散文漢譯英佳作賞析：老舍《小麻雀》
小麻雀
A Little Sparrow
老舍
Lao She
雨後，院裏來了個麻雀，剛長全了羽毛。它在院裏跳，有時飛一下，不過是由地上飛到花盆沿上，或由花盆上飛下來。看它這麼飛了兩三次，我看出來：它並不會飛得再高一些。，它的左翅的幾根長翎擰在一處，有一根特別的長，似乎要脫落下來。
As soon as the rain stopped, a little sparrow, almost full-fledged, flew into the courtyard. It hopped, fluttered, darting up to the edge of flower pots and back to the ground again. Watching it move up and down a couple of times, I realized drat it could not fly any higher as the plumes on its left wing had got twisted with one sticking out as if about to come off.
我試着往前湊，它跳一跳，可是又停住，看着我，小黑豆眼帶出點要親近我又不完全信任的神氣。我想到了：這是個熟鳥，也許是自幼便養在籠中的。所以它不十分怕人。可是它的左翅也許是被養着它的或別個孩子給扯壞，所以它愛人，又不完全信任。
When I made an attempt to move closer, it jumped off a hit and stopped again, staring back at me with its small, black and bean-like eyes that had a mixed look of wanting to be friends with me and not being certain that I was trustworthy. It occurred to me that this must be a tame bird, having been caged since it was hatched perhaps. No wonder it was not much scared of my presence. Its left wing might have been impaired by some kid and that was why there was distrust in its look though it showed some intimacy with man.
想到這個，我忽然的很難過。一個飛禽失去翅膀是多麼可憐。這個小鳥離了人恐怕不會活，可是人又那麼狠心，傷了它的翎羽。它被人毀壞了，而還想依靠人，多麼可憐!
Suddenly I was seized with sadness. How miserable it was for a bird to lose its wings! Without someone taking care of it this small thing could not survive. But man had injured its wing. How cruel he was! Injured as it was, it still wanted to rely on man. How pitiable!
它的眼帶出進退爲難的神情，雖然只是那麼個小而不美的小鳥，它的舉動與表情可露出極大的委屈與爲難。它是要保全它那點生命，而不曉得如何是好。對它自己與人都沒有信心，而又願找到些倚靠。它跳一跳，停一停，看着我，又不敢過來。
The look in its eyes showed that She little creature was of two minds. It was small and by no means pretty, yet its gestures and expressions revealed that it had been wronged and landed in a difficult situation. It was anxious to keep its delicate life out of danger, but it did not know what to do. It had little confidence in itself and less trust in man, but it needed someone to rely on. It hopped and stopped, looking at me but too shy to come over.
我想拿幾個飯粒誘它前來，又不敢離開，我怕小貓來撲它。可是小貓並沒在院裏，我很快地跑進廚房，抓來了幾個飯粒。及至我回來，小鳥已不見了。我向外院跑去，小貓在影壁前的花盆旁蹲着呢。我忙去驅逐它，它只一撲，把小鳥擒住!被人養慣的小麻雀，連掙扎都不會，尾與爪在貓嘴旁搭拉着，和死去差不多。
I thought of fetching some cooked rice to attract it, but I dared not leave it alone test it should be attacked by the kitten. As the kitten was not around at the moment, I hurried to the kitchen and cause back with a few grains only to find the bind missing. I ran to the outer yard and saw the kitten crouching by a flower pot in front of the screen wall. I hastened to drive her away but, with a quick jump, she caught hold of the bird. The tame sparrow, with its tail and claws dangling from the kitten’s mouth, did not even know how to struggle. It looked more dead than alive.
瞧着小鳥，貓一頭跑進廚房，又一頭跑到西屋。我不敢緊追，怕它更咬緊了可又不能不追。雖然看不見小鳥的頭部，我還沒忘了那個眼神。那個預知生命危險的眼神。
With my eyes fixed on the bird, I watched the kitten run first to the kitchen and then to the ram at the west end. I was afraid to press hard after her, but I had to follow her in case she should tighten her jaws. Though the bird's head was not visible to toe, the look of anticipated danger in its eyes was vivid in my wind.
那個眼神與我的好心中間隔着一隻小白貓。來回跑了幾次，我不追了。追上也沒用了，我想，小鳥至少已半死了。貓又進了廚房，我愣了一會兒，趕緊的又追了去；那兩個黑豆眼彷彿在我心內睜着呢。
Between its look and my sympathy stood that small white cat. Having run a few rounds after her I quit, thinking it was pointless to chase her like that because, by the time I caught her, the bird would have been half dead. When the cat slipped back to the kitchen again, I hesitated for a second and then hurried over there too. It seemed, in my mind's eye, the little bird were pleading for help with its two black bean-like eyes.
