以译架桥 以诗传脉——《将进酒》三版英译的跨语际对话与价值

发布时间:2026-02-09 12:17

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李白《将进酒》是盛唐诗歌的璀璨瑰宝,其豪放风骨与中式哲思成为中华文化的经典符号,而这首诗的英译探索,更是中华文化出海的重要样本。从许渊冲“三美论”的文学化熔铸,到宇文所安的汉学式忠实译介,不同译笔的碰撞,不仅是中英语言韵律的跨语际适配,更是中式文化意象、精神内核向西方审美体系的传递与对话。

李白创作《将敬酒》的背景:唐玄宗天宝初年,李白由道士吴筠推荐,由唐玄宗招进京,命李白为供奉翰林。不久,因权贵的谗毁,于天宝三载(744),李白被排挤出京。此后,李白在江淮一带盘桓,思想极度烦闷,又重新踏上了云游祖国山河的漫漫旅途。李白多次与友人岑勋(岑夫子)应邀到嵩山另一好友元丹丘的颍阳山居为客,三人登高饮宴,借酒放歌。人生快事莫若置酒会友,作者又正值“抱用世之才而不遇合”之际,于是满腔不合时宜借酒兴诗情,以抒发满腔不平之气,从而留下千古绝唱。

《将进酒》

李白

君不见黄河之水天上来,奔流到海不复回。

君不见高堂明镜悲白发,朝如青丝暮成雪。

人生得意须尽欢,莫使金樽空对月。

天生我材必有用,千金散尽还复来。

烹羊宰牛且为乐,会须一饮三百杯。

岑夫子,丹丘生,将进酒,杯莫停。

与君歌一曲,请君为我倾耳听。

钟鼓馔玉不足贵,但愿长醉不愿醒。

古来圣贤皆寂寞,惟有饮者留其名。

陈王昔时宴平乐,斗酒十千恣欢谑。

主人何为言少钱,径须沽取对君酌。

五花马、千金裘,呼儿将出换美酒,与尔同销万古愁。

翻译这首诗的版本很多,今天我们首先精选美国汉学家宇文所安的译作:

Bringing in theWine

LiBai (701-762)

Translated by Stephen Owen

See how the Yellow River’s waters move out of heaven.

Pouring into the sea, never to return.

See how lovely locks in bright mirrors in highhalls

Haveturned to snow by evening—oh, pour the cup!

If life’s得意(achievement brings joy), then let all your spirits rise,

And never let a golden cup face the moon empty.

Heaven gave me talents—they must be put to use;

A thousand in gold scattered and gone—

it will all come back again.

Boil the mutton, roast the ox—let us have our pleasure,

Just three hundred cups to make one long drink!

Master Cen,

Danqiuthe lad,

Bring in the wine,

Let the cups never rest!

Let me sing you a song—

Bend your ears and hear it:

Bells and drums, fine foods—these aren’t worth prizing,

I only want to stay dead drunk and never sober.

Since time immemorial the sober have been left unnamed,

While all great drinkers have won celebrity.

The prince of Chen once feasted in the Hall of Peace—

A gallon of wine cost ten thousand coins—all for laughter and play.

So why does my host tell me he’s short on cash?

I say, Go right out and buy us more wine!

My dappled horse,

My furs worth a thousand,

Call the boy to take them and trade for fine wine,

And here together we’ll melt the sorrows of all eternity!

(摘自宇文所安(Stephen Owen)《中国文学选集:从先秦到1911》(An Anthology of Chinese Literature: Beginnings to 1911)1996年精装本第305页)

宇文所安英译的《将进酒》,让西方读者读懂了李白的狂放与旷达。

核心优点:以“文本忠实”为核心,还原原诗的本貌、气势与现场感。

第一,宇文所安几乎逐字贴合原诗的表达,甚至对易产生歧义的词汇直接标注中文+释义(如“得意(achievement brings joy)”),学术严谨性拉满,完全保留了原诗的文字肌理,无冗余修饰,贴合“天上来”的宏大描写,很有气势。

第二,现场感与口语感极致还原李白《将进酒》作为歌行体,句式长短错落、短句斩截、呼告直白,兼具“放歌”的韵律与“对话”的口语,宇文所安精准捕捉了这一特质,以短句拆分、直接呼告、口语化表达复刻原诗的现场感。

第三,文化专有名词与典故不做本土化改写,传递中式文化内涵。人物称谓直译为“Master Cen(岑夫子)”“Danqiuthe lad(丹丘生)”,未做“dear friends”的泛化处理,保留了原诗的具体指向;历史典故直译为“the prince of Chen(陈王)”“the Hall of Peace(平乐宫)”,未做意译简化,让有汉学基础的读者能直接关联到曹植的典故,理解李白“以古自比”的深层情感。

