《红楼梦》翻译（二百零四）

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twin05 2010-09-07 09:09 | 只看楼主 树型| 收藏| 小中大 1 ^#

《红楼梦》翻译（二百零四）

原著
　　且说袭人因见宝玉看了字贴儿便慌慌张张的同翠墨去了，也不知是何事．后来又见后门上婆子送了两盆海棠花来．袭人问是那里来的，婆子便将宝玉前一番缘故说了．袭人听说便命他们摆好，让他们在下房里坐了，自己走到自己房内秤了六钱银子封好，又拿了三百钱走来，都递与那两个婆子道：“这银子赏那抬花来的小子们，这钱你们打酒吃罢。”那婆子们站起来，眉开眼笑，千恩万谢的不肯受，见袭人执意不收，方领了．袭人又道：“后门上外头可有该班的小子们？"婆子忙应道：“天天有四个，原预备里面差使的．姑娘有什么差使，我们吩咐去。”袭人笑道：“有什么差使？今儿宝二爷要打发人到小侯爷家与史大姑娘送东西去，可巧你们来了，顺便出去叫后门小子们雇辆车来．回来你们就往这里拿钱，不用叫他们又往前头混碰去。”婆子答应着去了．

　　袭人回至房中，拿碟子盛东西与史湘云送去，却见К子上碟槽空着．因回头见晴雯，秋纹，麝月等都在一处做针黹，袭人问道：“这一个缠丝白玛瑙碟子那去了？"众人见问，都你看我我看你，都想不起来．半日，晴雯笑道：“给三姑娘送荔枝去的，还没送来呢． "袭人道：“家常送东西的家伙也多，巴巴的拿这个去。”晴雯道：“我何尝不也这样说．他说这个碟子配上鲜荔枝才好看．我送去，三姑娘见了也说好看，叫连碟子放着，就没带来．你再瞧，那К子尽上头的一对联珠瓶还没收来呢。”秋纹笑道：“提起瓶来，我又想起笑话．我们宝二爷说声孝心一动，也孝敬到二十分．因那日见园里桂花，折了两枝，原是自己要插瓶的，忽然想起来说，这是自己园里的才开的新鲜花，不敢自己先顽，巴巴的把那一对瓶拿下来，亲自灌水插好了，叫个人拿着，亲自送一瓶进老太太，又进一瓶与太太．谁知他孝心一动，连跟的人都得了福了．可巧那日是我拿去的．老太太见了这样，喜的无可无不可，见人就说：`到底是宝玉孝顺我，连一枝花儿也想的到．别人还只抱怨我疼他．'你们知道，老太太素日不大同我说话的，有些不入他老人家的眼的．那日竟叫人拿几百钱给我，说我可怜见的，生的单柔．这可是再想不到的福气．几百钱是小事，难得这个脸面．及至到了太太那里，太太正和二奶奶，赵姨奶奶，周姨奶奶好些人翻箱子，找太太当日年轻的颜色衣裳，不知给那一个．一见了，连衣裳也不找了，且看花儿．又有二奶奶在旁边凑趣儿，夸宝玉又是怎么孝敬，又是怎样知好歹，有的没的说了两车话．当着众人，太太自为又增了光，堵了众人的嘴．太太越发喜欢了，现成的衣裳就赏了我两件．衣裳也是小事，年年横竖也得，却不象这个彩头。”晴雯笑道：“呸！没见世面的小蹄子！那是把好的给了人，挑剩下的才给你，你还充有脸呢。”秋纹道：“凭他给谁剩的，到底是太太的恩典。”晴雯道：“要是我，我就不要．若是给别人剩下的给我，也罢了．一样这屋里的人，难道谁又比谁高贵些？把好的给他，剩下的才给我，我宁可不要，冲撞了太太，我也不受这口软气。”秋纹忙问：“给这屋里谁的？我因为前儿病了几天，家去了，不知是给谁的．好姐姐，你告诉我知道知道。”晴雯道：“我告诉了你，难道你这会退还太太去不成？"秋纹笑道：“胡说，我白听了喜欢喜欢．那怕给这屋里的狗剩下的，我只领太太的恩典，也不犯管别的事。”众人听了都笑道：“骂的巧，可不是给了那西洋花点子哈巴儿了。”袭人笑道：“你们这起烂了嘴的！得了空就拿我取笑打牙儿．一个个不知怎么死呢。”秋纹笑道：“原来姐姐得了，我实在不知道．我陪个不是罢． "袭人笑道：“少轻狂罢．你们谁取了碟子来是正经。”麝月道：“那瓶得空儿也该收来了．老太太屋里还罢了，太太屋里人多手杂．别人还可以，赵姨奶奶一伙的人见是这屋里的东西，又该使黑心弄坏了才罢．太太也不大管这些，不如早些收来正经。”晴雯听说，便掷下针黹道：“这话倒是，等我取去。”秋纹道：“还是我取去罢，你取你的碟子去。”晴雯笑道：“我偏取一遭儿去．是巧宗儿你们都得了，难道不许我得一遭儿？"麝月笑道：“通共秋丫头得了一遭儿衣裳，那里今儿又巧，你也遇见找衣裳不成。”晴雯冷笑道：“虽然碰不见衣裳，或者太太看见我勤谨，一个月也把太太的公费里分出二两银子来给我，也定不得。”说着，又笑道：“你们别和我装神弄鬼的，什么事我不知道。”一面说，一面往外跑了．秋纹也同他出来，自去探春那里取了碟子来．

