英译散文电子版

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英译散文电子版李大钊历史的道路，不会是坦平的，有时走到艰难险阻的境界。这是全靠雄健的精神才能冲过去的(1)。一条浩浩荡荡的长江大河，有时流到很宽阔的境界(2)，平原无际，一泻万里(3)。有时流到很逼狭的境界，两岸丛山迭岭，绝壁断崖，江河流于期间，回环曲折，极其险峻(4)。民族生命的进展，其经历亦复如是。人类在历史上的生活正如旅行一样。旅途上的征人(5)所经过的地方，有时是坦荡平原，有时是崎岖险路(6)。志于旅途的人，走到平坦的地方，因是高高兴兴地向前走，走到崎岖的境界，俞是奇趣横生(7)，觉得在此奇绝壮绝(8)的境界，俞能感到一种冒险的美趣(9)。中华民族现在所逢的史路，是一段崎岖险阻的道路。在这段道路上，实在亦有一种奇绝壮绝的境至，使我们经过此段道路的人，感得一种壮美的趣味，是非有雄健的精神的，不能够感觉到的。我们的扬子江、黄河，可以代表我们的民族精神，扬子江及黄河遇见沙漠、遇见山峡都是浩浩荡荡的往前流过去，以成其浊流滚滚，一泻万里的魄势(10)。目前的艰难境界，那能阻抑我们民族生命的前进。我们应该拿出雄健的精神，高唱着进行的曲调，在这悲壮歌声中，走过这崎岖险阻的道路。要知(11)在艰难的国运中建造国家，亦是人生最有趣味的事……。NationalCrisisvsHeroicNationLiDazhaoThecourseofhistoryisneversmooth.Itissometimesbesetwithdifficultiesandobstaclesandnothingshortofaheroicspiritcanhelpsurmountthem.Amightylongriversometimesflowsthroughabroadsectionwithplainslyingboundlessoneitherside,itswatersrollingonnon-stopforthousandsuponthousandsofmiles.Sometimesitcomesupagainstanarrowsectionflankedbyhighmountainsandsteepcliffs,windingthroughacoursewithmanyaperiloustwistandturn.Anation,inthecourseofitsdevelopment,fareslikewise.Thehistoricalcourseofman’slifeisjustlikeajourney.Atraveleronalongjourneypassesthroughnowabroad,levelplain,nowarugged,hazardousroad.Whileadeterminedtravelercheerfullycontinueshisjourneyuponreachingasafeandsmoothplace,hefindsitstillmorefascinatingtocometoaruggedplace,theenormouslymagnificentspectacleofwhich,hefeels,isbetterabletogenerateinhimawonderfulsensationofadventure.TheChinesenationisnowconfrontedwitharuggedanddangeroussectionofitshistoricalcourse.Nevertheless,thereisalsointhissectionaspectacleofenormousmagnificencethatinspiresinuspassers-byadelightfulsensationofsplendor.Andthisdelightfulsensation,however,canonlybesharedbythosewithaheroicspirit.TheYangtseRiverandtheYellowRiverarebothsymbolicofournationalspiritthetwomightyriversnegotiatedesertsandgorgesuntiltheirturbidtorrentssurgeforwardwithirresistibleforce.Thepresentnationalcrisiscanneverobstructtheadvanceofournationallife.Letusbraceupourspiritsandmarchthroughthisrugged,dangerousroadtothetuneofoursolemn,stirringsongs.Thegreatestjoyoflife,mindyou,istobuildupourcountryduringitsmostdifficultdays.注释:李大钊此文载于1923年12月20日《新国民》第一卷第2号上，短小隽永，堪称一首诗意盎然的抒情散文诗。作者用象征，比喻等手法，说明历史发展的必然规律以及中国革命面临的艰难险阻。(1)“这是全靠雄健的精神才能冲过去的”译为nothingshortofaheroicspiritcanhelpsurmountthem，其中nothingshortof相当于nothinglessthan或only。(2)“宽阔的境界”须按上下文译为abroadsection。“境界”在这里不宜译为realm、place、area等。(3)“一泻万里”译为rollingonnon-stopforthousandsuponthousandsofmiles，但也可译为rollingonvigorouslyfortensofthousandsofmiles或rollingonforthousandsofmilesatastretch。(4)“回环曲折，极其险峻”译为windingthroughacoursewithmanyaperiloustwistandturn，其中twistandturn来自成语twistsandturns。此句亦可译为followingadangeroustortuouscourse。

1(5)“征人”即“远行之人”，故译“旅途上的征人”为atraveleronalongjourney。(6)“有时……，有时……”译为now……now……（＝sometimes……andsometimes……）。(7)“奇趣横生”意即“极度吸引人”，故译为fascinating。(8)“奇绝壮绝”意即“无限壮观”，故译为theenormouslymagnificentspectacle。(9)“感到一种冒险的美趣”意即“一种敢于冒险的美妙感觉”，原译为awonderfulsensationofadventure。(10)“遇见沙漠，遇见山峡都是浩浩荡荡的往前流过去，以成其浊流滚滚，一泻万里的魄势”译为negotiatedesertsandgorgesuntiltheirturbidtorrentssurgeforwardwithirresistibleforce,其中动词tonegotiate的意思是“顺利通过”（tosucceedingettingpastsomethingdifficult）。又，注意until在这里的用法。它在此不作“直到……为止”解，而是sothatfinally（“以至于……”或“最后”）的意思。(11)“要知”译为mindyou，插入句中。成语mindyou的意思是mindwhatIsay或however,相当于汉语的“请注意”或“说真的”。螃蟹鲁迅老螃蟹觉得不安了，觉得全身太硬了(1)，自己知道要蜕壳(2)了。他跑来跑去的寻。他想寻一个窟穴，躲了身子，将石子堵了穴口，隐隐的蜕壳。他知道外面蜕壳(3)是危险的。身子还软(4)，要被别的螃蟹吃去的。这并非空害怕，他实在亲眼见过。他慌慌张张的走。旁边的螃蟹(5)问他说：“老兄，你何以这般慌？”他说：“我要蜕壳了。”“就在这里蜕不是很好么？我还要帮你呢。”“那可太怕人了。”“你不怕窟穴里的别的东西，却怕我们同种么？”“我不是怕同种。”“那是怕什么呢？”“就怕你要吃掉我(6)。”TheCrabLuXunAnoldcrabgrewrestless.Findinghimselfstiffallover,heknewitwastimeforhimtomoulthisshell.Hedashedhereandthereinsearchofacavetohide.Hewasgoingtoblockupthemouthofcavesothathecouldmoultinsecret.Heknewitwouldbeverydangeroustoshedhisshellintheopenbecause,withhisnewshellstillbeingsoft,hemightbeeatenupbyothercrabs.Thisfearwasnotgroundlessforhehimselfhadreallyseenithappentoothermoultingcrabs.Theoldcrabkeptmovingaboutinahurry.Anearbycrabasked,“Hey,brother,what’stherush?”“Iamgoingtomoult,”answeredtheoldcrab.“Wouldn’titbeallrighttomoultrighthere?Icouldhelpyououtwithit.”“Howhorriblethatwouldbe!”“Youmeanwhileyou’llnotscaredofotherthingsinthecaveyou’rescaredofyourownkind?”“No,I’mnotscaredofmyownkind.”“Thenwhatareyouscaredof?”“Nothingbutbeingeatenupbyyou.”注释:《螃蟹》是近年发现的鲁迅佚文。文章发表于1919年8月间，时值五四运动方兴未艾，作者通过寓言故事，提醒人们新生事物往往有被旧事物消灭于萌芽状态的危险。(1)“觉得全身太硬了”译为Findinghimselfstiffalover，其中allover意即“全身”或“浑身”，作状语短语用。如逐字译为findinghiswholebodystiff并无不可，但语言稍欠地道。(2)“蜕壳”译为tomoulthisshell，其中tomoult为专用语，意同tocastoff。(3)“外面蜕壳”中的“外面”意即“在露天”，故译为（tomoult）intheopen，以代替tomoultoutsidethecave。(4)“身子还软”意即“蜕去旧壳后新壳还软”，故译为withhisnewshellstillbeingsoft。如

2按字面直译为withhisbodystillbeingsoft则欠确切，因“身子”在此指“新壳”，不泛指“躯体”。(5)“旁边的螃蟹”译为Anearbycrab比Ａcrabbesidehim灵活。(6)“就怕你要吃掉我”译为Nothingbutbeingeatenupbyyou,乃I’mscaredofnothingbutbeingeatenupbyyou之略。落花生许地山我们屋后有半亩隙地。母亲说：“让它荒芜着怪可惜，既然你们那么爱吃花生，就辟来做花生园罢(1)。”我们几个姊弟(2)和几个小丫头都很喜欢——买种的买种，动土的动土，灌园的灌园；过了不几个月，居然收获了！妈妈说：“今晚我们可以做一个收获节(3)，也请你们的爹爹来尝尝我们底新花生，如何？”我们都答应了。母亲把花生做成好几样食品(4)，还吩咐这节期要在园里底茅亭举行。那晚上底天色不大好(5)，可是爹爹也来到，实在很难得！爹爹说：“你们爱吃花生吗？”我们都争着答应：“爱！”“谁能把花生底好处说出来？”姊姊说：“花生底气味很美。”哥哥说：“花生可以榨油。”我说：“无论何等人都江堰市可以用贱价买它来吃；都喜欢吃它。这是它的好处。”爹爹说：“花生底用处固然很多；但有一样是很可贵的。这小小的豆(6)不像那好看的苹果、桃子、石榴，把它们底果实悬在枝上，鲜红嫩绿的颜色(7)，令人一望而发生羡慕的心。它只把果子埋在地底，等到成熟，才容人把它挖出来。你们偶然看见一棵花生瑟缩(8)地长在地上，不能立刻辨出它有没有果实，非得等到你接触它才能知道。”我们都说：“是的。”母亲也点点头。爹爹接下去说：“所以你们要像花生(9)，因为它是有用的，不是伟大、好看的东西。”我说：“那么，人要做有用的，不要做伟大、体面的人了。”爹爹说：“这是我对于你们的希望。”我们谈到夜阑才散，所有花生食品虽然没有了，然而父亲底话现在还印在我心版上。PeanutsXuDishanBehindourhousetherelayhalfamouofvacantland.Mothersaid,“it’sapitytoletitliewaste.Sinceyouallliketoeatpeanutssoverymuch,whynotplantsomehere?”thatexhilarateduschildrenandourservantgirlsaswell,andsoonwestartedbuyingseeds,ploughingthelandandwateringtheplants.Wegatheredinagoodharvestjustafteracoupleofmonths!Mothersaid,“HowaboutgivingapartythiseveningtocelebratetheharvestandinvitingyourDaddytohaveatasteofournewly-harvestedpeanuts?”Weallagreed.Mothermadequiteafewvarietiesofgoodiesoutofthepeanuts,andtoldusthatthepartywouldbeheldinthethatchedpaviliononthepeanutplot.Itlookedlikerainthatevening,yet,toourgreatjoy,fathercamenevertheless.“Doyoulikepeanuts?”askedfather.“Yes,wedo!”weviedingivingtheanswer.“Whichofyoucouldnamethegoodthingsinpeanuts?”“Peanutstastegood,”saidmyeldersister.“Peanutsproduceedibleoil,”saidmyelderbrother.“Peanutsaresocheap,”saidI,“thatanyonecanaffordtoeatthem.Peanutsareeveryone’sfavourite.That’swhywecallpeanutsgood.”“It’struethatpeanutshavemanyuses,”saidfather,“butthey’remostbelovedinonerespect.Unlikenice-lookingapples,peachesandpomegranates,whichhangtheirfruitonbranchesandwinpeople’sadmirationwiththeirbrilliantcolours,tinylittlepeanutsburythemselvesundergroundandremainuneartheduntilthey’reripe.Whenyoucomeuponapeanutplantlyingcurledupontheground,youcanneverimmediatelytellwhetherornotitbearanynutsuntilyoutouchthem.”

3“That’strue,”wesaidinunison.Motheralsonodded.“Soyoumusttakeafterpeanuts,”fathercontinued,“becausethey’reusefulthoughnotgreatandnice-looking.”“Thenyoumeanoneshouldbeusefulratherthangreatandnice-looking,”Isaid.“That’swhatIexceptofyou,”fatherconcluded.Wekeptchattinguntilthepartybrokeuplateatnight.Today,thoughnothingisleftofthegoodiesmadeofpeanuts,father’swordsremainengravedinmymind.注释:本文是许地山（1892-1941）的名篇。作者回忆自己童年时代一个小小片断，以朴实无华、清新自然的笔调，从花生的平凡而有用，谈到做人的道理，富于哲理，反映他身处旧社会的污泥浊流而洁身自好、不慕虚名的思想境界。(1)原句也可译为whynothavethemplantedhere或whynotmakeapeanutplotofit，但现译更直截了当，且避免在同一句中重复peanuts一词。(2)“几姊弟”在下文将涉及，为防累赘，译为children。(3)“做一个收获节”不宜直译为holdaharvestfestival，现取意译。(4)“食品”也可译为food，但不如goodies贴切；goodies指“好吃的东西”，常用于口语。(5)“那晚上底天色不大好”译为Itlookedlikerainthatevening,符合原意和英语习惯。(6)“这小小的豆”译为tinylittlepeanuts。英语中常把tiny和little用在一起，有“小得可怜（爱）”等含意。(7)“鲜红嫩绿”不宜直译，译brilliantcolours即可。(8)“瑟缩”意即“蜷曲而不舒展”，故有现译。(9)“你们要像花生”译为youmusttakeafterpeanuts，其中takeafter是成语，意即take……asanexample（学习……的榜样）。差不多先生传胡适你知道中国最有名的人是谁？提起此人，人人皆晓，处处闻名。他姓差，名不多(1)，是各省各县各村人氏。你一定见过他，一定听说过别人谈起他。差不多先生的名字天天挂在大家的口头，因为他是中国全国人的代表。差不多先生的相貌和你和我都差不多。他有一双眼睛，但看的不很清楚；他有两只耳朵，但听的不很分明；有鼻子和嘴，但他对于气味和口味都不很讲究。他的脑子也不小，但他的记性却不很精明，他的思想也不很细密(2)。他常常说：“凡事只要差不多，就好了。何必太精明呢？”他小的时候，他妈叫他去买红糖，他买了白糖回来。他妈骂他，他摇摇头说：“红糖白糖不是差不多吗？”他在学堂的时候，先生问他：“直隶省(3)的西边是哪一省？”他说是陕西。先生说：“错了。是山西，不是陕西。”他说：“陕西同山西，不是差不多吗？”后来他在一个钱铺(4)里做伙计，他也会写，也会算，只是总不会精细。十字常常写成千字，千字常常写成十字。掌柜的生气了，常常骂他。他只是笑嘻嘻地赔小心道：“千字比十字只多一小撇，不是差不多吗？”有一天他为了一件要紧的事，要搭火车到上海去。他从从容容地走到火车站，迟了两分钟，火车已经开走了。他白瞪着眼，望着远远的火车上煤烟，摇摇头道：“只好明天再走了，今天走同明天走，也差不多。可是火车公司未免太认真了。8点30分开，同8点32分开，不是差不多吗？“他一面说，一面慢慢地走回家，心里总不明白为什么火车不肯等他两分钟。有一天，他忽然得了急病，赶快叫家人去请东街的汪医生。那家人急急忙忙地跑去，一时寻不着东街的汪大夫，却把西街牛医王大夫请来了。差不多先生病在床上，知道寻错了人；但病急了，身上痛苦，心里焦急，等不得了，心里想道：“好在王大夫同汪大夫也差不多，让他试试看罢。”于是这位牛医王大夫走近床前，用医牛的法子给差不多先生治病。不上一点钟，差不多先生就一命呜呼了。差不多先生差不多要死的时候，一口气断断续续地说道：“活人同死人也……差……差不多，……凡事只要……差……差……不多……就……好了，……何……何……必……太……太认真呢？”他说完了这句格言(5)，方才绝气了。他死后，大家都很称赞差不多先生样样事情看得破，想得通(6)；大家都说他一生不肯认真，不肯算账，不肯计较，真是一位有德行的人。于是大家给他取个死后的法号，叫他做圆通大师。

4他的名誉越传越远，越久越大。无数无数的人都学他的榜样。于是人人都成了一个差不多先生。——然而中国从此就成为一个懒人国了。Mr.About-theSameHuShihDoyouknowwhoisthemostwell-knownpersoninChina?Thenameofthispersonisahouseholdwordalloverthecountry.HisnameisChaandhisgivenname,Buduo,whichaltogethermean“AbouttheSame”.Heisanativeofeveryprovince,everycountryandeveryvillageinthiscountry.Youmusthaveseenorheardaboutthisperson.HisnameisalwaysonthelipsofeverybodybecauseheisrepresentativeofthewholeChinesenation.Mr.ChaBuduohasthesamephysiognomyasyouandI.Hehasapairofeyes,butdoesn’tseeclearly.Hehasapairofears,butdoesn’thearwell.Hehasanoseandamouth,butlacksakeensenseofsmellandtaste.Hisbrainisnonetoosmall,butheisweakinmemoryandsloppyinthinking.Heoftensays:“whateverwedo,it’sOKtobejustaboutright.What’stheuseofbeingpreciseandaccurate:”Oneday,whenhewasachild,hismothersenthimouttobuyhersomebrownsugar,buthereturnedwithsomewhitesugarinstead.Ashismotherscoldedhimaboutit,heshookhisheadandsaid,“Brownsugarorwhitesugar,aren’ttheyaboutthesame?”Onedayinschool,theteacheraskedhim,“WhichprovincebordersHebeionthewest?”Heanswered,“Shaanxi,”Theteachercorrectedhim,“Youarewrong.It’sShanxi,NotShaanxi.”Heretorted,“ShaanxiorShanxi,aren’ttheyaboutthesame?”LaterMr.ChaBuduoservedasanassistantatamoneyshop.Hecouldwriteandcalculateallright,buthismathematicswere/wasoftenfaulty.HewouldmistaketheChinesecharacter十（meaning10）for千（meaning1000）orviceversa.Theshopownerwasinfuriatedandoftentookhimtotask.Buthewouldonlyexplainapologeticallywithagrin,“Thecharacter千differsfrom十inmerelyhavingoneadditionalshortstroke.Aren’ttheyaboutthesame?”Oneday,hewantedtogotoShanghaibytrainonurgentbusiness.Buthearrivedattherailwaystationunhurriedlyonlytofindthetrainalreadygone,becausehewastwominuteslate.Hestoodstaringhelplesslyatthesmokebelchingfromthediminishingtrain,andshookhishead,“Well,allIcandoisleavetomorrow.Afterall,todayandtomorrowareaboutthesame.Butisn’ttherailwaytakingittooseriously?What’sthedifferencebetweendepartingat8:30and8:32?”Hewalkedhomeslowlywhiletalkingtohimselfandkeptpuzzlingoverwhythetrainhadn’twaitedforhimfortwominutesmore.OnedayhesuddenlyfellillandimmediatelytoldoneofhisfamilytofetchDr.WangofEastStreet.Thelatterwentinhurry,butcouldn’tfindthephysicianonEastStreet.SohefetchedinsteadVeterinarianWangofWestStreet.Mr.ChaBuduo,lyingonhissickbed,knewthatawrongpersonhadbeenbroughthome.But,whatwithpainandworry,hecouldillaffordtowaitanylonger.Sohesaidtohimself,“Luckily,VetWangisaboutthesameasDr.Wang.WhynotletVetWanghaveatry?”there-upon,theveterinarianwalkeduptohisbedtoworkonhimasifhewereacow.Consequently,Mr.ChaBuduokickedthebucketbeforeanhourwasout.WhenMr.ChaBuduowasabouttobreathehislast,heutteredintermittentlyinonebreath,“Liveordie,it’sabout…about…thesame…Whateverwedo…it’sOK…tobe…just…justaboutright...Why…why…takeit…soseriously?”assoonashefinishedthispetphraseofhis,hestoppedbreathing.AfterMr.ChaBuduodeath,peopleallpraisedhimforhiswayofseeingthingsandhisphilosophicalapproachtolife.Theysaythatherefusedtotakethingsseriouslyallhislifeandthathewasnevercalculatingorparticularaboutpersonalgainsorlosses.SotheycalledhimavirtuousmanandhonoredhimwiththeposthumousreverenttitleMasterofEasy-Going.Hisnamehasspreadfarandwideandbecomemoreandmorecelebratedwiththepassingoftime.Innumerablepeoplehavecometofollowhisexample,sothateverybodyhasbecomeaMr.ChaBuduo.Butlo,Chinawillhencebeanationoflazybones!

5注释：胡适（1891-1962）的《差不多先生传》是一篇针砭社会陋习的讽刺小品，1924年6月28日发表在《申报·平民周刊》的创刊号上，曾不胫而走，传诵一时。此文至今读来，犹感有极深刻的现实意义。(1)“他姓差，名不多”如仅仅译为HisnameisChaandhisgivenname,Buduo，外国读者只知其音，不知其意，故在后面加补充说明whichaltogethermean“AbouttheSame”。(2)“他的思想也不很细密”译为Heis…sloppyinthinking,其中sloppy作“无条理”、“凌乱”解。(3)“直隶”为旧省名，即今之“河北”，故译为Ｈebei。(4)“钱铺”又称“钱庄”，大多仅从事兑换业务，后为银行所代替。“钱铺”可译为privatebank或bankinghouse，但均不如money(exchange)shop确切。(5)“格言”在这里意同“口头语”，现参照上下文译为petphrase。(6)“想得通”意即“达观”或“随遇而安”，故译为philosophicalapproachtolife。不要抛弃学问(1)胡适诸位毕业同学，你们现在要离开母校了，我没有什么礼物送给你们，只好送你们一句话罢。这一句话是：“不要抛弃学问。”以前的功课也许有一大部分是为这张文凭，不得已而做的，从今而后，你们可以依自己的心愿去自由研究了(2)。趁现在年富力强的时候，努力做一种学问。少年是一去不复返的，等到精力衰时，努力做学问(3)也来不及了。即为吃饭计，学问决不会辜负人的(4)。吃饭而不求学问，三年五年后，你们都江堰市要被后来少年淘汰掉的。到那时再想做点学问来补救，恐怕已太晚了。有人说：“出去做事之后，生活问题急需解决，哪有工夫去读书？即使要做学问，既没有图书馆，又没有实验室，哪能做学问？”我要对你们说：凡是要等到有了图书馆才读书的，有了图书馆也不肯读书。凡是要等到有了实验室才做研究的，有了实验室也不肯做研究。你有了决心要研究一个问题，自然会撙衣节食(5)去买书，自然会想出来法子来设置仪器。至于时间，更不成问题(6)。达尔文一生多病，不能多作工，每天只能做一点钟的工作。你们看他的成绩！每天花一点钟看10页有用的书，每年可看3600多页书，30年可读11万页书。诸位，11万页书可以使你成一个学者了，可是，每天看三种小报也得费你一点钟的工夫，四圈麻将也得费你一点半钟的光阴。看小报呢，还打麻将呢？还是努力做一个学者呢？全靠你们自己的选择(7)！易卜生说：“你的最大责任是把你这块材料铸造成器。”学问便是铸器的工具。抛弃了学问便是毁了你们自己。再会了！你们的母校眼睁睁地要看(8)你们十年之后成什么器。NeverGiveUpthePursuitofLearningHuShihDearstudentsoftheGraduatingClass,Asyouareleavingyouralmamater,Ihavenothingtoofferyouasagiftexceptawordofadvice.Myadviceis,“Nevergiveupthepursuitoflearning.”Youhaveperhapsfinishedyourcollegecoursesmostlyforobtainingthediploma,or,inotherwords,outofsheernecessity.However,fromnowyouarefreetofollowyourownbentinthechoiceofstudies.Whileyouareintheprimeoflife,whynotdevoteyourselvestoaspecialfieldofstudy?Youthwillsoonbegonenevertoreturn.Anditwillbetoolateforyoutogointoscholarshipwheninyourdecliningyears.Knowledgewilldoyouagoodturnevenasameansofsubsistence.Ifyougiveupstudieswhileholdingajob,youwillinacoupleofyearshavehadyourselvesreplacedbyyoungerpeople.Itwillthenbetoolatetoremedythesituationbypickingupstudiesagain.Somepeoplesay,“Onceyouhaveajob,you’llcomeupagainsttheurgentproblemofmakingaliving.Howcanyoumanagetofindtimetostudy?Evenifyouwantto,willitbepossiblewithnolibraryornolaboratoryavailable?”Nowletmetellyouthis.Thosewhorefusetostudyforlackofalibrarywillmostprobablycontinuetodosoeventhoughthereisalibrary.Andthosewhorefusetodoresearchforlackofalaboratorywillmostprobablycontinuetodosoeventhoughalaboratoryisavailable.Aslongasyousetyourmindonstudies,youwillnaturallycutdownonfoodandclothingtobuybooksordoeverythingpossibletoacquirenecessaryinstruments.

6Timeisnoobject.CharlesDarwincouldonlyworkonehouradayduetoillhealth.Yetwhataremarkablemanhewas!Ifyouspendonehouradayreading10pagesofabook,youcanfinishmorethan3600pagesayear,and110000pagesin30years.Dearstudents,110000pageswillbequiteenoughtomakealearnedmanofman.Itwilltakeyouonehourtoreadthreetabloidsaday,andoneandhalfhourstofinishfourroundsofmah-jongaday.Readingtabloids,playingmah-jongorstrivingtobealearnedman,thechoicelieswithyou.HenrikIbsensays,“itisyoursupremedutytocastyourselfintoausefulimplement.”Learningisthecastingmould.Forsakelearning,andyouwillruinyourself.Farewell!Youralmamateriswatchingeagerlytoseewhatwillbecomeofyoutenyearsfromnow.注释：本文是胡适1928-1930年在上海任中国公学校长时为毕业生所作赠言，至今仍有参考价值。(1)“不要抛弃学问”在这里的意思是“不要放弃对学问的追求”，因此不能直译为NeverGiveupLearning，必须加字：NeverGiveupthePursuitofLearning。(2)“你们可以依自己的心愿去自由研究了”译为youarefreetofollowyourpersonalbentinthechoiceofstudies，其中tofollowone’sbent是成语，和tofollowone’sinclination同义，作“做自己感兴趣或爱做的事”解。(3)“做学问”译为togointoscholarship,等于toengageinlearning。(4)“学问决不会辜负人的”译为Knowledgewilldoyouagoodturn，其中todooneagoodturn是成语，作“做对某人有益的事”解.(5)“撙衣节食”即“省吃省穿”，现译为cutdownonfoodandclothing,其中tocutdownon是成语，与toeconomizeon同义，作“节约”解。又，上语也可译为tolivefrugally。(6)“至于时间，更不成问题”译为Timeisnoobject,其中noobject是成语，等于noproblem，作“不成问题”或“不在话下”解。(7)“全靠你们自己的选择”译为thechoicelieswithyou或itisuptoyoutomakethechoice。(8)“你们的母校眼睁睁地要看……”中的“眼睁睁地”通常的意思是“无可奈何地”，现在这里作“热切地”解，故译为eagerly。我之于书(1)夏丐尊二十年来，我的生活费中至少十分之一二是消耗在书上的(2)。我的房子里(3)比较贵重的东西就是书。我一向没有对于任何问题作高深研究的野心，因之所以买的书范围较广，宗教、艺术、文学、社会、哲学、历史、生物，各方面差不多都有一点。最多的是各国文学名著的译本，与本国古来的诗文集，别的门类只是些概论等类的入门书而已。我不喜欢向别人或图书馆借书。借来的书，在我好像过不来瘾似的(4)，必要是自己买的才满足。这也可谓是一种占有的欲望。买到了几册新书，一册一册在加盖藏书印(5)记，我最感到快悦的是这时候。书籍到了我的手里，我的习惯是先看序文，次看目录。页数不多的往往立刻通读(6)，篇幅大的，只把正文任择一二章节略加翻阅，就插在书架上。除小说外，我少有全体读完的大部的书，只凭了购入当时的记忆，知道某册书是何种性质，其中大概有些什么可取的材料而已。什么书在什么时候再去读再去翻，连我自己也无把握，完全要看一个时期一个时期的兴趣。关于这事，我常自比为古时的皇帝，而把插在架上的书籍诸列屋而居的宫女(7)。我虽爱买书，而对于书却不甚爱惜。读书的时候，常在书上把我认为要紧的处所标出。线装书竟用红铅笔划粗粗的线。经我看过的书，统计统体干净的很少。据说，任何爱吃糖果的人，只要叫他到糖果铺中去做事，见了糖果就会生厌。自我入书店以后，对于书的贪念也已消除了不少了，可不免要故态复萌(8)，想买这种，想买那种。这大概因为糖果要用嘴去吃，摆存毫无意义，而书则可以买了不看，任其只管插在架上的缘故吧。BooksandIXiaMianzunFortwentyyearspast,bookshaveeatenintoatleast10-20percentofmypocket.Nowtheonlythingsofsomevalueundermyroof,ifany,aremybooks.SinceIhaveneverentertainedambitionformakingaprofoundstudyofanysubject,thebooksIhaveacquiredcoveralmosteverything--religion,art,literature,sociology,

7philosophy,history,biology,etc.MostofthemareChinesetranslationsofliteraryworksbyfamousforeignwritersandanthologiesofChinesepoetryandprosethroughtheages.Therest,oftencalledanoutlineorintroduction,aremerelyonrudimentsofvarioussubjects.Inevercaretoborrowbooksfromotherpeopleoralibrary.Itseemsthatbooksboughtcanbettersatisfymybibliomaniathanbooksborrowed.Youmayalsoattributethistosomesortofdesireforpersonalpossession.WheneverIhavesomenewacquisitions,italwaysgivesmegreatpleasureandsatisfactiontostampmyex-librisonthemonebyone.Assoonasanewbookcomestohand,Ialwaysreadtheprefacefirstandthenthetableofcontents.Ifithappenstobeathinone,Ioftenfinishreadingitatonesitting.Otherwise,Ioftenbrowsethroughoneortwochaptersorsectionsbeforeputtingitontomybookshelf.Iseldomreadathickbookfromcovertocoverunlessitisanovel.Bydintofthefirstimpressionitmadeonmeatthetimeofbuying,Ihavearoughideaofwhatabookisaboutandwhatusefulmaterialsinitareavailabletome.ButIhavelittleideawhichbookistobereadorlookedoveragainatwhattime.Itiscompletelysubjecttothewhimsofthemoment.Thisoftenpromptsmetolikenmyselfandthebooksonmyshelvesrespectivelytoanancientemperorandhisconcubineshousedseparatelyinarowofadjoiningrooms.MuchasIlovebooks,Itakelittlecareofthem.Indoingmyreading,IoftenmarkoutwhatIregardasimportantinabook.Ifitisathread-boundChinesebook,Iuseawritingbrushtodrawsmallcirclesasmarkings.Otherwise,Iusearedpenciltodrawheavyunderlines.Consequently,thebooksIhavereadarerarelyclean.Itissaidthatthosewhohaveagreatlikingforcandieswillsickentoseethemwhenlatertheyhappentoworkinacandystore.Likewise,eversinceIbegantoworkinabookstore,myobsessionwithbookshasbeenverymuchonthedecline.Nevertheless,Istillcannothelpslippingbackintothesameoldrut,eagertobuythisandthatbook.Thisisprobablybecausecandiesaretobeeatenwiththemouthandnotworthkeepingasknick-knackswhilebookscanbeboughtwithoutbeingreadandjustleftonashelf.注释：夏丐尊（1886-1946）浙江上虞人，著名文学家、教育家、出版家。他的文学创作以散文为主，多随笔、杂感，内容积极，风格平淡朴素。此文于1933年11月发表在《中学生》杂志上。(1)“我之于书”译为BooksandI，比IandBooks符合英语习惯，读音也较顺口。(2)“我的生活费中至少十分之一二是消耗在书上的”译为bookshaveeatenintoatleast10-20percentofmypocket，其中成语toeatinto作“耗尽”或“花费”解，意同touseup或tospendgradually；pocket作“腰包”解。(3)“我的房子里”译为undermyroof,意同inmyhouse。(4)“好像过不来瘾似的”中的“瘾”指“藏书癖”，故译为bibliomania，意即desireorpassionforcollectingbooks。(5)“藏书印”译为ex-libris，为专用语。(6)“往往立刻通读”译为Ioftenfinishreadingitatonesitting，其中atonesitting（亦作atasitting）为成语，作“坐着一口气”或“一下子”解。(7)“宫女”本可译为courtladies或palacemaids，但原文实际上指的是“妃子”，故译为concubines。(8)“故态复萌”译为slippingbackintothesameoldrut，或relapsingintomyoldhabit。中年人的寂寞夏丐尊我已是一个中年的人。一到中年，就有许多不愉快的现象，眼睛昏花了，记忆力减退了，头发开始秃脱(1)而且变白了，意兴，体力，什么都不如年青的时候，常不禁会感觉到难以名言的(2)寂寞的情味。尤其觉得难堪的是知友的逐渐减少(3)和疏远，缺乏交际上的温暖的慰藉。不消说，相识的人数是随了年龄增加的，一个人年龄越大，走过的地方当过的职务越多，相识的人理该越增加了。可是相识的人并不就是朋友。我们和许多人相识，或是因了事务关系，或是因了偶然的机缘(4)——如在别人请客的时候同席吃过饭之类。见面时点头或握手，有事时走访或通信，口头上彼此也“朋友”，笔头上有时或称“仁兄”，诸如此类，其实只是一种社交上的客套，和“顿首”“百拜”同是仪式的虚伪(5)。这种交际可以说是社交，和真正的友谊相差似乎很远。真正的朋友，恐怕要算“总角之交”或“竹马之交”了(6)。在小学和中学的时代

8容易结成真实的友谊，那时彼此尚不感到生活的压迫，入世未深，打算计较的念头也少，朋友的结成全由于志趣相近或性情适合，差不多可以说是“无所为”的(7)，性质比较纯粹。二十岁以后结成的友谊，大概已不免搀有各种各样的颜色分子在内；至于三十岁四十岁以后的朋友中间，颜色分子愈多，友谊的真实成分也就不免因而愈少了。这并不一定是“人心不古”(8)，实可以说是人生的悲剧。人到了成年以后，彼此都有生活的重担须负，入世既深，顾忌的方面也自然加多起来，在交际上不许你不计较，不许你不打算，结果彼此都“勾心斗角”(9)，像七巧板似地只选定了某一方面和对方接合(10)。这样的接合当然是很不坚固的，尤其是现代这样什么都到了尖锐化的时代。在我自己的交游中，最值得系念的老是一此少年时代以来的朋友。这些朋友本来数目就不多，有些住在远地，连相会的机会也不可多得。他们有的年龄大过了我，有的小我几岁，都江堰市是中年以上的人了，平日各人所走的方向不同。思想趣味境遇也都不免互异，大家晤谈起来，也常会遇到说不出的隔膜的情形。如大家话旧，旧事是彼此共喻的，而且大半都江堰市是少年时代的事，“旧游如梦”，把梦也似的过去的少年时代重提，因谈话的进行，同时会联想起许多当时的事情，许多当时的人的面影，这时好象自己仍回归到少年时代去了(11)。我常在这种时候感到一种快乐，同时也感到一种伤感，那情形好比老妇人突然在抽屉里或箱子里发见了她盛年时的影片。逢到和旧友谈话，就不知不觉地把话题转到旧事上去，这是我的习惯。我在这上面无意识地会感到一种温暖地慰藉。可是这些旧友一年比一年减少了，本来只是屈指可数的几个，少去一个是无法弥补的。我每当听到一个旧友死去的消息，总要惆怅多时。学校教育给我们的好处不但只是灌输知识，最大的好处恐怕还在给与我们求友的机会上。这好处我到了离学校以后才知道，这几年来更确切地体会到，深悔当时毫不自觉，马马虎虎地过去了。近来每日早晚在路上见到两两三三的携了手或挽了肩膀走着的青年学生，我总艳羡他们有朋友之乐，暗暗地要在心中替他们祝福。Mid-lifeLonelinessXiaMianzunIamalreadyamiddle-agedman.Atmiddleage,Ifeelsadtofindmyeyesightandmemoryfailing,myhairthinningandgraying,andmyselfnolongermentallyandphysicallyasfitaswhenIwasyoung.Ioftensufferfromanamelessloneliness.Themostintolerableofallisthelackoffriendlywarmthandcomfortduetothegradualpassingawayandestrangementofmoreandmoreoldpals.Needlesstosay,thenumberofacquaintancesincreaseswithone’sage.Theolderonegets,themorewidelytraveledoneisandthemoreworkexperienceonehas,themoreacquaintancesoneissupposedtohave.Butnotallacquaintancesarefriends.Wecometoknowmanypeopleeitherinthewayofbusinessorbymerechance–say,havingbeenatthesametableatadinnerparty.Wemaybeonnoddingorhand-shakingterms,calleachother“friend”,sometimeswritetoeachotherwiththesalutationof“DearSo-and-So”,etc.,etc.Alltheseare,infact,nothingbutcivilitiesofsociallife,ashypocriticalasthepoliteformuladunshou(kowtow)orbaibai(ahundredgreetings)usedafterthesignatureinold-fashionedChineseletter-writing.Wemaycallthemsocialintercourse,buttheyseemtohaveverylittleincommonwithgenuinefriendship.Realfriendshipbetweentwopersonsoriginatesperhapsfromthetimeoflifewhentheywerechildrenplayinginnocentlytogether.Realfriendshipiseasilyformedinprimaryormiddleschooldayswhen,beingsociallyinexperiencedandfreefromtheburdenoflife,yougivelittlethoughttopersonalgainsorlosses,andmakefriendsentirelyasaresultofsimilartastesandinterestsorcongenialdisposition.Itissortof“friendshipforfriendship’ssake”andisrelativelypureinnature.Friendshipamongpeopleintheir20's,however,ismoreorlesscolouredbypersonalmotives.Andfriendshipamongthoseagedover30becomescorrespondinglystilllesspureasitgetsevenmorecoloured.Thoughthisisnotnecessarilydueto"degenerationofpublicmorality",Idohavegoodreasonstocallitthetragedyoflife.Peopleatmiddleage,withtheheavyburdenoflifeandmuchexperienceinthewaysoftheworld,havemorescruplesaboutthisandthat,andcannotchoosebutbecomemorecalculatinginsocialdealingstilltheystartschemingagainsteachother.Theyalwayskeepawaryeye,asitwere,oneachotherintheirassociation.Suchassociationisofcoursefragile,especiallyinthismodernageofprevailingsharpconflicts.Ofallmyfriends,thoseIhaveknownsincechild-hoodaremostworthyofremembrance.Theyarefewinnumber.Someofthemlivefarawayandweseldomhaveanopportunitytoseeeachother.SomeofthemareolderthanIam,andsomeafewyearsyounger.Butallofusareinlatemid-life.Sincewehaveeachfollowedadifferentcourse

9inlife,ourwaysofthinking,interestsandcircumstancesareboundtodiffer,andoftenwelackmutualunderstandingsomehoworotherinourconversation.Nevertheless,whenwetalkoveroldtimes,wewillalwaysagreeonthingsinthepast--mostlyaboutthingsinourchildhooddays.Whileweretellthedream-likechildhooddaysinthecourseofourconversation,numerousscenesandpersonsofbygonedayswillunfoldagainbeforeoureyes,andwewillfeellikerelivingtheolddays.Oftenatthismoment,I'llfeelatoncehappyandsad--likeanoldladysuddenlyfishingoutfromherdrawerorchestaphotoofhertakeninthebloomofheryouth.Whenchattingawaywithmyoldfriends,Iaminthehabitofunwittinglychannelingthetopicofconversationtowardthingsofformerdays.FromthatIunknowinglyderivesomesortofwarmsolace.Butoldfriendsaredwindlingawayyearbyyear.Theyareoriginallyfewinnumber,sothedisappearanceofanyofthemisanirreparablelosstome.Thenewsofanyoldpal'sdeathwillinvariablymakemesadinmyheartforalong,longtime.Theimpartingofknowledgeisnotthesoleadvantageofschooleducation.Itsgreatestadvantageisperhapstheopportunityitaffordsusformakingfriends.ItwasnotuntilIhadalreadyleftschoolthatIbegantorealizethisadvantage.AndinrecentyearsIhavecometounderstanditevenmoredeeply.Imuchregrethavingcarelesslyfritteredawaymyschooldayswithoutmakingmanyfriends.Recently,everymorningorevening,wheneverIseeschoolkidswithsatchelswalkingintwosandthrees,handinhandorshouldertoshoulder,Ialwaysenvythemforenjoyinghappyfriendship,andinwardlyofferthemmybestwishes.注释：本文发表在1934年11月的《中学生》杂志上，文章用平淡的语言诉说了中年人的苦恼，感叹“真实的友谊”不可多得，字里行间流泄出对当时现状的不满。(1)“头发开始秃脱”指头发开始变稀，也可译为myheadbalding。今译myhairthinning，以hair取代head，是为了照顾下面的graying一字。(2)“难以名言的”译为nameless，意同indescribable，但nameless常用来指不好的事物，如：anamelessfear、namelessatrocities。(3)“逐渐减少”在原文指逐渐作古，如直译为thegradualdwindlingaway则未能明确表达“死去”的意思。故译为gradualpassingaway.(4)“我们和许多人相识，或是因为事务关系，或是因了偶然的机缘……”译为Wecometoknowmanypeopleeitherinthewayofbusinessorbymerechance…，其中inthewayof是成语，作“为了”解。成语inthewayof可有若干不同的意思，如“关于”、“以……的方法”，“为了”等，须由上下文来决定。(5)“和‘顿首’‘百拜’同是仪式的虚伪”译为ashypocriticalasthepoliteformuladunshou(kowtow)orbaibai(ahundredgreetings)usedafterthesignatureinold-fashionedChineseletter-writing。其中kowtow,ahundredgreetings以及usedafterthesignatureinoldfashionedChineseletter-writing均为译者的补充说明，属一种释义译法。(6)“真正的朋友，恐怕要算‘总角之交’或‘竹马之交’了”译为Realfriendshipbetweentwopersonsoriginatesperhapsfromthetimeoflifewhentheywerechildrenplayinginnocentlytogether，其中“总角之交”和“竹马之交”合而为一，用意译法处理。(7)“差不多可以说是‘无所为’的”译为Itissortof“friendshipforfriendship’ssake”，其中sortof（有几分）用来表达“差不多可以说”。又“无所为”意即“无其它目的”或“无条件的”，故译为friendshipforfriendship’ssake（为友谊而友谊的）。(8)“这并一定是‘人心不古’”译为Thoughthisisnotnecessarilydueto“degenerationofpublicmorality”。也可考虑采用另一译法：Thoughthisshouldnotbeascribedexclusivelyto“degenerationofpublicmorality”。(9)“结果彼此都‘勾心斗角’”译为tilltheystartschemingagainsteachother。注意其中till的一种特殊用法。它在这里指“结果”，意即sothat、finally或andatlast，不作“直到……为止”解。(10)“像七巧板似地只选定了某一方面和对方接合”不宜直译。现按“人们在交往中互相提防，互存戒心”的内涵，用意译法处理：Theyalwayskeepawaryeye,asitwere,oneachotherintheirassociation，其中插入语asitwere作“似乎”、“可以说”等解。(11)“这时好像自己仍回归到少年时代去了”译为andwefeellikerelivingtheolddays，其中torelive作“（凭想象）重新过……的生活”(toexperience…again,especiallyinimagination)解。我坐了木船叶圣陶从重庆到汉口，我坐了木船。木船危险，当然知道。一路上数不清的滩，礁石随处都是，要出事，随时可以出。还有盗匪(1)——实在是最可怜的同胞，他们种地没得吃，有力气没处出卖，当了兵经

10常饿肚皮，无可奈何只好出此下策(2)。——假如遇见了，把铺盖或者身上衣服带下去，也是异常难处的事儿(3)。但是，回转来想，从前没有轮船，没有飞机，历来走川江(4)的人都坐木船。就是如今，上上下下的还有许多人在那里坐木船，如果统计起来，人数该比坐轮船坐飞机的多。人家可以坐，我就不能坐吗？我又不比人家高贵。至于危险，不考虑也罢。轮船飞机就不危险吗？安步当车似乎最稳妥了，可是人家屋檐边也可以掉下一张瓦片来。要绝对避免危险就莫要做人(5)。要坐轮船坐飞机，自然也有办法(6)。只要往各方去请托，找关系，或者干脆买张黑票。先说黑票，且不谈付出超过定额的钱，力有不及，心有不甘(7)，单单一个“黑”字，就叫你不愿领教。“黑”字表示作弊，表示越出常轨。你买黑票，无异同作弊，赞助越出常轨(8)。一个人既不能独立转移风气，也该在消极方面有所自守，邦同作弊，赞助越出常轨的事儿，总可以免了吧，——这自然是书生之见(9)，不免通达的人一笑。再说请托找关系，听人家说他们的经验，简直与谋差使一样的麻烦。在传达室恭候，在会客室恭候(10)，幸而见了那要见的人，他听说你要设法买船票，或是飞机票，爱理不理的答复你说，“困难呢……下个星期再来打听吧……”于是你觉得好像有一线希望，又好像毫无把握，只得挨到下星期再去。跑了不知多少趟，总算有眉目了(11)，又得往这一处签字，那一处盖章，看种种的脸色，候种种的传唤，为的是得一份充分的证据，可以去换张票子。票子到手，身分可以改变了，什么机关的部属，什么长的秘书，什么人的本人或是父亲，或者姓名仍旧，或者必须改名换姓，总之要与你自己暂时脱离关系。最有味的是冒充什么部的士兵(12)，非但改名换姓，还得穿上灰布棉军服，腰间束条皮带。我听了这些，就死了请托找关系的念头。即使饿得要死，也不定要去奉承颜色谋差使，为了一张票子去求教人家，不说我自己犯不着，人家也太费心。重庆的路又那么难走，公共汽车站排队往往等上一个半钟头，天天为了票子去跑，实在吃不消。再说与自己暂时脱离关系，换上他人的身分，虽然人家不大爱惜名气，我可不愿滥用那些那些名气。我不是部属，不是秘书，不是某人，不是某人的父亲，我是我。我毫无成就，样样不长进，我可不愿与任何人易地而处，无论长期的或是暂时的。为了走一趟路，必须易地而处，在我总觉着像被剥夺了什么似的。至于穿灰布棉衣更为难了，为了走一趟路才穿上那套衣服，岂不亵渎了那套衣服(13)？亵渎的人固然不少，我可总不忍——这一套又是书生之见。抱着书生之见，我决定坐木船。木船比不上轮船，更比不上飞机，千真万确。可是绝对不用找关系，也无所谓黑票。你要船，找运输行，或者自己到码头上去找，找着了，言明价钱，多少钱坐到汉口，每块钱花得明明白白(14)。在这一点上，我觉得木船好极了(15)，我可以不说一句讨情的话，不看一副难看的嘴脸，堂堂正正的凭我的身分东西归。这是大多数坐轮船坐飞机的朋友办不到的，我可有这种骄傲。决定了之后，有两位朋友特来劝阻，一位从李家沱，一位从柏滨，不怕水程跋涉，为的是关爱我，瞧得起我。他们说了种种理由，预想了种种可能的障害，结末说，还是再考虑一下的好。我真感谢他们，当然不敢说不必再行考虑，只好带玩笑的说，“吉人天相，“安慰他们激动的心情。现在，他们接到我平安到达的消息了，他们也真的安慰了。ITookaWoodenBoatYeShengtaoItookawoodenboatfromChongqingtoHankou.OfcourseIknowitisriskytotravelbywoodenboat.Withcountlessshoalsandreefstonegotiate,accidentsmayhappenanytime.Tocomplicatematters,therearebanditslurkingaround－thosepitifulfellowcountrymenwho,unabletowardoffstarvationbyfarmingorsoldieringorwhatnot,havebeenreducedtothedisreputablebusinessasalastresort.I’llbeinarealfixiftheyshouldrobmeof,say,mybeddingorclothes.Now,onreflection,Irealizethatinthedaysbeforesteamersandaircraftcameintouse,peopleusedtotravelbywoodenboatupanddowntheSichuansectionoftheYangtseRiver.Eventoday,manycontinuetodoso,andstatisticwillinvariablyshowahigherpercentageofpeopletravellingbywoodenboatthanbysteameroraircraft.Whyshouldn’tIdothesame?WhyshouldIthinkitbeneathmyselftotravelbywoodenboat?Asforsafety,isitlessdangeroustotravelbysteameroraircraft?Goingonfootseemstobethebestchoice,butatilefallingofftheeavesofsomebody’shousemightproveequallydisastroustofootpassengers.Enjoyingabsolutesafetyishumanlyimpossible.ItstandstoreasonthatIcangobysteameroraircraftifIcareto.Icansimplygoaroundfishingforhelporpersonalconnections,orjustbuya“black”ticket.ButI’llhavetopaymorethantheregularpricefora“black”ticket,whichIcanillaffordandwhichI

11disdaintodo.Andtheveryword“black”generatesinmeafeelingofrepulsion.“Black”signifiedfraudorillegalpractice.Buyinga“black”ticketisasgoodasgettinginvolvedinafraudoranillegalpractice.Ifitisbeyondone’scapacitytosingle-handedlystemtheprevailingsocialevils,oneshouldatleastbeself-disciplinedsoasnottomakemattersworse.Allthisisundoubtedlythepedanticviewofbookishperson—aviewwhichmustsoundridiculoustoallsensiblegentlemen.Somepeoplehavetoldmefromtheirownexperiencethatsolicitinghelporspeakingpersonalconnectionsissomethingasdifficultashuntingforajob.Youmaybekeptcoolingyourheelsinajanitor’sofficeorareceptionroombeforeaninterviewisgranted.Hearingthatyouaretryingtogetasteamerorairticket,themuchsought-afterinterviewmayreplyinacoldandindifferentmanner,“Ah,that’sdifficult…Comeseemenextweek…”Thereuponyouseemtoseearayofhope,andyoumayalsofeeltotallyuncertainofsuccess.Allyoucandoiswaituntilthen.Aftermakingyoudon’tknowhowmanyvisits,thereeventuallyappearsignsofpositiveoutcome.Thenyouhavetogohereandtheretogetasignatureoraseal,meetwithallsortsofcoldreceptionandwaitforallsortsofsummonses—allforthepurposeofobtainingausefulcertificatetobuyaticketwith.Oncewithaticketinhand,yourstatusautomaticallychanges.Youcannowcallyourselftheemployeeofcertaingovernmentofficeorcertainofficial’ssecretary.Youcancallyourselfso-and-soorso-and-so’sfather.Youcaneitherkeepyouroriginalnameorhaveitchanged.Inshort,youmusttemporarilybreakoffrelationswithyouroldself.Thefunniestthingiswhenyoutrytopassforasoldierofacertainarmyunit,youmustnotonlyhaveyournamechanged,butalsowearagrey-clothcotton-paddedarmyuniformwithaleatherbeltaroundyourwaist.Allthatkillsmyideaofsolicitinghelporseekingpersonalconnections.IdisdaintogohumblybeggingforajobevenwhenIamstarving,letalonetogoaskingforotherpeople’shelpingettingmeamereticket.Neitherisitnecessaryformetogotoallthattrouble,norshouldIbotherotherpeopleforthatmatter.GoingaroundishardinthecityofChongqing.Youhavetoqueueupforatleast30minutesormoretogetonabus.Itwouldreallybetoomuchformetogoaboutfortheticketeveryday.Astothetemporarydivorcefrommyoldselfandtheconcealingofmyidentity,Ihatetousurpallthosedesignationsthoughotherpeoplemaythinkotherwise.I’mneitheragovernmentemployee,norasecretary,norso-and-so,norso-and-so’sfather.Iammyself.Iamjustanordinarymanwithnourgetodobetter,soIhatetochangeplaceswithanybodyelse,whetherforawhileorforgood.Tochangeplacesjustforthesakeofatripwouldmakemefeellikebeingdeprived.Wouldn’titbesinfulformetowearthegrey-clothcotton-paddedarmyuniformfornothingmorethanmakingasingletrip?Thoughmanyotherpeopleviolatethetaboo,Iformypartcannotbeartodothesame.Thisagainistheimpracticalviewofabookishperson.ItwaswiththisimpracticalviewthatIdecidedtotakeawoodenboat.Itisabsolutelytruethatawoodenboatcannotcomparewithasteamer,muchlessanairplane.Butthereisnoneedforsolicitinghelporseekingpersonalconnections,northeneedfortheso-called“black”ticket.Allyouneedtodoiscontactthetransportcompany,orgodirecttothewharftolookforawoodenboat.Onceyouhavelocatedit,youwillknowwhatthefareisfromChongqingtoHankou,andeverydollarwillbepaidforwhatitisworth,nomore,noless.Ifindthewoodenboatsuperinthisrespect.Iamsavedthehumiliationofbeggingforhelportheneedofconfrontingthenastylookonsomebody’sface.Icantravelwithmytrueidentity.Thisissomethingquitebeyondthemajorityofthosetravellingbysteameroraircraft.Iamproudofit.AfterIhadmadeupmymind,twofriendsofmine,inspiteofthedifficultboatjourneyallthewayfromLiJiaTuoandBaiBinrespectively,cametodissuademefromtakingthewoodenboatoutofconcernandrespectforme.Theyenumeratedvariousreasonsagainstmydecisionaswellasvariouspossiblemishaps,advisingmeintheendtore-considerthematter.Ifeltverygratefultothem,andofcourserefrainedfromshowinganyreluctancetore-considerthematter.Bywayofallayingtheiranxiety,Isaidjokingly,“AgoodguyalwaysenjoysHeaven’sprotection.”Now,thesubsequencenewsofmysafearrivalinHankoumusthavesettheirmindatrest.注释:叶圣陶（1894-1988）原名叶绍钧，江苏苏州人，现代文学家，教育家。《我坐了木船》一文以平淡的口吻叙述他在抗战胜利后乘木船从重庆到汉口的一番经历，对当时的黑暗社会作了无情的鞭挞。(1)“还有盗匪”译为Tocomplicatematters,therearebanditslurkingaround，其中Tocomplicatematters是为承上启下而添加的成分。又，lurkingaround作“潜伏”解，也是添加成分，原文虽无其字，而有其意。(2)“无奈何只好出此下策”译为havebeenreducedtothedisreputablebusinessasalastresort，

12其中disreputablebusiness（不体面的行当）指“下策”。又，reducedto意即“被逼从事……”；asalastresort意即“作为最后一着”。(3)“异常难处的事儿”译为I’llbeinarealfix,其中inafix是成语，作“陷入困境”或“尴尬”解。(4)“川江”即“四川段的长江”，故译为theSichuansectionoftheYangtseRiver。(5)“要绝对避免危险就莫做人”译为“Enjoyingabsolutesafetyishumanlyimpossible，其中humanly意即“从从做人的角度看”。(6)“要坐轮船坐飞机，自然也有办法”译为ItstandstoreasonthatIcangobysteameroraircraftifIcareto，其中Itstandstoreason是成语，意即“当然”。(7)“付出超过定额的钱，力有不及，心有不甘”译为topaymorethantheregularpricefora“black”ticket,whichIcanillaffordandwhichIdisdaintodo。“心有不甘”意即“不屑一干”，故译disdaintodo。(8)“你买黑票，无异同作敝，赞助越出常轨”译为Buyinga“black”ticketisasgoodasgettinginvolvedinafraudoranillegalpractice,其中asgoodas是成语，作“实际上等于”或“与……几乎一样”解。(9)“书生之见”译为thepedanticviewofabookishperson，其中pedanticview意同impracticalview，作“不现实的观点”解。(10)“在传达室恭候，在会客室恭候”译为Youmaybekeptcoolingyourheelsinajanitor’sofficeorareceptionroombeforeaninterviewisgranted，其中coolingyourheels是成语，作“长等”、“空等”解。(11)“跑了不知多少趟，总算有眉目了”译为Aftermakingyoudon’tknowhowmanyvisits,thereeventuallyappearsignsofpositiveoutcome，其中youdon’tknowhow是是插入语，修饰many。(12)“最有味的是冒充什么部的士兵”译为Thefunniestthingiswhenyoutrytopassforasoldierofcertainarmyunit，其中topassfor作“冒充”解。(13)“为了走一趟路才穿上那套衣服，岂不亵渎了那套衣服？”译为Wouldn’titbesinfulformetowearthegrey-clothcotton-paddedarmyuniformfornothingmorethanmakingasingletrip?“亵渎”原作“轻慢”、“冒失”解，用在此处略带讽刺口气，意为“做了不该做的事”，故译为sinful。(14)“每块钱花得明明白白”意即“该花多少就花多少”或“每块钱都花得值得”，故译为everydollarispaidforwhatitisworth。(15)“我觉得木船好极了”译为Ifindthewoodenboatsuperinthisrespect，其中super相当于fantastic或wonderful。背影朱自清我与父亲不相见已二年余了，我最不能忘记的是他的背影。那年冬天，祖母死了，父亲的差使也交卸了，正是祸不单行的日子，我从北京到徐州，打算跟着父亲奔丧回家。到了徐州见着父亲，看见满院狼藉的东西，又想起祖母，不禁簌簌地流下眼泪。父亲说：“事已如此，不必难过，好在天无绝人之路！”回家○1变卖典质，父亲还了亏空；又借了钱办了丧事。这些日子，家中光景很是惨淡，一半为了丧事，一半为了父亲的赋闲○2。丧事完毕，父亲要到南京谋事，我也要回到北京念书，我们便同行。到南京时，有朋友约去游逛，勾留了一日；第二日上午便须渡江到浦口，下午上车北去。父亲因为事忙，本已说定不送我，叫旅馆里一个熟识的茶房○3陪我同去。他再三嘱咐茶房，甚是仔细。但他终于不放心，怕茶房不妥贴，颇踌躇了一会。其实那年我已二十岁，北京来往过两三次，是没有甚么要紧的了。他踌躇了一会，终于决定还是自己送我去。我两三回劝他不必去○4；他只说，“不要紧，他们去不好○5！”我们过了江，进了车站。我买票，他忙着照看行李。行李太多了，得向脚夫行些小费○6，才可过去。他便又忙着和他们讲价钱。我那时真是太聪明过分○7，总觉得他说话不大漂亮○8，非得自己插嘴不可。但他终于讲定了价钱；就送我上车。他给我拣定了靠车门的一张椅子；我将他给我做的紫毛大衣铺好坐位。他嘱我路上小心，夜里要警醒些，不要受凉。又嘱托茶房好好照应我。我心里暗笑他的迂○9；他们只认得钱，托他们直是白托！而且我这样大年纪的人，难道还不能料理自己吗？唉，我现在想想，那时真是太聪明了10！我说道，“爸爸，你走吧。”他望车外看了看，说，“我买几个橘子去。你就在此地，不要走动。”我看那边月台的栅栏外有几个卖东西的的等着顾客。走到那边月台，须穿过铁道，须跳下去又爬上去。父亲是一个胖子，走过去自然要费些事。我本来要去的，他不肯，只好让他去。我看见他戴着黑布小帽。穿着黑布大马褂11，深青布棉袍，蹒跚在走到铁道边，慢慢探身下去，尚不大难。可是他穿过铁道，要爬上那边月台，就不容易了。他用两手攀着上面，两脚再向上缩；他肥胖的身子向左微倾，

13显出努力的样子。这时我看见他的的背影，我眼泪很快地流下来了。我赶紧拭干了泪，怕他看见，也怕别人看见。我再向外看时，他已抱了朱红的橘子往回走了。过铁道时，他先将橘子散放在地上，自己慢慢爬下，再抱起橘子走。到这边时，我赶紧去搀他。他和我走到车上，将橘子一股脑儿放在我的皮大衣上。于是扑扑衣上泥土，心里很轻松似的，过了一会说，“我走了；到那边来信！”我望着他走出去。他走了几步，回过头看见我，说，“进去吧，里边没人12。”等他的背影混入来来往往的人里，再找不着了，我便进来坐下，我的眼泪又来了。近几年来，父亲和我都是东奔西走13，家中的光景是一日不如一日。他少年出外谋生，独力支持，做了许多大事。那知老境却如此颓唐！他触目伤怀，自然不能自己14。情郁于中，自然要发之于外；家庭琐屑便往往触他之怒。他待我渐渐不同往日15。但最近两年的不见，他终于忘却我的不好，只是惦记着我，惦记着我的儿子。我北来后，他写了一信给我，信中说道，“我身体平安，惟膀子疼痛利害，举箸提笔，诸多不便，大约大去16之期不远矣。”我读到此处，在晶莹的泪光中，又看见那肥胖的，青布马褂的背影。唉！我不知何时再能与他相见！TheSightofFather’sBackZhuZiqingItismorethantwoyearssinceIlastsawfather,andwhatIcanneverforgetisthesightofhisback.Misfortunesnevercomesingly.Inthewinterofmorethantwoyearsago,grandmadiedandfatherlosthisjob.IleftBeijingforXuzhoutojoinfatherinhasteninghometoattendgrandma’sfuneral.WhenImetfatherinXuzhou,thesightofthedisorderlymessinhiscourtyardandthethoughofgrandmastartedtearstricklingdownmycheeks.Fathersaid,“Nowthatthings’vecometosuchapass,it’snousecrying.Fortunately,Heavenalwaysleavesoneawayout.”AfterarrivinghomeinYangzhou,fatherpaidoffdebtsbysellingorpawningthings.Healsoborrowedmoneytomeetthefuneralexpenses.Betweengrandma’sfuneralandfather’sunemployment,ourfamilywastheninreducedcircumstances.Afterthefuneralwasover,fatherwastogotoNanjingtolookforajobandIwastoreturntoBeijingtostudy,sowestartedouttogether.IspentthefirstdayinNanjingstrollingaboutwithsomefriendsattheirinvitation,andwasferryingacrosstheYangtseRivertoPukouthenextmorningandthencetakingatrainforBeijingontheafternoonofthesameday.Fathersaidhewastoobusytogoandseemeoffattherailwaystation,butwouldaskahotelwaiterthatheknewtoaccompanymethereinstead.Heurgedthewaiteragainandagaintotakegoodcareofme,butstilldidnotquitetrusthim.Hehesitatedforquiteawhileaboutwhattodo.Asamatteroffact,nothingwouldmatteratallbecauseIwasthentwentyandhadalreadytravelledonBeijing-PukouRailwayacoupleoftimes.Aftersomewavering,hefinallydecidedthathehimselfwouldaccompanymetothestation.Irepeatedlytriedtotalkhimoutofit,butheonlysaid,“Nevermind!Itwon’tdototrustguyslikethosehotelboys!”WeenteredtherailwaystationaftercrossingtheRiver.WhileIwasatthebookingofficebuyingaticket,fathersawtomyluggage.Therewasquiteabitofluggageandhehadtobargainwiththeporteroverthefee.IwasthensuchasmartaleckthatIfrowneduponthewayfatherwashagglingandwasonthevergeofchippinginafewwordswhenthebargainwasfinallyclinched.Gettingonthetrainwithme,hepickedmeaseatclosetothecarriagedoor.Ispreadontheseatthebrownishfur-linedovercoathehadgottailormadeforme.Hetoldmetobewatchfulonthewayandbecarefulnottocatchcoldatnight.healsoaskedthetrainattendantstotakegoodcareofme.Isniggeredatfatherforbeingsoimpractical,foritwasutterlyuselesstoentrustmetothoseattendants,whocaredfornothingbutmoney.Besides,itwascertainlynoproblemforapersonofmyagetolookafterhimself.Oh,whenIcometothinkofit,IcanseehowsmartyIwasinthosedays!Isaid,“Dad,youmightleavenow.”Buthelookedoutofwindowandsaid,“I’mgoingtobuyyousometangerines.Youjuststayhere.Don’tmovearound.”Icaughtsightofseveralvendorswaitingforcustomersoutsidetherailingsbeyondaplatform.Buttoreachthatplatformwouldrequirecrossingtherailwaytrackanddoingsomeclimbingupanddown.Thatwouldbeastrenuousjobforfather,whowasfat.Iwantedtodoallthatmyself,buthestoppedme,soIcoulddonothingbutlethimgo.Iwatchedhimhobbletowardstherailwaytrackinhisblackskullcap,blackclothmandarinjacketanddarkbluecotton-paddedclothlonggown.Hehadlittletroubleclimbingdowntherailwaytrack,butitwasalotmoredifficultforhimtoclimbupthatplatformaftercrossingtherailwaytrack.Hishandsheldontotheupperpartoftheplatform,hislegshuddledupandhiscorpulentbodytippedslightlytowardstheleft,obviouslymakinganenormousexertion.WhileIwaswatchinghimfrombehind,tearsgushedfrommyeyes.Iquicklywipedthemawaylesthe

