ASIAN CULTURE 39 AUGUST 2015
Lin Shu’s Unidentified Translations of Western Literature
César Guarde-Paz*
Abstract: Lin Shu, the well-known scholar who introduced Western literature in China at
the end of the Qing Dynasty, left behind a staggering amount of works translated over a period
of twenty-six years. This titanic labor could not have been achieved without the assistance of his
cotranslators, who orally rendered the original texts into spoken Chinese, just to be immediately
translated into classical Chinese by Lin Shu. This paper provides accurate identification of
twenty of the remaining fifty-five translations of the Lin Shu corpus whose original work is
unknown. Based upon these new findings, we advance an asymmetric reading of Lin Shu’s
translations, emphasizing the role of his cotranslators in the quality of the final product.
Recent scholarship has started to emphasize the relevance of Lin Shu 林纾 (1852-1924) in
the evolution and reform of Modern Chinese Literature. Viewed as an old-fashioned and vulgar1
by the May Fourth devotees during his lifetime, criticism began to fade soon after his death and
those who whilom held him in disdain, became his most respected panegyrists. Thus, Zhou
Zuoren 周作人 (1885-1967) called him master and regretted that “looking back we were an
arrogant and lazy youth” 回头一看我们趾高气扬而懒惰的靑年 that did not recognize Lin
Shu’s literary achievements:
他在中国文学上的功绩是不可泯没的。[...]他介绍外国文学,虽然用了斑马的古
文,其努力与成绩决不在任何人之下。
His merits and accomplishments in Chinese literature cannot be dismissed. [...] He
introduced foreign literature and, although he used the classical language of Ban Gu and
2
Sima Qian, his effort and achievements are in no way lesser than those of any other person .
Although not so well-known for his copious amount of short novelettes3, Lin Shu’s literary
production exercised a major influence on his contemporaries through his popular translations.
Su Xuelin 苏雪林 (1897-1999), the famous female scholar who was both disciple of Hu Shi
胡适 (1891-1962) and opponent of Lu Xun 鲁迅 (1881-1936), recalls how Lin Shu’s works
constituted most of her former education 4 at a time when girls barely attended school
(something Lin Shu tirelessly advocated in his works translations)5. Likewise, his first translated
work, Bali chahua nü yishi 巴黎茶花女遗事 (Dumas’s La Dame aux Camélies, 1848),
self-published in February, 18996, together with Jiayin 迦茵 (Haggard’s Joan Haste, 1895),
published in March, 1905, were considered by some scholars the true creators of Literary
18
Revolution, according to Beijing University professor Chen Yuan 陈原 (1896-1970), a friend
of Hu Shi7.
Although starting late in his career, Lin Shu managed to translate at 59 historical articles8,
Haberlandt’s Völkerkunde 9 , and 350 individual stories and novels 10 , a startling number,
especially given his other multiple occupations, which included conferences, essays, education,
and painting. Amongst the former, there are fifty-five translations of novels and historical works
(plus two untitled works) whose author and/or original title remain unidentified. The present
paper provides accurate identification of nineteen translations and a tentative identification of a
lost work, together with a comparison between the opening lines of the Chinese and original
texts (or translations, when these were employed). The classical quandian 圈点 punctuation
has been preserved. Since there is confusion as to which novels remain unidentified, we offer an
appendix with complete bibliographic information of the remaining thirty-one translations, a
brief enumeration of most recently identified works, and two novels, one article and one
conference authored by Lin Shu which have often been mistaken with literary translations.
Finally, a number of drafts for unpublished translations, which were believed to have perished in
a fire during the Shanghai War of 193211, were in fact preserved and donated by Lin Shu’s
second wife Yang Yu 杨鬱 (1874-?) to the Beijing Library (later National Library) in 1955.
They have been indicated with the abbreviation YY and their library record number. These drafts
are stored in the Ancient Books Library of the previous site of the National Library of Peiping.
Nine were published by Li Jiaji12, Lin Shu’s son-in-law, and four remained unseen13.
Finally, relying on these new texts, I provide a brief reevaluation of Lin Shu’s translations:
Firstly, his translations should not be taken as a monolithic, uniform whole, but they should be
assembled in blocks according to the cotranslator who helped him. This classification may help
us to understand the deficiencies in some of his works, especially if we consider that, after 1913,
many of his translations could be revisions of works translated by his collaborators 14. Likewise,
taking into consideration the different voices of his cotranslators that he heard when rendering
foreign names into classical Chinese, we may gain insight into the identities of the authors of
the remaining unidentified works.
Comparative collation of newly identified translations
Kenan Dali 柯南达利, “Xiaofang qie” 小方箧, with Chen Jialin 陈家麟, in Shibao 时报
(May 28-June 6, 1911): 2. Illustrated.
Arthur Conan Doyle, “That Little Square Box,” in London Society 40 (December, 1881):
52-64.
哈蛮得曰。吾附一轮舶将啓舟定。船主谓诸舵工及估客曰。君辈均登舟不落后矣。舵
工之长曰。众集矣。时为礼拜三侵晨九句钟。船名曰斯巴达。停于伯司滕。载物及客
至夥。汽笛发声者可二次。已而钟動。船唇之嚮。直趣英伦。船旁冷水机之口出气如
蒸计程归英。海里可三千咪15之远。观者见此船离埠就海。迅控之狀。直若猎狗之扑
兽。
19
‘ALL aboard?’ said the captain.
‘All aboard, sir!’ said the mate.
‘Then stand by to let her go.’
It was nine o’clock on a Wednesday morning. The good ship Spartan was lying off
Boston Quay with her cargo under hatches, her passengers shipped, and everything prepared
for a start. The warning whistle had been sounded twice; the final bell had been rung. Her
bowsprit was turned towards England, and the hiss of escaping steam showed that all was
ready for her run of three thousand miles. She strained at the warps that held her like a
greyhound at its leash.
16
Uncredited, “Shiwan yuan” 十万元, in Zhendan 震旦, 3 (April, 1913): 193-201 .
Jacques Futrelle, “The Tragedy of the Life Raft,” in The Popular Magazine 25/2 (August 1,
1912): 54-63.
有一目彼得阿武威,居秘室中治事,倥偬如不胜其劬,顾其人狀,颇轻儇,而室中
亦坚素无华饰,尘满其牕,墙间亦无壁衣之属,地上氍毹已破。案亦粗笨,仅足作书。
而已与之联座者,为书记安波利人,已中年治事之勤,亦如彼得然,唇薄而掀厥狀如
狗。
’Twas a shabby picture altogether–old Peter Ordway in his office; the man shriveled,
bent, cadaverous, aquiline of feature, with skin like parchment, and cunning, avaricious eyes;
the room gaunt and curtainless, with smoke-grimed windows, dusty, cheerless walls, and
threadbare carpet, worn through here and there to the rough flooring beneath. Peter Ordway
sat in a swivel chair in front of an ancient roll-top desk. Opposite, at a typewriter upon a
table of early vintage, was his secretary–one Walpole, almost a replica in middle age of his
employer, seedy and servile, with lips curled sneeringly as a dog’s.
