《红楼梦》翻译（七十四）

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twin05 2010-07-30 13:57 | 只看楼主 树型| 收藏| 小中大 1 ^#

《红楼梦》翻译（七十四）

原著
　　接着，便又听喝道之声，原来是忠靖侯史鼎的夫人来了．王夫人，邢夫人，凤姐等刚迎入上房，又见锦乡侯，川宁侯，寿山伯三家祭礼摆在灵前．少时，三人下轿，贾政等忙接上大厅．如此亲朋你来我去，也不能胜数．只这四十九日，宁国府街上一条白漫漫人来人往，花簇簇官去官来．

　　贾珍命贾蓉次日换了吉服，领凭回来．灵前供用执事等物俱按五品职例．灵牌疏上皆写"天朝诰授贾门秦氏恭人之灵位"．会芳园临街大门洞开，旋在两边起了鼓乐厅，两班青衣按时奏乐，一对对执事摆的刀斩斧齐．更有两面朱红销金大字牌对竖在门外，上面大书：“防护内廷紫禁道御前侍卫龙禁尉"．对面高起着宣坛，僧道对坛榜文，榜上大书：“世袭宁国公冢孙妇，防护内廷御前侍卫龙禁尉贾门秦氏恭人之丧．四大部州至中之地，奉天承运太平之国，总理虚无寂静教门僧录司正堂万虚，总理元始三一教门道录司正堂叶生等，敬谨修斋，朝天叩佛"，以及"恭请诸伽蓝，揭谛，功曹等神，圣恩普锡，神威远镇，四十九日消灾洗业平安水陆道场"等语，亦不消烦记．

　　只是贾珍虽然此时心意满足，但里面尤氏又犯了旧疾，不能料理事务，惟恐各诰命来往，亏了礼数，怕人笑话，因此心中不自在．当下正忧虑时，因宝玉在侧问道：“事事都算安贴了，大哥哥还愁什么？"贾珍见问，便将里面无人的话说了出来．宝玉听说笑道：“这有何难，我荐一个人与你权理这一个月的事，管必妥当。”贾珍忙问：“是谁？"宝玉见座间还有许多亲友，不便明言，走至贾珍耳边说了两句．贾珍听了喜不自禁，连忙起身笑道：“果然安贴，如今就去。”说着拉了宝玉，辞了众人，便往上房里来．

　　可巧这日非正经日期，亲友来的少，里面不过几位**堂客，邢夫人，王夫人，凤姐并合族中的内眷陪坐．闻人报：“大爷进来了。”唬的众婆娘唿的一声，往后藏之不迭，独凤姐款款站了起来．贾珍此时也有些病症在身，二则过于悲痛了，因拄个拐踱了进来．邢夫人等因说道：“你身上不好，又连日事多，该歇歇才是，又进来做什么？"贾珍一面扶拐，扎挣着要蹲身跪下请安道乏．邢夫人等忙叫宝玉搀住，命人挪椅子来与他坐．贾珍断不肯坐，因勉强陪笑道：“侄儿进来有一件事要求二位婶子并大妹妹。”邢夫人等忙问：“什么事？"贾珍忙笑道：“婶子自然知道，如今孙子媳妇没了，侄儿媳妇偏又病倒，我看里头着实不成个体统．怎么屈尊大妹妹一个月，在这里料理料理，我就放心了。”邢夫人笑道：“原来为这个．你大妹妹现在你二婶子家，只和你二婶子说就是了。”王夫人忙道：“他一个小孩子家，何曾经过这样事，倘或料理不清，反叫人笑话，倒是再烦别人好。”贾珍笑道：“婶子的意思侄儿猜着了，是怕大妹妹劳苦了．若说料理不开，我包管必料理的开，便是错一点儿，别人看着还是不错的．从小儿大妹妹顽笑着就有杀伐决断，如今出了阁，又在那府里办事，越发历练老成了．我想了这几日，除了大妹妹再无人了．婶子不看侄儿，侄儿媳妇的分上，只看**了的分上罢！"说着滚下泪来．
霍克斯译文
With that they parted. But no sooner had the eunuch gone than the sound of criers was once more heard in the street, this time heralding the arrival of the Marchioness of Zhong jing, wife of Grandmother Jia’s nephew Shi Ding, with her little niece Shi Xing-yun. Lady Wang, Lady Xing and Wang Xi-feng received them in Cousin Zhen’s drawing-room.
Offerings from the Marquises of Jin-xiang and Chuan-ning and the Earl of Shou-shan were now on display, and those three gentlemen were shortly to be observed alighting from their palanquins outside. Cousin Zhen went out to meet them and conducted them up the steps into the main reception hall.

