“四⽉天”可否翻译成“April day”？
近⽇翻看赵彦春教授的博客，发现有⽹友质疑赵教授将《你是⼈间的四⽉天》⼀诗中的“四⽉天”译为“April day”，这位⽹友还将“April day”联想为四⽉的第⼀个节⽇愚⼈节（April Fool’s Day）。笔者原本打算对赵译《你是⼈间的四⽉天》做系统的鉴赏、评价，并且和黄新渠教授的英译版本进⾏对⽐分析，以探索诗歌翻译的技巧和策略。但觉得在做系统的评价之前有必要先对“四⽉天”可否译为“April day”这个⼩话题稍加探讨，对“April day”的⽤法进⾏溯源、考证。
⾸先需要指出的是，英语“Day”表⽰“节⽇”的时候字母“D”为⼤写，例如Valentine's Day，Father's Day等等，当然也包括April Fool’s Day，有⼀定英语基础的⼈都应该了解，看到“X X Day”就知道是某个节⽇或主题⽇，这⼀点不必赘述。当我们看到“China”和“china”的时候会⾃然⽽然地将前者译为“中国”，将后者译为“瓷器”或者“陶器”，有时⾸字母⼤⼩写的变化会引起单词意义、性质的改变。这位⽹友表⽰虽然“A p r i l day”不是“A p r i l Fool’s Day”，但他表⽰会这样联想。这样说的⼈缺乏对“day”和“Day”意义和⽤法上的区分，再者，联想是受语境限制和约束的，赵彦春教授英译的是林徽因的⼀⾸诗，不单单是⼀个标题或“四⽉天”这个词语，“A p r i l day”也要整⾸诗中去理解、品味。学英语的⼈应该了解，英语⼀词多义的情形数不胜数，⽽最终能帮助我们选定⼀个词在某句话或某段⽂章中最恰当含义的便是语境。在阅读、写作、翻译、做学术研究的过程中最忌讳、最不可取的便是断章取义、偷换概念。
就像那位⽹友解释的，“中⽂‘四⽉天’即指具体的春天，⼀种景象，但也是指⼀个抽象的意向，新的⽣命欣欣向荣。”那英语中的“A p r i l day”是什么意思，可不可以表⽰“四⽉天”的含义呢？当字典帮不了我们的时候，还有另外⼀个途径便是到语料库中进⾏检索、⽐对、验证。语料库中存放的是在语⾔的实际使⽤中真实出现过的语⾔材料。英语的语料库种类很多，我们选取了具有权威性和代表性的CORPUS OF HISTORICAL AMERICAN ENGLISH（美国近当代英语语料库），在此语料库中输⼊April day这⼀字段进⾏检索，检索结果显⽰有148条记录，如下图所⽰：
我们从中选取⼏个例⼦来略加分析
Example 1.
Source information:
Date1998 (1998)
# . Vol. 83, Iss. 3; pg. 362, 13 pgs
Publication
information
Title I loved you then, I love you still
Author Lisa Sandlin
Source Southwest Review
Expanded context:
...and he dives toward the bed but lands on the roof of St. Anne's, lands on a day they were eight and still located in the same geographical world. Some fan-tailed pigeons had got loose from a cage and roosted on the school roof. Three storeys up. Man offered five dollars to get them down, big money, and Andy the smallest and quickest of the boys. Light. Cartilege for bones. Pretty little waddlers with colored tails, purrrting and gurgling like water whistles. # April day, wind chasing the clouds across the sky, Andy up on the roof with a gunny sack, running and sacking. Four nuns down below praying, then squinting up and shouting, Andy, be careful! Praying again. Andy pretended to slip, windmilled his arms around just to hear them screech. Great. Caught a pigeon, shooed it in the sack, sloping shingles and blue sky, the top half of the world. Then he saw a girl standing by Sister Fatima.
此段语料中的“April day”并不会让⼈联想到“愚⼈节”，⽽是指有风，有云，在天空中风追逐着云这样的季
节和⽇⼦，⽽林徽因诗中“你是四⽉早天⾥的云烟”所说的“云烟”也是风吹散云的过程中形成的。虽然我们不能据此就说这段语料中的“April day”和林诗中的“四⽉天”时间季节完全吻合，⾄少能够了解“April day”是描写⼀种季节和景象，跟 “愚⼈节”这个概念没有半点关系。
Example 2.
Source information:
Date1881
Title The poems and stories
Author O'Brien, Fitz James, 1828-1862
Expanded context:
...Araby. If it were my lot in that fairy spot To live forever and dream' t were mine, Courts might woo and kings pursue Ere I would leave thee, loved Loch Ine. O'Brien, Fitz James, 1828-1862: AN APRILDAY. from The poems and stories (1881) This was the day -- a year ago -- When first I saw her, sauntering slow Over the meadow and down the lane, Where the privet was shining with recent rain. The world ha
d flung its torpor away, And breathed the pure air of the April day; The sap was pulsing through maple-trees, And the rivers were rushing to meet the seas. All the secret thrills that through nature run, Silent and swift as the threads of the sun, Shook with their tremors each growing thing, And worked with the mystic charms of spring. Like ghosts at the resurrection day, The snowdrops arose from the torpid clay, And the violets opened their purple eyes, And smiled in the face of the tender skies. The larch-trees were covered with
这段语料中的“April day”是这样的⽇⼦：⼥贞（或冬青）的枝叶上还有刚下过⾬的痕迹，万物都从冬眠中醒来，呼吸着这早春纯净的空⽓，枫树中的树液开始流动，⼩河奔流汇向⼤海。这⾥“April day”难道不是林诗中的“四⽉天”，不是万物复苏、明媚、欢快早春的季节？
Example 3.
Source information:
Date1897
spring是什么意思中文翻译是什么意思
Title Beth Woodburn
Author Petitt, Maud
Expanded context:
...kindly upon her for a moment; but he did not speak to her just like the old Arthur. " Good-bye, Beth -- little Beth. " She recalled the words as she passed down the long, deserted hall, with its row of lights on either side. There was another thing that touched Beth. It was when Marie left them just before the examinations in the spring; she was going to visit some friends. Sweet Marie! How she would miss her. She sat by the drawing-room window waiting to bid her good-bye. It was a bright April day, with soft clouds and a mild breeze playing through the budding trees. Marie came down looking so picturesque under her broad-brimmed hat, and lifted her veil to receive Beth's farewell kiss. Beth watched her as she crossed the lawn to the cab. Clarence came hurrying up to clasp her hand at the gate. He looked paler, Beth thought; she hoped he would come in, but he turned without looking at her window and hurried away. Beth felt a little sad at heart;
此段语料中的“April day”依旧是⼀个“四⽉天”，⽂中也显⽰季节是“spring”，轻云、微风、万物复苏。
由此可见，“April day”在英语原⽂中并⾮⽆例可循，不仅仅是指四⽉的某⼀天，也是⽤来表⽰早春这样⼀个季节，是很普遍的⼀种⽤法，恰恰就像那位⽹友所说的“指具体的春天，⼀种景象，但也是指⼀个抽象的意向，新的⽣命欣欣向荣。”所以，赵译的“April day”普遍存在英⽂⼩说、诗歌、散⽂等作品中，是地地道道的英⽂表达⽅式。

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