“书中自有颜如玉，书中自有黄金屋”，这两句为中国广大读书人耳熟能详的诗，来自宋真宗赵恒（９６８－１０２２）的杰作《劝学诗》。今天在网上搜索有关中国教育的文章，无意中看到一篇论文中有《劝学诗》的译文，是两个美国宾州州立大学的教育学硕士做的，中国留学生，说真的译得实在不象话，感觉中英文都不是很过关（部分“海龟”质量低劣的又一明证），连《劝学诗》这个题目都没看懂，居然给译成Urge to study poem！！！有些忍受不住，于是自己动手来译，也不见得就多高明，不过至少是通顺的。

《劝学诗》

富家不用买良田，

书中自有千钟粟。

安房不用架高梁，

书中自有黄金屋。

娶妻莫恨无良媒，

书中自有颜如玉。     

出门莫恨无随人，

书中车马多如簇。

男儿欲遂平生志，

六经勤向窗前读。

两位留洋学生的译文

　　　　Urge to study poem题目是完全没睡醒的译法

To be wealthy you need not purchase fertile fields,

Thousands of tons of corn are to be found in the books.（“千钟粟”译得太笨）

To build a house you need not set up high beams,　（“架高梁”译得太实）

Golden mansions are to be found in the books.　（“黄金屋”译得太平）

To find a wife you need not worry about not having good matchmakers,

Maidens as beautiful as jade are to be found in the books.“颜如玉”简直胡来

To travel you need not worry about not having servants and attendants,

Large entourages of horses and carriages are to be found in the books.

When a man wishes to fulfill the ambition of his life,　（缺乏语篇统筹观念）

He only needs to diligently study the six classics by the window.　“六经”概念的死译让上下文脱节; 统观全篇，除了分行排列的形式以外，句法、用词均十分平淡，而且没有韵脚，浑无一点“诗味”。

我自己的译文

Poem to urge study

To be better-off you need not invest in fertile lands,

For books will promise a bumper harvest.

To own a home you need not collect huge logs,

For books will build a luxurious mansion at your nearest.

To find a wife you need not seek a professional matchmaker,

For books will pair you with  the fairest.

To travel you need not anticipate being a lonely walker,

For books will arrange an impresssive parade of entourages and carriages like a moving forest.

If one wishes to realize these life goals,

He'd better pore over Confucian books with great interest.

后面几句一时想不到更好的词来做韵脚，稍感遗憾。不过自以为比上面的译文却高了几个级别。用上海话说，已经“甩了他几条横马路了”。