“虎”年译“虎”（1）

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汉语博大精深，内藏不少与“虎”相关的带韵俗语，在虎年转眼即到之际，若将其以“韵”还“韵”成英语，一祝本栏目读者新的一年“虎虎生威”，二愿本命年的虎宝宝健健康康、“虎头虎脑”，三让英美人士感受中国之虎文化，想必是件惬意之事。鉴于过于陌生的说法不便处理，现取其中几个较为常见的说法献丑如下：

一、打虎要力，捉猴要智。

汉学专家之译文（下同，故不赘述）如是：

(lit) To fight a tiger requires strength, [but] to catch a monkey requires intelligence.

(fig) Different problems must be dealt with in different ways.

在此，我们按自己的“套路”出牌，奉上三则大同小异的译文，以飨读者：

其一：

To fight tigers needs an arm strong;

To catch monkeys just a head long.

其二：

To fight a tiger needs an arm strong,

And to catch a monkey, a head long.

其三：

A tiger-fighter needs his arm strong,

And a monkey-catcher, a head long.

两天前，我们曾发过一篇有关“劳心/劳力”的短文，若对同韵的brainy/brawny略作调整，应该仍能取得“三美”之效！读者若有意，不妨试一试！

二、放虎归山，必有后患。

(lit) [If one] releases a tiger back to the mountains, it’s sure to be a source of trouble

later on.

(fig) Don’t let your enemies off easily or you’ll regret it later. [Rhyme.]

其一：

Tigers put back the hill

Can do nothing but kill.

其二：

Tigers put back the hill

Will soon be on the kill.

其三：

Back the hill tigers get;

We’ll in no time regret.

前两则大意差不多，且不难理解，其中 (be) on the kill为固定搭配，意为“怀有害人之心”；最后一则为临时凑成。

三、放虎归山，禽虎难。

(lit)[After]releasing a tiger back to the mountains, [it’s]difficult to catch the tiger [again].

(fig)If one releases a captured enemy, it is all the harder to capture him again.

A tiger let back its mountain

Can be harder to catch again.

原译文中的the tiger略显重复，代之以it似乎更妥帖；译文（实为一句）未必出彩，但足以传达原文大意。

四、跟虎进山，跟鹰飞天。

(lit) [If one] follows a tiger, [one will] go into the mountains; [if one] follows an eagle,

[one will] fly in the sky.

(fig) One learns from the company one keeps.

其一：

With tigers, ascend the ridge high;

With eagles, go fly across the sky.

其二：

A tiger’s followers enter the hill high;

An eagle’s company can visit the sky.

小评：第二则先成，后觉其音节量略显超标，留着参考；第一则各为 8 音节，且将“进山”调整为“登上高高的山岗/ascend the ridge high”，两个with（与原文两个“跟”字构成排比）在此是否得当，请读者帮忙把把脉。

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