Xiluo 希洛, “Luosha cifeng” 罗剎雌风, with Li Shuxuan 力树蘐, in Xiaoshuo yuebao 小
说月报 4/1-4 (April-August, 1913): [49-67, 59-79, 57-74, and 69-85]. Illustrated with a
prologue.
Headon Hill (ps. of Francis Edward Grainger), A Hair’s Breadth. A novel (New York: Dodd,
Mead and Co., 1897).
俄国京城暗探队。警监古登那弥司方居密室中治事。其人勤於职守。晨夕鹿鹿。今
日乃愈旁午。时皇帝方將游历欧洲。国中已喧传其事。道行事颇危险。以少帝新行大
婚。出狩拥卫之责皆古登任之。
GENERAL GRANOVITCH, the chief of the Russian secret police – the dreaded “Third
Section” – sat writing in the private room of his bureau on the Nevski Project. A busy man
always, he was busier than ever that day. On the morrow of his Imperial master was to
20
commence the tour which for months had been the talk of Europe, and on Ivan Granovitch’s
shoulders lay the responsibility for the safety of the young Tsar and his stately bride.
Deluoni 德罗尼, “Yi hei” 义黑, with Liao Xiukun 廖琇崑, in Xiaoshuo yuebao 4/5-6
(September-October, 1913): [47-63, and 35-58]. Illustrated.
C.E. Bowen (uncredited), Daph la négresse, traduction libre par Mme. Elisabeth Delauney,
trans. Élisabeth Delauney (Paris, 1873).
在西方之殖民地。有巨岛焉。去著书者之前八十餘年。一日为午后。涼风吹入广廈
之寢室中。窗巨而门闢。风力遂直达而无沮。而洞明之月影。
Dans une île des colonies occidentales, il y a de cela plus de soixante ans, la brise du
soir pénétrait fraîche et pure dans une vaste chambre à coucher.
Les larges fenêtres sans châssis, et les persiennes grandes ouvertes offraient une libre
entrée à cet air vivifiant, et aux douces clartés de la lune qui se réflétaient sur un parquet
ciré.
Laoxi Woni 老昔倭尼, “Qing tie” 情铁, with Wang Qingtong 王庆通, in Zhonghua
xiaoshuo jie 中华小说界 1/1-5 (January-May, 1914): [69-103, 71-106, 83-106, 75-94, and
77-98]. Illustrated.
Georges Ohnet, Le Maître de forges (Paris, 1882).
一千八百八十年。十月一日。天气晴明。有少年人。衣猎衣。人至清整。据巨橡之
根而坐。橡樹之阴。直覆愈夏之斜陂。有棕色西班牙之狗。臥於少年坐处。数步之外。
纤草之間。目耿耿然视主人。似请示其进止。
Par une claire journée du mois d’octobre 1880, un jeune homme, vêtu d’un élégant
costume de chasse, était assis à la lisière d’un de ces beaux bois de chênes qui couvrent de
leur ombre fraîche les premières pentes du Jura. Un grand chien épagneul marron, couché
dans la bruyère à quelques pas de son maître, fixait sur lui ses yeux attentifs, semblant
demander si on n’allait pas bientôt repartir.
Hu Gangwei 鶻刚伟, “Yunpo yuelai yuan” 云破月來缘, with Hu Chaoliang 胡朝梁, in
Xiaoshuo yuebao 6/5-9 (May-September, 1915): [59-77, 55-72, 61-82, 73-91, and 67-81], with a
prologue by Lin Shu.
Hugh Conway (ps. of Frederyck John Fargus), Called Back (Bristol, 1883).
作者曰。余之箸书。盖有所缘起。苟非余书。则世界中将不审茲事之所以然。余有
执友一人。凡余半世事迹。吾友咸历历知之。余曾告吾友。勿以吾事告人。余友许诺。
后此竟泄之一人。且附会其词。其友又辗转告人。则增讹传谬。愈不可问。实则此事
21
传布至於何人而止。余不得而悉。然吾友泄吾事後。凡余邻右亲知。悉其事者。咸谓
余為历史中有关键者。且於庸庸常常中。竟指为离离奇奇之事。
I have a reason for writing this tale, or it would not become public property.
Once, in a moment of confidence, I made a friend acquainted with some curious
circumstances connected with one period of my life. I believe I asked him to hold his tongue
about them–he says not. Anyway, he told another friend, with embellishments I suspect; this
friend told another, and so on and on. What the tale grew to at last I shall probably never
learn; but since I was weak enough to trust my private affairs to another I have been looked
upon by my neighbours as a man with a history–one who has a romance hidden away
beneath an outwardly prosaic life.
Shashibiya 莎士比亚, “Oushi yiwen: Luoma Keyesi zhuan” 欧史遗闻·罗马克野司传,
with Chen Jialin, in Yaxiya bao 亚细亚日报 1-24 (September 10-October 3, 1915): 8b17.
William Shakespeare, “Coriolanus,” in Historical Tales from Shakespeare, ed. A. T.
Quiller-Couch, (London: Edward Arnold, 1899), 9-38.
纪元前之五百年。罗马有一人。为贵族遗冑。名克野司马哈司。其先曰安卡司马哈
司。曾履罗马帝位。而克野司以皇族贵人。称之曰圣西雷那司。以克野司于罗马共和
时。曾兩任都领。共和都领为一时枢。要之职。尚有一人。名拍不里亞司。与魁因他
司。亦安卡司之裔冑。与圣西雷那司為一姓。同跻显仕。其人怀利物之心。濬一清泉
之道入城。供城人吸饮。于是罗马人匪不以此一姓为闻家。而马哈司家子弟。颇骄蹇。
FIVE hundred years before the birth of Christ there lived in Rome a man of noble family
named Caius Marcius. One of his ancestors, Ancus Marcius, had been King of Rome, and of
the same house were afterwards descended the Marcius who was surnamed Censorinus,
from having twice held the censorship, the most venerable office in the commonwealth, and
Plubius and Quintus Marcius, who together built the great aqueduct which supplied the city
with pure water. So that altogether this house of Marcius was a very important one in Rome,
and also a very proud one.
Danmian 丹米安, Huayier 华伊尔, Jintai chunmeng lu 金台春梦录, with Wang Qingtong
(Shanghai: Shangwu yinshuguan, August, 1918), 2 vv., 72 pp. + 1 and, 74 pp. + 1.
Id., Jiaominxiang shehui shu 交民巷社会述, unpublished, 131 pp. (YY)18.
L. de Hoyer and Ch. Damien, Ombres Pékinoises. Roman de moeurs modernes (Beijing:
Imprimerie de la Politique de Pékin, 1917).
莫凯若望。引坐茵而坐。然坐茵为弹簧所挺。若与其身相抵触者。若望此时。心身
皆畅。引目仰视承尘中。所绘紫色之鹪鹩。亦觉其大可人意。
22
JEAN MAUGRAIS ayant tiré à lui le dernier coussin du sofa qui mit encore quelque
résistance à s’attacher aux lignes douillettes de son corps, ressentit une telle plénitude de
confort moral et physique qu’il leva vers les cigognes violettes du plafond un regard plein
de reconnaissance!
