王路在隐身

玄奘对《俱舍》的翻译和修改

读英译《俱舍》,越发觉得玄奘的翻译符合我的脾胃。

最大的特点是字数少。有时候,玄奘十几个字的内容,英文要解释一两页。当然,这也有个弊端,就是对初学者不友好。有点像国内的高等数学教材,编得往往很薄,学生看了看不懂,而国外的经典教材,同样的知识点,非常厚,动辄几千页。——这么说就显得我有点双标了。其实,还是有重要的差别:国外微积分经典教材比国内的厚,是因为里面加了很多习题和解释,内容确实增加了。但玄奘译本和我现在翻的Sangpo英文本比起来,内容是等量的。这很可怕。

我想着重说说玄奘的修改。玄奘的修改,主要有两方面的作用:一,更优美;二,更准确。我分别举一个例子。

“四相”在颂中的次序,真谛译本、英译本,以及英译本给出的梵文本、藏文本(见Sangpo本833页),都是:生、老、住、无常。但随后的长行中,次序又变成:生、住、老、无常。这就不大协调。

只有玄奘译本颂文作:“相谓诸有为,生住异灭性。”——把“住”和“异”调了位置,颂和长行一致了。很清爽。

再比较一下字数:

Sangpo(2012)第584页:(梵文字体复制过来会变形,我懒得改了,下面也一样)
  1. Origination [jati] is that which produces or causes conditioned factors to arise (utpiidayati; janayati);
  2. duration [sthiti] is that which stabilizes or causes conditioned factors to perdure(sthapayati);
  3. deterioration [jara] is that which deteriorates or causes conditioned factors to decay [jarayati];
  4. impermanence [anityata] is that which destroys or causes conditioned factors to perish [viniisayati].
玄奘译本:“此于诸法能起名生,能安名住,能衰名异,能坏名灭。”

再比如这段:

Sangpo(2012)第585页:
Moreover, the unconditioned factor (asaf!tskrta) persists eternally in its own nature (svalak~a,:ze sthitibhava): the characteristic of duration is not without resem- blance to the persistence of the unconditioned factor. In order to avoid any con- fusion, the Siitra does not indicate duration as a characteristic of the conditioned factor.

玄奘译本:“又无为法有自相住,住相滥彼故经不说。”

再举一个玄奘修改后变得更准确的例子:

玄奘本:“得相通三类。”

这里的“三”,Poussin说是玄奘改的(见Sangpo本871页)。真谛本是“二”。梵文、藏文都是“二”,英译本也沿用了“二”。

这种修改,不是依据文本,而是依据阿毗达磨知识,添上了“刹那”。

我小时候,有个表达叫“开国际玩笑”,现在很少有人用了。我翻英译本《俱舍》,虽然也感觉确实很优秀,但错并不是挑不出来。不过,如果问我怎么不给玄奘译本挑错,我只能说:“开国际玩笑。”

或者:“开宇宙玩笑。”

错误也不是没有,比如,传抄的错误,后人的断句标点错误,以及梵本中固有的不精确表达——这些,要么不是翻译的问题,要么不是可以通过翻译解决的。

举个例子:

玄奘本:“圣者未离欲亦具十九,谓圣有学未离欲贪,成就极多亦具十九,除二无漏及除一形。”

Sangpo本504页:
Noble ones, not detached, [i.e., those in training,] can be accom- panied by all the controlling faculties [i.e., with a maximum of nine- teen controlling faculties], with the exception of one sexual faculty,  [i.e., the male or female sex~al faculty,] and two pure or stainless controlling faculties.
Noble ones (iirya) who are not detached (rtigin), thus those in training (iailqa) and not perfected beings (arhat), are accompanied with a maximum of nineteen control-ling faculties.

这里特意说明,“i.e., those in training”,后面又解释一遍,“thus those in training and not perfected beings (arhat)”,是很不合适的。这种不合适,也不好说它错,因为梵本有这个词。

英文本的瑕疵(不说它错)在于,非常容易诱导读者把“Noble ones, not detached”和“those in training”或者“those in training and not perfected beings (arhat)”等同起来。实际上,“Noble ones, not detached”是对“those in training”的限定。打比方说,提到“北京”,可以说“中国北京”,但最好不要说“北京(即中国)”,更不要说“北京(也就是中国除了外国)”。“those in training and not perfected beings (arhat)”就是废话,因为 those in training肯定不是阿罗汉。
玄奘的翻译,尽管忠实保留了“有学”,但完全不会让读者产生“有学”等于“未离欲贪”的错误观念,玄奘写的是:“谓圣有学未离欲贪”,也就是说,“未离欲贪的有学”。

类似例子比比皆是。

————一天一BUG(3)————

Pruden(1990)頁174:
3. Nine indriyas, namely the five sense organs and the two sexual organs, the vital organ, and the sensation of dissatisfaction, are only of the class "abandoned through Mediation," for (1) the first eight are not soiled; (2) the ninth does not arise from the mind (asasthaja, 1.40); and (3) all are always impure.

「dissatisfaction」錯了,應該是「displeasure」。

Sangpo(2012)頁491:
(3) Nine controlling faculties [i.e., the five sense-faculties and the two sexual faculties, the vitality faculty and the sensation of dis- satisfaction] are (ii) abandoned by cultivation alone.

「dissatisfaction」錯了,應該是「displeasure」。

奘譯:「憂見修所斷,九唯修所斷」。