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《红楼梦》翻译（二百零五）

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twin05 2010-09-07 09:11 | 只看楼主 树型| 收藏| 小中大 1 ^#

《红楼梦》翻译（二百零五）

原著
　　宝玉回来，先忙着看了一回海棠，至房内告诉袭人起诗社的事．袭人也把打发宋妈妈与史湘云送东西去的话告诉了宝玉．宝玉听了，拍手道：“偏忘了他．我自觉心里有件事，只是想不起来，亏你提起来，正要请他去．这诗社里若少了他还有什么意思。”袭人劝道：“什么要紧，不过玩意儿．他比不得你们自在，家里又作不得主儿．告诉他，他要来又由不得他，不来，他又牵肠挂肚的，没的叫他不受用。”宝玉道：“不妨事，我回老太太打发人接他去。”正说着，宋妈妈已经回来，回复道生受，与袭人道乏，又说：“问二爷作什么呢，我说和姑娘们起什么诗社作诗呢．史姑娘说，他们作诗也不告诉他去，急的了不的。”宝玉听了立身便往贾母处来，立逼着叫人接去．贾母因说：“今儿天晚了，明日一早再去。”宝玉只得罢了，回来闷闷的．

　　次日一早，便又往贾母处来催逼人接去．直到午后，史湘云才来，宝玉方放了心，见面时就把始末原由告诉他，又要与他诗看．李纨等因说道：“且别给他诗看，先说与他韵．他后来，先罚他和了诗：若好，便请入社，若不好，还要罚他一个东道再说。”史湘云道：“你们忘了请我，我还要罚你们呢．就拿韵来，我虽不能，只得勉强出丑．容我入社，扫地焚香我也情愿。”众人见他这般有趣，越发喜欢，都埋怨昨日怎么忘了他，遂忙告诉他韵．史湘云一心兴头，等不得推敲删改，一面只管和人说着话，心内早已和成，即用随便的纸笔录出，先笑说道：“我却依韵和了两首，好歹我却不知，不过应命而已。” 说着递与众人．众人道：“我们四首也算想绝了，再一首也不能了．你倒弄了两首，那里有许多话说，必要重了我们。”一面说，一面看时，只见那两首诗写道：

　　其一

　　神仙昨日降都门，种得蓝田玉一盆．

　　自是霜娥偏爱冷，非关倩女亦离魂．

　　秋阴捧出何方雪，雨渍添来隔宿痕．

　　却喜诗人吟不倦，岂令寂寞度朝昏．

　　其二

　　蘅芷阶通萝薜门，也宜墙角也宜盆．

　　花因喜洁难寻偶，人为悲秋易断魂．

　　玉烛滴干风里泪，晶帘隔破月中痕．

　　幽情欲向嫦娥诉，无奈虚廊夜色昏．众人看一句，惊讶一句，看到了，赞到了，都说：“这个不枉作了海棠诗，真该要起海棠社了。”史湘云道：“明日先罚我个东道，就让我先邀一社可使得？"众人道：“这更妙了。”因又将昨日的与他评论了一回．至晚，宝钗将湘云邀往蘅芜苑安歇去．湘云灯下计议如何设东拟题．宝钗听他说了半日，皆不妥当，因向他说道：“既开社，便要作东．虽然是顽意儿，也要瞻前顾后，又要自己便宜，又要不得罪了人，然后方大家有趣．你家里你又作不得主，一个月通共那几串钱，你还不够盘缠呢．这会子又干这没要紧的事，你婶子听见了，越发抱怨你了．况且你就都拿出来，做这个东道也是不够．难道为这个家去要不成？还是往这里要呢？"一席话提醒了湘云，倒踌蹰起来．宝钗道：“这个我已经有个主意．我们当铺里有个伙计，他家田上出的很好的肥螃蟹，前儿送了几斤来．现在这里的人，从老太太起连上园里的人，有多一半都是爱吃螃蟹的．前日姨娘还说要请老太太在园里赏桂花吃螃蟹，因为有事还没有请呢．你如今且把诗社别提起，只管普通一请．等他们散了，咱们有多少诗作不得的．我和我哥哥说，要几篓极肥极大的螃蟹来，再往铺子里取上几坛好酒，再备上四五桌果碟，岂不又省事又大家热闹了。”湘云听了，心中自是感服，极赞他想的周到．宝钗又笑道：“我是一片真心为你的话．你千万别多心，想着我小看了你，咱们两个就白好了．你若不多心，我就好叫他们办去的。”湘云忙笑道：“好姐姐，你这样说，倒多心待我了．凭他怎么糊涂，连个好歹也不知，还成个人了？我若不把姐姐当作亲姐姐一样看，上回那些家常话烦难事也不肯尽情告诉你了。”宝钗听说，便叫一个婆子来：“出去和大爷说，依前日的大螃蟹要几篓来，明日饭后请老太太姨娘赏桂花．你说大爷好歹别忘了，我今儿已请下人了。”那婆子出去说明，回来无话．

