Zhu Shenghao, the "master translator", translated the best Shakespeare plays and said the sweetest love words.

The name Zhu Shenghao may be a little strange to most people. But most people should be familiar with his translated works. His most famous translation is the complete works of Shakespeare. Although nearly a hundred years have passed, his translated version is still published in the market and is regarded as the most authoritative and excellent version.

Apart from his achievements in translation, Zhu Shenghao has another "achievement" that has attracted much attention, that is, his love letter to his wife Song Qingru.

"I want to see the rain in the thatched pavilion, ants on the rockery, butterflies in love, spiders weaving webs, water, boats, clouds, waterfalls, and Song Qingru sleeping soundly."

"Writing a letter is nothing more than wringing out one-tenth of your brain, using two tears of ink, a piece of white writing paper and an envelope as square as the way you walk. It takes five minutes to be so precious. "

"I am eager to hug you and say a thousand gentle stupid words to you."

Anyone who has read Zhu Shenghao's love letters will probably laugh out loud. However, the sweetness of the master translator is only reserved for his wife Song Qingru. In fact, his life is very bitter.

1、

19 12. Zhu Shenghao was born in a declining family of small businessmen in Jiaxing. He was born in poverty, but fate did not pity the great translator.

1922, Zhu Shenghao 10 years old, mother died of illness. Two years later, my father died of illness. I can't imagine how a 10-year-old child can survive such a deep pain. All these have shaped Zhu Shenghao's sensitive and pessimistic character.

After their parents died, Zhu Shenghao and his younger brothers became orphans, and the three brothers were taken care of by their aunt.

After all kinds of pains, Zhu Shenghao Jr. has become more sensible and mature than his peers. He studied hard since he was a child and got excellent grades. 1929 After graduating from high school, he was recommended by the school to enter the university. During his college years, Zhu Shenghao majored in China literature and took English as an elective.

In his senior year, Zhu Shenghao met his later wife Song Qingru for the first time in a poetry club activity. At that time, Song Qingru was still a freshman primary school girl. After knowing Song Qingru, Zhu Shenghao bombarded with all kinds of love letters and launched a fierce pursuit. At that time, Song Qingru was an independent and free woman in the new era. She is both eager and afraid of love. Zhu Shenghao made great efforts, said countless love words and wrote countless letters, and finally touched Song Qingru, a young woman in literature and art, with a piece of true feelings and poetry.

After graduating from college, Zhu Shenghao entered Shanghai World Bookstore and became an editor. 1935 signed a contract with the world bookstore to translate the complete works of Shakespeare. In the next two years, he translated some important works such as A Midsummer Night's Dream and The Merchant of Venice.

1937, when the Japanese army captured Shanghai, Zhu Shenghao had to return to his hometown of Jiaxing. When he left Shanghai, he didn't have time to tidy up, but he still took away the two most precious things at hand, that is, the Oxford version of The Complete Works of Shakespeare and some translations. Soon after, Jiaxing fell, and Zhu Shenghao had to take refuge in the countryside. During this period, Zhu Shenghao did not lag behind in translation.

1942, Zhu Shenghao married Song Qingru. At that time, Zhu Shenghao lived in poverty. However, he would rather die in poverty than serve the enemy and puppet, and make a living only by meager manuscript fees. At the most difficult time, his reference book was only two dictionaries, but he still devoted himself to translation, translating Romeo and Juliet, King Lear, Hamlet and other important works.

1944, he was diagnosed with tuberculosis and has been bedridden ever since. For a long time, he has been suffering from illness and insisted on translation. But until the moment when his body collapsed, he still cared most about his translation, which became his lifelong regret. He said, "If I knew I couldn't get sick, I would try my best to finish the translation."

194465438+In February, Zhu Shenghao's illness became more and more serious, and he finally passed away without his young wife and son who just turned one year old.

Zhu Shenghao died at the age of 32. A generation of grandmasters fell.

2、

Zhu Shenghao's life is full of hardships and sorrows, but besides the bitterness of life itself, the deeper bitterness is actually in Zhu Shenghao's heart.

