1/1页1 跳转到查看:1267
发新话题 回复该主题
键盘左右键可以进行前后翻页操作
帮助

《红楼梦》翻译 (二百零二)

《红楼梦》翻译 (二百零二)

原著;áemby¶4¨oktranslation.com›][¬?ïŽsބ
  众人见他进来, 都笑说:“又来了一个。”探春笑道:“我不算俗,偶然起个念头,写了几个帖儿试一试,谁知一招皆到。”宝玉笑道:“可惜迟了,早该起个社的。”黛玉道:“你们只管起社,可别算上我,我是不敢的。”迎春笑道:“你不敢谁还敢呢。”宝玉道:“这是一件正经大事,大家鼓舞起来,不要你谦我让的.各有主意自管说出来大家平章.宝姐姐也出个主意, 林妹妹也说个话儿。”宝钗道:“你忙什么,人还不全呢。”一语未了,李纨也来了,进门笑道:“雅的紧!要起诗社,我自荐我掌坛.前儿春天我原有这个意思的.我想了一想,我又不会作诗,瞎乱些什么,因而也忘了,就没有说得.既是三妹妹高兴,我就帮你作兴起来。”;áemby¶4¨oktranslation.com›][¬?ïŽsބ
;áemby¶4¨oktranslation.com›][¬?ïŽsބ
  黛玉道:“既然定要起诗社,咱们都是诗翁了,先把这些姐妹叔**的字样改了才不俗。”李纨道:“极是,何不大家起个别号,彼此称呼则雅.我是定了`稻香老农',再无人占的. "探春笑道:“我就是`秋爽居士'罢。”宝玉道:“居士,主人到底不恰,且又瘰赘.这里梧桐芭蕉尽有,或指梧桐芭蕉起个倒好。”探春笑道:“有了,我最喜芭蕉,就称`蕉下客' 罢。”众人都道别致有趣.黛玉笑道:“你们快牵了他去,炖了脯子吃酒。”众人不解.黛玉笑道:“古人曾云`蕉叶覆鹿'.他自称`蕉下客',可不是一只鹿了?快做了鹿脯来. "众人听了都笑起来.探春因笑道:你别忙中使巧话来骂人,我已替你想了个极当的美号了。”又向众人道:“当日娥皇女英洒泪在竹上成斑,故今斑竹又名湘妃竹.如今他住的是潇湘馆,他又爱哭,将来他想林姐夫,那些竹子也是要变成斑竹的.以后都叫他作`潇湘妃子'就完了。”大家听说,都拍手叫妙.林黛玉低了头方不言语.李纨笑道:“ 我替薛大妹妹也早已想了个好的,也只三个字。”惜春迎春都问是什么.李纨道:“我是封他`蘅芜君'了,不知你们如何。”探春笑道:“这个封号极好。”宝玉道:“我呢?你们也替我想一个. "宝钗笑道:“你的号早有了,`无事忙'三字恰当的很。”李纨道:“你还是你的旧号`绛洞花主'就好。”宝玉笑道:“小时候干的营生,还提他作什么。”探春道:“你的号多的很,又起什么.我们爱叫你什么,你就答应着就是了。”宝钗道:“还得我送你个号罢. 有最俗的一个号,却于你最当.天下难得的是富贵,又难得的是闲散,这两样再不能兼有, 不想你兼有了,就叫你`富贵闲人'也罢了。”宝玉笑道:“当不起,当不起, 倒是随你们混叫去罢。”李纨道:“二姑娘四姑娘起个什么号?"迎春道:“我们又不大会诗,白起个号作什么?"探春道:“虽如此,也起个才是。”宝钗道:“他住的是紫菱洲,就叫他`菱洲',四丫头在藕香榭,就叫他`藕榭'就完了。”;áemby¶4¨oktranslation.com›][¬?ïŽsބ
;áemby¶4¨oktranslation.com›][¬?ïŽsބ
  李纨道:“就是这样好.但序齿我大,你们都要依我的主意,管情说了大家合意.我们七个人起社, 我和二姑娘四姑娘都不会作诗,须得让出我们三个人去.我们三个各分一件事。”探春笑道:“已有了号,还只管这样称呼,不如不有了.以后错了,也要立个罚约才好。”李纨道:“立定了社,再定罚约.我那里地方大,竟在我那里作社.我虽不能作诗,这些诗人竟不厌俗客,我作个东道主人,我自然也清雅起来了.若是要推我作社长,我一个社长自然不够,必要再请两位副社长,就请菱洲藕榭二位学究来,一位出题限韵,一位誊录监场.亦不可拘定了我们三个人不作,若遇见容易些的题目韵脚,我们也随便作一首.你们四个却是要限定的.若如此便起,若不依我,我也不敢附骥了。”迎春惜春本性懒于诗词, 又有薛林在前,听了这话便深合己意,二人皆说:“极是".探春等也知此意, 见他二人悦服,也不好强,只得依了.因笑道:“这话也罢了,只是自想好笑, 好好的我起了个主意,反叫你们三个来管起我来了。”宝玉道:“既这样,咱们就往稻香村去。”李纨道:“都是你忙,今日不过商议了,等我再请。”宝钗道:“也要议定几日一会才好. "探春道:“若只管会的多,又没趣了.一月之中,只可两三次才好。”宝钗点头道:“一月只要两次就够了。”拟定日期,风雨无阻.除这两日外,倘有高兴的,他情愿加一社的,或情愿到他那里去,或附就了来,亦可使得,岂**泼有趣。”众人都道:“这个主意更好。”;áemby¶4¨oktranslation.com›][¬?ïŽsބ
;áemby¶4¨oktranslation.com›][¬?ïŽsބ
  探春道:“只是原系我起的意,我须得先作个东道主人,方不负我这兴。”李纨道:“既这样说,明日你就先开一社如何?"探春道:“明日不如今日,此刻就很好.你就出题,菱洲限韵, 藕榭监场。”迎春道:“依我说,也不必随一人出题限韵,竟是拈阄公道。”李纨道:“方才我来时,看见他们抬进两盆白海棠来,倒是好花.你们何不就咏起他来?"迎春道:“都还未赏,先倒作诗。”宝钗道:“不过是白海棠,又何必定要见了才作.古人的诗赋, 也不过都是寄兴写情耳.若都是等见了作,如今也没这些诗了。”迎春道:“既如此, 待我限韵。”说着,走到书架前抽出一本诗来,随手一揭,这首竟是一首七言律,递与众人看了,都该作七言律.迎春掩了诗,又向一个小丫头道:“你随口说一个字来。” 那丫头正倚门立着,便说了个""字.迎春笑道:“就是门字韵,`十三元'了.头一个韵定要这` '字。”说着,又要了韵牌匣子过来,抽出"十三元"一屉,又命那小丫头随手拿四块.那丫头便拿了"盆”“魂”“痕”“昏"四块来.宝玉道:“这`'`'两个字不大好作呢!”;áemby¶4¨oktranslation.com›][¬?ïŽsބ
霍克斯译文;áemby¶4¨oktranslation.com›][¬?ïŽsބ
‘Here comes another one!’;áemby¶4¨oktranslation.com›][¬?ïŽsބ
‘I hadn’t realized that I was so popular!’ said Tan-chun. ‘I wrote to you all more or less on the spur of the moment. It was no more than a tentative suggestion. I had no idea it would meet with this instant response from everybody.’;áemby¶4¨oktranslation.com›][¬?ïŽsބ
