以规划，否则可能歧路亡羊。译文在语言上体现了递进的关系具有层次感，却在功能上少了些语言的美感。其次，从严谨上来看，王译字字句句都经过推敲、高度提炼，因而每个字都必不可少，没有赘余，充分显示了其疑问的严密程度；相反张和声先生的译文则可添加亦可删除。例如： 有些书可浅尝辄止可简化为：书有可浅尝辄止。另外，从用词的简洁程度来看，这句Some books are to be tasted, others to be swallowed, and some few to be chewed and digested仅仅18个英语单词，王佐良先生的译文只用了19个汉字，而张和声先生的译文则用了30个汉字，其简洁程度明显要逊色。

第三；在这句hey perfect nature, and are perfected by experience: for natural abilities are like natural plants, that need pruning, by study; and studies themselves, do give forth directions too much at large, except they be bounded in by experience.王佐良先生译作读书补天然之不足, 经验又补读书之不足, 盖天生才干犹如自然花草, 读书然后知如何修剪移接; 而书中所示, 如不以经验范之, 则又大而无当。原文中的分号被逗号代替，原文中的总分结构也被汉语的连动结构所代替。这样使译文更符合汉语表达的特点。译文又将原文中的 except they be bounded in by experience译为主动语态，突出体现了汉语的语言特点。张和声先生将此句译为：学问滋养天性，实践充实知识。植物需要修剪，人的素质则要通过学习加以强化。学习要靠经验来加以规划，否则可能歧路亡羊在翻译中做到结构平行，有主-谓-宾成句对仗的形式：学问-实践、滋养-充实同为动词、天性-知识。译文句子与句子之间衔接紧密，有整体与部分之间的上下意关系。而且在译except they be bounded in by experience中使用主动语态外，“歧路亡羊”更加出彩，对于目标语读者的角度来说，这类故事家喻户晓，更加影响深刻、生动，在此使用的异化翻译恰到好处。

他的译文的紧密程度无缝可寻相当精妙，一直被视为最杰出的版本。我个人认为，王佐良先生译文的韵味及语言美感的金鸡独立之处是无法超越的。

论读书两种译文翻译赏析