Neighbour Rosicky (Excerpt V)《鄰居羅西基》（節選五）

薇拉·凱瑟　曹明倫/譯析

Sometimes the Doctor heard the gossipers in the drug-store wondering why Rosicky didnt get on faster. He was industrious， and so were his boys， but they were rather free and easy， werent pushers， and they didnt always show good judgment. They were comfortable， they were out of debt， but they didnt get much ahead. Maybe， Doctor Burleigh reflected， people as generous and warm-hearted and affectionate as the Rosickys never got ahead much; maybe you couldnt enjoy your life and put it into the bank， too.

有時候，醫生會在雜貨店里聽見些閑聊，不少人都納悶，為什么羅西基家沒能更快地發家致富。羅西基很勤勞，孩子們也都肯干，但他們凡事都順其自然，從不爭強好勝，況且也并非事事都做出了明智的判斷。一家人生活舒適，從不欠債，但也沒攢下多少錢。伯利醫生最終認識到，像羅西基一家那樣慷慨、熱心、仁慈的人絕不可能攢下許多錢，而興許只有不懂享受生活的人才會把錢存進銀行。

When Rosicky left Doctor Burleighs office， he went into the farm-implement store to light his pipe and put on his glasses and read over the list Mary had given him. Then he went into the general merchandise place next door and stood about until the pretty girl with the plucked eyebrows， who always waited on him， was free. Those eyebrows， two thin India-ink strokes， amused him， because he remembered how they used to be. Rosicky always prolonged his shopping by a little joking; the girl knew the old fellow admired her， and she liked to chaff with him.

離開伯利醫生的診所后，羅西基進了旁邊的農具店。他在那兒點上煙斗，戴上老花鏡，把瑪麗給他的購物單看了一遍，然后進了隔壁的百貨店，進店后他站了一會兒，等平時接待他的那個修過眉毛的漂亮姑娘空出手來。姑娘那兩條黑墨水劃出的曲線讓羅西基覺得有趣，因為他還記得那兩道眉毛本來的模樣。羅西基在百貨店購物總喜歡慢慢吞吞，趁機同那姑娘說說笑話；姑娘知道老人是喜歡她，所以也愿意和他開開玩笑。

“Seems to me about every other week you buy ticking， Mr. Rosicky， and always the best quality，” she remarked as she measured off the heavy bolt with red stripes.

“羅西基先生，你好像隔一星期就要買些被套料，而且總買質量最好的。”姑娘攤開一匹紅條紋厚棉布，開始量羅西基要的尺寸，一邊量一邊跟他說話。

“You see， my wife is always makin goose-feddar pillows， an de thin stuff dont hold in dem little down-fedders.”

“要知道，我老伴兒總是在做鵝絨枕頭，料子薄了可罩不住細絨。”

“You must have lots of pillows at your home.”

“你家肯定有好多枕頭。”

“Sure. She makes quilts of dem， too. We sleeps easy. Now shes makin a fedder quilt for my sons wife. You know Polly， that married my Rudolph. How much my bill， Miss Pearl？”

“那是當然。我老伴兒還做鵝絨被呢。我們睡得挺舒服的。現在她要給我兒媳婦做一床。你認識波莉吧，她嫁給魯道夫了。該給你多少錢，珀爾小姐？”

“Eight eighty-five.”

“八元八角五。”

“Chust make it nine， and put in some candy fur de women.”

“湊夠九元吧。給女人買點糖果。”

“As usual. I never did see a man buy so much candy for his wife. First thing you know， shell be getting too fat.”

“又買糖果。我就沒見過別的男人給太太買這么多糖果。你得知道，她會長胖的。”

“Id like dat. I aint much fur all dem slim women like what de style is now.”

“我就喜歡胖。我見不得現今那些瘦筋筋的女人。”

“Thats one for me， I suppose， Mr. Bohunk！” Pearl sniffed and elevated her India-ink strokes.