‘It’s a pity you didn’t think of it earlier,’ said Bao-yu. ‘We ought to have started a club long ago.’;áemby¶4¨oktranslation.com›][¬?ïŽsބ
‘Well I don’t think it’s a pity,’ said Dai-yu. ‘Do, by all means, have a poetry club if you’re all so keen to, only count me out of it, please. I don’t feel up to it.’;áemby¶4¨oktranslation.com›][¬?ïŽsބ
Ying-chun laughed.;áemby¶4¨oktranslation.com›][¬?ïŽsބ
‘If you’re not, then what about the rest of us?’;áemby¶4¨oktranslation.com›][¬?ïŽsބ
‘This is no time for false modesty,’ said Bao-yu. ‘Here is a serious proposition and one which we are obviously all enthu siastic about. What we need are some ideas that we can all discuss. Come on, Chai! Let’s hear what you have got to say first, then perhaps we can hear from Cousin Lin.’;áemby¶4¨oktranslation.com›][¬?ïŽsބ
‘What’s the hurry?’ said Bao-chai. ‘We’re not even all here yet.’;áemby¶4¨oktranslation.com›][¬?ïŽsބ
Just as she was saying that, Li Wan arrived. She smiled at them all as she entered.;áemby¶4¨oktranslation.com›][¬?ïŽsބ
‘My! What a poetic lot we are! If you are going to have a poetry club, may I propose myself for president? The idea of having one did in fact occur to me earlier in the year, but I thought that as I can’t write poetry myself, a proposal coming from me might seem a bit presumptuous, and I did nothing about it. Now that my poetical sister-in-law has had the same idea, I should like to do what I can to help her get it started.’;áemby¶4¨oktranslation.com›][¬?ïŽsބ
‘If we are definitely going to have a poetry club,’ said Dai-yu, ‘then as members of the club we are all equals and fellow-poets. We can’t go on calling ourselves “cousin” and “sister-in-law” all the time;’;áemby¶4¨oktranslation.com›][¬?ïŽsބ
‘I quite agree,’ said Li Wan. ‘We ought to choose pen names to sign our poems with, then we can use them for addressing each other by as well. I shall call myself “Farmer Sweet-rice”. I don’t suppose anyone else will want that title.’;áemby¶4¨oktranslation.com›][¬?ïŽsބ
‘I shall call myself “Autumn Studio”,’ said Tan-chun.;áemby¶4¨oktranslation.com›][¬?ïŽsބ
‘That’s pretty unoriginal!’ said Bao-yu. ‘Can’t you do any better than that? You’ve got all those paulownias and plantain-trees around your place: can’t you make a name out of them?’;áemby¶4¨oktranslation.com›][¬?ïŽsބ
‘All right,’ said Tan-chun. ‘I’m very fond of my plantains. I shall call myself “Under the Plantains”.’;áemby¶4¨oktranslation.com›][¬?ïŽsބ
‘That’s very original,’ said the others admiringly. But Dai-yu laughed.;áemby¶4¨oktranslation.com›][¬?ïŽsބ
‘Come on, everybody!’ she said. ‘Pop her in the stew-pot! We’ll have a nice piece of venison with our wine.’;áemby¶4¨oktranslation.com›][¬?ïŽsބ
