讀禪閱世 · 拜倫詩選自序

去秋，柏林大學教授法蘭居士游秣陵，會衲於祇桓精舍，譚及英人近譯大乘起信論，以為破碎過甚，衲喟然嘆曰：「譯事固難，況譯以英文，首尾負竭，不稱其意，滋無論矣。又其卷端，謂馬嗚此論，同符景教。吃嗚呼，是烏足以語大乘者哉！」 居士各衲為購法苑珠林，版久蠹蝕，無以應其求也。衲語居士：「震旦萬事蘦墜，豈復如昔時所稱天國（celestial empire），亦將為印度比倫埃及希臘之繼耳！」 此語思之，常有餘恫。比自秣陵遄歸將母，病起匈膈，檽筆譯拜倫去國之尤，寄之吟詠，謀人這國，功成不居，雖與日月爭光，可民！嘗謂計歌之美，在乎氣體；然其情思幼眇，抑亦十方同感，如衲舊譯穎穎赤牆靡，去燕，冬日，答美人贈東髮帶詩數章，可為證已。古詩「思君令人老」，英譯作「to think of you makes me old」，辭氣相副，正難再得，若小雅「昔我往矣，楊柳依依；令我來思，雨雪霏霏。行道遲遲，載渴載飢，我心傷悲，莫知我哀。」 譯如： 「at first, when we got out, the willows were fresh and green; now, when we shall be returning, the snow will be falling in clouds, long and tedious will be our marching; we shall hunger; we shall thirst. our hearts are wounded with grief, and no one knows our sadness.」 又陳陶隴西行，「誓掃匈奴不顧身，五千貂錦喪胡麝；可憐無定河邊骨，猶是春閨夢裡人！」 「they swore the huns should perish: they would die if needs they must, and now five thousand, sable-clad, have bit the tartar dust. along the river bank their bones lie scattered where they may, but still their forms in dreams arise to fair ones far away.」 顧視元文，猶不相及。自余譯者，澆淳散朴，損益任情，寧足以勝鞮寄之任！今譯是篇，按文切理，語無增飾；陳義悱測，事辭相稱。世有作者，亦將有感乎斯文？光緒三十二年，佛從「多羅夜登陵奢」天下還日，曼殊序於太平洋舟中。