Zhoulu Wo 周路倭, Qingtian yicai 情天异彩, with Chen Jialin (Shanghai: Shangwu
yinshuguan, September, 1919), 109 + 2 pp.
Jules Verne, Ticket No. “9672,” trans. Laura E. Kendall (New York: George Munro, 1886).
一日为初夏之下午。翰生老媪。坐于屋中。自吸菸斗。吐纳烟焰。菸尽。落其斗中
之灰。谓其女曰。夏鲁达。今茲几句钟矣。女曰。晚八点矣。媪曰。今夕无客至此投
宿。而天氣阴沈酿雨。客不能至。
“What time is it?” inquired Dame Hansen, shaking the ashes from her pipe, the last
curling rings from which were slowly disappearing between the stained rafters overhead.
“Eight o’clock, mother,” replied Hulda.
“It isn’t likely that any travelers will come to-night. The weather is too stormy.”
Kanbolu 堪伯路, Huanzhu yanshi 还珠艳史, with Chen Jialin (Shanghai: Shangwu
yinshuguan, February, 1920), 2 vv., 62 + 2 and 65 + 2 pp.
19
Id., Yingying yishui 盈盈一水, unpublished, 58 pp. (YY) .
Frederick W. Davis (under ps. Scott Campbell), Driven to Wall or, A Forced Confession
(New York, 1900).
美国中有大城市。工厂骈列。每日侵晨。角声一动。无数工人。如蜂之投窝。[...]
打拉微愠。谓其人曰。布来得。听此女郎入内。布来得者。工人之首领也。打拉尚为
其所属。布来得曰。汝自入厂。勿与吾事。打拉曰。必容密司伯嫘先入。吾方入也。
布来得仍谓伯嫘曰。女子勿入。打拉汝自治己事可也。此事非尔所与。打拉曰。吾決
不行。布来得怒曰。尔成心与我抗矣。打拉曰。汝谓我成心耶。语事张目视布来得不
语。此二人为厂中人。而伯嫘亦厂中织女。自有此怒。而吾书之波澜。即由是生矣。
“Let the girl pass!” sternly commanded Murton Darrah, weaver.
“Go to your loom, sir!” angrily returned John Bradshaw, the foreman of the weaving
room.
“Not until you have allowed Miss Burley to enter.”
“Wait here, girl, I command you! Now, Darrah, go in to your work!”
“When Miss Burley has entered–yes! Not before!”
“But this is insubordination!” thundered Bradshaw. “Do you mean what you say?”
“Do I look as if I meant it?”
And Murton Darrah threw back his head and shoulders, and bent an ominously defiant
gaze upon the angry face of the man opposite. In the lives of these two men, in the life also
23
of the pale, beautiful girl, shrinking timidly near by, it was a moment giving birth to grave
and grievous consequences.
The time was early morning, barely 6.30. That hour when, in response to clanging bells
and screaming whistles, thousands of ready hands come flocking to the mills, like bees
toward their hives.
Gaosangsi 高桑斯, Ouzhan chunguimeng 欧战春闺梦, with Chen Jialin (Shanghai:
Shangwu yinshuguan, March, 1920), 2 vv., 75 + 2 and 74 + 2 pp.
Mrs. Marie Adelaide Belloc Lowndes, Good Old Anna (New York: George H. Doran Co.,
1916).
西历一千九百一十四年。八月五号。为礼拜三日。女士馥西士。语密昔司耳铁威曰。
阿纳在吾君家。如何处之。耳铁威曰。何所谓处。吾殊未解。然耳铁威语时。已瞭然
於馥西士之意。盖礼拜三以前。英德已宣战。阿纳者。耳铁威家。极忠勤之女仆也。
AND now,” asked Miss Forsyth thoughtfully, “and now, my dear Mary, what, may I ask,
are you going to do about your good old Anna?”
“Do about Anna?” repeated the other. “I don’t quite understand what you mean.”
In her heart Mrs. Otway thought she understood very well what her old friend, Miss
Forsyth, meant by the question. For it was Wednesday, the 5th of August, 1914. England had
just declared war on Germany, and Anna was Mrs. Otway’s faithful, highly valued German
servant.
Kelei furen 克雷夫人, Jiangtao ji 僵桃记, with Mao Wenzhong 毛文鐘 (Shanghai:
Shangwu yinshuguan, May, 1921), 68 + 1 pp.
Bertha M. Clay, “Two Kisses,” in Id., On Her Wedding Morn, and Other Tales (London,
1889), 77-144.
英国贵族中。有闺秀名曰。芝莺。美绝。见者匪不倾倒。为年十七。与一少年路白
忒。雅有情素。女父为克里佛伯爵。轻路白忒之贫贱。坚嘱其女。勿近其人。
No one ever refused anything to Lady Jean Dudleigh; she was so perfectly irresistible,
so thoroughly charming, so winsome and light of heart. When at the age of seventeen, she
fell in love with her handsome young wooer Rupert Carr, she could not understand the ‘No’
so vehemently uttered by both parents. All her sweet short life she had had just what she
wanted; and now, when she wanted most of all her own way, it was denied her. Her
father–Percy, tenth Earl of Clevemont–admitted frankly that there was not a finer young
fellow in England; he was well born, well bred, one of nature’s gentlemen; he was brave as
a lion, gentle as a child, charming as a woman; he had the frank bearing of a prince, he had
the dignity of a king. But he had neither money nor fame, neither influence nor position; and
the Earl assured his young daughter that an alliance between herself and him was not to be
thought of.
24
Gaoerte 高尔忒, Madu 马妒, with Mao Wenzhong (Shanghai: Shangwu yinshuguan, July,
1921), 106 + 1 pp.
Nathaniel Gould, Left in the lurch (London, 1912).
佛来得谓毕黎女士曰。吾之命运至蹇。遇事随成辄败。当在学堂时。已有克萊忒女
士。甚属意於余。余亦心属其人。后此乃嫁可令。直蠢蠢人也。吾爽然自失。想尔後
此。亦将舍我去矣。
“IT’S always been my luck. At school I was generally left in the lurch, some fellow was
sure to go one better and beat me, and it’s been the same ever since. Clytie Westray left me
in the lurch, and married that rotter, Colin Melfort. It’s no use, Billy, I’m doomed to be left.
Don’t you desert me,” grumbled Fred Dinmore.
Luyi 路 易 , Aiji yiwen lu 埃 及 异 闻 录 , with Mao Wenzhong (Shanghai: Shangwu
yinshuguan, November, 1921), 95 + 1 pp.
20
Sax Rohmer, Tales of Secret Egypt (New York, 1919) .
科那伯曰。在凯罗中中午時。余与埃及贾胡爱來饮咖啡。忽闻礼拜堂钟动。知午祷
矣。正于此时。有一僧徒。伏於门外。欲趣便夺取爱來衣囊中所藏之珍物。余见吾友。
顏色惨变。齿震震作声。且注目望此行脚之僧。
THE duhr, or noonday call to prayer, had just sounded from the minarets of the
Mosques of Kalaûn and En-Nasîr, and I was idly noting the negligible effect of
the adan upon the occupants of the neighboring shops—coppersmiths for the most
part—when suddenly my errant attention became arrested.
