伏爾泰著《老實人》的漢文譯本可能超過十種。我讀過傅雷和沈昉先生的。
在I. Calvino著《憨第德（或譯老實人），或是關於敘述的快》（Candide, or Concerning Narrative Rapidity）的結論是：「今日人們在生活中的真正選擇都來自於這本書。」
（ Italo Calvino 著《為什麼讀經典》 ( Why Read the Classics? 1991 ) ，（李桂蜜譯，pp.114-18）
讀這篇導論的意外收獲不少。譬如說你可以找Paul Klee對本書的26幅插畫來對照。
又譬如說，以前介紹過趙琴的《閹人歌手(Castrato)的興盛與衰亡》，可以在《老實人 第12章 老婦人遭遇的下文》讀到：「我生在那不勒斯，那兒每年閹割二三千名兒童，…..有的因此得到一副比女人還美麗的嗓子，還有的將統治國家。」
這次還發現其中有許多作者對宗教、政治、社會、工作等的看法。特別是末章談工作。據說作者很贊成重農學派的學說。
至於翻譯方面的問題可以談的相當多，我就用末章舉兩例子。
一是伊斯蘭的 dervish 解釋A member of any of various Muslim ascetic orders, some of which perform whirling dances and vigorous chanting as acts of ecstatic devotion.
李譯：「托缽僧」
傅雷；修道士
沈昉：苦行僧
更重要的區別在末句名言：il faut cultiver notre jardin
英文為 cultivate our garden
李譯：必須灌溉我們的花園
傅雷；種咱們的園地要緊---前文都翻譯為「分耕田」
沈昉：把我們的園地種好更要緊---前文都翻譯為菜園子
李的翻譯顯然錯誤。這garden 可以種花、草、菜、果
我起先對於傅雷都翻譯為「分耕田」感到不解。
後來才知道他用心。
因為我查Shorter O.E.D.
CULTIVATE ONE’S GARDEN 之garden 竟然是等同 common（社區之公地，種植放牧等 現在英美都還有這種園...）。
![Candide, written by Voltaire, Quentin Blake illustrated edition published by The Folio Society 2011 Eternal optimist Dr Pangloss is hanged.]()
Candide by Voltaire, illustrated edition published by The Folio Society (2011)
Eternal optimist Dr Pangloss is hanged.
Illustration: Quentin Blake
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Candide
在I. Calvino著《憨第德（或譯老實人），或是關於敘述的快》（Candide, or Concerning Narrative Rapidity）的結論是：「今日人們在生活中的真正選擇都來自於這本書。」
（ Italo Calvino 著《為什麼讀經典》 ( Why Read the Classics? 1991 ) ，（李桂蜜譯，pp.114-18）
讀這篇導論的意外收獲不少。譬如說你可以找Paul Klee對本書的26幅插畫來對照。
又譬如說，以前介紹過趙琴的《閹人歌手(Castrato)的興盛與衰亡》，可以在《老實人 第12章 老婦人遭遇的下文》讀到：「我生在那不勒斯，那兒每年閹割二三千名兒童，…..有的因此得到一副比女人還美麗的嗓子，還有的將統治國家。」
這次還發現其中有許多作者對宗教、政治、社會、工作等的看法。特別是末章談工作。據說作者很贊成重農學派的學說。
至於翻譯方面的問題可以談的相當多，我就用末章舉兩例子。
一是伊斯蘭的 dervish 解釋A member of any of various Muslim ascetic orders, some of which perform whirling dances and vigorous chanting as acts of ecstatic devotion.
李譯：「托缽僧」
傅雷；修道士
沈昉：苦行僧
更重要的區別在末句名言：il faut cultiver notre jardin
英文為 cultivate our garden
李譯：必須灌溉我們的花園
傅雷；種咱們的園地要緊---前文都翻譯為「分耕田」
沈昉：把我們的園地種好更要緊---前文都翻譯為菜園子
李的翻譯顯然錯誤。這garden 可以種花、草、菜、果
我起先對於傅雷都翻譯為「分耕田」感到不解。
後來才知道他用心。
因為我查Shorter O.E.D.
CULTIVATE ONE’S GARDEN 之garden 竟然是等同 common（社區之公地，種植放牧等 現在英美都還有這種園...）。
Eternal optimist Dr Pangloss is hanged.
Illustration: Quentin Blake
Pangloss (a coinage from Greek, meaning ‘all languages’) may refer to:
- Pangloss, a fictional character in the 1759 novel Candide by Voltaire: Pangloss is a Leibnizian philosopher, the personal tutor of the main character Candide;
Candide, ou l'Optimisme (/ˌkænˈdiːd/; French: [kɑ̃did]) is a French satire first published in 1759 by Voltaire, a philosopher of the Age of Enlightenment. The novella has been widely translated, with English versions titled Candide: or, All for the Best (1759);Candide: or, The Optimist (1762); and Candide: or, Optimism (1947).[5] It begins with a young man, Candide, who is living a sheltered life in an Edenic paradise and being indoctrinated with Leibnizian optimism (or simply Optimism) by his mentor, Pangloss.[6]The work describes the abrupt cessation of this lifestyle, followed by Candide's slow, painful disillusionment as he witnesses and experiences great hardships in the world. Voltaire concludes with Candide, if not rejecting optimism outright, advocating a deeply practical precept, "we must cultivate our garden", in lieu of the Leibnizian mantra of Pangloss, "all is for the best" in the "best of all possible worlds".
