雙語(yǔ)詩(shī)歌翻譯|列子-《古代寓言·砍倒了梧桐樹》

寓言是一種歷史悠久而生命力強(qiáng)大的古老文體，雖多形制短小，卻有豐厚的內(nèi)涵。中國(guó)古代寓言大多數(shù)以人物故事為載體，說理深刻透辟，包含許多人生智慧。中國(guó)先秦時(shí)期寓言創(chuàng)作最為興盛，不少寓言作者是世界一流的思想家?！肚f子》、《列子》中的寓言，想象飛馳，語(yǔ)言富麗，表現(xiàn)了道家重道、貴虛、齊物、逍遙的思想；《韓非子》中的寓言，文字簡(jiǎn)潔準(zhǔn)確，表現(xiàn)了法家因時(shí)變法、嚴(yán)刑峻法的主張；《戰(zhàn)國(guó)策》中的寓言，手法鋪張，氣勢(shì)宏偉，針對(duì)外交、內(nèi)政、軍事方面的大事，隨機(jī)應(yīng)變，往往能夠收到化險(xiǎn)為夷的效果?！洞笾腥A文庫(kù)·中國(guó)古代寓言選(漢英對(duì)照)》從這些先秦著名典籍中編選了許多寓言，同時(shí)還收錄了后世其他寓言佳作，共選取121篇作品。它們流傳廣，飽含智慧，對(duì)文學(xué)創(chuàng)作和語(yǔ)言的發(fā)展影響很大?！洞笾腥A文庫(kù)·中國(guó)古代寓言選(漢英對(duì)照)》英譯者為著名文學(xué)翻譯家楊憲益、戴乃迭先生。

《古代寓言·砍倒了梧桐樹》

人有枯梧樹者，其鄰人言：
“枯梧之樹不祥?！?br />其鄰人遽而伐之。鄰人父因請(qǐng)以薪。
其人乃不悅曰：“鄰人之父，徒欲為薪，而教吾伐之也，與我鄰若此其險(xiǎn)，豈可哉！”
——《列子》

Felling the Plane Tree
A man had a withered plane tree.
"It's unlucky to keep a withered tree," said his neighbour.
But when the first man had felled the tree, his neighbour asked him for some of the wood as fuel.
"The old man simply wanted some fuel," thought the owner of the tree indignantly. "That's why he told me to fell my tree. We are neighbours, and yet he tricks me in this way—this is really going too far."
Lie Zi