　　袭人打点齐备东西，叫过本处的一个老宋妈妈来，向他说道：“你先好生梳洗了，换了出门的衣裳来，如今打发你与史姑娘送东西去。”那宋嬷嬷道：“姑娘只管交给我，有话说与我，我收拾了就好一顺去的。”袭人听说，便端过两个小掐丝盒子来．先揭开一个，里面装的是红菱和鸡头两样鲜果，又那一个，是一碟子桂花糖蒸新栗粉糕．又说道：“这都是今年咱们这里园里新结的果子，宝二爷送来与姑娘尝尝．再前日姑娘说这玛瑙碟子好，姑娘就留下顽罢．这绢包儿里头是姑娘上日叫我作的活计，姑娘别嫌粗糙，能着用罢．替我们请安，替二爷问好就是了。”宋嬷嬷道：“宝二爷不知还有什么说的，姑娘再问问去，回来又别说忘了。”袭人因问秋纹：“方才可见在三姑娘那里？"秋纹道：“他们都在那里商议起什么诗社呢，又都作诗．想来没话，你只去罢。”宋嬷嬷听了，便拿了东西出去，另外穿戴了．袭人又嘱咐他：“从后门出去，有小子和车等着呢。”宋妈去后，不在话下．

霍克斯译文
Aroma had been present when Bao-yu received Tan-chun’s letter and had seen him rush off excitedly with Ebony as soon as he had finished reading it, but without having any idea what the cause of his excitement might be. Shortly after he left, two of the old women from the back gate arrived carrying pots of white-flowering autumn crab. Aroma asked them who the flowers were from, and when the old women had explained, showed them where she wanted them put, after which she took them into the servants’ quartets and made them sit down while she went off to Bao-yu’s room to fetch some money. She weighed out twelve penny-weights of silver and made it into a little parcel, then, taking out an additional three hundred copper cash, hurried back to the old women.
‘The silver is to pay the beaters with,’ she told them as she handed them the money. ‘The cash is for you to buy yourselves a drink with.’
The old women stood up, beaming all over their faces. How kind, how very kind, they said, they couldn’t possibly take it. But as Aroma insisted, they allowed themselves to be persuaded.
‘Are there any boys on duty outside the gate?’ Aroma asked them.
‘Oh yes, there are always four there,’ said the old women, ‘to do any errands you young ladies in the Garden happen to want done outside. If there’s anything you want done, Miss, just let us know and we’ll get them to do it for you.’
‘It isn’t for me,’ said Aroma smiling. ‘I wouldn’t presume. It’s Master Bao. He wants someone to go to the Marquis of Zhong-jing’s place to deliver some things to Miss Shi. I thought that now you’re here I might as well ask you if you wouldn’t mind when you get back telling the boys on the gate to go out and order a cab for me. Only if they do, will you come to me for the fare, please. Don’t go bothering them in the front about it.’
The old women departed, promising to do as she asked, while Aroma went back into the main apartment for a saucer to put some of the things on that she was planning to send to Xiang-yun. But when she looked on the dresser she found that the saucer shelf was completely empty. She glanced back to where Skybright, Ripple and Musk sat sewing together.
‘What happened to that white onyx saucer that used to be here ’ she asked them.
The girls looked at each other blankly, trying to remember. After some moments, Skybright’s face broke into a smile.
‘I remember. I took it to Miss Tan’s with those lychees on. It’s still there.’
‘Whatever did you take that one for, when there are so many other things you could have used?’
‘Well, yes, that’s what I said. But the dark brown lychees and the white-and-browny onyx did go very well together. Even Miss Tan said how pretty they looked. She made me leave the dish there, where she could look at it. That’s why I didn’t bring it back with me. By the way, that pair of identical vases that used to be on the very top of the dresser isn’t back yet, either.’
