《红楼梦》翻译（三十九）

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twin05 2010-08-16 10:01 | 只看楼主 树型| 收藏| 小中大 1 ^#

《红楼梦》翻译（三十九）

原著
　　
忽然人报，娘娘差人送出一个灯谜儿，命你们大家去猜，猜着了每人也作一个进去．四人听说忙出去，至贾母上房．只见一个小太监，拿了一盏四角平头白纱灯，专为灯谜而制，上面已有一个，众人都争看乱猜．小太监又下谕道：“众小姐猜着了，不要说出来，每人只暗暗的写在纸上，一齐封进宫去，娘娘自验是否． "宝钗等听了，近前一看，是一首七言绝句，并无甚新奇，口中少不得称赞，只说难猜，故意寻思，其实一见就猜着了．宝玉，黛玉，湘云，探春四个人也都解了，各自暗暗的写了半日．一并将贾环，贾兰等传来，一齐各揣机心都猜了，写在纸上．然后各人拈一物作成一谜，恭楷写了，挂在灯上．

　　太监去了，至晚出来传谕：“前娘娘所制，俱已猜着，惟二小姐与三爷猜的不是．小姐们作的也都猜了，不知是否。”说着，也将写的拿出来．也有猜着的，也有猜不着的，都胡乱说猜着了．太监又将颁赐之物送与猜着之人，每人一个宫制诗筒，一柄茶筅，独迎春，贾环二人未得．迎春自为玩笑小事，并不介意，贾环便觉得没趣．且又听太监说：“三爷说的这个不通，娘娘也没猜，叫我带回问三爷是个什么。”众人听了，都来看他作的什么，写道是：

　　大哥有角只八个，二哥有角只两根．

　　大哥只在床上坐，二哥爱在房上蹲．众人看了，大发一笑．贾环只得告诉太监说：“一个枕头，一个兽头。”太监记了，领茶而去．

　　贾母见元春这般有兴，
自己越发喜乐，便命速作一架小巧精致围屏灯来，设于当屋，命他姊妹各自暗暗的作了，写出来粘于屏上，然后预备下香茶细果以及各色玩物，为猜着之贺．贾政朝罢，见贾母高兴，况在节间，晚上也来承欢取乐．设了酒果，备了玩物，上房悬了彩灯，请贾母赏灯取乐．上面贾母，贾政，宝玉一席，下面王夫人，宝钗，黛玉，
湘云又一席，迎，探，惜三个又一席．地下婆娘丫鬟站满．李宫裁，王熙凤二人在里间又一席．
贾政因不见贾兰，便问：“怎么不见兰哥？"地下婆娘忙进里间问李氏，李氏起身笑着回道：“他说方才老爷并没去叫他，他不肯来。”婆娘回复了贾政．众人都笑说：“天生的牛心古怪。”贾政忙遣贾环与两个婆娘将贾兰唤来．贾母命他在身旁坐了，抓果品与他吃．大家说笑取乐．

霍克斯译文
Just then it was announced that the Imperial Concubine had sent someone round from the Palace with a lantern-riddle which they were to try and guess. After they had guessed the answer, they were each to make up a riddle of their own and send it back to her.
As soon as they heard this, the four of them hurried to the reception room in Grandmother Jia’s apartment, where they found a young eunuch with a square, flat-topped lantern of white gauze specially made for hanging riddles on. There was one hanging on it already which they crowded round to read while the eunuch gave them their instructions:
‘When the young ladies have guessed, will they please not tell anyone the answer, but write it down secretly. The answers will be collected and taken back to the Palace in a sealed en velope so that Her Grace can see for herself who has guessed correctly.’
Bao-chai went up to the lantern and looked at the riddle, which was in the form of a quatrain. It was not a particularly ingenious one, but she felt obliged to praise it, and therefore remarked that it was ‘hard to guess’ and pretended to have to think about the answer, though in truth it had been obvious to her at a glance. Bao-yu, Dai-yu, Xiang-yun and Tan-chun had also guessed the answer and were busy writing it down. Presently Jia Huan and Jia Lan were summoned, and they too wrote something down after a good deal of puzzling. After that everyone made up a riddle about some object of their choice, wrote it out in the best kai-shu on a slip of **, and hung it on the lantern, which was then taken away by the eunuch.
Towards evening the eunuch returned and reported what the Imperial Concubine had had to say about the results:
‘Her Grace’s own riddle was correctly guessed by everyone except Miss Ying and Master Huan. Her Grace has thought of answers to all the riddles sent her by the young ladies and gentlemen, but she does not know whether or not they are correct.’
He showed them the answers written down. Some were right and some were wrong, but even those whose riddles had been incorrectly answered deemed it prudent to pretend that the answers they had received were the right ones.
The eunuch proceeded to distribute prizes for answering the Imperial Concubine’s riddle. Everyone who had guessed correctly received an ivory note-case made by Palace craftsmen and a bamboo tea-whisk. Ying-chun and Jia Huan were the only ones who did not receive anything. Ying-chun treated the matter as a joke and rapidly dismissed it from her mind, but Jia Huan was very much put out. To make matters worse, the eunuch went on to query Jia Huan’s own riddle:
‘Her Grace says that she has not answered Master Huan’s riddle because she could not make any sense of it. She told me to bring it back and ask him what it means.’
Intrigued, the others crowded round to look. This is what Jia Huan had written:

‘Big brother with eight sits all day on the bed;
Little brother with two sits on the roof’s head.’.

