Lesley Hazleton: A "tourist" reads the Koran

譯者: Lihua Lin 審譯者: Joanne Ko

你或許有聽說過

You may have heard about the Koran's idea of paradise

古蘭經裡關於天堂的描述

being 72 virgins,

那裡有72位處女

我保證一會兒會回到處女這一部份

and I promise I will come back to those virgins.

事實上，在美國東北部

But in fact, here in the Northwest, we're living very close

我們的身處之處

to the real Koranic idea of paradise,

近似於古蘭經裡所描述的天堂

defined 36 times as "gardens watered by running streams."

古蘭經裡對天堂的定義出現了36次

意為「流水滋養的花園」

Since I live on a houseboat on the running stream of Lake Union,

因為我住在聯合湖水流過的船屋裡

所以要理解這個概念輕而易舉

this makes perfect sense to me.

But the thing is, how come it's news to most people?

但是，為何大部分的人卻是首次聽到這樣的概念

I know many well-intentioned non-Muslims

我了解很多心懷善意的非穆斯林

who've begun reading the Koran, but given up,

開始閱讀古蘭經，但最後放棄了

disconcerted by its "otherness."

對於它的奇異感到困惑

歷史學家湯瑪斯卡來爾

The historian Thomas Carlyle considered Muhammad

認為穆罕默德是世上極為偉大的英雄

one of the world's greatest heroes,

yet even he called the Koran

即便如此，對於古蘭經，他曾說道

「我從沒讀過這麼讓人費解的書，

"as toilsome reading as I ever undertook; a wearisome, confused jumble."

乏味不堪、讓人既困惑又混亂」

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

這裡的問題，我想，一部分是因為

Part of the problem, I think, is that we imagine

我們把古蘭經想成是一本

that the Koran can be read as we usually read a book --

我們平常就會閱讀的書籍

as though we can curl up with it on a rainy afternoon

彷彿我們可以在一個午後的雨天，抱著它蜷縮於一角閱讀

with a bowl of popcorn within reach,

同時還有一碗觸手可及的爆米花

as though God --

彷彿真主－

and the Koran is entirely in the voice of God speaking to Muhammad --

因為古蘭經裡全是真主對穆罕默德的話語－

彷彿真主就只是某個暢銷書作家

were just another author on the best-seller list.

Yet, the fact that so few people do actually read the Koran

而事實上，真正讀古蘭經

的人少之又少

這正是為什麼古蘭經這麼容易被引用－

is precisely why it's so easy to quote -- that is, to misquote.

也就是說，誤引。

(Laughter)

詞組與短語被斷章取義

Phrases and snippets taken out of context

in what I call the "highlighter version,"

截出的的版本，我稱它為「標明版本」

which is the one favored by both Muslim fundamentalists

穆斯林基本教義派和反穆斯林的恐伊斯蘭教者

and anti-Muslim Islamophobes.

都偏愛此版本

所以在這個春天

So this past spring,

當我正準備

as I was gearing up to begin writing a biography of Muhammad,

著手撰寫穆罕默德的傳記時

I realized I needed to read the Koran properly --

我意識到自己必須要好好的讀古蘭經

盡我所能好好讀一讀

as properly as I could, that is.

我的阿拉伯語已經退步到

My Arabic is reduced by now to wielding a dictionary,

需要依賴字典的地步

so I took four well-known translations

所以我拿了四本著名的譯本

and decided to read them side by side, verse by verse,

決定將它們並排開來同時讀

一句接著一句

along with a transliteration and the original seventh-century Arabic.

並且參照音譯本

和一本七世紀阿拉伯語原版

我確實有一項優勢

Now, I did have an advantage.

My last book was about the story behind the Shi'a-Sunni split,

我最新的一本書

是有關什葉派和遜尼派分裂的故事

and for that, I'd worked closely with the earliest Islamic histories,

為了這本書，我鑽研伊斯蘭早期的歷史

so I knew the events to which the Koran constantly refers,

所以古蘭經裡反覆提及的事情

我都很熟悉

its frame of reference.

也就是它的信仰準則

I knew enough, that is, to know that I'd be a tourist in the Koran --

我已了解夠多，也就是說

我就像一個旅客在遊歷古蘭經

an informed one,

是有見地的一位旅客

an experienced one, even,

更甚是一位經驗豐富的旅客

but still an outsider,

但依舊是個局外人

an agnostic Jew reading someone else's holy book.

