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魔鬼字典二 也谈 Tantalizing Pleasure
前日读李锦森老师博客，《漫谈翻译：梦想与现实》，受益良多。里面提到一个词叫 Tantalizing. 当时就觉得眼前一亮。有如老友久别重逢。于是想再顺着这词说几句。
查 tantalize 由 tantalus+ ize 构成。而 Tantalus 是个拉丁文，由古希腊文的 Tantalos 转变过来。 Tantalos 是希腊神话中一人物，以前看过一点这方面的东西，并做了点笔记，如下：
He was the son of Zeus by a nymph, either because he had stolen nectar or divulged the secrets of Zeus, he incurred the wrath of Zeus and was hurled down to the eternal darkness of Tartarus. There he was made to stand up to his chin in a little lake, with clusters of luscious fruits hanging over and around his head. He strove eternally to quaff at the ever-evading water and to clutch at the delicious fruits which were ever tossed out of his reach by blasts. Thus he was doomed to endure endless burning thirst and gnawing hunger in the world of the shades.
Tantalus 是 Zeus 与一仙女私通生下的，自然没多少地位。他自己不安份守已，结果被他老爸一怒之下掷入十八层地狱。这里 Tartarus 依照希腊神话，地狱中最痛苦的一块地方。这哥门被罚站在小河里，水深至下巴，周围果树长滿香甜果子，就在他头顶。 无论想喝水或吃水果，就是够不着。这就是他受的折磨，什么都在身边，就是够不着，忍受无尽的饥渴。看想想这样一副图画就觉得不寒而栗：每次看到这篇笔记，我就对 Tantalus 的同情加了一分。还有什么比让你无限接近但你永远够不着更痛苦的了？后来，英文中就出现了这个动词，形容如 Tartarus 所遭受的情形。 tantalizing pleasure, 我觉得这种 pleasure 实在是苦不堪言的乐。在你心中觉得这是美好的事物，而且就在你眼前，但你无论如何努力总是得不到。当然，有两种情形：一种像驴子的一样的人，（一个熟悉的比方是在不肯行路的驴子前头挂一串胡萝卜，它总是去够，但总归够不着，所以就一直往前走），就因为有个 tantalizing 的目标，为断想接近，不知不觉做了许多事情；另一种人便偃旗息鼓，唉叹命运，或会引且肖伯纳一句谐语自解“ there are two tragedies in life. One is not to get your heart desire. The other is to get it. ”（生活有两种悲哀：一种是你夙愿未果；一种是你得偿所愿。）
我又联想起希腊神话中另一位命运悲惨的人物 Sisyphus ，被罚从山脚推一巨石到山顶，但只要石头一推到山顶，便立马滚下来，于是周而复始。 (There he sweated to heave a heavy stone uphill, but as soon as he pushed it unto the top it would slip from his arms and thunder down to the bottom with a bound.) 呵呵，活有得做，但只是滚石头，永无休止，也够受的了。
荡开一笔，其实英文博大精深，海纳百川，每个字都有来头。有些考察一下还挺有意思。透过字去看神话，看文化等等，能看出许多东西来。实话说，和英文打交道这么久，笔者从来没有专门背过“单词”， 我把每个字或词都看成有生命之物，许多自己感兴趣的词，我会去认祖归宗，看里面的故事，自然而然便进来了，想忘也难。
以后我经常写得关于英文字或词的典故，也多见见一些老朋友。
下面是续载的《魔鬼字典》：
ACCIDENT, n. An inevitable occurrence due to the action of immutable
natural laws.
ACCOMPLICE, n. One associated with another in a crime, having guilty
knowledge and complicity, as an attorney who defends a criminal,
knowing him guilty. This view of the attorney's position in the
matter has not hitherto commanded the assent of attorneys, no one
having offered them a fee for assenting.
ACCOUNTABILITY, n. The mother of caution.
\"My accountability, bear in mind,\"
Said the Grand Vizier: \"Yes, yes,\"
Said the Shah: \"I do -- 'tis the only kind
Of ability you possess.\"
Joram Tate
ACCUSE, v.t. To affirm another's guilt or unworth; most commonly as a
justification of ourselves for having wronged him.
ACHIEVEMENT, n. The death of endeavor and the birth of disgust.
ACKNOWLEDGE, v.t. To confess. Acknowledgement of one another's
faults is the highest duty imposed by our love of truth.
ACQUAINTANCE, n. A person whom we know well enough to borrow from,
but not well enough to lend to. A degree of friendship called slight
when its object is poor or obscure, and intimate when he is rich or
famous.
ADAMANT, n. A mineral frequently found beneath a corset. Soluble in
solicitate of gold.
ADDER, n. A species of snake. So called from its habit of adding
funeral outlays to the other expenses of living.
ADHERENT, n. A follower who has not yet obtained all that he expects
to get.
ADMINISTRATION, n. An ingenious abstraction in politics, designed to
receive the kicks and cuffs due to the premier or president. A man of
straw, proof against bad-egging and dead-catting.
ADMIRATION, n. Our polite recognition of another's resemblance to
ourselves.
ADMONITION, n. Gentle reproof, as with a meat-axe. Friendly warning.
Consigned by way of admonition,
His soul forever to perdition.
Judibras
ADORE, v.t. To venerate expectantly.
ADVICE, n. The smallest current coin.
\"The man was in such deep distress,\"
Said Tom, \"that I could do no less
Than give him good advice.\" Said Jim:
\"If less could have been done for him
I know you well enough, my son,
To know that's what you would have done.\"
Jebel Jocordy
AFFIANCED, pp. Fitted with an ankle-ring for the ball-and-chain.
AFFLICTION, n. An acclimatizing process preparing the soul for
another and bitter world.
AGE, n. That period of life in which we compound for the vices that
we still cherish by reviling those that we have no longer the
enterprise to commit.
AGITATOR, n. A statesman who shakes the fruit trees of his neighbors
-- to dislodge the worms.
AIM, n. The task we set our wishes to.
\"Cheer up! Have you no aim in life?\"
She tenderly inquired.
\"An aim? Well, no, I haven't, wife;
The fact is -- I have fired.\"
G.J.
AIR, n. A nutritious substance supplied by a bountiful Providence for
the fattening of the poor.
ALDERMAN, n. An ingenious criminal who covers his secret thieving
with a pretence of open marauding.
ALLIANCE , n. In international politics, the union of two thieves who
have their hands so deeply inserted in each other's pockets that they
cannot separately plunder a third.
ALONE, adj. In bad company.
In contact, lo! the flint and steel,
By spark and flame, the thought reveal
That he the metal, she the stone,
Had cherished secretly alone.
Booley Fito
AMBIDEXTROUS, adj. Able to pick with equal skill a right-hand pocket
or a left.
AMBITION, n. An overmastering desire to be vilified by enemies while
living and made ridiculous by friends when dead.
AMNESTY, n. The state's magnanimity to those offenders whom it would
be too expensive to punish.
ANOINT, v.t. To grease a king or other great functionary already
sufficiently slippery.
As sovereigns are anointed by the priesthood,
So pigs to lead the populace are greased good. |
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发表于 2007-6-19 10:42:24