‘You’ll laugh if I tell you about them,’ said Ripple. ‘You know how Master Bao never does anything by halves. Well, the other day he had a sudden rush of dutiful feelings come over him. He’d just picked a couple of sprays of cassia and was going to put them in a vase, when suddenly he said, “Oh! these are the first cassia flowers I’ve picked this year. I mustn’t keep them for my own enjoyment.” So what does he do but fetch down those two vases, put the water in them and arrange the flowers in them himself, and go along with them (someone else carrying them, of course) to Her Old Ladyship and Her Ladyship to give them each a vase. Anyway, the beauty of it was that some of the effects of this rubbed off on the person carrying the vases—which it so happens was me. When Her Old Ladyship saw the flowers, she was so delighted you just can’t imagine. “Oh, look!” she said. “What a good boy he is to me! He can’t even see a flower without thinking of his old grannie! — And people grumble at me for being too fond of him!” Well, as I expect you know, Her Old Ladyship normally doesn’t seem to have much use for me—I don’t know what it is, but there’s something about me she doesn’t seem to like—but on this occasion she gave me a hundred cash. And she called me a “poor little thing”. “Poor little thing!” she said. “She looks so sickly! “ I can tell you, I never expected a piece of luck like that! I mean, a hundred cash is nothing, but the honour! - in front of all those people! Then when we got to Her Ladyship’s, Her Ladyship was with Mrs Lian and Mrs Zhao going through her chests and looking out some of the things she used to wear when she was a girl to give to someone — I don’t know who it was. Anyway, when she saw us, she left off to admire the flowers. So of course Mrs Lian has to make the most of it by putting in her pennyworth going on about how dutiful Master Bao is and how thoughtful and how this that and the other I can’t remember a half of what she said, there was a whole cartload of it - but whatever it was it gave Her Ladyship a lot of face, hearing him praised like that in front of everybody, and You Know Who not being able to say a word against him, so of course she was very pleased. And what do you think? She gave me two dresses! Admittedly, we get new dresses every year, so in itself being given two dresses may not seem so wonderful. But the honour!’
‘Pooh!’ said Skybright. ‘Silly girl! You don’t know much! Those would be two dresses that she thought weren’t good enough to give to the other person. I can’t see much honour in that!’
‘I don’t care,’ said Ripple. ‘It was still very kind of Her Ladyship, for all that.’
‘If it had been me, I shouldn’t have wanted them,’ said Skybright. ‘What? take someone else’s old left-overs? All of us here are only maids; none of us is supposed to be any higher than the rest, you know. Why should she give someone else the best and give me the left-overs? No, I’m sorry. I should have had to refuse, even if it meant offending her. I couldn’t take a thing like that lying down!’
‘Which of us was it that she gave those other dresses to?’ said Ripple, curious. ‘I’ve been home ill these last few days. I must have been away when it happened. Be a sport, Skyey — tell us who it was!’
‘Why, if I tell you, will you give those dresses back again?’
‘Of course not, silly! I’d just like to know,’ said Ripple. ‘I don’t care if it was Master Bao’s little puppy-dog she gave them to, I still think Her Ladyship meant to do me a kindness, and as far as I’m concerned, that’s all that matters.’
The other maids laughed.
‘You’d better watch what you say! That’s just who she did give them to: Master Bao’s little dog, Flower.’
‘Wicked girls!’ said ‘Flowers’ Aroma, laughing in spite of herself, ‘taking my name in vain! Whenever you’ve got a few moments to spare you are making fun of me. There’s not one of you that will come to a good end!’
‘Oh, it was you,’ said Ripple. ‘I’m go sorry, I didn’t realize. Oh, I do apologize.’