14orothersshouldcatchmecrying.ThenextmomentwhenIlookedoutofthewindowagain,fatherwasalreadyonthewayback,holdingbrightredtangerinesinbothhands.Incrossingtherailwaytrack,hefirstputthetangerinesontheground,climbeddownslowlyandthenpickedthemupagain.Whenhecamenearthetrain,Ihurriedouttohelphimbythehand.Afterboardingthetrainwithme,helaidallthetangerinesonmyovercoat,andpattingthedirtoffhisclothes,helookedsomewhatrelievedandsaidafterawhile,“Imustbegoingnow.Don’tforgettowritemefromBeijing!”Igazedafterhisbackretreatingoutofthecarriage.Afterafewsteps,helookedbackatmeandsaid,“gobacktoyourseat.Don’tleaveyourthingsalone.”I,however,didnotgobacktomyseatuntilhisfigurewaslostamongcrowdsofpeoplehurryingtoandfroandnolongervisible.Myeyeswereagainwetwithtears.Inrecentyears,bothfatherandIhavebeenlivinganunsettledlife,andthecircumstancesofourfamilygoingfrombadtoworse.Fatherlefthometoseekalivelihoodwhenyounganddidachievequiteafewthingsallonhisown.Tothinkthatheshouldnowbesodowncastinoldage!Thediscouragingstateofaffairsfilledhimwithanuncontrollablefeelingofdeepsorrow,andhispent-upemotionhadtofindavent.Thatiswhyevenmeredomestictrivialitieswouldoftenmakehimangry,andmeanwhilehebecamelessandlessnicewithme.However,theseparationofthelasttwoyearshasmadehimmoreforgivingtowardsme.Hekeepsthinkingaboutmeandmyson.AfterIarrivedinBeijing,hewrotemealetter,inwhichhesays.“I’mallrightexceptforaseverepaininmyarm.Ievenhavetroubleusingchopsticksorwritingbrushes.Perhapsitwon’tbelongnowbeforeIdepartthislife.”ThroughtheglisteningtearswhichthesewordshadbroughttomyeyesIagainsawthebackoffather’scorpulentforminthedarkbluecotton-paddedclothlonggownandtheblackclothmandarinjacket.Oh,howIlongtoseehimagain.注释:《背影》是朱自清（1898-1948）影响最大的抒情名篇之一，写于1925年10月。作者用的提炼的口语，文笔秀丽，细腻缜密，读来有一种亲切婉转、娓娓动听的感觉。但它的巨大艺术魅力主要来自它饱含的真挚感情。(1)“回家”指作者和父亲一起从徐州回扬州奔丧。英译时有必要交代清楚扬州是他们的老家，所以采用加字法：AfterarrivinghomeinYangzhou。(2)“一半为了丧事，一半为了父亲的赋闲”译为BetweenGrandma’sfuneralandfather’sunemployment，其中Between…and…等于Whatwith…and(whatwith)…，作“半因……，半因……”或“由于……的共同影响“解。(3)“茶房”旧时指旅馆、餐馆、轮船等内的服务员，可译为waiter、attendant、boy等。(4)“我两三回劝他不必去”译为Irepeatedlytriedtotalkhimoutofit，比Irepeatedlytriedtodissuadehimfromaccompanyingmetothestation通俗简洁。(5)“他们去不好”中的“他们”指“茶房”，全句意译为Itwon’tdototrustguyslikethosehotelboys。如直译为Itwon’tdotoletoneofthehotelboysgowithyou，也无不可，但未能把“对茶房缺乏信任感”的意思表达出来。(6)“小费”在这里不指按规定价格付费之外另给的“赏金”，不能用tip表达，现译为fee。(7)“我那时真是聪明过分”中的“聪明”是反话，现全句译为Iwasthensuchasmartaleck，其中smartaleck意即“自以为是的人”或“自以为样样懂的人”。(8)“总觉得他说话不大漂亮”意即嫌父亲不会讲价钱，现全句译为Ifrowneduponthewayfatherwashaggling，其中frownedupon作“表示不赞同”解。(9)“迂”在这里作“不切实际”或“没有见识”解，现结合上下文译为impractical。(10)“那时真是太聪明了”也是反语，现译为howsmartyIwasinthosedays，其中smarty和smartaleck同义。(11)“马褂”为旧时男子穿在长袍外的对襟短褂，通常译为mandarinjacket。(12)“里边没人”不宜按字面直译，现译为Don’tleaveyourthingsalone。(13)“父亲和我都是东奔西走”不宜按字面直译，现意译为bothfatherandIhavebeenlivinganunsettledlife。(14)“他触目伤怀，自然情不能自己”意即“他看到家庭败落，情不自禁为之悲伤”，现译为Thediscouragingstateofaffairsfilledhimwithanuncontrollablefeelingofdeepsorrow。(15)“他待我渐渐不同往日”意即“他待我渐渐不如过去那么好”，故译为hebecamelessandlessnicewithme。(16)“大去”为旧时用语，意即“与世长辞”，现译为departthislife。匆匆朱自清燕子去了，有再来的时候；杨柳枯了，在再青的时候；桃花谢了，有再开的时候

151。但是，聪明的，你告诉我，我们的日子为什么一去不复返呢？——是有人偷了他们罢：那是谁？又藏在何处呢？是他们自己逃走了罢：现在又到了那里呢2？我不知道他们给了我多少日子3；但我的手确乎是渐渐空虚了4。在默默里算着，八千多日子已经从我手中溜去5；像针尖上一滴水滴在大海里，我的日子滴在时间的流里，没有声音，也没有影子。我不禁头涔涔而泪潸潸了6。去的尽管去了，来的尽管来着；去来的中间，又怎样地匆匆呢？早上我起来的时候，小屋里射进两三方7斜斜的太阳。太阳他也有脚啊，轻轻悄悄地挪移8了；我也茫茫然跟着旋转。于是——洗手的时候，日子从水盆里过去；吃饭的时候，日子从饭碗里过去；默默时，便从凝然的双眼前过去。我觉察他去的匆匆了，伸出手遮挽时，他又从遮挽着的手边过去，天黑时，我躺在床上，他便伶伶俐俐在从我身上跨过，从我脚边飞去了。等我睁开眼和太阳再见，这算又溜走了一日。我掩着面叹息。但是新来的日子的影儿又开始在叹息里闪过了。在逃去如飞的日子里，在千门万户的世界里的我能做些什么呢？只有徘徊罢了，只有匆匆罢了；在八千多日的匆匆里，除徘徊外，又剩些什么呢？过去的日子如轻烟，被微风吹散了，如薄雾，被初阳蒸融了；我留着些什么痕迹呢？我何曾留着像游丝样的痕迹呢？我赤裸裸来到这世界，转眼间也将赤裸裸的回去罢？但不能平的9，为什么偏要白白走这一遭啊？你聪明的，告诉我，我们的日子为什么一去不复返呢？TransientDaysZhuziqingIfswallowsgoaway,theywillcomebackagain.Ifwillowswither,theywillturngreenagain.Ifpeachblossomsfade,theywillfloweragain.But,tellme,youthewise,whyshouldourdaysgobynevertoreturn?Perhapstheyhavebeenstolenbysomeone.Butwhocoulditbeandwherecouldhehidethem?Perhapstheyhavejustrunawaybythemselves.Butwherecouldtheybeatthepresentmoment?Idon’tknowhowmanydaysIamentitledtoaltogether,butmyquotaofthenisundoubtedlywearingaway.Countingupsilently,Ifindthatmorethan8000dayshavealreadyslippedawaythroughmyfingers.Likeadropofwaterfallingoffaneedlepointintotheocean,mydaysarequietlydrippingintothestreamoftimewithoutleavingatrace.Atthethoughtofthis,sweatoozesfrommyforeheadandtearstrickledownmycheeks.Whatisgoneisgone,whatistocomekeepscoming.Howswiftisthetransitioninbetween!WhenIgetupinthemorning,theslantingsuncaststwoorthreesquarishpatchesoflightintomysmallroom.Thesunhasfeettoo,edgingawaysoftlyandstealthily.And,withoutknowingit,Iamalreadycaughtinitsrevolution.ThusthedayflowsawaythroughthesinkwhenIwashmyhands;vanishesinthericebowlwhenIhavemymeal;passesawayquietlybeforethefixedgazeofmyeyeswhenIamlostinreverie.Awareofitsfleetingpresence,Ireachoutforitonlytofinditbrushingpastmyoutstretchedhands.Intheevening,whenIlieonmybed,itnimblystridesovermybodyandflitspastmyfeet.BythetimewhenIopenmyeyestomeetthesunagain,anotherdayisalreadygone.Iheaveasigh,myheadburiedinmyhands.But,inthemidstofmysighs,anewdayisflashingpast.Livinginthisworldwithitsfleetingdaysandteemingmillions,whatcanIdobutwaverandwanderandliveatransientlife?WhathaveIbeendoingduringthe8000fleetingdaysexceptwaveringandwandering?Thebygonedays,likewispsofsmoke,havebeendispersedbygentlewinds,and,likethinmists,havebeenevaporatedbytherisingsun.WhattraceshaveIleftbehind?No,nothing,notevengossamer-liketraces.Ihavecometothisworldstarknaked,andinthetwinklingofaneye,Iamtogobackasstarknakedasever.However,Iamtakingitverymuchtoheart:whyshouldIbemadetopassthroughthisworldfornothingatall?Oyouthewise,wouldyoutellmeplease:whyshouldourdaysgobynevertoreturn?注释：本文是朱自清的早期散文，写于1922年7月28日。文章充满诗意，对时光的消失深表感叹和无奈，流露出当时青年知识分子的苦闷和忧伤情绪。(1)原文开头三个句子结构类似，译文采用三个相应的句式，力求形似。同时，每句均以if从句为首，使人想起英国诗人雪莱(Shelley)的名句IfWintercomes,canSpringbefaraway，有助于烘托原文的韵味。(2)“现在又到了那里呢”译为Butwherecouldtheybeatthepresentmoment，其中atthepresentmoment等于now，也可用atthemoment或atthemomentintime等表达。(3)“我不知道他们给了我多少日子”译为Idon’tknowhowmanydaysIamentitledto

16altogether，其中entitledto相当于qualifiedfor，作“能有……”或“有权得到……”解。此句也可译为Idon’tknowhowmanydaysbeengiventolive。(4)“但我的手确乎是渐渐空虚了”不宜逐字直译，现以意译法处理：butmyquotaofthemisundoubtedlywearingaway，其中quotaofthem的意思是“一定数额的日子”，也即“寿命的预期数额”。也可用myallottedspan代替myquotaofthem。(5)“八千多日子已经从我手中溜去”译为morethan8000dayshavealreadyslippedawaythroughmyfingers，其中toslipawaythroughone’sfingers是英语习语。(6)“我不禁头涔涔而泪潸潸了”的译文中添加了Atthethoughtofthis（一想到这儿），承上启下，原文虽无其字而有其意。(7)“两三方”译为twoandthreesquarishpatches，其中squarish的意思是“似方形的”比square模糊些，似较可取。(8)“挪移”在此有“慢慢离开”的含义，现以英语短语动词(phrasalverb)toedgeaway表达。注意原文第三段中若干表示动作的词语在译文中均挑选恰当的英语短语动词表达，效果较好。如：“从……（双眼前）过去”译为topassawaybefore…；“伸出手遮挽……”译为toreachoutfor…；“从……（手边）过去”译为tobrushpast…；“从……（身上）跨过”译为tostrideover…；“从……（脚边）飞去了”译为toflitpast…；“闪过去了”译为toflashpast。(9)“不能平的”意即“为之耿耿于怀”或“为之想不开”，现译为Iamtakingitverymuchtoheart，其中totake…toheart是英语成语，作“为……烦恼”或“为……想不开”解。木匠老陈(1)巴金生活的经验固然会叫人忘记许多事情(2)。但是有些记忆过了多少时间的磨洗(3)也不会消灭。故乡里那些房屋，那些街道至今还印在我的脑子里。我还记得我每天到学堂去总要走过的木匠老陈的铺子。木匠老陈那时不过四十岁光景，脸长的像驴子脸，左眼下面有块伤疤，嘴唇上略有几根胡须。大家都说他的相貌丑，但是同时人人称赞他的脾气好。他平日在店里。但是他也经常到相熟的公馆里去做活(4)，或者做包工，或者做零工(5)。我们家里需要木匠的时候，总是去找他。我就在这时候认识他。他在我们家里做活，我只要有空，就跑去看他工作。我那时注意的，并不是他本人，倒是他的那些工具；什么有轮齿的锯子啦，有两个耳朵的刨子啦，会旋转的钻子啦，像图画里板斧一般的斧子啦。这些奇怪的东西我以前全没有看见过。一块粗糙的木头经过了斧子劈，锯子锯，刨子刨，就变成了一方或者一条光滑整齐的木板，再经过钻子、凿子等等工具以后，又变成了各种各样的东西(6)；像美丽的窗格，镂花的壁板等等细致的物件，都是这样制成的。老陈和他的徒弟的工作使我的眼界宽了不少(7)。那时我还在家里读书，祖父聘请了一位前清的老秀才来管教我们。老秀才不知道教授的方法，他只教我们认一些字，呆板地读一些书。此外他就把我们关在书房里，端端正正地坐(8)在凳子上，让时间白白地流过去。过惯了这种单调的生活以后，无怪乎我特别喜欢老陈了。老陈常常弯着腰，拿了尺子和墨线盒在木板上面画什么东西。我便安静地站在旁边专心地望着，连眼珠也不转一下。他画好墨线，便拿起锯子或者凿子来。我有时候觉得有些地方很奇怪，不明白，就问他，他很和气地对我一一说明。他的态度比那个老秀才的好得多(9)。家里人看见我对老陈的工作感到这么大的兴趣，并不来干涉我，却嘲笑地唤我做老陈的徒弟，父亲甚至开玩笑地说要把我送到老陈那里学做木匠。但这些嘲笑都是好意的，父亲的确喜欢我。因此有一个时候我居然相信父亲真有这样的想法，而且我对老陈说过要跟他学做木匠的话。“你要学做木匠？真笑话！有钱的少爷应该读书，将来好做官！穷人的小孩才做木匠，”老陈听见我的话，马上就笑起来。“为什么不该学做木匠？做官有什么好？修房子，做家具，才有趣啊！我做木匠，我要给自己修房子，爬到上面去，爬得高高的，”我看见他不相信我的话，把它只当做小孩子的胡说(10)，我有些生气，就起劲地争论道。“爬得高，会跌下来，”老陈随口说了这一句，他的笑容渐渐地收起来了。“跌下来，你骗我！我就没有见过木匠跌下来。”老陈看我一眼，依旧温和地说：“做木匠修房子，常常拿自己性命来拼。一个不当心在上面滑了脚，跌下来，不跌成肉酱，也会得一辈子的残疾。”他说到这里就埋下头，用力在木板上推他的刨子，木板查查地响着，一卷一卷的刨花接连落在地上。

17他过了半晌又加了一句：“我爹就是这样子跌死的。”我不相信他的话。一个人会活活地跌死！我没有看见过，也没有听见人说过。既然他父亲做木匠跌死了，为什么他现在还做木匠呢？我简直想不通。“你骗我，我不信！那么你为什么还要做木匠？难道你就不怕死！”“做木匠的人这样多，不见得个个都遭横死。我学的是这行手艺，不靠它吃饭又靠什么？“他苦恼地说。然后他抬起头来看我，他的眼角上嵌着泪珠。他哭了！我看见他流眼泪，不知道怎么办才好，就跑开了。不久祖父生病死了，我也进了学堂，不再受那个老秀才的管束了。祖父死后木匠老陈不曾到我们家里来过。但是我每天到学堂去都要经过他那个小小的铺子。有时候他在店里招呼我；有时候他不在，只有一两个徒弟在那里钉凳子或者制造别的对象。他的店起初还能维持下去，但是不久省城里发生了巷战，一连打了三天，然后那两位军阀因为别人的调解又握手言欢了。老陈的店在这个时候遭到“丘八”的光顾，他的一点点积蓄都给抢光了，只剩下一个空铺子(11)。这以后他虽然勉强开店，生意却很萧条。我常常看见他哭丧着脸在店里做工。他的精神颓丧，但是他仍然不停手地做活。我听说他晚上时常到小酒馆里喝酒。又过了几个月他的店终于关了门。我也就看不见他的踪迹了。有人说他去吃粮当了兵(12)，有人说他到外县谋生去了。然而有一天我在街上碰见了他。他手里提着一个篮子，里面装了几件木匠用的工具。“老陈，你还在省城！人家说你吃粮去了(13)！”我快活地大声叫起来。“我只会做木匠，我就只会做木匠！一个人应该安分守己，”他摇摇头微微笑道，他的笑容里带了一点悲哀。他没有什么大改变，只是人瘦了些，脸黑了些，衣服脏了些。“少爷，你好好读书，你将来做了官，我来给你修房子，”他继续笑说。我抓住他的袖子，再也说不出一句话来。他告辞走了。他还告诉我他在他从前一个徒弟的店里帮忙。这个徒弟如今发达了，他却在那里做一个匠人。以后我就没有再看见老陈。我虽然喜欢他，但是过了不几天我又把他忘记了。等到公馆里的轿夫告诉我一个消息的时候，我才记起他来。那个轿夫报告的是什么消息呢？他告诉我：老陈同别的木匠一起在南门一家大公馆里修楼房(14)，工程快要完了，但是不晓得怎样，老陈竟然从楼上跌下来，跌死了。在那么多的木匠里面，偏偏是他跟着他父亲落进了横死的命运圈里。这似乎是偶然，似乎又不是偶然。总之，一个安分守己的人就这样地消灭了(15)。CarpenterLaoChenBaJinLotsofthingsareapttofadefrommemoryasone’slifeexperiencesaccumulate.Butsomememorieswillwithstandthewearandtearoftime.Thosehousesandstreetsinmyhometownstillremainengravedonmymind.IstillcanrecallhoweverydayonmywaytoschoolIwouldinvariablywalkpastCarpenterLaoChen’sshop.CarpenterLaoChenwasthenonlyaboutfortyyearsold,withalongishfacelikethatofadonkey,ascarunderhislefteye,andawispymoustacheonhisupperlip.Peoplesaidhelookedugly,yettheypraisedhimforhisgoodtemper.Heusuallyworkedinhisownshop.Butfromtimetotimehewasemployedbysomerichpeopleheknewwelltoworkattheirresidences,eitherasahiredhandoncontractorasanoddjobber.Whenevermyfamilyneededacarpenter,hewasalwaysthemanwewanted.ThatwashowIgottoknowhim.Whilehewasinourhome,Iwouldcomeouttowatchhimworkinmysparetime.Whatattractedmyattention,however,wasnotthemanhimself,butthetoolsheused,suchasthesawwithtoothedblade,theplanewithtwoear-likehandles,therevolvingdrill–thingsentirelystrangetome.Apieceofcoarsewood,afterbeingprocessedwiththehatchet,sawandplane,wouldbecomepiecesofsmoothandtidywood,squareorrectangularinshape.Afterfurthertreatmentwiththechisel,drill,etc.,theywouldendupasvariouskindsofexquisitearticles,suchasbeautifulwindowlattices,ornamentalengravingsonwoodenpartitions.TheworkwhichLaoChenandhisapprenticesdidwasarealeye-openertome.IwasthenstudyingathomeunderthetutorshipofanoldscholarofQingDynastywhommygrandfatherhadengaged.Theildscholarknewnothingaboutteachingmethods.AllhedidwasmakemelearnsomeChinesecharactersanddosomedullreading.Apartfromthat,hehadmecoopedupinmystudyandsitboltuprightdoingnothingwhiletimewasslipping

18throughmyfingers.Becauseofthismonotonouslife,itwasnowonderthatIdevelopedaparticularlikingforCarpenterLaoChen.Hewasoftenbentoverdrawingsomethingonaplankwitharulerandaninkmarker.AndIwouldstandbyandwatchquietlyandintently,myeyesrivetedonhim.Aftermakingthelinewiththeinkmarker,hewouldpickupthesaworthechisel.Sometimes,whensomethingpuzzledme,Iwouldaskhimquestionsoutofcuriosity,andhewouldexplainpatientlyeverythingindetail.Hewasmuchmoreagreeablethantheoldscholar.Myfolks,however,showednosignofdisapprovalwhentheyfoundmesomuchinterestedinLaoChen’swork,butonlyteasinglycalledmeanapprenticeofhis.FatherevensaidjokinglythathewasgoingtoapprenticemetoLaoChen.Allthatwasthewell-meaningremarksofanaffectionatefather.OnceIevenbelievedthatfatherhadmeantwhathesaid,andIeventoldLaoChenthatthatwasexactlywhatIhadinmind.“Youwanttolearncarpentry?”saidLaoChenimmediatelywithasmile.“Nokidding!Awealthyyoungmasterlikeyoushouldstudyandgrowuptobeagovernmentofficial!Onlypoorpeople’skidslearncarpentry.”Somewhatannoyedbythec=wayheshruggedoffmywordsaschildishnonsense,Iarguedheatedly,“Whynotbecomeacarpenter?What’sthegoodofbeingagovernmentofficial?It’sgreatfuntobuildhousesandmakefurniture.IfI’macarpenter,I’llclimbhighup,veryhighup,tobuildahouseformyself.”“Youmayfalldownifyouclimbhigh,”saidhecasually,thesmileonhisfacefadingaway.“Falldown?You’refoolingme!I’veneverseenacarpenterfalldown.”Shootingaglanceatme,hecontinuedwithundiminishedpatience.“Acarpenteroftenhastoriskhisownlifeinbuildingahouse.Onecarelessslip,andyoufalldown.You’llbedisabledforlife,ifnotreducedtopulp.”Thereupon,hebenthisheadandforcefullypushedhisplaneoveraplank,theshavingsofwhichfellcontinuouslyontothegroundamidstthescreechingsound.Thenheaddedafteramoment’ssilence.“That’showmyfatherdied.”Ijustcouldnotbringmyselftobelieveit.Howcouldamandielikethat?Ihadneverseenithappen,norhadIeverheardofit.Ifhisfatherhaddiedofanaccidentasacarpenter,whyshouldLaoChenhimselfstillbecarpenternow?Ijustcouldn’tfigureitout.“You’refoolingme.Idon’tbelieveyou!Howcomeyou’restillacarpenter?Canyoubeunafraidofdeath?”“Lotsofguysareinthistrade,”hewentongloomily.“itdoesn’tfollowthateverybodymeetswithsuchaviolentdeath.Carpentryismytrade.WhatelsecouldIrelyontomakealiving?”Helookedupatme,someteardropsvisiblefromthecornersofhiseyes.Hewascrying!IwasatalosswhenIsawhimintears,soIwentawayquietly.Notlongafterwards.Mygrandpafellillanddied,andIwasenrolledinaschool,onlongerunderthecontroloftheoldscholar.LaoChennevercameagaintoworkinourhouseholdaftergrandpa’sdeath.Buteverydayonmywaytoschool,Iwouldpasshissmallshop.Sometimeshebeckonedmefromhisshop.Sometimeshewasabsent,leavingacoupleofhisapprenticestherehammeringnailsintoastoolormakingsomeotherarticles.Atfirst,hecouldsomehowscrapealong.Soonstreetfightingbrokeoutintheprovincialcapital,lastingthreedaysuntilthedisputebetweentwowarlordswassettledthroughthemediationofthirdparty.Inthecourseoffighting,soldierslootedLaoChen’sshopuntilitwasemptyofeverything.Afterthat,nevertheless,hestillmanagedtokeephisshopopenthoughbusinesswasbad.Ioftensawhimworkinginhisshopwithasaddenedlookonhisface.Dejectedashewas,heworkedonasusual.Iheardthatheoftenwentdrinkingatasmallwineshopintheevening.Severalmonthslater,hisshopcloseddownforgoodandIlostalltraceofhim.Somesaidhehadgonesoldiering,otherssaidhehadgonetoanothercountytoseekalivelihood.Oneday,however,Iranintohiminthestreet.Hewascarryingabasketfilledwithsomecarpenter’stools.“LaoChen,”Iyelledoutinjoy,“you’restillhereintheprovincialcapital!Peoplesayyou’rejoinedup!”“I’mgoodatnotingelsebutcarpentry!Oneshouldbecontentwithone’slot,”heshookhishead,wearingafaintsmilewithatouchofsorrow.Therewasnotmuchchangeinhimexceptthathewasthinner,hisfacedarkerandhisclothesmoredirty.

19“Youngmaster,”hecontinuedsmilingly,”“youshouldstudyhard.Letmebuildahouseforyoucomedaywhenyou’reagovernmentofficial.”Itookholdofhissleeve,unabletoutteraword.Hesaidgoodbyetomeandwentaway.Hehadtoldmethathewasnowworkingattheshopofformerapprenticeofhis.TheapprenticewasdoingquietwellwhileLaoChenwasnowhishiredhand.ThenceforthIneversawLaoChenagain.MuchasIlikedhim,Isoonforgothim.Itwasnotuntilthesedan-chairbearerofarichhouseholdpassedonmethenewsthatIrememberedhimagain.Whatnewsdidthesedan-chairbearertellme?Hetoldme:tighterwithothercarpenters,wasbuildingamansionforarichhouseholdatthesoutherncitygate.Whenitwasnearingcompletion,itsuddenlycametopassthathefelloffbuildinganddied.WhydidLaoChen,ofallcarpenters,diesuchaviolentdeathlikehisfather?Allthatseemsaccidental,andalsoseemspredestined.Inshort,anhonestmanhasthuspassedoutofexistence.注释：巴金（1903-）的《木匠老陈》写于1934年，后编入他的散文集《生之忏悔》。这是一篇传记体的回忆性文章，充满浓郁的抒情色彩，对旧时淳朴的劳动大众的苦难深表同情。(1)“木匠老陈”译为CarpenterLaoChen，其中Carpenter为称号化名词，故在前面不加任何冠词。这是现代英语中的常见用法。(2)“生活的经验……叫人忘记许多事情”意即“随着生活经历的积累，许多往事，难免给忘了”，故译为Lotsofthingsareapttofadefrommemoryasone’slifeexperiencesaccumulate。(3)“时间的磨洗”意即“岁月的腐蚀”，现译为thewearandtearoftime，其中wearandtear是英语成语，作“磨损”（lossanddamageresultingfromuse）。(4)“他……到相熟的公馆里去做活”中的“公馆”指“大户”、“有钱人家”，故全句译为hewasemployedbysomerichpeopleheknewwelltoworkattheirresidences。(5)“包工”指“按合同合同操作”，“零工”指“不按合同操作”，故两者按上下文分别译为ahiredhandoncontract和anodd-jobber。(6)“又变成各种各样（细致）的东西”译为wouldendupasvariouskindsofexquisitearticles，其中endup是成语，作“最终成为”解。这里使用它是为了避免重复前句中的become一词。(7)“……使我的眼界宽了不少”译为……wasarealeye-openertome，其中eye-opener作“使人大开眼界的事物”(somethingeverysurprising,fromwhichonelearnerssomethingunknownbefore)解，通常和revelation意相近。(8)“端端正正地坐……”译为sitboltupright…，其中boltupright是常用搭配，bolt可与tosit或tostand等连用，作“笔直”解。此句也可译为sitverystraight…。(9)“他的态度比那个老秀才的好多了”中的“好”的意思是“令人愉快”或“易于相处”，故全句译为Hewasmuchmoreagreeablethantheoldscholar，其中agreeable意即“易于相处”（pleasant或likable）。(10)“……不相信我的话，把它当作小孩子的胡说”译为……shruggedoffmywordsaschildishnonsense，其中shruggedoff是英语成语，本作“耸肩对……表示不屑理睬”解，现指“不当一回事”，与toignore意同。(11)“老陈的店……遭到‘丘八’的光顾，他的一点点积蓄都给抢光了，只剩下一个空铺子”中的“丘八”为旧时对士兵的轻蔑称呼，现全句译为soldierslootedLaoChen’sshopuntilitwasemptyofeverything，其中until一词的意思不是“直到……为止”，而是“以至于”（tothepointthat/sothatfinally/andatlast）。(12)“有人说他去吃粮当了兵”中的“吃粮”旧时和“当兵”同义，现全句译为Somesaidhehadgonesoldering即可。(13)“人家说你吃粮去了！”译为Peoplesayyou’vejoinedup，其中tojoinup为成语，意同tojointhearmy。(14)“在……一家大公馆修楼房”译为wasbuildingamansionforarichhousehold，其中mansion的意思是“大楼”（alargehouse，usuallybelongingtoawealthyperson）。如按字面把“楼房”译为alargemulti-storiedhouse未尝不可，但欠简练。(15)“总之，一个安分守己的人就这样地消灭了”一句带有“惋惜”、“同情”的口气，故译为Inshort,anhonestmanhasthuspassedoutofexistence，其中hasthuspassedoutofexistence似比hasthusperished确切。朋友巴金这一次的旅行使我更了解一个名词的意义，这个名词就是：朋友。

20七八天以前我曾对一个初次见面的朋友说：“在朋友们面前我只感到惭愧(1)。你们待我太好了，我简直没法报答你们。”这并不是谦虚的客气话，这是真的事实。说过这些话，我第二天就离开了那个朋友，并不知道以后还有没有机会再看见他。但是他给我的那一点点温暖至今还使我的心颤动(2)。我的生命大概不会很长久罢。然而在短促的过去的回顾中却有一盏明灯，照彻了我的灵魂的黑暗，使我的生存有一点光彩。这盏灯就是就友情。我应该感谢它，因为靠了它我才能够活到现在；而且把旧家庭给我留下的阴影扫除了的也正是它。世间有不少的人为了家庭抛弃朋友，至少也会在家庭和朋友之间划一个界限，把家庭看得比朋友重过若干倍。这似乎是很自然的事情。我也曾亲眼看见一些人结婚以后就离开朋友，离开事业。……朋友是暂时的，家庭是永久的。在好些人的行为里我发见了这个信条。这个信条在我实在是不可理解的。对于我，要是没有朋友，我现在会变成怎样可怜的东西，我自己也不知道(3)。然而朋友们把我救了。他们给了我家庭所不能给的东西。他们的友爱，他们的帮助，他们的鼓励，几次把我从深渊的边沿救回来。他们对我表示了无限的慷慨(4)。我的生活曾经是悲苦的，黑暗的。然而朋友们把多量的同情，多量的爱，多量的欢乐，多量的眼泪分了给我，这些东西都是生存所必需的。这些不要报答的慷慨的施舍，使我的生活里也有了温暖，有了幸福(5)。我默默地接受了它们。我并不曾说一句感激的话，我也没有做过一件报答的行为。但是朋友们却不把自私的形容词加到我的身上。对于我，他们太慷慨了(6)。这一次我走了许多新地方，看见了许多新朋友。我的生活是忙碌的：忙着看，忙着听，忙着说，忙着走。但是我不曾遇到一点困难，朋友们给我准备好了一切，使我不会缺少什么。我每走到一个新地方，我就像回到我那个在上海被日本兵毁掉的旧居一样。每一个朋友，不管他自己的生活是怎样苦，怎样简单，也要慷慨地分一些东西给我，虽然明知道我不能够报答他。有些朋友，连他们的名字我以前也不知道，他们却关心我的健康，处处打听我的“病况”，直到他们看见了我那被日光晒黑了的脸和膀子，他们才放心地微笑了，这种情形的确值得人掉泪。有人相信我不写文章就不能够生活。两个月以前，一个同情我的上海朋友寄稿到《广州民国日报》的副刊，说了许多关于我的生活的话。他也说我一天不写文章第二天就没有饭吃(7)。这是不确实的。这次旅行就给我证明；即使我不再写一个字，朋友们也不肯让我冻馁。世间还有许多慷慨的人，他们并不把自己个人和家庭看得异常重要，超过一切。靠了他们我才能够活到现在，而且靠了他们我还要活下去。朋友们给我的东西是太多、太多了(8)。我将怎样报答他们呢？但是我知道他们是不需要报答的。最近我在一个法国哲学家的书里读到了这样的话：“生命的一个条件就是消费……世间有一种不能跟生存分开的慷慨，要是没有了它，我们就会死，就会从内部干枯。我们必须开花。道德，无私心就是人生的花。”在我的眼前开放着这么多的人生的花朵了。我的生命要到什么时候才会开花？难道我已经是“内部干枯”了吗？一个朋友说过：“我若是灯，我就要用我的光明来照彻黑暗。”我不配做一盏明灯。那么就让我做一块木柴罢。我愿意把我从太阳那里受到的热放散出来，我愿意把自己烧得粉身碎骨给人间添一点点温暖。FriendsBaJinOnmyrecenttravels,Icametorealizestillmorefullythesignificanceoftheword“friend”.Sevenoreightdaysago,IsaidtoafriendwhomIhadjustcometoknow,“Ican’thelpfeelingembarrassedbeforemyfriends.You’reallsonicetome.Isimplydon’tknowhowtorepayyourkindness.”Ididnotmakethisremarkoutofmeremodestyandcourtesy.ItrulymeantwhatIsaid.Thenextday,Isaidgoodbyetothisfriend,notknowingifIcouldeverseehimagain.Butthelittlewarmththathegavemehasbeenkeepingmyheartthrobbingwithgratitude.Thelengthofmydayswillnotbeunlimited.However,wheneverIlookbackonmybriefpastlife,Ifindabeaconilluminatingmysoulandtherebylendingalittlebrightnesstomybeing.Thatbeaconisfriendship.Ishouldbegratefultoitbecauseithashelpedmekeepaliveuptonowandclearawaytheshadowleftonmebymyoldfamily.Manypeopleforsaketheirfriendsinfavouroftheirownfamilies,oratleastdrawalineofdemarcationbetweenfamiliesandfriends,consideringtheformertobemanytimes

21moreimportantthanthelatter.Thatseemstobeamatterofcourse.Ihavealsoseenwithmyowneyeshowsomepeopleabandontheirfriendsaswellastheirowncareerssoonaftertheygetmarried…Friendsaretransientwhereasfamilyarelasting—thatisthetenet,asIknow,guidingthebehaviourofmanypeople.Tome,thatisutterlyinconceivable.Withoutfriends,IwouldhavebeenreducedtoIdon’tknowwhatamiserablecreature.Friendsaremysaviours.Theygivemethingswhichitisbeyondmyfamilytogiveme.Thankstotheirfraternallove,assistanceandencouragement,Ihavetimeandagainbeensavedfromfallingintoanabysswhileonitsverge.Theyhavebeenenormouslygeneroustowardsme.Therewasatimewhenmylifewasmiserableandgloomy.Myfriendsthengavemeinlargequantitiessympathy,love,joyandtears—thingsessentialforexistence.ItisduetotheirbountifulfreegiftsthatIalsohavemyshareofwarmthandhappinessinmylife.Iacceptedtheirkindnessesquietlywithouteversayingawordofthanksandwithouteverdoinganythinginreturn.Inspiteofthat,myfriendsneverusedtheepithet“self-centered”whenreferredtome.Theyareonlytoogeneroustowardsme.Ivisitedmanynewplacesandmetnewfriendsonmyrecenttrip.Mytimewasmostlytakenupbylookingaround,listening,talkingandwalking.ButIneverranintoanytroublebecausemyfriendshaddonetheirutmosttomakesurethatIwouldbeshortofnothing.WhatevernewplacesIcalledat,IalwaysfeltathomeasifIwerebackinmyoldresidenceinShanghaiwhichhadbeenalreadybeenragedtothegroundbyJapanesetroops.Nomatterhowhardupandfrugalmyfriendsthemselveswere,theywouldunstintinglysharewithmewhatevertheyhad,althoughtheyknewIwouldnotbeabletorepaythemfortheirkindness.Some,whomIdidnotevenknowbyname,showedconcernovermyhealthandwentaboutinquiringafterme.Itwasnotuntiltheysawmysuntannedfaceandarmsthattheybegantosmileasmileofrelief.Allthatwasenoughtomoveonetotears.Somepeoplebelievethat,withoutwriting,Iwouldlosemylivelihood.Oneofmysympathizers,inanarticlepublishedtwomonthsagointheGuangzhouRepublicDailySupplement,givesafullaccountoftheconditionsofmylife.HealsosaysthatIwouldhavenothingtoliveononceIshouldlaydownmypen.Thatisnottrueatall.IthasalreadybeenprovedbyrecenttravelsthatmyfriendswouldneverletmesufferfromcoldandhungerevenifIshouldgowithoutwritingasingleword.Thereareagreatmanykind-heartedpeopleintheworldwhoneverattachundueimportancetothemselvesandtheirownfamiliesandwhoneverplacethemselvesandtheirfamiliesaboveanythingelse.ItisowingtothemthatIstillsurviveandshallcontinuetosurviveforalongtimetocome.Iowemyfriendsmany,manykindnesses.HowcanIrepaythem?But,Iunderstand,theydon’tneedmetodothat.RecentlyIcameacrossthefollowingwordsinabookbyaFrenchphilosopher:Oneconditionoflifeisconsumption…Survivalinthisworldisinseparablefromgenerosity,withoutwhichwewouldperishandbecomedried-upfromwithin.Wemustputforthflowers.Moralintegrityandunselfishnessaretheflowersoflife.Nowsomanyflowersoflifeareinfullbloombeforemyeyes.Whencanmylifeputforthflowers?AmIalreadydried-upfromwithin?Afriendofminesays,“IfIwerealamp,Iwouldilluminatedarknesswithmylight.”I,however,don’tqualifyforabrightlamp.Letmebeapieceoffirewoodinstead.I’llradiatetheheatthatIhaveabsorbedfromthesun.I’llburnmyselftoashestoprovidethishumanworldwithalittlewarmth.注释：本文是巴金1933年6月写于广州的一篇旅途随笔，赞颂了人间友情之可贵。(1)“在朋友面前我只感到惭愧”中的“惭愧”的意思是“不好意思”，不作“羞愧”解，因此不宜按字面译为ashamed等。可译为embarrassed或illatease等。(2)“使我的心颤动”译为Keepingmyheartthrobbingwithgratitude，其中withgratitude是添加成分，原文虽无其字而有其意。(3)“我现在会变成怎样可怜的东西，我自己也不知道“译为IwouldhavebeenreducedtoIdon’tknowwhatamiserablecreature，其中Idon’tknow作插入语用。(4)“无限的慷慨”译为enormouslygenerous，其中enormously作extremely或exceedingly解，属强化修饰词（intensifyingadjective）。(5)“这些不要报答的慷慨施舍，使我的生活里也有了温暖，有了幸福”译为ItisduetotheirbountifulfreegiftsthatIalsohavemyshareofwarmthandhappinessinmylife，其中bountiful的意思是“慷慨”或

22“大量”；myshareof作“我（也有）的一份”解，用以表达原文中“也”的内涵。(6)“太慷慨”译为onlytoogenerous，其中onlytoo是成语，作very或alltoo解。(7)“一天不写文章第二天就没有饭吃”中的“一天……第二天就……”在译文中用连接词once即可表达。又“没有饭吃”不宜按字面直译，现意译为havenothingtoliveon。(8)“朋友给我的东西是太多、太多了”中的“东西”主要指“帮助”，侧重在精神方面，虽然也可译为things，但在此不如kindnesses(=kindacts)更为贴切。梦巴金据说“至人(1)无梦”。幸而我只是一个平庸的人。我有我的梦中世界，在那里我常常见到你。昨夜又见到你那慈祥的笑容了还是在我们那个老家，在你的房间里，在我的房间里(2)，你亲切地对我讲话。你笑，我也笑。还是成都的那些旧街道，我跟着你一步一步地走过平坦的石板路，我望着你的背影，心里安慰地想：父亲还很康健呢。一种幸福的感觉使我的全身发热了。我那时不会知道我是在梦中，也忘记了二十五年来的艰苦日子。在戏园里，我坐在你旁边，看台上的武戏(3)，你还详细地给我解释剧中情节。我变成二十几年前的孩子了。我高兴，我没有挂虑地微笑(4)，我不假思索地随口讲话。我想不道我在很短的时间以后就会失掉你，失掉这一切。然而睁开眼睛，我只是一个人，四周就只有滴滴的雨声。房里是一片黑暗。没有笑，没有话语。只有雨声：滴——滴——滴。我用力把眼睛睁大，我撩开蚊帐，我在漆黑的空间中找寻你影子。但是从两扇开着的小窗，慢慢地透进来灰白色的亮光，使我的眼睛看见了这个空阔的房间。没有你，没有你的微笑。有的是寂寞、单调。雨一直滴——滴地下着。我唤你，没有回应。我侧耳倾听，没有脚声。我静下来，我的心怦怦地跳动。我听见自己的心的声音。我的心在走路，它慢慢地走过了二十五年，一直到这个夜晚。我于是闭了嘴，我知道你不会再站到我的面前。二十五年前我失掉了你。我从无父的孩子已经长成一个中年人了。雨声继续着，长夜在滴滴声中进行(5)。我的心感到无比的寂寞。怎么，是屋漏么？我的脸颊湿了。小时候我有一个愿望：我愿在你的庇荫下(6)做一世的孩子。现在只有让梦来满足这个愿望了。至少在梦里，我可以见到你，我高兴，我没有挂虑地微笑，我不假思索地随口讲话。为了这个，我应该感谢梦。DreamBaJinItissaidthat“avirtuousmanseldomdream”.Fortunately,Iambutanordinaryman.Idreammyowndream,inwhichIoftenmeetyou.LastnightIagainsawyourkindlysmilingface.Itwasthesameoldhomeofours.Youtalkedtomecordiallynowinyourroom,nowinmyroom.YousmiledandIalsosmiled.ItwasthesameoldstreetsofChengdu.Ifollowedyoustepbysteponthesmoothflagstones.Lookingatyoufrombehind,Iinwardlyconsoledmyselfwiththethoughtthatfatherwasstillhaleandhearty.Asensationofblissfulnesswarmedmeupallover.IwasunawarethatIwasinadream.IalsoforgotthehardshipsIhadgonethroughduringthepast25years.WhileIsatbesideyouinsideatheaterwatchingthefightingscenesofPekingopera,youexplaineditsstorytomeingreatdetail.Iwasagainthesmallkidof25yearsbefore.Iwasjoyful,Ismiles,Ichatteredawayfreely.Ididnothavetheslightestinklingthatyoutogetherwitheverythingelsewouldinamomentvanishoutofsight.WhenIopenedmyeyes,IfoundthatIwasallbymyselfandnothingwasheardexceptthepit-a-patofraindrops.Nomoresmile,nomorechitchat.Onlythedripdripdripofrain.Forcingmyeyestoopenwideranddrawingasidethemosquitonet,Ibegantosearchforyouinthepitchdarkness.

23Agreyishlight,nevertheless,edgedinthroughtwosmallwindowstoenablemetoseethespaciousroom.Youandyoursmilewerenomore.Onlylonelinessandmonotonyremained.Therainkeptpitter-pattering.Icalledtoyou,butnoresponse.Ilistenedattentively,butheardnofootsteps.Iquieteddown,myheartbeatinghard.Icouldhearitsthumping.Myhearthadbeentrampingalongallthetime.Uptonow,ithadbeenonitsslowjourneyfor25years.ThereuponIkeptmymouthshut.Iknewyouwouldneverappearstandingbeforeme.Ihadlostyou25yearsbefore.Sincethen,Ihadgrownfromafatherlesschildintoamiddle-agedman.Theraincontinuedtofall.Thelongnightworeonamidstitsdrippingsound.Iwasseizedwithacuteloneliness.Well,wastheroofleaking?Orwasitmytearsthathadwettedmycheeks?WhenIwasyoung,IwishedIcouldremainakidforeverunderyourwing.NowIcanfulfilthiswishonlyinmydreams.Thereinadream,Icanatleastcomefacetofacewithyou.Icanbehappy,Icansmilenaivesmiles,Icanchatterawayfreely.Forallthis,Ishouldbethankfultomydreams.注释:《梦》是巴金写于1941年8月3日的一篇优美散文，后编入他的散文集《龙·虎·狗》中。(1)“至人”在古代反映思想道德达到最高境界的人，现译为avirtuousman。也可译为amanofthehighestvirtue或amanofmoralintegrity等。(2)“在你的房间里，在我的房间里”意即“一回儿在你的房间里，一回儿在我的房间里”，故译为Youtalkedtomenowinyourroom,nowinmyroom。(3)“武戏”指京剧中的武打场面，英译时应在thefightingscents后面加上ofaPekingopera。(4)“没有挂虑地微笑”意即“天真的微笑”，故译为smiledna.vesmiles。(5)“长夜在滴滴声中进行”有时间过得很慢，很沉闷的含义。现全句译为Thelongnightworeonamidstitsdrippingsound，其中towearon是英语成语，用来指时间“缓缓消逝”或“慢慢地挨过”。(6)“在你的庇荫下”译为underyourwing，是英语成语，意同underyourprotectionandcare。《激流》总序(1)巴金几年前我流了眼泪读完托尔斯泰小说《复活》，曾经在扉页上写了一句话：“生活本身就是一个悲剧。”事实并不是这样。生活并不是一个悲剧。它是一个“搏斗”。我们生活来做什么？或者说我们为什么要有这生命？罗曼·罗兰的回答是“为的是来征服它”(2)。我认为他说得不错。我有了生命以来，在这个世界上虽然仅仅经历了二十几个寒暑，但是这短短的时期也并不是白白度过的。这其间我也曾看见了不少的东西，知道了不少的事情。我的周围是无边的黑暗(3)，但是我并不孤独，并不绝望。我无论在什么地方总看见那一股生活的激流在动荡，在创造它自己的道路，通过乱山碎石中间。这激流永远动荡着，并不曾有一个时候停止过，而且它也不能够停止；没有什么东西可以阻止它。在它的途中，它也曾发射出种种的水花，这里面有爱，有恨，有欢乐，也有痛苦。这一切造成了奔腾的一股激流，具有排山之势(4)，向着唯一的海流去。这唯一的海是什么，而且什么时候它才可以流到这海里，就没有人确定地知道了。我跟所有其余的人一样，生活在这世界上，是为着来征服生活。我也曾参加在这个“搏斗”里面。我有我的爱，有我的根，有我的欢乐，也有我的痛苦。但是我并没有失去我的信仰：对于生活的信仰。我的生活还不会结束，我也不知道的在前面还有什么时候东西等着我(5)。然而我对于将来的却也有一点概念。因为过去并不是一个沉默的哑子，它会告诉我们一些事情。在这里我所要展开给读者看的乃是过去十多年生活的一幅图画。自然这里只有生活的一小部分，但已经可以看见那一股由爱与恨、欢乐与受苦所组织成的生活的激流是如何地在动荡了。我不是一个说教者，所以我不能够明确地指出一条路来，但是读者自己可以在里面去找它。有人说过，路本没有，因为走的人多了，便成了一条路。又有人说路是有的，正因为有了路才有许多人走。谁是谁非，我不想判断。我还年轻，我还要活下去，我还要征服生活。我知道生活的激流是不会停止的，且看它把我载到什么地方去！

24PrefacetotheTorrentTrilogyBaJinSeveralyearsago,afterIfinishedreadingLeoTolstoy’sResurrectionwithtearsinmyeyes,Iwroteonitstitlepage,“Lifeitselfisatragedy”.However,thatisnothowthingsare,forlifeisnotatragedy,buta“struggle”.Whatdowelivefor?Orwhydowelivethislifeatall?TheanswergivenbyRomainRollandis“toconquerlife”.Ithinkheisright.EversinceIwasborn,Ihavepassednomorethantwentyoddsummersinthisworld,butthisshortperiodoftimehasnotbeenspentfornothingatall.Ihavesinceseenalotofthingsandcometoknowalotofthings.Thoughitisalldarknessaroundme,Ihaveneverfeltlonely,norhaveIevergivenuphope.EverywhereIgo,Ialwaysseethetorrentoflifetumblingalongtoopenupitswaythroughaconfusedmassofmountainsandrocks.Thistorrentisalwayssurgingahead;ithasneverstoppedforasinglemomentandwillneverstop.Nothingwhatevercanholditup.Whileonitsway,itsometimesthrowscloudsofsprayintotheairembodyingloveandhate,andhappinessandsorrow.Allthatmakesupthetumultuoustorrentrushingwithterrificforcetowardstheonlysea.Nooneknowsforsurewhatthatonlyseaisandwhenthetorrentisgoingtoemptyintoit.Likeeverybodyelse,Iliveinthisworldforthepurposeofconqueringlife.Ihavealsotakenpartinthe“struggle”.Ihavemyownloveandhate,andhappinessandsorrow.ButIhaveneverlostmyfaith—afaithinlife.Thereisstillsomewaytogobeforemyliferunsout,andIdonotknowwhatthefuturehasinstoreforme.Nevertheless,Iamnotwithoutsomeideaofwhatthefutureislikebecausethepast,beingnosilentmute,willgivemesomehint.WhatIunfoldhereintheTrilogybeforemyreadersisapictureoflifeofthepasttenoddyears.Ofcourseitreflectsonlyasmallsectionoflife,butenough,however,toaffordaglimpseoftheturbulenttorrentoflifewithitsloveandhate,happinessandsorrow.Iamnoreligiouspreacher,soIcannotpointoutadefinitewayout.Readersmayherefindawayoutforthemselves.Somesaythatthereisatfirstnoroadatallandthataroadiscreatedsimplybythetreadingofpassers-by.Otherssaythatthereisatfirstalreadyaroadavailablebeforemoreandmorepeoplecometowalkonit.Idonotwanttojudgewhoarerightorwhoarewrong.Iamstillyoung,Iwanttoliveon,Iwanttoconquerlife.Iknowthetorrentoflifewillneverstop.Let’sseewhereisitgoingtocarryme!注释：这篇散文是作者为自己创作的小说《激流三部曲》（《家》、《春》、《秋》）所写的序。(1)标题译为PrefacetotheTorrentTrilogy，其中Trilogy是译者增添的词，用来说明文章是“三部曲”的“总”序。(2)“为的是来征服它”引自罗曼·罗兰关于法国大革命的剧本《爱与死的搏斗》。(3)“无边的黑暗”译为alldarkness，其中all作complete解，是常见的搭配。(4)“具有排山之势”不宜直译。现译意为withterrificforce，其中terrific作verygreat解。(5)“我也不知道在前面还有什么东西等到着我”译为andIdonotknowwhatthefuturehasinstoreforme，其中短语instorefor作waiting或abouttohappen解。做一个战士巴金一个年轻的朋友写信问我：“应该做一个什么样的人？”我回答他：“做一个战士。”另一个朋友问我：“怎样对付生活？(1)”我仍旧答道：“做一个战士。”《战士颂》的作者曾经写过这样的话：“我激荡在这绵绵不息、滂沱四方的生命洪流中，我就应该追逐这洪流，而且追过它，自己去造更广、更深的洪流。”“我如果是一盏灯，这灯的用处便是照彻那多量黑暗。我如果是海潮，便要鼓起波涛(2)去洗涤海边一切陈腐的积物。”这一段话很恰当地写出了战士的心情(3)。在这个时代，战士是最需要的。但是这样的战士并不一定要持枪上战场。他的武器还可以是知识、信仰和坚强的意志。他并不一定要流仇敌的血，却能更有把握地致敌人的死命(4)。战士是永远追求光明的。他并不躺在晴空下享受阳光(5)，却在暗认夜里燃起火炬，给人们照亮道路，使他们走向黎明(6)。驱散黑暗，这是战士的任务。他不躲避黑暗，却要面对黑暗，跟躲藏在阴影里的魑魅、魍魉搏斗。他要消灭它们而取得光明。战士

25是不知道妥协的。他得不到光明便不会停止战斗。战士是永远年轻的，他不犹豫，不休息。他深入人丛中，找寻苍蝇、毒蚊等等危害人类的东西(7)。他不断地攻击它们，不肯与它们共同生存在一个天空下面。对于战士，生活就是不停的战斗。他不是取得光明而生存，便是带着满身伤痕而死去。在战斗中力量只有增长，信仰只有加强。在战斗中给战士指路的是“未来”，“未来”给人以希望和鼓舞。战士永远不会失去青春的活力。战士是不知道灰心与绝望的。他甚至在失败的废墟上，还要堆起破碎的砖石重建九级宝塔。任何打击都不能击破战士的意志。只有在死的时候他才闭上眼睛。战士是不知道畏缩的。他的脚步很坚定。他看定目标，便一直向前走去。他不怕被绊脚石摔倒，没有一种障碍能使他改变心思。假象绝不能迷住战士的眼睛，支配战士的行动的是信仰。他能够忍受一切艰难、痛苦，而达到他所选择的目标。除非他死，人不能使他放弃工作。这便是我们现在需要的战士。这样的战士并不一定具有超人的能力(8)。他是一个平凡的人。每个人都可以做战士，只要他有决心。所以我用“做一个战士”的话来激励那些在彷徨、苦闷中的年轻朋友。BeaFighterBajinAyoungfriendofmineaskedmeinaletter,“WhatkindofmanshouldIbe?Myanswerwas,“Beafighter.”Anotherfriendofmineinquired,“HowshouldIlivemylife?”Againmyanswerwas,“Beafighter.”TheauthorofInPraiseoftheFightersays:Ridingontheceaselessrushingtorrentoflife,Ishouldpursueandovertakeitsoastocreateanevengreateranddeepertorrentofmyown.IfIwerealamp,itwouldbemydutytolightupthickdarkness.IfIweretheseatide,Iwouldmarshalrollingwavestocleansethebeachofallaccumulatedfilth.Thisquotationreflectsaptlythestateofmindofafighter.Fightersarebadlyneededinourtime.Butsuchfightersdonotnecessarilygotothebattlefieldguninhand.Theirweaponsarenotnecessarilybullets.Theirweaponsmaybeknowledge,faithandstrongwill.Theycanbringtheenemysuredeathwithoutdrawinghisblood.Afighterisalwaysinpursuitoflight.Insteadofbaskinginthesunshineunderaclearsky,heholdsaburningtorchinthedarknessofnighttoilluminatepeople’swaysothattheycancontinuetheirjourneytilltheyseethedawnofanewday.Itisthetaskofafightertodispeldarkness.Insteadofshirkingdarkness,hebravesitandfightsthehiddendemonsandmonsterstherein.Heisdeterminedtowipethemoutandwinlight.Heknowsnocompromise.Hewillkeeponfightinguntilhewinslight.Afighterisperenniallyyoung.Heisneverirresoluteorinactive.Heplungesdeepintoteemingcrowdsinsearchofsuchverminasfliesandvenomousmosquitoes.Hewillflightthemrelentlesslyandrefusetocoexistwiththemunderthesamesky.Tohim,lifemeansnothingbutcontinuousfighting.Heeithersurvivesbywinninglight,orperisheswithhisbodycoveredalloverwithcutsandbruises.Fightingjustservestoincreasehisstaminaandstrengthenhisfaith.Inthecourseofthestruggle,itisthe“future”thatservesasthebeaconlighttohim;the“future”givespeoplehopeandinspiration.Hewillneverlosehisyouthfulvigour.Afighterwillneverloseheartordespair.Hewillpileupbrokenpiecesofbrickandstonetorebuiltanine-storypagodaontheruinsoffailure.Noblowswilleverbreakhiswill.Hewillneverclosehiseyesuntilhehasbreathedhislast.Afighterisalwaysfearless.Hisstepsarefirm.Oncehehassettledonanobjective,hewillpressrightahead.Heisneverafraidofbeingtrippedbyastumblingblock.Noobstacleswillevermakehimchangehismind.Hiseyeswillneverbehoodwinkedbyfalseappearances.Hisactionsareguidedbyfaith.Hecanendureanyhardshipsorsufferingswhilestrivingtoattainhischosenobjective.Hewillneverabandonworkaslongasheisalive.Thisisthekindoffighterwenowneed.Heisnotnecessarilypossessedofsuperhumancapability.Heisjustanordinaryperson.Anyonecanbefightersolongashehasthedetermination.Henceafewwordsofmineabout“beingafighter”toencouragethoseyoungpeoplewhowanderaboutinadepressedstate,notknowingwhichwaytogo.注释：《做一个战士》写于1938年，时值抗战初期，文章表达了作者自己的高昂思想情怀和对青

26年们的殷切期望。(1)“怎样对付生活？”意即“怎样生活？”，故译为HowshouldIlivemylife?(2)“鼓起波涛”中的“鼓起”意即“集结”或“动员”，因此“鼓起波涛”译为marshalrollingwaves。(3)“战士的心情”译为thestateofmindofafighter或theframeofmindofafighter均可。(4)“并不一定要流仇敌的血，却能更有把握地致敌人的死命”译为canbringtheenemysuredeathwithoutdrawinghisblood，其中theenemy在指“敌军”、“敌国”、“敌对势力”时是集合名词（collectivenoun），动词用复数或单数均可。“仇敌的血”可译为hisblood、theirblood或itsblood。(5)“躺在晴空下享受阳光”译为baskinginthesunshineunderaclearsky，其中basking除作“取暖”解外，并有“舒适”、“享受”的含义。(6)“走向黎明”译为continuetheirjourneytilltheyseethedawnofnewday,其中see和ofanewday均为添加成份，用以烘托原意。(7)“危害人类的东西”译为vermin，为复数，本指老鼠、虱子等害虫，意同pests。(8)“具有超人的能力”译为is…possessedofsuperhumancapability，其中possessedof为惯用搭配，与inpossessionof或having同义。笑冰心雨声渐渐的住了，窗帘后隐隐的透进清光来。推开窗户一看，呀！凉云散了，树叶上的残滴，映着月儿，好似萤光千点(1)，闪闪烁烁的动着。——真没想到苦雨孤灯之后，会有这么一幅清美的图画(2)！凭窗站了一会儿，微微的觉得凉意侵入。转过身来，忽然眼花缭乱，屋子里的别的东西，都隐在光云里；一片幽辉，只浸着墙上画中的安琪儿(3)。——这白衣安琪儿，抱着花儿，扬着翅儿，向着我微微的笑。“这笑容仿佛在那儿看见过似的，什么时候，我曾……”我不知不觉的便坐在窗口下想，——默默的想。严闭的心幕，慢慢的拉开了，涌出五年前的一个印象。——一条很长的古道。驴脚下的泥，兀自滑滑的。田沟里的水，潺潺的流着。近村的绿树，都笼在湿烟里。弓儿似的新月，挂在树梢(4)。一边走着，似乎道旁有一个孩子，抱着一堆灿白的东西。驴儿过去了，无意中回头一看。——他抱着花儿，赤着脚儿，向着我微微的笑。“这笑容又仿佛是那儿看过似的！”我仍是想——默默的想(5)。又现出一重心幕来，也慢慢的拉开了，涌出十年前的一个印象。——茅檐下的雨水，一滴一滴的落到衣上来。土阶边的水泡儿(6)，泛来泛去的乱转。门前的麦垅和葡萄架子，都濯得新黄嫩绿的非常鲜丽。——一会儿好容易雨情了，连忙走下坡去。迎头看见月儿从海面上来了，猛然记得有件东西忘下了，站住了，回过头来。这茅屋里的老妇人——她倚着门儿，抱着花儿，向着我微微的笑。这同样微妙的神情，好似游丝一般，飘飘漾漾的合了拢来，绾在一起。这时心下光明澄静，如登仙界(7)，如归故乡。眼前浮现的三个笑容，一时融化在爱的调和里看不分明了。SmileBingXinAstheraingraduallyceasedtopatter,aglimmeroflightbegantofilterintotheroomthroughthewindowcurtain.Iopenedthewindowandlookedout.Ah,theraincloudshadvanishedandtheremainingraindropsonthetreeleavesglistenedtremulouslyunderthemoonlightlikemyriadsoffireflies.Tothinkthatthereshouldappearbeforemyeyessuchabeautifulsightafterthemiserablerainonalonelyevening.Standingatthewindowforawhile,Ifeltabitchilly.AsIturnedround,myeyessuddenlydazzledbeforethebrightlightandcouldnotseethingsdistinctly.Everythingintheroomwasblurredbyahazeoflightexcepttheangelinapictureonthewall.Theangelinwhitewassmilingonmewithabunchofflowersinhisarms,hiswingsflapping.“Iseemtohaveseenthesamesmilebefore.Whenwasthat?...”BeforeIknew,Ihadsunkintoachairunderthewindow,lostinmeditation.Asceneoffiveyearsagoslowlyunveiledbeforemymind’seye.Itwasalongancientcountryroad.Thegroundundermydonkey’sfeetwasslipperywithmud.Thewaterinthefieldditcheswasmurmuring.Thegreentreesintheneighbouringvillagewereshroudedinamist.Thecrescentnewmoonlookedasifhangingonthetipsofthetrees.AsIpassedalong,Isomewhatsensedthepresenceofachildbytheroadsidecarryingsomethingsnowwhiteinhisarms.Afterthedonkeyhadgoneby,Ihappenedtolookbackandsawthechild.

27Whowasbarefoot,lookingatmesmilinglywithabunchofflowersinhisarms.“Iseemtohaveseenthesamesmilesomewherebefore!”Iwasstillthinkingtomyself.Anotherscene,asceneoftenyearsago,slowlyunfoldedbeforemymind’seyes.Rainwaterwasfallingdropbydropontomyclothesfromtheeavesofathatchedcottage.Besidetheearthendoorstep,bubblesinpuddlesofrainwaterwerewhirlingaboutlikemad.Washedbytherain,thewheatfieldsandgrapetrellisesinfrontofthecottagedoorpresentedapicturesquesceneofvividyellowandtendergreen.Afterawhile,itclearedupatlonglastandIhurrieddowntheslope.UpaheadIsawthemoonrisinghighabovethesea.SuddenlyitoccurredtomethatIhadleftsomethingbehind.WhenIstoppedandturnedround,myeyesfellonanoldwomanathercottagedoorsmilingatme,abunchofflowersinherarms.Thethreesubtlesmiles,driftingintheairtowardseachotherlikegossamer,becameinterwoven.Atthismomentallwasbright,clearandclaminmyheart.IfeltasifIwereascendingtoheavenoronthewaybacktomyhometown.Inmymind’seye,thethreesmilingfacesnowmergedintoaharmoniouswholeofloveandbecameindistinguishable.注释：本文是冰心（1900-1999）的早期成名之作，于1921年1月发表在《小说月报》第一期上。冰心的散文以秀丽典雅、纯真无邪著称。她早期信奉“爱的哲学”，泛泛宇宙中的一切，尤其是对母亲、儿童和自然美的爱。《笑》正体现了她的这种思想。她讴歌超现实的“爱”，也就是对当时社会的黑暗和污浊的不满和失望。(1)“萤光千点”译为myriadsoffireflies，比thousandsoffireflies更切近美文（bellesletters）。(2)“真没想到……！”译为Tothinkthat…!是英语惯用语句型，以感叹的语气表达某种想不到的事。(3)“安琪儿”即“天使”，是angel一词的音译。天使为西方教堂所崇奉，其形象常为带翅膀的男性小孩。(4)“弓儿似的新月，挂在树梢”译为Thecrescentnewmoonlookedasifhangingonthetipsofthetrees，其中lookedasif是增加的成分，变隐喻为明喻。(5)“我仍是想——默默的想”译为Iwasstillthinkingtomyself。Tothinktooneself是英语习惯用语，作“一个人暗自在想”解。(6)“水泡儿”指雨水坑中的水泡儿，故译为bubblesinpuddlesofrainwater，其中inpuddlesofrainwater原文中虽无其词，但却有其意(7)“仙界”指“极乐世界”，也可译为thelandofthedivine。现译为heaven，较简洁。雨雪时候的星辰(1)冰心寒暑表降到冰点下十八度的时候，我们也是在廊下睡觉。每夜最熟识的就是天上的星辰了。也不过只是点点闪烁的光明，而相看惯了，偶然不见，也有些想望与无聊(2)。连夜雨雪，一点星光都看不见(3)。荷和我(4)拥衾对坐，在廊子的两角，遥遥谈话。荷指着说(5)：“你看维纳斯（Venus）升起来了！”我抬头望时(6)，却是山路转折处(7)的路灯。我怡然一笑，也指着对山的一星灯火说：“那边是丘比特（Jupiter）呢！”愈指愈多。松林中射来零乱的风灯，都成了满天星宿。真的，雪花隙里，看不出天空和森林的界限，将繁灯当作繁星，简直是抵得过(8)。一念至诚的将假作真，灯光似乎都从地上飘起。这幻成的星光，都不移动，不必半夜梦醒时，再去追寻它们的位置。于是雨雪寂寞之夜，也有了慰安了。StarsonaSnowyNightBingXinThethermometerhaddroppedto18degreesbelowzero,butwestillchosetosleepintheporchasusual.Intheevening,themostfamiliarsighttomewouldbestarsinthesky.Thoughtheywereameresprinkleoftwinklingdots,yetIhadbecomesoaccustomedtothemthattheiroccasionalabsencewouldbringmelonelinessandennui.Ithadbeensnowingallnight,notasinglestarinsight.MyroommateandI,eachwrappedinaquilt,wereseatedfarapartinadifferentcorneroftheporch,facingeachotherandchattingaway.Sheexclaimedpointingtosomethingafar,“Look,Venusisrising!”Ilookedupandsawnothingbutalamproundthebendinamountainpath.Ibeamedandsaidpointingtoatinylamplightontheoppositemountain,“It’sJupiteroverthere!”

