观舞记课文原文

0742翻译：观舞记 (冰心)

Translation: Indian Dance Performance (Bing Xin)

(translated by: alexcwlin; edited by: Adam Lam)

献给印度舞蹈家卡拉玛姐妹

This article is dedicated to Indian dancers—Kumari Sisters:

我应当怎样来形容印度卡拉玛姐妹的舞蹈?

How should I describe the dancing of Indian Kumari Sisters?

假如我是个诗人，我就要写出一首长诗，来描绘她们的变幻多姿的旋舞。

If I were a poet, I would write a lengthy poem to portray their variety-packed and grace-laden twirling-dances.

假如我是个画家，我就要用各种彩色，点染出她们的清扬的眉宇和绚丽的服装。

If I were a painter, I would apply multiple colors to highlight their distinctively upbeat eyebrows and audaciously beautiful costumes.

假如我是个作曲家，我就要用音符来传达出她们轻捷的舞步和细响的铃声。

If I were a composer, I would write musical notes to articulate their agile dance-steps and jingling bells.

假如我是个雕刻家，我就要在玉石上模拟出她们的充满了活力的苗条灵动的身形。

If I were a sculptor, I would carve with jade-stones to replicate their vivacious, shapely and brilliant figures.

然而我什么都不是!我只能用我自己贫乏的文字，来描写这惊人的舞蹈艺术。

But I am nobody, and I could only employ my paltry vocabularies to describe their stunning art of dancing.

如同一个婴儿，看到了朝阳下一朵耀眼的红莲，深林中一只旋舞的孔雀，他想叫出他心中的惊喜，但是除了咿哑之外，他找不到合适的语言。

Similar to a baby at seeing an eye-catching red lotus flower under the morning sun or a whirling peacock in a jungle, he wants to call out his excitement but is lost for words except to babble.

但是，朋友，难道我就能忍住满心的欢喜和激动，不向你吐出我心中的“咿哑”?

But then, my friends, should I simply put a lid on my surfeit of blissful excitement, and stop venting the feelings in me through “babbling”?

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------我不敢冒充研究印度舞蹈的学者，来阐述印度舞蹈的历史和派别，

I don't pretend to be an academic who specializes in the studies of Indian dancing and can expound on the history and branches of this discipline.

来说明她们所表演的婆罗多舞是印度舞蹈的正宗。

Nor that I am capable of telling if the Bharat Natyam which they performed was the traditional type.

我也不敢像舞蹈家一般，内行地赞美她们的一举手一投足，是怎样地“本色当行”

Also I would not try to extol, like an expert dancer, that their every move was so very professional.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------我只是一个欣赏者，但是我愿意努力说出我心中所感受的飞动的“美”!

I am only an appreciative spectator trying my best to express the lively “exquisiteness” that I felt.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------朋友，在一个难忘的夜晚

Friends, it happened on a memorable night.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------帘幕慢慢地拉开，

A curtain opened slowly.

台中间小桌上供奉着一尊湿婆天的舞像，

In the middle of the stage was a small table enshrined with the statute of a dancing Shiva.

两旁是燃着的两盏高脚铜灯，

On both sides were two high-leg brass lamps.

舞台上的气氛是静穆庄严的。

The ambiance on stage was tranquil and solemn.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------卡拉玛•拉克希曼出来了。真是光艳地一闪!

Kamala Kumari came out and her beauty brightened up everything.

她向观众深深地低头合掌，抬起头来，她亮出她的秀丽的面庞和那能说出万千种话的一对长眉，一双眼睛。

She bowed to the audience with joined palms, and then raised her head to flash her pretty face and expressive eyebrows/eyes.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------她端凝地站立着。

She stood still with a dignified poise.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------笛子吹起，小鼓敲起，歌声唱起，卡拉玛开始舞蹈了。

Flutes sounded, drumbeats rolled, singing rang out, and then Kamala began to dance.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------她用她的长眉，妙目，手指，腰肢，用她髻上的花朵，腰间的褶裙，用她细碎的舞步，繁响的铃声，轻云般慢移，旋风般疾转，

She engaged her long eyebrows, telling eyes, slender fingers, small waist, topknot flower, pleated skirt, small dance-steps, varying bell-rings, light-footed glides, and whirlwind twirls in the choreography of her dances.

舞蹈出诗句里的离合悲欢。

Through her dances, she told stories and emotions in the themes of proses.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------我们虽然不晓得故事的内容，但是我们的情感，却能随着她的动作，起了共鸣!

Even though we didn’t know the context of the story, yet her dance moves won our empathy.

我们看她忽而双眉颦蹙，表现出无限的哀愁；忽而笑颊粲然，表现出无边的喜乐；忽而侧身垂睫表现出低回婉转的娇羞；忽而张目嗔视，表现出叱咤风云的盛怒；

We could sense her sorrow through her knotted eyebrows, share her happiness through her broad smile, detect her shyness through her evasive gesture/eyesight, and recognize her anger through her infuriated expression.

