“长相思，在长安”—— 李白《长相思》千载共情英译互鉴与文化出海

李白《长相思》三首以乐府歌行写尽人间离愁，分述男女相思三重心境，意象凝练、情思婉转，是盛唐抒情诗代表作。诗歌以金井、孤灯、黄叶白露构筑含蓄意境，往复咏叹的句式极具古典感染力。

李白（701～762），字太白，号青莲居士。是屈原之后最具个性特色、最伟大的浪漫主义诗人。后世称其“诗仙”之美誉，与杜甫并称“李杜”。

这三首《长相思》的创作时间并无确证，学界有“开元年间”“天宝初”“去长安后追忆”等多种说法。而且李白《长相思》在中华书局《全唐诗》中通常作二首（其一、其二），第三首是否为李白所作，学界有争议（部分版本归入“乐府杂曲”，亦有视为“古诗”或“拟古”），但无论其三是否属于李白所作，从上世纪到今天，海外许多译本，无数汉学家、翻译家纷纷翻译了李白《长相思》三首，并视为李白的杰作。

今天我们不就诗作归属做谈论，只探讨如何让英译精准典雅、打破语言壁垒，既完整留存李白诗作所代表的东方含蓄美学，又适配西方诗歌审美，推动中华古典诗词走出国门，让独属于中国人的相思情志成为世界共通的文学情感。

《长相思》李白

其一

长相思，在长安。

络纬秋啼金井阑，

微霜凄凄簟色寒。

孤灯不明思欲绝，

卷帷望月空长叹。

美人如花隔云端。

上有青冥之长（一作“高”）天，

下有渌水之波澜。

天长路（一作“地”）远魂飞苦，

梦魂不到关山难。

长相思，摧心肝。

其二

日色欲尽花含烟，

月明欲（一作“如”）素愁不眠。

赵瑟初停凤凰柱，

蜀琴欲奏鸳鸯弦。

此曲有意无人传，

愿随春风寄燕然。

忆君迢迢隔青天。

昔时横波目，

今作流泪泉。

不信妾肠断，

归来看取明镜前。

其三

美人在时花满堂，

美人去后花馀床。

床中绣被卷不寝，

至今三载闻余香。

香亦竟不灭，

人亦竟不来。

相思黄叶落，

白露湿（一作“点”）青苔。

我们首先来看看美国著名诗人Witter Bynner 威特·宾纳（欧美大学通用唐诗译本）的译作：

Long Sorrow I

By Li Bai (Tang Dynasty) / Tr. Witter Bynner

Long sorrow dwells in Chang’an.

Autumn crickets cry beside the golden well-rails;

Thin frost breathes cold on the bamboo mat.

A dim lone lamp, my longing almost spent;

I draw aside the curtain, watch the moon and sigh empty.

The lovely lady, like a blossom, hidden beyond cloud heights.

Above spreads the vast blue heaven;

Below runs the green water’s rolling waves.

Sky high, road far, my wandering soul suffers sore;

Even dream-soul cannot cross the hard mountain passes.

Long sorrow tears my heart and my liver.

# Long Sorrow II

Daylight fades, flowers wrapped in mist smoke;

Moon glows pale silk, grief keeps me awake.

I pause my Zhao zither strung with phoenix pegs;

I would play the Shu lute on mandarin duck strings.

This melody holds love, yet no one bears it forth;

May it drift with spring wind to Yanran far north.

I yearn for you, parted by vast blue sky.

Once my eyes were bright rippling waves;

Now they stream as fountains of tears.

If you doubt my heart is broken with woe,

Return and look at me before the mirror slow.

# Long Sorrow III

While the fair lady stayed, blooms filled the hall;

When the fair lady left, blooms remain upon the bed.

The embroidered coverlet lies rolled, unused at night;

Three full years gone, her faint sweet scent still lingerslight.

The fragrance never fades away;

Yet she shall never come back to stay.

My endless sorrow falls with yellow leaves;

White dew wets the green moss.

