就义诗
Facing Martyrdom
吉鸿昌
Ji Hongchang*
恨不抗日死，
What chagrin! – not on the field to be (Fighting the Japs) found dead!
留作今日羞。
But survived to suffer this present infamy!
国破尚如此，
While e’en my country is dismembered so,
我何惜此头。
What care I it is me they behead?
注释：
* Ji Hongchang (1895-1933), a general from Henan Province who joined the Chinese Communist Party in 1932 and was arrested and later executed in 1933 by the Kuomintang. This poem was written on the ground with a twig, on his way to execution. It was copied down by his brother-in-law. （王知还 译）
就义诗
Lines Written Before Execution*
吉鸿昌
Ji Hongchang (1895-1933)
恨不抗日死，
Would I could have given my life resisting Japan,
留作今日羞。
instead of being kept alive to suffer this disgrace.
国破尚如此，
With once country smashed and in this sorry state
我何惜此头。
Why should I begrudge her my head too?
注释
* General Ji wrote this poem with a twig in the dust on the execution ground before he met death at the hands of the Kuomintang. （Rewi Alley 译）
荷塘月色
The Moonlit Lotus Pond
朱自清
Zhu Ziqing
这几天心里颇不宁静。
These past few days I have been exceedingly restless.
今晚在院子里坐着乘凉，忽然想起日日走过的荷塘，
This evening, as I sat in my courtyard enjoying the cool night air, I suddenly thought of the lotus pond along which I was used to taking daily walks,
在这满月的光里，总该另有一番样子吧。
and I imagined that it must look quite different under the light of this full moon.
月亮渐渐地升高了，墙外马路上孩子们的欢笑，已经听不见了；
Slowly the moon climbed in the sky, and beyond the wall the laughter of children playing on the road could no longer be heard.
妻在屋里拍着闰儿，迷迷糊糊地哼着眠歌。
My wife was inside patting Run’er* as she hummed a faint lullaby.
我悄悄地披了大衫，带上门出去。
I gently threw a wrap over my shoulders and walked out, closing the gate behind me.
沿着荷塘，是一条曲折的小煤屑路。
Bordering the pond is a meandering little cinder path.
这是一条幽僻的路；白天也少人走，夜晚更加寂寞。
It is a secluded path; during the day few people use it, and at night it is even lonelier.
荷塘四周，长着许多树，蓊蓊郁郁的。
There are great numbers of trees growing on all sides of the lotus pond, lush and fertile.
路的一旁，是些杨柳，和一些不知道名字的树。
On one side of the path there are some willow trees and several varieties of trees whose names I do not know.
没有月光的晚上，这路上阴森森的，有些怕人。
On moonless nights this path is dark and forbidding, giving one an eerie feeling.
今晚却很好，虽然月光也还是淡淡的。
But this evening it was quite nice, even though the rays of the moon were pale.
路上只我一个人，背着手踱着。
Finding myself alone on the path, I folded my hands behind me and strolled along.
这一片天地好像是我的；我也像超出了平常的自己，到了另一个世界里。
The stretch of land and sky that spread out before me seemed to belong to me, and I could transcend my own experience and enter another world.
我爱热闹，也爱冷静；爱群居，也爱独处。
I love noise, but I also love quiet; I love crowds, but I also love seclusion.
像今晚上，一个人在这苍茫的月下，什么都可以想，什么都可以不想，
On a night like tonight, all alone under this vast expanse of moonlight, I can think whatever I wish, or think of nothing if I wish.
便觉是个自由的人。
I feel myself to be a truly free man.
白天里一定要做的事，一定要说的话，现在都可不理。
The things I must do and the words I must say during the daytime I need not concern myself with now;
这是独处的妙处，我且受用这无边的荷香月色好了。
this is an exquisite secluded spot, a place where I can enjoy the limitless fragrance of the lotuses and the light of the moon.
曲曲折折的荷塘上面，弥望的是田田的叶子。
On the surface of the winding and twisting lotus pond floated an immense field of leaves.
叶子出水很高，像亭亭的舞女的裙。
The leaves lay high in the water, rising up like the skirts of a dancing girl.
层层的叶子中间，零星地点缀着些白花，有袅娜地开着的，有羞涩地打着朵儿的；
Amid the layers of leaves white blossoms adorned the vista, some beguilingly open and others bashfully holding their petals in.
正如一粒粒的明珠，又如碧天里的星星，又如刚出浴的美人。
Just like a string of bright pearls or stars in a blue sky, or like lovely maidens just emerging from their bath.
微风过处，送来缕缕清香，仿佛远处高楼上渺茫的歌声似的。
A gentle breeze floated by, bringing with it waves of a crisp fragrance like strains of a vague melody sent over from distant towering buildings.
这时候叶子与花也有一丝的颤动，像闪电般，霎时传过荷塘的那边去了。
When that happened, the leaves and blossoms trembled briefly, as though a bolt of lightning had streaked across the lotus pond.
叶子本是肩并肩密密地挨着，这便宛然有了一道凝碧的波痕。
The leaves themselves were densely crowded together, pushing back and forth, and they seemed to be a cresting wave of solid green.
叶子底下是脉脉的流水，遮住了，不能见一些颜色；而叶子却更见风致了。
Beneath the leaves restrained currents of water flowed, imprisoned beneath them, the color forever hidden, while the stirrings of the leaves were even more pronounced.
月光如流水一般，静静地泻在这一片叶子和花上。
The moon’s rays were like flowing waters, gently depositing their moisture on the layer of leaves and blossoms.
薄薄的青雾浮起在荷塘里。
A light green mist floated just above the lotus pond.
叶子和花仿佛在牛乳中洗过一样；又像笼着轻纱的梦。
The leaves and blossoms looked as though they had been bathed in milk, or like a blurred dream swathed in airy gauze.
虽然是满月，天上却有一层淡淡的云，所以不能朗照；
Although the moon was full, a light covering of clouds in the sky prevented it from shining brightly;
但我以为这恰是到了好处——
yet I had the pleasant feeling that I had come to a fine spot.
酣眠固不可少，小睡也别有风味的。
For just as one cannot do without deep slumber, still a light sleep has its own delights.
月光是隔了树照过来的，高处丛生的灌木，落下参差的斑驳的黑影，峭楞楞如鬼一般；
The moon’s rays filtered down through the trees, and dark, uneven shadows of varying shades were cast by the dense foliage on the high ground, perilously dark and spooky.
弯弯的杨柳的稀疏的倩影，却又像是画在荷叶上。
The bewitching shadows cast by the sparse, twisted willow trees seemed to be painted on the lotus leaves.
塘中的月色并不均匀；但光与影有着和谐的旋律，如梵婀玲上奏着的名曲。
The moonlight on the pond was spread unevenly, but the rays and the shadows were a concert of harmony, like a celebrated tune played on a violin.
荷塘的四面，远远近近，高高低低都是树，而杨柳最多。
On all sides of the lotus pond, far and near, on high ground and low, there are trees, most of them willows.
这些树将一片荷塘重重围住；只在小路一旁，漏着几段空隙，像是特为月光留下的。
These trees completely envelop the whole of the lotus pond; only by the side of the path are there gaps, here and there showing through, seemingly left there just so the moon can shine in.
树色一例是阴阴的，
The colors of the trees are uniformly dark.
乍看像一团烟雾；但杨柳的丰姿，便在烟雾里也辨得出。
At first glance, they resemble a bank of fog and mist, but the slender, graceful forms of the willows can still be distinguished in that fog and mist.
树梢上隐隐约约的是一带远山，只有些大意罢了。
Above the treetops a row of mountains can be seen ever so indistinctly, just the hint of their shapes,
树缝里也漏着一两点路灯光，没精打采的，是渴睡人的眼。
while one or two faint glimmers of roadside lamps seep through the openings of the branches, appearing like the weary eyes of a tired man.
这时候最热闹的，要数树上的蝉声与水里的蛙声；
Now the spot was at its noisiest, if you count the chirping of cicadas in the trees and the croaking of frogs in the water.
但热闹是他们的，我什么也没有。
But the noise was theirs alone; I added nothing to it.
忽然想起采莲的事情来了。
All of a sudden, I was reminded of lotus gathering.
采莲是江南的旧俗，似乎很早就有，而六朝时为盛；
The gathering of lotuses is an old custom south of the Yangtze, whose origins probably date from very early on but that flourished during the Six Dynasty period.
从诗歌里可以约略知道。
This we know from the poems and ballads of the time.
采莲的是少年的女子，她们是荡着小船，唱着艳歌去的。
The lotus gatherers were young maidens who drifted in small boats and sang their songs of love.
采莲人不用说很多，还有看采莲的人。
It goes without saying that there were great numbers of lotus gatherers as well as those who came to watch them,
那是一个热闹的季节，也是一个风流的季节。
for that was a festive and a romantic occasion.
梁元帝《采莲赋》里说得好：
“The Lotus Gatherers” by Emperor Yuan of the Liang Dynasty tells it well:
于是妖童媛女，
Princely lads and alluring maidens
荡舟心许；
Adrift in a boat, their hearts in accord;
鷁首徐回，
The boat’s prow describes a slow turn
兼传羽杯；
As they exchange wine cups;
欋将移而藻挂，
The oars become intertwined,
船欲动而萍开。
And the boat moves across the floating duckweed;
尔其纤腰束素，
The maidens with their slender waists simply bound
迁延顾步；
Cast glances behind them.
夏始春余，
Summer begins where the spring leaves off;
叶嫩花初，
The leaves are tender, the flowers in bloom.
恐沾裳而浅笑，
Protecting their dresses from the dampness, smiles adorning their faces,
畏倾船而敛裾。
They gather up their skirts, taking care not to capsize the boat.
可见当时嬉游的光景了。
This paints for us a picture of the pleasant excursions of those days.
这真是有趣的事，可惜我们现在早已无福消受了。
They must have been truly memorable events; it is a pity that we can no longer enjoy such pastimes.
于是又记起《西洲曲》里的句子：
I then recalled the lines from “Tune of the West Isle”.
采莲南塘秋，
Gathering lotuses at Nantang in the fall,
莲花过人头；
The lotus blossoms rise above our heads.
低头弄莲子，
Bending over to pluck the lotus seeds,
莲子清如水。
Lotus seeds as transparent as the water.
今晚若有采莲人，这儿的莲花也算得“过人头”了；
If tonight there were lotus gatherers, the lotus blossoms here too would “rise above their heads.”
只不见一些流水的影子，是不行的。
But it is not enough to have before me only these rippling shadows.
这令我到底惦着江南了。
All of this stirred up in me a sense of longing for the South.
——这样想着，猛一抬头，不觉已是自己的门前；
With these thoughts in my mind, I suddenly raised my head and found that my steps had carried me to my own gate;
轻轻地推门进去，
I softly pushed it open and entered.
什么声息也没有，妻已睡熟好久了。
I was greeted by complete silence; my wife had long since fallen fast asleep.
注释：
* The name of one of the author’s children. （Howard Goldblatt 译）
石榴花
Pomegranate Flowers
周领顺
Zhou Lingshun
大千世界，万紫千红；五彩奇花，争艳斗胜。
The world is a blazing brilliance of colors, a dazzling flourish of flowers vying for charm.
名花有人攀附，野花招徕不屑。
While renowned flowers win sycophantic admiration, wild ones simply grow humbly unnoticed.
我却在不经意间瞥见一树红彤彤的石榴花，竟让我对这名花与野花之间之花，生出了一番感慨。
Pomegranate flowers, neither a prized species anymore, nor a wild type, evoked in me an unexpected sentiment of emotion after I, quite by accident, caught sight of a pomegranate tree glowing red with flowers.
或许她太过平常，童年至今，屡次相遇，竟不曾为其娇容所动。
Ever since my childhood, I have had different encounters with pomegranate flowers, and perhaps because they are much too ordinary I should have failed to be touched, not even once, by their charm.
就是在这几日，爱怜却兀自生起。
It is not until recently that I began to generate an affectionate fondness towards them.
六月初这几天，扬州的天气出奇地凉爽，颇有春暖乍寒之意。
Early June of this year saw in Yangzhou an unusually cool temperature, giving one the illusion of a returning early spring.
步行去学校，整整一个小时的路程，健身自不必说。
While I was walking to campus, the one-hour trip, which was definitely a good exercise,
路边的一草一木近在咫尺，多了亲密接触，
also brought closer contact with grass or trees adjacent to the roadside.
而接触时还免不得产生些许思绪。
As I was doing so, thoughts tended to arise involuntarily as well.
随手捡一截干瘪的树枝，推着往前走，童年时学着拖拉机前进的突突声又在耳畔响起；
I casually picked up a dry tree branch and walked it along as if I were maneuvering a tractor, its chugging tune that I once imitated as a child reverberating in my ears once more.
张嘴衔一片树叶，蹩脚的口技还能多多少少再现童年时弄叶的玩姿。
With a tree leaf placed between the lips, I was still able to whistle it, in an awkward fashion, evidencing my remaining competence in this childhood game with tree leaves.
每次步行，都能瞥见路边稍远处长着一棵树，好似结着泛红的果实。
Every time I went along the same route, I could always glimpse a distance away from the roadside a particular tree, which seemed to be bearing reddish fruits.
前两天路过时就光是那么想象：
Two days ago, I passed by it again, doubts in mind.
难道是一棵枇杷树结着生涩的果实？
Was it a loquat bearing astringent fruits?
难道是人家扬州人司空见惯了所以看不上？
Were the fruits so common that people had their nose turned up at them?
难道是人们的文明水平提高了，竟放纵这好果子自在生长？
Or, was it because people were better-nurtured now so that they pampered the free growth of the fruits?
管不了那么多，
Whatever the reason, I would not care.
童年爬树偷果子的情形一时占了上风，
Childhood experiences of stealing fruits in the tree were prompting me to have one more try.
乡间野趣原来就在这里。
What a rustic delight in doing that!
为饱口福，绕绕路，多走它几步。
To have a taste of the fruits, I changed my usual route, which only involved a little extra distance to cover.
可走到树下，不免怅然所望。
However, I approached only to see a pomegranate tree bearing red flowers, which let me down a little bit.
原来是一棵开着红花的石榴树，花太小，远看模糊。
Being small, the flowers were indistinguishable in the distance.
我说呢，
No wonder.
要是结着一树的宝贝，怎躲得过那些个“早起的鸟儿”呢！
How could a fruit-bearing tree have kept away the “early birds”?
既来之，则安之。
As the old Chinese saying goes, “Since I am here, let me stay and enjoy it”.
我对着这满树的红花细细地打量。
I started to observe the flowers intently.
有的花，可谓怒放，绸缎般的“石榴裙”紧束在“细腰”之上；“
Some flowers, in their full blossoms, were silky “pomegranate skirts” as it were, going tight and slender in the waist.
细腰”之侧，总有那么几枚未及开放的花骨朵儿，似“红果”头饰扎在小姑娘的头上。
And the “slender waists” were normally accompanied to the side by a couple of flower buds, which looked just like “red hawthorn fruits” embellishing the hairstyle of a little girl.
咦？小姑娘害羞了吧，
Why, are you shy little girls, blooming flowers?
俏模样藏在婆娑的树叶里，却掖不尽“榴月”（农历五月的古时雅称）里满身的“石榴红”。
You were hiding your pretty faces among rustling leaves, but you were not able to conceal all the “pomegranate red” bursting for this “pomegranate month” (an elegant name in the ancient times for the fifth month of the Chinese lunar calendar).
悠忽间，未及开放的花骨朵儿变成了二胡上的琴轸，“石榴裙”化作了唢呐，就连黄色的花蕊，也变作了小喇叭若隐若现的穗饰。
Then in a blinking moment, it was as if the flower buds turned into the pegs of urheens, the “pomegranate skirts” into the suona trumpets, and even the yellow stamens or pistils into the indistinct decorations of some hidden horns.
满树“乐器”，怎不闹春！
With all these “musical instruments” in the tree, what a loud celebration it was for the arrival of the spring!
我对石榴花可谓真情所至。
My passion for pomegranate flowers can well be described as true and genuine.
别人知其美却忽略其美，或因石榴花不像其他鲜花那么花香浓郁，
Aware as other people are of their beauty, they tend to turn a blind eye to it, probably because pomegranate flowers are not so scented,
或因石榴树是果树，石榴尚未结出，自然还未实现其最主要的价值。
or because pomegranate trees are fruit producers and can only prove their principal value when fruits are born.
但不管是为着花香，还是为着未来的果实，说到底，都带着那么点功利。是功利之心，遮掩了对美的赏析。
No matter whether for the scent or for the fruit, basically it is utilitarianism that cloaks people’s appreciative eye for the beauty of the flowers.
石榴花虽不馥郁，却有着别样美丽，
Pomegranate flowers, though not smelling sweet, are special in their beauty.
因不以花香媚俗，便不会招惹俗人折枝；
As they never please people by scent, they do not incur picking.
石榴花是“红颜”，不仅未遭“天妒”，且总能颐养天年。
They are “beauties”, and are able to grow elegantly and leisurely, free from “the jealousy of gods”.
石榴花，你个小精灵，我可是读懂了你！
Pomegranate flowers, you adorable little spirits, it’s me who knows you well! （周领顺、Lus Shil 译）
荷塘月色
Moonlight over the Lotus Pond
朱自清
Zhu Ziqing
这几天心里颇不宁静。
It has been rather disquieting these days.
今晚在院子里坐着乘凉，忽然想起日日走过的荷塘，在这满月的光里，总该另有一番样子吧。
Tonight, when I was sitting in the yard enjoying the cool, it occurred to me that the Lotus Pond, which I pass by every day, must assume quite a different look in such moonlit night.
月亮渐渐地升高了，墙外马路上孩子们的欢笑，已经听不见了；
A full moon was rising high in the sky; the laughter of children playing outside had died away;
妻在屋里拍着闰儿，迷迷糊糊地哼着眠歌。
in the room, my wife was patting the son, Run-er, sleepily humming a cradle song.
我悄悄地披了大衫，带上门出去。
Shrugging on an overcoat, quietly, I made my way out, closing the door behind me.
沿着荷塘，是一条曲折的小煤屑路。
Alongside the Lotus Pond runs a small cinder footpath.
这是一条幽僻的路；白天也少人走，夜晚更加寂寞。
It is peaceful and secluded here, a place not frequented by pedestrians even in the daytime; now at night, it looks more solitary,
荷塘四周，长着许多树，蓊蓊郁郁的。
in a lush, shady ambience of trees all around the pond.
路的一旁，是些杨柳，和一些不知道名字的树。
On the side where the path is, there are willows, interlaced with some others whose names I do not know.
没有月光的晚上，这路上阴森森的，有些怕人。今晚却很好，虽然月光也还是淡淡的。
The foliage, which, in a moonless night, would loom somewhat frighteningly dark, looks very nice tonight, although the moonlight is not more than a thin, greyish veil.
路上只我一个人，背着手踱着。
I am on my own, strolling, hands behind my back.
这一片天地好像是我的；我也像超出了平常的自己，到了另一个世界里。
This bit of the universe seems in my possession now; and I myself seem to have been uplifted from my ordinary self into another world,
我爱热闹，也爱冷静；爱群居，也爱独处。
I like a serene and peaceful life, as much as a busy and active one; I like being in solitude, as much as in company.
像今晚上，一个人在这苍茫的月下，什么都可以想，什么都可以不想，便觉是个自由的人。
As it is tonight, basking in a misty moonshine all by myself, I feel I am a free man, free to think of anything, or of nothing.
白天里一定要做的事，一定要说的话，现在都可不理。
All that one is obliged to do, or to say, in the daytime, can be very well cast a side now.
这是独处的妙处，
That is the beauty of being alone.
我且受用这无边的荷香月色好了。
For the moment, just let me indulge in this profusion of moonlight and lotus fragrance.
曲曲折折的荷塘上面，弥望的是田田的叶子。叶子出水很高，像亭亭的舞女的裙。
All over this winding stretch of water, what meets the eye is a silken field of leaves, reaching rather high above the surface, like the skirts of dancing girls in all their grace.
层层的叶子中间，零星地点缀着些白花，有袅娜地开着的，有羞涩地打着朵儿的；正如一粒粒的明珠，又如碧天里的星星，又如刚出浴的美人。
Here and there, layers of leaves are dotted with white lotus blossoms, some in demure bloom, others in shy bud, like scattering pearls, or twinkling stars, our beauties just out of the bath.
微风过处，送来缕缕清香，仿佛远处高楼上渺茫的歌声似的。
A breeze stirs, sending over breaths of fragrance, like faint singing drifting from a distant building.
这时候叶子与花也有一丝的颤动，像闪电般，霎时传过荷塘的那边去了。
At this moment, a tiny thrill shoots through the leaves and flowers, like a streak of lightning, straight across the forest of lotuses.
叶子本是肩并肩密密地挨着，这便宛然有了一道凝碧的波痕。
The leaves, which have been standing shoulder to shoulder, are caught trembling in an emerald heave of the pond.
叶子底下是脉脉的流水，遮住了，不能见一些颜色；而叶子却更见风致了。
Underneath, the exquisite water is covered from view, and none can tell its colour; yet the leaves on top project themselves all the more attractively.
月光如流水一般，静静地泻在这一片叶子和花上。薄薄的青雾浮起在荷塘里。
The moon sheds her liquid light silently over the leaves and flowers, which, in the floating transparency of a bluish haze from the pond,
叶子和花仿佛在牛乳中洗过一样；又像笼着轻纱的梦。
look as if they had just been bathed in milk, or like a dream wrapped in a gauzy hood.
虽然是满月，天上却有一层淡淡的云，所以不能朗照；但我以为这恰是到了好处——酣眠固不可少，小睡也别有风味的。
Although it is a full moon, shining through a film of clouds, the light is not at its brightest; it is, however, just right for me – a profound sleep is indispensable, yet a snatched doze also has a savour of its own.
月光是隔了树照过来的，高处丛生的灌木，落下参差的斑驳的黑影，峭楞楞如鬼一般；
The moonlight is streaming down through the foliage, casting bushy shadows on the ground from high above, dark and checkered, as grotesque as a party of spectres;
弯弯的杨柳的稀疏的倩影，却又像是画在荷叶上。
whereas the benign figures of the drooping willows, here and there, look like paintings on the lotus leaves.
塘中的月色并不均匀；但光与影有着和谐的旋律，如梵婀玲上奏着的名曲。
The moonlight is not spread evenly over the pond, but rather in a harmonious rhythm of light and shade, like a famous melody played on a violin.
荷塘的四面，远远近近，高高低低都是树，而杨柳最多。
Around the pond, far and near, high and low, are trees. Most of them are willows.
这些树将一片荷塘重重围住；只在小路一旁，漏着几段空隙，像是特为月光留下的。
Only on the path side can two or three gaps be seen through the heavy fringe, as if specially reserved for the moon.
树色一例是阴阴的，乍看像一团烟雾；但杨柳的丰姿，便在烟雾里也辨得出。
The shadowy shapes of the leafage at first sight seem diffused into a mass of mist, against which, however, the charm of those willow trees is still discernible.
树梢上隐隐约约的是一带远山，只有些大意罢了。
Over the trees appear some distant mountains, but merely in sketchy silhouette.
树缝里也漏着一两点路灯光，没精打采的，是渴睡人的眼。
Through the branches are also a couple of lamps, as listless as sleepy eyes.
这时候最热闹的，要数树上的蝉声与水里的蛙声；
The most lively creatures here, for the moment, must be the cicadas in the trees and the frogs in the pond.
但热闹是他们的，我什么也没有。
But the liveliness is theirs, I have nothing.
忽然想起采莲的事情来了。
Suddenly, something like lotus-gathering crosses my mind.
采莲是江南的旧俗，似乎很早就有，而六朝时为盛；
It used to be celebrated as a folk festival in the South, probably dating very far back in history, most popular in the period of Six Dynasties.
从诗歌里可以约略知道。
We can pick up some outlines of this activity in the poetry.
采莲的是少年的女子，她们是荡着小船，唱着艳歌去的。
It was young girls who went gathering lotuses, in sampans and singing love songs.
采莲人不用说很多，还有看采莲的人。
Needless to say, there were a great number of them doing the gathering, apart from those who were watching.
那是一个热闹的季节，也是一个风流的季节。
It was a lively season, brimming with vitality, and romance.
梁元帝《采莲赋》里说得好：
A brilliant description can be found in Lotus Gathering written by the Yuan Emperor of the Liang Dynasty:
于是妖童媛女，荡舟心许；鷁首徐回，兼传羽杯；
So those charming youngsters row their sampans, heart buoyant with tacit love, pass on to each other cups of wine while their bird-shaped prows drift around.
欋将移而藻挂，船欲动而萍开。
From time to time their oars are caught in dangling algae, and duckweed float apart the moment their boats are about to move on.
尔其纤腰束素，迁延顾步；
Their slender figures, girdled with plain silk, tread watchfully on board.
夏始春余，叶嫩花初，
This is the time when spring is growing into summer, the leaves a tender green and the flowers blooming –
恐沾裳而浅笑，畏倾船而敛裾。
among which the girls are giggling when evading an outreaching stem, their shirts tucked in for fear that the sampan might tilt.
可见当时嬉游的光景了。
That is a glimpse of those merrymaking scenes.
这真是有趣的事，可惜我们现在早已无福消受了。
It must have been fascinating; but unfortunately we have long been denied such a delight.
于是又记起《西洲曲》里的句子：
Then I recall those lines in Ballad of Xizhou Island:
采莲南塘秋，莲花过人头；低头弄莲子，莲子清如水。
Gathering the lotus, I am in the South Pond, /The lilies in autumn reach over my head; /Lowering my head I toy with the lotus seed. /Look, they are as fresh as the water underneath.
今晚若有采莲人，这儿的莲花也算得“过人头”了；只不见一些流水的影子，是不行的。
If there were somebody gathering lotuses tonight, she could tell that the lilies here are high enough to “reach over her head”; but, one would certainly miss the sight of the water.
这令我到底惦着江南了。
So my memories drift back to the South after all.
——这样想着，猛一抬头，不觉已是自己的门前；
Deep in my thoughts, I looked up, just to find myself at the door of my own house.
轻轻地推门进去，什么声息也没有，妻已睡熟好久了。
Gently I pushed the door open and walked in. Not a sound inside, my wife had been asleep for quite a while.
一九二七年七月，北京清华园
Qinghua Campus, Beijing July, 1927 （朱纯深 译）
把牢底坐穿
Wear Through Our Prison Floor
何敬平
He Jingping
为了免除下一代的苦难，
To spare the next generation misery
我们愿——愿把这牢底坐穿！
we will wear through our prison floor!
我们是天生的叛逆者，我们要把这颠倒的乾坤扭转！
Born rebels, we want to turn back from chaos,
我们要把这不合理的一切打翻！
to overthrow all that is rotten.
今天，我们坐牢了，
Today, we are in prison,
坐牢又有什么希罕？
but what is rare or new in that?
为了免除下一代的苦难，
To spare the next generation misery,
我们愿——愿把这牢底坐穿！
we will gladly wear through the prison floor!
1948年夏于渣滓洞
1948 （Rewi Alley 译）
水雉
Jacana
哨兵
Shao Bing
仲夏时分早就过了众鸟的孵化期，但在洪湖
In midsummer, far past the roosting season, in the protected
湿地保护区，一只水雉
wetlands of Lake Hong, a Jacana
却趴在芡实上，捂实那窝鸟蛋
broods over some gorgon fruit, hovering over them like eggs
横住了我的去途。
in the middle of my path.
整个傍晚
Through the night
我们就这样默不做声，彼此
the Jacana and I maintain our silence, facing
对峙，似友
off, like companions
更像死敌。
but more like mortal enemies.
时光
Time
就此倒流，湖面上的空寂
reverses its flow, the solitude on the lake surface and
和薄雾，仿佛战争过后的惨景
the mist, seem like the tragic aftermath of war
我期待着它能快点飞走，好让我
I expect the Jacana to fly away, so that I can
赶在天黑前，打探清楚
beat sundown, on my quest to find out where those watery jails
七十年前水牢的位置。
used to hail.
但水雉
But the Jacana
却堵在独木舟前，神态安详
blocks the canoe, its manner serene
镇定，丝毫不亚于
unperturbed, no less than
那些受刑领死的先哲
those ancient sages on the eve of martyrdom （Kyle Anderson 译）
清水堡
Clear Water Castle
哨兵
Shao Bing
都知道清水堡从不长水草，只埋着
Everyone knows seaweeds never grow in Clear Water Castle, only a buried
一座殷商年代的城。
city from the Shang Dynasty.
天气好的时候
When the weather is fine
在湖底，我能望见那些断垣
at the bottom of the lake, I can spot its broken beams
残廓，挂满游云。
cracked corridors, hung with clouds passing by.
几个考古学家
A few archaeologists
告诉我，清水堡清澈
tell me the castle is crystal
透明，不生杂草，因为古代的砖瓦
clear, it doesn’t grow weeds, because its ancient tile
城基，吸纳了洪湖的淤泥。
foundation has absorbed the silt of Lake Hong.
但在清水堡
But at Clear Water Castle
我从来不相信考古学，只相信历史
I’ve never believed the archaeologists, only history,
相信清水堡住着古人，在替我除草
only believed the primordial ones living there, weeding for me
剔杂，重修那座塌了的城
on the bottom, where they are rebuilding the city. （Kyle Anderson 译）
悬挂
Hanging above
麦冬
Mai Dong
我被置于一块黑之上
I was placed on the top of a black object
我的影子
My shadow
一直在脱毛衣
Was taking off its sweater
脱嵌在深处的光芒
The light shed and embedded in a deep place
太阳垂挂头顶
Sun was hanging above my head
我的手抚摸一块铁
My hands gently touched a piece of iron
多黑呀，我正在习惯花开花落
How dark it was, I was getting used to flowers blossoming and withering
把我积攒一生的泪水
I gathered the tears from all my life
献给你
Dedicated to you
多冷的季节呵
Oh, how cold the season was
你总喋喋不休
You were always nagging
总让我记住你的容貌
Always wanted me to remember your look
芒果、冰糖、绒线花
Mango, Crystal Sugar, Silk Albiziae
我多么喜欢
How much I loved
喜欢你的野蛮
Loved your roughness
喜欢你在梦里画一座山
Loved you were drawing a mountain in a dream
流水、巨石、叮当作响的森林
Flowing water, huge rocks, and a forest sounding with bells
大风刮了一夜
Huge winds were on all night
我和你一样担心
I was worried as you were
担心往事
Worried about the past
刮满院落
Worried it might cover the yard
担心我睡去后
Worried after I fell asleep
你从一幅画的梦里
You might leave from the dream in a picture
悄然离去
Quietly
担心蘑菇们变成蛇妖
Worried mushrooms might become a snake demon
缠着我的下一个梦
Pestering in next dream
2016年3月30日
March 30, 2016 （苏欧 译）
父亲的村庄
Father’s Village
艳阳美艳
Father’s village, whenever I think about it my eyes start to hurt
父亲的村庄，闭着眼睛想想就疼
The fields are covered by cockleburs, thorns and Grammy’s tears
庄稼地里长满苍耳，荆棘和奶奶的泪水
Saline and alkali mask the seeds; the tired sheep flocks can’t find a sight of grass
盐碱蒙盖了种子，疲乏的羊群，寻不到一点青草
What left in my memory were these shaking fences
记忆中只有抖动的篱墙
A half firewood door and a curved small trail
半扇柴门和弯弯的羊肠小道
The sunlight from ancient time
古老的阳光
Roasted the village into a dry and skinny shape
把村庄烤晒的干瘪枯瘦
Wilderness is extended far beyond, with no boundaries
荒野无际无涯
Father estimates the length of the wilderness with his
父亲以莫测无奈的视线估量荒野的长度
unpredictable and yet helpless sight
心也无际无涯
His heart also becomes so endless and boundless
父亲的锄头，在日光与月光的沐洗下
Father’s pickaxe, after bathing with lights from sun and moon
釉上一层又一层希望的光芒
Were glazed with layer after layer of hope
阳光每日堆叠在父亲的脊背上
Every day, sunshine piles up on his back
我用尽一生的颜料
Attempting to use up all colors in my life
始终无法调出父亲褐红色的脊梁
I still cannot come up with something similar to burgundy red on my father’s backbone
多年了
Years passed
我还是回来看你了
I still come back to see you
远远的看着，看着
Looking at you from afar
不忍心推开那扇早已斑驳的门
I couldn’t allow myself to push the door that was already mottled
生怕我一动，你就会浑身都疼
So much to fear that once I touch it, you will get hurt all over
门前的果树跟我离开时候一样茂盛
The fruit tree at the front door is still as green and abundant as before
而你，和我的父亲一样苍老
But you, my village, is as old as my father （苏欧 译）
给父亲
To Father
汪国真
Wang Guozhen
你的期待深深
You expect me to stay.
我的步履匆匆
But I have to go away.
我知道
I know
即使步履匆匆
Even if I walk hurriedly,
前面也还有
There are too many brambles
太多的荆棘
Ahead,
太远的路程
And too long a way.
涉过一道河
I’ll have to cross
还有一条江
One river after another
翻过一座山
And climb over
又有一架岭
One hill after another.
或许
Perhaps, all my life,
我就是这跋涉的命
I’ll have to trek
目标永远无止境
Without an ending.
有止境的是人生
What has an ending? Life! Life! （蒋隆国 译）
背影
My Father’s Back
朱自清
Zhu Ziqing
我与父亲不相见已二年余了，我最不能忘记的是他的背影。
Though it is over two years since I saw my father, I can never forget my last view of his back.
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。
That winter my grandmother died, and my father’s official appointment was terminated, for troubles never come singly.
我从北京到徐州，打算跟着父亲奔丧回家。
I went from Beijing to Xuzhou, to go back with him for the funeral.
到徐州见着父亲，看见满院狼藉的东西，又想起祖母，不禁簌簌地流下眼泪。
When I joined him in Xuzhou I found the courtyard strewn with things and could not help shedding tears at the thought of granny.
父亲说：“事已如此，不必难过，好在天无绝人之路！”
“What’s past is gone,” said my father. “It’s no use grieving. Heaven always leaves us some way out.”
回家变卖典质，父亲还了亏空；又借钱办了丧事。
Once home he sold property and mortgaged the house to clear our debts, besides borrowing money for the funeral.
这些日子，家中光景很是惨淡，一半为了丧事，一半为了父亲赋闲。
Those were dismal days for our family, thanks to the funeral and father’s unemployment.
丧事完毕，父亲要到南京谋事，我也要回北京念书，我们便同行。
After the burial he decided to go to Nanjing to look for a position, while I was going back to Beijing to study, so we travelled together.
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。
A friend kept me in Nanjing for a day to see the sights, and the next morning I was to cross the Yangtze to Pukou to take the afternoon train to the north.
父亲因为事忙，本已说定不送我，叫旅馆里一个熟识的茶房陪我同去。
As father was busy he had decided not to see me off, and he asked a waiter we knew at our hotel to take me to the station,
他再三嘱咐茶房，甚是仔细。
giving him repeated and most detailed instructions.
但他终于不放心，怕茶房不妥帖；颇踌躇了一会。
Even so, afraid the fellow might let me down, he worried for quite a time.
其实我那年已二十岁，北京已来往过两三次，是没有什么要紧的了。
As a matter of fact I was already twenty and had travelled to and from Beijing on several occasions, so there was no need for all this fuss.
他踌躇了一会，终于决定还是自己送我去。
But after much hesitation he finally decided to see me off himself,
我两三回劝他不必去；
though I told him again and again there was no need.
他只说，“不要紧，他们去不好！”
“Never mind,” he said. “I don’t want them to go.”
我们过了江，进了车站。我买票，他忙着照看行李。
We crossed the Yangtze and arrived at the station, where I bought a ticket while he saw to my luggage.
行李太多了，得向脚夫行些小费，才可过去。他便又忙着和他们讲价钱。
This was so bulky that we had to hire a porter, and father started bargaining over the price.
我那时真是聪明过分，总觉他说话不大漂亮，非自己插嘴不可，
I was such a bright young man that I thought some of his remarks undignified, and butted in myself.
但他终于讲定了价钱；就送我上车。
But eventually he got them to agree to a price, and saw me on to the train,
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座位。
choosing me a seat by the door, on which I spread the black sheepskin coat he had made for me.
他嘱我路上小心，夜里要警醒些，不要受凉。
He warned me to be on my guard during the journey, and to take care at night not to catch cold.
又嘱托茶房好好照应我。
Then he urged the attendant to keep an eye on me,
我心里暗笑他的迂；他们只认得钱，托他们只是白托！
while I laughed up my sleeve at him ­– all such men understood was money!
而且我这样大年纪的人，难道还不能料理自己么？
And wasn’t I old enough to look after myself?
唉，我现在想想，那时真是太聪明了！
Ah, thinking back, what a bright young man I was!
我说道，“爸爸，你走吧。”
“Don’t wait, father,” I said.
他往车外看了看，
He looked out of the window.
说，“我买几个橘子去。
“I’ll just buy you a few tangerines,” he said.
你就在此地，不要走动。”
“Wait here, and don’t wander off.”
我看那边月台的栅栏外有几个卖东西的等着顾客。
Just outside the station were some vendors.
走到那边月台，须穿过铁道，须跳下去又爬上去。
To reach them he had to cross the lines, which involved jumping down from the platform and clambering up again.
父亲是一个胖子，走过去自然要费事些。
As my father is a stout man this was naturally not easy for him.
我本来要去的，他不肯，只好让他去。
But when I volunteered to go instead he would not hear of it.
我看见他戴着黑布小帽，穿着黑布大马褂，深青布棉袍，蹒跚地走到铁道边，慢慢探身下去，尚不大难。
So I watched him in his black cloth cap and jacket and dark blue cotton-padded gown, as he waddled to the tracks and climbed slowly down – not so difficult after all.
可是他穿过铁道，要爬上那边月台，就不容易了。
But when he had crossed the lines he had trouble clambering up the other side.
他用两手攀着上面，两脚再向上缩；他肥胖的身子向左微倾，显出努力的样子。
He clutched the platform with both hands and tried to heave his legs up, straining to the left.
这时我看见他的背影，我的泪很快地流下来了。
At the sight of his burly back tears started to my eyes,
我赶紧拭干了泪，怕他看见，也怕别人看见。
but I wiped them hastily so that neither he nor anyone else might see them.
我再向外看时，他已抱了朱红的桔子往回走了。
When next I looked out he was on his way back with some ruddy tangerines.
过铁道时，他先将桔子散放在地上，自己慢慢爬下，再抱起桔子走。
He put these on the platform before climbing slowly down to cross the lines, which he did after picking the fruit up.
到这边时，我赶紧去搀他。
When he reached my side I was there to help him up.
他和我走到车上，将桔子一股脑儿放在我的皮大衣上。
We boarded the train together and he plumped the tangerines down on my coat.
于是扑扑衣上的泥土，心里很轻松似的。
Then he brushed the dust from his clothes, as if that was a weight off his mind.
过一会儿说，“我走了，到那边来信！”
“I’ll be going now, son,” he said presently. “Write to me once you get there.”
我望着他走出去。
I watched him walk away.
他走了几步，回过头看见我，
After a few steps he turned back to look at me.
说，“进去吧，
“Go on in!” he called.
里边没人。”
“There’s no one in the compartment.”
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。
When his back disappeared among the bustling crowd I went in and sat down, and my eyes were wet again.
近几年来，父亲和我都是东奔西走，家中光景是一日不如一日。
The last few years father and I have been moving from place to place, while things have been going from bad to worse at home.
他少年出外谋生，独立支持，做了许多大事。
When he left his family as a young man to look for a living, he succeeded in supporting himself and did extremely well.
哪知老境却如此颓唐！
No one could have foreseen such a come-down in his old age!
他触目伤怀，自然情不能自已。情郁于中，自然要发之于外；家庭琐屑便往往触他之怒。
The thought of this naturally depressed him, and as he had to vent his irritation somehow, he often lost his temper over trifles.
他待我渐渐不同往日。
That was why his manner towards me had gradually changed.
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。
But during these last two years of separation he has forgotten my faults and simply wants to see me and my son.
我北来后，他写了一信给我，
After I came north he wrote to me:
信中说道，“我身体平安，惟膀子疼痛利害，举箸提笔，诸多不便，
“My health is all right, only my arm aches so badly I find it hard to hold the pen.
大约大去之期不远矣。”
Probably the end is not far away. “
我读到此处，在晶莹的泪光中，又看见那肥胖的，青布棉袍，黑布马褂的背影。
When I read this, through a mist of tears I saw his blue cotton-padded gown and black jacket once more as his burly figure walked away from me.
唉！ 我不知何时再能与他相见！
Shall we ever meet again? （杨宪益、戴乃迭译）
父子
Father and Son
程习武
Cheng Xiwu
一家人靠采药度日，父亲天天都要爬山去采药。
The father supported his family by gathering medicinal herbs in the mountains.
山大，山险，
The mountains were high and filled with danger.
父亲风中雨中一日日爬，爬过了大半辈子。
However, everyday, rain or shine, the father had to clamber the cliffs and comb every inch of the vegetation.
儿子一天天大起来，父亲让儿子也爬山。
The year soon passed, and his son had grown up. The father asked his son to climb the mountains with him.
父亲拿一根绳子，一头拴了儿子，一头拴了自己，
He took out a rope and tied one end of it to his son and the other end to himself.
父亲在前面爬，儿子在后面爬。
He crawled in front and his son followed.
第一次爬山的时候，站在悬崖下面，父亲问儿子，你腰里的刀干什么用的？
The first time the father took his son to a cliff, he asked the young man, “Do you know the use of the knife at your hip?”
儿子说，到山上挖药用的。
“To dig out herbs.”
父亲说，还有呢？
“What else?”
儿子看看前面的悬崖，看看悬崖上郁郁葱葱的树木，又瞪大眼睛看父亲。
The son scanned the cliff and the lush vegetation growing over it, and then turned to stare at his father, perplexed.
良久，摇摇头。
After a good while, he shook his head.
父亲说，以后你会知道的。
“You’ll find out later.” His father said.
一日，父子两看见绝壁上一大片草成坟状隆起，
One day, they discovered a raised patch of grass on a precipice.
严严密密形成了一个包围圈。
The grass formed a tight circle with something in the center.
是参，是百年老参。
It must be ginseng, a century-old ginseng plant!
父子俩奋力向上爬。
The father and his son quickened their upward climb.
父亲爬在前面，儿子爬在后面。
The father led the way and his son followed.
没有路，只有陡峭的石壁，几乎无处可攀附手足。
Above them towered the sheer cliff, defying any attempt to reach the spot of the precious plant.
父子两一点点往上艰难地移动，
Clinging to the rock face with hands and feet, they inched strenuously upward.
父亲抓住了一丛荆棘，离那棵参只有一步之遥了。
The father got hold of a clump of brambles; the ginseng was within arm’s reach.
突然，父亲感觉系在腰间的绳子猛地向下一坠，
All of a sudden, the father felt a downward pull at the rope around his waist.
抓住荆棘的手几乎要脱开。
So strong was the dragging force that it almost made him lose his grip on the brambles.
紧接着传来儿子的惊呼。
Then came his son’s desperate cry.
父亲低头看，儿子已经离开了石壁，被绳子吊着腰在半空里悠荡。
Looking down he saw the young man dangling on the other end of the rope, swinging back and forth.
儿子的喊声惊惧而又慌乱。
The son continued to cry in panic and confusion.
儿子喊，父亲，救我呀！
“Help! Dad, help!”
儿子的喊声在莽莽苍苍的山间传过去又传过来，传过来又传过去，久久不散。
The voice resounded in the wide valley, leaving a succession of echoes lingering on for quite some time.
父亲不吭声，父亲只是奋力往上爬。
Making no response to his son, the father concentrated all his strength on continuing his upward climb.
父亲要攀住那棵荆棘。
He was making his last effort to hold on to the bramble.
这时候父亲明显地感觉到自己老了。
But as he realized at that very moment, he had grown old:
他感觉到自己的十根手指似乎在一点一点地松下去，松下去。
his fingers were growing weaker with every passing second and his grip was about to slacken.
可是不能松，父亲对自己说，下面有那根紧绷的绳子呀！
“No, I can’t give up! I must hold on!” he thought, “The very life of my son depends on it!”
父亲什么都不顾，他只是向上，向上。
His mind was preoccupied with only one single idea: to climb upward, upward.
后来他的胳膊攀上去了，再后来，他的整个身子都攀上去了。
Thankfully his arms eventually reached over the ridge of the cliff, and soon his whole body was up.
攀上去的父亲又一点点地把儿子拉了上去。
Now he was able to gradually hoist his son up to his position an inch at a time.
在攀上去的过程中，父亲的腰被别在腰上的刀硌了，但父亲没有感觉到。
In his struggle to safety, his waist badly hurt by the rubbing of the knife stuck in his belt, but he didn’t give a second thought to it.
这一次的爬山使父亲大病了一场，然后父亲就明显衰老了。
After that day’s ginseng hunt, the father went down with a serious illness, plunging him into a state of obvious decrepitude.
衰老了的父亲仍然要坚持爬山。
However, the ailing father still insisted on going up into the mountains.
仍然是一根绳子，一头拴了父亲，一头拴了儿子。
As usual, they brought a rope with them, one end of which was tied to the father, the other end to his son.
不过父亲和儿子换了位置，儿子在上面爬，父亲在下面爬。
The only difference was that they had swapped position, the son leading the way and the father following below.
儿子说父亲老了，不让父亲爬。父亲却坚持要爬，父亲不放心儿子。
The son tried to dissuade his father from climbing, but the father was persistent, saying he would be worried to death if he let his son take all the risks alone.
站在山脚下，父亲对儿子说，你该知道刀还能干什么用了。
Coming to the foot of the mountain, the father repeated his question about the use of the knife.
儿子瞪大眼睛看父亲，但父亲没有说。
The son again stared at his father as if begging for an answer, but his father was as evasive as before.
一日又一日，风中雨中。
Days went by, and their life continued.
