2004-01-21 04:16:00毛錐子
【雋語】 障眼的戲法
"I love doing simple tricks -- turning water into wine, that kind of thing; but I think I'm in good company because all art is deception and so is nature; all is deception in that good cheat, from the insect that mimics a leaf to the popular enticements of procreation. Do you know how poetry started? I always think that it started when a cave boy came running back to the cave, through the tall grass, shouting as he ran, "Wolf, wolf," and there was no wolf. His baboon-like parents, great sticklers for the truth, gave him a good hiding, no doubt, but poetry had been born -- the tall story had been born in the tall grass." (SO, p. 11)
「我喜歡變點簡單的戲法——譬如化水為酒之類的事。而我也確信此道不孤。因為一切藝術都是障眼法，大自然也不例外。從模倣樹葉的昆蟲到流行的繁殖誘惑，一切都是那巧妙騙局裡的障眼法。你知道詩是如何源起的﹖我總認為它的源起，是有個穴居的小孩穿過高草跑回洞裡，邊跑邊喊『有狼，有狼』，結果根本沒狼。他那對狒狒也似的父母是一板一眼的真理信徒，少不了給他一頓好打，但詩卻誕生了——高譚誕生在高草之中。」*
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"Deception is practiced even more beautifully by that other V.N., Visible Nature. A useful purpose is assigned by science to animal mimicry, protective patterns and shapes, yet their refinement transcends the crude purpose of mere survival. In art, an individual style is essentially as futile and as organic as a fata morgana. The sleight-of-hand you mention is hardly more than an insect's sleight-of-wing. A wit might say that it protects me from half-wits. A grateful spectator is content to applaud the grace with which the masked performer melts into Nature's background." (SO, p. 153)
「另外那個『VN』——『Visible Nature』（可見的自然）——玩的一手障眼法，可就更漂亮了。在動物的擬態、保護紋彩與形狀中，有種科學賦予的實用意義，但它們精巧的程度，卻超過了僅為求生的原始目的。藝術中的個別風格，基本上正如海市蜃樓一般無功，一般有用。你所提到的『手法』，其實與昆蟲的『翅法』相去無多。聰明之士可以說我是靠了它的保護，不受頑鈍者的侵擾。而心存感激的觀客，眼見戴著面具的表演者消融在自然的背景之中，也只會為其優雅美妙鼓掌叫好。」**
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「我喜歡變點簡單的戲法——譬如化水為酒之類的事。而我也確信此道不孤。因為一切藝術都是障眼法，大自然也不例外。從模倣樹葉的昆蟲到流行的繁殖誘惑，一切都是那巧妙騙局裡的障眼法。你知道詩是如何源起的﹖我總認為它的源起，是有個穴居的小孩穿過高草跑回洞裡，邊跑邊喊『有狼，有狼』，結果根本沒狼。他那對狒狒也似的父母是一板一眼的真理信徒，少不了給他一頓好打，但詩卻誕生了——高譚誕生在高草之中。」*
___________________________________________
"Deception is practiced even more beautifully by that other V.N., Visible Nature. A useful purpose is assigned by science to animal mimicry, protective patterns and shapes, yet their refinement transcends the crude purpose of mere survival. In art, an individual style is essentially as futile and as organic as a fata morgana. The sleight-of-hand you mention is hardly more than an insect's sleight-of-wing. A wit might say that it protects me from half-wits. A grateful spectator is content to applaud the grace with which the masked performer melts into Nature's background." (SO, p. 153)
「另外那個『VN』——『Visible Nature』（可見的自然）——玩的一手障眼法，可就更漂亮了。在動物的擬態、保護紋彩與形狀中，有種科學賦予的實用意義，但它們精巧的程度，卻超過了僅為求生的原始目的。藝術中的個別風格，基本上正如海市蜃樓一般無功，一般有用。你所提到的『手法』，其實與昆蟲的『翅法』相去無多。聰明之士可以說我是靠了它的保護，不受頑鈍者的侵擾。而心存感激的觀客，眼見戴著面具的表演者消融在自然的背景之中，也只會為其優雅美妙鼓掌叫好。」**
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【摘自《Strong Opinions》】
* 潘小松譯本作：「……他那狒狒模樣的父母——為真理而固執己見的人，無疑會把他藏在安全的地方。然而，詩卻如此產生了——高文故事（？）產生于高高的茅草裡。」（《固執己見》，吉林長春：時代文藝出版社，1998，13 頁）今日坊間各種翻譯之中，這類訛以彼「hide」為此「hide」的例子多如牛「hide」之毛，令人啼笑皆非。又，關於詩的源起，錢鍾書辨「史」、「詩」之別，也有類似說法：「史必徵實，詩可鑿空。……古代史與詩混，良因先民史識猶淺，不知存疑傳信，顯真別幻。號曰實錄，事多虛構；想當然耳，莫須有也。……記事、載道之文，以及言志之《詩》皆不許「增」。「增」者，修辭所謂夸飾（hyperbole），亦《史通》所謂：『施之文章則可，用於簡策則否』者。……譬如野人穴居巖宿，而容膝之處，壁作圖畫；茹毛飲血，而割鮮之刀，柄雕花紋。斯皆娛目恣手，初無裨於蔽風雨、救飢渴也。詩歌之始，何獨不然。……初民勿僅記事，而增飾其事以求生動；即此題外之文，已是詩原。」（《談藝錄》，38-39 頁）VN 的「狼來了」，亦正是錢氏所謂「鑿空」、「夸飾」、「虛構」、「想當然」、「莫須有」的「題外之文」。
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