A mendicant of unwholesome aspect crouched in the shadow of the narrow gateway at
the entrance to the Sûk es-Saîgh, or gold and silver bazaar, having his one serviceable eye
fixed in a malevolent stare upon something or someone immediately behind me.
It is part and parcel of my difficult profession to subdue all impulses and to think before
acting. I sipped my coffee and selected a fresh cigarette from the silver box upon the rug
beside me. In this interval I had decided that the one-eyed mendicant cherished in his bosom
an implacable and murderous hatred for my genial friend, Ali Mohammed, the dealer in
antiques; that he was unaware of my having divined his bloody secret; and that if I would
profit by my accidental discovery, I must continue to feign complete ignorance of it.
Turning casually to Ali Mohammed, I was startled to observe the expression upon his
usually immobile face: he was positively gray, and I thought I detected a faint rattling sound,
apparently produced by his teeth; his eyes were set as if by hypnosis upon the uncleanly
figure huddled in the shadow of the low gate.
Daoyin 道 因 , Qinghai yibo 情 海 疑 波 , with Lin Kai 林 凯 (Shanghai: Shangwu
yinshuguan, November, 1921), 2 vv., 64+1 and 72+1 pp.
25
Elinor Glyn, The Reason Why (New York: Author’s Press, 1911)21.
佛兰士马古特着。当世富翁也。其国籍不可得而详。既归化英国。俨然英人矣。貌
美而善飾。衣服合度。英人之特長也。其作英语。於重音初不瞭亮。而恆以矜慎出之。
People often wondered what nation the great financier, Francis Markrute, originally
sprang from. He was now a naturalized Englishman and he looked English enough. He was
slight and fair, and had an immaculately groomed appearance generally—which even the
best of valets cannot always produce. He wore his clothes with that quiet, unconscious air
which is particularly English. He had no perceptible accent—only a deliberate way of
speaking.
Boen 泊恩, Huomu yingxiong 矐目英雄, with Mao Wenzhong (Shanghai: Shangwu
yinshuguan, March, 1922), 2 vv., 70+2 and 76+1 pp.
Jules Verne, Michael Strogoff; From Moscow to Irkoutsk, trans. E.G. Walraven (New York:
Frank Leslie, 1876).
有警察总监。启俄国皇帝曰。臣茲接得公文。帝曰。文來自何处。总监曰。來自汤
姆司克。帝曰。然则汤姆以东。电线断乎。总监曰。断自昨日。帝曰。尔为朕以电报
告城中人。有何警信。趣來奏达。
“Sire, a fresh dispatch.”
“From what point?”
“From Tomsk.”
“The wire is cut beyond that village, is it not?”
“Cut since yesterday.” “Send a telegraph to Tomsk every hour, general, and keep me
informed.”
Kanbolu 堪伯洛, Menhulu 闷葫芦, with Chen Jialin, unpublished (YY).
Frederick W. Davis (under ps. Scott Campbell), Union Down: A Signal of Distress (Boston,
1893).
一日。香港中斗出一事。深足为世人之纪念者。中午有轮船發自香港。船名破浪。
开赴美国包司登。
ON a certain warm sunny day, not so many years ago but that the older of the present
generation might recall it, were it rendered specially memorable by some event of rather
more recent date than that of their birth or christening, there sailed from the port of Hong
Kong a clipper ship so noble that no honorable and competent underwriter would have for a
moment thought of characterizing her at Lloyd’s inferior to “A 1 for fourteen years.” Across
26
her huge black stern might have been read in glaring white letters: BOUNDING WAVE. –
BOSTON.
Tuoersitai 托尔斯泰, Qinghuan 情幻, with Chen Jialin, unpublished, 124 folios, 41
chapters (YY, A072406).
Leo Tolstoy, “The Cossacks. A Novel of the Caucasus,” in The Complete Works of Count
Tolstóy, trans. Leo Wiener (Boston: Dana Estes & Co., 1904), 81-30822.
一日夜分。莫斯科城。万籁俱寂。道上微闻轮蹏之声。牕戶尽掩。灯火亦熄。而教
堂钟声。尚续续而动。似恐滿城渴睡。不知午夜将残。特为警告者。将曙未曙间。
EVERYTHING was quiet in Moscow. In a few isolated places could be heard the squeak
of wheels over the wintry street. There were no lights in the windows, and the lamps were
extinguished. From the churches rang out the sounds of bells which, billowing over the
sleepy city, reminded one of morning.
Xiulaite 休来忒, Qiuchi jian 秋池剑, with Mao Wenzhong, unpublished, 65 folios, 19
chapters (YY, A072407)23.
Maurice Hewlett, The Spanish Jade (London: Cassell and Co., 1908).
仲夏五月有一男子。骑驴出者格司城。至卡司纸尔平原之上。时阳光未出。人声寂
然,此男子骑于驴尻之上。以鞾尖仰蹴驴腹。作慷慨悲歌。然不能终其曲。
Into the plain beyond Burgos, through the sunless glare of before-dawn; upon a
soft-padding ass that cast no shadow and made no sound; well upon the stern of that ass, and
with two bare heels to kick him; alone in the immensity of Castile, and as happy as a king
may be, rode a young man on a May morning, singing to himself a wailing, winding chant
in the minor which, as it had no end, may well have had no beginning.
Wenlu Wo 文鲁倭 (French), Wuding kaishan ji 五丁开山记, with Chen Jialin.
Jules Verne, The Mysterious Island, unknown edition.
Ma Tailoi believed Wenlu Wo could be a mistake for Zhoulu Wo, which is now
identified with Jules Verne24. The title Wuding kaishan ji is a reference to the legend of the
five Herculean sons of the Marquis of Shu 蜀 who could open roads with their bare hands.
They died when a mountain collapsed and buried them 25 . This title fits Verne’s The
Mysterious Island: Five prisoners of war crash in a volcanic island where they manage to
survive thanks to their knowledge and skills. At the end of the novel, the volcano destroys
the island, but they are saved thanks to the efforts of Captain Nemo.
27
The novel was already translated by Xi Ruo 奚若 (1880-1914) as Mimi haidao 秘密海
岛 (Shanghai: Xiaoshuo linshe, 1905), in three volumes, following the translation of the
Sampson Low edition of 1875.
An asymmetric reading of Lin Shu’s translations
The role of Lin Shu’s cotranslators has been previously emphasized a number of times. For
instance, as early as 1924, only one month after Lin Shu passed away, Zheng Zhenduo 郑振铎
(1898-1958) wrote that “approximately most of the problems of his translated text should be
blamed on the oral translators” 大约他译文的大部分的错误都要归咎到口译者的身上26 .