In his letter to his wife Song Qingru, he repeatedly expressed his powerlessness and pessimism about life. "Being a man is so weak. Like coming back every day, I just want to study and lack spiritual interest. My heart is in a mess. It is rare to have a quiet day. Even if life is more lonely than stopping water, I only feel inexplicably tired, and I am even more afraid that the days will never change. "

The book contains the life of Zhu Shenghao and his lover Song Qingru. His life seems to have company, direction and expectation, but he still often feels lonely. In today's words, Zhu Shenghao is actually a very sad person. He once said, "I don't want to do anything but play and eat. I'm not happy at all." In his view, life is not a happy thing, and he is full of powerlessness both for the future and for himself.

In our opinion, although Zhu Shenghao did a rather advanced job, at first, he was just an ordinary editor, trying to do something he didn't like. Even if Shakespeare was later translated, it was partly because of work.

At that time, Zhu Shenghao's salary was not high, and he often subsidized his two younger brothers, so his life was very tight. Money is a source of his pain, but he is not a man who pursues fame and fortune. When he was poorest, he even shouted, "You don't have to eat rice, but you have to translate Shakespeare." Without such determination and perseverance, I'm afraid I wouldn't have translated so many excellent works.

Zhu Shenghao is also eager to be a promising person in his bones, but his ambition is different from that of most people. In his view, "having a good career does not mean a monthly salary of 300, having status and fame ... I just need to feel that I am not bored." What he longs for is a life that is not boring, so what is not boring? In fact, it is something that you can do what you like and make yourself happy.

To sum up, we can see that Zhu Shenghao, like many gifted scholars in history, is full of melancholy and sadness. However, life is bitter, but fortunately Song Qingru became his only sweetness.

3、

After meeting Song Qingru, Zhu Shenghao was no longer so lonely. He regarded Song Qingru as his only relative and regarded her as the only sustenance in life.

"We are all redundant people in the world, but at least we are the most important people in the world to each other."

"No matter how boring and troublesome you are, it is always worthwhile to live with you."

Song Qingru became the only color and warmth in Zhu Shenghao's pale life, and also became the pillar of his literary career. Because of love, Zhu Shenghao became less gloomy and even showed a very warm and lovely side.

Like a child, he spoiled Song Qingru in his letter: "Although I am looking forward to your letter today, reading it means not reading it. Instead, I feel even hungrier. Even the envelope was cut to seventy words. How stingy! " How much do you love each other to read your lover's letter word for word?

He expressed his thoughts about Song Qingru with humorous words: "I miss you so much that you drink plain water;" I am so hungry that I have nothing to eat. I would like to dream of fighting with you and killing you. I hope to see you cry. "

When you fall in love with someone, you will become lively when you are angry: "How can you live without food, play, reading, singing or writing to me?"

It turns out that no matter how powerful and excellent a person is, he will be as simple as a child in front of the person he loves most.

However, this love is not only sweet, but also a little sad.

"The last time I received your letter, I couldn't help crying at the first sight. I love you so much! " Zhu Shenghao must love Song Qingru very much and will cry for her. How touching is a man who is willing to cry for a woman.

Zhu Shenghao in love is humble. At first, he took the initiative to catch up with Song Qingru, but Song Qingru didn't promise him immediately. As the saying goes, in love, whoever takes the initiative first loses. Zhu Shenghao is undoubtedly a loser, but fortunately, he finally touched Song Qingru with his true feelings and deep affection. After marriage, they finally lived a happy and sweet husband and wife life. Just like at the wedding, a pronoun Zong Xia Chengtao wrote eight big characters for them: "talented person and beautiful woman, husband and wife."

Through Zhu Shenghao's letter to Song Qingru, we will find another interesting point, that is, Zhu Shenghao is a "foodie" and a big man who loves candy.

"I spent a day outside yesterday and I was not happy at all. I really want to eat something delicious. "

"I didn't have dinner yesterday, but I used sugar instead. I didn't eat breakfast porridge this morning, but I switched to sugar. "

"I must eat sugar, for loneliness."

Zhu Shenghao, a lover of food, may be because he is too lonely; And I like to eat sugar, perhaps because my heart is too bitter.

In these letters to lovers, we can see a more real Zhu Shenghao. He is lonely and pessimistic, but also romantic, gentle, simple and lovely. He has the temperament of a child and the simplicity and purity of a poet. And his characters may also be one of the reasons why Shakespeare's plays can be translated well.

A master like Zhu Shenghao deserves to be remembered, and his works deserve careful reading.

Finally, I hope you can learn to read some books, eat some sugar, talk about a sweet love, talk about a delicious love, find a valuable job and live a boring life.