As no one could understand this recondite joke, Dai-yu undertook to explain it for them.;áemby¶4¨oktranslation.com›][¬?ïŽsބ
“Under the plantains” is where the woodcutter in the old Taoist parable hid the deer he had killed; so the allusion means “a deer”. In calling herself by that pen-name, Cousin Tan is therefore offering herself to her fellow-members as venison for them to feast on in their carousals.’;áemby¶4¨oktranslation.com›][¬?ïŽsބ
‘Oh, all right, Miss Clever’ said Tan-chun. “‘Plantain Lover”, then. You wait! I’ll be even with you yet. I’ve got just the name for her,’ she told the others. ‘When the Emperor Shun died, his two queens are supposed to have gone along the banks of the river Xiang looking for him. According to the legend, the two queens turned into river goddesses and their tears became the spots you find on the bamboos that grow along the banks of the river. That’s why there’s a kind of bamboo called “Naiad’s Tears”. Well now, Cousin Dai lives in the Naiad’s House, and she cries so much that I shouldn’t be at all surprised if one of these days the bamboos in her courtyard all turned out to have spots on them; so I think the best pen-name for her would be “River Queen”.’;áemby¶4¨oktranslation.com›][¬?ïŽsބ
The others, applauding, agreed that this was exactly the tight name for Dai-yu. Dai-yu herself hung her head and said nothing.;áemby¶4¨oktranslation.com›][¬?ïŽsބ
‘I’ve thought of one for Bao-chai,’ said Li Wan. ‘Not regal, like Dai-yu’s, but aristocratic, at any rate. What do you all think of “Lady All-spice”?’;áemby¶4¨oktranslation.com›][¬?ïŽsބ
‘I think the title becomes her very well,’ said Tan-chun.;áemby¶4¨oktranslation.com›][¬?ïŽsބ
‘What about me?’ said Bao-yu. ‘Isn’t anyone going to think of a name for me?’;áemby¶4¨oktranslation.com›][¬?ïŽsބ
‘Oh, you!’ said Bao-chai. ‘The obvious one for you is “Busybody” — because you are always so busy doing nothing.’;áemby¶4¨oktranslation.com›][¬?ïŽsބ
‘Why not stick to your old pen-name, “Lord of the Flowers”?’ said Li Wan.;áemby¶4¨oktranslation.com›][¬?ïŽsބ
‘Do you have to embarrass me by reminding me of my youthful indiscretions?’ said Bao-yu.;áemby¶4¨oktranslation.com›][¬?ïŽsބ
‘No, let me choose your name,’ said Bao-chai, ‘Actually I’ve already thought of one. It sounds a bit common, perhaps, but I think it suits you. You are a very lucky person, living in such luxurious and beautiful surroundings and you enjoy an exceptional amount of leisure—in fact, I can’t think of anyone who combines quite so much luck with quite so much leisure—so I suggest “Lucky Lounger” as the most suitable pen-name for you.’;áemby¶4¨oktranslation.com›][¬?ïŽsބ
Bao-yu laughed good-humouredly.;áemby¶4¨oktranslation.com›][¬?ïŽsބ
‘You are flattering me!;áemby¶4¨oktranslation.com›][¬?ïŽsބ
I think you’d better all call me by whatever name each of you fancies.’
