孟轲悔过 第三部分

上节练习

孟母一听，气得浑身哆嗦，拿起剪刀，把没有织完的绸子剪断了。
母亲的行动惊呆了孟轲，他睁着惊愕的眼睛，不知如何是好。

我学到的

1. 气的浑身哆嗦

• he shook with fear

shake可以是任何震动, 通常带点僵硬的感觉, 比如人生气的时候那种身体感觉, 想象一下.

"to vibrate, make vibrate, move away"

• her body trembling with fear

tremble一般指快速轻微的摇动, 比如吓得瑟瑟发抖

• A stern lecture that made them quake

想想地震 earthquake, 这个动的剧烈, 比如地震; 以及对某人产生很大的心理震动

• came into the house snow-covered and shivering

• shivered at the sight of the ancient gravestone

shiver通常形容冷的发抖, 或者被某物震撼住了.

还有很多其他同类词, 比如 quiver, shudder, wobble, teeter 等不一一讲了, 多了也记不住, 重点先记前几个吧, 尤其是 shake 这个比较通用, 一时想不到其他词就可以试试这个.

2. 拿起

我用的 pick up, 庄先生用的 take, 有什么区别呢?

pick 本意是含有 "to choose, select, pick out" 即选择挑选过的意思, 它构成的短语也会带些许这种隐含的意思, 比如我们说 pick sb up, 自然不是什么人你都会接.

pick up 中间没有空隔的时候, 有 take and lift upward 抬高之意, 在本文没有这种意思, 孟子母亲就是随手拿起剪刀就去剪, 所以用普通的 take 即可.

3. 没有织完的绸子

我这里直译成了 unfinished, 庄先生译的就巧妙多了, 没有织完 不就是 还在织机上没拿下来的 嘛, silk on the loom 多简单易懂.

4. 惊呆了

我译的是 Startled at, 庄先生用的是 Confounded by

Startled 本意有"动"的意思, 尤其是受了惊吓后, 比如你蹑手蹑脚的溜到某人身后拍他一下, 他就会被 startled.

run to and pro; move suddenly in surprise or fear
A startled person may gasp, jump, draw back or make a quick, jerky movement and then freeze. [Oh! You startled me ?I didn’t see you come in; startled by a rabbit running across his path.]

Confounded 更多是疑惑不解, 这里就是孟子不解他母亲为啥剪了还没织完的绸子. 所以这个词更适合这里.

perplexed by many conflicting situations or statements; filled with bewilderment

5. 睁着惊愕的眼睛

这里庄先生用了 bewilderment 与前面的 Confounded 对应又不重复. 用 gaze

Gaze is to look long and steadily, often with the implication of wonder, admiration, fascination, etc.: to gaze at a beautiful view; to gaze into the eyes of a loved one.

这里回忆一下前文的一句话 "孟轲看了看母亲，低下头，说："

这句话的译文中 MengKe cast a glance at his mother, and lowered his head, saying:" 用到了 glance, 也是 看 的意思, 它和 gaze 啥区别呢?

glance 是很快速的扫一眼, 孟子因为心虚, 所以他看了看母亲多半就是抬头瞄一眼立马低下头. 而 gaze 是长时间盯着看, 孟子因为很惊讶母亲剪断绸子, 所以盯着母亲看.

Glance refers to the act of looking briefly at something when one is preoccupied or in a hurry. [On the bus I always manage to glance at the headlines in the newspaper.]

附翻译对比

记录自己的翻译和庄绎传先生的, 日后方便回顾, 记住差异所在.

-: 我的翻译

+: 庄先生的参考翻译

-: Hearing this, his mother picked up a scissor with bewildered anger and cut off the unfinished silk fabric.

+: Hearing this, his mother shook with anger. She took a pair of scissors and cut through the silk on the loom.

母亲的行动惊呆了孟轲，他睁着惊愕的眼睛，不知如何是好。

-: Startled at his mother's motion, Meng Ke opened up his eyes in amazement and didn't know what to do.

+: Confounded by his mother's action, Meng Ke gazed at her in bewilderment, not knowing what to do.

孟轲悔过3.png

来练习一下吧

孟子悔过的第四部分

孟母痛心地指着那一根根丝线, 语重心长地说:
"你看, 这绸子是一根根丝线用力气织起来的. 人的学问是一点一滴慢慢积累起来的. 你不读书, 荒废学业, 就如同我剪断了这没织成的一匹绸子一样, 是件废品. 你不读书, 怎么能长大成材呢!"

参考译文见下一篇翻译练习.