‘All right, that’s enough fooling for now,’ said Aroma. ‘The question is, which of you is going to get that saucer?’
‘Better get the vases back too, while we’re about it,’ said Musk. ‘The one in Her Old Ladyship’s room should be safe enough, but I wouldn’t be too sure about the one at Her Ladyship’s. There are so many people in and out of that place - especially You Know Who and her lot. If they see anything from our room in there, they’re sure to find some way of breaking it accidentally-on-purpose, if they get half a chance. Her Ladyship won’t stop them. She never notices. We ought to get that one back, at least, as soon as we can.’
‘You’re right,’ said Skybright, laying down her sewing. ‘I’ll go and get it now.’
‘No, I’ll go for that,’ said Ripple. ‘You go and get your saucer.’
‘I’m going for the vase,’ said Skybright. ‘Why should you have all the windfalls? You others have all had a go. Now it’s my turn.’
‘You do exaggerate,’ said Musk. ‘It’s only Ripple who’s had the luck. And it was only because of the coincidence that Her Ladyship happened to be going through her dresses when she arrived. Do you suppose she’ll be going through them again if you go there now?’
‘Maybe not,’ said Skybright, with a tinge of malice. ‘On the other hand maybe she’ll notice how conscientious I am and pay me two taels a month out of her allowance. You see’ — she paused to add this on her way out of the room —‘I know what goes on in here. There’s no need for the play-acting.’
She ran off with a mocking laugh.
Ripple went, too, and fetched the onyx saucer from Tan- chun’s room, after which Aroma made ready the things that were to go to Xiang-yun, and called in old Mamma Song - one of the nannies attached to Green Delights — to give her in structions for their delivery.
‘Get yourself smartened up and change into your best things,’ she said. ‘I want you to go out presently and take some things for me to Miss Shi’s.’
‘You can give them to me now, Miss — and any message that you want me to deliver,’ said Mamma Song; ‘then I can go off straight away, as soon as I’ve got myself ready.’
Aroma fetched two little boxes of lacquer and bamboo basketwork and taking the tops off them, put foxnuts and caltrops in one and a saucerful of chestnut fudge (made of chestnut puree steam-cooked with cassia-flavored sugar) in the other.
‘These are all our own things or made from our own things freshly gathered in the Garden that Master Bao is sending Miss Shi a taste of,’ she said. ‘Tell her the onyx saucer the fudge is on is the one she was admiring last time she was here and she is to keep it. This silk bag has got the sewing in that she asked me to do for her. Tell her the needlework’s a bit on the rough side, but I’m sure she’ll understand. And say Master Bao sends his regards. And of course I present my compliments. I think that’s all.’
‘Isn’t there any message from Master Bao?’ said Mamma Song. ‘Perhaps you’d better ask him, Miss, just in case. We don’t want him saying afterwards that we’ve forgotten some thing.’
‘Didn’t he go round just now to Miss Tan’s place?’ Aroma asked Ripple.
‘Yes,’ said Ripple. ‘They’re all round there. They were having a discussion about setting up a poetry club, what ever that might be, and they were writing poems, some of them.’ She turned to Mamma Song. ‘I shouldn’t think he’d have anything to say. I should just push on, if I were you.’
Mamma Song took up the boxes and went off to get herself ready.
‘When you are ready, go out by the back gate,’ said Aroma as she was leaving. ‘You’ll find some of the boys there and a cab waiting for you.’
Mamma Song then left. The details of her expedition are unrecorded.

