 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:
3 p" j- d" {( G$ ^- r# Q) ^9 O. r5 m, A5 W+ `1 x; ~: j
1.富贵功名,前缘分定。(《西游记》)4 G/ \3 m+ H" G$ F
/ K4 B7 k, t9 f O) v# x, F7 @Wealth and honor, glory and fame, are predetermined by fate. (W.J.F. Jenner 译)# E, \& f2 X# s4 S5 a
% d, F3 t) M2 J% ^& u; M+ X; c3 ^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》) 2 B6 n$ J5 q6 h, V* q0 {2 D( y" F) T
6 @" \* c' ^6 ]It‘s partly fate, and partly a case of "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder."(杨宪益、戴乃迭 译)
4 `( P# l m, O9 ~4 i+ H+ b; {( q. U- @) c
3.[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》)5 L- E3 E3 N% R5 f$ k# h+ q! F
$ u9 U+ }/ |' X0 V% gWho 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 J) D# y% H7 L* q
( L# w) i, W. Y/ @+ l$ x" p L4.她无缘,小生薄命。 (《西厢记》)
2 q7 N+ V. p4 u2 |$ r2 d2 d9 @2 G% S
She lacks the karma; I‘m out of luck. (S. H. L. Idema 译)
: d5 A y& t/ `! H/ B
/ o; a. _; {, |# B& K: L5.[刘备送别徐庶时说]备分浅缘薄,不能与先生相聚。(《三国演义》)
5 h3 Z$ y( Z1 t4 N/ r2 a/ k+ O. G% W# a( L" @0 Y
My meagre lot, my partly destiny keep us from remaining together.( M. Robers 译): v9 b& r& j Q
5 b1 u" Q5 c8 X" S. _' m/ C3 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》)! a$ z- Y; m$ J! X$ `) }6 `; P; s9 f
; k+ m# m: F0 ?# `8 |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)
! [0 Y/ ^$ f3 f# v& z9 j7 c9 t) ]; {1 b% c6 ?
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》): y3 O6 T: T* ^. O9 D" C
; ?5 \- A8 Q4 B! {You are like a matching lute and zither set. You can appreciate each other‘s music. Fate has been too unkind to allow me: L- a' r" x9 e% I# D) ~
: L* V- H5 j: k5 G1 p. [, z
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)
0 n% U( W9 c8 ~2 h# w' S/ k5 h+ T2 d3 o- s# X
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》)$ T) X( |; I T' s; Q4 N
; C9 L, @- c& @4 I
Miss Wo-Ni-Ta, we just weren‘t meant to "raise the bowl To the eyebrows." I hope some other lucky guy falls in love, l1 |' O0 _; W; v# ?$ I: Y- h
% N6 K7 ? ~, z: ]# d* s: }' rwith you. (J. Kelly、 N. K. Mao 译)9 u2 U) E M0 }3 u: p# w- ]
8 I s$ M" w' F) t2 j5 v+ S+ R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。
A$ [- `- [! A$ P! _" u7 Y+ a
; i- |% K# i. c! v! W- P. K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:
' Y B% m; c0 V& F. P/ p
9 \0 e+ g# X5 _3 a, Q3 @4 U9.[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。
o4 O$ N3 {8 ?! O$ m. G
( T9 ~" R. v9 i$ L* Q: mYour talents and your virtue have ever been the objects of my esteem. But I have not had the honour of being presented to you.9 a3 x( w e4 U
0 k) a- g) r: k
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: b" ^, q T2 l$ H
1 a# _) m% c1 Q2 ^2 R6 W. _
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?
. m4 H8 G( {( V8 { G6 x5 h# [0 u- _, }8 x- \
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
6 b0 m \) x3 Q& |
. O+ t1 O, z% g, u4 Ythat your life is always bound up with the Bai‘s. (林语堂 译) |
|