“方晚秋，气象肃穆，略带忧郁，早晨的影黄昏的影，几乎连接在一，不分别。岁将云暮，终日昏暗，我就在一，西敏寺散步了几钟头。古寺巍巍，森森似有鬼气，沉的季候正调；我跨进厅，觉己已经置身远古，相忘於古人的鬼影中了。”（“On one of those sober and rather melancholy days， iter part of Autumn， when the shadows of m and evening almost miogether， and throw a gloom over the dee of the year， I passed several hours in rambling about Westminster Abbey. There was something genial to the season in the mournful magnifice of the old pile； and， as I passed its threshold， seemed like stepping bato the regions of antiquity， and losing myself among the shades of fes.”）是夏济安先生译的国华盛顿·欧文《西敏寺》的一段译文。十几年前我写文章称讚夏先生的译笔令人叹服。隔数年，内有人细细核原文，说是夏先生的中译是略有瑕疵，写文章怪我份捧夏。我相信夏先生了迁就译文流畅力求文采，有些方落笔太浓，描惟恐不足。我相信夏先生跟所有从翻译工的人一，偶错解原文的意思，无失手。做十数年或数十年翻译工的人深知此中甘苦，珠玉纷陈中不忍在处挑剔了。
西方有人说翻译是叛徒。那许是真的：不是背叛己的母语，就是背叛原文的外语。诵读夏先生的中译，我觉他的中文实在佳；他尽力让中文跟着英文走不流失中文的韵致，的努力不禁教人感动，值进习。，文章不厌改；改，识者称善；改坏了，己难堪。夏先生译霍桑的《古屋杂忆》有一段译文；“远处树荫中间，金光依旧照着，是灿烂中含着一点愁思。花八月正是最华丽的候，是即使是最艳最丽的花，浓装艳抹，掩盖不了一淡淡的轻愁；每一朵象徵着夏尽秋微妙的季候。半边莲说是光华夺目了，但是我从不觉它是代表欢乐的。”（“A pensive glory is seen in the far golden gleams； among the shadows of the trees. The flowers - even the brightest of them， and they are the most geous of the year ﹣ have this gentle sadness wedded to their pomp， and typify the character of the delicious time each within itself. The brilliant cardinal flower has never seemed gay to me.”）一句无问题；我细推敲接的几句，或许再省些字，弄更像霍桑：“远处树荫中间金光依旧，是灿烂中竟含着一点秋思。花八月最华丽，却难掩轻愁，一一泄露夏尽秋的妙造。半边莲是光华夺目，我却从未见其生趣。”三十六页数万字的全文，夏先生已经做太辛苦、太精细了，我不忍洗刷磨砻。