;áemby¶4¨oktranslation.com›][¬?ïŽsބ
‘No, that won’t do,’ said Dai-yu. ‘As you live in the House of Green Delights, why don’t we simply call you “Green Boy”?’;áemby¶4¨oktranslation.com›][¬?ïŽsބ
‘Yes,’ said the others. ‘Good.’;áemby¶4¨oktranslation.com›][¬?ïŽsބ
‘Now, what names are we going to have for Cousin Ying and Cousin Xi?’ said Li Wan.;áemby¶4¨oktranslation.com›][¬?ïŽsބ
‘Neither of us is much good at poetry,’ said Ying-chun. ‘There doesn’t seem much point in having any.’;áemby¶4¨oktranslation.com›][¬?ïŽsބ
‘No, I think you ought to have pen-names,’ said Tan-chun.;áemby¶4¨oktranslation.com›][¬?ïŽsބ
‘As Ying-chun lives on Amaryllis Eyot, she could be “Amaryllis Islander”, and as Xi-chun lives by the Lotus Pavilion, she could be “Lotus Dweller”,’ said Bao-chai. ‘That would seem to be the **st solution.’;áemby¶4¨oktranslation.com›][¬?ïŽsބ
‘Yes,’ said Li Wan. ‘Those names will do very nicely. Now, I’m the eldest here, so I’m going to propose some conditions that I’d like you all to agree to. I don’t think you’ll have much difficulty in doing so when you’ve heard what they are. The first one is that as three out of the seven of us founding this club—that’s to say Cousin Ying, Cousin Xi and myself—are no good at writing poetry, I propose that the rest of you should let us off versifying and allow us to act as your officers instead.’;áemby¶4¨oktranslation.com›][¬?ïŽsބ
‘“Cousin Ying”? “Cousin Xi”?’ said Tan-chun. ‘What’s the good of inventing all these new names if you’re not going to use them? I think that from now on there ought to be a penalty for not using them.’;áemby¶4¨oktranslation.com›][¬?ïŽsބ
‘First things first,’ said Li Wan. ‘Let’s get the club properly founded, and we can talk about penalties later on. I suggest that the club should hold its meetings at my place, because I’ve got the most room. I can’t write poetry myself, but if you don’t object to having so illiterate a person as your host, I’m sure that as time goes by I shall grow more poetical and re fined under your influence.;áemby¶4¨oktranslation.com›][¬?ïŽsބ
‘My next condition is that you should make me your presi dent. And as I shan’t be able to manage all the official business on my own, I should like to be allowed to co-opt two vice-presidents. I therefore nominate Amaryllis Islander and Lotus Dweller as my assistants, one to set the themes and rhymes in our competitions and the other to act as invigilator and copyist.;áemby¶4¨oktranslation.com›][¬?ïŽsބ
‘And lastly, although we three officers don’t have to do any versifying, we should not be precluded from trying our hand at it if we want to. So if there is ever a fairly ** subject with easy rhymes and we feel like joining in, we should be allowed to do so. The rest of you, of course, have no option.;áemby¶4¨oktranslation.com›][¬?ïŽsބ
‘Well, those are my conditions. If you agree to them, I’ll be glad to help you found the club. If not, I don’t think there would really be much point in my tagging along.’;áemby¶4¨oktranslation.com›][¬?ïŽsބ
The proposed arrangement was highly agreeable to Ying- chun and Xi-chun, neither of whom had much enthusiasm for writing poetry—least of all in competition with experts like Bao-chai and Dai-yu—and they assented readily. The rest, when they saw how willingly Ying-chun and Xi-chun acquiesced, felt that they could scarcely object themselves and added their assent— though Tan-chun did remark, somewhat ruefully, that it seemed a little hard, when she was the one who had thought of the idea in the first place, that she should now have these other three sitting in judgement over her.;áemby¶4¨oktranslation.com›][¬?ïŽsބ
‘Right,’ said Bao-yu. ‘That’s all settled. Let’s all move over to Sweet-rice Village, then.’;áemby¶4¨oktranslation.com›][¬?ïŽsބ
