英譯現(xiàn)代散文●倘若我是一個日本人 ◎ 蕭乾

倘若我是一個日本人

If I Were a Japanese

◎　蕭乾

◎　Xiao Qian

倘若我是個日本人，一到這戰(zhàn)爭紀(jì)念日，我會難過，羞愧，在亞洲人民面前抬不起頭來。倒不是由于五十年前打敗了，而是五十年后對自家為千千萬萬的人們所帶來的禍害，采取抵賴、死不認(rèn)帳的態(tài)度。在亞洲人面前(或是心目中)，是個賴帳的。明明六十多年前是自家的關(guān)東軍制造事端搶了鄰人的東北大片土地，五十多年前又從盧溝橋掀起東亞大戰(zhàn)。太陽旗所到之處，燒殺掠奪，生靈涂炭。接著，又把戰(zhàn)火推向東南亞以至大洋洲。皇軍闖到哪兒，禍水就沖到哪兒。遍地留下了萬人坑。可如今，連“侵略”兩個字都不承認(rèn)，說是“進(jìn)入”!還把造成的地獄硬說成是“樂土”。

If I were a Japanese, I would, on this war commemoration day, feel very bad and ashamed, and keep my head bowed before the people of Asia. Not that Japan was defeated 50 years ago, but that it today persists in denying the disaster it brought upon millions upon millions of common people. In the eyes of all Asians, Japan remains absolutely unrepentant. As is known to all, over 60 years ago, the Japanese Guandong Army occupied by making a pretext the vast expanse of land in Northeast China, and over 50 years ago Japan started the War of East Asia by staging the Lugou Bridge Incident. Wherever the flag of the Rising Sun fluttered, burning, killing and looting would follow and people would be plunged into the abyss of untold suffering. And then Japan spread the flames of war to Southeast Asia and even Oceania. The Japanese Imperial Army left behind great destruction and mass graves everywhere. And yet they now describe their acts of aggression euphemistically as“making an entry”and insist on calling the hell of their doing by the good name of“land of happiness”!

凡事都怕一比。當(dāng)年歐洲那些納粹哥兒們所造成的禍害也不小啊!光死在那些集中營的焚尸爐、毒氣室，人體實驗上的，就足有幾百萬?？墒侨思掖驍×苏蹋脻h做事好漢當(dāng)。首先從上層就低頭認(rèn)罪，絕不抵賴。該作揖的作揖，該下跪的就下跪。欠下的帳，一五一十，分文不賴。如今，在國際社會中，人家又挺起腰板，成為可以信賴、受到尊重的一員了。多年來曾經(jīng)首先受害的法國一直愉快地談著法德友誼?？晌耶?dāng)個日本人，只由于一提那場戰(zhàn)爭，上頭就刁鉆古怪，閃爍其辭，死不認(rèn)帳。而且大官兒們還去給當(dāng)年干盡壞事的頭兒們的陰魂燒香磕頭，等于感謝他們殺得好，殺得痛快、漂亮。不但對世界、對亞洲人耍賴，在教科書里，對兒孫們也撒謊、抵賴。站在二十一世紀(jì)的門坎，當(dāng)個日本人，我憂心忡忡，而且抬不起頭來。

Only by comparison can we distinguish between right and wrong. Japan's Nazi buddies during WWII brought equally frightful calamity to Europe, killing, for instance, at least a total of several million people in the concentration camps by means of crematories, gas chambers and vivisection. Nevertheless, after Germany was defeated, the Germans had the courage to accept the consequences of their own actions. They, from top to bottom, hung their heads to admit their guilt rather than deny facts. They bowed with hands clasped or went down on their knees. They owned up to everything they had said or done. Consequently, standing erect and with chin up, they have won the trust and respect of the world community of nations. France, the first European country victimized by Nazi invasion, has now been happy for years about Franco-German friendship. As a Japanese, I would be disgusted with my higher-ups' tricky hems and haws on the subject of the last war and their flat refusal to acknowledge Japan's crimes. Our bigwigs continue to burn incense and kowtow before the memorial tablets of the notorious war criminals — an act tantamount to expressing gratitude to slaughterers for massacring common people. They are telling lies not only to the Asians and the world at large, but also in school textbooks to mislead their own younger generations. As a Japanese at the turn of the century I would be heavy-hearted and unable to raise my head.

然而我不是個日本人。

But I'm not a Japanese.

我是一個八十六歲飽經(jīng)滄桑的中國老頭兒。我周圍的后生一提起日本對戰(zhàn)爭罪行死不認(rèn)帳，就摩拳擦掌，怒火中燒，我這世故老漢兒倒是處之泰然。凡事都有兩個方面。我認(rèn)為今天日本不認(rèn)罪也就是思想上還沒放下屠刀，東條還在陰魂不散，誰敢擔(dān)保在下個世紀(jì)他不會借尸還魂!它的徘徊等于時刻在提醒我們——以及亞洲弟兄們，不要以為今后就天下太平可以高枕無憂了。

I'm an old man of 86 from China having experienced many vicissitudes of life. While the young folks around me will burn with rage at the mention of Japan's stubborn refusal to own up, I, being a worldwise old man, will stay calm and collected. Everything, however, has two aspects. I think Japan's refusal to admit its crimes is due to its failure to be mentally prepared to drop the butcher's knife. So long as the ghost of Tojo lingers on, none can assure you that militarism will never revive in a new guise in the next century. The lingering shadow serves to warn us and our Asian brothers against the fantasy that the world will be at peace in the days to come and we can sit back and relax.

我不曉得靖國神社里敲不敲鐘。倘若敲的話，對軍國主義的崇拜者們，那是為了悼念當(dāng)年侵略者的“英”靈，對我們——中國人和亞洲人，那鐘聲正好提醒我們，告誡我們千萬不可睡大覺。世界眼下風(fēng)平浪靜，可是只要霸人之心不死，防霸之心就不可無。一個輸了而不認(rèn)輸?shù)馁€徒是隨時可能卷土重來的。

I wonder if the bell still strikes at Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo. If it does, it serves as a warning to the people of China and Asia not to drop guard while the adherents to militarism are mourning over their late war criminals. Although the world is tranquil for the time being, vigilance is indispensably necessary before the potential hegemonist is completely disillusioned. An adventurist that refuses to be reconciled to defeat may stage a comeback at any time.

蕭乾所著《倘若我是一個日本人》一文原載1995年9月30日《新民晚報》。