此外,中式意象原汁原味还原,“青丝”译为“lovely locks”、“雪发”译为“turned to snow”、“五花马”译为“dappled horse”、“千金裘”译为“furs worth a thousand”,无额外的修饰解释,保留了中式意象的凝练之美。

第四,标题译法精准贴合原诗本意,全诗文字简洁,无冗余修饰,还原原诗的豪放磅礴气势。《Bringing in the Wine》,直译为“端酒来”。开篇写黄河的两句,无任何形容词堆砌,仅以“move out of heaven”“Pouring into the sea”便勾勒出黄河奔涌的磅礴画面,贴合原诗的宏大感;“朝如青丝暮成雪”译为“Have turned to snow by evening”,简洁的表述却传递出时光飞逝的悲怆,无多余的情感铺垫,留白感与原诗一致;结尾“与尔同销万古愁”译为“here together we’ll melt the sorrows of all eternity!”,“melt”一词精准且有画面感,“all eternity”贴合“万古”的时空纵深感,让结尾的豪放与酣畅直达心底,气势不输原诗。

值得商榷的地方:

首先,不押韵,散文化,英语诵读感弱,缺少诗歌的音律美。李白的原作,是押韵的,诗歌朗朗上口,韵律节奏鲜明。但是,该译作用散文化处理,放弃了押韵和节奏,让西方读者读不到原作的诗意优美,文化互鉴打了折扣。

其次,部分直译导致普通英语读者的理解障碍,如“Bells and drums, fine foods”直译为“钟鼓和美食”,普通读者无法理解这是中式文化中“豪门贵族的富贵生活”的象征,仅会理解为字面的乐器和食物,无法体会原诗对富贵的鄙夷。“the prince of Chen”“the Hall of Peace”无任何注释,普通读者完全不知道“陈王是谁”“平乐宫是什么地方”,无法理解李白引此典故的用意,导致深层情感的传递失效。对无中文基础的普通英语读者而言,存在严重的理解隔阂。

再次,个别译法稍显生硬或随意,与原诗的语境、情感略有偏差。如“丹丘生”译为“Danqiuthe lad”,“lad”在英语中意为“小伙子、少年”,而丹丘生是李白的道友,与李白同辈且年长,用“lad”称呼稍显随意,甚至有辈分偏差,不如译为“MasterDanqiu”更贴合。“会须一饮三百杯”译为“Just three hundred cups to make one long drink!”,“make one long drink”在英语中稍显生硬,且“long drink”通常指“加冰的长饮鸡尾酒”,与原诗的“放量豪饮”语境略有违和;“天生我材必有用”译为“they must be put to use”,虽字面忠实,但“必须被使用”的表达偏客观陈述,缺少原诗中李白“睥睨天下、笃定自身价值”的主观自信与狂放,情感浓度稍弱。

总之,这版译作是为汉学研究者、有中文基础的英语读者而译,它摒弃了为适配英语而做的刻意改写,最大程度保留了原诗的中式特质,让西方读者能透过译文看到《将进酒》的主要意境。而其不足,皆是因“忠实性”让渡了英语的韵律美与普通读者的适配性,并非译法的失误,而是翻译定位与研究视角带来的必然取舍。

接下来,我们精选了许渊冲大师的译作:

Invitation to Wine

Li Bai Tr. By Xu Yuanchong

Do you not see the Yellow River come from the sky,

Rushing into the sea and never come back?

Do you not see the mirrors bright in chambers high,

Grieve over your snow-white hair though once it was silk-black?

When hopes are won, oh! Drink your fill in high delight,

And never leave your wine-cup empty in moonlight!

Heaven has made us talents, we’re not made in vain.

A thousand gold coins spent, more will turn up again.

Kill a cow, cook a sheep and let us merry be,

And drink three hundred cupfuls of wine in high glee.

Dear friends of mine,

Cheer up, cheer up!

I invite you to wine.

Do not put down your cup!

I will sing you a song, please hear,

O hear! lend me a willing ear!

What difference will rare and costly dishes make?

I only want to get drunk and never to wake.

How many great men were forgotten through the ages?

But great drinkers are more famous than sober sages.

The Prince of Poets feasted in his palaceatwill,

Drank wineatten thousand a cask and laughed his fill.

A host should not complain of money he is short,

To drink with you I will sell things of any sort.

My fur coat worth a thousand coins of gold

And my flower-dappled horse may be sold

To buy good wine that we may drown the woe age-old.

