Natsume Soseki was surprised,
"Pull...pull banners? Are the British still doing this?"
Lu Shi complained: "You are rare and strange. Holding up banners is what people in democratically elected countries are best at."
Natsume Soseki clicked his tongue in surprise.
Lu Shi did not continue this topic.
He first nodded to Bernard Shaw and Wodehouse,
Afterwards, he greeted Cavendish again, raised his chin slightly towards the London University Union gang, and asked in a low voice: "Is it a big noise?"
Cavendish looked embarrassed.
Lu Shi said: "I didn't expect this to happen. If I had known it would happen, I shouldn't have written an open letter."
Cavendish smiled and said: "Professor Lu, you have a really good attitude. Come on, let's go to school."
With that said, he took the lead and walked to the other side of the platform.
They left the smoky train station,
Riku Toki and Natsume Soseki found that the environment in Cambridge was much better than that in London, at least there was no haze that filled the air all day long.
Everyone took a carriage to King's College.
Of course, students at the University of London Union do not have such good treatment and can only walk,
From a distance, it looks like a demonstration.
It was also the first time for the residents of Cambridge to see this "Western scene", and they all asked what it was about.
Amid people's attention, Lu Shi's carriage arrived at its destination.
The University of Cambridge has always been considered the highest institution of learning in the UK, and King's College is even more famous.
But the style here is quite elegant. There are no huge school gates or famous brands. Except for the grand chapel, there are almost no giant buildings. Libraries and teaching buildings are dotted on both sides of the river in the school.
The environment is so comfortable and comfortable, which is indeed suitable for academic studies.
Cavendish asked: "Would you like to take a rest first?"
Lu Shi shook his head,
"Let's finish the speech first."
Cavendish actually wanted Lu Shi to rest.
The lecture was originally scheduled to be held outdoors, on the banks of the scenic river on campus.
However, now that so many students from the University of London Union have come, they may be causing trouble, so Cavendish wants to move indoors to limit the number of participants.
Changing from outdoor to indoor requires time.
Cavendish said: "Professor Lu, otherwise..."
Lu Shi shook his head,
"Don't worry, the students of the University of London will not tear down Cambridge. With Sir Wodehouse and Mr. Xiao present, I believe they will control the students' behavior and there will be no problems."
Speaking of which, Cavendish naturally couldn't persuade him any more.
They headed to the riverside of the campus together.
There, a temporary podium had already been set up.
The audience gradually entered the venue. There were more than 700 students from King's College and more than 1,300 students from the University of London Union. It was really difficult to tell whose home stadium this was.
Lu Shi was a little nervous.
Although I have given speeches in London Political and Economics many times, this is the first time for such a big battle.
These academic masters below are not easy to fool.
The University of Cambridge has a transcendent status and is known as "the hotbed of the Palace of Westminster" and "the prime minister's candidate camp".
The two nicknames may seem like bragging, but the reality is even worse.
No matter how big-hearted Lu Shi was, he would not treat these elites as fools.
Therefore, he decided to only talk about what he is good at today——
translate.
Cavendish asked: "Professor Lu, what is the title of today's speech?"
Lu Shi said: "Faithfulness, Expressiveness and Elegance."
Cavendish looked at Lu Shi in surprise. He didn't expect a Chinese to speak English so well and use words so elegantly.
He asked: "In terms of translation?"
Lu Shi nodded,
"Yes."
Cavendish praised: "Although Professor Lu is Chinese, he is very good at writing in English and is indeed suitable for teaching translation."
Lu Shi said: "Mr. School Supervisor, please give me the award."
Cavendish nodded and ran to find James.
The two communicated in low voices for a while, and then James walked quickly onto the podium.
He said loudly: "The person who is speaking to us today is Lu Shi, a visiting professor from the London School of Economics and Political Science. He is also the author of "No Survival", "Yes! Prime Minister", and "Roger's Mystery". The title of his speech today is It is "Faithfulness, Expression, and Elegance."
As soon as he finished speaking, there was warm applause from the audience.
The response from Cambridge students was muted;
On the contrary, everyone in the London University Alliance was in high spirits, and some even cheered.
The feeling of home and away inversion is becoming more and more obvious.
Lu Shi looked down at Bernard Shaw, who was desperately taking the lead in applauding, and was speechless for a while.
He walked up to the podium,
"Hello everyone, I was an overseas student sent to London by the Qing government when I was in China. I don't even have an undergraduate degree now. Therefore, I am really not qualified to give you a speech. But even so, I still hope that everyone will applaud a lot, just like It’s time to watch a show.”