28Moreandmorelightscameintosightaswekeptpointinghereandthere.Lightsfromhurricanelampsflickeringaboutinthepineforestcreatedthesceneofastar-studdedsky.Withthedistinctionbetweenskyandforestobscuredbysnowflakes,thenumerouslamp-lightsnoweasilypassedforasmanystars.Completelylostinmake-believeworld,Iseemedtoseeallthelamplightsdriftingfromtheground.Withtheillusorystarshangingstilloverhead,IwassparedtheeffortoftracingtheirpositionswhenIwokeupfrommydreamsinthedeadofnight.ThusIfoundconsolationevenonalonelysnowynight.注释：《雨雪时候的星辰》是冰心的早期抒情散文，文章赞美自然，想象精细，文笔清新，充满诗情画意。(1)题目《雨雪时候的星辰》译为StarsonaSnowyNight。“雨雪”作“下雪”解，“雨”在此是动词，读音为yù。(2)“无聊”译为ennui，是英语常用文学语言，意即afeelingofboredomcausedbyalackofexcitementoractivity。(3)“一点儿星光都看不见”译为notasinglestarinsight，是句中独立主格，和notasinglestarbeinginsight同。又译文用s押头韵，night和sight押脚韵，有音韵美。(4)“荷和我……”译为MyroommateandI…，其中用Myroommate（同寝之友）代替专门名词He（荷），以免外国读者把He误解为男性第三人称的代词。(5)“荷指着说……”不宜死译为Shesaidpointingherfingerat…，因为英语topointone’sfingerat…有“指责”的含义。(6)“我抬头望时”不宜逐字死译为Iraisedmyheadtotakealook。译为Ilookedup即可。(7)“山路转折处”译为roundthebendinamountainpath。注意bend后面跟介词in，属于习惯用法。(8)“将繁灯当作繁星，简直是抵得过”译为thenumerouslamplightsnoweasilypassedforasmanystars，其中短语topassfor的意思是“被看作”、“被当作”等。我的父母之乡冰心清晓的江头(1)，白雾茫茫；是江南天气(2)，雨儿来了——我只知道有蔚蓝的海，却原来还有碧绿的江，这是我父母之乡！繁星156(3)福建福州永远是我的故乡，虽然我不在那里生长，但它是我的父母之乡！到今日为止，我这一生中只回去过两次。第一次是一九一一年，是在冬季。从严冷枯黄的北方归来(4)，看到展现在我眼前的青山碧水(5)，红花绿叶，使我惊讶而欢喜！我觉得我的生命的风帆，已从蔚蓝的海，驶进了碧绿的江。这天我们在闽江口从大船下到小船，驶到大桥头，来接我们的伯父堂兄们把我们包围了起来，他们用乡音和我的父母热烈地交谈。我的五岁的大弟弟悄悄地用山东话问我说：“他们怎么都会说福州话？”因为从来在我们姐弟心里，福州话是最难懂难说的！这以后的一年多时间里，我们就过起了福州城市的生活。新年、元宵、端午、中秋……岁时节日，吃的玩的都是十分丰富而有趣。特别是灯节，那时我们家住在南后街，那里是灯市的街，元宵前后，“花市灯如昼”，灯影下人流潮涌，那光明绚丽的情景就说不尽了(6)。第二次回去，是在一九五六年，也是在冬季。那时还没有鹰厦铁路，我们人大代表团是从江西坐汽车进去的。一路上红土公路，道滑如拭(7)，我还没有看见过土铺的公路，维修得这样平整的！这次我不但到了福州，还到了漳州、泉州、厦门、鼓浪屿……那是祖国的南疆了。在厦门前线(8)，我还从望远镜里看见了金门岛上的行人和牛，看得很清楚……回忆中的情景很多，在此就不一一描写了。总之，我很喜欢我的父母之乡。那边是南国风光，山是青的，水是绿的，小溪流更是清可见底！院里四季都有花开。水果是从枇杷、荔枝、龙眼，一直吃到福桔！对一个孩子来说，还有什么比这个更惬意的呢？我在故乡走的地方不多，但古迹、侨乡，到处可见，福建华侨，遍于天下(9)。我

29所到过的亚、非、欧、美各国都见到辛苦创业(10)的福建侨民，握手之余，情溢言表。在他们家里、店里，吃着福州菜，喝着茉莉花茶，使我觉得作为一个福建人是四海都有家的。我的父母之乡是可爱的。有人从故乡来(11)，或是有朋友新近到福建去过，我都向他们问起福建的近况。他们说：福建比起二十多年前来，进步得不可辨认了。最近呢，农业科学化了，又在植树造林(12)，山岭田地更加郁郁葱葱了。他们都动员我回去看看，我又何尝不想呢(13)？不但我想，在全世界的天涯海角，更不知有多少人在想！我愿和故乡的人，以及普天下的福建侨民，一同在精神和物质文明方面，把故乡建设得更美好(14)！TheLandofMyAncestorsBingXinTheRivermouthatdawn,Behindawhitehazeofmist,‘Tissouthernclimes,Behold,therainiscoming.Ihaveseentheblueseaallalong,LittleawareofthisgreenRiver,Othelandofmyancestors!--SparklingStars,156FuzhouofFujianProvincewillalwaysbemyoldhome.ThoughIwasbroughtupelsewhere,Fuzhouisneverthelessthelandofmyancestors!Asyet,IhavebeenbacktoFuzhounomorethantwiceinmylifetime.Imadethefirsttripeinthewinterof1911.ReturnedfromthebittercoldNorthwithitsdrabanddriedupvegetation,Iwasamazedanddelightedwhengreetedbythecharmingsceneryofsapphiremountainsandemeraldriversaswellasredflowersandgreenleaves.IfeltthesailingboatofmylifesteeringitswayintothegreenRiverafterleavingtheblueseabehind.AttheMinjiangRiver,wechangedfromthebigshiptoasmallboat,whichtookustoDaqiaotou(BigBridge),whereweweremetbyUncleandcousins.Theygatheredroundusandtalkedwarmlywithmyparentsinthelocaldialect.Thereupon,my5-year-oldyoungerbrotherwhisperedinmyearwithaShandongaccent,“HowcometheycanallspeaktheFuzhoudialect?”WehadboththoughtthattheFuzhoudialectwasindeedmostdifficultforanyonetolearn.Fromthenon,welivedanurbanlifeformorethanayearinFuzhou.DuringsuchfestivalsasLunarNewYear,Lantern,DragonBoatandMid-Autumn,weallcelebratedthefestivitieswithplentyoffoodandfun.Particularmention,however,shouldbemadeoftheLanternFestivalwhenNanhoujie,thestreetknownforitslanternfairandalsothestreetwherewelived,becameasbrightasbroaddaylightatnightwithmyriadsoflanternsandstreamsofspectators.Thesplendorandmagnificenceofthesceneisbeyondalldescription.Imadethesecondvisitin1956,alsoinwinter.AstheYingtan_XiamenRailwayhadnotyetbeenbuilt,theNPCdelegation,withmyselfasamember,hadtogofromJiangxiProvincebycar.ThehighwayfromJiangxitoFuzhou,pavedwithredsoil,wasassmoothasamirror.Itwasthemostlevelsoil-pavedhighwayIhadeverseen.ThistimeIvisitednotonlyFuzhou,butalsoZhangzhou,Quanzhou,XiamenandGulangyu—thesouthernfrontiersofourcountry.AttheXiamenseaside,IcouldseeclearlythroughatelescopepedestriansandcowsontheQuemoyIslands.Myexperiencesofthistrip,however,aretoonumeroustoberecountedonebyonehere.Anyway,IdeeplyloveFuzhou,myancestralhome.Overtherewehavethetypicalsouthernscenerywithbluemountains,greenwaters,limpidbooks…!Thereinthecourtyardwecanalwaysseesomekindofflowersinfullbloomthroughouttheyear.Fruitsrangingfromloquats,lichees,longanstotangerinesareinplenty.Isthereanythingmorepalatabletoalittlechildthanthesefruits?IdidnotvisitallthelocalattractionsinFuzhou.EverywherewecouldfindhistoricalrelicsaswellasvillagesandtownsinhabitedbyrelativesofoverseasChinese.Fujianeseexpatriatesarefoundallovertheworld.Theyhavemostlystartedfromscratchbythesweatoftheirbrow.WhenImetsomeofthemonmyvisitstoAsian,AfricanEuropeanandAmericancountries,theyallexpressedwarmfeelingtowardsmewhileshakingmyhands.AsIateFuzhoufoodandsippedjasmineteaintheirhomesorshops,IfeltthatbeingaFujianese,IcouldmakemyselfathomewhereverItravelledintheworld.Myancestralhomeissoendearing.WheneverImeetsomebodyhailingfromFuzhouorafriendwhohasrecentlybeenthere,IalwaysinquireofthemaboutthepresentconditionsofFujian.Theyalltellmethatcomparedwithtwodecadesago,Fujianhasmadesomuchprogressthatitisnowalmostbeyondrecognition.RecentlyIhavelearned

30thatpeopletherehavegoneinforscientificfarmingandafforestationsothatgreenandluxuriantvegetationhasappearedonallmountainsandfields.Peoplehavebeenadvisingmetopayanothervisittomyoldhome.Yes,Iammorethaneagertodoso.Andsoaremynumerousfellowtownsmeninallcornersoftheworld.IhopethattogetherwithallthepeopleinmyhometownaswellasalloverseasChinesefromFujian,Icandomybittomakeastillbetterplaceofmyancestralhome,bothmateriallyandculturally.注释：冰心出生后不久就远离故乡福州，以后只回去过两次。她这篇短文写于1982年3月29日，以轻倩的笔调，抒写有关故乡和童年的回忆，并对当时故乡的建设表达了深切的关怀。(1)“江头”指闽江入海处，故译theRivermouth。(2)“江南天气”译为southernclimes，其中climes是英语诗歌用语，常用复数，意同climate。(3)《繁星》是冰心1923年出版的第一诗集，收小诗凡164首。现将《繁星》译为SparklingStars。(4)“从严冷枯黄的北方归来”译为ReturnedfromthebittercoldNorthwithitsdrabanddriedupvegetation，其中Returned是不及物动词return的过去分词，在此作形容词。又vegetation是译文中的添加成分，作“草木”、“植被”解。(5)“青山碧水”译为sapphiremountainsandemeraldrivers，其中sapphire和emerald均为实颜色词，原意分别为“蓝宝石”和“绿宝石”。译文用这两个实物词是为增加修辞效果。(6)“就说不尽了”意即“就难以形容了”，故译为beyonddescription，为英语成语。(7)“道滑如拭”意即“道路平坦”，译为Thehighway…wasassmoothasamirror，其中mirror为英语常用有关比喻。(8)“在厦门前线”译为AttheXianmenseaside，其中用seaside代替frontline，是为便于国外读者理解。(9)“福建华侨，遍于天下”译为Fujianeseexpatriatesarefoundallovertheworld，其中expatriates的意思是“移居国外者”、“离乡背井者”。此句也可译为OverseasChinesefromFujian。(10)“辛苦创业”译为havestartedfromscratchbythesweatoftheirbrow，其中tostartfromscratch和bythesweatofone’sbrow均为英语成语，分别作“白手起家”和“靠自己辛勤劳动”解。(11)“有人从故乡来”也可译为somebodywhohascomefromFuzhou，但不如somebodyhailingfromFuzhou简洁，其中tohail作“来自”解。(12)“农业科学化了，又在植树造林”译为peopletherehavegoneinforscientificfarmingandafforestation，其中togoinfor是成语，作“致力于”、“从事于”解，在译文中是添加成分，原文虽无其词，而有其意。(13)“我何尝不想呢“译为Yes，Iammorethaneagertodoso，其中morethan作very或extremely解。(14)“把故乡建设得更美好”译为domybittomakeastillbetterplaceofmyancestralhome，其中todoone’sbit为成语，作“尽自己一份力量”、“作一份贡献”解，在译文中是添加成分，原文虽无其词，而有其意。祖父和灯火管制(1)冰心一九一一年秋，我们从山东烟台回到福州老家去。在还乡的路上，母亲和父亲一再嘱咐我(2)，“回到福州住在大家庭里，不能再像野孩子(3)似的，一切都要小心。对长辈们不能没大没小的。祖父是一家之主，尤其要尊敬……”到了福州，在大家庭里住了下来，我觉得我在归途中的担心是多余的。祖父、伯父母、叔父母(4)和堂姐妹兄弟(5)，都没有把我当作野孩子，大家也都很亲昵平等，并没有什么“规矩”。我还觉得我们这个大家庭是几个小家庭的很松散的组合(6)。每个小家庭都是各住各个的，各吃各的，各自有自己的亲戚朋友，比如说，我们就各自有自己的“外婆家(7)”！就在这一年，也许是第二年吧，福州有了电灯公司。我们这所大房子里也安上了电灯，这在福州也是一件新鲜事，我们这班孩子跟着安装的工人们满房子跑，非常地兴奋欢喜！我记得这电灯是从房顶上吊下来的，每间屋子都有一盏，厅堂上和客室里的五十支光，卧房里的光小一些，厨房里的就更小了。我们这所大房子里至少也五六十盏灯，第一夜亮起来时，真是灯火辉煌，我们孩子们都拍手欢呼！但是总电门是安在祖父的屋里的。祖父起得很早也睡得很早(8)，每晚九点钟就上床了。他上床之前，就把电闸关上，于是整个大家庭就是黑沉沉的一片！我们刚回老家(9)，父母亲和他们的兄弟妯娌(10)都有许多别情要叙，我们一班弟兄姐妹，也在一起玩得正起劲(11)，都很少在晚九点以前睡的。为了防备(12)这骤然的黑暗，于是每晚在九点以前，每个小家庭都在一两间屋里，点上一盏捻得很暗的煤油灯。一到九点，电灯一下子都灭了，这几盏煤油灯便都捻亮了，大家相视而笑，又都在灯

31下谈笑玩耍。只有在这个时候，我才体会到我们这个大家庭是一个整体，而祖父是一家之主！GrandpaandNightlyBlackoutBingXinIntheautumnof1911,wereturnedfromYantaiofShandongProvincetoournativeplaceFuzhou.Whileontheway,myparentswarnedmeagainandagain,“Sincewe’llbelivinginabigfamilyinFuzhou,rememberalwaystobehaveproperlyandneveractlikeanaughtychild.Showrespectforyourelders,particularlyyourgrandpa,whoisheadofthefamily…”AftersettlingdowninthebigfamilyinFuzhou,however,Ifoundthatmypreviousworriesonthewayturnedouttobeunfounded.Mygrandpa,uncles,auntiesandcousinsneverthoughtmeanaughtychild.Wetreatedeachotherlovinglyandequally.Thereneverexistedanythinglike“familyrulesofgoodbehaviour”.Ialsofoundthatthebigfamilywasaloosecommunityofseveralsmallerones,whichlivedandateseparately.Theyeachhadtheirownrelativesandfriends,forexample,theirownin-laws.Thatyear,ortheyearafter,Fuzhoubegantohaveitsownpowercompanyandelectriclightsweretobeinstalledinourbighousetoo.Thatwassomethingnewinourhometown.Wekids,wildwithexcitementandjoy,ranhereandthereinthehouseattheheelsoftheelectricians.Eachroom,Iremember,hadanelectriclamphangingfromtheceiling.Thedrawingroomhada50-wattbulb;thebedroomseachalower-wattageone;thekitchenseachaneven-lower-wattageone.Thewholebighouseatleasthadatotalofsome60electriclamps.Thefirsteveningwhentheywereturnon,thewholehousewassuddenlyablazewithlights,wekidsclappedwithjoy.Themasterswitchwasfixedingrandpa’sroom.Grandpa,whokeptearlyhours,wouldswitchoffallthelightswhenhewenttobedat9o’clockintheevening,thusplungingthewholebighouseintodeepdarkness.Havingjustsetfootinouroldhome,weseldomsleptbefore9o’clockintheevening.Foritwasbutnaturalthatafterthelongseparation,myparentsenjoyedheartychatsabouttheolddayswiththeirbrothersandin-laws,andwekidsoftheyoungergenerationplayedabouttogethertoourheart’scontent.Hence,inanticipationofthesuddenblackoutat9o’clock,eachsmallfamilywouldgetadimly-litkerosenelampreadyinacoupleoftheirrooms.Nosoonerhadthebighousebeenblackedoutonthehourthanweturnedupthewicksofallthekerosenelamps.And,lookingandsmilingateachother,wewouldcontinuetochatandplaymerrilybythelightofthekerosenelamps.ItwasthenthatIrealizedwhatacompletewholeourbigfamilywas,withgrandpaasitshead.注释：本文写于1982年7月22日，是冰心回忆故乡和童年的一篇深情佳作。文章娓娓述来，形象地再现了童年时代家乡生活片断。(1)“灯火管制”本指战时防空停电，作者用它指每夜定时关灯，有些俏皮。译文结合文章内容增添Nightly一词。在英语中，blackout一词既可指“战时灯火管制”，也可一般的“停电”，译文所指是后者。又blackout也可换用powercut或powerfailure等。(2)“一再地嘱咐我”意即“一再地告诫我”，译为warnedmeagainandagain，比enjoined(或exhorted)meagainandagain通俗。(3)“野孩子”不宜按字面直译为wildchild。现译为naughtychild，其中naughty常用来指孩子“不听话”。(4)“伯父母、叔父母”在英语以uncles和aunties两词概括即可。(5)“堂姐妹兄弟”在英语以cousins一词概括即可。(6)“几个小家庭的很松散的组合”译为aloosecommunityofseveralsmallerones，其中不妨以community代替combination；community为近代英语所常用。(7)“外婆家”指由婚姻而结成的亲戚，如岳父母、妻子的兄弟姐妹等等，现以in-laws一词概括之。(8)“起得很早也睡得很早”在英语有现成的表达：keptearlyhours。如逐字直译为gotupearlyandwenttobedearly似欠简洁。(9)“刚回老家”译为Havingsetfootinouroldhome，其中setfootin是成语，作“进入”、“踏上”解。(10)“妯娌”指兄弟的妻子，以in-laws表达即可。(11)“正起劲”意同“尽情地”，故译toourheart’scontent。(12)“防备”译为inanticipationof，意即“预计到……（而采取措施）”。

32话说短文冰心也许是我的精、气、神都江堰市不足吧(1)，不但自己写不出长的东西，人读一本刊物时，也总是先挑短的看，不论是小说、散文或是其他的文学形式，最后才看长的。我总觉得，凡是为了非倾吐不可而写的作品，都是充满了真情实感的。反之，只是为写作而写作，如(2)上之为应付编辑朋友(3)，一之为多拿稿费，这类文章大都是尽量地往长里写，结果是即便的一点点的感情，也被冲洗到水分太多(4)、淡而无味的地步。当由一个人物，一桩事迹，一幅画面而发生的真情实感，向你袭来的时候，它就像一根扎到你心尖上(5)的长针，一阵卷到你面前的怒潮，你只能用最真切、最简练的文字，才能描画出你心尖上的那一阵剧痛和你面前的那一霎惊惶！我们伟大的祖国，是有写短文的文学传统的(6)。那部包括上下数千年的《古文观止》，“上起东周，下迄明末，共选辑文章220篇”有几篇是长的(7)？如杜牧的《阿房宫赋》，韩愈的《祭十二郎文》(8)等等，哪一篇不是短而充满了真情实感？今人的巴金的《随感录》，不也是一个实例吗(9)？AChataboutShortEssaysBingXinPerhapsduetomyfailingenergies,notonlyhaveIrefrainedfromwritinganythinglong,butalso,inreadingamagazine,forexample,Iusuallyfinishitsshorterpiecesofwritingfirst,betheyfiction,proseoranyotherformsofliterature,beforegoingontothelongerones.Ialwaysbelievethatanythingwrittenwithanirresistibleinnerurgetounbosomoneselfmustbefullofgenuinefeelings.Onthecontrary,ifonewritessimplyforthesakeofwriting—say,tohumourone’seditorfriends,orworsestill,toearnmoreremuneration,onewillmostprobablymakehiswritingsunnecessarilylonguntiltheybecome,despitewhatlittlefeelingtheymaycontain,inflatedandwishy-washy.Whentrueemotionsarousedbyaperson,aneventorascenecomeuponyoulikeapinprickingyourheartoranangrytidesurgingthreateninglybeforeyou,allyoucandoisusey=themostvividandsuccinctlanguagetodescribetheseverepaininyourheartorthemomentaryfeelingofpaniccausedbytheangrytide.Ourgreatmotherlandisknownforitsliterarytraditionofshortessays.DoyoufindanythingunduelylonginATreasuryofBestAncientChineseProsewithits220essaysselectedfromaperiodofseveralthousandyearsinancientChinafromtheEasternZhouDynastydownuntiltheendoftheMingDynasty?Aren’ttheessaysinit,likeDuMu’sRhapsodyonEpangPalaceandHanYu’sAnElegiacAddresstoMyNephewShi’erlang,allshortandyetfulloftruefeelings?Isn’tACollectionofRandomThoughtsbyBaJin,ourcontemporary,anotherlikeexampleofpithywriting?注释：《话说短文》是冰心写于1988年1月的随笔。作者一针见血地指出“为写作而写作”的不正之风以及崇尚长文的时弊。(1)“也许是我的精、气、神都不足吧”也可译为Perhapsduetodeficiencyinmymentalandphysicalenergy，但不如Perhapsduetomyfailingenergies简洁。“精、气、神”在文中显得俏皮，意即“精力”，故译为energies即可。(2)“如”即‘比如说“，译为say。英语中举例时常用say这个字，和for词example同义。(3)“为应付编辑朋友”的意思是“迁就编辑朋友之约或要求”，故译为tophumourone’seditor-friends。英语tohumour作togratifybycompliance解。(4)“也被冲洗到水份太多”意即“变得夸张空洞”，故译为“becomeinflated。(5)“你心尖上”即“你的内心深处”或“你的心头”，译为yourheart即可，不宜按字面译为thetipofyourheart。(6)“我们伟大的祖国，是有写短文的文学传统的”也可译为Ourgreatmotherlandhasaliterarytraditionofshortessays，但不如Ourmotherlandisknownforitsliterarytraditionofshortessays灵活顺口。(7)“……有几篇是长的？”译为Doyoufindanythingunduelylong…，其中unduely是添加成分，作“不适当地”或“过分地”解，原文虽无其词而有其意。(8)“《祭十二郎文》”译为AnelegiacAddresstoMyNephewShi’erlang，其中MyNephew是为交待“十二郎”何许人而添加的成分，有助于读者的理解，属释义性译文。(9)“……不也是一个实例吗？”译为Isn’t…anotherlikeexampleofpithywriting?，其中like和ofpithywriting均为添加成分，原文虽无其词而有其意。路畔的蔷薇

33郭沫若清晨往松林里去散步，我在林荫路畔发见了一束被遗弃了的蔷薇。蔷薇的花色还是鲜艳的，一朵紫红，一朵嫩红，一朵是病黄的象牙色中带着几分血晕(1)。我把蔷薇拾在手里了。青翠的叶上已经凝集着细密的露珠，这显然是昨夜被除人遗弃了的。这是可怜的少女受了薄幸的男子的欺绐？还是不幸的青年受了轻狂的的妇人的玩弄？昨晚上甜蜜的私语，今朝的冷清的露珠……(2)我把蔷薇拿到家里来了，我想找个花瓶来供养它。花瓶我没有(3)，我在一只墙角上寻了一个断了颈子的盛酒的土瓶。——蔷薇哟，我虽然不能供养你以春酒，但我要供养你以清洁的流泉，清洁的素心。你在这破土瓶中虽然不免要凄凄寂寂地飘零(4)，但比遗弃在路旁被人践踏了的好罢？WaysideRosesGuoMoruoRamblingthroughapineforestearlyinthemorning,Icameacrossabunchofforsakenroseslyingbytheshadywayside.Theywerestillfreshincolour.Onewaspurplish-red,anotherpink,stillanotherasicklyivory-yellowslightlytingedwithblood-red.Ipickedthemupinmyhand.Thenumerousfinedewdropsonthefreshgreenleavesclearlyshowedthattheroseshadjustbeencastawaythepreviousnight.Weretheypitifulmaidensdefloweredbyficklemen?Orweretheyunluckyyoungmenfooledbyfrivolouswomen?Lastnight’swhispersoflove;thismorning’sdropsofcolddew…Ibroughttheroseshomeandtriedtofindaflowervasetokeepthemin.FlowervaseIhadnone,butIdidfindinanookofmyroomanemptyearthenwinebottlewithitsneckbroken.--Odearroses,thoughunabletotreatyoutospringwine,Icouldofferyoulimpidspringwaterandmysincerepureheart.Wouldn’titbebetterforyoutowitherawayinsolitudeinthisbrokenearthenwinebottlethantolieabandonedbytheroadsideandbetroddendownupon?注释：《路畔的蔷薇》是郭沫若（1892-1978）的早期小品，玲珑剔透，饶有诗意，堪称一首优美的散文诗。(1)“一朵是病黄的象牙色中带着几分血晕”译为asicklyivory-yellowslightlytingedwithblood-red，其中sickly作“病态的”解。又，ivory-yellow和blood-red的结构都是“实物颜色词＋基本颜色词”，为英语颜色词的常见形式。(2)“昨晚上甜蜜的私语，今朝的冷清的露珠……”译为Lastnight’swhispersoflove;thismorning’sdropsofcolddew…，两个英语并列词组，在用词结构上前后完全对称，与原文形似，并与原文有同样的言外之意。又，“昨晚”在这里虽指过去的过去，但仍译为lastnight，不译为thepreviousnight，以求语言生动，这是英语中常见的灵活用法。(3)“花瓶我没有”译为FlowervaseIhavenone，等于Ihavenoflowervase，其中none作形容词用，修饰前面Flowervase。这种用法常见于文学语体中，如：Timeandmoneyhehadnone。(4)“飘零”意即“凋落”，故译作towitheraway。夕暮郭沫若我携着(1)三个孩子在屋后草场中嬉戏着的时候，夕阳正烧着海上的天壁(2)，眉痕的新月已经出现在鲜红的云(3)缝里了。草场中放牧着的几条黄牛，不时曳着悠长的鸣声(4)，好像在叫它们的主人快来牵它们回去。我们的两匹母鸡和几只鸡雏(5)，先先后后地从邻寺的墓地里跑回来了。立在厨房门内的孩子们的母亲向门外的沙地上撒了一握米粒出来。母鸡们咯咯咯地叫了起来了(6)，鸡雏们也啁啁地争食起来了。——“今年的成绩真好呢，竟养大了十只(7)。”欢愉的音波，在金色的暮霭中游泳。DuskGuoMoruoWhilemythreekidsaccompaniedbymyself,werefrolickingaboutonthemeadowbehindmyhouse,theskyabovethedistantedgeoftheseawasaglowwiththesettingsunandthecrescentnewmoonwasalreadypeepingoutfrombehindthescarletclouds.

34Afewcowsgrazingonthepastureletoutalongdrawn-outmoonowandthenasifurgingtheirmastertoleadthemhomeasquicklyaspossible.Ourtwomotherhensandtheirbabychickswerescurryinghomewardoneafteranotherfromthegraveyardofthenearbymonastery.Thekids’mother,standingbythekitchendoor,sprinkledahandfulofriceontothesandygroundintheopen.Atthecluckingofthehens,thechicksscrambledforthefeed,chirping.“We’vedonequitewellthisyear,withtenchicksgrowingfast,”beamedmywife.Thejoyoussoundwavedriftedthroughthegoldeneveningmist.注释：《夕暮》是郭沫若的早期小品，充满诗情画意，堪称一篇玲珑剔透的美文。文章记述的是真情真事，字里行间流露出热爱生活的感情。(1)“我携着”译为accompaniedbymyself，其中myself比me更确切，不但读来顺口，且能加强语气，突出“亲自”的含义。(2)“海上的天壁”指“海边的上空”，不宜直译，现以加字法处理：theskyabovethedistantedgeofthesea。(3)“鲜红的云”译为thescarletclouds。颜色词scarlet在此比red更确切，因scarlet的意思是verybrightred，与原文“鲜红”一致。(4)“曳着悠长的鸣声”中的“曳”作“拖”或“拉”解，结合上下文译为letout，意同utter（发出），为英语常用成语。又“鸣声”译为moo，为英语拟声词，指牛的叫声，相当于汉语的“哞”。(5)“我们的两匹母鸡和几只鸡雏”译为Ourtwomotherhensandtheirbabychicks，其中mother和baby是为加强译文效果而添加的定语，前者作“母”解，后者作“幼小”解。(6)“母鸡们咯咯地叫起来了”译为Atthecluckingofthehens，其中介词At表示时间，即先后两个动作很快相继发生，或后面一个动作是前面一个动作的反应。在此指母鸡一叫，小鸡立即争食。(7)“‘今年的成绩真好呢，竟养大了十只’”译为“We’vedonequitewellthisyear,withtenchicksgrowingfast,”beamedmywife，其中beamedmywife（妻微笑地或欣喜的说）是添加成分，原文虽无其词却有其意。白发郭沫若许久储蓄在心里的诗料(1)，今晨在理发店里又浮上了心来了。——你年青的，年青的，远隔河山的(2)姑娘哟，你的名姓我不曾知道，你恕我只能这样叫你了。那回是春天的晚上吧？你替我剪了发，替我刮了面，替我盥洗了(3)，又替我涂了香膏。你最后替我分头的时候，我在镜中看见你替我拔去了一根白发(4)。啊，你年青的，年青的远隔河山的姑娘哟，漂泊者自从那回离开你后又漂泊了三年，但是你的慧心(5)替我把青春留住了。TheWhiteHairGuoMoruoMylongpent-uppoeticemotionemergedagainthismorningatahairdresser’sOyounglady,youyoungladyofthedistantland!Excusemeforaddressingyouas“younglady”,foryournameisstillunknowntome.Itwasprobablyonaspringevening.Youcutmyhair,shavedmyface,gavemeashampooandappliedsomevanishingcream.Finally,inthemirrorIsawyoupluckingoutawhitehairfrommyheadwhilepartingmyhair.Oyounglady,youyoungladyofthedistantland,IhavebeenleadingawanderinglifeforanotherthreeyearssinceIsawyoulast,butitisyourfeelingheartthathasbeenthecauseofmysustainedyouth.注释：《白发》是郭沫若的早期小品，热情奔放，玲珑而富有诗意，是一首优美的散文诗。(1)“许久储蓄在心里的诗料”译为Mylongpent-uppoeticemotion。“储蓄在心里”意即“被抑制的”，故译为pent-up。“诗料”即“诗情”，故译为poeticemotion。(2)“远隔河山的”不必按字面直译，现按“遥远的”意思译为ofthedistant(或remote)land。(3)“替我盥洗了”在此指“替我洗了头”，故译为gavemeashampoo。(4)“拔去了一根白发”译为pluckingoutawhitehairfrommyhead，其中hair作可数名词用。(5)“慧心”在这里可按“温柔体贴”、“富有同情的心”等含义译为feelingheart或tenderheart。水墨画(1)

35郭沫若天空一片灰暗，没有丝毫的日光。海水的蓝色浓得惊人(2)，舐岸的微波吐出群鱼喋噏的声韵。这是暴风雨欲来时的先兆(3)。海中的岛屿和乌木的雕刻一样静凝着了。我携着中食的饭匣向沙岸上走来，在一只泊系着的渔舟里面坐着。一种淡白而无味的凄凉的情趣——我把饭匣打开，又闭上了(4)。回头望见松原里的一座孤寂的火葬场(5)。红砖砌成的高耸的烟囱口上，冒出了一笔灰白色的飘忽的轻烟……AnInkwashPaintingGuoMoruoTheskywasasheetofmurkygrey,completelydevoidofsunlight.Theseawasaghastlydarkblue.Thegentlewaveslickingattheshoregaveforthahummingsoundlikethatoffishinshoals.Allthatforebodedastorm.Someislesintheseastoodquietandstilllikeebonysculptures.Iwalkedtowardsthesandybeachcarryingmylunch-boxandthensatinsideafishingboatmooredattheseashore.Whataninsipidanddrearyscene!Iopenedthelunch-boxonlytohaveitcoveredupagain.Lookingback,Icaughtsightofalonelycrematoriumloomingoutofapinewood.Itstoweringred-brickchimneywasgivingoffwispsofgrayishsmoke.注释：(1)“水墨画”除译AnInkwashPainting外，也可译为AnInk-and-WashPainting。(2)“海水的蓝色浓得惊人”译为Theseawasaghastlydarkblue，其中ghastly的意思是“可怕的”，但兼有“不正常”的含义。(3)“这是暴风雨欲来时的先兆”译为Allthatforebodedastorm。“先兆”也可译为foretold，但不如foreboded确切，因后者一般都针对不好的事物。(4)“又闭上了”译为onlytohaveitcoveredupagain，其中only（用在不定式前）往往作“结果却”或“却又”解。(5)“望见松原里的一座孤寂的火葬场”译为caughtsightofalonelycrematoriumloomingoutofapinewood，其中用looming代替standing等能较好地表达“赫然耸现”的含义。(6)“冒出了……轻烟”译为givingoff…smoke，其中togiveoff是成语，意同tosendout,toemit等。墓郭沫若昨朝我一个人在松林里徘徊，在一株老松树下戏筑了一座砂丘(1)。我说，这便是我自己的坟墓了(2)。我便拣了一块白石来写上了我自己的名字，把来做了墓碑。我在墓的两旁还移种了两株稚松(3)把它伴守。我今朝回想起来，又一人走来凭吊(4)。但我已经走遍了这莽莽的松原，我的坟墓究竟往那儿去了呢？啊，死了的我昨日的尸骸哟(5)，哭墓的是你自己的灵魂，我的坟墓究竟往那儿去了呢？TheGraveGuoMoruoYesterdaymorning,whilewanderingaboutaloneinapineforest,Iamusedmyselfbypilingupasmallsand-hillunderanoldpinetree.“Letthisbemyowngrave,”saidI.Pickingupapieceofwhitestone,Iscribbledmynameonitandsaid,“Letthisbemyowngravestone.”Oneithersideofthegrave,Itransplantedapinesaplingtokeepitcompany..Thismorning,recallingthegrave,Iwenttopayavisittoit.ButthegravewasnowheretobefoundthoughIsearchedeverynookandcornerofthedenseforest.Wherewasitgoneto?Oyeremainsofmyyesterday’sdeadself,itwasyourownsoulthathadcometomournatthegrave!Wherewasmygravegoneto?注释：(1)“戏筑了一座砂丘”的意思是“堆起一座砂丘以自娱”，现译为Iamusedmyselfbypiling

36upasmallsand-hill，也可译为Ipiledupforfunasmallsandhill。“筑”在这里作“堆积”解，故译为pilingup，不宜按字面译为building或constructing等。译文中的small是添加成分，原文虽无其词而有其意。(2)“这便是我自己的坟墓了”含有说话者的意图，故译文用祈使句表达：Letthisbemyowngrave，和Thisshallbemyowngrave同义。(3)“稚松”即“松树苗”，故译为pinesapling。(4)“凭吊”在此作“探望”解，译topayavisitto即可，不必译为topayhomageto或topayrespectsto等。(5)“啊，死了的我昨日的尸骸哟”译为Oyeremainsofmyyesterday’sdeadself，其中ye作“你”解，属古语，在此用以烘托散文诗的格调。想北平老舍设若让我写一本小说，以北平作背景，我不至于害怕，因为我可以拣着我知道的写，而躲开我所不知道的。让我单摆浮搁的讲一套北平，我没办法。北平的地方那么大，事情那么多，我知道的真觉太少了，虽然我生在那里，地直到廿七岁才离开。以名胜说，我没到过陶然亭(1)，这多可笑！以此类推，我所知道的那点只是“我的北平”，而我的北平大概等于牛的一毛。可是，我真爱北平。这个爱几乎是要说而说不出的。我爱我的母亲。怎样爱？我说不出。在我想作一件事讨她老人家喜欢的时候，我独自微微的笑着；在我想到她的健康而不放心的时候，我欲落泪。言语是不够表现我的心情的，只有独自微笑或落泪才足以把内心揭露在外面一些来。我之爱北平也近乎这个。夸奖这个古城的某一点是容易的，可是那就把北平看得太小了。我所爱的北平不是枝枝节节的一些什么，而是整个儿与我的心灵相粘合的一段历史，一大块地方，多少风景名胜，从雨后什刹海的蜻蜓一直到我梦里的玉泉山的塔影(2)，都积凑到一块，每一小的事件中有个我，我的每一思念中有个北平，这只有说不出而已。真愿成为诗人，把一切好听好看的字都浸在自己的心血里，像杜鹃(3)似的啼出北平的俊伟。啊！我不是诗人！我将永远道不出我的爱，一种像由音乐与图画所引起的爱。这不但是辜负了北平，也对不住我自己，因为我是最初的知识与印象都得自北平，它是在我的血里，我的性格与脾气里有许多地方是这古城所赐给的。我不能爱上海与天津，因为我心中有个北平。可是我说不出来！伦敦，巴黎，罗马与堪司坦丁堡，曾被称为欧洲的四大“历史的都城”。我知道一些伦敦的情形；巴黎与罗马只是到过而已；堪司坦丁堡根本没有去过。就伦敦，巴黎，罗马来说，巴黎更近似北平——虽然“近似”两字都拉扯得很远——不过，假使让我“家住巴黎”，我一定会和没有家一样的感到寂苦。巴黎，据我看，还太热闹。自然，那里也有空旷静寂的地方，可是又未免太旷(4)；不像北平那样复杂而又有个边际(5)，使我能摸着——那长着红酸枣的老城墙！面向着积水滩，背后是城墙，坐在石上看水中的小蝌蚪或苇叶上嫩蜻蜓，我可以快乐的坐一天，心中完全安适，无所求也无可怕，像小儿安睡在摇篮里。是的，北平也有热闹的地方，但是它和太极拳相似，动中有静。巴黎有许多地方使人疲乏，所以咖啡与酒是必要的，以便刺激；在北平，有温和的香片茶就够了。论说巴黎的布置已比伦敦罗马匀调的多了，可是比上北平还差点事儿。北平在人为之中显出自然，几乎是什么地方即不挤得慌，又不太僻静；最小的胡同里的房子也有院子与树；最空旷的地方也离买卖街与住宅区不远。这种配法可以算——在我的经验中——天下第一了。北平的好处不在处处设备得完全，而在它处处有空儿，可以使我自由的喘气；不在有好些美丽的建筑，而在建筑的四周都有空闲的地方，使它们成为美景。每一城楼，每一牌楼，都可以从老远就看见。况且在街上还可以看见北山与西山呢！好学的，爱古物的，人们自然喜欢北平，因为这里书多古物多。我不好学，也没钱买古物。对于物质上，我却喜欢北平的花多菜多果子多。花草是种费钱的玩艺，可是此地的“草花儿”很便宜，而且家家有院子，可以花不多的钱而种一院子花，即使算不了什么，可是到底可爱呀。墙上的牵牛，墙根的靠山竹与草茉莉，是多么省钱省事而足以招来蝴蝶呀！至于青菜，白菜，扁豆，毛豆角，黄瓜，菠菜等等，大多数是直接由城外担来而送到家门口的。雨后，韭菜叶上还往往带着雨时溅起的泥点，青菜摊子上的红红绿绿几乎有诗似的美丽。果子有不少是由西山与北山来的，西山的沙果，海棠，北山的黑枣，柿子，进了城还带着一层白霜儿呀！哼，美国的橘子包着纸，遇到北平的带着霜儿的玉李，还不愧杀！是的，北平是个都城，而能有好多自己产生的花，菜，水果，这就使人更接近了

37自然。从它里面说，它没有像伦敦的那些成天冒烟的工厂；从外面说，它紧连着园林、菜圃与农村。采菊东篱下(6)，在这里，确是可以悠然见南山的；大概把“南”字变个“西”或“北”，也没有多少了不得吧(7)。像我这样的一个贫寒的人，或者只有在北平能享受一点清福了(8)。好，不再说了吧；要落泪了，真想念北平呀！FondMemoriesofPeipingLaoSheIhavenomisgivingsaboutwritinganovelwithPeipingasitsbackgroundbecauseIcanchoosetowriteaboutwhatIammostfamiliarwithwhileshyingawayfromwhatislessknowntome.ButIshallbeatacompletelossifIshouldbecalledupontowriteexclusivelyaboutPeiping.Peipingissobigandmultifacetedthatverylittleofit,Ibelieve,isknowntomethoughIwasbornandbroughtupthereandneverwentawayuntilIwas27.JustfancythatIhaveneglectedtovisitevenTaoTanTing,alocalscenicattraction!Itfollowsthat,incontrastwithPeipinginitsentirety,whatlittleIknowaboutitisprobablyameredropintheocean.Idocherish,however,agenuineloveforPeiping—alovethatisalmostasinexpressibleasmyloveformother.IsmilebymyselfwhenIthinkofsomethingIcandotopleasemother;IfeellikecryingwhenIworryaboutmother’shealth.Wordsfailmewheresilentsmilesandtearswellexpressmyinnermostfeelings.ThesameistrueofmyloveforPeiping.IshallfailtodojusticetothisvastancientcityifIshoulddonomorethanextoljustonecertainaspectofit.ThePeipingIloveisnotsomethinginbitsandpieces,butaphaseofhistoryandavasttractoflandcompletelyboundupwithmyheart.NumerousscenicspotsandhistoricalsitesfromShiShaHaiLakewithitsdragonfliesafteraraintotheYuQuanShanMountainwiththedreampagodaontop—allmergeintoasinglewhole.IassociatemyselfwitheverythinginPeipingnomatterhowtrivialitis;Peipingisalwaysinmymind.Ican’ttellwhy.IfonlyIwereapoetsothat,withallthesweetandbeautifulwordsatmycommand,IwouldsingofthegrandeurofPeipinginaslonginganoteasthatofacuckoo!Alas,Iamnopoet!Ishallneverbeabletoexpressmylove—thekindofloveasinspiredbymusicorpainting.ThatisquitealetdowntobothPeipingandmyself,foritistothisancientcitythatIowewhatIhavewithinme,includingmyearlyknowledgeandimpressionsaswellasmuchofmycharacterandtemperament.WithPeipingpossessingmyheart,IcanneverbecomeattachedtoeitherShanghaiorTianjin.Ican’ttellwhy.London,Paris,RomeandConstantinopleareknownasthefourmajor“historiccapitals”ofEurope.IknowsomethingaboutLondon;IhavebeentoParisandRomeonlybriefly;IhavenevervisitedConstantinopleatall.Ofallthesecities,ParishastheclosestaffinitywithPeiping(Theword“affinity”mayperhapssoundabitfarfetched).Nevertheless,ifshouldmakemyhomeinParis,IwouldfeelverylonelyasifIhadnohomeatall.AsfarasIknow,Parisistoomuchofabustlingtown.Itdoeshavequietopenspaces,buttheysmackofmereexpansesofvacancy.Peipingiscomplicatedandyettangible.Icanfeelitbytouch.Icanfeeltheredwildjujubesgrowingonitsancientcitywall!IcanspendawholedayenjoyingmyselfsittingonarocktoobservetinytadpolesinthewaterortenderdragonfliesonreedswhilefacingmeliesJiShuiTanPondandrightbehindmerisesthehighcitywall.Icanthusenjoyaperfectinnerclam,freefromanydesireorfear,likeachildsleepingpeacefullyinthecradle.TherearealsobustlingplacesinPeiping,tobesure,butlikethetraditionalChineseshadowboxingTaiJiQuan,thecityretainsitsstillnessinthemidstofmotion.WhileParisianshavetoturntocoffeeorwineforthereliefofboredomcausedbysomanywearisomeplacesintheircity,themildbeverageofjasmineteawillbemorethanadequatefordwellersofPeiping.ThoughParishasabetterlayoutthanLondonorRome,itneverthelesscannotcomparewithPeiping,onealwaysfindsthenaturalinthemidstoftheartificial.Thecityasawholeisneithertoocrowdednortoosecluded.Evenhousestuckedawayinverysmalllaneshavetheirowncourtyardsandtrees.Eventhemostsecludedplacesaresituatedwithinastone’sthrowofbusinessorresidentialdistricts.Suchalayoutis,tomymind,withoutequalallovertheworld.However,whatdistinguishesPeipingisnottheperfectlayout,buttheopenspaceshereandtherewherepeoplecanbreathefreely;notthemanybeautifulbuildings,buttheopengroundsaroundeachbuildingwhichaddtoitsarchitecturalbeauty.Eachgatetowerofthecitywallandeachpailou(decoratedarchway)canbeenseenfromafar.AndtheNorthernandWesternhillsarevisibletopeopleintheopenstreets.ThosewhoarefondofstudyingorcollectingcurioswillnaturallybedrawntoPeiping,whichisremarkableforitsrichstoreofbooksandcurios.PersonallyIamnotgivento

38studying,nordoIhavesparemoneytobuycurios.ButIamkeenontheflowers,vegetablesandfruitwhichgrowinrichabundanceinPeiping.Gardeningissomethingveryexpensive.ButsinceflowersofherbaceousplantsinPeipingareverycheapandeachhousehasacourtyardofitsown,itdoesnotcostverymuchtoplantawholecourtyardtosuchflowerswhich,thoughhumble,areneverthelesslovelytolookat,suchasmorninggloriesonthewall,chinapinksatthefootofwallandmarvels-of-Peru.Yes,cheapastheyare,theyattractbutterflies!Greenvegetables,cabbages,hyacinthbeans,youngsoyabeans,cucumbers,spinach,etc.areoftencarriedstraightformthesuburbstoyourresidentialquartersformarketing.Often,leeksfromruralfarmsafterarainstillhavespecksofmudontheirleaves.Thevegetablesstallsaresocolorfulthattheypresentasceneofpoeticcharm.Fruitscomemainlyfromthewesternandnorthernsuburbs,suchascrabapplesandcherryapplesfromtheWesternHills,andjujubesandpersimmonsfromtheNorthernHills.Look,howtheyarestillcoveredwithfrostlikebloomwhentheyareputonthemarket!Indeed,America’spaper-wrappedorangeswillpalebesidePeiping’splumsbearingathincoatingoffrostlikebloom!ThecityofPeipingbringsitsresidentsintoclosercontactwithnaturebygrowingflowers,vegetablesandfruitinlargequantities.ThecityproperisnotplaguedbyfactorychimneyssuchasyoufindinLondongivingoffvolumesofsmokealldaylong.Ontheoutskirtsofthecitylienumerousflowergardens,vegetablesfarmsandvillages.AnancientChinesepoetbythenameofTaoYuanmingsaysaptlyinoneofhisfamouspoems,“Pluckingchrysanthemumsundertheeasternhedge,Icalmlyviewthesouthernhills.”ToadaptittolifeinPeiping,Imightaswellsubstitutetheword“western”or“northern”fortheword“southern”intheline.Peipingisprobablytheonlyplaceforamanoflimitedmeanslikemetoliveaneasyandcarefreelifein.Now,letmeleaveoffwriting,forIamonthepointofsheddingtears.HowImissPeiping.注释：北京于1930年改称北平，1949年新中国成立时恢复旧名。《想北平》是老舍名篇，写于1936年。约六十年前的古都风貌和生活情调，时至今日，已发生巨大变化。当时老舍在山东大学任教，正值日寇入侵，国难当头。文章热情颂扬北平，字里行间洋溢着强烈的爱国主义和民族自豪感。(1)“我没到过陶然亭”译为IhaveneglectedtovisitevenTaoRanTing,alocalscenicattraction，其中alocalscenicattraction是添加成分，俾国外读者理解“陶然亭”及古都一大名胜。又译文中neglected一词也可用failed来表达。(2)“梦里的玉泉山的塔影”译为theYuQuanShanMountainwiththedreampagodaontop，其中dream属于定语形容词，作“梦一般完美的”解。(3)“杜鹃”是一种益鸟，也称“杜宇”、“布谷”或“子规”，英语为cuckoo。古代诗人认为杜鹃鸣声凄厉，旅人闻之，不禁产生思家的心情，故常用“啼血”形容其鸣声。“啼血”不宜直译，可结合上下文意译为itslongingnote。(4)“可是又未免太旷”译为buttheysmackofmereexpansesofvacancy，其中smackof作“有些像……”解，用以表达原文“未免”的含义；又“太旷”作“大而空”解，故译为expansesofvacancy。(5)“有个边际”意即“可触摸的”或“有实质的”，故译为tangible或vacancy。(6)“采菊东篱下”出自东晋文学家陶渊明《论酒》诗。本是“采菊东篱下，悠然见南山”，两句相联。现有解释性翻译法，把诗人姓名、时代，以及上下诗句，交代清楚，否则国外读者无法理解。(7)“大概把‘南’字变个‘西’或‘北’，也没有多少了不得的吧。”这句紧接上面的诗句，英译时也须灵活处理，交代其内涵：ToadaptittolifeinPeiping,Imightaswellsubstitutetheword“western”or“northern”fortheword“southern”intheline。(8)“清福”可译为aneasyandcarefreelife或alifefreeworriesandcares。养花老舍我爱花，所以也爱养花(1)。我可还没成为养花专家，因为没有工夫去作研究与试验。我只把养花当作生活中的一种乐趣，花开的大小好坏都不计较，只要开花我就高兴。在我的小院中，到夏天，满是花草，小猫儿们只好上房去玩耍(2)，地上没有它们的运动场。花虽多，但无奇花异草。珍贵的花草不易养活，看着一棵好花生病欲死是件难过的事。我不愿时时落泪。北京的气候，对养花来说，不算很好。冬天冷，春天多风，夏天不是干旱就是大雨倾盆；秋天最好，可是忽然会闹霜冻。在这种气候里，想把南方的好花养活，我还没有那么大的本事。因此，我只养些好种易活、自己会奋斗的花草(3)。

39不过，尽管花草自己会奋斗(4)，我若置之不理，任其自生自灭(5)，它们多数还是会死了的。我得天天照管它们，像好朋友似的关切他们。一来二去(6)，我摸着一些门道：有的喜阴，就别放在太阳地里，有的喜干，就别多浇水。这是个乐趣，摸住门道，花草养活了，而且三年五载(7)老活着、开花，多么有意思呀！不是乱吹，这就是知识呀！多得些知识，一定不是坏事。我不是有腿病吗，不但不利于行，也不利于久坐。我不知道花草们受我的照顾，感谢我不感谢；我可得感谢它们。在我工作的时候，我总是写了几十个字，就到院中去看看，浇浇这棵，搬搬那盆，然后回到屋中再写一点，然后再出去，如此循环(8)，把脑力劳动与体力劳动结合到一起，有益身心(9)，胜于吃药。要是赶上狂风暴雨或天气突变哪，就得全家动员(10)，抢救花草，十分紧张(11)。几百盆花，都要很快地抢到屋里去，使人腰酸腿疼，热汗直流。第二天，天气好转，又得把花儿都搬出去，就又一次腰酸腿疼，热汗直流。可是，这多么有意思！不劳动，连棵花儿也养不活，这难道不是真理么？送牛奶的同志，进门就夸“好香”！这使我们全家都感到骄傲。赶到昙花开放的时候，约几位朋友来看看，更有秉烛夜游的神气(12)——昙花总在夜里放蕊。花儿分根了，一棵分为数棵，就赠给朋友们一些；看着友人拿走自己的劳动果实，心里自然特别喜欢。当然，也有伤心的时候，今年夏天这有这么一回。三百株菊秧还在地上（没有移入盆中的时候），下了暴雨。邻家的墙倒了下来，菊秧被砸死者约三十多种，一百多棵！全家都几天没有笑容！有喜有忧，有笑有泪，有花有实，有香有色，既须劳动，又长见识，这就是养花的乐趣。OnGrowingFlowersLaoSheIloveflowersandhencehavetakentogrowingthem.But,shortoftimetodoresearchandexperimentinflowercultivation,Iamnogardeneratall.Imerelytakeflowercultivationasapleasureoflife.Ireallydon’tcarewhetherornotmyflowerswillputforthplumpandnice-lookingblossom.I’llbedelightedaslongastheycanblossom.Insummer,flowersandplantsgrowinginluxurianceinmysmallcourtyardwillleavelittleopenspaceasaplaygroundforthelittlecats,sotheyhavetosportaboutinourroomsinstead.Igrowmanyflowers,butnoneofthemareexoticorrareones.Itisdifficulttogrowapreciousflowerspecies.AndIfeelbadtoseeagoodflowerdyingofillness.Idon’twantoftentoshedtearsoverthat.ButBeijing’sclimateismoreorlessunfitforthegrowingofflowers.Freezinginwinter,windyinspring,andeithertoodryortoooftenvisitedbyrainstormsinsummer.Whileautumnisthebestofall,itisoftenplaguedbyasuddenfrost.Inaclimatelikethis,itisfarbeyondmycapacitytogrowpreciousflowersofsouthernbreed.Therefore,Ionlygrowflowersandplantsthatarehardyandenjoyahighsurvivalrate.Althoughsuchflowersareabletoweatherthroughbythemselves,I,howeverneverignorethemorabandonthemtotheirownfate,forotherwisemostofthemwillprobablyendupdead.Ihavetocareforthemeverydayasiftheyweremyclosefriends.Thus,inthecourseoftime,I’vesomehowgotthehangofflowercultivationsomeflowerswhichareaccustomedtogrowingintheshadeshouldnotbetoomuchexposedtothesun.Thosewhichpreferdrynessshouldnotbewateredtoooften.Itgivesmemuchpleasuretoknowtherightwayofhandlingthem.Howinterestingitistobeabletokeepmyflowersandplantsaliveandwatchthemthriveandbloomyearinyearout!Itisnoexaggerationtosaythatthereismuchknowledgeinvolvedinthis!Andthemoreknowledgeoneacquires,thebetteritisofcourse.AsIhavesometroublewithmyleg,Ican’tmorearoundeasily,norcanIsittoolong.Idon’tknowiftheflowersundermycarearegratefultomeornot.However,Iwishformyparttoacknowledgemythankstothem.Ioftenleaveoffsedentaryworkafterwritingafewdozenwordsandgotothecourtyardtotakealookattheflowers,wateringthemandmovingaboutthepottedones.ThenI’llreturntomyroomtowriteabitmore.I’llgothroughthesameback-and-forthprocessagainandagain,thuscombiningmentalwithmanuallabour.Thisisabetterwaytokeepmefitinmindandbodythantakingmedicine.Incaseofaviolentstormorasuddenchangeofweather,however,thewholefamilywillhavetoturnouttosalvagetheflowersandplants.Everybodywillthenfeelkeyedup.Bythetimewhenwehavemanagedtomovetheseveralhundredpottedflowerstotheroomsinahurry,wewillbedog-tiredandwetwithperspiration.Thenextday,whentheweatherisfine,wewillhaveanotherroundofbeingdog-tiredandwetwithperspirationintaking

40alltheflowersouttothecourtyardagain.Howinterestingitis!Isn’tittruethatwithoutdoingmanuallabour,wecouldn’tevenkeepasinglefloweralive?Itfilledthewholefamilywithpridewheneverthemilkmanexclaimsonenteringourgate,“Whatasweetsmell!”Whenthenight-bloomingcereusesareabouttobeinflower,wewillinvitesomefriendstovisitusintheeveningtofeasttheireyesonthem—inanatmospheresmackingofnocturnalmerry-makingundercandlelights.Whenthecereuseshavebranchedout,wewillpicksomeoftheflowersandgivethemasapresenttoourfriends.Weareofcourseespeciallyhappytoseethemtakeawayourfruitsoflabour.Ofcourse,thereisatimetofeelsadtoo.Lastsummer,arainstormhituswhen300chrysanthemumseedlingsinthecourtyardwereabouttobetransplantedtopots.Suddenly,thewallofourneighbourcollapsedandcrushedmorethan100seedlingsof30varieties.Thewholefamilyweresad-facedforquietafewdays!Joyandsorrow,laughterandtears,flowersandfruit,fragranceandcolour,manuallabourandincreasedknowledge—allthesemakeupthejoyofflowercultivation.注释：老舍的《养花》于1956年10月21日发表在《文汇报》上。老舍爱花，写出了养花的乐趣，视花儿为自己生命的一部分，人花合一。文章短小简练，朴素隽永。(1)“所以也爱养花“译为hencehavetakentogrowingthem，其中动词短语totaketo的意思是“开始喜欢”。此句也可译为arethereforefondofgrowingflowers。(2)“只好上房去玩耍”译为theyhavetosportaboutinourroomsinstead，其中动词短语tosportabout的意思是“嬉戏”（toplayandjumpabouthappily）。(3)“我只养些好种易活、自己会奋斗的花草”译时稍作灵活处理：Ionlygrowflowersandplantsthatarehardyandenjoyahighsurvivalrate，其中用enjoyahighsurvivalrate（成活率高）表达“好种易活”；用hardy（耐寒、耐劳、能吃苦）表达“会奋斗的”。(4)“自己会奋斗”译为abletoweatherthroughbythemselves，其中动词短语toweatherthrough的意思是“对付困难”、“渡过风暴”等。此句也可译为abletocarryonthestruggleforexistencebythemselves，但用字太大、太多。(5)“任其自生自灭”不宜按字面直译，现意译为abandonthemtotheirownfate。(6)“一来二去”的意思是“经过一定的时间”，故译为inthecourseoftime。(7)“三年五载”以灵活的办法译为yearinyearout。(8)“然后再出去，如此循环”不宜按字面直译，现译为I’llgothroughthesameback-and-forthprocessagainandagain，其中定语back-and-forth作“来来往往”解；gothroughthesameprocess作“重复同一过程”解。(9)“有益身心”可有两种译法：tokeepmefitinmindandbody或tokeepmementallyandphysicallyfit。(10)“就得全家动员”译为thewholefamilywillhavetoturnout，其中动词短语toturnout的意思是“出动”或“出来参加”。(11)“十分紧张”译为feelkeyedup，其中动词短语tokeyup的意思是“使紧张”，因此keyedup和excited、tense等同义。(12)“更有秉烛夜游的神气”中的“秉灯夜游”是成语，比喻“及时行乐”，今结合上下文按“夜间秉烛作乐”的意思译为nocturnalmerry-makingundercandlelights。又“更有……神气”意即“带有……的味道”，故全句译为inanatmospheresmackingofnocturnalmerry-makingundercandlelights.白杨礼赞茅盾白杨树实在是不平凡的，我赞美白杨树！当汽车在望不到边际的高原上奔驰，扑入你的视野的，是黄绿错综的一条大毡子(1)；黄的，那是土，未开垦的处女土，几十万年前由伟大的自然力所堆积成功的黄土高原的外壳；绿的呢，是人类战胜自然的结果，是麦田，和风吹送，翻起了一轮一轮的绿波——这时你会真心佩服昔人所造的两个字“麦浪”，若不是妙手偶得，便确是经过锤炼的语言的精华；黄与绿主宰着，无边无垠，坦荡如砥(2)，这时如果不是宛若并肩的远山的连峰提醒了你（这些山峰凭你的肉眼来判断，就知道是在你脚底下的），你会忘记了汽车是在高原上行驶。这时你涌起来的感想也许是“雄壮”，也许是“伟大”，诸如此类的形容词；然而同时你的眼睛也许觉得有点倦怠，你对当前的“雄壮”或“伟大”闭了眼(3)，而另一种味儿在你的心头潜滋暗长(4)了——“单调”！可不是，单调，有一点儿吧？然而刹那间，要是你猛抬眼看见了前面远远地有一排，——不，或者甚至只是三五株，一二株，傲然地耸立，像哨兵似的树木的话，那你的恹恹欲睡(5)的情绪又将如

41何？我那时是惊奇地叫了一声的！那就是白杨树，西北极普通的一种树，然而实在不是平凡的一种树！那是一种力争上游的一种树，笔直的干，笔直的枝。它的干呢，通常是丈把高，像是加过人工似的，一丈以内，绝无旁枝；它所有的丫枝呢，一律向上，而且紧紧靠拢，也像是加过人工似的，成为一束，绝无横斜逸出(6)；它的宽大的叶子也是片片向上，几乎没有斜生的，更不用说倒垂了；它的皮，光滑而有银色的晕圈，微微泛出淡青色。这是虽在北方的风雪的压迫下却保持着倔强挺立的一种树！哪怕只有碗来精细罢，它却努力向上发展，高到丈许，二丈，参天耸立，不折不挠，对抗着西北风。这就是白杨树，西北极普通的一种树，然而决不是平凡的树！它没有婆娑的姿态，没有屈曲盘旋(7)的虬枝，也许你要说它不美丽，——如果美是专指“婆娑”或“横斜逸出”之类而言，那么白杨树算不得树中的好女子；但是它却是伟岸(8)，正直，朴质，严肃，也不缺乏温和，更不用提它的坚强不屈与挺拔，它是树中伟丈夫！当你在积雪初融的高原上走过，看见平坦的大地上傲然挺立这么一株或一排白杨树，难道你觉得树只是树？难道你就想不它的朴质，严肃，坚强不屈，至少也象征了北方的农民；难道你竟一点也不联想到，在敌后的广大土地上，到处有坚强不屈，就像这白杨树一样傲然挺立的守卫他们家乡的哨兵(9)，难道你又不更远一点想到这样枝枝叶叶靠紧团结，力求上进的白杨树，宛然象征了今天在华北平原纵横激荡(10)，用血写出新中国历史的那种精神和意志。白杨不是平凡的树。它是西北极普遍，不被人重视，就跟北方农民相似；它有极强的生命力(11)，磨折不了，压迫不倒，也跟北方的农民相似。我赞美白杨树，就因为它不但象征了北方的农民，尤其象征了今天我们民族解放斗争中所不可缺的(12)朴质，坚强，以及力求上进的精神。让那些看不起民众，贱视民众，顽固的倒退的人们去赞美那贵族化的楠木(13)（那也是直干秀颀(14)的），去鄙视这极常见，极易生长的白杨罢，但是我要高声赞美白杨树！TributetotheWhitePoplarMaoDunThewhitepoplarisnoordinarytree.Letmesingitspraises.WhenyoutravelbycarthroughNorthwestChina’sboundlessplateau,allyouseebeforeyouissomethinglikeahugeyellow-and-greenfeltblanket.Yellowisthesoil—theuncultivatedvirginsoil.ItistheoutercoveringoftheloessplateauaccumulatedbyMotherNatureseveralhundredthousandyearsago.Greenarethewheatfieldssignifyingman’striumphovernature.Theybecomeaseaofrollinggreenwaveswheneverthereisasoftbreeze.OneishereremindedofChineseexpressionmailangmeaning“ripplingwheat”andcannothelpadmiringourforefathers’ingenuityincoiningsuchahappyphrase.Itmusthavebeeneitherthebrainwaveofacleverscholar,oralinguisticgemsanctionedbylongusage.Theboundlesshighland,withdominantyellowandgreen,isflatlikeawhetstone.Wereitnotfordistantmountainpeaksstandingsidebyside(which,asyournakedeyestellyou,arebellowwhereyoustand),youwouldprobablyforgetthatyouareonthehighland.Thesightofthescenewillprobablycallupinsideyouastringofepithetslike“spectacular”or“grand”.Meanwhile,however,youreyesmaybecomewearyofwatchingthesamepanorama,somuchsothatyouareobliviousofitsbeingspectacularorgrand.Andyoumayfeelmonotonycomingon.Yes,itissomewhatmonotonous,isn’tit?Nowwhatwillbecomeofyourwearinessifyousuddenlyraiseyoureyesonlytocatchsightofdistantrowoftrees(orjustacoupleofthem)standingthereproudlylikesentries.Formypart,Icannotkeepfromutteringanexclamationofsurprise!Theyarewhitepoplars.ThoughverycommoninNorthwestChina,theyarenoordinarytrees!Withstraighttrunksandbranches,whitepoplarsaimhigh.Theirtrunksareusuallyovertenfeettalland,asifwroughtbyhumaneffort,utterlybareofbranchesbelowtenfeet.Theirtwigs,alsolikethingsartificiallyshaped,allreachouttowardstheskyandgrowclosetogetherinaclusterwithoutanysidewaygrowth.Theirleavesarebroadandpointupwardswithveryfewslantingsideways,muchlessupsidedown.Theirglossybarksareafaintlightgreenwithhazysilverspots.TheystanderectandunbendinginfaceofNorthChina’sviolentwindandsnow.Thoughtheymaybeonlyasbigasthemouthofbowl,theystrivetogrowupwardsuntiltheyreachthetoweringheightofsometwentyfeetandstandindomitableagainstthenorthwestwind.Theyarewhitepoplar.ThoughverycommoninNorthwestChina,theyarenoordinarytree!Youmaycallthemunattractivebecausetheyhaveneitherthegracefulcarriageofadancer,norsuchbranchesascantwineandclimb.Butneverthelesstheyare

42bigandtall,honestandupright,simpleandplain,earnestandunyielding—andnotwithoutgentlenessandwarmththough.Theyaregiantsamongtrees!Whenyoutrudgethroughthemeltingsnowofthehighlandandseeoneorarowofwhitepoplarsstandingproudlyonthevastplains,howcouldyoulookuponthemasnothingbutmeretrees?Howcouldyouforgetthatwithalltheirsimplicity,earnestnessandunyieldingness,theyaresymbolicofourpeasantsintheNorth?Howcouldyoufailtoassociatethemwithourdauntlesssoldiersguardingourhomelandalloverthevastrear?Howcouldyoufailtoseethatthesetrees,everstrivingtoputouttheircloselyknitbranchesandleavesinanupwarddirection,aresymbolicofthespiritandwillofourmenwho,fightingheroicallyalloverthenorthernplains,arewritingthehistoryofNewChinawiththeirownblood?Whitepoplarsarenoordinarytrees.ButthesecommontreesinNorthwestChinaareasmuchignoredasourpeasantsintheNorth.However,likeourpeasantsintheNorth,theyareburstingwithvitalityandcapableofsurvivinganyhardshiporoppression.IpaytributetothembecausetheysymbolizeourpeasantsintheNorthand,inparticular,thespiritofhonesty,tenacityandforgingahead—aspiritcentraltoourstrugglefornationalliberation.Thereactionarydiehards,whodespiseandsnubthecommonpeople,candowhatevertheyliketoeulogizetheelitenanmu(whichisalsotall,straightandgood-looking)andlookdownuponthecommon,fast-growingwhitepoplar.I,formypart,willbeloudinmypraiseofthelatter!注释：《白杨礼赞》是茅盾在抗日战争期间1941年3月写的一篇著名散文。(1)“是黄绿错综的一条大毡子”译为somethinglikeahugeyellow-and-greenfeltblanket，其中somethinglike是为适应英语上下文而增添的成分，变隐喻为明喻，使译文读来更顺当。又yellow-and-green（或yellowandgreen）和yellowgreen不同，前者为黄绿杂处，构成一种花色，后者为黄绿混合，即绿中带黄。(2)“坦荡如砥”意即平坦得像一块磨刀石，现直译为flatlikeawhetstone，保留原文的比喻。(3)“你对当前的‘雄壮’或‘伟大’闭了眼”意即你对眼前的景色不再感到“雄壮”或“伟大”，现译为youareobliviousofitsbeingspectacularorgrand，其中obliviousof作“忘却”或“不觉得”解。(4)“潜滋暗长”意即“逐渐开始”，现译为comingon。英语短语tocomeon作tobeginbydegree解。(5)“恹恹欲睡”作“困倦”解，故译为weariness。(6)“横斜逸出”指树枝从树干的旁边斜伸出来，现译为sidewaygrowth。(7)“屈曲盘旋”意即弯弯曲曲地向上爬，现译为twineandclimb。(8)“伟岸”意即“高大”，现译为bigandtall。(9)“守卫他们的家乡的哨兵”中的“哨兵”实际上指“士兵”或“战士”，不宜译为sentries。全部短语应译为soldiersguardingourhomeland。(10)“纵横激荡”意即到处同敌人英勇战斗，现译为fightingheroically。(11)“有极强的生命力”译为areburstingwithvitality，其中burstwith意同fullof。(12)“我们民族解放斗争中所不可缺的……”译为…centraltoourstrugglefornationalliberation，其中centralto意同essentialto。(13)“楠木”是一种常绿乔木，质地坚硬，为贵重木材，现译为namu。(14)“秀颀”意即美丽而高大。现译为good-lookingandtall。故都的秋郁达夫秋天，无论在什么地方的秋天，总是好的(1)；可是啊，北国的秋，却特别地来得清，来得静，来得悲凉。我的不远千里(2)，要从杭州赶上青岛，更要从青岛赶上北平来的理由，也不过想饱尝一尝这“秋”，这故都的秋味。江南，秋当然也是有的，但草木凋得慢，空气来得润，天的颜色显得淡，并且又时常多雨而少风；一个人夹在苏州上海杭州，或厦门香港广州的市民中间，浑浑沌沌地过去，只能感到一点点清凉，秋的味，秋的色，秋的意境与姿态，总看不饱，尝不透，赏玩不到十足(3)。秋并不是名花，也并不是美酒，那一种半开，半醉的状态，在领略秋的过程上，是不合适的。不逢北国之秋，已将近十余年了。在南方每年到了秋天，总要想陶然亭的芦花，钓鱼台的柳影，西山的虫唱，玉泉的夜月，潭柘寺的钟声(4)。在北平即使不出门去罢，就是在皇城人海之中，租人家一椽破屋来住着，早晨起来，泡一碗浓茶，向院子一坐，你也能看到很高很高的碧绿的天色，听得到青天下驯鸽的飞声。从槐树叶底，朝东细数着一丝一丝漏下来的日光，或在破壁腰中，静对着像喇叭似的牵牛花（朝荣）的蓝朵，自然而然地也能感觉到十分的秋意。说到牵牛花，我以为以蓝色或白色者为佳，

