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[B]Yeti: [轉帖]英譯「問世間，情為何物」[/B]
I came across this translation on the Internet. I made a search, found several more, and finally traced it back to the blog of 我欲因之. There is good indication he/she is the original translator. (He/she because I cannot tell from the blog what his/her real identity is. In the blog he/she claims to be a "he" and is "7 year old." Of course that can't be true.)
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(Some of you would remember that 金庸 used that in one of his stories.)
Original Chinese Text: 原詞
---- 元好問
問世間，情為何物， 直教生死相許？
天南地北雙飛客， 老翅幾回寒暑？
歡樂趣， 離別苦，就中更有痴兒女。
君應有語，渺萬裡層雲，千山暮雪，隻影向誰去？
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English version, translated by 我欲因之
What is love?
I ask the world?
How does it make me care less about my life
and care more about being with you?
Those two birds have been flying, north and south ?
How many winters and summers have they been together?
Happy to be with you
Lonely to be without you
How many men and women are stuck in this "love"!
My dear, you tell me
Those clouds extend millions of miles
That snow covers thousands of mountains
Without you, where shall I go? [/COLOR]
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As usual, comments, more tries...are all welcome.
howard2005:
[INDENT]摸魚兒
元好問
Groping for Fish
by Yuan Haowen
問世間，情為何物，
直教生死相許？
I keep asking the world what love really is;
Why will it make me pay my whole life for it?
天南地北雙飛客，
老翅幾回寒暑？
歡樂趣，離別苦，
就中更有痴兒女。
Between North and South are two geese flying together,
How many winters and summers have they flown?
With the joy of meeting and the pain of parting,
These two spoonies still come closer and closer.
君應有語，
渺萬裡層雲，
千山暮雪，
隻影向誰去？
Dear, you should have a message for me,
With the floating clouds in the vast sky,
And the dusk snow on a thousand mountains,
To whom will this lonely figure go forward?
譯於2006年3月12日。[/INDENT]
y2005: Nicely done, howard.
To Uncle Yeti: 我欲因子 perhaps is a 「he」 who is not 7 but about 27 years of age. The original poem is very moving. Here is a try based on the translation of 因子.
摸魚兒
【宋】元問好
問世間、情為何物，只教生死相許？
天南地北雙飛客，老翅幾回寒暑。
歡樂趣，離別苦，就中更有痴兒女。
君應有語，渺萬裡層雲，千山暮雪，隻影向誰去？
To the world I ask,
What is love
That makes me long for you only
Through life and after, unto death?
Flying from north to south, this pair of geese
Wings aged together
After scores of winters and summers.
Joyful in company,
Sorrowed by separation,
It deepens more with the anguish of love.
So tell me, ahead lie
Thousands of miles of clouds, mountains and snow,
Alone, where will I go?[/COLOR]
Yeti:
I find 我欲因之's work a rare gem. You guys may not believe this, but it is true that I am not good in translation from scratch. One reason is that my Chinese is weak. (Has been so since high school.) Without 我欲因之's work, I would have no inspiration. Howard's and y2005's also help in thinking along different paths. So, be it good or bad, here is my version. (Let's hope more people will join in the fun.)
問世間，情為何物， 直教生死相許？
天南地北雙飛客， 老翅幾回寒暑？
歡樂趣， 離別苦，就中更有痴兒女。
君應有語，渺萬裡層雲，千山暮雪，隻影向誰去？
What is Love?
What is love
Pray tell,
That makes death sweeter than surviving alone?
North and South they have long flown together,
How many summers and winters wingtip to wingtip?
Joy when together; dreary when apart.
How many others are likewise ensnarled?
Have you no word for me?
For the tens of thousand of miles of clouds,
and the thousands of snow covered peaks,
Whither should this lonely shell trudge?[/COLOR]
y2005: Uncle Yeti, really cool!
pula: hehe..he always cool...
sophiar: Join the great fun
Rainlane does not lack bel-esprits, really appreciate the works above . Unlce Yeti, your work is so grace, like it so much.
問世間，情為何物， 直教生死相許？
天南地北雙飛客， 老翅幾回寒暑？
歡樂趣， 離別苦，就中更有痴兒女。
君應有語，渺萬裡層雲，千山暮雪，隻影向誰去？
金庸引用這段可以說是非常有技巧的，充分的體現出了李莫愁，這個複雜人物的複雜內心。李莫愁終因得不到自己的所愛而灑向人間都是怨，在那個只知人間分兩種人-好人和壞人的年齡，我把李莫愁毫不留情地歸類到壞人裡面了，認為她嗜殺成性，是個女魔頭。現在回想起來憐憫之情多於憎恨之意。
Here try for fun~~ yeah, wish more mates join the fun
What is love?
Who can tell me?
Why I can』t live without it?
North and south the pair of geese fly
In bliss they live to old wings
How many summers and winters they string along with
Bright when together
Blue when apart
So sentimentally they love
So beautiful love becomes
How many others could be so lucky to have?
I am waiting for your word
I can alone to scale the tens of thousand of miles of clouds
and the thousands of snow covered peaks
But who will there for me in the end ?!
Yeti:
My interest in this poem dated back over 4 decades to the time when Jiang Yung 金庸 quoted it in one of his Condor" stories. By the time I was in my 4th year (undergrade), I have forgotten the whole poem, except for the first few words. One of my fellow overseas students happened to remember the whole poem and often teased me by not telling me what the rest of it was.
Several years ago at the Han Ying forum, over the course of discussion on something esle, I mentioned this and someone was very obliging in quoting the whole poem plus the story of the bird committing suicide. But it was not until 2 days ago when I finally came across an English translation.
When I tried for my own version, I had had some trouble with 就中更有痴兒女 since I had a very faint idea of what that meant. I had to rely on the interpretation of the other three attempts for inspiration.
sophiar: hehe, interesting
Glad to know your interesting story, Uncle Yeti.
I think here 就中更有痴兒女 means 其中有痴情的人, actually that is a old story. It is said that before there was a pair of geese, when winter comes they must fly to south, but this year, the female goose wounded , she can't fly any more, so the male goose , instead of flying to south, decided to stay with her . Finally winter came, also came the heavy snow and cold weather. In one morning, they freeze to death in their nest.
What a touching love story!
Reader:
「問世間，情為何物， 直教生死相許？
天南地北雙飛客， 老翅幾回寒暑？
歡樂趣， 離別苦，就中更有痴兒女。
君應有語，渺萬裡層雲，千山暮雪，隻影向誰去？」
Tell me,
what in fact is love in this temporal world,
that it can make lovers pledge each other their lives?
Travelling always side by side
from one end of the earth to another,
how many years have this feathered couple shared?
Meeting is pleasure,
parting is pain,
but then there are always men and women
who practise all these with fondness.
Tell me,
beyond the thousand layers of cloud and
snow-capped mountains glimmering in the twilight,
where the lone shadow should go? [/COLOR] |
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