The attitude of these words is relatively low,
The Cambridge students couldn't help but smile.
Lu Shi continued:
"
My title was proposed by the Chinese scholar Mr. Yan Fu. In his "Examples of Translation" in "Tianyan Lun", he said, "There are three difficulties in translation: faithfulness, expressiveness and elegance." It’s very difficult to ask for his trust! Gu Xin, if you don't reach it, even if you translate it, but if you don't translate it, it will not be reached. '
Credibility means that the meaning does not contradict the original text, that is, the translation must be accurate, without deviation or omission, and without arbitrary addition or deletion of meaning;
Da means not to stick to the form of the original text, and the translation is smooth and clear;
Elegance means that the words used in the translation should be appropriate, and the article itself should be elegant, concise and elegant.
"
After this opening, the students all realized that Lu Shi was indeed talented and learned.
The three words "faithfulness, expressiveness and elegance" are concise and comprehensive.
Lu Shi said: "Among the letter, expressiveness and elegance, there is no objection to the first two, but the word 'elegant' is difficult to understand and easy to argue. Is elegance a brilliant literary talent, or is it fluent and beautiful? Or is it an ethereal 'literary nature'?" '?"
As he spoke, Lu Shi pointed at James and said, "Is it difficult to translate Professor James's ghost story into a literary form?"
Everyone was stunned.
Immediately afterwards, the whole audience burst into laughter.
The students all felt that Lu Shi was not a simple person. He actually ridiculed a professor at Cambridge University in public, which showed Western humor.
James smiled and said: "What kind of literary quality does a popular book need? I think the literary quality of "Roger's Mystery" is also very average."
This remark caused the whole audience to laugh again.
Of course, everyone knows that when it comes to literature, "Roger's Mystery" still wins a lot.
Both are popular, and their purpose is to provide readers with entertainment, but "Roger Mystery" provides a brand-new writing method of narrative trickery. It is so innovative that ordinary people are really not able to take advantage of it.
Lu Shi saw that the atmosphere at the scene was getting heated, and he gradually felt relieved.
He continued his speech,
"Now, I want to write a poem to illustrate my understanding of Ya."
After saying that, take a deep breath,
"
When you are old, your hair is gray and you are sleepy,
Sitting tiredly by the fire, I took down this book,
Reading slowly, I saw the look in my eyes when I was chasing my dream,
Your soft look and deep halo;
…
"
This paragraph is read in Chinese.
In the audience, only Natsume Soseki could clearly understand the meaning of this poem, and couldn't help but murmur to himself: "It's so beautiful..."
Others cannot understand the connotation of the poem, but they can also feel its rhythm.
After Lu Shi finished reading the poem, he said, "This poem is called "When You Are Old"."
Everyone couldn't help but be stunned.
"When You Are Old" is a poem written by William Butler Yeats in 1893. It is a passionate and sincere love poem dedicated to his friend Maud Gonn.
The language of the poem is concise, but the emotions are rich and true, revealing the unbridgeable distance between love in reality and love in ideality.
This love poem was written just seven years ago, but it has been quoted by countless romantic suitors.
Lu Shi asked: "Everyone, although you don't understand Chinese, you should be able to feel the 'elegance' in what I just recited. From a rhythmic perspective, is the Chinese translation more memorable than the original text?"
What Lu Shi was reciting just now was Mr. Bing Xin’s translation.
As a professional translator, he believes that the original English text is the most beautiful.
But rhythmically, Chinese has an advantage.
Especially for Bing Xin's translation, Lu Shi believed that it was not exaggerated or aesthetic. When reading, he could imagine a pair of reminiscing eyes, old and bright.
(The protagonist’s point of view has nothing to do with the author.)
Lu Shi thought so,
However, the British will definitely not think so.
Cavendish frowned,
"What did Professor Lu just say? 'From a prosody perspective, is the Chinese translation more memorable than the original text?', is he serious?"
He deliberately lowered his voice in order not to let his words affect the students.
The master of linguistics in Cambridge didn't know who he was, and someone immediately said: "Mr. Chancellor, you heard it right, Professor Lu did say that. Moreover, I also think...ahem..."
He also feels that Chinese has its own rhythm.
But surrounded by British people, they dare not express their opinions casually.