There was a loud laugh when they had finished reading it. Jia Huan told the eunuch the answer: a head-rest and a ridge-end. The eunuch made a note of it and, after taking tea, departed once more.
Fired with enthusiasm by Yuan-chun’s example, old Lady Jia decided to hold a riddle party. A very elegant lantern in the form of a three-leaved screen was hurriedly constructed on her orders and set up in the hall. When that had been done, she told all the boys and girls to make up a riddle - being careful to keep the answers to themselves - write it on a slip of **, and stick it on her lantern-screen. Then, having pre pared the best fragrant tea to drink, a variety of good things to eat, and lots of little gifts to serve as prizes, she was ready to begin. Jia Zheng observed the old lady’s excitement when he got back from Court and came along himself in the evening to join in the fun.
There were three tables. Grandmother Jia, Jia Zheng, Bao-yu and Jia Huan sat at the table on the kang, while below, Lady Wang, Bao-chai, Dai-yu and Xiang-yun sat at one table and Ying-chun, Tan-chun and Xi-chun at another. The floor below the kang was thronged with old women and maids in attendance. Li Wan and Xi-feng had a table to them selves in an inner room.
‘Where’s my little Lan?’ said Jia Zheng, not seeing Jia Lan at any of the tables.
One of the serving-women went into the inner room to ask Li Wan. She rose to reply out of respect for her father-in-law:
‘He refuses to come because he says his Grandpa Zheng hasn’t invited him.’
The others were much amused when the woman relayed this answer back to Jia Zheng.
‘He’s a stubborn little chap when he’s made his mind up!’ they said. But they thought none the worse of him for that.
Jia Zheng quickly sent Jia Huan with two of the old women to fetch him. When he arrived, Grandmother Jia made him squeeze up beside her on her side of the table and gave him a handful of nuts and dried fruits to eat.

杨宪益译文
Just then they were told that the Imperial Consort had sent over a lantern-riddle for everybody to guess, after which they were to make up a riddle apiece and send these to the Palace.
At once the four of them hurried to the Lady Dowager’s quarters where they found a young eunuch with a square, flat-topped lantern of red gauze made specially for lantern-riddles. One riddle was already hang ing on it. They gathered round to read it and try to guess it, while the eunuch passed on the order:
“When the young ladies have guessed, they are not to tell anyone their answers but write them down privately to be sealed up and taken to the Palace. Her Royal Highness will see which are correct.
Baochai stepped forward with the others then to look at the riddle. It was a quite nondescript quatrain, but of course she praised its ingenuity and pretended to be thinking hard although she had guessed it at once. Baoyu, Daiyu, Xiangyun and Tanchun had guessed it too and they went off quietly to write down their answers. Then Jia
Huan, Jia Lan and others were fetched, and having racked their brains they wrote down their answers. After that each made up a riddle, copied it out neatly and hung it on the lantern for the eunuch to take away.
Towards evening the eunuch returned to announce that the Imperial Consort’s riddle had been correctly guessed by all except the Second Young Lady and Third Young Master, and Her Highness had thought of answers to theirs but did not know whether or not they were correct. With that he showed them the answers written down. Some were right, others wrong, but all made haste to say they were correct.
The eunuch then proceeded to give the winners their prizes: a poem-container made in the Palace and a bamboo whisk for cleaning teapots. The only two left out were Yingchun and Jia Huan, and while she regarded this as a game and did not take it to heart he was most disappointed.
And then the eunuch announced, “Her Highness did not attempt to guess the answer to the Third Young Master’s riddle, because it did not seem to her to make sense. She told me to bring it back and ask what it means.”
All of them gathered round to read the riddle:
First Brother has eight corners,
Second Brother two horns instead;
Second Brother likes to squat on the roof,
First Brother just sits on the bed.
A roar of laughter went up, and Jia Huan told the eunuch that the answer was a head-rest and an animal-head tile. The eunuch having noted this down accepted some tea and then left.
The old lady was delighted to know that Yuanchun was in such good spirits. She ordered a dainty screen-lantern to be made at once and put in the hall so that the girls could make up riddles and paste them on it. Scented tea and sweetmeats were prepared, as well as various little prizes.
Jia Zheng on his return from court found his mother in a cheerful frame of mind, and since this was a festival he came over that evening to join in the fun. He also had refreshments and prizes prepared and coloured lanterns lit in the hail, then invited the old lady in to see them. She sat with Jia
Zheng and Baoyu at the highest table, while below, Lady Wang, Baochai, Daiyu and Xiangyun occupied one table and Yingchun, Tanchun and Xichun another. The hail was thronged with nurses and maids in attendance. Li Wan and Xifeng had a table in the inner room.
When Jia Zheng commented on Jia Lan’s absence, a nurse went inside to ask Li Wan the reason. She rose to reply:
“He says he won’t come because the master hasn’t invited him.”
When this was reported to Jia Zheng the others laughed and remarked, “What a queer, stubborn boy.”
Jia Zheng promptly sent Jia Huan and two serving-women to fetch him. And the Lady Dowager made him sit next to her and helped him to dainties, while the others chatted and enjoyed themselves.

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《红楼梦》翻译 （三十九）

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《红楼梦》翻译（三十九）

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