Images of Hayashi
In 1897, the first foreign-language novel translated in China, "The Testament of the Traviata in Paris" (now translated as "La Traviata"), came out of nowhere and was highly sought after by the Chinese people.
Yan Fu commented that "the soul of the prodigal son was sold out for a while", and his translator Lin Shu became famous because of this, becoming the top master in the translation industry.
Throughout Lin Shu's life, there are more than 180 kinds of foreign language novels he has translated, and the number is so large that it is difficult for future generations to surpass, and he does not understand foreign languages at all, but he has broken into the world of translation by mistake, which can be described as a creation and manipulation.
And because Lin Shu translated novels in Chinese and wanted to use his own strength to carry forward the ancient texts of Han Yu and Liu Zongyuan, this well-known master of translation became the target of the new cultural movement, and suddenly fell off the altar, making it difficult for today's readers to see his beautiful ancient novels again, which cannot but be sighed.
Works translated by Lin Shu
Lin Shu's family was poor, and his father had been living outside for many years, so he had to foster him in his grandfather's house. My grandfather taught Lin Shu in a traditional way of education, and Lin Shu also read all the ancient books and laid a good foundation in ancient Chinese.
Lin Shu is a bookworm, and there is always a coffin picture hanging on his wall, which reads "Reading is born, not into the coffin."
In his youth, he was also a well-known temperamental man, often "drunk and always carrying a sword" to travel the countryside, the villagers called it "crazy life".
In 1871, Lin Shu's father and maternal grandfather died one after another, and he was 19 years old at the time, and he had to start thinking about economic problems.
At that time, people were keen on the imperial examination, and Lin Shu was no exception. And the keju is to do ancient texts, which is what he is good at. So he entered the field house with great enthusiasm, but he could create people, and he even failed the exam repeatedly.
Paintings by Lin Shu
Life was unsustainable, so he had to earn a living by farming, writing letters to people, selling paintings, and with the knitting subsidies of his sister and mother, he barely lived a life, and his life was very poor. This also tempered his tenacious character,
During this period, he also wanted to give up, but he was persuaded by his mother to come back. I had to continue to fight hard and not look at the garden.
In 1882, after more than ten years of repeated preparations, Lin Shu finally passed the examination and won the prestige of Jiangnan.
He got rid of the financial shackles and taught many celebrities and friends, but he did not want to live in the praise of others.
So he stayed at home, dived down, concentrated on ancient Texts, and prepared for the battle.
But Lin Shu was full of enthusiasm, but he was joked by fate, and he took the exam seven more times, and all of them fell out of the list.
He himself wrote: "Seven spring officials, repeatedly tried and failed. "When I was discouraged, it was no longer the time when I was in the scenery.
In 1897, Lin Shu's mother unfortunately died of illness, and he could only return to his home to observe filial piety for three years, temporarily stopping the road of the imperial examination.
He has always been immersed in hard reading, less about current affairs, and he did not know that at this time, foreign literary masterpieces were pouring into the Chinese literary scene in large numbers. Lin Shu's writing was very good and had always been respected by people at that time.
So several of his friends came to him and asked him for help in translating foreign novels. Lin Shu was originally uninterested, because in the eyes of traditional literati, the novel was an unpopular thing, but a word from his friend Wang Shouchang touched him.
Wang Shouchang is a translator and diplomat who has traveled to various European countries since childhood, graduated from the University of Paris in France, and is proficient in French.
At this time, his career was not smooth, he was just a small translator, so he planned to translate some foreign novels with a few friends to facilitate the Chinese people to understand the customs and customs of foreign countries.
Wang Shouchang is a famous Chinese diplomat
However, he only knew French and did not know how to write a good novel, so he found some talents to assist in the translation. But the translator's level is not good, and it is difficult to get into his eyes.
He had to find some more masters of the article, but as soon as the masters heard about the translation of the novel, they all refused. Wang Shouchang's translation work was in trouble.
At this time, he heard that his friend Lin Shu was idle at home, so he came to the door with great interest.
At this time, he was already sure of victory, because although this Lin Shu's thinking was not radical and he did not ask about current affairs, he was not a conservative, and he was still full of affirmation for reformers, and he was an eclectic person.
Moreover, this old man loves literature, and when he sees a good book like smelling good wine, such a moving foreign novel will definitely attract Lin Shu's attention.
Therefore, before he even came to the door, Wang Shouchang was already sure of victory.
Interior of Lin Shu's former residence
In the early morning of this day, Lin Shu was reading behind closed doors at home, when he saw Wang Shouchang's prayer post, he hurried out to greet him.
"Brother Qinnan (Lin Shuzi Qinnan), who has not been seen for many days, has heard that Ling Ci has passed away, and he is overwhelmed with grief, and when he comes today, he sends condolences to him, visits late, and hopes to forgive his sins." Wang Shouchang said.
