作者:王曉輝
中國的說書藝術源遠流長,但究竟始于何時,已無從考證。今天,我們能見到的關于說書的最早的文物,就是成都出土的東漢說唱俑。俑高55厘米,灰陶制成,左臂挾一個小圓鼓,右手持鼓槌,瞇眼張口,笑容可掬,仿佛正說唱到精彩之處。說唱俑的出土,證明至少在漢代,說唱的藝術形式已經在民間廣泛流行了。
說唱藝術對后來的章回小說影響很大。明代小說《三國演義》《水滸傳》和《西游記》,最初都是評書(唐代叫“說話”)的話本,說書的“痕跡”十分明顯。
說書人在開講之前,往往會念上一首詩,或四句或八句,行話叫“定場詩”,主要是為了吸引注意,招徠聽眾。
《西游記》小說一開篇就是一首七言詩:
混沌未分天地亂,茫茫渺渺無人見。
自從盤古破鴻蒙,開辟從茲清濁辨。
覆載群生仰至仁,發(fā)明萬物皆成善。
欲知造化會元功,須看《西游釋厄傳》。
這是一首非常典型的定場詩,從混沌未分到盤古開天,從滋生萬物到文明教化,如果想知道自然的運行和發(fā)展的道理,請看《西游釋厄傳》。由古至今,由遠及近,自然而然的引出了《西游記》的故事。
定場詩未必是多么高明的詩,但功能性是很強的,須要節(jié)奏明快,通俗易懂,朗朗上口,要能將后面的故事引出來。西方雖然也有游吟詩人和史詩的創(chuàng)作傳統(tǒng),但似乎與小說關聯(lián)不大,外國小說中也很少見到這種寫作方式。從這個意義上說,定場詩是中國章回小說非常獨特的文化表現(xiàn)形式,也給翻譯提出了很大的挑戰(zhàn)。譯得好,對讀者理解故事情節(jié)大有幫助,譯得不好,反成雞肋,還不如省去。
那么,上面說的這首詩應該怎么翻譯呢?余國藩教授是這樣翻譯的:
Ere Chaos's divide, with Heav'n and Earth a mess,
No human appeared in this murkiness.
When Pan Gu broke the nebula apart,
The dense and pure defined, did clearing start.
Enfold all life supreme humaneness would
And teach all things how become good they should.
To know cyclic time's work, if that's your quest,
Read Tale of Woes Dispelled on Journey West.
余教授用雙韻體將這首詩譯成了英文,又加了兩個注解,對盤古和《西游釋厄傳》加以說明。即便不加注解,我想外國讀者也是可以看懂的。Ere(中古英語Middle English)就是before,混沌即Chaos,中西認識大致相同,都是指宇宙形成之前的無形無序的狀態(tài)。When Pan Gu broke the nebula apart, the dense and pure defined, did clearing start. 這句話清楚的解釋了盤古開天辟地,將混沌一片的星云分開,濁者為地,清者為天。有了天地,才有眾生和最高的人性,也就是“至仁”(supreme humaneness),才能教化萬物。會和元都是時間概念,一會為10,800年,一元為129,600年,“會元功”可以理解為漫長的時光中事物的發(fā)展變化過程。因為會和元不是我們今天所熟悉的線性時間概念,而是循環(huán)時間概念,所以,余教授將其譯為cyclic time's work。為了押韻,余教授插入了if that's your quest,與最后一句的west完美匹配。詩中《西游釋厄傳》可能是指明中期朱鼎臣所輯《西游記》簡本,“釋厄”就是消除災難,故譯成woes dispelled。
評書不是電影或者戲劇,所有的情節(jié)、場面、人物都要靠語言來鋪墊。每當有人物出場,說書人就要將其來歷、身份、相貌和性格向聽眾交代清楚,這叫“開臉兒”。如袁闊成的評書《三國演義》關公的開臉兒:“身高九尺五,虎體熊腰,面如重棗,臥蠶眉,丹鳳眼,高鼻梁,四字口,大耳相襯,胸前飄灑五綹長髯?!?開臉兒經常采用對偶句、詩詞或者韻文的形式,用評書的術語叫作“賦贊”?!段饔斡洝分杏^音菩薩的開臉兒就是一個非常典型的例子:
