張培基英譯中國現(xiàn)代散文選(一)之《我若為王》

我若為王 

——聶紺弩 

   在電影刊物上看見一個影片的名字：《我若為王》(1)。從這影片的名字，我想到和影片毫無關(guān)系的另外的事(2)。我想，自己如果作了王，這世界會成為一種怎樣的光景呢？這自然是一種完全可笑的幻想，我根本不想作王(3)，也根本看不起王，王是什么東西呢？難道我腦中還有如此封建的殘物么？而且真想作王的人，他將用他的手去打天下，決不會放在口里說的。但是假定又假定，我若為王，這個世界會成為一種怎樣的光景？ 

   我若為王，自然我的妻就是王后了。我的妻的德性，我不懷疑，為王后只會有余的。但縱然沒有任何德性，縱然不過是個娼妓，那時候，她也仍舊是王后。一個王后是如何地尊貴呀，會如何地被人們像捧著天上的星星一樣捧來捧去呀，假如我能夠想像，那一定是一件有趣的事情。 

我若為王，我的兒子，假如我有兒子，就是太子或王子了。我并不以為我的兒子會是一無所知，一無所能的白癡(4)，但縱然是一無所知一無所能的白癡，也仍舊是太子或王子。一個太子或王子中如何地尊貴呀，會如何被人們像捧天上的星星一樣地捧來捧去呀。假如我能想像，倒是件不是沒有趣味的事。 

我若為王，我的女兒就是公主，我的親眷都是皇親國戚。無論他們怎樣丑陋，怎樣頑劣，怎樣……(5)也會被人們像捧天上的星星一樣地捧來捧去，因為她們是貴人。 

   我若為王，我的姓名就會改作：“萬歲”，我的每一句話都成為：“圣旨”。我的意欲，我的貪念，乃至每一個幻想，都可竭盡全體臣民的力量去實現(xiàn)，即使是無法實現(xiàn)的。我將沒有任何過失，因為沒有人敢說它是過失；我將沒有任何罪行，因為沒有人敢說它是罪行。沒有人敢呵斥我，指摘我，除非把我從王位上趕下來。但是趕下來，就是我不為王了。我將看見所有的人們在我面前低頭，鞠躬，匍匐(6)，連同我的尊長，我的師友，和從前曾在我面前昂頭闊步耀武揚(yáng)威的人們。我將看不見一個人的臉，所看見的只是他們的頭頂或帽盔。或者所能看見的臉都是諂媚的，乞求的，快樂的時候不敢笑，不快樂的時候不敢不笑，悲戚的時候不敢哭，不悲戚的時候不敢不哭臉。我將聽不見人們的真正的聲音，所能聽見的都是低微的，柔婉的，畏葸(7)的和嬌癡的，唱小旦的聲音：“萬歲，萬歲！萬萬歲！”這是他們的全部語言。“有道明君！偉大的主上啊！”這就是那語言的全部內(nèi)容。沒有在我之上的人了，沒有和我同等的人了，我甚至?xí)械絾握{(diào)，寂寞和孤獨(dú)。 

   為什么人們要這樣呢？為什么要捧我的妻，捧我的兒女和親眷呢？因為我是王，中他們的主子，我將恍然大悟：我生活在這些奴才們中間，連我所敬畏的尊長和師友也無一不是奴才，而我自己不過是一個奴才的首領(lǐng)。 

   我是民國的國民，民國國民的思想和生活習(xí)慣使我深深地憎惡一切奴才或奴才相(8)，連同敬畏的尊長和師友們。請科學(xué)家們不要見笑，我以為世界之所以還有待于改進(jìn)者(9)，全因為有這些奴才的緣故。生活在奴才們中間，作奴才們的首領(lǐng)，我將引為生平的最大恥辱，最大的悲哀。我將變成一個暴君，或者反而是明君；我將把我的臣民一齊殺死，連同尊長和師友，不準(zhǔn)一奴種留在人間。我將沒有一個臣民，我將不再是奴才們的君主。 

   我若為王，將終于不能為王(10)，卻也真地為古今中外最大的王了。“萬歲，萬歲，萬萬歲！”我將和全世界的真的人們一同三呼。

 

注釋： 

《我若為王》是中國現(xiàn)代杰出雜文家聶紺弩（1903－1986）寫于1941年的一篇雜文，文字通俗易懂，內(nèi)容諷刺辛辣，流露了對專制統(tǒng)治者和奴才的蔑視。 

(1)“我若為王”譯為If I Were King，其中King的前面省略了冠詞a 。在職位、頭銜、等級等的名詞前面大多不用冠詞a 或an。 

(2)“和影片毫無關(guān)系的另外的事”譯為something entirely foreign to the film in question ，其中foreign to為成語，作having no relation to 或unconnected with解。又in question 是添加成分，作being talked about（正在討論的）解。 