一日，父子俩又在一面绝壁上看见一棵很大的山参。父子俩奋力向上爬。
One day, they again discovered a big ginseng plant up a cliff, and began to edge toward it with all their might.
在儿子快要爬近山参的时候，爬在下面的父亲手松了，父亲离开了绝壁，在半空里悠悠荡荡。
Just as the son approached the plant, the father’s hands slackened and his body fell off the cliff surface, dangling helpless on the rope.
抓住一丛荆棘的儿子感觉到父亲很重很重，
Despite having taken firm hold of a clump of brambles, the son still felt an overwhelming downward pull from his father.
很重很重的父亲就要把他拉着坠下山谷了。
His father was becoming heavier and heavier and would surely drag him down into the deep valley.
儿子很惊恐地大声喊，天啊，怎么办呀？
“Heavens! What can I do?” the son yelled in panic.
父亲不吭声，
The father gave no reply.
只是很吃力地 从腰间抽出那把刀，朝绳子砍去。
With much effort, he drew out the knife from his belt and hacked at the rope.
刀很锋利，一刀就把绳子砍断了。
Instantly the rope was cut: his knife was indeed very sharp.
绳子断了之后，父亲就朝山谷里坠下去。
Down fell the father.
父亲的身子刚刚接触山岩，
He fell headlong into the depth of the valley, until he hit a flat rock.
便有一截绳子也坠下来，落在父亲的身上。绳子在父亲的身上颤颤地抖，似一条长蛇。
After him a length of rope also fell, trembling and twisting upon him like a snake.
绳子两端的刀痕都是齐刷刷的，刀快极了。
Both ends of the rope were neatly cut by knives that must indeed have been very sharp.
要是父亲能看到他身上颤动的那根绳子，他肯定会笑的——儿子到底明白了刀的用处——
If the father had been able to see the fallen rope, he would have given a knowing smile: his son had found out how to use his knife.
当父亲挥刀砍断绳子的时候，儿子也同时挥起了刀。
When the father hacked at the rope, his son did the same.
儿子终于明白刀可以做什么用了。
The son had finally come to see the true purpose of his knife. （李运兴 译）
窗帘
Window Curtains
杨绛
Yang Jiang
人不怕挤。
People are not afraid of crowding.
尽管摩肩接踵，大家也挤不到一处。
Though shoulder to shoulder and close upon each other’s heels, people don’t jam together.
像壳里的仁，各自各。
Like peas in a pod, each one has his own space;
像太阳光里飞舞的轻尘，各自各。
like dusty clouds dancing in the sun, each has his own sphere.
凭你多热闹的地方，窗对着窗。各自人家，彼此不相干。
However bustling a place is, families have nothing to do with each other although their windows are face to face.
只要挂上一个窗帘，只要拉过那薄薄一层，便把别人家隔离在千万里以外了。
A curtain on a window, when that thin layer is drawn down, you can easily put the other family into a distance of a ten thousand li.
隔离，不是断绝。
Barriers are not disconnections.
窗帘并不堵没窗户，只在彼此间增加些距离——欺哄人招引人的距离。
A curtain doesn’t block up the window; it only increases the distance between the inside and the outside – a deceiving, tempting distance.
窗帘并不盖没窗户，只隐约遮掩——多么引诱挑逗的遮掩！
The curtain doesn’t cover up the window either, only obscuring it – what an enticing obscurity!
所以，赤裸裸的窗口不引人注意，而一角掀动的窗帘，惹人窥探猜测，生出无限兴趣。
Thus a window fully open doesn’t attract attention, whereas a curtain with a fluttering corner arouses curiosity and conjecture, boundlessly tantalizing.
赤裸裸，可以表示天真朴素。
Nakedness may show innocence and simplicity.
不过，如把天真朴素做了窗帘的质料，做了窗帘的颜色，一个洁白素净的帘子，堆叠着透明的软纱，在风里飘曳，这种朴素，只怕比五颜六色更富有魅力，
However, if we turn the innocence and simplicity into the material and color of a curtain, the result is a clean, white curtain, pleated with soft gauze, flapping in the breeze, much more charming than multicolored stuff.
认真要赤裸裸不加遮饰，除非有希腊神像那样完美的身体，有天使般纯洁的灵魂。
If you really want to be naked, you ought to have the perfect bodies of the Greek deities and the pure souls of angels.
培根（Bacon）说过：“赤裸裸是不体面的；不论是赤露的身体，或赤露的心。”
Bacon said, “Nakedness is uncomely, as well in mind as body.”
人从乐园里驱逐出来的时候，已经体味到这句话了。
When they left the Garden of Eden, humankind understood the meaning of these words.
所以赤裸裸的真实总需要些掩饰。
Therefore, naked truth should be somewhat covered.
白昼的阳光，无情地照彻了人间万物，不能留下些幽暗让人迷惑，让人梦想，让人希望。
The blazing sunlight, which ruthlessly beats down on everything in the world, do not leave shadows that allow one to be mystified, to dream and to hope.
如果没有轻云薄雾把日光筛漏出五色霞彩来，天空该多么单调枯燥！
Without light clouds and thin hazes sieving the sunshine and creating a colorful glow, how boring the sky would be!
隐约模糊中，才容许你做梦和想象。
Only in dimness and obscurity can one dream and give play to the imagination.
距离增添了神秘。
Distance increases mystery.
看不见边际，变为没边没际的遥远与辽阔。云雾中的山水，暗夜的星辰，希望中的未来，高超的理想，仰慕的名人，心许的“相知”，
We are lost in a boundless remoteness, calling to mind mountains and rivers obscured in mist and clouds, stars on a dark night, the future in our hopes, a transcendental ideal, celebrities worshipped from afar, and a “friend” in one’s wishful thinking.
——隔着窗帘，惝怳迷离，可以产生无限美妙的想象。
Similarly, the barrier of a window curtain obscures and mystifies, inducing endless speculation.
如果你嫌恶窗帘的间隔，冒冒失失闯进门、闯到窗帘后面去看个究竟，赤裸裸的真实只怕并不经看。
Whereas if you burst through the barrier and invade the area behind the curtain, I am afraid the naked truth in there may not be an uplifting sight.
像丁尼生（Tennyson）诗里的“夏洛特女郎”（The Lady of Shalott），看厌了镜中反映的世界，三步跑到窗前，望一望真实世界。
The Lady of Shalott in Tennyson’s poem is fed up with the world in the mirror, so in three steps she rushes to the window to see the real world.
她的镜子立即破裂成两半，她毁灭了以前快乐而无知的自己。
At once her mirror cracks from side to side, and she has forever lost her happy and innocent self.
人家挂着窗帘呢，别去窥望。
See, there’s a curtain on that window, don’t go and peep.
宁可自己也挂上一个，华丽的也好，朴素的也好。
Better hang one out yourself, be it colorful or plain.
如果你不屑挂，或懒得挂，不妨就敞着个赤裸裸的窗口。
If you don’t want to stoop to hanging out curtains and can’t be bothered with the trouble, feel free to leave your window wide open.
不过，你总得尊重别人家的窗帘。
But to respect other people’s window curtains. （哈金 译）
语言的局限
Limitations of Language
林巍
Lin Wei
人们一般认为，“言为心声”，即有何种思想感情便有怎样的语言表达。
It is said “words are the voice of the mind”, that is to say whatever thinking and emotions one may have will finally be reflected in his or her language.
然而，语言在许多情况下，又是有限的，不能尽如人意。
However, in many cases, language is limited and may not be as powerful as one may expect.
在我国古典文学作品中，不乏这样的表述。
Concerning the issue, there is no shortage of descriptions of this kind in Chinese classical literatures.
例如，刘禹锡的《视刀环歌》：“常恨言语浅，不如人意深”；
For examples, Liu Yuxi (772–842) wrote: “How lamentable it is that words are so powerless to express one’s deep feelings;
黄庭坚的《品令》：“口不能言，心下快活自省”；
there is no match between the two” (“Shidao huange”); Huang Tingjian (1045–1105) had a poem: “While my mouth may not be unable to utter what I am feeling, my heart is really content with what I have appreciated” (“Pinling”).
《妙法莲华经•方便品》：“止、止不须说！
Also, a Buddha in the Lotus Sutra: “Stop, stop!
我法妙难思”，
There is no need to utter anymore since my dharma is so marvelous and it is impossible to convey it to anyone” (Miaofa lianhuajing, “Fangbian”).
以及“余欲无言”、“解人难索”、“辞不达意”等等。
Meanwhile, expressions of this kind are: “my feelings can hardly be described in any language”, “it is hard to find someone who can really appreciate what I have meant”, “my language fails to express my idea” so on and so forth.
更为典型是陶潜的《饮酒》：“此中有真意，欲辩已忘言”；
More typically, Tao Yuanming (365–427) said in his “Poems after Drinking Wine”: “There are certain things that move me deeply, which I would like to tell but at the very moment I lose the words”.
而陆机的《文赋》：“恒患意不称物，文不逮意”，透露的则是一种作者与语言之间永恒的挣扎。
The critic Lu Ji (261–303) had a comment in his Rhapsody on Literature: “My constant concern is that my ideas may not have reflected the objects accurately, and my writing may be deficient of my abundant ideas”, revealing a constant struggle between an author and his language.
著名学者钱钟书论道：“谈艺时每萌此感。
As the well-known scholar Qian Zhongshu points out, “Discussing literatures or arts often causes the same frustration.
听乐、读画，睹好色胜景，神会魂与，
When listening to music, viewing a painting, or enjoying fabulous scenery, your heart and soul are merged with the things that have been perceived.
而欲明何故，则已大难，即欲道何如，亦类贾生赋中鹏鸟之有臆无词。
Yet it is almost impossible for you to describe and convey what you have been moved by at the spot; if you do that, you may end up resembling the roc in Jia Yi’s poem where he could not put his thoughts into words properly.
巧构形似，广设譬喻，有如司空图以还撰《诗品》者之所为，纵极描摹刻画之功，仅收影响模糊之效，终不获使他人闻见亲切。
Or, if you imaginatively construct a delicate framework of analogies where abundant metaphors and figures of speech are presented, as Sikong Tu did in his Modes of Poetry, you may have drawn or caved a replica vividly, but still only fashioned a resemblance which never affects others to have the same aesthetic experience as you had.
是以或云诗文品藻只是绕不可言者而盘旋”（《管锥编》）。
That is the reason why it has been widely agreed that literary criticism, for instance, should basically never be expressed in words; it can only be circled around in the field” (Limited Views).
当代作家章诒和亦有一段刻骨铭心的描述：“我拿起笔，也是在为自己寻找继续生存的理由和力量，拯救我即将枯萎的心。
The contemporary writer Zhang Yihe has a heartbreaking writing: “By writing this book, my desire was to relieve my dying heart and to gain some strength and purpose for my survival. However, I was dead wrong!
而提笔的那一刻，才知道语言的无用，文字的无力。
The moment I picked up the pen, I realized how powerless and useless the words, the language!…
它们似乎永远无法叙述出一个人内心的爱与乐，苦与仇”（《往事并不如烟》）。
I doubt they can ever convey a person’s true love, joy, pain or hatred” (The Past Events Have not Vanished like Smoke).
正如刘勰在《文心雕龙•神思》中所说：
This has proved literary critic Liu Xie’s (465–522) point in his Dragon Carvings on the Literary Mind.
“思表纤旨，文外曲致，言所不追，笔固知止”。
“The delicate nuances of language lie at the boundaries of thought and the subtle meanings of a sense of feeling beyond any written words: this is where a speech is held back from its further pursuit and a pen halts without a clear realization”.
同时，语言一旦形成，又有其相对的独立性和多面性。
Meanwhile, once a saying is formed it becomes independent and multifaceted.
例如，墨子的说“言多方”，“行而异，转而危，
As Mozi said that “Utterance has many meanings”, “As the language is being conveyed its meanings may vary gradually; as it changes its course, it may damage someone.
远而失，流而离本”（《墨子•小取》）；
When it is carried far away, it will be lost somewhere; when it is set adrift it will deviate from its original route” (Mozi, “Xiaoqu”).
吕不韦言：“言不可以不察”，“多类非而是，多类是而非”（《吕氏春秋•察传》）。
Also, the historian Lü Buwei pointed out in his The Spring and Autumn Annals of Lü: “Words cannot go without being scrutinized”, “More often than not words appear to be one thing but turn up to be another”.
而这从另一方面证实了语言的“不可靠性”。
These comments have illustrated the “unreliability” of a language from another prospective.
总之，理解语言的局限性，其实有利于我们更深刻地认识和掌握语言。
In short, by realizing its limitations, we may in fact gain certain insights in mastering a language. （林巍 译）
杞人忧天
My Worries: Are They Justified?
吴冠中
Wu Guanzhong
“破四旧”期间，我患牙病，
During the early years of the Cultural Revolution, I had a tooth problem.
医生说臼齿磨损厉害，建议做套，罩住臼齿；套最好用金制，因金的硬度最适合与牙结合，且耐久。
The dentist told me one of my molars was badly decayed and suggested I have a crown fitted, most preferably a gold one, because the hardness of gold is similar to that of enamel and would fit it well.
我觉得金牙太丑，
I was afraid it would look ugly.
医生说那是臼齿上的罩，根本看不见。
However, the dentist assured me that nobody would see it since it was on one of the back teeth.
于是决定用金。但哪里去找金？
So gold was chosen as the material, but where to find the precious metal at that time of political turmoil?
当时金子不是商品，且禁止买卖，
Gold transaction was then forbidden on the market.
“破四旧”将家家户户的金银珠宝抄尽，
And to make things worse, gold products along with jewelry were all being searched and looted by the Red Guards in the ‘Destruction of the Four Olds’ campaign1.
民间已与黄金绝缘。
No one in mainland China had access to even a single ounce of gold.
幸而，我的一位入了泰国国籍的老同窗要返国探亲，他便特意戴了一个大大的金戒指解决了我的治牙问题。
Fortunately, an old classmate of mine, a Thai-Chinese, was planning a trip home and promised to bring me a gold ring by wearing it on his finger when going through customs. That really was an ingenious solution to my tooth crowning problem!
感谢医生的精心设计、制作，
Using the melted gold as raw material the doctor prepared the crown with great care and superb skill.
这金牙罩保护了我的病牙，让我平安度过了能吃食的几十个春秋，以为一劳永逸了。
Protected by the well-fit crown, I was able to eat and chew with much ease for several decades.
然而，竟然发现它日渐耗损，金子也衰老了！
I thought the crown would keep good forever, but, to my dismay, gold too proved to be subject to wear and tear like all other things.
今天金子不稀罕，但那一只假牙确是我半辈子的保卫者，而它却比我先坏，令人感伤。
Now gold is no longer a rarity, but back at that time gold was very hard to get and the gold ring-turned-crown was meant to save me from dental trouble for the rest of my life, so the fact that it was aging even faster than I was actually made me quite sad and sentimental.
世间没有一劳永逸的安全。
I came to understand that nothing in this world will last for good.
但人们竭力追求永逸和永恒，
However, people still spare no effort to pursue ease and permanence.
筑长城、造金字塔、建地下宫……都为了保护权力及掌权者的尸身不朽，待复活。
The Great Wall, the Pyramids, the underground palaces, all these were built in an attempt to eternalize power or to preserve corpses until they can be restored to life someday.
木、石、钢铁……一切的一切都扛不住岁月的消蚀，地震、海啸，大宇宙一次次嘲弄人类的渺小。
Wood, stone, iron and steel, none of them can resist the erosion of time; earthquakes, tsunami and other natural disasters time and again mock the insignificance of mankind.
恐龙的灭绝，庞贝的遗址，早揭示了人类及任何生物都挡不住宇宙之变幻。
The extinction of the dinosaurs, the tragic fate of Pompeii, all these are evidence that neither men nor animals can fend off the changes of the universe.
聪明的人类用科学来自救，为救自身却又加速毁灭自身，
To save themselves, man cleverly resorts to science, yet in doing so they only speed up the process of self-destruction.
首先，自身的超量繁殖早已泛滥成灾。
To top it all, over-multiplication of the human species has already brought disastrous consequences.
毁灭与再生是不可抗拒的规律，人类永远探不尽宇宙之谜。
Destruction and regeneration are irresistible laws of Nature, and the universe still remains a myth to men no matter how hard they endeavor to explore into it.
夏夜，满天美丽的星星，老祖母为此讲的故事依旧没变，牛郎织女永葆青春，鹊桥也永不断裂。
Looking up at the beautiful stars on a summer night, grandmothers have long been telling the same story about the Cowherd and the Weaving Maid2: their romance has always remained fresh and the magpies have never failed to build a bridge for their yearly meeting.
然而，老祖母不知遥远的微小星星可能是大大的太阳，或大于太阳，我们的太阳也并不因后羿已死去而永远安逸。
But grandmothers don’t know the tiny stars in the distant sky may turn out to be as large as or even larger than the sun, and that our sun will not shine steadily for ever, even though Houyi3 is long dead.
人类发觉必须保护地球的体温了，但谁又能阻止又一次冰河期或火山期的爆发。
Mankind has realized that we must keep the earth’s temperature from rising, but who can prevent a volcano from erupting again or stop the coming of another glacial period?
到木星去，也只才出得庭前三五步。
Even if we can flee to Jupiter, we’re still not very far from danger, like only being a few yards from a falling house.
杞人真超前，他预感忧天，
In a Chinese legend, someone in the State of Qi feared that the sky would someday fall.
是神异的先知者。
That man, to me, is a wise prophet having the presentiment that Nature may spell doom to man.
一个假牙的消蚀，等同地球的变质，暗示宇宙的颤栗。
The wearing-away of my tooth crown is a warning sign equal to that of the deterioration of the earth or a tremor of the universe.
人类的苦难还在后头，
Disasters we humans have to endure are yet to come.
惟望科学救命，人之族天长地久！
May science provide for our salvation and the human race live as long as the universe lasts!
注释1
Notes: (1) The campaign to destroy the Four Olds (Old Customs, Old Culture, Old Habits, and Old Ideas) began in Beijing on August 19, 1966, shortly after the launch of the Cultural Revolution. Red Guards searched houses of famous artists, professors and other social celebrities and confiscated what they deemed belonged to the feudal or the bourgeois, including classics, works of art, jewelry, gold and so on.
注释2
(2) In China, Altair and Vega are known as the Star of the Cowherd and the Star of the Weaving Maid respectively. They are legendary lovers separated by the Silvery River (the Milky Way). Every year on July 7 on the Chinese lunar calendar, magpies in heaven will spread their wings to form a bridge so that the lovers can meet each other.
注释3
(3) A Chinese legend says there used to be ten suns in the sky. Houyi, the god of archery, shot down nine of them and warned the last one to be dutiful. （李运兴 译）
离太阳最近的树
The Trees Closest to the Sun
毕淑敏
Bi Shumin
30年前，我在西藏阿里当兵。
Thirty years ago I served in the army in Ali, Tibet.
这是世界的第三极，平均海拔5000米，
With an average elevation of 5000 meters, this area is known as the Third Pole of the earth.
冰峰林立，雪原寥寂。
Here, ice-covered peaks rise like forests above a vast stretch of deserted snow fields.
不知是神灵的佑护还是大自然的疏忽，在荒漠的褶皱里，有时会不可思议地生存着一片红柳丛。
Either blessed by God or spared by Nature, clusters of Chinese tamarisk trees had impossibly managed to survive in the folds of the valley,
它们有着铁一样锈红的枝干，凤羽般纷披的碎叶，
their stems and branches having the color of rusty iron and their leaves spreading out like soft feathers.
偶尔会开出穗样的细密的花，对着高原的酷热和缺氧微笑。
Occasionally they produce dense tiny flowers crowded into the shape of rice ears, beaming in spite of the heat and thin air on the plateau.
这高原的精灵，是离太阳最近的绿树，
Symbolizing the spirit of the plateau, they are the closest to the sun of all green tree species.
百年才能长成小小的一蓬。
It takes a whole century for them to grow into a small cluster.
在藏区巡回医疗，我骑马穿行于略带苍蓝色调的红柳丛中，竟以为它必与雪域永在。
Riding on my horse through the grayish tamarisk trees on my medical-service rounds, I was even convinced that they would exist as long as the snow-covered plateau itself.
一天， 司务长布置任务——全体打柴去！
One day, our company quartermaster ordered all of us to go to cut firewood.
我以为自己听错了，
At first I thought I’d misheard him.
高原之上，哪里有柴？！
Where on this plateau could we find firewood?
原来是驱车上百公里，把红柳挖出来，当柴火烧。
The answer was that we would drive a hundred kilometers to some tamarisk trees, dig them out and carry them back as kitchen fuel.
我大惊，说红柳挖了，高原上仅有的树不就绝了吗？
I was shocked, “Aren’t we going to kill off the only trees on the plateau?”
司务长回答，你要吃饭，对不对？
The quartermaster retorted, “You need to eat, right?
饭要烧熟，对不对？
Food needs to be cooked, right?
烧熟要用柴火，对不对？柴火就是红柳，对不对？
To cook we need firewood, and the only firewood is tamarisk, OK?”
我说，红柳不是柴火，它是活的，它有生命。
I said, “Tamarisk trees are not firewood. They are living. They have a life.
做饭可以用汽油，可以用焦炭，
We can use gasoline or coke.
为什么要用高原上唯一的绿色！
Why do we have to wipe out the only green color from the plateau?”
司务长说，拉一车汽油上山，路上就要耗掉两车汽油。
He explained, “To haul a truckload of oil up to our place, we burn two truckloads of oil on the road;
焦灰炭运上来，一斤的价钱等于六斤白面。
for a jin of coke, we pay the price of 6 jin of wheat flour;
红柳是不要钱的，你算算这个帐吧！
and tamarisk is free of charge. You do the math!”
挖红柳的队伍，带着铁锨、镐头和斧，浩浩荡荡地出发了。
The soldiers took up their spades, picks and axes, and a large tamarisk-digging contingent set out.
红柳通常都是长在沙丘上的。
Tamarisks usually grow on sand dunes.
一座结实的沙丘顶上，昂然立着一株红柳。
On top of a solid sand dune there may stand a proud tamarisk tree,
它的根像巨大的章鱼的无数脚爪，缠附到沙丘逶迤的边缘。
whose roots, like the many tentacles of an octopus, extend all the way to the indented edges of the dune.
我很好奇，红柳为什么不找个背风的地方猫着呢？生存中也好少些艰辛。
I wonder why the tamarisk trees do not grow on the leeward side of the dunes to avoid the many setbacks of life.
老兵说，你本末倒置了，
A veteran soldier said I put the cart before the horse.
不是红柳长在沙丘上，是因为这红柳，才固住了流沙。
It is not that the trees choose to grow on top of dunes, but that the trees fix the sand to cause a build-up of dunes.
随着红柳渐渐长大，流沙被固住的越来越多，最后便聚成了一座沙山。
With the growth of the trees more drifting sand is fixed, and finally a big sand dune is formed.
红柳的根有多广，那沙山就有多大。
The wider their roots spread, the bigger the dune can be.
啊，红柳如同冰山。
Ah, the tamarisk tree is just like an iceberg.
露在沙上的部分只有十分之一，伟大的力量埋在地下。
Above the sand we see only one tenth of it while a mammoth amount of strength lies underneath.
红柳的枝叶算不得好柴薪，真正顽强的是红柳强大的根系，它们与沙子粘贴得如同钢筋混凝土。
The branches and leaves of tamarisk do not make good firewood, while its roots are strong and tenacious, and can join sand grains, into a cohesive whole as hard as concrete.
一旦燃烧起来，持续而稳定地吐出熊熊的热量，好像把千万年来，从太阳那里索得的光芒，压缩后爆裂出来。
When lit up, they burn steadily to produce a huge amount of energy, as if releasing in an eruptive manner all the radiation they’ve exacted from the sun over the past millennia.
金红的火焰中，每一块红柳根，都弥久地维持着盘根错节的形状，好像傲然不屈的英魂。
Even in the burning flames, the blocks of roots, like dauntless heroic spirits, still manage to stay in their intertwined shapes.
把红柳根从沙丘中掘出，蓄含着很可怕的工作量。
To dig out the roots called for a terrifying amount of work.
红柳与土地生死相依，
The tamarisk trees and the land had long formed an inextricable relationship.
人们要先费几天的时间，将大半个沙山掏净。
We had to spend days scooping most of the sand out of a dune,
这样，红柳就枝桠遒劲地腾越在旷野之中，好似一副镂空的恐龙骨架。
thus leaving the dinosaur-skeleton frame of the tree standing there with its bare roots over the open wilderness.
这里需请来最有气力的男子汉，
Then men of Herculean strength were summoned.
用利斧，将这活着的巨型根雕与大地最后的联系一一斩断。整个红柳丛就訇然倒下了。
Wielding sharp axes they hacked continuously at the roots, a living tree-root sculpture, until these last links with the earth were severed and the whole tree toppled down.
一年年过去，
The year passed.
易挖的红柳绝迹了，只剩那些最古老的树精了。
All the tamarisk trees in sight were dug out except those most aged ones.
掏挖沙山的工期越来越长，最健硕有力的小伙子，也折不断红柳苍老的手臂了。
The digging job took ever longer, for even the strongest men were no match for the unyielding stems and roots.
于是人们想出了高技术的法子——用炸药！
So we resorted to a modern technique – break them with explosives!
只需在红柳根部，挖一条深深的巷子，
A tunnel was dug to the root area.
用架子把火药放进去，人伏得远远的，将长长的药捻点燃。
Having put the explosives in place, we ignited the long fuse and lay down at a safe distance.
深远的寂静之后，只听轰的一声，
After a moment of dead silence, there was a loud bang.
再幽深的树怪，也尸骸散地了。
Even the most weather-beaten tree would be blown up into the sky and fall down in pieces.
我们餐风宿露。
We camped out in the open.
今年可以看到去年被掘走红柳的沙丘，好像眼球摘除手术的伤员，
We saw on some sand dunes large hollows, left by the sand-fixing tamarisk trees which had been pulled out the previous year.
依然大睁空洞的眼睑，怒向苍穹。
The gaping holes looked like the eyeless sockets of a wounded face staring angrily at the sky.
但这触目惊心的景象不会持续太久，待到第三年，那沙丘已烟消云散，
However, this heart-rending scene would not last long: two years later even the dunes themselves would disappear.
好像此地从来不曾生存过什么千年古木，不曾堆聚过亿万颗砂砾。
It is as if there never had been a tree that had survived the hardships over thousands of years and fixed a large heap of sand.
听最近到过阿里的人讲，红柳林早已掘净烧光，连根须都烟消灰灭了。
I was told by someone who had recently been to Ali that the tamarisk trees are no longer to be found there, their stems, roots, leaves and everything of them have vanished in fire and smoke.
有时夜深，我会突然想起那些高原上的原住民，它们的魂魄，如今栖息在何处云端？
Sometimes in the depth of night the images of the aboriginal inhabitants of the highlands would pop into my head: where in the clouds are their spirits anchored now?
会想到那些曾经被固住的黄沙，是否已飘洒在世界各处？
I also think of the sand dunes once fixed firmly by the trees: have they been blown to all corners of the world?
从屋子顶上扬起的尘沙，通常会飞得十分遥远。
Indeed, the sand grains on our roofs can be carried far and wide on the wind. （李运兴 译）
厝骨塔
Pagoda
郑愁予
Zheng Chouyu
幽灵们静坐於无叠席的冥塔的小室内
Pagoda: spirits sit peacefully in the cell without mattress
当春风摇响铁马时
As the spring wind tinkles the eavesbells
幽灵们默扶看小拱窗浏览野寺的风光
Spirits quietly lean over the lattices to enjoy a temple view
我和我的战伴也在著，挤在众多的安息者之间
I and my buddy, among the crowd of the fallen
也浏览著，而且回想最後一役的时节
Also look around, recalling what happened in the last battle
窗下是熟习的扫叶老僧走过去
Down there, the good old leaf-sweeper monk walks by
依旧是这三个樵夫也走过去了
Then, as usual, there are the three woodcutters
啊，我的成了年的儿子竟是今日的游客呢
Ah, can it be my son, grown up, one of the tourists?
他穿著染了色的我的旧军衣，他指点著
He wears my old uniform, dyed apparently, and is
与学科学的女友争论一撮骨灰在夜间能燃烧多久
Arguing with his girlfriend (must be a science student) How long a handful of ashes can last burning （C. H. Wang 译）
雨巷
Lane in the Rain
戴望舒
Dai Wangshu
撑着油纸伞，独自
With an oil paper umbrella overhead,
彷徨在悠长、悠长
Alone I was hesitating in the long, long,
又寂寥的雨巷，
Lonesome lane in the rain.
我希望逢着
I was entertaining the hope
一个丁香一样地
That I might meet
结着愁怨的姑娘。
With a lilac-like girl
她是有
Harboring some autumnal fret.
丁香一样的颜色，
She has the color of the lilac
丁香一样的芬芳，
The fragrance of the lilac.
丁香一样的忧愁，
The sorrow of the lilac.
在雨中哀怨，
She is sorrowful in the rain,
哀怨又彷徨；
Grieved and hesitant.
她彷徨在这寂寥的雨巷，
She hesitates in this lonesome lane,
撑着油纸伞
Under an oil paper umbrella
像我一样，
Like myself,
像我一样地
Acting like me
默默彳亍着
She is stalling silently
冷漠，凄清，又惆怅。
Cold, lonely and worried.
她静默地走近，
She approaches silently, coming near
走近，又投出太息一般的眼光
And casting out a look like a sign.
她飘过
She wafts away
像梦一般地，
As in a dream,
像梦一般地凄婉迷茫。
Sadly moving, perplexed.
像梦中飘过
Wafting like a lilac in a dream,
一枝丁香地，
The girl beside me is moving.
我身旁飘过这女郎；
Farther away she moves quietly,
她默默地远了，远了，
Farther and farther
到了颓圮的篱墙，
And up to the crumbling fence,
走尽这雨巷。
And out of the lane in the rain.
在雨的哀曲里，
In the sad melody of the rain
消了她的颜色，
Her color is fading off,
散了她的芬芳，
So is her smell;
消散了，
Vanishing is
甚至她的
Even her singing glance
太息般的眼光
And the melancholy like the lilac.
丁香般的惆怅。
Under an oil paper umbrella,
撑着油纸伞，独自
She is hesitantly walking alone
彷徨在悠长、悠长
Downward the long, long
又寂寥的雨巷，
And lonesome lane in the rain,
我希望飘过一个丁香一样地
I wish that there wafts a lilac-like girl
结着愁怨的姑娘。
Imbued with some serious fret. （陈玉麟 译）
雨巷
A Lane in the Rain
戴望舒
Dai Wangshu
撑着油纸伞，独自
Alone holding an oil-paper umbrella,
彷徨在悠长、悠长
I wander along a long
又寂寥的雨巷，
Solitary lane in the rain,
我希望逢着
Hoping to encounter
一个丁香一样地
A girl like a bouquet of lilacs
结着愁怨的姑娘。
Gnawed by anxiety and resentment.
她是有
A girl
丁香一样的颜色，
The colour of lilacs,
丁香一样的芬芳，
The fragrance of lilacs,
丁香一样的忧愁，
With the worries of lilacs,
在雨中哀怨，
Feeling melancholy in the rain,
哀怨又彷徨；
Plaintive and hesitating.
她彷徨在这寂寥的雨巷，
She wanders along the solitary lane in the rain,
撑着油纸伞
Holding an oil-paper umbrella
像我一样，
Just as I do,
像我一样地
Just like me,
默默彳亍着
Walking slowly in silence,
冷漠，凄清，又惆怅。
Aloof, sad and melancholy.
她静默地走近，
Silently she comes closer,
走近，又投出
Closer, giving me
太息一般的眼光
A glance like a sigh;
她飘过
Then she floats past
像梦一般地，
Like a dream,
像梦一般地凄婉迷茫。
Dreary and blank like a dream.
像梦中飘过
Like a lilac
一枝丁香地，
Floating past in a dream,
我身旁飘过这女郎；
the girl floats past me;
她默默地远了，远了，
Silently she goes further and further,
到了颓圮的篱墙，
To the crumbling wall,
走尽这雨巷。
Out of the lane in the rain.
在雨的哀曲里，
In the mournful melody of the rain,
消了她的颜色，
Her colour has faded,
散了她的芬芳，
Her fragrance has disappeared,
消散了，甚至她的
Vanished into the void;
太息般的眼光
Even her glance like a sigh,
丁香般的惆怅。
Melancholy like lilacs.
撑着油纸伞，独自
Alone, holding an oil-paper umbrella,
彷徨在悠长、悠长
I wander along a long
又寂寥的雨巷，
Solitary lane in the rain,
我希望飘过
Hoping to pass
一个丁香一样地
A girl like a bouquet of lilacs
结着愁怨的姑娘。
Gnawed by anxiety and resentment. （杨宪益、戴乃迭 译）
雨巷
The Alley in the Rain
戴望舒
Dai Wangshu
撑着油纸伞，独自
Holding an umbrella, I’m alone
彷徨在悠长、悠长
Wandering about the long, long,
又寂寥的雨巷，
Lonely alley in the rain,
我希望逢着
Hoping to encounter
一个丁香一样地
A girl who bears her melancholy
结着愁怨的姑娘。
Like a lilac flower.
她是有
She has
丁香一样的颜色，
The color of a lilac,
丁香一样的芬芳，
The fragrance of a lilac,
丁香一样的忧愁，
And the melancholy of a lilac.
在雨中哀怨，
She looks sorrowful in the rain,
哀怨又彷徨；
Sorrowful and depressed.
她彷徨在这寂寥的雨巷，
She paces the lonely alley,
撑着油纸伞
Holding an umbrella,
像我一样，
Like me,
像我一样地
Just like me –
默默彳亍着
Walking quietly and slowly
冷漠，凄清，又惆怅。
In coldness, solitude and melancholy.
她静默地走近，
Quietly she comes close,
走近，又投出
Close to me and casts
太息一般的眼光
A glance, like a sigh.
她飘过
She drifts away
像梦一般地，
Like a dream–
像梦一般地凄婉迷茫。
So dreary and deep.
像梦中飘过
Like a lilac flower drifting by
一枝丁香地，
In a dream,
我身旁飘过这女郎；
The girl passes by me;
她默默地远了，远了，
Quietly she is walking away and away,
到了颓圮的篱墙，
To a broken hedge,
走尽这雨巷。
To the end of the alley in the rain.
在雨的哀曲里，
In the plaintive tune of the rain
消了她的颜色，
Her color fades,
散了她的芬芳，
Her fragrance disappears,
消散了，甚至她的太息般的眼光
So do her sighing glance
丁香般的惆怅。
And lilac-like melancholy.
撑着油纸伞，独自
Holding an umbrella, I’m alone
彷徨在悠长、悠长
Wandering about the long, long,
又寂寥的雨巷，
Lonely alley in the rain,
我希望飘过
Hoping to see passing by
一个丁香一样地
A girl who bears her melancholy
结着愁怨的姑娘。
Like a lilac flower. （唐正秋 译）
美国编辑的基本常识
Ill-Informed US Newsmen
董鼎山
Dong Dingshan
《纽约时报》一位编辑日前来了电话，叫我将一篇文章中的“延安窑洞”（The Yanan caves）一词解释一下。
The other day, an editor of The New York Times called me to inquire about “the Yan’an caves”, a phrase he had come across in one of my articles.
这个电话立时引起我一阵感慨：美国编辑的年轻（及其对时事历史知识的简陋）反映了我自己的老年。
It struck me immediately, for the young American editor with his ignorance of current affairs and historical events was a reflection of my own old age.
我的文中所讨论的是市上一本新出版的埃德加•斯诺传记。
The article I had written was about a recently published biography of Edgar Snow.
我曾指出，斯诺的《西行漫记》在1938年出版时，曾驱动了无数理想主义的知识青年前往“延安窑洞朝圣”（Make pilgrimages to the Yanan caves），帮助了毛泽东革命的成功。
I pointed out therein that Snow’s Red Star over China, published in 1938, served to spur innumerable aspiring young Chinese intellectuals to make pilgrimages to the Yan’an caves, thus contributing to the success of the Chinese revolution.
那位青年编辑的不解此词用意，让我憾惜那份大报资深老编辑的逐一消逝。
The young American editor’s failure to understand the said phrase made me lament the fading out of elderly senior members on the editorial staff of the renowned newspaper.
美国新一代编辑对中国现代史的生疏并不是近年来的事。
That the new generation of American newsmen are unfamiliar with modern Chinese history is by no means something new.
十年之前，我替该报专论版（OP-ED page）写了一篇有关我初返祖国的经历。编辑打电话来问我文中“法租界”（French Concession）一词是什么意思。
Ten years ago, after I sent in an article for the OP-ED page of The New York Times recounting my first experiences of my first visit to my motherland, the editor phoned me to ask about the meaning of “the French Concession”.
我的解释不能说服他的犹疑。
My explanation, however, failed bring him round.
他说读者不会了解，为了安全起见，他要把“法租界”改成“法侨区”（French Quarter），
He said readers had difficulty understanding it and therefore suggested, for safety’s sake, “the French Quarter” as a substitute for “the French Confession”.
我勉强的同意。
I agreed, but with reluctance.
又有一次，该报书评周刊一篇讨论海伦•福斯特•斯诺的《我在中国的年头》的书评中把张学良称呼为“共党少帅”（The Communist Young Marshal）。
Another time, in the newspaper’s weekly book review, an article on Helen Foster Snow’s My China Years addressed Zhang Xueliang as “Communist Young Marshal”.
张学良怎是共产党？
How could he be a Communist?
我去信更正。他们把我的更正信发表。
So I wrote them to rectify the mistake and they had my letter published.
该报的认真态度是闻名世界的，但是编辑的缺乏常识是不是我们所可谅解？
The New York Times is world-famous for its conscientiousness, but a lack of general knowledge on the part of its editors is nevertheless unpardonable.
美国一般报刊当事者对中国情况（即使是现在，到处多的是“中国通”）的无知是相当普遍的，
Those in charge of the American press are often found ignorant of things in China although the country is said to abound in “China hands”.
例如他们常把中国人的姓氏名字前后倒置，
For instance, they often don’t know how to put Chinese surnames and given names in the right order.
至于电视新闻广播员更是缺乏时事修养，
TV news broadcasters are even more ill-informed about the current affairs.
不只一次，我听到他们把“中华人民共和国”与“中华民国”混为一谈。
I’ve more than once found them mix up “the People’s Republic of China” with “the Republic of China”.
当然，1949年以后出生的人现在也有四十岁了。
US editors born after 1949, the year when the People’s Republic of China was founded, are now in their forties.
有的则根本不能体会上海在解放前的情况。
Some of them have little knowledge of what Shanghai was like in China’s pre-liberation days.
有一个杂志编辑与我争论“外滩”一词的英文字。
One American editor got into a heated argument with me about the English equivalent of Waitan in Shanghai.
他不解我为何要用Bund（他说Bund对他而言，是战前美国一个仿德国纳粹团体的取名）。
He wondered why I should insist on using the word “Bund”, saying that as far as he knew, it referred exclusively to a pro-Nazi organization in the pre-war US.
殊不知英国经商者早已在印度殖民地用了这个字，后来用在上海的外滩，意谓“沿着江海的河堤”。
He didn’t know that the word, first used by British merchant in India during its colonial days to mean “an embarked road along a waterfront”, was later also used to refer to Waitan in Shanghai.
这位编辑终把Bund改为Waterfront，把我所要想形容的昔年上海繁华的外滩，一改而予人以冷落零乱印象的“码头”，完全失却了原意。
He finally choose “the Waterfront” in preference to “the Bund”, which was a misrepresentation giving the picture of a desolate and messy dock instead of the erstwhile thriving Shanghai Bund as I had intended to describe.
凡此种种，只不过表明新闻界也是后浪推前浪，老的退休，新的当家。
Evidently the young have replaced the old to play a leading role in the US press,
在此情形下，我们这些上了年纪的撰稿者好似失去了知音。
and ageing newspaper contributors like me seem to have lost, much to our regret, our understanding friends. （张培基 译）
岸
The Bank
北岛
Bei Dao
陪伴着现在和以往
Companion to the present and the past
岸，举着一根高高的芦苇
the bank, lifting a tall reed,
四下眺望
gazes in all directions
是你
it is you
守护着每一个波浪
who keep watch on each wave
守护着迷人的泡沫和星星
and the bewitching foams and stars
当呜咽的月亮
when the sobbing moon
吹起古老的船歌
strikes up an age-old shanty
多么忧伤
it is so forlorn
我是岸
I am a bank
我是渔港
a fishing haven
我伸展着手臂
I stretch out my arms
等待着穷孩子的小船
to wait for the needy children’s little boats
载回一盏盏灯光
bringing back a string of lamps （Bonnie S. McDougall 译）
“隐私”是个公德概念
“Privacy” Is a Sense of Public Morality
林巍
Lin Wei
“隐私”，作为一个相对现代的概念，应当说是改革开放若干年之后的事；在此之前，则是另外一个概念。
The concept of “privacy” in our society is something relatively modern – a term publicly talked about only since the recent Reform and Opening Up.
改革开放前，我们的社会受“极左”思想影响深重，那时任何沾“私”的事情都与“公”相对立，都是落后、不光彩、甚至是反动的；
Before this historical change, China was under the influence of ultra-left thought, where everything related to “self” was deemed as backward, shameful, even reactionary, since they might be in contradiction to public interest.
而“隐私”更是“见不得人”和“肮脏”的代名词。
Needless to say, “privacy” which was almost a synonym for shamefulness or dark soul.
然而，随着我国商品经济的进程及日益参与国际事务，人们逐渐发现，“隐私”其实是每个人所不可或缺的。
With the development of the commodity economy and China’s increasing engagement internationally, however, Chinese gradually realized that privacy is actually in everyone’s interest.
道理很简单，一个人——无论其职业、地位、身份、年龄等——在24小时的生活中，不可能时时刻刻都以同一种面目出现。若有人这样，要么他是个十足的伪君子，要么他就是不懂得如何担当自己不同的角色与责任。
Put simply, regardless of a person’s profession, position, status, identity or age, it is impossible for him or her to appear the same 24 hours a day unless a hypocrite or hiding failure to perform.
通俗来说，“隐私”是指那些与他人无关、或是不愿意让他人知道的私人信息。
Privacy is normally regarded as personal information that is unrelated to others, or that a person is unwilling to reveal.
这些信息可能涉及到宗教、信仰、爱好、性取向、私人活动等，而一旦透露，则会给本人带来歧视与难堪。
Information such as person’s religion, belief, hobbies, sexual orientation or personal activities may cause discrimination or embarrassment if they are unfavorably disclosed.
一个隐私没有安全感的社会，不是安宁的社会。
People may lack of a sense of safety in society where privacy cannot be properly protected.
二十年前，我移民国外，当时感受最深的一点，是对于他人私人空间的尊重。
One thing that impressed me most in a country where I emigrated twenty years ago was the personal space people left for others.
譬如，排队时在人与人之间留够了距离，不想在中国时“贴”得那么紧。
For example, when people are queuing up they keep a quite distance from one another, unlike the Chinese always jostling each other.
又如，对于他人的私人信息绝不打听，而中国人则视之为对于他人关心的细致入微。
Concern for others’ personal information is traditionally a way the Chinese care for others, but in a western country can be regarded as instructive.
一般公认的最基本的隐私信息，例如：政治信息、财务信息、医疗信息、家庭信息等等，
Essential personal information may include a personon’s political affiliation, financial status, medical conditions, family affairs and so on.
都应具有相应的保护措施，甚至是法律。
These ought to be appropriately protected, even by law.
只有具有相当道德的人，才会认同和尊重他人的隐私；而每人如此设身处地，自己的隐私才会得到尊重。
A moral person should recognize and respect others’ privacy, and deserve the same treatment.
这样的人达到一定的数量，才能形成气候和文化，那便是公德。
Social ethics and a healthy culture are thus formed when moral people are evident.
让每个人的隐私都得到认可和尊重，是构成社会安定、和谐的重要因素。
Respecting individuals’ privacy is an integral part of a stable and harmonious society.
可见，“隐私”绝不是一个简单的私人概念，而是一个社会文明程度的标志。
In a way, privacy shouldn’t be simply viewed as a personal concept at all; rather, it indicates how civilized a society is. （林巍 译）
生命需要等待
Life Resides in Waiting
詹克明
Zhan Keming
许多沙漠植物生命周期都很短促，他们能在下雨过后的短短几天内就完成一次生命全程。
Many desert plants have a very brief life cycle: they can run through the whole course of life in just a few days after rain.
听甘肃的一位先生说，戈壁上有一种植物，只要一场雨，它就立即抽芽，急速地生根、长叶、开花、结果，仅在八天里就能完成一株显花植物全部的生命周期。
As described by a friend from Gansu province, a certain flowering plant in the Gobi Desert, on the heels of a soaking rain, is able to sprout, take roots, grow leaves, blossom and bear fruit all within a lifespan of merely eight days.
此后，新一代的种子又会重新归于安静的等待。
Then seeds of the new generation will enter the same inactive, waiting phase of existence.
在这片一年也未必能下场透雨的戈壁滩上，也许等待了两年时间就是为了这历时八天的生命辉煌。
In the Gobi Desert, which seldom sees a single sufficient rain in a whole year, a plant may wait two years for only eight days’ glory of life.
对这些沙漠植物来说，也许等待反倒是生命的主要存在方式。
For these desert plants, contrary to common sense, waiting constitutes the main part of life.
生命必须包含等待，
All life involves a waiting phase.
甚至可以说，没有学会等待的生命就不具备生存的资格。
We can even go so far as to say that a living thing, without the ability to wait, is not qualified for existence in this world.
等的是一种充满生命活力的“零级动态”，
Waiting is “zero-level dynamism”.
如同一辆已发动了的汽车，它是处于“零速率”的动态，一松离合器就可启动。
Just consider: With its engine revving, a car, though still at zero-speed, will start to move when the clutch is released.
又像一座已达链式反应“临界”的核动力堆，它是处于“零功率”动态的核电站，一提控制棒就可以并网发电。
In the same vein, waiting can also be compared to a nuclear reactor at zero-power critical condition, which, upon the removal of the control rods, will begin to generate and send electricity to the grid system.