理圓四德,智滿金身。纓絡垂珠翠,香環(huán)結寶明。烏云巧迭盤龍髻,繡帶輕飄彩鳳翎。碧玉紐,素羅袍,祥光籠罩;錦絨裙,金落索,瑞氣遮迎。眉如小月,眼似雙星。玉面天生喜,朱唇一點紅。凈瓶甘露年年盛,斜插垂楊歲歲青。解八難,度群生,大慈憫。故鎮(zhèn)太山,居南海,救苦尋聲,萬稱萬應,千圣千靈。蘭心欣紫竹,蕙性愛香藤。他是落伽山上慈悲主,潮音洞里活觀音。
【配圖:彭靖雯】
說書人講到精彩之處,往往會來上一段“串口”,串口也叫垛句,是用排比重疊的句子強化效果。《西游記》第四回,孫悟空與哪吒三太子對陣:
六臂哪吒太子,天生美石猴王,
相逢真對手,正遇本源流。
那一個蒙差來下界,
這一個欺心鬧斗牛。
斬妖寶劍鋒芒快,
砍妖刀狠鬼神愁;
縛妖索子如飛蟒,
降妖大杵似狼頭;
火輪掣電烘烘艷,
往往來來滾繡球。
大圣三條如意棒,
前遮后擋運機謀。
苦爭數(shù)合無高下,
太子心中不肯休。
把那六件兵器多教變,
百千萬億照頭丟。
猴王不懼呵呵笑,
鐵棒翻騰自運籌。
以一化千千化萬,
滿空亂舞賽飛虬。
唬得各洞妖王都閉戶,
遍山鬼怪盡藏頭。
神兵怒氣云慘慘,
金箍鐵棒響颼颼。
那壁廂,天丁吶喊人人怕;
這壁廂,猴怪搖旗個個憂。
發(fā)狠兩家齊斗勇,
不知那個剛強那個柔。
這一大段串口下來,如行云流水,氣勢非凡,把悟空和哪吒的爭斗描寫的活靈活現(xiàn),栩栩如生。中文是方塊字單音節(jié),讀起來很容易形成對稱和頓挫的效果,而英文是字母文字,音節(jié)既多,又長短不一,所以,翻譯串口很難達到原文的效果。我們來看看余國藩教授翻譯的這幾句話:
The six-armed Prince Nata.
The Heaven-born Handsome Stone Monkey King.
Meeting, each met his match
And found each to be from the same source.
One was consigned to come down to Earth.
The other in guile disturbed the universe.
The edge of the monster-stabbing sword was quick;
The keen, monster-cleaving scimitar alarmed demons and gods;
The monster-binding rope was like a flying snake;
The monster-taming club was like the head of a wolf;
The lightning-propelled fiery wheel was like darting flames;
Hither and thither the embroidered ball rotated.
The three compliant rods of the Great Sage
Protected the front and guarded the rear with care and skill.
A few rounds of bitter contest revealed no victor,
But the prince's mind would not so easily rest.
He ordered the six kinds of weapon to change
Into hundreds and thousands of millions, aiming for the head.
The Monkey King, undaunted, roared with laughter loud,
And wielded his iron rod with artful ease:
One turned to a thousand, a thousand to ten thousand,
Filling the sky as a swarm of dancing dragons,
And shocked the Monster Kings of sundry caves into shutting their doors.
Demons and monsters all over the mountain hid their heads.
The angry breath of divine soldiers was like oppressive clouds.
The golden-hooped iron rod whizzed like the wind.
