近日，為了給7月份將上映的電影《花木蘭》預熱，製片方放出了劉亦菲20秒試鏡片段。
視頻中，神仙姐姐念的臺詞正是中學課本裡要求全文背誦的《木蘭辭》最後一句：雙兔傍地走，安能辨我是雄雌？
這段臺詞是：
「Two rabbits running side by side, I think one is a female one is a male, but I cannot be sure.」
《木蘭辭》是一首收錄在《樂府詩集》裡的北朝民歌，與中國文學史上第一部長篇敘事詩《孔雀東南飛》並稱為「樂府雙璧」。詩中講述了巾幗英雄花木蘭，女扮男裝，替父從軍的傳奇故事。
北朝民歌，語言質樸易懂，又剛健有力。《木蘭辭》在體式上使用雜句，近似口語，但又不失押韻。敘事中又帶有抒情，畫面感極強。
在眾多文體中，詩歌翻譯可以說是最難的，既要忠實原作，又要考慮譯作的美學價值。這首辭的英文翻譯有很多版本，國內比較著名的一版是翻譯大家許淵衝教授的。
許教授的版本形似英文詩歌，韻腳押韻，aabb和abab兩種結構交替出現，我們一起來看看許譯的中英文對照節選：
木蘭辭
Song of Mulan
許淵衝 譯
aabb式選段：
唧唧復唧唧，木蘭當戶織。
不聞機杼聲，唯聞女嘆息。
問女何所思？問女何所憶？
女亦無所思，女亦無所憶。
Alack, alas! Alack, alas!
She weaves and sees the shuttle pass.
You cannot hear the shuttle, why?
Its whir is drowned in her deep sigh.
"Oh, what are you thinking about?
Will you tell us? Will you speak out?"
"I have no worry on my mind,
Nor have I grief of any kind.
昨夜見軍帖，可汗大點兵，
軍書十二卷，卷卷有爺名。
阿爺無大兒，木蘭無長兄，
願為市鞍馬，從此替爺徵。
I read the battle roll last night;
The Khan has ordered men to fight.
The roll was written in twelve books;
My father's name was in twelve nooks.
My father has no grown-up son,
For elder brother I have none.
I'll get a horse of hardy race
And serve in my father's place."
abab韻腳選段:
萬裡赴戎機，關山度若飛。
朔氣傳金柝，寒光照鐵衣。
將軍百戰死，壯士十年歸。
For miles and miles the army march along
And cross the mountain barriers as in flight.
The northern wind has chilled the watchman's gong,
Their coat of mail glistens in wintry light.
In ten years they've lost many captains strong,
But battle-hardened warriors come back in delight.
最後一段，也就是開篇試鏡裡的臺詞，譯者也許是為了保持押韻，對原作內容做了些調整。
雄兔腳撲朔，雌兔眼迷離；
兩兔傍地走，安能辨我是雄雌！
Both buck and doe have lilting gait
And both their eyelids palpitate.
When side by side two rabbits go,
Who can tell the buck from the doe?
許老先生的譯文很大程度上保持了原作行文，每一句話幾乎都能跟原文一一對應，誦讀時也因句尾的押韻而朗朗上口。
在儘可能保留原作韻味的同時，還要仿照英式詩歌體，其難度和限制可想而知，正如錢鍾書評價許淵衝時說的：「戴著手銬腳鐐跳舞」。
那麼，外國譯者能不能做到呢？
其實，早在一百多年前就已經有人做過嘗試，美國傳教士丁韙良（William Alexander Parsons Martin）1912年出版的譯作Chinese Legends and Lyrics 中就收錄了《木蘭辭》，不過，丁譯刪減了原作內容，並更多地使用意譯。
丁韙良（William Alexander Parsons Martin）
在韻律格式上丁譯採用了傳統英式民謠體，四行一節，1、3行四音步，2、4行三音步，abab押韻。可以說丁版更像是用英式歌謠講了一個東方傳說。
▌什麼是音步？
英語詩歌中重讀與非重讀音節的特殊性組合叫做音步。音步是詩歌的節拍。
通常一個音步由一個重讀音節和一到兩個弱讀音節組成。
以莎翁名句為例：
Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?
這句詩為弱強五步格，所以這麼讀：
Shall I // com-pare // thee-to // a sum- // mer's day?
（淺色弱讀，黑色部分重讀）
下面就是丁譯的《木蘭辭》，大家可以試試劃音步來讀。
Mulan, The Maiden Chief
丁韙良 譯
Say, maiden, at your spinning-wheel,
Why heave that deep-drawn sign?
Is 't fear perchance or love you feel,
Pray tell—oh, tell me why?
Nor fear nor love has moved my soul—
Away such idle thought!
A warrior's glory is the goal
By my ambition sought.
My father's cherished life to save,
My country to redeem,
The dangers of the field I'll brave—
I am not what I seem.
No son has he his troop to lead,
No brother dear have I;
So I must mount my father's steed,
And to the battle hie.
At dawn of day she quits her door,
At evening rests her head
Where loud the mountain torrents roar,
And mail-clad soldiers tread.
The northern plains are gained at last,
The mountains sink from view,
The sun shines cold, and the wintry blast,
It pierces through and through.
A thousand foes around her fall,
And red blood stains the ground,
But Mulan who survives it all,
Returns with glory crowned.
Before the throne they bend the knee,
In the palace of Chang-an,
Full many a knight of high degree,
But the bravest is Mulan.
"Nay Prince," she cries, "my duty's done,
No guerdon I desire,
But let me to my home begone,
To cheer my aged sire."
She nears the door of her father's home,
A chief with trumpet's blare,
But when she doffs her waving plume,
She stands a maiden fair.
讀過兩位大家的譯作，大家更喜歡哪一版呢？許譯尊重原著，但韻律稍遜於丁譯。丁教士的「手銬腳鐐」顯然不似許先生的那般沉重，但又似乎太過放飛自我，原意刪減大半，連兔子都刪沒了。
美國詩人羅伯特·弗洛斯特（Robert Frost）曾說：
Poetry is what gets lost in translation.
詩歌就是那在翻譯中失去的東西。
雖然有些極端，但這句話確實道出了詩歌翻譯之難。惟其如此，那些努力為兩種語言搭起橋梁的譯詩者，才更顯可敬。
（本文來源：中國日報）