薇拉·凯瑟　曹明伦/译析

Sometimes the Doctor heard the gossipers in the drug-store wondering why Rosicky didnt get on faster. He was industrious， and so were his boys， but they were rather free and easy， werent pushers， and they didnt always show good judgment. They were comfortable， they were out of debt， but they didnt get much ahead. Maybe， Doctor Burleigh reflected， people as generous and warm-hearted and affectionate as the Rosickys never got ahead much; maybe you couldnt enjoy your life and put it into the bank， too.

有時候，医生会在杂货店里听见些闲聊，不少人都纳闷，为什么罗西基家没能更快地发家致富。罗西基很勤劳，孩子们也都肯干，但他们凡事都顺其自然，从不争强好胜，况且也并非事事都做出了明智的判断。一家人生活舒适，从不欠债，但也没攒下多少钱。伯利医生最终认识到，像罗西基一家那样慷慨、热心、仁慈的人绝不可能攒下许多钱，而兴许只有不懂享受生活的人才会把钱存进银行。

When Rosicky left Doctor Burleighs office， he went into the farm-implement store to light his pipe and put on his glasses and read over the list Mary had given him. Then he went into the general merchandise place next door and stood about until the pretty girl with the plucked eyebrows， who always waited on him， was free. Those eyebrows， two thin India-ink strokes， amused him， because he remembered how they used to be. Rosicky always prolonged his shopping by a little joking; the girl knew the old fellow admired her， and she liked to chaff with him.

离开伯利医生的诊所后，罗西基进了旁边的农具店。他在那儿点上烟斗，戴上老花镜，把玛丽给他的购物单看了一遍，然后进了隔壁的百货店，进店后他站了一会儿，等平时接待他的那个修过眉毛的漂亮姑娘空出手来。姑娘那两条黑墨水划出的曲线让罗西基觉得有趣，因为他还记得那两道眉毛本来的模样。罗西基在百货店购物总喜欢慢慢吞吞，趁机同那姑娘说说笑话；姑娘知道老人是喜欢她，所以也愿意和他开开玩笑。

“Seems to me about every other week you buy ticking， Mr. Rosicky， and always the best quality，” she remarked as she measured off the heavy bolt with red stripes.

“罗西基先生，你好像隔一星期就要买些被套料，而且总买质量最好的。”姑娘摊开一匹红条纹厚棉布，开始量罗西基要的尺寸，一边量一边跟他说话。

“You see， my wife is always makin goose-feddar pillows， an de thin stuff dont hold in dem little down-fedders.”

“要知道，我老伴儿总是在做鹅绒枕头，料子薄了可罩不住细绒。”

“You must have lots of pillows at your home.”

“你家肯定有好多枕头。”

“Sure. She makes quilts of dem， too. We sleeps easy. Now shes makin a fedder quilt for my sons wife. You know Polly， that married my Rudolph. How much my bill， Miss Pearl？”

“那是当然。我老伴儿还做鹅绒被呢。我们睡得挺舒服的。现在她要给我儿媳妇做一床。你认识波莉吧，她嫁给鲁道夫了。该给你多少钱，珀尔小姐？”

“Eight eighty-five.”

“八元八角五。”

“Chust make it nine， and put in some candy fur de women.”

“凑够九元吧。给女人买点糖果。”

“As usual. I never did see a man buy so much candy for his wife. First thing you know， shell be getting too fat.”

“又买糖果。我就没见过别的男人给太太买这么多糖果。你得知道，她会长胖的。”

“Id like dat. I aint much fur all dem slim women like what de style is now.”

“我就喜欢胖。我见不得现今那些瘦筋筋的女人。”

“Thats one for me， I suppose， Mr. Bohunk！” Pearl sniffed and elevated her India-ink strokes.