“等待”是一种积极的预备状态。
Waiting is thus a form of proactive preparation.
它时刻准备着，随时都在等待启动的信号。
The waiting ones are always prepared to start upon receiving the right signal.
等待者永远醒着。
In addition, the waiting ones are sober-minded.
生命的等待既需要一种安于寂寞的静守，又需要一种审时度势的清醒。
They know the waiting phase of life calls for ready acceptance of silence and solitude, as well as a cool head to size up the situation and act at the right moment.
这是一种伺机而发的等待，一种充满着生命张力的等待。
This waiting includes the potential for action and embodies the tensions of life.
可以有失去生命的种子，但决不会有睡过头、唤不醒的种子，也没有怠惰懒散、迷离惝恍的种子。
There may of course be dead seeds, but otherwise, no seeds will oversleep and refuse to wake up or stay idle and hesitate over whether to take action.
它们个个清醒，都对温度、湿度等重要环境因素常备不懈地保持高度警觉，时刻都在捕捉春天的信息。
They are highly alert to the changing temperature and humidity with a view to seizing the right chance.
更令人不解的是，萌发的种子凭着什么感觉器官，竟然能够知觉地球引力方向，
What is more surprising to us is that they even know the direction of gravity.
它会让先钻出来的胚根向“下”生长，而让随后长出的胚芽向“上”伸张。
By dint of a certain sense organ in them they let their young rots strike downward and their sprouts shoot upward.
它们有时还得惠于母本的高级知觉，
Some seeds receive even more care from their mother plants.
例如常春藤叶彩雀花，母体茎干会带着蒴果避开亮光，爬到更适宜种子发芽的阴湿墙角处爆开种子，
For instance, a species of toadflax boasts a sensitive mechanism which directs its stems to carry its capsules away from the light and release the seeds in places cool and moist, thus more congenial to germination.
它竟然能对子代出世体现出一种充满母爱的关怀。
Doesn’t this show a mother’s affection towards her offspring?
生命既要擅长发展又要学会等待，两者相辅相成，
A living being should be good at both growing and waiting, two phases of life which alternate and complement each other.
交替轮回，形成了生命特有的律动周期。
This is the cycle determined by Nature and characteristic of all lives.
次周期当来自于“天”。地球自转一周为“日”，平分昼夜；
The earth’s rotation makes a day, divided into light and dark.
而它绕日公转一周为“年”，
And when the earth has revolved around the sun once, we have a year.
仅仅由于一个23.5度的倾斜角形成的斜转方式，才使大地分出春夏秋冬四个季节。
Seasons are created only because the earth’s axis is tilted at an angle of 23.5 degrees.
可见地球生命的生长收藏都是按照“天”的周期来实施的。
So we can see the growth and dormancy of lives on earth are conditioned by the cycles of Nature.
生命体拥有发展与等待这两种生存状态正是一种“与天同步”的顺应天时之举。
The two states of existence of life, growing and waiting, are just the results of life’s adaptation to Nature’s rhythms.
对生命而言，等待永远是一支瞄向“发展”的满弓弦箭，
For all forms of life, the waiting phase can be seen as an arrow on a taut bowstring.
它时刻都在屏息静听，候望天命信号。
Aimed at growth, it silently waits for the right signal from Nature. （李运兴 译）
无怨的青春
Regretless Youth
席慕蓉
Xi Murong
在年轻的时候，如果你爱上了一个人，
If you fall in love when you are young
请你，请你一定要温柔地对待他。
Please – be kind to him
不管你们相爱的时间有多长或多短，
No matter how long or short you share your hearts
若你们能始终温柔地相待，那么，
If your feelings may continue, then
所有的时刻都将是一种无暇的美丽。
Every moment will be peerless perfection
若不得不分离，也要好好地说声再见，
If you must leave, still bid him fond farewell
也要在心里存着感谢，
And be thankful in your heart
感谢他给了你一份记忆。
For the memories he left you
长大了以后，你才会知道，
When you are older, you will realize
在蓦然回首的刹那，
At the instant when you suddenly recall those moments
没有怨恨的青春才会了无遗憾，
That youth without resentment is without any regret
如山岗上那静静的满月。
Just like the aged moon gracing the hills with quiet clarity
无怨的青春
The Youth with No Resentment
席慕蓉
Hsi Murong
在年青的时候
A little bit young were you,
如果你爱上了一个人
Falling in love with a girl
请你一定要温柔地对待她
Be kind to her, please do so.
不管你们相爱的时间有多长或多短
Whether you love each other long or short,
若你们能始终温柔地相待 那么
Both of you ought to treasure the love at first.
所有的时刻都将是一种无暇的美丽
All the love experience will be flawlessly beautiful.
若不得不分离
If you had to separate from her,
也要好好地说一声再见
You should say good-bye in a polite manner,
也要在心里存着感谢
You should have good memories of her,
感谢她给了你一份记忆
Be grateful to her forever.
长大了之后 你才会知道
One day you grow old, you should
在蓦然回首的一刹那
Be no regret without resentment sigh,
没有怨恨的青春 才会了无遗憾
While recalling what happened to you,
如山岗上那静静的晚月
Like a peaceful moon over hills at night. （朱曼华 译）
一句好话
Good Words
张晓风
Zhang Xiaofeng
小时候过年，大人总要我们说吉利话，
When I was a child, the elders took pains to teach me how to express good luck wishes for the Spring Festival.
但碌碌半生，竟有一天我也要教自己的孩子说吉祥话了，
Decades later, I find myself doing the exactly the same thing to my children.
才蓦然警觉这世间好话是真有的，令人思之不尽，但却不是“升官”、“发财”、“添丁”这一类的，
And I have come to realize that besides clichés such as “wish you a promotion at work”, “wish you to be rich”, or “wish you have more children”, there are other good words which give me much food for thought.
好话是什么呢？
What, then, are these words I have heard?
冬夜的晚上，从爆白果的馨香里，我有一句没一句的想起来了。
I often try to recall them on many a winter night, and they flash in my mind amidst the crackling of gingko seeds being roasted in a pan.
好咖啡总是放在热杯子里的！
“Good coffee is always to be found in hot cups.”
经过罗马的时候，一位新识不久的朋友执意要带我们去喝咖啡。
When I traveled through Rome, a new friend of mine insisted on giving me a treat on coffee.
“很好喝的，喝了一辈子难忘！”
“It’s good coffee. Makes one remember it the rest of his life!” he observed.
我们跟着他东抹西拐大街小巷的走，
We followed him through streets and lanes.
石块拼成的街道美丽繁复，走久了，会让人忘记目的地，竟以为自己是出来踩石块的。
Walking for a long time on the stone-paved streets, pleasant and labyrinthine, we almost forget where we were heading for, as if we have come out only to tread on the stones.
忽然，一阵咖啡浓香侵袭过来，不用主人指引，自然知道咖啡店到了。
Suddenly there came a waft of fragrant coffee, and, without the host’s telling us, we knew we were approaching our destination.
咖啡放在小白瓷杯里，
The coffee was poured in a thick white porcelain cup.
白瓷很厚，和中国人爱用的薄瓷相比另有一番稳重笃实的感觉。
Compared with the delicate chinaware the Chinese prefer, it looks sturdy and heavy.
店里的人都专心品咖啡，心无旁骛。
Everyone in the coffee house was focused on his coffee, totally oblivious of the surroundings.
侍者从一个特殊的保暖器里为我们拿出杯子，我捧在手里，忍不住讶道。
A waiter took some cups out of a heated container and gave one to each of us.
“咦，这杯子本身就是热的哩！”
I exclaimed: “How come the cup is hot!”
侍者转身，微微一躬，
The waiter turned around, bowing slightly.
说：“女士，好咖啡总是放在热杯子里的！”
“Madam, good coffee is always to be found in hot cups.”
他的表情既不兴奋也不骄矜，甚至连广告意味的夸大也没有，
He was neither excited nor conceited, nor being in a mode of exaggeration, as can be seen in advertising.
只是淡淡的在说一句天经地义的事而已。
He was simply stating a plain truth.
是的，好咖啡总是应该斟在热杯子里的，
Indeed, good coffee is always to be found in hot cups.
凉杯子会把咖啡带凉了，香气想来就会蚀掉一些，
A cold cup may cool off the coffee in it, thus reducing its taste.
其实好茶好酒不也如此吗？
The same is also true of warmed liquor and good tea.
原来连“物”也是如此自矜自重的，
I came to realize that even “things” have self-respect and tend to be reserved.
庄子中的好鸟择枝而栖，
The legendary good bird, according to Zhuangzi, chooses the right nest to rest on.
西洋故事里的宝剑深契石中，等待大英雄来抽拔，
In a comparable western context, the sword stuck in stone waits for a hero to draw it out.
都是一番万物的清贵，不肯轻易亵慢了自己。
Both stories show that “things” with integrity refuse to lower themselves to vulgarity.
古代的禅师每从喝茶喂粥去感悟众生，不知道罗马街头那端咖啡的侍者也有什么要告诉我的，
It is known that the Zen Buddhists try to enlighten the masses when giving them food and drinks, but I don’t know what that Roman waiter want to reveal to me.
我多愿自己也是一份千研万磨后的香醇，并且慎重的斟在一只洁白温暖的厚瓷杯里，带动一个美丽的清晨。
I wish I could become something fragrant the way coffee is after being roasted and grounded, and carefully poured into a hot white cup, thus making a morning delicious. （李运兴 译）
“压力山大”，幸福在哪里？
With Mounting Stress, Where Is Happiness?
袁浩
Yuan Hao
“‘压力山大’，幸福在哪里？”是当下网友们热议的话题。
A hot topic among netizens these days is: With mounting stress, where is happiness?
一项调查显示，在全球80个国家和地区的1.6万名职场人士中，认为压力高于去年者，中国内地人士占75%，列第一位。
A survey of 16,000 workers in 80 countries and regions has found that seventy-five percent of mainland Chinese workers experience more stress than in the previous year –which is the highest percentage among the regions polled.
许多人甚至形成了与压力“相依”的习惯，认为“有压力时觉得累，没压力时觉得可怕”。
Many have even become inextricably entangled with stress, leading to a perception that while stress wears you out, you’d feel dreadful without it.
很多人觉得生活的幸福指数远不及过着田园生活的农民，而导致这一切的原因就在于没有管理好“压力”二字。
It occurs to many of us that if measured on a happiness scale, today’s life is far less satisfying than a single agrarian lifestyle, and the culprit is no other than the failure at stress management.
压力源于何处？
Where does stress come from?
压力源于工作，源于金钱，源于房子、车子，源于结婚生子的使命，源于物价的飞涨，
It could be work-related, money-induced, compounded by the thirst to own or the burden of owning a home and a car, driven by the mission to get married and have offspring, and exacerbated by soaring consumer prices.
更源于高不成低不就的尴尬，源于恨铁不成钢的愤怒，源于凡事追求完美的奢求。
Moreover, it could stem from an uneasiness that belies our stubborn refusal to settle for less when our goal proves unrealistic, or from the exasperation at our kids’ failure to live up to expectations, or from our relentless pursuit of perfection that is taking us nowhere.
于是，我们每天都在高强度地工作，都要应付职场上复杂的人际关系，都要参悟为人之道、处事之理。
As a result, we find ourselves consumed by hectic schedules day in and day out, navigating gingerly the labyrinth of office politics, executing one balancing act after another in search of elusive solutions satisfactory to all.
内心时时充满压力的我们，
At no time are we free from stress.
就这样你追我赶、不甘落后，担心受穷、担心受伤，导致身心疲惫不堪，健康透支疾病上身。
Locked in a vicious circle of competition, we are in constant fear of being outpaced, out-earned, or outwitted, a fear that gives rise to chronicle fatigue, both physically and mentally, taking a toll on our health.
除了工作和生活上的压力，还有来自社会不公的压力。
In addition to workplace pressures and worries in life, another source of stress is social injustice,
有调查显示，超过40%的人认为，社会不公是给他们生活带来压力的最主要原因。
which over 40 percent of those polled in a survey regard as a primary contributor to stress.
人们感到生活压力不仅来自糟糕的感情问题、吃住条件差、同伴之间的攀比、赡养父母、人际关系不好，还来自各种各样无法言喻的苦衷。
As we all know, stress arises not only from soured relationships, poor living conditions, peer pressure, the obligation to care for aging parents, or lack of interpersonally harmony, but also from myriad dilemmas that inflict unspeakable misery on us.
比如，享受教育、劳动就业、参与竞争、发财致富、社会福利等等方面的不公，让我们感到沉重的压力，
Injustices such as inequality in education and employment, unfair competition, unequal business opportunities, and disparities in social welfare weigh heavily on our minds.
这种压力我们既无法排遣，更无力改变，只能忍气吞声，在隐忍中成为内心之痛、时代之殇。
Unable to escape from its clutch, much less alter its driving forces, we endure in silence this kind of stress, which has become a gnawing pain at heart and a malady of our time.
有人说，幸福就是一种感觉。这话没错。
Some say happiness is but a feeling, and nothing could be truer.
在农耕社会，风调雨顺、庄稼丰收是幸福的，再加上人丁兴盛、六畜兴旺则更是幸福的；
In a bygone agricultural society, favorable weather and bumper harvests would bring happiness to a whole community, and a feeling of being doubly blessed would prevail if there was also a baby boom accompanied by thriving livestock populations.
耕读传家之家族，有人金榜题名，整个家族的人是幸福的，荣耀地幸福着。
For a clan that valued farming and letters, all its members would be feeling on top of the world if one of them was successful in an imperial exam.
而在如今这物质主义泛滥的年代，每个人都在追逐着名和利，倘若突然一问：你幸福吗？
However, in today’s materialistic world where everyone seems to be in a hot pursuit of fame and wealth, people would be at a loss if asked “Are you happy?”
相信很多人都会回不过神来。因为，过多的压力已经销蚀了我们的幸福感。
Indeed, too much stress has eroded our sense of happiness.
无怪乎央视在《你幸福吗》栏目调查中，会有如务工人员一样“我姓曾”的回答，更有如莫言一样“我不知道”的回答——
No wonder when some migrant workers were asked if they were happy in a CCTV happiness survey, their answer was “I don’t know”, just like that of Mo Yan, a famed writer.
不管是务工人员，还是莫言，都有各自所面临的压力。
After all, migrant works and folks like Mo Yan are all experiencing stress, albeit in different ways.
不让压力销蚀我们的幸福感，一方面需要我们的政府努力营造公平正义的环境，不断健全保障体系，
To prevent stress from eroding our sense of happiness, the government for its part has to make constant efforts to build a fair and just social framework and a viable safety net for all,
提高个人抵御各类风险的能力，切实解决社会贫富差距过大的问题，防止出现公众集体焦虑心态。
so as to enhance the ability of individuals to withstand risks and shocks, and take effective measures to narrow the gap between rich and poor, so as to prevent the emergence of collective anxiety among the general public.
另一方面，也需要我们每个人都能努力改变看问题的角度，多从积极的方面认识问题，以积极的心态来考虑问题，
On the other hand, we as individuals should try to look at things from a different perspective, with less attitude and more gratitude.
及时舒缓不良情绪，建立健康的生活心态，平衡好“期望值”与“现实值”的关系，淡泊明志，回归理性，
It pays to free ourselves from the grips of grievances, and harness the power of positive thinking, always aiming for a right balance between expectations and reality, a departure from blind materialistic pursuit towards a more fulfilling self-reinvention, and a return to reason.
以更加平和的心态对待生活，如此，我们才能静心感悟幸福，才能真正拥有幸福。
Only by embracing more equanimity, can we be blessed with happiness, and truly feel blissful. （李运兴 译）
热爱生命
Loving Life
汪国真
Wang Guozhen
我不去想是否能够成功
I don’t want to consider If I’ll be able to succeed.
既然选择了远方
Since I’ve decided to go to a distant place,
便只顾风雨兼程
I’ll try my best to make the trip.
我不去想能否赢得爱情
I don’t want to consider If I’ll be able to obtain love.
既然钟情于玫瑰
Since I’m deep in love with roses,
就勇敢地吐露真诚
I’ll show my sincerity boldly.
我不去想身后会不会袭来寒风冷雨
I don’t want to consider If I’ll meet with the cold wind and rain.
既然目标是地平线
Since my destination is the horizon,
留给世界的只能是背影
I’ll leave a deep impression on the Earth.
我不去想未来是平坦还是泥泞
I don’t want to consider If my future will be smooth or bumpy.
只要热爱生命
If only I love my life,
一切，都在意料中
Everything is to be expected. （蒋隆国 译）
我差点被狼吃了！
My Narrow Escape from a Wolf’s Jaws
冰心
Bing Xin
《儿童时代》的编辑们叫我给小朋友写一篇《我的童年》。
The editors of the Childhood asked me to write for kids an article entitled My Childhood.
关于“童年”，我写过不止一篇了。现在不妨讲一段惊险的故事，给小朋友们听。
Since I have written more than once on the same subject, now I might as well tell you a thrilling story instead.
这大概是一九六〇年的事了，
It was probably in 1906.
那时我的父亲是烟台海军练营的营长，
My father was then in charge of a Yantai naval training camp.
我们的家就住在练营对面的一个职工家属的四合院里，
We lived just opposite in an old-style quadrangle for naval officers’ family members.
这个四合院是盖在从山坡上挖出来的一块平地上。
It stood on a piece of level land dug out of the mountain slope.
我总记得每天我母亲替我梳小辫的时候，我从后窗望去，外面是一堵高高的土墙，在每一个锄头挖过的凹孔里，都长着一小丛的蒲公英，
Every day, I remember, when mother was busy plaiting my hair, I would look out of the back window to set my eyes on a tall earthen wall and small clusters of dandelions growing out of the holes in the ground left by digging.
她是我一生中所结交的“花”的朋友中的第一个！
They were the first flowers I have ever been friends with in my life!
在我家后面的山坡上，有一座和海上兵舰通旗语的旗台，
On the slope behind our house was a platform for exchanging flag signals with warships at sea.
我父亲常常带着一块石板——就是我们小时候上学时用的做算术的那种石板——和一个带着两面彩旗的水兵，上旗台去跟海港里的军舰通话。
Often, armed with a slate – the kind of slate as used by schoolchildren for learning arithmetic, father would mount the platform to communicate with warships in harbor, together with a seaman carrying two coloured flags.
那时候的烟台东山，还是荒凉得很，时常有狼在夜里出来觅食。
Dongshan in Yantai was then a bleak and desolate place, often haunted by wolves at night hunting for food.
我们的厨师父常抱怨说：昨天夜里盖在大鸡笼下，上面还压着一块大石头的鸡笼，又被狼顶开，把小鸡吃了。
Our cook often complained about wolves eating up our chicks the previous night after pushing off the heavy stone on top of the big bamboo coop.
不如砌一个砖头的鸡舍好。
He suggested that a brick hen house be built to replace the bamboo coop.
我从来没看见过狼，也就没把这话往心里去。
I had never seen a wolf, so didn’t take his words too much to heart.
有一天傍晚，父亲又带一个打旗语的水兵，上旗台去了。水兵下来半天了，父亲还在台上，
One evening, father went up the platform again with a signal man, but he remained there long after the seaman came back.
我就跑上旗台去找父亲。
So I started running up to meet him.
夜色苍茫里，我听见身后仿佛有一只大狗在跟着我，
Then, in the midst of the deepening dusk, I became aware of something like a big dog following at my heels.
忽然听见父亲一声断喝：“你快上来！”
All of a sudden, father gave a loud shout, “Come on! Quick!”
我回头看时，只见一双亮得又凉得透骨的、灰蓝的眼睛，
I looked back and saw a pair of grayish blue eyes glittering piercingly.
同时旗台上砰地一声巨响，是石板摔在地上的碎声，
Meanwhile, there was a terrific bang as father’s slate was smashed to pieces on the ground.
那大狗似的，有一双可怕的灰蓝眼睛的东西，拖着一条长长的尾巴，转身就跑了。
The dog-like big beast, with its fearful grayish blue eyes, immediately turned to scurry away with its long tail between its legs.
这一切只发生在几秒钟的时间！
All that lasted but a few seconds!
我跑上了旗台，父亲把我紧紧地搂在怀里说：“刚才追在你后面的是一只狼！
Up on the platform, father hugged me closely in his arms and said, “It was a wolf that pursued you just now!
不是我砸了石板把它吓跑了，你早就让它吃了。
Had I not frightened it away by smashing the slate, it would have eaten you up.
以后在这么晚的时候千万不要自己一个人出来，听见没有？”
From now on, don’t come out by yourself after dark. Understand?”
那时我在父亲怀里只是嘻嘻地笑着，我想象不出被狼咬着吃了是什么感觉。
I giggled in his arms, not knowing what it was like to be eaten up by a wolf.
现在回想起来却有一种“后怕”。
Today, nevertheless, the small incident never fails to strike fear in me whenever I recall it. （张培基 译）
市场不是万能的
The Market Is Not Omnipotent
林巍
Lin Wei
三十多年前，我们开始改革开放时，突然认识到，市场是个好东西，认为以前之所以没搞好，根本原因就是没有尊重市场调节。
In the initial stage of reform some thirty years ago, we seemed to have a sudden realization of the benefits of the market,
现在好了，有了这个法宝，似乎一切便可迎刃而解了。
believing it was a recipe to clear up all flaws from a past that did not follow market forces.
的确，沿着这条路，中国的经济发生了天翻地覆的变化，取得了举世瞩目的成就。
Indeed, China’s economic reform has had tremendous achievements from the market economy, and has stunned the world.
但是，随之也出现了严重的问题。
However, serious problems have also occurred.
其根本原因，抛开其他因素，恰恰是我们太相信市场了。
The fundamental cause is, apart from anything else, precisely we have put too much trust in the market.
市场的核心是竞争，是调动个人积极性，是资源合理调配、优化组合，同时也是肉弱强食、铁面无情。
The core of market mechanism is competition, which motivates individuals to allocate resources rationally, optimize investment and so on, operating ruthlessly according to the law of the jungle.
市场会刺激生产、经营与创造，但同时也会带来两极分化、畸形结构、甚至是危机动荡。
The market can stimulate production, entrepreneurship and innovation, and at the same time polarize society, distort structures or even cause crises.
在这个意义上，市场具有多功能性（而并非万能性）。
In a sense, the market is indeed multifunctional, if not omnipotent.
事实证明，许多领域是不适宜完全引入市场机制的。
It has been proved that market forces are not applicable to every sector in our society,
例如：公众医疗部门、教育事业、公共交通系统、安居工程、某些科研项目等等。
including public health, education, public transportation, public housing, as well as some research projects.
引入了，便破坏了其性质，扭曲了其功能，最后以失败告终。
The law of the jungle, if imported to these areas, will distort their nature and functions and inevitably result in complete failure.
市场的确也会失败。
There is indeed such a thing as market failure.
所以，改革前的“一切不相信市场”和改革后的“一切相信市场”都是片面的。
Therefore, either no market at all or everything as market believed before or after the reform is only part of the truth.
一个健康的社会，不但需要市场这只“看不见的手”，同时更需要政府“看得见的手”。
In a healthy society, both the invisible hands of market forces and the visible role of government are needed.
关键的是在了解客观规律的基础上“该出手时就出手”。
The key question is how to let them function appropriately and effectively based on the objective laws. （林巍 译）
野鹿
Wild Deer
桓夫
Huan Fu
野鹿的肩膀印有不可磨灭的小痣 和其他许多许多肩膀一样
An indelible small mole marks the deer’s shoulder just like so any other shoulders before its eyes
眼前相思树的花蕾遍地黄黄 黄黄的黄昏逐渐接近了但那老顽固的夕阳想再灼灼反射一次峰峦的青春 但玉山的山脉仍是那么华丽俨然
all is yellow with acacia blossom the yellow dusk draws in but the evening sun still wants to reflect all ablaze the youth of the peaks and spurs and the ridge of Jade Mountain as always imposing and lovely
这已不是暂时的横卧脆弱的野鹿抬头仰望玉山 看看肩膀的小痣　小痣的创伤裂开一朵艳红的牡丹花了
this is no longer a temporary recline the frail wild deer lifts its head to look at Jade Mountain looks at the mole on its shoulder the mole’s wound has torn open a scarlet peony
血喷出来 以回忆的速度 让野鹿领略了一切 由于结局逐渐垂下的幔幕 猎人尖箭的威胁已淡薄
Blood spurts out at the speed of remembering letting the deer comprehend everything with the final curtain slowly dropping the threat of the hunter’s sharp arrows weakens
很快地 血色的晚霞布满了遥远的回忆 野鹿习性的谛念 品尝着死亡瞬前的静寂　而追想就是永恒那么一回事嘿 那阿眉族的祖先 曾经拥有七个太阳
Soon blood-red twilight fills far-distant memory the wild deer’s instincts savor the moment of calm before death and recollection is a business of eternity they the forefathers of the Ami tribe once had seven suns
你想想七个太阳怎不烧坏了黄褐皮肤的爱情谁都在叹息多余的权威贻害了欲望的丰收
just imagine: those seven suns were sure to scorch the love of tawny skins everyone sighed as superfluous authority blighted the rich harvest of desire
于是阿眉族的祖宗们曾经组队打猎去了呢 徒险涉水打猎太阳去了呢——血又喷出来
so the Ami patriarchs formed a band and went hunting hunting the suns up hill and down dale – again the blood spurts out
艳红而纯洁的扩大了的牡丹花——现在只存一个太阳
A pure and scarlet growing peony –
现在 许多意志 许多爱情 属于荒野的冷漠
now there is only one sun now so much ambition so much love belongs to the indifference of the wilderness
在冷漠的现实中 野鹿肩膀的血丝不断地痉挛着
in the indifferent reality the trickles of blood on the deer’s shoulder flow endlessly twitch endlessly
野鹿却未曾想过 咒骂的怨言 而创口逐渐丧失的疼痛 曾灼热的光线 放射无尽烦恼的盛衰 那些盛衰的故事已经遥远
but the deer has had no thought of cursing in complaint and the wound gradually stops hurting the shafts of light that once blazed hot shining on the endless tribulation of success and failure those stories of success and failure are distant now
野鹿横卧的岗上已是一片死寂和幽暗 美丽而广阔的林野是永远属于死了的
The knoll where the deer lies is deadly still and dark the vast and beautiful wildwood belongs forever to the dead
野鹿那么想 那么想着　那朦胧的瞳膜已映不着霸占山野的那些狰狞的面孔了 映不着伙伴们互争雌鹿的爱情了 哦！
the deer is thinking and thinking its misted-over cornea can no longer reflect those hideous faces that tyrannize the mountains nor its companions contending for the hind’s love
爱情 爱情在欢乐的疲惫之后昏昏睡去 睡……去……
oh! love after the exhaustion of ecstasy love drifts off to sleep to…sleep… （Jim Weldon and Michel Hockx 译）
躲年
Staying Away from the Chinese New Year
刘齐
Liu Qi
去年春节前夕，我随国内一个旅游团去埃及。
Last year, just before the Chinese New Year – the Spring Festival – I visited Egypt with a tourist group of more than 50 people.
旅游团五十多名成员，有骄傲之人，忧郁之人，天真之人，狡猾之人，俨然一个“小社会”了。
We were actually a small “society”, composed of different personality types: the self-important, the melancholy, the naïve and the crafty.
“小社会”游走他乡，连听带看，满脑子新鲜事，自然有无穷话题，但经常谈起的却是故国春节，
Travelling across the alien land, we saw and heard many new things, which gave us an infinite array of conversation topics, but stubbornly the Spring Festival still remained a talking point.
而且语多抱怨——
And we were full of complaints about it:
有什么呀？
“What’s good about it?
不就是吃喝拜年放鞭炮嘛。
It’s all about eating, guzzling, paying visits and setting off fire-crackers.”
吃喝没劲，鱼啊肉啊，啤的白的，过不过年都一样。
“It is no more than feasting: fish, meat, beer and liquor, which we have had enough of on ordinary days.
还不如恢复票证呢。
Better to go back to the time when foods were rationed.”
中国人报喜不报忧的毛病都是拜年拜出来的。
“When paying New Year visits, we only talk about the good news, as if the world is so nice.
七大姑八大姨的孩子呼呼往上冲，分浮财似的。
And that only boosts the unfortunate practice of covering up the bad news.”
现在这伙新新人类智商忒高，
“Kids nowadays are very smart creatures.
你给他压岁钱他不道谢，他先对着光看，看见暗藏的伟人头了，这才咕咚给你磕个头。
They surround you, grab the gift money, and won’t utter a ‘thank you’ until they hold the notes up against the light and make sure there’s a watermark.”
拎个果匣子看老丈母娘的年代一去不复返了……
“You can no longer please your mother-in-law with a fruit package in hand, that’s too trifling a gift for the occasion these days.”
抱怨完了又庆幸，这回好了，总算躲出来了。
After this spasm of grumbling, we turned to congratulate ourselves: “Now we’re free from the hustle and bustle of the Spring Festival.
眼不见，心不烦。
Out of sight, out of mind.
过去杨白劳躲地主，现在我们躲春节。
Like debtors trying to avoid their creditors, we’ve fled the Chinese festive tradition.
春节啊春节，白白了您哪，
Bye-bye, Spring Festival!
您再有能耐，还能追到埃及来？
I bet you can’t follow us all the way to Egypt.”
埃及的确是躲年的好地方，
Indeed, Egypt provides us with a safe haven where we Chinese could forget about the Spring Festival and find peace of mind.
金字塔光溜溜的，狮身人面像静悄悄的，一点“年气”看不出来。躲年的中国人无牵无挂，悠哉游哉。
The pyramids looked austere, the Sphinx stood in silence, nowhere could you sense a trace of the festive atmosphere at home.
有时一高兴，还踩着异邦鼓点跳舞，或者穿了阿拉伯袍子，跟当地老乡手挽手，照一张水乳交融、乐不思蜀的纪念像。
At the height of your enthusiasm, you could dance to the drumbeats of the alien land, or, changing into an Arabic robe, you could take a picture hand in hand with a native, as a souvenir of friendship as well as a proof that you’d left behind you all about your hometown.
但是，随着年关的临近，好像有谁在远方遥控，全团男女老少的情绪逐渐起了变化。
However, as the Spring Festival approached, and as if controlled by a remote hand, a hidden sentiment began to bubble up among the tourists, men and women, young or old.
年三十清晨，有人闷闷不乐，认为早餐难吃。
On the morning before the Festival some were found in low spirits, complaining about the unpalatable breakfast.
那天上午，参观萨拉丁古堡和阿里清真寺。
Later that morning we visited the Citadel of Saladin and the Mosque of Muhammad Ali.
在这两个天下闻名的历史胜地，中国人步履匆匆，显得有些焦躁，有些心不在焉。
Both are world-renowned historic sites, yet the Chinese tourists hurried through them absent-mindedly, as if harassed by some remote concern.
参观完了，旅游大巴徐徐往回返。
Afterwards, we set out on our way back to the hotel. The bus drove slowly into the city of Cairo.
开罗城里楼是楼，树是树，一切如往日般正常。
The buildings and the trees looked every bit the same as usual.
忽然，车上有人大叫：“停车！”
“Stop here!” someone suddenly shouted.
大胡子司机一怔，赶紧刹闸。
Startled, the heavily bearded driver slammed on the brakes.
全体中国人蜂拥而下，三步并作两步，钻进一座建筑物。
The Chinese swarmed off and strode into a building.
街上熙来攘往的埃及人全愣了。
The pedestrians were dumbfounded.
黑衣巡警见状，迅速围拢过来。
The policemen in black uniforms closed in.
建筑物是电信局，算是要害部门，
The building was the telecommunication service center, vital to national security, as it were.
但中国人没干别的，只是争先恐后掏腰包，买一张薄薄的电话卡。
But the Chinese did nothing illegal but taking out money from their purses and paying for a small telephone card.
大厅里，一长排电话间随即爆满。
Instantly, the telephone booths in the hall were filled.
手脚慢些的，又涌到门外。门外有十多个电话亭，转眼功夫被中国人统统抢占。
The latecomers flocked out into the street, where some dozen telephone kiosks were soon taken up by Chinese callers.
埃及警民越发迷惑不解，这是怎么了？
The Egyptians were all the more confused: What has happened?
没听说世界上有什么大事啊？
Haven’t heard there’s any big event in the world!
谁说没有大事？
Who says there isn’t a big event?
你们这边才是中午，我们那边已经到了晚上，
Noon here is evening in China, and not an ordinary evening at that.
不是一般的晚上，是除夕夜！阖家团聚的时候。
This is New Year’s Eve on the Chinese calendar, a time for family reunion.
十几亿口子人一起吃年夜饭，
Just think of it, more than one billion people are having their New Year dinner at the same time!
不是世界大事是什么？
Isn’t this a world event?
电话一个个接通，喂喂声四起，拜年，祝福，
With lines connected one after another, there arose a series of hellos, happy New Years and blessings of the kind.
询问做了什么饭菜，
“What’s on the menu tonight?
放没放鞭炮，
Did you set off fireworks?
包没包饺子，
Are you making dumplings?
煤气足不足，
Does the gas stove work well?
天冷不冷……
Is it cold at home?”
她给我打电话没有？
“Did she call me?”
电视晚会快开始了吧？
“Has the New Year Gala begun?
谁当主持人？
Who are the anchors?”
外婆身体不好，
“Is granny well?
不一定看完。
Ask her not to sit up too late watching TV.”
爹要少喝酒，多吃菜。
“Ask dad not to drink too much, and to eat more vegetables.”
囡囡别淘气，
“Be nice, my child.
给你买好东西了。
I’ve bought you something nice.”
这边不行，
“It’s rather dull here.
连个春联都看不见……
Not even a single New Year decoration is in sight.” …
大家的话语噌噌往中国飞，没有一句是要紧话，也没有一句不是要紧话。
Words were thus being transmitted to China, none was urgent, yet each carried with its messages important to the dear ones.
那一刻，焦躁之人安稳了，狡猾之人诚恳了，忧郁之人欢乐了，欢乐之人更欢乐了。
At the moment of the year, the hot-tempered calmed down, the crafty became sincere, the melancholy cheered up and the happy ones were even happier.
全体躲年者喊叫着，喃喃着，一起向“年”迎上去。
The New Year dodgers, shouting or murmuring into phones, were now ironically caught up in ringing in the Chinese New Year.
天特别蓝，太阳特别亮，
The sky was azure blue, the sun shone brightly.
老天爷——分工负责中国的那个老天爷，他老人家一定在往埃及这边看。
God – or at least the one in charge of Chinese affairs – was surely focusing his gaze upon this part of the world. （李运兴 译）
心中的诗和童话
The Poems and Fairy Tales in People’s Hearts
汪国真
Wang Guozhen
雪轻轻落下
Snowflakes are dropping gently.
那是多少人心中的
These are the poems and fairy tales
诗和童话
In many people’s hearts.
这是开得最短暂
And these are the flowers
也是开得最多的花啊
That bloom most
凉凉的
And last for the shortest time.
却不知温暖了
They are cold,
多少心灵的家
Yet they warm many people’s hearts. （蒋隆国 译）
家在途中
Home: A Changing Concept
白岩松
Bai Yansong
对于我来说，家的概念随着年龄的变化而不断变化。
To me, the concept of home changes continually along with my age.
在童年的时候，家是一声声呼唤。
In my childhood, home was a string of calls.
那时的我似乎比今日的孩子拥有更多的自由。
It seems that I was entitled to more freedom than today’s children.
放学后不会先在父母前露面，而是与住的相邻的同学聚在一起，
I didn’t have to show up in front of my parents right after school, instead I would go to play with my classmates who lived in the neighborhood.
天马行空，玩的天昏地暗，直到炊烟散去，听见父母“喂，回家了，吃饭了”的呼唤才回家，
We frolicked like mad until dinner was ready and our parents called “Come back! Come home for supper!”
这样的声音伴着我慢慢长大，日复一日，
Days passed by as I grew up in the company of those calls.
至今仍在我的耳旁回响。
Even now the ringing voices are still echoing in my ears.
一转眼，童年过去了，
In a wink, my childhood was gone.
当胡须慢慢从嘴角长出，家又成了一个想逃的地方。
When a thin layer of hair began to grow around the corners of my mouth, home became a place I tried to escape from.
书看多了，世界也变大了，
As I read more and more, my world opened up, presenting a broader picture before me.
一张床小了，父母的叮咛也显得多余了，
The bed I used to sleep in became too small, and words of care from my parents began to sound superfluous.
盼望着什么时候我能拥有自己的天空？
How I wished I could have a space of my own someday!
后来，穿上了绿色的军装，
Later I was enlisted into the army and put on the green uniform.
来到了部队，家又变成了一封封信笺，
During my service days, home was the series of letters I received one after another.
每次收到信后，是最想家的时候。
My most homesick moments were when I read those letters from my family.
走上了工作岗位之后，开始“受伤”，开始在人海中翻腾，开始知道，有些疼痛无法对人说，甚至知心的朋友。
When I got a job, I began to get “hurt”, to rise and fall in a sea of people, and to understand that you can’t share all your pains with other people, even with your best friends.
于是，重新开始想家。
So again, another wave of homesickness came over me.
当受了“重伤”时，幻想着飞到远方的家中，
When I was badly hurt, I imagined myself flying home on wings.
在推开家门的一瞬，让自己泪流满面。
Pushing open the door, I let tears flow down my face.
此刻，世界很大，而我所需要的，只是家中那种熟悉的味道，那窗前一成不变的风景……
At that moment I felt that as large as the world was, what I needed was only the familiar smell of home and the unchanged view outside the window of my old house…
远离母亲，在外省生存，工作之余便有无数个周末无处打发，
Struggling for mere existence in a place far from my mother, I was often at a loss what to do after work and on the weekend.
手中的电话本很厚，从头翻到尾，却没有一个号码是为我此时准备的。
Picking up a thick telephone book, I leafed through it from cover to cover but found not a single number I could call.
这个时候，家又变成了自己要和另外一个人建立的那一个新的小家。
At this time home appeared in my mind as a cozy nest I yearned to build with another person.
从相识、相恋到相拥，
From dating to engagement, we finally fell into each other’s arms and decided to step into marriage.
一个平凡的日子里，我拥有了一个平凡的小家。
Thus on an ordinary day we formed an ordinary family.
此时，家的概念又变了，
Then the concept of home changed again:
它是深夜回家时那盏为你点起的灯，是傍晚你看看书我看看电视偶尔交谈几句的那种宁静，是一桌胃口不好时也吃得下的饭菜，
it became the light left on for you when you return late at night; the peacefulness in which you occasionally exchange words, one reading a book, the other watching TV;
是得意忘形时可以呼朋唤友可以张口粗话的地方。
and a place where you can entertain friends and use foul langue when you feel elated.
不久前，我成了父亲，
Not long ago I became a father.
我和一个新的生命在家中相逢，一种奇妙的感受充斥着我的心，
When I greeted into my family the birth of a new life, an odd sensation welled up in my heart.
小生命开始让我“玩物丧志”，
The little creature obsessed me so much that though I tried to get rid of it I only found myself all the more indulging myself with it.
想挣脱却又那么愿意沉溺其中，一种用幸福来缚住你的力量。
That is a kind of force that binds you with a sense of happiness.
家的概念在不停地变换着，生命在这种变换中匆匆地走着。
The concept of home kept changing as my life hurried along.
众多的概念中，家有时也意味着一种悲伤。
Among the many definitions I gave to it, there is one which relates to grief.
比如当年父亲的辞世，便让我知道，世界对你的伤害加在一起有时也不如家中的变故给你的伤害大。
I remember, for instance, how my father’s early death led me to understand all the injuries inflicted by the world added together are sometimes less devastating than a single misfortune in your family.
然而在家中，你也会感受到一种坚强，
However, you may also feel a kind of strength in your family.
比如父亲过世后，柔弱的母亲开始变得坚强，
After my father’s death, my mother, who used to be quiet and gentle, became strong and indomitable.
她带着我们哥俩，一步一步地从变故中走出，
She led my brother and me out of our misery and we got back on our feet again.
之后，家又重新“站立”了起来，又变得祥和，变得不再阴云密布。
Tranquility came back to my home, where happiness reigned as before.
在这个过程中，家又像是一种生命力顽强的植物：野火烧不尽，春风吹又生。
In retrospect, I can compare home to an unyielding plant: it may be burnt down by wildfire, but it will sprout again when the spring breeze blows.
生命起步虽久，前路却还遥远。
Although I already have much life experience behind me, I know there is still a long way ahead and my concept of home will go on evolving.
家的概念还会变换，然而我已经知道，家是奔波的意义，
But already I have come to see that home is where we can find the true meaning of all the hectic rush of life.
只是这家有时是自己的，有时是芸芸众生的。
What makes the concept different is that sometimes it refers to an individual’s home and sometimes to the home of many, many people.
一尺深的热爱
One-Foot-Deep Passion
陈志宏
Chen Zhihong
一位朋友成为《读者》杂志的签约作家之后，好运接二连三，
A friend of mine met with good fortunes in quick succession after he was signed as a writer with The Readers, a highly popular magazine in China.
先是被省作家协会吸收为会员，
He was admitted, first of all, into the provincial Writers’ Association.
然后，从一名小出纳，摇身一变，成了文学院的教师。
And then, a cashier as he had been, he was offered a position to teach in an institute of literature.
那一年，他28岁，已有近六十万字见诸报刊。
That year he was only 28 years old, but had already published literary works of about 600,000 Chinese characters.
很多学生对他所取得的成绩极为欣赏，赞叹不已。
Many students were filled with admiration for his achievement.
不少文学爱好者向他求教：
Quite a few literature fans went to him for advice.
“老师，你的写作那么出名，一定有什么秘诀吧？”
“Sir, would you share with us your secret for writing so successfully?”
他向学生坦言：“两个字：热爱。”
He relied candidly, “Yes. Just one word – passion.”
学生进一步打探：“如果要达到你现在的水平，到底要热爱到什么程度？”
“Then, how much passion do we need if we want to write as well as you do?” they pressed him.
他回答说：“一尺深。”
“One foot deep,” answered my friend.
一尺深的热爱？
One-foot-deep passion?
同学们纷纷向他投去疑惑的目光。
A perplexed look appeared on their faces.
朋友带他的学生来到家里，从床底下搬出一捆纸，纸上密密麻麻写满了字，
My friend took them home and fetched out a bundle of used writing paper from under his bed: all the sheets were filled with small and closely-written characters.
那都是他从未发表过的废稿；足足有一尺厚。
Those were his rejected manuscripts, a good foot in thickness.
他告诉学生：“如果想在写作上有所建树，就要保持一尺深的热爱，
“If you want to achieve something in writing, you must maintain a passion that’s one foot deep.
也就是说，坚持写完一尺厚废稿。
In other words, you should keep on writing until your rejected manuscripts accumulate to one foot thick.
其间，不心急，不绝望，
During this period, you must not become impatient or sink into despair.
心中总有期待和热爱，对前途充满信心和希望。”
Only with expectation and passion can you have confidence and hope for the future,” he told his students.
学生们恍然大悟，这才知道，文满芳华，不是唾手可得，
Enlightened by his words, the students came to realize that success in writing is not something easy to come by.
而是非得下一番苦功夫不可。
On the contrary, it requires painstaking efforts.
他们激情满怀，个个跃跃欲试。
They looked enthusiastic and eager to have a try right away.
朋友接着说：“千万记住，热爱也只能是一尺深！
But my friend continued, “There is one thing you must bear in mind: The passion can only be one foot deep!
如果写了一尺厚的废稿之后，还停留在中学生的作文水平，那注定此路不通，
If after practicing countless times and your writing still remains at the level of a high school student, you might as well try something else, lest you get into a blind alley.
不如改事他行，省得文章误我，蹉跎岁月。”
Any further attempt will just mean a waste of your time and talent.”
其实，做任何事情都是这样，保持一尺深的热爱。
Indeed, whatever we do, we should do it with deep, persevering passion.
爱要深沉执著，但是，如果爱得辛苦无着，请及早抽身而退，趁青春，另寻出口。
However, if our exertion has proved to be fruitless, we should quit as soon as possible and try something different while we are young.
成败，就在转身之间。
Success may be at the corner just when we switch over to a new direction. （孟庆升 译）
痛苦也是财富
Suffering Is Also an Asset
林巍
Lin Wei
人生固然有欢乐，但也一定不乏痛苦。
There’s no rose without a thorn.
有了这种认识和思想准备也是非常必要的，因为这样会使你的生活增加欢乐而减少痛苦。
This thought is absolutely necessary to prepare you to experience less pain and more joy in your journey of life.
鸟瞰人生，可略有领悟。
With a bird’s-eye view, you may realize something meaningful.
上学时，有获得知识的乐趣，便有做功课、考试、排名次的危机与痛苦。
During your school years, while joyfully acquiring knowledge you are also under the pressure of homework, examinations, and ranking. You face crises and agony.
同样，也有同学间相处的融合与纠结。
Meanwhile, all sorts of intricate affairs may happen between you and your classmates.
青年时，春心萌动，幻想联翩，难以实现，亦难免陷入困扰。
In your youth, puberty may fill you with unrealized desires and send you into deeper perplexity.
结婚之后，实际进入了更多的矛盾之中；思想的落差、相处的困难、子女的教育、财务的争执等等，也会陷入婚姻危机。
Entering marriage, you are actually in the center of all the contradictions—the matching of different personalities, enduring of family members, children’s schooling, financial management and so on, you may also fall into marriage crisis.
随后，年龄愈大，健康愈差，事业、家庭中的许多潜在矛盾会日益突出，
As you age, your health may deteriorate and various troubles in your career and family may gradually emerge.
因而又会有中年危机和老年危机，直至步入死亡。
Mid-life and old-age crisis will follow, leading you to your eternity.
所以说，人生在世，如意的事不足一二，不如意的则十有八九。
We may therefore conclude that much of our life may not be spent in contentment.
