文學、翻譯、批評：從貝爾曼翻譯評論看馬若瑟之《趙氏孤兒》

Literature, Translation, and the Critics: On Prémare's Translation of Le Petit Orphelin de la Maison de Tchao

《趙氏孤兒》為中國戲劇西傳濫觴，不僅滋長十八世紀歐洲的中國熱，更於二十世紀回燒中國。儘管該文本僅是中西交會洪流中的一支，短時間內卻馬上有各家歐洲譯本相繼問世。在西方，拜杜赫德（Du Halde）編撰的《中國通誌》與伏爾泰（Voltaire）《中國孤兒》盛名所賜，該劇本幾經翻譯與改寫，雖然原貌所存無幾，　「中國」卻是不變的符碼；而兩百年後，王國維的《宋元戲曲史》以西學背景重審傳統文學，引《趙氏孤兒》為例，證明中國亦有西方定義下的悲劇，一連串《趙氏孤兒》西傳討論遂於茲展開。若以《趙氏孤兒》在歐洲各國引發演變來看，該劇應可視為中西交流「文化翻譯」的創舉。馬若瑟（Joseph de Prémare）首譯《趙氏孤兒》，馬氏譯文本身更可稱為各種歐版演化的源頭 ； 因此，在某種意義上，它不但是「源文」，甚至也是「原文」。《趙氏孤兒》之所以成為比較文學領域的焦點，持續在西方引發迴響，此番情景與伏爾泰有著直接關係；同樣的，華文界多數相關研究的趣旨總圍繞文豪光環下。相形之下， 諸方對於馬氏譯本的關注卻似蜻蜓點水，遠不及前者。馬氏譯本既是「譯文」，也是伏爾泰所依據的「原文」，這種雙重身份卻甚少獲人注意。基於以上的考量，本文採用貝爾曼（Antoine Berman）翻譯批評的觀點，嘗試對馬氏譯本做一個縱橫討論。其次，貝爾曼從《異域的考驗—德國浪漫主義傳統下的翻譯觀》到《翻譯批評論：約翰.唐》 兩本風格迥異的作品中指向一個共同點：倫理。本文亦將由倫理角度討論馬氏譯本，進而瞭解他對小文本 （ 中國文學） 與大文本 （ 中國） 的態度。

Le petit orphelin de la Maison de Tchao was the first translation of Chinese Yuandrama to appear in the West. The number of European rewritings that followedthis first translation proved its popularity, a reflection of the chinoiserie prevailingin 18th-century Europe. While Prémare's translation of Le petit orphelin dela Maison de Tchao is a cross-cultural undertaking that brings the West and Easttogether in a given context, other rewritings based on his work are meant to appropriatethe image of China. Of these, Voltaire's L'Orphelin de la Chine has enjoyedthe strongest literary fame, which has contributed to directing the attentionof Chinese scholars to the rewritings of Le petit orphelin de la Maison de Tchaoin Europe. In stark contrast, Prémare's original translation is seldom given faircredit due to the fact that it removes all the singing parts. For many this meansthat his work lacks “completeness” and thus fails to preserve the aesthetic ofChinese Yuan drama.This article argues that Prémare's Le petit orphelin de la Maison de Tchao is the“source” text for all subsequent rewritings and proposes a thorough examinationas to make a more objective judgment of Prémare's translation. To do so,it is necessary to revisit the temporal-spatial background in which the work wasproduced. In this context, Antoine Berman's view of translation criticism aswell as his emphasis on ethical translation are applied in order to better understandboth the significance of Le petit orphelin de la Maison de Tchao and Prémare'sattitude toward Chinese literature as well as Chinese culture as a whole, and tojustify Prémare's approach to his translation.