试译孟郊《游子吟》
顾景林
Song of the Emigrator（Version A）
Meng Jiao (Tang Dynasty)
Translated by Gu Jinglin
The sewing in the loving mother’s hands,
The clothing for the son soon leaving.
Carefully sewing before just parting,
With fear of too late returning.
Who said the gratitude of the grass,
Could repay the warm sunshine in spring?
A Wanderer’s Song（Version B）
Meng Jiao (Tang Dynasty)
Translated by Gu Jinglin
In-mother’s-hands sewing,
For-parting-son clothing.
Firmly sewing before parting,
Afraid of too late homecoming.
How Can the gratitude of the grass,
Repay the sunshine in spring?
唐· 孟郊原作:
《游子吟》
慈母手中线，游子身上衣。
临行密密缝，意恐迟迟归。
谁言寸草心，报得三春晖。
说明：
在中国，《游子吟》是作为儿童启蒙的儿歌教学的，在译成英语时，须保持儿歌通俗、简练的特点，不使语言不过于繁复，不使用过多的解释性词语。本人参考网上一些译者的译文，经过长时间的揣摩，悟出了一个翻译框架，做到了内容、形式贴近原作，简练且押韵。翻译时，不拘泥原作用词的硬译，例如：
“手中线”的“线”译为“sewing”，即针线活，比直译成“thread”更简洁且便于外国人理解，这也确定了最初翻译时的韵脚。事实上，除了毛线衣，做衣服光有线也是不够的。“寸草心”的“心”译为“gratitude”，即感激之情，比直译为“heart”更好理解。Version B是一个更简略的版本，“In-mother’s-hands sewing, For-parting-son clothing.”两句采用了介词短语前置作为定语。
译文尚不成熟，欢迎指正！
附：
网上收集的其他译者的译文
1
For Her Son Who’ll Be Away for a While
（龚景浩 译）
Needle and thread in doting mother’s hand
Turn out garments for her son out to roam the land.
She puts in more stitches e’en as he leaves
And frets that his homecoming may be moved back.
Who says the tiny inch-tall blade of grass
Can e’er repay the warm sunshine of spring?
2
Song of a Roamer
（许渊冲 译）
The threads a kind mother’s hand,
A gown for her son bound for far-off land.
Sewn stitch by stitch before he leaves,
For fear his return be delayed.
Such kindness as young grass receives,
From the warm sun can’t be repaid.
Song of the Parting Son
（许渊冲 译）
From the threads a mother’s hands weaves,
A gown for parting son is made.
Sown stitch by stitch before he leaves,
For fear his return be delayed.
Such kindness as young grass receives
From the warm sun can’t be repaid.
3
A Song of A Wandering Son
Meng Jiao (Tang Dynasty)
Translated by Hugo Lan
A thread in my amiable mother's hand,
Sewing the clothes for her wandering son.
On my leave she sews again and again,
Wishing me to return the sooner the better.
Who tells me how my heart as tiny as the grass,
Repays her kindness as great as the sun?
4
The Wandering Son’s Song
（孙大雨 译）
The thread from my dear mother’s hand,
Was sewn in the clothes of her wandering son.
For fear of my belated return,
Before my leave they were closely woven.
Who says mine heart like a blade of grass
Could repay her love’s gentle beams of spring sun?
5
A Traveller’s Song
（Witter Bynner 译）
The thread in the hands of a fond-hearted mother,
Makes clothes for the body of her wayward boy;
Carefully she sews and thoroughly she mends,
Dreading the delays that will keep him late from home.
But how much love has the inch-long grass,
For three spring months of the light of the sun?
6
Sung to the Air: “The Wanderer”
（Amy Lowell 译）
Thread from the hands of a doting mother,
Worked into the clothes of a far-off journeying son.
Before his departure, were the close, fine stitches set,
Lest haply his return be long delayed.
The heart, the inch-long grass,Who will contend that either repay,
The gentle brightness of the Third Month of Spring.
参考资料：
1、母亲节 | 《游子吟》英译6版赏析｜“商务印书馆英语编辑室” 公众号2020年5月10日
2、谁言寸草心，报得三春晖。 英译版感动无数人！｜“佳英语”公众号2020年5月9日
3、雙語《遊子吟》：獻禮母親節｜“香港蘭氏国学英语 LanEnglish”公众号2017年5月13日