但这“八九”不是负担，而是有用的，因为人在痛苦中所学到的，要比在欢乐中所学到的多得多。
However, the things that discontent are, in fact, not useless since you may learn more from them than from the things that cheered you up.
“自古欢愉酿糟糠，从来痛苦出杰作”。
As the saying goes, “It seems to be a perpetual rule that flops are produced elatedly and masterpieces painstakingly”.
对此，司马迁早在两千多年前便有精彩论述：“盖西伯拘而演《周易》；
To put it vividly, the great historian Sima Qian had a view even two thousand years ago: “When Emperor Wen of Zhou Dynasty was arrested, he produced the classic Zhou Yi Jing;
仲尼厄而作《春秋》；屈原放逐，乃赋《离骚》；
Confucius wrote the History of Spring and Autumn while he was experiencing adversity; Qu Yuan produced his monumental long poem, On Encountering Sorrow, during his exile.
左丘失明，厥有《国语》；孙子膑脚，《兵法》修列；
When Zuo Qiu lost his sight and Sun Zi had his feet chopped off, they edited their writings and stratagems.
不韦迁蜀，世传《吕览》；
After Lü Buwei was forced to live in Shu, the valuable The Book of Lü was fortunately handed down to posterity.
韩非囚秦，《说难》、《孤愤》；
Similarly, when Han Feizi was imprisoned in Qin, On Difficulty and On Resentment—two precious books—were written by him.
《诗》三百篇，大氐贤圣发愤只所为作也。
Three hundred Classic Poems were also produced in roughly the same way, where the writers’ hearts were smouldering in the doldrums with no way out:
此人皆有所郁结，不得通其道，故述往事，思来者”。
they therefore conveyed everything in words, narrating the past and contemplating the future”.
所以，让我们把人生每一阶段上的痛苦，都当做自己的宝贵财富吧。
Let’s treat all the sufferings at every stage of life as assets which can only do us good. （林巍 译）
月光白得很
White Moon
王小妮
Wang Xiaoni
月亮在深夜照出了一切的骨头。
The midnight moon exposes every bone.
我呼进了青白的气息。
I breathe ice-blue air.
人间的琐碎皮毛
All the world’s follies
变成下坠的萤火虫。
are falling like fireflies.
城市是一具死去的骨架。
The city is a carcass.
没有哪个生命
No living thing
配得上这样纯的夜色。
can match this pure light.
打开窗帘
I open the curtains to watch earth
天地正在眼前交接白银
hold such pouring silver
月光使我忘记我是一个人。
until I forget I’m human.
生命的最后一幕
Life’s last act
在一片素色里静静地彩排。
is silently rehearsed under a bleak spotlight.
地板上
The moon lands on my floor
我的两只脚已经预先白了。
to reveal my blanched feet. （Pascale Petit and Wang Xiaoni 译）
未寄
Unmailed Letter
洛夫
Luo Fu
某夜
One night
好像有人叩门
Someone seemed to knock on my door
院子的落叶何事喧哗
What were the fallen leaves in the yard clamoring about?
我把它们全都扫进了一只透明的塑料口袋
I raked them all into a large clear plastic bag
秋，在其中蠕蠕而动
Autumn wriggled there among them
一只知更鸟衔着一匹艾草
Carrying a sprig of sagebrush in its break
打从窗口飞过
A robin flew passed my window
这时才知道你是多么向往灰尘的寂寞
Only then I did realize that you long for the loneliness of dust
写好的信也不必寄了
A finished letter need not be mailed
因为我刚听到
Because I just heard a skeleton
深山中一堆骸骨轰然碎裂的声音
Squashed to pieces deep in the mountains （John Balcom 译）
雨滴
Raindrop
张耳
Zhang Er
迎风而行不难
It’s not difficult to go against the wind–
只要克服阻力
just overcome the resistance.
顺风而行也不难
It’s not difficult to go with the wind either–
只需服从惯性
merely obey inertia.
雨滴
A raindrop
悬置空中
suspended in space
风来来去去
winds back and forth
风从六面吹来
the winds come from six directions.
风从六面吹来
Winds come from six directions.
折断了伞的肋骨
The fractured bones of an umbrella
变成一面旗——赤裸的雨之旗。
become a flag— stark banner of the rain. （Wang Ping等 译）
秋钟
Autumn Bell
赵元任
Zhao Yuanren
钟一声一声地响，
The bell tolls,
风一阵一阵地吹，
the wind blows,
吹到天色渐渐地暗了，
the day darkens
钟声也断了，
then the sound ceases;
耳朵里还像似有屑屑屑屑，
yet still comes the whisper
吹来吹去，飞来飞去的落叶，
of fallen leaves blown to and fro,
冬冬冬的钟声，似连似断，
and the echo of the bell now far, now near,
和那轰轰轰的风声，似有似绝。
as the wind rises then dies down. （Rewi Alley 译）
你是人间的四月天
You Are the April of This World
林徽因
Lin Huiyin
——一句爱的赞颂
Ode to Love
我说你是人间的四月天；
I think you are the April of this world,
笑响点亮了四面风；轻灵
Sure, you are the April of this world. Your laughter has lit up all the wind,
在春的光艳中交舞着变。
So gently mingling with the spring.
你是四月早天里的云烟，
You are the clouds in early spring,
黄昏吹着风的软，星子在
The dusk wind blows up and down.
无意中闪，细雨点洒在花前。
And the stars blink now and then, Fine rain drops down amid the flowers.
那轻，那娉婷，你是，鲜妍
So gentle and graceful,
百花的冠冕你戴着，你是
You are crowned with garlands.
天真，庄严，你是夜夜的月圆。
So sublime and innocent, You are a full moon over each evening.
雪化后那片鹅黄，你像；新鲜
The snow melts, with that light yellow,
初放芽的绿，你是；柔嫩喜悦
You look like the first budding green. You are the soft joy of white lotus
水光浮动着你梦期待中白莲。
Rising up in your fancy dreamland. You’re the blooming flowers over the trees,
你是一树一树的花开，是燕
You’re a swallow twittering between the beams;
在梁间呢喃，——你是爱，是暖，
Full of love, full of warm hope,
是希望，你是人间的四月天！
You are the spring of this world! （黄新渠 译 ）
你是人间的四月天
Shall I Compare Thee to an April Day?
——一句爱的赞颂
–A Psalm of Love
林徽因
Lin Huiyin
我说你是人间的四月天；
Shall I compare thee to an April Day?
笑响点亮了四面风；轻灵
Thou laughter has lifted up breezes far and near,
在春的光艳中交舞着变。
And swiftly, dazzled everything in the vernal air.
你是四月早天里的云烟，
Thee are the thin mist rising in the April dawn,
黄昏吹着风的软，星子在
The evening breeze coming soft, the stars winking.
无意中闪，细雨点洒在花前。
For naught, and the drizzles soaking the bugs in thirst.
那轻，那娉婷，你是，鲜妍
The delicacy, the grace characteristics thee; Sublime
百花的冠冕你戴着，你是
The crown of flowers belongs to thee.
天真，庄严，你是夜夜的月圆。
Innocent, Sacred, thee are the full moon shining high every night!
雪化后那片鹅黄，你像；新鲜
In the ivory field of newly melted snow, I see you
初放芽的绿，你是；柔嫩喜悦
And in the newly sprouted shoots of green emerald,
水光浮动着你梦期待中白莲。
In the white lily opening joyfully in the shimmering lake!
你是一树一树的花开，是燕
Thee are the flowers in bloom, and swallows whistling
在梁间呢喃，——你是爱，是暖，
On the beam. Thee are love, warmth, a beautiful poem,
是希望，你是人间的四月天！
And after all—thee are the most lovely April day of charm! （李珍 译）
你是人间的四月天
You Are the April of the World
——一句爱的赞颂
–A Tribute to Love
林徽因
Lin Huiyin
我说你是人间的四月天；
You are the April of the world, I say;
笑响点亮了四面风；轻灵
Your laughing shines the wind on either side;
在春的光艳中交舞着变。
The spring flashes with ever-changing light.
你是四月早天里的云烟，
You are the cloud and mist early in April,
黄昏吹着风的软，星子在
At dusk blowing the soft wind, stars twinkling
无意中闪，细雨点洒在花前。
At ease, fine rains drizzling on the flowers.
那轻，那娉婷，你是，鲜妍
You are so gentle, so graceful, wearing
百花的冠冕你戴着，你是
A beautiful crown of a hundred fresh flowers;
天真，庄严，你是夜夜的月圆。
Naïve and stately, you are the full moon at night.
雪化后那片鹅黄，你像；新鲜
Like the light yellow of melting snow, like
初放芽的绿，你是；柔嫩喜悦
The fresh green of budding, you are so pleased,
水光浮动着你梦期待中白莲。
White lotus floating on the water of your dream.
你是一树一树的花开，是燕
You are the flowers in bloom, the swallow
在梁间呢喃，——你是爱，是暖，
Whispering on the beams; you are the warm love,
是希望，你是人间的四月天！
You are the hope, the April of the world!. （海岸 译）
谈抄袭
On Plagiarism
吴营洲
Wu Yingzhou
若是“抄袭”之作，无论你怎样改头换面，都会被看出来。
A literary or art work copied from others will be seen through no matter how skillfully it is disguised in a new form.
因为原作那个“魂儿”，你变不不了。
That’s because you cannot assume to have the “soul” of the original.
你以为你把它变成你的作品灵魂了，就是原创了。
You think you’ve changed it into the soul of your work.
可惜你不是。
But you can’t. It’s a pity that yours is not an original piece of work after all.
比如某些画作，
Take a painting for an example.
一看，就知道它的哪一笔是从哪来的，
Just a glance as it can give some idea of its source. One can easily detect how it is delineated.
哪个人物的哪个表情是从哪来的。
The source from which the figure’s facial expression if copied can also be traced.
有幅画，画了一位农民工，蹲在都市一隅，
The painting shows a migratory worker from farmland squatting at a corner of a city.
望着某一奢侈场所进进出出的人。
He looks at people coming into and going out of luxurious places.
那些人，或大肚便便，或婀娜妖冶，或春风满面，或踌躇满志，一个个都很生动。
Those people are depicted vividly, some big-bellied, some slender and coquettish, some radiant with joy and some full of pride and satisfaction.
那个农民工画得也很逼真。
That worker is also vividly delineated:
表情，眼神，衣着，姿势等等都很到位，真实地反映了“农民工”的生存状态。
his expression on his face and in his eyes, his clothing and his bodily attitude are all true to life—showing the real living status of such a worker.
那些建筑，都是他们一砖一瓦砌出来的，但装修完之后，
Those magnificent houses are products of workers like him. It was they who had built them brick by brick and tile by tile until the construction work is finished by final decoration.
他就再也没有机会进去了，更别提进去“享受”了。
That’s also time for him to go, he had no right to stay and enjoy the fruit of his labor.
就画作本身而言，立意和画技的确不错，但若授予某一级别的“创作奖”，似乎就不够格了，
The idea to portray such a scene is praiseworthy, and the painting is also skillfully produced, but it is not qualified for a prize of creation.
因为这幅画是“抄袭”之作。
The reason is very simple: it is a product of plagiarism.
外国曾经有位画家，画过一个马戏团的小丑，疲惫地蹲在剧场的一个角落里，望着散场离去的人。
A foreign painter had produced earlier a picture of a circus clown squatting wearily at a corner near the gate, looking at the audience leaving after the end of the show.
那些离去的人，没有一个在意这个刚刚还给他们带来过笑声的小丑。
They went away paying no attention at all to the clown who had caused them a lot of laughter.
这就是“抄袭”，不是“借鉴”。
So we see what plagiarism is, it’s not what we call “draw on the achievement of others”. （陈文伯 译）
说真伪
True or False
刘瑜
Liu Yu
鉴定真伪，
How to judge whether a thing is true or false?
标准有时不在于选择的那一刻是不是真诚，而在于他们在形成意见之前，讨论是否自由、观念是否多元、信息是否充分。
The criteria sometimes are not based on whether the selection at the moment is made sincerely but on whether the discussion is unrestricted before the decision is made, whether there are multiple ideas and adequate information.
如果美女A盛装在镁光灯下从观众面前惊艳地飘过，而美女B只能带着口罩站在舞台后方黑乎乎的角落里。
Take the beauty contest as an example. Suppose candidate A gorgeously dressed, walked over in a flashing magnesium light before the audience, but candidate B who had to stay in a dark corner appeared with her face covered by a gauze mask.
即使百分之百的观众百分之百真诚地选择了美女A为冠军，
Candidate A was elected champion by 100% audience with 100% sincerity.
那能说明什么呢？
What did it mean by all this?
说明那个镁光灯质量不错，以及那个口罩还挺严实。
It meant that the magnesium lamp was of a high quality and the gauze mask was indeed functional. （陈文伯 译）
日本人的吸收方式
The Japanese Way of Taking In
林巍
Lin Wei
“日本人见好就学”，而且以最简单和实用的方式，这是世人对日本人吸收外来文化和技术的基本态度和做法的评论。
The statement that “Japanese will copy everything suitable to them” in a simplified and practical way may signify a popular view of Japanese attitude towards foreign cultures and technologies.
看看日本的文字和汽车，便会一目了然了。
Japanese writing characters and cars illustrate well this approach.
日本的文字，由“汉字”、“平假名”、“片假名”组成，看上去是拼凑起来的，很不统一；日本的汽车，更是“八国联军”，各显其能。
The Japanese writing system borrows Kanji from Chinese, and creates Hiragana, Katakana characters of its own, with an inconsistent outlook; similarly Japanese cars are made of multinational ideas and advantages with appropriate modifications.
有一个历史故事：德国人第一次把汽车卖给日本人时，曾得意地说，不久日本人会发现我们的质量有多好，从而会大量订购的。
Here is a historical story: when Germen sold their first car to the Japanese, they were pretty much convinced that their partner would come back to them very soon with a bulk order based on the car’s high quality.
但在久等不来之后，发现日本人已“照猫画虎”，造出了更为新颖的汽车，根本不用订购了。
However, they were very disappointed to find out that the Japanese had replicated their car with a slightly improved model, and consequently they didn’t need any order anymore.
就地理位置而言，日本列岛是中国和朝鲜半岛的近邻，从未受到外来文化的侵略和征服，因而在吸取外来文化和科技时，具有很大自主性。
Geographically, Japan is located in between China and the Korean peninsula, a position immune from foreign invasion, capable of taking in foreign cultures and technologies with a high degree of autonomy.
中国文化对于日本文化固然有着巨大影响，但是日本吸收了中国的汉子、法律制度、儒教，却拒绝了不符合日本国情的宦官制度、科举制度及以儒教基本法则为准的“同姓不婚”制度。
The Japanese adopted Chinese writing, legal system and Confucianism, but left the eunuch system, the imperial examination system, and “same surname marriage prohibition” of Confucian doctrine, which were deemed to be contradictory to Japanese culture.
同样的，在吸收日本的佛教文化时，亦允许僧人娶妻、吃荤，形成了一种更为宽容的佛教文化。
Similarly, when embracing Buddhism, the Japanese made it more tolerant religion by allowing monks to marry and eat meat.
在家畜饲养方面，日本人也没有学习中国人的阉割牲畜的技术。
In breed livestock, Japanese didn’t learn the techniques of castration from the Chinese either.
对于西方的先进性技术，日本在模仿、改造的基础上，将其制造得更加精细和廉价。
Western advanced technologies, once imported to Japan, would all be copied and modified to make them finer and cheaper.
所以，日本人对于外部世界的吸收方式是值得借鉴的。
There is surely something to be learnt from the Japanese way of taking in things from the outside world. （林巍 译）
赠别
On Parting
顾城
Gu Cheng
今天
Today
我和你
You and I
要跨过这古老的门槛
Will cross this ancient threshold
不要祝福
Don’t offer good wishes
不要再见
Don’t say goodbye
那些都像表演
All that is like a performance
最好是沉默
The best is silence
隐藏总不算欺骗
Concealment can never be counted as a deceit
把回想留给未来吧
Leave memory to the future
就像把梦留给夜
As dreams to the night
泪留给大海
Tears to the sea
风留给帆
Wind to the sails （Tao Tao Liu & Sean Golden 译）
回归
Nostos
顾城
Gu Cheng
不要睡去，不要
do not go to sleep, do not
亲爱的，路还很长
my love, the route is still quite long
不要靠近森林的诱惑
do not go near the forest’s lure
不要失掉希望
do not despair
请用凉凉的雪水
please use cool cool melted snow
把地址写在手上
to write directions on the hand
或是靠着我的肩膀
or lean on my shoulder
渡过朦胧的晨光
to pass the misty first light of dawn
撩开透明的暴风雨
part the clear rainstorm
我们就会到达家乡
we can already reach the homeplace
一片圆形的绿地
a round patch of green earth
铺在古塔近旁
spreading near an age old pagoda
我将在那儿
I will be there
守护你疲倦的梦想
to protect your weary dream
赶开一群群黑夜
to repel the hordes of black night
只留下铜鼓和太阳
leaving only bronze drums and the sun
在古塔的另一边
on the aged pagoda’s far side
有许多细小的海浪
there are many ripples
悄悄爬上的沙岸
quietly climbing the sand dune
收集着颤动的音响……
gathering quivering sound… （Tao Tao Liu & Sean Golden 译）
八月的忧愁
Sadness of August
林徽因
Lin Huiyin
黄水塘里游着白鸭，
In a yellow pond there are white ducks swimming,
高粱梗油青的刚高过头，
Only a little taller than human body, sorghums are still green.
这跳动的心怎样安插，
How should I put, in my pounding heart,
田里一窄条路，八月里这忧愁？
A narrow path in the field, this sadness in August?
天是昨夜雨洗过的，山岗
Rains washed the sky clean last night, sun shines
照着太阳又留一片影；
On hills and leaves some shadows;
羊跟着放羊的转进村庄，
Sheep follow the shepherd into the village,
一大棵树荫下罩着井，又像是心！
A big tree shades a well, or maybe a heart!
从没有人说过八月什么话，
No one ever spoke of August, summer is over
夏天过去了，也不到秋天。
And fall isn’t here.
但我望着田垄，土墙上的瓜，
I look onto a farmland, And then at the squashes over the clay wall,
仍不明白生活同梦怎样的连牵。
I just don’t understand how life and dream connect. （海岸 译）
重阳登高
Climbing Hills on the Double Ninth Festival
翟永明
Zhai Yongming
——遍插茱萸少一人思亲问题 友爱问题
Questions of missing one’'s family questions of love
一切问题中最动人的
All the most moving questions
全都是登高的问题
are questions of climbing hills
都是会当临绝顶时把盏的问题
and questions of making toasts while standing on the highest peak
今朝一人 我与谁长谈？
In the current age with whom can I speak at length
遥望远处 据称是江北
Looking into the distance they say it’s Jiangbei
白练入川是一条，还是两条？
Do the white strands enter the river as one stream or two
汇向何处 都让我喜欢
The Hui River brings me delight wherever it flows
在江北以远 是无数美人
Beyond Jiangbei are innumerable beauties
男人们登高 都想得到她们
When men climb hills they all think of them
尽管千年之内 哺乳动物
even though mammals and humans
和人类 倒一直
have maintained ecological balance
保持着生态平衡
for the past thousand years
今朝我一人把盏 江山变色
I lift my wine glass alone in the present age rivers and mountains change color
青色三春消耗了我
The green months of spring consume me
九九这个数字 如今又要
Double Nine: this number will again
轮回我的血脉
be reincarnated in my veins
远处一俯一仰的山峰
Distant variegated peaks
赤裸着跳入我怀中
nakedly leap into my breast
我将只有毫无用处地享受艳阳
Now all I can do is enjoy sunlight in vain
思伤脾 醉也伤脾
Thinking hurts my spleen being drunk also hurts my spleen
飒飒风声几万？
What are the myriad sounds of the soughing wind
呼应谁来临？
Who will arrive from the echoes
饮酒入喉 它落到身体最深处
Wine enters the throat flowing into the body's deepest places
情欲和生死问题
Questions of sexual desire life and death
离别和健康问题
Questions of parting and health
也入喉即化 也落到最深处
also enter the throat and are digested instantly
它们变得敏捷 又绵密
before settling into the deepest places
它们醉了 也无处不在
They become agile meticulous
一九九九年九月初九登南京栖霞山
They get drunk and exist everywhere （Jami Proctor-Xu 译）
可知
Know How
戴望舒
Dai Wangshu
可知怎的旧时的欢乐
I don’t know how the joy of the old days
到回忆都变作悲哀，
Turns out to be sorrow in recollection.
在月暗灯昏时候
It thumps down on my mind
重重地兜上心来，
In dark night and dim light.
啊，我的欢爱！
Oh, my Love!
为了如今惟有愁和苦，
For the sorrow and pain of today
朝朝的难遣难排，
That can’t be ridden away
恐惧以后无欢日，
I am afraid there would be happiness no more
愈觉得旧时难再，
And I feel the past would never appear any more.
啊，我的欢爱！
Oh, my Love!
可是只要你能爱我深，
Yet if you only love me as deeply,
只要你深情不改，
If you only remain as affectionate,
这今日的悲哀，
Then the sorrow of today will
会变作来朝的欢快！
Turn to be the joy of tomorrow.
啊，我的欢爱！
Oh, my Love!
否则悲苦难排解，
Otherwise the pain can hardly be soothed
幽暗重重向我来，
Gloom presses down on me
我将含怨沉沉睡，
And I would be slumbering with grudge,
睡在那碧草青苔，
On the green moss and grass.
啊，我的欢爱！
Oh, my Love! （陈玉麟 译）
雪
Snow
鲁迅
Lu Xun
暖国的雨，向来没有变过冰冷的坚硬的灿烂的雪花。
The rain of the south has never congealed into icy, glittering snowflakes.
博识的人们觉得他单调，他自己也以为不幸否耶？
Men who have seen the world consider this humdrum; does the rain, too, think it unfortunate?
江南的雪，可是滋润美艳之至了；那是还在隐约着的青春的消息，是极壮健的处子的皮肤。
The snow south of the Yangtze is extremely moist and pretty, like the first indefinable intimation of spring, or the bloom of a young girl radiant with health.
雪野中有血红的宝珠山茶，白中隐青的单瓣梅花，深黄的磬口的蜡梅花；雪下面还有冷绿的杂草。
In the snowy wilderness are blood-red camellias, pale, white plum blossom tinged with green, and the golden, bell-shaped flowers of the winter plum; while beneath the snow lurk cold green weeds.
胡蝶确乎没有；蜜蜂是否来采山茶花和梅花的蜜，我可记不真切了。
Butterflies there are certainly none, and whether or no bees come to gather honey from the camellias and plum blossom I cannot clearly remember.
但我的眼前仿佛看见冬花开在雪野中，有许多蜜蜂们忙碌地飞着，也听得他们嗡嗡地闹着。
But before my eyes I can see the wintry flowers in the snowy wilderness, with bees flying busily to and fro—I can hear their humming and droning.
孩子们呵着冻得通红，像紫芽姜一般的小手，七八个一齐来塑雪罗汉。
Seven or eight children, who have gathered to build a snow Buddha, are breathing on their little red fingers, frozen like crimson shoots of ginger.
因为不成功，谁的父亲也来帮忙了。
When they are not successful, somebody’s father comes to help.
罗汉就塑得比孩子们高得多，虽然不过是上小下大的一堆，终于分不清是壶卢还是罗汉；然而很洁白，很明艳，
The Buddha is higher than the children; and though it is only a pear-shaped mass which might be a gourd or might be a Buddha, it is beautifully white and dazzling.
以自身的滋润相粘结，整个地闪闪地生光。
Held together by its own moisture, the whole figure glitters and sparkles.
孩子们用龙眼核给他做眼珠，又从谁的母亲的脂粉奁中偷得胭脂来涂在嘴唇上。
The children use fruit stones for its eyes, and steal rouge from some mother’s vanity-case for its lips.
这回确是一个大阿罗汉了。
So now it is really a respectable Buddha.
他也就目光灼灼地嘴唇通红地坐在雪地里。
With gleaming eyes and scarlet lips, it sits on the snowy ground.
第二天还有几个孩子来访问他；
Some children come to visit it the next day.
对了他拍手，点头，嘻笑。
Clapping their hands before it, they nod their heads and laugh.
但他终于独自坐着了。
The Buddha just sits there alone.
晴天又来消释他的皮肤，寒夜又使他结一层冰，化作不透明的水晶模样；
A fine day melts its skin, but a cold night gives it another coat of ice, till it looks like opaque crystal.
连续的晴天又使他成为不知道算什么，而嘴上的胭脂也褪尽了。
Then a series of fine days makes it unrecognizable, and the rouge on its lips disappears.
但是，朔方的雪花在纷飞之后，却永远如粉，如沙，他们决不粘连，撒在屋上，地上，枯草上，就是这样。
But the snowflakes that fall in the north remain to the last like powder or sand never hold together, whether scattered on roofs, the ground or the withered grass.
屋上的雪是早已就有消化了的，因为屋里居人的火的温热。
The warmth from the stoves inside has melted some of the snow on the roofs.
别的，在晴天之下，旋风忽来，便蓬勃地奋飞，在日光中灿灿地生光，如包藏火焰的大雾，旋转而且升腾，弥漫太空；使太空旋转而且升腾地闪烁。
As for the rest, when a whirlwind springs up under a clear sky, it flies up wildly, glittering in the sunlight like thick mist around a flame, revolving and rising till it fills the sky, and the whole sky glitters as it whirls and rises.
在无边的旷野上，在凛冽的天宇下，闪闪地旋转升腾着的是雨的精魂……
On the boundless, under heaven’s chilly vault, this glittering, spiraling wraith is the ghost of rain.
是的，那是孤独的雪，是死掉的雨，是雨的精魂。
Yes, it is lonely snow, dead rain, the ghost of rain.
一九二五年一月十八日。
January 18, 1925 （杨宪益、戴乃迭 译）
雪
Snow
鲁迅
Lu Xun
暖国的雨，向来没有变过冰冷的坚硬的灿烂的雪花。
Rains in the warm areas never turn into cold, hard and crystal-clear snowflakes.
博识的人们觉得他单调，他自己也以为不幸否耶？
Scholars think the rains dull, and the rains consider themselves unfortunate.
江南的雪，可是滋润美艳之至了；那是还在隐约着的青春的消息，是极壮健的处子的皮肤。
The snow in Jiangnan, however, is a pleasing sight, extremely beautiful, carrying the message of spring, looking like the fine skin of a healthy young girl.
雪野中有血红的宝珠山茶，白中隐青的单瓣梅花，深黄的磬口的蜡梅花；
In the snow-covered fields there are scarlet Baozhu Camellias and dark yellow Qingkou wintersweet flowers.
雪下面还有冷绿的杂草。
Under the snow there are all kinds of grasses, cold and green.
胡蝶确乎没有；
There are no butterflies, as it seems.
蜜蜂是否来采山茶花和梅花的蜜，我可记不真切了。
I can’t remember if there are bees that come to gather pollens from the camellias and wintersweet flowers.
但我的眼前仿佛看见冬花开在雪野中，有许多蜜蜂们忙碌地飞着，也听得他们嗡嗡地闹着。
But in my imagination I can see winter flowers are blooming everywhere in the snow-covered fields, and a lot of bees are busy there, flying and buzzing.
孩子们呵着冻得通红，像紫芽姜一般的小手，七八个一齐来塑雪罗汉。
In my memory there were seven or eight children busy building a snowman once, while breathing hot breath on their hands which were red with cold, looking like purple gingers.
因为不成功，谁的父亲也来帮忙了。
Their fathers came to help when they failed.
罗汉就塑得比孩子们高得多，虽然不过是上小下大的一堆，终于分不清是壶卢还是罗汉；然而很洁白，很明艳，以自身的滋润相粘结，整个地闪闪地生光。
The snowman had been built, though it didn’t look like a man, much taller than the children, white and bright. It took the shape a gourd, a pile of shinning snow grains stuck together, small in the upper part, big in the lower part.
孩子们用龙眼核给他做眼珠，又从谁的母亲的脂粉奁中偷得胭脂来涂在嘴唇上。
Two longan kernels were put there as his eyes, someone stole rouge from his mother’s cosmetics box and smeared the snowman’s lips.
这回确是一个大阿罗汉了。他也就目光灼灼地嘴唇通红地坐在雪地里。
Now it looked like a real man, giant in size, sitting there is snow with sparkling eyes and red lips.
第二天还有几个孩子来访问他；对了他拍手，点头，嘻笑。
The next day some children came to visit him, clapping hands to him, nodding, and laughing.
但他终于独自坐着了。
But then he was alone again.
晴天又来消释他的皮肤，寒夜又使他结一层冰，化作不透明的水晶模样；
Sunny days thawed his skin, cold nights froze him and coated him with ice, making him crystal-like.
连续的晴天又使他成为不知道算什么，而嘴上的胭脂也褪尽了。
A few successive fine days made him neither fish nor fowl, and the rouge on his lips disappeared.
但是，朔方的雪花在纷飞之后，
But in the north the snows are not of the glutinous type.
却永远如粉，如沙，他们决不粘连，撒在屋上，地上，枯草上，就是这样。
Like powders or sands, they fall on house roofs, in fields and on dry grasses.
屋上的雪是早已就有消化了的，因为屋里居人的火的温热。
The snow on the roofs melts quickly as there are hot fires in the houses.
别的，在晴天之下，旋风忽来，便蓬勃地奋飞，在日光中灿灿地生光，如包藏火焰的大雾，旋转而且升腾，弥漫太空；使太空旋转而且升腾地闪烁。
But the snow elsewhere will fly in the air under the sun when whirlwind blows, shining brightly, looking like a fog containing flames, swirling and rising, filling the air, even making the sky revolve in brightness.
在无边的旷野上，在凛冽的天宇下，闪闪地旋转升腾着的是雨的精魂……
There in the boundless fields under the cold sky revolving and rising are the spirits of rains…
是的，那是孤独的雪，是死掉的雨，是雨的精魂。
the lonely snows are actually the spirits of rains.
一九二五年一月十八日。
（方华文 译）
在西部荒野中看见火车
Watching a Train in the Western Wilderness
于坚
Yu Jian
那时我们站在旷野中间
At that time we stood in the milled of the wilderness
以色列在西
Israel persisted to the West
莫高窟在北
the Mogao Caves to the North
仿佛从水里出来
As if coming forth from between the waters
火车再次开出大漠或者开回
for a second time the steam train appeared from the Gobi or disappeared into it
摩西在车头上唱着歌 电线杆望尘莫及
Moses was on the footplate singing psalms wooden pylons watched the dust but couldn’t catch it
车厢蠕动着 黑色的链条在滑出大地的轮子
The carriages shivered and snaked black pistons drove the wheels round
不知道它运走了什么 不知道它运来过什么
Not knowing what was being carried away what was being carried back
我们站在旷野中间 捡起石块又扔掉
we stood in the middle of the wilderness picking up stones then casting them aside
等着它走完剩下的铁轨 就像从未被运走的远古之人
waiting for the train to pass over the remaining rails as if the earliest people had never been carried away （W. N. Herbert and Yu Jian 译）
“孩奴”，一个被庸常算计裹挟的流行词
Behind the Vogue Term “Child’s Slave”
张伟
Zhang Wei
如果我们承认流行词汇是风向标，那么，正被许多人挂在嘴边的“孩奴”，代表着一种令人忧虑的倾向。
If vogue words are weathercock of society, the much-mouthed term “child’s slave” is indicative of a disquieting tendency:
它说明，我国的整整一代人都开始为要不要为人父母而犹豫不决。
a whole generation of our country is hesitant about whether to become parents or not.
它甚至能说明，在一个长久以来将亲子之情视作基石的社会里，生儿育女头一次在大范围内被认为是一种负担而不是一种幸福。
The implication is: For the first time ever, parenting is regarded on a large scale as a heavy burden rather than a blessing in our society where parent-child love has long been valued as its cornerstone.
这可不是个好消息。
That is by no means blessing.
关于“孩奴”的讨论已经开始占据报纸和网站的显要位置，
Arguments are making newspaper headlines and dominating websites.
“生孩子要理性”的专家观点颇带暗示意味地传播，“养个孩子要一百万万”的恐慌悄悄蔓延。
Consequently, the experts’ view hinting that “One should not rush into parenthood” is spreading widely; and the panic that “The expense of bringing up a child amounts to one million yuan” is creeping into people’s hearts.
据说，在很多家庭的饭桌上，要不要生孩子，已经是一个不可回避的严肃话题。
Thus, parenting has become an unavoidable serious topic over dinner of many families, as it is said.
我们承认，单个家庭在生育问题上无论作何选择，都应受到尊重。
We admit that any choice concerning childbearing made by individual families should be respected.
但当这种选择表现出一种整体的方向性并开始传染时，就不得不严肃对待。
However, once the choice is channeled into one orientation that is getting contagious, we can’t take it lightly.
我们也承认，养育孩子的成本正在变得高昂，但这却不足以成为将孩子视作负担的理由。
We admit at the same time that the cost of rearing a child is skyrocketing, which, however, cannot justify the opinion that regards children as a burden.
生活成本，尤其是城市生活的成本，让许多人感到压力太重。
The cost of living, especially in cities, is becoming a pressure too heavy to bear for many people.
这是我们正面临的现实，
This is the reality we have to face up to.
它部分是我们为文明发展付出的代价，部分则是我们社会结构失衡的恶性后果。
The high cost of living is, in part, the price we have to pay for the development of civilization, and in part, the undesirable consequence of the imbalance of our social structure.
将“孩奴”一词挂在嘴边的这代人，许多刚独立挑起生活重担。
Many of the generation for whom “child’s slave” has become a pet phrase have just begun to be on their own feet.
他们面临一个正被贫富分化、心态失衡等因素慢慢撕裂的社会，并在对美好生活的期望与现实的落差间挣扎。
What confronts them is a society torn by the widening gap between the rich and the poor and imbalanced mentality of the people, in which they are struggling in the discrepancy between their great expectations of a happy life and the harsh reality.
他们习惯性地将这一切主要归因于外部不公，充满牢骚和抱怨。
They habitually attribute all this to the unfairness of society, thus complaining and grumbling all the time.
看起来，这些压力无可避免地感染到他们对于生儿育女的评判。
Such pressure surely affects the way they view parenting.
这种压力是现实存在的：在北京街头，在上海街头，或者在广州街头，随便拉住一位劳碌的为人父母者，你都会发现，孩子是他（她）奋斗的动力，也是他（她）焦虑的根源。
The existence of this pressure is reality: Anyone who happens to be a busy parent you stop in the street of Beijing, Shanghai or Guangzhou will tell you that the child is the very motivation that drives them to work hard but it is also the cause of their anxiety.
然而当一对夫妇忙于用奶粉、尿布和学费的价格来衡量生育的价格，并将为承担这种价格的奋斗视为“奴役”时，我们可以确定，一定是哪里出了问题。
However, when a couple hurries to judge the value of childbearing with the sum expense of milk powder, diapers and tuition, and regards their struggle to bear such expenses as being “enslaved”, we are sure that something must be wrong.
养育后代从来不只是一个经济命题。
Rearing a family is more than an economic issue.
它包含亲情之美、伦理之常。
It embraces the beauty of family affection and convention of ethics.
它的利弊，不应该只通过计算器上敲出的数字来评判。
Its merits and demerits cannot be merely judged by the figure shown in the calculator when you have keyed in all the expenses.
亲子之爱、天伦之乐，不仅是我们社会长久以来珍惜保存的传统价值，也是深藏于人性深处不可回避的永恒主题。
Parent-child love or domestic bliss embraces not only a time-honored tradition highly valued by our society, but also an eternal them lying deep in human nature that cannot be avoided.
个体会因种种原因作不同选择，但这种根植于文化和人性本身的传统，并不应该被冷冰冰的成本核算所否定。
The tradition deep-rooted in the Chinese culture and human nature should not be negated by the indifferent estimation of cost, although an individual may decide for or against parenting for various reasons.
在“孩奴”这一词汇流行的背后，我们感受到一种危险。我们担心，被过分强调的集体抱怨，会演化成无法控制的强大潮流，损害我们珍视的亲情传统，从而裹挟许多人的思考，并伤害我们传统的生育观念和家庭观念。
What worries us is, behind the popularity of the term of “child’s slave”, the exaggerated collective complaint may build up into a torrential trend that might shape many people’s independent thinking to the detriment of our treasured family love and of our traditional notion concerning rearing a family.
将生儿育女视为劳役，并与买房、买车相提并论的观念，是草率而不负责任的。
It is rash and irresponsible to view parenting as enslavement and mention it in the same breath as the purchase of one’s own flat or private car.
它是对世界的消极逃避而不是积极面对。
This view reveals a passive escapement from rather than an active face-to-face encounter with the world.
而急匆匆地将这种观点加以传播，并津津乐道，则是一种鲁莽的冒险。
It is a reckless risk to propagandize and enthuse over it.
作为理性的经济人，我们也应该承认，精确地计算养育孩子所可能的花费，并据此规划自己的人生节奏，是明智的行为。
We must also admit that it is sensible for any rational “economist” to accurately calculate the possible expense of rearing a family and coordinate one’s tempo of life accordingly.
但是，这种明智绝不是抱怨这种花费之巨大，并借此发泄自己对于生活成本高昂的不满。
However, the sensibility doesn’t lie in complaining about the enormous expenses and venting one’s discontent with the high cost of living.
要知道，在历史上，即使是最艰难最贫穷的时刻，人类也不曾放弃对于子女的抚育和爱护。
After all, even in the hardest and poorest times in history, mankind never shunned its responsibility of raising and caring for its offspring.
“孩奴”这个称呼，叫我们心存不安。
The term “child’s slave” inflicts us with disturbance,
这种不安，源于我们对民生艰难的体味——如果面对抚育后代这样基本的选择，社会成员也被迫精打细算而犹豫不决，这说明这种艰难已经到了某种必须正视的程度。
which roots from the hard livelihood of the people—if members of a society are forced to calculate meticulously and hesitate when confronting such a basic choice as raising offspring, it means the hard livelihood must be taken up in real seriousness.
这种不安，也因这类流行词汇背后所揭示的传统价值的脆弱而起——凭借那些价值，我们才得以将社会共同体延续至今。
Such a disturbance also hints at the vulnerability of our traditional values, through which our social community maintains to exist till today.
我们希望那些恐惧成为“孩奴”的人，静下心来进行一次深思熟虑，而不是急于跟从一个符号，放任自己随波逐流。
We sincerely hope those who are in fear of becoming “child’s slaves” will calm down to think carefully instead of allowing themselves to follow a code and drift along with the tide.
我们希望对“孩奴”的恐惧早日平息，
We also hope that the fear of becoming “child’s slaves” will be allayed as soon as possible.
这既需要靠整个社会系统尽快地良性化发展，也需要已为人父母或将为人父母者，以更良性的心态，体会生育和养育后代的美妙。
This requires the whole social system develop in a fine way and all parents and would-be parents regard the bliss of childbearing and rearing with a more positive and healthier attitude. （王昌玲 译，陈德彰 改）
黑色眼泪
Black Tears
唐亚平
Tang Yaping
是谁家的孩子在广场上玩球
Who told that child to play ball on the square
他想激发我的心在大地上弹跳
and make my heart leap up and down,
弹跳着发出空扑扑的响声
resounding like a slow drum?
谁都像球一样在地球上滚来滚去
Sometimes we all need to roll in the dirt
我没想到这么多人只创造了一个上帝
I never knew God made so many people
每个人都像上帝一样主宰我
or all these bodies created just one god but every life rules me like a god
是谁懒洋洋地君临又懒洋洋地离去
Whose lazy footsteps keep coming around?
在破瓷碗的边缘我沉思了一千完瞬间
For a thousand minutes I gaze at the chipped edge of a china bowl
一千个瞬间成为一夜
A thousand minutes together make a night
黑色寂寞流下黑色眼泪
Black loneliness drips black tears
倾斜的暮色倒向我
Tilted dusk collapses on me
我的双手插入夜
I plug my hands into the night
好像我的生命危在旦夕
and hold on as if I could fall at my moment
对死亡我严阵以待
Why am I nervous about losing my life
我忧虑万分
when I have other things on my mind
我想扔掉的东西还没有扔掉
I need to get rid of first? （Tony Barnstone and Newton Liu 译）
雪天
A Snowy Day
萧红
Xiao Hong
我直直是睡了一个整天，这使我不能再睡。
For the whole day I had been sleeping.
小屋子渐渐从灰色变做黑色。
I woke up at the time when the night curtain had gradually fell onto this little room of ours, when I could sleep no more.
睡得背很痛，肩也很痛，并且也俄了。
I had been lying for so long a time that my back was painful, and my shoulders, too, were aching sharply, my stomach empty.
我下床开了灯，在床沿坐了坐，到椅子上坐了坐，
Getting off the bed and turning on the light, I sat on the bedside and in the chair respectively for a little while,
扒一扒头发，揉擦两下眼睛，心中感到幽长和无底，好像把我放下一个煤洞去，并且没有灯笼，使我一个人走沉下去。
then gave the hair a scratch and the eyes a rub, feeling empty and helpless in heart as if thrown into a dark coal mine without a lantern, while I myself was sinking slowly, into the bottomless darkness.
屋子虽然小，在我觉得和一个荒凉的广场样，屋子墙壁离我比天还远，
Although the room in reality was quite small, yet to me it well equaled a lonely square, with its walls as distant from me as the high sky.
那是说一切不和我发生关系；那是说我的肚子太空了！
I said so as neither the room nor its walls could help a little while my stomach was totally empty!
一切街车街声在小窗外闹着。可是三层楼的过道非常寂静。
All the noises of the street were shut outside of the window, thus the passage here on the third floor was unusually quiet.
每走过一个人，我留意他的脚步声，
Whenever a person walked by, I could hear clearly his or her footsteps.
那是非常响亮的，硬底皮鞋踏过去，女人的高跟鞋更响亮而且焦急，
That was the remarkable sound of the hard-soled leather shoes, or that of women’s high-heels with more loudness and somewhat haste.
有时成群的响声，男男女女穿插着过了一阵。
And sometimes it was a succession of sounds by a collection of men and women.
我听遍了过道上一切引诱我的声音，可是不用开门看，我知道郎华还没回来。
I had all the inviting sounds in the passage enjoyed through, but without opening the door to have a check I could conclude that none of them belonged to my Lang Hua.
小窗那样高，囚犯住的屋子一般，
The window was pretty high, very much like that of a prisoner’s cage.
我仰起头来，看见那一些纷飞的雪花从天空忙乱地跌落，
I raised up my head, only to see a riot of downy flakes of snow heading towards the earth hastily.
有的也打在玻璃窗片上，即刻就消融了，变成水珠滚动爬行着，玻璃窗被它画成没有意义、无组织的条纹。
Some falling on the windowpane thawed quickly, turned into water drops and rolled down the glass, leaving behind a mess of meaningless and irregular lines.
我想：
It put me into reverie.
雪花为什么要翩飞呢？
I asked myself: why would the snowflakes keep whirling and dancing without a rest?
多么没有意义！
Was there any meaning in it?
忽然我又想：
Then somehow I thought of myself.
我不也是和雪花一般没有意义吗？
Wasn’t I the very symbol of those meaningless snowflakes?
坐在椅子里，两手空着，什么也不做；口张着，可是什么也不吃。
Sitting in the chair, with a pair of hands empty yet doing nothing, and a mouth lying open yet taking nothing,
我十分和一架完全停止了的机器相像。
I was very much like a discarded machine that had completely stopped working.
过道一响，我的心就非常跳，
A dim yet seemingly familiar sound from the passage put my heart into anxiety.
那该不是郎华的脚步？
Wasn’t that the sound of my Lang Hua’s footsteps?
一种穿软底鞋的声音，嚓嚓来近门口，我仿佛是跳起来，我心害怕：
As the rustling sound of the rubber-sled shoes approached, I almost jumped up, wondering with worry:
他冻得可怜了吧？他没有带回面包来吧？
Was he shivering with cold, and after all, had he earned the bread back home?
开门看时，茶房站在那里：
I opened the door, only to find a hotel attendant standing there.
“包夜饭吗？”
“Would you like to order supper?”
“多少钱？”
“What’s the price?”
“每份6角。包月15元。”
“Zero point six yuan per share, and 15 yuan for a month.”
“……”我一点都不迟疑地摇着头，怕是他把饭送进来强迫我吃似的，怕他强迫向我要钱似的。
Without any hesitation I had my head shaken repeatedly and resolutely, as if dreading that he would throw the meal to me and force me to take it, that he would then ask me for money.
茶房走出，门又严肃地关起来。
Sending the attendant away, I had the door closed tightly again.
一切别的房中的笑声，饭菜的香气都断绝了，
The happy laughter next door plus the inviting smells of the meals all together were shut outside.
就这样用一道门，我与人间隔离着。
The very door isolated me from the world.
一直到郎华回来，他的胶皮底鞋擦在门槛，我才止住幻想。茶房手上的托盘，盛着肉饼、炸黄的蕃薯、切成大片有弹力的面包……
It was not until Lang Gua came back, his rubber-soled shoes stepping on the threshold, that my mind was pushed back from that tray of the attendant’s, with meat pies, golden potato chips and big, soft chunks of bread…
郎华的夹衣上那样湿了，已湿的裤管拖着泥。
His jacket was drenched all over with melted snow, and his trouser legs, too, were wet with mud.
鞋底通了孔，使得袜也湿了。
His soles got holes, thus having his socks soaked as well.
他上床暖一暖，脚伸在被子外面，我给他用一张破布擦着脚上冰凉的黑圈。
He went into the quilt to get some warmth, his dirty and icy feet placed outside, while I was cleaning the mud on them with a rag.
当他问我时，他和呆人一般，直直的腰也不弯：“饿了吧？”
Then, like a puppet unable to bend his body, he inquired without affection, “You are hungry, right?”
我几乎是哭了。我说：“不饿。”
I almost burst into tears, yet only replied a “No”.
为了低头，我的脸几乎接触到他冰凉的脚掌。
Then to droop and hide the tears, I had my back so badly bent that my face nearly touched his cold feet.