(Witter Bynner & Kiang Kang-Hu.The Jade Mountain: AChinese Anthology.Knopf, 1929, pp. 119–120)

具体分析如下

优点：

一是，英语诗性重建成功，意象派画面感强。“Autumn crickets cry beside the goldenwell-rails”“Thin frost breathes cold on the bamboo mat”把“络纬秋啼金井阑，微霜凄凄簟色寒”的闺怨秋夜还原成可触摸的英美意象诗，动词（cry / breathes / draws aside / sighs）有动态，符合意象派“skip connective tissue”的审美。

二是，情感主线不丢。三首“长相思—摧心肝”的缠绵、望月、梦魂不到关山、横波目变泪泉、余香三年、黄叶白露，核心情绪链完整，西方读者一读就懂是“separation & longing”，没有掉进注释坑。

三是，音乐性靠内部节奏而非押韵。宾纳用自由诗体，不硬押韵，但“Sky high, road far…”“Oncemy eyes were bright rippling waves / Now they stream as fountains of tears”有英语重音起伏，诵读顺口，具有“不押韵也成诗”的散行气质。

可商榷之处

首先，典故与专名扁平化。“赵瑟初停凤凰柱，蜀琴欲奏鸳鸯弦”被压成 “Zhao zither strung with phoenix pegs / Shu lute on mandarin duckstrings”——凤凰柱、鸳鸯弦的性别与婚恋隐喻被当作物件罗列；“燕然”直写 Yanran far north，丢了窦宪勒铭的“征戍/边功”互文（原诗是以女子口吻念征人，不是单纯寄春风）。

其次，文化距离感仍在。“fair lady / lovely lady”把“美人”译成中世纪抒情诗里的 lady，李白以男子设闺情、或托男女喻君臣的暧昧层被洗成普通的爱情抒情诗。my heart and my liver “催肝胆”属于中式字面直译，西方读者难以领会“极度悲痛”含义。

总之，宾纳版是“把李白变成英语意象派诗人”的成功再创作——信度中等、诗度偏高、学术准确度偏低；适合文学课朗读体会情绪，不适合严谨的学术研究。

接下来，我们看看美国著名汉学家Burton Watson 伯顿·沃森（北美汉学学术标准译本）的译作：

Long Yearning

By Li Bai (Tang Dynasty) / Tr. Burton Watson

Long Yearning I

Long yearning, in Chang’an.

Autumn crickets chirp by the golden well railing;

Light frost, cold chill on the bamboo mat.

A dim single lamp, longing wears me to the bone;

I pull back the curtain, gaze at the moon and sigh for nothing.

The beautiful woman, flower-like, separated by clouds high.

Above, the endless blue heaven stretches wide;

Below, green water rolls in waves beside.

Sky vast, road distant, my soul flies in torment;

Even my dream cannot surmount the hard mountain barriers.

Long yearning, it crushes heart and liver.

Long Yearning II

Sunlight dies, flowers wrapped in thin haze;

Moon shines pale silk, sorrow robs me of sleep.

I stop playing my Zhao zither on phoenix tuning pegs;

I mean to pluck my Shu lute strung with mandarin duck cords.

This tune carries tender feeling, yet no messenger to send it;

May it ride spring wind all the way to Yanran’sborder land.

I think of you, divided by boundless blue sky.

Once my eyes were bright rolling waves;

Now they turn to springs of endless tears.

If you do not believe my heart is split with grief,

Come home and look at my face before the mirror brief.

Long Yearning III

When the lovely woman was here, blossoms filled the hall;

When the lovely woman departed, blossoms stay upon the bed.

The embroidered quilt on the bed stays rolled, never laid forrest;

Three whole years pass, and her lingering fragrance stillpersists.

The scent never fades entirely;

Yet the woman never comes back to me.

My yearning drifts down with yellow autumn leaves;

White dew soaks the green moss beneath the trees.

