中国文学外译中的改题与接受及传播——以Arthur Waley为例

程章灿
南京大学

在20世纪西方汉学史和中国文学外译史上，魏理（Arthur Waley，1889-1966）是一个传奇性的人物。他翻译了大量中国文学作品，包括《诗经》、《楚辞•九歌》、《西游记》等经典名著以及汉魏六朝唐宋 诗人的名篇，其译文流畅可读，充满诗意，富有文采，吸引了广大读者，在西方特别是英语世界产生了广远的影响。他对自己的译文非常重视，字斟句酌，不断修 订，足见其态度之认真谨严。特别值得注意的是，在英译中，魏理对中国文学作品的题目（包括书名和篇名）作了不少改动，往往化繁为简，突出重点，有助于译文 的接受与传播。他的改题既体现了魏理对这些作品主旨的理解，以及对意义重点的把握，也反映了中西方文学对于诗歌题目的不同认识。透过他的译本改题及其误 读，可以总结中国文学外译的经验教训，并进而思考中西文学之异同，促进中外文化的交流。

The Shift of Emphasis, Reception, and Spread of Chinese Literature Translated into Foreign Languages – The Case of Arthur Waley

CHENG, Zhangcan
Nanjing University

In the 20th century, Arthur Waley (1889-1966) has been a legendary figure in the history of sinology and the translation of Chinese literature. He had translated many pieces of Chinese literature into the English language, including the Shijing (Book of Odes), the Chuci, Jiuge (Songs of Chu), the Xiyou Ji (Journey to the West), and many other classics and masterpieces from the Han Dynasty, the Six Dynasties, the Tang Dynasty, and the Song Dynasty. His translations are fluent and readable, poetic, elegant and refined. They have attracted a great number of readers and have had a far-reaching influence in the west, especially in the English-speaking world. Waley paid much attention to the quality of his translations, giving them constant revision, showing his desire to produce a responsible and meticulously done translation work. It is remarkable that Waley made substantial changes in his translations concerning the titles of works (including book and chapter titles), often simplifying complicated expressions and emphasizing the main point, which was beneficial for the acceptance and spread of the translated texts. The changes of book titles reflect his understanding of the main topics of the works and his grasp of the essential meanings. His changes also reflect the differences between China and the West concerning the understanding of the titles of poems. Through his changes of titles and through his misreading, we can also learn some lessons for the translation of Chinese literature into other languages. As a further step, we can reflect on the differences and common elements between Chinese and Western literature and foster the dialogue between Chinese and foreign cultures.