The Moon and Sixpence
Note book 2.0
Chapter I
① Art is a manifaction of emotion, and emotion speaks a language that all may understand.
佳句赏析: 艺术是对情感的表达,而情感的诉说是可能令所有人都能产生共鸣的通用语言。
这句话是作者在批评了部分艺术家对艺术的“独断专行”后做出的一个评论。艺术并非是高阁之上的贵族玩物,而是平易近人的一种表达方式。它将人们生活中的所见所闻所思所想以不同的方式表达出来,目的就是让观赏的人们能够与之产生共鸣,理解这份作品的存在意义,而并不是功利的产物。
② ...and when such as had come in contact with Strickland in the past, writers who had know him in London, painters who had met him in the cafes of Montmartre discovered to their amazement that where they had seen but an unsuccessful artist, like another, authentic genius had rubbed shoulders with them.
解析:rub shoulders with sb. 与某人失之交臂/擦肩而过
读完这段话,又是一头雾水。他将 such as 放在第一句话做了主语,就让我一脸懵。然后看到了后面的 writers 和 painters, 才明白过来,这个such as 指代的就是 writers 和painters。 那么前半句就解释得通了;把后半句做一个断句和增减:
... discovered ( to their amazement) that / where they had seen (but) an (unsuccessful) artist,(like another (unsuccessful artist)), (authentic) genius had rubbed shoulders with them.
缩成一句话就是:discovered that genius had rubbed shoulders with them。发现天才与他们失之交臂了。 很简单的一个句子就缺失了文学美,现在来做填充: (惊奇地)发现(他们曾经认为的与他人无异的失败艺术家竟然)是个权威的天才,但是已与他们失之交臂了。句中的like another, 表示的是与他人无异,省略了people or unsuccesssful artist 等词语,强调表达Strickland 在他们眼里的平庸感,为后来的转变形成较大的反差。
将整个句子理一遍:
当那些在Strickland生前就有过交集的人们,比如在伦敦就认识他的作家, 曾经在咖啡厅会面过的画家无不惊奇地发现这个曾经被他们视为与他人无异的平庸艺术家竟是个权威的天才,然而已与他们失之交臂了。
③But a wise historian is precisely what the Rev.Robert Strickland is not.
解析:这句话相对来说很简单。名词性定语从句我自己不太会用,做一个学习。
④ The modern clergyman has acquired in his study of the science which I believe is called exegesis an astonishing facility for explaining things away.
解析:clergyman: 神父 exegesis: 《圣经》中的解释,注释。
现在我已经对一切拗口的句子都已经免疫了,第一反应就是自我反省水平的差劲,哈哈。
断个句先: The (modern) clerguman / has acquired / (in his study of the science / (which I believe is called / exegesis)) an (astonishing) facility for explaining things away.
把括号里面的单词或句子删除,则得到: The clerguman has acquired an facility for explaining things away. 即 这位神父获得了粉饰事物真相的能力。so eazy~~(~o ̄3 ̄)~
然后做加法:这位(当代的)神父(在其研究的领域)获得了粉饰事物真相的(令人惊异的)能力,(这种能力在我看来就如同《圣经》中的注释一样。) 哈哈,顺带讽刺了圣经。
润色一下下: 这位当代教父已经在其研究中获得了如同《圣经》注释一样的惊异能力——粉饰事物真相。~~~~GOOD~
⑤ Since it is probable that the legand commonly received has had no small share in the growth of Strickland's reputation for...
解析:这句话也比较简单,是一个 :之所以……是因为…… 的句子。令我比较在意的是这句: had no small share in the growth of Strickland's reputation. 直译一下就是说Strickland的名声已经没有一点增长空间了。很奇怪是不是,其实换句话说就是Strickland 已经有名得不能更有名了,也就是声名远赫了。(吐槽一下西方的表达方式)这让我想起来王力宏有一句歌词是:我不能更爱你。 年幼的我看到这句真是一脸懵逼,这是啥意思(哈哈 王力宏是ABC,也不难理解他直接将 I can't love you more用于中文),说到底就是中西方的表达方式不同。
翻译:Strickland 之所以这么声名远赫是因为人们普遍相信(legand commonly received)……
⑥ The Woman of Samaria has sold at Christie's shortly after discussion which followed the publication of Mr. Strickland's biography, it fetched PONDS 235 less than it had done nine monthes before when it was bought by the distinguished collector whose sudden death had brought it once more under the hammer.