“我想你是在說我這種女人吧，歐洲來的先生！”珀爾小姐鼻子一哼，黑眉一揚。

When Rosicky went out to his wagon， it was beginning to snow，—the first snow of the season， and he was glad to see it. He rattled out of town and along the highway through a wonderfully rich stretch of country， the finest farms in the county. He admired this High Prairie， as it was called， and always liked to drive through it. His own place lay in a rougher territory， where there was some clay in the soil and it was not so productive. When he bought his land， he hadnt the money to buy on High Prairie; so he told his boys， when they grumbled， that if their land hadnt some clay in it， they wouldnt own it at all. All the same， he enjoyed looking at these fine farms， as he enjoyed looking at a prize bull.

羅西基出了百貨店朝馬車走去時，天開始下雪了。這是今冬的第一場雪，他很高興看見雪花。他趕著馬車出了鎮子，順著大路穿過一大片遼闊而富饒的土地，這里有全縣最好的一些農田。他羨慕這片被人們叫作“高地草原”的土地，總喜歡駕車穿過那里。他自家的地在一個不太平坦的區域，那里的土壤有黏性，收成不太好。他當年買地時錢不夠多，買不起“高地草原”的地，所以孩子抱怨時他就會對他們說，要是那塊地沒黏性，那很可能就不歸他家所有了。不過他仍然喜歡欣賞那些肥沃的耕地，就像他喜歡欣賞比賽中獲獎的公牛一樣。

【背景知識】《鄰居羅西基》是美國女作家薇拉·凱瑟（1873—1947）于1930年發表的一篇重要短篇小說。小說通過回憶和追述的手法，講述了波希米亞移民羅西基樸素而充實的一生，展現了拓荒者及其后代善良、樸素、勤勞、熱愛生活、眷念土地的可貴品質。小說主題深刻，結構勻稱，筆觸細膩，文字優美，人物性格刻畫清晰，翻譯時應注意描摹。

【第1段】 注意get on、free and easy、get ahead這些常用短語的意思都非常豐富，譯者需要結合語境選擇譯文措辭。英國語言學家約翰·魯珀特·弗斯（John Rupert Firth，1890—1960）在其《意義的模式》（Modes of Meaning）一文中曾說：“詞義的選用應服從一個總的規則，即每個詞用在新的語境中都是一個新詞。”（The use of the word “meaning” is subject to the general rule that each word when used in a new context is a new word.）將werent pushers翻譯成“從不爭強好勝”，never got ahead much翻譯成“沒攢下多少錢”，都是遵從這個規則。

【第2段】注意最好別把light his pipe翻譯成“點上他的煙斗”，也別把put on his glasses翻譯成“戴上他的老花鏡”（省略原文中的物主代詞）；語法學家曾提醒我們：“漢語中‘我的‘你的這類詞有時可以省掉。”英語說“He entered the room， his coat covered with snow and his nose red with cold.”，而漢語只需說“他走進屋來，大衣上盡是雪，鼻子凍得通紅”。（參閱張道真《實用英語語法》第二次修訂本第64頁，商務印書館，1979）

【第3段】此處bolt = a large roll of cloth of a definite length；有人按字面把she remarked as she measured off the heavy bolt with red stripes翻譯成“她一邊說，一邊量著一大匹紅色條紋布”。比較兩種譯文，回憶一下我們上次提到的“隱性深度翻譯”。

【第4—11段】makin = making；goose-feddar = goose-feather；an de = and the；dont = doesnt；dem = them；Chust = Just；fur de = for the；dat = that。“《鄰居羅西基》（節選一）”的譯析提醒過捷克移民羅西基講英語發音不標準。Bohunk是美國英語俚語，由Bohemian（波希米亞人）和Hungarian（匈牙利人）縮合而成，用于貶稱來自歐洲中部和東部的移民（尤指工人）。另外，請注意參考譯文把羅西基口中的my wife譯成“老伴兒”（而非妻子），slim women譯成“瘦筋筋的女人”（而非苗條的女人）。

【第12段】不要一見farm就都翻譯成“農場”，此段中的兩個farms都可以譯作“農田”“耕地”或“田地”（a tract of land cultivated for the purpose of agricultural production）。

【小結】本次譯析強調了英國語言學家弗斯指出的“詞義的選用應服從一個總的規則，即每個詞用在新的語境中都是一個新詞”，譯者需要結合語境選擇譯文措辭；再次強調了英譯漢中的“代詞還原及其省略”，尤其是注意省略英文中的物主代詞。