　　这里宝钗又向湘云道：“诗题也不要过于新巧了．你看古人诗中那些刁钻古怪的题目和那极险的韵了，若题过于新巧，韵过于险，再不得有好诗，终是小家气．诗固然怕说熟话，更不可过于求生，只要头一件立意清新，自然措词就不俗了．究竟这也算不得什么，还是纺绩针黹是你我的本等．一时闲了，倒是于你我深有益的书看几章是正经． "湘云只答应着，因笑道：“我如今心里想着，昨日作了海棠诗，我如今要作个菊花诗如何？"宝钗道：“菊花倒也合景，只是前人太多了。”湘云道：“我也是如此想着，恐怕落套． "宝钗想了一想，说道：“有了，如今以菊花为宾，以人为主，竟拟出几个题目来，都是两个字：一个虚字，一个实字，实字便用`菊'字，虚字就用通用门的．如此又是咏菊，又是赋事，前人也没作过，也不能落套．赋景咏物两关着，又新鲜，又大方。”湘云笑道：“这却很好．只是不知用何等虚字才好．你先想一个我听听。”宝钗想了一想，笑道：“ 《菊梦》就好。”湘云笑道：“果然好．我也有一个，《菊影》可使得？"宝钗道：“也罢了．只是也有人作过，若题目多，这个也夹的上．我又有了一个。”湘云道：“快说出来。”宝钗道：“《问菊》如何？"湘云拍案叫妙，因接说道：“我也有了，《访菊》如何？"宝钗也赞有趣，因说道：“越性拟出十个来，写上再来。”说着，二人研墨蘸笔，湘云便写，宝钗便念，一时凑了十个．湘云看了一遍，又笑道：“十个还不成幅，越性凑成十二个便全了，也如人家的字画册页一样。”宝钗听说，又想了两个，一共凑成十二．又说道：“既这样，越性编出他个次序先后来。”湘云道：“如此更妙，竟弄成个菊谱了。”宝钗道：“起首是
霍克斯译文
Some time after this Bao-yu got back. The first thing he did on arrival was to go and look at the autumn crab-flowers. When he had finished admiring them, he went into the house and told Aroma all about the poetry club, after which Aroma told him how she had sent Mamma Song to Shi Xiang-yun’s with a present of things from the Garden. Bao-yu smote his palms together in vexation.
‘Oh, we forgot about her! I knew there was something we ought to have done and hadn’t, but I couldn’t think what it was. I’m glad you’ve reminded me. We must invite her over at once, of course. The poetry club will be nothing without her in it.’
‘I don’t think I’d be in such a hurry to, if I were you,’ said Aroma. ‘It’s only an amusement, this poetry thing, and Miss Shi doesn’t have the time for amusement that the rest of you do. It isn’t as if she were her own mistress, you know. Even if you tell her about this and she wants to come, it doesn’t follow that they’ll let her. Suppose they don’t. She’ll only fret about it; and then all you’ll have done will be to have made her feel miserable for nothing.’
‘That’s no problem,’ said Bao-yu. ‘I shall ask Her Old Ladyship to have her fetched.’
Just then Mamma Song got back, mission completed, bear ing Xiang-yun’s thanks to Aroma for the things.
‘She asked me what Master Bao was doing,’ said the nannie, ‘so I told her that he and the young ladies were starting a poetry club or some such. She was very upset. “Oh!” she said, “are they writing poetry? I wish they’d have told me about it!”’
Bao-yu waited to hear no more. Dashing round to his grandmother’s, he insisted that she should send instantly to have Xiang-yun fetched.
‘It’s too late now,’ said Grandmother Jia. ‘We’ll send for her first thing tomorrow.’
Bao-yu had to be content with that, and went back to his room much downcast. He was round at Grandmother Jia’s first thing next morning again, pestering; but it was not until the early afternoon that Xiang-yun eventually arrived and his equanimity was restored.
As soon as they were all together, Bao-yu began to tell Xiang-yun how the club had come to be founded and what they had done at its first meeting. He was about to show her the poems that they had written, but Li Wan prevented him.
‘Don’t let her see them yet,’ she said. ‘Just tell her the rhymes. As she missed our first meeting, her penalty shall be to make up another poem now, using the same rhymes that we did. If it’s all right, we shall invite her to join the club straight away. If not, she must first entertain us all at our next meeting as a further penalty.’
‘I like that!’ said Xiang-yun, laughing. ‘You should be the ones to pay a penalty, for having forgotten to invite me. Well, show me the rhymes, then. I’m not much good at this sort of thing, but I don’t mind making a fool of myself. As long as you’ll let me join your club, I don’t mind what I have to do sweep the floor and light the incense for you, if you like!’
Delighted to see her so enthusiastic, and still reproaching themselves for having forgotten about her at their inaugural meeting, the rest of them made haste to give her the rhyme-words so that she could begin.
Xiang-yun was much too excited for careful composition. Having, even while they were all talking, concocted a number of verses in her head, she took up a brush and proceeded to write them down, without a single pause for correction, on the first piece of ** that came to hand.
‘There you are!’ she said, handing it to the others. ‘I’ve written two poems using the rhymes you gave me. I don’t know whether they’re any good or not, but at least I have done what was told!’
‘We thought our four had just about scraped the barrel,’ they told her. ‘We couldn’t have written one more poem on the subject, let alone two! Whatever can you have found to say in them? I bet they just repeat what we said in ours.’
But when they looked at the poems, this is what they read.