From then on there was a continuous stream of arrivals, and throughout the whole forty-nine-day period the street in front of the Ning-guo mansion was thronged with family mourners in white and mandarins in their’ colourful robes of office, milling in and out and to and fro all day long.

The day after Dai Quan’s visit Cousin Zhen made Jia Rong change out of mourning into a court dress and go to collect his commission. The furnishings and insignia in the shrine were all rearranged in a manner befitting a person of the fifth rank. The wording on the spirit tablet which stood on the table of offerings at the foot of the coffin now read.

Spirit tablet of the Lady Qin-shi of the Jia family
Gentlewoman of the Fifth Rank by Imperial Patent

The gate of the All-scents Garden opening on to the street was thrown wide open and booths for musicians were erected on either side of it, in which black-coated funeral bands played at fixed times throughout the day. To either side of them were displayed the insignia of rank: glittering rows of axes and halberds arranged in wooden stands. At each side of the gateway vermilion-painted boards inscribed in large golden characters boldly announced the status of the bereaved:

Honorary Captain of the Imperial Bodyguard
Inner Palace, Northern Capital Division

Inside the gateway, facing the street, a high staging was con structed on which Buddhist monks and Taoist priests sat on opposite sides of an altar intoning their sacred texts. In front of the staging was a notice on which was written in large characters:

FUNERAL OBSEQUIES

OF

THE LADY QIN-SHI

Senior great-great-granddaughter-in-law of
Jia Yan, Hereditary Duke of Ning-guo, and
wife of the Right Honourable Jia Rong, Captain
inthe Imperial Bodyguard, Inner Palace:

WHEREAS

in this favoured Country, situate in the centre-

most part of the four continents of the earth,

on which it has pleased Heaven to bestow the

blessings of everlasting prosperity and peace,

WE,
the Very Reverend Wan-xu, Co-President of
the Board of Commissioners having author ity
over all monks and clergy of the Incorporeal,
EverAranquil Church of the Lord Buddha,

and
the Venerable Ye-sheng, Co-President of the
Board of Commissioners having authority
over all priests and practitioners of the Primordial,
All-unifying Church of the Heavenly Tao,

HAVE,
with all due reverence and care, prepared
offices for the salvation of all departed
souls, supplicating Heaven and calling upon
the Name of the Lord Buddha.

NOW,
earnestly praying and beseeching the Eight een
Guardians of the Sangha, the Warlike
Guardians of the Law, and the Twelve
Guardians of the Months mercifully to extend
their holy compassion towards us, but
terribly to blaze forth in divine majesty
against the powers of evil, we do solemnly
perform for nine and forty days the Great
Mass for the purification, deliverance and
salvation of all souls on land and on sea...

—and a great deal more on those lines which it would be tedious to repeat.

*
Although Cousin Zhen now had every reason to feel satisfied with his arrangements, there was still one matter which caused him uneasiness. You-shi’s unfortunate illness meant that she was unable to discharge any of her social obligations, and he was mortally afraid that with so many great ladies coming to the house on visits of condolence, some breach of etiquette might occur which would cause the family to look ridiculous.
Bao-yu once chanced to be sitting next to him when his mind was dwelling on this problem, and observing the gloomy and preoccupied expression on his cousin’s face, asked him why he should still be worried now that everything had been so excellently taken care of. Cousin Zhen explained that it was the present lack of a responsible female head of household which was the cause of his concern.