進了廚房，貓在一條鐵筒—冬天升火通煙用的，春天拆下來便放在廚房的牆角—旁蹲着呢。小鳥已不見了。鐵筒的下端未完全扣在地上，開着一個不小的縫兒，小貓用腳往裏探。我的希望回來了，小鳥沒死。
In the kitchen I noticed the cat was crouching by a tin pipe which was installed as smoke duct in winter and dismantled in spring, at the corner, but the bird was not with her. The pipe leaned against the corner and, between its lower end and the floor; there was an opening through which the cat was probing with her paws. My hope revived: the bird was not dead.
小貓本來才四個來月大，還沒捉住過老鼠，或者還不會殺生.只是叼着小鳥玩一玩。正在這麼想，小鳥忽然出來了，貓倒像嚇了一跳，往後躲了躲。小鳥的樣子，我一眼便看清了，登時使我要閉上了眼。
As the kitten was less than four months old, it had not teamed how to catch mice, or how to kill for that matter. It was merely holding the bird in its mouth and having fun with it. While I was thinking along these lines the little bird suddenly emerged and the kitten, taken aback, bolted backward. Tile way the little bird looked was so registered to me at the first glance that I felt like shutting my eyes immediately.
小鳥幾乎是蹲着，胸離地很近，像人害肚痛蹲在地上那樣。它身上並沒血。身子可似乎是拳在一塊，非常的短。頭低着，小嘴指着地。那兩個黑眼珠!非常的黑，非常的大，不看什麼，就那麼頂黑頂大的愣着。
It was virtually crouching, with its chest close to the floor, like a man suffering from a stomachache. There was no stain of blood on its body, but it seemed to be shrinking up into itself. Its head dropped low, its small beak pointing to the floor. Its two black eyes, unseeing, were very black and large, looking last.
它只有那麼一點活氣，都在眼裏，像是等着貓再撲它，它沒力量反抗或逃避；又像是等餚貓赦免了它，或是來個救星。生與死都在這倆眼裏，而並不是清醒的。它是胡塗了，昏迷了：不然爲什麼由鐵筒中出來呢可是，雖然昏迷，到底有那麼一點說不清的，生命根源的，希望。
The little life left in it was all in the eyes. It seemed to be expecting the cat to charge again, with no strength to resist or run; or wishing that the cat would be kind enough to pardon it or that some savior would come along to its rescue. Life and death coexisted in its eyes. I thought the bin must be confused or stunned, or else why should it have come out from the pipe? Stunned as it was, it still cherished some hope which, though hard to define, was the source of life.
這個希望使它注視着地上，等着，等着生或死。它怕得非常的忠誠氣完全把自己交給了一線的希望，一點也不動。像把生命要從兩眼中流出，它不叫也不動。
With that hope it gazed at the floor, expecting either to survive or die. I was so really scared that it became completely motionless, leaving itself all to the precarious hope. It kept quiet and still as if waiting for its life to flow out of its eyes.
小貓沒再撲它，只試着用小腳碰它。它隨着擊碰傾側，頭不動，眼不動，還呆呆地注視着地上。但求它能活着，它就決不反抗。
The kitten made no more attempts to attack it. She only tried to touch it with her little paws. As the kitten touched it, it tilted from side to side, its head undisturbed and its eyes looking blank at the floor. It would not fight back so long as there was a chance of survival.
可是並非全無勇氣，它是在貓的面前不動！我輕輕地過去，把貓抓住。將貓放在門外，小鳥還沒動。我雙手把它捧起來。它確是沒受了多大的傷.雖然胸上落了點毛。它看了我一眼!
But the bird had not lost all of its courage; it acted this way only with the cat. I went aver light-footed, picked up the cat and put her outside the door, the sparrow remaining where it was. When I took it up in my hands and looked, it was riot seriously injured, though some fluff had come off its chest. It was looking at me.
我沒主意：把它放了吧，它準是死；養着它吧，家中沒有籠子。我捧着它，好像世上一切生命都在我的掌中似的，我不知怎樣好。小鳥不動，拳着身，兩眼還那麼黑，等着!愣了好久，我把它捧到臥室裏，放在桌子上，看着它，它又愣了半夭，忽然頭向左右歪了歪用它的黑眼睜了一下；又不動了，可是身子長出來一些，還低頭看着，似乎明白了點什麼。
I had no idea what to do. If I let it go, it was sure to die; if I kept it with me, I did rot have a cage for it. I held it in my hands as if holding all the lives in the world, not knowing what to do. 'Me sparrow huddled up, motionless, its eyes as black as ever, still expectant. It remained that way for a long while. I took it to my bedroom, put it on the desk and watched it for a few moments. Suddenly it tilted its head Wit and then right, winking its black eyes once or twice, and became still again. By now its body seemed to have stretched a hit, but it still kept its head low as if it had understand something.
