In my "Diary of Immediately Branching", there is such a passage:—— "When we arrived in Central Park, we arrived at a secluded place agreed upon by the radial direction. Shoushan had arrived first, and after a short rest, we began to translate. This is a good book, but it came about by accident. It was written about twenty years ago. , I bought dozens of old German literary magazines in a second-hand bookstore in Tokyo, Japan, which contained the introduction of the book and the author's commentary, because it was just translated into German at that time. I found it interesting, so I asked Maruzen Bookstore to go I bought it; I wanted to translate it, but I didn’t have the strength. Later, I often thought about it, but it was always distracted by other things. It was not until last year that I decided to translate it well during the summer vacation and advertise it. Unexpectedly, that summer vacation was over. It was more difficult than other times. I remembered it again this year. After going through the inspection, there were many difficulties, but I still didn’t have the strength. I asked Shoushan if he would be willing to translate together, and he agreed, so he started, and agreed that it must be done in The Chinese translation will be completed during this summer vacation."

This happened last year, July 6, 1926.Well, twenty years ago was naturally 1906.The so-called literary magazine, which was introduced, was Das litererarische Echo, which was published on August 1, 1899. Now it has probably become an institution of old-school literature, but that book is still the first Volume 21 Issue.The original work was published in 1887, when the author was only twenty-eight years old; the German translation was not printed until thirteen years later, and the translation was still before that, and the Chinese translation was published forty years later. Already sixty-eight years old.

January 1928, cover of Peking Weiming Society edition; Sun Fuxi Design The words in the diary are very simple, but contain many trivial matters.When studying abroad, in addition to listening to textbooks and copying the same kind of lectures as textbooks, I also had some fun. For me, one of them was to visit the old bookstores in Kanda Ward.After the great earthquake in Japan, it must have been very different. At that time, there were quite a lot of bookstores in this area. Every summer evening, a group of students in shabby clothes and old hats would often gather.The left and right walls of the store and the big bed in the middle are full of books, and in the depths of the store is probably a shrewd shopkeeper sitting kneeling, with piercing eyes, from my point of view, it looks like a big spider sitting quietly on the web, waiting for someone to entrap itself. limited tuition.But I can't help being like others, wandering in unknowingly, looking through, how many books to buy, and I feel a little empty in my arms.But the shabby fortnightly "Literary Response" also got it from such a place.

I still remember that the purpose of buying it at that time was ridiculous, but I wanted to see the titles of the books they published every half month and the news of the literary circles of various countries. Finally, it is better to chew after passing through the gate, than to swallow empty after passing through the gate. , As for the ambition to buy and read group books, it is not even a dream.But I happened to see the specimen of the translation contained in it, that is, the fifth chapter of this book, which fascinated me very much.A few days later, I went to Nanjiangtang to buy it. I didn't have the book, and I went to Maruzen Bookstore, but I didn't have it, so I had to ask him to order it from Germany.About three months later, this book was actually in my hands. It was translated by Ms. Anna Fles, with a preface by Dr. Paul Rache at the front, Bibliothek die GesamtLitteratur des In-und-Auslandes, verlag von Otto Hendel, Halle ads), priced at only seventy-five fennes, that is, our four corners, on canvas!

As the preface says, this is a "fairy tale poem that symbolizes realism".Poems without rhyme and fairy tales for adults may have surpassed ordinary fairy tales for adults because of the author's profound knowledge and sensitivity.Among them, the life of gold bugs, the words and deeds of fungi, the ideals of fireflies, and the peace theory of ants are all a mixture of reality and fantasy.I am a little afraid that if you don't pay much attention to the phenomena of the biological world, you will lose some interest because of this, but I have a feeling that there are people who love it, as long as you don't lose your heart, and feel that there is a place where "humanity and their sorrows are located in the metropolis." "people.

This is indeed a contradiction of human nature, and the joys and sorrows entangled by misfortune and fortune.When people are immature, they follow "Xuaner" and become friends with nature.It's a blessing or a disaster, but after a while, I seek knowledge: how, what, and why?Then came the concretization of the desire for knowledge: the little ghost "knowledge"; gradually encountered the cold spirit of scientific research: "penetrating".Childhood dreams are torn to pieces; as for scientific research, "the beginning of everything he learns is good,—but the deeper he delves, the more bleak and bleak it all is."—Only " "Dr. Number" is a happy person. As long as all the results are turned into numbers on paper, he will be satisfied and see the light.Whoever wants to make progress will have to suffer.why?The reason is that he knows a little, but he doesn't know everything, so he is finally one of the "human beings", unable to fit with nature, and takes the heart of heaven and earth as his heart.John is looking for such a book that can tell everything at a glance, but because of this, he gets "knowledge" instead of "penetrating". In the end, he only learns from "Dr. Number" as a teacher, adding more pain.It wasn't until he saw God in himself, approaching "humanity and the metropolis where their sorrows are located", that he realized that this book is not in the world, but can be found from two places: one is "Xuaner", the lost source The chaos that is in harmony with nature, one is "eternal death" - death, the chaos that has not yet come and then is in harmony with nature.And it is clear that the two of them are in the same boat...