‘You’re always in such a hurry!’ said Li Wan. ‘Today’s meeting is just a preliminary discussion. Now you will have to wait for me to issue an invitation.’;áemby¶4¨oktranslation.com›][¬?ïŽsބ
‘Before we do anything else,’ said Bao-chai, ‘we had better decide how often we are going to meet.’;áemby¶4¨oktranslation.com›][¬?ïŽsބ
‘Not too often, I hope,’ said Tan-chun, ‘otherwise it will no longer be a pleasure. I suggest not more than two or three times a month.’;áemby¶4¨oktranslation.com›][¬?ïŽsބ
‘Twice a month will be quite enough,’ said Bao-chai. ‘Once we’ve decided which two days to meet on, we should under-take always to turn up on those two days, wet or fine. At the same time, we should be allowed to arrange additional meet ings outside the fixed dates as and when the fancy takes any of us to do so. If we leave it that much flexible, it will be more enjoyable.’;áemby¶4¨oktranslation.com›][¬?ïŽsބ
The others agreed that this was a good proposal and should be adopted.;áemby¶4¨oktranslation.com›][¬?ïŽsބ
‘The poetry club was originally my idea,’ said Tan-chun. ‘I hope you will at least allow me the pleasure of being your hostess at its first meeting.’;áemby¶4¨oktranslation.com›][¬?ïŽsބ
‘All right,’ said Li Wan. ‘We’ll have a meeting tomorrow and you shall entertain us,’;áemby¶4¨oktranslation.com›][¬?ïŽsބ
Why wait until tomorrow?’ said Tan-chun. ‘There’s no time like the present. You choose a title for us, Amaryllis Islander can set the rhymes, and Lotus Dweller can supervise us while we compose our poems.’;áemby¶4¨oktranslation.com›][¬?ïŽsބ
‘If you ask me,’ said Ying-chun, ‘I think that rather than always have the same two people to choose the titles and set the rhymes, it would be better to draw lots.’;áemby¶4¨oktranslation.com›][¬?ïŽsބ
‘As I was on my way here just now,’ said Li Wan, ‘I saw them carrying in two pots of white crab-blossom. It was so pretty. Couldn’t you have white crab-blossom for your sub ject?’;áemby¶4¨oktranslation.com›][¬?ïŽsބ
‘We haven’t all seen it yet,’ said Ying-chun. ‘How are they going to write poems about it if they haven’t seen it?’;áemby¶4¨oktranslation.com›][¬?ïŽsބ
‘We all know what white crab-blossom looks like,’ said Bao-chai. ‘I don’t see why we necessarily have to look at it in order to be able to write a poem about it. The ancients used a poetic theme as a vehicle for whatever feelings they happened to want to express at that particular moment. If they’d waited until they’d seen the objects they were supposed to be writing about, the poems would never have got written!’;áemby¶4¨oktranslation.com›][¬?ïŽsބ
‘Very well, then, I’ll set your rhymes,’ said Ying-chun.;áemby¶4¨oktranslation.com›][¬?ïŽsބ
She took a book of verse off the shelf, opened it at random, and held it up for the others to see.;áemby¶4¨oktranslation.com›][¬?ïŽsބ
‘There you are: an octet in Regulated Verse. That’s the form.’;áemby¶4¨oktranslation.com›][¬?ïŽsބ
She closed the book again and turned to a little maid who was leaning in the doorway looking on.;áemby¶4¨oktranslation.com›][¬?ïŽsބ
‘Give us a word,’ she said. ‘Any word.’;áemby¶4¨oktranslation.com›][¬?ïŽsބ
‘Door,’ said the girl.;áemby¶4¨oktranslation.com›][¬?ïŽsބ
‘That means the first line must end with “door”,’ said Ying-chun. She turned again to the girl: ‘Another one.’;áemby¶4¨oktranslation.com›][¬?ïŽsބ
‘Pot,’ said the girl.;áemby¶4¨oktranslation.com›][¬?ïŽsބ
‘Right, “pot”,’ said Ying-chun, and going over to a little nest of drawers in which rhyme-cards were kept, she pulled out one of them and asked the maid to select two cards from it at random. These turned out to be the cards for ‘not’ and ‘spot’.;áemby¶4¨oktranslation.com›][¬?ïŽsބ
‘Now,’ she said to the girl, ‘pick any card out of any drawer. Just one.’;áemby¶4¨oktranslation.com›][¬?ïŽsބ
The girl pulled out another drawer and picked out the card for ‘day’.;áemby¶4¨oktranslation.com›][¬?ïŽsބ