他的衣服完全湿透，所以我到马路旁去买馒头。
Since all his clothes were completely wet, I had to cross the road and buy the steamed bread myself.
就在光身的木桌上，刷牙缸冒着气，刷牙缸伴着我们把馒头吃完。
Then with the help of a tooth mug standing on the naked table and the steaming water in it, we finished this meal.
馒头既然吃完，桌上的铜板也要被吃掉似的。
Now that the steamed bread had been up, both of our eyes were shifted to the copper coins on the table, only they were inedible.
他问我：“够不够？”
Then Lang Hua opened his mouth, “Are you enough?”
我说：“够了。”我问他：“够不够？”
“Yeah,” I said, and asked him, “What about you?”
他也说：“够了。”
“Me, too,” he replied.
隔壁的手风琴唱起来，
The accordion next door began to sing.
它唱的是生活的痛苦吗？
Was it the hardship of living that it was singing?
手风琴凄凄凉凉地唱呀！
If not, why was its voice so sad and somber then?
登上桌子，把小窗打开。
Mounting the table, Lang Hua had the small window opened.
这小窗是通过人间的孔道：楼顶，烟囱，飞着雪沉重而浓黑的天空，路灯，警察，街车，小贩，乞丐，
It was the only medium that linked us with the world, where we saw roofs of buildings, chimneys, the heavy and dark sky floating with snowflakes, and streetlights, policemen, buses, hawkers as well as beggars;
一切显现在这小孔道，繁繁忙忙的市街发着响。
all these things revealed themselves in the small opening, to the accompaniment of the din of the busy streets.
隔壁的手风琴在我们耳里不存在了。
Thus the singing of the accordion next door got drowned and disappeared in our ears. （李珍 译）
感谢磨难
Thank Hardship
汪国真
Wang Guozhen
感谢磨难
Thank hardship,
它有一双慧眼
Whose great insight
帮助想成功的人了却心愿
Helps those who want to succeed To realize their dreams.
磨难给予你坚强
Hardship has made you staunch,
磨难给予你勇敢
Hardship has made you courageous;
磨难给予你沉着
Hardship has made you steady;
磨难给予你不凡
Hardship has made you outstanding.
在很高很高的山的下面
At the bottom of a very high mountain,
你还是个孩子
You are still a child;
在很高很高的上面
On the top of a very high mountain,
你已是一个顶天立地的男子汉
You are already a dauntless man. （蒋隆国 译）
与海的谈话
Conversing with the Sea
郑玲
Zheng Ling
我望着烟波浩淼的大海，
Gazing at the great expanse of swirling mists and waves,
拜倒于它的深沉宏伟，
I fall on my knees, awed by the sea’s grandeur.
于是我问道：大海啊，
I ask: O sea
在你的一切财富中什么最珍贵？
Of all your riches, what do you cherish the most?
大海回答说：
The sea replies:
有人说是我的珍珠
Some say my pearls
其实那是鲛人的泪。
Which are in truth a mermaid’s tears,
有人说是我的颜色，
Some say my color
其实那是蓝天的美。
Which is in truth the beauty of the blue skies.
我所最珍贵的，
What I cherish most
是从那岩石的缝隙里，
Is a drop of water that slips into my bosom
坠入我怀中的一滴水。
From a crack in the rock. （Julia C. Lin 译）
日本人的“送礼”
The Japanese Way of Gift-Presenting
林巍
Lin Wei
日本人特别爱送礼，从生育、生日、结婚、探病、搬家、过节等等，几乎从未间断。
The Japanese love presenting gifts on various occasions, such as child bearing, birthday, marriage, visiting a patient, moving, festivals…the list goes on.
日语中的“礼物”写作“土産”，即各地的特产。
“Miyage” written in Japanese as “gift”, referring to specialties in various locations.
这从一个侧面反映了日本人的团体意识，以此来联络人际感情，分享体验，互表祝愿。
Presenting gifts partially reflects Japanese group consciousness, in the way affections can be assured, experience shared and good wishes conveyed.
日本人送礼物的意义不在于其价值，而在于其时间、场合和方式。
In Japanese gift presenting, the value of the gift is not as important as its time, the occasion and the ways of presenting it for they are carrying much weight of the presenter.
而且，日本人很注重礼物的包装，因为这代表了对收礼人的尊敬。
Also, packing is much valued by the Japanese as showing respect to the recipient.
这与中国人不同，中国人更注重礼物本身的价值。
In contrast, the Chinese probably regard the gift itself as more valuable.
在日本时，一次分别之际，主人分别送了我们三位每人一份从包装上看是非常贵重的礼物，
In Japan, in a farewell meeting, the Japanese host presented glamorous gifts to three of us.
打开一看，原来是一块手绢。
When we opened the gorgeous packing, only a plain handkerchief appeared,
这一点也不表明他的小气，因为礼物是在此时此刻给的，而且已在包装上给与了我们足够的尊重。
however, given the timing, occasion and packing, the gifts actually carried enough weight and generosity to the guests.
日本人在送礼物时，总不忘加上一句：“不是什么好东西”，哪怕心里觉得的确是好东西。
Gift-presenting is normally accompanied by the Japanese way of depreciation—“It’s a mere trifle”, although in may be worth a lot in their minds.
这一点，倒很像中国人。我在澳大利亚时却完全不同，
In some way, this is very much like the Chinese, but nothing like westerners, such as Australians.
他们会把要送礼物的价值如实告诉你；如果是花费时间自做的，那更会把其中的周折讲出来，唯其如此，才显出对你的尊重。
When we were in Australia, people gave us presents, and they didn’t mind revealing the values of the gifts and the time they spent on them, just to show their sincerity.
送礼的数目，日本人喜欢的是单数，这与中国人“成双成对”的文化又大不相同。
Unlike Chinese, who will always present something in pairs, the Japanese prefer odd numbers.
但也有相同之处：中国人一般不送梨，因为其有“分离”之意；日语中的“梨”发音与“無し”相同，为“没有”之意。
Nevertheless, there is something in common between Japanese and Chinese, such as avoiding the same character “梨”(li), which means “departing” in Chinese and “nothing” in Japanese respectively;
再有，“四”数在日本人的送礼中也是避忌的。
“四”(si/shi)is homonymic to “死”(si/shi), literally means “death” both in Chinese and Japanese, and so on.
总之，日本人的送礼文化有着其浓郁的特色；既有别于中国更不同于西方，而是其独特土壤的产物。
In short, the Japanese gift-presenting culture is deeply rooted in its unique soil, and distinguishingly different from both Chinese and western cultures. （林巍 译）
题王希孟青绿山水长卷《千里江山图》
After Wang Ximeng’s Blue and Green Horizontal Landscape Scroll, A Thousand Miles of Rivers and Mountains
西川
Xi Chuan
绿色和蓝色汇集成空山。
Green colors and blue colors flow together and form empty mountains.
有人行走其间，但依然是空山，就像行走的人没有面孔，但依然是人。
Some people are walking in them, but they’re still empty mountains, as if the people walking there have no faces, but they are still people.
谁也别想从这些小人儿身上认出自己，就像世间的真山真水，别想从王希孟那里得到敷衍了事的赞扬。
No one should try to recognize themselves in these figures, or try to see the real mountains and waters of this world, nor should anyone think of trying to gain casual praise from Wang Ximeng.
王希孟认识这些画面上的小人儿，但没有一个是他自己。
Wang Ximeng knows these small figures, and that on one is he himself.
这些不是他自己的小人儿，没有一个他能叫出名字。
These are not his figures, and he cannot call out a single one by name.
小人儿们得到山，得到水，就像山得到绿松石和青金石，水得到浩淼和船只，就像宋徽宗得到十八岁的王希孟，只是不知道他将在画完《千里江山图》之后不久便会死去。
The figures acquire the mountains and waters, just as the mountains acquire the emerald land lapis, just as the waters acquire vastness and boats, just as Emperor Huizong got Wang Ximeng at eighteen years old, not knowing that Wang would die soon after he finished this thousand miles of rivers and mountains.
山水无名。
The mountains and waters are nameless.
王希孟明白，无名的人物，更只是山水的点缀，就像飞鸟明白，自己在人类的游戏中可有可无。
Wang Ximeng realizes that people without names are just decorations in mountains and waters, just as flying birds know they are insignificant to men’s games.
鸟儿在空中相见。
And the birds meet in the sky.
与此同时，行走在山间的人各有各的方向，各有各的打算。
Meanwhile, people walking in the mountains have their own directions to travel and their own plans.
这些小人儿穿着白衣，行走，闲坐，打鱼，贩运，四周是绿色和蓝色，就像今天的人们穿着黑衣，出现在宴会、音乐会和葬礼之上，四周是金色和金色。
These small figures, in white, walk, sit at leisure, go fishing, trade, surrounded by green colors and blue colors, just like, today, people, in black, go to banquets, concerts, and funerals, surrounded by golden colors and more golden colors.
这些白衣小人儿从未出生，当然也就从未死去，就像王希孟这免于污染和侵略的山水乌托邦，经得起细细的品读。
These small figures in white have never been born and so have never died; just like Wang Ximeng’s landscape utopia, they are immune to pollution and invasion, and that is worth careful consideration.
远离桎梏的人呵谈不上对自由的向往，未遭经验损毁的人呵谈不上遗忘。
So people who are far away from social controls have no need to long for freedom, and people who haven’t been destroyed by experience aren’t concerned about forgetting.
王希孟让打鱼的人有打不尽的鱼，让山坳里流出流不尽的水。
Wang Ximeng let the fishermen have infinite numbers of fishes to go fishing; he allowed limitless waters to run out of the mountains.
在他看来，幸福，就是财富的多寡恰到好处，让人们得以在山水之间静悄悄地架桥，架水车，修路，盖房屋，然后静悄悄地居住，
According to him, happiness means the exact amount of blessing so that, immersed in the silence between mountains and waters, people can build bridges, waterwheels, roads, houses, and live quietly,
就像树木恰到好处地生长在山岗、水畔，或环绕着村落，环绕着人。
just like the trees growing appropriately in the mountains, along the margins of water, or surrounding a village, and surrounding people.
远景中，树木像花儿一样。
In the distance, the trees are like flowers.
它们轻轻摇晃，就是清风送爽的时候。
When they sway, it’s the time when the clear wind is rising.
清风送爽，就是有人歌唱的时候。
When the clear wind is rising, it’s time for people to sing.
有人歌唱，就是空山成其为空山的时候。
When people sing, it’s time for an empty mountain to become an empty mountain. （Arthur Sze and Xi Chuan 译）
题王希孟青绿山水长卷《千里江山图》
On Wang Ximeng’s Landscape Scroll in Blue and Green, A Thousand Miles of Rivers and Mountains
西川
Xi Chuan
绿色和蓝色汇集成空山。
Greens and blues compile into empty mountains.
有人行走其间，但依然是空山，就像行走的人没有面孔，但依然是人。
There are people walking in them, yet they remain empty mountains, as people are faceless when walking yet still remain people.
谁也别想从这些小人儿身上认出自己，就像世间的真山真水，别想从王希孟那里得到敷衍了事的赞扬。
Don’t bother looking for yourself in these figures, any more than the real mountains and waters of this world should look to Wang Ximeng for perfunctory tokens of praise.
王希孟认识这些画面上的小人儿，但没有一个是他自己。这些不是他自己的小人儿，没有一个他能叫出名字。
Though Wang Ximeng knows the figures in his painting, he is not one of them, nor can he call a single one by name.
小人儿们得到山，得到水，就像山得到绿松石和青金石，水得到浩淼和船只，就像宋徽宗得到十八岁的王希孟，只是不知道他将在画完《千里江山图》之后不久便会死去。
The figures have acquired these mountains and waters, just as these mountains have acquired turquoise and lapis, these waters acquired vast expanses and vessels, and Emperor Huizong of the Song acquired an eighteen year-old named Wang Ximeng, unaware that the boy would pass away soon after painting A Thousand Miles of Rivers and Mountains.
山水无名。
The mountains and waters are nameless.
王希孟明白，无名的人物，更只是山水的点缀，就像飞鸟明白，自己在人类的游戏中可有可无。
Wang Ximeng knows that the nameless figures are but embellishments to the landscape, just as the birds of the air know that their presence or absence is immaterial to the comédie humaine.
鸟儿在空中相见。
Birds see each other in flight.
与此同时，行走在山间的人各有各的方向，各有各的打算。
At the same time, people walking through the mountains have their own directions, have their own plans.
这些小人儿穿着白衣，行走，闲坐，打鱼，贩运，四周是绿色和蓝色，就像今天的人们穿着黑衣，出现在宴会、音乐会和葬礼之上，四周是金色和金色。
Tiny figures dressed in white, they walk, rest, fish, and trade amongst themselves, all the while surrounded by green and blue, just as people today dress in black to show up at banquets, concerts, and funerals, surrounded by gold and yet more gold.
这些白衣小人儿从未出生，当然也就从未死去，就像王希孟这免于污染和侵略的山水乌托邦，经得起细细的品读。
These figures clothed in white were never born, and so of course will never die, just as Wang Ximeng’s landscape utopia, mountains and waters immune to pollution or infiltration, lends itself to eternal appreciation.
远离桎梏的人呵谈不上对自由的向往，未遭经验损毁的人呵谈不上遗忘。
Unfettered, they yearn not for freedom; untainted, they need not forget.
王希孟让打鱼的人有打不尽的鱼，让山坳里流出流不尽的水。
Wang Ximeng gives the fishermen more fish than they can fish for and fills the cols with water flowing without end.
在他看来，幸福，就是财富的多寡恰到好处，让人们得以在山水之间静悄悄地架桥，架水车，修路，盖房屋，然后静悄悄地居住，
In his eyes, happiness is having just the right amount of wealth, enabling everyone to build bridges and watermills, roads and homes, and dwell in peace in the mountains and waters,
就像树木恰到好处地生长在山岗、水畔，或环绕着村落，环绕着人。
just as the right amount of trees grow on hillocks and along riverbanks, or encircle hamlets, encircle everyone.
远景中，树木像花儿一样。
In the distance, the trees are like flowers.
它们轻轻摇晃，就是清风送爽的时候。
They sway, which is when the clear breeze refreshes.
清风送爽，就是有人歌唱的时候。
The clear breeze refreshes, which is when the people sing.
有人歌唱，就是空山成其为空山的时候。
The people sing, which is when the empty mountains become empty mountains. （Lucas Klein 译）
目的论
Teleology
杨小彬
Yang Xiaobin
为眉毛而拔剑相向
Confronting each other with swords in the name of eyebrows
为嘴唇而叶落
Leaves falling in the name of lips
为诗而爱情
Romance in the name of poetry
为理想而屠杀
Genocide in the name of the ideal
为蝴蝶而染上疾病
Contracting a disease in the name of butterflies
为风暴而革命
Starting a revolution in the name of a tempest
为沙漠，为心中的骆驼
In the name of the desert, of the camel deep in the heart,
血管早已枯干
blood vessels shriveling up
为星辰而布满钉子
Scattering iron nails in the name of stars
为阳光而失明
Going blind in the name of sunlight
为了明天，死亡的今天就已注定
Dooming the death of today in the name of tomorrow,
而明天不过是另一次今天
remembering tomorrow only another day （John Grey and Yang Xiaobin 译）
长夜属于你
The Full Nighttime is Yours
毛时安
Mao Shi’an
白天的喧嚣与骚动，随着最后一片晚霞的消失而远去。
The hustle and bustle of the day has gone away, as the last wisp of glowing cloud fades with the sunset;
热闹的人际交往与似乎永远都在纠缠的杂事，也随着太白星的闪烁而飘去，
the din of social activities and the seemingly never-ending chores have also ebbed away as Venus starts to glitter.
夜晚渐渐合拢。你脱下带了一整天的面具，慢慢恢复了你的自我，
As the night gradually falls, you take off your “daytime mask” and slowly let out your true self.
你坐在写字桌前，灯光照在雪白的稿子上，中年的脸隐在一片灯的暗影中。
Sitting in front of the desk, with your snow-white sheets of paper in the lamplight and your middle-aged face in the shade,
你想寻找关于生存、关于生命、关于人类、关于一切的终极存在。
you scratch in your mind for the ultimate meaning for living, life, and mankind—everything.
你像一个在浩瀚沙海中跋涉的朝圣者，你不知道你离那块精神的圣地还有多远，但你知道圣地所在的方向。
Like a pilgrim trudging on a sea-like vast desert, you do not know how far away you are from that spiritual shrine, but you know where to head to find it.
在漫漫长夜，你想用语言在万物的存在之上构筑一个理念的世界一个意象的世界。
During this extensive night, you are using words to set up a conceptual and imaginary world upon all things existing.
你用自己柔韧而百折不回的心灵感悟若广漠自然的生机，把生命汇入广交的星空，让清风抚慰你思想着的大脑。
You sit there, with your assiduous and indomitable soul, trying to perceive the vitality of great nature, to merge your life into the vast star-strewn sky, to let the breeze caress your thoughtful mind.
你像一匹北方的狼，一任自己的思想在精神的大地上踽踽独行，经历一次次心灵与精神的探险。
Like a northern wolf, you let your thoughts wander on a spiritual path and explore your soul again and again.
每一个字，每个句子，都来自你心灵的深处，是你耗尽心智的产物。
Every word or every sentence, the result of brain-wracking effort, comes from the inner recesses of your soul.
夜让你的思想在万物的静谧中变得活跃而充满生机。
The quiet night-world activates and enlivens your mind to its fullest capacity.
你已经度过了无数次这样的夜晚，你不知道你还会拥有多少这样富于创造活力的夜晚，
This is just one of those countless creative nights, and you do not know how many more you will have in the future.
为此你感谢造物主的创造，创造了夜晚。
You feel grateful to God for the nights he has created.
远处黑影幢幢的高楼星星点点的灯火开始媳灭，
Lights studding the delineated dark buildings in the distance begin to go off.
一盏又一盏，像一双又一双闭上的眼晴。城市也要酣睡，
One after another, they look like pairs upon pairs of eyes starting to close—a city also needs sleep.
夜慢慢地静下来。很静。
Gradually, the night falls quiet—very quiet,
像深山老林的千年古井，幽深、黝黑、神秘得深不可测。
like a millennium-old water well on a remote, thickly forested mountain, sequestered, deep, dusky, and mysterious—unfathomably mysterious.
你想起一个普通而平凡的女性。
Now your mind turns to an ordinary woman, whose familiar face is remote yet gracious, blurred yet vivid.
她熟悉的面容遥远而亲切，模糊而清晰，她过早地衰老，灰白的头发在北窗的风中飘拂。忧虑期待的目光投向新村的深处。
Beset by early senility, she had grey hair that fluttered in the wind coming through the north window, and her grievous and wishful eyes were fixed on the end of the residential area.
动乱年头孩子的每一次晚归，都使她的生命和等待像在炼狱中煎熬。
It was like going through a purgatorial torture for her every time her child was late in returning home during those years of turmoil.
你将一千次一万次地在不眠的长夜想起她。
You will miss her myriad times during your long, sleepless nights and remember her senile life.
想起她浮云般苍老的生命，她是一颗早逝的彗星，全部的价值就在那短促璀璨的一闪。
Like a prematurely extinct comet, all her life value lies in that moment of brilliant sparkles.
她朴素的生命使你知道人世间原就有着金钱、谎言、权利与名利无法替代的东西。
Her simple life shows you that there is something in this world that money, lies, power, and fame cannot replace.
一个人的价值不是附加的而是内心爱的博大与厚重。
One’s value is not something attached, but is innate—the profound love carried in his or her heart.
她是你的母亲。
And such is the love your mother carried.
你白天生活在属于别人的繁华中，唯有夜晚你才生活在属于你的寂寞与孤独之中。
During the daytime, you live in the vanity of other people; only at night do you live your own solitary and sequestered life.
新村的深处传来轻轻犬吠——先富起来的人们已经流行宠物热——使夜变得更静更深，像一条黑暗而不见尽头的隧道。
From the deep end of the residential area comes a dog’s gentle barking—keeping pets is now fashionable among the newly rich—which instead quiets and deepens the night even more, making it like a bottomless, dark tunnel.
你站在窗前，用心灵聆听。
Standing at the window, you listen with your soul.
你听到了一自己的心脏依然像年轻人一样有力地搏动。
You hear your heart still throbbing, like that of a young man.
你曾一个人静静坐在九寨沟翡翠一般清澈幽冷的湖边，远远逃避着观景的喧闹人群。
To get away from the noisy tourists, you once quietly sat alone by the secluded, cold, limpid, and emerald-like lake in Jiuzhaigou, a natural scenic spot—
空谷纳万景。
for a spacious valley can contain all scenes,
大自然的美丽和温情其实只能用宁静的心灵去体悟去接纳。
but only a tranquil heart can perceive the beauty of and feel the warmth of Mother Nature.
昨夜满天碎玉飞舞。
The night before, the sky had been laden with glittering jade shards of snowflakes,
此刻，艳阳高悬。
but now, at this moment, the bright sun hung high up.
你躲在角落，满眼玉树琼枝。
From a corner, you took a view full of jade-green trees and graceful boughs.
“噗、噗”，
“Flop, flop!”
大块大块白得虚无的积雪从松树枝头，厚实地往地下落。天籁之声。
Large, thick lumps of snow, as white as if they were transparent, thumped down from the branches of pine trees, producing a heavenly sound.
这是大地的呼吸。
That was the breath of the great earth,
唯有大地的儿子才有倾听这大自然给你的神示。
and therefore, only the sons of the earth could hear this divine manifestation of nature.
人生祸福，荣辱浮沉，你都不会忘记这“噗噗”的坠雪声。
Whether you encounter a blessing or a curse, an honor or a disgrace, a rise or fall in your life, you will never forget that flopping sound of snow falling.
不眠的夜像爬满的常青藤笼络着你，你把每一缕紊乱的思绪变化成文字，变成句子。
On such a sleepless night, which wraps around you as evergreen ivy does, you turn each of your tangled thoughts into fine words and sentences,
你在文字和句子中，发现了你自己。
through which you discover yourself:
你的感情依然炽烈，你的心也依然年轻。
You are still ardent in feeling and young at heart.
我想，造物主创造黑夜，原本是让人类静静地享受她那份宁静的诗意和浪漫的情调。
In my opinion, the Creator’s initial purpose in making the night was for humans to enjoy their poetic tranquility and romantic mood,
但是，在这物欲横流、实利至上的年头，现代人却在灯红酒绿、纸醉金迷中奢侈地消费着长夜。
but on the contrary, modern people in this material-craving and profit-seeking age waste these nights in the indulgence of revelry, extravagance and racket—
豪华的消费。
such an expensive waste!
你珍惜着不眠的长夜，唯有长夜属于你。
But you treasure a full, sleepless night time, which is truly yours. （徐英才 译）
等待诗里的火车
Waiting for a Train in the Land of Poetry
任先青
Ren Xianqing
我在等待诗里的一列火车
I’m waiting for a train in the land of poetry.
等待它 铿锵的足音 凌厉的啸呼
Waiting in hope for its clanging sounds and forceful roaring past!
大气磅礴 震撼我 穿越我
Let its display of great momentum shock me and traverse me.
仿佛等待一次盛大庆典 我率先
As if eager for a grand celebration to approach, I’m the very first
听到自己嘭嘭的心跳
to hear my own thumping heart.
经典打开 情思渐盛 骨骼拔节
With the classics open, thoughts of love growing, and my bones elongating,
鲜活 饱和 火车满载花朵疾驶而来……
the train speeds up, laden with flowers—fresh, vivid, and profuse..
于斯 我已不在乎被一摞词语逼上梁山
Thereupon, who cares if I’m driven to join the Liangshan rebels by a pile of words and expressions?
不在乎 空格地里种瓜得豆
I don’t mind that I grow melons in empty spaces but reap beans;
不在乎 被你和尖刻的生活 误读
I don’t mind being misread by you or these preposterous times. （Meifu Wang, Huanghongqi, and Steven Townsend 译）
日本人的“耳的文化”
Japanese Listening Culture
林巍
Lin Wei
日本式的“莫言”和“微笑”是有名的，有人对此难以忍受。
The Japanese are said to have inscrutable grins and silence unbearable to foreigners.
有人曾忿忿地对我说：跟日本人讲话太累了，
Someone told me uneasily that “I am sick of talking to Japanese!
简直不知道他们在想什么！
You have absolutely no idea of what’s going on in their mind”.
中国人有“口才好”一说，但却没有“听才好”，而日本人则有“善聴”的说法。
In Chinese there is a term for eloquence—kou cai hao (have a talent for speaking), but no such thing as ting cai hao (have a talent for listening), however this is the case in Japanese (zen chou).
在与日本人的交谈中，他们会不断地点头说 “はい、はい”（是的、对的），但这并不代表他们同意你的观点，而只是表面“是的，我在听你讲话”。
During conversation, a Japanese constantly nods and says “hai, hai” (yes, yes), which may not mean he agrees with everything you’ve just said, but merely indicates, “I am listening to you”.
如果说，中国人善说是一种“口的文化”，那么日本人的善听则是“耳的文化”。
Perhaps we may put it in this way, Chinese culture is best presented as a speaking culture, whereas Japanese culture may be described as a listening culture.
在日本看电视，很少看到在中国及其他西方国家的那种唇枪舌战的场面，这大概是出于民族性格的原因。
On the Japanese television screen, you rarely see a lively scene of people engaged in a battle of words, as often appears in China and in Western countries.
他们善于默默地听，把他人的东西拿来，化为己用。
It’s perhaps due to their national characteristic that Japanese are good at quietly listening and efficiently taking in for their own sake.
如同在中国近代史上有“中学为体，西学为用”的讲法，
A tenet in modern Chinese history is “rooted in Chineseness while taking in Western techniques as a means”.
在日本也曾奉行“和魂漢才”的信条，即以日本人的精神为本，学习中国的知识和技术。
Similarly, in Japan there was a creed in ancient times, “taking Japaneseness as the soul while learning Chinese skills”,
近代以后，又有了“和魂洋才”，即以日本人固有的精神，学习西方的文明。
which in modern times shifted to “taking Japaneseness as the soul while learning Western civilization”.
有这样一个段子流传着：英国人作诗，法国人作曲，德国人演奏，意大利人唱歌，美国人付钱来听，而日本人则会一边鼓掌一边喊“再来一次！”
There is a popular passage: while British write poems, French compose, Germans perform and Italians sing, Americans pay for listening, and the only thing the Japanese can do is to shout out “one more!” while clapping.
看来，善听与善学，有着某种内在的关系。
A good listener and a good learner are surely mutually beneficial. （林巍 译）
日本人的“耻感文化”
The Japanese Shame Culture
林巍
Lin Wei
据说，日本人最善于从别人的角度考虑问题，因而也最在意别人对自己怎样看。
It is said that the Japanese are good at putting themselves in others’ shoes, caring very much about how other people view them.
我在日本生活时，有位朋友，下了班还没回家，在我们这里耗着，聊天，
When I was in Japan, a friend of mine came to us after work, chatting and dawdling away his time.
我问他为什么，他说回去早了怕邻居笑话，因为那说明他在公司没事干了，或者不够卖力气。
When asked why he was reluctant to go home earlier, he said he didn’t want rumoring by his neighbors that he was an early home-comer or a lazy worker.
日本社会自古以来，便有“惜名”和“知耻”的行为规范，是用以维系主从关系的“体面”或“脸面”。
Since ancient times, “name” and “shame” have been stable rules of behavior in Japanese society, regulating principal-subordinate relations in terms of maintaining “face”.
在受了侮辱或被冤枉，或被喜欢的女人抛弃后，就会觉得“没面子”，便要不惜一切去“争面子”。
After losing face from humiliation, mistreatment or being dumped by a lover, one should fight to regain it at all costs.
这种“名”和“耻”的意识，构成了日本人思维方式的一大特色。
The super-sensibility of “name” and “shame” characterizes Japanese thinking,
较之个人的自觉意识，日本人更重视现实周围的人伦关系，由此又形成了他们对于“名”和“耻”的格外敏感性。
with Japanese culture paying far more attention to peripheral human relations than self-consciousness. In this sense, it is a sensitive culture.
如果说，西方的基督教文化是一种“罪感文化”，那么日本的集体主义文化便是一种“耻感文化”。罪感的基础，建立在人的内在道德标准上；耻感的制约，则来自外部的强大压力。
Christian culture in the West is deemed to be a guilt culture based on a person’s internal moral standard; while collectivist culture in Japan is a shame culture which relies on external sanction.
然而，一旦没有了这种压力（如外出旅行等），他们的表现又会判若两人。
Once the pressure of this sanction is gone, such as during a journey, a Japanese may behave like a totally different person.
罪责可以通过忏悔来赎过，而耻辱只会一层层更加蒙羞，即日语所说的“耻の上涂り”坦白了便更加耻辱。
While guilt may be redeemed by repentance, shame can only be increased by admission, as a Japanese saying goes, “haji no uwanuri” (confession increases shame).
因而，在日本常常见到这样一种现象，就是日本人没有过错时（如并没有踩到你的脚）会口口声声地道歉，而一旦犯了错误，反而不道歉了。
It is therefore not surprising to see a phenomenon in Japan where a Japanese may constantly apologize to you when nothing happens (such as he didn’t step on your toe), but once he did make a mistake, he might just quietly turn away due to shame.
日本人的害羞也是有名的，如女人的厕所间通常有似水的音乐伴随，以避免让人听到后尴尬（因在同一厕所间的外边通常是男人的小便池）。
Japanese are usually considered to be highly sensitive to shame, such as in ladies toilets where a piece of river-flowing music is gently played to avoid embarrassment since male’s urinals are normally nearby in the same toilet.
然而，让人吊诡的是，日本人可以一家人男女老少三代人一起洗澡，这在中国人（或其他国家的人）看来很是难为情，
However, in contrast, Japanese family members of three generations, including males and females, can bath together.
但日本人却对此不但毫无耻感，反而觉得非常亲近，“赤城相见”。
The practice that the Japanese take for granted as an intimate family routine may embarrass Chinese and other nations’ families.
当然，将世界上的文化划分为“耻感文化”和“罪感文化”未免过于简单化了：
However, dividing cultures of the world into a dichotomy of “shame culture” and “guilt culture” is a bit over-simplified.
两种文化的存在并不是绝对而孤立的，不过是以哪一种为主罢了。
In fact, the two cultures overlap, but each has its dominant feature. （林巍 译）
天籁和回声•桃花
Peach Blossoms
赵丽宏
Zhao Lihong
早晨，有人轻敲我的窗户。
A tap on my window in the morning!
那扇小小的窗户，面对着小河，河边没有路，是谁在敲窗？
It was a small window facing the rivulet with no road on the riverside, so who was tapping?
抬头一看，是一枝桃花，风吹桃树，树枝晃动，碰到了我的窗户。
A closer look revealed the prankster to be a twig of peach flowers, which swayed in the wind and touched my window.
枝头的桃花含苞待放，露水在 花蕾上闪动，早霞照在花枝上，一片玫瑰色的殷红……
The peach flowers, about to go into full blossom, had dewdrops sparkling on the buds, and the morning glow painted the twig a rosy red.
花枝敲窗，是什么美妙的预兆？
What kind of good omen would it bode for a flower twig to tap on my window?
“人面桃花相映红”，
As a Chinese poem goes, “The blush on her face goes with the red of the peach flowers.”
我的苍白的脸，能被这不期而遇的桃花映红？
Would my pallid face borrow from the red of the peach flowers in this unexpected encounter?”
我起床，开窗，让结满蓓蕾的树枝进入我的小草屋。
I got up from bed and opened the window to let the bud-ridden twig into my thatched hut.
你好，春天，
Hello, spring!
谢谢你用这样的方式来到我的身边。
Thanks for coming to me in such a way. （赵英才 译）
枫叶
Maple Leaves
余光中
Yu Guangzhong
秋天，最容易受伤的记忆
Autumn, memory which is the easiest to be hurt
霜齿一咬
Bitten by the teeth of frost
噢，那样轻轻
O, even so gently
就咬出一掌血来
And there is a palmful of blood （张智中 译）
当我死时
When I am Dead
余光中
Yu Guangzhong
当我死时，葬我，在长江与黄河
When I am dead, lay me down between the Yangzi
之间，枕我的头颅，
And the Yellow River, and pillow my head
白发盖着黑土。
On China, white hair against black soil,
在中国，最美最母亲的国度，
Most beautiful, O most maternal of lands,
我便坦然睡去，睡整张大陆，
And I will sleep my soundest, taking The whole mainland for my cradle, lulled
听两侧，安魂曲起自长江，黄河
By the requiem that rises on both sides
两管永生的音乐，滔滔，朝东。
From the two great rivers, two long, long songs That on and on flow forever to the East.
这是最纵容最宽阔的床，
This the world’s most indulgent, roomiest bed
让一颗心满足地睡去，满足地想，
Where, content, a heart pauses to rest
从前，一个中国的青年曾经，
And recalls how, on an icy Michigan night,
在冰冻的密西根向西了望，
A young man from China used to look
想望透黑夜看中国的黎明，
Intensely toward the East, through
用十七年未餍中国的眼睛
The darkness to the dawn of China. So with hungry eyes he devoured
饕餮地图，从西湖到太湖，
The map, eyes that for seventeen years had starved
到多鹧鸪的重庆，代替回乡。
For a glimpse of home, and like a new-weaned child He drank with one gulp all the rivers and lakes From the mouth of Yangzi all the way up To Boyang and Dongting and to Koko Nor. （余光中 译）
当我死时
When I Die
余光中
Yu Guangzhong
当我死时，葬我，在长江与黄河
When I die, please bury me, between Yangtse River and
之间，枕我的头颅，白发盖着黑土。
The Yellow River, resting on my head, the gray hair is covered with black earth
在中国，最美最母亲的国度，
In China, in the country which is the most beautiful and the most motherly
我便坦然睡去，睡整张大陆，
I fall asleep unperturbed, on the whole piece of continent
听两侧，安魂曲起自长江，黄河
Listening to my two sides, the requiem arises, from the two eternal tubes
两管永生的音乐，滔滔，朝东。
Of music of Yangtse River and the Yellow River, upsurging, eastward
这是最纵容最宽阔的床，
This is the most permissive and the broadest bed
让一颗心满足地睡去，满足地想，
To content a heart with sound sleep, with wishful thinking
从前，一个中国的青年曾经，
Aforetime, a Chinese youth has ever gazed
在冰冻的密西根向西了望，
Westward in the frozen Michigan
想望透黑夜看中国的黎明，
Yearning to see the dawn of China through stark darkness
用十七年未餍中国的眼睛
With his eyes unsatisfied of appreciating China for seventeen years
饕餮地图，从西湖到太湖，
He is devouring the map, instead of home returning
到多鹧鸪的重庆，代替回乡。
From the West Lake to the Tai Lake, to Chongqing where partridges throng （张智中 译）
谁跑得比闪电还快
Who Runs Faster Than Lightning
黄礼孩
Huang Lihai
河流像我的血液
River flows like my running blood
她知道我的渴
She knows my thirst
在迁徙的路上
Upon migration
我要活出贫穷
I want to outlive poverty
时代的丛林就要绿了
The era’s forest soon will turn green
是什么沾湿了我的衣襟
What has bedewed my shirtsleeves
丛林在飞
Forest is flying
我的心在疲倦中晃动
My heart in this exhaustion swaying
人生像一次闪电一样短
Human life like a flash of lightening so brief
我还没有来得及悲伤
I have no time yet for grief
生活又催促我去奔跑
Life urges me again to keep running （Lynn Xu & Hai An 译）
矛盾世界——母难日之二
Happy Was the World: To Mother
余光中
Yu Guangzhong
快乐的世界啊
Happy was the world
当初我们见面
Where, when first we met,
你迎我以微笑
You greeted me with a smile,
而我答你以大哭
And I answered with a cry
惊天，动地
That move heaven and earth.
悲哀的世界啊
Sad was the world
最后我们分手
Where, when at last we parted,
我送你以大哭
I saw you off with a cry,
而你答我以无言
And you answered with a silence
关天，闭地
That closed heaven and earth.
矛盾的世界啊
Strange was the world
不论初见或永别
Where, seeing you first to last,
我总是对你以大哭
I always cried aloud
哭世界始于你一笑
How with your smile the world began
而幸福终于你闭目
And how without it bliss ended. （余光中 译）
母亲
Mother
饶阶巴桑
Rabgyai Basang
我吸吮着母亲的奶头，
When I was still a child at the breast,
还不曾想过捏泥娃娃和捉迷藏，
I never thought of moulding clay figures nor playing hide-and-seek,
还不曾想过天空和陆地，
Nor of the sky and earth,
可是心里却有一个模糊的印象：
But I had a vague impression:
“世间再也没有什么
“There is nothing in the world
比母亲的胸脯还宽广！”
Broader than Mother’s breast!”
我从遥远遥远的边疆，
From the remote border region,
渡过了 长江和黄河，
I crossed the Yangtze and Yellow rivers;
虽然我还没有走到长白山，
Though I haven’t been to the Changbai Mountains,
但是我在心底轻声地说：
I whisper to myself in my heart:
“世间再也没有什么
“There is nothing in the world
比祖国的胸脯更宽广！”
Broader than Mother’s breast!”
1956年4月
（中国文学出版社 译）
母亲的书
Mother’s Book
琦君
Qi Jun
母亲在忙完一天的煮饭，洗衣，喂猪、鸡、鸭之后，就会喊着我说：“小春呀，去把妈的书拿来。”
After a busy day cooking meals, washing clothes, and feeding the pigs, chickens, and ducks, my mother would call to me, “Hey, Little Spring (Hsiao-ch’un 小春), go and get ma’s book and bring it here.”
我就会问：“哪本书啊？”
I would answer, “Which book, Ma?”
“那本橡皮纸的。”
“The one with the rubber-paper pages.”
我就知道妈妈今儿晚上心里高兴，要在书房里陪伴我，就着一盏菜油灯光，给爸爸绣拖鞋面了。
I knew that this evening Mother was happy and would keep me company in the library, would light an oil lamp and embroider a pair of slipper faces for Daddy.
橡皮纸的书上没一个字，
Not a single word was written in this rubber-paged book.
实在是一本“无字天书”里面夹的是红红绿绿彩色缤纷的丝线，白纸剪的朵朵花样。
It was indeed a “tabula rasa” into which were stuffed an assortment of red and green silk threads, design patterns cut from white paper,
还有外婆给母亲绣的一双水绿缎子鞋面，没有做成鞋子，母亲就这么一直夹在书里，夹了将近十年。
and a pair of aqua satin slipper faces that Grandmother had given to Mother, that had never been made into slippers but which Mother had kept pressed between the pages of the book for nearly ten years.
外婆早过世了，水绿缎子上绣的樱桃仍旧鲜红得可以摘来吃似的。
Grandmother had died long ago, but the cherries embroidered on the aqua satin still looked bright red enough to pick and eat,
一对小小的喜鹊，一只张着嘴，一只合着嘴，
and there was a pair of tiny embroidered magpies, one with its beak open, the other with its beak closed.
母亲告诉过我，那只张着嘴的是公的，合着嘴的是母的。
Mother had told me that the one with the open beak was the male and the one with the closed beak was the female.
喜鹊也跟人一样，男女性格有别。
She said that, like people, magpies were differentiated by male and female sexes.
母亲每回翻开书，总先翻到夹得最最厚的这一页。
Each time mother opened the book she would turn first to this page, which was stuffed the fullest.
对着一双喜鹊端详老半天，嘴角似笑非笑，眼神定定的，像在专心欣赏，又像在想什么心事。
She would examine the pair of magpies for a long time, the corners of her mouth seeming to smile without smiling, her eyes fixed in thought as if in profound contemplation or appreciation of some important event.
然后再翻到另一页。
Afterward she would turn not in book to another page,
用心地选出丝线，绣起花来。
carefully select some threads, and begin to embroider,
好像这双鞋面上的喜鹊樱桃，是母亲永久的样本，她心里甚么图案和颜色，都彷佛从这上面变化出来的。
as if this pair of cherry and magpie embroidered slipper faces were Mother’s eternal model, from which the design and colors in her mind seemed to evolve.
母亲为甚么叫这本书为橡皮纸书呢？
Why did Mother call this the book with rubber-paper pages?
是因为书页的纸张又厚又硬，像树皮的颜色，
Because the material from which the pages of the book were made was both thick and rigid, the color of bark.
也不知是甚么材料做的，非常的坚韧，在怎么翻也不会撕破，又可以防潮湿。
I do not know what kind of material it was, but the pages were extremely sturdy and durable.
母亲就给它一个新式的名称──橡皮纸。
No matter how many times they were turned, they would not tear, and because they also repelled water Mother gave them a new name—rubber paper.
其实是一种非常古老的纸，是太外婆亲手裁订起来给外婆，外婆再传给母亲的。
Actually it was some kind of extremely old paper that my maternal great-grandmother had bound with her own hands for my grandmother, who had then handed it down to Mother.
书页是双层对折，中间的夹层里，有时会夹着母亲心中的至宝，那就是父亲从北平的来信，这才是“无字天书”中真正的“书”了。
The book pages were double-layer bound, accordion style, and in between the two leaves of an individual page were often secreted Mother’s most precious possessions, Father’s letters from Peking, the real book within the book without words.
母亲当着我，从不抽出来重读，直到花儿绣累了，菜油灯花也微弱了，我背论语孟子背得伏在书桌上睡着了，她就会悄悄地抽出信来，和父亲隔着千山万水，低诉知心话。
Mother never pulled these out or retread them in front of me, but when she tired of embroidery, when the flame of the lamp burned low and weak, when I, exhausted from reciting The Analects of Confucius or Mencius, fell asleep at the desk, she would silently pull out one of these letters and recite in a low voice the words from father, far away across a thousand mountains and ten thousand rivers.
还有一本母亲喜爱的书，也就是我记忆中非常深刻的，
There was another book my mother loved that left an extraordinarily deep impression on my memories.
那就是怵目惊心的“十殿阎王”。粗糙的黄标纸上，印着简单的图画。
That was the fascinating, startling, Shih-tein Yen-wang (Ten Palaces of the King of Death十殿阎王), printed on rough yellow paper with simple pictures depicting the ferocious visage of the King of Death in his ten palaces in hell.
是阴间十座阎王殿里，面目狰狞的阎王、牛头马面，以及形形色色的鬼魂。依着他们在世为人的善恶，接受不同的奖赏与惩罚。
He had the head of an ox, and the face of a horse, and was accompanied by ghosts and spirits of all shapes and descriptions who, depending upon their good or evil merits when alive as human beings, received different rewards or punishments.
惩罚的方式最恐怖，有上尖刀山、落油锅、被猛兽追扑等等。
The most fearsome forms of punishment included climbing a knife-edge mountain, falling into a cauldron of boiling oil, being chased and caught by wild beasts.
然后从一个圆圆的轮回中转出来，有升为大官大富翁的，有变为乞丐的，也有降为猪狗、鸡鸭、蚊蝇的。
Afterward, emerging from a complete cycle of the wheel of transmigration, some would rise as great officials or wealthy gentry others would become beggars, and still others would fall to the status of pigs and dogs, ducks and chickens, or of insects.
母亲对这些图画好像百看不厌，
Mother never seemed to tire of looking at these pictures.
有时指着它对我说：“阴间与阳间的隔离，就只在一口气。
Sometimes she would point to them and say to me, “The difference between life and death, the world and hell, is but the breath.
活着还有这口气，
The living still have this breath.
就要做好人，行好事。”
You must be a good person, do good things.”
母亲常爱说的一句话是：“不要扯谎，小心拔舌耕犁啊。”
An admonition that Mother liked to repeat often was, “Do not lie; beware the plucked tongue that plows the fields.”
“拔舌耕犁”也是这本书里的一幅图画，画着一个披头散发女鬼，舌头被拉出来，刺一个窟窿，套着犁头由牛拉着耕田，
The “plucked tongue that plows the fields” was a picture in this book which portrayed the disheveled head and wild hair of a female ghost whose tongue was plucked out, pierced with a hole, stuck onto a plough handle, and dragged by an ox to plow a field.
是对说谎者最重的惩罚。所以她常拿来警告人。
This was the most extreme punishment for lying, so Mother often brought it out to warn us.
外公说十殿阎王是人心里想出来的，所以天堂与地狱都在人心中。
Grandfather said that The Ten Palaces of The King of Death was the work of someone’s imagination,
但因果报应是一定有的，佛经上说的明明白白的啰。
but there definitely was a law of retribution, of cause and effect, as clearly explained in the Buddhist classics.
母亲生活上离不了手的另一本书是黄历。
Another book which throughout her life never left Mother’s hand was the almanac.
她在床头小几抽屉里，厨房碗橱抽屉里，都各放一本，随时取出来翻查，看今天是甚么样的日子。
In the drawer of a small table at the head of her bed, and also in the cupboard drawer in the kitchen were separate copies of the almanac which she might pull out to consult at any time, to find out what kind of a day it was that day.
日子的好坏，对母亲来说是太重要了。
Whether the day was good or bad was extremely important to Mother.
她万事细心，甚么事都要图个吉利。
She was meticulous about everything, and everything required a calculation of the auspicious omens:
买猪仔、修理牛栏猪栓、插秧、割稻都要拣好日子。
buying suckling pigs, repairing the ox fence or pig pen, transplanting the rice seedlings, and harvesting the grain all required selecting a good day.
腊月里做酒、蒸糕更不用说了。
For making wine and steaming rolls for the winter sacrifice, this went without saying.
只有母鸡孵出一窝小鸡来，由不得她拣在哪一天，但她也要看一下黄历。
The only thing for which Mother could not choose the proper day was when the hen would hatch her nest of little chicks, but Mother would still have to consult the almanac,
如果逢上大吉大利的好日子，她就好高兴，想着这一窝鸡就会一帆风顺地长大，
and if it fell on a highly auspicious day she would be very happy, thinking that this brood of chickens would grow to maturity very smoothly and easily.
如果不巧是个不太好的日子，她就会叫我格外当心走路，别踩到小鸡，在天井里要提防老鹰攫去。
If it was not a very good day she would tell me to be especially careful walking, not to step on one of the little chicks, and to keep the hawks away from the courtyard.