With more accuracy, Ma Tailoi noted that they were not always as precise and circumspect as
purists would wish, especially Mao Wenzhong27. This leads us to a reevaluation of the way
modern translation theories have been applied to Lin Shu’s work in the light of Toury’s
“Target-Oriented Approach”28: if omissions, additions, alterations or abridgments are not to be
understood as deficiencies but rather as “poetic equivalence,” “sinicization” or “transculturation,”
then they should be related to a particular collaborator of Lin Shu. That is to say, Lin Shu’s
translations should be read asymmetrically (according to the cotranslator) instead of
synecdochically (taking a part of the translation endeavor conducted by Lin Shu as its whole),
arranging them in groups according to his collaborators. Taking into consideration the foregoing
newly identified texts, an asymmetric reading of these translations may help us to illustrate this
point.
Among the eighteen aides–de–camp that helped Lin Shu29, the most prolific ones were Chen
Jialin, Wei Yi and Mao Wenzhong. Chen Jialin’s new identified translations, the opening lines of
which we presented herein, attest his commitment to depicting a rather faithful image of the
original text. Both his translations of Doyle’s “The Little Square Box” and Verne’s Un billet de
loterie are so literal that the original English text employed in the later can be easily traced back
to Kendall’s translation, as a comparative exposition of these texts shows:
今夕无客至此投宿。而天气阴沈酿雨。客不能至。女曰然。即使有人至此。
– Il n’est pas probable qu’il nous arrive des voyageurs pendant la nuit; le temps est trop
mauvais.
– Je ne pense pas qu’il vienne personne. En tout cas, les chambres sont prêtes, et
j’entendrai bien si l’on appelle du dehors.
– It isn’t likely that any travelers will come to-night. The weather is too stormy.
– I agree with you. At all events, the rooms are in readiness, and if any one comes, I
shall be sure to hear them.
When compared with other translations Kendall’s is the only one that translates “trop
mauvais” as “too stormy” (Chinese: yinshen niang yu) and adds the sentence “I agree with you,”
which is not to be found in the original but was translated faithfully by Chen Jialin as Ran.
28
Sometimes, however, Chen Jialin introduced slight additions of his own, as we can see in
the line “who also was a descendant of Ancus, and shared surname with Censorinus. [...] These
people were pragmatic” 亦安卡司之裔胄。与圣西雷那司为一姓。[...] 其人怀利物之心,
which was added to make the very long sentence that opens Shakespeare’s “Coriolanus” more
intelligible for the reader. Likewise, he often altered the order of exposition of some paragraphs,
for example in Lowndes’ Good Old Anna and in Davis’ Driven to Wall. Both novels start with a
conversation in direct style that has been shifted down some lines in order to provide a temporal
context for the story, which in the original appears after these conversations. But altogether both
translations do not drift away from the original and errors are minimal.
Mao Wenzhong offers a totally different picture. His four translations are accurate in
meaning but extremely careless in form to such an extent that they are difficult to recognize.
Consequently, in Gould’s Left in the lurch, three lines have been omitted and some words
skipped, whereas Clay’s “Two Kisses” has been abridged to half its length, whole paragraphs
being omitted. Tampering is more intrusive in his translation of Rohmer’s Tales of Secret Egypt,
where twenty lines at the beginning were abridged to 104 characters (approximately four lines).
His draft for Hewlett’s The Spanish Jade is also unrecognizable.
Besides these collaborators, Lin Shu also relied on Wang Qingtong, nephew of Wang
Shouchang, cotranslator of La Dame aux Camélies. Like his uncle before him, Wang also
translated from French, being responsible for Lin Shu’s translations of Dumas and other authors
such as Georges Ohnet’s highly popular Le maître des forges and Damien de Martel’s Ombres
Pékinoises. In both translations we can observe that, just like Chen Jialin, Wang and Lin Shu did
not hesitate to twirl and whirl classical Chinese in order to preserve an accurate version of the
beautiful French text:
所衣之睡衣。作蓝色之小行。若小蛇蜿蜿然。拖履置之氍毹之上。氍毹正作希腊人
之形。双履适当其面。纸烟之纹。盘旋其项上。若作花缕。二目时时盼及家具。或盼
及闇黃縀之壁衣。或盼及中国之旧磁。
Des rayures bleu clair, comme de petits serpents, couraient le long de son pyjama de
soie rose. Ses fines babouches béaient sur les grecques du tapis ; et tandis que la fumée de sa
cigarette dessinait au-dessus de sa tète de délicates auréoles, son regard s’arretait tendrement
sur les dorures des meubles de laque, sur le jaune délicieusement terni des anciennes
soieries, sur les couleurs insolentes de vie des vieilles porcelaines chinoises.
Regardless of how translation theories may be applied, the aforementioned texts show to
what extent Lin Shu’s translations differ from each other when we classify them based on their
cotranslators. This may help us to understand in a new light not only his shortcomings, but also
his own style of writing. For example, one scholar has related abridgement to Lin Shu’s appeal
for simplification, as exemplified in Sima Qian’s sentence, “making its wording economical and
getting rid of the superfluous and repetitious” 约其辞文,去其烦重30. However, abridgement
did not always occur: in fact, it may have been limited to some of his collaborators.
29
A final note should be made about the transcription of foreign names, which largely differs
from one cotranslator to another. Jules Verne was written as Zhoulu Wo by Chen Jialin, and as
Boen (“Verne”) by Mao Wenzhong. Similarly, the names of Mrs. Lowndes, Rohmer and Glyn
are surprisingly written as Gaosangsi, Luyi and Daoyin by Chen Jialin, Mao Wenzhong and Lin
Kai, respectively. Understanding the way each translator orally rendered these and other names,
according to his own command of the foreign language, is a decisive task if we wish to gain
insight into the authors of the remaining unidentified corpus of Lin Shu’s translations.
Appendix
List of unidentified translations of Western Literature
Unknown, “Yingnüshi Yiseer liluan xiaoji” 英女士意色儿离鸾小记, with Wei Yi 魏易, in Putong
xuebao 普通学报 1-5 (October, 1901-May, 1902): 27-30 (first issue) and 29-35 (fourth issue).
Jilade 幾拉德 [Gerard?], “Hua yin” 花因, with Wei Yi, in Zhongwai ribao 中外日报 (March, 15-April,
22, 1907): 3a.
Sidiuate 司丢阿忒 [Stuart?], Zhifen yiyuan 脂粉议员, with Wei Yi (Shanghai: Shangwu yinshuguan,
November 15, 1909), 150 + 3 pp., with a prologue.
Weilisun 威利孙 [Wilson?], “Qing wo” 情窝, with Li Shuxuan, in Pingbao 平报 (November 1,
1912-September 30, 1913): pagination unknown.
Unknown, Mingjia dian jiang 名家点将, with Wei Yi and Shengke 生可, in Shishi xinbao 时事新报
(March 21, 23, and 25, 1913): 3 31.
Shaerli 沙尔黎, Xinhun bie 新婚别, with Liao Xiukun, in Zhendan 震旦 4 (May, 1913): 195-202.
Unknown, Nü taowu 女檮杌, with Li Shuxuan, in Zhonghua 中华 1 (July 16, 1913), 10 pp. with
prologue (issue unpaginated). This translation seems to have been discontinued.