杨宪益译文
Now Xiren had wondered what Baoyu was up to when he hurried off with Cuimo after reading the note. When two women from the back gate brought in two pots of begonia some time later, she asked where these were from and was told what had happened. Xiren made them put the plants down and take seats in the servants' room while she went inside, weighed out sixty cents of silver and fetched another three hundred cash which she handed to the two women.
"This silver is for the boys who brought the flowers," she explained. "And the cash is for you to buy drinks."
The two women stood up, beaming, to thank her profusely and make a show of declining; but on Xiren's insistence they accepted the tip.
"Are there any pages on duty outside the back gate?" she asked them.
"Yes, there are four of them there every day," they answered. "If there's anything you want done, miss, we can tell them."
"There's nothing I want," answered Xiren, smiling. "But Master Bao wanted to send something today to Miss Shi in the house of the young marquis. It's lucky you came. When you go out, please tell those boys at the back gate to hire a carriage. As soon as it arrives you can come here to get the money. Don't let them knock around in the front."
When the women had left to see to this, Xiren went back inside to look for a plate on which to put the gifts for Xiangyun; but the plate she wanted was missing from the carved cabinet. Turning round, she saw Qingwen, Qiuwen and Sheyue busy with their needlework.
"What's become of that white agate plate with spiral designs?" she asked them.
The girls looked at each other but could not remember.
"It was used to send lichees to Miss Tanchun," said Qingwen after some thought. "They've not sent it back yet."
"There are plenty of everyday dishes you could have used. Why choose that particular one?" Xiren inquired.
"Just what I said. But he insisted that plate looked best with the fresh lichees. And when I took it over, Miss Tanchun liked it so much she told me to leave the fruit on it; so I didn't bring it back. Look, that pair of vases from the top shelf hasn't come back either."
"Speaking of those vases reminds me of something funny," put in Qiuwen. "When our Master Bao takes it into his head to be filial, he really goes the whole hog. When he saw the fragrant osmanthus in bloom in the Garden he picked two sprays for himself, but all of a sudden he thought better of it. He said, 'These flowers have just bloomed in our own garden, I shouldn't be the first to enjoy them.' He promptly took down those two vases, filled them with water and put the sprays in him self, then having them carried over, he went personally to deliver on to his grandmother, another to his mother.
"This sudden filial piety on his part brought good luck to his messen ger too. I happened to be the one who went that day, and the old lady was as pleased as pleased could be. She told everyone:
"'What a good grandson Baoyu is after all, even sending me flowers like this! Yet other people blame me for spoiling him.'
"You know how little the old lady usually has to say to me. I've never been a favourite of hers. But that day she told them to give me a few strings of cash, saying I was a 'poor, delicate little thing.' What an unex pected stroke of luck! A few strings of cash mayn't be much, but it was a rare honour.
"Then I went to Her Ladyship's place just as she was looking through some cases with Madam Lian and the concubines Zhao and Zhou, sort ing out the bright clothes she'd worn in her young days to give away. When I went in she stopped looking at the clothes to admire the flowers. And to please her Madam Lian started praising Baoyu for being such a considerate, filial son -- she came out with two cartloads of compli ments. Her Ladyship felt that in front of everyone she had gained credit because of him, and this should silence those who had gossiped about him. She was so delighted that she gave me two gowns on the spot. Clothes are nothing special either - we're given new ones at any rate every year -- but this was a great mark of favour."