有一次，一只大老鹰飞扑下来，母亲放下锅铲，奔出来赶老鹰，还是被衔走了一只小鸡。
Once a big hawk flew down and Mother set down the cooking spade and rushed out to chase away the hawk, which still made off with one little chick.
母亲跑的太急，一不小心，脚踩着一只小鸡，把牠的小翅膀踩断了。
Mother was running so frantically that she was not careful and stepped on a chick, breaking off its little wing under her foot.
小鸡叫得好凄惨，母鸡在我们身边团团转，咯咯咯的悲鸣。
The chick chirped out most pitifully and the mother hen flapped around and around us, cluck, cluck, clucking mournfully.
母亲身子一歪，还差点摔了一跤。
Mother hen forward and almost fell down.
我扶她坐在长凳上，
I helped her sit down on the bench.
她手掌心里捧着受伤的小鸡，
In the palm of her hand she was holding the wounded chick.
又后悔不该踩到她，又心痛被老鹰衔走的小鸡，
As it awkward she was worried about the chick carried off by the hawk.
眼泪一直的流，我也要哭了。因为小鸡身上都是血，那情形实在悲惨。
Her tears fell in a stream, and I wanted to cry too because the little chick was covered with blood and the whole scene was really tragic.
外公赶忙倒点麻油，抹在牠的伤口，
Grandfather immediately poured some sesame oil and rubbed the wound.
可怜的小鸡，叫声越来越微弱，终于停止了。
The poor chick: its pitiful chirps became weaker and weaker and finally stopped.
母亲边抹眼泪边念往生咒，
As she wiped her tears, mother recited an incantation for the dead.
外公说：“这样也好，六道轮回，
Grandfather said, “It’s for the best.
这只小鸡已经又转过一道，
Of the six cycles of transmigration, these two little chicks have already turned one.
孽也早一点偿清，可以早点转世为人了。”
If their sins are expiated a bit sooner, then they will be able to enter the world as humans sooner.”
我又想起“十殿阎王”里那张图画，小小心灵里，忽然感觉到人生一切不能自主的悲哀。
I again thought of the picture in The Ten Palaces of The King of Death; in my little heart I suddenly felt the sadness that everything in this life is beyond our control.
黄历上一年二十四个节日，母亲背得滚瓜烂熟。
The twenty-four seasonal celebrations of the year in the almanac mother had memorized.
每次翻开黄历，要查眼前这个节日在哪一天，她总要从头念起，一直念到当月的那个节日为止。
Thorovshly each time she opened the almanac to find out the day of the next upcoming celebration she would always recited from the very beginning up to the celebration of that current month.
我也跟着背：“正月立春、雨水，二月惊蛰、春分，三月清明、榖雨……。”
I recited them with her: “First month: beginning of Spring (about February 5), The Rains (about February 19); second month: Insects Awaken (about March 5), Spring Equinox (about March 20); third month: Pure Brightness (about April 5), Grain Rains (about April 20) …
但每回念到八月的白露、秋分时，不知为甚么，心里总有一丝凄凄凉凉的感觉。
But every time we recited down to the White Dews (about September 8) and Autumn Equinox (about September 23) of the eighth month, I don’t know why, but I always sensed a feeling of cold and chill.
小小年纪，就兴起“一年容易又秋风”的慨叹。
Though young, I responded to the sigh of “the year passes quickly and again the autumn wind blows.”
也许是因为八月里有个中秋节，
Perhaps it is because the eighth month contains the Mid-autumn.
诗里面形容中秋节月亮的句子那么多。
Festival and there are so many poems describing the Mid-autumn Festival.
中秋节是应当全家团圆的，而一年盼一年，父亲与大哥总是在北平迟迟不归。
The Mid-autumn Festival is supposed to be a time of homecoming and family reunion, but year after year Father and Eldest Brother tarried at Peiping and did not return.
还有老师教过我诗经里的蒹葭篇：“蒹葭苍苍，白露为霜，所谓伊人，在水一方。
Furthermore, my tutor had taught me the poem “The Rushes” from The Book of Poetry (Shih Ching): “Thick grow the rushes, white dew turns to frost, where is that man?
溯回从之，道阻且长，溯游从之，宛在水中央。”
Somewhere along the river bank, I follow upstream, but the way is long and difficult, follow back downstream, there he is in mid-stream,”
我当时觉得“宛在水中央”不大懂，而且有点滑稽。
and furthermore it seemed a bit facetious.
最喜欢的是头两句。
I liked best the first two lines.
“白露为霜”使我联想起“鬓边霜”，
“White dew turns to frost” reminded me of “hair tinged with frost.”
老师教过我那是比喻白发。
My tutor had taught me that that was a metaphor for white hair,
我时常抬头看一下母亲的额角，是否已有“鬓边霜”了。
and I frequently looked up to see whether or not my mother’s hair on the temples was “tinged with frost.”
母亲当然还有其他好多书，像花名宝卷、本草纲目、绘图烈女传、心经、弥陀经等的经书。
Of course mother also had many other books such as Ming-huan Pao-chuan (Tales of Famous Flowers), Pen-ts’ao Kang-mu (Encyclopedia of Plants and Herbs), Hui-t’u Lieh-n Chuan (the Biographical Sketches of Famous Women), and other classic.
她最最恭敬的当然是佛经。
The ones she treated with most reverence were the Buddhist sutras.
每天点了香烛，跪在蒲团上念经。
Every day she lit incense and kneeled on the grass mat to recite the sutras, turning page after page.
一页一页的翻过去，有时一卷都念完了，也没看她翻，原来她早已会背了。
Sometimes she finished reciting a whole sutra volume and I had not seen her turn the pages; she had long ago memorized it.
我坐在经堂左角的书桌边，专心致志地听她念经，音调忽高忽低，忽慢忽快，却是每一个字念得清清楚楚，正正确确。
I would sit at a desk in the left corner of the temple room and intently listen to her recite the sutra, the tone of her voice suddenly high then low, slow then fast, each word distinct and clear, proper and exact.
看她闭目凝神的那份虔诚，我也静静地坐着一动也不动。
Seeing her close her eyes in reverent concentration, I sat in silence, not moving a muscle.
念完最后一卷经，她还要再念一段像结语那样的几句。
After finishing reciting the sutras she still had to recite a few lines resembling a benediction,
最末两句是“四十八愿度众生，九品咸令登彼岸。”
the last two lines of which were, “forty-eight vows to save all people, nine grades of merits to carry the soul to the other world.”
念完这两句，母亲宁静的脸上浮起微笑，彷佛已经度了终身，登了彼岸了。
After finishing these two lines a light smile floated upon the composed face of my mother as if she had already left her body and crossed over to the other side.
我望着烛光摇曳，炉烟缭绕，觉得母女二人在空荡荡的经堂里，总有点冷冷清清。
I watched the flickering of the candle flame and the thin taper of smoke, and felt that for the two of us, mother and daughter, to be alone in the empty temple room was rather lonely.
本草纲目是母亲做学问的书，
The Encyclopedia of Plants and Herbs was mother’s book for scholarly study.
那里面那么多木字旁、草字头的字，
So many of the characters in it has wood or grass radicals;
母亲实在也认不得几个。但她总把它端端正正摆在床头几上，
mother could really recognize only a few, but she placed this book squarely on the table at the head of her bed.
偶然翻一阵，说来也头头是道。
Occasionally she opened it and could explain something from it clearly and logically.
其实都是外公这位山乡郎中口头传授给她的，
Actually her explanations all came from the mouth of grandfather, who was a country physician with a knowledge in herbal medicine.
母亲只知道出典都在这本书里就是了。
Mother knew only that the sources of this knowledge all derived from this book.
母亲没有正式认过字，读过书，但在我心中，她却是博古通今的。
Mother had never attended school or studies formally, but in my eyes she was a person of broad and extensive learning. （William A. Wycoff 译）
啊，母亲
Mother
舒婷
Shu Ting
你苍白的指尖理着我的双鬓，
When your pale fingers straightened the hair at my temples,
我禁不住象儿时一样
I couldn’t help tugging at your collar
紧紧拉住你的衣襟。
As I used to in childhood.
呵，母亲！
O mother!
为了留住你渐渐隐去的身影，
To retain your gradually fading image,
虽然晨曦已把梦剪成烟缕，
Though dawn has already dissipated the dream,
我还是久久不敢睁开眼睛。
I have not dared open my eyes for a long while.
我依旧珍藏着那鲜红的围巾，
I still jealously guard that crimson scarf,
生怕浣洗会使它
Lest washing rob it of
失去你特有的温馨 。
That faint scent of yours.
呵，母亲！
O mother!
岁月的流水不也同样无情？
Is not time as heartless as a flowing stream?
生怕记忆也一样退色呵，
Lest memories also fade
我怎敢轻易打开它的画屏。
I dare not open their scrolls.
为了一根刺我曾向你哭喊，
A tiny pin-prick once made me scream out for you.
如今带着荆冠，我不敢
Today, though I wear a crown of thorns I dare not
一声也不敢呻吟。
Utter a single groan.
呵，母亲！
O mother!
我常悲哀地仰望你的照片，
In my grief I often gaze upon your portrait.
纵然呼唤能够穿透黄土，
Even if cries could penetrate the yellow earth
我怎敢惊动你的安眠。
How could I dare disturb your peaceful sleep?
我还不敢这样陈列爱的祭品，
I have never displayed my heart’s gifts like this before,
虽然我写了许多支颂歌
Though I often dedicated songs
给花、给海、给黎明 。
To flowers, sea and dawn.
呵，母亲！
O mother!
我的甜柔深谧的怀念呵，
The sweet, profound memory I cherish of you
不是瀑布，不是激流，
Is no cascade, no rapids,
是花木掩映中唱不出歌声的枯井。
But an ancient, songless well, hidden among flowers and trees. （庞秉钧、闵福德、高尔登 译）
啊，母亲
To Mother
舒婷
Shu Ting
你苍白的指尖理着我的双鬓，
Your pale fingers combing the hair at my temples
我禁不住象儿时一样
I can’t help holding tight to the front of your coat
紧紧拉住你的衣襟。
Just as I did when I was little.
呵，母亲！
Oh Mother,
为了留住你渐渐隐去的身影，
To keep intact the gradually fading shadow of your figure,
虽然晨曦已把梦剪成烟缕，
Though dawn’s first light scissored my dream to wisps of smoke
我还是久久不敢睁开眼睛。
I still dared not open my eyes for a long time.
我依旧珍藏着那鲜红的围巾，
I still cherish your bright red scarf,
生怕浣洗会使它
Yet am always afraid that washing may take away
失去你特有的温馨 。
Your special warm fragrance.
呵，母亲！
Oh Mother,
岁月的流水不也同样无情？
Isn’t the current of time just that ruthless?
生怕记忆也一样退色呵，
How can I dare open the painted screen of memory
我怎敢轻易打开它的画屏。
When I am afraid that its colours might likewise fade
为了一根刺我曾向你哭喊，
I once came crying to you with a splinter,
如今带着荆冠，我不敢
Now wearing a crown of thorns, I dare not
一声也不敢呻吟。
Groan even once.
呵，母亲！
Oh Mother,
我常悲哀地仰望你的照片，
How often I look up sadly at your picture.
纵然呼唤能够穿透黄土，
Even if my cry could pierce that clay soil,
我怎敢惊动你的安眠。
How could I dare to bother your peaceful rest?
我还不敢这样陈列爱的祭品，
I still dare not display gifts of love like this,
虽然我写了许多支颂歌
Even though I have written many songs
给花、给海、给黎明 。
To flowers, to the sea, to daybreak.
呵，母亲！
Oh Mother,
我的甜柔深谧的怀念呵，
These sweet abiding memories I hold hear
不是瀑布，不是激流，
Are neither swift current nor waterfall, but an ancient well
是花木掩映中唱不出歌声的枯井。
Overgrown with flowering shrubs and out of voice for singing. （Fang Dai, Dennis Ding, and Edward Morin 译）
纸船——寄母亲
Paper Boats—to Mother
冰心
Bing Xin
我从不肯妄弃一张纸，
Never willing to waste a sheet of paper,
总是留着——留着
I save and save
叠成一只只很小的船儿，
Then fold them into small, small boats
从舟上抛下在海里。
And throw them into the sea from my ship.
有的被天风吹卷到舟中的窗里，
Some are blown back into the portholes,
有的被海浪打湿，沾在船头上。
Others are stuck on the stern, soaked by waves,
我仍是不灰心的每天叠着，
And I, undiscouraged, keep on folding and hoping
总希望有一只能流到我要它到的地方去。
That one will finally reach its destination.
母亲，倘若你梦中看见一只很小的白船儿，
O Mother, if you ever see a tiny white sail in your dream,
不要惊讶它无端入梦。
Don’t be startled by its unexpected presence for
这是你至爱的女儿含着泪叠的，万水千山，
It was folded by your loving daughter to carry homeward
求它载着她的爱和悲哀归去。
Across the sea and mountains her love and sorrow.
1923年8月27日
（中国文学出版社 译）
为奴隶的母亲
A Slave Mother
柔石
Rou Shi
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。
He was a dealer in animal skins which he bought from hunters in the countryside and sold in town.
但有时也兼做点农作，芒种的时节，便帮人家插秧，
Sometimes he also worked in the fields; early each summer he turned farm-hand, transplanting rice for other people.
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。
As he had learned to transplant the seedlings in wonderfully straight rows, the peasants always asked him to help them.
然而境况总是不佳，债是年年积起来了。
But he never made enough money to support his family and his debts mounted with each passing year.
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。
The wretchedness of his life and the hopeless situation he was in caused him to take to smoking, drinking and gambling,
这样，竟使他变做一个非常凶狠而暴躁的男子，
and he became vicious and bad-tempered.
但也就更贫穷下去，连小小的移借，别人也不敢答应了。
As he grew poorer, people stopped lending him money, even in small sums.
在穷底的结果的病以后，
With poverty came sickness.
全身便变成枯黄色，脸孔黄的和小铜鼓一样，连眼白也黄了。
He grew sallow: his face took on the sickly colour of a brass drum and even the whites of his eyes became yellow.
别人说他是黄疸病，孩子们也就叫他“黄胖”了。
People said that he had jaundice and urchins nicknamed him “Yellow Fellow”.
有一天，他向他底妻子说：
One day, he said to his wife,
“再也没有办法了，这样下去，连小锅子也都卖去了。
“There’s no way out of it. It looks as if we’ll even have to sell our cooking pot.
我想，还是从你底身上设法罢。
I’m afraid we have to part.
你跟着我挨饿，有什么办法呢？”
It’s no use both of us going hungry together.”
“我底身上？……”
“We have to part?
他底妻坐在灶后，怀里抱着她刚满三周岁的男小孩。
...” muttered his wife, who was sitting behind the stove with their three-year-old boy in her arms.
她讷讷地低声地问。
“Yes, we have to part,” he answered feebly.
“你，是呀，”她的丈夫病后的无力的声音，“我已经将你出典了……”
“There’s somebody willing to hire you as a temporary wife, …”
“什么呀？”他底妻几乎昏去似的。
“What?” she almost lost her senses.
屋内是稍稍静寂了一息。
There followed a brief silence.
他气喘着说：
Then the husband continued, falteringly,
“三天前，王狼来坐讨了半天的债回去以后，我也跟着他去，
“Three days ago, Wang Lang came here and spent a long time pressing me to pay my debt to him. After he had left, I went out.
走到了九亩潭边，我很不想要做人了。
I sat under a tree on the shore of Chiumous Lake and thought of committing suicide.
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。
I wanted to climb the tree and dive into the water and drown myself, but, after thinking about it, I lost courage.
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，
The hooting of an owl frightened me and I walked away.
但在路上，遇见了沈家婆，她问我，晚也晚了，在外做什么。
On my way home, I came across Mrs. Shen, the matchmaker, who asked me why I was out at night.
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。
I told her what had happened and asked her if she could borrow some money for me, or some lady’s dresses and ornaments that I could pawn to pay Wang Lang so that he’d no longer be prowling after me like a wolf.
可是沈家婆向我笑道：
But Mrs. Shen only smiled and said,
“‘你还将妻养在家里做什么呢，你自己黄也黄到这个地步了？”
“‘What do you keep your wife at home for? And you’re so sick and yellow!’
“我低着头站在她面前没有答，她又说：
“I hung my head and said nothing. She continued,
“‘儿子呢，你只有一个了，舍不得。
“‘Since you’ve got only one son, you might find it hard to part with him.
但妻——’
But as for your wife…’
“我当时想：‘莫非叫我卖妻子么？’
“I thought she meant that I should sell you, but she added,
“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？’
“‘Of course she is your lawful wife, but you’re poor and you can’t do anything about it. What do you keep her at home for? Starve her to death?’
“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；
“Then she said straight out, ‘There’s a fifty-year-old scholar who wants a concubine to bear him a son since his wife is barren.
又因他底大妻不允许，只准他典一个，典三年或五年，
But his wife objects and will only allow him to hire somebody else’s wife for a few years.
叫我物色相当的女人：
I’ve been asked to find them a woman.
年纪约三十岁左右，养过两三个儿子的，
She has to be about thirty years old and the mother of two or three children.
人要沉默老实，又肯做事，还要对他底大妻肯低眉下首。
She must be honest and hard-working, and obey the scholar’s wife.
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。
The scholar’s wife has told me that they are willing to pay from eighty to a hundred dollars for the right sort of woman.
我代她寻了好几天，终于没有相当的女人。’
I’ve looked around for one for several days, but without any luck.
她说：现在碰到我，想起了你来，样样都对的。
But your wife is just the woman I’ve been looking for.’
当时问我底的意见怎样，
“She asked me what I thought about it.
我一边掉了几滴泪，一边却被她催的答应她了。”
It made me cry to think of it, but she comforted me and convinced me that it was all for the best.”
说到这里，他垂下头，声音很低弱，停止了。
At this point, his voice trailed off, he hung his head and stopped.
他底妻简直痴似的，话一句没有。
His wife looked dazed and remained speechless.
又静寂了一息，他继续说：
There was another moment of silence before he continued,
“昨天，沈家婆到过秀才底家里，
“Yesterday, Mrs. Shen went to see the scholar again.
她说秀才很高兴，秀才娘子也喜欢，钱是一百元，
She came back and told me that both the scholar and his wife were very happy about the idea of having you and had promised to pay me a hundred dollars.
年数呢，假如三年养不出儿子，是五年。
If you bear them a child they will keep you for three years, if not—for five.
沈家婆并将日子也拣定了——本月十八，五天后。
Mrs. Shen has fixed the date for you to go –the eighteenth of this month, that is, five days from now.
今天，她写典契了。”
she is going to have the contract drawn up today.”
这时，他底妻简直连腑脏都颤抖，吞吐着问：
Trembling all over, the wife faltered,
“你为什么早不对我说？”
“Why didn’t you tell me this earlier?”
“昨天在你底面前旋了三个圈子，可是对你说不出。
“Yesterday I went up to you three times, but each time I was afraid to begin.
不过我仔细想，除出将你底身子设法外，再也没有办法了。”
But after thinking it over I’ve come to realize that there’s really nothing to be done but hire you out.”
“决定了么？”
“Has it all been decided?”
妇人战着牙齿问。
asked the wife, her teeth clattering.
“只待典契写好。”
“There’s just the contract to be signed.”
“倒霉的事情呀，我——一点也没有别的方法了么？”
“Oh, what a poor wretch I am! Can’t we really do anything else?”
“倒霉，我也想到过，可是穷了，我们又不肯死，有什么办法？
“It’s terrible, I know. But we’re poor and we don’t want to die. What else can we do?
今年，我怕连插秧也不能插了。”
I’m afraid this year I won’t even be asked to do any transplanting.”
“你也想到过春宝么？
“Have you thought about Chun Bao?
春宝还只有五岁，没有娘，他怎么好呢？”
He’s only five. What will become of him without me?”
“我领他便了。
“I’ll take care of him.
本来是断了奶的孩子。”
You’re not nursing him any longer, you know.”
他似乎渐渐发怒了。也就走出门外去了。
He became more and more angry with himself and went out.
她，却呜呜咽咽地哭起来。
She broke into uncontrolled sobs.
这时，在她过去的回忆里，却想起恰恰一年前的事：
Then, looking back upon the past, she remembered what had just happened one year before:
那时她生下了一个女儿，她简直如死去一般卧在床上。
she was lying on her bed more dead than alive after giving birth to a baby girl.
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。
The newborn infant was lying on a heap of straw on the ground, crying at the top of her lungs and twitching her little limbs.
脐带绕在她底身上，胎盘落在一边，
The umbilical cord was wound round her body and the placenta left by her side.
她很想挣扎起来给她洗好，
The poor young woman was anxious to get up to wash her baby.
可是她底头昂起来，身子凝滞在床上。
But she could only manage to lift her head while her whole body seemed to remain glued to the bed.
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。
All of a sudden she saw her husband, fierce and flushed, come up to the baby with a bucket of boiling water.
她简直用了她一生底最后的力向他喊：“慢！
“Stop, stop!
慢……”
...,” she threw what little strength she had into yelling at him.
但这个病前极凶狠的男子，没有一分钟商量的余地，
The vicious husband, nevertheless, was uncompromising.
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！
Without saying a word, he held up in both hands the baby with her cry of new life and, like a butcher slaughtering a small lamb, splashed her into the boiling water.
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。
The baby immediately stopped crying. All was silent except for the sizzling of her flesh in the boiling water.
她当时剜去了心一般地昏去了。
The young woman fainted away at the heart-rending scene.
想到这里，似乎泪竟干涸了。
At the painful recollection, she had no more tears to shed,
“唉！苦命呀！”她低低地叹息了一声。
but sighed faintly, “Oh, what a miserable life!”
这时春宝向他底母亲的脸上看，一边叫：“妈妈！妈妈！”
Chun Bao stared at her, whimpering, “Mummy, mummy!”
在她将离别底前一晚，她拣了房子底黑暗处坐着。
On the eve of her departure, she was sitting in the darkest corner of the house.
一盏油灯点在灶前，萤火那么的光亮。
In front of the stove stood an oil lamp, its light flickering like that of a fire-fly.
她，手里抱着春宝，将她底头贴在他底头发上。
Holding Chun Bao close to her bosom, she pressed her head against his hair.
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。
Lost in deep thought, she seemed absolutely came to, and found herself face to face with the present and her child.
她向她底孩子低声叫：
Softly she called him,
“春宝，宝宝！”
“Chun Bao, Chun Bao! “
“妈妈，”孩子回答。
“Yes, mummy!” the child replied.
“妈妈明天要去了……”
“I’m going to leave you tomorrow. …”
“唔，”孩子似不十分懂得，本能地将头钻进他的母亲底胸膛。
“What?” the child did not quite understand what she meant and instinctively cuddled closer to her.
“妈妈不回来了，三年内不能回来了！”
“I’m not come back, not for three years!”
她擦一擦眼睛，
She wiped away her tears.
孩子放松口子问：
The little boy became inquisitive,
“妈妈哪里去呢？
“Mummy, where are you going?
庙里么？”
To the temple?”
“不是，三十里路外，一家姓李的。”
“No. I’m going to live with the Li family, about thirty li away.”
“我也去。”
“I want to go with you.”
“宝宝去不得的。”
“No, you can’t, darling!”
“呃！”孩子反抗地。
“Why?” he countered.
“你跟爸爸在家里，
“You’ll stay home with daddy.
爸爸会照料宝宝的：
He’ll take good care of you.
同宝宝睡，也带宝宝玩，
He’ll sleep with you and play with you.
你听爸爸底话好了。
You just listen to daddy.
过三年……”
In three years …”
她没有说完，孩子要哭似地说：
Before she had finished talking the child sadly interrupted her.
“爸爸要打我的！”
“Daddy will beat me!”
“爸爸不再打你了，
“Daddy will never beat you again.”
”同时用她底左手抚摸着孩子底右额，
Her left hand was stroking the scar on the right side of the boy’s forehead –
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。
a reminder of the blow dealt by her husband with the handle of a hoe three days after he killed the baby girl.
她似要还想对孩子说话；她底丈夫踏进门了。
She was about to speak to the boy again when her husband came in.
他走到她底面前，一只手放在袋里，掏取着什么，一边说：
He walked up to her, and fumbling in his pocket, he said,
“钱已经拿来七十元了。
“I’ve got seventy dollars from them.
还有三十元要等你到了后十天付。”
They’ll give me the other thirty dollars ten days after you get there.”
停了一息说：“也答应轿子来接。”
After a short pause, he added, “They’ve promised to take you there in a sedan-chair.”
又停了一息：“也答应轿夫一早吃好早饭来。”
After another short pause, he continued, “The chair carriers will come to take you early in the morning as soon as they’ve had breakfast.”
这样，他离开了她，又向门外走出去了。
With this he walked out again.
这一晚，她和她底丈夫都没有吃晚饭。
That evening, neither he nor she felt like having supper.
第二天，春雨竟滴滴淅淅地落着。
The next day there was a spring drizzle.
轿是一早就到了，
The chair carrier arrived at the crack of dawn.
可是这妇人，她却一夜不曾睡。
The young woman had not slept a wink during the night.
她先将春宝底几件破衣服都修补好；
She had spent the time mending Chun Bao’s tattered clothes.
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。
Although it was late spring and summer was near, she took out the boy’s shabby cotton-padded winter jacket and wanted to give it to her husband, but he was fast asleep.
以后，她坐在他底旁边，想对他说几句话，
Then she sat down beside her husband, wishing to have a chat with him.
可是长夜是迟延着过去，她底话一句也说不出。
But he slept on and she sat there silently, waiting for the night to pass.
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，
She plucked up enough courage to mutter a few words into his ear, but even this failed to wake him up.
她也就睡下不说了。
So she lay down too.
等她朦朦胧胧地刚离开思索将要睡去，春宝又醒了。
As she was about to doze off, Chun Bao woke up.
他就推叫他底母亲，要起来。
He wanted to get up and pushed his mother.
以后当她给他穿衣服的时候，向他说：
Dressing the child, she said,
“宝宝好好地在家里，不要哭，免得你爸爸打你。
“Darling, you mustn’t cry while I’m away or daddy will beat you.
以后妈妈常买糖果来，买给宝宝吃，宝宝不要哭。”
I’ll buy sweets for you to eat. But you mustn’t cry any more, darling.”
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。
The boy was too young to know what sorrow was, so in a minute he began to sing.
她在他底唇边吻了一吻，又说：
She kissed his cheek and said,
“不要唱，你爸爸被你唱醒了。”
“Stop singing now, you’ll wake up daddy.”
轿夫坐在门首的板凳上抽着旱烟，说着他们自己要听的话。
The chair carriers were sitting on the benches in front of the gate, smoking their pipes and chatting.
一息，邻村的沈家婆也赶到了。
Soon afterwards, Mrs. Shen arrived from the nearby village where she was living.
一个老妇人，熟悉世故的媒婆，
She was an old and experienced matchmaker.
一进门，就拍拍她身上的雨点为，向他们说：
As soon as she crossed the threshold, she brushed the raindrops off her clothes, saying to the husband and wife,
“下雨了，下雨了，
“It’s raining, it’s raining.
就是你们家里此后会有滋长的预兆。”
That’s a good omen, it means you will thrive from now on.”
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。
The matchmaker bustled about the house and whispered and hinted to the husband that she should be rewarded for having so successfully brought about the deal.
“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。
“To tell you the truth, for another fifty dollars, the old man could have bought himself a concubine,” She said.
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：
Then Mrs. Shen turned to the young woman who was sitting still with the child in her arms, and said loudly,
“轿夫要赶到他们家里吃中饭的，你快些预备呀！”
“The chair carriers have to get there in time for lunch, so you’d better hurry up and get ready to go.”
可是妇人向她瞧了一瞧，似乎说：“我实在不愿意离开呢！
The young woman glanced at her and her look seemed to say, “I don’t want to leave!
让我饿死在这里罢！”
I’d rather starve here!”
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：
The matchmaker understood and, walking up to her, said smiling,
“你真是一个不懂事的丫头，
“You’re just a silly girl.
黄胖还有什么东西给你呢？
What can the ‘Yellow Fellow’ give you?
那边真是一份有吃有剩的人家，
But over there, the scholar has plenty of everything.
两百多亩田，经济很宽裕，房子是自己底，也雇着长工养着牛。
He has more than two hundred mou of land, has own houses and cattle.
大娘底性子是极好的，对人非常客气，
His wife is good-tempered and she’s very kind.
每次看见人总给人一些吃的东西。
She never turns anybody from her door without giving him something to eat.
那老头子——实在并不老，
And the scholar is not really old.
脸是很白白的，也没有留胡子，
He has a white face and no beard.
因为读了书，背有些偻偻的，斯文的模样，
He stoops a little as well-educated men generally do, and he is quiet gentlemanly.
可是也不必多说，
There’s no need for me to tell you more about him.
你一走下轿就看见的，
You’ll see him with your own eyes as soon as you get out of the sedan-chair.
我是一个从不说谎的媒婆。”
You know, as a matchmaker, I’ve never told a lie.”
妇人拭一拭泪，极轻地：
The young woman wiped away her tears and said softly,
“春宝……我怎么能抛开他呢！”
“Chun Bao … How can I part from him?”
“不用想到春宝。”老妇人一手放在她底肩上，脸凑近她和春宝。
“Chun Bao will be all right,” said the matchmaker, patting the young woman on the shoulder and bending over her and the child.
“有五岁了，
“He is already five.
古人说：‘三周四岁离娘身’，可以离开你了。
There’s a saying, ‘A child of three can move about free.’ So he can be left alone.
只要你底肚子争气些，到那边，也养下一二个来，万事都好了。”
It all depends on you. If you have one or two children over there, everything will be quiet all right.”
轿夫也在门首催起身了，他们噜苏着说：
The chair bearers outside the gate now started urging the young woman to set out, murmuring.
“又不是新娘子，啼啼哭哭的。”
“You are really not a bride, why should you cry?”
这样，老妇人将春宝从她底怀里拉去，一边说：
The matchmaker snatched away Chun Bao from his mother’s arms, saying,
“春宝让我带去罢。”
“Let me take care of Chun Bao!”
小小的孩子也哭了，手脚乱舞的，
The little boy began to scream and kick.
可是老妇人终于给他拉到小门外去。
The matchmaker took him outside.
当妇人走进轿门的时候，向他们说：
When the young woman was in the sedan-chair, she said,
“带进屋里来罢，外边有雨呢。”
“You’d better take the boy in, it’s raining outside.”
她底丈夫用手支着头坐着，一动没有动，而且出没有话。
Inside the house, resting his head on the palm of his hand, sat the little boy’s father, motionless and wordless.
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。
The two villages were thirty li apart, but the chair carriers reached their destion without making a single stop on the way.
春天的细雨，从轿子底布蓬里飘进，吹湿了她底衣衫。
The young woman’s clothes were wet from the spring raindrops which had been blown in through the sedan-chair screens.
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。
An elderly woman, of about fifty-five, with a plump face and shrewd eyes came out to greet her.
可是只向她满面羞涩地看一看，并没有叫。
Realizing immediately that this was the scholar’s wife, the young woman looked at her bashfully and remained silent.
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。
As the scholar’s wife was amiably helping the young woman to the door, there came out from the house a tall and thin elderly man with a round, smooth face.
他向新来的少妇，仔细地瞧了瞧，堆出满脸的笑容来，向她问：
Measuring the young woman from head to foot, he smiled and said,
“这么早就到了么？
“You have come early.
可是打湿你底衣裳了。”
Did you get wet in the rain? “
而那老妇人，却简直没有顾到他底说话，也向她问：
His wife, completely ignoring what he was saying, asked the young woman,
“还有什么在轿里么？”
“Have you left anything in the sedan-chair?”
“没有什么了，”少妇答。
“No, nothing,” answered the young woman.
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。
Soon they were inside the house. Outside the gate, a number of women from the neighbourhood had gathered and were peeping in to see what was happening.
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。
Somehow or other, the young woman could not help thinking about her old home and Chun Bao.
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，
As a matter of fact, she might have congratulated herself on the prospects of spending the next three years here, since both her new home and her temporary husband seemed pleasant.
秀才确是一个温良和善的人，讲话是那么地低声，
The scholar was really kind and soft-spoken.
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：
His wife appeared hospitable and talkative.
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。
She talked about her thirty years of happy married life with the scholar.
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。
She had given birth to a boy some fifteen years before –a really handsome and lively child, she said—but he died of smallpox less than ten months after his birth.
这样，以后就再没有养过第二个。
Since then, she had never had another child.
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。
The elderly woman hinted she had long been urging her husband to get a concubine but he had always put it off –either because he was too much in love with his wedded wife or because he couldn’t find a suitable woman for a concubine.
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。
This chatter made the young woman feel sad, delighted and depressed by turns.
最后，这个老妇人并将她底希望也向她说出来了。
Finally, the young woman was told what was expected of her.
她底脸是娇红的，可是老妇人说：
She blushed when the scholar’s wife said,
“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。”
“You’ve had three or four children. Of course you know what to do. You know much more than I do.”
这样，她说着走开了。
After this, the elderly woman went away.
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。
That evening, the scholar told the young woman a great many things about his family in an effort to show off and ingratiate himself with her.
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，
She was sitting beside a red- lacquered wooden wardrobe –something she had in her old home.
她眼睛白晃晃地瞧着它。秀才也就坐到橱子底面前来，问她：
Her dull eyes were focused upon it when the scholar came over and sat in front of it, asking,
“你叫什么名字呢？”
“What’s your name?”
她没有答，也并不笑，
She remained silent and did not smile.
站起来，走到床底前面，
Then, rising to her feet, she went towards the bed.
秀才也跟到床底旁边，更笑地问她：
He followed her, his face beaming.
“怕羞吗？
“Don’t be shy.
哈，你想你底丈夫么？
Still thinking about your husband?
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。
Ha, ha, I’m your husband now!” he said softly, touching her arm.
“不要愁罢！
“Don’t worry!
你也想你底孩子的，是不是？
You’re thinking about your child, aren’t you?
不过——”
Well …”
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。
He burst out laughing and took off his long gown.
她可以听见房外的大娘底声音在高声地骂着什么人，
The young woman then heard the scholar’s wife scolding somebody outside the room.
她一时听不出在骂谁，骂烧饭的女仆，又好像骂她自己，
Though she could not make out just who was being scolded, it seemed to be either the kitchen-maid or herself.
可是因为她底怨恨，仿佛又是为她而发的。
In her sorrow, the young woman began to suspect that it must be herself, but the scholar, now lying in bed, said loudly,
秀才在床上叫道：
“Don’t bother.
“睡罢，她常是这么噜噜苏苏的。
She always grumbles like that.
她以前很爱那个长工，因为长工要和烧饭的黄妈多说话，她却常要骂黄妈的。”
She likes our farm-hand very much, and often scolds the kitchen-maid for chatting with him too much.”
日子是一天天地过去了。
Time passed quickly.
旧的家，渐渐地在她底脑子里疏远了，而眼前，却一步步地亲近她使她熟悉。
The young woman’s thoughts of her old home gradually faded as she became better and better acquainted with what went on in her new one.
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。
Sometimes it seemed to her she heard Chun Bao’s muffled cries, and she dreamed of him several times.
可是梦是一个比一个缥缈，眼前的事务是一天比一天繁多。
But these dreams became more and more blurred as she became occupied with her new life.
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。
Outwardly, the scholar’s wife was kind to her, but she felt that, deep inside, the elderly woman was jealous and suspicious and that, like a detective, she was always spying to see what was going on between the scholar and her.
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，
Sometimes, if the wife caught her husband talking to the young woman on his return home, she would suspect that he had bought her something special.
将秀才叫到她自己底房内去，狠狠地训斥一番不可。
She would call him to her bought her bedroom at night to give him a good scolding.
“你给狐狸迷着了么？”
“So you’ve been seduced by the witch!” she would cry.
“你应该称一称你自己底老骨头是多少重！”
“You should take good care of your old carcase.”
像这样的话，她耳闻到不止一次了。
These abusive remarks the young woman overheard time and again.
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。
After that, whenever she saw the scholar return home, she always tried to avoid him if his wife was not present.
即使她在旁边，有时也该让开一些，但这种动作，
But even in the presence of his wife, the young woman considered it necessary to keep herself in the background.
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。
She had to do all this naturally so that it would not be noticed by outsiders, for otherwise the wife would get angry and blame her for purposely discrediting her in public.
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。
As time went on, the scholar’s wife even made the young woman do the work of a maidservant.
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：
Once the young woman decided to wash the elderly woman’s clothes.
“我底衣服怎么要你洗呢？
“You’re not supposed to wash my clothes,” the scholar’s wife said.
就是你自己底衣服，也可以叫黄妈洗的。”
“In fact you can have the kitchen-maid wash your own laundry."
可是接着说：
Yet the next moment she said,
“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，
“Sister dear, you’d better go to the pigsty and have a look at the two pigs which have been grunting all the time.
或者因为没有吃饱罢，黄妈部是不肯给它吃饱的。”
They’re probably hungry because the kitchen-maid never gives them enough to eat.”
八个月了，那年冬天，她底胃却起了变化：
Eight months had passed and winter came.
老是不想吃饭，
The young woman became fussy about her food.
想吃新鲜的面，番薯等。
She had little appetite for regular meals and always felt like eating something different –noodles, potatoes and so on.
但番薯或面吃了两餐，又不想吃，又想吃馄饨，
But she soon got tired of noodles and potatoes, and asked for wonton.
多吃又要呕。
When she ate a little too much she got sick.
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？
Then she felt a desire for pumpkins and plums –things that could only be had in summer.
秀才是知道在这个变化中所带来的预告了。
The scholar knew what all this meant.
他镇日地笑微微，能找到的东西，总忙着给她找来。
He kept smiling all day and gave her whatever was available.
他亲身给她到街上去买橘子，又托便人买了金柑来，
He went on town himself to get her tangerines and asked someone to buy her some oranges.
他在廊沿下走来走去，口里念念有词的，不知说什么。
He often paced up and down the veranda, muttering to himself.
他看她和黄妈磨过年的粉，
One day, he saw the young woman and the kitchen-maid grinding rice for the Spring Festival.
但还没有磨了三升，就向她叫：“歇一歇罢，
They had hardly started grinding when he said to the young woman, “You’d better have a rest now.
长工也好磨的，年糕是人人要吃的。”
We can let the farm-hand do it, since everybody is going to eat the rice cakes.”
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：
Sometimes in the evening, when the rest of the household were chatting, he would sit alone near an oil lamp, reading the Book of Songs:
关关雎鸠，在河之洲，
“Fair, Fair,” cry the ospreys on the island in the river.
窈窕淑女，君子好逑——
Lovely is the good lady, Fit bride for our lord. …
这时长工向他问：
The farm-hand once asked him,
“先生，你又不去考举人，还读它做什么呢？”
“Please, sir, what are reading this book for? You’re not going to sit for a higher civil service examination, are you?”
他却摸一摸没有胡子的口边，怡悦地说道：
The scholar stroked his beardless chin and said in a gay tone,
“是呀，你也知道人生底快乐么？
“Well, you know the joys of life, don’t you?
所谓：‘同房花烛夜，金榜挂名时。’
There’s a saying that the greatest joy of life is either to spend the first night in the nuptial chamber or to pass a civil service examination.
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！
As for me, I’ve already experience both.
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！”
But now there’s a still greater blessing in store for me.”
这样，除出他底两个妻以外，其余的人们都大笑了。
His remark set the whole household laughing –except for his wife and the young woman.
这些事，在老妇人眼睛里是看非常气恼了。
To the scholar’s wife all this was annoying.
她起初闻到她底受孕也欢喜，
When she first heard of the young woman’s pregnancy, she was pleased.
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。
Later, when she saw her husband lavishing attentions on the young woman, she began to blame herself for being barren.
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。
Once, the following spring, it happened that the young woman fell ill and was laid up for three days with a headache.
秀才呢，也愿她歇息歇息，更不时地问她要什么，
The scholar was anxious that she take a rest and frequently asked what she needed.
而老妇人却着实地发怒了。
This made his wife angry.
她说她装娇，噜噜苏苏地也说了三天。
She grumbled for three days and said that the young woman was malingering.
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；
“She has been spoiled here and become stuck-up like a real concubine,” she said, sneering maliciously, “always complaining about headaches or backaches.
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。
She must have been quiet different before—like a bitch that has to go searching for food even she is going to bear a litter of puppies!
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。
Now, with the old man fawning on her, she puts on airs!”
“儿子，”她有一次在厨房里对黄妈说，“谁没有养过呀？
“Why so much fuss about having a baby?” said the scholar’s wife one night to the kitchen-maid.
我也曾怀过十个月的孕，不相信有这么的难受。
“I myself was once with child for ten months, I just can’t believe she’s really feeling so bad.
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？
Who knows what she’s going to have? It may be just a little toad!
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，
She’d better not try to bluff me, throwing her weight around before the little thing is born.
不过是一块血的猫头鹰，
It’s still nothing but a clot of blood!
就这么的装腔，也显得太早一点！”
It’s really a bit too early for her to make such a fuss!”
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。
The young woman who had gone to bed without supper was awakened by this torrent of malicious abuse and burst into convulsive sobs.
秀才也带衣服坐在床上，听到浑身透着冷汗，发起抖来。
The scholar was also shocked by what he heard—so much so that he broke into a cold sweat and shook with anger.
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。
He wanted to go to his wife’s room, grab her by the hair and give her a good beating so as to work off his feelings.
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：
But, somehow or other, he felt powerless to do so; his fingers trembled and his arms ached with weariness.
“唉，一向实在太对她好了。
Sighing deeply, he said softly, “I’ve been too good to her.
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，
In thirty years of married life, I’ve never slapped her face or given her a scratch.
所以今日，竟和娘娘一般地难惹了。”
That’s why she is so cocky.”
同时，他爬过到床底那端，她底身边，向她耳语说：
Then, crawling across the bed, he whispered to the young woman beside him,
“不要哭罢，不要哭罢，随她吠去好了！
“Now, stop crying, stop crying, let her cackle!
她是阉过的母鸡，看见别人的孵卵是难受的，
A barren hen is always jealous!
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……”
If you manage to have a baby boy this time, I’ll give you two precious gifts—a blue jade ring and a white jade…”
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，
leaving the last sentence unfinished, he turned to listen to his wife’s jeering voice outside the room.
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：
He hastily took off his clothes, and, covering his head with the quilt and nestling closer to the young woman, he said,
“我有白玉的……”
“I’ve a white jade…”
肚子一天天地膨胀的如斗那么大，
The young woman grew bigger and bigger around the waist.
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。
The scholar’s wife made arrangements with a midwife, and when other people were around, she would busy herself making baby’s clothes out of floral prints.
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。
The hot summer had ended and the cool autumn breeze was blowing over the village.
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。
The day finally came when the expectations of the whole household reached their climax and everybody was agog.
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。
His heart beating faster than ever, the scholar was pacing the courtyard, reading about horoscopes from an almanac in his hand as intently as if he wanted to commit the whole book to memory.
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：
One moment he would look anxiously at the room with its windows closely shut whence came the muffled groans of the cloudy sky, and walk up to the kitchen-maid at the door to ask,
“此刻如何？”
“How is everything now?”
黄妈不住地点着头不做声响，一息，答：
Nodding, the maid would reply after a moment’s pause,
“快下来了，快下来了。”
“It won’t be long now, it won’t be long now.”
于是他又捧了那本历书，在廊下徘徊起来。
He would resume pacing the courtyard and reading the almanac.
这样的情形，一直继续到黄昏底青烟在地面起来，
The suspense lasted until sunset.
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。
Then, when wisps of kitchen smoke were curling up from the roofs and lamps were gleaming in the country houses like so many wild flowers in spring, a baby boy was born.
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。
The newborn baby cried at the top of his voice while the scholar sat in a corner of the house, with tears of joy in his eyes.
全家的人都没有心思吃晚饭。
The household was so excited that no one cared about supper.
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。
A month later, the bright and tender-faced baby made his debut in the open.
这个少妇给他哺着奶，邻舍的妇人围着他们瞧，
While the young woman was breastfeeding him, womenfolk from the neighbourhood gathered around to feast their eyes upon the boy.
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；
Some liked his nose; others, his mouth; still others, his ears.
更有的称赞婴儿底母亲，也比以前好，白而且壮了。
Some praised his mother, saying that she had become whiter and healthier.
老妇人却正和老祖母那么地吩咐着，保护着，这时开始说：
The scholar’s wife, now acting like a granny, said,
“够了，不要弄他哭了。”
“That’s enough! You’ll make the baby cry!”
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。
As to the baby’s name, the scholar racked his brain, but just could not hit upon a suitable one.
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，
His wife suggested that the Chinese character shou, meaning longevity, or one of its synonyms, should be included in his name.
但秀才不同意，以为太通俗，人云亦云的名字。
But the scholar did not like it—it was too commonplace.
于是翻开了《易经》，《书经》，向这里找，但找了半月，一月，x
He spent several weeks looking through Chinese classics like the Book of Changes and the Book of History in search of suitable characters to be used as the baby’s name.
但秀才不同意，以为太通俗，人云亦云的名字。
But all his efforts proved fruitless.
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。
It was a difficult problem to solve because he wanted a name which should be auspicious for the baby and would imply at the same time that he was born to him in old age.
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。
One evening, while holding the three-month-old baby in his arms, the scholar, with spectacles on, sat down near a lamp and again looked into some book in an effort to find a name for the boy.
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：
The baby’s mother, sitting quietly in a corner of the room, appeared to be musing. Suddenly she said,
“我想，还是叫他‘秋宝’罢。”
“I suppose you could call him ‘Qiu Bao’.”
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？
Those in the room turned to look at the young woman and listened intently as she continued, “Qiu means autumn and Bao means treasure.
还是叫他“秋宝”吧。
So since he was born in autumn, you’d better call him ‘Qiu Bao’.”
