平日读报,看到一篇好文章时,总有把它剪下来的欲望。然而有时拿起剪子的时候,才发现背面的文章也很有意思,或是教你如何养生,或是关照你如何做人处事。只要你剪下了正面的文章,这背面的文章就要受到损伤,或是只剩下半块,或是缺了文章的题目。常常因舍不得反而弄得无法再下剪子。后悔和遗憾更是在所难免。
有时你在一个时间段里,想到两件事情可做,两件事都是好事。然而时间和精力只能使你割舍一件,或留在今后再做。但你知道,那今后的条件和未知的变化,不一定还能使你完成后一件事。于是,你往往处在十分忧郁的状况中。甚至奇怪,怎么这么好的机会和想法都赶在了一个点上。有时你真是因为选择了这一样而放弃了那一样,因此彻底改变了你的人生。
其实生活就是这样,就像剪报一样,有时一件事的正反两面都是比较完美的,而我们又总是在关注一件事时才发现了另一件事。于是我们常常被绊住,闹得举棋不定。记得一位哲学家说过:"当一扇门关闭的时候,生活会为你开启另一扇门。"有时无意与被动的选择并不一定就是太坏的。
人生在世无论做什么,无论生活的浪涛把我们抛向哪一方,其实都有我们的风景与可为之处。别忘了,上苍随时都在为我们准备着另一扇门。当你的大门关闭时,另一扇大门就一定会为你敞开。
Another Door
When I come across a good essay in reading newspapers, I am often inclined to cut and keep it1. But just as I am about to do so I find the article on the opposite side is as much interesting2. It may be a discussion of the way to keep in good health, or advice about how to behave and conduct oneself in society. If I cut the front essay3, the opposite one is bound to suffer damage, leaving out half of it or keeping the text without the subject. As a result, the
scissors would stay before they start, or halfway done when I find out the regretful consequence that
inevitably causes my repentance4.
Sometimes two things are to be done at the same time, both deserving your attention5. You can only take up one of them6, the other has to wait or be given up. But you know the future is unpredictable-the changed situation may not allow you to do what is left behind. Thus you are caught in a fix and feel sad7. How come that nice opportunities and brilliant ideas should gather around all at once8. It may happen that your life changes dramatically on your
preference of one
alternative to the other.
In fact that is what life is like: we are often faced with the two opposite aspects of a thing which are both desirable like newspaper cutting. It often occurs that our attention is drawn to one thing only after we are engaged in another. The former may be more important than the latter and give rise to a divided mind9. I still remember a philosopher's remarks: "When one door shuts, another opens in life10." So a
casual or passive choice may not be a bad one.
Whatever we do in our
lifetime, wherever life's storm tosses us, there must be something we can achieve, some shore we can land, that opens up new vistas to us11. Don't forget God always keeps an
alternative door open for every one. While the front door is closed, there must be another open for you.
NOTE 注释:1. 译文不仅加了原句省略的主语,而且补加了"剪"报的目的,说明英语表达和汉语不能完全一致。2.as much interesting=as much interesting as the front essay 3.英语要求尽量保持主语一致,因此原句主语"你"改为I。4.此处将原两句译成一句。原文头一句实指下剪之前已发现背面有好文章而不剪;后一句实指不看背面就剪,半途才发现背面文章损坏了因而后悔。译文按英语习惯改主语为"剪子"。5.此处"好事"应理解为"值得做的事",译文比原文具体,原文太笼统了。6.原句"时间与精力"是冗词,不必照译。7.译文加了are caught in a fix "处于两难" 是把原文暗示改为明示,便于衔接。8.原文"甚至奇怪"并非惊叹,译文却用了表惊叹的How come that...; "怎么这么好的......" 倒是有惊叹意,译文却并未用惊叹,所以原文的惊叹部位在翻译时作了调整。9.这句无法与原文对应,基本上是译第三段第三句,但原句的前半"于是我们常常被绊住"却舍弃了,没有译其字面,因为本句意思并不独立,要依靠前文。前文谈及的先后两件事,必须后事比前事更要重要,才会"被绊住","才会举棋不定",可是这番意思汉语并未明示,译文可以不译"被绊住"却必须点明此意。10.如果把in life 去掉,所引句子便是一句英谚,此英谚可把when改为where,也可以写成when one door closes, another one opens。11.译文不仅在措词上而且在结构上对原文作了较大的改动,但保持了原意。主要在于对"做什么""抛向哪一方"两个方面作了对应处理,比原文的逻辑性更强(这是英文表达所需)。"都有我们的风景"同样是模糊概念,译成opens up new vistas 自然有所引申。译此类文章如走"字字对应"的道路势必进入死胡同。
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