(3)“我根本不想為王”譯為being a king is the last thing I aspire to，其中l(wèi)ast 一詞作least likely 或most unlikely（最不可能的）解。 

(4)“一無所知，一無所能的白癡”譯為ignorant or worthless in every way like an idiot，其中in every way作“完全”或“徹頭徹尾”解。 

(5)“無論他們怎樣丑陋，怎樣頑劣，怎樣……”中的最后一個“怎樣”意即“諸如此類的事”或“等等”，現(xiàn)譯為or whatnot。英語whatnot作other such things解，為what may not say? 的省略。 

(6)“匍匐”在此指俯伏或拜倒動作（表示順從），現(xiàn)譯為prostrate。 

(7)“畏葸”做“膽怯”解，現(xiàn)譯為timid。 

(8)“奴才相”譯為servility。英語servility意即slavishness或slave-like deference。 

(9)“我以為世界之所以還有待于改進(jìn)者”譯為Methinks the world is very much in need of reform，其中Methinks等于I think或It seems to be，為無人稱動詞，本為古體詞，現(xiàn)常作詼諧打趣用語。 

(10)“我若為王，將終于不能為王”譯為If I were king and ultimately ended up becoming no king at all，其中ended up是成語，作“告終”解。例如：He never dreamed that he would end up owning such a big fortune. 

If I Were King 

——Nie Gannu 

    Recently in a movie magazine I came across the title of a film: If I Were King. It has put me in mine of something entirely foreign to film in question. I wonder what would become of this world if I myself were king. This is of course a ridiculous fancy, for being a king is the last thing I aspire to and also a thing I utterly despise. What the hell is a king? How can I still be so feudalistic in my mind? Moreover, if one is really bent on being a king, he will try to carry out his design by deeds instead of by words. But, to put it hypothetically, suppose I were king, what would this world look like? 

If I were king, my wife would of course be queen. With all her moral excellence, of which I make no doubt, she would be more than qualified for being a queen. But even if she had no virtue to speak of, or were just a whore, she would be queen all the same. Imagine how noble and dignified a queen would be and how people would keep lauding her to the skies like mad! It is indeed great fun for me to visualize all of this. 

    If I were king, my son, if any, would be crown prince or prince. I don’t think my son will be ignorant or worthless in every way like an idiot. But, even if that were not the case, he would still be crown prince or prince. Imagine how noble and dignified a crown prince or prince would be and how people would keep lauding him to the skies like mad! It is indeed great fun for me to visualize all of this. 

If I were the king, my daughters would be princess, and my relatives by marriage would all become members of the royal family. No matter how ugly or perverse or whatnot they 

were, people would keep lauding them to the skies like mad just the same because they were dignitaries. 

    If I were king, I would be addressed as “Your Majesty” and every word of mine would become a “royal edict”. All my subjects would leave no stone unturned to carry out every will, every avaricious desire and even every whim of mine, even though they were all beyond the possible. I would do no wrong simply because no one dared to call it a wrong. I would commit no crime simply because no one dared to call it a crime. No one would dare to berate or find fault with me unless I was removed from the throne, which meant that I was no longer the king. I would see all people hang their heads, bow low or prostrate themselves at my feet, including my respected elders, teachers, friends and even those who had used to swagger arrogantly in front of me. I could see none of their faces; all I could see were the tops of their heads or hats or helmets on their heads. The only faces I could see would be ingratiating or supplicating – faces that dared not smile to express joy; faces that dared not refrain from a forced smile when there was no joy at all to justify a smile; faces that dared not cry to express sorrow; faced that dared not refrain from a feigned cry when there was no sorrow to justify a cry. I could hear no true voices of my people.  All I could hear would be the feeble, soft, timid and affected voice, like that of a female Peking opera singer, chanting, “Long live the King!” that would be their language in toto. “Great is the King, our enlightened lord!” That would be the sole content of their language. There would be no one above me or on an equal footing with me. I would even feel bored, lonely and isolated. 

Why would people behave like that? Why would they flatter my wife, my children and my relatives? Because I was king, their master. It would suddenly dawn on me that living among these flunkeys, including my esteemed elders, teachers and friends, I myself, too, was nothing but a mere head flunkey. 

    I am the citizen of the Republic. Being accustomed to the mode of thinking and living of a republican citizen, I would deeply abhor all servility and flunkeys, including my esteemed elders, teachers and friends. Dear scientists, please don’t laugh at me. Methinks the world is very much in need of reform simply because of the presence of these flunkeys, I would regard it as the deepest disgrace and sorrow of my life to live among the flunkeys and become their chief. I would rather become a tyrant or an enlightened king so that I could kill off all my subjects, among them my respected elders, teachers and friends, and have the flunkey species exterminated once for all. Then, with all my subjects gone, I would no longer be the king of flunkeys. 

    If I were king and ultimately ended up becoming no king at all, I would indeed be the greatest king that had ever breathed since time immemorial. I would join true people all the world over in giving three cheers for myself.