Woertun 倭尔吞, Shengu meiren 深谷美人, with Chen Qi 陈器 (Beijing: Xuanyuange, August 1, 1914),
169+2 pp32.
Magenei 马格内, “Shilin yiyue ji” 石麟移月记, with Chen Jialin, in Da zhonggua zazhi 大中华杂志
1/1-6 (January-June, 1915): 175-184, 397-408, 599-609, 815-828, 1053-1063, and 1283-1292.
Basujin 巴苏谨, Ganlan xian 橄榄仙, with Chen Jialin (Shanghai: Shanwu yinshuguan, November,
1916), 2 vv., 101 + 2 and 89 + 3 pp.
Daweisen 大威森 [Davidson?], “Nayunshou” 拏云手, with Chen Jialin, in Xiaoshuo hai 小说海 3/1-8
(January-August, 1917): [67-76, 69-86, 55-65, 69-80, 63-75, 69-76, 75-83, and 67-75].
Chenshili 陈施利, Pinzei qingsi ji 牝贼情丝记, with Chen Jialin (Shanghai: Shangwu yinshuguan, July,
1917), 2 vv., 82 + 2 and 80 + 2 pp.
[Miss] Can’en 女士参恩, “Tao dawang yinguo lu” 桃大王因果录, with Chen Jialin, in Dongfang zazhi
东方杂志 14/7-15/9 (July, 1917-September, 1918): 130-136, 134-142, 135-141, 131-135, 132-136,
128-138, 135-139, 136-144, 131-139, 138-143, 137-143, 136-142, 121-124, 130-136, and 124-127.
[Miss] Laiqitang 赖其镗女士 [Marie Connor Leighton?], Chilang huanying 痴郎幻影, with Chen Qi
(Shanghai: Shangwu yinshuguan, October, 1918), 3 vv., 83 +1 pp., 88 + 1 and 82 + 1 pp.
Wuyingni 武英尼, Guiku cangjiao 鬼窟藏娇, with Chen Jialin (Shanghai: Shangwu yinshuguan, June,
1919), 2 vv., 72 + 1 and 73 + 1 pp.
30
Yuekekuidiesi 约克魁迭斯, Xilou guiyu 西楼鬼语, with Chen Jialin (Shanghai: Shangwu yinshuguan,
June, 1919), 2 vv., 106 + 1 and 102 + 1 pp.
Kelei 克 雷 , “Xiang fu lian” 想 夫 怜 , with Mao Wenzhong, in Xiaoshuo yuebao 11/9-12
(September-December, 1920): [54-67, 57-71, 69-83, and 17-30]33.
Weiersi 威而司 [Welsh?], Gui wu 鬼悟, with Mao Wenzhong (Shanghai: Shangwu yinshuguan, June,
1921), 2 vv. 60 +2 and 61 + 2 pages 34.
Kawen 卡文, Cangbo yan dieji 沧波淹谍记, with Mao Wenzhong (Shanghai: Shangwu yinshuguan,
October, 1921), 131 pp. + 2 pp.
Lulansi 鲁兰司 [Lawrence?], Qing yi 情翳, with Mao Wenzhong (Shanghai: Shangwu yinshuguan,
May, 1922), 107 + 1 pp.
Kelindeng nüshi 克林登女士 [Clayton?], “Qingtian buhen lu” 情天补恨录, with Mao Wenzhong, in
Xiaoshuo shijie 小说世界 1/1-2/3 (January 15-April 20, 1923) (known pagination for 1/6: [35-38];
1/7: [31-37]; 1/9: [47-52]; 1/11: [35-40]; 1/13: [33-39]; 2/1: [43-47]; and 2/3: [31-34].
Kelei furen 克雷夫人, Jin lü yi 金缕衣, with Mao Wenzhong, unpublished, 48 pp. (YY).
Id., [Huang]jin zhumei lu 黃金铸美录, with Mao Wenzhong, unpublished, 79 folios, 22 chapters (YY,
A072411)35.
Id., Xiaonü lüshuang ji 孝女履霜记, with Mao Wenzhong, unpublished, 99 folios, 29 chapters (YY,
A072412).
Huierdong furen 惠尔东夫人 [Welton?], Meishu yan lü 美术姻绿, with Mao Wenzhong, 51 pp.,
unpublished (YY) 36.
Feierge 斐尔格, Qingqiao henshui lu 情桥恨水录, with Mao Wenzhong, 60 pp., unpublished37.
Lost translations
Unknown, Baozhong yingxiong zhuan 保种英雄传, with Wei Han 魏瀚38.
Kelei furen 克雷夫人, Fengzao huanghou xiaoji 风藻皇后小记, with Mao Wenzhong.
Akecui 阿克粹39, Miaolang diexue ji 眇朗喋血记, with Chen Jialin.
Luoshazi 洛沙子, Nuxing xuchuan 奴星叙传, with Chen Jialin. 2 vv.
Dazhongma 大 仲 马 (Alexandre Dumas, père), Xuesheng fengyue jian 学 生 风 月 鑑 , with Wang
Qingtong.
Recently identified translations
Queluode Wokangnuo Aikeersi 卻洛得倭康诺埃克尔司, Huixing duo xu lu 彗星夺婿录, with Wei Yi
(Shanghai: Shangwu yinshuguan, January 28, 1909), 182 + 3 pp 40.
Charlotte O’Conor Eccles, The Matrimonial Lottery (London, 1906).
Uncredited, “Bingyang guixiao” 氷洋鬼啸, in Xiaoshuo shibao 小说时报 12 (September 2, 1911):
[1-12]41.
Arthur Conan Doyle, “The Captain of the Pole-Star,” in The Captain of the Polestar and other tales
(London, 1890), 1-36.
Cecixiluo 测次希洛, “Canchan ye sheng lu” 残蝉曳声录, with Chen Jialin, in Xiaoshuo yuebao 3/7-11
(October, 1912-February, 1913): [31-51, 25-44, 39-59, 27-40, and 37-51].42
Winston Churchill, Savrola: a tale of the revolution in Laurania (London, 1899).
Xidengxilu 希登希路, “Linken jiuguo” 林肯救国, etc., with Chen Jialin, in Xiaoshuo yuebao 7/3-8/1
31
(March, 1916-January, 1917)43.
Headon Hill, Seaward for the Foe (London, 1903). Only the sixth story was left untranslated.
Baoluwuyin 包鲁烏因, “Dayanshuojia dannia zhuanlüe” 大演说家丹尼阿传略, in Qiu deng tanxie 秋
灯谭屑, with Chen Jialin (Shanghai: Shangwu yinshuguan, April, 1916), 83 + 2 pp.44
James Baldwin, The Story of Daniel Webster, for Young readers (New York, 1896).
Meisen 美森, “Wang yan wang ting” 妄言妄听, with Chen Jialin, in Xiaoshuo yuebao 10/3-12
(March-December, 1919): [1-6, 1-8, 1-4, 1-8, 1-6, 1-7, 1-8, 1-6, 1-10, and 1-8]45.
Eugene Mason, Aucassin & Nicolette, and other Mediaeval Romances and Legends (London,
1910).
