“我底身上？……” 他底妻坐在灶后，怀里抱着她底刚满三周岁的男小孩。她讷讷地低声地问。“你，是呀，”她的丈夫病后的无力的声音，“我已经将你出典了……” “什么呀？”他底妻几乎昏去似的。屋内是稍稍静寂了一息。“We have to part? …” muttered his wife, who was sitting behind the stove with their three-year-old boy in her arms. “Yes, we have to part,” he answered feebly. “There’s somebody willing to hire you as a temporary wife …” “What?” she almost lost her senses. There followed a brief silence.🎈「我已经将你出典了……」如逐字直译为I’ve pawned you或I’ve hired you out，均欠达意。现以增词释义的办法译为There’s somebody willing to hire you as a temporary wife，可较清楚地交代原意。 🎈翻译生活中极其琐碎的对话，难度很大。他气喘着说：“三天前，王狼来坐讨了半天的债回去以后，我也跟着他去，走到了九亩潭边，我很不想要做人了。Then the husband continued, falteringly, “Three days ago, Wang Lang came here and spent a long time pressing me to pay my debt to him. After he had left, I went out. I sat under a tree on the shore of Jiumu Lake and thought of committing suicide.句子解析🎈falteringly意为「支支吾吾地」，表现了丈夫此时些许羞愧的心情+病态的身体。🎈向某人还债pay one’s debt to sb.🎈自杀commit suicide但是坐在那株爬上去一纵身就可落在潭里的树下，想来想去，终没有力气跳了。猫头鹰在耳朵边不住地啭，我底心被它叫寒起来，我只得回转身，但在路上，遇见了沈家婆，她问我，晚也晚了，在外做什么。I wanted to climb the tree and dive into the water and drown myself, but, after thinking about it, I lost courage. The hooting of an owl frightened me and I walked away. On my way home, I came across Mrs. Shen, the matchmaker, who asked me why I was out at night.🎈drown myself（淹死自己）为补充成分。原文虽无其词，却有其意。🎈终没有力气跳了→不是真的没力气，而是畏缩了。现译为lost courage。🎈偶遇come across我就告诉她，请她代我借一笔款，或向什么人家的小姐借些衣服或首饰去暂时当一当，免得王狼底狼一般的绿眼睛天天在家里闪烁。I told her what had happened and asked her if she could borrow some money for me, or some lady’s dresses and ornaments that I could pawn to pay Wang Lang so that he’d no longer be prowling after me like a wolf.🎈我就告诉她，请她代我借一笔款=告诉她（情况）+请她代我借款，是两个动作。🎈「免得王狼底狼一般的绿眼睛天天在家里闪烁」译为so that he’d no longer be prowling after me like a wolf，用prowling after（潜行觅食）代替原文中有关比喻，同样传神。 可是沈家婆向我笑道：“‘你还将妻养在家里做什么呢，你自己黄也黄到这个地步了？” “我低着头站在她面前没有答，她又说： “‘儿子呢，你只有一个了，舍不得。但妻——’ “我当时想：‘莫非叫我卖去妻子么？’ But Mrs. Shen only smiled and said, “‘What do you keep your wife at home for? And you’re so sick and yellow!’ “I hung my head and said nothing. She continued, “‘Since you’ve got only one son, you might find it hard to part with him. But as for your wife…’ “I thought she meant that I should sell you, 🎈翻译「你自己黄也黄到这个地步了」时要传达出「生病」的含义，故译为so sick and yellow。🎈单引号里的内容是引用媒人的话。🎈 find it hard to part with him: it是形式宾语，to part with him为真正宾语。“而她继续道： “‘但妻——虽然是结发的，穷了，也没有法，还养在家里做什么呢？’ but she added, “‘Of course she is your lawful wife, but you’re poor and you can’t do anything about it. What do you keep her at home for? Starve her to death?’🎈无能为力，一筹莫展can’t do anything about it🎈Starve her to death?是补充成分，原文虽无其词，却有其意。“这样，她就直说出：‘有一个秀才，因为没有儿子，年纪已经五十岁了，想买一个妾；又因他底大妻不允许，只准他典一个，典三年或五年，“Then she said straight out, ‘There’s a fifty-year-old scholar who wants a concubine to bear him a son since his wife is barren. But his wife objects and will only allow him to hire somebody else’s wife for a few years.🎈直接 straight out🎈生孩子 bear a child🎈「因为没有儿子」→没儿子的根本原因是妻不能生，故译为since his wife is barren。叫我物色相当的女人：年纪约三十岁左右，养过两三个儿子的，人要沉默老实，又肯做事，还要对他底大妻肯低眉下首。这次是秀才娘子向我说的，假如条件合，肯出八十元或一百元的身价。I’ve been asked to find them a woman. She has to be about thirty years old and the mother of two or three children. She must be honest and hard-working, and obey the scholar’s wife. The scholar’s wife has told me that they are willing to pay from eighty to a hundred dollars for the right sort of woman.🎈about thirty years old中的about表示「大约」🎈符合条件的……the right sort of我代她寻了好几天，终没有相当的女人。’她说：现在碰到我，想起了你来，样样都对的。当时问我底意见怎样，我一边掉了几滴泪，一边却被她催的答应她了。” 说到这里，他垂下头，声音很低弱，停止了。I’ve looked around for one for several days, but without any luck. But your wife is just the woman I’ve been looking for.’ “She asked me what I thought about it. It made me cry to think of it, but she comforted me and convinced me that it was all for the best.” At this point, his voice trailed off, he hung his head and stopped. 🎈「终没有相当的女人」译作「without any luck」，太传神了，莫名脑补媒婆当时的语气。和《清贫》里面有些对话的处理有的一比！🎈最好的情况 all for the best🎈（声音）减弱；越来越小trail off
帕布莉卡