(摘自中国对外翻译出版有限公司许渊冲译《唐诗三百首(300 Tang Poems)》,1979年版,第122页)

核心优点:以“三美”铸译笔,融原诗魂于英文,经典且耐读。

第一,意美至上,完整复刻原诗情感层次,凸显豪放气质。李白《将进酒》的情感曲线是“叹时光易逝→抒天生我材的自信→纵酒尽欢的狂放→鄙富贵轻功名的洒脱→销万古愁的酣畅”,许译以精准的意译+贴合语境的词汇,将这一曲线完整落地,且每一处情感表达都与原诗的浓度、基调高度契合。“天生我材必有用,千金散尽还复来”, 舍弃字面的“必有用”“还复来”,以“not made in vain”“more will turn up again”的英语表达,传递出李白那份睥睨金钱、笃定自身价值的狂放自信,意合远胜于字合。译作精准还原了原诗的呼告语气与对话感:将“岑夫子,丹丘生,将进酒,杯莫停”译为“Dear friends of mine, Cheer up, cheer up! I invite you to wine. Do not put down your cup!”,以叠词“Cheer up, cheer up!”和祈使句,复刻了李白对友人的急切劝酒之态,画面感与口语感兼具,完美还原原诗的现场感。

第二,音美入骨:韵律工整且流畅,诵读感贴合原诗的跌宕气势。全诗以尾韵为主,且多采用隔行韵、联韵,如开篇几句用sky/back、high/black形成工整的韵脚,读来朗朗上口;后续“delight/moonlight”“vain/again”“be/glee”等韵脚,始终保持连贯,无生硬押韵的滞涩,且韵脚的转换贴合情感的起伏,豪放处韵脚明快,抒怀处韵脚舒缓。译作节奏错落贴合原诗,如长句铺陈黄河奔涌、时光流逝的宏大场景(如“Rushing into the sea and never come back”),短句强化劝酒、抒怀的急切感(如“Do not put down your cup!”“O hear! lend me a willing ear!”),节奏的张弛与原诗高度契合。

第三,形美兼顾:句式对仗,形式贴合原诗的古典美。如开篇两句“Do you not see the Yellow River come from the sky... Do you not see the mirrors bright in chambers high...”,句式完全对仗,且“the Yellow River come from the sky”与“the mirrors bright in chambers high”的结构对称,既贴合原诗的对仗形式,又符合英语的语法逻辑。

第四,文化转译巧思:兼顾还原与适配,无英语读者的理解障碍。如“青丝”译为“silk-black”、“雪发”译为“snow-white”,以复合形容词精准捕捉原诗意象的凝练之美,既贴合本意,又让英语读者感受到中式比喻的精妙;“五花马”译为“flower-dappled horse”、“千金裘”译为“fur coat worth a thousand coins of gold”,既还原了意象的核心特征,又用英语的修饰语解释了其“名贵”的属性,无需额外注释。将“陈王(曹植)”译为“The Prince of Poets”(诗仙/诗王),既贴合曹植的文学身份,又让英语读者瞬间理解李白引此典故的用意——以同为才子的曹植自比,怀才不遇却纵酒尽欢,避免了直译“Prince Chen”的文化隔阂;“平乐宫”译为“his palace”,以泛指替代专有名词,不影响核心意思,且简化了英语读者的理解成本。

第五,文化词汇的适度意译:“高堂”译为“chambers high”,舍弃“高堂”的中式家庭意象(原指高敞厅堂,非专指父母居处),以“高敞的房间”替代,既贴合原诗语境,又避免了英语读者对“high hall”的误读;“金樽”未直译“golden cup”,而是通过语境体现,让译作更简洁,无冗余词汇。

值得商榷的地方:

首先,部分文化意象的内涵略有窄化。“钟鼓馔玉”译为“rare and costly dishes”,原词不仅指“珍贵的饮食”,更涵盖了豪门贵族的礼乐、生活方式,是“富贵功名”的整体象征,译作仅聚焦于“饮食”,稍显窄化了原诗对整个富贵阶层的鄙夷。“万古愁”译为“the woe age-old”,虽精准对应“千古的愁绪”,但“万古”所蕴含的时空纵深感与人生千古的无奈,在英语的简单修饰中略有弱化。

其次,个别字句的气势稍弱于原诗。“天生我材必有用”译为“Heaven has made us talents, we’re not made in vain.”,“not made in vain”(并非徒劳而生)虽达意,但原诗中“必有用”的笃定、强势的自信,在这一表达中稍显柔和,不如更直接的译法(如“We are born for a great purpose”)更贴合李白的狂放。“奔流到海不复回”译为“never come back”,虽简洁,但原诗中“不复回”的决绝、磅礴的气势,在这一简单表达中略有弱化,不如“never turn back”更有力量感。

再次,个别代词的泛化,稍显模糊。许译将“天生我材必有用”的“我”译为“us”(Heaven has made us talents),以复数替代单数,虽让英语读者更有代入感,但稍显模糊了原诗中李白个人的自我抒怀——这句诗是李白对自身才华的笃定,是极具个人色彩的狂放宣言,复数的“us”弱化了这份个人化的情感表达。

