这首词所表现的思想情感，本来甚为明显，苏轼因为政治处境的失意，以及和其弟苏辙的别离，中秋对月，不无抑郁惆怅之感。但是他没有陷在消极悲观的情绪中，旋即以超然达观的思想排除忧患，终于表现出对人间生活的热爱。

尽管很多人对这首词倒背如流，但不一定真的能完全理解，尤其在做文本细读时，会有多处理解不透。很多读者并不需要深究每个词的含义，于是乎，不理解的地方就永远搁置下来了。比如：“转朱阁，低绮户，照无眠。”是什么在“转朱阁”？又是什么“低绮户”？是谁在“无眠”，他为什么无眠？

一个“转”描写了时空的变化。从空间上，月亮从红色的阁楼之东转到了之西；从时间上，从前半夜转到了后半夜。“低”字也用得绝妙，月亮低低地照进窗户，说明月亮即将西沉，这一夜就要过去了。月亮的运行变化都是表层书写，我们读诗要读出深层含义：词人关注到月亮的变化，说明他一晚上因思念亲人而无法入睡，只能眼睁睁地看着月亮在天上运行，可见其思念之浓烈。

“不应有恨”到底是什么意思？谁对谁有恨？这里词人在跟月亮对话，他说：“月亮啊，你不应该是对我有怨恨吧？为什么总是在我跟亲人分别的时候照得这么圆，这么亮，让我无法入睡，让我备受思念的煎熬。”

这首词引发了中国人在中秋之夜对亲人的思念，因而广为传唱，也有许多著名的翻译家一再翻译。其中就有许渊冲教授的译文：

The Midautumn Festival

Tune: "Prelude to Water Melody"

How long will the full moon appear?

Wine cup in hand, I ask the sky.

I do not know what time of the year

It would be tonight in the palace on high.

Riding the wind, there I would fly,

Yet I'm afraid the crystalline palace would be

Too high and cold for me.

I rise and dance, with my shadow I play.

On high as on earth, would it be as gay?

The moon goes round the mansions red

Through gauze-draped window soft to shed

Her light upon the sleepless bed.

Why then when people part, is the oft full and bright?

Men have sorrow and joy; they part or meet again;

The moon is bright or dim and she may wax or wane.

There has been nothing perfect since the olden days.

So let us wish that man

Will live long as he can!

Though miles apart, we'll share the beauty she displays.

许教授的译文可圈可点的地方有很多。比如，“照无眠”翻译成“shed her light upon the sleepless bed”，巧妙地运用了转喻（metonymy）的修辞手法，用“sleepless bed"指代”床上无眠的那个人“。

然而，译文的问题也很多：

一开头，“明月几时有”译成“How long will the full moon appear?"苏轼是想问明月何时才有。这个问句辞约而义丰，在失意中他盼望着出现一位明君，所以他才有这样的一问；另一方面，今夜是中秋，明月出现了，多么难得，可是词人心中的明月何时出现呢？许教授将“几时有”译成了“明月会出现多长”，没有表达词人内心的惆怅。

“何似在人间”，许教授的译文是“On high as on earth, would it be as gay?”（天上和人间一样都会快乐吗？）原诗中并没有详说词人的内心情感，但从语境中不难看出，词人并没有快乐的情感体现，相反他想到了自己的失意的身世，思念着亲人，倒是有几分愁怀。许教授用“gay"一词，显然是为了凑韵，却表达错了原诗中的情感体现。

“转朱阁”，许教授翻译成“The moon goes round the mansions red”，“mansion"一词欠妥。词人在失意的时候，应该不会住在庄园般的大厦里，”小阁楼“更符合他身处的环境。

“不应有恨”被许教授漏掉了，不知是有意还是无意，然而，为了使得行数对等，他将“但愿人长久”译成了押韵的两行。“千里共婵娟”只译成“数英里”，没有突出远隔千山万水的离别，情感描写没有到位。

我学习了许教授的翻译，斗胆改译如下：

Mid-autumn Festival: to the Tune of Prelude to Water Melody

Su Shi

On the Mid-autumn Festival of1076, I kept drinking with great joy till dawn and became drunk. I composedthis poem, yearning for my younger brother Ziyou.

When does the full bright moon appear?

I raise my wine and ask the sky.

Tonight,I wonder, which year

It is in the Celestial Palace high.

I want to go back home by riding the air,

But I’m afraid these jade towers crystalline

Would be too high, colder than I can bear.

I rise and dance with the shadow of mine;

Is it like our mortal world high up there?

Turning round the attics red,

Lowly through the latticed window,

The moon shines on the sleepless bed.

She shouldn’t have any indignation.

Why is she oft so full in our separation?

Men part and meet; they may be sad and gay;

The moon does wax and wane, being dim and bright.

Nothing’s been perfect since the olden day.

I wish we could live long, and share her light

Even when we’re a thousand miles away.

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