作者：王晓辉
上海博物馆收藏有一幅《宋太祖蹴鞠图》（钱选《蹴踘图卷》），画面上六个人正在全神贯注地踢足球。这六个人，可以说是世界足球史上最豪华的球员阵容：宋太祖赵匡胤、宋太宗赵光义、宰相赵普、开国功臣楚昭辅、大将党进和石守信。他们的球技如何姑且不谈，但两任皇帝带着高级别官员踢足球，足以说明足球在宋朝流行的程度。
宋太祖赵匡胤一代雄主，勤于朝政，偶尔踢几脚球，放松一下心情，无可厚非。可他的后世子孙就不一样了，放着好好的江山不管，把所有的精神头儿都放在吟诗作画喝酒踢球上了。《水浒传》故事中，大宋朝的衰落就是从一场足球比赛开始的，而率先出场的人物就是高俅：
且说东京开封府汴梁宣武军，一个浮浪破落户子弟，姓高，排行第二，自小不成家业，只好刺枪使棒，最是踢得好脚气毬。京师人口顺，不叫高二，却都叫他做高毬。后来发迹，便将气毬那字去了毛傍，添作立人，便改作姓高名俅。
这段文字看着容易，翻译起来很难。我们先来看看赛珍珠的翻译：
... there lived in the eastern capital of K'ai Feng Fu, Honan, in P'ien Liang county, an idling, noisy, bragging fellow surnamed Kao, a second son, who from his youth had never established a home. His sole ability was in wielding weapons, in fencing with a staff, and in kicking a ball and at this he was most skillful. People did not call him by his name Kao The Second, but all called him Kao The Ball Kicker, and the name became no longer a nickname but a proper name, Ball Kicker.
“浮浪破落户子弟”，赛珍珠根据自己对“浮浪”一词的理解，解释性地译为idling, noisy, bragging fellow，意思是游手好闲、吵闹喧哗、喜欢吹嘘的家伙。高二、高毬、高俅分别译为Kao The Second、Kao The Ball Kicker、Ball Kicker。对于英语读者来说，这已经足够了，如果一定要给他们解释清楚高毬的“毬”去了毛傍加上个立人就变成了“俅”，而且此“俅”并非彼“毬”，不仅没有必要，还会把读者绕得晕头转向，彻底失去了阅读的兴趣。
沙博理将“浮浪破落户子弟”与后面的“自小不成家业”联系起来，译为there lived a young scamp named Gao. A second son, he was quite useless。scamp的意思是小流氓、捣蛋鬼，今天英美人口语中形容那些游手好闲不务正业的人也会用useless scamp或者useless scumbag，近似于网络上常说的“人渣”。在翻译高毬名字的变化时，沙博理展现出了深湛的功力。“京师人口顺”，也就是京城人喜欢说俏皮话，People in the capital were fond of making quips，所以把他叫做Gao Qiu, or "Gao the Ball"。沙博理巧妙地避开了“毛傍”和“立人”的纠缠，将“后来发迹，便将气毬那字去了毛傍，添作立人，便改作姓高名俅”一句翻作Later, when he prospered, he changed "Qiu" to another character with the same sound but with a less inelegant meaning。将“毬”换成了同样发音的另一个“俅”字，只是意思没有那么低俗而已。
约翰·登特-杨也注意到了这个问题，他的译法是：The people of the capital therefore referred to him not in the customary way as Second Brother Gao, but as Gao Qiu or Gao-the-Ball. Later, when he began to get on in the world, he transformed this nickname into Gao-le-Bel. 与沙博理一样，约翰·登特-杨也把高毬翻译成Gao-the-Ball，所不同的是他用英语Gao-the-Ball来翻译高毬，用法语Gao-le-Bel来翻译高俅，“Qiu”还是那个“Qiu”，只是换成了法语，档次似乎就提升了好多。这种借用法语来表达的翻译方法非常巧妙，因为熟悉欧洲语言的人都知道，法语曾经是英国王室和贵族使用的语言，在英语中夹杂法语很容易给人以虚荣和自命不凡的感觉，也就是人们经常诟病的the snob associations of French in English usage。
【配图：彭靖雯】
高俅虽然游手好闲不务正业，但却十分机敏伶俐，几经辗转，到了驸马都尉府上当差。有一天，驸马爷派他去给端王也就是未来的宋徽宗送两件文玩玉器，正赶上端王在踢足球。也是机缘巧合，那球恰好滚到了高俅脚边，高俅一时兴起，使了一个“鸳鸯拐”，将球踢还给了端王。高俅绝技在身，出脚不凡，立刻引起了端王的注意：
“你原来会踢气球。你唤做甚么？”高俅叉手跪复道：“小的叫做高俅，胡踢得几脚。”端王道：“好！你便下场来踢一回耍。”高俅拜道：“小的是何等样人，敢与恩王下脚。”端王道：“这是‘齐云社’，名为‘天下圆’，但踢何伤。”高俅再拜道：“怎敢。”三回五次告辞。端王定要他踢，高俅只得叩头谢罪，解膝下场。才踢几脚，端王喝采。高俅只得把平生本事都使出来，奉承端王。那身分模样，这气球一似鳔胶粘在身上的。
赛珍珠的译文：
When Kao Ch'iu saw the ball come he had a sudden access of courage and he kicked the ball sidewise to Prince Tuan. ...