母亲的回忆
Loving Memories of Mother
朱德
Zhu De
得到母亲去世的消息，我很悲痛。
I was deeply grieved to learn of mother’s death.
我爱我母亲，
I love my mother.
特别是她勤劳一生，很多事情是值得我永远回忆的。
Of her hardworking life, in particular, a great many things will forever be cherished in my memory.
我家是佃农，
I come from a tenant farmer’s family.
祖籍广东韶关籍人，在“湖广填四川”时迁移四川仪陇县马鞍场。
My original family home was Shao Guan, Guangdong Province, into which my ancestors had moved from another province as settlers. During the mass migration of peasants from Huguang to Sichuan Province, my ancestors moved to Ma An Chang, Yi Long County, Sichuan.
世代为地主耕种，家境是贫苦的，
From generation to generation, they tilled land for landlord only to eke out a bare subsistence.
和我们来往的朋友也都是老老实实的贫苦农民。
People who associated with them as friends were likewise honest impoverished peasants.
母亲一共生了十三个儿女，
Mother gave birth to thirteen children in all.
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。
But only the first eight of them survived while the next five were drowned at birth by my parents against their will because they were too poor to raise them all.
这在母亲心里是多么悲痛、悲哀和无可奈何的事啊！
How anguished, sad and helpless mother must have felt!
母亲把八个孩子一手养大成人。
She did manage, however, to have the eight children brought up all by herself.
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。
But she was too busily occupied with household chores and farming to look after the kids so that they were left alone crawling about in the fields.
母亲是个“好劳动”。
Mother was a hardworking woman.
从我能记忆时起，总是天不亮就起床。
As far as I can remember, she would always get up before daybreak.
全家二十口人，妇女轮班煮饭，轮到就煮一年。
In our household of more than twenty members, all women would take turns to do cooking for one year.
母亲把饭煮了，还要种田种菜，喂猪养蚕，纺棉花。
Apart from cooking, mother did farming, planted vegetables, fed pigs, raised silkworms and spun cotton into yarn.
因为她身材高大结实，还能挑水挑粪。
Tall and of strong build, she could carry two buckets of water or manure on a shoulder pole.
母亲这样地整日劳碌着，
Mother worked hard from dawn till dusk.
我们到四五岁时就很自然地在旁边帮她的忙，
When we kids were four or five years old, we found ourselves automatically helping her with farm work.
到八九岁时就不单能挑能背，还会种地了。
At the age of eight or nine, I could not only carry heavy loads on a shoulder pole or on my back, but also knew how to farm the land.
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。
I remember whenever I came back from school and saw mother busy cooking in the kitchen with sweat streaming down her face, I would immediately lay down my books and sneak out to carry water on a shoulder pole or graze the cattle.
有的季节里，我上午读书下午种地，
In some seasons, I would study in the morning and work in the fields in the afternoon.
一到农忙便整月停在地里跟着母亲劳动。
During the busy season, I would spend all day working by the side of mother.
这个时期母亲教给我许多生产知识。
It was then that she taught me a lot about the knack of farming.
佃农家庭的生活自然是很苦的。
The life of a tenant farmer’s family was of course hard,
可是由于母亲的聪明能干，却很舒服。
but we somehow managed to scrape along because mother was a clever and able woman.
我们把桐子榨油来点灯。
We used oil squeezed from seeds of tung trees to light our lamps.
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，
We ate rice cooked with peas, vegetables, sweet potatoes or coarse grain, and all seasoned with rapeseed oil—food which landlords and rich people would scorn to eat.
母亲却能做得使一家吃起来有滋味。
Nevertheless, mother’s cooking was done so well that everybody ate with gusto.
赶上丰年，才能缝上一些新衣服，衣服也是自己生产出来的。
Only in good year, could we afford to have some home-made new clothes to wear.
母亲亲手纺出线，请人织成布，染了颜色，
Mother would spin cotton into yarn and then asked somebody to have it woven into fabric and dyed.
我们叫做“家织布”，
We called it “home spun fabric”.
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。
It was as thick as copper coin and was so durable that after the eldest brother had grown out of the home-spun garment, it could still be used by the second and third brothers in turn without being worn out.
劳动的家庭是有规律有组织的。
It was characteristic of an industrious household to be well-regulated and well- organized.
我的祖父是一个中国标本式的农民，
My grandfather was a typical Chinese farmer.
到了八九十岁还非耕田不可，
He went on doing farm work even he was an octogenarian.
不耕田就会害病，
He would feel unwell without doing farm labour.
直到临死前不久还在地里劳动。
He was found still working on the farm even shortly before his death.
祖母是家庭的组织者，
Grandmother was the organizer of the household.
一切生产事务由她管理分派。
She was in charge of all the farm affairs, assigning tasks to each member of the household.
每年除夕，分派好一年的工作以后，
On each New Year’s Eve, she would work out all job assignments for the coming year.
天还没亮，母亲就第一个起床烧火做饭去了，
Mother would be the first to get up before daybreak.
接着听见祖父起来的声音，
Soon grandfather would be heard to rise from his bed, followed by the rest of the household.
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。
Some went about feeding pigs, some cutting firewood, and some carrying water on a shoulder pole.
母亲在家庭里极能够任劳任怨，
Mother always worked without complaint despite hardships.
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。
Amiable by nature, she never beat or scolded us, le alone quarreled with anybody.
因此,虽在这样的大家庭里，长幼叔伯妯娌相处都很和睦。
Consequently, large as it was, the whole household, old and young, uncles and sisters-in-law, lived in perfect harmony.
母亲同情贫苦的人——这是她朴素的阶级意识——
Out of her naive class consciousness, she showed sympathy for the poor.
虽然自己不富裕，还周济和照顾比自己更穷的亲戚。
Despite her own straitened circumstances, she often went out of her way to help out those relatives who were even more needy than herself.
她自己是很节省的。
She lived a very frugal life.
父亲有时吸点大烟，喝点酒，
Father would occasionally smoke a long-stemmed Chinese pipe or drink some wine.
母亲管束着我们，不允许我们沾染上一点。
To prevent us from falling into the same habit, mother kept us children under strict control.
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。
Her diligence and frugality, her generosity and kindheartedness—all have left a lasting impression on my mind.
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。
Chinese peasants were honest and peaceable, but disaster befell them just the same.
庚子（一九〇九年）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”。
Around 1900, when Sichuan Province was hit by successive years of drought, numerous poverty-stricken peasants went hungry and had to go out in crowds to seize food from the homes of landlords.
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。
Thereupon I saw with my own eyes how a group of shabbily-dressed peasants and their families were savagely beaten up or slain by government troops, the road stained with their blood for some 40 li and their cries rending the air.
在这样的年月里，我家也遭受更多的困难，
In those days, my family also met with increasing difficulties.
仅仅吃些小菜叶，高粱，通年没有吃过白米。
All the year round, we went without rice to eat, and simply lived on edible wild hers and kaoliang.
特别是甲辰（一九〇四）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。
In 1904, especially, when land- lords, riding roughshod over tenants, pressed for higher rents on the let-out pieces of land, we, unable to meet their demands, had our tenancy cancelled by them and were forced to move house on New Year’s Eve.
在悲惨的情况下，我们一家人都哭泣着连夜分散。
On that miserable night, my family tearfully separated and thenceforth had to live in two different places.
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。
Shorthandedness and crop failure due to the natural calamity brought misfortune on my family.
母亲没有灰心，
Mother, however, did not lose heart.
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。
Adversity had deepened her sympathy for the poor and needy as well as her aversion to the heartless rich.
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，
The painful complaint she had uttered in one or two words and the innumerable injustice I had witnessed aroused in me a spirit of revolt and a desire for a bright future.
使我决心寻找新的生活。
I made up my mind to seek a new life.
我不久就离开母亲，因为我读了书。
Not long afterwards, I had to tear myself away from mother when I began my schooling.
我是一佃农家庭的子弟，本来是没钱读书的。
As the son of a tenant, I of course could not afford to go to school.
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”。
My parents, however, faced with the bullying and oppression of the local evil gentry, landlords and yamen bailiffs, decided to scrape up enough money by living a very frugal life to pay for my education so that they could make a scholar of me for the family to keep up appearances.
我念过私塾，光绪三十一年（一九〇五）考了科举，
At first I was sent to an old-style private school and in 1905 I took the imperial examination.
以后又到更远的顺庆和成都去读书。
Later, I went farther away from home to study in Shunqing and Chengdu, both in Sichuan Province.
这个时期的学费，都是东挪西借来的，总共用了二百多块钱，
All the tuition fees were paid with borrowed money, totaling more than 200 silver dollars.
直到我后来在护国军旅长时才还清。
The debt was not repaid until later I became a brigade commander of the Hu Guo Army.
光绪三十四年（一九〇八），我从成都回来，
In 1908, I came back from Chengdu to set up a higher primary school in Yi Long County.
在仪陇县办高等小学，一年回家二三次去看母亲。
While teaching school, I went home to see mother two or three times a year,
那时新旧思想冲突很厉害，
in those days, there was a sharp conflict between old and new ideologies.
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。
Due to our leaning towards science and democracy, we met with opposition from the local conservative influential gentry in whatever we attempted for the benefit of our home town.
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。
So I decided to leave, without my mother’s knowledge, for the faraway province of Yunnan, where I joined the New Army and Tongmenhui.
我到云南后，从家信中知道，我母亲对我这一举动不但不反对，还给我许多慰勉。
On my arrival in Yunnan, I learned from my home letters that mother, instead of frowning upon my new move, gave me a lot of encouragement and comfort.
从宣统元年（一九〇九）到现在，我再没有回过家一次，
From 1909 up to now, I have never paid a visit to my home town.
只在民国十年（一九二一年），我曾经把父亲和母亲接出去产，
In 1921, however, I had my parents come out to live with me.
但是他俩劳动惯了，离开土地就不舒服，所以还是回了家，
But, as confirmed farm labourers, they felt unwell without land to till and subsequently had to return home.
父亲就在回家途中死了，母亲回家继续劳动一直到最后。
Father died on the way back, and mother continued to do farm work at home to the very last.
中国革命继续向前发展，我的思想也继续的向前进步。
As the Chinese revolution continued to develop, I became more and more politically aware.
当我发现中国革命的正确道路时，我便加入了中国共产党。
I joined the Chinese Communist party as soon as I discovered the correct orientation of the Chinese revolution.
大革命失败了，我和家庭完全隔绝了。
When the Great Revolution of 1924-1927 failed in China, I completely lost contact with my family.
母亲就靠那三十亩地独立支持一家人生活。
Mother alone supported the whole family by working on the 30 mu of land.
抗战以后，我才能和家里通信。
I did not hear from her until the outbreak of the War of Resistance to Japan.
母亲知道我们所做事业，她期望着中国民族解放的成功。
When she was informed of great cause in which I was engaged, she eagerly looked forward to the success of China’s national liberation.
她知道我们党的困难，依然在家里过着劳苦的农妇生活。
While living the hard life of a peasant woman at home, she was aware of the difficulties and hardships that our Party was then undergoing.
七年中间，我曾寄回几百元钱和几张自己的照片给母亲。
During the seven years after the outbreak of the War, I managed to send her several hundred yuan and some photos of myself.
母亲年老了，
Mother was getting old.
但她永远想念着我，如同我永远想念着她一样。
She was always thinking of me as I was of her.
去年收到侄儿的来信说：“祖母今年已八十有五，
Last year, a letter from my nephew says, “Grandma is 85.
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。……”
She’s eager to see you and chat about things that have happened since you left home…”
但我献身于民族抗战事业，竟未能报答母亲的希望。
But I never lived up to her expectation because of my dedication to the cause of the War of Resistance against Japan.
母亲最大的特点，是一生不曾脱离过劳动。
The most prominent characteristic of mother was her lifelong participation in physical labour.
母亲生我前一分钟还在灶上煮饭。
She did cooking in the kitchen just one minute before giving birth to me.
虽到老年，仍然热爱生产。
Her ardent love for agricultural production remained undiminished even in her old age.
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。……”
My nephew says in another letter to me last year, “because of old age, grandma is no longer in good health, but she still does manual labour, and is particularly fond of spinning cotton into yarn…”
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。
I owe mother a debt of gratitude because she taught me how to cope with the numerous difficulties that I ran into at home so that later during my over 30 years of military and revolutionary life I have never bowed down to any difficulty.
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。
She also bequeathed me a strong constitution as well as a strong inclination for labour so that I have been able to work untiringly.
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，
I owe mother s debt of gratitude because she imparted to me knowledge of productive labour and a revolutionary will, thus enabling me to take to the revolutionary path.
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。
By keeping to this path, I have come to realize more and more clearly that this knowledge of productive labour and this revolutionary will are the most valuable assets in the world.
母亲现在离我而去了，我将永不能再见她一面了，
Mother is gone and I shall never see her again.
这个悲哀是无法补救的。
This is an ever-lasting sorrow.
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。
Mother is an “ordinary” person and one of the millions of labouring people who have made and are still making Chinese history.
我用什么方法来报答母亲的深恩呢？
What can I do to repay her my debt of deep gratitude?
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，
I swear to remain ever loyal to our nation and the people, ever loyal to the Chinese Communist Party—the hope of our nation and the people, so that all those who share the same lot with my mother may live a happier life.
这就是我所能做的和我一定做的。
That is what I can do and what I am certainly able to do.
愿母亲在地下安息！
May mother rest in peace! （张培基 译）
五月的麦地
May Wheat Fields
海子
Hai Zi
全世界的兄弟们
all brothers of the world
要在麦地里拥抱
embrace in the wheat fields
东方，南方，北方和西方
East, South, North and West
麦地里的四兄弟，好兄弟
four brothers of the wheat fields, good brothers
回顾往昔
recalling the past
背诵各自的诗歌
each reciting their own poem
要在麦地里拥抱
embracing in wheat fields
有时我孤独一人坐下
sometimes I sit alone
在五月的麦地，梦想众兄弟
in May wheat fields dreaming of all my brothers
看到家乡的卵石滚满了河滩
see the pebbles in my native place rolled along the riverside
黄昏常存弧形的天空
at dusk the eternally arced sky
让大地上布满哀伤的村庄
covering the villages of the earth with sorrow
有时我孤独一人坐在麦地为众兄弟背诵中国诗歌
sometimes I sit alone in wheat fields, reciting Chinese poems for my brothers
没有了眼睛也没有了嘴唇
without eyes and without lips
1987. 5
1987.5 （Dan Murphy 译）
日本人的极端
The Japanese Extreme
林巍
Lin Wei
日本人做事极其认真，对此我有着切身的体会。
From my experience, I know the Japanese are very serious about their work.
在澳大利亚，我为一个日本代表团做导游时，
In Australia, I was once a tour guide for a Japanese group.
接到两个“私人”电话，聊过一阵。
After receiving two private phone calls for a few minutes,
之后，一个团员走到我跟前说，“仕事は仕事てす！
one of the team members came to me and said: “Shi go to was hi go to de su!
分かりますか？”（工作就是工作！ 你懂吗？）。
W aka ri ma su ka?” (“Business is business, do you understand?”)
对此我刻骨铭心。
which left me an indelible impression.
无疑，日本人的这种工作态度是值得推崇的。
Surely, the Japanese work ethics is highly desirable.
他们不做则矣，做则要做到最好。
Once they decide to do something, they want to be the best.
当然，这种民族性格，若用对了地方是好事，若方向错了，也很危险。
National characteristics of this kind can be both good and bad depending on their orientation.
一位日本朋友对我说，对于日本人的这种极端性格，他们自己甚至也会怀疑自己，即需要某种外力加以约束。
A Japanese friend of mine told me that they can’t even trust themselves since it is so easy for them to go to extremes if not confined by external forces.
所以，二战后取消了日本的军队，无疑是一种保险的做法。
Abolishing Japan’s military troops after World War II was undoubtedly one of the safest ways to ensure peace.
就历史渊源而言，日本人没有中国人的“自我中心主义”，即认识到自己没有深厚的文化底蕴，所以必须以他人之先进，补自己之不足，但却由此形成了“最新主义”。
Historically, given the fact that the Japanese culture didn’t encourage egocentrism in the way the Chinese had profoundly, they developed “novelism” to embrace advantages of other nations to complement this cultural difference.
日本人一般的对外借鉴原则是“守”、“破”、“离”。
The guiding principles for the Japanese to capture foreign advantages are summarized in three words: preservation, innovation and culmination.
“守”是指基本功要扎实，“破”是要在此基础上打破原有模式，而“离”则是要脱离原本，以达到最高境界。
Preservation, is to firmly lay a solid national foundation; innovation, to break through the original pattern and create something new; and culmination, to reach the top of all achievements.
日本人并不满足于一般的“拿来主义”，而是在内容、至少在外观上加以改造，以制出有自己特色的made in Japan的产品，从而追求“最新”。
Japanese borrowing is not an ordinary practice; it always pursues the highest standard of Japanese products, retaining their best qualities but adding new features. （林巍 译）
江城子
Austria, Batty Town
曾胡
Zeng Hu
奥地利，巴蒂舍镇
(where there is Austrian Princess’s holiday resort)
林间公主淡妆楼，
The princess dressing tower in the woods
路清幽，
Rehabilitated quant and attractive
雀啾啁。
With chirp twittering of birds
行客纷纷，
And flocks of sightseers
魂断欲何求？
Tripped over for the beautiful legend
寻处芳踪应渺渺，
But nowhere the illusory could be traced
暗香在，
Only the subtle fragrance remained
翠痕愁。
And the shadow faded
娇颜曾教万花羞，
The coquettish at a time conquered all beauties
柳腰柔，
With willowy slender waist
眼含秋。
And exude tender glances
为赋倾城，
For an ode to the exceeding belle
百里泛兰舟。
The fans all inundated to Batty Town
叹罢河山依旧在，
Gone the tale admired the town
岭寂寂，
The ridges quiet
笛悠悠。
The sonic pitches long （王伟 译）
山和海
Mountain and Sea
陈敬容
Chen Jingrong
“相看两不厌
Never tire of looking at it.
惟有敬亭山”
There’s only the Jingting Mountain.
——李白
Li Po1
高飞
Soaring
没有翅膀
Without wings,
远航
Voyaging
没有帆
Without a sail,
小院外
Outside the little courtyard,
一棵古槐
An ancient locust tree
做了日夕相对的
Becomes my Jingting Mountain.
“敬亭山”
Day and night we gaze at each other.
但却有海水
The sea
日日夜夜
Every day, every night
在心头翻起
Surges in the heart
汹涌的波澜
Churning up waves.
无形的海啊
Morning and dusk
它没有边岸
A sea without form, Shoreless,
无论清晨或黄昏
Retains the same depth,
一样的深，一样的蓝
The same blueness.
一样的海呵
Ah, the same blue sea,
一样的山
The same mountain
你有你的孤傲
You have your aloofness
我有我的深蓝
I have my deep blue.
1979年4月，病中
1. An ancient poet in Tang Dynasty (701-762). （Julia C. Lin 译）
出发
Setting Force
陈敬容
Chen Jingrong
当夜草悄悄透青的时候，
When evening grasses in secret start to green,
有个消息轻声传遍了宇宙——
A message quietly spreads across the universe.
是什么在暗影中潜生？
What is growing steadily in the dark?
什么火，什么光，
What fire, what light,
什么样的战栗的手？
What trembling hands?
哦，不要问；不要管道路
Ah, don’t ask; no matter
有多么陌生，不要记起身背后
How strange the path, forget what wriggles
蠕动着多少记忆的毒蛇，
Behind you: memory’s poisonous snakes,
欢乐和悲苦、期许和失望……
Gladness and anguish, hopes and dashed hopes…
踏过一道道倾圮的城墙，
Trudge through every crumbling city wall,
让将死的世纪梦沉沉地睡。
Let the dying century sink into deep sleep.
当夜草悄悄透青的时候，
When evening grasses in secret start to green,
有个消息轻声传遍了宇宙——
A message quietly spreads across the universe.
时间的陷害拦不住我们，
Time’s treachery cannot stop us.
荒凉的远代不是早已经
Wasn’t there the first glint of lamplight
有过那光明的第一盏灯？
In that desolate past?
残暴的文明，正在用虚伪和阴谋，
Brute civilization now slays our
虐杀原始的人性，让我们首先
Original nature with hypocrisy and conspiracy.
是我们自己；每一种蜕变
Oh, let us be ourselves; every metamorphosis
各自有不同的开始与完成。
Has its beginning and completion.
当夜草悄悄透青的时候，
When evening grasses in secret start to green,
有个消息轻声传遍了宇宙——
A message quietly spreads across the universe.
从一个点引伸出无数条线。
Countless lines may be drawn from one point,
一个点、一个小小的圆点，
A singular point, one tiny sphere
它通向无数个更大的圆。
That leads to many greater spheres.
啊，不能让狡猾的谎话
Ah, let no cunning lies
把我们欺骗！
Deceive us.
让我们出发，
Let us set forth
在每一个抛弃了黑夜的早晨。
On every dawn that has cast off its dark night.
1948年夏于上海
（Julia C. Lin 译）
路遇
A Roadside Encounter
舒婷
Shu Ting
凤凰树突然倾斜
The phoenix tree suddenly tilts
自行车的铃声悬浮在空间
The bicycle bell’s ring hangs in air
地球飞速地倒转
Earth swiftly reverses its rotation
回到十年前的那一夜
Back to that night ten years ago
凤凰树重又轻轻摇曳
The phoenix tree gently sways again
铃声把破碎的花香抛在悸动的长街
The ringing bell sprinkles floral fragrance along the trembling street
黑暗弥合来又渗开去
Darkness gathers, then seeps away
记忆的天光和你的目光重叠
The dawning light of memory merges with the light in your eyes
也许一切都不曾发生
Maybe this didn’t happen
不过是旧路引起我的错觉
Just an illusion spawned by a familiar road
即使一切都已发生过
Even if this did happen
我也习惯了不再流泪
I’m used to not shedding any teas
1979年
1979 （Eva Hung 译）
秋夜
Autumn Night
鲁迅
Lu Xun
在我的后园，可以看见墙外有两株树，一株是枣树，还有一株也是枣树。
Behind the wall of my backyard you can see two trees: one is a date tree, the other is also a date tree.
这上面的夜的天空，奇怪而高，
The night sky above them is strange and high.
我生平没有见过这样奇怪而高的天空。
I have never seen such a strange, high sky.
他仿佛要离开人间而去，使人们仰面不再看见。
It seems to want to leave this world of men, so that when folk look up they won’t be able to see it.
然而现在却非常之蓝，闪闪地睒着几十个星星的眼，冷眼。
For the moment, though, it is singularly blue; and its scores of starry eyes are blinking coldly.
他的口角上现出微笑，似乎自以为大有深意，而将繁霜洒在我的园里的野花草上。
A faint smile plays round its lips, a smile which it seems to think highly significant; and it dusts the wild plants in my courtyard with heavy frost.
我不知道那些花草真叫什么名字，人们叫他们什么名字。
I have no idea what these plants are called, what names they are commonly known by.
我记得有一种开过极细小的粉红花，现在还开着，但是更极细小了，
One of them, I remember, has minute pink flowers, and its flowers are still lingering on, although more minute than ever.
她在冷的夜气中，瑟缩地做梦，梦见春的到来，梦见秋的到来，梦见瘦的诗人将眼泪擦在她最末的花瓣上，告诉她秋虽然来，冬虽然来，
Shivering in the cold night air they dream of the coming of spring, of the coming of autumn, of the lean poet wiping his tears upon their last petals, who tells them autumn will come and winter will come,
而此后接着还是春，胡蝶乱飞，蜜蜂都唱起春词来了。
yet spring will follow when butterflies flit to and fro, and all the bees start humming songs of spring.
她于是一笑，虽然颜色冻得红惨惨地，仍然瑟缩着。
Then the little pink flowers smile, though they have turned a mournful crimson with cold and are shivering still.
枣树，他们简直落尽了叶子。
As for the date trees, they have lost absolutely all their leaves.
先前，还有一两个孩子来打他们，别人打剩的枣子，
Before, one or two boys still came to beat down the dates other people had missed.
现在是一个也不剩了，连叶子也落尽了。
But now not one date is left, and the trees have lost all their leaves as well.
他知道小粉红花的梦，秋后要有春；他也知道落叶的梦，春后还是秋。
They know the little pink flowers’ dream of spring after autumn; and they know the dream of the fallen leaves of autumn after spring.
他简直落尽叶子，单剩干子，然而脱了当初满树是果实和叶子时候的弧形，欠伸得很舒服。
They may have lost all their leaves and have only their branches left; but these, no longer weighed down with fruit and foliage, are stretching themselves luxuriously.
但是，有几枝还低亚着，护定他从打枣的竿梢所得的皮伤，而最直最长的几枝，却已默默地铁似的直刺着奇怪而高的天空，使天空闪闪地鬼眨眼；
A few boughs, though, are still drooping, nursing the wounds made in their bark by the sticks which beat down the dates; while, rigid as iron, the straightest and longest boughs silently pierce the strange, high sky, making it blink in dismay.
直刺着天空中圆满的月亮，使月亮窘得发白。
They pierce even the full moon in the sky, making it pale and ill at ease.
鬼睒眼的天空越加非常之蓝，不安了，仿佛想离去人间，避开枣树，只将月亮剩下。
Blinking in dismay, the sky becomes bluer and bluer, more and more uneasy, as if eager to escape from the world of men and avoid the date trees, leaving the moon behind.
然而月亮也暗暗地躲到东边去了。
But the moon, too, is hiding itself in the east;
而一无所有的干子，却仍然默默地铁似的直刺着奇怪而高的天空，一意要制他的死命，不管他各式各样地睒着许多蛊惑的眼睛。
while, silent still and as rigid as iron, the bare boughs pierce the strange, high sky, resolved to inflict on it a mortal wound, no matter in how many ways it winks all its bewitching eyes.
哇的一声，夜游的恶鸟飞过了。
With a shriek, a fierce night-bird passes.
我忽而听到夜半的笑声，
All of a sudden, I hear midnight laughter.
吃吃地，似乎不愿意惊动睡着的人，然而四围的空气都应和着笑。
The sound is muffled, as if not to wake those who sleep; yet all around the air resounds to this laughter.
夜半，没有别的人，
Midnight, and no one else is by.
我即刻听出这声音就在我嘴里，我也即刻被这笑声所驱逐，回进自己的房。
At once I realize it is I who am laughing, and at once I am driven by this laughter back to my room.
灯火的带子也即刻被我旋高了。
At once I turn up the wick of my paraffin lamp.
后窗的玻璃上丁丁地响，还有许多小飞虫乱撞。
A pit-a-pat sounds from the glass of the back window, where swarms of insects are recklessly dashing themselves against the pane.
不多久，几个进来了，许是从窗纸的破孔进来的。
Presently some get in, no doubt through a hole in the window paper.
他们一进来，又在玻璃的灯罩上撞得丁丁地响。
Once in, they set up another pit-a-pat by dashing themselves against the chimney of the lamp.
一个从上面撞进去了，他于是遇到火，而且我以为这火是真的。
One hurls itself into the chimney from the top, falling into the flame, and I fancy the flame is real.
两三个却休息在灯的纸罩上喘气。
On the paper shade two or three others rest, panting.
那罩是昨晚新换的罩，
The shade is a new one since last night.
雪白的纸，折出波浪纹的叠痕，一角还画出一枝猩红色的栀子。
Its snow white paper is pleated in wave-like folds, and painted in one corner is a spray of blood-red gardenias.
猩红的栀子开花时，枣树又要做小粉红花的梦，青葱地弯成弧形了……我又听到夜半的笑声；
When the blood-red gardenias blossom, the date trees, weighed down with bright foliage, will dream once more the dream of the little pink flowers and I shall hear the midnight laughter again.
我赶紧砍断我的心绪，看那老在白纸罩上的小青虫，头大尾小，
I hastily break off this train of thought to look at the small green insects still on the paper.
向日葵子似的，只有半粒小麦那么大，遍身的颜色苍翠得可爱，可怜。
Like sunflower seeds with their large heads and small tails, they are only half the size of a grain of wheat, the whole of them an adorable, pathetic green.
我打一个呵欠，点起一支纸烟，喷出烟来，对着灯默默地敬奠这些苍翠精致的英雄们。
I yawn, light a cigarette, and puff out the smoke, paying silent homage before the lamp to these green and exquisite heroes.
一九二四年九月十五日。
September 15, 1924. （杨宪益、戴乃迭 译）
秋夜
Autumn Night
鲁迅
Lu Xun
在我的后园，可以看见墙外有两株树，
Through the window I can see two trees in my backyard.
一株是枣树，还有一株也是枣树。
The one is a date tree, the other is also a date tree.
这上面的夜的天空，奇怪而高，
The night sky above is a strange and distant.
我生平没有见过这样奇怪而高的天空。
Never in my life have I seen such a strange and distant sky.
他仿佛要离开人间而去，使人们仰面不再看见。
He seems intent on forsaking the world and staying out of people’s sight.
然而现在却非常之蓝，闪闪地睒着几十个星星的眼，冷眼。
But now he is winking—with eyes of a few dozen stars, utterly blue, and cold.
他的口角上现出微笑，似乎自以为大有深意，而将繁霜洒在我的园里的野花草上。
A smile hovers around his mouth, seeming to him to be very profound, and thereupon he begins to spread frost on the wild flowers and wild grass in my courtyard.
我不知道那些花草真叫什么名字，人们叫他们什么名字。
I do not know the names of these flowers and grasses, or what people call them.
我记得有一种开过极细小的粉红花，现在还开着，但是更极细小了，她在冷的夜气中，瑟缩地做梦，
I remember a plant that put forth a tiny flower—the flower is still in bloom, but she is even tiner, trembling in the cold, dreaming.
梦见春的到来，梦见秋的到来，梦见瘦的诗人将眼泪擦在她最末的花瓣上，告诉她秋虽然来，冬虽然来，而此后接着还是春，胡蝶乱飞，蜜蜂都唱起春词来了。
She dreams of the coming of spring, of autumn, of a skinny poet wiping his tears on her last petal, telling her that autumn may come, winter may come, but eventually spring will come, when butterflies will fly gaily about, and the bees will sing their spring song.
她于是一笑，虽然颜色冻得红惨惨地，仍然瑟缩着。
Thereupon she smiles, although she has turned red in the piercing cold and remains curled up.
枣树，他们简直落尽了叶子。
The date trees have shed all their leaves.
先前，还有一两个孩子来打他们，别人打剩的枣子，
Some time ago, a boy or two still came to beat them for the dates that others had left behind.
现在是一个也不剩了，连叶子也落尽了。
Now, not a single one is left; even the leaves have all fallen.
他知道小粉红花的梦，秋后要有春；他也知道落叶的梦，春后还是秋。
The date tree understands the dream of the tiny pink flower, that after autumn spring will come; he also knows the dream of the fallen leaves, that after spring there is still autumn.
他简直落尽叶子，单剩干子，然而脱了当初满树是果实和叶子时候的弧形，欠伸得很舒服。
He has shed all his foliage, leaving only the trunk; he is relieved from bending under his load of leaves and fruit, and now enjoys stretching himself.
但是，有几枝还低亚着，护定他从打枣的竿梢所得的皮伤，而最直最长的几枝，却已默默地铁似的直刺着奇怪而高的天空，使天空闪闪地鬼眨眼；
But a few boughs are still hanging down, nursing the wounds caused by the poles that struck him for his dates, while the longest and straightest of his boughs are like iron, silently piercing the strange and distant sky, making him wink his wicked eyes;
直刺着天空中圆满的月亮，使月亮窘得发白。
piercing the full moon in the sky, making her go pale with embarrassment.
鬼睒眼的天空越加非常之蓝，不安了，
The wickedly winking sky turns an even deeper, perturbed blue.
仿佛想离去人间，避开枣树，只将月亮剩下。
He seems intent on escaping from men, on avoiding the date tree, leaving only the moon behind.
然而月亮也暗暗地躲到东边去了。
But the moon has secretly hid herself in the east.
而一无所有的干子，却仍然默默地铁似的直刺着奇怪而高的天空，一意要制他的死命，不管他各式各样地睒着许多蛊惑的眼睛。
Only the naked trunk is still like iron, silently piercing the strange and distant sky, determined to pierce it to death, regardless of how and how often he winks his seductive eyes.
哇的一声，夜游的恶鸟飞过了。
With a sharp shriek, a vicious bird of the night flies past.
我忽而听到夜半的笑声，吃吃地，似乎不愿意惊动睡着的人，然而四围的空气都应和着笑。
I suddenly hear a slight tittering in the middle of the night, so soft that it seems not to want to awaken those who are asleep, though the titter echoes across the surroundings air.
夜半，没有别的人，
In the dead of night, there is no one about.
我即刻听出这声音就在我嘴里，
I instantly recognize that this laughter is coming from my own mouth.
我也即刻被这笑声所驱逐，回进自己的房。灯火的带子也即刻被我旋高了。
Put to flight by the sound, I go back into my room and immediately raise the wick of my lamp.
后窗的玻璃上丁丁地响，还有许多小飞虫乱撞。
The glass pane of the back window rattles; many insects are still blindly battering against it.
不多久，几个进来了，许是从窗纸的破孔进来的。
Shortly afterward, a few squeeze in, probably through the holes in the paper covering.
他们一进来，又在玻璃的灯罩上撞得丁丁地响。
Once inside, they knock against the glass lampshade, making yet more rattling sounds.
一个从上面撞进去了，他于是遇到火，而且我以为这火是真的。
One plunges in from above, and runs into the flame. It is a real flame, I think.
两三个却休息在灯的纸罩上喘气。
But two or three rest panting on the paper lampshade.
那罩是昨晚新换的罩，雪白的纸，折出波浪纹的叠痕，一角还画出一枝猩红色的栀子。
The lampshade was replaced only last night, its snow-white paper folded in a wavelike pattern, with a sprig of scarlet jasmine painted in one corner.
猩红的栀子开花时，枣树又要做小粉红花的梦，青葱地弯成弧形了……
When the scarlet jasmine blossoms, the date tree will again dream the dream of the tiny pink flower; it will grow lushly and bend in an arc.
我又听到夜半的笑声；我赶紧砍断我的心绪，
I hear again the midnight laughter, and immediately cut the train of my thought.
看那老在白纸罩上的小青虫，头大尾小，向日葵子似的，只有半粒小麦那么大，
I look at these little insects still resting on the snow-white paper—their heads big and tails small, like sunflower seeds, only half the size of a grain of wheat.
遍身的颜色苍翠得可爱，可怜。
How lovely and pitiable they are in their emerald hue.
我打一个呵欠，点起一支纸烟，喷出烟来，
I yawn, and light a cigarette, puffing out the smoke.
对着灯默默地敬奠这些苍翠精致的英雄们。
I stare at the lamp and pay silent tribute to these dainty heroes in emerald green.
一九二四年九月十五日。
（Ng Mau-sang 译）
“无债一身轻”的回味
Recapturing the Feeling of “Out of Debt”
林巍
Lin Wei
二十多年前，当我第一次来到西方国家时，有一件事颠覆了我的传统概念，那就是不要怕借债。
About twenty years ago, when I first came to a western country, I was shocked by one thing—debt.
在中国传统文化里，是“无债一身轻”，证明你可自食其力，不依靠别人；
In traditional Chinese culture, there is a saying that “out of debt, out of pressure”;
而在西方社会里，是“有债一身轻”，因为那样证明你有信用，有人肯把钱借给你，同时也说明了你挣钱的能力。
however, in the west, it is just opposite—when you are in debt, you are trustworthy and financially capable.
就经济的发展规律而言，随着时间的积累，资源的消耗，物价总是上涨的，货币总是要贬值的
It seems to be an economic law that paper currency will always be depreciated as wealth is accumulated, resources reduced and everything inflated.
，因而“今天花明天的钱”，“拿别人的钱来赚钱”便总是上算的。
The golden rule therefore is always to purchase future goods using today’s money, or making money by borrowing from others.
所以，结论是一定要借钱。然而，任何事情都有“限度”，超过了便会走向反面；同时，在长期的总体规律之中，又有着短期的阶段性。
However, everything can go wrong if it goes over the limit during the upturns and downturns of long term economic cycles.
以美国人的生活为例，大部分都为债务人，或者说是靠债务来维持其很高的生活水准。
Taking the United States as an example, most Americans are debtors, having high living standards through borrowing.
在正常情况下，似乎一切都没有问题。
Under usual circumstances, everything seems to be normal.
但是，一旦经济周期进入低谷，债务链条发生断裂，便会引起一系列恶果，整个国家也会陷入经济危机。
However, with troughs in the economic cycle, the chain of the debts may be broken, causing serious consequences or even driving the country into crisis,
这便是2008年以来的现实。
which was the case in 2008.
同样，正是由于欧洲政府的长期负债导致了当前的财政危机。
Likewise, the current financial crisis in Europe is obviously a casualty of the massive amount of debt accumulated by governments over the long term.
看来，量入未出是应永远恪守的一个原则。
So, living within your means still seems to be the golden rule.
毕竟，“无债”比“有债”可以过得更加轻松一些。
You can surely be more relaxed when you are out of debt than when you are in debt. （林巍 译）
一代人的呼声
The Cry of a Generation
舒婷
Shu Ting
我绝不申诉
I do not complain
我个人的不幸
About my misfortune
错过的青春
The loss of my youth,
变形的灵魂
The deforming of my soul.
无数失眠之夜
Sleepless nights without number
留下来痛苦的记忆
Have left me with bitter memories.
我推翻了一道道定义
I have rejected all received truths,
我打碎了一层层枷锁
I have broken free of all shackles,
心中只剩下
And all that remains of my heart
一片触目的废墟……
Is in ruins, as far as the eye can see…
但是，我站起来了
But still, I have stood up!
站在广阔的地平线上
I stand on the expanse of the horizon.
再没有人，没有任何手段
Never again will anyone, by any means,
能把我重新推下去
Be able to push me down.
假如是我，躺在“烈士”墓里
If it were me, lying in a martyr’s grave,
青苔侵蚀了石板上的字迹
Green moss eating away the characters on my headstone;
假如是我，尝遍铁窗风味
If it were me, savoring the taste of life behind bars,
和镣铐争辩真理的法律
Debating points of law with my chains;
假如是我，形容枯槁憔悴
If it were me, my face haggard and pale,
赎罪般的劳作永无尽期
Atoning for my crime with an eternity of labor;
假如是我，仅仅是
If it were me, it would be
我的悲剧——
My tragedy alone—
我也许已经宽恕
Perhaps I might already have forgiven
我的泪水和愤怒
Perhaps my grieving and my anger
也许可以平息
Might already be at rest.
但是，为了孩子们的父亲
But, For the sake of the fathers of the children,
为了父亲们的孩子
For the sake of the children of the fathers,
为了各地纪念碑下
So that we no longer need to tremble
那无声的责问不再使人颤栗
At the unspoken reproaches From beneath the gravestones everywhere;
为了一度露宿街头的画面
So that we may no longer be faced
不再使我们的眼睛无处躲避
Wherever we turn By the specter of the homeless;
为了百年后天真的孩子
So that innocent children A hundred years from now
不用对我们留下的历史猜谜
Need not guess at the history we leave behind.
为了祖国的这份空白
For this blank in our nation’s memory,
为了民族的这段崎岖
For the arduous path our race must travel,
为了天空的纯洁
For the purity of the skies
和道路的正直
And the straightness of the road ahead—
我要求真理！
I Demand The Truth!
1980年
1980 （Richard King 译）
与名人通信
My Correspondence with Celebrities
高鲁生
Gao Lusheng
我年轻时，爱和名人通信。
When I was young, I was fond of having correspondence with celebrated persons.
严格地说，是我向名人家写信多，人家回信少，
To be precise, I sent a lot of letters, but received not many replies.
但越是大师级的名人，越是给我回信。
However, those who enjoyed the reputation of “masters” did write back to me.
1947年我曾给当时任北京大学校长的胡适写信，请他指点青年人应该有什么样的抱负和理想。
Some time in 1947, I wrote to Mr. Hu Shi1, then President of Peking University, and asked him what ideal and aspiration we young people should cherish.
没想到胡适先生竟给我回信题词，题词是：“贤者不虚生，陆贾语，胡适”。
To my amazement, Mr. Hu replied with a remark of encouragement: “A man of virtue never wastes his life. Quoted from Lu Gu2 by Hu Shi.”
胡适引用这句话，可能是告诉我要向圣贤学习，才归于善，
I thought Mr. Hu might be hinting that I should learn from sages so as to become virtuous.
但遗憾的是我到老也未学到不虚度一生的诀窍。
However, it is a pity that I still have not found out the secret to a worthy life, even at an advanced age.
我曾向担任北平艺术专科学校校长、大画家徐悲鸿写信求教青年人的努力方向为何。
Once I wrote to Mr. Xu Beihong3, the great artist and then President of Peking Art College, asking him what goal young people should strive for.
徐悲鸿先生没有给我题词，但画了一幅小画，
Instead of an encouraging remark, Mr. Xu sent me his picture.
上面画着几只栩栩如生的麻雀，正欲展翅飞翔，画上有“悲鸿”签名。
The small picture shows a few lifelike sparrows with wings spreading as if to fly, and there is also the artist’s signature “悲鸿”(Beihong).
我当时的理解是：青年人应该像小鸟那样展开稚嫩的翅膀到广阔的天空中去经风雨，锻炼飞翔的本领，才能求得生存。
As far as I could understand at that time, the picture conveyed a message: young people should learn to survive as those little birds who, with tender wings wide-spread, would launch into the sky and practise flying skills against winds and storms.
我很喜欢这幅小画，也可见徐悲鸿先生对青年人的关心和希冀。
I really loved this picture, and perceived from it Mr Xu’s concern and expectations for us young people.
我曾向居住在上海的著名漫画家丰子恺先生请教，
Another time, I wrote to consult Mr. Feng Zikai4, the well-known cartoonist in Shanghai.
但他没有题词或画画给我，只寄给了我一张他的亲笔签名。
He sent me neither remark nor picture, but only his autograph “丰子恺” (Feng Zikai).
丰先生是漫画家，极富幽默感，也许是他故意让我从他的签名中去猜测其良苦用心。
As Mr. Feng was a cartoonist with a good sense of humour, I thought he might have imbedded some well-considered message in it for me to discover.
于是我想“丰”是知识要丰富的意思，“子”是孺子，即青年人的意思，“恺”是欢乐喜悦的意思。
So I racked my brains and worked out the following implication: “丰”, meaning “abundance”, refers to an abundance of knowledge; “子”, meaning “child”, refers to young people; as for “恺”, it certainly means “joy and happiness.”
噢！我明白了，是丰先生在告诉我：“青年人应该要掌握丰富的知识和本领，才会有光明的前程和快乐的人生。”
Ah, yes, I had got Mr. Feng’s message—“Only by acquiring an abundance of knowledge and skills, can young people have a bright future and a happy life.”
1949年10月， 我向大文学家、历史学家郭沫若先生写信求教。
In October, 1949, I wrote to Mr. Guo Moruo5, the great writer and historian, to seek advice.
当时郭老刚从香港绕道大连转赴北京参加全国政协会议，
He had just come to Beijing (Peking) from Hong Kong by a detour via Dalian, to attend plenary session of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference6.
他尚住在北京饭店内，虽然很忙，还是很热情地给我回信，并题词：“
While still staying in Peking Hotel, Mr. Guo managed, out of his tight schedule, to send me a warm reply with some remarks of encouragement:
临事而惧，好谋而成，这两句古话是很好的。
The ancient saying “Approach an encounter with apprehension, and strive to succeed by strategy” is very enlightening.
惧是怕做不好，有警惕的意思。
As apprehension arises from anxiety about one’s own incapability, the saying calls for caution and vigilance.
做事不掉以轻心，肯用苦心思索办法，自然是可望成功的。”
One will eventually succeed if he takes pains and devises ways to do everything without negligence.
郭老引用的这两句古话出自《论语》，原文是：
As a matter of fact, Mr Guo’s quotation comes from the Chinese classic The Confucian Analects7, as the part of the text goes,
“子路曰：子行三军，则谁与？
…Zilu said, “If you, Master, were given command of all the three armies of a great state, whom would you take to help you?”
子曰：暴虎冯河，死而无悔者，吾不与也。
The Master said, “The man who would fight a tiger bare-handed or cross a river without a boat, and even die without regret—that sort of person I would not take.
必也临事而惧，好谋而成者也。”
My associate must be one who would approach an encounter with apprehension, and strive to succeed by strategy.” 8
郭老引用了“临事而惧，好谋而成”八个字，又在后面加了一段精辟的注解，
So you see, Mr Guo had not only quoted “approach an encounter with apprehension, and strive to succeed by strategy”, but also briefly illuminated its implication.
特别强调了遇事要有警惕，不要掉以轻心，肯用苦心想办法，可望成功的精神，
He emphasized caution and vigilance as against rashness and negligence, and advocated the spirit of trying to win success by deliberate, painstaking efforts.
使我深受启迪。
His advice greatly inspired me.
与名人通信是很有意义的事，但我没有坚持下去。
It was worthwhile corresponding with celebrities, but nevertheless I did not keep it up.
自1950年初参加工作以后，我没有再去找名人的麻烦，主动和人家通信。
After I had taken a job in early 1950, I stopped writing to celebrated persons, so as not to inflict inconvenience.
但自80年代开始，我又有了和名人通信的兴趣。
It was not until the 1980s that I resumed that interest.
至今我已保存各种名人给我的信百余封，
Over the years I have received from various celebrities more than one hundred letters, and have preserved them carefully.
有时翻读一番，也感到非常惬意。
When I sometimes browse through them, I feel great delight and satisfaction. (From Tianjin Daily, January 22, 2000)
注释：
Note 1: 1. Hu Shi (1891-1962), contemporary Chinese philosopher and essayist.
注释：
2. Lu Gu (c. 240-170BC), ancient Chinese thinker, writer and poet in the Western Han Dynasty.
注释：
3. Xu Beihong (1895-1953), contemporary Chinese artist and art educationist.
注释：
4. Feng Zikai (1898-1975), contemporary Chinese artist, cartoonist, essayist and art educationist.
注释：
5. Guo Moruo (or Kuo Mo-jo, 1892-1978), a major Chinese cultural figure: poet, playwright, historian, archaeologist, philologist and social activist.
