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最高境界的香脂(二)莎士比亚的香脂草

最高境界的香脂(二)莎士比亚的香脂草

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有人做了统计,发现莎士比亚(1564-1616)作品里总共有21处出现了“Balm”、“Balsam”或“Balsamum”,几乎所有的中文版本都译成“香脂”、“香膏”或“膏油”。这种翻译值得商榷。

我查阅了某些西方植物学家的注解,发现至少两部作品里的“Balm”指的是伊丽莎白时期流行于英国花园里的甜香脂草(Sweet Balm,学名Melissa officinalis)。

香脂草并非英国本土植物,它原产于地中海地区,外表酷似薄荷,茎杆呈四棱形并具分枝,极易形成丛生。株高约1米左右,宽卵形叶片,边缘有细齿,叶脉明显,茎与叶密布细毛。每年7月至10月,白色的唇形花绕着叶腋盛开,叶片捣碎时散发出温润的芬芳。

虽然北美的超市和苗圃里均有出售薄荷和香脂草,但香脂草远不如薄荷普及,两者的外表比较难区分。如果你到野外寻芳草,就会发现薄荷长在阴凉湿润的地方,而香脂草则出现在阳光明媚的田野和路边,喜欢肥沃多沙的土壤。

现将两处出现甜香脂草的戏剧段落翻译如下:

第一处:莎士比亚于1607年左右编写的悲剧《安东尼与克莉奥佩特拉》(Antony and Cleopatra ),第五幕第二场讲述了埃及艳后克莉奥佩特拉临死前的情形:

克莉奥佩特拉:

“把我的长袍给我,替我戴上王冠。我心里多么希望永生,埃及葡萄的芳酿从此再也不能濡湿我的嘴唇。快点,快点,好伊拉丝;快点。我好像听见安东尼在呼唤我;我看见他醒过来,夸奖我的崇高的举动;我听见他在嘲笑凯撒的幸运,那幸运是众神赐予人类用来平息他们随后的愤怒的。- 我的夫,我来了。现在让我的勇气来证明我是当之无愧的妻!我是火,我是风;我把身上的其他元素都留给了污浊的尘世。— 那么,你们好了吗?那就来吧,从我的嘴唇上汲取最后的温暖。再会,善良的查米恩、伊拉丝,永别了!(吻查米恩、伊拉丝,伊拉丝倒地死)我的嘴唇上有小蝮蛇的毒液吗?你倒下了吗?如果你和生命能够如此温和地分离,那么死神的一击就像情人的手指一拧,虽然疼痛,内心却是渴望的。你还躺着不动了吗?如果你就这样离去,你分明在告诉这个世界,死生之际,连告别都是多余的。”

(CLEOPATRA

Give me my robe. Put on my crown. I have

Immortal longings in me. Now no more

The juice of Egypt’s grape shall moist this lip.)

 

(CHARMIAN and IRAS begin to dress her.)

 

Yare, yare, good Iras, quick. Methinks I hear

Antony call. I see him rouse himself

To praise my noble act. I hear him mock

The luck of Caesar, which the gods give men

To excuse their after wrath.—Husband, I come!

Now to that name my courage prove my title!

I am fire and air, my other elements

I give to baser life.—So, have you done?

Come then and take the last warmth of my lips.

Farewell, kind Charmian. Iras, long farewell.)

 

(She kisses them. IRAS falls and dies)

 

Have I the aspic in my lips? Dost fall?

If thou and nature can so gently part,

The stroke of death is as a lover’s pinch,

Which hurts, and is desired. Dost thou lie still?

If thus thou vanishest, thou tell’st the world

It is not worth leave-taking.)

查米恩:

“溶解吧,厚厚的云,化成雨滴;这样我就可以说,众神也在哭泣!”

(CHARMIAN

Dissolve, thick cloud, and rain, that I may say

The gods themselves do weep!)

克莉奥佩特拉:

“这证明了我的卑微。如果她先遇见了卷发的安东尼,他一定会首先要她,给她一个原本属于我的幸福的吻。— 来,你这致命的混蛋。(她将小蝮蛇置于胸前)用你的利齿立刻咬断这个生命之结吧,可怜的毒蠢货,张开你的怒口,赶快咬。哦,要是你能说话,我会听到你唤那伟大的凯撒为一头无权谋的蠢驴。”

(CLEOPATRA

This proves me base.

If she first meet the curlèd Antony,

He’ll make demand of her and spend that kiss

Which is my heaven to have. —Come, thou mortal wretch,)

(She places an asp on her breast)

With thy sharp teeth this knot intrinsicate

Of life at once untie. Poor venomous fool

Be angry and dispatch. Oh, couldst thou speak,

That I might hear thee call great Caesar ass

Unpolicied!)

 

查米恩:

“东方的星星啊!”

(CHARMIAN

   O eastern star!)