“我想你是在说我这种女人吧，欧洲来的先生！”珀尔小姐鼻子一哼，黑眉一扬。

When Rosicky went out to his wagon， it was beginning to snow，—the first snow of the season， and he was glad to see it. He rattled out of town and along the highway through a wonderfully rich stretch of country， the finest farms in the county. He admired this High Prairie， as it was called， and always liked to drive through it. His own place lay in a rougher territory， where there was some clay in the soil and it was not so productive. When he bought his land， he hadnt the money to buy on High Prairie; so he told his boys， when they grumbled， that if their land hadnt some clay in it， they wouldnt own it at all. All the same， he enjoyed looking at these fine farms， as he enjoyed looking at a prize bull.

罗西基出了百货店朝马车走去时，天开始下雪了。这是今冬的第一场雪，他很高兴看见雪花。他赶着马车出了镇子，顺着大路穿过一大片辽阔而富饶的土地，这里有全县最好的一些农田。他羡慕这片被人们叫作“高地草原”的土地，总喜欢驾车穿过那里。他自家的地在一个不太平坦的区域，那里的土壤有黏性，收成不太好。他当年买地时钱不够多，买不起“高地草原”的地，所以孩子抱怨时他就会对他们说，要是那块地没黏性，那很可能就不归他家所有了。不过他仍然喜欢欣赏那些肥沃的耕地，就像他喜欢欣赏比赛中获奖的公牛一样。

【背景知识】《邻居罗西基》是美国女作家薇拉·凯瑟（1873—1947）于1930年发表的一篇重要短篇小说。小说通过回忆和追述的手法，讲述了波希米亚移民罗西基朴素而充实的一生，展现了拓荒者及其后代善良、朴素、勤劳、热爱生活、眷念土地的可贵品质。小说主题深刻，结构匀称，笔触细腻，文字优美，人物性格刻画清晰，翻译时应注意描摹。

【第1段】 注意get on、free and easy、get ahead这些常用短语的意思都非常丰富，译者需要结合语境选择译文措辞。英国语言学家约翰·鲁珀特·弗斯（John Rupert Firth，1890—1960）在其《意义的模式》（Modes of Meaning）一文中曾说：“词义的选用应服从一个总的规则，即每个词用在新的语境中都是一个新词。”（The use of the word “meaning” is subject to the general rule that each word when used in a new context is a new word.）将werent pushers翻译成“从不争强好胜”，never got ahead much翻译成“没攒下多少钱”，都是遵从这个规则。

【第2段】注意最好别把light his pipe翻译成“点上他的烟斗”，也别把put on his glasses翻译成“戴上他的老花镜”（省略原文中的物主代词）；语法学家曾提醒我们：“汉语中‘我的‘你的这类词有时可以省掉。”英语说“He entered the room， his coat covered with snow and his nose red with cold.”，而汉语只需说“他走进屋来，大衣上尽是雪，鼻子冻得通红”。（参阅张道真《实用英语语法》第二次修订本第64页，商务印书馆，1979）

【第3段】此处bolt = a large roll of cloth of a definite length；有人按字面把she remarked as she measured off the heavy bolt with red stripes翻译成“她一边说，一边量着一大匹红色条纹布”。比较两种译文，回忆一下我们上次提到的“隐性深度翻译”。

【第4—11段】makin = making；goose-feddar = goose-feather；an de = and the；dont = doesnt；dem = them；Chust = Just；fur de = for the；dat = that。“《鄰居罗西基》（节选一）”的译析提醒过捷克移民罗西基讲英语发音不标准。Bohunk是美国英语俚语，由Bohemian（波希米亚人）和Hungarian（匈牙利人）缩合而成，用于贬称来自欧洲中部和东部的移民（尤指工人）。另外，请注意参考译文把罗西基口中的my wife译成“老伴儿”（而非妻子），slim women译成“瘦筋筋的女人”（而非苗条的女人）。

【第12段】不要一见farm就都翻译成“农场”，此段中的两个farms都可以译作“农田”“耕地”或“田地”（a tract of land cultivated for the purpose of agricultural production）。

【小结】本次译析强调了英国语言学家弗斯指出的“词义的选用应服从一个总的规则，即每个词用在新的语境中都是一个新词”，译者需要结合语境选择译文措辞；再次强调了英译汉中的“代词还原及其省略”，尤其是注意省略英文中的物主代词。