‘All right,’ said Ying-chun. ‘That means that your first line must end in “door”, your second in “pot”, your fourth in “not”, your sixth in “spot”, and the rhyming couplet in the seventh and eighth lines must end in “day”.’;áemby¶4¨oktranslation.com›][¬?ïŽsބ
Tan-chun’s maid Scribe laid out four identical sets of brushes and ** for the competitors, who all, except Dai-yu, now began, with quiet concentration, to consider what they were going to write. Dai-yu wandered around outside, playing with the bark of the paulownia trees, admiring the signs of autumn in the garden, occasionally joking with the maids, and in general not giving the slightest indication that she was engaged in the throes of composition. Ying-chun told one of the maids to light a stick of Sweet Dreams—a kind of incense which is only about three inches long and has a very thick wick so that it burns down fairly rapidly - and told the competitors that they had to complete their poems by the time the incense had burned itself out, otherwise they would be penalized.;áemby¶4¨oktranslation.com›][¬?ïŽsބ
杨宪益译文;áemby¶4¨oktranslation.com›][¬?ïŽsބ
"Here comes another!" they cried, laughing, as he entered.;áemby¶4¨oktranslation.com›][¬?ïŽsބ
"Not so vulgar, was it, that sudden idea of mine?" asked Tanchun gleefully. "I wrote a few invitations to see what would happen, and you all turn up in force.";áemby¶4¨oktranslation.com›][¬?ïŽsބ
"We should have started a club like this long ago," observed Baoyu.;áemby¶4¨oktranslation.com›][¬?ïŽsބ
"Start one if you like, but don't count me in," said Daiyu. "I'm not up to it.";áemby¶4¨oktranslation.com›][¬?ïŽsބ
"If you're not, who is?" countered Yingchun with a smile.;áemby¶4¨oktranslation.com›][¬?ïŽsބ
"This is a serious business," declared Baoyu. "We should encourage each other, not back out of politeness. Let's all give our ideas for general discussion. What suggestions have you, Cousin Baochai? And Cousin Daiyu?";áemby¶4¨oktranslation.com›][¬?ïŽsބ
"What's the hurry?" asked Baochai. "We're not all here yet." Before she had finished speaking Li Wan walked in.;áemby¶4¨oktranslation.com›][¬?ïŽsބ
"How very refined!" she cried, laughing. "If you're going to start a poetry club, I'll volunteer to preside. I had this very idea last spring, but on second thoughts decided it would only be asking for trouble as I can't write poetry myself. So I dropped the idea and forgot it. Now that Third Sister's so keen, I'll help you get this going.";áemby¶4¨oktranslation.com›][¬?ïŽsބ
"If you're set on starting a poetry club," said Daiyu, "we must all be poets. And first, to be less conventional, we must stop calling each other 'sister,' 'cousin,' 'sister-in-law' and so forth.";áemby¶4¨oktranslation.com›][¬?ïŽsބ
"Quite right," agreed Li Wan. "Let's choose some elegant pen-names. I'll be The Old Peasant of Sweet Paddy. No one else can have that name.;áemby¶4¨oktranslation.com›][¬?ïŽsބ
"I'll be Master of Autumn Freshness," cried Tanchun. "There's something unreal and awkward about 'master' and 'scholar,"' ob jected Baoyu. "With all these wu-tung trees and plantains here, why not use them in your name?";áemby¶4¨oktranslation.com›][¬?ïŽsބ
"Yes, I know what. I like plantains best so I'll call myself The Stranger Under the Plantain.";áemby¶4¨oktranslation.com›][¬?ïŽsބ
The others approved this as more original.;áemby¶4¨oktranslation.com›][¬?ïŽsބ
Only Daiyu teased, "Drag her off, quick! Stew some slices of her flesh to go with our wine." When the others looked mystified she ex plained with a smile, "Didn't an ancient say, 'The deer was covered with the plantain'? If she calls herself The Stranger Under the Plantain, she must be a deer. Let's hurry up and cook this venison.";áemby¶4¨oktranslation.com›][¬?ïŽsބ