(Watson, Burton.The Columbia Book of Chinese Poetry: FromEarly Times to the Thirteenth Century.Columbia UP, 1984, pp. 206–207)

沃森（Burton Watson）这版 Long Yearning（李白《长相思三首》），收在《哥伦比亚中国诗选》（1984）里，是北美汉学系课堂的“标准学术译本”——和宾纳的诗人自由体重写不同，沃森本人是中日古典文学译者，底本意识、句法克制、专名处理都更靠近文献。

优点：

一是，标题与核心词更稳。“长相思”译Long Yearning而非宾纳的Long Sorrow，yearning 贴“相思”本义，sorrow 是宾纳替李白加的情绪结论；沃森把“摧心肝”留到末句 “crushesheart and liver” 才点破，节奏像原诗（先铺陈、后掷锤）。

二是，文化负载词转换精准：“Zhao zither on phoenix tuning pegs / Shulute strung with mandarin duck cords” 把瑟柱、琴弦的婚恋互文保留为物件并列，没像宾纳那样把“凤凰/鸳鸯”变成 pure decoration；虽未释典，但学术读者能查到赵瑟蜀琴的地理性别暗示。

三是，句法贴合原作，沃森多用名词短语堆叠与静态系表结构：Light frost, cold chill on thebamboo mat / I pull back the curtain, gaze at the moon and sigh for nothing，“空长叹”的“空”译 for nothing 是副词化处理，不拟人化，离原诗“无功用”的空白感更近。

可商榷之处：

首先，意象派画面感弱于宾纳。“Autumn crickets chirp by the golden wellrailing” 中规中矩，但 chirp 不如 cry 有秋夜凄厉；Light frost, cold chill… 是两个静态片语叠堆，原诗“凄凄”的触觉延续被拆成并列形容词，英语诵读起来偏报告体。

其次，为“准确”牺牲凝练。“我孤灯不明思欲绝”→ A dim single lamp, longing wearsme to the bone，wears me to the bone 是英语俗语（累/愁到骨里），原诗“思欲绝”是“思绪将断”，隐喻方向被挪了；“横波目”→ brightrolling waves 把眼神流动坐实成眼珠像水波，和宾纳同一处滑坡，李白的“比喻级差”仍没救回来。heartand liver中式直译，很难让英文读者理解。

总之，把李白缩成汉学课本里的“准确散文诗”（信度高、诗度平、底本意识强）。

接下来，我们看看著名翻译家许渊冲大师的译本：

Lovesickness

By Li Bai (Tang Dynasty) / Tr. Xu Yuanchong

Lovesickness (I)

Longing for you, in Chang’an town.

Autumn crickets cry by golden railings;

Light frost chills the bamboo mat.

Dim lonely lamp, my heart’s worn out with longing;

I lift the curtain, gaze at the moon and sigh long.

The beauty’s like a flower, far beyond the clouds.

Above stretches the boundless blue sky;

Below rolls the rippling green stream.

Heaven high, earth far, my soul flies in pain;

Even my dream cannot cross mountain passes hard to gain.

Longing for you, it breaks my heart in twain.

Lovesickness (II)

Sunset veils the flowers in mist;

Moon shines white, I cannot sleep for grief.

I cease to play the Zhao zither on phoenix posts;

I would pluck the Shu lute on mandarin duck strings.

This tune holds love, but none can bear it to you;

May it ride spring wind to Yanran’s distant view.

I miss you, separated by blue heaven wide.

Once my eyes were bright waves clear;

Now they flow like springs of tear.

If you don’t believe my heart is broken,

Come back and see before the mirror token.

Lovesickness (III)

When the beauty stayed, flowers filled the hall;

When she left, flowers linger on the bed wall.

Embroidered quilt on bed rolled up, unused all night;

Even three years past, her sweet scent still takes flight.

The scent will never fade away;

But she will never come back to stay.

My longing lingers as yellow leaves fall;

White dew dampens the green moss all.

(许渊冲《许渊冲译李白诗选》，中国对外翻译出版有限公司，2014年，第82–84页)

许译力求“意美、音美、形美”，敢押韵、敢补字、敢把李白往英语抒情诗里推：

优点：

一是，韵律工整，朗朗上口，乐府感最像“歌”。如I首，railing/mat/long/clouds/sky/stream/pain/gain/twain走元音往返，II 首mist/grief/posts/strings/you/view/wide/clear/tear/broken/token 强行 AABB 收束，III 首hall/wall/night/flight/away/stay/fall/all 几乎全押。唐诗本来可歌，许译是三者里唯一在英语里重建“唱”的节奏的，课堂诵读效果最好。

二是，标题与情绪前置。“长相思”定 Lovesickness 比宾纳 Long Sorrow 准、比沃森 Long Yearning 更贴唐宋词牌味；首句 “Longing for you,in Chang’an town” 直接把闺情对象（you）亮出来，西方读者零门槛进入。

