8．9．1　Thought-Rhythm意义节奏

8．9．1　Thought-Rhythm意义节奏

It is a kind of rhythm created by means of phrases，clauses，sentences and even paraphrases．For the sake of rhythm and expressing ideas，writers often take it for consideration of simple，compound and complex sentences，inverted，elliptical，short and long sentences to regulate the rhythm in their writing．This writing device provides us with the variety of English sentences．Therefore，some aspects should be considered when we translate them．

1)Repetition and its rhythm

Repetition can create rhythm and make the writing natural and good-reading．

It＇s like a windfall，like a godsend，like an unexpected piece of luck．

　它像飞来鸿运，像天降洪福，像意外喜事。

Wewaited and waited，but the players，it seems，never turned up．

　我们等啊，等啊，但好像运动员永远不来了似的。

Then，a man with an old，old face came along，supported on a stick．

　然后，一个很老很老的老头，拄着拐杖走来了。

Comments In the first sentence，the“like”is repeatedly used three times，and Chinese character像is also repeated three times．In sentence 2 ，“waited and waited”is for等啊，等啊; “old，old”for很老很老in the third．Needless to say，such repetitions will give force of the original and show emphasis and rhythm for both languages．

2)Parallelism and its rhythm

Parallelism is often used in a language．Its structure is well-balanced，its meaning is clear and its reading is sonorous，forceful and full of rhythm．It can be used in different elements of a language．Now let us look at an excerpt by D．H．Lawrence．

The car ploughed uphill through the long squalid struggle of Tevershall，the blackened brick dwellings，black slate roots glistening their sharp edge，the mud black with coal-dust，the pavements wet and black．It was as if dismalness had soaked through and through everything．The utter negation of natural beauty，the utter negation of the gladness of life，the utter absence of the instinct for shapely beauty which every bird and beast had，the utter death of the human intuitive faculty was appalling．The stacks of soap in the grocers-shop，the rhubarb and lemons in the green-grocers＇，the awful hats in the milliners＇，all went by ugly，ugly，ugly，followed by the plaster and gill horror of the cinema with its wet picture announcements，A Woman＇s Love，and the new big Primitive chapel，primitive enough in its stark brick and big panes of greenish and raspberry glass in the windows…

　汽车吃力地爬上山坡，穿过那漫长肮脏、杂乱无序的特韦沙尔矿区。这里的砖屋已变成了黑色;黑色的石板瓦闪现出轮廓清晰的棱角;泥土混杂着黑色的煤灰;道路污黑潮湿。抑郁阴沉似乎彻彻底底笼罩了这里的一切。完全没有了自然的美色;完全缺少了生活的喜悦;完全失去了鸟兽原有的美丽;完全毁灭了人类的直觉，使人充满了惧怕。杂货店里成堆的肥皂;蔬菜水果店里的大黄和柠檬;女帽店里的那些令人嫌恶的帽子，所有这些已变得非常非常丑陋。电影院墙上的灰泥惨不忍睹，上面贴有电影《一个女人的爱》的潮湿的海报。那座新建的古式大教堂，因其毫无装饰的砖块显得过分粗糙，窗户上的巨大玻璃已变成了浅绿色和紫红色……

Comments Throughout reading this excerpt by Lawrence，we deeply feel that he strongly expressed his awful and horror impression on Tevershall．This piece is full of parallelism and repetition．“Through”is used twice ; “ugly”is used three times．Meanwhile，in the third sentence，he uses parallelism structure“The utter negation of…” ，“the utter negation of…” ，“the utter absence of…” ，“the utter death of…”In sentence 4，he again uses parallelism structure“noun + in + noun” ．Such use of parallelism and repetition creates a deep touch and artistic appeal on readers．The language is smooth，forceful and rhythmical to read．And then we translators fully consider the effects that parallelism and repetition give birth to in translating．

3)Variety of short and long sentences and their rhythm

The rhetorical functions of short and long sentences are two: Short sentences are characterized by speed and strength．They are commonly employed in the tense and dramatic occasions．Long sentences are properly applied to the detailed description．They are usually used to unhurriedly go on with a narration，or an account for the argument or proposition in order to show sufficient details and make one＇s argument clear and complete．Therefore a good and experienced writer pays special attention to the sentence varieties when writing，or uses both kinds of sentences alternately in his essays in order to judge and regulate rhythm．In other words，he often uses one or two short sentence after a series of long sentences so as to regulate rhythm of a passage and tedious or invariable sentences．

Leaves wiggle．‖Grass sways．‖A bird chirps，∣pecks the ground．‖

　树叶摇曳; ‖草丛摆动; ‖一只小鸟啁啾而鸣，∣在地上觅食。‖

I kept quiet，∣with my ears cocked，∣about fifteen minutes．‖

　我一声不响，∣竖起耳朵，∣这样过了大概有十五分钟。‖

The moment that the case of the criminal was thus decided，∣doleful iron bells were clanged，∣great wails went up from the hired mourners posted on the outer rim of the arena，∣and the vast audience，∣with bowed heads and downcast hearts，∣wended slowly their homeward way，∣mourning greatly that one so young and fair，∣or so old and respected，∣should have merited so dire a fate．‖

　一旦被告的案情做出判决，∣铁钟就会发出悲哀的响声;∣坐在角斗场四周受雇而来的哀痛者爆发出沉痛的号啕声，∣为这位年轻有教养，∣或者年长受尊敬的人有如此悲惨的命运而悲痛不已，∣大批观众垂着脑袋，∣怀着悲伤的心情，∣步履缓慢地朝家走去。‖

Comments: Look carefully at the first 2 examples，and we find that they are very short．Especially the first example，in which there are three simple sentences，however，shows the reader a natural and beautiful picture．It is rhythmical and clear，so the Chinese version should follow such a flavor．Though is not long the second example，it is set off into three clauses．We also render it in the same way，instead of putting it into我一声不响地竖着耳朵听了大概一刻钟．The last example is a long sentence which is deliberately employed to express the detailed description and narration．We think that he or she，as a translator，should manage to keep the original style in their translation．