On this side,
The battle cries of celestial fighters appalled every one;
On that side,
The banner-waving of monkey monsters startled each person.
Growing fierce, the two parties both willed a test of strength.
We know not who was stronger and who weaker.
這一段翻譯非常準確,基本上做到了字字對應。孫悟空是石卵所生,自己炸開蹦出來的;哪吒是他母親懷了三年六個月產下個肉球,被父親用劍割開蹦出來的;兩個人出生之后都到龍宮里大鬧一番,有很相似的經歷,所以,《西游記》的作者才會說“相逢真對手,正遇本源流”。“棋逢對手”的英文翻譯是meet one's match in a contest,悟空和哪吒each met his match and found each to be from the same source。原文中哪吒的兵器——斬妖劍(monster-stabbing sword)、砍妖刀(monster-cleaving scimitar)、縛妖索(monster-binding rope)、降妖杵(monster-taming club)、火輪兒(lightning-propelled fiery wheel),一口氣說出,強化了驚心動魄的效果。余國藩教授在翻譯時,特意連續(xù)使用monster-stabbing、monster-cleaving、monster-binding、monster-taming,形成“英文串口”。但無論如何,多音節(jié)的字母文字也無法像單音節(jié)方塊字那樣產生對稱和鏗鏘的效果。好在外國讀者的目的是為了讀小說,而不是聽評書。
最后,再說說“關子”。關子也叫扣子,是說書人為了抓住聽眾故意丟下的懸念。評書是一段一段表演的,每到關鍵時刻,說書人把醒木一拍,這一節(jié)就結束了。這樣一來,聽眾就會被懸念提著,心癢難耐,迫不及待的等著下回分解?!段饔斡洝返诹亟Y尾,天兵天將捉了孫悟空,請玉帝發(fā)落。玉帝傳旨,即命大力鬼王與天丁等眾,押至斬妖臺,將這廝碎剁其尸。咦!正是:欺誑今遭刑憲苦,英雄氣概等時休。
畢竟不知那猴王性命如何,且聽下回分解。
The Jade Emperor then gave the order that the demon king Mahabali and the celestial guardians take the prisoner to the monster execution block, where he was to be cut to small pieces. Alas, this is what happens to
Fraud and impudence, now punished by the Law;
Heroics grand will fade in the briefest time!
We do not know what will become of the Monkey King; let's listen to the explanation in the next chapter.
聽眾都惦記著孫悟空能不能保住性命,一顆顆心都懸了起來,可就在這個時候,說書人不講了,吊足了大家的胃口。這就是賣“關子”。每到關鍵時刻,必定“下回分解”,這時候,說書人可以喘口氣兒,喝口茶,迫不及待的聽眾會送上幾文大錢,催促說書人快點往下講。
結尾“關子”的翻譯:
We do not know what will become of the Monkey King; let's listen to the explanation in the next chapter. (余國藩)
再看看其他幾位翻譯家是怎樣處理“下回分解”的:
To learn whether the outcome was favourable or otherwise, please turn to the next chapter. (閔福德 The Story of the Stone chapter 106)
If you do not know what lay in store for them on their way ahead listen to the explanation in the next installment. (詹納爾 Journey to the West chapter 83)
Could Lord Guan make good his escape? Read on. (羅慕士 Three Kingdoms chapter 27)
Yucun turned to look. But to know who it was, you must read the chapter which follows. (楊憲益、戴乃迭 A Dream of Red Mansions chapter 2)
If you wish for further details, you may learn them in the following chapter. (霍克斯 The Story of the Stone chapter 12)
翻譯家們也在盡量尋求一些變化,但結果都是大同小異。
評書詞話,取材于民間故事,吸收了老百姓的語言、智慧和想象,是章回小說的源頭,也是文化基因的活標本?!段饔斡洝放c說書藝術有著千絲萬縷的聯(lián)系,用心傾聽,仔細品味,就能感受到中華文化靜水流深,文脈躍動。