三是，专名处理兼顾可读。“赵瑟凤凰柱/蜀琴鸳鸯弦”译 Zhao zither on phoenix posts / Shu luteon mandarin duck strings，凤凰柱→posts 虽稍硬，但鸳鸯弦→strings 直白；Yanran’s distant view 把“燕然”地理化又不掉书袋。

可商榷之处：

• 首先，为韵害意，离《全唐诗》定本最远。为凑韵强行改词、加字、换意象。如◦ “梦魂不到关山难”→ dream cannot cross mountain passes hard to gain，hard to gain 是许氏补的“难”之因，原诗“关山难”是险阻本身，不是“gain”（获得）与否。flowers linger on the bed wall，加 wall 为押 wall/fall；原“馀床”是“留剩在床上”，许译把空间坐实成“床壁”，异于《全唐诗》定本。
• 其次，文化负载和主题挖掘单薄。beauty / you / lovesickness 学界共识是表层男女相思，深层可含君臣寄托，两种解读并行。许译未能深层解读把李白托男女喻君臣的关系，只是浅层洗成纯爱情抒情；赵瑟蜀琴的性别地理暗示不注自消，燕然勒铭典全无。宾纳至少留 lady 的中世纪抒情互文，沃森留 Zhao/Shu 专名，许译变成了纯爱情诗。

总之，许译把李白译成英语押韵抒情诗，三美优先于字信，在韵律重构上最为大胆，文学再创造程度最高，但与《全唐诗》定本的逐字忠实度相对最低。

绝知此事要躬行，笔者才疏学浅，不揣谫陋，斗胆试译此诗，向唐代大诗人李白和所有翻译此诗的译者致敬。

Everlasting Longing
By Li Bai (Tang Dynasty) / Tr. Wang Yongli

In Chang’an town dwells my long yearning sore,

Autumn crickets wailbeside the gilded well‑rail;

Light frost breathescold, the bamboo mat grows pale,

My lone dim lampbreeds grief that makes me ail.

I lift the screen togaze at moon, yet sigh in vain—

My flower‑fair beauty lies veiled beyond cloud plain.

Above spreadsboundless azure, stretching far and high,

Beneath green surgingstreams roll forth with mournful sigh.

The heaven stretcheswide, bound mountain‑passes’ chain;

My soul in dreamscannot surmount those ranges’pain.

This endless longingrends my heart and makes me weep.

II

The sun’s last glow fades slow, flowers wrapped inmisty air,

Pale silk the moon shines bright, grief chases sleep away.

I lay my Zhao zither down with phoenix tuning fair,

And pluck my Shu lute strung with paired mandarin array.

This tune bears tender love, yet no envoy to convey;

Let spring winds bear its notes to distant Yanran’sheight.

I yearn for you across blue heaven’sboundless height—

Mine eyes, once rippling waves of soft and gentle light,

Now turn to springs that well unceasing streams of tears.

If you misdoubt my heart is torn with bitter fears,

Return and view my face before the polished mirror’sglass—

How worn and pale I wait, the loving soul, alas!

III

When my fair lady stayed, blooms filled the hall with grace;

Now she departs, faint blossoms linger by the bed.

The brocade quilt lies rolled, no rest I find in this place,

Though three full years slip by, her soft scent still spreads.

That subtle sweet aroma never fades away,

Yet she, my beloved, ne’er shall cross my door tostay.

My longing drifts down with the yellow leaves’fall,
White dew wets the green moss—and that is all.

笔者力求信达雅,以诗译诗。但是，其三是否属于李白，确实有争议。我们只做翻译，大概意象和风格，并未有差异。

当然，因水平有限，译作存在不足，敬请专家、学者和读者批评指正。笔者愿意尽绵薄之力，为中华文化出海减少“文化折扣”做出些许贡献。

古典诗词英译是文明互鉴的桥梁。通过多版本《长相思》英译互鉴，让跨越千年的相思之苦被海外读者共情。愿更多兼具文学性与准确性的译作持续问世，持续传递中华诗意，让盛唐文脉在世界文坛长久流淌，实现传统文化深度、长效的海外传播。（王永利）