野草两个翻译版本的对比

野草

——夏衍

有这样一个故事。

有人问：世界上什么东西的气力最大？回答纷纭的很，有的说“象”，有的说“狮”，有人开玩笑似的说：是“金刚”，金刚有多少气力，当然大家全不知道。

结果，这一切答案完全不对，世界上气力最大的，是植物的种子。一粒种子所可以显现出来的力，简直是超越一切，这儿又是一个故事。

人的头盖骨，结合得非常致密与坚固，生理学家和解剖学者用尽了一切的方法，要把它完整在分出来，都没有这种力气，后来忽然有人发明了一个方法，就是把植物的种子放在要解剖的头盖骨里，给它以温度与湿度，使它发芽，一发芽，这些种子便以可怕的力量，将一切机械力所不能分开的骨骼，完整地分开了。植物种子力量之大，如此如此。

这，也许特殊了一点，常人不容易理解，那么，你看见笋的成长吗？你看见被压在瓦砾和石块下面的一颗小草的生成吗？它为着向往阳光，为着达成它的生之意志，不管上面的石块如何重，石块与石块之间如何狭，它必定要曲曲折折地，但是顽强不屈在透到地面上来，它的根往土壤里钻，它的芽往地面挺，这是一种不可抗拒的力，阻止它的石块，结果也被它掀翻，一粒种子的力量的大，如此如此。

没有一个人将小草叫做“大力士”，但是它的力量之大，的确是世界无比，这种力，是一般人看不见的生命力，只要生命存在，这种力就要显现，上面的石块，丝毫不足以阻挡，因为它是一种“长期抗战”的力，有弹性，能屈能伸的力，有韧性，不达目的不止的力。

种子不落在肥土而落在瓦砾中，有生命力的种子决不会悲观和叹气，因为有阻力才有磨炼。生命开始的一瞬间就带了斗争来的草，才是坚韧的草，也只有这种草，才可以傲然地对那些玻璃棚中养育着的盆花哄笑。

张培基版

Wild Grass

——Xia Yan

There is a story which goes like this:

Someone asked, “What has the greatest strength on earth?” The answers varied. Some said, “The elephant.” Some said, “The lion.” Some said jokingly, “The fierce-browed guardian gods to Buddha.” But nobody of course could tell how strong the guardian gods were supposed to be.

All the answers turned out to be wide of the mark. The mightiest thing on earth is the seed of a plant. The great strength which a seed is capable of is simply matchless. Here goes another story:

The bones forming a human skull are so tightly and perfectly fit together that all physiologists or anatomists, hard as they try, are powerless to take them apart without damaging them. It so happened that, at the suggestion of someone, some seeds of plant were placed inside a human skull awaiting dissection before heat and moisture were applied to cause them to grow. Once they started to grow, they let loose a terrific force to separate all the skull bones, leaving each of them intact. This would have been impossible with any mechanical power under the sun. See, how powerful the seeds of a plant can be! This story may be somewhat too unusual for you to understand. Well, have you ever seen the growth of a bamboo shoot? Or the growth of tender grass from under a heap of rubble or rocks? Seeking sunlight and survival, the young plant will labour tenaciously through twists and turns to bring itself to

the surface of the ground no matter how heavy the rocks overhead may be or how narrow the opening between them. While striking its roots deep into the soil, the young plant pushes its new shoots

above-ground. The irresistible strength it can muster is such as to overturn any rock in its way. See, how powerful a seed can be!

Though nobody describes the little g rass as a “husky”, yet its herculean strength is unrivalled. It is the force of life invisible to the naked eye. It will display itself so long as there is life. The rock is utterly helpless before this force—a force that will forever remain militant, a force that is resilient and can take temporary setbacks calmly, a force that is tenacity itself and will never give up until the goal is reached. When a seed falls under debris instead of on fertile soil, it never sighs in despair because to meet with obstruction means to temper itself. Indomitable is the grass that begins its very life with a tough struggle. It is only fit and proper that the proud grass should be jeering at the potted flowers in a glass house.

刘士聪版

Wild Grass

Xia Yan

There is a story that goes like this.

'Someone asks: "What is the most powerful thing in the worl d?" 3There are a variety of answers. 4 "The elephant," someone says. 5"The lion," another one says. 6 "The Buddha's guardian warrior," still another says half-jokingly. 'A s to how powerful the Buddha's guardian warrior is, no one can tell, of course.

8In fact, none of the answers is correct. The most powerful thing in the worl d is the seeds of plants. }0The force displayed by a seed is incredibl e. Adhere goes another story.

The bones of a human skull are sotightly and firmly joined that no physiologistor anatomist has succeed ed in taking themapart whatever means they try. Thensomeone invents a method. He puts someseeds of a plant in the skull to be dissected andprovid es the necessary temperature andmoisture to make them germinate. Once theseeds germinate, they manifest a terribl e forcethat succeeds in opening up the human skullthat has fail ed to be opened even bymechanical force. This story tells howpowerful the seeds of plants can be.

'You may think this is too unusual a story to be grasped by the common mind. Well, have you ever seen how the bambooshoots grow? Have you ever seen how frailyoung grass grows out from und er d ebris andrubbl e? z0In ord er to get the sunshine and grow,it will wind its way up, no matter how heavythe rocks above and how narrow the space between the rocks. Its roots will drill d ownward and its sprouts will shoot upward.zzThis is an irresistibl e force. Z3Any rock lyingin its way will be upset. z4This, further, show show powerful a seed can be.

Though the little grass has never been said to be hercul ean, the power it shows is matchl ess in the worl d. Z6It is an invisibl e force of life. So l ong as there is life, the force will show itself. The rock above it is not heavy enough to prevent the seed from growing, because it is a force that keeps growing over a period of time, because it is anelastic force that can shrink and expand because it is a tenacious force that will not stop growing until it is grown. ''The seed d oes not choose to fall on fertile land but in d ebris, instead. The seedwith life is never pessimistic or sad, for it has und ergone resistance and pressure. The grass that begins to fight its way out right after itsbirth is strong and tenacious, and only that grass has the right to smile with prid e at the potted plants in glassed green houses.