43紫黑色次之，淡红色最下。最好，还要在牵牛花底教长着几根疏疏落落的尖细且长的秋草，使作陪衬。北国的槐树，也是一种能使人联想起秋来的点缀。像花而又不是花的那一种落蕊，早晨起来，会铺得满地。脚踏上去，声音也没有，气味也没有，只能感出一点点极微细极柔软的触觉。扫街在树影下一阵扫后，灰土上留下来的一条条扫帚的丝纹，看起来既觉得细腻，又觉得清闲(5)，潜意识下并且还觉得有点儿落寞，古人所说的梧桐一叶而天下知秋的遥想，大约也就在这些深沉的地方。秋蝉的衰弱的残声，更是北国的特产；因为北平处处全长着树，屋子又低，所以无论在什么地方，都听得见它们的啼唱。在南方是非要上郊外或山上去才听得到的。这秋蝉的嘶叫，在北平可和蟋蟀耗子一样，简直像是家家户户都养在家里的家虫(6)。还有秋雨哩，北方的秋雨，也似乎比南方的下得奇，下得有味，下得更像样(7)。在灰沉沉的天底下，忽而来一阵凉风，便息列索落地下起雨来了。一层雨过，云渐渐地卷向了西去，天又青了，太阳又露出脸来了；著着很厚的青布单衣或夹袄的都市闲人，咬着烟管，在雨后的斜桥影里，上桥头树底下去一立，遇见熟人，便会用了缓慢悠闲的声调，微叹(8)着互答着说：“唉，天可真凉了——”“可不是么？一层秋雨一层凉了！”北方的果树，到秋来，也是一种奇景。第一是枣子树；屋角，墙头，茅房边上，灶房门口，它都会一株株地长大起来。像橄榄又像鸽蛋似的这枣子颗儿，在小椭圆形的细叶中间，显出淡绿微黄的颜色的时候，正是秋的全盛时期；等枣树叶落，枣子红完，西北风就要起来了(9)，北方便是尘沙灰土的世界，只有这枣子、柿子、葡萄，成熟到八九分的七八月之交，是北国的清秋的佳日，是一年之中最好也没有的goldendays。有些批评家说，中国的文人学士，尤其是诗人，都带着很浓厚的颓废色彩，所以中国的诗文里，颂赞秋的文字特别的多。但外国的诗人，又何尝不然？我虽则外国诗文念得不多，也不想开账来，做一篇秋的诗歌散文钞，但你若去一翻英德法意等诗人的集子，或各国的诗文的anthology来，总能够看到许多关于秋的歌颂与悲啼。各著名的大诗人的长篇田园诗或四季诗里，也总以关于秋的部分，写得最出色而最有味。足见有感觉的动物，有情趣的人类，对于秋，总是一样的能特别引起深沉，幽远，严厉，萧索的感触来的。不单是诗人，就是被关闭在牢狱里的囚犯，到了秋天，我想也一定会感到一种不能自已的深情(10)；秋之于人，何尝有国别，更何尝有人种阶级的区别呢？不过在中国，文字里有一个“秋士(11)”的成语，读本里又有着很普遍的欧阳子的秋声(12)与苏东坡的《赤壁赋》(13)等，就觉得中国的文人，与秋的关系特别深了。可是这秋的深味，非要在北方，才感受得到底。南国之秋，当然是也有它的特异的地方的，比如廿四桥的明月，钱塘江的秋潮，普陀山的凉雾，荔枝湾的残荷等等，可是色彩不浓，回味不永。比起北国的秋来，正像是黄酒之于白干，稀饭之于馍馍，鲈鱼之于大蟹，黄犬之于骆驼。秋天，这北国的秋天，若留得往的话，我愿把寿命的三分之二折去，换得一个三分之一的零头。AutumninPeipingYuDafuAutumn,whereveritis,alwayshassomethingtorecommenditself.InNorthChina,however,itisparticularlylimpid,sereneandmelancholy.Toenjoyitsatmospheretothefullintheonetimecapital,Ihave,therefore,madelightoftravellingalongdistancefromHanghoutoQingdao,andthencetoPeiping.ThereisofcourseautumnintheSouthtoo,butoverthereplantswitherslowly,theairismoist,theskypallid,anditismoreoftenrainythanwindy.WhilemuddlingalongallbymyselfamongtheurbandwellersofSuzhou,Shanghai,Xianmen,HongKongorGuangzhou,Ifeelnothingbutalittlechillintheair,withouteverrelishingtomyheart’scontenttheflavour,colour,moodandstyleoftheseason.Unlikefamousflowerswhicharemostattractivewhenhalfopening,goodwinewhichismosttemptingwhenoneishalfdrunk,autumn,however,isbestappreciatedinitsentirety.ItismorethanadecadesinceIlastsawautumninNorth.WhenIamintheSouth,thearrivalofeachautumnwillputmeinmindofPeiping’sTaoRanTingwithitsreedcatkins,DiaoYuTaiwithitsshadywillowtrees,WesternHillswiththeirchirpinginsects,YuQuanShanMountainonamoonlighteveningandTanZheSiwithitsreverbratingbell.Supposeyouputupinahumblerentedhouseinsidethebustlingimperialcity,youcan,ongettingupatdawn,sitinyourcourtyardsippingacupofstrongtea,leisurelywatchthe

44highazureskiesandlistentopigeonscirclingoverhead.Sauntereastwardunderlocusttreestocloselyobservestreaksofsunlightfilteringthroughtheirfoliage,orquietlywatchthetrumpet-shapedblueflowersofmorninggloriesclimbinghalfwayupadilapidatedwall,andanintensefeelingofautumnwillofitselfwellupinsideyou.Astomorningglories,Iliketheirblueorwhiteflowersbest,darkpurpleonessecondbest,andpinkonesthirdbest.Itwillbemostdesirabletohavethemsetoffbysometallthingrassplantedunderneathhereandthere.LocusttreesintheNorth,asadecorativeembellishmentofnature,alsoassociateuswithautumn.Ongettingupearlyinthemorning,youwillfindthegroundstrewnalloverwithflower-likepistilsfallenfromlocusttrees.Quietandsmellless,theyfeeltinyandsoftunderfoot.Afterastreetcleanerhasdonethesweepingundertheshadeofthetrees,youwilldiscovercountlesslinesleftbyhisbroominthedust,whichlooksofineandquietthatsomehowafeelingofforlornnesswillbegintocreepuponyou.Thesamedepthofimplicationisfoundintheancientsayingthatasinglefallenleaffromthewutongtreeismorethanenoughtoinformtheworldofautumn’spresence.ThesporadicfeeblechirpingofcicadasisespeciallycharacteristicofautumnintheNorth.DuetotheabundanceoftreesandthelowaltitudeofdwellingsinPeiping,cicadasareaudibleineverynookandcrannyofthecity.IntheSouth,however,onecannothearthemunlessinsuburbsorhills.Becauseoftheirubiquitousshrillnoise,theseinsectsinPeipingseemtobelivingoffeveryhouseholdlikecricketsormice.AsforautumnrainsintheNorth,theyalsoseemtodifferfromthoseintheSouth,beingmoreappealing,moretemperate.Asuddengustofcoolwindundertheslatysky,andraindropswillstartpitter-pattering.Soonwhentherainisover,thecloudsbegingraduallytorolltowardsthewestandthesuncomesoutinthebluesky.Someidletownsfolk,wearinglinedorunlinedclothingmadeofthickcloth,willcomeoutpipeinmouthand,loiteringunderatreebytheendofabridge,exchangeleisurelyconversationwithacquaintanceswithaslighttouchofregretatthepassingoftime:“Oh,realniceandcool—““Sure!Gettingcoolerwitheachautumnshower!”FruittreesintheNorthalsomakeawonderfulsightinautumn.Takejujubetreeforexample.Theygroweverywhere—aroundthecornerofahouse,atthefootofawall,bythesideofalatrineoroutsideakitchendoor.Itisattheheightofautumnthatjujubes,shapedlikedatesorpigeoneggs,maketheirappearanceinalightyellowish-greenamongsttinyellipticleaves.Bythetimewhentheyhaveturnedruddyandtheleavesfallen,thenorth-westerlywindwillbegintoreignsupremeandmakeadustyworldoftheNorth.OnlyattheturnofJulyandAugustwhenjujubes,persimmons,grapesare80-90percentripewilltheNorthhavethebestofautumn—thegoldendaysinayear.SomeliterarycriticssaythatChineseliterati,especiallypoets,aremostlydisposedtobedecadent,whichaccountsforpredominanceofChineseworkssingingthepraisesofautumn.Well,thesameistrueofforeignpoets,isn’tit?Ihaven’treadmuchofforeignpoetryandprose,nordoIwanttoenumerateautumn-relatedpoemsandessaysinforeignliterature.But,ifyoubrowsethroughcollectedworksofEnglish,German,FrenchorItalianpoets,orvariouscountries’anthologiesofpoetryorprose,youcanalwayscomesacrossagreatmanyliterarypieceseulogizingorlamentingautumn.Longpastoralpoemsorsongsaboutthefourseasonsbyrenownedpoetsaremostlydistinguishedbybeautifulmovinglinesonautumn.Allthatgoestoshowthatalllivecreaturesandsensitivehumansalikearepronetothefeelingofdepth,remoteness,severityandbleakness.Notonlypoets,evenconvictsinprison,Isuppose,havedeepsentimentsinautumninspiteofthemselves.Autumntreatsallhumansalike,regardlessofnationality,raceorclass.However,judgingfromChineseidiomqiushi(autumnscholar,meaningandagedscholargrievingoverfrustrationsinhislife)andfrequentselectionintextbooksofOuyangXiu’sOntheAutumnSoughandSuDongpo’sOntheRedCliff,Chinesemenoflettersseemtobeparticularlyautumn-minded.But,toknowtherealflavourofautumn,especiallyChina’sautumn,onehastovisittheNorth.AutumnintheSouthalsohasitsuniquefeatures,suchasthemoonlitErshisiBridgeinYangzhou,theflowingseatideattheQiantangjiangRiver,themist-shroudedPutuoMountainandlotusesattheLizhiwanBay.Buttheyalllackstrongcolourandlingeringflavour.SouthernautumnistoNorthernautumnwhatyellowricewineistokaoliangwine,congeetosteamedbuns,perchestocrabs,yellowdogstocamels.Autumn,ImeanNorthernautumn,ifonlyitcouldbemadetolastforever!Iwouldbemorethanwillingtokeepbutone-thirdofmylife-spanandhavetwo-thirdsofitbarteredfortheprolongedstayoftheseason!

45注释《故都的秋》是郁达夫（1896-1945）的名篇，1934年8月写于北平。文章通过对北国特有风物的细腻描绘，抒发作者对故都之秋的无比眷恋之情。(1)“总是好的”不宜按字面直译。现译为alwayshassomethingtorecommenditself，其中tohave…torecommend…作“有……可取之处”解。(2)“不远千里，要从杭州赶上青岛……”译为havemadelightoftravellingalongdistancefromHangzhoutoQingdao…，其中tomakelightof是成语，作“对……不在乎”解。(3)“总看不饱，尝不透，赏玩不到十足”不宜逐字直译。译文withouteverrelishingtomyheart’scontent…中用relishingtomyheart’scontent概括原文中的“看……饱”、“尝……透”、“赏玩……”等。(4)“每年到了秋天，总要想起陶然亭的芦花……”译为thearrivalofeachautumnwillputmeinmindofPeiping’sTaoRanTingwithitsreedcatkins…，其中toputoneinmindof…是成语，作“使人想起……”解。译文中的Peiping’s是添加成分，以便国外读者理解句中所列各景点的所在地是北平。(5)“既觉得细腻，又觉得清闲”中的“清闲”意同“幽静”，故译为quiet。(6)“可和蟋蟀耗子一样，简直像是家家户户都养在家里的家虫”译为seemtobelivingoffeveryhouseholdlikecricketsormice，其中toliveoff(=toliveon)中成语，作“靠……生活”解，用以表达“养在……的家虫”。(7)“更像样”意即“更有节制”，故译为moretemperate。(8)根据上下文，“微叹“是为”感怀时光的消逝“，故以释义法译为withaslighttouchofregetatthepassingoftime。(9)“西北风就要起来了”译为thenorthwesterlywindwillbegintoreignsupreme，其中toreignsupreme强调“占优势”之意。(10)“感到不能自已的深情”译为havedeepsentiments…inspiteofthemselves，其中inspiteofoneself是成语，作“不由自主地”解。(11)“秋士”是古汉语，指“士之暮年不遇者”，现译为qiushi(autumnscholar,meaninganagedscholargrievingoverfrustrationsinhislife)。(12)“欧阳子的秋声”即“欧阳修所作的《秋声赋》”，现译为OuyangXiu’sOntheAutumnSough。(13)〈赤壁赋〉为苏东坡所作，借秋游赤壁，抒发自己的人生感慨。可译为OntheRedCliff或FuontheRedCliff。谈结婚郁达夫前些日子，林语堂先生似乎曾说过(1)女子的唯一事业，是在结婚，现在一位法国大文豪来沪，对去访问他的新闻记者的谈话之中，又似乎说，男子欲成事业，应该不要结婚。华盛顿·欧文(2)是一个独身的男子，但《见闻短记》里的一篇歌颂妻子的文章(3)，却写的那么优美可爱。同样查而斯·兰姆(4)也是独身的男子，而爱丽亚的《独身者的不平》(5)一篇，又冷嘲热讽，将结婚的男女和婚后必然的果子——小孩们——等，俏皮到了那一步田地。究竟是结婚的好呢，还是不结婚的好？这问题似乎同先有鸡还是先有鸡蛋一样(6)，常常有人提起，而也常常没有人解决过的问题(7)。照大体看来，想租房子的时候，是无眷莫问的，想做官的时候，又是朝里无裙(8)莫做官的，想写文章的时候，是独身者(9)不能写我的妻的，凡此种种似乎都是结婚的好。可是要想结婚，第一要有钱，第二要有闲，第三要有职，这潘驴(10)……的五个条件，却也不容易办到(11)。更何况结婚之后，“儿子自己要来(12)”，在这世界人口过剩，经济恐慌，教育破产，世风不古的时候，万一不慎，同兰姆所说的一样，儿子们去上了断头台(13)，那真是连祖宗三代的楣都要倒尽，那里还有什么“官人请！娘子请！”的唱随之乐(14)可说呢？左思右想，总觉得结婚也不好的，不结婚也是不好的。AChataboutMarriageYuDafuTheotherday,Mr.LinYutangsaidsomethingtotheeffectthatwomen’sonlycareerliesinmatrimony.Now,aneminentFrenchwriterdeclaredatapressinterviewafterarrivinginShanghaithatmenshouldstaybachelorsiftheywanttoachievesuccessinlife.WashingtonIrvingwasaconfirmedbachelor,butinhisSketchBookthereisanarticleextollingthewifeasagracefulandlovelylife-longpartner.CharlesLamb,alsoasingleman,inABachelor’sComplaintoftheBehaviourofMarriedPeople,oneofhisessayssigned“Elia”,speaksmockinglyofmarriedpeoplewiththeirinevitablepostnuptialfruits—thechildren.

46Marriageornomarriage,whichismoredesirable?Thatsoundslikethechicken-and-eggquestion,which,thoughoftendiscussed,remainsaperpetualpuzzle.Generallyspeaking,onewhohasnofamilydependantsisnotsupposedtorentahouse,onewhohasnopetticoatinfluenceinthegovernmentshouldrefrainfrombecominganofficial,anunmarriedmalewriterisinnopositiontowriterabout“mywife”.Alltheseseemtohintattheadvantageofmarriage.But,togetmarried,youneedtohavefiveperquisites,namely,money,leisure,employment,goodlooksandpotentness,ofwhichallarenotalwaysavailable.Whatismore,afteryourmarriage,youroffspringwillcometothisworldofthemselves.Andinaworldwithoverpopulation,economiccrisis,educationalbankruptcyanddeterioratingpublicmorals,theymay,justasCharlesLambsays,throughtheirownactsofindiscretion,besenttothegallows.Withsuchaterriblemisfortunebefallingyourfamily,howcouldyoustillhaveweddedblisstospeakof?Thinkingthematteroverandoveragain,Icannotbutcometotheconclusionthatneithermatrimonynorbachelorshiphasanythingtorecommenditself.注释：郁达夫，一生短暂，在恋爱与婚姻上有很多坎坷经历。小品文《谈结婚》寥寥数语，看似游戏笔墨，但庄谐并出，寓理于趣，感叹人生多苦难，对现实百态深表不满。(1)“似乎曾说过……”意即“说过一些话，大意是……”，译为saidsomethingtotheeffectthat…，其中totheeffectthat…作“大意是……”解。(2)“华盛顿·欧文”是美国作家WashingtonIrving(1783-1859)。《见闻短记》（SketchBook）为其著名代表作。(3)“一篇歌颂妻子的文章”的篇名为TheWife。(4)“查而斯·兰姆”是英国散文家CharlesLamb(1775-1834)。笔名爱丽亚（alia），著有《爱丽亚散文集》（EssaysofAlia）。(5)“《独身者的不平》”指《爱丽亚散文集》中的一篇。(6)“这个问题似乎同先有鸡呢还是先有鸡蛋一样”译为Thatsoundslikethechicken-and-eggquestion，其中chicken-and-egg（或chickenandegg）是成语，作“鸡与蛋孰先难定”或“因果难定”解。(7)“常常没有人解决过的问题”可译为hasneverbeenresolved，现译为remainsaperpetualpuzzle，变反说为正说。(8)“裙”指“裙带关系”意即“藉以相互依靠的姻亲关系”，现译为petticoatinfluence。(9)“独身者”指“独身男作家”，故译为anunmarriedmalewriter。(10)“潘驴”源自《金瓶梅》第三回，指“潘安的貌”和“驴大行货”，在文中分别指第四、第五两个条件。现分别译为gooklooks和potentness。(11)“却也很不易办到”意即“却也不易都具备”，译为ofwhichallarenotalwaysavailable，等于ofwhichnotallarealwaysavailable。(12)“儿子自己要来”译为youroffspringwillcometothisworldofthemselves，其中短语ofthemselves和automatically同义。(13)“走上了断头台”，本可译为besenttotheguillotine，但因兰姆文中说的绞刑架，故译为besenttothegallows。(14)“‘官人请！娘子请！’的唱随之乐”不宜逐字直译，现意译为weddedbliss（闺房之乐），简单明了。永远的憧憬(1)和追求萧红一九一一年，在一个小县城里边，我生在一个小地主的家里。那县城差不多就是中国的最东最北部——黑龙江省——(2)所以一年之中，倒有四个月飘着白雪。父亲常常为着贪婪而失掉了人性。他对待仆人，对待自己的儿女，以及对待我的祖父都是同样的吝啬而疏远，甚至于无情(3)。有一次，为着房屋租金的事情，父亲把房客的全套的马车赶了过来。房客的家属们哭着诉说着(4)，向我的祖父跪了下来，于是祖父把两匹棕色的马(5)从车上解下来还了回去。为着这匹马，父亲向祖父起着终夜的争吵(6)。“两匹马，咱们是算不了什么的，穷人，这匹马就是命根。(7)”祖父这样说着，而父亲还是争吵。九岁时，母亲死去。父亲也就更变了样(8)，偶然打碎了一只杯子，他就要骂到使人发抖的程度。后来就连父亲的眼睛也转了弯，每从他的身边经过，我就像自己的身上生了针剌一样(9)；他斜视着你，他那高傲的眼光从鼻梁经过嘴角而后往下流着(10)。所以每每在大雪中的黄昏里(11)，围着暖炉，围着祖父，听着祖父读着诗篇，看着祖父读着诗篇时微红的嘴唇(12)。

47父亲打了我的时候，我就在祖父的房里，一直面向着窗子，从黄昏到深夜——窗外的白雪，好像白棉花一样飘着；而暖炉上水壶的盖子，则像伴奏的乐器似的振动着(13)。祖父时时把多纹的两手放在我的肩上，而后又放在我头上，我的耳边便响着这样的声音：“快快长吧！长大就好了。”二十岁那年，我就逃出了父亲的家庭。直到现在还是过着流浪的生活。“长大”是“长大了”，而没有“好”。可是从祖父那里，知道了人生除掉了冰冷和憎恶而外，还有温暖和爱。所以我就向这“温暖”和“爱”的方面，怀着永久的憧憬和追求。MyEverlastingDreamandPursuitXiaoHongIn1911,IwasbornintoapettyLandlordfamilyinaremotecountytowninHeilongjiangProvince—atownsituatedvirtuallyatthenortheasterntipofChina.Wehadsnowthereforaslongasonethirdofayear.Father,drivenbyavarice,oftenbecameveryunfeeling.Hewouldtreathisservants,hisownchildrenandevenmygrandpaalikewithmeannessandindifference,nottosaywithruthlessness.Once,duetoadisputeoverhouserent,hetookawaybyforceatenant’shorse-drawncartanddroveithome.Thetenant’sfamilycametoseegrandpaand,droppingtotheirknees,tearfullyrelatedtheirtroubles.Grandpaunharnessedthetwochestnuthorsesandretunedthemtotenant.Thattouchedoffanight-longquarrelbetweenfatherandgrandpa.“Thetwohorsesmeannothingtous,buteverythingtothepoor,”arguedgrandpa.Father,however,refusedtolisten.MotherdiedwhenIwasnine.Fromthenonfatherwentfrombadtoworse.Evenamerecupaccidentallybrokenbysomeonewouldsendhimintosuchaviolentragethatweallshiveredwithfear.Later,wheneverIhappenedtowalkpasthim,hewouldevenhavehiseyesdirectedsideways,whichmademefeellikebeingprickedalloveronthorns.Whenhelookedaskanceatme,superciliousnessgushedfromhiseyesdownthebridgeofhisnoseandthenoffthecornersofhismouth.Oftenofasnowyevening,wechildrenwouldhangaboutgrandpabyaheatingstove,listeningtohimreadingpoemsaloudandmeanwhilewatchinghisbusyruddylips.Wheneverfatherhadgivenmeabeating,Iwouldseeksolaceingrandpa’sroomwhereIwouldstaygazingoutofthewindowfromdusktilllateintothenightwhilesnowflakeswereflyinglikecottonandthelidofthekettleovertheheatingstoverattlinglikeamusicalinstrumentplayinganaccompaniment.Grandpawouldplacehiswrinkledhandonmyshoulderandthenonmyhead,saying,“Growupquick,poorchild!You’llbeallrightafteryou’vegrownup.”Ifledfromhomeattwenty.AndsofarIstilllivethelifeofavagrant.True,I’ve“grownup”,butI’mnotyet“allright”.Nevertheless,fromgrandpaI’velearnedthatapartfromcoldnessandhatred,thereisalsowarmthandloveinlife.Hencemyeverlastingdreamandpursuitofthis“warmth”and“love”.注释：萧红（1911-1942），黑龙江省呼兰县人，官僚地主家庭出身，是才华横溢的女作家。本文是她应美国友人斯诺之给而写的小传。文章诉说她如何在祖父在关怀和抚育下度过寂寞的幼女时代。(1)“憧憬“译为dream，和aspiration,longing,yearning等同义。(2)“那县城差不多就是中国的最东最北部——黑龙江省——”意即“那县城在黑龙江省，差不多位于中国的东北角”。现译为inaremotetowninHeilongjiangProvince—atownsituatedvirtuallyatthenortheasterntipofchina，其中以remote（偏僻的、边远的）表达“小”，便于烘托原文的气氛；atthenortheasterntipofChina比inChina’snortheasternpart灵活顺口。(3)“甚至于无情”译为nottosaywithruthlessness，其中nottosay是英语成语，意即andalmost或andperhapseven。(4)“哭着诉说着”译为tearfullyrelatedtheirtroubles，其中related意told。(5)“棕色的马”译为chestnuthorses。英语常用chestnut指马的棕色，或棕色的马.(6)译文touchedoff是成语，作“激起”、“引起”解。(7)“穷人，这匹马就是命根”译为theymeaneverythingtothepoor，其中everything和前面的nothing相互应。(8)“父亲也就更变了样”译为Fromthenonfatherwentfrombadtoworse，其中fromthenon

48是连接上句的添加成分。又wentfrombadtoworse是成语，作“越来越坏”、“每况俞下”解。(9)“就像自己的身上生了针剌一样”译为feellikebeingprickedalloveronthorns，其中feellike是短语动词，作“如同”解，又介词on常用来指人体受到伤害的原因，(10)译文superciliousnessgushedfromhiseyes…是隐喻。(11)译文Oftenofasnowyevening中的of等于on，但有“经常”的含义。(12)“围着暖炉，围着祖父，听着祖父读着诗篇，看着祖父读着诗篇时微红的嘴唇”译为wouldhangaboutgrandpabyaheatingstove,listeningtohimreadypoemsaloudandmeanwhilewatchinghisbusyruddylips，其中hangabout或hangaround为动词短语，作“待在……身边”解，通常有亲密、友好的含义。又busy一词描述祖父的嘴唇不断张合，以代替“读着诗篇时”。(13)“暖炉上水壶的盖子，则像伴奏乐器似的振动着”译为andthelidofthekettleovertheheatingstoverattlinglikeamusicalinstrumentplayinganaccompaniment,其中rattling表达“振动”，而不用vibrating等，因torattle不仅指“振动”，而且指格格作响声，与“伴奏乐器”的比喻相互应。当铺萧红“你去当吧！你去当吧，我不去！”“好，我去，我就愿意进当铺(1)，进当铺我一点也不怕，理直气壮。”新做起来的我的棉袍，一次还没有穿，就跟着我进当铺去了！在当铺门口稍微徘徊了一下，想起出门时郎华要的价目(2)——非两元不当。包袱送到柜台上，我是仰着脸，伸着腰，用脚尖站起来送上去的，真不晓得当铺为什么摆起这么高的柜台(3)！那戴帽头的人翻着衣裳看，还不等他问，我就说了：“两块钱。”他一定觉得我太不合理，不然怎么连看我一眼也没看，就把东西卷起来，他把包袱仿佛要丢在我的头上，他十分不耐烦的样子(4)。“两块钱不行，那么，多少钱呢？”“多少钱不要。”他摇摇像长西瓜形的脑袋，小帽头顶尖的红帽球，也跟着摇了摇。我伸手去接包袱，我一点也不怕，我理直气壮，我明明知道他故意作难(5)，正想把包袱接过来就走。猜得对对的，他并不把包袱真给我(6)。“五毛钱！这件衣服袖子太瘦，卖不出钱来……”“不当。”我说。“那么一块钱，……再可不能多了，就是这个数目。”他把腰微微向后弯一点，柜台太高，看不出他突出的肚囊……一只大手指，就比在和他太阳穴一般高低的地方。带着一元票子和一张当票，我怏怏地走，走起路来感到很爽快，默认自己是很有钱的人。菜市，米店我都去过，臂上抱了很多东西，感到非常愿意抱这些东西，手冻得很痛，觉得这是应该，对于手一点也不感到可惜，本来手就应该给我服务，好像冻掉了也不可惜。路旁遇见一个老叫花子，又停下来给他一个大铜板，我想我有饭吃，他也是应该吃啊！然而没有多给，只给一个大铜板，那些我自己还要用呢(7)！又摸一摸当票也没有丢，这才重新走，手痛得什么心思也没有了，快到家吧！快到家吧。但是，背上流了汗，腿觉得很软，眼睛有些剌痛(8)，走到大门口，才想起来从搬家还没有出过一次街，走路腿也无力，太阳光也怕起来。又摸一摸当票才走进院子去。郎华仍躺在床上，和我出来的时候一样，他还不习惯于进当铺。他是在想什么。拿包子给他看，他跳起来了：“我都饿啦，等你也不回来。”十个包子吃去一大半，他才细问：“当多少钱？当铺没欺负你？”把当票给他，他瞧着那样少的数目：“才一元，太少。”虽然说当得的钱少，可是又愿意吃包子，那么结果很满足(9)。他在吃包子的嘴(10)，看起来比包子还大，一个跟着一个，包子消失尽了。ThePawnshopXiaoHong“Yougoanddothepawning!Yougo,butnotme!”“Ok,Igo.Iwouldn’tmind.I’mnotafraidatall.Idon’tseeanythingwrongaboutit.”Thus,mynewly-madecotton-paddedgown,whichhadnotbeenwornevenonce,accompaniedmetothepawnshop.AtthedoorofthepawnshopIhesitatedforawhile,

49recallingtheaskingpricesuggestedbyLangHuawhenIlefthome—“NothinglessthantwoYuan.”Istoodontiptoe,faceupwardandbackstraightened,tohandthecloth-wrappedbundleontothecounter.Howstrangethepawnbrokershouldhaveputupacountersoforbiddinglyhigh!Amaninaskullcapturnedthegownoverandovertoexamineit.Beforehecouldopenhismouth,Isaid,“TwoYuan.”Hemusthavethoughtmetoounreasonable,forherolledupthegownwithouteventakingalookatme.Impatiencewaswrittenalloverhisfaceasifhewereabouttothrowthebundleontomyhead.“Iftwoyuanwon’tdo,thenhowmuch?”“Wewon’ttakeitforanything,”saidhe,shakinghislongishwatermelon-shapedhead,thedecorativeredbeadontopofhisskullcapswaying.Iwasawarethathewasouttomakethingsdifficultforme.Therefore,boldandconfident,Ireachedoutmyhandforthebundle.But,justasIhadbeendoublysure,hesimplywouldn’tletgoofit.“Fiftycents!Thesleevesaretootight.Thegownwon’tfetchmuch…”“Iwon’tpawnit,”saidI.“Well,howaboutoneyuan?...Can’tgiveyouanymore.That’sfinal.”Heleanedbackalittlebit,hisbulgingpaunchconcealedbehindthehighcounter…Meanwhile,tosignal“oneyuan”,hegesturedwithafingerraisedashighashistemples.Armedwithaone-dollarnoteandapawnticket,I,unhappyasIwas,walkedwithalightstepandfeltlikeoneoftherich.Ivisitedthefoodmarketandthegrainshop.Ididnottireofcarryinganarmfulofpurchases.Myhandsachedwithcold,butthiswasasitshouldbe.Ifeltnopityforthem.Itwastheirboundendutytowaitonme—evenatthecostofsufferingfrostbite.Ialsoboughttensteamedstuffedbunsatapastryshop.Iwasproudofmyshopping.AgainandagainIfeltsothrilledthatIcompletelyforgotallthepaininmyfrostbittenhands.WhenIsawanoldbeggarbytheroadside,Istoppedtogivehimacoppercoin.Why,ifIhadfoodtoeat,hecertainlyhadnoreasontogohungry!ButIcouldn’taffordtogivehimmore,forIneededtherestofthemoneyforkeepingmyownbodyandsoultogether!BeforeIwalkedonagain,Iputmyhandonthepawnticketinmypockettomakesurethatitwasstillthere.Bythen,thepaininmyhandshadbecometheonlythingIwasconsciousof.SoIwasanxioustobehomeagain.Mybacksweated,mylegsfeltlikejelly,myeyesstung.Atthegateofmyhome,itsuddenlyoccurredtomethatthiswasthefirsttimeIhadeverbeenouttotownsinceImovedhereandthataccountedformylegsfeelingsoweakandmyeyesbeingsoshyoflight.Onenteringthecourtyard,Itouchedthepawnticketagain.LangHuawasstilllyingonthebedwiththesameaversiontoapawnshop.Iwonderwhatwasnowinhismind.ThemomentIproducedthebuns,hejumpedupfromhisbed,“I’msohungry.I’vebeenlongwaitingforyoutocomeback.”Itwasnotuntilhehadgulpeddownmorethanhalfofthebunsthathebegantoquestionmeclosely,“Howmuchdidyoupawnitfor?Didtheycheatyou?”Ishowedhimthepawnticketandheeyedthepitifullysmallsumscratchedonit.“OnlyoneYuan?Toolittle!”True,themoneywastoolittle,butthebunsweregoodtoeat,sothatall’swellthatendedwell.Oneafteranothervanishedthebunsintohiscavernousmouths—amouththatlookedevenbiggerthanabun.注释：《当铺》反映了1932到1934年她与萧军在哈尔滨生活的艰苦的日子。(1)“我就愿意进当铺”译为Iwouldn’tmind，所采用的是正反表达法，把原文从正面表达的句子，在译文中从反面来表达，以便提高译文的效果。(2)“要的价目”译为theaskingprice，为英语常用语，是从toaskaprice转过来的。(3)“这么高的柜台”译为acountersoforbiddinglyhigh，其中forbiddingly作“令人生畏”或“难以接近”（unfriendly或unapproachable）解，原文虽无其词但有其意。(4)“十分不耐烦的样子”译为Impatiencewaswrittenalloverhisface，其中tobewrittenallover(或on)作“显露”解。为英语惯用表达法。(5)“他故意作难”译为hewasouttomakedifficultforme，其中tobeouttodo（或for）something作“企图”（tointend或want）解，是英语惯用表达法。(6)“他亲不把包袱真给我”译为hesimplywouldn’tletgoofit，其中letgoof是英语习语，

50作“放手”（tostopholding）解。(7)“然而没有多给……那些我自己的还要用呢！”译为ButIcouldn’taffordtogivehimmore,forIneededtherestofthemoneytokeepmyownbodyandsoultogether!，其中tokeepmyownbodyandsoultogether作“勉强维持生活”（justtomakebothendsmeet）解，是译文中的添加成分，原文虽无其词而有其意。(8)“背上流了汗，腿觉得很软，眼睛有些刺痛”译为Mybacksweated,mylegsfeltlikejelly,myeyesstung，三句并列，都用不及物动词，并采用连词省略法（asyndeton），有助于提高译文的表达效果。(9)“那么结果很满足”译为sothatall’swellthatendedwell，其中all’swellthatendswell是英语谚语，作“有了好结果就行了”（Itistheendthatmatters）解。(10)“嘴”译为cavernousmouth，其中cavernous是为衬托原意而添加的成分，作“大而深”（verylargeanddeep）解。野草夏衍有这样一个故事。有人问：世界上什么东西的气力最大(1)？回答纷纭的很，有的说“象”，有的说“狮”，有人开玩笑似的说：是“金刚”，金刚(2)有多少气力，当然大家全不知道。结果，这一切答案完全不对(3)，世界上气力最大的，是植物的种子。一粒种子所可以显现出来的力，简直是超越一切，这儿又是一个故事。人的头盖骨，结合得非常致密与坚固，生理学家和解剖学者用尽了一切的方法，要把它完整在分出来(4)，都没有这种力气，后来忽然有人发明了一个方法，就是把植物的种子放在要解剖的头盖骨里，给它以温度与湿度，使它发芽(5)，一发芽，这些种子便以可怕的力量，将一切机械力所不能分开的骨骼，完整地分开了。植物种子力量之大，如此如此。这，也许特殊了一点，常人不容易理解，那么，你看见笋的成长吗？你看见被压在瓦砾和石块下面的一颗小草的生成吗？它为着向往阳光，为着达成它的生之意志(6)，不管上面的石块如何重，石块与石块之间如何狭，它必定要曲曲折折地，但是顽强不屈在透到地面上来，它的根往土壤里钻，它的芽往地面挺，这是一种不可抗拒的力，阻止它的石块，结果也被它掀翻，一粒种子的力量的大，如此如此。没有一个人将小草叫做“大力士”(7)，但是它的力量之大，的确是世界无比，这种力，是一般人看不见的生命力，只要生命存在，这种力就要显现，上面的石块，丝毫不足以阻挡，因为它是一种“长期抗战”的力，有弹性，能屈能伸的力，有韧性，不达目的不止的力(8)。种子不落在肥土而落在瓦砾中，有生命力的种子决不会悲观和叹气，因为有阻力才有磨炼。生命开始的一瞬间就带了斗争来的草，才是坚韧的草，也只有这种草，才可以傲然地对那些玻璃棚中养育着的盆花哄笑。WildGrassXiaYanThereisastorywhichgoeslikethis:Someoneasked,“Whathasthegreateststrengthonearth?”Theanswersvaried.Somesaid,“Theelephant.”Somesaid,“Thelion.”Somesaidjokingly,“Thefierce-browedguardiangodstoBuddha.”Butnobodyofcoursecouldtellhowstrongtheguardiangodsweresupposedtobe.Alltheanswersturnedouttobewideofthemark.Themightiestthingonearthistheseedofaplant.Thegreatstrengthwhichaseediscapableofissimplymatchless.Heregoesanotherstory:Thebonesformingahumanskullaresotightlyandperfectlyfittogetherthatallphysiologistsoranatomists,hardastheytry,arepowerlesstotakethemapartwithoutdamagingthem.Itsohappenedthat,atthesuggestionofsomeone,someseedsofplantwereplacedinsideahumanskullawaitingdissectionbeforeheatandmoisturewereappliedtocausethemtogrow.Oncetheystartedtogrow,theyletlooseaterrificforcetoseparatealltheskullbones,leavingeachofthemintact.Thiswouldhavebeenimpossiblewithanymechanicalpowerunderthesun.See,howpowerfultheseedsofaplantcanbe!Thisstorymaybesomewhattoounusualforyoutounderstand.Well,haveyoueverseenthegrowthofabambooshoot?Orthegrowthoftendergrassfromunderaheapofrubbleorrocks?Seekingsunlightandsurvival,theyoungplantwilllabourtenaciouslythroughtwistsandturnstobringitselftothesurfaceofthegroundnomatterhowheavytherocksoverheadmaybeorhownarrowtheopeningbetweenthem.Whilestrikingitsrootsdeepintothesoil,theyoungplantpushesitsnewshootsabove-ground.The

51irresistiblestrengthitcanmusterissuchastooverturnanyrockinitsway.See,howpowerfulaseedcanbe!Thoughnobodydescribesthelittlegrassasa“husky”,yetitsherculeanstrengthisunrivalled.Itistheforceoflifeinvisibletothenakedeye.Itwilldisplayitselfsolongasthereislife.Therockisutterlyhelplessbeforethisforce—aforcethatwillforeverremainmilitant,aforcethatisresilientandcantaketemporarysetbackscalmly,aforcethatistenacityitselfandwillnevergiveupuntilthegoalisreached.Whenaseedfallsunderdebrisinsteadofonfertilesoil,itneversighsindespairbecausetomeetwithobstructionmeanstotemperitself.Indomitableisthegrassthatbeginsitsverylifewithatoughstruggle.Itisonlyfitandproperthattheproudgrassshouldbejeeringatthepottedflowersinaglasshouse.注释：《野草》是夏衍（1900-1995）于抗战期间写的一篇散文，赞颂小草的那种为常人看不见的顽强生命力，以象征手法鼓舞国人坚定抗战胜利的信心。(1)“世界上什么东西的气力最大”译为Whathasthegreateststrengthonearth，其中onearth和intheworld同义，但此句用onearth较为合适，因它通常用于疑问词或最高级词后加强语气。(2)“金刚”是“金刚力士”之略，指守护佛法的天神，常怒目作勇猛之相，现把它意译为thefierce-browedguardiangodstoBuddha，其中fierce-browed的意思是“怒目横眉”。(3)“结果，这一切答案完全不对”译为Alltheanswersturnedouttobewideofthemark，其中wideofthemark或farfromthemark为成语，意即“离谱”、“不正确”。(4)“把它完整地分出来”即“把它完好无损地分开”，故译为totakethemapartwithoutdamagingthem。(5)“使它发芽”的译文为tocausethemgrow。也可译为tocausethemtoputoutfreshshoots。(6)“为着向往阳光，为着达成它的生之意志”实际上的意思是“为了争取阳光和生存”，故译为Seekingsunlightandsurvival即可。(7)“没有一个人将小草叫做‘大力士’”译为Thoughnobodydescribesthelittlegrassasa“husky”，其中describe…as的意思是“把……说成”、“把……称为”；husky的意思是“高大强壮的人”。(8)“有韧性，不达目的不止的力”译为aforcethatistenacityitselfandwillnevergiveupuntilthegoalisreached，其中itself一词用来加强前面的抽象名词tenacity，属习惯用法。恋爱不是游戏庐隐没有在浮沉的人海中(1)，翻过筋斗的和尚，不能算善知识(2)；没有受过恋爱洗礼的人生，不能算真人生。和尚最大的努力，是否认现世而求未来的涅槃(3)，但他若不曾了解现世，他又怎能勘破现世(4)，而跳出三界(5)外呢？而恋爱是人类生活的中心，孟子说：“食色性也。”所谓恋爱正是天赋之本能；如一生不了解恋爱的人，他又何能了解整个人生？所以凡事都从学习而知而能，只有恋爱用不着学习，只要到了相当的年龄，碰到合式（适）的机会，他和她便会莫名其妙地恋爱起来。恋爱人人都会(6)，可是不见得人人都懂(7)，世俗大半以性欲伪充恋爱，以游戏的态度处置恋爱，于是我们时刻可看到因恋爱而不幸的记载。实在的恋爱绝不是游戏，也绝不是堕落的人生所能体验出其价值的，它具有引人向上的鞭策力，它也具有伟大无私的至上情操，它更是美丽的象征。在一双男女正纯洁热爱着的时候，他和她内心充实着惊人的力量；他们的灵魂是从万有的束缚中，得到了自由，不怕威胁，不为利诱，他们是超越了现实，而创造他们理想的乐园。不幸物欲充塞的现世界，这种恋爱的光辉，有如萤火之微弱，而且“恋爱”有时适成为无知男女堕落之阶，使维纳斯不禁深深地叹息：“自从世界人群趋向灭亡之途，恋爱变成了游戏，哀哉！”LoveisNotaGameLuYinABuddhistmonkwithouthavingexperiencedupsanddownsintheseaofmortalswillhavenoclaimtotruewisdom.Likewise,onewhohasnevergonethroughthebaptismofromanticlovewillhavelittlegenuineknowledgeoflife.Buddhistmonksexerteveryefforttorenouncethislifeinfavouroffuturenirvana.But,withoutafullknowledgeofthislife,howcouldtheyseethroughthevanityofhumansocietyandmakeacleanbreakwiththismortalworld?Romanticloveisthecoreofhumanlife.Menciussays,“Thedesireforfoodandsexis

52nature.”Inotherwords,loveisinnate.Ifoneremainsalifelongstrangertolove,howcanhethoroughlyunderstandlife?Manbecomescapablethroughlearning.Butloveisanexception.Boyandgirl,whentheyareofageandmeetatanopportunemoment,willbecomemysteriouslyattachedtoeachother.Thoughpeoplelovebyinstinct,yetallcannotunderstanditcorrectly.Moreoftenthannot,loveisbutcarnaldesireindisguiseandistreatedasameregame.Thatiswhywesooftenheartragicstoriesoflove.Trueloveisnotagame.Norcanitstruevaluebeappreciatedbythemorallydegenerate.Truelovespursoneontohigherattainment.Itembodiesthesupremequalityofselflessness,andis,aboveall,symbolicofbeauty.Whenamanandwomanaredeeplyimmersedintruelove,theyarefullofamazinginnerstrength.Theirsoulsarefreedfromallbondage.Theyareunyieldingbeforethreatsandincorruptiblebeforeanypromiseofmaterialgain.Theytranscendtherealitytocreateanidealparadiseoftheirown.Unfortunately,inthispresentworldoverflowingwithmaterialdesires,thiskindoftrueloveisasrareasthefeeblelightoffireflies.Whatismore,“love”sometimesevenleadstomoraldegenerationonthepartofignorantmenandwomen.Overthis,Venuscannothelplamentingwithadeepsigh,“Lovehasbecomeameregameeversincehumanitysetoutonitswaytoextinction.Owhatasadstory!”注释:女作家庐隐（1898-1934），福建闽侯人，早期与冰心齐名。她的杂文短小精悍，直爽坦率，笔锋锐利。(1)“浮沉的人海中”译为upsanddownsintheseaofmortals，其中upsanddowns意同vicissitudes（兴败、盛衰）；theseaofmortals意同theseaoftheliving。(2)“不能算善知识”意即“没有过资格称为智者”，现译为willhavenoclaimtotruewisdom，其中havenoclaimto本作“对……没有提出要求的权利”解，现作“没有资格称为……”解。此句也可译为willhavenotruewisdomtospeakof，但与原意稍有出入。(3)“涅槃”指信佛教者经过长期“修道”所达到的最高境界。后世也称僧人逝世为“涅槃”（又称“入灭”或“圆寂”）。英语称之为virvana，源于梵文。(4)“勘破现世”意同“看破红尘”现译为seethroughthevanityofhumansociety。(5)“跳出三界”中的“三界”也是佛教用语，指“众生所住的世界”。现按“与现世一刀两断”的意思把“跳出三界”译为makeacleanbreakwiththismortalworld。(6)“恋爱人人都会”意即“恋爱出于本能”，故译为Peoplelovebyinstinct。(7)“可是不见的人人都懂”译为yetallcannotunderstanditcorrectly，等于yetnotallcanunderstandIcorrectly。我若为王聂绀弩在电影刊物上看见一个影片的名字：《我若为王》(1)。从这影片的名字，我想到和影片毫无关系的另外的事(2)。我想，自己如果作了王，这世界会成为一种怎样的光景呢？这自然是一种完全可笑的幻想，我根本不想作王(3)，也根本看不起王，王是什么东西呢？难道我脑中还有如此封建的残物么？而且真想作王的人，他将用他的手去打天下，决不会放在口里说的。但是假定又假定，我若为王，这个世界会成为一种怎样的光景？我若为王，自然我的妻就是王后了。我的妻的德性，我不怀疑，为王后只会有余的。但纵然没有任何德性，纵然不过是个娼妓，那时候，她也仍旧是王后。一个王后是如何地尊贵呀，会如何地被人们像捧着天上的星星一样捧来捧去呀，假如我能够想像，那一定是一件有趣的事情。我若为王，我的儿子，假如我有儿子，就是太子或王子了。我并不以为我的儿子会是一无所知，一无所能的白痴(4)，但纵然是一无所知一无所能的白痴，也仍旧是太子或王子。一个太子或王子中如何地尊贵呀，会如何被人们像捧天上的星星一样地捧来捧去呀。假如我能想像，倒是件不是没有趣味的事。我若为王，我的女儿就是公主，我的亲眷都是皇亲国戚。无论他们怎样丑陋，怎样顽劣，怎样……(5)也会被人们像捧天上的星星一样地捧来捧去，因为她们是贵人。我若为王，我的姓名就会改作：“万岁”，我的每一句话都成为：“圣旨”。我的意欲，我的贪念，乃至每一个幻想，都可竭尽全体臣民的力量去实现，即使是无法实现的。我将没有任何过失，因为没有人敢说它是过失；我将没有任何罪行，因为没有人敢说它是罪行。没有人敢呵斥我，指摘我，除非把我从王位上赶下来。但是赶下

53来，就是我不为王了。我将看见所有的人们在我面前低头，鞠躬，匍匐(6)，连同我的尊长，我的师友，和从前曾在我面前昂头阔步耀武扬威的人们。我将看不见一个人的脸，所看见的只是他们的头顶或帽盔。或者所能看见的脸都是谄媚的，乞求的，快乐的时候不敢笑，不快乐的时候不敢不笑，悲戚的时候不敢哭，不悲戚的时候不敢不哭脸。我将听不见人们的真正的声音，所能听见的都是低微的，柔婉的，畏葸(7)的和娇痴的，唱小旦的声音：“万岁，万岁！万万岁！”这是他们的全部语言。“有道明君！伟大的主上啊！”这就是那语言的全部内容。没有在我之上的人了，没有和我同等的人了，我甚至会感到单调，寂寞和孤独。为什么人们要这样呢？为什么要捧我的妻，捧我的儿女和亲眷呢？因为我是王，中他们的主子，我将恍然大悟：我生活在这些奴才们中间，连我所敬畏的尊长和师友也无一不是奴才，而我自己不过是一个奴才的首领。我是民国的国民，民国国民的思想和生活习惯使我深深地憎恶一切奴才或奴才相(8)，连同敬畏的尊长和师友们。请科学家们不要见笑，我以为世界之所以还有待于改进者(9)，全因为有这些奴才的缘故。生活在奴才们中间，作奴才们的首领，我将引为生平的最大耻辱，最大的悲哀。我将变成一个暴君，或者反而是明君；我将把我的臣民一齐杀死，连同尊长和师友，不准一奴种留在人间。我将没有一个臣民，我将不再是奴才们的君主。我若为王，将终于不能为王(10)，却也真地为古今中外最大的王了。“万岁，万岁，万万岁！”我将和全世界的真的人们一同三呼。IfIWereKingNieGannuRecentlyinamoviemagazineIcameacrossthetitleofafilm:IfIWereKing.Ithasputmeinmineofsomethingentirelyforeigntofilminquestion.IwonderwhatwouldbecomeofthisworldifImyselfwereking.Thisisofcoursearidiculousfancy,forbeingakingisthelastthingIaspiretoandalsoathingIutterlydespise.Whatthehellisaking?HowcanIstillbesofeudalisticinmymind?Moreover,ifoneisreallybentonbeingaking,hewilltrytocarryouthisdesignbydeedsinsteadofbywords.But,toputithypothetically,supposeIwereking,whatwouldthisworldlooklike?IfIwereking,mywifewouldofcoursebequeen.Withallhermoralexcellence,ofwhichImakenodoubt,shewouldbemorethanqualifiedforbeingaqueen.Butevenifshehadnovirtuetospeakof,orwerejustawhore,shewouldbequeenallthesame.Imaginehownobleanddignifiedaqueenwouldbeandhowpeoplewouldkeeplaudinghertotheskieslikemad!Itisindeedgreatfunformetovisualizeallofthis.IfIwereking,myson,ifany,wouldbecrownprinceorprince.Idon’tthinkmysonwillbeignorantorworthlessineverywaylikeanidiot.But,evenifthatwerenotthecase,hewouldstillbecrownprinceorprince.Imaginehownobleanddignifiedacrownprinceorprincewouldbeandhowpeoplewouldkeeplaudinghimtotheskieslikemad!Itisindeedgreatfunformetovisualizeallofthis.IfIweretheking,mydaughterswouldbeprincess,andmyrelativesbymarriagewouldallbecomemembersoftheroyalfamily.Nomatterhowuglyorperverseorwhatnottheywere,peoplewouldkeeplaudingthemtotheskieslikemadjustthesamebecausetheyweredignitaries.IfIwereking,Iwouldbeaddressedas“YourMajesty”andeverywordofminewouldbecomea“royaledict”.Allmysubjectswouldleavenostoneunturnedtocarryouteverywill,everyavariciousdesireandeveneverywhimofmine,eventhoughtheywereallbeyondthepossible.Iwoulddonowrongsimplybecausenoonedaredtocallitawrong.Iwouldcommitnocrimesimplybecausenoonedaredtocallitacrime.NoonewoulddaretoberateorfindfaultwithmeunlessIwasremovedfromthethrone,whichmeantthatIwasnolongertheking.Iwouldseeallpeoplehangtheirheads,bowloworprostratethemselvesatmyfeet,includingmyrespectedelders,teachers,friendsandeventhosewhohadusedtoswaggerarrogantlyinfrontofme.Icouldseenoneoftheirfaces;allIcouldseewerethetopsoftheirheadsorhatsorhelmetsontheirheads.TheonlyfacesIcouldseewouldbeingratiatingorsupplicating–facesthatdarednotsmiletoexpressjoy;facesthatdarednotrefrainfromaforcedsmilewhentherewasnojoyatalltojustifyasmile;facesthatdarednotcrytoexpresssorrow;facedthatdarednotrefrainfromafeignedcrywhentherewasnosorrowtojustifyacry.Icouldhearnotruevoicesofmypeople.AllIcouldhearwouldbethefeeble,soft,timidandaffectedvoice,likethatofafemalePekingoperasinger,chanting,“LonglivetheKing!”thatwouldbetheirlanguageintoto.“GreatistheKing,ourenlightenedlord!”Thatwouldbethesolecontentoftheirlanguage.Therewouldbenooneabovemeoronanequalfootingwithme.Iwouldeven

54feelbored,lonelyandisolated.Whywouldpeoplebehavelikethat?Whywouldtheyflattermywife,mychildrenandmyrelatives?BecauseIwasking,theirmaster.Itwouldsuddenlydawnonmethatlivingamongtheseflunkeys,includingmyesteemedelders,teachersandfriends,Imyself,too,wasnothingbutamereheadflunkey.IamthecitizenoftheRepublic.Beingaccustomedtothemodeofthinkingandlivingofarepublicancitizen,Iwoulddeeplyabhorallservilityandflunkeys,includingmyesteemedelders,teachersandfriends.Dearscientists,pleasedon’tlaughatme.Methinkstheworldisverymuchinneedofreformsimplybecauseofthepresenceoftheseflunkeys,Iwouldregarditasthedeepestdisgraceandsorrowofmylifetoliveamongtheflunkeysandbecometheirchief.IwouldratherbecomeatyrantoranenlightenedkingsothatIcouldkilloffallmysubjects,amongthemmyrespectedelders,teachersandfriends,andhavetheflunkeyspeciesexterminatedonceforall.Then,withallmysubjectsgone,Iwouldnolongerbethekingofflunkeys.IfIwerekingandultimatelyendedupbecomingnokingatall,Iwouldindeedbethegreatestkingthathadeverbreathedsincetimeimmemorial.Iwouldjointruepeoplealltheworldoveringivingthreecheersformyself.注释：《我若为王》是中国现代杰出杂文家聂绀弩（1903－1986）写于1941年的一篇杂文，文字通俗易懂，内容讽刺辛辣，流露了对专制统治者和奴才的蔑视。(1)“我若为王”译为IfIWereKing，其中King的前面省略了冠词a。在职位、头衔、等级等的名词前面大多不用冠词a或an。(2)“和影片毫无关系的另外的事”译为somethingentirelyforeigntothefilminquestion，其中foreignto为成语，作havingnorelationto或unconnectedwith解。又inquestion是添加成分，作beingtalkedabout（正在讨论的）解。(3)“我根本不想为王”译为beingakingisthelastthingIaspireto，其中last一词作leastlikely或mostunlikely（最不可能的）解。(4)“一无所知，一无所能的白痴”译为ignorantorworthlessineverywaylikeanidiot，其中ineveryway作“完全”或“彻头彻尾”解。(5)“无论他们怎样丑陋，怎样顽劣，怎样……”中的最后一个“怎样”意即“诸如此类的事”或“等等”，现译为orwhatnot。英语whatnot作othersuchthings解，为whatmaynotsay?的省略。(6)“匍匐”在此指俯伏或拜倒动作（表示顺从），现译为prostrate。(7)“畏葸”做“胆怯”解，现译为timid。(8)“奴才相”译为servility。英语servility意即slavishness或slave-likedeference。(9)“我以为世界之所以还有待于改进者”译为Methinkstheworldisverymuchinneedofreform，其中Methinks等于Ithink或Itseemstobe，为无人称动词，本为古体词，现常作诙谐打趣用语。(10)“我若为王，将终于不能为王”译为IfIwerekingandultimatelyendedupbecomingnokingatall，其中endedup是成语，作“告终”解。例如：Heneverdreamedthathewouldendupowningsuchabigfortune.清贫方志敏我从事革命斗争，已经十余年了。在长期的奋斗中，我一向是过着朴素的生活，从没有奢侈过。经手的款项，总在数百万元；但为革命而筹集的金钱，是一点一滴地用之于革命事业。这在国民党的伟人们(1)看来，颇似奇迹，或认为夸张；而矜持不苟，舍己为公，却是每个共产党员具备的美德。所以，如果有人问身边有没有一些积蓄，那我可以告诉你一桩趣事(2)：就在我被俘的那一天——一个最不幸的日子，有两个国民党的兵士，在树林中发现了我，而且猜到我是什么人的时候，他们满肚子热望在我身上搜出一千或八百大洋(3)，或者搜出一些金镯金戒指一类的东西，发个意外之财(4)。那知道从我上身摸到下身，从袄领捏到袜底，除了一只时表和一枝自来水笔之外，一个铜板都没有搜出。他们于是激怒起来了，猜疑我是把钱藏在那里，不肯拿出来。他们之中有一个左手拿着一个木柄榴弹，右手拉出榴弹中的引线(5)，双脚拉开一步，作出要抛掷的姿势，用凶恶的眼光钉住我，威吓地吼道：“赶快将钱拿出来，不然就是一炸弹，把你炸死去！(6)”“哼！不要作出那难看的样子来吧！我确实一个铜板都没有存；想从我这里发洋财，是想错了(7)。”我微笑着淡淡地说。“你骗谁！(8)像你当大官的人会没有钱！(9)”拿榴弹的兵士坚不相信。“决不会没有钱的(10)，一定是藏在那里，我是老出门的(11)，骗不得我。”另一个兵士一面说，一面弓着背重来一次将我的衣角裤裆过细的捏，总企望着有新的发现。

55“你们要相信我的话，不要瞎忙吧(12)！我不比你们国民党当官的，个个都有钱，我今天确实是一个铜板也没有，我们革命不是为着发财啦！”我再向他们解释。等他们确知在我身上搜不出什么的时候，也就停手不搜了；又在我藏躲地方的周围，低头注目搜寻了一番，也毫无所得，他们是多么地失望呵！那个持弹欲放地兵士，也将拉着的引线，仍旧塞进榴弹的木柄里，转过来抢夺我的表和水笔。后彼此说定表和笔卖出钱来平分，才算无话。他们用怀疑而又惊异的目光，对我自上而下地望了几遍，就同声命令地说：“走吧！”是不是还要问问我家里有没有一些财产？请等一下，让我想一想，啊，记起来了，有的有的，但不算多。去年暑天我穿的几套旧的汗褂裤，与几双缝上底的线袜，已交给我的妻放在深山坞里保藏着——怕国民党军进攻时，被人抢了去，准备今年暑天拿出来再穿；那些就算是我唯一的财产了。但我说出那几件“传世宝”来，岂不要叫那些富翁们齿冷三天？(13)！清贫，洁白朴素的生活，正是人们革命者能够战胜许多困难的地方！HonestPovertyFangZhiminIhavebeenengagedintherevolutionarystruggleformorethanadecade.Duringtheselongmilitantyears,Ihavelivedaplainlifewithnoluxuriestospeakof.Millionsofdollarspassedthroughmyhands,butIalwayssawtoitthateverysinglycentofthemoneyraisedfortherevolutionwasspentfornootherpurposes.ThismaysoundlikeamiracleoranexaggerationtoKuomintangVIPs.Self-disciplineandself-sacrifice,however,arethevirtuecharacteristicofacommunist.Therefore,shouldanyoneinquireofmeaboutmypersonalsavings,lethimreadthefollowingamusingepisode:Onthedayofmycapture—amostinauspiciousdayitwas—twoKuomintangsoldiersdiscoveredmeinawood.Sizingmeup,theythoughttheyhadcomeuponawindfallandstartedmakingafranticbodysearch,hopefullytofindonmehundredofsilversdollarsorsomejewellerylikegoldbraceletsorrings.Theyfriskedmefromtoptotoeandpassedtheirhandsovereverythingonmefromthecollarofmyjackettothesolesofmysocks,but,contrarytotheirexpectation,theyfoundnothingatall,notevenasinglecopper,exceptawatchandafountainpen.Theywereexasperated,suspectingthatIhadmymoneyhiddensomewhereandrefusedtogiveitup.Oneofthetwomenhadinhislefthandawooden-handledgrenade.Hepulledoutthecordfrominsidethewoodenhandledandmovedhislegsonestepapartasifhewasabouttothrowthegrenade.Gloweringatmeferociously,hethreatenedloudly,“Outwithyourmoneyquick,oryoudie!”“Hey!”Isaiddrilywithafaintsmile.“Don’tyouputonsuchnastyairs!TrueIhaven’tgotasinglecopperwithme.You’rebarkingupwrongtreetoseekafortunefromme.”“Shit!Nobodycaneverbelieveabigshotlikeyouain’tgotnomoney!”thesoldierwiththegrenaderemainedwhollyincredulous.“Nomoney?”theothersoldierjoinedin.“Impossible!Itmustbehiddensomewhere.Nofoolinganoldhandlikeme.”Meanwhile,hebentlowtopasshishandagainmeticulouslyovereverynookandcornerofmyclothesandthecrotchofmytrousers,stillholdingouthighhopesofmakinganewdiscovery.“Youshouldbelievemeandstopmessingaround!”Iexplainedagain.“UnlikeyourKuomintangofficialswho’rerollinginmoney,I’mreallypenniless.Wejointherevolutionnotforpersonalgain.”Finally,whentheyknewforcertainthattherewasnomoneyonme,theygaveupthebodysearch.Nevertheless,theyloweredtheirheadstoscanhereandtheretheplacewhereIhadhiddenmyself,butagaininvain.Howfrustratedtheymusthavefelt!Thesoldierholdinggrenadepushedthecordbackintoitswoodenhandle,andturnedroundtoscrambleformywatchandfountainpen.Thetwomen,however,settledtheirdisputebyagreeingtodividethemoneyequallybetweenthemaftersellingthespoils.Theyeyedmeupanddownwithsuspicionandamazementbeforebarkingoutinchorus,”comealong!”Dearreaders,maybeyouwishtoknowifIhaveanyprivatepropertyathome.Justaminute!Letmesee…Ah,hereitis,butnothingmuchthough.Ihaveleftwithmywifeforsafekeepingafewchangesofusedunderwearandafewpairsofsockswithmendedsoles,allofwhichIusedtowearlastsummer.ShehasnowputthemawayinaremotemountainvalleytopreventthemfrombeingstolenincaseofKuomintangattack,sothatImaywearthemagainthissummer.TheseareallthepropertyIhavetomyname.Butwouldn’tthedeclarationofmy“familytreasures”makemyselfanobjectoflivelyridiculetotherich?