Xiao Zhongma 小仲马, Fengliu nieyuan sanpian 风流孽寃三篇, with Wang Qingtong, unpublished, 16
chapters (YY) 46.
Alexandre Dumas, Aventures de Quatre Femmes et d’un Perroquet (Paris: Alexandre Cadot, 1846).
Andelie Maluya 安 德 烈 马 路 亚 , Ouzhanjun qian suoyu 欧 战 军 前 琐 语 , with Mao Wenzhong,
unpublished, 40 pp. (YY)47.
André Maurois, Les Silences du Colonel Bramble (Paris, 1918).
Tangmusen 汤木森, Yuxue fengmao lu 雨雪风毛录, with Mao Wenzhong, unpublished, 143 pp. (YY) 48.
Everett T. Tomlinson, Scouting with Kit Carson (New York, 1916).
Novels authored by Lin Shu
“Bali si yiren lu” 巴黎四义人录, with Wei Yi, in Putong xuebao 普通学报 2 (November, 1901): 21-22,
republished in Xuanbao 选报 8 (February, 1902): 549.
“Shu juanti chuanqi” 蜀 鹃 啼传 奇, in Xiaoshuo yuebao 8/4-5 (April-May, 1917): [131-138, and
128-138].
Historical texts
Uncredited, “Tuerji luanshi shimo” 土耳基乱事始末, with Yue Xian 乐贤, in Yongyan 庸言 1/11 (May
1, 1913): [94-110]50.
Unknown, Ouxi tongshi 欧西通史, with Cai Lu 蔡璐51.
Novels attributed to Lin Shu
Bolanke Bale 博 兰 克 巴 勒 , “Konggu jiaren” 空 谷 佳 人 , in Dongfang zazhi 3/8-13 (September,
1906-February, 1907): [189-197, 197-206, 186-198, 193-204, 195-206, and 194-204]52.
*
32
The author, César Guarde-Paz, is a Professor of Foreign Language and Culture (Spanish) at the
College of Foreign Languages, Nankai University (Tianjin, China).
Notes
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
Qian Xuantong 钱玄同, “Xie zai Bannong gei Qiming de xindi houmian” 写在半农给启明的信
底后面, Yusi 语丝 20, March 30, 1925, 5.
Zhou Zuoren (as Kaiming 开明), “Lin Qinnan yu Luo Zhenyu” 林琴南与罗振玉, Yusi 3,
December 1, 1924, 5.
I count 209 works, as listed in Tarumoto Teruo 樽本照雄, inmatsu ins o s setsu mokuroku
清末民初小说目录 (Ōtsu, 20146), accessed November 1, 2014, at www.biwa.ne.jp/~tarumoto/
v6b.pdf.
Su Xuelin, “Wo zhuichu de wenxue daoshi” 我最初的文学导师, in Id., Wo de shenghuo 我的生
活 (Taibei: Wenxing shudian, 1967), 73.
See his prologue to Haggard’s Beatrice, in Hongjiao huajiang lu 红礁画桨 录 (Shanghai:
Shangwu yinshuguan, 1906), vol. 1, [2] (page numbers for unpaginated issues are indicated within
brackets). Cf. also Doyle’s Beyond the City, in Shenüshi zhuan 蛇女士传 (Shanghai: Shangwu
yinshuguan, 1908), 1-2. For his poetry, see “Xing nüxue” 兴女学 and “Shui wuqing” 水无情 in
Minzhong xin yuefu 闽中新乐府 ( Fuzhou, Fuzhou keban yinxing, 1897).
For its publication see Hu Ying, Tales of Translation. Composing the New Woman in China,
1899-1918 (California: Stanford University Press, 2000), 76-77.
Chen Yuan, Xiying xianhua 西瀅闲话 (Shanghai: Xinyue shudian, 1928), 57.
These include 58 contributions in Pingbao 平报 (December 7, 1912-May 31, 1913) and an article
about the Balkan Wars.
Minzhong xue 民种学 (Beijing: Daxue tangguan shuju, 1903), with Wei Yi 魏易 (1880-1932).
Or 205, if we count only their book reprints. Michael Gibbs Hill (Lin Shu, Inc. (New York: Oxford
University Press, 2013), 2) counts 180. I have include all works listed in Tarumoto, from which I
have removed repetitions and reeditions. I have added also lost works not included in Tarumoto
(except Mowai fengguang 漠外风光, a misprint for 膜外风光) and two untitled works of Haggard
and Georges Ohnet, as in Ma Tailoi 马泰来, “Lin Shu fanyi zuopin quanmu” 林纾翻译作品全目,
in Lin Shu de fanyi 林纾的翻译, ed. Qian Zhongshu 钱锺书 (Beijing: Shangwu yinshuguan,
1981), 97 and 102. His Xiama cheng zhagui 夏马城炸鬼 is also a repetition of Zhagui ji 炸鬼记
14.
15.
(Queen Sheba’s Ring). Finally, I have removed Konggu jiaren 空谷佳人, a work that was not
translated by Lin Shu (see Tarumoto, Shinmatsu, 1805-1807).
Yao Yiming 姚一鸣, Zhongguo jiu shuju 中国旧书局 (Beijing: Jincheng, 2014), 110. Although
one of the manuscripts presents burning marks, these are minimal and do not match a fire resulting
from aircraft bombing.
Li Jiaji 李家骥, ed., Lin Shu fanyi xiaoshuo weikan jiuzhong 林纾翻译小說未刊九种 (Fuzhou:
Fujian renmin, 1993).
These were located thanks to the assistance of Cheng Tianshu 程天舒 and Li Jian 李建, Lin
Shu’s grandson. Although most of Lin Shu’s manuscripts are said to have been donated by his
second wife, their envelopes specify that the donor was Higher Education Press (Gaodeng jiaoyu
chubanshe 高等教育出版社).
See Hill, Lin Shu, 200.
Mi 咪 is printed with the radical ri 日 instead of kou 口.
16.
Signed Wei Lu 畏廬 (Lin Shu’s pen name) and originally unpunctuated.
11.
12.
13.
33
17.
18.
19.
20.
21.
22.
23.
24.
25.
26.
27.
28.
29.
30.
31.
32.
33.
34
The last issue published notes “unfinished” (wei wan 未完), but it was never continued.
Collected in Li Jiaji, Lin Shu, but both works are the same. See Ma Tailoi, “Lin yi yigao ji ‘Lin Shu
fanyi xiaoshuo weikan jiuzhong’ pingjie” 林译遗稿及《林纾翻译小说未刊九种》评介, in
Shinmatsu sh setsu 清末小说 31 (December 1, 2008): 42. In fact, only the first paragraph of
corresponds with Jintai chunmeng lu. The remaining text is from Xilou guiyu 西楼鬼语, published
in June, 1919.
For the identification of see ibid., 39.
Only the first part was translated. I owe the location of this novel to my colleage Georgeos
Díaz-Montexanos, well-versed in Ancient Egypt literature.
The final colophon at the end of the novel was left untranslated.