"Ziren (Wang Shouchang Ziren) visited various countries, foreign affairs and complicated affairs, and personally visited the cottage, which was a great honor. Besides, you and my brother, don't be polite, please come in quickly. ”
The two of them greeted each other for a while, remembering the acquaintance of the teenagers in the past, and they had many feelings. "Brother Qinnan, do you remember the Water Pavilion in the South of the Bridge?" Wang Shouchang asked.
"How can you forget? At that time, you and I were really full of spirits, laughing at everything in the world! Lin Shu said with emotion.
"Yes! At that time, you talked loudly, made a big pen, made 50 miscellaneous poems, advocated reforming education, and set up a women's school. Wang Shouchang said with a smile.
Lin Shu smiled and said, "The good man didn't mention that he was brave!" That was all when I was younger. ”
Lin Shu was a little sad. Wang Shouchang was keenly aware that this old brother's career was not going well, and coupled with the death of his mother, it was inevitable that he would be a little frustrated, and Wang Shouchang continued:
"Brother Qin Nan doesn't have to be like this, I think tai shi gong was also angry at writing a book!" It just so happens that today, Brother Qinnan is free, and he may wish to use his writing pen to write the unevenness in his heart! Besides, the elder brother has not been confused for many years, he should know the destiny of heaven, everything can not be forced, it is better to make plans early, so as not to waste time! ”
Lin Shu knew that Wang Shouchang was referring to the matter of the imperial examination, so he said, "Yes! It's time to do something practical! ”
"Dude don't worry, this matter has to be considered in the long run." At the moment, I have some things that I can't figure out, and I want to ask my brother to teach me! Wang Shouchang continued.
"It's okay to be blunt!" Lin Said.
"Back then, the elder brother advocated studying foreign countries, but now this scholar-doctor class has no contact with foreign affairs at all, not even a decent reading book, how can we understand foreign countries?" Wang Shouchang asked.
Lin Shu did not answer, this question was difficult for him to be an old scholar.
Wang Shouchang took the opportunity to reply: "Now, I have traveled to Western Europe, I have a large book of Western books in my hand, I want to translate them to China, but unfortunately I am shallow in the next step, and the writing is not good. ”
Lin Shu had the spirit to hear this and said, "This is a good thing!" Willing to serve. But I don't know a foreign language, how can I get this errand? ”
Lin Shu calligraphy and painting fan
So Wang Shouchang took out his own draft translation of "La Traviata" from the cuff and handed it to Lin Shu, saying: "It doesn't matter, I have translated this book, I only need the brother to polish it." ”
Lin Shu took it with both hands and asked, "What is this book about?" ”
Wang Shouchang did not dare to hide it, saying: "It is similar to "Dream of the Red Chamber", but it is the story of a group of men and women. However, this depicts the Customs and Customs of France, rogue beggars, officials and aristocrats to the fullest! ”
"That's a novel!" I'm an ancient writer, what novels do I do? Lin Shu was a little embarrassed.
This was as early as Wang Shouchang's expectation, and he said: "Brother can write in ancient Chinese!" The ancient text is not a novel, just for the scholars to read. First, to relieve boredom, and second, you can also understand Western things, which is for the benefit of the country and the people. ”
Lin Shu nodded and agreed. After bidding farewell to Wang Shouchang, he began to translate the "La Traviata".
As soon as he entered the world of literature, he found himself, and the moving plot of the book and the customs of foreign countries also greatly admired Lin Shu, as if he was in a foreign land in Paris.
He was suddenly excited, completely tired, and knew that he had not felt this way for a long time. It was as if he was the only one in the world, and in this book, all his troubles were thrown away.
After several days of hard work, many deletions and revisions, Lin Shu's translation was completed, and it was named "The Testament of the Traviata of Paris".
On this day, he personally visited Wang Shouchang's mansion and presented the first translated novel in China.
Wang Shouchang was overjoyed, he did not expect Lin Shu to translate so quickly, he could not wait to open it, carefully read a few pages, and sure enough, the literary brilliance was worthy of a big hand, as if the Tang people were alive.
Yan fu
He did not dare to delay for a moment and immediately handed it over to the bookstore. After reading it, everyone in the bookstore was surprised, and everyone knew the weight of this book.
Sure enough, "The Testament of the Lady of the Traviata in Paris" became a hit, and the scholars and doctors rushed to read it, and it was difficult to find a volume for a while.
Yan Fu, who is also a translator, praised his Testament of the Traviata of Paris as: Poor a roll of Traviata, cut off the intestines of the.
The success of "The Testament of the Traviata in Paris" gave Wang Shouchang and Lin Shu great confidence, so the two joined forces again, Wang Shouchang interpreted for one hour, and Lin Shu translated 3,000 words.
One is proficient in French and can accurately understand the original text, solving the problem of translation. The other is good at ancient chinese, creating with beautiful words, which can be described as a match made in heaven.
Lin Shu's translation is extremely fast, often "the dictator has not finished his words, but the book is on paper, not a word." ”
Later, in order to translate more works, Wang Shouchang also found more translators to jointly undertake the heavy responsibility of translating foreign novels and introducing foreign customs and customs.
