《枉凝眉》经典英译版

四大名著电视剧主题歌的英文直译翻唱版……于是什么都不用多说了吧，只想默默提一句，其中的红楼用的还是李少红的新版片花……下面是红楼梦主题曲《枉凝眉》的译文，注意，下面给出的译文是来自都翻译过《红楼梦》的杨宪益和汉学家David Hawkes。可以用大师的译文对比一下上面的歌词。

　　枉凝眉：一个是阆苑仙葩，一个是美玉无瑕。若说没奇缘，今生偏又遇着他；若说有奇缘，如何心事终虚化﹖一个枉自嗟呀，一个空劳牵挂。一个是水中月，一个是镜中花。想眼中能有多少泪珠儿，怎经得秋流到冬尽，春流到夏！

　　杨宪益版：VAIN LONGING

　　One is an immortal flower of fairyland,

　　The other fair flawless jade,

　　And were it not predestined,

　　Why should they meet again in this existence?

　　Yet, if predestined,

　　Why does their love come to nothing?

　　One sighs to no purpose,

　　The other yearns in vain;

　　One is the moon reflected in the water,

　　The other but a flower in the mirror。

　　How many tears can well from her eyes?

　　Can they flow on from autumn till winter,

　　From spring till summer?

　　David Hawkes 版：HOPE BETRAYED

　　One was a flower from paradise,

　　One a pure jade without spot or stain。

　　If each of the other one was not intended,

　　Then why in this life did they meet again?

　　And yet if fate had meant them for each other,

　　why was their earthly meeting all in vain?

　　In vain were all his anxious fears:

　　All, insubstantial, doomed to pass,

　　As moonlight mirrored in the water

　　Or flowers reflected in a glass。

　　How many tears from those poor eyes could flow,

　　Which every season rained upon her woe?