漢譯英散文佳作賞析：徐遲《枯葉蝴蝶》

Lappet Butterflies

徐遲

By Xu Chi

峨嵋山下，伏虎寺旁，有一種蝴蝶，比最美麗的蝴蝶可能還要美麗些，是峨嵋山最珍貴的特產(chǎn)之一。

At the foot of Mount Emei, around Fuhu Temple, there lives a species of butterfly--one of the rarest rarities of the mountain-that is probably even more beautiful than the most beautiful butterflies in the world.

當(dāng)它闔起兩張翅膀的時候，像生長在樹枝上的一張干枯了的樹葉。誰也不去注意它，誰也不會瞧它一眼。

With its wings closed it resembles a withered tree leaf hanging from a branch--scarcely noticeable to the human eye. Gathering its wings with exquisite patterns, it conceals its beautiful colors.

它收斂了它的花紋、圖案，隱藏了它的粉墨、彩色，逸出了繁華的花叢，停止了它翱翔的姿態(tài)，變成了一張憔悴的，干拈了的，甚至不是枯黃的，而是枯稿的，如同死灰顏色的枯葉。

When it flutters out from a cluster of blooming flowers and alights somewhere in the middle of its graceful flight, it turns into a dried leaf, not even of a withering yellow, but of a deathly grey.

它這樣偽裝，是為了保護(hù)自己。但是它還是逃不脫被捕捉的命運。不僅因為它的美麗，更因為它那用來隱蔽它的美麗的枯搞與憔悴。

It disguises its shape and colours in order to protect itself, but nevertheless it can't help ending up in being captured, not only because of its beauty, but more because of the withered quality of its appearance that covers up its beauty.

它以為它這樣做可以保護(hù)自己，殊不知它這樣做更教人去搜捕它。有一種生物比它還聰明，這種生物的特技之一是裝假作偽，因此裝假作偽這種行徑是瞞不過這種生物—人的。

It is misled to believe that by so doing it can keep itself out of danger. On the contrary it makes itself more attractive, because there is another creature-man-that is cleverer than this butterfly. 'Ibis creature is extremely skilled in masquerading himself; no masquerading whatsoever can slide by under his nose.

人把它捕捉，將它制成標(biāo)本，作為一種商品去出售，價錢越來越高。最后幾乎把它捕捉得再也沒有了。這一生物品種快要絕種了。

Man captures it, makes a specimen of it and sells it in the market at increasingly high prices. What happens as a result is that there is hardly any of the butterflies to be found-the species is dying out.

到這時候，國家才下令禁止捕捉枯葉蝶。但是，已經(jīng)來不及了。國家的禁止更增加了它的身價?？萑~蝶真是因此而要絕對的絕滅了。

The government has now decided to put a ban on its capture, but it's too late. The ban, instead, multiplies its price. The butterfly is on the verge of extinction.

我們既然有一對美麗和真理的翅膀，我們永遠(yuǎn)也不愿意闔上它們。做什么要裝模作樣，化為一只枯葉蝶，最后也還是被售，反而不如那翅膀兩面都光彩奪目的蝴蝶到處飛翔，被捕捉而又生生不息。

Since we have got a pair of wings of beauty and truth, there is no reason to hide them. Why do you have to turn yourself into a withered-leaf-like butterfly as you are bound to be netted and sold at the market? Isn't it better to fly around freely on your flashing, colorful wings and keep up the line of your species though some of you have to meet their doom?

我要我的翅膀兩面都光彩奪目。

I want both sides of my wings to shine.

我愿這自然界的一切都顯出它們的真相。

I hope everything in the world shows their true colors.