所以美好

溯洄從之

停車坐愛楓林晚, 霜葉紅於二月花.

因為靜穆, 所以美好.
因為樸拙, 所以美好.
因為澄明, 所以美好.
因為自在, 所以美好.
因為你, 所以美好.

馮象譯本

民數記16:41-50. (17:6-15)

小說家的文筆詞藻, 繁花似錦, 短促的句子營造緊張的氣氛. (牛津版馮象譯本) :

第二天，以色列會眾一片哀怨，摩西與亞倫成了眾矢之的：「你們倆殺了上主的子民！」正當會眾聚攏來圍攻時，摩西、亞倫朝會幕望去，只見祥雲籠罩，帳幕上升起了上主的榮耀！他們趕到會幕門前，上主命令摩西：「你們走開，離這會眾遠點，我現在就滅了他們！」

兩人慌忙匍匐在地。摩西催促亞倫：「快，快拿香爐到祭壇取火，擱上香，去會眾那裡為他們行贖罪禮。上主發怒了，要降瘟疫！」

亞倫得令，拿起香爐衝到會眾當中：「不好，瘟疫已經蔓延開了！」急急點起乳香，為民眾行贖罪之禮。他站在死者與生者之間，直至瘟疫離去。這場災禍，共攫走一萬四千七百人，那些追隨寇臘〔即可拉〕喪命的不算。

災禍停息，亞倫才回到會幕門口和摩西一起。

說書人的技藝卻有另一種風格, 這是所謂口傳傳統. 口傳傳統的東西要讀, 要聽的, 不能單靠看. 透過樸素簡單的句式, 不斷重覆的字句, 把畫面的重點突顯出來, 打進聽者的心目中. 地點,人物關係,動作交代得很清楚, 而且面目分明. 全文無催促二字, 卻可聽出急促的氣氛. 許多意思都是弦外之音. 讀出聲來一聽, 就能聽出來. (Robert Alter's translation):

And all the community of Israelites
murmured on the next day
against Moses and against Aaron, saying
`You, you have put to death the LORD's people.'
And it happened when the community assembled
against Moses and against Aaron,
that they turned to the Tent of Meeting, (按:誰turned?)
and, look, the cloud had covered it
and the LORD's glory appeared.
And Mose, and Aaron with him,
came before the Tent of Meeting.
And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,
`Lift yourselves up from the midst of this community
and I will put an end to them in an instant.'
And they fell on their faces. (按:誰是they?)
And Moses said to Aaron,
`Take the firepan and place fire upon it from the altar
and put in incense and carry it
quickly to the community and atone for them,
for the fury has gone out from before the LORD,
the scourge has begun.'
And Aaron took as Moses had spoken,
and he ran into the midst of the assembly,
and, look, the scourge had begun against the people,
and he put in incense and atoned for the people.
And he stood between the dead and the living,
and the scourge was held back.
And those who died by the scourge
came to fourteen thousand and seven hundred,
besides those who died because of Korah.
And Aaron returned to Moses
at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting,
and the scourge was held back.

偷龍轉鳳, etc.

* 偷龍轉鳳(How to steal a million) with audrey hepburn
* 艾慕杜華, talk to her
* trevor nunn, twelfth night (1996)
* 中英, 孤星淚
* 香港芭蕾舞團, 胡桃夾子
* shakespeare: king john, richard ii, henry iv
* 馬奎斯, 一百年的孤寂 (宋碧雲譯)

說起百年孤寂, 大學時候有位同學, 滿書架都是張愛玲. 有天見他看某外國小說中譯本, 我問他為甚麼不看英譯, 他回答說, 要是原著是英文, 自然是看原著的好. 要是原著是其他不曉得的外文, 反正都是譯文, 為甚麼不看中譯, 而要看英譯?

譯本得講究. 舉步維艱還是輕舟已過萬重山, 樂趣還是苦差, 差天共地. 不懂原文, 管不了忠實, 只看傳神與否, 文筆如何. 比方看堂吉柯德, 非楊絳不可. 看愛麗斯, 趙元任是不二之選. 看巴爾札克, 傅雷. (看王爾德, 如果要看中譯, 那當然要數余光中). 看百年孤寂, 自然是宋碧雲.

據說遠景宋碧雲本因版權問題而絕了版. 後來志文取得版權, 就是楊耐冬本. 到圖書館裡把兩譯本拿來比一比, 當然不是頭幾句, 而是跳到中間, 馬上發現楊本是拿宋本左改改右改改而成的. 問題是改壞了, 文句變得拖沓, 橫生枝節. 不是對原文忠實不忠實的問題, 是對文字的感覺和功力的問題.

昨天竟在kubrick看見宋本有售.


---
Sophie Masson, Shakespeare on screen
Cheers:
* Trevor Nunn’s 1999(I think)version of Twelfth Night, ... a perfect sense of timing, combined with inspired, brilliant performances, make this my very top favourite.

Also cheers go to:
*the BBC series, especially a great Macbeth(which starred, I think, Derek Jacobi)
*Richard III as a never-never fascist usurper of the throne of Britain, starring Ian McKellen;
*a version of Hamlet we watched at school in the late 70’s–a filmed version of a Nimrod Theatre production, starring John Bell as Hamlet and Anna Volska as Ophelia;
*RAN, Kurosawa’s amazing version of King Lear(haven’t seen Throne of Blood yet, tho’ I’ve been trying to find it for ages in our DVD rental shop);
*Quite liked Kenneth Branagh’s version of Hamlet, too–though a bit mannered at times, I think the film had some brilliant performances, and an extraordinary understanding of the utter waste and ruin Hamlet had brought down on his country, with Fortinbras the only winner;
*Much Ado about Nothing, starring Kenneth Branagh and Emma Thompson; beautiful, sunlit, and thoroughly enjoyable;

除夕

1. 一聲嘀嗒, 2006年就此心息. 電視傳來喧鬧的倒數之聲, 我在看《一百年的孤寂》.

2. 斷纜之災.

斷纜之後, 人就像掉到一玻璃杯子水裡的蜜蜂, 拚命地用指頭爭扎, 要爬回那片失落的天空.

炒明說, 情人不宜分開太久, 免得他習慣了沒有你也能如常生活.

斷纜之苦, 在於使人清醒: 網中一切原是竹影掃地無聲.

3. 飲者終於寫了《浮花》. 好是好, 卻不及藍眼女子的說話, 來得斬釘截鐵, 來得有力.

4. 終於有人好好點了出來. 他說的是現在, 然而我思疑這種回歸, 明代已經發生過了, 所以才有現在的考證.