Amid general laughter Tanchun cried, "Just you wait! You're very clever at making fun of people, but I've got the right name for you, a perfect name." She turned to the rest. "The wives of King Shun4 shed so many tears on bamboos that thereafter their stems became speckled, and now the speckled bamboo is called by their name. Well, she lives in Bamboo Lodge and she's always crying. When one day she pines for a husband, I'm sure the bamboos there will grow speckled too. I propose we call her Queen of the Bamboos.";áemby¶4¨oktranslation.com›][¬?ïŽsބ
The rest applauded while Daiyu lowered her head, reduced to silence.;áemby¶4¨oktranslation.com›][¬?ïŽsބ
"I've thought of a good name for Cousin Baochai," volunteered Li Wan. "A short one too.";áemby¶4¨oktranslation.com›][¬?ïŽsބ
"What is it?" asked Xichun and Yingchun.;áemby¶4¨oktranslation.com›][¬?ïŽsބ
"I'm entitling her Lady of the Alpinia. How's that?";áemby¶4¨oktranslation.com›][¬?ïŽsބ
"An excellent title," said Tanchun.;áemby¶4¨oktranslation.com›][¬?ïŽsބ
"How about me?" asked Baoyu. "Think of one for me too.";áemby¶4¨oktranslation.com›][¬?ïŽsބ
"You've already got one." Baochai chuckled. "Much Ado About Nothing is just the name for you.;áemby¶4¨oktranslation.com›][¬?ïŽsބ
"Why not keep your old title of Prince of the Crimson Cavern?" sug gested Li Wan.;áemby¶4¨oktranslation.com›][¬?ïŽsބ
Baoyu smiled sheepishly.;áemby¶4¨oktranslation.com›][¬?ïŽsބ
"Don't bring up the silly things I did as a child.";áemby¶4¨oktranslation.com›][¬?ïŽsބ
"You've already got plenty of pen-names," said Tanchun.;áemby¶4¨oktranslation.com›][¬?ïŽsބ
"What do you want a new one for? We can just call you by any name we feel like.";áemby¶4¨oktranslation.com›][¬?ïŽsބ
"I've got one for you," offered Baochai. "It's vulgar, but it suits you to the ground. The two hardest things to come by are riches and nobil ity, and the third is leisure. Few people enjoy more than one of these, but you have all three. So you should be called The Rich and Noble Idler.";áemby¶4¨oktranslation.com›][¬?ïŽsބ
"That's too good for me." Baoyu grinned. "But just as you please.";áemby¶4¨oktranslation.com›][¬?ïŽsބ
"What about Second Cousin and Fourth Cousin?" asked Li Wan.;áemby¶4¨oktranslation.com›][¬?ïŽsބ
"We're no good at writing poetry so we shan't need pen-names, rejoined Yingchun.;áemby¶4¨oktranslation.com›][¬?ïŽsބ
"Even so, you'd each better have one," urged Tanchun.;áemby¶4¨oktranslation.com›][¬?ïŽsބ
"As Yingchun lives on Purple Caltrop Isle, let her be Mistress of Caltrop Isle," suggested Baochai. "And Xichun in the Pavilion of Scented Lotus could be Mistress of Lotus Pavilion.";áemby¶4¨oktranslation.com›][¬?ïŽsބ
"Very good," said Li Wan. "Now as I'm the eldest you must all listen to me. I'm sure you'll agree to my proposal. We seven are starting this club; but as Second Cousin, Fourth Cousin and I are no poetesses you must leave us out when it comes to writing, and we'll each take charge of something.";áemby¶4¨oktranslation.com›][¬?ïŽsބ
"We've already got titles." Tanchun giggled. "But we might just as well not have them, the way you're still talking. We must decide on forfeits for mistakes like that from now on.;áemby¶4¨oktranslation.com›][¬?ïŽsބ
"Wait till we've set up the club before laying down rules," said Li Wan. "My apartments are the largest, let's meet there. Though I can't versify, if you poets don't object to my vulgar company I'll act as host ess and in that way acquire some culture too. But if you elect me as warden, I shan't be able to manage on my own. We must have as our deputy-wardens the scholars of Caltrop Isle and Lotus Pavilion, one to set the theme and rhymes, the other as copyist and supervisor. We won't make a ruling that we three are not to write;áemby¶4¨oktranslation.com›][¬?ïŽsބ
when the subject and rhyme are easy we may have a go;áemby¶4¨oktranslation.com›][¬?ïŽsބ
but you four definitely must write. That's my proposal. If you don't accept it, I must withdraw from this illustrious company.