克莉奥佩特拉:

“安静,安静!你没有见到我的婴孩在我的胸前吮吸乳汁,使我安然入睡吗?”(CLEOPATRA

Peace, peace!

Dost thou not see my baby at my breast,

That sucks the nurse asleep?)

查米恩:

“哦,我的心碎了!哦,我的心碎了!”

(CHARMIAN

 Oh, break! Oh, break!)

克莉奥佩特拉:

“甜蜜如香脂草,轻柔如风,温顺如 — 哦,安东尼! —— 不,我也要带上你。(把另一只小蝮蛇置臂上)我为什么要留下呢 — (死。)

(CLEOPATRA

As sweet as balm, as soft as air, as gentle—

O Antony!—Nay, I will take thee too.)

 

(Applying another asp to her arm)

What should I stay—)

(Dies)

 

第二处:《温莎的风流妇人》(The Merry Wives of Windsor)第五幕第五场,好色的胖骑士福斯塔夫(Falstaff)头戴两支鹿角,来到公园等候与风流娘子幽会。以安.佩奇(Anne Page)为中心的众儿童扮成神仙和精灵,趁机将胖骑士围住,对他又捏又掐大肆戏弄。

佩奇夫人:

“快逃!快逃!”(二人奔下。)

(MRS. PAGE.

Away, away!)

[They run off.]

福斯塔夫:

“我想魔鬼不会让我下地狱的,他唯恐我身上的油会在地狱里引起一场大火。他永远不会这样戏弄我。”

 (FALSTAFF.

I think the devil will not have me damned, lest the

oil that's in me should set hell on fire; he would never else

cross me thus.)

(休·爱文斯爵扮成山羊神萨提尔,毕斯托尔扮成小妖,安.佩奇扮成小精灵王后,她的兄弟及若干儿童扮成小精灵侍从,头插小蜡烛,同上。)

[Enter SIR HUGH EVANS like a Satyr, PISTOL as a Hobgoblin, ANNE

PAGE as the  Fairy Queen, attended by her Brothers and Others,

as fairies, with waxen tapers on their heads.]

安:

“黑的,灰的,绿的和白的精灵们,

你们是月光下的狂欢者,黑夜里的阴影,

你们是既定命运的孤儿孤女,

请竭尽所能各司其职。

传令的小妖,让精灵们肃静。”

(ANNE.

Fairies, black, grey, green, and white,

You moonshine revellers, and shades of night,

You orphan heirs of fixed destiny,

Attend your office and your quality.

Crier Hobgoblin, make the fairy oyes.)

毕斯托尔:

“小妖们,报上大名。安静,你们这些捣蛋鬼!

蟋蟀儿,你跳进温莎各家的烟囱,

发现哪家的火灰没有耙尽,炉床没有打扫,

就把那家的女佣拧得全身像蓝莓一样青紫,

我们光彩照人的仙后最恨懒妇和邋遢事。”

(PISTOL.

Elves, list your names: silence, you airy toys!

Cricket, to Windsor chimneys shalt thou leap:

Where fires thou find'st unrak'd, and hearths unswept,

There pinch the maids as blue as bilberry:

Our radiant Queen hates sluts and sluttery.)

福斯塔夫:

“他们是小精灵,谁和他们说话,谁就会没命。我要闭上眼睛趴下,凡人不窥看神仙们的事情。”(俯伏在地)(FALSTAFF.

They are fairies; he that speaks to them shall die:

I'll wink and couch: no man their works must eye. )

[Lies down upon his face.]

爱文斯:

“比德在哪里?你去看看谁家的姑娘

临睡前念了三遍的祈祷,

你就给她妄想的器官套上缰绳,

让她像粗心的婴儿那般熟睡。

对那些临睡前不思量自己的罪过的人,

你要拧得他们手脚发麻,腰背酸疼。”

(EVANS.

Where's Bede? Go you, and where you find a maid

That, ere she sleep, has thrice her prayers said,

Rein up the organs of her fantasy,

Sleep she as sound as careless infancy;

But those as sleep and think not on their sins,

Pinch them, arms, legs, backs, shoulders, sides, and shins.)

 

安:

“快去,快去,

小妖们,从内到外搜索温莎的古堡。

小精怪们,给每个神圣的房间撒上幸运。

让它巍然耸立永不毁损,

宅基夯实结构坚固,

辉煌的建筑衬托着贤德的主人。

用香脂草和各种奇花的汁液,

擦洗那几张尊严的宝座。

……”

(ANNE.

About, about!

Search Windsor castle, elves, within and out:

Strew good luck, ouphes, on every sacred room,

That it may stand till the perpetual doom,

In state as wholesome as in state 'tis fit,

Worthy the owner and the owner it.

The several chairs of order look you scour

With juice of balm and every precious flower: )

 

以上段落里的香脂草汁是用来清洁家具的。

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来源: 文学城-南小鹿
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