If we give a speech in a foreign land, because of the difference in language, there is no help for an interpreter. At most, we are afraid that he will omit, make mistakes, and lose his spirit.But if the translator adds some explanations, affirmations, summaries, or even elucidations, I think both the speaker and the listeners will hate it.So I don't want to say anything more about the content either. I also don't want others to persuade me to eat what he likes, but what I like to eat, I often persuade people to eat what I like.The same is true for the things I read, that is, one of them is a book that I like to read and I want others to read, so unconsciously, I have the meaning of translating it into Chinese.This meaning happened very early, because I have long felt as if I owed a huge debt to the author and readers.

But why didn't it start earlier? "Busy" is an excuse; the main reason is still very unclear.It seemed that I understood it, but when it came time to pull out my pen to translate, I became confused again. In short, the strength of foreign countries was not enough.The year before last, I had made up my mind to use my time during the summer vacation to walk this path with the help of a dictionary. Unexpectedly, there was no time, and at least two or three months of my life would be spent in "gentlemen" and "scholars". "They are under siege.Last summer, when I was about to leave Beijing, I remembered this book first, and my friend who had worked with me for many years, Qi Zongyijun, who once helped me translate "Worker Sui Huiluev", hid in a small house with red walls in Central Park Here, first translate into a draft.

Our translation is every afternoon, there must be a pot of good tea around you and a lot of sweat on your body.Sometimes it goes very quickly, sometimes the dispute is fierce, sometimes it is discussed, and sometimes no one can think of a proper translation.When I was dizzy from translating, I looked at the sunlight and green shade outside the small window, my mind gradually calmed down, and I slowly heard the cicadas singing on the tall trees. This continued for about a month.Soon I took my drafts to Xiamen University, and wanted to find time to sort them out there, but I didn’t have the time; I couldn’t live anymore, because there were also “scholars” there.So I took it to Sun Yat-Sen University in Guangzhou, trying to find time to organize it there, but I didn't have the time; and I couldn't live anymore, and "scholars" came there again.In the end, he fled to his own apartment with him—a very spacious but very hot house that was just rented for less than a month—Baiyun Building.

The scenery of sand hills by the sea in Holland, just described in this book, is enough to fascinate people.The outside of my building is different: the sky is hot and sunny, and there are occasional torrential rains; in the small harbor in front are more than a dozen households of boats, one boat for one family, one family for one world.Talking, laughing, crying and scolding, has the joys and sorrows in the metropolis.It also seems to feel that there are youthful lives perishing, or being killed, or moaning, or "running a rotten business" and making materials for this business.However, I gradually realized that my life still exists in this silent city, even though I have retreated steadily, I am not dead.It's just that the "fire cloud" is not seen, and the time is awkward and rainy, if it is clear and ambiguous, it seems that it is time to sort out this translation.So I started on May 2, made minor corrections, and transcribed it. It was finished at the end of the month, and it took another month.

It's a pity that my old colleague Qi Jun now doesn't know where he is roaming. Since we parted last year, he hasn't heard from him so far. Although he has doubts, he has no way to discuss or argue.If there is any mistranslation, I will be responsible for it.In addition, although the city is silent, there are sometimes scouting eyes, or impersonated letters, or Beijing-style rumors to disturb the eyes and ears, so the writing is always sloppy.If you want to translate it literally, the sentences will become awkward; Owen is clear, but my strength is really not enough to achieve it.Although, as Poledimund said, "simple language close to children's language" is used, it is difficult enough to translate, and the result is still unsatisfactory.For example, the important and powerful sentence at the end: "Und mit seinem Begleiter ging er den frostigen Nachtwinde entgegen, den schweren Weg nach der grossen, finstern Stadt, wo die Menschheit wer und ihr Weh." "On the hard way to the great and dark city, where men and their sorrows are," is long and inexplicable, but I have no better way to translate it, because if it is dispersed, the spirit and strength will be lost. very different.The original translation, however, is very clear: the hard road is taken, and the road leads to the great dark city, which is the place of human beings and their sorrows.