总之,许渊冲先生的《Invitation to Wine》是古典诗词英译的典范之作,也是《将进酒》英译的标杆。其译笔以“三美论”为核心,在中英语言、文化的鸿沟之间,做到了意美、音美、形美的高度统一,既忠实还原了李白原作的情感脉络、豪放气质与核心主旨,又将其熔铸为一首独立、优秀的英语诗歌,让英语读者能真正感受到中国古典诗词的魅力,实现了古典诗词的跨文化传播。一些微疵,是诗词翻译都无法回避的取舍问题,且这些不足皆为“白璧微瑕”,丝毫不会影响译作的经典地位。

尽管许多翻译家都翻译了《将进酒》,与许渊冲大师相比,都相形见绌。为了节省篇幅,就不一一列举了。仅把我自己的拙作拿出来,向先辈和大师学习致敬。

Come, Drink the Wine!

By Li Bai Tr. By Wang Yongli

Do you not see the Yellow River surge from the vault of sky?

Rush to the boundless sea, and ne'er turn back, e'er pass by?

Do you not see, in hall high, bright mirror breeds sore sigh?

At dawn, silk-black tresses;atdusk, snow-white dye?

When life blazes with bliss, let joy fill every breath!

Ne'er leave the golden cup against the moon bare to death!

Heaven made me gifted,I shall not be used in vain!

A thousand gold coins spent, more shall flow back again!

Boil the sheep, slay the ox, let merry feasts begin!

We must drain three hundred cups, let high joy win!

Master Cen, SageDanqiu, come, drink the wine apace!

Ne'er set the goblet down, nor halt the drinking race!

I’ll sing you a song, pray lean close and hear!

Lend me thy heedful heart, let every note draw near!

Bells,drums,jade feasts such treasures are not worth our cheer!

I crave but drunk dreams deep, ne'er to stand sober ere!

Sages and saints of old, all lost in silent night!

Only the bold drinkers live in eternal light!

Prince Chen once feasted grand at Palace of Peace and Joy!

A flask of wine cost ten thousand, joy unconfined did cloy!

Why says our host his gold is scant, his purse run dry?

We'll buy fine wine straightway, and drink with thee, sky-high!

My dappled steed, my furs worth a thousand in gold!

Call the boy to trade them for wine, tales untold!

With thee, we'll melt thegriefsof ages, all stories old!

首先,在信的层面,我努力保留原意,继承前辈和大师的优点,解决几个难译点,如,青丝译silk-black tresses、雪发译snow-white dye,保留原诗的比喻凝练;五花马译dappled steed of five blooms,既贴合“五花”的纹饰特征,钟鼓馔玉译Bells and drums, jade feasts,保留文化符号,又以trinkets of the world点出“不足贵”的内核。典故不改写不模糊:陈王/平乐宫译为Prince Chen/Palace of Peace and Joy,保留专有指向,又以feasted grand/joy unconfined did cloy补出“恣欢谑”的放纵感,也弥补了宇文所安无情感铺垫的生硬。

其次,在达的层面,我力求句式张弛与原诗高度契合:开篇以长句铺陈黄河奔涌的宏大,劝酒处用短句斩截(Master Cen, SageDanqiu...),放歌处用呼告句(oh, bend thine ear to hear!),复刻原诗“缓-急-酣”的节奏,比宇文所安的短句拆分更流畅,句式更贴合歌行体的自由。

再次,在雅的层面,我力求押韵精工,全诗采用AABB通韵(sky/by, sigh/dye, breath/death...),韵脚为英语诗歌经典的“阳韵”,诵读时朗朗上口。用词兼具古典性与画面感:用lay(古典歌谣)替代普通的song,贴合原诗的乐府特质;用drain(一饮而尽)替代drink,还原“一饮三百杯”的豪饮;用vault of sky(天穹)替代the sky,勾勒黄河奔涌的宏大。

当然,我的译作还存在许多不足,不能做到像许渊冲大师那样举重若轻,还请大家不吝赐教。我愿意尽绵薄之力,为中华文化出海不打“文化折扣”做点滴 贡献。

总之,本文通过对《将进酒》三本版本的英译实践比较,努力让西方读者读懂了李白的狂放与旷达,更让盛唐的诗意与中华文化的精神底色,以诗歌的隽永形式走出国门。对各版英译的比较与探析,目的在于消除“文化折扣”,亦能为古典诗词的跨文化传播探寻有效路径,让更多中华经典在出海中守住本真、绽放光彩。

来源:北京号

作者: 笔力王永利

网址:以译架桥 以诗传脉——《将进酒》三版英译的跨语际对话与价值 https://klqsh.com/news/view/336002

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