新见杜诗英译一首——胡适译“The Song of the Conscript”考察

A Tentative Survey of Tu Fu's The Song of the Conscript Translated by Hu Shih

胡适曾经将杜甫《兵车行》译成英文,并以"The Song of the Conscript"为题在《中国留美学生月报》上正式发表,但此前一直不为人所知。胡适的"The Song of the Conscript"是《兵车行》由中国人独立完成的第一种英译版本,也是胡适惟一的一种汉诗英译作品,具有很高的翻译史价值。胡适提倡白话文,赞赏《兵车行》对时局的讽刺与批评,选择将其译为英文,与查尔斯·巴德的另外一种英译版本风格迥异,对当今英文实用翻译具有重要的启示。

Hu Shih, one of the greatest Chinese scholars in the 20th century, once published his English translation of Tu Fu＇s Bing Ju Xing under the title of The Song of the Conscript in The Chinese Students＇ Monthly. However, it hasn＇t been known by most people. The Song of the Conscript was the second English translation of Bing Ju Xing, and the first version finished by a Chinese as well. Hu Shih advocates vernacular Chinese, appreciates the poem＇s satire and criticism on cur- rent situation and makes English translation. Hu Shih＇s English version is quite different from Charles Budd＇s version, and has important enlightenment to English practical translation.