翻译与修辞

修辞语翻译课程3

拟人PERSONIFICATION

1. 定义

拟人辞格顾名思义就是把物拟成人。Webster’s New World Dictionary定义personification为: “a figure of speech in which a thing, quality, or idea is represented as a person. 在修辞学上，拟人法是指把非人的东西(如动物、植物、物体、抽象概念等)当作人来描写，并赋予它们以人的特性、外表及活动方式等。在拟人法中，把那些只适用于描写人的动词、形容词、名词、人称代词等用来描写非人的东西，使之具有人的属性。在寓言、童话、谚语、诗歌等文体中，拟人法常用来抒发感情，增强文章的感染力。

2．表达方式

1）把自然现象或物拟人化

The current lingers along gently. It comes flowing softly through the midmost privacy and deepest heart of a wood which whispers it to be quiet; while the stream whispers back again from its sedgy borders, as if the river and wood were hushing one another to sleep. 河水轻轻地游荡。它从密林最深处无人知晓的地方静悄悄流出，树木对它低声耳语，叫它静一点；溪流从芦苇边界也低声回话，好像小河溪和树木在彼此催促入睡。*文中把河溪和树木等自然现象拟人化了，写得生动形象，富有情趣，似乎把人带进了仙境。

The rain to the wind said

“You push and I’ll pelt,”

They so smote the garden bed

That the flowers actually knelt

And lay lodged—though not dead

I know how the flowers felt.

( Robert Frost )

雨对风说：

“你来狂吹，我来猛落。”

他们俩就这样在花圃上施暴虐

于是花儿们便七歪八倒叶残瓣破

最后终于倒下了—尽管还奄奄一息活着

我知道花儿们此时心中感受如何。

*风和雨都变成了人，变成了冷酷、残暴、以施虐为乐的人，风和雨狂吹猛落直把花儿摧残得奄奄一息。

Slowly, silently, now the moon

Walks the night in her silver shoon;

This way, and that, she peers, and sees

Silver fruit upon silver trees．．．

( Walter de la Mare: Silver ))

现在，月儿穿着一双银鞋

慢慢地、静静地走进了夜；

她向这儿看看，那里望望，

望见银果子悬挂在银树上。

2）把机器与用具拟人化

There happy masks that kiss fair ladie s’ brows.

Being black, put us in mind they hide the fair…

( Shakespeare: Romeo and Juliet )

那些假面具多么幸福能吻着美人的娇面，

它们掩盖着让我们想像着个个美如天仙。

The stubborn door won’t open.

这难开的门打不开。

When guns speak it is too late to argue.

等到大炮说话，争论已经太迟了。

3）把动物、植物拟人化

The baby crocodile thought hard. Then he had a good idea.

小鳄鱼使劲地想啊想啊，终于想出了个好主意。

It is useless for the sheep to pass resolutions in favour of vegetarianism while the wolf remains of a different opinion. ( W. R. Inge )

当狼依然持有不同意见之时，群羊要通过赞成素食主义的决议案也是无济于事的。

*作者将动物写成人，反过来又借它们讽喻人。

Flowers peeped out from amongst the leaves. ( Charlotte Bronte )

花儿从树叶中露出来。

*在拟人法中，常用人称代词she，he等代替非人的东西。如：用she，her代替moon，nature，country，ship，earth，virtue (美德)，religion，pity，peace，charity (博爱)，liberty，morning，venus (金星)，等；用he，his，him代替sun，god，time，ocean，war，anger，pine，death，love，Cupid (丘比特，爱神)，neptune (海王星)，等。

4)．把抽象的事物或概念拟人化

Bitterness fed on the man who had made the world laugh.

痛苦抚养了这位使全世界人民发出阵阵笑声的伟人。

* Bitterness fed on把抽象的概念形象化。

Does not wisdom cry? and understanding put forth her voice?

智慧没有喊叫?理解没有吱声？

Love, free as air, at sight of human ties, spreads its light wings, and in a moment flies.

像空气那样自由的爱情，一见到人们相连的纽带，便展开了它轻盈的翅膀，立即飞翔起起来。

Time is like a fashionable host, that slightly shakes his passing guest by th’ hand ; and with his arms stretched, as he would fly, grasps in the comer. The welcomes ever smile, and farewell goes out sighing. ( William Shakespeare )

时间正像一个趋炎附势的主人，对于一个临去的客人不过和他略微握一握手，对于一个新来的客人，却伸开了双臂，飞也似地过去抱住他。欢迎是永远含笑的，告别总是带着叹息。

A lie can travel half way around the world while the truth is putting on its shoes.

( Mark Twain )

当真理刚刚穿上鞋子，谎言就可能已经走了半个世界。

Life has cheated her.

生活已经欺骗了她。

Rest, Good Cheer, and Moderate Diet are the three best doctors.

休息、愉快和节食是三大良医。

Justice has long arms. 天网恢恢，疏而不漏。

Walls have long ears. 隔墙有耳。

Love is blind. 情人眼里出西施。

Necessity is the mother of invention. 需要是发明之母。

Time is the best physician / healer. 时间是妙手神医。