是一個不可知論的猶太人

閱讀著其他宗教的聖書

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

So I read slowly.

所以我就慢慢的讀。

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

I'd set aside three weeks for this project,

為了這個計畫，我空出了三星期

and that, I think, is what is meant by "hubris" --

而這在我看來，就是所謂的狂妄自大

（笑聲）

(Laughter)

因為最終我花了三個月才完成

because it turned out to be three months.

(Laughter)

I did resist the temptation to skip to the back,

我確實止住了跳到書的後半段的誘惑

因為後面的章節更短，更富神秘性。

where the shorter and more clearly mystical chapters are.

但每當我以為我漸漸

But every time I thought I was beginning to get a handle on the Koran --

了解古蘭經的精要時

that feeling of "I get it now" --

那種「我明白了」的感覺－

在一夜過後便消失無蹤

it would slip away overnight,

當我早上醒來，便會開始納悶

and I'd come back in the morning,

wondering if I wasn't lost in a strange land.

我是否曾迷失在某個異地

但是卻又非常熟悉的地方。

And yet, the terrain was very familiar.

The Koran declares that it comes to renew the message

古蘭經聲明它的目的是來

更新摩西五經和福音書的神訊

of the Torah and the Gospels.

So one-third of it reprises the stories of Biblical figures

所以裡面有三分之一

都在重述聖經人物的故事

like Abraham, Moses, Joseph, Mary, Jesus.

像是亞伯拉罕、摩西

約瑟夫、聖母瑪莉和耶穌

真主本身是極為熟悉的

God himself was utterly familiar

from his earlier manifestation as Yahweh,

從祂早時以耶和華為化身

jealously insisting on no other gods.

心存嫉妒，堅稱祂是世上唯一的神

The presence of camels, mountains, desert wells and springs

書裡的駱駝、高山

沙漠水井和泉水

took me back to the year I spent wandering the Sinai Desert.

將我帶回了我在

西奈沙漠遊走的那年

再者是書裡的語言

And then there was the language, the rhythmic cadence of it,

帶著抑揚頓挫的節奏

reminding me of evenings spent listening to Bedouin elders

一再讓我想起那些夜晚，聆聽貝都因老人

吟詠著好幾時長的敘事詩

recite hours-long narrative poems

他們全部憑著記憶吟詠

entirely from memory.

然後我開始了解

And I began to grasp why it's said

為什麼人們會說

that the Koran is really the Koran only in Arabic.

只有以阿拉伯文書寫的古蘭經

才是真正的古蘭經。

Take the Fatihah, the seven-verse opening chapter

拿首章「法諦海」來說

開篇的七節經文

that is the Lord's Prayer and the Shema Yisrael of Islam combined.

是由主禱文和伊斯蘭猶太施瑪篇所組成

It's just 29 words in Arabic,

在阿拉伯文裡只有29個字

但翻譯後的版本卻變成65到72個字

but anywhere from 65 to 72 in translation.

而你加進去的字義越多

And yet the more you add, the more seems to go missing.

本意似乎也流失越多

阿拉伯語有一種咒語般

The Arabic has an incantatory, almost hypnotic quality

幾近催眠的特色

that begs to be heard rather than read,

它邀人聆聽，而非閱讀它

感受它，而非解析它

felt more than analyzed.

It wants to be chanted out loud,

它希望你大聲吟詠它

to sound its music in the ear and on the tongue.

發出它的音樂聲，繚繞於耳並且停於舌尖

所以英文版的古蘭經

So the Koran in English is a kind of shadow of itself,

是原版的影子

or as Arthur Arberry called his version,

或者如同亞瑟阿伯理形容他的版本為

"an interpretation."

「一種詮釋」。

But all is not lost in translation.

但並非所有含意都會在翻譯中流失

一如古蘭經所許諾，耐心將會有所回報

As the Koran promises, patience is rewarded,

and there are many surprises --

其中有許多的驚喜之處－

a degree of environmental awareness, for instance,

例如對於環境保護的認知

and of humans as mere stewards of God's creation,

或者，人類僅僅只是真主造物的幫手

與聖經所言有過之而無不及。

unmatched in the Bible.

And where the Bible is addressed exclusively to men,

相較於聖經裡單單只針對男性敘述

using the second- and third-person masculine,

使用第二和第三人稱的陽性詞彙

古蘭經的敘述則包含了女人

the Koran includes women --

talking, for instance,

例如

of believing men and believing women,

講到信男信女－

honorable men and honorable women.