1

Of late a goddess came down to my door

And planted seeds of white jade in a pot,

From which a wondrous white Frost Maiden grew,

Who, loving cold, all other things loves not.

Last night a cloud passed by, whose autumn shower

Her cold, unweeping eyes with tears did spot;

Since when, the poet here takes up his stay,

To praise her loveliness by night and day.

2

Where flower-fringed steps approach the ivied door,

At the wall’s foot or in a graceful pot—

What flowers do more sad autumn-thoughts inspire

Than these, whose pureness others rival not?

Wax teats their petals seem, by wind congealed,

Or filtered moonlight, flecked with many a spot.

Weep they because the shadows stole away

Their goddess-queen, who now makes dark night day?

The reading of these poems was punctuated at the end of each line with expressions of admiration and surprise, and when they had got to the end, all of them agreed that these two poems had made the exercise a worth-while one and fully justified their naming the new society ‘The Crab-flower Club’.
‘You must let me provide the refreshments tomorrow as my penalty,’ said Xiang-yun. ‘I hope you will all consent to be my guests.’
‘Splendid!’ they said; and proceeded to show her the poems they had written the day before, and to discuss them with her.
杨宪益译文
When Baoyu came back, the first thing he did was to admire the begonia; then, going inside, he told Xiren about the poetry club. She in turn reported how she had sent Nanny Song with the gifts to Xiangyun. He clapped his hands at this.
"How could we forget her?" he cried. "I felt there was something missing, but couldn't think what it was. I'm so glad you mentioned her. I meant to invite her. Our poetry club will be no fun without her."
"It's not all that important - just a way to pass the time," rejoined Xiren. "She's not as free as the rest of you and has no say at home. If you tell her she'll want to come, but she may not be able, and if she can't she'll be terribly disappointed. You'll only be upsetting her."
"That's all right," said Baoyu. "I shall ask my grandmother to send and fetch her."
Just then Nanny Song came back to report on her errand. Having expressed Xiangyun's thanks for the gift she told Xiren, "Miss Shi asked what Master Bao was doing. When I told her, 'Writing poems with the young ladies and starting a poetry club,' she was most disappointed you hadn't let her know. Quite a state she was in!"
This made Baoyu go straight to the Lady Dowager to insist that Xiangyun should be fetched at once. When the old lady told him that it was too late and she should be invited first thing the next day, he had to accept this reply and returned dejectedly to his own rooms.
Early the next morning he went back to urge his grandmother to send for Xiangyun, and did not relax until she finally arrived in the afternoon. After greeting her he lost no time in explaining the whole business to her. He was about to show her their poems when Li Wan and the others stopped him.
"Don't show her yet," said Li Wan. "Give her the rhymes. We'll fine her for coming late by making her write a poem in the same metre first. If it's good, we'll welcome her to join the club, if not, she'll have to stand treat first and then we'll think it over.
"You forgot to ask me; it's I who should fine you people," said Xiangyun laughingly. "All right, show me the rhymes. I'm no good, but I don't mind making a fool of myself. Just let me join the club and I'll willingly sweep the ground and burn incense for you.
"How could we forget her yesterday?" cried the others, delighted to find her so full of fun.
They quickly told her the rhymes. Xiangyun was too excited to give careful thought to her poems or to polish them. While chatting with the rest she made up some lines and casually wrote them out.
''I've done two verses using the same rhyme sequence, " she said. ''I don't suppose they're much good, they're just made to order." She handed over her poems for their inspection.
"Our four poems exhausted the subject, we couldn't have written another," they commented. "Yet here you come up with two. How can you have so much to say, unless you're repeating us?"
As they said this they read the poems:

A fairy flew down last night to the capital
And planted in a pot these flowers of rare jade,
Like the goddess of frost who loves the cold,
But not the wandering spirit of some chaste maid.
Whence comes this *** on a dull autumn day?
A night's rain stains its loveliness;
But poets will never tire of singing it,
That it may not pass the day in loneliness.

The others all applauded this, then went on to read the next.

Steps through alpinia lead to an ivy-clad gate;
Fit place, the wall's comer, for this pot set apart;
Love of purity makes the flower hold aloof,
Grief for the autumn breaks its owner's heart;
Wind dries the tears on jade candles.
Crystal screens break up its shadow cast by the moon.
I long to tell the moon goodess its secret,
But in the corridor night fades too soon.

The others exclaimed in delight after each line.
"See what a good idea it was to write poems on the begonia," they said. "How right we were to start our Begonia Club."
"Tomorrow let me pay my penalty by standing treat and calling the first meeting. All right?" proposed Xiangyun.
"Perfect!" they cried. Then they asked her opinion of the poems written the previous day.
That evening Baochai invited Xiangyun to stay with her, and by lamplight Xiangyun outlined her plans for entertaining the others and set ting subjects for poems. But Baochai thought all her proposals unsuitable.
"Since you've called a meeting, you're the hostess," she pointed out. "Although it's just fun, you must make proper provision. Do the thing cheaply but give no grounds for complaints; then everyone can have a good time.
"You're not in charge at home, and the few strings of cash you get each month hardly cover your own expenses; yet you took this on your self quite needlessly. When your aunt hears of it she's bound to scold you. Why, your whole allowance isn't enough to stand treat. Are you going home to ask for more? Or will you ask them here for money?"
This set Xiangyun worrying.
"Actually, I have an idea," continued Baochai. "One of the assistants in our pawnshop has a farm which produces fine crabs, and the other day he sent us several catties. Most of the people here, from the old lady down to those in the Garden, are very partial to crabs. Only the other day aunt talked of inviting the old lady to the Garden to enjoy the fragrant osmanthus and eat some crabs; but she's been too busy to ask her. So don't mention the poetry club but just issue a general invitation, and after the older people have left we can write all the poems we please.
"I'll get my brother to send us a few crates of the biggest crabs with some vats of good wine from our shop, in addition to which we'll prepare four or five tables of other refreshments. That's easily done and we'll all have a good time."
Xiangyun was extremely grateful.
"You've thought it all out!" she exclaimed admiringly.
"I'm only thinking of you," replied Baochai. "You mustn't be touchy or imagine I look down on you, because this is between friends. If you've no objection, I'll tell them to go ahead."
"My dear cousin, you're being touchy instead if you talk like that," said Xiangyun. "However scatter-brained I may be, I know when someone's being good to me. At least I've that much sense. If I didn't look on you as my own elder sister, I wouldn't have confided to you last time all the troubles I have at home."
Accordingly Baochai ordered a serving-woman, "Go and ask my brother to get us several crates of big crabs like those we had the other day. Tomorrow after lunch we're inviting the old lady and my aunt to see the fragrant osmanthus in the Garden. Tell him to be sure not to forget, as I've already issued the invitations."
The old woman went off to do as she was told.
Then Baochai advised Xiangyun, "The themes for verses shouldn't be too outlandish. You can see that the poets of old times didn't go in for far-fetched subjects or freakish rhymes. Such things don't make for good poems and seem rather lowclass. Of course, poetry shouldn't be stereo typed, but we mustn't overdo the emphasis on originality either. So long as our ideas are fresh, the language can't be vulgar. In any case, writing poetry isn't important. Our main jobs are spinning and sewing. If we've time to spare, the proper thing for us is to read a few chapters of some improving book."
