雙語詩歌翻譯|列子-《古代寓言·砍倒了梧桐樹》

寓言是一種歷史悠久而生命力強大的古老文體，雖多形制短小，卻有豐厚的內(nèi)涵。中國古代寓言大多數(shù)以人物故事為載體，說理深刻透辟，包含許多人生智慧。中國先秦時期寓言創(chuàng)作最為興盛，不少寓言作者是世界一流的思想家。《莊子》、《列子》中的寓言，想象飛馳，語言富麗，表現(xiàn)了道家重道、貴虛、齊物、逍遙的思想；《韓非子》中的寓言，文字簡潔準(zhǔn)確，表現(xiàn)了法家因時變法、嚴(yán)刑峻法的主張；《戰(zhàn)國策》中的寓言，手法鋪張，氣勢宏偉，針對外交、內(nèi)政、軍事方面的大事，隨機應(yīng)變，往往能夠收到化險為夷的效果?！洞笾腥A文庫·中國古代寓言選(漢英對照)》從這些先秦著名典籍中編選了許多寓言，同時還收錄了后世其他寓言佳作，共選取121篇作品。它們流傳廣，飽含智慧，對文學(xué)創(chuàng)作和語言的發(fā)展影響很大?！洞笾腥A文庫·中國古代寓言選(漢英對照)》英譯者為著名文學(xué)翻譯家楊憲益、戴乃迭先生。

《古代寓言·砍倒了梧桐樹》

人有枯梧樹者，其鄰人言：
“枯梧之樹不祥?！?br />其鄰人遽而伐之。鄰人父因請以薪。
其人乃不悅曰：“鄰人之父，徒欲為薪，而教吾伐之也，與我鄰若此其險，豈可哉！”
——《列子》

Felling the Plane Tree
A man had a withered plane tree.
"It's unlucky to keep a withered tree," said his neighbour.
But when the first man had felled the tree, his neighbour asked him for some of the wood as fuel.
"The old man simply wanted some fuel," thought the owner of the tree indignantly. "That's why he told me to fell my tree. We are neighbours, and yet he tricks me in this way—this is really going too far."
Lie Zi