As suggested in Ma, “Lin yi,” 43. The correct title is Qinghuan 情幻, not Qinghuan ji 情幻记.
Lin Shu translated the whole story, but his version has only 41 chapters, one less than the original
novel.
Includes a prologue by the original author and a manuscripted sheet by Mr. Shu 樹□ (character
unrecognizable) signed “9/1/29.”
Ma, “Lin Shu,” 98.
Terry F. Kleeman, Great Perfection. Religion and Ethnicity in a Chinese Millennial Kingdom
(Honolulu: University of Hawai’i Press, 1998), 22-23.
Zheng Zhenduo, “Lin Qinnan xiansheng” 林琴南先生 , Xiaoshuo yuebao 小说月报 15/11
(November 10, 1924), [p. 21].
Ma, “Lin yi,” 40.
As in Wanlong Gao, Recasting Lin Shu (Victoria: Trafford, 2009).
Hill, Lin Shu, 241-247. Leaving aside his historical works, I count only eighteen known translators
and four translations which do not specify the cotranslator.
Sima Qian, Shiji, 14:509, as translated in Stephen W. Durrant, “The Task and Ritual of Historical
Writing in Early China,” in Thinking, Recording, and Writing History in the Ancient World, ed.
Kurt A. Raaflaub (Oxford: Wiley Blackwell, 2014), 25. As far as I know this was never quoted by
Lin Shu. See Wang Dongfeng 王东风 and Chen Chunyan 陈春燕, “Yue qi wenci, qu qi fanzhong:
Lin Shu yiwen yuyan mei tanyuan” 约其文辞 去其繁重:林纾译文语言美探员 [sic!], paper
presented at the Lin Shu Research International Symposium 林纾研究国际学术研讨会, Fujian
University of Technology, Fuzhou, October 11-12, 2014.
Translation discontinued after the thrid issue, which ends with the words “It will continue
publishing the following day” (geri xudeng 隔日续登). Qian Shengke 钱生可 was a corrector of
style (runwen 润文 or runci 润辞) for the Shishi xinbao.
I have been able to trace only two copies of this rare book. One is stored in the Library of Renmin
University, Beijing, and another one in the Dalian Library. According to the person responsible for
the Ancient Books collection there, “the Government does not allow reading books from the
Republican Period, and it has been sealed” (personal communication, October 10, 2014).
Although the name Kelei stands for Bertha M. Clay, from a comparison with the published works
by Bertha M. Clay we can conclude that this novel was not authored by her. Since a number of
books under her psedonym were published in “The Bertha Library” between January, 1900 and
January, 1917 (512 volumes), and in “New Bertha Clay Library” between February, 1917 and
December, 1932 (458 titles), we can assume that Xiang fu lian was one of them. The same can be
said about the other titles under this name. Note that, according to the Chinese translations, this
34.
35.
36.
37.
38.
39.
40.
41.
42.
43.
44.
45.
46.
47.
48.
49.
50.
51.
52.
“Clay” was American, not British.
Assumed to be a work by H. G. Wells, but a comparison with his works shows that it is not.
Huang 黃 added supra linea; also, zhu 铸 and not chou 俦 is how the title is written in the
manuscript. There are occasional burning marks, restored by the same hand who added the
corrections (probably Lin Shu).
Edited with many errata in Li, Lin Shu, 91-127, under the title Shen wo 神窝. It was believed that
the author was Edith Wharton (Ma, “Lin yi,” 39) but none of her works matches this text.
The original draft, in Li, Lin Shu, 233-290, was in possession of Zhou Qiken 周启恳, Lin Shu’s
grandson-in-law.
Lin Shu, in the prologue to Bernandin de Saint-Pierre’s Paul et Virgine (Lihentian 离恨天),
explains how this translation was lost after summer of 1911 when he sent it for publication and,
thus, he was not willing to retranslate it.
Lin Shu used the name Akexi 阿克西 in his translation of Orczy’s The Scarlet Pimpernel (Daxia
hong fanlu zhuan 大侠红蘩露传). See Ma, “Lin Shu,” 97.
Zhang Zhi 张治, “Lin Shu xiaoshuo biben bukao” 林纾小说底本补考, Xiandai zhongwen xuebao
现代中文学报 21/6 (2012): 106.
Watanabe Kōji, “‘Hyōyō kishō’ no gensaku” 《氷洋鬼啸》の原作, Shinmatsu sh setsu kara 清末
小说から 115 (October 1, 2014): 4-11.
Zhang, 106, and Id., “Lin Shu yi guo Qiujier de xiaoshuo” 林纾译過丘吉尔的小說, Nanfang
dushi bao: Yuedu zhoukan 南方都市报·阅读周刊 (August 26, 2012) published online at
http://gcontent.oeeee.com/6/45/64581c732926aff6/Blog/b26/008cfc.html (accessed January 31,
2014).
Watanabe Kōji, “Rin yaku shōsetsu ‘Kōkyōki’ nado no gensaku (jō)” 林訳小说《红箧记》などの
原作(上), Shinmatsu sh setsu 清末小説 32 (2009): 48-73; “Rin yaku shōsetsu ‘Kōkyōki’ nado
no gensaku (ge)” 林訳小说《红箧记》などの原作(下), Shinmatsu shōsetsu 33 (2010): 52-98.
Zhang, “Lin Shu,” 105.
See ibid., 105-106, for the individual stories collected by Lin Shu.
A different title for Yingwu yuan sanbian 鹦鹉缘三编. See Han Yiyu 韩一宇, Qingmo Minchu
hanyi faguo wenxue yanjiu (1897-1916) 清末民初汉译法国文学研究(1897-1916)(Beijing:
Zhongguo shehui kexue, 2008), 148.
This translation omits chapter 8 and, as noted by Ma, “Lin yi,” 40, all poems. Some parts along the
remaining chapters are also skipped.
Ibid., 43.
It includes three lines of remarks by Lin Shu. See Ma Tailoi, “‘Bali si yiren’ fei fanyi xiaoshuo”
《巴黎四 义人录》非翻译小説, Shinmatsu sh setsu kara 50 (July 1, 1998): 23-25 for a
reproduction. The first issue of Putong xuebao (1: 30) announces this work as a translation but the
second issue corrects this.
An article about the Balkan Wars. From internal evidence, the original should have been published
between Autumn, 1912 and Spring, 1913. Lin Shu comments the war in Eastern Europe at the end
of the translation, in a short note.
A translation of historical materials for teaching Western History which seems to be lost. See Ma,
“Lin Shu,” 96.
Original publication not signed and the style is different from Lin Shu. He also published, seven
35
years later, Shengu meiren 深谷美人, and since both titles share the same meaning, this could be
the origin of the mistake. For other novels attributed to Lin Shu, see Ma, Lin Shu, 98. For an
analysis of this work, see Guerde 古二德 (César Guarde), “‘Shengu meiren’ hanjian Lin yi yu
‘Konggu jiaren’ yizhe kaobian”《深谷美人》罕見林译与《空谷佳人》译者考辨, Shinmatsu sh setsu
kara 117 (April 1, 2015), pp. 14-21.
36