可敬的男女。

Or take the infamous verse about killing the unbelievers.

那句惡名昭彰的句子

談及的是屠殺異教徒

沒錯，古蘭經裡真的這麼說

Yes, it does say that,

but in a very specific context:

不過是在某個特定的脈絡下

the anticipated conquest of the sanctuary city of Mecca,

對麥加聖城的

入侵計畫 －

where fighting was usually forbidden.

聖城通常是禁止打鬥的。

And the permission comes hedged about with qualifiers.

而屠殺的許可卻附帶著限制條件

Not "You must kill unbelievers in Mecca,"

不是說，你必須殺死麥加城裡的異教徒

but you can, you are allowed to,

而是說，你可以這麼做，並且受到允許

but only after a grace period is over,

不過僅能在寬限期結束之後

and only if there's no other pact in place,

並且不存在任何其他條約的時候

and only if they try to stop you getting to the Kaaba,

只能在他們試圖阻止你去卡巴聖堂朝觀的時候

and only if they attack you first.

只有在他們首先發動攻擊的時候

And even then -- God is merciful;

即便在這個時候－真主還是慈悲的

寬恕至上－

forgiveness is supreme --

and so, essentially,

所以，根本上而言

better if you don't.

你最好別殺

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

This was perhaps the biggest surprise --

這或許是最大的驚喜－

how flexible the Koran is,

古蘭經是多麼的靈活彈性

at least in minds that are not fundamentally inflexible.

至少對於那些並非

完全固不可化的人來說是如此

"Some of these verses are definite in meaning," it says,

「有些語句意義很明確。」它說

「而有些則含混不清。」

"and others are ambiguous."

心術不正者

The perverse at heart will seek out the ambiguities,

會找尋有歧義之處

trying to create discord by pinning down meanings of their own.

藉由自己所闡述的解釋

企圖製造矛盾

Only God knows the true meaning.

只有真主知道真義

The phrase "God is subtle" appears again and again,

「真主難以捉摸」的詞句

一再的出現

and indeed, the whole of the Koran is far more subtle

誠然，整部古蘭經更是難以捉摸

than most of us have been led to believe.

其程度超過我們原本所盲目相信的一切

例如

As in, for instance, that little matter of virgins and paradise.

有關於

處女和天堂這一小部份

Old-fashioned orientalism comes into play here.

老派的東方主義在此發揮了作用

The word used four times is "houris,"

有個字出現了四次

就是「天堂女神」(Houris)

譯文作解為

rendered as dark-eyed maidens with swelling breasts,

擁有豐胸的黑眼少女

or as fair, high-bosomed virgins.

或者是，白皙挺乳的處女

然而在阿拉伯文原版中，卻僅僅那個一個字

Yet all there is in the original Arabic is that one word: houris.

那就是：天堂女神(Houris)

Not a swelling breast or high bosom in sight.

根本沒有豐胸、挺乳這樣的形容詞

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

Now this may be a way of saying "pure beings," like in angels,

這或許是用來描述純潔生物

的一種方式－像是形容天使－

或者像是希臘語中的Kouros或Kórē

or it may be like the Greek "kouros" or "kore,"

意指長生不老的青年

an eternal youth.

But the truth is, nobody really knows.

但事實在於，沒有人知道真正的釋義

And that's the point.

而這就是重點所在

Because the Koran is quite clear

因為古蘭經明確表述

when it says that you'll be "a new creation in paradise,"

你將會

「在天堂獲得新生」

and that you will be "recreated in a form unknown to you,"

你將會被

「重新創造成你未知的形式」

which seems to me a far more appealing prospect

比起成為一個處女，這個觀點對我而言

than a virgin.

更具有吸引力

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

And that number 72 never appears.

而72這個數字從未出現過

There are no 72 virgins in the Koran.

72個處女從沒有出現在

古蘭經裡。

That idea only came into being 300 years later,

這個說法在300年後才開始出現

and most Islamic scholars see it as the equivalent

而大多數的伊斯蘭學者視其等同於

of people with wings sitting on clouds and strumming harps.

坐在雲端上

彈奏豎琴的翼人。

Paradise is quite the opposite.

天堂的景象則大不相同

它和處女無關

It's not virginity;

it's fecundity;

它是豐饒

it's plenty.

是富庶

它是一處花園

It's gardens watered by running streams.

被潺潺流水滋養著

謝謝

Thank you.

(Applause)

（掌聲）