56Toremainhonestthoughpoor,toliveacleanandsimplelife—thatiswhatwerevolutionariescountontoovercomeinnumerabledifficulties!注释：《清贫》是方志敏烈士1935年英勇就义前在江西国民党监狱中写下的不朽散文。(1)“国民党伟人们”指“国民党要人们”，故译为KuomintangVIPs。(2)“一桩趣事”可译为amusingevent,occurrence、episode等，但以episode较为合适，因为它指一系列事件中的一件。(3)“一千或八百大洋”中“大洋”指“银元”故译为silverdollars。(4)“发个意外之财”译为hadcomeuponawindfall，其中windfall本指apieceoffruitblownoffatreebythewind，现指apieceofunexpectedfortune。(5)“拉出榴弹中的引线”中的“引线”不是“引信”（fuse），故译为cord。(6)“不然就是一炸弹，把你炸死去”本可按字面直译为orthebombfinishesyouoff，现译为oryoudie，简洁明白，较口语化。又动词die用作现在不定式，不用将来式willdie，是为了表达一种必然将发生的事（acertainty）。(7)“想从我这里发财，是想错了”译为You’rebarkingupthewrongtreetoseekafortunefromme，其中tobarkupthewrongtree是常见于口语的习语，意即“找错地方”或“找错人”。(8)“你骗谁”是粗话，相当于“胡说”，不宜直译，现译为Shit。(9)“像你当大官的人会没有钱”译为Abigshotlikeyouain’tgotnomoney?，其中ain’t等于hasn’t，常见于口语。又译句中用两个否定（doublenegative）表达一个否定，为文化低的人所用的不规范英语。(10)“决不会没有钱的”是恶狠狠的话，不宜直译，现根据人物对话情景译为Nomoney?Impossible，取其神似。(11)“老出门的”意即“老手”，故译为anoldhand。(12)“不要瞎忙吧”意即“别胡闹”，可译为don’tactorspeakstupidly，但欠口语化，现译为stopmessingaround或stopmuckingaround。(13)“叫那些富翁们齿冷三天”意即“被那些有钱人尽情嘲笑”，现译为makemyselfanobjectoflivelyridiculetotherich。离别(1)郑振铎别了，我爱的中国，我全心爱着的中国，当我倚在高高的船栏上，见着船渐渐的离岸了(2)，船与岸间的水面渐渐的阔了(3)，见着了许多亲友挥着白巾，挥着帽子，挥着手，说着Adieu,adieu！听着鞭炮劈劈拍拍的响着，水兵们高呼着向岸上的同伴告别时，我的眼眶是润湿了，我自知我的泪点已经滴在眼镜面了，镜面是模糊了，我有一种说不出的感动！船慢慢的向前驶着，沿途见了停着的好几只灰色的白色的军舰。不，那不是悬着我们国旗的，它们的旗帜是“红日(4)”，是“蓝白红(5)”，是“红蓝条交叉着”的联合旗(6)，是有“星点红条”的旗(7)！两岸是黄土和青草，再过去是两条的青痕，再过去是地平线上的几座小岛山，海水满盈盈的照在夕阳之下，浪涛如顽皮的小童似的踊跃不定。水面上现出一片的金光。别了，我爱的中国，我全心爱着的中国！我不忍离了中国而去(8)，更不忍在这大时代中放弃每人应做的工作而去(9)，抛弃了许多亲爱的勇士在后面，他们是正用他们的血建造着新的中国，正在以纯挚的热诚，争斗着，奋击着。我这样不负责任的离开了中国，我真是一个罪人！然而我终将在这大时代中工作着的，我终将为中国而努力，而呈献了我的身，我的心；我别了中国，为的是求更好的经验，求更好的奋斗工具。暂别了，暂别了(10)，在各方面争斗着的勇士们，我不久即将以更勇猛的力量加入你们当中了。当我归来时，我希望这些悬着“红日”的，“蓝白红”的，有“星点红条”的，“红蓝条交叉着”的一切旗帜的白色灰色的军舰都已不见了(11)，代替它们的是我们的可喜爱的悬着我们的旗帜的伟大的舰队。如果它们那时还没有退去中国海(12)，还没有为我们所消灭，那末，来，勇士们，我将加入你们的队中，以更勇猛的力量，去压迫它们，去毁灭它们！这是我的誓言！别了，我爱的中国，我全心爱着的中国！PartingSorrowsZhengZhenduoFarewell,China,mybelovedhomeland!Leaningoverthehighrailing,Iwatchedtheshiptearingitselfawayslowlyfromtheshore,leavingawideningexpanseofwaterin

57between.Manyrelativesandfriendsofminewerewavingtheirhatsandwhitehandkerchiefsamidstshoutsof“Adieu,adieu!”firecrackerswerecracklingandapluttering,andsailorsshoutinggoodbyetotheirbuddiesontheshore.Iwasseizedwithviolentemotion,tearswellingupinmyeyesandblurringmyeyeglasses.Whiletheshipwassteeringaheadslowly,Isawonthewaymanywarshipsingrayorwhitelyingatanchorandflyflagsotherthanournationalones.Theywereflyingtheredsun,thetricolour,theunionjackorthestarsandstripes.Thebankswiththeiryellowishsoilandgreengrassrecededintotwogreenishstripsuntiltheybecamesomemereisletsonthehorizon.Thewatersoftheseaglistenedunderthesettingsunandkeptleapinglikerompingurchins.Thewatersurfacewasavastexpanseofgold.Farwell,China,mybelovedhomeland!IcannotfinditinmyhearttoleaveChina,muchlessduringthesestormytimeswhenIhavetoabandonmyboundendutyandleavebehindsomanydearbravefighters—menwhoarebuildinganewChinawiththeirownbloodandstrugglingandbattlinginallearnest.ToquitChinaatthismomentmeanstododgemyresponsibility,andthatmakesmefeelveryguiltyindeed!Nevertheless,Ishalleventuallyanswerthecallofthetimesanddevotemyselfheartandsoultomymotherland.IampartingfromChinaacquiremoreexperienceandsearchforbetterwaysofstruggle.Dearbravefightersofeveryfield,Ishallbeseparatedfromyouonlyforthepresentandwillsoonreturntojoinyourrankswithredoubledstrength.Onmyreturn,Ihope,Ishallseenomoregrayorwhitewarshipsplyingourterritorialwaterswithflagsoftheredsun,thetricolour,theunionjackorthestarsandstripes.IhopeIshallseeinsteadourlovelygreatfleetflyingournationalcolours.Dearbravefighters,iftheforeignwarshipsbythattimestillhangontheirpresenceinourterritorialwaters,Iwilljoinyoutodomybitingettingridofthem.Thatismypledge!Farewell,China,mybelovedhomeland!注释：郑振铎（1898－1958）是我国现代作家，学者。他于1927年8月乘船远离祖国，前往法国巴黎和英国伦敦游学，1929年10月归国。《离别》一文写于这一时期，内分三部分，其中第一部分抒发即将去国的志士情怀。(1)题目《离别》译为PartingSorrows，不仅表示告别，且同时把离愁别绪也作了交代。如译为Partingfromhomeland或FarewelltoChina似缺乏内涵。(2)“见着船渐渐的离岸了”译为Iwatchedtheshiptearingitselfawayslowlyfromtheshore，其中tearitselfaway也可用movingaway表达，但缺乏惜别的感情色彩。(3)“船与岸间的水面渐渐的阔了”译为leavingawideningexpanseofwaterinbetween，其中inbetween指betweentheshipandtheshore。(4)“红日”指日本国旗，译为theredsun，后面未加flag，是为了配合造句。否则也可译为thesunflag或therising-sunflag。(5)“蓝白红”指法国国旗，英语中常以thetricolour来表达。(6)“‘红蓝条交叉着’的联合旗”指英国国旗，英语中以theunionjack或theunionflag表达。(7)“‘星点红条’的旗“即美国国旗，英语中称之为thestarsandstripes。(8)“我不忍离了中国而去”译为IcannotfinditinmyhearttoleaveChins，其中tofinditinone’shearttodo…是成语，作“忍心做……”、“意欲……”解。此句也可译为IcannotbeartoleaveChina。(9)“更不忍在这大时代中放弃每人应做的工作而去”译为muchlessduringthesestormytimeswhenIhavetoabandonmyboundenduty，其中muchless是成语，常跟在否定句后面，作“更不用说”（andcertainlynot）解。又，“这大时代”按内涵译为thesestormytimes，未按字面直译为thegreattimes。(10)“暂别了”译为Ishallbeseparatedfromyouonlyforthepresent，其中forthepresent和forthetimebeing同义，都作“暂时”、“眼下”解。(11)“白色灰色的军舰都已不见了”译为Ishallseenomoregrayorwhitewarshipsplyingourterritorialwaters，其中plyingourterritorialwaters（往返于我国领海）是添加成分，原文虽无其字，但有其意。(12)“如果它们那时还没有退去中国海”译为iftheforeignwarshipsbythattimestillhangontotheirpresenceinourterritorialwaters，其中hangon是成语，作“坚持”、“不肯放弃”解。又presence一词常用来指（军政）“势力”、“存在”。时间即生命梁实秋最令人怵目惊心的一件事，是看着钟表上的秒针一下一下的移动，每移动一下就

58是表示我们的寿命已经缩短了一部分。再看看墙上挂着的可以一张张撕下的日历，每天撕下一张就是表示我们寿命又缩短了一天，因为时间即生命，没有人不爱惜他的生命，但很少人珍视他时间。如果想在有生之年做一点什么事，学一点什么学问，充实自己，帮助别人，使生命成为有意义，不虚此生，那么就不可浪费光阴。这道理人人都懂(1)，可是很少人真能积极不懈的善为利用他的时间。我自己就是浪费了很多时间的一个人(2)。我不打麻将，我不经常的听戏看电影，几年中难得一次，我不长时间看电视，通常只看半个小时，我也不串门子闲聊天。有人问我：“那么你大部分时间都做了些什么呢？”我痛自反省，我发现，除了职务上的必须及人情上所不能免的活动外，我的时间大部分都浪费了。我应该集中精力，读我所未读过的书，我应该利用所有时间，写我所要写的东西。但是我没能这样做。我的好多时间都糊里糊涂的混过去了，“少壮不努力，老大徒伤悲。”例如我翻译莎士比亚，本来计划于课余之暇每年翻译两部，二十年即可完成，但是我用了三十年，主要的原因是懒。翻译之所以完成，主要的是因为活得相当长久，十分惊险(3)。翻译完成之后，虽然仍有工作计划，但体力渐衰，有力不从心之感(4)。假使年轻的时候鞭策自己，如今当有较好或较多的表现。然而悔之晚矣。再例如，作为一个中国人，经书不可不读。我年三十才知道读书自修的重要(5)。我披阅，我圈点。但是恒心不足，时作时辍。五十以学易，可以无大过矣(6)，我如今年过八十，还没有接触过《易经》，说来惭愧。史书也很重要。我出国留学的时候，我父亲买了一套同文石印的前四史(7)，塞满了我的行箧的一半空间，我在外国混了几年之后又把前四史原封带回来了。直到四十年后才鼓起勇气读了《通鉴》(8)一遍。现在我要读的书太多，深感时间有限。无论做什么事，健康的身体是基本条件。我在学校读书的时候，有所谓“强迫运动”，我踢破过几双球鞋，打断过几只球拍。因此侥幸维持下来最低限度的体力。老来打过几年太极拳，目前则以散步活动筋骨而已。寄语年轻朋友，千万要持之以恒的从事运动，这不是嬉戏，不是浪费时间。健康的身体是作人做事的真正的本钱(9)。TimeIsLifeLiangShiqiuItismoststartlingtohearawatchorclockclickingawaytheseconds,eachclickindicatingtheshorteningofone’slifebyalittlebit.Likewise,witheachpagetornoffthewallcalendar,one’slifeisshortenedbyanotherday.Time,therefore,islife.Nevertheless,fewpeopletreasuretheirtimeasmuchastheirlife.Timemustnotbewastedifyouwanttodoyourbitinyourremainingyearsoracquiresomeusefulknowledgetoimproveyourselfandhelpothers,sothatyourlifemayturnouttobesignificantandfruitful.Allthtisfoolproof,yetfewpeoplereallystrivetomakethebestuseoftheirtime.Personally,Iamalsoafritterer.Idon’tplaymahjong.Iseldomgotothetheatreorcinema—Igotheremaybeonlyonceeveryfewyears.IseldomspendlonghourswatchingTV—usuallyIwatchTVfornomorethan30minutesatasitting.NordoIgovisitingandgossipingfromdoortodoor.Somepeopleaskedme,“Thenwhatdoyoudowithmostofyourtime?”Introspectingwithremorse,Ifoundthatapartfromthetimeearmarkedformyjobandunavoidablesocialactivities,mostofmytimehadbeenwasted.IshouldhaveconcentratedmyenergiesonreadingwhateverbooksIhavenotyetread.IshouldhaveutilizedallmytimeinwritinganythingIwanttowrite.ButI’vefailedtodoso.Verymuchofmytimeshasbeenfritteredawayaimlessly.Asthesayinggoes,“Onewhodoesnotworkhardinyouthwillgrieveinvaininoldage.”TakethetranslationofShakespeareforexample.Ihadinitiallyplannedtospend20yearsofmysparetimeindoingthetranslation,finishingtwoplaysayear.ButIspent30yearsinstead,dueprimarilytomyslothfulness.Thewholeprojectwouldprobablyhavefallenthroughhaditnotbeenformyfairlylonglife.AfterthatIhadotherplansforwork,but,becauseofmyapproachingsenility,somehowIfailedtodowhatIhadwishedto.HadIspurredmyselfoninmyyouth,Iwouldhavedonemoreandbetterwork.Alas,itistoolatetorepent.Anotherexample.ThereadingofChineseclassicsisamustforallChinese.ButitwasnotuntilIwasover30thatIcametorealizetheimportanceofself-studyinthematterofclassics.Ididreadcarefullythough,markingwordsandphrasesforspecialattentionwithsmallcirclesanddots.Butmyeffortsatself-studywereoffandon.Confuciussays,“IshallbefreeofgreatfaultsifIcanlivelongenoughtobeginthestudyofYiattheageof50.”IfeelashamedtoadmitthatIhaven’teventouchedYithoughI’mnowover80.Chinesehistorybookareequallyimportant.WhenIwasleavingChinatostudyabroad,fatherboughtasetoftheTongWenlithographiceditionoftheFirstFourBooksofHistory,andcrammedthemintomytravellingbox,takinguphalfofitsspace.Severalyearslater,

59however,afterdriftingalongabroad,Ireturnedhomecarryingwithmethesamebooksallunread.Itwasnotuntil40yearslaterthatIpluckedupenoughcouragetoreadthroughDongJian.Somanybooksstillremaintoberead,andImuchregretnothavingenoughtimetodoit.Whateveryoudo,youneedasoundbodyfirstofall.Inmyschooldays,inresponsetotheso-called“compulsoryphysicalexercises”,Iwentinformanysportsattheexpenseofmanypairsofsneakersandrackets,thusluckilybuildingupaminimumofgoodphysique.WhenIwasapproachingoldage,IdidTaijiquan(shadowboxing)forseveralyears.NowIonlydosomewalkingexercises.Dearyoungfriends,myadvicetoyouis:Dophysicalexercisesperseveringly.Thathasnothingtodowithmerry-makingortime-wasting.Goodhealthisthewherewithalforasuccessfullifeandcareer.注释：梁实秋（1902-1987）是我国著名现代作家、翻译家、教育家，一生致力于英国文学研究。本文选自他的散文集《雅舍小品》。(1)“这道理人人都懂”译为Allthatisfoolproof，其中foolproof作verysimpletounderstand解，意同“不言而喻”或“简单明了”。此句也可译为Allthatisself-evident。(2)“我自己就是浪费了很多时间的一个人”译为personally,Iamalsoafritterer，其中fritterer一词在用法上既可泛指“时间、金钱等等的浪费者”，又可专指“不爱惜时间的人”（apersonwhowastestime）。(3)“翻译之所以完成，主要的是因为活得相当长久，十分惊险”的意思是“幸亏自己命长，否则可能完成不了莎士比亚的翻译”。其中“十分惊险”的意思是“险些完成不了”。现全句译为Thewholeprojectwouldprobablyhavefallenthroughhaditnotbeenformyfairlylonglife。(4)“但体力渐衰，有力不从心之感”译为becauseofmyapproachingsenility,somehowIfailedtodowhatIhadwishedto，其中senility指因年迈而导致身心两个方面的衰退．(5)“才知道读书自修的重要”中的“读书”，根据上下文应指“读经书”，故此句译为cametorealizetheimportanceofself-studyinthematterofclassics，其中inthematterof作inrelationto或inregardto（就……而论）解。(6)“五十心学易，可以无大过矣”出自《论语·述而》中的“子曰，加我数年，五十以学易，可以无大过矣。”其意为“让我再多活几年，到五十岁时去学习《易经》，就可以没有多大的过错了。”现按此意用加字法译为Confuciussays,“IshallbefreeofgreatfaultsifIcanlivelongenoughtobeginthestudyofYiattheageof50.”(7)“前四史”指《史记》、《汉书》、《后汉书》以及《三国志》。(8)“《通鉴》”即《资治通鉴》，详见译文脚注。(9)“健康的身体是作人做事的真正的本钱”译为Goodhealthisthewherewithalforasuccessfullifeandcareer，其中thewherewithal意同thenecessarymeans（必要的资金、手段等）。又“作人做事”指“生活”与“事业”两方面，故参照上下文译为asuccessfullifeandcareer。学问与趣味梁实秋前辈的学者常以学问的趣味启迪后生，因为他们自己实在是得到了学问的趣味，故不惜现身说法，诱导后学(1)，使他们也在愉快的心情之下走进学问的大门(2)。例如，瘐任公先生就说过(3)：“我是个主张趣味主义(4)的人，倘若用化学化分‘梁启超’这件东西(5)，把里头所含一种原素名叫‘趣味’的抽出来，只怕所剩下的仅有个零了。”任公先生注重趣味，学问甚是渊博，而并不存有任何外在的动机，只是“无所为而为”(6)，故能有他那样的成就。一个人在学问上果能感觉到趣味，有时真会像是着了魔一般(7)，真能废寝忘食，真能不知老之将至，苦苦钻研，锲而不舍，在学问上焉能不有收获？不过我尝想，以任公先生而论，他后期的著述如历史研究法，先秦政治思想史，以及有关墨子佛学陶渊明的作品，都可说是他的一点“趣味”在驱使着他，可是在他在年青的时候，从师受业，诵读典籍(8)，那时节也全然是趣味么？作八股文，作试帖诗(9)，莫非也是趣味么？我想未必。大概趣味云云，是指年长之后自动作学问之时(10)而言，在年青时候为学问打根底之际恐怕不能过分重视趣味。学问没有根底，趣味也很难滋生。任公先生的学问之所以那样的博大精深，涉笔成趣，左右逢源，不能不说的一大部分得力于他的学问根底之打得坚固。我尝见许多年青的朋友，聪明用功，成绩优异，而语文程度不足以达意，甚至写一封信亦难得通顺，问其故则曰其兴趣不在语文方面。又有一些位，执笔为文，斐然可诵，而视数理科如仇讐，勉强才能及格，问其故则亦曰其兴趣不在数理方面，而且他们觉得某些科目没有趣味，便撇在一旁视如敝屣(11)，怡然自得，振振有词，略无愧色，好像这就是发扬趣味主义。殊不知天下没有没有趣味的学问(12)，端视吾人如何发掘其趣味，如果在良师指导之下按部就班的循序而进，一步一步的发现新天地，当然乐在其中，如果浅尝辄止，甚至躐等躁进，当然味同嚼蜡，自讨没趣。一个有中

60上天资的人，对于普通的基本的文理科目，都同样的有学习的能力，绝不会本能的长于此而拙于彼。只有懒惰与任性，才能使一个人自甘暴弃的在“趣味”的掩护之下败退(13)。由小学到中学，所修习的无非是一些普通的基本知识。就是大学四年，所授课业也还是相当粗浅的学识。世人常称大学为“最高学府”，这名称易滋误解，好像过此以上即无学问可言。大学的研究所才是初步研究学问的所在，在这里作学问也只能算是粗涉藩篱，注重的是研究学问的方法与实习。学无止境，一生的时间都嫌太短(14)，所以古人皓首穷经，头发白了还是在继续研究，不过在这样的研究中确是有浓厚的趣味。在初学的阶段，由小学至大学，我们与其倡言趣味，不如偏重纪律。一个合理编列的课程表，犹如一个营养均衡的食谱，里面各个项目都是有益而必需的，不可偏废，不可再有选择。所谓选修科目，也只是在某一项目范围内略有拣选余地而已。一个受过良好教育的人，犹如一个科班出身的戏剧演员，在坐科的时候他是要服从严格纪律的，唱工作工武把子都要认真学习，各种脚色的戏都要完全谙通，学成之后才能各按其趣味而单独发展其所长。学问要有根底，根底要打平正坚实，以后永远受用。初学阶段的科目之最重要的莫过于语文与数学。语文是阅读达意的工具，国文不能便很难表达自己，外国文不能便很难吸取外来的新知。数学是思想条理之最好的训练。其他科目也各有各的用处，其重要性很难强分轩轾，例如体育，从另一方面看也是重要得无以复加。总之，我们在求学时代，应该暂且把趣味放在一旁，耐着性子接受教育的纪律，把自己锻炼成为坚实的材料。学问的趣味，留在将来慢慢享受一点也不迟。LearningandPersonalInclinationLiangShiqiuScholarsoftheoldergenerationoftenurgeyoungpeopletodevelopinterestinlearningbecausetheythemselveshavebeenenjoyingtherealpleasureofacademicstudies.Andtheyareeverreadytocitetheirownexamplebywayofadvice,inhopesofenablingyoungpeopletogainaccesstoscholarshipinanenjoyableway.Forexample,thedistinguishedscholarLiangQichaooncesaidwittily,“Ialwaysstandforinterest-ism.IfyoubrokedownLiangQichao’sstuffintoitscomponentparts,therewouldbenothingleftexceptanelementnamed‘interest’.”Mr.Liangwasamanofprofoundlearningwhoattachedmuchimportancetointerest.Heattainedgreatacademicsuccessbecausehepursuedscholarlystudysolelyforitsownsake,withoutanyulteriormotive.Amanwhoisreallyinterestedinlearningsometimesdoesactlikeonepossessed.Heforgetshisapproachingoldageandworkshardeventotheneglectofhismealsandsleep.Isn’titbutnaturalforamanofsuchdevotiontohavegreatscholarlyachievements?But,thoughMr.Liang’slaterworks,suchasthoseonmethodofhistoricalstudies,politicalandideologicalhistoryofthepre-Qindays,aswellasthoseonMohism,BuddhismandTaoYuanming,weremotivatedbyhispersonalinclination,canthesamebesaidofhisyoungerdayswhenhewasapupilchantingancientChinesebooksunderaprivatetutor?Washemotivatedbyhispersonalinclinationwhilelearningtowritestereotypedessaysandpoemsprescribedfortheimperialscivilserviceexaminations?No,Ithinknot.Generallyspeaking,theso-calledinterestbeginstoexistonlywhenoneismatureenoughtoengageinindependentstudies.Itisimproper,Iamafraid,foryoungpeopletooverstresstheimportanceofinterestwhiletheyarestillintheperiodoflearningthebasicsofknowledge.Interestwillneverdevelopwherenosolidfoundationhasbeenlaidforlearning.ThereisnodenyingthefactthatMr.Liangowedhiswideeruditionandunusualliterarytalent,forthemostpart,tohisgoodgraspoffoundationknowledge.Ihavecomeacrossagreatmanybrightanddiligentyoungfriendswhohavedoneexceedinglywellintheirstudies,butareratherweakinChinese.TheycannotevenwritealetterincorrectChinese.WhenIaskedthemwhy,theysaidtheywerenotinterestedintheChineselanguage.Some,thoughtheycanwritebeautifully,detestthestudyofmathematicsandphysics,andbarelymanagedtopasstheexaminationsinthem.WhenIaskedthemwhy,theysaidtheywerenotinterestedinthem.Theycastawaywhateversubjectstheydislikelikesomethingutterlyworthless.Theyaresosmugandthick-skinnedthattheyspeakvolublyindefenceoftheirownattitudelikechampionsofinterest-ism.Theyhardlyrealizethatthereisnolearningbutiscapableofengenderinginterestandthatalldependsonhowtosearchforit.Youwilldevelopalikingforlearningif,undertheguidanceofagoodteacher,youstudytodiscovernewhorizonsopeningupbeforeyouoneafteranotherbyfollowingtheproperorderandadvancingstepbystep.Ontheotherhand,youwillfindlearningasdryassawdustandfeelfrustratedifyourefusetogointoasubjectindepthorevenmakeimpetuousadvanceswithoutfollowingtheproperorder.Peoplewith

61anaveragenaturalgiftareequallycapableofmasteringthebasicsofliberalartsandnaturalscience.Theyareneverpredeterminedbynaturetobegoodinonesubjectandpoorinanother.Itislazinessandwaywardness,however,thatcausesonetogivehimselfupashopelessandbackdownonthepretextof“nointerest”.Primaryandsecondaryschoolwillimparttoyouonlysomerudimentsofknowledge.Evenwhatyoulearnduringthefouryearsofuniversitywillbesomethingquitesuperficialtoo.Auniversityhasoftenbeenmisleadinglyreferredtoas“thehighestseatoflearning”,whichsoundsasiftherewerenomorelearningtospeakofbeyondit.Theresearchinstituteofauniversity,however,istheplaceforpreliminaryscholarship.Buteventhereyougetonlythefirsttasteoflearningandtheemphasisisonresearchmethodologyandpractice.Artislong,lifeisshort.Thatiswhysomeofourancientscontinuedtostudyevenwhentheywerehoaryheaded.Theywere,ofcourse,motivatedbyanenormousinterestintheirstudies.Duringthepreliminarystageoflearning,fromprimaryschooltocollege,itisbettertoadvocatedisciplinethaninterest.Aproperlyarrangedschoolcurriculum,likeacookbookonnutritionallywell-balancedfood,mustincludeallusefulandindispensablecourses—courseswhichareequallyimportantandobligatory.Theso-calledelectivesmeanonlysomelittleoptionwithinthescopeofacertainitem.Awell-educatedpersonislikeaprofessionallytrainedPekingoperasinger.Whileundergoingthetraining,hemustobserveamostexactdiscipline.Hemustpayequalattentiontosinging,actingandacrobaticskills,andlearntoplaydifferentroles.Itisnotuntilhehasfinishedtheall-roundtrainingthathebeginstodevelophisownspecialityaccordingtohispersonaldisposition.Layingasolidfoundationforlearningwillbeofgreatlifelongbenefittoyou.Ofalltheschoolsubjectsduringthepreliminarystageoflearning,languagesandmathematicsarethemostimportant.Languagesserveasatoolforreadingandcommunication.WithoutagoodknowledgeofChinese,youwillfinditdifficulttoexpressyourself.Withoutagoodknowledgeofaforeignlanguage,youwillfinditdifficulttoabsorbnewknowledgefromabroad.Mathematicsmakesforlogicalthinking.Othersubjectsalsohavetheirrespectiveuses.Itishardtosaywhichismoreimportant.Physicaleducation,forexample,isalsoextremelyimportantfromanotherpointofview.Inshort,whileinschool,weshouldtemporarilyputasideourpersonallikingandpatientlyobserveschooldisciplinesothatwemaytemperourselvesandbecomesolidstuff.Don’thurry–therewillbeatimeforyoutofindrelishinlearninginthedaystocome.注释(1)“不惜现身说法，诱导后学”译为Andtheyareeverreadytocitetheirownexamplebywayofadvice。“不惜”原意“舍得”，在此可作“乐于”解，故译为everready，等于alwaysprepared。“诱导后学”译为bywayofadvice即可，其中bywayof是成语，作“为了”解，等于forthepurposeof。(2)“走进学问的大门”也可直译为toenterthegateoflearning。现译为togainaccesstoscholarship，其中togainaccessto是惯用搭配，作“进入”、“到达”解。(3)“梁任公先生就说过”译为thedistinguishedscholarLiangQichaooncesaidwittily，梁启超号“任公”，现译梁的全名为LiangQichao，并在前面加distinguishedscholar，便于外国读者理解梁为何许人。译文还针对上下文添加wittily（风趣地）一词。(4)“趣味主义”译为interest-ism，其中ism乃表达“主义”而采用的英语后缀／(5)“倘若用化学化分‘梁启超’这件东西”译为IfyoubrokedownLiangQichao’sstuffintoitscomponentparts，其中短语动词brokedown意即“分解”（todecompose），例如Watercanbebrokendownintohydrogenandoxygen。(6)“只是‘无所为而为’”意即“只是为研究学问而研究学问”，故译为solelyforitsownsake，等于solelyforthesakeofscholarlystudy。(7)“像是着了魔一般”译为likeonepossessed，其中possessed（为过去分词）作“着迷”、“鬼迷心窍”解。(8)“从师受业，诵读典籍”译为hewasapupilchantingancientChinesebooksunderaprivatetutor，其中apupil…underaprivatetutor表示“从师受业”。“师”指“塾师”，译为privatetutor。又chantingancientChinesebooks表示“诵读典籍”。(9)“试帖诗”为科举考试所采用的诗体，其格式限制比一般诗严格，现和“八股文”一并以释义法译为stereotyped(或rigid-style)essaysandpoemsprescribedfortheimperialcivilserviceexamination。(10)“年长之后自动作学问之时”中的“自动作学问”实际上指“独立作学问”，故译为independentstudies，不宜按字面直译为engageinvoluntarystudies等。又“年长之后”不仅指“成年”，还包含智力成熟之意，故译为whenoneismatureenough。(11)“便撇在一旁视如敝屣”也可直译为castaway…likeapairofworn-outshoes，保持原文的形象比喻。现意译为castaway…likesomethingutterlyworthless，似较明白易懂。

62(12)“没有没有趣味的学问”译为thereisnolearningbutiscapableofengenderinginterest，其中but是关系代词，常用于否定词后，相当于thatnot。(13)“在‘趣味’的掩护之下败退”的意思是“借口‘缺乏趣味’而放弃不干”，故译为backdownonthepretextof“nointerest”，其中backdown是成语，意同beataretreat。(14)“学无止境，一生的时间都嫌太短”译为Artislong,lifeisshort，其中Art为古词，作“学问”、“知识”解，和learning,scholarship同义。Artislong一句见于美国十九世纪诗人Longfellow名著APsalmofLife，今借用之。“学无止境”也可译为Thereisnolimittolearning。枣核萧乾动身访美之前，一位旧时同窗写来航空信，再三托付我为他带几棵生枣核(1)。东西倒不占分量，可是用途却很蹊跷。从费城出发前，我们就通了电话。一下车，他已经在站上等了。掐指一算，分手快半个世纪了，现在都已是风烛残年。拥抱之后，他就殷切地问我：“带来了吗？”我赶快从手提包里掏出那几棵枣核(2)。他托在掌心(3)，像比珍珠玛瑙还贵重。他当年那股调皮劲显然还没改。我问起枣核的用途，他一面往衣兜里揣，一面故弄玄虚地说(4)：“等会儿你就明白了。”那真是座美丽的山城，汽车开去，一路坡上坡下满是一片嫣红。倘若在中国，这里一定会有枫城之称。过了几个山坳，他朝枫树丛中一座三层小楼指了指说：“喏，到了。”汽车拐进草坪，离车库还有三四米，车库就像认识主人似的自动掀起。朋友有点不好意思地解释说，买这座大房子时，孩子们还上着学，如今都成家立业了。学生生物生物化学的老伴儿在一家研究所里做营养试验。他把我安顿在二楼临湖的一个房间后，就领我去踏访他的后花园(5)。地方不大，布置得却精致匀称(6)。我们在靠篱笆的一张白色长凳上坐下，他劈头就问我：“觉不觉得这花园有点家乡味道？”经他指点，我留意到台阶两旁是他手栽的两株垂杨柳，草坪中央有个睡莲池。他感慨良深地对我说：“栽垂柳的时候，我那个小子才五岁，如今在一条核潜艇上当总机械长了。姑娘在哈佛教书。家庭和事业都如意，各种新式设备也都有了。可是我心上总像是缺点什么。也许是没出息(7)，怎么年纪越大，思乡越切。我现在可充分体会出游子的心境了。我想厂甸，想隆福寺。这里一过圣诞，我就想旧历年。近来，我老是想总布胡同院里那棵枣树。所以才托你带几棵种籽，试种一下。”接着，他又指着花园一角堆起的一座假山假山石说(8)：“你相信吗(9)？那是我开车到几十里以外，一块块亲手挑选，论公斤买下(10)，然后用汽车拉回来的。那是我们家的‘北海’。”说到这里，我们两人都不约而同地站了起来。沿着草坪旁用卵石铺成的小径，走到“北海”跟前(11)。真是个细心人呢，他在上面还嵌了一所泥制的小凉亭，一座红庙，顶上还有尊白塔。朋友解释说，都从旧金山唐人街买来的。他告诉我，时常在月夜，他同老伴儿并肩坐在这长凳上，追忆起当年在北海泛舟的日子。睡莲的清香迎风扑来，眼前仿佛就闪出一片荷塘佳色。改了国籍，不等于就改了民族感情，而且没有一个民族像我们这么依恋故土的。DateStonesXiaoQianBeforeIsetoutfortheUS,aformerschoolmateofminewrotemebyairmail,askingmeinallearnesttobringhimsomerawdatestones.Theywerenotheavyinweight,yetIwascuriousabouttheiruse.AtPhiladelphia,shortlybeforestaringoutformyfriend’splace,Icalledhimup.SowhenIgotoffthetrainatthedestination,Ifoundhimalreadywaitingformeatthestation.Itwasabouthalfacenturysincewelastmet,andwewerenowbothinourdecliningyears.Afterhuggingeachother,heaskedmeeagerly,“haveyoubroughtthemwithyou?”Iimmediatelyfishedoutthedatestonesfrommyhandbag.Hefondledtheminhispalmasiftheyweresomethingmorevaluablethanpearlsoragates.Obviouslyhewasjustaschildlikeasbefore,whenIaskedabouttheuseofthedatestones,heputthemintohispocketandrepliedbywayoffoolingmedeliberately,“You’llunderstandsoon.”Itwasreallyabeautifulmountaincity.Aswedroveon,anexpanseofrichcrimsonupanddowntheslopecameintosight.InChinaaplacelikethiswouldhavebeendescribedasamaplecity.Afterpassingthroughseveralcols,myfriendsaidpointingtoathree-storiedhouseamidstthemapletrees,“hereweare.”Thecarturnedintoalawnandwhenitwasthreeorfourmetersawayformthegarage,itsdoorautomaticallyopenedasifit

63recognizeditsownmaster.Myfriendlookedsomewhatillateasewhenhetoldmethis:Atthetimeheboughtthisbighouse,hischildrenhadallbeenatschool.Nowtheyhadtheirownhomesandjobs.Hiswife,abiochemist,wasadieticianataresearchinstitute.Afterassigningmearoomonthesecondfloorfacingalake,heshowedmearoundhisbackgarden,which,thoughnottoobig,wasexquisiteandnicelyarranged.Themomentwesatdownonawhitebenchclosetoahedge,heaskedme,“Don’tyoufindsomethingheresmackingofournativeplaceinChina?”atthis,Inoticedaweepingwillow,plantedbyhimself,oneithersideofaflightofstepsaswellasawater-lilypondinthemiddleofthegarden.Hesaidwithdeepfeeling,“WhenIplantedthewillows,mysonwasonlyfive.Nowheservesasheadofchiefmechanicsinanuclearsubmarine.MydaughterteachesatHarvardUniversity.I’mhappywithmyfamilyandmycareer.IownallmodernhouseholdfacilitiesIneed.ButIstillfeelsomethinglacking.MaybeI’mabittoofoolish.HowcometheolderIbecome,themoreIthinkofmyhomeland.NowIfullyunderstandtheframeofmindofoneresidinginaplacefarawayfromhome.IalwaysthinkofChangdianandLongfusi.EverytimeChristmasiscelebratedhereinAmerica,IthinkoflunarNewyearbackinChina.IcanneverforgetthedatetreeinthecourtyardofthehouseonZongbuHutong.That’swhyI’veaskedyoutobringmesomedatestones.I’lltrytoplantthemhere.Thenhesaidpointingtoajumbleofrockerystandinginacornerofthegarden,“Believeitornot,therocks,hand-pickedbyme,wereboughtbythekilogram.Idrovedozensofkilometersawaytohaulthembackinmycar.Look,that’sBeihaiinourhome.”Thereupon,werosetoourfeetsimultaneouslyandwalkedalongacobbledfootpathbesidethelawntowardstheminiatureBeihai.Whatacarefulmanmyfriendwas!Hehadhadtheartificialhillinlaidwithaclaypavilionandaredtemple,withawhitepagodaontop.HesaidhehadboughtthedecorativeobjectsfromChinaTowninSanFrancisco.HealsotoldmethatonamoonlitnightheandhiswifewouldsitsidebysideonthebenchrecallinghowtheyhadusedtogoboatingontheBeihaiLake.Meanwhile,asIsmelledthefaintscentofthewater-liliescarriedtousbythebreeze,IfeltasifthebeautifulsceneofaChineselotuspondwereflashingpastmyeyes.Thechangeofnationalitydoesn’tmeanthechangeofnationalfeeling.NoothernationhassuchastrongattachmentforthenativelandasweChinese.注释萧乾（1910-1999），作家，文学翻译家，曾任《大公报》记者，以散文、特写著称。(1)“再三托付我为他带几棵生枣核”中的“再三”作“恳切”解，不能按字面理解为“一次又一次”或“重复”。因此全句译为askingmeinallearnesttobringhimsomerawdatestones，其中inallearnest是成语，作“认真地”或“恳切地”解。(2)“我赶快从手提包里掏出那几棵枣核”中的“掏出”译为fishedout比tookout贴切，因前者有“搜寻”的含义。(3)“他托在掌心”译为Hefondledtheminhispalm，比Heheldtheminhispalm贴切，因tofondle表达了原文的内涵“爱抚”。(4)“故弄玄虚地说”中的“故弄玄虚”作“故意把……搞得神秘化”解，通常可译为deliberatedlytomakeamysteryof……。现全句按“故意开玩笑地说”的意思译为repliedbywayoffoolingmedeliberately，其中bywayof是成语，其意思是“为了”或“意在”（withtheintentionof）。(5)“领我去踏访他的后花园”译为heshowedmearoundhisbackgarden，其中toshowaround是短语动词，作“带领某人参观某地”解。(6)“布置得却精致匀称”译为wasexquisiteandnicelyarranged，其中nicely的意思是“恰当好处”或“恰恰合适”。(7)“也许是没出息”不宜按字面直译，现按“也许是自己有些傻”译为MaybeI’mabittoofoolish。(8)“堆起的一座假山石”译为ajumbleofrockery，其中jumble的意思是“杂乱的一堆”。(9)“你相信吗？”本可译为Don’tyoubelieveit？现译为Believeitornot，为具有同样意思的常用口头语。(10)“论公斤买下”即“按公斤计算买下”，译为boughtbythekilogram。注意这里介词by和后面的定冠词the属习惯搭配。(11)“走到‘北海’跟前”译为Walked……towardstheminiatureBeihai，其中miniature（微型的）是译者添加的成分，用以表达原文中加引号的北海。黎明前的北京(1)季羡林前后加起来，我在北京已经住了四十多年，算是一个老北京了(2)。北京的名胜古

64迹，北京的妙处(3)，我应该说是了解的；其他老北京当然也了解。但是有一点，我相信绝大多数老北京并不了解(4)，这就是黎明时分以前的北京。多少年来，我养成了一个习惯：每天早晨四点在黎明以前起床工作。我不出去跑步或散步，而是一下床就干活儿。因此我对黎明前的北京的了解是在屋子里感觉到的。我从前在什么报上读过一篇文章(5)，讲黎明时分天安门广场上的清洁工人。那情景必然是非常动人的，可惜我从未能见到，只是心向往之而已。四十年前，我住在城里在明朝曾经是特务机关的东厂里面。几座深深的大院子，在最里面三个院子里只住着人一个人。朋友们都说这地方阴森可怕，晚上很少有人敢来找我，我则怡然自得(6)。每当夏夜，我起床以后，立刻就闻到院子里那些高大的马缨花树散发出来的阵阵幽香，这些香气破窗而入，我于此时神清气爽，乐不可支，连手中那一枝笨拙的笔也仿佛生了花。几年以后，我搬到西郊来住，照例四点起床，坐在窗前工作。白天透过窗子能够看到北京展览馆那金光闪闪的高塔的尖顶，此时当然看不到了(7)。但是，我知道，即使我看不见它，它仍然在那里挺然耸入天空，仿佛想带给人以希望，以上进的劲头。我仍然是乐不可支，心也仿佛飞上了高空。过了十年，我又搬了家。这新居既没有马缨花，也看不到金色的塔顶。但是门前却有一片清碧的荷塘。刚搬来的几年，池塘里还有荷花。夏天早晨四点已经算是黎明时分。在薄暗中透过窗子可以看到接天莲叶，而荷花的香气也幽然袭来(8)，我顾而乐之，大有超出马缨花和金色塔顶之上的意味了。难道我欣赏黎明前的北京仅仅由于上述的原因吗？不是的。三十几年以来，我成了一个“开会迷”(9)。说老实话，积三十年之经验，我真有点怕开会了。在白天，一整天说不定什么时候就会接到开会的通知。说一句过火的话，我简直是提心吊胆，心里不得安宁。即使不开会，这种惴惴不安的心情总摆脱不掉。只有在黎明以前，根据我的经验，没有哪里会来找你开会的(10)。因此，我起床往桌子旁边一坐，仿佛有什么近似条件反射的东西立刻就起了作用，我心里安安静静，一下子进入角色，拿起笔来，“文思”(11)（如果也算是文思的话）如泉水喷涌，记忆力也像刚磨过的刀子，锐不可当。当时，我真乐不可支，如果给我机会的话，我简直想手舞足蹈了。因此，我爱北京，特别爱黎明前的北京。PredawnBeijingJiXianlinI’vebeeninBeijingaltogetherforover40years.SoIcanwellcallmyselfalong-timerofBeijing.Likeallotherlong-timersofthecity,I’msupposedtobeveryfamiliarwithitsscenicspotsandhistoricalsites,nay,itssuperbattractions.ButIbelievethereisonethinglyingunknowntomostofthelong-timeresidents–thepredawnhoursofBeijing.Formanyyears,Ihavebeeninthehabitofgettingupbeforedaybreaktostartworkatfour.Insteadofgoingoutforajogorwalk,I’llsetaboutmyworkassoonasI’moutofbed.Asaresult,itisfrominsidemystudythatI’vegotthefeelofpredawnBeijing.Yearsago,IhituponanewspaperarticleaboutstreetcleanerinTian’anmenSquareatdaybreak.Itmusthavebeenaverymovingscene,butwhatapityIhaven’tseenitwithmyowneyes.Icanonlypictureitinmymindlongingly.Fortyyearsago,IliveddowntowninDongchang,acompoundwhichhadhousedthesecretserviceoftheMingdynasty.Therewereinsideitseveraldeepspaciouscourtyardoneleadingintoanother.Iwasthesoledwellerofthethreeinnermostcourtyards.Myfriends,callingthisplacetooghastly,seldomdaredtocometoseemeintheeveningwhereasImyselffounditquiteagreeable.Insummer,themomentIgotoutofbedbeforedaybreak,Iwouldsmellthedelicatefragranceofthegiantsilktreescomingfromoutsidemywindow.Thereupon,Iwouldfeelrefreshedandjoyful,andtheclumsypeninmyhandwouldseemtohavebecomeasagileasitcould.SeveralyearslaterwhenImovedtothewesternsuburbs,Ikeptmyhabitofrisingatfourtobeginworkatthewindow.Theglitteringspireatopthetowerofthedaytimethroughmywindow,wouldnolongerbevisiblenowintheearlymorninghaze.NeverthelessIknewthat,toughinvisible,itremainedthereintact,toweringtotheskiestoinspirepeoplewithhopeandtheurgeformovingahead.Atthis,Iwouldbebesidemyselfwithjoyandfeelasifmyheartwerealsoflyinghighupintotheskies.Tenyearsafter,Imovedagain.Inthenewhomeofmine,Ihadnosilktrees,norcouldIgetsightoftheglitteringspirefromafar.Therewas,however,alotuspondoflimpidblueinfrontofmydoor.InthefirstfewyearsafterImovedthere,lotusflowerscontinuedtoblossomonthesurfaceofthepond.Inthesummertime,whendaybrokeearly

65atfour,avaststretchoflotusleaveslookingskywardsoutsidemywindowcamedimlyintosightwhilethequietfragranceofthelotusflowersassailedmynose.Allthatdelightedmeevenmorethanthesilktreesandtheglitteringspire.Isitexclusivelyduetotheabove-mentionedthatI’vedevelopedalikingforpredawnBeijing?No.for30years,I’vebeenboggeddowninthemireofmeetings.Totellyouthetruth,withtheexperienceaccumulatedoverthe30years,I’mnowscaredofmeetings.Inthedaytime,thereisnotellingwhenImaybeservedanoticeforattendingameeting.Toexaggerateitabit,thatkeepsmeinconstantsuspenseandmakesmefidgety.Evenwhennomeetingistotakeplace,Ifeelrestlessallthesame.However,myexperiencetellsthatitisonlyduringthepredawnhoursthatIcanbetrulyhavenedfromanyinvolvementinmeetings.AssoonasIsitatmydeskbeforedawn,somethingsimilartotheconditionedreflexwillbegintofunctionwithinme:InstantlyI’llpickupmypentoplaymyproperpartwithperfectpeaceofmind.Theninspirationcomesgushingtomymindandmymemorybecomesasquickasanewly-sharpenedknife.I’llfeeloverjoyed,almosttothepointofwavingmyarmsandstampingmyfeet.Inshort,IloveBeijing,especiallypredawnBeijing.注释季羡林（1911-），教育家、梵文翻译家，散文家。本文是季羡林于1985年2月11日写的一篇小品文。(1)“黎明前的北京”除译为predawnBeijing外，也可译为BeijingBeforeDawn或BeijingBeforeDaybreak。(2)“算是一个老北京了”除译为Icanwellcallmyselfalong-timerofBeijing外，也可译为I‘meligibleforbeingcalledalong-timerofBeijing。又long-timer也可用old-timer代替。(3)“北京的妙处”是上句“北京的名胜古迹“的补充，故译为nay,itssuperbattractions，其中nay是副词，作“不仅如此”解，是译文中添加的成分。(4)“有一点……老北京并不了解”译为thereisonethinglyingunknownto…long-timeresidents，其中lying和remaining同义。(5)“在什么报上读过一篇文章”译为Ihituponanewspaperarticle，其中tohitupon是成语，作“偶然发现”解，和tocomeacross、tofindbychance等同义。(6)“我则怡然自得”意即“我却觉得很惬意”，故译为whereasImyselffinditquiteagreeable。(7)“此时当然看不到了”译为wouldnolongerbevisiblenowinthemorninghaze，(8)“香气幽然袭来”意即“香气悄悄地扑鼻而来”，故译为thequietfragrance…assailedmynose(或nostrils)。(9)“开会迷”在文中并不指“对开会着迷”或“特别爱好开会”。它的真正意思却是“陷入繁多的的会议之中”或者“疲于应付各种会议”，因此可译为I’vebeenboggeddowninthemoreofmeetings或I’vebeenboggeddowninmeetings。(10)“只有在黎明以前……没有哪里会找你开会的”译为itisonlyduringthepredawnhoursthatIcanbehavenedfromanyinvolvementinmeetings，灵活处理，其中havened是由名词haven（避难所）转化为动词的。因此behavenedfrom的意思是“免受……之忧”。(11)“‘文思’如泉水喷涌”中的“文思”实际上指“灵感”，现将全句译为Theninspirationcomesgushingtomymind。文学批评无用论季羡林读最近一期的《文学评论》，里面有几篇关于“红学”(1)的文章，引起了我的注意。有的作者既反省(2)，又批判。有的作者从困境中找出路。有的作者慨叹，“红学”出危机。如此等等，煞是热闹。文章的论点都非常精彩，很有启发。但是，我却忽然想到了一个怪问题：这样的“红学”有用处吗？对红学家本身，对在大学里和研究所里从事文学理论研究的人，当然有用。但是对广大的《红楼梦》的读者(3)呢？我看(4)是没有用处。《红楼梦》问世二百年以来(5)，通过汉文原文和各种译文读过本书的人，无虑多少个亿。这样多的读者哪一个是先看批评家的文章，然后再让批评家牵着鼻子走，按图索骥地去读原作呢(6)？我看是绝无仅有(7)。一切文学作品，特别是像《红楼梦》这样伟大的作品(8)，内容异常地丰富，涉及到的社会层面异常地多，简直像是一个宝山，一座迷宫。而读者群就更为复杂，不同的家庭背景，不同的社会经历，不同的民族，不同的国家，不同的文化传统，不同的心理素质，不同的年龄，不同的性别，不同的职业，不同的爱好——还可以这样“不同”下去，就此打住——，他们来读《红楼梦》，会各就自己的特点，欣赏《红楼梦》中的某一个方面，受到鼓舞，受到启发，引起了

66喜爱；也可能受到打击(9)，引起了憎恶，总之是千差万别。对这此读者来说，“红学家”就好像是住在“太虚幻境”(10)里的圣人、贤人，与自己无关。他们不管“红学家”究竟议论些什么，只是读下去，读下去。因此我说，文学批评家无用。不但对读者无用，对作者也无用。查一查各国文学史，我敢说，没有哪一个伟大作家是根据文学批评家的理论来进行创作的。那么，文学批评家的研究不就是毫无意义了吗？也不是的。他们根据自己的文学欣赏的才能，根据不同时代潮流，对文学作品提出自己的看法，互相争论，互相学习，互相启发，互相提高，这也是一种创作活动，对文学理论的建设会有很大的好处。只是不要幻想，自己的理论会对读者和作者有多大影响。这样一来，就可以各安其业，天下太平了。上面这些话其实只有幼儿园的水平(11)，可是还没有见有什么人这样坦率地说出来。就让我当一个“始作俑者”吧！OntheFutilityofLiteraryCriticismJiXianlinInthelatestissueoftheLiteraryReview,severalarticlesonRedologyhaveattractedmyattention.Someoftheauthorsareintrospectiveaswellascritical;sometrytofindawayoutoftheiracademicpredicament;somesighwithregretthatRedologyisfacedwithacrisis;andsoonandsoforth.Thediscussionisquiteanimated.Theargumentssetforthinarticlesareveryinterestingandenlightening.Nevertheless,astrangequestionhasoccurredtome:IsthiskindofRedologyofanyuseatall?ItisofcourseusefultotheRedologiststhemselvesaswellastothoseengagedinthestudyofliterarytheoryatuniversitiesandresearchinstitutes.But,tomymind,itisoflittleusetoreadersofADreamofRedMansionsatlarge.Eversincethepublicationofthisnovelsome200yearsago,hundredsofmillionsofpeoplehavereaditsChineseoriginaloritstranslationsinvariouslanguages.Oftheseinnumerablepeople,howmanyhavereadthenovelbystartingwithaperusalofcritics’articlesandallowingthemselvestobeledbythenosebythecriticsastohowtoreadthenovel?Nexttonone.Allliteraryworks,especiallyamonumentalonelikeADreamofRedMansions,areextremelyrichincontentandinvolvediversesocialstrata–tosuchanextentthattheyvirtuallyresembleamountainoftreasureoralabyrinth.Andthereadersareevenmorecomplicated,differingfromeachotherinfamilybackground,socialexperience,nationality,country,culturaltradition,psychologicalcondition,age,sex,profession,hobby,etc.,etc.Thelistcouldgoonendlessly,soIwouldn’tmindstoppinghere.Theywilleachappreciateacertainaspectofthenovelaccordingtotheirownindividuality.Theymayfeelinspiredandenlightened,andhenceloveit,ortheymayfeelhurt,andhenceloatheit.Inshort,thereactionsvary.Tothem,theRedologistsseemtobesagesandmenofvirtueresidinginthe“IllusoryLandofGreatVoid”andhavingnothingwhatsoevertodowiththem.Theyjustreadonandon,caringnotwhattheRedologistsmaysay.Therefore,Ireiterate,literarycriticismisuseless.Itisuselessnotonlytothereaders,butalsotowriters.Lookinguptheliteraryhistoryofeachandeverycountry,Idaresaythatnoneoftheworld’sgreatliteraryfigureseverdidtheirwritinginlinewiththetheoryofliterarycritics.Ontheotherhand,however,doesitfollowthattheresearchdonebyliterarycriticsistotallymeaningless?No,thatisnottrueeither.Inaccordancewiththeirowncapacityforliteraryappreciationandthedifferenthistoricaltrends,theviewstheyputforwardformutualdiscussion,study,inspirationandimprovementarealsosomethingcreativeandconducivetothedevelopmentofliterarytheory.Onlytheyshoulbeundernoillusionabouttheirtheoriesexertingpowerfulinfluenceonthereadershiporwriters.Thatisthewayforeachtohavearoleofhisowntoplayandforpeacetoreignunderheaven.WhatI’vesaidaboveisonlyskin-deep,ofkindergartenlevel.Butsofarnoneelsehaveventuredtobeequallycandid.Therefore,letmebereconciledtobeingsaddledwiththeepithetof“originatorofabadpractice”.注释本文是季羡林写于1989年1月26日的一篇小品文。(1)“红学”指研究古典文学《红楼梦》的学问，可译为Hongloumengscholarship，但不如Redology简洁。Redology是由Red加词尾-ology（学）构成。(2)“反省”译为introspective，和self-examining同义。(3)“广大的……读者”译为readersof…atlarge，其中atlarge是成语，和asawhole或ingeneral

67同义。(4)“我看”意即“我认为”，现用成语tomymind表达。(5)“问世二百年以来”实际上是“问世约二百年以来”，故译为Eversincethepublicationof…some200yearsago，其中some是添加成分，作“大约”解。(6)“哪一个是先看批评家的文章，然后再让批评家牵着鼻子走，按图索骥地去读原作呢？”译为howmanyhavereadthenovelbystartingwithaperusalofthecritics’articlesandallowingthemselvestobeledbythenosebythecriticsastohowtoreadthenovel？“按图索骥“在这里指”按批评家的指点去读原作“，其意思已包括在上面译文中，故略而不译。(7)“绝无仅有”作“极其少有”解，译为Nexttonone，和Almostnone同义。(8)“特别是像《红楼梦》这样伟大的作品”译为especiallyamonumentalonelikeADreamofRedMansions，其中monumental比great更有力，更不朽（immortal）的意思。(9)“也可能受到打击”中的“打击”作“刺痛”或“感情受到创伤”等解，不宜按字面直译为feelattacked。现全句译为ortheymayfeelhurt。(10)“太虚幻境”引自《红楼梦》第五回，曾被译为GreatVoidIllusionLand和IllusoryLandofgreatvoid等。(11)“上面的这些话其实只有幼儿园的水平”译为whatI’vesaidaboveisonlyskin-deep,ofkindergartenlevel，其中skin-deep（肤浅的）是添加成分，用以衬托ofkindergartenlevel。(12)“就让我当一个‘始作俑者’吧！”语气幽默，意即“姑且接受‘始作俑者’的称号吧！”现按此意译为Therefore,letmebereconciledtobeingsaddledwiththeepithetof“originatorofabadpractice“。父亲鲁彦“父亲已经上了六十岁了，还想作一点事业，积一点钱，给我造起屋子来(1)。”一个朋友从北方来，告诉了我这样的话。他的话使我想起了我的父亲(2)。我的父亲正是和他的父亲完全一样的。我的父亲曾经为我苦了一生，把我养大，送我进学校，为我造了屋子，买了几亩田地。六十岁那一年，还到汉口去做生意，怕人家嫌他年老，只说自己五十几岁(3)。大家都劝他不要再出门，他偏背着包裹走了。“让我再帮儿子几年(4)！”他只是这样说。后来屋子被火烧掉了，他还想再做生意，把屋子重造起来。我安慰他说，三年以后我自己就可积起钱造屋了(5)，还是等一等吧。他答应了。他给我留下了许多造屋的材料，告诉我这样可以做什么那样可以做什么。他死的以前不久，还对我说：“早一点造起来吧，我可以给你监工(6)。”但是他终于没有看见屋子重造起来就死了。他弥留的时候对我说，一切都满足了。但是我知道他倘能再活几年，我把屋子造起来，是他所最心愿的。我听他弥留时的呻吟和叹息。我知道他还想再活几年，帮我造起屋子来。现在我自己已是几个孩子的父亲了。我爱孩子，但我没有像前一辈父亲的想法，帮孩子一直帮到老，帮到死还不足。我赞美前一辈父亲的美德，而自己却不跟着他们的步伐走去。我觉得我的孩子累我，使我受到极大的束缚。我没有对他们永久的计划，甚至连短促的也没有。“倘使有人要，我愿意把他们送给人家！”我常常这样说，当我厌恶孩子的时候。唉，和前一辈做父亲的一比，我觉得我们这一辈生命力薄弱得可怜，我们二三十岁的前辈，他们虽然老的老死的死了，但是他们才是真正活着到现在到将来。而我们呢，虽然活着，却是早已死了。FatherLuYan“Fatherisnowoversixty,buthestillwantstoworktosaveupforahousetobebuiltforme,”afriendofminefromNorthChinatoldme.Thatputmeinmindofmyfather.Myfatherwasverymuchlikehis.Fatherwentthroughuntoldhardshipsformeallhislife.Hebroughtmeup,sentmetoschool,hadahousebuiltformeandboughtmeafewmuofland.HewenttoHankoutoengageintradetheyearwhenhewasalreadysixty.Andhetriedtomakeoutthathewasstillinhisfiftieslestpeopleshouldconsiderhimtoooldtobeofmuchuse.WehadalltriedtodissuadehimfromgoingouttoHankou,buthesimplywouldn’tlistenandlefthomecarryingtheluggageonhisback.“Letmetoilafewmoreyearsformyson’ssake!”Thatwaswhathesaid.Ithappenedafterwardsthatthehousewasburneddown.Andhewantedtogobackto

68hisbusinessinordertohavethehouserebuilt.Itriedtoconsolehim,sayingthattherewasnoneedforhimtodoitbecauseinthreeyears’timeImyselfwouldhavelaidbyenoughmoneyforanewhouse.Heagreed.Thenhegavemealotofbuildingmaterialsandtoldmewhattodowiththem.Shortlybeforehisdeath,heurgedme,“You’dbettergetstartedrightawaysothatIcanwatchtoseethateverythingisdoneproperly.”Unfortunatelyhedidn’tlivelongenoughtoseethenewhouse.Hetoldmeonhisdeathbedthathadnothingtofeelsorryabout.ButIknewhewouldbemuchhappierifhecouldliveafewmoreyearsjusttoseethenewhouseputup.WhenIheardhisdyinggroansandsighs,Ibelievedtheywerecausednotbyphysicalpain,butbyregretfornotbeingabletoliveafewmoreyearstohelpmewiththenewhouse.NowImyselfamafatherofseveralchildren.ThoughIlovemykids,Idonotsharetheideaoffatherandpeopleofhistimethatonecanneverdotoomuchinhislifetimetohelphischildren.MuchasIadmirefatherandpeopleofhistimefortheirmoralexcellence,Icanneverfollowintheirfootsteps.IthinkofmychildrenasanencumbrancetomeIhaven’tworkedoutalong-termplanforthem,nay,notevenashort-termone.“I’dliketogiveawaymykidstoanyonewho’swillingtotakethem!”That’swhatIsaywheneverIamfedupwiththem.Alas,comparedwithfatherandpeopleofhistime,thepresentgeneration,Ithink,havepitifullylowvitality.Weinourtwentiesorthirtiescannotcomparewithoureldersintheirsixtiesorseventies.Todaytheymaybeadvancedinyearsorevennomore,buttheywill,nevertheless,liveforeverandever.Asforus,thoughstillalive,wehavelongbeendead.注释《父亲》是我国近代优秀作家鲁彦（1901-1944）写的一篇散文。文章追述父亲为儿子劳碌一生，是对父爱的赞颂。原文风格朴素，英译时文字也应力求通俗。(1)“积一点钱，给我造起屋子来”译为tosaveupforahousetobebuiltforme，其中tosaveupfor是成语，作“为……而把钱存起来”解。(2)“他的话使我想起了我的父亲”译为thatputmeinmindofmyfather等于Thatremindedmeofmyfather。Toputoneinmindof,,,是成语。(3)“只说五十几岁”译为triedtomakeoutthathewasstillinhisfifties，其中tomakeout是成语，作“声称”或“假装”等解。(4)“让我再帮儿子几年！”译为：Letmetoilafewmoreyearsformyson’ssake！如把原文中的“帮”字直译为help，则欠达意。(5)“就可积起钱造屋了”译为wouldhavelaidbyenoughmoneyforanewhouse，其中laidby是成语，作“积蓄”解。(6)“早一点造起来吧，我可以给你监工。”如逐字硬译为LettheconstructionofthehousegetstartedassoonaspossiblesothatIcanoverseetheworkforyou则欠口语化。现用意译法灵活处理为You’dbettergetstartedrightawaysothatIcanwatchtoseethateverythingisdoneproperly。母亲的回忆朱德得到母亲去世的消息，我很悲痛。我爱我母亲，特别是她勤劳一生，很多事情是值得我永远回忆的。我家是佃农，祖籍广东韶关籍人，在“湖广填四川”(1)时迁移四川仪陇县马鞍场。世代为地主耕种，家境是贫苦的(2)，和我们来往的朋友也都是老老实实的贫苦农民。母亲一共生了十三个儿女，因为家境贫穷，无法全部养活，只留下八个，以后再生下的被迫溺死了。这在母亲心里是多么悲痛、悲哀和无可奈何的事啊！母亲把八个孩子一手养大成人。可是她的时间大半给家务和耕种占去了，没法多照顾孩子，只好让孩子们在地里爬着。母亲是个“好劳动”(3)。从我能记忆时起，总是天不亮就起床。全家二十口人，妇女轮班煮饭，轮到就煮一年。母亲把饭煮了，还要种田种菜，喂猪养蚕，纺棉花。因为她身材高大结实，还能挑水挑粪。母亲这样地整日劳碌着，我们到四五岁时就很自然地在旁边帮她的忙，到八九岁时就不单能挑能背，还会种地了。记得那时我从学堂回家，母亲总在灶上汗流满面地烧饭，我就悄悄把书本一放，挑水或放牛去了。有的季节里，我上午读书下午种地，一到农忙便整月停在地里跟着母亲劳动。这个时期母亲教给我许多生产知识。佃农家庭的生活自然是很苦的。可是由于母亲的聪明能干，却很舒服。我们把桐

69子榨油来点灯。吃的是豌豆饭，菜花，红薯饭，杂粮饭，把菜籽榨出的油放在饭里做调料，这种地主富人家看也不看的饭食，母亲却能做得使一家吃起来有滋味。赶上丰年，才能缝上一些新衣服，衣服也是自己生产出来的。母亲亲手纺出线，请人织成布，染了颜色，我们叫做“家织布”，有铜钱那样厚，一套衣服老大穿过了，老二老三接下来穿还穿不烂(4)。劳动的家庭是有规律有组织的。我的祖父是一个中国标本式的农民，到了八九十岁还非耕田不可，不耕田就会害病，直到临死前不久还在地里劳动。祖母是家庭的组织者，一切生产事务由她管理分派。每年除夕，分派好一年的工作以后，天还没亮，母亲就第一个起床烧火做饭去了，接着听见祖父起来的声音，接着大家都离开床铺，喂猪的喂养猪，砍柴的砍柴，挑水的挑水。母亲在家庭里极能够任劳任怨，她和蔼的性格使她从来没有打骂过我们上次，而且也没有和任何人炒过架(5)。因此,虽在这样的大家庭里，长幼叔伯妯娌相处都很和睦。母亲同情贫苦的人——这是她朴素的阶级意识——虽然自己不富裕，还周济和照顾比自己更穷的亲戚(6)。她自己是很节省的。父亲有时吸点大烟，喝点酒，母亲管束着我们，不允许我们沾染上一点。母亲那种劳动简朴的习惯，母亲那种宽厚仁慈的态度，至今还在我心中留有深刻的印象。但是灾难不因为中国农民的和平就不能降临到他们的身上。庚子（一九○○）后前后，四川连年旱灾，很多农民饥饿破产。农民不得不成群结队去“吃大户”。我亲眼见到六七百著得破破烂烂的农民和他们的妻子儿女，被所谓“官兵”一阵凶杀毒打，血溅四五十里，哭声动天。在这样的年月里，我家也遭受更多的困难，仅仅吃些小菜叶，高粱，通年没有吃过白米。特别是甲辰（一九○四）那一年，地主欺压佃户，要在租种地上加租子，因为办不到，就趁大年除夕，威胁着我家要退佃，逼着我们搬家。在悲惨的情况下，我们一家人都哭泣着连夜分散。从此我家被迫分两处住下，人手少了，又遭天灾，庄稼没有收成，这是我家最悲惨的一次遭遇。母亲没有灰心，她对穷苦农民的同情，和对为富不仁者的反感却更加强烈了。母亲沉痛的三言两语的诉说，以及我亲眼看见到的许多不平事实，启发了我幼年时期反抗压迫追求光明的思想，使我决心寻找新的生活。我不久就离开母亲，因为我读了书。我是一佃农家庭的子弟，本来是没钱读书的。那时乡间豪绅地主的欺压，衙门差役的横蛮，逼得母亲和父亲决心要节衣缩食培养出一个读书人来“支撑门户”(7)。我念过私塾，光绪三十一年（一九○五）考了科举，以后又到更远的顺庆和成都去读书。这个时期的学费，都是东挪西借来的，总共用了二百多块钱，直到我后来在护国军旅长时才还清。光绪三十四年（一九○八），我从成都回来，在仪陇县办高等小学，一年回家二三次去看母亲。那时新旧思想冲突很厉害，我们抱了科学民主的思想想在家乡做点事情，守旧的豪绅们便出来反对我们。我下决心瞒着慈爱的母亲脱离家乡，远走云南参加了新军和同盟会。我到云南后，从家信中知道(8)，我母亲对我这一举动不但不反对，还给我许多慰勉。从宣统元年（一九〇九）到现在，我再没有回过家一次，只在民国十年（一九二一），我曾经把父亲和母亲接出去产，但是他俩劳动惯了，离开土地就不舒服(9)，所以还是回了家，父亲就在回家途中死了，母亲回家继续劳动一直到最后(10)。中国革命继续向前发展，我的思想也继续的向前进步。当我发现中国革命的正确道路时，我便加入了中国共产党。大革命失败了，我和家庭完全隔绝了。母亲就靠那三十亩地独立支持一家人生活。抗战以后，我才能和家里通信。母亲知道我们所做事业，她期望着中国民族解放的成功。她知道我们党的困难，依然在家里过着劳苦的农妇生活。七年中间，我曾寄回几百元钱和几张自己的照片给母亲。母亲年老了，但她永远想念着我，如同我永远想念着她一样。去年收到侄儿的来信说：“祖母今年已八十有五，精神不如咋年之健康，饮食起居亦不如前，甚望见你一面，聊叙别后情景。……”但我献身于民族抗战事业，竟未能报答母亲的希望。母亲最大的特点，是一生不曾脱离过劳动。母亲生我前一分钟还在灶上煮饭。虽到老年，仍然热爱生产。去年另一封外甥的家信中说：“外祖母大人因年老关系，近年不比往年健康，但仍不缀劳作，尤喜纺棉。……”我应该感谢母亲，她教给我与困难作斗争的经验，我在家庭生活中已经饱尝艰苦，这使我在三十多年的军事生活和革命生活中，再没有感到困难和被困难吓倒。母亲又给我一个强健的身体和一个劳动的习惯，使我从来没有感到过劳累。我应该感谢母亲，她教给我生产的知识和革命的意志，鼓励我走上以后的革命道路，在这条路上我一天比一天更加认识了：只有这种知识，这种意志，才是世界上最可宝贵的财产。

