凡读过《红楼梦》的人都会对第一回中的《好了歌》有深刻的印象。大多数读者都能够将它背诵下来。这不仅因为《好了歌）语言朴质无华，自然流畅，富有韵律感，而且因为它是全书的“灵魂”所在。红学界认为，《好了歌》是全书的“纲”。那么，从翻译的角度讲，译好《好了歌》就能够对全书的翻译起到提纠挈领的作用。每一位中外翻译家都认识到这一点，并花费了很大功大来翻译《好了歌》。下面我们简要比较一下《好了歌》宗教文化内容的翻译。

好了歌

跛足道人

世人都晓神仙好，惟有功名忘不了！

古今将相在何方？荒家一堆草没了。

世人都晓神仙好，只有金银忘不了！

终朝只恨聚无多，及到多时眼闭了。

世人都晓神仙好，只有姣妻忘不了！

君生日日说恩情，君死又随人去了。

世人都晓神仙好，只有儿孙忘不了！

痴心父母古来多，孝顺儿孙谁见了？

从内容上分析，《好了歌》可以分为四意思。第一层意思讲的作官，第二层讲发财，第三层说夫妻关系，第四层则是父子关系。概括起来，《好了歌》也可以分为两大部分。前部分讲升官发财，后部分讲亲情关系。《好了歌》的主旨是，所谓功名、金钱、姣妻、儿孙统统是空的，丝毫不值得留恋，只有忘掉这一切，才能进入神仙般的世界。

请比较下面四种不同译文。

译文一：

To train for a saint we know is best,

But love of fame distracts our mind.

Where are honored sages now?

Grass grows on their place of rest.

To train for a saint we know is best,

But love of wealth distracts our minds.

Our eyes on gleaming treasures dote

Till they close in death. Ah bootless zest!

To train for a saint we know is best,

But love of son distracts our minds

Oh, foolish doting! Poor return!

Whoe'er with filial son was blest?

To train for a saint we know is best,

But love of wife distracts our minds,

Eternal love to us she vows,

When we're dead, then others fill her breast.

                                                          （E.赫德森 译）

译文二：

We all envy the immortals because they are free,

But fame and fortune we cannot forget.

Where are the ministers and generals of the past and the

present? ---

Under neglected graves overgrown with weeds.

We all envy the immortals because they are free,

But gold and silver we cannot forget.

All our lives we save and board and wish for more,

When suddenly our eyes are forever closed.

We all envy the iumortals because they are free,

But our precious wives we cannot forget.

They speak of love and constancy while we live.

But marry again soon enough after we are dead.

We all envy the immortals because they are free,

But our sons and grandsons we cannot forget.

Many they are, of doting parents, from ancient

times ---

But how few of the sons are filial and obedient!

                                                            （王际真 译）