James chuckled,
"Faithfulness, expressiveness and elegance, Professor Lu said that translation should achieve these three points. However, since we don't understand Chinese, we don't know if he deliberately ignored the accuracy of the poetry for the sake of translation. If the original text is inelegant, how can the translation be elegant? have?"
Several other professors nodded.
But they were all too gentlemen not to question it publicly.
Natsume Soseki said: "Gentlemen, Professor Lu's translation should be accurate."
It's a pity that people speak lightly,
No one took Natsume Soseki's words seriously.
At the same time, the students below also attacked Lu Shi.
Someone said directly: "Isn't what Professor Lu said a little outrageous? Mr. Yeats is a poet and playwright of our British Empire. "When You Are Old" is also a poem written in English. How can it not be as good as the translation in terms of rhythm? ?”
Lu Shi felt like laughing when he heard this.
To be precise, Yeats was Irish;
In the eyes of English people, Ireland and Scotland have always been synonymous with the countryside.
Fortunately now, Yeats is actually a "literary man of the British Empire".
Just like when Lu Shi became famous, Oxford and Cambridge rushed to award him an honorary degree or even a teaching position.
Lu Shi said: "I know that Mr. Yeats is an Englishman. I even know that he is a mystic and a staunch supporter of the 'Irish Renaissance Movement'."
The student said: "Then you were talking nonsense just now?"
Lu Shi waved his hand,
"I didn't... uh... you should pay attention, I just said rhyme."
For a moment, the students below whispered,
Discontent is brewing.
Bernard Shaw frowned tightly and couldn't help but said, "Hey, Lu, why do you need to do this?"
As a playwright, he often wrote a variety of arias,
Therefore, he had a clear understanding of rhythm, and he also understood that Chinese and English each have their own strengths. This does not mean that Yeats who wrote in English would definitely have an advantage over Lu Shi who translated in Chinese.
Both are first languages, so it depends on the level of the author and translator.
But the problem is,
"Is it difficult for Cambridge students to accept this view?"
George Bernard Shaw was worried.
Wodehouse on the side said: "Not only Cambridge, but even the students in our school have criticized it."
The two of them looked around,
Students at the University of London Union are also having intense discussions.
Wodehouse lowered his voice and asked, "Xiao, do you agree with Professor Lu's point of view?"
Shaw said cautiously: "Partly agree."
Wodehouse raised his eyebrows and immediately said: "'Partial agreement' means 'complete agreement'. Incomplete agreement means complete disagreement, and vice versa."
Bernard Shaw was helpless,
"Okay, I surrender. I totally agree."
Wodehouse nodded and said: "Since you said so, it seems that Professor Lu is still objective. However, I'm afraid the students are not objective~"
As soon as he finished speaking, someone else stood up to refute Lu Shi: "Does Professor Lu think Chinese is better than English?"
This is a question sentence,
But all the Cambridge students couldn't help laughing.
Because in their view, that is actually a rhetorical question that does not require an answer.
For a moment, the atmosphere that was relaxed just now became extremely tense.
As Cavendish watched the landing,
Suddenly, he waved his hand, signaling the professors to move out and take the student who asked the question away from the scene.
Lu Shi was invited by Cambridge University through an open letter in the newspaper. He should not be embarrassed in this way, otherwise their invitation would look like a trap.
This is never the behavior of a gentleman.
The professors understood and walked towards the questioner.
As a result, someone else stood up and said, "Professor Lu, Chinese civilization has ceased to exist long ago. Why do you still have such stupid ideas?"
The problem is more acute.
The Cambridge professors went out to try to separate the two men.
However, Lu Shi signaled them to stop and said with a smile, "It doesn't matter, I can try to answer their questions."
Wodehouse was astonished;
"Professor Lu, are you going to respond directly?"
Bernard Shaw chuckled,
"Looking at him like this, I feel relieved. Sir, you have seen his eloquence and read his works. This little trouble in front of you will not trouble him at all."
The two of them turned their attention to Lu Shi.
Unexpectedly, Lu Shi's words were shocking.
"In fact, not only the British, but also many Chinese people feel that the Chinese language is a burden, backward and needs to be banned."
Mr. Lu Xun once said: "If Chinese characters are not destroyed, China will perish."
Of course, this view has limitations of the times.
But it is indeed a certain collective belief among Chinese literati for a long time.
Cambridge students were a little disappointed;
Unexpectedly, Lu Shi, who had written a lot, would give up so quickly.
Not interesting!
However, Lu Shi changed his mind and said, "But I don't think so."
(End of chapter)
