刚才在搜狐英语学习论坛上，看到“莫倾城”网友的一个帖子，介绍他自己翻译的苏轼《江城子·乙卯正月二十日夜记梦》。首先我必须指出，中国古代诗歌的英译，是一件高难度的工作，翻译者必须具备古代汉语、英语、诗歌、音韵等多方面造诣。坦率地讲，我本人远远没有达到这种水平，而且据我观察，在国内几个主要英语学习论坛上，能达到这种水平的人，也很少很少，所以我首先向这位网友表达我的钦佩之情。
但是另一方面，我认为“莫倾城”网友的译文有两个明显缺点，这种缺点即使是英语水平不高的人，也可以很容易地看出来，这就是：第一，英语译文过分拘泥于汉语原文，原文中的每个汉字，几乎都有对应的英语单词，因而英语译文显得比较冗长；第二，英语译文中的某些单词，过于正式，不适合在诗歌中使用，比如ignorant、recognize、presume等，因而文字风格显得有些不协调。我想在这里推荐美国著名汉学家Burton Watson翻译的这首古词，您可以比较一下，他的译文比较简练，风格也比较统一。

汉语原文：
十年生死两茫茫，不思量，自难忘。千里孤坟，无处话凄凉。纵使相逢应不识，尘满面，鬓如霜。

夜来幽梦忽还乡，小轩窗，正梳妆。相顾无言，唯有泪千行。料得年年肠断处，明月夜，短松冈。

莫倾城的译文：

For ten years the living and the dead are both ignorant of each other.

Even though I refrain from thinking of you,

However I cannot forget you.

Your lonely tomb lies a thousand miles away,

Where can I pour my sorrows anyway?

Even if we meet again, you can hardly recognize me by the way,

For my face is fully covered with dust,

And my temples have as frost turned grey.

Last night I suddenly dreamed of returing to my native land.

I saw you sitting by the tiny window,

Dressing and making up with your white hand.

We looked at each other, unable to speak a word,

Only a thousand lines of tears rolled down our faces.

I presume you will lie in that heartbreaking place year after year,

In that small round covered with pines mere,

Under the moon bright and clear.

美国著名汉学家Burton Watson的译文：

Ten years, dead and living dim and draw apart.

I don't try to remember,

But forgetting is hard.

Lonely grave a thousand miles off,

Cold thoughts, where can I talk them out?

Even if we met, you wouldn't know me,

Dust on my face,

Hair like frost.

In a dream last night suddenly I was home.

By the window of the little room,

You were combing your hair and making up.

You turned and looked, not speaking,

Only lines of tears coursing down.

Year after year will it break my heart?

The moonlit grave,

The stubby pines.

这个帖子发表之后大约半个小时，“莫倾城”网友给我发来邮件，对我的帖子表示感谢。出乎我预料的是，莫老弟竟然是一个19岁的高中生，真是令人难以置信！不过，也有网友给我留言，认为莫老弟的译文太幼稚，而且存在语法错误。当然，我承认莫老弟的译文确实有一些缺点，但我觉得一个19岁的高中生，能够达到这种水平，已经很不容易了，我们应当持一种包容、鼓励的心态。