70母亲现在离我而去了，我将永不能再见她一面了，这个悲哀是无法补救的。母亲是一个“平凡”的人，她只是中国千百万劳动人民中的一员，但是正是这千百万人创造了和创造着中国的历史。我用什么方法来报答母亲的深恩呢？我将继续尽忠于我们的民族和人民，尽忠于我们的民族和人民的希望——中国共产党，使和母亲同样生活着的人能够过一个快乐的生活，这就是我所能做的和我一定做的。愿母亲在地下安息！LovingMemoriesofMotherZhuDeIwasdeeplygrievedtolearnofmother’sdeath.Ilovemymother.Ofherhardworkinglife,inparticular,agreatmanythingswillforeverbecherishedinmymemory.Icomefromatenantfarmer’sfamily.MyoriginalfamilyhomewasShaoGuan,GuangdongProvince,intowhichmyancestorshadmovedfromanotherprovinceassettlers.DuringthemassmigrationofpeasantsfromHuguangtoSichuanProvince,myancestorsmovedtoMaAnChang,YiLongCounty,Sichuan.Fromgenerationtogeneration,theytilledlandforlandlordonlytoekeoutabaresubsistence.Peoplewhoassociatedwiththemasfriendswerelikewisehonestimpoverishedpeasants.Mothergavebirthtothirteenchildreninall.Butonlythefirsteightofthemsurvivedwhilethenextfiveweredrownedatbirthbymyparentsagainsttheirwillbecausetheyweretoopoortoraisethemall.Howanguished,sadandhelplessmothermusthavefelt!Shedidmanage,however,tohavetheeightchildrenbroughtupallbyherself.Butshewastoobusilyoccupiedwithhouseholdchoresandfarmingtolookafterthekidssothattheywereleftalonecrawlingaboutinthefields.Motherwasahardworkingwoman.AsfarasIcanremember,shewouldalwaysgetupbeforedaybreak.Inourhouseholdofmorethantwentymembers,allwomenwouldtaketurnstodocookingforoneyear.Apartfromcooking,motherdidfarming,plantedvegetables,fedpigs,raisedsilkwormsandspuncottonintoyarn.Tallandofstrongbuild,shecouldcarrytwobucketsofwaterormanureonashoulderpole.Motherworkedhardfromdawntilldusk.Whenwekidswerefourorfiveyearsold,wefoundourselvesautomaticallyhelpingherwithfarmwork.Attheageofeightornine,Icouldnotonlycarryheavyloadsonashoulderpoleoronmyback,butalsoknewhowtofarmtheland.IrememberwheneverIcamebackfromschoolandsawmotherbusycookinginthekitchenwithsweatstreamingdownherface,Iwouldimmediatelylaydownmybooksandsneakouttocarrywateronashoulderpoleorgrazethecattle.Insomeseasons,Iwouldstudyinthemorningandworkinthefieldsintheafternoon.Duringthebusyseason,Iwouldspendalldayworkingbythesideofmother.Itwasthenthatshetaughtmealotabouttheknackoffarming.Thelifeofatenantfarmer’sfamilywasofcoursehard,butwesomehowmanagedtoscrapealongbecausemotherwasacleverandablewoman.Weusedoilsqueezedfromseedsoftungtreestolightourlamps.Weatericecookedwithpeas,vegetables,sweetpotatoesorcoarsegrain,andallseasonedwithrapeseedoil—foodwhichlandlordsandrichpeoplewouldscorntoeat.Nevertheless,mother’scookingwasdonesowellthateverybodyatewithgusto.Onlyingoodyear,couldweaffordtohavesomehome-madenewclothestowear.Motherwouldspincottonintoyarnandthenaskedsomebodytohaveitwovenintofabricanddyed.Wecalledit“homespunfabric”.Itwasasthickascoppercoinandwassodurablethataftertheeldestbrotherhadgrownoutofthehome-spungarment,itcouldstillbeusedbythesecondandthirdbrothersinturnwithoutbeingwornout.Itwascharacteristicofanindustrioushouseholdtobewell-regulatedandwell-organized.MygrandfatherwasatypicalChinesefarmer.Hewentondoingfarmworkevenhewasanoctogenarian.Hewouldfeelunwellwithoutdoingfarmlabour.Hewasfoundstillworkingonthefarmevenshortlybeforehisdeath.Grandmotherwastheorganizerofthehousehold.Shewasinchargeofallthefarmaffairs,assigningtaskstoeachmemberofthehousehold.OneachNewYear’sEve,shewouldworkoutalljobassignmentsforthecomingyear.Motherwouldbethefirsttogetupbeforedaybreak.Soongrandfatherwouldbeheardtorisefromhisbed,followedbytherestofthehousehold.Somewentaboutfeedingpigs,somecuttingfirewood,andsomecarryingwateronashoulderpole.Motheralwaysworkedwithoutcomplaintdespitehardships.Amiablebynature,sheneverbeatorscoldedus,lealonequarreledwithanybody.Consequently,largeasitwas,thewholehousehold,oldandyoung,unclesandsisters-in-law,livedinperfectharmony.Outofhernaiveclassconsciousness,sheshowedsympathyforthepoor.Despiteherownstraitenedcircumstances,sheoftenwentoutofherwaytohelpoutthose

71relativeswhowereevenmoreneedythanherself.Shelivedaveryfrugallife.Fatherwouldoccasionallysmokealong-stemmedChinesepipeordrinksomewine.Topreventusfromfallingintothesamehabit,motherkeptuschildrenunderstrictcontrol.Herdiligenceandfrugality,hergenerosityandkindheartedness—allhaveleftalastingimpressiononmymind.Chinesepeasantswerehonestandpeaceable,butdisasterbefellthemjustthesame.Around1900,whenSichuanProvincewashitbysuccessiveyearsofdrought,numerouspoverty-strickenpeasantswenthungryandhadtogooutincrowdstoseizefoodfromthehomesoflandlords.ThereuponIsawwithmyowneyeshowagroupofshabbily-dressedpeasantsandtheirfamiliesweresavagelybeatenuporslainbygovernmenttroops,theroadstainedwiththeirbloodforsome40liandtheircriesrendingtheair.Inthosedays,myfamilyalsometwithincreasingdifficulties.Alltheyearround,wewentwithoutricetoeat,andsimplylivedonediblewildhersandkaoliang.In1904,especially,whenland-lords,ridingroughshodovertenants,pressedforhigherrentsonthelet-outpiecesofland,we,unabletomeettheirdemands,hadourtenancycancelledbythemandwereforcedtomovehouseonNewYear’sEve.Onthatmiserablenight,myfamilytearfullyseparatedandthenceforthhadtoliveintwodifferentplaces.Shorthandednessandcropfailureduetothenaturalcalamitybroughtmisfortuneonmyfamily.Mother,however,didnotloseheart.Adversityhaddeepenedhersympathyforthepoorandneedyaswellasheraversiontotheheartlessrich.ThepainfulcomplaintshehadutteredinoneortwowordsandtheinnumerableinjusticeIhadwitnessedarousedinmeaspiritofrevoltandadesireforabrightfuture.Imadeupmymindtoseekanewlife.Notlongafterwards,IhadtotearmyselfawayfrommotherwhenIbeganmyschooling.Asthesonofatenant,Iofcoursecouldnotaffordtogotoschool.Myparents,however,facedwiththebullyingandoppressionofthelocalevilgentry,landlordsandyamenbailiffs,decidedtoscrapeupenoughmoneybylivingaveryfrugallifetopayformyeducationsothattheycouldmakeascholarofmeforthefamilytokeepupappearances.AtfirstIwassenttoanold-styleprivateschoolandin1905Itooktheimperialexamination.Later,IwentfartherawayfromhometostudyinShunqingandChengdu,bothinSichuanProvince.Allthetuitionfeeswerepaidwithborrowedmoney,totalingmorethan200silverdollars.ThedebtwasnotrepaiduntillaterIbecameabrigadecommanderoftheHuGuoArmy.In1908,IcamebackfromChengdutosetupahigherprimaryschoolinYiLongCounty.Whileteachingschool,Iwenthometoseemothertwoorthreetimesayear,inthosedays,therewasasharpconflictbetweenoldandnewideologies.Duetoourleaningtowardsscienceanddemocracy,wemetwithoppositionfromthelocalconservativeinfluentialgentryinwhateverweattemptedforthebenefitofourhometown.SoIdecidedtoleave,withoutmymother’sknowledge,forthefarawayprovinceofYunnan,whereIjoinedtheNewArmyandTongmenhui.OnmyarrivalinYunnan,Ilearnedfrommyhomelettersthatmother,insteadoffrowninguponmynewmove,gavemealotofencouragementandcomfort.From1909uptonow,Ihaveneverpaidavisittomyhometown.In1921,however,Ihadmyparentscomeouttolivewithme.But,asconfirmedfarmlabourers,theyfeltunwellwithoutlandtotillandsubsequentlyhadtoreturnhome.Fatherdiedonthewayback,andmothercontinuedtodofarmworkathometotheverylast.AstheChineserevolutioncontinuedtodevelop,Ibecamemoreandmorepoliticallyaware.IjoinedtheChineseCommunistpartyassoonasIdiscoveredthecorrectorientationoftheChineserevolution.WhentheGreatRevolutionof1924-1927failedinChina,Icompletelylostcontactwithmyfamily.Motheralonesupportedthewholefamilybyworkingonthe30muofland.IdidnothearfromheruntiltheoutbreakoftheWarofResistancetoJapan.WhenshewasinformedofgreatcauseinwhichIwasengaged,sheeagerlylookedforwardtothesuccessofChina’snationalliberation.Whilelivingthehardlifeofapeasantwomanathome,shewasawareofthedifficultiesandhardshipsthatourPartywasthenundergoing.DuringthesevenyearsaftertheoutbreakoftheWar,Imanagedtosendherseveralhundredyuanandsomephotosofmyself.Motherwasgettingold.ShewasalwaysthinkingofmeasIwasofher.Lastyear,aletterfrommynephewsays,“Grandmais85.She’seagertoseeyouandchataboutthingsthathavehappenedsinceyoulefthome…”ButIneverliveduptoherexpectationbecauseofmydedicationtothecauseoftheWarofResistanceagainstJapan.Themostprominentcharacteristicofmotherwasherlifelongparticipationinphysicallabour.Shedidcookinginthekitchenjustoneminutebeforegivingbirthtome.Herardentloveforagriculturalproductionremainedundiminishedeveninheroldage.Mynephewsaysinanotherlettertomelastyear,“becauseofoldage,grandmaisnolongerin

72goodhealth,butshestilldoesmanuallabour,andisparticularlyfondofspinningcottonintoyarn…”IowemotheradebtofgratitudebecauseshetaughtmehowtocopewiththenumerousdifficultiesthatIranintoathomesothatlaterduringmyover30yearsofmilitaryandrevolutionarylifeIhaveneverboweddowntoanydifficulty.ShealsobequeathedmeastrongconstitutionaswellasastronginclinationforlaboursothatIhavebeenabletoworkuntiringly.Iowemothersdebtofgratitudebecausesheimpartedtomeknowledgeofproductivelabourandarevolutionarywill,thusenablingmetotaketotherevolutionarypath.Bykeepingtothispath,Ihavecometorealizemoreandmoreclearlythatthisknowledgeofproductivelabourandthisrevolutionarywillarethemostvaluableassetsintheworld.MotherisgoneandIshallneverseeheragain.Thisisanever-lastingsorrow.Motherisan“ordinary”personandoneofthemillionsoflabouringpeoplewhohavemadeandarestillmakingChinesehistory.WhatcanIdotorepayhermydebtofdeepgratitude?Isweartoremaineverloyaltoournationandthepeople,everloyaltotheChineseCommunistParty—thehopeofournationandthepeople,sothatallthosewhosharethesamelotwithmymothermayliveahappierlife.ThatiswhatIcandoandwhatIamcertainlyabletodo.Maymotherrestinpeace!________________①ThetroopsthatralliedagainstYuanShikaiwhenheattemptedtorestoremonarchyin1916.②Western-stylearmyorganizedtowardtheendoftheQingDynasty.③TheUnitedLeagueofChina(1905-1912),theantecedentoftheKuomintang.注释本文于1944年4月5日发表于《解放日报》上。(1)“湖广填四川”译为themassmigrationofpeasantsfromHuguangtoSichuanProvince。“湖广”为旧时一个省份。元代湖广相当于今两湖、两广。明清时湖广专指两湖。四川曾因天灾人祸，人口锐减，湖广农民乃大批迁入。(2)“世代为地主耕种，家境是贫苦的”充为Fromgenerationtogeneration,theytilledlandforlandlordsonlytoekeoutabaresubsistence，其中only用于不定式前作“结果却……”解，往往表示一种不幸的结果。又toekeout是成语，后面常跟abaresubsistence或aliving、anexistence、alivelihood等，作“勉强糊口”解。(3)“母亲是个‘好劳动’”不宜按字面直译，现按“母亲是一个勤劳的妇女”译为Motherwasahardworkingwoman。(4)“一套衣服老大穿过了”意即“衣服因老大长大了而不能继续穿下去”，故译为aftertheeldestbrotherhadgrownoutofthehome-spungarment，其中hadgrownoutof是习用短语，作hadgrowntoolargetofit(clothes)解。(5)“她的和蔼的性格使她从没有打骂过我们一次，而且也没有和任何人吵过架”译为Amiablebynature,sheneverbeatorscoldedus,letalonequarreledwithanybody，其中根据上下文的内涵，把“而且”译为letalone”，作“更不用说”解，是英语成语。(6)“还周济和照顾比自己更穷的亲戚”译为sheoftenwentoutofherwaytohelpoutthoserelativeswhowereevenmoreneedythanherself，其中wentoutofherway是成语，作“特地”、“不怕麻烦”（tomakeaspecialeffort,especiallyinspiteofdifficulties）解。(7)“培养出一个读书人来‘支撑门户’”译为sothattheycouldmakeascholarofmeforthefamilytokeepupappearances，其中tokeepupappearances是英语成语，作“装门面”（tokeepupormaintainanoutwardshow）解。又，为了把原文交待清楚，译文中出现添加万分forthefamily。(8)“从家信中知道”译为Iheardfrommyhomeletters，其中myhomeletters等于mylettersfromhome。(9)“但是他俩劳动惯了，离开土地就不舒服”译为But,asconfirmedfarmlabourers,theyfeltunwellwithoutlandtotill，其中confirmed作“成习惯的”（habitual）解。(10)“母亲回家继续劳动一直到最后”译为mothercontinuedtodofarmworkathometotheverylast，其中tothelast(或tillthelast)是成语，意即totheend或tilldeath。巷柯灵巷，是城市建筑艺术中一篇飘逸恬静(1)的散文，一幅古雅冲淡的图画。这种巷，常在江南的小城市中(2)，有如古代的少女，躲在僻静的深闺，轻易不肯抛头露面。你要在这种城市里住久了，和它真正成了莫逆，你才有机会看见她，接触到她优娴贞静的风度。它不是乡村的陋巷(3)，湫隘破败(4)，泥泞坎坷，杂草乱生，两旁还排列着错落的粪缸。它不是上海的里弄，鳞次栉比的人家，拥挤得喘不过气；小贩憧憧来往，黝暗的小门边，不时走出一些趿着拖鞋的女子，头发乱似临风飞舞的秋

73蓬(5)，眼睛里网满红丝，脸上残留着不调和的隔夜脂粉，颓然(6)地走到老虎灶上去提水。也不像北地的胡同，满目尘土，风起处刮着弥天的黄沙。这种小巷，隔绝了市廛的红尘，却又不是乡村的风味。它又深又长，一个人耐心静静走去，要老半天才走完。它又这么曲折，你望前面，好像已经堵塞了(7)，可是走过去，一转弯，依然是巷陌深深，而且更加幽静。那里常是寂寂的，寂寂的(8)，不论什么时候，你向巷中踅去，都如宁静的黄昏，可以清晰地听到自己的足音。不高不矮的围墙挡在两边，斑斑驳驳的苔痕，墙上挂着一串串苍翠欲滴的藤萝，简直像古朴的屏风。墙里常是人家的竹园，修竹森森，天籁细细(9)；春来时还常有几枝娇艳的桃花杏花，娉娉婷婷，从墙头殷勤地摇曳红袖，向行人招手。走过几家墙门，都是紧紧关着，不见一个人影，因为那都是人家的后门。偶然躺着一只狗，但是决不会对你狺狺地狂吠。小巷的动人处就是它无比的悠闲。无论是谁，只要你到巷里去踯躅一会，你的心情就会如巷尾不波的古井，那是一种和平的静穆，而不是阴森和肃杀(10)。它闹中取静，别有天地，仍是人间。它可能是一条现代的乌衣巷(11)，家家有自己的一本哀乐帐，一部兴衰史，可是重门叠户，讳莫如深，夕阳影里，野花闲草，燕子低飞，寻觅归家。只是一片澄明如水的气氛，净化一切，笼罩一切，使人忘忧。你是否觉得劳生草草(12)，身心两乏？我劝你工余之暇，常到小巷里走走，那是最好的将息，会使你消除疲劳，紧张的心弦得到调整。你如果有时情绪烦燥，心情悒郁，我劝你到小巷里负手行吟一阵，你一定会豁然开朗，怡然自得，物我两忘。你有爱人吗？我建议不要带了她去什么名园胜景，还是利用晨昏时节，到深巷中散散步。在那里，你们俩可以随便谈谈，心贴得更近，在街上那种贪婪的睨视，恶意的斜觑，巷里是没有的；偶然呀的一声，墙门口显现出一个人影，又往往是深居简出(13)的姑娘，看见你们，会娇羞地返身回避了。巷，是人海汹汹中的一道避风塘，给人家带来安全感；是城市暄嚣扰攘中的一带洞天幽境(14)，胜似皇家的阁道(15)，便于平常百姓徘徊徜徉。爱逐臭争利，锱铢必较的，请到长街闹市去；爱轻嘴薄舌的，争是论非的，请到茶馆酒楼去；爱锣鼓钲镗，管弦嗷嘈的，请到歌台剧院去；爱宁静淡泊，沉思默想的，深深的小巷在欢迎你。TheLaneKeLingThelane,intermsoftheartofurbanarchitecture,islikeapieceofproseofgentlegracefulnessorapaintingofclassiceleganceandsimplicity.OftentuckedawayinasmalltownsouthoftheYangtseRiver,thelane,likeamaidenofancienttimeshiddenawayinasecludedboudoir,isreluctanttomakeitsappearanceinpublic.You’llneverhaveanopportunitytoseeitandsavouritsgentlepoiseuntilyouhavebecometrulyattachedtothesmalltownafterlivingthereforalongtime.Thelanehasnothingincommonwiththemeanruralalleys,whicharenarrowandlow-lying,muddyandbumpy,overgrownwithwildweedsandlinedhereandtherewithmanurevats.Norhasitanythingincommonwithlinong(meaningalleys)inShanghai,whichareliterallypackedwithdwellingsandtheirresidents.Overthere,you’llseevendorshawkingtheirwareshereandthere.Fromtimetotime,womenareseenemergingfrominsidesomedingysmallgatesandshufflinglanguidlyintheirslipperstowardsalaohuzao,theshopspecializinginsellingboiledwater,theirhairdisheveledlikewind-blownwitheredgrassinautumn,theireyesblood-shot,theirfacesbetrayingtracesofovernightmake-up.Norhasthelaneanythingincommonwithhutong(alsomeaningalleys)innorthChina,whicharedustyoneveryside,especiallywhenawindrises.Thelane,thoughcutofffromthehustleandbustleofbusycities,doesnottasteofthecountrysideatall.Itislonganddeep,soitwilltakeyoualongwhiletowalkpatientlyandquietlythroughitfromendtoend.Itisalsosowindingthatitseemstobeablindalleywhenyoulookfarahead,butifyoukeepwalkinguntilyoutakeaturning,you’llfinditagainlyingendlessandstillmorequiet.Thereisnothingbutstillnessthere.Atanyhourofday,youcanevendistinctlyhearinthedusk-likequietyourownfootsteps.Oneithersideofthelanestandenclosingwallsofmediumheight,which,moss-coveredandhungwithclustersoffreshgreenwisteria,lookalmostlikescreensofprimitivesimplicity.Insidethewallsareresidents’gardenswithdensegrovesoftallbamboosaswellassoftsoundsofnature.Inspring,beautifulpeachandapricotblossomsatopthewalls,likegracefulgirlswavingtheirredsleeves,willswayhospitablytobeckonthepedestrians.You’llfindthedoorsinthewallscloseshutwithoutasoulinsightbecausetheyarebackdoorstosomehouseholds.Occasionally,youmaycomeuponadoglyingthere,which,however,never

74givesabarkatyou.Thecharmofthelaneliesinitsabsoluteserenity.Nomatterwhoyouare,ifyouloiteraroundinthelaneforawhile,yourmindwillbecomeasunruffledastheancientwellattheendofthelane.Thereyouwillexperienceakindofpeacefulcalmnessratherthangloomysternness.Therereignspeaceandquietinthemidstofnoisybustle.Itisaworldofitsownonearth.ItmaybeamodernversionofWuYiXiang,aspecialresidentialareaofnobilityintheJinDynastysoutheastoftoday’sNanjing,whereeachfamily,secludedbehindcloseddoors,hasitsowncovered-upstoryofjoysandsorrows,andriseanddecline.Whenthesunissetting,swallowswillflylowoverwildflowersandgrassontheirwaytotheirnests.Theall-pervadingandall-purifyingatmosphereofwater-likeplacidnessmakesoneforgetallcaresandworries.Aren’tyouweigheddownwithcaresinthislifeofhardtoilandexhaustedphysicallyandmentally?Iwouldliketoadviseyouoftentotakeawalkinthelaneinyouroff-dutyhours.Thatisthebestwaytotakearest.Itwilldissipateyourfatigueandrelieveyournervoustension.Whenyouarefidgetyordepressed,gotothelaneandwanderaroundrecitingorcomposingpoemswithyourhandscrossedbehindyourback.Youwillthensuddenlyfallintoabrightmoodandenjoyinnerpeace,forgettingbothyourselfandtheexternalworld.Don’tyouhaveasweetheart?Letmesuggestthat,insteadofaccompanyingheronavisittofamousparkorscenicspot,youtakeherwithyouforastrollinthelaneatdawnordusk.Overthere,youtwocanchatfreelyandwithevendeeperaffection,freefromgreedysidelongglancesormalicioussquintssuchasyouoftenmeetwithinbusystreets.Suddenly,atacreakingsound,theremayappearafigurebyadoor—usuallyanunsophisticatedyounggirl.Shewill,atthesightofyou,withdrawcoylyintothehouse.Thelaneisasafehavenforthosestrugglingintheturbulentseaofhumanstoenjoyasenseofsecurity.Itisaheavenlyabodeinthemidstofconfusion.Unliketheerstwhileplank-pavedpathusedexclusivelybytheimperialfamilyfortheirvehiclestomoveonsmoothly,thelaneisplaceforthecommonpeopletoroamaboutleisurely.Thosewhostriveafterfameandgain,andhaggleovereverypenny,pleasegotothedowntownarea!Thosewhoaresharp-tonguedandquarrelsome,pleasegototheteahouseorrestaurant!Thosewholovedeafeninggongsanddrumsaswellasnoisywindandstringinstruments,pleasegototheoperahouseortheatre!Thosewhoaregiventoprofoundmeditationandaquietlifewithoutworldlydesires,welcometothelane!注释《巷》是柯灵（1909-）写于1930年秋的一篇著名散文。作者以沉挚细腻的笔调叙述江南小城市中的小巷，向往那里悠闲宁静的情调，流露出对大都市喧闹纷争的生活的厌恶。(1)“飘逸恬静”译为gentlegracefulness，把原文两个并列形容词转变为英语“定语＋抽象名词”的形式，内容不变。这是文学翻译时常用方法。(2)“常在河南的小城市中”译为OftentuckedawayinasmalltownsouthoftheYangtseRiver，其中动词短语totuckaway作“使隐藏”、“把……置放在隐蔽的地方”解，是添加成分，原文虽无其词而有其意。(3)“它不是乡村的陋巷”意即“它和乡村的陋巷不同”，因此全句译为Thelanehasnothingincommonwiththemeanruralalleys，其中成语incommon的意思是“共同”。(4)“湫隘破败”译为narrowandlow-lying，未交代“破败”，因它的意思已包含在句中“陋”、“坎坷”等形容词中。但如照译不误，也无不可：narrow,low-lyingandinbadcondition(outofrepair)。(5)“头发乱似临风飞舞的秋蓬”中的“蓬”是一种草，即“蓬蒿”，秋时干枯，临风飞舞，现将此句译为“disheveledlikewind-blownwitheredgrassinautumn.(6)“颓然”意即“没精打采”或“慢吞吞”，译为languidly或sluggishly。(7)“好像已经堵塞了”意即“好像是死胡同”，故译为itseemstobeablindalley。(8)“那里是寂寂的，寂寂的”语气强调，故相应译为Thereisnothingbutstillnessthere。(9)“修竹森森，天籁细细”中的“修”作“高”解；“森森”作“茂密”解，“天籁”作“自然界的音响”解。两句一并译为densegrovesoftallbamboosaswellassoftsoundsofnature。(10)“阴森和肃杀”译为gloomysternness，也是把原文两个并列形容词转化为英语“定语＋抽象名词”的形式。(11)“乌衣巷“在今南京市东南，东晋时为望族居住的地方，现采取释义法把它译为WuYiXiang,aspecialresidentialareaofnobilityintheJinDynastysoutheastoftoday’sNanjing。(12)“你是否觉得劳生草草”中的“劳生”作“辛劳的生活”解；“草草”作“忧虑”解。现全句译为Aren’tyouweigheddownwithcaresinthislifeofhardtoil…，其中动词短语toweighdown作“使苦恼”解。

75(13)“深居简出”可译为secluded，现译为unsophisticated，是按“不懂世故”之意作灵活处理。(14)“洞天幽境”中的“洞天”本指天上群仙居住之处，现按“超凡的住所”把全文译为heavenlyabode。(15)“阁道”指古代皇家楼阁之间以木架空的通道，现以释义法把它译为theerstwhileplank-pavedpathusedexclusivelybytheimperialfamilyfortheirvehiclestomovesmoothly。第二次考试何为著名的声乐专家苏林教授发现了一件奇怪的事情：在这次参加考试的二百多名合唱训练班学生中间，有一个二十岁的女生陈伊玲，初试时的成绩十分优异：声乐、视唱、练耳和乐理等课目都列入优等，尤其是她的音色美丽和音域宽广令人赞叹。而复试时却使人大失所望。苏林教授一生桃李满天下，他的学生中间不少是有国际声誉的，但是这样的年青而有才华的学生却还是第一个，这样的事情也还是第一次碰到。那次公开的考试是在那间古色古香的大厅里举行的。当陈伊玲镇静地站在考试委员会里几位有名的声乐专家面前，唱完了冼星海的那支有名的“二月里来“，门外窗外挤挤挨挨的都站满了人，甚至连不带任何表情(1)的教授们也不免暗暗递了个眼色。按照规定，应试者还唱一支外国歌曲，她演唱了意大利歌剧“蝴蝶夫人”(2)中的咏叹调“有一个良辰佳日”(3)，以她灿烂的音色和深沉的理解惊动四座，一向以要求严格闻名的苏林教授也不由颔首表示赞许，在她严峻的眼光下，隐藏着一丝微笑。大家都默无一言地注视陈伊玲：嫩绿色的绒线上衣，一条贴身的咖啡西裤，宛如春天早晨一株亭亭玉立的小树。众目睽睽下，这个本来笑容自若的姑娘也不禁微微困惑了。复试是在一星期后举行的。录取与否都取决于此。这时将决定一个人终生的事业。经过初试这一关，剩下的人现在已是寥寥无几；而复试将是各方面更其严格的要求下进行的，本市有名的音乐界人士都到了。这些考试委员和旁听者在评选时几乎都带着苛刻的挑剔神气。但是全体对陈伊玲都留下这样一个印象：如果合乎录取条件的只有一个人，那么这唯一的一个人无疑应该是陈伊玲。谁知道事实却出乎意料之外。陈伊玲是参加复试的最后一个人，唱的还是那两支歌，可是声音发涩，毫无光彩，听起来前后判若两人。是因为怯场、心慌，还是由于身体不适，影响声音？人们甚至怀疑到她的生活作风上是否有不够慎重的地方(4)！在座的人面面相觑，大家带着询问和疑惑的眼光举目望她。虽然她掩饰不住自己脸上的困倦，一双聪颖的眼睛显得黯然无神，那顽皮的嘴角也流露出一种无可诉说的焦急，可是就整个看来，她通体是明朗的，坦率的，可以使人信任的；仅仅只因为一点意外的事故使她遭受挫折，而这正是人们感到不解之处。她抱歉地大家笑笑，于是飘然走了。苏林教授显然是大为生气了。他从来认为，要做一个真正为人民所爱戴的艺术家，首先要做一个各方面都能成为表率的人，一个高尚的人！歌唱家又何尝能例外！可是这样一个自暴自弃的女孩子，永远也不能成为一个有成就的歌唱家！他生气地侧过头去望向窗外。这个城市刚刚受到一次今年最严重的台风的袭击，窗外断枝残叶狼藉满地，整排竹篱委身在满是积水的地上，一片惨淡的景象。考试委员会对陈伊玲有两种意见：一种认为从两次考试可以看出陈伊玲的声音极不稳固，不扎实(5)，很难造就；另一种认为给她机会，让她再试一次。苏林教授有他自己的看法，他觉得重要的是为什么造成她先后两次声音悬殊的根本原因，如果问题在于她对事业和生活的态度，尽管声音的禀赋再好，也不能录取她！这是一切条件中的首要条件！可是究竟是什么原因呢？苏林教授从秘书那里取去了陈伊玲的报名单，在填着地址的那一栏上，他用红铅笔划了一条粗线。表格上的那张报名照片是一张叫人喜欢的脸，小而好看的嘴，明快单纯的眼睛，笑起来鼻翼稍稍皱起的鼻子，这一切都好像是在提醒那位有名的声乐专家，不能用任何简单的方式对待一个人——一个有生命有思想有感情的人。至少眼前这个姑娘的某些具体情况是这张简单的表格上所看不到的。如果这一次落选了，也许这个人终其一生就和音乐分手了。她的天才可能从此就被埋没。而作为一个以培养学生为责任的音乐教授，情况如果是这样，那他是绝对不能原谅自己的。第二天，苏林教授乘早上第一班电车出发。根据报名单上的地址，好容易找到了在杨树浦(6)的那条僻静的马路，进了弄堂，蓦地不由吃了一惊。那弄堂里有些墙垣都已倾塌，烧焦的栋梁呈现一片可怕的黑色，断瓦残垣中间时或露出枯黄的破布碎片，所有这些说明了这条弄堂不仅受到台风破坏，而且显然发生

76过火灾。就在这灾区的瓦砾场上，有些人大清早就在忙碌着张罗。苏林教授手持纸条，不知从何处找起，忽然听见对屋的楼窗上，有一个孩子有事没事地(7)张口叫着：“咪——咿——咿——咿——，吗——啊——啊——啊——”仿佛歌唱家在练声的样子。苏林教授不禁为之微笑，他猜对了，那孩子敢情就是陈伊玲的弟弟，正在若有其事地学着他姊姊练声的姿势呢。从孩子口里知道：他的姊姊是个转业军人，从文工团回来的，到上海后被分配到工厂里担任行政工作。他是个青年团员，——一个积极而热心的人，不管厂里也好，里弄也好，有事找陈伊玲准没有错！还是在二三天前，这里附近因为台风而造成电线走火，好多人家流离失所，陈伊玲就为了安置灾民，忙得整夜没有睡，终于影响了嗓子。第二天刚好是她去复试的日子，她说声“糟糕”，还是去参加考试了。这就是全部经过。“瞧，她还在那儿忙着哪！”孩子向窗外扬了扬手说，“我叫她！我去叫她！”“不。只要告诉你姊姊：她的第二次考试已经录取了！她完全有条件成为一个优秀的歌唱家，不是吗？我几乎犯了一个错误！”苏林教授从陈伊玲家里出来，走得很快。是的，这天早晨有什么使人感动的东西充溢在他胸口，他想赶紧回去把他发现的这个音乐学生和她的故事告诉每一个人。TheSecondTestHeWeiProfessorSuLin,awell-knownexpertonvocalmusic,foundsomethingverypuzzling.Twenty-year-oldgirlChenYilingfromChorusTrainingClassofmorethan200studentshadcomeoutexceedinglywellinthepreliminarytest,scoringhighmarksinvocalmusic,sightsingingeartrainingandmusictheory.Herbeautifultonecolorandbroadrange,inparticular,wonhighpraise.But,tothegreatdisappointmentofeverybody,shefailedthesecondtest.Theprofessor,whohadtrainedalargenumberofstudents,manyofthemnowofinternationalfame,hadneverseenayounggirlwithabrillianttalent.Andtheabovestrangehappeningwassomethinghehadneverknownbefore.Thepreliminarytesttookplaceinaspecioushallofantiquestyle.ChenYilingstoodcalmlybeforetheeminentvocalmusicexpertsontheTestCommittee.WhenshefinishedsingingXianXinghai’sfamousWhenFebruaryComes,throngsoflistenerscouldbeseenstandingentrancedoutsidethedoorsandwindows,andeventheprofessors,whousuallyworeanairofcasualindifference,couldnothelpexchangingknowinglooksatoneanother.Atitwasrequiredofeachcandidatetosingaforeignsongaswell,ChensangtheariaUnbeldifromtheItalianoperaMadamaButterfly.Theaudiencewereamazedbyhersplendidtonecoloranddeepcomprehension.EvenProfessorSu,knownforhisstrictdemands,alsonoddedhisapproval,hissterneyestwinklingwithdelight.Chen,wearingalightgreenwoollensweaterandclose-fittingbrowntrousers,stoodtherelikeagracefultreeonaspringmorning.However,underthesilentstareofsomanyeyes,thesmilinggirlappearedsomewhatillatease.Thesecondtestcametopassaweeklater.Theresultofthistestwastodetermineeachcandidate’sfate-acceptedorotherwise,andwhathisorherfuturecareerwouldbelike.Withmostofthecandidatesalreadyeliminatedbythepreliminarytest,thissecondtestwasevenmoredemandingineveryrespect.Allcelebratedlocalmusicianswerepresent.DuringthetestalmostallTestCommitteemembersandvisitorsworeaharshandnitpickinglook.Nevertheless,theywereallundertheimpressionthatalltheremainingcandidatesChenwouldundoubtedlybethelastonetofailthesecondtest.Unfortunately,theresultwascontrarytoeverybody’sexpectation.WhenChen’sturncamelast,shesangthesametwosongs,buthervoicewasunpleasantandutterlylacklusterasifshewerenolongerheroldherself.Wasitduetostagefright,nervousnessorindisposition?Peopleevensuspectedsomesortofimproprietyinherprivatelife.Theystaredateachinspeechlessdespairandeyedherquestioningly.Wearinesswaswrittenalloverherface.Herbrighteyesnowlookeddejectedanddull.Andthecornersofherotherwiseplayfulmouthworeanexpressionofunspeakableanxiety.But,asawhole,shewasbright,candidandtrustworthy.Peoplejustcouldnotunderstandwhatlittleaccident,ifany,hadbeenthecauseofherfrustration.Shesmiledapologeticallyanddisappearedoutoftheroom.ProfessorSuwasobviouslyupset.Hehadalwaysbelievedthattowinpeople’sgenuineloveandesteem,anartistmustfirstofallbeexemplaryineveryway,firstofallanoble-mindedperson.Asingerwasofcoursenoexception.ButagirllikeChen,whohadnourgeforself-improvement,wouldneverbecomeasuccessfulsinger.Heturnedinangertolookoutofthewindow.Thecityhadjustbeenhitbytheworsttyphoonoftheyear.The

77groundoutsidewasstrewnwithbrokentwigsanddryleaves.Fallenbamboofencesonthesoddenground.Whatapitifulsight!TheTestcommitteeweredividedintheiropinionsaboutChen.Someheldoutlittlehopeofherachievingsuccessasavocalist,sayingthatthetwotestshadshownhervoicefarfromabletoholditsown.Otherswantedtogiveheranopportunityforanothertry.ProfessorSu,however,hadaviewofhisown.Hethoughtitimportanttofindtherootcauseofherfailureinthesecondtest.Hemaintainedthatifherfailurewasduetoherquestionableattitudetowardshercareerandlife,sheshouldonnoaccountbeadmittednomatterhowhighlygiftedshewas.That,hesaid,shouldbethefirstandforemostofallthingstobeconsidered.Nowwhatonearthwasthecauseofherfailure?ProfessorSugotChen’sapplicationformforenrollmentformhissecretaryandunderlinedinredpenciltheaddressshehadputdownonit.Thephotoattachedtotheformshowedaverycutefacewithaprettylittlemouth,lucidguilelesseyesandanosewhichwouldpuckerupalittlebitwhenevershesmiled.Allthatseemedtowarntheprofessoragainsttreatingapersoninasimplisticway—apersonalivewiththoughtandemotion.Theremustbecertainpracticalaspectsoftheyounggirlwhichthesimpleapplicationformmadenomentionof.Herfailuretopassthesecondtestmightmeanherlife-longdivorcefrommusicandhenceapermanentstiflingofhermusicaltalent.Shouldthatbethecase,theprofessor,whosedutyitwastofosteryoungmusicaltalents,wouldneverforgivehimself.Thenextmorning,ProfessorSutookthefirsttramoftheday.Thankstotheaddressgivenontheapplicationform,hefinallymanagedtofindthesecludedstreetinYangshupu.Themomenthesteppedintothelane,hewastakenabackbywhathesaw.Therewerebrokenwalls,charredbeamsofaghastlyblackandscorchedragshereandthereamongdebris—alltellingofthedestructionwroughtbytherecenttyphoonandtheensuringfire.Sinceearlyinthemorning,somepeoplehadalreadybeenbusyingthemselvesamongsttherubble.ProfessorSu,withaslipofpaperinhand,waswonderingwheretofindtheaddresswhenallofsuddenheheardachildcryingoutrandomlyfromanupstairswindowoftheoppositebuilding,likeasingerpracticinghisvoice:“Mi—yi—yi—yi—,ma—ah—ah—ah—”Theprofessorcouldnothelpsmiling.HeguessedrightthatthekidwasChen’syoungerbrotheraffectedlyparrotinghiseldersister’svoice.TheprofessorthenlearnedfromthechildthathiseldersisterChen,ex-memberofthePLAarttroupe,wasnowontheadministrativestaffofafactoryafterbeingtransferredfromthearmytocivilianworkinShanghai.AsaYouthLeaguer,shewasenthusiasticandearnest.Wheneverthefactoryorherneighborhoodwasinneedofsomehelp,shewasalwaysconsideredtherightpersontoapproach.Justacoupleofdaysbefore,theneighbor-hoodhadcaughtfireasaresultofelectricwiresparkingcausedbythetyphoon.Consequently,manyfamilieswerelefthomeless.Chenspentasleeplessnightcaringforthedisastervictims,whichinturnaffectedhervoice.Thenextday,whenitoccurredtoherthatitwastheverydayforthesecondtest,sheblurtedout,“Oh,my!”Yet,shewenttothetestallthesame.Thatwasthewholestory.“Look,she’sstillbusyworkingoverthere!”exclaimedthechildfromthewindow,gesticulatingwithhisraisedhand.“Letmecallher!I’llgoandcallher!”“No,don’t.Butjusttellyoursisterthatshe’sbeenadmittedafterpassingthesecondtest!Shehaseveryqualificationforbeingasuperbsinger,hasn’tshe?I’vealmostmadeamistake!”TheprofessorwalkedawayfromChen’shouse,andthatveryquickly.Yes,hisbosomswellingwithathrill,hewantedtohurrybacktoleteverybodyknowofthemusicstudenthehaddiscoveredandthewholestoryabouther.注释《第二次考试》是散文家何为（1922-）的前期代表作，1956年12月26日在《人民日报》上发表后，立刻博得好评。此文以情节取胜，构思精巧，是一篇成功之作。(1)“不带任何表情”意即“表情冷漠”，现译为woreanairofcasualindifference。(2)“蝴蝶夫人”为意大利著名歌剧作曲家普契尼（GiacomoPuccini）的作品，共三幕，于1904年2月17日在意大利米兰首演。原名为MadamaButterfly或MadameButterfly。(3)“有一个良辰佳日”为意大利歌剧《蝴蝶夫人》中的著名女高音独唱曲。原名为Unbeldi或Unbeldivedremo。另一中文译名为《晴朗的一天》。

78(4)“她的生活作风上是否有不够慎重的地方”指“她在私生活方面恐有不够检点之处”，故译为somesortofimproprietyinherprivatelife，其中impropriety意为“不正当的行为”或“不合适的举止”。(5)“声音极不稳固，不扎实”译为hervoicefarfromabletoholditsown,其中toholditsown是习语，意为“维持原有的状态”或“不衰退”。(6)“杨树浦”位于上海市东北部，濒临黄浦江，旧时为贫民区。(7)“有事没事地”意即“任意地”或“胡乱地”，故译为randomly。下蛋·唱鸡及其它谢逸笼里养着两只母鸡，一只爱唱，另一只喜静。主人根据母鸡下蛋之后报唱的现象，以为所有的蛋都是那只唱鸡产的(1)，因此很偏爱它(2)，捉得蟑螂也专喂给它吃。但日子一久，秘密揭穿了：原来那只唱鸡下蛋很少，而不叫的那只却一天一个，且蛋刚落地就一声不响地离开鸡窝，由那只唱鸡站在蛋边大喊大叫(3)。闲聊时和朋友谈及此事，他以为我是言外之意不在鸡，而是论人。其实，古人早就以鸡喻人了，《尚书·牧誓》里就有“牝鸡无晨”(4)之句。说到人，在我们中确是有很多沉默寡言的人，他们牢牢蹲在自己的岗位上，夜以继日，埋头苦干替国家创造了大量的物质财富，为人民作出了一项又一项的优异成绩。他们像母鸡一样，吞的是粗糠老菜，产下的是蛋，而且往往一声不响(5)。但也有一种人，嘴尖舌长，能说会道，自我吹嘘，滔滔不绝，像那只爱唱的母鸡一样，占着个鸡窝不下蛋(6)。个别恶劣的还窃取别人的成果去报喜称功，一点不觉得惭愧。本来，考核一个人的成绩，不是听他唱得好听不好听，而是看他“下蛋不下蛋”。但那善于炫耀和卖弄的人，生一个蛋就唱得像是生了十个似的，只做出三分成绩就吹成十分，碰上个凡事只用耳朵听不用眼睛看的糊涂长官，自然就博得了偏爱，于是一帆风顺，扶摇直上了(7)。而那些埋头“下蛋”的人，由于他们一声不响，默默无闻(8)，就很少为人所知，更不受重视。因此，他们既没有“蟑螂”可吃，甚至连个“下蛋的窝”也没有。喜唱或是爱静，本来只是人的一种个性，由于是长期养成的习惯，要完全改过来也颇不容易，但是，在新长征的途程中，人的生命到底有限，而探索宇宙奥秘的道路却又那样的无限和悠长，结果一天到晚都用于高谈阔论，搞“假、大、空”，又哪有时间及精力去钻研和攻关呢？最重要的还是认真蹲在“窝”里(9)，多为九亿人民“下蛋”。Egglaying,Cackling,EtcXieYiThereweretwohensinacoop.onewasfondofcacklingwhiletheotherlikedtokeepquiet.Asitiscustomaryforahentocackleafterlayinganegg,thechickenraiseraccordinglycreditedthecacklerwithalltheeggsthathadbeenlaid.Asaresult,hebecamesopartialtohisfavouritebirdthathefedherwitheverycockroachhecaught.Withthepassingoftime,however,itbecameknownthatthecacklerhadinfactlaidveryfeweggswhilethenon-cacklerkeptlayingoneeggaday.Everytime,assoonasthelatterlaidanegg,shequitthecoopquietly,leavingtheformerstandingbythenewly-laideggshoutingandyellingherheadoff.Once,whenIchattedwithafriendaboutthis,hethoughtwhatIhadinmindwasnotthehen,butmeningeneral.Asamatteroffact,ourforefatherslongagoalreadydrewananalogybetweenthehenandahuman,aswitnesstheChineseidiom“Nohencrowsatdawn”(meaning“Nowomanistousurpman’spower”)inTheBookofHistory:MuShi.Itistruethatthereareamongusmanywhosticktotheirpostsandquietlyimmersethemselvesinhardworkdayandnight,creatingenormousmaterialwealthforthestateandachievingonesuccessafteranotherforthepeople.Liketheabove-mentionedgoodlayer,theyeatsimplefood,butlayeggs,oftenwithoutmakingafanfare.Thereareamongus,however,anotherkindofpeoplewho,armedwithaglibtongue,indulgeinincessantself-glorificationand,liketheabove-mentionedcackler,holdontothecoopwithoutlayinganyegg.Somefewevengosofarastobrazenlyclaimcreditforworkthatwasdonebyothers.Theproperwaytoevaluateapersonisofcoursebywatchingwhetherornothe“layseggs”notbylisteningtohimsinginghisownpraises.Whenabraggartlaysoneegg,hewilltalkinsuchawayasifhehadlaidteneggs.Whenheputsinatinybitofwork,hewilltalkasifhehaddonetentimesasmuch.Hewillnaturallyfindfavourwithamuddleheadedbosswhotrustshisearsmorethanhiseyes.Thebraggartwillthusfindhimselfquicklyclimbingupthesocialladder.Astothoseengrossedin“layingeggs”,becausetheyarereservedandcontenttoliveinobscuritytheygainlittlepublicattention,

79letalonerecognition.Theyaregivenno“cockroaches”toeat.Theydonotevenhavea“shelterforegglaying”.Itisinone’snaturetobeeithernoisyorquiet.Assomethingingrained,itcannotbecompletelychangedovernight.Butlifeisshortwhiletheprobeintothemysteriesoftheuniverseislongandunlimited.Ifweindulgeinemptytalkandtrickerydayandnight,howcanwehavetimeandenergyforseriousstudyandtacklingkeyproblemsconfrontingthecountryonitsnewLongMarchtowardsmodernization?Themostimportantthingistostandfasttothe“coop”and“lay”more“eggs”forthisnationof900,000,000people.注释谢逸（1917-），广西人，为杂文作家。此文写于1980年8月间，用比喻的手法批评那些自我吹嘘、弄虚作假、骗取名位的人，颂扬那些默默奉献，不争功名的人。(1)“以为所有的蛋都是那只唱鸡产的”译为creditedthecacklerwithalltheeggsthathadbeenlaid，其中cackler即thehenthatwasfondofcackling。又tocredit…with…意即“把……归功于……”。(2)“因此很偏爱它”译为Asaresult,hebecamesopartialtohisfavoritebird，其中hisfavoritebird是“它”的意译。(3)“大喊大叫”译为shoutingandyellingherheadoff，意同shoutingnoisily或shoutingatthetopofhervoice，但稍较强调。(4)“‘牝鸡无晨’”译为“Nohencrowsatdawn”(meaning“Nowomanistousurpman’spower”)，其中括号内的文字是译者增添的成分，起注释作用，有助于海外读者对原文成语的理解。(5)“往往一声不响”译为oftenwithoutmakingafanfare。Tomakeafanfare是成语，作“大吹大擂”解。(6)“占着个鸡窝不下蛋”译为holdontothecoopwithoutlayinganyegg，其中toholdonto是成语，作“抓住不放”解，和tostickto以及toclingto同义。(7)“一帆风顺，扶摇直上”译为quicklyclimbingupthesocialladder，其中toclimbuptheladder是成语，作torisetopowerandposition解。(8)“一声不响，默默无闻”译为arereservedandcontenttoliveinobscurity，其中reserved作“缄默寡言”解，contenttoliveinobscurity意即“甘于寂寞”。(9)“认真蹲在‘窝’里”译为tostandfasttothecoop，其中tostandto是成语，和tostickto同义。快乐的死亡陆文夫作家有三种死法。一曰自然的死，二曰痛苦的死，三曰快乐的死。自然的死属于心脏停止跳动(1)，是一种普遍的死亡形式，没有特色，可以略而不议。快乐的死和痛苦的死不属于心脏停止跳动，是人还活着，作品已经、或几乎是没有了！作家没有了作品，可以看作是个人艺术生命的死亡、职业的停顿。其中有些人是因为年事已高，力不从心(2)。这不是艺术的死亡，而是艺术的离休，他自己无可自责，社会也会尊重(3)他在艺术上曾经作出的贡献。痛苦的死亡却不然，即当一个作家的体力和脑力(4)还能胜任创作的时候，作品已经没有了，其原因主要是由于各种苦难和折磨（包括自我折磨）所造成。折磨毁了他的才华，苦难消沉了意志，作为人来说他还活着，作为作家来说却正在或已死去。这种死亡他自己感到很痛苦，别人看了心里也很难受。快乐的死亡却很快乐，不仅他自己感到快乐，别人看来也很快乐。昨天看见他大会上做报告，下面掌声如雷；今天又看见他参加宴会，为这为那地频频举杯(5)。昨天听见他在高朋中大发议论，语惊四座，今天又听见他在那些开不完的座谈会上重复昨天的意见。昨天看见他在北京的街头，今天又看见他飞到了广州……只是看不到或很少看到他的作品发表哪里。我不害怕自然的死，因为害怕也没用，人人不可避免。我也不太害怕痛苦的死，因为那时代已经过去(6)。我最害怕的就是那快乐的死，毫无痛苦，十分热闹，甚至还有点轰轰烈烈。自己很难控制，即很难控制在一定的范围之内。因为我觉得喝酒不一定完全是坏事，少喝一点可以舒筋活血，据说对心血管也是有帮助的。作家不能当隐士，适当的社会活动和文学活动可以开阔眼界，活跃思想，对创作也是有帮助的(7)。可是怎么才能不酗酒、不作酒鬼，这有益的定量究竟是多少呢？怕就怕三杯下肚，豪情大发，嘟嘟嘟，来个瓶底朝天，而且一顿喝不上便情绪不高，颇有怨言，甚至会到处去找酒喝。呜呼，快乐地死去！HappyDeathLuWenfu

80Awritercandiethreekindsofdeath:naturaldeath,painfuldeath,happydeath.Naturaldeath,causedbythediscontinuationofheartbeat,isacommonformofdeathwithnocharacteristicsofitsown,andthereforemayaswellbeleftoutwithoutanycomment.Inthecaseofhappydeathandpainfuldeath,whicharenotcausedbythediscontinuationofheartbeat,thewriter,aliveasheis,hasstoppedoralmoststoppedwriting!Whenawriternolongerproducesanyworks,itistantamounttothedeathofhisartisticlifeortheendofhiscareer.Somewriterslaydowntheirpensbecausetheyaretoooldtobeequaltothetask.Wecallitretirementfromartratherthandeathofart.Theyhavenothingtoblamethemselvesfor.Andsocietyatlargewillpaytributetothecontributionstheyhavealreadymadetoart.Painfuldeathisquietanothermatter.Itoccurswhenawriterabandonswritingeventhoughheisstillsoundinmindandbody.Itresultsmainlyfromvariouskindsofsufferingsandtorments(includingself-inflictedtorments).Tormentsruinhistalentwhilesufferingsdemoralizehim.Thoughstillaliveasaman,heisdyingoralreadydeadasawriter.Thiskindofdeathcausesnotonlymuchpaintothewriterhimself,butmuchsadnesstootherpeopleaswell.Happydeathisajoyfulthing,bringhappinesstoboththewriterhimselfandotherpeople.Yesterdaywesawhimaddressingabigmeetingamidstthunderousapplause,andtodaywesawhimattendingabanquet,drinkingnonstoptothisandthat.Yesterdayweheardhimtalkingvolublytoagatheringofdistinguishedguests,capturingtheattentionofallpresent,andtodayweheardhimrepeatinghimselfatoneofthoseendlessforums.YesterdaywemethimonaBeijingstreet,andtodaywesawhimflyingtoGuangzhou…Butneveroreveryseldomdowefindhisnewworksseeingthelightoftoday.Idonotfearnaturaldeathfornobodycanavoidit,hencenousefearing.NordoIfearpainfuldeathforitissomethingbelongingtoabygoneage.WhatIfearmostishappydeath,whichisabsolutelypainlessandfullofbustle,excitementandevendramaticspectacle.Itisdifficulttoexerciseself-control,thatis,difficulttokeepwithinlimits.Drinkingis,tomymind,notalwaysbadbecauseafewspotsmayhelpbloodcirculationandis,astheysay,goodfortheheartandbloodvessels.Beingnohermit,awriterstandstobenefitinwritingaslongashegetsproperlyinvolvedwithsocialandliteraryactivitiestowidenhisfieldofvisionandstimulatehisthinking.Buthowcanheavoidexcessivedrinkingorbecomingofdrunkard?Whatisthesafetylimitinthisrespect?Thetroubleisafterthreecupsofalcoholhewillgetwildandunrestrainedandendingulpingdownawholebottle.Onemealwithoutliquorwillupsethimandsethimcomplainingandsearchingaroundfordrink.Alas,justtoendupdyinghappily!注释作者陆文夫（1927-）是小说家，此文写于1985年4月，是一篇有很强现实针对性的杂感。(1)“心脏停止跳动”译为thediscontinuationofheartbeat，其中discontinuation也可译为absence或stoppage等。又heartbeat在此为不可数名词，故前面不用冠词。(2)“年事已高，力不从心”译为toooldtobeequaltothetask，其中tobeequalto的意思是tohaveenoughstrengthfor。(3)“社会也会尊重”译为societyatlargewillpaytributeto，其中短语atlarge作ingeneral解，用来强调society，意即“整个社会”。(4)“体力和脑力”译为inmindandbody，也可译为mentallyandphysically。(5)“为这为那地频频举杯”译为drinkingnonstopthisandthat，也可译为proposingrepeatedtoaststothisandthat。其中nonstop意同nowandthen或againandagain等，但略带讽刺味道。(6)“因为那时代已经过去”译为foritissomethingbelongingtoabygoneage，其中bygoneage指建国后的一段极左时期，包括“文革”时期。(7)“对创作也是有帮助的”译为standstobenefitinwriting，其中stands作“处于某种状态”（tobeinaparticularstate）解。耳闻不如一见——从焦尾琴谈起顾均正在郭老(1)新编的话剧“蔡文姬”里，提到了蔡文姬的父亲蔡邕（yōng）(2)所造的那张焦尾琴。最近我看了“蔡文姬”的演出，自然而然想起了焦尾琴，想起了关于焦尾琴的故事：蔡邕因为不愿趋附权贵(3)，怕被人陷害，曾经亡命江南，往来于吴会之间（今江、浙一带），计十二年。据说他在吴（今苏州）的时候，有一天听见邻家烧饭的柴火中发出一种爆裂的声音，他熟悉这种声音，知道这声音来自一种极好的桐木，这种桐木

81是造琴(4)的最好材料。他就跟邻家主人商量，把这段烧焦了的桐木要了来，造成一张琴。这张琴弹起来果然非常好听。因为它的一端(5)是烧焦的，所以大家都叫它焦尾琴。当我想起这个故事的时候，使我对“耳闻不如目见”这句成语不能不有所怀疑。的确，我们认识这个物质世界，有时候不是用眼睛来看而是用耳朵来听的。蔡邕能够从木材燃烧时发出的爆裂声来辨别木材的好坏，充分说明了“耳闻”不一定“不如目见”。当然，“耳闻不如目见”这句话的原意是指间接经验不如直接经验那样可靠，这是完全正确的。但是，如果对这句话只是从字面上来理解，认为耳朵听到的总不如眼睛看见的那样可靠，那对耳朵来说，却是极大的冤枉(6)。我们应该承认，眼睛是直接经验的主要来源，可是我们也承认，眼睛是最会骗人的。举一个极普通的例子来说，我们大家觉得早晨的太阳比中午的太阳大得多，可是如果你用照相机给太阳在早晨和中午各照一个相，你就会发现摄得的相片是一样大小的。谁会想到，在这个每天接触到的日常现象上，从古到今，无论是什么人，无论在什么地方，都一直在受着眼睛的骗？并且骗得我们好苦，不但古代的大学问家如孔子，没有能回答(7)为什么早晨的太阳看起来会大于中午的太阳，连现代的科学家，对这个问题也不曾有一个令人十分满意的解释。这个现象对迷信眼睛的人来说，是一个有力的讽刺。当然，我们这样说，并不是要否定眼睛的作用。我们只是说明，眼睛虽然有非常广阔的活动范围，可是它是有缺点的。我们不能迷信眼睛，小看了耳朵的作用。耳朵的活动范围虽然小，可是它的作用也不只是听听讲话，听听音乐。它还有其他的特殊功用。在某种场合，它不但无愧于(8)“以耳代目”这句话，而且比眼睛做得更好。IstheEarLessReliablethantheEye?——AbouttheStoryofJiaoWeiQinGuJunzhengIntheplayCaiWenji,newlywrittenbyvenerableGuoMoruo,referenceismadetojiaowenqin,azithernpartlymadeofscorchedwoodbyCaiYong,fatherofCaiWenji.Recently,afterIsawtheplayonthestage,mymindnaturallywenttojiaowenqinanditsstory.CaiYongdislikedplayinguptobigwigsand,toavoidframe-ups,hewentintoexileintheSouth,wanderingaboutfortwelveyearsinJiangsuandZhejiangProvinces.ItissaidthatonedayduringhisstayinSuzhouwhenheheardthecracklingoffirewoodfromhisnext-doorneighbouratcookingtime,heknewthefamiliarsoundcamefrompaulownia,akindofchoicewoodbestformakingzitherns.Now,talkingitoverwithhisneighbour,hewasgiventhepieceofscorchedwood,whichhesubsequentlymadeintoazithern.Thismusicalinstrument,whenplayed,turnedouttobeextremelypleasanttotheear.Peoplecalleditjiaoweiqinbecausethetailofitssound-boardwasmadeofscorchedwood.WhenIthinkofthestory,Icannothelphavingdoubtsaboutthevalidityoftheproverb,“Seeingisbetterthanhearing.”Factis,toknowthematerialworld,wesometimesusenottheeye,buttheear.ThatCaiYongcouldtellthequalityofwoodbylisteningtoitscracklingsoundwhileitwasburninginthekitchenstovemakesitcrystalclearthat“hearing”isnotnecessarilylessreliablethat“seeing”.Theabove-mentionedproverbliterallymeansthatsecondhandexperienceislessreliablethanfirsthandexperience,whichisperfectlytrue.But,ifweshouldtakethissayingatitsfacevalueandregardtheearasinvariablylessreliablethantheeye,weshalldotheformeragrossinjustice.Whileweagreethattheeyeisthemainsourceofdirectexperience,wemustadmitthatitisalsomostmisleading.Takeamostcommonexample.Weallagreethatthesunismuchbiggerintheearlymorningthanatnoon.Butifwetakeaphotoofitintheearlymorningandatnoonrespectively,weshallfinditofthesamesizeinbothcases.Whowouldhavethoughtthat,whenitcomestothiscommonphenomenoninourdailylife,peopletheworldovershouldhavebeenfooledbytheirowneyeseversincetimeimmemorial?Theopticalillusionhasindeedlandedusinindescribabletrouble.NotonlyweregreatancientsageslikeConfuciusstumpedbythequestionwhythesunwasseeminglybiggerintheearlymorningthanatnoon,evenscientistsoftodayhavefailedtogiveawhollysatisfactoryexplanation.Thisisakeensatireonthosehavingblindfaithintheeye.OfcourseIdonotmeantodenytheroleplayedbytheeye.AllIwanttoshowisthatalthoughtheeyehasanextremelywidescopeofactivities,itis,nevertheless,farfrombeingfaultless.Weshould,therefore,neverover-trusttheeyeandunderestimatetheusefulnessoftheear.Althoughtheearhasasmallerscopeofactivities,itsfunctionsarenotconfinedtolisteningtoconversationormusiconly.Ithasotherspecificfunctionsofitsown.Under

82certaincircumstances,itisnotonlyworthyofthesaying,“Lettheeardodutyfortheeye,”itcanevenexceltheeye.注释顾均正（1902-1981），浙江嘉兴人，文学翻译家、杂文家。《百闻不如一见？》是他写的一篇富于知识性和趣味性的科学小品文。(1)“郭老”指郭沫若。“……老”是我们对长者，尤其是老年学者的常用亲密尊称，英语中无对应表达法，不能直译。现把“郭老”译为venerableGuoMoruo，英语venerable一词含有因高龄、经历等原因而令人敬重之意。(2)“蔡邕”，译为CaiYong，是东汉著名文学家、书法家。(3)“趋附权贵”译为playinguptobigwigs或fawningonthoseinpower，其中toplayupto是成语，作“奉承”、“向……讨好”解。(4)“琴”指我国古琴，即七弦琴，和欧洲古代弦乐器zithern（齐特琴）相似，故译为zithern。(5)“它的一端”指琴的共鸣板的一端，故译为thetailofitssoundboard。(6)“对耳朵来说，却是极大的冤枉”译为weshalldotheformeragrossinjustice，其中todosomebodyaninjustice是英语惯用搭配，作“冤枉某人”或“对某人不公平”解。(7)“不但古代的大学问家如孔子，没有能回答……”译为NotonlyweregreatancientsageslikeConfuciusstumpedby…，其中stumped作“难住”、“难倒”解，意同puzzled。(8)“无愧于……”在此作“配得上……”或“和……相称”解，故译worthyof。幼年鲁迅王士菁在家里，领着幼年鲁迅的是保姆长妈妈。她是一个淳朴的农村妇女。最初大约是一个生活在农村里的年轻的孤孀，死掉了丈夫和丧失了土地之后，就从农村来到城里谋生。她的姓名，当时是没有人知道的，鲁迅的祖母叫她“阿长”，因此人们也就跟着叫她“阿长”，但孩子们却叫她“长妈妈”。她懂得很多莫名其妙的道理(1)，还有许多规矩，这一切都是孩子们所不理解的。譬如说，人死了，不说死掉，而说“老掉了”；死了人或生了孩子的屋里，是不应该走进去的；饭粒子落在地上，必须捡起来，最好是吃下去；晒裤子用的竹竿底下，是万不可钻过去的，等等。平时她不许孩子们乱走动(2)，拔一株草，翻一块石头，就说是顽皮，要去告诉母亲去。起初，孩子们并不怎么喜欢她。尤其是当她不留心踩死了鲁迅所心爱的隐鼠，这更使鲁迅十分生气。但是，有一件事，出乎意料之外，使鲁迅对她发生了敬意，因为，她对孩子们能够讲述一些“长毛”（关于太平天国）的故事；又一件事，更使鲁迅对她发生了很大的敬意，那就是，她不知从什么地方替鲁迅找到了(3)一部他日夜所渴望的绘图《山海经》。鲁迅对于绘图《山海经》的渴望已不止一天了。这事是由和他家同住在这个台门(4)里的远房叔祖(5)玉田老人惹起来的。他是一个胖胖的和蔼的老人，爱种一点珠兰、茉莉之类的花木。他在家里无人可以攀谈，所以就很喜欢和孩子们来往，有时简直称呼他们为“小友”。他的藏书很丰富，其中有一本叫《花镜》，上面印着许多好看的花草和树木，是一部孩子们最心爱的书。但老人却说还有一部更好看的哩，那是绘图的《山海经》。人面的兽，九头的蛇，三脚的鸟，生着翅膀的人，没有头的拿两乳当作眼睛的怪物，……这本书上都有。可惜，老人一时找不到，不知被放到哪里去了。孩子们怀着十分迫切的心情，都急于想看这本充满奇异图画的书，但又不好意思逼着老人去寻找。问别人呢，很少有人知道。想买吧，不知到哪里去买，大街离得很远，只有正月间才能够去玩一趟，那时书铺的门却又是关着的。玩得热闹的时候倒也不觉得有什么，一到静下来，可就想起了那绘图的《山海经》。也许是鲁迅过于念念不忘这本书吧，连长妈妈也知道了(6)，来问是怎么一回事，鲁迅就把这事对她说了。过了十多天，也许是一个月吧，长妈妈在她请假回家转来的时候，一见面，就将一包书递给了鲁迅。她高兴地说道：“哥儿(7)，有画的《三哼经》，我给你找来了！”这是一个怎样出人意外的消息啊，它比逢年过节还使鲁迅兴奋。他赶紧接过来，打开纸包一看，是四本小小的书。啊！人面兽，九头蛇，……果然都在里面了。虽然这是一部纸张很黄，图像很坏，连动物的眼睛也都是长方形的，刻工印工都是很粗糙的书，但它正是鲁迅所日夜盼望的书。后来，鲁迅把这一位贫农妇女和自己对她的深厚感情，写在一篇充满激情的散文里。这确是四本小小的不平凡的书，鲁迅从长妈妈的手里，连带着她的那一份无比深厚的情意接受了过来。这是幼年的鲁迅第一次读到的比一切别的书更加使他感动的书。在家庭里，祖母特别喜爱鲁迅。夏夜，鲁迅躺在一株大桂花树下的小板桌上乘凉，祖母摇着芭蕉扇坐在桌旁，一面摇着扇子，一面讲故事给他听，或是叫他猜谜语。祖