... "How is it you can kick the ball so skillfully? What is your name?"
Kao Ch'iu forked his fingers together and he knelt and said, "My insignificant name is Kao Ch'iu and I can kick but a very little."
"Good -- good!" cried Prince Tuan. "Come into the court and kick once."
Kao Ch'iu knocked his head on the ground at this and he said, "What sort of a person is this poor creature to dare to shake his foot with that of the great Prince?"
"Here is a man whose name is Ch'i Yuin Shê," answered Prince Tuan. "His nickname is The Prime Kicker. Now you kick the ball with him! It does not matter."
Kao Ch'iu objected; again and again he said, "But how dare I?"
Time after time he refused, and although Prince Tuan insisted, Kao Ch'iu only bowed and bowed again and thanked him deprecatingly. At last, however, he kicked a few times and when Prince Tuan cried "Good!" Kao Ch'iu exerted his entire skill to exhibit it to Prince Tuan.
It was a beautiful spectacle. He kicked the ball so skillfully about his person that it looked as though it clung to him of its own will.
高俅踢球的脚法叫“鸳鸯拐”，应该是当时流行的足球术语，类似于今天的“倒钩”和“香蕉球”。三位翻译家给出了三种不同的译法。
赛珍珠：kicked the ball sidewise to Prince Tuan
沙博理：kicked it back to the prince with a "mandarin duck and drake twist"
约翰·登特-杨：gave it the special kick known as "a duck and drake" or a "double bend"
“鸳鸯拐”究竟怎么个踢法，还要请教足球专家。按照我一个外行人的理解，“鸳鸯拐”应该与武术中的“鸳鸯连环腿”差不多，两脚如两只鸳鸯，一前一后，身体跃起后空中转身，飞起一脚将球踢出去。以上三种译法当中，似乎沙博理的翻译最为准确且简洁明了。
端王与高俅对话中提到的“齐云社”和“天下圆”，是翻译过程中必须了解的知识点。足球起源于中国，迄今已有2000多年的历史，古人称之为“蹴鞠”（亦作“蹴踘”）。战国时期蹴鞠就已相当流行；到了宋代，还出现了蹴鞠艺人的社团，也就是今天的民间足球俱乐部。齐云社是宋朝最为著名的全国性的蹴鞠社团，又称“圆社”，负责组织比赛和宣传推广。之所以叫“齐云社”和“天下圆”，主要是表达技艺之高可至云端，影响之广可达天下的意思。
赛珍珠显然犯了望文生义的错误。她把“齐云社”理解为一个场上踢球的人，而且这个人还有一个名字叫“天下圆”。端王道：“这是‘齐云社’，名为‘天下圆’，但踢何伤。” "Here is a man whose name is Ch'i Yuin Shê," answered Prince Tuan. "His nickname is The Prime Kicker. Now you kick the ball with him! It does not matter." 按照赛珍珠的翻译，端王是在给高俅介绍一个姓齐的足球队员。
约翰·登特-杨理解了“齐云社”和“天下圆”的意思，因此他的翻译也是非常准确的："This is the Clouds Company, a club for players," the Prince said. "We call ourselves 'Kickers United.' What possible harm can there be in your playing with us?"
沙博理译文最为贴切："Why not? This is the Clouds-High League, known as the All-Round Circle. It's open to anyone." 用Clouds-High翻译出了“齐云”，用All-Round翻译出了“天下”，搭配上League和Circle，可以说是丝丝入扣，毫厘不爽，所采用的语气也十分符合小说中呈现的场景。
高俅凭借一记“鸳鸯拐”，顺利地留在了王府，成了端王的跟班；不到两个月，哲宗驾崩，端王成了宋徽宗。高俅鸡犬升天，青云直上，当上了殿帅府太尉，相当于禁军司令，执掌兵权。得势之后，高俅迅速由小坏变成了大奸，先是迫害王进，接着又把林冲逼上梁山。在徽宗皇帝的纵容之下，高俅与童贯等奸臣沆瀣一气，把朝廷上下折腾得乌烟瘴气，大宋的运势也就此由盛转衰。
一个足球，改变了一个混混的人生轨迹，也引出了令人热血沸腾的水浒英雄的故事。
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