‘That’s no problem!’ said Bao-yu encouragingly. ‘I know just the person for this. Put her in temporary control here for a month, and I guarantee that you will have nothing further to worry about.’

‘Who?’ inquired Cousin Zhen eagerly.

Bao-yu deemed it imprudent to mention her name out loud in the hearing of so many friends and relations, so leaning across he whispered it in Cousin Zhen’s ear. Cousin Zhen’s reaction was ecstatic.
‘Yes, absolutely the right person!’ he cried. ‘Let’s see about it straight away!’

And seizing Bao-yu by the hand, he excused himself to the company and hurried round to the reception room in his own apartment.
It so happened that this day was not one of the seven on which masses were said, so visitors from outside the family were fairly few. In the inner apartments there was only a hand ful of lady visitors, all of them close connections of the Jia family, whom Lady Xing, Lady Wang, Wang Xi-feng and various female members of the clan were keeping company. When a servant announced ‘The Master is here’, all these females jumped up with little shrieks of alarm and rushed off to hide themselves—all, that is, except Xi-feng, who rose slowly to her feet and imperturbably stood her ground.
Cousin Zhen had of late been feeling far from well. The debility his sickness caused him had been further aggravated by excessive grief and obliged him to support himself with a staff. Lady Xig was concerned to see the pitiflil figure he presented as he entered the room.
‘You are not well,’ she said, ‘and you have been doing too much now for days. You ought to be getting some rest. What do you want to come in here for?’
Clutching his staff in his hand, Cousin Zhen struggled down on to his knees, and having made his duty to his aunts, began thanking them for all their trouble. Lady Xing hurriedly ordered Bao-yu to raise him up and commanded a chair to be moved forward for him to sit on. But Cousin Zhen refused to be seated.
‘I have come to ask you three ladies a favour,’ he said, forcing his woebegone features into a smile.

‘What is it you want?’ Lady Xing asked him.

‘As you doubtless know,’ said Cousin Zhen, ‘my wife has been ill in bed ever since our daughter-in-law’s death, and with no one to run her side of the household it has been getting into a pretty deplorable state. I should like to ask Cousin Feng if she could possibly see her way to running things here for us during the coming month. It would be a great relief to me if she could.’

‘So that’s what you want!’ said Lady Xing with a smile. ‘Feng is now part of your Aunt Wang’s establishment. You’d better talk to her about it.’

‘She’s only a child yet; you know,’ Lady Wang put in hastily. ‘What experience has she ever had of this kind of thing? Suppose she proved not quite up to the task. We should all be made to look ridiculous. I think you had better trouble someone else.’