;áemby¶4¨oktranslation.com›][¬?ïŽsބ
As Yingchun and Xichun had no liking for versifying and no chance of outdoing Baochai or Daiyu, they willingly agreed to this arrangement which suited them down to the ground. The others, seeing their relief, acqui esced understandingly without pressing them.;áemby¶4¨oktranslation.com›][¬?ïŽsބ
"All righ then," said Tanchun cheerfully. "Seems funny to me, though. This was my brain-wave, but you three end up in charge.";áemby¶4¨oktranslation.com›][¬?ïŽsބ
"Now that's settled," put in Baoyu, "let's go to Paddy-Sweet Cottage.";áemby¶4¨oktranslation.com›][¬?ïŽsބ
"Don't be in such a hurry," objected Li Wan. "We're still in the planning stage. Wait till I invite you.";áemby¶4¨oktranslation.com›][¬?ïŽsބ
"At least we should agree on how often to meet," urged Baochai.;áemby¶4¨oktranslation.com›][¬?ïŽsބ
"If we meet too often we won't enjoy it," predicted Tanchun. "Let's limit it to two or three times a month.";áemby¶4¨oktranslation.com›][¬?ïŽsބ
Baochai nodded.;áemby¶4¨oktranslation.com›][¬?ïŽsބ
"Twice a month is enough. We'll fix dates and meet regardless of wind or rain. If anyone likes to invite people to her place or the usual place for another gathering on some other day, well and good. Wouldn't that be more flexible and greater fun?";áemby¶4¨oktranslation.com›][¬?ïŽsބ
They all approved this idea.;áemby¶4¨oktranslation.com›][¬?ïŽsބ
"As this was my suggestion," said Tanchun, "you must let me play hostess first. That's only fair.";áemby¶4¨oktranslation.com›][¬?ïŽsބ
"Very well then," agreed Li Wan. "You can call the first meeting tomorrow.";áemby¶4¨oktranslation.com›][¬?ïŽsބ
"Why not today? There's no time like the present. You set the sub ject, Caltrop Isle can fix the rhymes, and Lotus Pavilion can supervise.";áemby¶4¨oktranslation.com›][¬?ïŽsބ
"I don't think the subject and rhymes should be decided by one per-son," Yingchun demurred. "Drawing lots would be fairer.";áemby¶4¨oktranslation.com›][¬?ïŽsބ
"On my way here," remarked Li Wan, "I saw them carrying in two pots of white begonia which looked simply lovely. Why not write on the begonia?";áemby¶4¨oktranslation.com›][¬?ïŽsބ
"Without having seen them?" protested Yingchun. "How can we?";áemby¶4¨oktranslation.com›][¬?ïŽsބ
"It's only white begonia," countered Baochai. "There's no need to look at it first. The ancients wrote to manifest their own temperaments and feelings. If they'd only written about things they'd seen, we wouldn't have so many poems today.";áemby¶4¨oktranslation.com›][¬?ïŽsބ
"In that case let me settle the rhymes," said Yingchun.;áemby¶4¨oktranslation.com›][¬?ïŽsބ
She took a volume of poetry from the bookcase and opened it at ran dom at a lushi with seven-character lines. Having held this out for all to see, she told them to use the same metre. Then putting the book away she turned to a little maid.;áemby¶4¨oktranslation.com›][¬?ïŽsބ
"Say any word that comes into your head.";áemby¶4¨oktranslation.com›][¬?ïŽsބ
The maid, standing by the door, said, "Men (door).";áemby¶4¨oktranslation.com›][¬?ïŽsބ
"Very well, that rhyme belongs to the thirteenth section of the rhyme system," announced Yingchun. "And that word must come in the first line.";áemby¶4¨oktranslation.com›][¬?ïŽsބ
Next she asked for the box of rhyme cards, pulled out the thirteenth drawer and told the maid to pick four cards at random. These proved to be pen (pot), hun (spirit), hen (stain) and hun (dim).;áemby¶4¨oktranslation.com›][¬?ïŽsބ
"'Pot' and 'door' aren't easy to fit in," was Baoyu's comment.;áemby¶4¨oktranslation.com›][¬?ïŽsބ

TOP

 
1/1页1 跳转到
发表新主题 回复该主题