Lin Shu's translation of "The Testament of the Traviata of Paris"
According to statistics, there are 183 kinds of works translated by Lin Shu, involving Shakespeare, Cervantes, Ibsen, Defoe, Dickens and other heavyweight writers in the European and American literary circles, and he is a well-deserved king of the translation world.
And this king of the translation industry, even did not understand foreign languages at all, and was also praised by posterity.
At this time, Lin Shu's brilliance reached the extreme, and the monthly translation fee was countless, but he did not love money, and he funded it to the talents who studied abroad, hoping that they could return to China to repay the work. It can also be regarded as an excuse for Lin Shu's dull mood of not being able to serve the country.
He once recalled: "I am old and old, there is no day to serve the country, and my compatriots are vigilant." Read all the Eastern and Western translations in China, and the outline hooks and elements will be passed, which is reserved for the province's middle and late British. ”
However, this pure heart did not get the understanding of the people at that time. At the height of Lin Shu's fame, he also obtained the position of lecturer at Peking University with his excellent writing skills and ancient literature skills, specializing in ancient Chinese practices and ancient prose.
Lin Shu had no unshirkable responsibility and promised it in one mouth. But at that time, Peking University was experiencing a vigorous literary revolution, that is, the New Culture Movement.
The radicals at that time advocated the abolition of Chinese characters and the complete Westernization. Reformists advocated the abolition of the ancient language and the promotion of the vernacular language.
Both radicals and reformists demanded the abolition of the old gang of ethics, and in literature, they were even more critical of the paleo-wen school.
Lin Shu also naturally responded with a pen, criticizing the young people at that time for wanting to abandon the three programs and five constants: "If you want to depose the three programs, you will be mad." ”
In order to show his ambition, he inscribed the word "fear of heaven" in his residence to express his respect for ancient Chinese, traditional Chinese studies, and heaven and earth.
And he often ran and shouted in class to gain momentum. However, no matter how Lin Shu calls for it, it will not be able to withstand the trend of history.
He was called "old stubborn" in the newspapers, and the students in his classes were influenced by new ideas and rarely studied ancient Chinese.
In desperation, Lin Shu had to leave and bid farewell to his short teaching career.
But he did not lose his heart, and just took advantage of his leisure time to concentrate on translation and spread ancient texts in the form of literature.
However, after the establishment of the "New Youth" magazine, Qian Xuantong, Lu Xun and others not only created novels in vernacular, but also translated novels in vernacular, which completely disrupted Lin Shu's position.
Portrait of Lu Xun
In addition, Lin Shu has entered the old age of creation, and the quality and physical strength of translation are not as good as before, which is even more difficult to sustain. Therefore, multiple factors led to Lin Shu's brilliant translation career falling into the bottom and completely losing readers.
Therefore, in his later years, Lin Shu fell into poverty again, but fortunately, with the feedback and support of the students who had been funded in the past, he would not be too miserable, and he could barely write and paint.
One day, Wang Shouchang found Lin Shu again, and at this time, his career was not smooth, after all, in the late Qing Dynasty and the weakening of the Republic of China, how much stage did he have as a diplomat?
After many years of not seeing, both of them have been whiteheaded, the past is like smoke, after the wine is happy, it is actually full of tears, the two are drunk, and once again come to the south of the bridge water pavilion.
Recalling that the two of them were drinking happily with their friends here, Lin Shu had just been lifted, and it was the time when he was full of spirits.
Looking at today, they are all white-headed old people, friends and many people have died of illness, the vicissitudes of the world, the glory of glory have become the clouds of the past, what is the true meaning of life? So Lin Shu wrote another poem:
"A lifetime of holding a wine glass, a lifetime of creeping." alack! Two lives but no sorrow, virtuous and foolish for a thousand years to dust. ”
Wang Juchang Images
Having said that, in the face of reality, even if it is difficult and dangerous, Lin Shu must fight hard, after all, in his eyes, the ancient text can never be abolished.
Therefore, he sorted out old objects and ancient anthologies, continued to carry forward the Chinese tradition, and taught students and future generations: "Ancient texts have no reason to perish, and they should not be neglected and cultivated." ”
In 1912, Emperor Xuantong abdicated and the Qing Dynasty came to an end. Lin Shu, as a sublime sect, naturally could not accept such a blow.
In order to show his loyalty to the Qing court, although he did not sink himself like Wang Guowei, he also closed the door, refused the invitation of Yuan Shikai, Duan Qirui and others to be officials, and spent the rest of his life at home.
Puyi
From today's point of view, Lin Shu's efforts are not completely backwards in history, and can be understood by future generations.
But in any case, Lin Shu's name has entered history, and future generations will not forget that it was he who translated foreign novels to the Chinese for the first time, which promoted the progress of history.
More importantly, this persistent belief that there are tigers in the mountains and biased towards the tiger mountain line is always worth learning from future generations.