《道德经》英译连载七十三

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第七十三章

天网恢恢

原文

英译

Heaven Spreads a Boundless Net

If you are bold and daring,

you will be killed,

and if you dare to show weakness,

you can survive.

Some have been rewarded from being courageous

and some, victimized.

Who knows the reason for what heaven hates?

One may win without contending,

respond without speaking,

come without being summoned,

keep silent but make a good plan.

This is in line with the divine law.

The net of Heaven is boundless, and

no one can escape from it.

说明

1. “坦然而善谋”的英译

各译本对这句话的理解略有差别，用词上各有所取。许渊冲译作“And silent, one may plan well.”即“沉默不语更能使人很好地谋划。”辜正坤译作“To be quick in planning by acting slowly.”即“动作缓慢，而快于计划。”Arthur Waley译作“Heaven is like one who says little, yet none the less has laid his plans.”即“天如人，沉默无言，然而早已周详计划。”本书译作“keep silent but make a good plan.”即“心地坦然但善于谋划”。我们的翻译简洁明了，在理解上和许渊冲的相似。

2. “天网恢恢，疏而不漏”的英译

“天网恢恢，疏而不漏”可以说是生活中提到坏人终归逃脱不了法律制裁时常常借用的表达。那么它在道德经中的意义和翻译存在怎样的不同呢？许渊冲译作“Heaven spreads a boundless net, and none escape through its meshes.”即“上天撒下一张无边无际的网，没有谁能从网孔中逃出。”辜正坤译作“The net of heaven is spread wide and far, Though the mesh is largely knit, nothing can slip through the net.”即“天之网广而远，尽管网孔稀疏，却没有东西可以从这逃走。”Arthur Waley译作“Heaven’s net is wide; coarse are the meshes, yet nothing slips through.”即“天网宽广，尽管网孔粗糙，然而没有东西可以从中逃走。”本书译作“The net is boundless, and no one can escape from it.”即“自然的范围广大无边，虽宽疏但并不漏失。”选词简单，结构简洁，读者的受众面更广。