Xiangyun, having agreed to this, suggested, "As we wrote poems on the begonia yesterday, I wonder if we could write about the chrysanthe mum this time?"
"Yes, the chrysanthemum is suitable for autumn. The only objection is that too many poems have been written about it in the past."
"That's what I feel. We could hardly avoid plagiarism."
Baochai thought this over.
"I know," she said presently. "We'll lay stress not on the chrysanthe mum but on the people looking at it, and set themes about their reactions to the flower. In this way we shall have tributes to the chrysanthemum as well as descriptions of feeling. This hasn't been done before and can't be too stereotyped. In fact, this combination will have freshness and dis tinction."
"A good idea," agreed Xiangyun. "But how will you introduce the feeling? Give me an example."
After a moment's thought Baochai replied, "A Dream of Chrysan themums for instance."
"Of course. I've got one too. How about The Chrysanthemum's Shadow?"
"Can do, although of course it's been used before. If we have a fair number of themes we can include it. I've thought of another."
"Go on!"
"Questioning the Chrysanthemum."
"Splendid!" Xiangyun clapped one hand on the table. "I know. How d'you like Seeking Out the Chrysanthemum?"
"Good. We may as well think of ten themes and write them out."
They ground ink and dipped in the brush. Xiangyun wrote the themes out at Baochai's dictation, and in no time at all they had ten. After read ing them through Xiangyun said:
"Ten doesn't make a set. Let's have twelve while we're about it, like those albums of calligraphy and painting."
So Baochai thought up two more, making twelve in all.
"In this case let's arrange them in the right order." she said.
"Better still!" cried Xiangyun. "We shall have a chrysanthemum al bum."
"We'll start with Thinking of the Chrysanthemum. After thinking of it we seek it out; so number two will be visiting the Chrysanthemum. After finding it we plant it; so the third will be Planting the Chrysanthe mum. After it has been planted and flowers, we face it and enjoy it; so four is Facing the Chrysanthemum. To enjoy it further we pick it to put in a vase; so five is Displaying the Chrysanthemum. But to bring out its splendour once it is displayed we must write poems about it; so six is Writing About the Chrysanthemum. And as a verse must be accompa nied by a painting, number seven is Painting the Chrysanthemum. Even though we've been to so much trouble over it, we shan't know all its rare qualities unless we ask questions; so eight is Questioning the Chry santhemum. If the flower seems able to understand, we are so thrilled that we want to get closer to it; hence nine is Wearing the Chrysanthe mum.
"This exhausts all that men can do but, as there still remain certain aspects of the flower which can be described, ten and eleven are The Chrysanthemum's Shadow and A Dream of Chrysanthemum. And we end with The Withered Chrysanthemum to sum up all the emotions ex pressed before. In this way we shall cover all the fine sights and occupa tions of autumn."
Xiangyun copied out the themes again in this order and read them through once more.
"What rhymes shall we decide on?" she asked next.
"In general I'm against a hard-and-fast rhyme pattern," replied Baochai. "Why should fine lines be restricted by fixed rhymes? Let's not follow that petty rule but simply set themes. We want everyone to write some fine lines for pleasure, not to make it hard for them."
"I quite agree. In this way we should write better. But there are only five of us. Will each of us have to write on all twelve of these subjects?"
"No, that would be asking too much. We'll just copy out these themes and stipulate that the seven-character lushi form is to be used. We'll put the notice on the wall tomorrow, and people can choose whichever theme they like. If anyone's able to write on all twelve, well and good; but it's all right, too, not to do any. The winner will be the one who writes best and fastest. Once all twelve are done, those who haven't finished must stop and submit to the penalty."
Xiangyun agreed to this and, their plans made, the two girls put out the light and went to bed. If you want to know what followed, read the next chapter.

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