Candide is characterised by its sarcastic tone, as well as by its erratic, fantastical and fast-moving plot. A picaresque novel with a story similar to that of a more seriousbildungsroman, it parodies many adventure and romance clichés, the struggles of which are caricatured in a tone that is mordantly matter-of-fact. Still, the events discussed are often based on historical happenings, such as the Seven Years' War and the 1755 Lisbon earthquake.[7] As philosophers of Voltaire's day contended with the problem of evil, so too does Candide in this short novel, albeit more directly and humorously. Voltaire ridicules religion, theologians, governments, armies, philosophies, and philosophers throughallegory; most conspicuously, he assaults Leibniz and his optimism.[8][9]
As expected by Voltaire, Candide has enjoyed both great success and great scandal. Immediately after its secretive publication, the book was widely banned because it contained religious blasphemy, political sedition and intellectual hostility hidden under a thin veil of naïveté.[8] However, with its sharp wit and insightful portrayal of the human condition, the novel has since inspired many later authors and artists to mimic and adapt it. Today, Candide is recognized as Voltaire's magnum opus[8] and is often listed as part of the Western canon; it is arguably taught more than any other work of French literature.[10] In his book of intellectual history Martin Seymour-Smith listed Candide as one of The 100 Most Influential Books Ever Written.
- Editions
- Voltaire (1759).
![Wikisource link to]()
Candide. Trans. Tobias Smollett. Wikisource. - Voltaire (in French).
![Wikisource link to]()
Candide. Wikisource. ![]()
Quotations related to Candide at Wikiquote
Candide at Project Gutenberg (plain text and HTML)
Quotations related to 2014.10.14
On this date in 1982, the "opera house" version of Candide opened at the New York State Theater. Directed by Harold Prince and choreographed by Patricia Birch, the performance received positive reviews and went on to be performed at numerous opera houses.
In his October 14, 1982 review, published in The New York Times, Donal Henahan wrote, "The new 'opera house version' of 'Candide' was performed so brilliantly that one would have thought it had been running for months rather than being mounted as part of the opera company's usual hectic schedule. In fact, the audience gave the composer a standing ovation when he arrived, fashionably late, before the first act, and again before the start of the last act."
Here is an audio recording of "Make Our Garden Grow" from the 1982 New York State Theater production of Candide.
歌詞http://www.stlyrics.com/lyrics/candide/finalemakeourgardengrow.htm
CANDIDE
You've been a fool
And so have I,
But come and be my wife.
And let us try,
Before we die,
To make some sense of life.
We're neither pure, nor wise, nor good
We'll do the best we know.
We'll build our house and chop our wood
And make our garden grow...
And make our garden grow.
CUNEGONDE
I thought the world
Was sugar cake
For so our master said.
But, now I'll teach
My hands to bake
Our loaf of daily bread.
CANDIDE AND CUNEGONDE
We're neither pure, nor wise, nor good
We'll do the best we know.
We'll build our house and chop our wood
And make our garden grow...
And make our garden grow.
(ensemble enters in gardening gear and a cow walks on)
CANDIDE, CUNEGONDE, MAXIMILLIAN, PAQUETTE, OLD LADY, DR. PANGLOSS
Let dreamers dream
What worlds they please
Those Edens can't be found.
The sweetest flowers,
The fairest trees
Are grown in solid ground.
ENSEMBLE (a cappella)
We're neither pure, nor wise, nor good
We'll do the best we know.
We'll build our house and chop our wood
And make our garden grow.
And make our garden grow!
(The cow dies)
VOLTAIRE
Ah, me! The pox!
You've been a fool
And so have I,
But come and be my wife.
And let us try,
Before we die,
To make some sense of life.
We're neither pure, nor wise, nor good
We'll do the best we know.
We'll build our house and chop our wood
And make our garden grow...
And make our garden grow.
CUNEGONDE
I thought the world
Was sugar cake
For so our master said.
But, now I'll teach
My hands to bake
Our loaf of daily bread.
CANDIDE AND CUNEGONDE
We're neither pure, nor wise, nor good
We'll do the best we know.
We'll build our house and chop our wood
And make our garden grow...
And make our garden grow.
(ensemble enters in gardening gear and a cow walks on)
CANDIDE, CUNEGONDE, MAXIMILLIAN, PAQUETTE, OLD LADY, DR. PANGLOSS
Let dreamers dream
What worlds they please
Those Edens can't be found.
The sweetest flowers,
The fairest trees
Are grown in solid ground.
ENSEMBLE (a cappella)
We're neither pure, nor wise, nor good
We'll do the best we know.
We'll build our house and chop our wood
And make our garden grow.
And make our garden grow!
(The cow dies)
VOLTAIRE
Ah, me! The pox!