陈世骧与哈罗德·阿克顿交游考

On the Partnership between Chen Shih-hsiang and Harold Acton

陈世骧与哈罗德·阿克顿,在20世纪30年代的北京大学英文系结下了师生缘。陈世骧在阿克顿的引导下,走上了终其一生的中西文学互鉴之路。阿克顿的纯粹唯美主义汉学思想,经陈世骧的中国文化视角诠释后更显纯熟;身为青年汉学学者的陈世骧,也因邂逅良师阿克顿,而与汉学结下不解之缘。阿克顿与陈世骧在20世纪30年代,合作在原北大英文系系主任温源宁主编的《天下月刊》上翻译白话文新诗,又于1936年合译《中国现代诗选》,以“以诗译诗”的精湛译笔,首次将古韵典雅的中国白话新诗推向英语世界。20世纪40年代,师生为同筑未尽“还乡”梦,联手再译《桃花扇》,《桃花扇》全译本以卓越学术水准和纯粹诗化风格,成就了中英文学翻译史上的一段佳话。

Chen Shih-hsiang met Harold Acton at the Department of English,Peking University in the 1930s.With the guide and help of Acton,Chen embarked on the lifelong academic journey of the mutual learning between Chinese and Western literature.The pure aestheticism of Acton’s sinology ideas was enriched and perfected by Chen and Chen,under the guide of Acton,became devoted to formed an indissoluble bond with Sinology.Early in the 1930s,Chen and Acton worked together to translate the poems written in vernacular Chinese and publish the translations on T’ien Hsia Monthly edited by Wen Yuanning,former dean of Department of English,Peking University.In 1936,they collaborated to translate the Collection of Modern Chinese Poetry,promoting the beautifully translated quaint and elegant Chinese poems in the English-speaking world.In the 1940s,they co-translated The Peach Blossom Fan.The translation has lasting impact on the Chinese-English literature translation history with excellent translation skills and stunning poetic style.