殚精竭虑，第13届韩素音翻译大赛参考译文∣MTI翻硕文学翻译
今天在“高斋翻硕”给大家分享第13届韩素音翻译大赛汉译英原文和官方参考译文，以及大概的单词讲解。
原文
人生是什么？人生的真相如何？人生的意义何在？人生的目的是何？这些人生最重大最中心的问题，不只是古来一切大宗教家哲学家所殚精竭虑以求解答的。世界上第一流的大诗人凝神冥想，深入灵魂的幽邃，或纵身大化中，于一朵花中窥见天国，一滴露水参悟生命，然后用他们生花之笔，幻现层层世界，幕幕人生，归根也不外乎启示这生命的真相与意义。
官方参考译文
What is life? What are the true nature, meaning and purpose of life? Since ancient times, great philosophers and scholars of religion have strained their energy and intellect to the limit for an answer to these crucial and central questions in a person's life. But they are not alone. First-rate poets in the world have done the same bycontemplating and pondering over the questions—now delving into the depth of their souls—now communing with Nature. They envision Paradise through a flower and see the meaning of life in a dewdrop. Then, with their gifted pens, they picture akaleidoscopic world and act upon act of the drama of life. In the end their works serve no other purpose than revealing the truth and meaning of life.
单词讲解
第一、二、三、四、五句：人生是什么？人生的真相如何？人生的意义何在？人生的目的是何？这些人生最重大最中心的问题，不只是古来一切大宗教家哲学家所殚精竭虑以求解答的。
What is life? What are the true nature, meaning and purpose of life? Since ancient times, great philosophers and scholars of religion have strained their energy and intellect to the limit for an answer to these crucial and central questions in a person’s life. But they are not alone.
1. Nature [ˈneɪtʃər] 基本特征；本质；基本性质；天性，本性；种类，如柯林斯词典例句：
An outsider might misconstrue the nature of the relationship.
外人可能会误解这种关系的本质。
2. Philosopher [fəˈlɑːsəfər] 哲学家；深思的人；善于思考的人，文中philosophers是其复数形式。如，the Greek philosopher Aristotle希腊哲学家亚里士多德。
3. Strain [streɪn] 尽力；竭力；过度使用；使劲；使不堪承受；损伤；拉伤，文中strained是其过去分词形式。如谷歌图书例句：
By universal competition it forced all individuals to strain their energy to the utmost.
由于普遍竞争，所有人被迫拼尽全力。
4. To the limit 到极点；到最大限度；到顶点，如金融时报例句：
The European Central Bank and US Federal Reserve are close to the limit of their capabilities.
欧洲央行（ECB）和美联储（Fed）已接近能力极限。
5. Crucial [ˈkruːʃl] 至关重要的；关键性的，如柯林斯词典例句：
The girls had made three crucial slip-ups.
这些女孩犯下了3个重大的错误。
第六句前半句：世界上第一流的大诗人凝神冥想，深入灵魂的幽邃，或纵身大化中，
First-rate poets in the world have done the same by contemplating and pondering over the questions—now delving into the depth of their souls—now communing with Nature.
1. First-rate 第一流的；最上等的；质量最优的，如牛津词典例句：
His new book shows him to be a first-rate storyteller.
他的新著表明他讲故事的本领是一流的。
2. Contemplate [ˈkɑːntəmpleɪt] 深思熟虑；沉思；考虑；思量；端详，凝视；考虑接受（发生某事的可能性），如金融时报例句：
In a society where the quest for happiness has never been more intense, there are powerful questions to contemplate.
在一个空前热切地追求快乐的社会里，有许多影响重大的问题需要思考。
3. Ponder [ˈpɑːndər] 沉思；考虑；琢磨，文中pondering是其现在分词形式。其后常跟介词over/on/about，如牛津词典例句：
She pondered over his words.
她反复琢磨他的话。
4. Delve [delv] 探究；钻研；（在壁橱、袋子等中）搜寻，翻找，文中的delving是其现在分词形式。如金融时报例句：
One has to delve into small partnerships and family firms to find executive power being shared at the top.
人们不得不深入研究小型合伙制企业和家族企业，以找到最高管理层实行分权制的例子。
5. Commune ['kɑ.mjun] （感情上）融为一体；感觉同…有密切关系；交谈；商量，文中communing是其现在分词形式。如柯林斯词典例句：
She would happily trot behind him as he set off to commune with nature.
他出去亲近大自然的时候，她就会一路小跑，快活地跟在他后面。
第六句后半句：于一朵花中窥见天国，一滴露水参悟生命，然后用他们生花之笔，幻现层层世界，幕幕人生，归根也不外乎启示这生命的真相与意义。
They envision Paradise through a flower and see the meaning of life in a dewdrop. Then, with their gifted pens, they picture a kaleidoscopic world and act upon act of the drama of life. In the end their works serve no other purpose than revealing the truth and meaning of life.
1. Envision [ɪnˈvɪʒn] 展望；想象；设想，如华尔街日报例句：
It’s like trying to envision how did people do mechanics before Newton.
这就好比是想象人们在牛顿之前是如何处理力学问题的。
2. Dewdrop [ˈduːdrɑːp] 水珠，露珠。
3. Kaleidoscopic [kəˌlaɪdəˈskɑːpɪk] （色彩、图案、形状等）千变万化的，瞬息万变的，万花筒般的，如柯林斯词典例句：
The kaleidoscopic quality of the book is brilliantly realised on stage.
该书包罗万象、精彩纷呈的特质在舞台上得到了精彩再现。
今天就分享到这里啦！