‘I can easily guess what is in your mind, Aunt,’ said Cousin Zhen. ‘You are afraid we should overwork her. For I assure you there is no question of her not being a good enough manager. Even in her childhood games, Cousin Feng had the decisiveness of a little general, and since she’s married and had some experience of running things next door, she is a thoroughly seasoned campaigner. I’ve thought the matter over carefully these past few days and am quite convinced that apart from Cousin Feng there really isn’t anyone else I can ask. If you won’t let her do this for my sake or my wife’s sake, at least won’t you let her for the sake of the one who has just died?’
And at this point he burst into tears.
杨宪益译文
Then runners could be heard clearing the way for the wife of Shi Ding, Marquis of Zhongjing. Lady Wang, Lady Xing and Xifeng wel comed her into the drawing-room. Then sacrificial gifts from the Mar quises of Jinxiang and Chuanning as well as the Earl of Shoushan were displayed before the coffin. Presently these three nobles alighted from their palanquins and Jia Zhen ushered them into the main hall.
So relatives and friends past counting came and went. Indeed, for forty-nine days the street outside the Ning Mansion was a sea of mourn ers in white interspersed by officials in their brilliant robes.
At his father’s order Jia Rong changed into court dress the next day to collect his commission, after which the funerary ware in front of the coffin as well as the insignia for the cortege were made to befit an offi cial of the fifth rank. The obituary tablet and notice were inscribed: “Ob sequies of Lady Qin, Spouse of the House of ha, Granted a Rank by Imperial Decree off the Celestial Court.”
The street gate in the Garden of Concentrated Fragrance was opened, and on platforms erected at both sides groups of blue-clad musicians played at appropriate times. The retinue stood in pairs in perfect symme try, and two large vermilion boards set up outside the gate bore the bold gilt inscriptions “Imperial Guard and Defender of the Palace Roads in the Inner Court of the Forbidden City.”
Across the road, facing each other, towered two altars for Buddhist and Taoist priests. The announcement on them read:
“Obsequies of Lady Qin of the Jia Family, Consort of the Eldest Great-Grandson of the Hereditary Duke of Ningguo, Imperial Guard and De fender of the Palace Roads in the Inner Court of the Forbidden City.
“In this land of peace and empire ruled according to the will of Heaven, in the centre of the four continents, we, Chief Buddhist Abbot Wan Xu, Controller of the School of the Void and Asceticism, and Chief Taoist Abbot Ye Sheng, Controller of the Primordial School of the Trinity, having reverently purified ourselves raise our eyes to Heaven and kowtow to Buddha. We humbly invoke all divinities to show their divine compassion and display their spiritual majesty afar in these forty-nine days of grand sacrifice, that the departed may be delivered from sins and absolved from retribution....” There was more in the same vein.

Now all that still troubled Jia Zhen was the fact that his wife was ill in bed again, unable to see to things. If any breach of etiquette occurred while so many nobles were calling, the family would be laughed at.
Baoyu noticed his preoccupation and asked: “Why do you look so anxious, cousin, now that everything’s settled so satisfactorily?” When told the reason he said cheerfully, “That’s no problem. I’ll recommend someone to take charge for you. Let her see to things this month and I guarantee that everything will go smoothly.”
“Who do you mean?”
Since there were many friends and relatives present, Baoyu drew closer and whispered into his ear.
“Excellent!” Jia Zhen sprang to his feet, overjoyed. “I must see to it at once.” Taking leave of the others he hurried off with Baoyu to the drawing-room.
As this was not one of the major days on which masses were said, only a few ladies who were close relatives had come. They were being entertained by Lady Xing, Lady Wang, Xifeng and other women of the household when Jia Zhen was announced. The ladies uttered cries of astonishment and hurriedly tried to slip into the inner room. Only Xifeng stood up composedly.
Jia Zhen was not in good health himself at this time and, being weighed down with grief, he limped in with a cane.
“You are not well,” said Lady Xing. “After all your recent exertions you ought to rest. What business brings you here?”
Still clutching his cane, Jia Zhen made an effort to kneel to greet and thank his kinswomen. Lady Xing urged Baoyu to restrain him and had a chair placed for him, but he would not take it.
Forcing a smile he announced, “Your nephew has come to ask a favour of his aunts and cousin.”
“What is it?” inquired Lady Xing.
“You know how it is, aunt. With my daughter-in-law gone and my wife ill in bed, everything is at sixes and sevens in the inner apartments. If my cousin Xifeng would condescend to take charge here for a month, that would set my mind at rest.”
“So that’s it.” Lady Xing smiled. “Xifeng is part of your Aunt Wang’s establishment, so you’ll have to ask her permission.”
“She’s young and inexperienced in these matters,” said Lady Wang. “If she handled things badly people would laugh. You’d better find some one else.”
“I can guess your real objection, aunt,” he replied. “You’re afraid she’d find it too tiring. As for handling things badly, I know that wouldn’t be the case. And any little slip would be overlooked. Ever since she was a child at play Cousin Xifeng has known her own mind, and by managing the other house since her marriage she’s gained experience. I’ve been thinking this over for some days and there’s no one else so competent. If you won’t agree for my sake or my wife’s, aunt, do it for the one who’s dead.” His tears flowed again.

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《红楼梦》翻译（七十四）

《红楼梦》翻译（七十四）

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