解析:biography: 自转, 传记 fetch:获得,获取 distinguished: 出色的,有名的
under the hammer: 拍卖
超级长难句,此处需要一小句一小句来切割翻译。
第一小句,来个断句: The Woman of Samaria / has sold( at Christie's) (shortly) after discussion / (which followed the publication) of / Mr.Strickland's biography,
The Woman of Samaria( 作品名字就不翻译了)在对Strickland 先生的传记(出版)的议论纷纷之际(于Christie)出售。
第二小句:it fetched PONDS 235 less than it had done nine monthes before( when it was bought / (by the distinguished collector / (whose sudden death / had brought it / once more under the hammer)).
中心句就是第一句: 这幅作品以低于九个月前235磅的价格出售。后面的一大段话都是为了解释这个九个月前的价格:9个月前被一个有名的收藏夹购买,但是他的突然去世又将这幅作品再次送到了拍卖锤之下。 然后串联起来:
9个月前这幅作品被一个有名的收藏家购得,但是他的突然去世又将此作品再次送到了Christie 进行拍卖,此时正值Strickland的传记出版而被议论纷纷之际,最终它以低于9个月前235英镑的价格出售。
⑦ Perhaps Charles Strickland's Power and originality would scarcely have sufficed to turn the scale if the remarkable mythopoeic faculty of mankind had not btushed aside with impatience a story which disappointed all its craving for the extrordinary.
解析:又是一个长难句。。。
scarcely = hardly sufficed=satisfied turn the scale: 扭转局面
mythopoeic: 神话 faculty:能力,天性 brush aside: 放置一边,嗤之以鼻
crave for: 对……追求
句子很长很长,他也不怕憋死读者。。。。好吧 只有我。。。做个断句和加减法:
Perhaps / Charles Strickland's Power and originality / would scarcely/ (have sufficed) to / turn the scale / 【if the (remarkable) mythopoeic faculty (of mankind) / had not / btushed aside with impatience / a story 】(which disappointed all / its craving for / the extrordinary).
would have done... 虚拟语态
中心句:以Strickland的能力和创造性也许很难扭转局面。
接下来的话是一个转折: 如果(人们的)神话天性没有对这个故事嗤之以鼻的话。 brush aside with impatience 意为不耐烦地放置在一旁,只有不甚在意的东西,或者是看不上的东西才会被这么对待,因此我们可以用嗤之以鼻这个成语来润色。而这个故事是怎么样的故事呢?是让所有人都失望并且没有满足群众对Strickland本人非凡之处的追求。 也就是说,Robert 写的这本传记有进行粉饰,美化了他的父亲——艺术家Strickland, 而真因为如此,反而让Strickland失去了天才艺术家才具有的不美好的地方——人们称之为非凡之处。联系上下文,我们可以这么翻译:
如果不是因为人们对神话热衷的天性对这个令人失望并且无法满足他们猎奇心的故事嗤之以鼻的话,以Strickland的能力和创造性也许是很难能扭转局面的。
⑧Human nature is not only about as bad as it can be, but a great deal worse.
这句话出自对Dr. Weitbrecht-Rotholz的介绍。他的母校是相信“人性本恶”论的。。。我自己也比较信这个。人们的善良是由于后天的培养而慢慢养成的。
⑨It is not thus that the Church in its great days dealt with evidence that was unwelcom.
解析: well... 这句话也是揣摩了小半天, 主要还是那个 thus 让我很困扰。
It is / not (thus )that / the Church (in its great days) dealt with evidence (that was unwelcom).
做减法翻译: 这不是教会处理证据的方式。
加法翻译: 这不是(在鼎盛时期的)教会处理(不受欢迎的)证据的方式。那么这个thus 怎么翻译呢? thus 意为 因此, 放在这显然不符合文中意思。还有一个意思是 如此,如此这般。这个就通顺多了。润色一下,翻译为:
即使是在教会的鼎盛时期下,他们也并不会如此对待不受欢迎的事实。(这个事实就是,Strickland 在信中写道:" God damn my wife. She is an excellent woman, I wish she was in hell." 而他的儿子只截取了 "She is an excellent woman" 这句话放在传记中以误导大众他的父母关系相敬如宾。)
好啦。今天就到这里啦! 读完了这一章,有了一点点小的积累,为之后的阅读铺垫了一点点,也不会那么辛苦和被自己误导了。
Chapter II 的笔记应该会更多,但是也要更有难度丫! 当然还有,读书是为了明智,不能钻在句子中,而因该更深层次地了解作者的写作目的,这也是提升自己阅读能力的锻炼。明天也要加油鸭! 笔芯
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