汉译彭斯:苏格兰性未能彰显的英国诗人

Chinese Translation of Robert Burns:Insufficient Construction of His Scottish Identity

彭斯是中国翻译最早又最多的英国诗人之一,重译率很高。译者很早知道他的苏格兰身份,然而百余年汉译彭斯历程只是概念上将他定位为苏格兰农民诗人。晚清民初多关注其淳朴爱情诗歌,1920年代热衷其诗歌阶级属性,1980年代视野开阔,但仍未注意其苏格兰身份认同在汉译中的呈现问题。2014年苏格兰公投及其结果,意味着苏格兰身份之于苏格兰人的重要意义。近半苏格兰人不愿意生活在富裕的大不列颠,皆因丰富的民族身份认同资源足以支撑他们寻求独立的苏格兰之路。彭斯就是其中重要的文化资源之一。因此,彭斯汉译史需要重新检讨。

Among the earliest poets introduced to China was Robert Burns, whose works are translated and retranslated most in Chinese. Chinese translators were aware of his Scottish identity as an English poet in the early 20th century, but only confined him to a Scottish farmer poet in theory, with a preference for his love poems in the late Qing Dynasty and the early Republican period or a highlight of him as a farmer poet after the 1920s. Even after the 1980s when Burns was read from more diversified perspectives, Chi- nese translators still have failed to make sufficient reproduction of his Scottish identity in translation. Scottish independence referendum in 2014 and its result showed how tremendously Scottish people valued their Scottish identity. The reason why nearly half of the Scot- tish people voted Yes in the independence referendum is partly that their strong national identity promote them to search for an inde- pendent Scotland, rather than to remain within a wealthier and more powerful United Kingdom. Robert Burns is among these crucial national cultural resources. In brief, Chinese translation of Burns needs reevaluation.