"Bah, you're easily pleased," scoffed Qingwen. "She gives others the best and you the cast-offs, yet you feel you have big face."
"Cast-offs or not, it was kind of Her Ladyship."
"If I'd been you I wouldn't have taken them," retorted Qingwen. "Anyone else's cast-offs I wouldn't mind; but why should someone in these rooms be superior to the rest of us? If she got the good clothes and I the cast-offs, I'd refuse them. Even at the risk of offending the mis tress, I wouldn't put up with that."
"Who here got the good ones?" demanded Qiuwen quickly. "I was ill for a few days at home, I didn't know. Do be a dear and tell me.
"If I tell you, will you return those gowns to the mistress?"
"Don't be silly. I just think it would be fun to know. Even if Her Ladyship gave me the dog's left-overs, I'd think it kind of her. I don't worry about other people's business."
The other girls laughed.
"You've hit the nail on the head. They were given to this foreign-species, spotted lap-dog of ours."5
"May all your tongues rot!" parried Xiren with a smile. "Never miss a chance to make fun of me, do you? You'll one by one come to a bad end."
"So it was you, sister," said Qiuwen. "I'd no idea. I do apologize."
"Stop fooling," urged Xiren. "I wish one of you would bring that plate back."
"Those vases should be fetched back too," said Sheyue. "It'd be all right in the old lady's place, but all sorts of people go to Her Ladyship's rooms. The rest don't matter, but if Concubine Zhao and that lot saw things from here they'd try some mean trick to break them, and the mistress wouldn't pay too much attention. We'd better fetch them back before it's too late."
Qingwen, hearing this, put down her needlework.
"All right, I'll go and get them," she volunteered.
"I'll go while you fetch the plate," offered Qiuwen.
"No, it's my turn," insisted Qingwen, laughing. "Are you going to take all the good errands and leave none for me?"
"Qiuwen only got clothes that once," teased Sheyue. "How can you expect to find them looking through clothes again today? That would be too much of a coincidence."
Qingwen snorted.
"Even if I don't see any clothes, maybe the mistress will think me so trustworthy that she gives me two taels of silver a month from her own allowance too. Who knows?" She laughed. "Don't try to fool me. I know all about it."
With that she ran off, and Qiuwen also left to fetch the plate from Tanchun's apartments.
When the plate had been brought, Xiren prepared the gifts then called for Nanny Song who was attached to their compound.
"Get yourself spruced up and put on your outdoor things," she said. "I want you to take some presents to Miss Shi."
"Just give the things and message to me," said the nurse. "I'll get ready and go at once.
Xiren picked up two small woven bamboo hampers. The first she opened contained fresh caltrops and euryale seeds; the second, pow dered chestnut cake sweetened with osmanthus.
"These are fresh from our Garden," she explained. "Master Bao wants Miss Shi to try them. And the other day she admired this agate plate, so she must keep it. Then here, in this silk wrapper, is the needle work she asked me to do. I hope she won't find it too clumsy. Send her our respects and the young master's greetings."
"Has Master Bao any other messages?" asked the nurse. "Will you go and find out, miss, in case you've forgotten something."
"Did you see him with Miss Tanchun?" Xiren asked Qiuwen.
"Yes, they were disussing starting some sort of poetry club and all busy writing poems. I shouldn't think he has any message. She needn't wait."
As Nanny Song took the things and prepared to leave, Xiren told her to go by the back gate where the boys had a carriage waiting. So the nurse left.

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《红楼梦》翻译 （二百零四）

《红楼梦》翻译 （二百零四）

《红楼梦》翻译（二百零四）

《红楼梦》翻译（二百零四）