与原文相参,翟氏英译《聊斋志异》之“化”具体落实于两个层面:一是语言,二是文化意象。
翟理斯由于长期浸淫于中国文化和文字,能够辨识蒲松龄的写作风格,欣赏其洗练优美的语言,并在译文中加以传达。翟氏认为蒲松龄“文风纯真而优美”(purity and beauty of style),且在《聊斋志异》中将“简练风格发展到了极致”(terseness is pushed to its extreme limits),[12]翟氏对自己的译文也追求洗练优美的风格。
简洁是蒲松龄语言一大特点,如《雷曹》中“乐云鹤、夏平子,二人少同里,长同斋,相交莫逆”一句,蒲松龄采用连动句式,“少同里”、“长同斋”、“相交莫逆”连续性的谓语描述出了历时的变化,区区数语便将人物间由幼时至成年后的关系交代清楚。然而,连谓句在英语中却结构松散,表现力弱,因此,翟理斯将之译为:
“Le Yun-hao and Hsia P'ing-tzu lived as boys in the same village, and when they grew up read with the same tutor, becoming the firmest of friends.”[13]
在此,翟氏以时间状语从句和分词结构来翻译原文中的连谓句,使译文达到了同样简练、紧凑的艺术效果。
除用语洗练外,蒲松龄的文笔甚为优美。如《汪士秀》中描写蹴鞠的一段话,用笔极为生动,具有形象美、动态美与音乐美的特点:“踏猛似破,腾寻丈;中有漏光,下射如虹;蚩然疾落,又如经天之彗;直投水中,滚滚作沸泡声而灭。”翟氏译作:
“It seemed unusually light and soft to the touch, and his foot broke right through. Away went the ball to a good height, pouring forth a stream of light like a rainbow from the hole Wang had made, and making as it fell a curve like that of a comet rushing across the sky. Down it glided into th