五四时期罗伯特·勃朗宁诗歌在中国的译介与影响

Translation of Robert Browning s Poetry and Its Influence in ChinaDuring the May Fourth Period

罗伯特·勃朗宁(Robert Browning,1812—1889)是英国维多利亚时期的重要诗人。然而,相比于同时期和浪漫主义时期的一些著名诗人,勃朗宁诗歌在中国五四时期的译介与影响都较为有限。勃朗宁的诗歌在题材、内容、意象以及语汇、韵律、节奏等方面与中国古典诗歌的传统和五四时期英诗汉译推崇的主流相悖,所以总体译介量偏少,代表作的译介更为鲜见。尽管如此,勃朗宁的诗歌仍为丰富中国新诗的创作做出了贡献,突出表现在新月派著名诗人闻一多在新诗创作中借鉴了勃朗宁诗歌的意象和表现手法。勃朗宁诗歌译介的个案揭示了五四时期中国诗坛在学习西方诗歌创作的同时,亦有对中国古典诗歌传统的坚守。中国现代诗人一方面通过译介进而借鉴西方的诗歌艺术,另一方面也采取了不进行译介而直接借鉴的做法。

Robert Browning(1812—1889)was a principal Victorian poet.Yet,translation of his poetry and its influence in China during the May Fourth period were limited compared to those of the poetry by some prominent poets of the Victorian and the Romantic Age.In terms of subject matters,contents,images,diction,rhyme and rhythm,Browning s poetry ran contrary to both the traditions of classic Chinese poetry and the mainstream of translated English poetry in China during the May Fourth period.Consequently,his poems were translated on a small scale,still less his masterpieces.However,Browning s poetry still nourished modern Chinese poetry mainly evidenced by the fact that Wen Yiduo,a renowned poet of the Crescent Moon Society,drew upon Browning in terms of images and techniques in his composition of modern poetry.The case of the introduction of Browning s poetry in China demonstrates that during the May Fourth period,Chinese poets not only borrowed from the West,but also stuck to the traditions of classic Chinese poetry.On the one hand,they drew on western poetic art via translation.On the other hand,they directly learned from the West without the medium of translation.