83母对于民间故事是很熟悉的。她会讲关于猫的故事，据说：猫是老虎的师父。老虎本来是什么也不会的，就投到猫的门下。猫教给它扑的方法，捉的方法，像自己捉老鼠一样。这一些学完了，老虎想：本领都学到了，谁也比不过自己了，只有做过它的老师的猫还比自己强，要是把猫杀掉，自己便是最强的脚色了。它打定了主意，便往猫身上扑过去。猫是早知道它的心思的(8)，一跳，便上了树。老虎却只有眼睁睁地在树下蹲着。猫没有将一切本领传授完，还没有教它上树哩。祖母还会讲“水漫金山”的故事，——有个叫作许仙的，他救了两条蛇：一青一白，后来白蛇就化作女人来报恩，嫁给了许仙；青蛇化作了丫环，也跟着。有个和尚叫作法海禅师，他看见许仙脸上有“妖气”(9)，于是就把许仙藏在金山寺的法座后面。白蛇娘娘前来寻夫，于是就“水漫金山”，后来，白蛇娘娘中了法海禅师的计策，被骗装在一个小小的钵盂里了。这钵盂被埋在地下，上面造起一座塔来镇压她，这塔就是竖立在西湖边上的雷峰塔。幼年的鲁迅听了这个故事，心理很不舒服，他深为白蛇娘娘抱不平。当时，他唯一的希望，就是这座镇压白蛇娘娘反抗的雷峰塔快些倒掉。后来，他把这个民间故事写在一篇反对黑暗反动统治的杂文里。WhenLuXunWasaChildWangShijingAsachild,LuXunwasinthechargeofanursecalledMamaChang.Shewasanhonestcountrywoman.Atfirstshemusthavebeenayoungwidowinthecountryside,whowenttotowntoseekalivingforherselfafterherhusbanddiedandshelostherland.Nobodyknewwhathernamewas.AsLuXun’sgrandmothercalledher“AChang”,otherpeoplealsocalledherbythesamename.butthechildrenusuallycalledher“MamaChang”.Shewassofullofmysteriousloreandhadsomanyrulesofbehaviourthatthechildrensometimesfoundherquitepuzzling.Forinstance,ifsomeonedied,younotsayhewasdeadbut“hehaspassedaway”.Youshouldnotenteraroomwheresomeonehaddiedorachildhadbeenborn.Ifagrainofricefelltotheground,youshouldpickitup,andthebestthingwastoeatit.Onnoaccountmustyouwalkunderthebamboopoleonwhichtrousersorpantswerehangingouttodry.Shewouldnotletthechildrengetuptomischief.Iftheypulledupaweedorturnedoverastone,shewouldsaytheywerenaughtyandthreatentotelltheirmother.Inthebeginning,thechildrendidnotthinkmuchofher.LuXunwasespeciallyangrywithherwhensheinadvertentlysteppedonandkilledhisfavouritelittlemouse.However,onethingwhichunexpectedlymadeLuXunfeelrespectforherwasthatsheoftentoldthechildrenstoriesofthe“LongHairs”(theTaipingRebellion)anotherthingwhichinspiredLuXunwithastillgreaterrespectforherwasthatshewasabletoproducefromnobodyknewwhereanillustratededitionoftheBookofHillsandSeas(1),whichLuXunhadbeenlongingfordayandnight.LuXunhadbeenlongingforanillustratedcopyoftheBookofHillsandSeasforsometime.Thewholebusinessstartedwithadistantgreat-unclenamedYutian,whowaslivinginthesamecompound.Afatandkindlyoldman,helikedtogrowflowerssuchaschloranthusandjasmine.Theoldmanwasalonelysoulwithnoonetotalkto,sohelikethechildren’scompanyandoftenevencalledthemhis“youngfriends”.Heownedabigcollectionofbooks,oneofwhichwascalledTheMirrorofFlowers(2)withmanybeautifulillustrationsofflowersandtrees.Thechildrenfoundthisbookmostattractive.ButtheoldmantoldthemthattheillustratededitionoftheBookofHillsandSeasevenmoreattractive,withpicturesofman-facedbeasts,nine-headedsnakes,three-footedbirds,wingedmenandheadlessmonsterswhousedtheirteatsaseyes…Unfortunately,hehappenedtohavemislaidit.Eagerastheyweretolookatthebookwithsuchstrangepictures,thechildrendidnotliketopresshimtofindit.Noneofthepeoplethechildrenaskedknewwheretogetit,andthechildrenhadnoideawheretheycouldbuyitthem-selves.Themainstreetwasalongwayfromtheirhome,andtheNewYearholidaywastheonlytimeintheyearwhentheywereabletogotheretolookaround,butduringthatperiodthebookshopswereclosed.Aslongasthechildrenwereplaying,itwasnotsobad,butthemomenttheysatdowntheywouldthinkoftheBookofHillsandSeas.ProbablybecauseLuXunharpedonthesubjectsomuch,evenAChanggotwindofitandstartedaskingwhatthisBookofHillsandSeaswas.LuXunthentoldheraboutit.Aboutafortnightoramonthlater,MamaChangcamebackaftersomeleaveathomeandthemomentshesawLuXun,shehandedhimapackage.“Here,son!”shesaidcheerfully.“I’veboughtyouthatBookofHolySeaswithpictures.”Whatanunexpectedpieceofnews!ToyoungLuXunitwasevenmorethrillingthantheNewYearholidayorafestival.Hehastenedtotakethepackageandunwrapthepaper.Therewerefoursmallvolumesand,sureenough,theman-facedbeast,thenine-headedsnake…allofthemwerethere.Althoughthepaperwasyellowandthedrawingsverypoor—somuchsothateven

84theanimals’eyeswereoblong,andboththeengravingandprintingwereverycrude,nevertheless,itwasLuXun’smosttreasuredbook.Later,inahighlyimpassionedessayLuXunpaidtributetothiscountrywomanofpeasantoriginanddescribedhisowndeepaffectionforher.Thebookwasindeedsomethingextraordinary.LuXunreceiveditfromMamaChang’shandsalongwithherincomparablydeepaffectionforhim.IttouchedtheyoungLuXunmoredeeplythananyotherbookhehadread.Ofallthechildrenathome,hisgrandmotherlovedLuXunmost.OnsummereveningswhenLuXunwaslyingonasmallwoodentableunderanosmanthustreetoenjoytheeveningcool,shewouldsitbythetablewithapalm-leaffaninherhand.Wavingthefan,shewouldtellhimstoriesoraskhimriddles.Shewasveryfamiliarwithfolktales.Thecat,shesaid,wasthetiger’steacher.Originallythetigercouldn’tdoanything,soheturnedtothecatforhelp.Thecattaughthimhowtopounceandcatchhispreythewaythathecaughtrats.Aftertheselessonsthetigersaidtohimself,“NowthatI’vemasteredalltheskillsnoothercreaturesisamatchformeexceptmymasterthecat.IfIkillthecatIshallbekingofthebeasts.”Hemadeuphismindtodothis,andwasabouttopounceonthecat.Butthecatknewwhathewasuptoandheleapedupontoatree.Thetigerwasleftsquattingbelowandglaringupwards.Thecathadnottaughtallhisskills:hehadnottaughtthetigertoclimbtrees.HisgrandmotheralsotoldLuXunthestory“FloodingJinshanMonastery”.AmannamedXuXianrescuedtwosnakes,onewhiteandonegreen.ThewhitesnakechangedintoawomantorepayXu’skindnessandmarriedhim,whilethegreensnakechangedintohermaidandaccompaniedher.ABuddhistmonkbythenameofFaHaisawfromXu’sfacethathehadbeenbewitchedbyanevilspirit,sohehidXubehindtheshrineinJinshanMonastery,andwhenLadyWhiteSnakecametolookforherhusbandthewholeplacewasflooded.IntheendFaHaitrappedLadyWhiteSnake,andputherinasmallalms-bowl.Heburiedthisbowlintheground,andbuiltapagodaoverittopreventhergettingout.ThiswasLeifengPagodabyWestLake.ThestorymadeyoungLuXununcomfortable.HewasdeeplyconcernedattheinjusticedonetoLadyWhiteSnake,andhisonewishatthattimewasforthepagodaimprisoningLadyWhiteSnakeunderneathitsoontocollapse.Later,LuXunusedthisfolktaleinanessayopposingthereactionaryruleoftheforcesofdarkness.(1)Abookofgeographywhichcontainsmanylegends,writteninthe4th—2ndcenturiesB.C.(2)AmanualforgardenersbyChenHaoziofthe17thcentury.注释《幼年鲁迅》摘自王士菁著《鲁迅传》一书(1)“她懂得许多莫名其妙的道理”，译为Shewassofullofmysteriouslore，其中lore的意思是“口头传说或信仰”。此句根据上下文也可译为Shewassofullofsuperstitiousbeliefs。(2)“她不许孩子们乱走动”意即“她不许孩子们调皮捣蛋”，不宜按字面直译。现把它译为Shewouldnotletthechildrengetuptomischief，其中动词短语togetupto作“干（不好的事）解”。(3)“她不知从什么地方替鲁迅找到了……”译为shewasabletoproducefromnobodyknewwhere…，其中nobodyknewwhere作名词用，是介词from的宾语。又toproduce在此作“出示”、“拿出”解。(4)“台门”即“院落”，现译为compound。(5)“叔祖”可译为great-uncle或granduncle。(6)“连长妈妈也知道了”译为evenAchanggotwindofit，其中gotwindof是成语，作“听到……的消息”解。(7)“哥儿”译为son，是英语中年长者对男孩或年轻男子的亲昵称呼。根据上下文，“哥儿”在此可译为youngmaster。(8)“猫是早知道它的心思的”意即“猫早知道它要搞什么名堂”，故译为Butthacatknewwhathewasupto，其中upto是成语，作“忙于（不好的事）”解(9)“他看见许仙脸上有‘妖气’”中的“妖气”不好直译，现按“被妖魔迷住”的意思把全句译为FaHaisawfromXu’sfacethathehadbeenbewitchedbyanevilspirit。此句也可译为FaHaisawthatXu’sfacebetrayedhisobsessionwithanevilspirit或faHaisawfromXu’sfacethathehadbeenunderthespellofademon。为奴隶的母亲柔石她的丈夫是一个皮贩，就是收集乡间各猎户底兽皮和牛皮，贩到大埠上出卖的人。但有时也兼做点农作，芒种(1)的时节，便帮人家插秧，他能将每行插得非常直，假如有五人同在一个水田内，他们一定叫他站在第一个做标准。然而境况总是不佳，债是年年积起来了。他大约就因为境况的不佳，烟也吸了，酒也喝了，钱也赌起来了。这

85样，竟使他变做一个非常凶狠而暴躁的男子，但也就更贫穷下去，连小小的移借，别人也不敢答应了。在穷底的结果的病以后，全身便变成枯黄色，脸孔黄的和小铜鼓(2)一样，连眼白也黄了。别人说他是黄疸病，孩子们也就叫他“黄胖”了。有一天，他向他底妻子说：“再也没有办法了，这样下去，连小锅子也都卖去了。我想，还是从你底身上设法罢。你跟着我挨饿，有什么办法呢？”“我底身上？……”他底妻坐在灶后，怀里抱着她刚满三周岁的男小孩。她讷讷地低声地问。“你，是呀，”她的丈夫病后的无力的声音，“我已经将你出典了(3)……”“什么呀？”他底妻几乎昏去似的。屋内是稍稍静寂了一息。他气喘着说：“三天前，王狼来坐讨了半天的债回去以后，我也跟着他去，走到了九亩潭边，我很不想要做人了。但是坐在那株爬上去一纵身就可落在潭里的树下，想来想去，终没有力气跳了。猫头鹰在耳朵边不住在啭，我底心被它叫寒起来，我只得回转身，但在路上，遇见了沈家婆，她问我，晚也晚了，在外做什么。我就告诉她，请她代我借一笔款，或向什么人家的小姐借些衣服或首饰去暂时当一当，免得王狼底狼一般的绿眼睛天天在家里闪烁(4)。可是沈家婆向我笑道：“‘你还将妻养在家里做什么呢，你自己黄也黄到这个地步了？”“我低着头站在她面前没有答，她又说：“‘儿子呢，你只有一个了，舍不得。但妻——’“我当时想：‘莫非叫我卖妻子么？’“而她继续道：“‘但妻——虽然是结发的，穷了，也没有法，还养在家里做什么呢？’“这样，她就直说出：‘有一个秀才，因为没有儿子，年纪已五十岁了，想买一个妾；又因他底大妻不允许，只准他典一个，典三年或五年，叫我物色相当的女人：年纪约三十岁左右，养过两三个儿子的，人要沉默老实，又肯做事，还要对他底大妻肯低眉下首。这次是秀才娘子向我说的，假如条件合，肯出八十元或一百元的身价。我代她寻了好几天，终于没有相当的女人。’她说：现在碰到我，想起了你来，样样都对的。当时问我底的意见怎样，我一边掉了几滴泪，一边却被她催的答应她了。”说到这里，他垂下头，声音很低弱，停止了。他底妻简直痴似的，话一句没有。又静寂了一息，他继续说：“昨天，沈家婆到过秀才底家里，她说秀才很高兴，秀才娘子也喜欢，钱是一百元，年数呢，假如三年养不出儿子，是五年。沈家婆并将日子也拣定了——本月十八，五天后。今天，她写典契了。”这时，他底妻简直连腑脏都颤抖，吞吐着问：“你为什么早不对我说？”“昨天在你底面前旋了三个圈子，可是对你说不出。不过我仔细想，除出将你底身子设法外，再也没有办法了。”“决定了么？”妇人战着牙齿问。“只待典契写好。”“倒霉的事情呀，我——一点也没有别的方法了么？”“倒霉，我也想到过，可是穷了，我们又不肯死，有什么办法？今年，我怕连插秧也不能插了。”“你也想到过春宝么？春宝还只有五岁，没有娘，他怎么好呢？”“我领他便了。本来是断了奶的孩子。”他似乎渐渐发怒了。也就走出门外去了。她，却呜呜咽咽地哭起来。这时，在她过去的回忆里，却想起恰恰一年前的事：那时她生下了一个女儿，她简直如死去一般卧在床上。死还是整个的，她却肢体分作四碎与五裂：刚落地的女婴，在地上的干草堆上叫：“呱呀，呱呀，”声音很重的，手脚揪缩。脐带绕在她底身上，胎盘落在一边，她很想挣扎起来给她洗好，可是她底头昂起来，身子凝滞在床上。这样，她看见她底丈夫，这个凶狠的男子，绯红着脸，提了一桶沸水到女婴的旁边。她简直用了她一生底最后的力向他喊：“慢！慢……”但这个病前极凶狠的男子，没有一分钟商量的余地，也不答半句话，就将“呱呀，呱呀，”声音很重地在叫着的女儿，刚出世的新生命，用他底粗暴的两手捧起来，如屠户捧将杀的小羊一般，扑通，投下在沸水里了！除出沸水的溅声和皮肉吸收沸水的嘶声以外，女孩一声也不喊。她当时剜去了心一般地昏去了。

86想到这里，似乎泪竟干涸了。“唉！苦命呀！”她低低地叹息了一声。这时春宝向他底母亲的脸上看，一边叫：“妈妈！妈妈！”在她将离别底前一晚，她拣了房子底黑暗处坐着。一盏油灯点在灶前，萤火那么的光亮。她，手里抱着春宝，将她底头贴在他底头发上。她底思想似乎浮漂在极远，可是她自己捉摸不定远在哪里。于是慢慢地跑回来，跑到眼前，跑到她底孩子底身上。她向她底孩子低声叫：“春宝，宝宝！”“妈妈，”孩子回答。“妈妈明天要去了……”“唔，”孩子似不十分懂得，本能地将头钻进他的母亲底胸膛。“妈妈不回来了，三年内不能回来了！”她擦一擦眼睛，孩子放松口子问：“妈妈哪里去呢？庙里么？”“不是，三十里路外，一家姓李的。”“我也去。”“宝宝去不得的。”“呃！”孩子反抗地。“你跟爸爸在家里，爸爸会照料宝宝的：同宝宝睡，也带宝宝玩，你听爸爸底话好了。过三年……”她没有说完，孩子要哭似地说：“爸爸要打我的！”“爸爸不再打你了，”同时用她底左手抚摸着孩子底右额，在这上，有他父亲在他刚杀死他刚生下的妹妹后第三天，用锄柄敲他，肿起而又平复了的伤痕。她似要还想对孩子说话；她底丈夫踏进门了。他走到她底面前，一只手放在袋里，掏取着什么，一边说：“钱已经拿来七十元了。还有三十元要等你到了后十天付。”停了一息说：“也答应轿子来接。”又停了一息：“也答应轿夫一早吃好早饭来。”这样，他离开了她，又向门外走出去了。这一晚，她和她底丈夫都没有吃晚饭(5)。第二天，春雨竟滴滴淅淅地落着。轿是一早就到了，可是这妇人，她却一夜不曾睡。她先将春宝底几件破衣服都修补好；春将完了，夏将到了，可是她，连孩子冬天用的破烂棉袄都拿出来，移交给他底父亲——实在，他已经在床上睡去了。以后，她坐在他底旁边，想对他说几句话，可是长夜是迟延着过去，她底话一句也说不出。而且，她大着胆向他叫了几声，发了几个听不清楚的音，声音在他底耳外，她也就睡下不说了。等她朦朦胧胧地刚离开思索将要睡去，春宝又醒了。他就推叫他底母亲，要起来。以后当她给他穿衣服的时候，向他说：“宝宝好好地在家里，不要哭，免得你爸爸打你。以后妈妈常买糖果来，买给宝宝吃，宝宝不要哭。”而小孩子竟不知道悲哀是什么一回事，张大口子“唉，唉，”地唱起来了。她在他底唇边吻了一吻，又说：“不要唱，你爸爸被你唱醒了。”轿夫坐在门首的板凳上抽着旱烟，说着他们自己要听的话。一息，邻村的沈家婆也赶到了。一个老妇人，熟悉世故的媒婆，一进门，就拍拍她身上的雨点为，向他们说：“下雨了，下雨了，就是你们家里此后会有滋长的预兆。”老妇人忙碌似地在屋内旋了几个圈，，对孩子底父亲说了几句话，意思是讨酬报。因为这件契约之能订的如此顺利而合算，实在是她底力量。“说实在话，春宝底爸呀，再加五十元，那老头子可以买一房妾了。”她说。于是又变向催促她——妇人却抱着春宝，这时坐着不动。老妇人声音很高地：“轿夫要赶到他们家里吃中饭的，你快些预备呀！”可是妇人向她瞧了一瞧，似乎说：“我实在不愿意离开呢！让我饿死在这里罢！”声音是在她底喉下，可是媒婆懂得了，走近到她前面，迷迷地向她笑说：“你真是一个不懂事的丫头，黄胖还有什么东西给你呢？那边真是一份有吃有剩

87的人家，两百多亩田，经济很宽裕，房子是自己底，也雇着长工养着牛。大娘底性子是极好的，对人非常客气，每次看见人总给人一些吃的东西。那老头子——实在并不老，脸是很白白的，也没有留胡子，因为读了书，背有些偻偻的，斯文的模样，可是也不必多说，你一走下轿就看见的，我是一个从不说谎的媒婆。”妇人拭一拭泪，极轻地：“春宝……我怎么能抛开他呢！”“不用想到春宝。”老妇人一手放在她底肩上，脸凑近她和春宝。“有五岁了，古人说：‘三周四岁离娘身’(6)，可以离开你了。只要你底肚子争气些，到那边，也养下一二个来，万事都好了。”轿夫也在门首催起身了，他们噜苏着说：“又不是新娘子，啼啼哭哭的。”这样，老妇人将春宝从她底怀里拉去，一边说：“春宝让我带去罢。”小小的孩子也哭了，手脚乱舞的，可是老妇人终于给他拉到小门外去。当妇人走进轿门的时候，向他们说：“带进屋里来罢，外边有雨呢。”她底丈夫用手支着头坐着，一动没有动，而且出没有话。两村相隔有三十里路，可是轿夫的第二次将轿子放下肩，就到了。春天的细雨，从轿子底布蓬里飘进，吹湿了她底衣衫。一个脸孔肥肥的，两眼很有心计的约摸五十四五岁的老妇人来迎她，她想，这当然是大娘了。可是只向她满面羞涩地看一看，并没有叫。她很亲昵似地将她牵上沿阶，一个长长的瘦瘦的而面孔圆细的男子就从房里走出来。他向新来的少妇，仔细地瞧了瞧，堆出满脸的笑容来，向她问：“这么早就到了么？可是打湿你底衣裳了。”而那老妇人，却简直没有顾到他底说话，也向她问：“还有什么在轿里么？”“没有什么了，”少妇答。几位邻舍的妇人站在大门外，探头张望的；可是她们走进屋里面了。她自己也不知道这究竟为什么，她底心老是挂念着她底旧的家，掉不下她的春宝。这是真实而明显的，她应庆祝这将开始的三年的生活——这个家庭，和她所典给他的丈夫，都比曾经过去的要好，秀才确是一个温良和善的人，讲话是那么地低声，连大娘，实在也是一个出乎意料之外的妇人，她态度之殷勤，和滔滔的一席话：说她和她丈夫底过去的生活之经过，从美满而漂亮的结婚生活起，一直到现在，中间的三十年。她曾做过一次的产，十五六年以前了，养下一个男孩子，据她说，是一个极美丽又极聪明的婴儿，可是不到十个月，竟患了天花死去了。这样，以后就再没有养过第二个。在她底意思中，似乎——似乎——早就叫她底丈夫娶一房妾，可是她并没有说清楚；于是，就一直到现在。这样，竟说得这个具着朴素的心地的她，一时酸，一会苦，一时甜上心头，一时又咸的压下去了。最后，这个老妇人并将她底希望也向她说出来了。她底脸是娇红的，可是老妇人说：“你是养过三四个孩子的女人了，当然，你是知道什么的，你一定知道的还比我多。”这样，她说着走开了。当晚，秀才也将家里底种种情形告诉她，不过是向她夸耀或求媚罢了。她坐在一张橱子的旁边，这样的红的木橱，是她旧的家所没有的，她眼睛白晃晃地瞧着它。秀才也就坐到橱子底面前来，问她：“你叫什么名字呢？”她没有答，也并不笑，站起来，走到床底前面，秀才也跟到床底旁边，更笑地问她：“怕羞吗？哈，你想你底丈夫么？哈，哈，现在我是你底丈夫了。”声音是轻轻的，又用手去牵她底袖子。“不要愁罢！你也想你底孩子的，是不是？不过——”他没有说完，却又哈的笑了一声，他自己脱去他外面的长衫了。她可以听见房外的大娘底声音在高声地骂着什么人，她一时听不出在骂谁，骂烧饭的女仆，又好像骂她自己，可是因为她底怨恨，仿佛又是为她而发的。秀才在床上叫道：“睡罢，她常是这么噜噜苏苏的。她以前很爱那个长工，因为长工要和烧饭的黄妈(7)多说话，她却常要骂黄妈的。”日子是一天天地过去了。旧的家，渐渐地在她底脑子里疏远了，而眼前，却一步

88步地亲近她使她熟悉。虽则，春宝底哭声有时竟在她底耳朵边响，梦中，她也几次地遇到过他了。可是梦是一个比一个缥缈，眼前的事务是一天比一天繁多。她知道这个老妇人是猜忌多心的，外表虽则对她还算大方，可是她底嫉妒的心是和侦探一样，监视着秀才对她的一举一动。有时，秀才从外面回来，先遇见了她而同她说话，老妇人就疑心有什么特别的东西买给她了，非在当晚，将秀才叫到她自己底房内去，狠狠地训斥一番不可。“你给狐狸迷着了么？”“你应该称一称你自己底老骨头是多少重！”(8)像这样的话，她耳闻到不止一次了。这样以后，她望见秀才从外面回来而旁边没有她坐着的时候，就非得急忙避开不可。即使她在旁边，有时也该让开一些，但这种动作，她要做的非常自然，而且不能让旁人看出，否则，她又要向她发怒，说是她有意要在旁人的前面暴露她大娘底丑恶。而且以后，竟将家里的许多杂务都堆积在她底身上，同一个女仆那么样。有时老妇人底换下来的衣服放着，她也给她拿去洗了，虽然她说：“我底衣服怎么要你洗呢？就是你自己底衣服，也可以叫黄妈洗的。”可是接着说：“妹妹呀，你最好到猪栏里去看一看，那两只猪为什么这样喁喁叫的，或者因为没有吃饱罢，黄妈部是不肯给它吃饱的。”八个月了，那年冬天，她底胃却起了变化：老是不想吃饭，想吃新鲜的(9)面，番薯等。但番薯或面吃了两餐，又不想吃，又想吃馄饨，多吃又要呕。而且还想吃南瓜和梅子——这是六月时的东西，真稀奇，向哪里去找呢？秀才是知道在这个变化中所带来的预告了。他镇日地笑微微，能找到的东西，总忙着给她找来。他亲身给她到街上去买橘子，又托便人买了金柑来，他在廊沿下走来走去，口里念念有词的，不知说什么。他看她和黄妈磨过年的粉，但还没有磨了三升，就向她叫：“歇一歇罢，长工也好磨的，年糕是人人要吃的。”有时在夜里，人家谈着话，他却独自拿了一盏灯，在灯下，读起《诗经》来了：关关雎鸠，在河之洲，窈窕淑女，君子好逑——这时长工向他问：“先生，你又不去考举人，还读它做什么呢？”他却摸一摸没有胡子的口边，怡悦地说道：“是呀，你也知道人生底快乐么？所谓：‘同房花烛夜，金榜挂名时。’你也知道这两句话底意思么？这是人生底最快乐的两件事呀！可是我对于这两件事都过去了，我却还有比这两件更快乐的事呢！”这样，除出他底两个妻以外，其余的人们都大笑了。这些事，在老妇人眼睛里是看非常气恼了。她起初闻到她底受孕也欢喜，以后看见秀才的这样奉承她，她却怨恨她自己肚子底不会还债了。有一次，次年三月了，这妇人因为身体感觉不舒服，头有些痛，睡了三天。秀才呢，也愿她歇息歇息，更不时地问她要什么，而老妇人却着实地发怒了。她说她装娇，噜噜苏苏地也说了三天。她先是恶意地讥嘲她：说是一到秀才底家里就高贵起来了，什么腰酸呀，痛呀，姨太太的架子也都摆出来了；以前在她自己底家里，她不相信她有这样的娇养，恐怕竟和街头的母狗一样，肚子里有着一肚皮的小狗，临产了，还要到处地奔求着食物。现在呢，因为“老东西”——这是秀才的妻叫秀才的名字——趋奉了她，就装着娇滴滴的样子了。“儿子，”她有一次在厨房里对黄妈说，“谁没有养过呀？我也曾怀过十个月的孕，不相信有这么的难受。而且，此刻的儿子，还在‘阎罗王的簿里’，谁保的定生出来不是一只癞虾蟆呢？也等到真的‘鸟儿’，从洞里钻出来看见了，才可在我底面前显威风，摆架子，此刻，不过是一块血的猫头鹰，就这么的装腔，也显得太早一点！”当晚这妇人没有吃晚饭，这时她已经睡了，听了这一番婉转的冷嘲与热骂，她呜呜咽咽地低声哭泣了。秀才也带衣服坐在床上，听到浑身透着冷汗，发起抖来。他很想扣好衣服，重新走起来，去打她一顿，抓住她底头发狠狠地打她一顿，泄泄他一肚皮的气。但不知怎样，似乎没有力量，连指也颤动，臂也酸软了，一边轻轻地叹息着说：“唉，一向实在太对她好了。结婚了三十年，没有打过她一掌，简直连指甲都没有弹到她底皮肤上过，所以今日，竟和娘娘一般地难惹了。”同时，他爬过到床底那端，她底身边，向她耳语说：“不要哭罢，不要哭罢，随她吠去好了！(10)她是阉过的母鸡(11)，看见别人的孵卵是难受的，假如你这一次真能养出一个男孩子来，我当送你两样宝贝——我有一只青玉的戒指，一只白玉的……”

89他没有说完，可是他忍不住听下门外的他底大妻底喋喋的讥笑的声音，他急忙地脱去了衣服，将头钻井被窝里去，凑向她底胸膛，一边说：“我有白玉的……”肚子一天天地膨胀的如斗那么大，老妇人终究也将产婆雇定了，而且在别人的面前，竟拿起花布来做婴儿用的衣服。酷热的暑天到了尽头，旧历的六月，他们在希望的眼中过去了。秋开始，凉风也拂拂地在乡镇上吹送。于是有一天，这全家的人们都到了希望底最高潮，屋里底空气完全地骚动起来。秀才底心更是异常地紧张，他在天井上不断地徘徊，手里捧着一本历书，好似要读它背诵那么地念去——“戊辰”，“甲戌”，“壬寅之年”，老是反复地轻轻地说着。有时他底焦急的眼光向一间关了窗的房子望去——在这间房子内是产母底低声呻呤的声音；有时他向天上望一望被云笼罩着的太阳，于是又走向门口，向站在房门内黄妈问：“此刻如何？”黄妈不住地点着头不做声响，一息，答：“快下来了，快下来了。”于是他又捧了那本历书，在廊下徘徊起来。这样的情形，一直继续到黄昏底青烟在地面起来，灯火一盏盏的如春天的野花般在屋内开起，婴儿才落地了，是一个男的。婴儿底声音是很重地在屋内叫，秀才却坐在屋角里，几乎快乐到流出眼泪来了。全家的人都没有心思吃晚饭。一个月以后，婴儿底白嫩的小脸孔，已在秋天的阳光里照耀了。这个少妇给他哺着奶，邻舍的妇人围着他们瞧(12)，有的称赞婴儿底鼻子好，有的称赞婴儿底口子好，有的称赞婴儿底两耳好；更有的称赞婴儿底母亲，也比以前好，白而且壮了。老妇人却正和老祖母那么地吩咐着，保护着，这时开始说：“够了，不要弄他哭了。”关于孩子底名字，秀才是煞费苦心地想着，但总想不出一个相当的字来。据老妇人底意见，还是从“长命宝贵”或“福禄寿喜”里拣一个字，最后还是“寿”字或与“寿”同意义的字，如“其颐”，“彭祖”等，但秀才不同意，以为太通俗，人云亦云的名字。于是翻开了《易经》，《书经》，向这里找，但找了半月，一月，还没有恰贴的字。在他底意思：以为在这个名字内，一边要祝福孩子，一边要包含他底老而得子底蕴义，所以竟不容易找。这一天，他一边抱着三个月的婴儿，一边又向书里找名字，戴着一副眼镜，将书递到灯底旁边去。婴儿底母亲呆呆地坐在房内底一边，不知思想着什么，却忽然开口说道：“我想，还是叫他‘秋宝’罢。”屋内的人们底几对眼睛都转向她，注意地静听着：“他不是生在秋天吗？秋天的宝贝——还是叫他‘秋宝’罢。”秀才立刻接着说道：“是呀，我真极费心思了。我年过半百，实在到了人生的秋期，孩子也正养在秋天；‘秋’是万物成熟的季节，秋宝，实在是一个很好的名字呀！而且《书经》里没有么？‘乃亦有秋，’我真乃亦有‘秋’了！”接着，又称赞了一通婴儿底母亲：说是呆读书实在无用，聪明是天生的。这些话，说的这妇人连坐着都觉得局促不安，垂下头，苦笑地又含泪地想：“我不过因春宝想到罢了。”秋宝是天天成长的非常可爱地离不开他底母亲了。他有出奇的大的眼睛，对陌生人是不倦地注视地瞧着，但对他底母亲，却远远的一眼就知道了。他整天地抓住了他底母亲，虽则秀才是比她还爱他，但不喜欢父亲；秀才的大妻呢，表面也爱他，似爱她自己亲生的儿子一样，但在婴儿底大眼睛里，却看她似陌生人，也用奇怪的不倦的视法。可是他的执住他底母亲愈紧，而他底母亲的离开这家的日子也愈近了。春天底口子咬住了冬天底尾巴；而夏天底脚又常是紧随在春天底身后的；这样，谁都将孩子底母亲底三年快到的问题横放在心头上。秀才呢，因为爱子的关系，首先向他的大妻提出来了：他愿意再拿出一百元钱，将她永远买下来。可是他的大妻底回答是：“你要买她，那先给我药死罢！”秀才听到这句话，气的只向鼻孔放出气，许久没有说；以后，他反而做着笑脸地：“你想想孩子没有娘……”老妇人也尖利地冷笑地说：“我不好算是他底娘么？”在孩子底母亲的心呢，却正矛盾着这两种的冲突了：一边，她底脑里老是有“三年”这两个字，三年是容易过去的，于是她底生活便变做在秀才底家里底佣人似的了。

90而且想象中的春宝，也同眼前的秋宝一样活泼可爱，她既舍不得秋宝，怎么就能舍得掉春宝呢？可是另一边，她实在愿意永远在这新的家里住下去，她想，春宝的爸爸不是一个长寿的人，他底病一定是在三五年之内要将他带走到不可知的异国里去的，于是，她便要求她底第二个丈夫，将春宝也领过来，这样，春宝也在她底眼前。有时，她倦坐在房外的沿廊下，初夏的阳光，异常地能令人昏朦地起幻想，秋宝睡在她底怀里，含着她底乳，可是她觉得仿佛春宝同时也站在她底旁边，她伸出手去也想将春宝抱近来，她还要对他们兄弟两人说几句话，可是身边是空空的。在身边的较远的门口，却站着这位脸孔慈善而眼睛凶毒的老妇人，目光注视着她。这样，她也恍恍惚惚地悔悟：“还是早些脱离罢，她简直探子一样地监视着我了。”以后，秀才又将计划修改了一些，他想叫沈家婆来，叫她向秋宝底母亲底前夫去说，他愿否再拿进三十元—最多是五十元，将妻续典三年给秀才。秀才对他底大妻说：“要是秋宝到五岁，是可以离开娘了。”他底大妻正是手里捻着念佛珠，一边在念着“南无阿弥陀佛”，一边答：“她家里也还有前儿在，你也应放她和她底结发夫妇团聚一下罢。”秀才低着头，断断续续地仍然这样说：“你想想秋宝两岁就没有娘”可是老妇人放下念佛珠说：“我会养的，我会管理他的，你怕我谋害了他么？”秀才一听到末一句话，就拔步走开了。老妇人仍在后面说：“这个儿子是帮我生的，秋宝是我底；绝种虽然是绝了你家底种，可是我却仍然吃着你家底餐饭。你真被迷了，老昏了，一点也不会想了。你还有几年好活，却要拼命拉她在身边？双连牌位，我是不愿意坐的！”老妇人似乎还有许多刻毒的锐利的话，可是秀才走远开听不见了。在夏天，婴儿底头上生了一个疮，有时身体稍稍发些热，于是这位老妇人就到处地问菩萨，求佛药，给婴儿敷在疮上，或灌下肚里，婴儿的母亲觉得并不十分要紧，反而使这样小小的生命哭成一身的汗珠，她不愿意，或将吃了几口的药暗地里拿去倒掉了。于是这位老妇人就高声叹息，向秀才说：“你看，她竟一点也不介意他底病，还说孩子是并不怎样瘦下去。爱在心里的是深的；专疼表面是假的。”这样，妇人只有暗自挥泪，秀才也不说什么话了。秋宝一周纪念的时候，这家热闹地排了一天的酒筵，客人也到了三四十，有的送衣服，有的送面，有的送银制的狮至，给婴儿挂在胸前的，有的送镀金的寿星老头儿，给孩子钉在帽子上的。他们祝福着婴儿的飞黄腾达，赞颂着婴儿的长寿永生；主人底脸孔，竟是荣光照耀着，有如落日的云霞反映着在他底颊上似的。可是在这天，正当他们筵席将举行的黄昏时，来了一个客，从朦胧的暮光中向他们底天井走进，人们都注意他：一个憔悴异常的乡人，衣服补衲的，头发很长，在他底腋下，挟着一个纸包。主人骇异地迎上前去，问他是哪里人，他口吃似地答了，主人一时糊涂的，但立刻明白了，就是那个皮贩。主人更轻轻地说：“你为什么也送东西来呢？你真不必的呀！”来客胆怯地向四周看看，一边答说：“要，要的……我来祝祝这个宝贝长寿千……”他似没有说完，一边将腋下的纸包打开来了，手指颤动地打开了两三重的纸，于是拿出四只铜制镀银的字，一方寸那么大，是“寿比南山”四字。秀才底大娘走来了，向他仔细一看，似乎不大高兴。秀才却将他招待到席上，客人们互相私语着。两点钟的酒与肉，将人们弄得胡乱与狂热了：他们高声猜着拳，用大碗盛着酒互相比赛，闹得似乎房子都被震动了。只有那个皮贩，他虽然也喝了两杯酒，可是仍然坐着不动，客人们也不招呼他。等到兴尽了，于是各人草草地吃了一碗饭，互祝着好话，从两两三三的灯笼光影中，走散了。而皮贩，却吃到最后，佣人来收拾羹碗了，他才离开了桌，走到廊下的黑暗处。在那里，他遇见了他底被典的妻。“你也来做什么呢？”妇人问，语气是非常凄惨的。“我哪里又愿意来，因为没有法子。”“那末你为什么来的这样晚？”“我哪里来买礼物的钱呀？！奔跑了一上午，哀求了一上午，又到城里买礼物，走得乏了，饿了，也迟了。”

91妇人接着问：“春宝呢？”男子沉吟了一息答：“所以，我是为春宝来的。……”“为春宝来的？”妇人惊异地回音似地问。男人慢慢地说：“从夏天来，春宝是瘦的异样了。到秋天，竟病起来了。我又哪里有钱给他请医生吃药，所以现在病是更厉害了！再不想法救救他，眼见得要死了！”静寂了一刻，继续说：“现在，我是向你来借钱的……”这时妇人底胸膛内，简直似有四五只猫在抓她，咬她，咀嚼着她底心脏一样。她恨不得哭出来，但在人们个个向秋宝祝颂的日子，她又怎么好跟在人们底声音后面叫哭呢？她吞下她底眼泪，向她底丈夫说：“我又那里有钱呢？我在这里，每月只给我两角钱的零用，我自己又哪里要用什么，悉数补在孩子底身上了。现在，怎么好呢？”他们一时没有话，以后，妇人又问：“此刻有什么人照顾着春宝呢？”“托了一个邻舍。今晚，我仍旧想回家，我就要走了。”他一边说着，一边揩着泪。女的同时哽咽着说：“你等一下罢，我向他去借借看。”三天后的一天晚上，秀才忽然向妇人道：“我给你的那只青玉戒指呢？”“在那天夜里，给了他了。给了他拿去当了。”“没有借你五块钱么？”秀才愤怒地。妇人低着头停了一息答：“五块钱怎么够呢”秀才接着叹息说：“总是前夫和前儿好，无论我对你怎么样！本来我很想再留你两年的，现在，你还是明春就走罢！”女人简直连泪也没有地呆着了。几天后，他还向她那么地说：“那只戒指是宝贝，我给你是要你传给秋宝的，谁知你一下就拿去当了！幸得她不知道，要是知道民，有三个月好闹了！”妇人是一天天地黄瘦了，没有精彩的光芒在她底眼睛里起来，而讥笑与冷骂的声音又充塞在她底耳内了。她是时常记念着她底春宝的病的，探听着有没有从她底本乡来朋友，也探听着有没有向她底本乡去的便客，她很想得到关于一个关于“春宝的身体已复原”的消息，可是消息总没有；她也想借两元钱或买些糖果去，方便的客人又没有，她不时地抱着秋宝在门首过去一些的大路边，眼睛望着来和去的路。这种情形却使秀才底大妻不舒服了，她时常对秀才说：“她哪里愿意在这里呢，她是极想早些飞回去的。”有几夜，她抱着秋宝在睡梦里突然喊起来，秋宝也被吓醒，哭起来了。秀才就追逼地问：“你为什么？你为什么？”可是女人拍着秋宝，口子哼哼的没有答。秀才继续说：“梦着你底前儿死了么，那么地喊？连我都被你叫醒了。”女人急忙地一边答：“不，不，……好像我底前面有一圹坟呢！”秀才没有再讲话，而悲哀的幻象更在女人底前面展现开来，她要走向这坟去。冬末了，催离别的小鸟，已经到她底窗前不住地叫了。先是孩子断了奶，又叫道士们来给孩子度了一个关，于是孩子和他亲生的母亲的别离——永远的别离的命运就被决定了。这一天黄妈先悄悄地向秀才底大妻说：“叫一顶轿子送她去么？”秀才底大妻还是手里捻着念佛珠说：“走走好罢，到那边轿钱是那边付的，她又哪里有钱呢，听说她底亲夫连饭也没得吃，她不必摆阔了。路也不算远，我也是曾经走过三四十里路的人，她底脚比我大，半天可以到了。”这天早晨当她给秋宝穿衣服的时候，她底泪如溪水那么地流下，孩子向她叫“婶婶，婶婶，”——因为老妇人要他叫她自己是“妈妈”，只准叫她是“婶婶”——她

92向他咽咽地答应。她很想对他说几句话，意思是：“别了，我底亲爱的儿子呀！你底妈妈待你是好的，你将来也好好地待还她罢，永远不要再记念我了！”可是她无论怎样也说不出。她也知道一周半的孩子是不会了解的。秀才悄悄地走向她，从她背后的腋下伸进手来，在他底手内是十枚双毫角子，一边轻轻说：“拿去罢，这两块钱。”妇人扣好孩子底钮扣，就将角子塞在怀内的衣袋里。老妇人又进来了，注意秀才走出去的背后，又向妇人说：“秋宝给我抱去罢，免得你走时他哭。”妇人不做声响，可是秋宝总不愿意，用手不住地拍在老妇人底脸上。于是老妇人生气地又说：“那末你同他去吃早饭罢，吃了早饭交给我。”黄妈拼命地劝她多吃饭，一边说：“半月来你就这样了，你真比来的时候还瘦了。你没有去照照镜子。今天，吃一碗下去罢，你还要走三十里路呢。”她只不关紧要地说了一句：“你对我真好！”但是太阳是升的非常高了，一个很好的天气，秋宝还是不肯离开他底母亲，老妇人便狠狠地将他从她底怀里夺去，秋宝用小小的脚踢在老妇人底肚子上，用小小的拳头搔住她底头发，高声呼喊她。妇人在后面说：“让我吃了中饭去罢。”老妇人却转过头，汹汹地答(13)：“赶快打起你底包袱去罢，早晚总有一次的！”孩子底哭声便在她耳内渐渐远去了。打包裹的时候，耳内是听着孩子底的哭声。黄妈在旁边，一边劝慰着她，一边却看她打进什么去。终于，她挟着一只旧的包裹走了。她离开他底大门时，听见她底秋宝的哭声；可是慢慢地远远地走了三里路了，还听见她底秋宝的哭声。暖和的太阳所照耀的路，在她底面前竟和天一样无穷止地长。当她走到一条河边的时候，她很想停止她底那么无力的脚步，向明澈可以照见她自己底身子的水底跳下去了。但在水边坐了一会儿之后，她还得依前去的方向，移动她自己底影子。太阳已经过午了，一个村里的一个年老的乡人告诉她，路还有十五里；于是她向那个老人说：“伯伯，请你代我就近叫一顶轿子罢，我是走不回去了！”“你是有病的么？”老人问。“是的。”她那时坐在村口的凉亭里面。“你从哪里来？”妇人静黩了一时答：“我是向那里去的；早晨我以为自己会走的。”老人怜悯地也没有多说话，就给她找了两位轿夫，一顶没篷的轿。因为那是下秧的时节。下午三四时的样子，一条狭窄而污秽的乡村小街上，抬过了一顶没篷的轿子，轿里躺着一个脸色枯萎如同一张干瘪的黄菜叶那么的中年妇人，两眼朦胧地颓唐地闭着。嘴里的呼吸只有微弱地吐出。街上的人们个个睁着惊异的目光，怜悯地凝视着过去。一群孩子们，争噪地跟在轿后，好像一件奇异的事情落到这沉寂的小村镇里来了。春宝也是跟在轿后的孩子们中底一个，他还在似赶猪那么地哗着轿走，可是当轿子一转一个弯，却是向他底家里去的路，他却伸直了两手而奇怪了，等到轿子到了他家里的门口，他简直呆似地远远地站在前面，背靠在一株柱子上，面向着轿，其余的孩子们胆怯地围在轿的两边(14)。妇人走出来了，她昏迷的眼睛还认不清站在前面的，穿着褴褛的衣服，头发蓬乱的，身子和三年前一样的短小，那个八岁的孩子是她底春宝。突然，她哭出来地高叫了：“春宝呀！”一群孩子们，个个无意地吃了一惊，而春宝简直吓的躲进屋里他父亲那里去了。妇人在灰暗的屋内坐了许久许久，她和她底丈夫都没有一句话。夜色降落了，他

93下垂的头昂起来，向她说：“烧饭吃罢！”妇人就不得已地站起来，向屋角上旋转了一周，一点也没有气力地对她丈夫说：“米缸内是空空的……”男人冷笑了一声，答说：“你真在大人家底里生活过来了！米，盛在那只香烟盒子内。”当天晚上，男子向他底儿子说：“春宝，跟你底娘去睡！”而春宝却靠在灶边哭起来了。他底母亲走近他，一边叫：“春宝，宝宝！”可是当她底手去抚摸他底时候，他又躲闪开了。男子加上说：“会生疏得那么快，一顿打呢！”她眼睁睁地睡在一张龌龊的狭板床上，春宝陌生似地睡在她底身边。在她底已经麻木的脑内，仿佛秋宝肥白可爱地在她身边挣动着，她伸出两手想去抱，可是身边是春宝。这时，春宝睡着了，转了一个身，他底母亲紧紧地将他抱住，而孩子却从微弱的鼾声中，脸伏在她底胸膛上。沉静而寒冷的死一般的长夜，似无限地拖延着，拖延着……ASlaveMotherRouShiHewasadealerinanimalskinswhichheboughtfromhuntersinthecountrysideandsoldintown.Sometimeshealsoworkedinthefields;earlyeachsummerheturnedfarm-hand,transplantingriceforotherpeople.Ashehadlearnedtotransplanttheseedlingsinwonderfullystraightrows,thepeasantsalwaysaskedhimtohelpthem.Buthenevermadeenoughmoneytosupporthisfamilyandhisdebtsmountedwitheachpassingyear.Thewretchednessofhislifeandthehopelesssituationhewasincausedhimtotaketosmoking,drinkingandgambling,andhebecameviciousandbad-tempered.Ashegrewpoorer,peoplestoppedlendinghimmoney,eveninsmallsums.Withpovertycamesickness.Hegrewsallow:hisfacetookonthesicklycolourofabrassdrumandeventhewhitesofhiseyesbecameyellow.Peoplesaidthathehadjaundiceandurchinsnicknamedhim“YellowFellow”.Oneday,hesaidtohiswife,“There’snowayoutofit.Itlooksasifwe’llevenhavetosellourcookingpot.i.mafraidwehavetopart.It’snousebothofusgoinghungrytogether.”“Wehavetopart?...”mutteredhiswife,whowassittingbehindthestovewiththeirthree-year-oldboyinherarms.“Yes,wehavetopart,”heansweredfeebly.“There’ssomebodywillingtohireyouasatemporarywife,…”“What?”shealmostlosthersenses.Therefollowedabriefsilence.Thenthehusbandcontinued,falteringly,“Threedaysago,WangLangcamehereandspentalongtimepressingmetopaymydebttohim.Afterhehadleft,Iwentout.IsatunderatreeontheshoreofChiumousLakeandthoughtofcommittingsuicide.Iwantedtoclimbthetreeanddiveintothewateranddrownmyself,but,afterthinkingaboutit,Ilostcourage.ThehootingofanowlfrightenedmeandIwalkedaway.Onmywayhome,IcameacrossMrs.Shen,thematchmaker,whoaskedmewhyIwasoutatnight.Itoldherwhathadhappenedandaskedherifshecouldborrowsomemoneyforme,orsomelady’sdressesandornamentsthatIcouldpawntopayWangLangsothathe’dnolongerbeprowlingaftermelikeawolf.ButMrs.Shenonlysmiledandsaid,“‘Whatdoyoukeepyourwifeathomefor?Andyou’resosickandyellow!’“Ihungmyheadandsaidnothing.Shecontinued,“‘Sinceyou’vegotonlyoneson,youmightfindithardtopartwithhim.Butasforyourwife…’“IthoughtshemeantthatIshouldsellyou,butsheadded,“‘Ofcoursesheisyourlawfulwife,butyou’repoorandyoucan’tdoanythingaboutit.Whatdoyoukeepherathomefor?Starvehertodeath?’“Thenshesaidstraightout,‘There’safifty-year-oldscholarwhowantsaconcubinetobearhimasonsincehiswifeisbarren.Buthiswifeobjectsandwillonlyallowhimtohiresomebodyelse’swifeforafewyears.I’vebeenaskedtofindthemawoman.Shehastobeaboutthirtyyearsoldandthemotheroftwoorthreechildren.Shemustbehonestandhard-working,andobeythescholar’swife.Thescholar’swifehastoldmethatthey

94arewillingtopayfromeightytoahundreddollarsfortherightsortofwoman.I’velookedaroundforoneforseveraldays,butwithoutanyluck.ButyourwifeisjustthewomanI’vebeenlookingfor.’“SheaskedmewhatIthoughtaboutit.Itmademecrytothinkofit,butshecomfortedmeandconvincedmethatitwasallforthebest.”Atthispoint,hisvoicetrailedoff,hehunghisheadandstopped.Hiswifelookeddazedandremainedspeechless.Therewasanothermomentofsilencebeforehecontinued,“Yesterday,Mrs.Shenwenttoseethescholaragain.Shecamebackandtoldmethatboththescholarandhiswifewereveryhappyabouttheideaofhavingyouandhadpromisedtopaymeahundreddollars.Ifyoubearthemachildtheywillkeepyouforthreeyears,ifnot—forfive.Mrs.Shenhasfixedthedateforyoutogo–theeighteenthofthismonth,thatis,fivedaysfromnow.sheisgoingtohavethecontractdrawnuptoday.”Tremblingallover,thewifefaltered,“Whydidn’tyoutellmethisearlier?”“YesterdayIwentuptoyouthreetimes,buteachtimeIwasafraidtobegin.ButafterthinkingitoverI’vecometorealizethatthere’sreallynothingtobedonebuthireyouout.”“Hasitallbeendecided?”askedthewife,herteethclattering.“There’sjustthecontracttobesigned.”“Oh,whatapoorwretchIam!Can’twereallydoanythingelse?”“It’sterrible,Iknow.Butwe’repoorandwedon’twanttodie.Whatelsecanwedo?I’mafraidthisyearIwon’tevenbeaskedtodoanytransplanting.”“HaveyouthoughtaboutChunBao?He’sonlyfive.Whatwillbecomeofhimwithoutme?”“I’lltakecareofhim.You’renotnursinghimanylonger,youknow.”Hebecamemoreandmoreangrywithhimselfandwentout.Shebrokeintouncontrolledsobs.Then,lookingbackuponthepast,sherememberedwhathadjusthappenedoneyearbefore:shewaslyingonherbedmoredeadthanaliveaftergivingbirthtoababygirl.Thenewborninfantwaslyingonaheapofstrawontheground,cryingatthetopofherlungsandtwitchingherlittlelimbs.Theumbilicalcordwaswoundroundherbodyandtheplacentaleftbyherside.Thepooryoungwomanwasanxioustogetuptowashherbaby.Butshecouldonlymanagetoliftherheadwhileherwholebodyseemedtoremaingluedtothebed.Allofasuddenshesawherhusband,fierceandflushed,comeuptothebabywithabucketofboilingwater.“Stop,stop!...,”shethrewwhatlittlestrengthshehadintoyellingathim.Thevicioushusband,nevertheless,wasuncompromising.Withoutsayingaword,heheldupinbothhandsthebabywithhercryofnewlifeand,likeabutcherslaughteringasmalllamb,splashedherintotheboilingwater.Thebabyimmediatelystoppedcrying.Allwassilentexceptforthesizzlingofherfleshintheboilingwater.Theyoungwomanfaintedawayattheheart-rendingscene.Atthepainfulrecollection,shehadnomoretearstoshed,butsighedfaintly,“Oh,whatamiserablelife!”ChunBaostaredather,whimpering,“Mummy,mummy!”Ontheeveofherdeparture,shewassittinginthedarkestcornerofthehouse.Infrontofthestovestoodanoillamp,itslightflickeringlikethatofafire-fly.HoldingChunBaoclosetoherbosom,shepressedherheadagainsthishair.Lostindeepthought,sheseemedabsolutelycameto,andfoundherselffacetofacewiththepresentandherchild.Softlyshecalledhim,“ChunBao,ChunBao!““Yes,mummy!”thechildreplied.“I’mgoingtoleaveyoutomorrow.…”“What?”thechilddidnotquiteunderstandwhatshemeantandinstinctivelycuddledclosertoher.“I’mnotcomeback,notforthreeyears!”Shewipedawayhertears.Thelittleboybecameinquisitive,“Mummy,whereareyougoing?Tothetemple?”“No.I’mgoingtolivewiththeLifamily,aboutthirtyliaway.”“Iwanttogowithyou.”“No,youcan’t,darling!”“Why?”hecountered.“You’llstayhomewithdaddy.He’lltakegoodcareofyou.He’llsleepwithyouand

95playwithyou.Youjustlistentodaddy.Inthreeyears…”Beforeshehadfinishedtalkingthechildsadlyinterruptedher.“Daddywillbeatme!”“Daddywillneverbeatyouagain.”Herlefthandwasstrokingthescarontherightsideoftheboy’sforehead–areminderoftheblowdealtbyherhusbandwiththehandleofahoethreedaysafterhekilledthebabygirl.Shewasabouttospeaktotheboyagainwhenherhusbandcamein.Hewalkeduptoher,andfumblinginhispocket,hesaid,“I’vegotseventydollarsfromthem.They’llgivemetheotherthirtydollarstendaysafteryougetthere.”Afterashortpause,headded,“They’vepromisedtotakeyouthereinasedan-chair.”Afteranothershortpause,hecontinued,“Thechaircarrierswillcometotakeyouearlyinthemorningassoonasthey’vehadbreakfast.”Withthishewalkedoutagain.Thatevening,neitherhenorshefeltlikehavingsupper.Thenextdaytherewasaspringdrizzle.Thechaircarrierarrivedatthecrackofdawn.Theyoungwomanhadnotsleptawinkduringthenight.ShehadspentthetimemendingChunBao’statteredclothes.Althoughitwaslatespringandsummerwasnear,shetookouttheboy’sshabbycotton-paddedwinterjacketandwantedtogiveittoherhusband,buthewasfastasleep.Thenshesatdownbesideherhusband,wishingtohaveachatwithhim.Buthesleptonandshesattheresilently,waitingforthenighttopass.Shepluckedupenoughcouragetomutterafewwordsintohisear,buteventhisfailedtowakehimup.Soshelaydowntoo.Asshewasabouttodozeoff,ChunBaowokeup.Hewantedtogetupandpushedhismother.Dressingthechild,shesaid,“Darling,youmustn’tcrywhileI’mawayordaddywillbeatyou.I’llbuysweetsforyoutoeat.Butyoumustn’tcryanymore,darling.”Theboywastooyoungtoknowwhatsorrowwas,soinaminutehebegantosing.Shekissedhischeekandsaid,“Stopsingingnow,you’llwakeupdaddy.”Thechaircarriersweresittingonthebenchesinfrontofthegate,smokingtheirpipesandchatting.Soonafterwards,Mrs.Shenarrivedfromthenearbyvillagewhereshewasliving.Shewasanoldandexperiencedmatchmaker.Assoonasshecrossedthethreshold,shebrushedtheraindropsoffherclothes,sayingtothehusbandandwife,“It’sraining,it’sraining.That’sagoodomen,itmeansyouwillthrivefromnowon.”Thematchmakerbustledaboutthehouseandwhisperedandhintedtothehusbandthatsheshouldberewardedforhavingsosuccessfullybroughtaboutthedeal.“Totellyouthetruth,foranotherfiftydollars,theoldmancouldhaveboughthimselfaconcubine,”Shesaid.ThenMrs.Shenturnedtotheyoungwomanwhowassittingstillwiththechildinherarms,andsaidloudly,“Thechaircarriershavetogetthereintimeforlunch,soyou’dbetterhurryupandgetreadytogo.”Theyoungwomanglancedatherandherlookseemedtosay,“Idon’twanttoleave!I’dratherstarvehere!”Thematchmakerunderstoodand,walkinguptoher,saidsmiling,“You’rejustasillygirl.Whatcanthe‘YellowFellow’giveyou?Butoverthere,thescholarhasplentyofeverything.Hehasmorethantwohundredmouofland,hasownhousesandcattle.Hiswifeisgood-temperedandshe’sverykind.Sheneverturnsanybodyfromherdoorwithoutgivinghimsomethingtoeat.Andthescholarisnotreallyold.Hehasawhitefaceandnobeard.Hestoopsalittleaswell-educatedmengenerallydo,andheisquietgentlemanly.There’snoneedformetotellyoumoreabouthim.You’llseehimwithyourowneyesassoonasyougetoutofthesedan-chair.Youknow,asamatchmaker,I’venevertoldalie.”Theyoungwomanwipedawayhertearsandsaidsoftly,“ChunBao…HowcanIpartfromhim?”“ChunBaowillbeallright,”saidthematchmaker,pattingtheyoungwomanontheshoulderandbendingoverherandthechild.“Heisalreadyfive.There’sasaying,‘Achildofthreecanmoveaboutfree.’Sohecanbeleftalone.Italldependsonyou.Ifyouhaveoneortwochildrenoverthere,everythingwillbequietallright.”Thechairbearersoutsidethegatenowstartedurgingtheyoungwomantosetout,

96murmuring.“Youarereallynotabride,whyshouldyoucry?”ThematchmakersnatchedawayChunBaofromhismother’sarms,saying,“LetmetakecareofChunBao!”Thelittleboybegantoscreamandkick.Thematchmakertookhimoutside.Whentheyoungwomanwasinthesedan-chair,shesaid,“You’dbettertaketheboyin,it’srainingoutside.”Insidethehouse,restinghisheadonthepalmofhishand,satthelittleboy’sfather,motionlessandwordless.Thetwovillageswerethirtyliapart,butthechaircarriersreachedtheirdestionwithoutmakingasinglestopontheway.Theyoungwoman’sclotheswerewetfromthespringraindropswhichhadbeenblowninthroughthesedan-chairscreens.Anelderlywoman,ofaboutfifty-five,withaplumpfaceandshrewdeyescameouttogreether.Realizingimmediatelythatthiswasthescholar’swife,theyoungwomanlookedatherbashfullyandremainedsilent.Asthescholar’swifewasamiablyhelpingtheyoungwomantothedoor,therecameoutfromthehouseatallandthinelderlymanwitharound,smoothface.Measuringtheyoungwomanfromheadtofoot,hesmiledandsaid,“Youhavecomeearly.Didyougetwetintherain?“Hiswife,completelyignoringwhathewassaying,askedtheyoungwoman,“Haveyouleftanythinginthesedan-chair?”“No,nothing,”answeredtheyoungwoman.Soontheywereinsidethehouse.Outsidethegate,anumberofwomenfromtheneighbourhoodhadgatheredandwerepeepingintoseewhatwashappening.Somehoworother,theyoungwomancouldnothelpthinkingaboutheroldhomeandChunBao.Asamatteroffact,shemighthavecongratulatedherselfontheprospectsofspendingthenextthreeyearshere,sincebothhernewhomeandhertemporaryhusbandseemedpleasant.Thescholarwasreallykindandsoft-spoken.Hiswifeappearedhospitableandtalkative.Shetalkedaboutherthirtyyearsofhappymarriedlifewiththescholar.Shehadgivenbirthtoaboysomefifteenyearsbefore–areallyhandsomeandlivelychild,shesaid—buthediedofsmallpoxlessthantenmonthsafterhisbirth.Sincethen,shehadneverhadanotherchild.Theelderlywomanhintedshehadlongbeenurgingherhusbandtogetaconcubinebuthehadalwaysputitoff–eitherbecausehewastoomuchinlovewithhisweddedwifeorbecausehecouldn’tfindasuitablewomanforaconcubine.Thischattermadetheyoungwomanfeelsad,delightedanddepressedbyturns.Finally,theyoungwomanwastoldwhatwasexpectedofher.Sheblushedwhenthescholar’swifesaid,“You’vehadthreeorfourchildren.Ofcourseyouknowwhattodo.YouknowmuchmorethanIdo.”Afterthis,theelderlywomanwentaway.Thatevening,thescholartoldtheyoungwomanagreatmanythingsabouthisfamilyinanefforttoshowoffandingratiatehimselfwithher.Shewassittingbesideared-lacqueredwoodenwardrobe–somethingshehadinheroldhome.Herdulleyeswerefocuseduponitwhenthescholarcameoverandsatinfrontofit,asking,“What’syourname?”Sheremainedsilentanddidnotsmile.Then,risingtoherfeet,shewenttowardsthebed.Hefollowedher,hisfacebeaming.“Don’tbeshy.Stillthinkingaboutyourhusband?Ha,ha,I’myourhusbandnow!”hesaidsoftly,touchingherarm.“Don’tworry!You’rethinkingaboutyourchild,aren’tyou?Well…”Heburstoutlaughingandtookoffhislonggown.Theyoungwomanthenheardthescholar’swifescoldingsomebodyoutsidetheroom.Thoughshecouldnotmakeoutjustwhowasbeingscolded,itseemedtobeeitherthekitchen-maidorherself.Inhersorrow,theyoungwomanbegantosuspectthatitmustbeherself,butthescholar,nowlyinginbed,saidloudly,“Don’tbother.Shealwaysgrumbleslikethat.Shelikesourfarm-handverymuch,andoftenscoldsthekitchen-maidforchattingwithhimtoomuch.”Timepassedquickly.Theyoungwoman’sthoughtsofheroldhomegraduallyfadedasshebecamebetterandbetteracquaintedwithwhatwentoninhernewone.SometimesitseemedtohersheheardChunBao’smuffledcries,andshedreamedofhimseveraltimes.Butthesedreamsbecamemoreandmoreblurredasshebecameoccupiedwithhernewlife.Outwardly,thescholar’swifewaskindtoher,butshefeltthat,deepinside,theelderlywomanwasjealousandsuspiciousandthat,likeadetective,shewasalwaysspyingtosee

97whatwasgoingonbetweenthescholarandher.Sometimes,ifthewifecaughtherhusbandtalkingtotheyoungwomanonhisreturnhome,shewouldsuspectthathehadboughthersomethingspecial.Shewouldcallhimtoherboughtherbedroomatnighttogivehimagoodscolding.“Soyou’vebeenseducedbythewitch!”shewouldcry.“Youshouldtakegoodcareofyouroldcarcase.”Theseabusiveremarkstheyoungwomanoverheardtimeandagain.Afterthat,whenevershesawthescholarreturnhome,shealwaystriedtoavoidhimifhiswifewasnotpresent.Buteveninthepresenceofhiswife,theyoungwomanconsidereditnecessarytokeepherselfinthebackground.Shehadtodoallthisnaturallysothatitwouldnotbenoticedbyoutsiders,forotherwisethewifewouldgetangryandblameherforpurposelydiscreditingherinpublic.Astimewenton,thescholar’swifeevenmadetheyoungwomandotheworkofamaidservant.Oncetheyoungwomandecidedtowashtheelderlywoman’sclothes.“You’renotsupposedtowashmyclothes,”thescholar’swifesaid.“Infactyoucanhavethekitchen-maidwashyourownlaundry.“Yetthenextmomentshesaid,“Sisterdear,you’dbettergotothepigstyandhavealookatthetwopigswhichhavebeengruntingallthetime.They’reprobablyhungrybecausethekitchen-maidnevergivesthemenoughtoeat.”Eightmonthshadpassedandwintercame.Theyoungwomanbecamefussyaboutherfood.Shehadlittleappetiteforregularmealsandalwaysfeltlikeeatingsomethingdifferent–noodles,potatoesandsoon.Butshesoongottiredofnoodlesandpotatoes,andaskedforwonton.Whensheatealittletoomuchshegotsick.Thenshefeltadesireforpumpkinsandplums–thingsthatcouldonlybehadinsummer.Thescholarknewwhatallthismeant.Hekeptsmilingalldayandgaveherwhateverwasavailable.Hewentontownhimselftogethertangerinesandaskedsomeonetobuyhersomeoranges.Heoftenpacedupanddowntheveranda,mutteringtohimself.Oneday,hesawtheyoungwomanandthekitchen-maidgrindingricefortheSpringFestival.Theyhadhardlystartedgrindingwhenhesaidtotheyoungwoman,“You’dbetterhavearestnow.Wecanletthefarm-handdoit,sinceeverybodyisgoingtoeatthericecakes.”Sometimesintheevening,whentherestofthehouseholdwerechatting,hewouldsitalonenearanoillamp,readingtheBookofSongs:“Fair,Fair,”crytheospreysOntheislandintheriver.Lovelyisthegoodlady,Fitbrideforourlord.………………………Thefarm-handonceaskedhim,“Please,sir,whatarereadingthisbookfor?You’renotgoingtositforahighercivilserviceexamination,areyou?”Thescholarstrokedhisbeardlesschinandsaidinagaytone,“Well,youknowthejoysoflife,don’tyou?There’sasayingthatthegreatestjoyoflifeiseithertospendthefirstnightinthenuptialchamberortopassacivilserviceexamination.Asforme,I’vealreadyexperienceboth.Butnowthere’sastillgreaterblessinginstoreforme.”Hisremarksetthewholehouseholdlaughing–exceptforhiswifeandtheyoungwoman.Tothescholar’swifeallthiswasannoying.Whenshefirstheardoftheyoungwoman’spregnancy,shewaspleased.Later,whenshesawherhusbandlavishingattentionsontheyoungwoman,shebegantoblameherselfforbeingbarren.Once,thefollowingspring,ithappenedthattheyoungwomanfellillandwaslaidupforthreedayswithaheadache.Thescholarwasanxiousthatshetakearestandfrequentlyaskedwhatsheneeded.Thismadehiswifeangry.Shegrumbledforthreedaysandsaidthattheyoungwomanwasmalingering.“Shehasbeenspoiledhereandbecomestuck-uplikearealconcubine,”shesaid,sneeringmaliciously,“alwayscomplainingaboutheadachesorbackaches.Shemusthavebeenquietdifferentbefore—likeabitchthathastogosearchingforfoodevensheisgoingtobearalitterofpuppies!Now,withtheoldmanfawningonher,sheputsonairs!”“Whysomuchfussabouthavingababy?”saidthescholar’swifeonenighttothekitchen-maid.“Imyselfwasoncewithchildfortenmonths,Ijustcan’tbelieveshe’sreallyfeelingsobad.Whoknowswhatshe’sgoingtohave?Itmaybejustalittletoad!She’dbetternottrytobluffme,throwingherweightaroundbeforethelittlethingisborn.It’sstillnothingbutaclotofblood!It’sreallyabittooearlyforhertomakesuchafuss!”Theyoungwomanwhohadgonetobedwithoutsupperwasawakenedbythistorrentofmaliciousabuseandburstintoconvulsivesobs.Thescholarwasalsoshockedbywhat