忽而轻柔地点额抚臂，画眼描眉，表演着细腻妥帖的梳妆；

At times she was showing her make-believe meticulous art of makeup by dotting her own forehead, massaging her own arms, and lining her own eyes/eyebrows.

忽而挺身屹立，按箭引弓，使人几乎听得见铮铮的弦响!

Suddenly she stood upright and pretended to cock an arrow on a bow in such convincing manner that people could almost hear vibration of the stretched bow.

像湿婆天一样，在舞蹈的狂欢中，她忘怀了观众，也忘怀了自己。

Like Deity Shiva she was totally absorbed in the ecstasy of her own dancing such that she was oblivious to the presence of the audience and her own self.

她只顾使出浑身解数，用她灵活熟练的四肢五官，来讲说着印度古代的优美的诗歌故事!

She went all out using her dexterous and nimble limbs/expressions to tell beautiful ancient Indian stories contained in proses/poems.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------一段一段的舞蹈表演过

Segments of dances were performed.

(小妹妹拉达，有时单独舞蹈，有时和姐姐配合，

(Little sister Radha danced both solo and in team with her sister.

她是一只雏凤!形容尚小而功夫已深，将来的成就也是不可限量的)，

She was still young, but in spite of her age, she was proficient and her future had no limit.)

我们发现她们不但是表现神和人，就是草木禽兽：

We noticed in their dances not only that they represented gods and humans, but plants and animals as well.

如莲花的花开瓣颤，小鹿的疾走惊跃，孔雀的高视阔步，都能形容尽致，尽态极妍!

For example, lotus petal in tremble, dashing fawn in fear, and proud peacock in strut, were described to the fullest and presented in the best light.

最精彩的是“蛇舞”，颈的轻摇，肩的微颤：一阵一阵的柔韧的蠕动，从右手的指尖，一直传到左手的指尖!

The most impressive was the “Snake Dance” featuring the waggle of neck, the quiver of shoulder, and the wiggle in waves from right-hand finger tips to left-hand finger tips.

我实在描写不出，只能借用白居易的两句诗“珠缨炫转星宿摇，花蔓斗薮龙蛇动”来包括了。

I really can’t put down in words on what I saw, except by making reference to the two verses in Bai Juyi’s poem: “The twirling of bead/tassel in hair-wear resembles zooming stars, and the motion in causing a garland to drop resembles wriggling of dragon/snake.”

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------看了卡拉玛姐妹的舞蹈，使人深深地体会到印度的优美悠久的文化艺术：舞蹈、音乐、雕刻、图画……

Watching the dancing of Kumari Sisters brought about appreciation of India’s long-standing and exquisite cultural arts: dances, music, sculpture, drawings, etc.

都如同一条条的大榕树上的树枝，枝枝下垂，入地生根。

These cultural elements are like branches of a banyan tree bending down and growing roots when they enter the ground.

这么多树枝在大地里面息息相通，吸收着大地母亲给予它的食粮的供养，

Branches underground link with one another and feed on nutrition provided by mother-land.

而这大地就是印度的广大人民群众。

The land represents people everywhere in India.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------卡拉玛和拉达还只是这棵大榕树上的两条柔枝。

Kamala and Radha were only two tender branches on this banyan tree.

虽然卡拉玛以她22岁的年华，已过了17年的舞台生活；

Kamala had seventeen years of experience on stage even though she was twenty-two years old.

12岁的拉达也已经有了4年的演出经验，

The twelve-year-old Radha had already spent four years in show business.

但是我们知道印度的伟大的大地母亲，还会不断地给她们以滋润培养的。

However, we knew India’s magnificent mother-land would continue to nourish them.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------最使人惆怅的是她们刚显示给中国人民以她们“游龙”般的舞姿，因着她们祖国广大人民的需求，她们又将在两三天内“惊鸿”般地飞了回去!

Regretfully just when they had shown the people of China their graceful-as-drifting-dragon dancing, they had to fly back in two to three days like “frightened swan geese” at the request of the people in their mother country.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------北京的早春，找不到像她们的南印度故乡那样的丰满芬芳的花朵，

In Beijing’s early spring, we couldn’t find full-bloomed, fragrant flowers like those of their hometown in South India.

我们只能学她们的伟大诗人泰戈尔的充满诗意的说法：让我们将我们一颗颗的赞叹感谢的心，像一朵朵的红花似的穿成花串，献给她们挂在胸前，

We would only imitate the poetic saying of their great poet Tagore: “Let us link our appreciative and amazed hearts like red flowers into garlands and put them on their necks.

带回到印度人民那里去，感谢他们的友谊和热情，感谢他们把拉克希曼姐妹送来的盛意!

They could bring the garlands back to the people of India as a token of our gratitude for their friendship, warmth and generosity in providing Kumari Sisters to us.”

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