98heheard—somuchsothathebrokeintoacoldsweatandshookwithanger.Hewantedtogotohiswife’sroom,grabherbythehairandgiveheragoodbeatingsoastoworkoffhisfeelings.But,somehoworother,hefeltpowerlesstodoso;hisfingerstrembledandhisarmsachedwithweariness.Sighingdeeply,hesaidsoftly,“I’vebeentoogoodtoher.Inthirtyyearsofmarriedlife,I’veneverslappedherfaceorgivenherascratch.That’swhysheissococky.”Then,crawlingacrossthebed,hewhisperedtotheyoungwomanbesidehim,“Now,stopcrying,stopcrying,lethercackle!Abarrenhenisalwaysjealous!Ifyoumanagetohaveababyboythistime,I’llgiveyoutwopreciousgifts—abluejaderingandawhitejade…”leavingthelastsentenceunfinished,heturnedtolistentohiswife’sjeeringvoiceoutsidetheroom.Hehastilytookoffhisclothes,and,coveringhisheadwiththequiltandnestlingclosertotheyoungwoman,hesaid,“I’veawhitejade…”Theyoungwomangrewbiggerandbiggeraroundthewaist.Thescholar’swifemadearrangementswithamidwife,andwhenotherpeoplewerearound,shewouldbusyherselfmakingbaby’sclothesoutoffloralprints.Thehotsummerhadendedandthecoolautumnbreezewasblowingoverthevillage.Thedayfinallycamewhentheexpectationsofthewholehouseholdreachedtheirclimaxandeverybodywasagog.Hisheartbeatingfasterthanever,thescholarwaspacingthecourtyard,readingabouthoroscopesfromanalmanacinhishandasintentlyasifhewantedtocommitthewholebooktomemory.Onemomenthewouldlookanxiouslyattheroomwithitswindowscloselyshutwhencecamethemuffledgroansofthecloudysky,andwalkuptothekitchen-maidatthedoortoask,“Howiseverythingnow?”Nodding,themaidwouldreplyafteramoment’spause,“Itwon’tbelongnow,itwon’tbelongnow.”Hewouldresumepacingthecourtyardandreadingthealmanac.Thesuspenselasteduntilsunset.Then,whenwispsofkitchensmokewerecurlingupfromtheroofsandlampsweregleaminginthecountryhouseslikesomanywildflowersinspring,ababyboywasborn.Thenewbornbabycriedatthetopofhisvoicewhilethescholarsatinacornerofthehouse,withtearsofjoyinhiseyes.Thehouseholdwassoexcitedthatnoonecaredaboutsupper.Amonthlater,thebrightandtender-facedbabymadehisdebutintheopen.Whiletheyoungwomanwasbreastfeedinghim,womenfolkfromtheneighbourhoodgatheredaroundtofeasttheireyesupontheboy.Somelikedhisnose;others,hismouth;stillothers,hisears.Somepraisedhismother,sayingthatshehadbecomewhiterandhealthier.Thescholar’swife,nowactinglikeagranny,said,“That’senough!You’llmakethebabycry!”Astothebaby’sname,thescholarrackedhisbrain,butjustcouldnothituponasuitableone.HiswifesuggestedthattheChinesecharactershou,meaninglongevity,oroneofitssynonyms,shouldbeincludedinhisname.Butthescholardidnotlikeit—itwastoocommonplace.HespentseveralweekslookingthroughChineseclassicsliketheBookofChangesandtheBookofHistoryinsearchofsuitablecharacterstobeusedasthebaby’sname.Butallhiseffortsprovedfruitless.Itwasadifficultproblemtosolvebecausehewantedanamewhichshouldbeauspiciousforthebabyandwouldimplyatthesametimethathewasborntohiminoldage.Oneevening,whileholdingthethree-month-oldbabyinhisarms,thescholar,withspectacleson,satdownnearalampandagainlookedintosomebookinanefforttofindanamefortheboy.Thebaby’smother,sittingquietlyinacorneroftheroom,appearedtobemusing.Suddenlyshesaid,“Isupposeyoucouldcallhim‘QiuBao’.”Thoseintheroomturnedtolookattheyoungwomanandlistenedintentlyasshecontinued,“QiumeansautumnandBaomeanstreasure.Sosincehewasborninautumn,you’dbettercallhim‘QiuBao’.”Thescholarwassilentforabriefmomentandthenexclaimed,“Awonderfulidea!I’vewastedalotoftimelookingforanameforthebaby!Asamanofoverfifty,I’vereachedtheautumnofmylife.Theboytoowasborninautumn.Besides,autumnisthetimewheneverythingisripeandthetimeforharvesting,asthebookofhistorysays,‘QiuBao’isreallyagoodnameforthechild.”Thenhebegantopraisetheyoungwoman,sayingthatshewasborncleverandthatitwasquietuselesstobeabookwormlikehimself.Hisremarksmadetheyoungwomanfeelillatease.Loweringherheadandforcingasmile,shesaidtoherselfwithtearsinhereyes,“Isuggested‘QiuBao’simplybecauseIwasthinkingofmyeldersonChunBao.”QiuBaodailygrewhandsomeandmoreattachedtohismother.Hisunusuallybig

99eyeswhichstartedtirelesslyatstrangerswouldlightupjoyfullywhenhesawhismother,evenwhenshewasalongdistanceaway.Healwaysclungtoher.Althoughthescholarlovedhimevenmorethanhismotherdid,QiuBaodidnottaketohim.Astothescholar’swife,althoughoutwardlysheshowedasmuchaffectionforQiuBaoasifhewereherownbaby,hewouldstareatherwiththesameindefatigablecuriosityashedidatstrangers.Butthemorethechildgrewattachedtohismother,thecloserdrewthetimefortheirseparation.Oncemoreitwassummer.Toeverybodyinthehouse,theadventofthisseasonwasareminderofthecomingendoftheyoungwomen’sthree-yearstay.Thescholar,outofhisloveforQiuBao,suggestedtohiswifeonedaythathewaswillingtoofferanotherhundreddollarstobuytheyoungwomensothatshecouldstaywiththempermanently.Thewife,however,repliedcurtly,“No,you’llhavetopoisonmebeforeyoudothat!”Thismadethescholarangry.Heremainedsilentforquiteawhile.Then,forcinghimselftosmile,hesaid,“It’sapitythatourchildwillbemotherless…”hiswifesmiledwrylyandsaidinanicyandcuttingtone,“Don’tyouthinkthatImightbeamothertohim?”Astotheyoungwoman,thereweretwoconflictingideasinhermind.Ontheonehand,shealwaysrememberedthatshewouldhavetoleaveafterthethreeyearswereup.Threeyearsseemedashorttimeandshehadbecomemoreofaservantthanatemporarywife.Besides,inhermindhereldersonChunBaohadbecomeassweetandlovelyachildasQiuBao.ShecouldnotbeartoremainawayfromeitherQiuBaoorChunBao.Ontheotherhand,shewaswillingtostayonpermanentlyinthescholar’shousebecauseshethoughtherownhusbandwouldnotlivelongandmightevendieinfourorfiveyears.SoshelongedtohavethescholarbringChunBaointohishomesothatshecouldalsolivewithherelderson.Oneday,asshewassittingwearilyontheverandawithQiuBaosleepingatherbreast,thehypnoticraysoftheearlysummersunsentherintoadaydreamandshethoughtshesawChunBaostandingbesideher;butwhenshestretchedoutherhandtohimandwasabouttospeaktohertwosons,shesawthatherelderboywasnotthere.Atthedoorattheotherendoftheverandathescholar’swife,withherseeminglykindfacebutfierceeyes,stoodstaringattheyoungwoman.Thelattercametoandsaidtoherself,“I’dbetterleavehereassoonasIcan.She’salwaysspyingonme!”Later,thescholarchangedhisplanalittle;hedecidedhewouldsendMrs.Shenonanothermission:tofindoutwhethertheyoungwoman’shusbandwaswillingtotakeanotherthirtydollars—orfiftydollarsatmost—tolethimkeeptheyoungwomanforanotherthreeyears.Hesaidtohiswife,“IsupposeQiuBao’smothercouldstayonuntilheisfive.”Chanting“Buddhapreserveme”witharosaryinherhand,thescholar’swifereplied,“Shehasgothereldersonathome.Besides,yououghttolethergobacktoherlawfulhusband.”Thescholarhunghisheadandsaidbrokenly,“Justimagine,QiuBaowillbemotherlessattwo…”Puttingawaytherosary,hiswifesnapped,“Icantakecareofhim.Icanmanagehim.AreyouafraidI’mgoingtomurderhim?”Uponhearingthelastsentence,thescholarwalkedawayhurriedly.Hiswifewentongrumbling,“Thechildhasbeenbornforme.QiuBaoismine.Ifthemalelineofyourfamilycametoanend,itwouldaffectmetoo.You’rebeenbewitchedbyher.You’reoldandpigheaded.Youdon’tknowwhat’swhat.Justthinkhowmanymoreyearsyoumaylive,andyetyou’retryingtodoeverythingtokeepherwithyou.Icertainlydon’twantanotherwoman’stabletputsidebysidewithmineinthefamilyshrine!”Itseemedasifshewouldneverstoppouringoutthestreamofvenomousandbitingwords,butthescholarwastoofarawaytohearthem.EverytimeQiuBaohadapimpleonhisheadoraslightfever,thescholar’swifewouldgoaroundprayingtoBuddhaandbringbackBuddha’smedicineintheformofincenseashwhichsheappliedtothebaby’spimpleordissolvedinwaterforhimtodrink.Hewouldcryandperspireprofusely.Theyoungwomandidnotliketheideaofthescholar’swifemakingsomuchfusswhenthebabyfellslightlyill,andalwaysthrewtheashawaywhenshewasnotthere.Sighingdeeply,thescholar’swifeoncesaidtoherhusband,

100“Yousee,shereallydoesn’tcareabitaboutourbabyandsayshe’snotgettingthinner.Realloveneedsnoflourishes;sheisonlypretendingthatshelovesourbaby.”Theyoungwomanweptwhenalone,andthescholarkeptsilent.OnQiuBao’sfirstbirthday,thecelebrationlastedthewholeday.Aboutfortyguestsattendedtheparty.Thebirthdaypresentstheybroughtincludedthebabyclothes,noodles,asilverpendantintheshapeoflion’sheadtobewornonthebaby’schestandagold-platedimageoftheGodofLongevitytobesewntothebaby’sbonnet.Theguestswishedthebabygoodluckandalonglife.Thehost’sfaceflushedwithjoyasifreflectingthereddeningglowofthesettingsun.Lateintheafternoon,justbeforethebanquet,therecameintothecourtyardfromthedeepeningtwilightoutsideanuninvitedguest,whoattractedtheattentionofalltheothers.Hewasanemaciated-lookingpeasant,dressedinpatchedclothesandwithunkempthair,carryingunderhisarmapaper-parcel.Greatlyastonishedandpuzzled,thehostwentuptoinquirewherehehailedfrom.Whilethenewcomerwasstammering,itsuddenlyoccurredtothehostthatthiswasnoneotherthantheskindealer—theyoungwoman’shusband.Thereupon,thehostsaidinalowvoice,“Whydoyoubringagift?Youreallyshouldn’thavedonethis!”Thenewcomerlookedtimidlyabout,saying,“I…Ihadtocome…I’vecometowishthebabyalonglife…”Beforehehadfinishedspeaking,hebegantoopenthepackagehehadbrought.Tearingoffthreepaperwrappingswithhisquiveringfingers,hetookoutfourbronze-castandsilver-platedChinesecharacters,eachaboutonesquareinchinsize,whichsaidthatthebabywouldliveaslongastheSouthMountain.Thescholar’swifeappearedonthescene,andlookeddispleasedwhenshesawtheskindealer.Thescholar,however,invitedtheskindealertothetable,wheretheguestssatwhisperingabouthim.Theguestswinedanddinedfortwohoursandeverybodywasfeelinghappyandexcited.Theyindulgedinnoisydrinkinggamesandpliedoneanotherwithbigbowlsofwine.Thedeafeninguproarrockedthehouse.Nobodypaidanyattentiontotheskindealerwhosatsilentlyafterdrinkingtwocupsofwine.Havingenjoyedtheirwine,theguestseachhurriedlytookabowlofrice;and,biddingoneanotherfarewell,theydispersedintwosandthrees,carryinglightedlanternsintheirhands.Theskindealersatthereeatinguntiltheservantscametoclearthetable.Thenhewalkedtoadarkcorneroftheverandawherehefoundhiswife.“Whatdidyoucomefor?”askedtheyoungwomanwithanextremelysadnoteinhervoice.“Ididn’twanttocome,butIjustcouldn’thelpit.”“Thenwhydidyoucomesolate?”“Icouldn’tgetanymoneytobuyabirthdaygift.IspentthewholemorningbeggingforaloanandthenIhadtogototowntobuythegift.Iwastiredandhungry.That’swhyIcamelate.”Theyoungwomanasked,“How’sChunBao?”Herhusbandreflectedforamomentandthenanswered,“It’sforChunBao’ssakethatI’vecome…”“ForChunBao’ssake!”sheechoedinsurprise.Hewentonslowly,“SincethissummerChunBaohasgrownveryskinny.Intheautumn,hefellsick.Ihaven’tbeenabletodoanythingforhimbecauseIhaven’thadanymoney.Sohisillnessisgettingmoreserious.I’mafraidhewon’tliveunlesswetrytosavehim!”hecontinuedafterashortpause,“I’vecometoborrowsomemoneyfromyou.…”Deepinsideher,theyoungwomanhadthefeelingthatwildcatswerescratchingandbitingher,gnawingatherveryheart.Shewasonthevergeofburstingintotears,butonsuchanoccasionwheneverybodywascelebratingQiubao’sbirthdaysheknewshehadtokeepheremotionsundercontrol.Shemadeabraveefforttokeepbackhertearsandsaidtoherhusband,“HowcanIgetholdofanymoney?Theygivemetwentycentsamonthaspocketmoneyhere,butIspendeverycentofitonmybaby.Whatcanwedonow?”Bothwerespeechlessforawhile,thentheyoungwomanaskedagain,“WhoistakingcareofChunBaowhileyou’rehere?”“Oneoftheneighbours.I’vegottogobackhometonight.InfactIoughttobegoingnow,”heanswered,wipingawayhistears.“Waitamoment,”shetoldhimtearfully,“letmegoandtrytoborrowsomemoney

101fromhim.”Andwiththisshelefthim.Threedayslater,intheevening,thescholarsuddenlyaskedtheyoungwoman,“Where’sthebluejaderingIgaveyou?”“Igaveittohimtheothernight.Hepawnedit.”“Didn’tIlendyoufivedollars?”counteredthescholarirritably.Theyoungwoman,hangingherhead,answeredafteramoment’spause,“Fivedollarswasn’tenough!”Thescholarsigheddeeplyatthisandsaid,“NomatterhowgoodItrytobetoyou,youstillloveyourhusbandandyoureldersonmore.Iwantedtokeepyouforanothercoupleofyears,butnowIthinkyou’dbetterleaveherenextspring!”Theyoungwomanstoodtheresilentandtearless.Severaldayslater,thescholaragainreproachedher,“Thatbluejaderingisatreasure.IgaveittoyoubecauseIwantedQiuBaotoinherititfromyou.Ididn’tthinkyouwouldhaveitpawned!It’sluckymywifedoesn’tknowaboutit,otherwiseshewouldmakescenesforanotherthreemonths.”Afterthistheyoungwomanbecamethinnerandpaler.Hereyeslosttheirluster;shewasoftensubjectedtosneersandcurses.ShewasforeverworryingaboutChunBao’sillness.Shewasalwaysonthelookoutforsomeacquaintancesfromherhomevillageorsometravelersgoingthere.ShehopedshecouldhearaboutChunBao’srecovery,buttherewasnonews.ShewishedshecouldborrowacoupleofdollarsorbuysweetsforsometravelertotaketoChunBao,butshecouldfindnoonegoingtoherhomevillage.ShewouldoftenwalkoutsidethegatewithQiuBaoinherarms,andthere,standingbytheroadside,shewouldgazewithmelancholyeyesatthecountrypaths.Thisgreatlyannoyedthescholar’swifewhosaidtoherhusband,“Shereallydoesn’twanttostayhereanylonger.She’sanxioustogetbackhomeassoonasshecan.”Sometimesatnight,sleepingwithQiuBaoatherbosom,shewouldsuddenlywakeupfromherdreamsandscreamuntilthechildtoowouldawakeandstartcrying.Once,thescholaraskedher,“What’shappened?What’shappened?”Shepattedthechildwithoutanswering.Thescholarcontinued,“Didyoudreamyoureldersonhaddied?Howyouscreamed!Youwokemeup!”Shehurriedlyanswered,“No,no…IthoughtIsawanewgraveinfrontofme!”Hesaidnothing,butthemorbidhallucinationcontinuedtoloombeforeher—shesawherselfapproachingthegrave.Winterwasdrawingtoacloseandbirdsbegantwitteringatherwindow,asifurginghertoleavequickly.Thechildwasweaned,andherseparationfromherson—permanentseparation—wasalreadyaforegoneconclusion.Onthedayofherdeparture,thekitchen-maidquietlyaskedthescholar’swife,“Shallwehireasedan-chairtotakeherhome?”Fingeringtherosaryinherhand,thescholar’swifesaid,“Betterletherwalk.Otherwiseshewillhavetopaythefareherself.Andwherewillshegetthemoney?Iunderstandherhusbandcan’tevenaffordtohavethreemealsaday.Sheshouldn’ttrytobeshowy.It’snotveryfarfromhere,andImyselfhavewalkedsomefortyliaday.She’moreusedtowalkingthanIam,sosheoughttobeabletogetthereinhalfaday.”Inthemorning,astheyoungwomanwasdressingQiuBao,tearskeptstreamingdownhercheeks.Thechildcalled,“Auntie,auntie”(thescholar’swifehadmadehimcalledherself“mummy”,andherrealmother,“auntie”).Theyoungwomancouldnotanswerforweeping.Shewantedsomuchtosaytothechild,“Good-bye,darling!Your‘mummy’hasbeengoodtoyou,soyoushouldbegoodtoherinthefuture.Forgetaboutmeforever!”butthesewordssheneveruttered.Thechildwasonlyoneandhalfyearsold,andsheknewthathewouldneverunderstandwhatshewantedtosay.Thescholarwalkedupquietlybehindher,andputtentwenty-centsilvercoinsintoherpalm,sayingsoftly,“Herearetwodollarsforyou.”Buttoningupthechild’sclothes,sheputthetensilvercoinsintoherpocket.Thescholar’swifealsocamein,and,staringhardatthebackoftheretreatingscholar,sheturnedtotheyoungwoman,saying,“GivemeQIuBao,sothathewon’tcrywhenyouleave.”

102Theyoungwomanremainedsilent,butthechildwasunwillingtoleavehismotherandkeptstrikingthescholar’swifefacewithhislittlehands,thescholar’swifewaspiquedandsaid,“Youcankeephimwithyouuntilyou’vehadbreakfast.”Thekitchen-maidurgedtheyoungwomantoeatasmuchaspossible,saying,“You’vebeeneatingverylittleforafortnight.Youarethinnerthanyoufirstcamehere.Haveyoulookedatyourselfinthemirror?Youhavetowalkthirtylitoday,sofinishthisbowlofrice!”Theyoungwomansaidlistlessly,“Youreallykindtome!”Itwasafinedayandthesunwashighinthesky.QiuBaocontinuedtoclingtohismother.Whenthescholar’swifeangrilysnatchedhimawayfromher,heyelledatthetopofhisvoice,kickingtheelderlywomaninthebellyandpullingatherhair.Theyoungwomanstandingbehind,pleaded,“Letmestayhereuntilafterlunch.”Thescholar’swiferepliedfiercelyoverhershoulder,“Hurryupwithyourpacking,you’vegottoleavesoonerorlater!”Fromthenon,QiuBao’scriesgraduallyrecededfromtheyoungwoman’shearing.Whileshewaspacking,shekeptlisteningtohiscrying.Thekitchen-maidstoodbesideher,comfortingherandwatchingwhatshewasputtingintoherparcel.Theyoungwomanthenleftwiththesameoldparcelshehadbroughtwithherwhenshefirstcame.SheheardQiuBaocryingaswalkedoutofthegate,andhiscriesranginherearsevenaftershehadploddedadistanceofthreeli.Stretchingbeforeherlaythesun-bathedcountryroadwhichseemedtobeaslongastheskywasboundless.Asshewaswalkingalongthebankofariver,whoseclearwaterreflectedherlikeamirror,shethoughtofstoppingthereandputtinganendtoherlifebydrowningherself.But,aftersittingforawhileonthebank,sheresumedherjourney.Itwasalreadyafternoon,andanelderlyvillagertoldherthatshestillhadfifteenlitogobeforeshewouldreachherownvillage.Shesaidtohim,“Grandpa,pleasehirealitterforme.I’mtootiredtowalk.”“Areyousick?”askedtheoldman.“Yes,Iam.”Shewassittinginapavilionoutsideavillage.“Wherehaveyouwalkedfrom?”Sheansweredafteramoment’shesitation,“I’monmywayhome;thismorningIthoughtIwouldbeabletowalkthewholeway.”Theelderlapsedintosympatheticsilenceandfinallyhiredalitterforher.Itwasaboutfouro’clockintheafternoonwhenthelittercarriersenteredanarrowandfilthyvillagestreet.Theyoungwoman,herpalefaceshrunkenandyellowedlikeanoldvegetableleaf,laywithhereyesclosed.Shewasbreathingweakly.Thevillagerseyedherwithastonishmentandcompassion.Agroupofvillageurchinsnoisilyfollowedthelitter,theappearanceofwhichstirredthequietvillage.OneofthechildrenchasingafterthelitterwasChunBao.ThechildrenwereshoutingandsquealinglikelittlepigswhenthelittercarrierssuddenlyturnedintothelaneleadingtoChunBao’shome.ChunBaostoppedinsurprise.Asthelitterstoppedinfrontofhishome,heleaneddazedagainstapostandlookedatitfromadistance.Theotherchildrengatheredaroundandcranedtheirneckstimidly.Whentheyoungwomandescendedfromthelitter,shefeltgiddyandatfirstdidnotrealizethattheshabbilydressedchildwithdisheveledhairstandingbeforeherwasChunBao.Hewashardlyanytallerthanwhenshehadleftthreeyearsbeforeandjustasskinny.Then,sheblurtedoutintears,“ChunBao!”Startled,thechildrendispersed.ChunBao,alsofrightened,raninsidethehousetolookforhisfather.Insidethedingyroom,theyoungwomansatforalong,longwhile.Bothsheandherhusbandwerespeechless.Asnightfell,heraisedhisheadandsaid,“You’dbetterpreparesupper!”Sherosereluctantly,and,aftersearchingaroundthehouse,saidinaweakvoice,“There’snoriceleftinthebigjar.…”Herhusbandlookedatherwithasicklysmile,“You’vegotusedtolivinginarichman’shouseallright.Wekeepourriceinacardboardbox.”Thatnight,theskindealersaidtohisson,

103“ChunBao,yougotobedwithyourmother!”Chunbao,standingbesidethestove,startedcrying.Hismotherwalkeduptohimandcalled,“ChunBao,ChunBao!”butwhenshetriedtocaresshim,theboyshunnedher.Hisfatherhissed,“You’veforgottenyourownmother.Yououghttogetagoodbeatingforthat!”Theyoungwomanlayawakeonthenarrow,dirtyplank-bedwithChunBaolying,likeastranger,besideher.Hermindinadaze,sheseemedtoseeheryoungersonQiuBao—plump,whiteandlovely–curledupbesideher,butasshestretchedoutherarmstoembracehim,shesawitwasChunBao,whohadjustfallenasleep.Theboywasbreathingfaintly,hisfacepressedagainsthismother’sbreast.Shehuggedhimtightly.Thestillandchillynightseemedtodragonendlessly,…注释作家柔石，浙江宁海人，1931年在上海牺牲，年仅30，本文是他于1930年写成的最优秀的短篇小说。作品揭露当时浙东一带农村典妻制度的野蛮和残酷，对农村劳动妇女的苦难表示了极大的同情。(1)“芒种”为中国24节气之一，约在每年6月上、中旬，该时农村多忙于夏收夏种。如英译为Mangzhong或wheatintheear，势必借助脚注，详加说明，否则外国读者无法理解。现结合上下文干脆把它译为earlyeachsummer。(2)“小铜鼓”译为abrassdrum。注意brass和bronze、copper在颜色上的区别。三者之中，仅brass是浅黄色。(3)“我已经将你出典了……”如逐字直译为I’vepawnedyou或I’vehiredyouout，均欠达意。现以增词释义的办法译为there’ssomebodywillingtohireyouasatemporarywife，可较清楚地交代原意。(4)“免得王狼底狼一般的绿眼睛天天在家里闪烁”译为sothathe’dnolongerbeprowlingaftermelikeawolf，用prowlingafter（潜行觅食）代替原文中有关比喻，同样传神。(5)“这一晚，她和她底丈夫都没有吃晚饭。”意即夫妇两人都不想吃饭，故译Thatevening,neitherhenorshefeltlikehavingsupper。如按字面直译为Thatevening,bothhusbandandwifedidnoteatsupper，就未能表达原句含义。(6)“三周四岁离娘身”译为Achildofthreecanmoveaboutfree，有节奏，有韵律，易于上口。(7)“烧饭的黄妈”即在厨房干活的女仆，可简译为thekitchen-maid。(8)“你应该称一称你自己底老骨头是多少重”意即“你应该珍惜自己的身子”，故译为Youshouldtakegoodcareofyouroldcarcase，其中carcase本作“死尸”解，指活人的“身躯”时，是带有轻蔑或嘲笑口气的用语。(9)“想吃新鲜的面，番薯等”意即“想换别的东西吃，如面、番薯等”，故全句译为alwaysfeltlikeeatingsomethingdifferent—noodles,potatoesandsoon。(10)“随她吠去好了”译为lethercackle，其中cackle本指母鸡下蛋后的咯咯声，现在的意思是“胡说八道”。此句如直译为letherbark也可，但因和文中母鸡的比喻连用，就不如前者合适。(11)“阉过的母鸡”实为“不产蛋的母鸡”，故译为abarrenhen。不能把它译为acapon，因那是阉过的公鸡。(12)“邻舍的妇人围着他们瞧”译为womenfolkfromtheneighbourhoodgatheredaroundtofeasttheireyesupontheboy，其中tofeasttheireyesupon是成語，作“尽情地欣赏”解。(13)“老妇人却转过头，汹汹地答”译为Thescholar’swiferepliedfiercelyoverhershoulder，其中overhershoulder是习语，作“回头”解。(14)“其余的孩子胆怯地围在轿的两边”译为Theotherchildrengatheredandcranedtheirneckstimidly，其中cranedtheirnecks（伸长脖子张望）是添加成分，原文虽无其词而有其意。致蒋经国信廖承志经国吾弟：咫尺之隔，竟成海天之遥(1)。南京匆匆一晤，瞬逾三十六载。幼时同袍，苏京把晤，往事历历在目(2)。惟长年未通音问，此诚憾事。近闻政躬违和，深为悬念(3)。人过七旬，多有病痛，至盼善自珍摄。三年以来，我党一再倡议贵我两党举行谈判(4)，同捐前嫌，共竟祖国统一大业。共竟祖国统一大业(5)。惟弟一再声言“不接触，不谈判，不妥协”，余期期以为不可。世交深情，于公于私，理当进言(6)，敬希诠察。祖国和平统一，乃千秋功业(7)，台湾终必回归祖国，早日解决对各方有利。台湾同胞可安居乐业，两岸各族人民可解骨肉分离之痛，在台诸前辈及大陆去台人员亦可各得其所，且有利于亚太地区局势稳定和世界和平。吾弟尝以“计利当计天下利，求名应求万世名”(8)自勉，倘能于吾弟手中成此伟业(9)，必为举国尊敬，世人推崇，功在

104国家，名留青史(10)。所谓“罪人”之说，实相悖谬。局促东隅，终非久计。明若吾弟，自当了然(11)。如迁延不决，或委之异日(12)，不仅徒生困扰，吾弟亦将难辞其咎(13)。再者，和平统一纯属内政。外人巧言令色，意在图我台湾，此世人所共知者。当断不断，必受其乱(14)。愿弟慎思。孙先生手创之中国国民党，历尽艰辛，无数先烈前仆后继，终于推翻帝制，建立民国(15)。光辉业迹，已成定论。国共两度合作，均对国家民族作出巨大贡献。首次合作，孙先生领导，吾辈虽幼，亦知一二。再次合作，老先生主其事，吾辈身在其中，应知梗概。事虽经纬万端，但纵观全局，合则对国家有利，分则必伤民族元气(16)。今日吾弟在台主政，三次合作，大责难谢。双方领导，同窗挚友，彼此相知，谈之更易(17)。所谓“投降”、“屈事”、“吃亏”、“上当”之说，实难苟同。评价历史，展望未来，应天下为公，以国家民族利益为最高准则(18)，何发党私之论！至于“以三民主义统一中国”云云，识者皆以为太不现实，未免自欺欺人(19)。三民主义之真谛，吾辈深知，毋须争辩。所谓台湾“经济繁荣，社会民主，民生乐利”等等，在台诸公，心中有数，亦毋庸赘言。试为贵党计，如能依时顺势，负起历史责任，毅然和谈，达成国家统一，则两党长期共存，互相监督，共图振兴中华之大业。否则，偏安之局(20)，焉能自保。有识之士，虑已及此(21)。事关国民党兴亡绝续(22)，望弟再思。近读大作，有“切望父灵能回到家园与先人同在”(23)之语，不胜感慨系之。今老先生仍厝于慈湖，统一之后，即当迁安故土，或奉化，或南京，或庐山，以了吾弟孝心。吾弟近曾有言：“要把孝顺的心，扩大为民族感情，去敬爱民族，奉献于国家。”诚哉斯言，盍不实践于统一大业！就国家民族而论，蒋氏两代对历史有所交代(24)；就吾弟个人而言，可谓忠孝两全。否则，吾弟身后事何以自了。尚望三思。吾弟一生坎坷，决非命运安排，一切操之在己(25)。千秋功罪，系于一念之间。当今国际风云变幻莫测，台湾上下众议纷纾岁月不居，来日苦短，夜长梦多(26)，时不我与。盼弟善为抉择(27)，未雨绸缪。“寥廓海天，不归何待？”人到高年，愈加怀旧，如弟方便，余当束装就道，前往台北探望，并面聆诸长辈教益。“度尽劫波兄弟在，相逢一笑泯恩仇”。遥望南天，不禁神驰(28)，书不尽言，诸希珍重，伫候复音。老夫人前请代为问安。方良、纬国及诸侄不一。顺祝近祺！廖承志１９８２年７月２４日ALettertoChiangChing-KuoLiaoChengzhiJuly24,1982DearbrotherChing-Kuo,Whowouldhaveexpectedthattheshortdistancebetweenusshouldbekeepinguspolesapart!Itisnowmorethan36yearssinceourbriefencounterinNanjing.ThedayswespenttogetherinchildhoodaswellaslaterintheSovietcapital,however,arestillasfreshaseverinmymemory.Butit’sapityindeedthatwehaven’theardfromeachotherforsomanyyears.Recentlyitfilledmewithmuchconcerntolearnofyourindisposition.Menagedoverseventyareliabletoillness.Ihopeyouwilltakegoodcareofyourself.Forthreeyears,wehaverepeatedlyproposedbilateraltalksbetweenthetwopartiestoletbygonesbebygonesandstrivetogetherforthegreatcauseofnationalreunification.Butyouhavetimeandagaininsisteduponhaving“nocontact,notalksandnocompromise”,whichItrulythinkinadvisable.Inviewofthepublicandpersonalconcernsaswellaslong-standingdeepfriendshipbetweenourtwofamilies,Ifeelduty-boundtoofferyouawordofadviceforcarefulconsideration.Thepeacefulreunificationofthemotherlandwillbeagreatachievementtogodowninhistory.Taiwanisboundtobereunitedeventuallywiththemotherland.Anearlysettlementoftheproblemwillbeintheinterestsofall.ThecompatriotsinTaiwanwillbeabletoliveinpeaceandhappiness,thepeopleofallnationalitiesonbothsidesoftheTaiwanstraitswillberelievedofthepainsofseparationfromtheirfleshandblood,andourseniorfolksinTaiwanandthoseformerlymigratedtherefromthemainlandwillallbeproperlyplacedandprovidedfor.And,moreover,itwillcontributetothestabilityofAsiaandthePacificregionaswellastoworldpeace.Youusedtoseekself-encouragementfromthemotto,“Theintereststobeconsideredshouldbetheinterestsofall;thefametobesoughtshouldbeaneverlastingfame.”Ifyoushouldbeinstrumentalinbringingaboutthecauseofnationalreunification,youwillcertainlywinesteemandpraisenationwideandyourmeritoriousservicetothecountrywillearnyouanicheinthetempleoffame.Itis

105sheerabsurditytothinkyourself“guilty”forrenderingsuchaservice.Afterall,draggingoutyourexistenceinthattighteasterncornerisbynomeansapermanentsolution.Thisshouldbecrystalcleartoamanofyourwisdom.Procrastination,hesitationorsleepingovertheproblemwillonlyleadtoadversityandyou,mybrother,willhardlybeabletoescapecensure.Moreover,peacefulreunificationisentirelyaninternalaffairofChina.Asisknowntoall,outsiderswhoaretalkinggliblyagainstithavedesignsonourTaiwan.Tobeirresolutewhenapromptdecisionshouldbetakenwouldonlyspelldisaster.I,therefore,wouldlikeyoutothinkthisovercarefully.Aftergoingthroughuntoldhardshipsduringwhichcountlessrevolutionariesunflinchinglylaiddowntheirlives,theKuomintangfoundedbyDr.SunYat-senfinallyoverthrewthemonarchyandestablishedtherepublic.Thishasbeenuniversallyrecognizedasagloriousachievement.TheKuomintangandtheCommunistPartytwicecooperatedandonbothoccasionstheymadetremendouscontributionstothecountryandthenation.Weknowsomethingaboutthefirstcooperation,ledbyDr.SunYat-sen,thoughwestillyoungatthattime.Thesecondcooperationwaspresidedoverbyyourfatherand,asparticipantsinit,weshouldknowwhatitwasallabout.Complicatedasthematterwas,anoverallviewofthesituationwillshowthatunited,thecountryandthenationbenefit;divided,theysuffer.Now,asheadoftheTaiwanadministration,youhaveunshirkableresponsibilityforbringaboutthethirdcooperation.Leadersfrombothsideswillfinditeasiertotalkthematteroversincetheyknoweachotherwell,havingformerlybeenschoolmatesandclosefriends.Ifinditreallyhardformetosubscribetothoseviewswhichdescribecooperationas“surrender”,“humiliating”,“sufferinglosses”or“beingduped”.Inreviewinghistoryorlookingaheadtothefuture,oneshouldbepublic-mindedandputtheinterestsofthecountryandthenationaboveall.Whyharponthenarrowinterestofaparty?Suchremarksas“unifyingChinawiththeThreePeople’sPrinciples”areregardedbyallthinkingpeopleasunrealistic,deceptiveandostrich-like.PeopleofourgenerationknowthetruemeaningoftheThreePeople’sPrinciplesquietwellandthereisnoneedtoargueaboutit.NeitheristhereanyneedtodwellonsuchassertionsasTaiwan’s“economicprosperity,democracyandeasylivelihood”,thetruthofwhichallgentlemeninTaiwanmustbequietawareof.Tomymind,ifyou,forthesakeofyourparty,shoulderthehistorictaskand,goingwiththestream,takepartinpeacetalksforournationalreunification,thetwopartieswillbeabletocoexistforalongtimetocome,supervisingeachotherandmakingacommonefforttorevitalizeChina.Otherwise,contentasyouarewithyourpresentruleoverthetighteasterncorner,howcansuchasituationbeexpectedtolastforlong?Thisisaquestionalreadyonthemindsofthinkingpeople.ItisamatterofsurvivalorextinctionfortheKuomintangandIhopeyouwillthinkitoveragain.RecentlyIwasprofoundlymovedwhenIreadoneofyourwritingsinwhichyouexpressedthe“longingformyfather’ssoultoreturntothehomelandandbeamongtheforefathers”.Theremainsofyourfather,nowstilltemporarilyplacedatCihu,shall,uponnationalreunification,beimmediatelymovedtothefinalrestingplaceinFenghua,NanjingorLushaninfulfilmentofyourfilialwhishes.Yourecentlysaid,“Filialdevotionshouldbeexpandedintonationaldevotiontothecountry.”Wellsaid!Whydon’tyouapplyittothegreatcauseofnationalreunification?Asfarasthecountryandthenationareconcerned,youwillhavefulfilledthetaskimposedonyouandyourfatherbyhistory;asfarasyouyourselfareconcerned,thiswillbeanexpressionofbothloyaltyandfilialpiety.Otherhowcouldyouaccountforyourselfafteryourpassingaway?Ihopeyouwillthinkmoreaboutit.Dearbrother,thefrustrationsmarkingyourlifetimearebynomeanspredestined.Youyourselfalonearemasterofyourownfate.Meritsanddemeritstoberecordedinhistoryhingeonthedecisionmadeinamoment.Thepresentinternationalsituationiscapricious.ThroughoutTaiwanpeopleofallstrataaretalkingabouttheirfuture.Timedoesnotstayandbriefistheday.Alongnightinvitesbaddreams;timeandtidewaitfornoman.Ihopeyou,mybrother,willmakeawisechoiceandrepairthehousebeforeitrains.“Vastistheexpanseofskyandwater.Whatareyouwaitingfor,stayingawayfromhome?”Thelongingforoldfriendsgrowswithage.Ifitsuitsyourconvenience,IwillpackandgoonavisittoTaibeitoconsultourelders.“Forallthedisastersthebrotherhoodhasremained;asmileatmeetingandenmityisbanished.”WhenIlooksouthtowardsthedistanthorizon,myheartcannothelpgoingouttomycompatriotsthere.NowordisenoughtoexpresswhatIwishtosay.Itishopedthatyouwilltakegoodcareofyourself.Iamlookingforwardtoareplyfromyou.PleaseconveymyregardstoyourmothersaswellastoFang-Liang,Wei-Kuoandthechildren.Bestwishestoyou.

106LiaoChengzhi注释(1)“咫尺之隔，竟成海天之遥”的原译为Nooneeverexpectedthatastripofwatershouldhavebecomesovastadistance，未充分表达原文的感叹语气以及“海天之遥”与当时两岸的关系。现改译为Whowouldhaveexpectedthattheshortdistancebetweenusshouldbekeepinguspolesapart，其中polesapart作widelyseparated解。此句形式上为疑问句，实为感叹句，故句尾接感叹号。(2)“幼时同袍，苏京把晤，往事历历在目”的原译为FromourchildhoodfriendshiptoourchatsintheSovietcapital,everythinginthepastisstillaliveinmymemory，基本上逐字直译，流畅不足。现改译为ThedayswespenttogetherinchildhoodaswellaslaterintheSovietcapital,however,arestillasfreshaseverinmymemory，其中arestillasfreshasever比stillremainfresh强调。(3)“近闻政躬违和，深为悬念”的原译为RecentlyIwastoldthatyouaresomewhatindisposedandthishascausedmemuchconcern，采用复合句逐字直译，欠简练。现用简单句改译为Recentlyitfilledmewithmuchconcerntolearnofyourindisposition。(4)“我党一再倡议贵我两党举行谈判，同捐前嫌”的原译为ourpartyhasrepeatedlyproposedtalkswithyourpartytoburythehatchet。为了避免party一词的重复出现，现改译为wehaverepeatedlyproposedbilateraltalksbetweenthetwopartiestoletbygonesbebygones。(5)“共竟祖国统一大业”的原译为workjointlytoaccomplishthegreatcauseofnationalreunification。为突出“共同力求”的内涵，现将此句改译为strivetogetherforthegreatcauseofnationalreunification。(6)“世交深情，于公于私，理当进言”原译为Consideringboththepublicinterestsandourclosefriendshipwhichhaslastedforgenerations,IregarditasmydutytooffersomeadvicewhichIhopeyouwillconsidercarefully，其中有三处欠妥：１，“于公于私”译为thepublicinterests，未交代“于私”；２，“世交深情”中“世交”实际上只从双方父辈（廖仲恺和蒋介石）开始，原译却把它扩大到“祖祖辈辈”（forgenerations）；３，句子欠紧凑。现改译为inviewofthepublicandpersonalconcernsaswellasthelong-standingdeepfriendshipbetweenourtwofamilies,Ifeelduty-boundtoofferyouawordofadviceforcarefulconsideration。(7)“乃千秋功业”译为agreatachievementtogodowninhistory，其中togodown是成语，作“被载入”解，也可译为toberecordedinhistory。(8)“计利当计天下利，求明应求万世名”译为theintereststobeconsideredshouldbetheinterestsofall;thefametobesoughtshouldbeaneverlastingfame，前后都是简单句，形成排比。原译为theintereststobeconsideredshouldbetheinterestsofall;thefametobesoughtshouldbeafamethatwouldlastforever，前后稍欠匀称。(9)“倘能于吾弟手中成此伟业”译为ifyoushouldbeinstrumentalinbringingaboutthegreatcauseofnationalreunification，其中instrumental作“有助于”（helpful）解。原译为ifthegreatcauseofnationalreunificationwouldbeaccomplishedthroughyourwork，语言欠地道。又would一词用得欠规范，就改为should。(10)“功在国家，名留青史”译为yourmeritoriousservicetothecountrywillearnyouanicheinthetempleoffame，其中anicheinthetempleoffame是成语，作“流芳百世”解，与alastingfame同义。(11)“明若吾弟，自当了然”译为thisshouldbecrystalcleartoamanofyourwisdom。原译为thisisofcoursequietclearforamanasintelligentasyou。注意wisdom着重“判断是非的能力”，intelligent着重“理解力”。(12)“委之异日”译为sleepingovertheproblem，其中sleepover或sleepon是成语，作“暂缓对……作出决定”(topostponeadecisionabout…)解。原译是leavingtheproblemtootherdays。(13)“难辞其咎”译为hardlybeabletoescapecensure，其中censure和theblame同义，但更有力。(14)“当断不断，必受其乱”译为tobeirresolutewhenapromptdecisionshouldbetakenwouldonlyspelldisaster，其中spell作“招致”、“带来”解。(15)“孙先生手创之中国国民党，历尽艰辛，无数先烈前仆后继，终于推翻帝制，建立民国”原译为theKuomintangfoundedbyDr.SunYat-senenduredcountlesshardshipsandfinallyoverthrewthemonarchyandestablishedtherepublic;numerousrevolutionariesadvancedwaveafterwaveandlaiddowntheirlivesforthecause，其中把“无数先烈前仆后继”单独译成一句，使全段缺乏连贯性，层次不清。现改译为aftergoingthroughuntoldhardshipsduringwhichcountlessrevolutionariesunflinchinglylaiddowntheirlives,theKuomintangfoundedbyDr.SunYat-senfinallyoverthrewthemonarchyandestablishedtherepublic(16)“事虽经纬万端，但纵观全局，合则对国家有利，分则必伤民族元气”的原译为thoughthematterwasascomplicatedascouldbe,anall-roundviewofthesituationwouldshowthatcooperationisbeneficialtothecountryandthenationwhiledivisionisdetrimentaltothem，其中未能用简练的手法表达原文后半部的排比结构；同时would一词也用得欠规范。现改译为Complicatedasthematterwas,anoverallview

107ofthesituationwillshowthatunited,thecountryandthenationbenefit;divided,theysuffer。(17)“双方领导，同窗挚友，彼此相知，谈之更易”的原译为itwouldbeeasiertotalkthematteroverwhenleadersonbothsidesusedtobeschoolmatesandclosefriendswhoknowoneanotherwell，其中后半部分缺乏逻辑性。现改译为leadersfrombothsideswillfinditeasertotalkthematteroversincetheyknoweachotherwell,havingformerlybeenschoolmatesandclosefriends。(18)“应天下为公，以国家民族利益为最高准则”意即“应一心为公，以国家民族利益高于一切”，故英译为shouldbepublic-mindedandputtheinterestsofthecountryandthenationaboveall。原译为shouldbearinmindthepublicinterestsofthecountryandthenation,andusethisasthesupremecriterion，与原文意思有出入，原因是对原文理解仅限于某些字面。(19)“识者皆以为太不现实，未免自欺欺人”译为areregardedbyallthinkingpeopleasunrealistic,deceptiveandostrich-like，其中thinkingpeople意即“有见解的人”；ostrichlike本来的意思是“鸵鸟般的”或“藏头露尾的”现作“自欺的”解。(20)“偏安之局”的意思为“偏据一方以自安”，故译为contentasyouarewithyourpresentruleoverthetighteasterncorner。(21)“有识之士，虑已及此”意即“有头脑的人都已经为此担忧”。原译为thisisaquestionthosewhoaresensiblearealreadyturningoverintheirminds。现改译为Thisisaquestionalreadyonthemindsofthinkingpeople。(22)“事关国民党兴亡绝续”的原译为ItinvolvesthesurvivalanddevelopmentoftheKuomintang，其中把“兴亡绝续“译为survivalanddevelopment，与原意有出入。现将原句改译为ItisamatterofsurvivalorextinctionfortheKuomintang。(23)“与先人同在”的原译为bereunitedwiththeforefathers，稍欠自然。现改译为beamongtheforefather。(24)“蒋氏两代对历史有所交代”的原译为thiswouldbeananswerofthetwogenerationsoftheChiangstohistory，由于逐字直译，未能达意。现改译为youwillhavefulfilledthetaskimposedonyouandyourfatherbyhistory。(25)“一切操之在己”的上一句为“决非命运安排”，故英译时按“由自己掌握命运”的意思译为Youyourselfalonearemasterofyourownfate。原译为Everythingdependsonyourself。(26)“夜长梦多”中的“梦”为“恶梦”，比喻“不好的事”或“节外生枝”，故译为全句为Alongnightinvitesbaddreams。原译为Alongnightisfraughtwithdreams。(27)“善为抉择”的意思应为“作出明智的选择”，故译为willmakeawisechoice。(28)“不禁神驰”译为myheartcannothelpgoingoutto…，其中togooutto是成语，作“在感情上被……所吸引”（beemotionallydrawnto）解。(29)“伫候复音”的原译为Iamwaitingimpatientlyforareply。现改译为I’mlookingforwardtoareplyfromyou。附：新华社英译电讯稿DearbrotherChing-Kuo,Nooneeverexpectedthatatripofwatershouldhavebecomesovastadistance.Itisnow36yearssinceourbriefrendezvousinNanjing.FromourchildhoodfriendshiptoourchatsintheSovietcapital,everythinginthepastisstillaliveinmymemory.Butit’sunfortunatethatwehaven’theardfromeachotherforsomanyyears.RecentlyIwastoldthatyouaresomewhatindisposedandthishascausedmemuchconcern.Menintheirseventiesareoftenafflictedwithillness.Isincerelyhopethatyouwilltakegoodcareofyourself.Overthepastthreeyears,ourpartyhasrepeatedlyproposedtalkswithyourpartytoburythehatchetandworkjointlytoaccomplishthegreatcauseofnationalreunification.Butyouhavetimeandagainannouncedthatthereshouldbe“nocontact,notalksandnocompromise”,whichIthinkisinadvisable.Consideringboththepublicinterestsandourclosefriendshipwhichhaslastedforgenerations,IregarditasmydutytooffersomeadviceIhopeyouwillconsidercarefully.Thepeacefulreunificationofthemotherlandwouldbeagreatachievementtoberecodedinhistory.Taiwanisboundtoreturntotheembraceofthemotherlandeventually.Anearlysettlementwouldbeintheinterestsofall.ThecompatriotsinTaiwanwouldbeabletoliveinpeaceandhappiness,thepeopleofallnationalitiesonbothsidesoftheTaiwanstraitswouldnolongerhavetoendurethepainsofseparationfromtheirkithandkin,andtheeldersinTaiwanandthosewhohavemovedtherefromthemainlandwouldallbeproperlyplacedandprovidedfor.AndthiswouldcontributetothestabilityofAsiaandthePacificregionaswellastotheworldpeace.Youusedtospuryourselfonwiththeaxiom:“Theintereststobeconsideredshouldbetheinterestsofall;thefametobesought

108shouldbeafamethatwouldlastforever.”Ifthegreatcauseofreunificationwouldbeaccomplishedthroughyourwork,youwillcertainlywintheesteemofthenationandthepraiseofall.Youwouldbedoingameritoriousservicetothecountryandyournamewouldbeinscribedinthetempleoffame.Itispreposteroustoregardsuchaserviceasa“guilt”.Afterall,puttingupinthattighteasterncornerisnotalong-termsolution.Thisisofcoursequietclearforamanasintelligentasyou.Hesitation,procrastinationorleavingtheproblemtootherdayswouldonlyleadtodifficultyanddistressandyou,mybrother,wouldhardlybeabletoescapetheblame.Moreover,peacefulreunificationisentirelyaninternalaffairofChina.ThoseoutsiderswhotalkgliblyaboutithavedesignsonourTaiwan.Thisiscommonknowledge.Whenadecisionneedstobemade,irresolutionisboundtobringtrouble.Ihopeyouwillconsiderthiscarefully.TheKuomintangfoundedbyDr.SunYat-senenduredcountlesshardshipsandfinallyoverthrewthemonarchyandestablishedtherepublic;numerousrevolutionariesadvancedwaveafterwaveandlaiddowntheirlivesforthecause.Historyhasrecordedthisasgloriouscontribution.TheKuomintangandtheCommunistPartytwicecooperatedandonbothoccasionstheymadetremendouscontributionstothecountryandthenation.Weknowsomethingaboutthefirstcooperation,ledbyDr.SunYat-sen,thoughwewerestillyoungatthattime.Thesecondcooperationproceededwithyourfatherinthechairand,asparticipantsinit,weshouldknowwhatitwasallabout.Thoughthematterwasascomplicatedascouldbe,anall-roundviewofthesituationwouldshowthatcooperationisbeneficialtothecountryandthenationwhiledivisionisdetrimentaltothem.SinceyouarepresidingovertheadministrationofTaiwan,youhaveunshirkableresponsibilityfortherealizationofcooperationforthethirdtime.Itwouldbeeasiertotalkthematteroverwhenleadersonbothsidesusedtobeschoolmatesandclosefriendswhoknowoneanotherwell.Ifinditreallyhardformetosubscribetothoseviewswhichdescribecooperationas“surrender”,“humiliating”,“sufferinglosses”or“beingduped”.Inreviewinghistoryorlookingforwardtothefuture,oneshouldbearinmindthepublicinterestsofthecountryandthenation,andusethisasthesupremecriterion,insteadofbasingoneselfonaparty’sselfishinterests.Suchtalksas“reunifyingChinawiththeThreePeople’sPrinciples”areregardedbyallsensiblepeopleasunrealistic,deceptiveandself-deceiving.PeopleofourgenerationknowthetruemeaningoftheoftheThreePeople’sprinciplesquietwellandthereisnoneedtoargueaboutit.NeitheristhereanyneedtodwellonsuchassertionsasTaiwan’s“economicprosperity,democracyandeasylivelihood”,thetruthofwhichthevenerablegentlemeninTaiwanknowclearly.Forthesakeofyourparty,Iwouldthinkthatifyouwouldtakeupthehistoricresponsibilityandresolutelytakepartinpeacetalktoaccomplishnationalreunificationasrequiredbytimeandtide,thetwopartieswouldbeabletoco-existforalongtimetocome,supervisingeachotherwhilejoiningingloriousefforttorevitalizeChina.Otherwisehowcouldthesituationexistinginthatsmallcornertobemaintainedforlong?Thisisaquestionthosewhoaresensiblearealreadyturningoverintheirminds.ItinvolvesthesurvivalanddevelopmentoftheKuomintangandIhopeyouwillthinkitoveragain.Irecentlyreadoneofyourwritingsinwhichyouexpressed“ferventhopesthatmyfather’ssoulwouldbeabletoreturntothehomelandandbereunitedwiththeforefathers”.IwasoverwhelmedwithemotionwhenIreadthis.TheremainsofyourfatherarestillplacedtemporarilyatCihu.Afterreunification,theyshouldbemovedbackandburiedinthenativesoil—inFenghua,NanjingorLushan—infulfillmentofyourfilialwishes.Yourecentlysaid,“filialdevotionshouldbeexpandedintonationaldevotion,whichmeansloveofthenationanddedicationtothecountry.”Thisisanexcellentstatement.Whydon’tyouapplyittothegreatcauseofnationalreunification?Asfarasthecountryandthenationareconcerned,thiswouldbeananswerofthetwogenerationsoftheChiangstohistory;asfarasyouyourselfareconcerned,thiswouldbeanexpressionofbothloyaltyandfilialpiety.Otherwisehowcouldyouaccountforyourselfafteryourpassingaway?Itishopedthatyouwouldthinkmoreaboutit.Dearbrother!Yourlifehasbeenmarkedbyfrustrations,whichshouldnotbeattributedtofate.Everythingdependsonyourself.Thegoodandilltobejudgedinthenextthousandyearshingesonthedecisioniscapricious.ThroughoutTaiwanpeopleofallstrataaretalkingabouttheirfuture.Timedoesnotstayandbriefistheday.Alongnightisfraughtwithdreams;timedoesnotwaitforus.Ihopeyou,mybrother,wouldbegoodatmakingthechoiceandrepairthehousebeforeitrains.“Vastistheexpanseofskyandwater.Whatareyouwaitingfor,stayingawayfromhome?”Thelongingforoldfriendsgrowswithage.Ifitisconvenienttoyou,IwouldpackandsetoutforavisittoTaibeitoseekenlightenmentfromourelders.“Forallthedisastersthebrotherhoodhasremained;asmileatmeetingandenmityisbanished.”WhenIlook

109towardsthedistantsouthernsky,myheartisalreadythere.NowordisenoughtoexpresswhatIwishtosay.Itishopedthatyouwilltakegoodcareofyourself.Iamwaitingimpatientlyforareply.PleaseconveymyregardstoyourmotheraswellastoFang-Liang,Wei-Kuoandthechildren.Bestwishestoyou.LiaoChengzhiJuly24,19821982年宋美龄致廖承志公开信承志世侄：七月廿四日致经国函，已在报章阅及。经国主政，负有对我中华民国赓续之职责，故其一再声言“不接触，不谈判，不妥协”，乃是表达我中华民国、中华民族及中国国民党浩然正气使之然也。余阅及世侄电函，本可一笑置之。但念及五十六七年前事，世侄尚属稚年，此中真情肯綮，殊多隔阂。余与令尊仲恺先生及令堂廖夫人，曩昔在广州大元帅府，得曾相识，嗣后，我总理在平病况阽危，甫值悍匪孙美瑶在临城绑劫蓝钢车案后，津浦铁路中断，大沽口并已封港，乃只得与大姊孔夫人绕道买棹先至青岛，由胶济路北上转平，时逢祁寒，车厢既无暖气，又无膳食饮料，车上水喉均已冰冻，车到北平前门车站，周身既抖且僵。离沪时即知途程艰难，甚至何时或可否能如期到达目的地，均难逆料，而所以赶往者，乃与总理之感情，期能有所相助之处，更予二家姐孙夫人精神上之奥援，于此时期中，在铁狮子胡同，与令堂朝夕相接，其足令余钦佩者，乃令堂对总理之三民主义，救国宏图，娓娓道来，令余惊讶不已。盖我国民党党人，固知推翻满清，改革腐陈，大不乏人，但一位从未浸受西方教育之中国女子而能了解西方传来之民主意识，在五十余年前实所罕见。余认其为一位真正不可多得之三民主义信徒也。令尊仲恺先生乃我黄埔军校之党代表，夫黄埔乃我总理因宅心仁恕，但经多次浇漓经验，痛感投机分子之不可恃，决心手创此一培养革命精锐武力之军校，并将此尚待萌芽之革命军人魂，交付二人，即是将校长之职，委予先总统，以灌输革命思想，予党代表委诸令尊，其遴选之审慎，自不待言。观诸黄埔以后成效，如首先敉平陈炯明骁将林虎、洪兆麟后，得统一广东。接着以北伐进度之神速，令国民革命军军誉鹊起，威震全国，犹忆在北伐军总司令出发前夕，余与孙夫人，大兄子文先生等参加黄埔阅兵典礼，先总统向学生训话时，再次称廖党代表对本党之勋猷（此时廖先生已不幸遭凶物故，世侄虽未及冠，已能体会失怙之痛矣。）再次言及仲恺先生对黄埔之贡献时，先总统热泪盈眶，其真挚恸心，形于词色，闻之者莫不动容，谅今时尚存之当时黄埔学生，必尚能追忆及之。余认为仲恺先生始终是总理之忠实信徒，真如世侄所言，为人应“忠孝两全”，倘谓仲恺先生乃乔装为三民主义及总理之信徒，而实际上乃为潜伏国民党内者，则岂非有亏忠贞？若仲恺先生矢心忠贞，则岂非世侄有亏孝道耶？若忠孝皆肭（注“肭”为不任事与不足之意），则廖氏父子二代对历史岂非茫然自失，将如何作交代耶？此意尚望三思。再者在所谓“文化大革命”斗臭、斗垮时期，闻世侄亦被列入斗争对象，虎口余生，亦云不幸之大幸，世侄或正以此认为聊可自慰。日本读卖新闻数年前报导，中共中央下令对全国２９省市，进行归纳，总结出一“正式”统计数字，由１９６６年开始，到１９７６年１０年之内，被迫害而死者有２，０００万人，波及遭殃者至６亿人。云南盛内蒙古等地，有７２７，０００名干部遭到迫害，其中３４，０００人被害致死。《北京日报》亦曾报导，北京市政府人员在“文革”中，就有１２０００人被杀，共党高层人物，如刘少奇、彭德怀、贺龙等人，均以充军及饥饿方式迫死，彼等如九泉有知，对大量干部自相残杀，豆萁相煎之手段，不知将作何想法？……世侄所道“外人巧言令色”旨哉斯言，莫非世侄默诋奸邪之媚外乎。相对言之，中华民国开国以来，除袁世凯之卑鄙觊觎野心失败外，纵军阀时代，亦莫敢窜改国号，中华民国自国民政府执政以来，始终以国父主义及爱国精神为基据，从未狮亵谀外，如将彼等巨像高悬全国，灵爽式凭，捧为所宗者，今天有正义感之犹太人尚唾弃其同宗之马克斯，乃共党竟奉之为神明，并以马列主义为我中华民族之训练，此正如郭沫若宣称“斯太林是我爸爸”，实无耻之尤，足令人作三日呕。或谓我总理联俄容共铸成大错，中国共产党曲解国父联合世界上以平等待我民族之要旨，断章取义，以国父容共一词为护身符，因此讳言国父批牍墨迹中曾亲批“以时局诚如来书所言，日人眼光远之人士，皆主结民党，共维东亚大局，其眼光短少之野心家，则另有肺腑也；现在民党，系联日为态度。”此一批示显见：（一）总理睿知，已洞察日本某些野心家将来之企图；（二）批示所书“现在”民党当以联日为态度，所言亦即谓一切依国家之需要而定。联日联俄均以当时平等待我为准绳。当时日本有助我之同情心，故总理乃以革命成功为先着，再者毋忘黄花岗七十二烈士中，有对中山先生肝胆相照之日本信徒为我革命而牺牲者。世侄在万籁俱寂时，谅亦曾自忖一生，波劫重重，在抗战前后，若非先总统怀仁念旧，则世侄何能脱囹圄之厄，生命之忧，致尚冀三次合作，岂非梦呓？又岂不明黄台之瓜不堪三摘之至理耶？此时大陆山头主义更为猖獗，贪污普遍，贿赂公行，特权阶级包庇徇私，萋萋叠闻：“走后门”之为也牲牲（注“牲牲”

110众多也。）皆是，祸在萧墙，是不待言，敏若世侄，抑有思及终生为蟒螫所利用，随时领导一更，政策亦变，旦夕为危，终将不免否？过去毛酋秉权，一日数惊，斗争侮辱，酷刑处死，任其摆布，人权尊严，悉数荡尽，然若能敝帚自珍，幡然来归，以承父志，澹泊改观，养颐天年，或能予以参加建国工作之机会。倘执迷不醒，他日光复大陆，则诸君仍可冉冉超生，若愿欣赏雪窦风光，亦决不必削发，以净余劫，回头是岸，愿扪心自问。款款之诚，书不尽意。顺祝安谧民国７１年８月１７日宋美龄贾平凹：丑石我常常遗憾我家门前的那块丑石呢：它黑黝黝地卧在那里，牛似的模样；谁也不知道是什么时候留在这里的，谁也不去理会它。只是麦收时节，门前摊了麦子，奶奶总是要说：这块丑石，多碍地面哟，多时把它搬走吧。Iusedtofeelsorryforthatuglyblackpieceofstonelyinglikeanoxinfrontofourdoor;noneknewwhenitwasleftthereandnonepaidanyattentiontoit,exceptatthetimewhenwheatwasharvestedandmygrandma,seeingthegrainsofwheatspreadalloverthegroundinthefrontyardofthehouse,wouldgrumble:"Thisuglystonetakessomuchspace.Moveitawaysomeday."于是，伯父家盖房，想以它垒山墙，但苦于它极不规则，没棱角儿，也没平面儿；用堑破开吧，又懒得花那么大气力，因为河滩并不甚远，随便去掬一块回来，哪一块也比它强。一年，来了一个石匠，为我家洗一台石磨，奶奶又说：用这块丑石吧，省得从远处搬动。石匠看了看，摇着头，嫌它石质太细，也不采用。Thusmyunclehadwantedtouseitforthegablewhenhewasbuildingahouse,buthewastroubledtofinditofveryirregularshape,withnoedgesnorcorners,noraflatplaneonit.Andhewouldn’tbothertobreakitinhalfwithachiselbecausetheriverbankwasnearby,wherehecouldhaveeasilyfetchedamuchbetterstoneinstead.Evenwhenmyunclewasbusywiththeflightofstepsleadingtothenewhousehedidn’ttakeafancytotheuglystone.oneyearwhenamasoncameby,weaskedhimtomakeusastonemillwithit.Asmygrandmaputit:"Whynottakethisone,soyouwon’thavetofetchonefromafar."Butthemasontookalookandshookhishead:Hewouldn’ttakeitforitwasoftoofineaquality.它不像汉白玉那样的细腻，可以凿下刻字雕花，也不像大青石那样的光滑，可以供来浣纱捶布；它静静地卧在那里，院边的槐荫没有庇覆它，花儿也不再在它身边生长。荒草便繁衍出来，枝蔓上下，慢慢地，竟锈上了绿苔、黑斑。我们这些做孩子的也讨厌起它夹。曾合伙要搬走它，但力气又不足；虽时时咒骂它，嫌弃它，也无可奈何，只好任它留在那里去了。ItwasnotlikeafinePieceofwhitemarbleonwhichwordsorflowerscouldbecarved,norlikeasmoothbigbluishstonePeopleusedtowashtheirclotheson.Thestonejustlaythereinsilence,enjoyingnoshadingfromthePagodatreesbytheyard,norflowersgrowingarounditAsaresultweedsmultipliedandstretchedalloverit,theirstemsandtendrilsgraduallycoveredwithdarkgreenspotsofmoss.Wechildrenbegantodislikethestonetoo,andwouldhavetakenitawayifwehadbeenstrongenough;allwecoulddoforthepresentwastoleaveitalone,despiteourdisgustorevencurses.稍稍能安慰我们的，是在那石上有一个不大不小的坑凹儿，雨天就盛满了水。常常雨过三天了，地上已经干燥，那石凹里水儿还有，鸡儿便去那里渴饮。每每到了十五的夜晚，我们盼着满月出来，就爬到其上，翘望天边；奶奶总是要骂的，害怕我们摔下来。果然那一次就摔了下来，磕破了我的膝盖呢。人人都骂它是丑石，它真是丑得不能再丑的丑石了。TheonlythingthathadinterestedusintheuglystonewasalittlepitontoPofit，whichwasfilledwithwateronrainydays.Threedaysafterarainfall,usually,whenthegroundhadbecomedry,therewasstillwaterinthepit,wherechickenswenttodrinkAndeverymonthwhenitcametotheeveningofthe15thoflunarcalendar,wewouldclimbontothestone,lookingupatthesky,hopingtoseethefullmooncomeoutfromfaraway.AndGrannywouldgiveusascolding,afraidlestweshouldfalldown—andsureenough,Ifelldownoncetohavemykneebroken.Soeverybodycondemnedthestone:anuglystone,asuglyasitcouldbe.终有一日，村子里来了一个天文学家。他在我家门前路过，突然发现了这块石头，眼光立即就拉直了。他再没有走去，就住了下来；以后又来了好些人，说这是一块陨石，从天上落下来已经有二三百年了，是一件了不起的东西。不久便来了车，小心翼翼地将它运走了。Thenonedayanastronomercametothevillage.Helookedthestonesquareintheeyethemomenthecameacrossit.Hedidn’ttakehisleavebutdecidedtostayinourvillage.Quiteanumberofpeoplecameafterwards,sayingthestonewasaPieceofaerolitewhichhadfallendownfromtheskytwoorthreehundredyearsago一whatawonderindeed!Prettysoonatruckcameandcarrieditawaycarefully.这使我们都很惊奇！这又怪又丑的石头，原来是天上的呢！它补过天，在天上发过热，闪过光，我们的先祖或许仰望过它，它给了他们光明、向往、憧憬；而它落下来了，在污土里，荒草里，一躺就是几百年了？！Itgaveusagreatsurprise!Wehadneverexpectedthatsuchastrangeanduglystoneshouldhavecomefromthesky!Soithadoncemendedthesky,givenoutitsheatandlightthere，andourancestorsshouldhavelookedupatit.Ithadgiventhemlight,brought-themhopesandexpectations,andthenithadfallendowntotheearth,inthemudandamongtheweeds,lyingthereforhundredsofyears!奶奶说：“真看不出！它那么不一般，却怎么连墙也垒不成，台阶也垒不成呢？”“它是太丑了。”天文学家说。“真的，是太丑了。”“可这正是它的美！”天文学家说，“它是以丑为美的。”“以丑为美？”“是的，丑到极处，便是美到极处。正因为它不是一般的顽石，当然不能去做墙，做台阶，不能去雕刻，捶布。它不是做这些小玩意儿的，所以常常就遭到一般世俗的讥讽。”奶奶脸红了，

111我也脸红了。Mygrandmasaid:"1neverexpecteditshouldbesogreat!Butwhycan’tPeoplebuildawallorpavestepswithit?""It’stoougly,"Theastronomersaid."sure,it’sreallysougly.""Butthat’sjustwhereitsbeautylies!"Theastronomersaid,"itsbeautycomesfromitsugliness.""Beautyfromugliness?""Yes.Whensomethingbecomestheugliest,itturnsoutthemostbeautifulindeed.ThestoneisnotanordinaryPieceofinsensatestone,itshouldn’tbeusedtobuildawallorpavethesteps,tocarvewordsorflowersortowashclotheson.It’snotthematerialforthosepettycommonthings,andnowonderit’sridiculedoftenbypeoplewithpettycommonviews."Mygrandmabecameblushed,andsodidI.我感到自己的可耻，也感到了丑石的伟大；我甚至怨恨它这么多年竟会默默地忍受着这一切，而我又立即深深地感到它那种不屈于误解、寂寞的生存的伟大。IfeelshamewhileIfeelthegreatnessoftheuglystone;Ihaveevencomplainedaboutithavingpocketedsilentlyallithadexperiencedforsomanyyears,butagainIamstruckbythegreatnessthatliesinitslonelyunyieldingexistenceofbeingmisunderstoodbypeople.