注释：
6. The Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, the patriotic united front organization led by the Communist Party of China, promoting multi-party cooperation and political consultation.
注释：
7. The Confucius Analects (or The Analects of Confucius), one of the 13 classics of Chines philosophy and literature, attributed to Chinese sage Confucius (c.551-479 BC), but probably written either by his disciples or by their pupils. The book consists of the answers Confucius gave to questions put to him and is the basic source for the main concepts of Confucianism.
注释：
8. This passage comes from Book VII of The Confucian Analects. “The Master” refers to Confucius. Zi Lu (542-480BC) was one of the disciples of Confucius. （谷启楠 译）
今生今世——母难日之一
All Throughout This My Life: To Mother
余光中
Yu Guangzhong
今生今世
All throughout this my life
我最忘情的哭声有两次
Twice in abandon did I cry.
一次，在我生命的开始
Once, when my life began;
一次，在你生命的告终
The other, when yours ended.
第一次，我不会记得，是听你说的
The first time, I couldn’t remember but heard from you.
第二次，你不会晓得，我说也没用
The second, you wouldn’t know even if I told.
但这两次哭声的中间
Yet all between these two cries
有无穷无尽的笑声
Long our laughter kept ringing
一遍一遍又一遍
Again and again and again,
回荡了整整30年
Ringing for fully thirty years.
你都晓得，我都记得
This surely you did not know And surely I can’t forget. （余光中 译）
只要明天还在
If Only There Is Still Tomorrow
汪国真
Wang Guozhen
只要春天还在
If only I still have youth,
我就不会悲哀
I will not be sad.
纵使黑夜吞噬了一切
Even if dark night has swallowed everything,
太阳还可以重新回来
The sun will come back again.
只要生命还在
If only I am still alive,
我就不会悲哀
I will not be sad.
纵使陷身茫茫沙漠
Even if I’m trapped in the vast desert,
还有希望的绿洲存在
I will be able to find the oasis.
只要明天还在
If only there is still tomorrow,
我就不会悲哀
I will not be sad.
冬雪终会慢慢消融
The winter snow ill melt quietly;
春雷定将滚滚而来
The spring thunder will roll on like waves. （蒋隆国 译）
仰望父亲
My Father (Excerpt)
加天山
Jia Tianshan
至今我难以忘怀父亲教我写字、教我明理、教我立志的情景，难以忘怀父亲送我上学的背影。
Till Today, I still remember clearly what I learned from Father’s instructing me to practice calligraphy, to be reasonable and to be aspirational, and his sending me to school.
正是父亲的教行，使我的童年、少年在快乐中成长，有了自信、自立、自强的心。
It was Father’s instruction and deeds that gave me a happy childhood and healthy growth and equipped me with self-confidence, self-support, and self-determination.
父亲的力行，让人仰望。
What Father did was worth looking up to with respect.
父亲是一个支撑门事、忠厚力行的人。
Father was an honest, tolerant and industrious man and was counted upon as the backbone of our family.
50年代后期，爷爷患病，大伯因病早逝，家道中落，
In the 1950s my grandfather’s health collapse and my eldest uncle’s early demise resulted in our financial hardship.
家庭一下子跌到谷底。
Our family had an unprecedented hart time.
上有爷爷奶奶，中有未成家的四叔，下有大伯留下的女儿和我的哥哥姐姐，
Father had to support a family of ten, including my old grandparents, my youngest bachelor uncle, my eldest uncle’s daughter, and my brothers and sister.
十口之家在严重的自然灾害年景，吃饭都成问题。
In those days when serious natural disasters prevailed, insufficiency of food was the biggest problem to us.
父亲上上下下要照应，里里外外要兼顾。
Father had to look after the whole family, and give attention to several things at a time.
有了吃的穿的，总是首先考虑大伯留下的未成人的女儿，而后才是我的哥哥姐姐。
Whenever there was food and clothing available, Father would think of my uncle’s underage daughter first before his own children.
父亲不顾家境困难，想尽办法，为四叔成了家。
In spite of great difficulties, Father managed to have my youngest uncle married.
家族中谁家有了困难，父亲总要尽力拉扯一把。
Father was always ready to give a hand to whoever was in need in our family.
父亲是一个勇于担当、守信力行的人。
Father was a man who never failed to should his responsibilities and keep faith.
听哥哥说大伯去世前，曾借了邻村一户人家300元钱。
My elder brother told him that my eldest uncle had borrowed 300 yuan from someone else in the neighboring village before he died.
大伯去世后，人家上门讨债，父亲答应10天后还。
Later, the owner came to our home for the money, and Father promised to pay him back in ten days.
到了第9天，父亲没有筹到钱，
But nine days passed before father could get the money.
下狠心卖了自家耕地磨面的犍牛，偿还了大伯欠下的外债。
Then he had no choice but to make up his mind to sell our own bullock which we used for farm work and milling, and paid off the debt.
好长一段时间，父亲亲自拉碨磨面。
For a long time afterwards, Father did the milling all by himself manually.
父亲时常跟我们讲：“应人事小，误人事大。
He often said to us, “When you make a promise, you should keep it.
一个人不守信用，谁还敢跟他打交道。”
If you cannot keep faith, nobody dares to deal with you.”
父亲是一个历经挫折、坚韧力行的人。
Father was a man who suffered many misfortunes and remained firm and tenacious.
父亲20多岁被抓壮丁，经受过枪林弹雨的战场，
At the age of twenty, he was press-ganged and experienced a hail of bullets in many battles.
解放后遭受过不明不白的批斗；
After liberation, he was once criticized and denounced for that unjustly.
父亲先后有两次婚姻，前妻因病早逝，生有一子，感情上遭受过挫折；
Father got married twice, and his ex-wife died early and left him a son, which was a heavy blow to him.
父亲30岁到40岁，领头创办县级国营黄土坡、老虎沟、马匹凹煤矿，曾任总经理，
In his 30s, he initiated with others the construction of the state-run coal mines at Huangtupo, Laohugou and Mapiwa of our county, and worked as the general manager.
取得过骄人的业绩，但更遭受过莫大的委屈……
He made great achievements in his work but also received the utmost ill-treatment.
但是，父亲愈挫愈奋，以坚韧不拔的毅力，
However, all these sufferings didn’t result in depression but gave him greater toughness and tenacity.
默默地承受各种压力，脸上很难看到笑容，
He shouldered the burden and pressure silently, and no smile was ever seen on his face.
给人的印象是只知道劳动。
What impressed us most was his industriousness. （刘连章 & Norman A. Pritchard 译）
男人的一半是女人
Half Man is Woman (Excerpt)
张贤亮
Zhang Xianliang
“‘八年啦，别提啦！’”
‘Me? Don’t even ask.’
她笑着，学了一句革命样板戏《智取威虎山》里的唱词。
She laughed, as she reeled off a line from a model revolutionary play.
随后，两脚倒着把我埋下的土踩瓷实，眼睛看着地面说，“这八年，结了两次婚，离了两次婚，就这些。
Then she stamped down the earth that I had shoveled in. ‘Eight years: I married twice and divorced twice. That was about it.
幸亏没生娃娃。”
Luckily there weren’t any children.’
我不停地干着活，一点也不惊奇。
I kept on working, not at all surprised.
我看见、听见的出乎意料的事太多了，
I had seen too much, and heard too much.
到后来，竟没有一件事能出乎我的意料。
In the end, there was very little that I could not imagine.
她不那样生活还能怎样生活？
If she didn’t get along that way, how was she to live?
幸福是一种奇迹，不幸才是常规。
Good fortune was a kind of miracle, misfortune was the norm.
她对我的坎坷也没有感到惊奇。
She, in turn, felt no surprise at my own experience.
这样，我们倒是真正地相互理解了。
In that respect we both totally understood each other.
她不说那些安慰的话语也好，这些年，我最怕那种老太婆式的絮絮叨叨的同情。
Her lack of any commiseration was fine—through the years, I had come to dislike the simpering sympathy of other people.
“你别笑话，”她接着说，“你蹲了两次监狱，我结了两次婚，其实结婚跟蹲监狱一样，
‘You’ve been in jail twice over these years, well, don’t laugh, I’ve been married twice. Comes to the same thing.
有的时候比蹲监狱还要难受。
At times, I think jail must be easier to take than marriage.
前一次，我没告诉他我劳改过，成天提心吊胆的，怕他知道了。
The first time, I didn’t tell him I’d been in the camps, and I lived in fear that he would find out.
可他还是知道了，跟我打了离婚。
When he eventually did, he asked for a divorce.
后一次，在白银滩农场，我一开始就跟他说清楚了，
The second time, at the White Sands Commune, I told him all about my past from the very start.
可他老把这事拿捏我，
After that, he was always bringing it up again holding it against me.
我受不了，跟他打了离婚。
In the end I couldn’t take it, and I asked him for a divorce.
前一次是人家不要我，后一次是我不要人家，
First time, he didn’t want me; second time, I didn’t want him.
一比一，平了！
One to one, even!
唉，人一辈子就是这么回事。我以后再不结婚了！”
So that’s life, I’m not getting married again.’ ‘That’s easy enough.
“你打定主意再不结婚容易办到，
If you don’t want to marry, you don’t have to.
我打定主意再不蹲监狱可不容易。”
But me, if I don’t want to go to jail it isn’t my decision.’
我笑着和她打趣。“结不结婚由你，蹲不蹲监狱可不由我。
I teased her, ‘Marriage is up to you, jail’s not up to me.
这么说来，你还是比我强。”
You’ve been a lot better than I have.’
我们一见面就像老朋友似地嘻嘻哈哈，无拘无束。
From the start we spoke to each other like old friends.
友谊的关系有各种各样的格局，
There are all kinds of patterns in friendship.
有的格局是一见面就自然地很亲切，有的是必须在一段时间里逐渐啮合好齿轮，
With some, you find it natural to be close from the beginning, with others it takes some time before the wheel engage.
如果啮合不到一起便不能运转，
If the gears don’t mesh, the thing does not go at all.
我们都无视对方的痛苦，因为我们各自的遭遇就够自己心烦的了。
We both ignored the hardships of the other, because we had encountered enough in our own lives.
但我们却能真正地同情对方，因为我们都亲身经历过那种痛苦，虽然在形式上不同——蹲监狱和结婚二者虽有区别，但感觉的实质和程度是一样的。
At the same time, we understood each other, because although the form of suffering we each had endured was different the essence of what we had felt was the same. （Martha Avery 译）
冬天的距离
The Distance of Winter
张错
Zhang Cuo
等到一地银杏满地金黄，
When the ground beneath a gingko is gold,
才知道冷面的秋，决绝不可挽留。
I know cold-faced autumn absolutely cannot be held.
风的语言擦身而过，寒暄，
The words of wind brush by, an exchange of heat and cold,
留下透明空间。
Leaving behind a translucent space.
我开始明白——
I begin to know—
那已经是冬天的距离。
Already it is the distance of winter.
有雾自迷蒙眼底升起
There is a fog rising from the haze behind my eyes
在遥远的灰暗，那么接近
In the distant gloom, so near
而且凄然美丽，
And coldly pretty,
充满矛盾的绝望与期盼
Despair big with contradiction and expectation
徘徊在秋的清冷与春的挑逗；
Lingering in the desolation of autumn and the provocation of spring;
有一种潮湿，不是昨夜春情，
There’s a dampness, not last night’s feeling of spring,
而是冬天灰色的大海。
But the great gray sea of winter.
那是一种澎湃的心酸拒绝，
That is a billowing poignant refusal,
就像在漫长的岁月里
Just as if amid the endless years
去抵挡那些无法抵挡
Trying to stop the unstoppable
漫然而来，飘然而去的季节。
Seasons that breezily arrive then drift away.
你问我如何让冬天名分保持清白，
You ask me how to let winter keep its pure identity,
我回答以苍白容颜，星霜鬓发，
I reply, with a pale face, a twinkling frost on my temples
还有在奇里门札罗山巅，皑白冰雪
And a leopard of Hemingway
一只海明威的豹！
At Kilimanjaro, pure white ice and snow!
那是另一种透明与坚持，
That is another kind of persistence and transparency,
另一种冬天的距离，
Another type of winter distance,
沉默，并且遥不可及。
Silent, and far beyond reach. （Michael Day 译）
早市的太阳
Sun in the Morning Market
严力
Yan Li
看着自己在早市上拎着
You find yourself at the morning market
一袋食品
carrying a bag of food
一袋
a bag of
各种各样的叫卖声
a myriad seller’s calls,
一袋
a bag of
经过精打细算的脂肪蛋白质以及维生素
fat, protein and vitamins all carefully calculated
一袋
A bag of
生活的重量
the weight of life.
很久很久地
For such a long time
我继续站在路口品味自己的生命
I’m there at the intersection tasting my life.
日常是多么自然
How natural, everyday
太阳拎着一袋自己的阳光
The sun carries a bag of its own light （Paul Manfredi 译）
蘑菇
Mushroom
严力
Yan Li
谁能
Who can
说服自己
convince themselves
在阴暗的处境里
That in the darkest places
生命不存在了
Life disappears
背着光
Even with its back to the light
朽木怀了孕
Rotten wood is impregnated （Paul Manfredi 译）
我在黑夜里写下
I Write in the Dark of Night
郑小琼
Zheng Xiaoqiong
我在黑夜里写下路灯、街道和一个四处奔波的外乡人
In the dark of night I write down streetlights, streets and a stranger rushing about
我在黑夜里写下制衣厂的女工和她们命运中的咳嗽
In the dark of night I write down women workers at a clothes plant and the coughs of their destiny
我在黑夜里写下五金厂的炉火以及一截让机器吞掉的手指
In the dark of night I write down the furnace fires of ironmongery and a finger swallowed by a machine
我写到路灯，它孤独，是啊，它多像一个乡愁病患者
I write a streetlight, it’s solitary, yes, it’s so like a homesick person
我写到街道，它宽广，灯火辉煌，但是哪里又有我站立的地方
I write a street, it’s broad, lights burning bright, but where’s a place for me to stand
我写到五金厂的炉火，它暗淡的光啊，照亮我苍白的青春
I write a furnace at an ironmonger’s, its dim light illuminates my pallid youth
我写到爱情，它甜蜜的味儿，它不知明天会怎样的辛酸
I write of love, its sweet taste, it doesn’t know how bitter tomorrow will be
我写到黄麻岭，这个收藏我三年青春的沿海村庄
I write of Jute Ridge, this coastal village that’s taken in three years of my youth
啊，我最后将写到自己，一个四处奔波的四川女孩
Ah, finally, I’ll write of myself, a girl from Sichuan rushing about
啊，这打工生活——我将要忍受怎样的孤独与命运
Ah, this menial-worker life—what sort of loneliness and fate must I endure （Michael Day 译）
给一个大屠杀中死去的九岁女孩
To A Nine-Year-Old Girl Killed in the Massacre
杨炼
Yang Lian
他们说一根红皮筋把你绊倒了
They say that you tripped on a piece of skipping elastic
你跳出白粉笔的房子
And you jumped out of the house of white chalk
雨声响得怕人的日子
On a day of terrifying loud rain
九个弹坑在你身上发甜
Nine bullet holes in your body exude a sweetness
他们说你把月亮玩丢了
They say that you lost the moon while you were playing
墓草青春 是新换的牙齿
Green grass on the grave Are new teeth
在一个无需哀悼的地方萌芽
Sprouting where there is no need for grief
你没死 他们说
You did not die They say
你还坐在小木桌后边
You still sit at the small wooden desk
目光碰响黑板
Eyes crash noisily against the blackboard
下课铃骤然射击
The school bell suddenly rings
一阵空白 你的死被杀死
A burst of nothingness Your death is killed
他们说 现在 你是女人是母亲
They say Now You are a woman and a mother
每年有个没有你的生日
And each year there is a birthday without you
像生前那样
Just as when you were alive （Mabel Lee 译）
赋格
Fugue
叶维廉
Ye Weilian
其一
I
北风，我还能忍受这一年吗
North wind, am I to bear this one more year?
冷街上、墙上，烦忧摇窗而至
Streets shiver along the walls
带来边城的故事；呵气无常的大地
Romances, cold sorrows, from the frontiers Disclose to me these:
草木的耐性，山岩的沉默，投下了
Patience of mountains Erratic breath of outlands
胡马的长嘶，烽火扰乱了
Chronic neighing of Tartar horses Bonfires in war and farming in spring
凌驾知识的事物，雪的洁白
Plants that transcend all knowledge Immaculate snowfalls Grand cathedrals and palaces
教堂与皇宫的宏丽，神只的丑事
All plunge into the scandals of gods
穿梭于时代之间，歌曰：
In our youthful days The song goes:
月将升
The moon will rise
日将没
The sun will sink
快，快，不要在阳光下散步，你忘记了
Quick, quick, do not get lost in the sun
龙　的神谕吗？
Have you forgotten the oracle of the dragon?
只怕再从西轩的
It may slip again from the jade balcony
梧桐落下这些高耸的建筑之中，昨日
Into this single sycamore among Compacted houses Yesterday Or is it today?
我在河畔，在激激水声
Beside the river, the deep-flowing river
冥冥蒲苇之旁似乎还遇见
and dark-shimmering rushes
群鸦喙衔一个漂浮的生命：
I see a cloud of crows gather around a drifting of lives
往那儿去了？
But where to?
北风带著狗吠弯过陋巷
The winds bring the barking of dogs into winding back alleys
诗人都已死去，狐仙再现
The poets are dead The Vixen reappears
独眼的人还在吗？
Is the one-eyed seer still living?
北风狂号著，冷街上，尘埃中我依稀
The north winds roar In the cold street in the flying dust
认出这是驰向故国的公车
I vaguely recognize this is the bus to my native land
几筵和温酒以高傲的姿态
Tables, mats, and wines proudly invite me
邀我仰观群星：花的杂感
To look at the stars—fugitive ideas on flowers
与神话的企图——
And intentions in myths
我们且看风景去
We go sightseeing
其二
II
我的手脚交叉撞击著，在马车的
My feet and my hands collide together In the rushing coach
狂奔中，树枝支撑著一个冬天的肉体
Stumps uphold the body of winter
在狂奔中，大火烧炙著过去的澄明的日子
In the rush, the fire burns the translucent days of the past
荫道融和著过去的澄明的日子
In the rush, the tree-lined boulevard tempers the translucent days of the past
一排茅房和飞鸟的交情围拥
A line of thatched huts and flying birds embrace
我引向高天的孤独，我追逐边疆的
My skyward solitude I go in search of
夜祷和毡墙内的狂欢节日，一个海滩
Vespers and festivals within a tent a beach
一只小猫，黄梅雨和羊齿丛的野烟
A kitten rains in apricot days and smoke from wild ferns
那是在落霜的季节，自从我有力的双手
In the first frost shortly after my vigorous hands
抚摸过一张神圣的脸之后
Caressed a holy face
他站起来
Standing up, he
模仿古代的先知：
Imitating the ancient prophet:
以十二支推之
By the Twelve Branches
应验矣
It comes true
应验矣
It comes true
我来等你，带你再见唐虞夏商周
I wait for you to bring you to the golden dynasties of Tang, Yu, Xia, Shang, Zhou
大地满载著浮沉的回忆
The earth holds a full load of floating-sinking memories
我们是世界最大的典籍
We were the great book read into the world
我们是亘广原野的子孙
We were the children on the vastest plains
我们是高峻山岳的巨灵
We were the giant of sky-reaching ranges
大地满载著浮沉的回忆
The earth holds a full load of floating-sinking memories
荧惑星出现，盘桓于我们花园的天顶上
Glimmering Mars appears and strolls over our gardens
有人披发行歌：
A man with disheveled hair sings
予欲望鲁兮
I want to see the land of Lu1
龟山蔽之
Mount Tortoise hides it
手无斧柯
And I have no axe or hatchet
奈龟山何
To Mount Tortoise, what can I do?
薰和的南风
Warm southerly winds
解愠的南风
Woes-soothing southerly winds
阜民财的南风
Grains-increasing southerly winds
孟冬时分
In early winter
耳语的时分
In whispers
病的时分
In sickbed
大火烧炙著过去的澄明的日子
The fire burns the translucent days of the past
荫道融和著过去的澄明的日子
The boulevard tempers the translucent days of the past
我们对盆景而饮，折苇成笛
We drink to the flowering chrysanthemum make a flute from reeds
吹一节逃亡之歌
And play a stanza from the fugitive song
注释：
1. Lu is the birthplace of Confucius and a symbol of Chinese culture.
其三
III
君不见有人为后代子孙
Do you not see people seeking for their children
追寻人类的原身吗？
the embryo of man?
君不见有人从突降的瀑布
Do you not see people seeking from abrupt waterfalls
追寻山石之赋吗？
an ode of stone?
君不见有人在银枪摇响中
Do you not see people seeking in the jingling of spears
追寻郊禘之礼吗？
communion with the heavens?
对著江枫堤柳与诗魄的风和酒
Against the maple, the willow, the wind, and the wine of the poet
远远有峭壁的语言，海洋的幽阔
There is the speech of cliffs the hurrah of the sea
和天空的高深。
The soundless pit of the sky
於是我们忆起：
as we remember
一个泉源变作池沼
A source turns into a pond
或渗入植物
or gets into plants
或渗入人类
or gets into human bodies
不在乎真实
real or unreal
不在乎玄默
abstruse or void
我们只管走下石阶吧，季候风
We simply walk down the steps No monsoon
不在这秒钟；天灾早已过去
Nor ill-omened events coming on
我们来推断一个事故：仙桃与欲望
Let us brood over a tale: A peach or a desire
谁弄坏了天庭的道德，无聊
Which spoils the moral of the celestial court?
或谈谈白鼠传奇性的魔力……
O how boring
究竟在土断川分的
Let me tell you the legendary charm of a white mouse…
绝崖上，在睥睨梁　的石城上
But on craggy precipices Or on rocky ruins of a long wall
我们就可了解世界吗？
What can we make of the world?
我们游过
We have admired
千花万树，远水近湾
Millions of flowers, trees, and bays of water, far and near
我们就可了解世界吗？
What can we make of the world?
我们一再经历
We have made and remade
四声对仗之巧、平仄音韵之妙
Rhymes, rhythms, meter, tones, ballads, etc.,
我们就可了解世界吗？
What can we make of the world?
走上争先恐后的公车，停在街头
Board a congested bus stop at the crossroads
左顾右盼，等一只蝴蝶
Look here and there wait for a butterfly
等一个无上的先知，等一个英豪
Wait for a supreme seer wait for a knight on horseback
骑马走过——
Pass by
多少脸孔
How many faces
多少名字
How many names
为群树与建筑所嘲弄
Flouted by trees and buildings
良朋幽邈
My good friends? They are far away
搔首延伫
I stop and scratch my head
夜　洒下一阵爽神的雨
Night brings down a galaxy of chilling rains （Wai-lim Yip 译）
春驰
Traveling in Spring
叶维廉
Ye Weilian
杜鹃的花魂
The souls of azalea flowers
被关在
Are trapped
沥青路面的 公圳里
Below the dark canal under the tar thoroughfare
柳条的风姿
The windblown ways of willows
摇曳在
Swing in the
遥远的记忆中
Memories of a distant past
我们驰行在
We travel together
扑扑的新生南路上
On the dust-raising New Birth Road South
寻觅着
In search of
思梦着
Dreaming about
迷茫中你我熟识的展红与垂绿
Those familiar petals-red and leaves-green in the vague air
台大古老的钟声
The old bell of National Taiwan University
随着自行车悠然的轮转
As if to echo the turning wheels of bicycles Rings, rippling waves
跌宕到我们现在
Reach us in the present
急迫的行程
In a journey, anxious and pressing.
距离
Distance
像雾里的年龄
Like one’s age—in the mist
都是无从理辨的网线
Is a network of lines that defy undoing
一点光
A mere dot of light
偶然
Occasionally
自微温的过去亮起
Brightens from the lukewarm past
紫藤一片花
Wisteria, a stretch of flowers
在车窗闪动
Flash by the car window
我们驰行着
We travel together
在急燥的车声中
Inside the restless humming of engines
谈论一种冷
Talking about a kind of cold
谈论一种热
Talking about a kind of heat
如何在刻板的架构里
And how they break out from rigid frames
触发一种跳跃
To stimulate a kind of frisking
一种怒放
A kind of total unfurling
自感情涌溢的泉源
From the fountain of surging feelings
在单调灰色的影子间
Between monotonous gray shadows
在速度的追逐下
Under the chase of speed
如何去觅出那
And how to find out from it
若即若离得而若失的语字
Those words, engaging, disengaging, between getting and losing
在冷中
In the cold
让它们缓缓地温热
To let them slowly warm up
让它们缓缓地着色……
To let them slowly take on color....
杜鹃花魂低低的呼喊
The quiet cries of azaleas
灭绝在车尘里
Fade in the dust of cars
柳条细梳微扣的风姿
The fine combing of windblown willows
失影在浓得不透明的阳光中
Becomes invisible in the dense opaque sunlight
我们驰行着
We travel together
向过去
Toward the past
向将来
Toward the future
那若明若暗的奔路
That runaway road Now bright, now dark （Wai-lim Yip 译）
追寻
Quest
叶维廉
Ye Weilian
也许等待太久了
Perhaps we have waited too long.
所有浪游都是一个圆
All journeys are a circle
你说你知道
(You said you knew)
都要回到一个纯真的起点
Return to a pure beginning.
在春天，林木初绿
In spring: forest trees show their first green.
有猛兽出现
Some fierce animals appear.
在深夜，暗水淙淙
In deep nights: dark water gurgles.
有磷火浮游
Some specks of ghostly fire drift around.
你东出西入而失路
You departed from the east to the west, losing your way….
期望是
Anticipation is
一丝不易看见的线
A line in the distance
扭得好细好细
So thin, so small, so fine
忽隐忽现
Between seen and unseen.
笛音拉得好长好长
Notes of flutes stretch on and on
向离别经年的
Toward that distant beginning
遥远的起点
Long forgotten
牵着你
Chaining you.
每次你说：等待太久了
Every time you said: We have waited too long,
便把心的窗子打开
You opened your heart’s window.
空气突然充满了土地的温柔
The air all at once was filled with the tenderness of earth,
那幸福的一刻仿佛已经来到
As if that happy moment had already arrived.
鸟儿像一束束的光
Birds, like bouquets and bouquets of light,
喷泉似的从树中爆散开来
Exploded out from the tree like a fountain.
你奔前去拥抱它
You ran to embrace it
而急急停住
And suddenly stopped short.
你已经准备好了吗？
Are you all ready?
参与了这一刻的融汇
After the fusion of this moment
然后呢，是分离与死
And then And then, separation and death.
你突然哲学地
You responded philosophically:
说：永久的幸福是
Eternal happiness is—
永久的追迹，依着
Eternal quest, following the wings of
痛苦的翅翼……
Pain….
在涌动的春天
In the surging springtime,
在清澈的河水里
In the clear river water,
两岸桃花的影子间
Between the shadows of two banks of peach blossoms,
有一些逡巡，有一些召唤
There is some prowling, there is some calling.
袭人的春寒里是
Invading the spring coldness is
你熟识的清香
Your familiar fragrance,
那第一丝柔细的清香
Such a soft and small line of fragrance
牵着你
Chaining you.
由是你又把心的窗子打开……
Thus, you open your heart’s window again…. （Wai-lim Yip 译）
门的故事
The Door of an Office Building
乔志峰
Qiao Zhifeng
我们乡政府的新办公楼南面临大路，东边是小路和麦田，北边有条小河。
The new office building of our township is so situated: its south faces a main road, on its east are a path and wheat fields, and on its north is a small river.
本来把大门开在南边最合适，可领导表示门冲大路太吵，
It’s most suitable for the door facing the south, but the township leader thinks otherwise, deeming it would bring a lot of noise from the road.
指示施工单位把门开在了东边。
He directs the construction company to have the door open towards the east.
大家都感到很不方便，可这是领导的意思，所以谁也不敢说什么。
This creates much inconvenience for all who have to enter it, but none dares to complain.
过了不久换了领导。
Not long after a new leader takes over.
新领导一来就皱着眉头说：“怎么把门留在东边呢？
He frowns at the position of the door, “How could it be so arranged?
这不是旁门左道吗？”
Facing the east actually makes it a side door that gives an impression of woefulness.”
大家很高兴，认为这下可以走大路了。
Everybody is happy at his remarks, thinking it possible for the door to face the main road.
不料领导的指示却是把门开在北面，也就是朝河的方向。
But what turns out is beyond people’s expectation. The leader orders the door be changed towards the north, i.e. facing the river.
这下好了，还不如原先走小路方便。
That’s even worse than before, for it brings greater inconvenience.
可这是领导的意思啊，谁也不敢说什么。
But this is the leader’s decision; nobody dares to protest.
过了一阵，又换了领导。
Soon afterwards the leader is replaced by a new one.
这位领导一来就皱着眉头说：
On his arrival he shows a great dislike about the direction of the door.
“怎么把门留在北面呢，这不是让大家走后门吗？”
“How is it to let the door open northward? Don’t you mean to go by a back door?”
然后果断指示：把门开在南边，正对大路。
Then he resolutely decides to change it into a southward one: facing the main road.
这下子皆大欢喜，
This decision is warmly supported by all.
大家都夸赞这位领导英明。
Everyone is contented and regards the leader as a wise official. That’s not the end of the story.
直到有一天，办公室刘主任喝醉了，才泄露了三个领导三个门的玄机：
One day truth is eventually revealed when Mr. Liu, chief of the township office lets slip, as a result of drunkenness, the secret motives of the three successive leaders.
第一位领导姓牛，把门开在东边有麦田的方向，暗藏“牛得草”的吉利喻意；
The first leader is named Niu, meaning “cattle”, so he likes the door opening towards the east where wheat fields are situated, implying “plenty of grass for the cattle to graze”.
第二位领导姓庞，庞就是“螃”，即螃蟹，
The second is named Pang, a homophone to “crab” in Chinese.
这螃蟹是离不开水的，所以门要冲着小河；
As the crab lives where there is water, he then wants to the door to face the river.
第三位领导姓马，
The third is named Ma, meaning “horse.”
要想一马当先、马到成功，当然得跑大路了……
Since the horse likes to gallop on highways he naturally chooses the south as the suitable position of the door.
听了刘主任的解释，大家惊得目瞪口呆。
Liu’s remarks leaves all of us amazed and stunned. （陈文伯 译） 1984年9月
钱塘观潮
Qiantang River Tides1 --a seven-character truncated quatrain September 1984
马凯
Ma Kai
遥看天边一线来，
From sky’s edge you in a single row come to roll,
涛声渐奏万骑雷。
Your rumbling rising to a deafening cavalry din,
拔江立潮排水过，
Before surging into the sky with water to hurl.
试问谁能掣浪回。
Yank you to where you belong who ever can?
注释：
1. The Qiantang River in Zhejiang province leads all rivers in coastal China with its awesome tidal waves. After attending the First National Symposium of Middle-Aged and Young Executives on Economic Restructuring in September 1984, I went to that river to watch its tides, which reminded me that the reform unfolding in this country was as irresistible as the surging Qiantang tides. （凌原 译）
我读莫言
How I Read Mo Yan’s Oeuvre
林巍
Lin Wei
我读第一次读到莫言，是他的《红高粱》，大约是在20世纪80年代末。
The first Mo Yan novel that I read was Red Sorghum at the end of 1980s.
那时我想它应是上了年纪的作家，因为他知道那么多过去的故事，如抗日战争，辛亥革命等。
I expected to meet a much more senior person, since his writings mostly involve in old stories happening in Anti-Japanese War, Revolution of 1911 (which overthrew the Qing Dynasty) and so on,
后来见了面才知，他其实比我大不了多少。
but he actually turned out to a little bit older than me.
然而，他的经历和想象何以如此丰富？
The question is how could he have such rich experience and unbelievable imagination?
我印象最深的是，是他忒能讲故事，且叙事的方式很特别。
I was amazed by his ability to tell a story and the peculiar way of his narration.
他经常是一气呵成，不循规蹈矩，又颇带自我嘲讽与哲理意味。
Using ridicule and sarcasm, Mo Yan knows very well how to write unconventionally, philosophically as well as quite consistently.
例如，《红高粱》中有一段：
Taking a typical passage in his Red Sorghum as an example,
“秋风苍凉，阳光很旺，瓦蓝的天上游荡着一朵朵丰满的云，高粱上滑动着一朵朵丰满白云的紫红色影子。
“The autumn winds are rather chilly even on a perfect sunny day, while white clouds float in the tile-blue sky and cast full purple shadows onto the sorghum fields below.
一队队暗红色的人在高粱棵子里穿梭拉网，几十年如一日。
Teams of scarlet fighters shuttle among the sorghum stalks to interlace human network during a slip in time when decades seem like a moment.
他们杀人越货，精忠报国，他们演出郭一幕幕英勇悲壮的舞剧，使我们这些活着的不肖子孙相形见绌，
There were killings, plundering, loyal defense played out on the stage of life by these brave men who dwarfed us unfilial descendants occupying this land.
在进步的同时，我真切地感到种的退化”。
Progress may have been made, but I do have a nagging sense of our species’ regression”.
后来我知道，莫言出生在一农民家庭，小学五年级都没有上完，就辍学放牛了。
I later on found out that Mo was born in a farmer’s family, and dropped out of school to be a cowherd at Grade Five.
那时他最大的特点是爱读书，在书荒的时代，他甚至来回诵读了一本仅有的《新华字典》。
He was a bookworm early in his life, and when there were hardly any books to be found, he could read a Xinhua Dictionary from cover to cover.
后来，他又读了大量的中国古典小说，加上喜欢听民间故事，特别是受齐鲁文化“泛种论”的影响，使他对周围既熟悉又陌生的环境充满了奇特的想象，形成了他奇特的魔幻现实主义写作风格，最终于2012年赢得了诺贝尔文学奖。
Having read a great number of classical Chinese novels and heard many folktales, especially under the spell of pantheism of Qi-lu culture, he developed his imaginary world that is both familiar and strange, formulating his unique magic realism, which eventually made him a Nobel Laureate in literature in 2012.
他原名是管谟业，用“莫言”这个笔名是为了告诫自己要少说为佳，因为小的时候祸从口出，吃了大亏。
Originally named Guan Moye, he adopted “Mo Yan”—meaning “don’t speak” in Chinese—as his pseudonym to remind himself of the lesson from a loose tongue in his childhood.
但他在自己的作品中却胆大妄言，甚至“色胆包天”，写得非常之淋漓，用他的话说，也算是一种弥补。
However, he is extremely audacious in depicting scenes, including sexual ones, sometimes quite vividly in his writings, to make up the loss, as he put it.
莫言认为，“文学艺术永远不是唱赞歌的工具，而是应该暴露黑暗，揭示不公正”。
Mo Yan believes that “Literature and art ought never to be a means of eulogizing life; rather, they have to expose the dark side of life and injustice”.
在他看来，人性是多面的，好人身上也有缺陷，坏人身上亦有优点，优秀作品便应体现这些。
In his view, human nature is multifaceted, as the kind-hearted have their shortcomings and the evil-minded have their merits, which should all be reflected in a masterpiece.
我在他的作品中，特别是《透明的红萝卜》、《宏观了家族》、《白狗秋千架》、《酒国》、《丰乳肥臀》、《檀香刑》、《生死疲劳》、《蛙》中，读到了人的复杂性及作者的正义感。
I can certainly sense this kind of complexity and justice in his oeuvre, particularly in A Transparent Radish, Family Stories of Red Sorghum, White Dog Swing, The Republic of Wine, Big Breasts & Wide Hips, Sandalwood Penalty, Life and Death Are Wearing Me Out, Frog and so on.
文学，毕竟是语言的艺术。
As we all believe that literature is after all a language art,
莫言的语言也颇具特色，他糅合了大量的山东土语，别有风味。
Mo Yan’s language is very artistic, saturated with the flavor of Shandong dialect.
正如他所说的，“一个真正的文学家，应该千方百计地丰富本民族的语言”。
As he once put it, “An innovative writer should spare no efforts and go to devious endless lengths to enrich the national language”.
同时，他又用一种难以掩饰的戏谑感来揭示虚伪和黑暗，从容地塑造了种种富有含义的艺术形象。
Indeed, he reveals the hypocrisy and murkiest aspect of life with an ill-disguised delight, portraying various images of symbolic weight inadvertently. （林巍 译）
旅馆之夜
Uneasy Night in a Hotel
舒婷
Shu Ting
唇印和眼泪合作的爱情告示
The love announcement co-authored by lip prints and a tear
勇敢地爬进邮筒
Bravely climbs up the pillar into the postbox
邮筒冰冷
Which is ice cold
久已不用
And has been out of commission a long time
封条像绷带在风中微微摆动
The paper strip sealing it like a bandage wavers faintly in the wind
楼檐在黑猫的爪下柔软起伏
The eaves curve softly under a black cat’s paws
大卡车把睡眠轧得又薄又硬
Large trucks ride over sleep till it’s flattened thin and hard
短跑选手
Sprinters
整夜梦见击发的枪声
Dream all night long of the starting pistol’s shot
魔术师接不住他的鸡蛋
The jugglers can’t hold onto their eggs
路灯尖叫着爆炸
Street lamps explode with a screech
蛋黄的涂料让夜更加嶙峋
Paint the color of egg yolk makes night seem all the more scraggly
穿睡袍的女人
A woman in a nightgown
惊天动地拉开房门
Opens the door like an earthquake
光脚在地毯上狂奔如鹿
Bare feet dash like crazy deer across the carpet
墙上掠过巨大的飞蛾
A huge flying moth flutters across the wall
扑向电话铃声的蓬蓬之火
Flames spurt out above the jangling telephone
听筒里一片
The receiver sounds completely
沉寂
Silent
只有雪
Only snow
在远方的电线上歌唱不息
Sings unceasingly on the electric wire far away （Fang Dai, Dennis Ding & Edward Morin 译）
自画像
A Self-Portrait
舒婷
Shu Ting
她是他的小阴谋家。
She’s his little schemer.
祈求回答，她一言不发，
When begged for an answer, she keeps quiet,
需要沉默时她却笑呀闹呀
When silence is needed, she laughs and makes jokes
叫人头眩目花。
Causing him all sorts of razzle-dazzle.
她破坏平衡，
She upsets equilibrium,
她轻视概念，
She looks down on conceptualizing,
她像任性的小林妖，
She dances weird steps around him
以怪诞的舞步绕着他。
Like a wilful little wood demon.
她是他的小阴谋家。
She’s his little schemer.
他梦寐以求的，她拒不给予，
What he dreams of, she won’t give,
他从不想象的，她偏要求接纳。
What he never expected, she compels him to take.
被柔情吸引又躲避表示，
Though drawn by tenderness, she avoids expressing it,
还未得到就已害怕失去，
Though she hasn’t gotten any, she’s already afraid of losing it.
自己是一个漩涡，
A whirlpool herself,
还制造无数漩涡，
She creates various other whirlpools.
谁也不明白她的魔法。
Nobody understands her magic.
她是他的小阴谋家。
She’s little schemer.
召之不来，挥之不去，
Beckoned, she won’t come; waved away, she stays;
似近非近，欲罢难罢。
Seeming close, she’s far off; he’d give up, but can’t.
有时像冰山，
One time she seems like an iceberg,
有时像火海，
Another time like a fierce ocean,
有时像一支无字的歌，
Sometimes she’s wordless song.
聆听时不知是真是假，
While listening, he thinks it may be true or false;
回味时莫辨是甜是辣。
After tasting, he can’t tell whether it’s sweet or hot.
他的，他的，
His, his,
她是他的小阴谋家。
She’s his little schemer. （Fang Dai, Dennis Ding & Edward Morin 译）
乡间腾空术
Dropped into Wilderness
韩博
Han Bo
他们说，你接触了大地
They say, you have come into contact with mother earth
也算是，临时地，摸到了事物的根
That is to say, temporarily, touched the root of things
搂抱着鸡鸭猪狗，你摆脱空气
Embracing chicken, duck, pig, dog, you shrug off the air
下沉到山区的土路
Sunken into the mountain track
但是只有三天，万物的根继续向下
Yet it is only three days, the root of everything continues downwards
你追不上那些神经质的根须
You cannot catch up with the nervous shoots
空气纠缠你肿胀的脚，刚刚三天
Air entangles your swollen feet, three days just gone
背包里的石头又变成气球
The stones in your rucksack have one again become balloons
他们说，最终，你背离了大地
They say, in the end, you abandon mother earth
仅仅三天，天空好像不是吸尘器
For three short days, the sky felt like it wasn’t a vacuum （Robin Suri & Han Bo）
没有写完的诗之一
Unfinished Poems
江河
Jiang He
一、古老的故事
I. An Ancient Story
我被钉在监狱的墙上
I am nailed to a prison wall.
黑色的时间聚拢，一群群乌鸦
The dark times are gathering like crows
从世界的每个角落从历史的每个夜晚
winging in from all the world, all of history,
把一个又一个英雄啄死在这堵墙上
to peck the brave to death against this wall, one by one.
英雄的痛苦变成石头
Their grief turns to stone.
比山还要孤独
They are lonelier than the mountains.
为了开凿和塑造
For the crime of chiseling,
为了民族的性格
of sculpting the people’s character,
英雄被钉死
the heroes are nailed to death.
风剥蚀着，雨敲打着
Wind erodes and the rain thrashes;
模模糊糊的形象在墙上显露
on the wall the blurred figures waver,
残缺不全的胳膊手面孔
parts of arms, hands, faces are gone.
辫子抽打着，黑暗啄食着
As whips lash and the beaked darkness pecks
祖先和兄弟的手沉重地劳动
the hands of ancestors and brothers in silent
把自己默默无声地垒进墙壁
hard labor build themselves into the wall.
我又一次来到这里
I come here once again
反抗被奴役的命运
to fight against my slave fate,
用激烈的死亡震落墙上的泥土
and, with my violent death, to shake the wall till it starts to crumble.
让默默死去的人们起来叫喊
Let all the silent dead stand up and howl! （Tony Barnstone and Newton Liu 译）
梦见苹果和鱼的安
Ann’s Dream of Apples and Fish
何小竹
He Xiaozhu
我仍然没有说
I still haven’t said
大房屋里就一定有死亡的蘑菇
That deadly mushrooms must surely grow inside a large house
你不断地梦见苹果和鱼
It’s your endless dreaming of apples and fish
就在这样的大房屋
In a big house like this one
你叫我害怕
That scares me most
屋后我写过的那黑森林
You have never gone behind the house
你从来就没去过
Into that black forest that I wrote about
你总在重复那个梦境
You’re constantly reaffirming the world you dream
你总在说
Constantly saying
像真的一样
How much it’s like the real world
我们不会住很久了
We won’t live here very long
我要把所有的门都加上锁
I’ll put a lock on every door
用草茎锁住鱼的嘴巴
And lock shut the fishes’ mouths with grass stalks
一直到天亮
All the way up till dawn
你还会在那个雨季
Do you still expect to wrap your head
用毯子蒙住头
With a blanket during the rainy season
倾听大房屋
While you listen to those crackling sounds
那些腐烂的声音吗
Of a vast house rotting? （Fang Dai, Dennis Ding & Edward Morin 译）
寄内
To My Wife When Leaving
李少石
Li Shao-shih
一朝分袂两相思，
Today we part and I think of you, as do you of me
何日归来不可期。
no way of knowing when we shall see each other again;
岂待途穷方有泪？
not that we are forced to leave each other,
也惊时难忍无辞。
but still we weep because of the uncertainty
生当忧患原应尔，
for we are born in a period
死得成仁未足悲。
when our land is weak; if I die
莫为远人憔悴尽，
do not waste time in mourning for me and do not worry that I might
阿湄犹赖汝扶持。
lack food or clothing; your task is to bring up our child and teach him well. （Rewi Alley 译）
谈生命
On Life
冰心
Bing Xin
我不敢说生命是什么，我只能说生命像什么。
I would not venture to say what Life is; I would only say what Life is like.
生命像向东流的一江春水，他从最高处发源，冰雪是他的前身。
Life begins like a nascent river flowing eastward, having emerged from ice and snow somewhere up high.
他聚集起许多细流，合成一股有力的洪涛，向下奔注，他曲折的穿过了悬崖峭壁，冲倒了层沙积土，挟卷着滚滚的沙石，
Converging with many a rivulet to form a powerful torrent, he embarks on his downward dash, zigzagging by cliffs, flattening dunes and mounds, churning up sands and pebbles.
快乐勇敢地流走，一路上他享受着他所遭遇的一切：
He rushes along with joy, with confidence, with license.
有时候他遇到巉岩前阻，他愤激地奔腾了起来，怒吼着，回旋着，前波后浪地起伏催逼，直到冲倒了这危崖，他才心平气和地一泻千里。
When blocked by rocks, he charges with rage, roaring, twirling and swirling, wave after wave, until finally clearing the imposing obstacles and continuing his journey on a light-hearted note.
有时候他经过了细细的平沙，斜阳芳草里，看见了夹岸红艳的桃花，他快乐而又羞怯，静静地流着，低低地吟唱着，轻轻地度过这一段浪漫的行程。
Sometimes he rolls quietly on leveled terrain through green grass in the setting sun, caressing fine sand, giving now and then a shy gaze at the bright peach blossoms on the banks, and singing softly while stepping gently into the romantic rhythm of this joyful leg of his voyage.
有时候他遇到暴风雨，这激电，这迅雷，使他心魂惊骇，
Sometimes he is caught in storms, with horrifying burst of thunder and lightning.
疾风吹卷起他，大雨击打着他，他暂时浑浊了，扰乱了，而雨过天晴，只加给他许多新生的力量。
Ripped by ferocious gales and beaten by punishing downpours, he becomes, for a time, ruffled and muddy, only to find himself refreshed and energize when embraced by the sunshine again.
有时候他遇到了晚霞和新月，向他照耀，向他投影，清冷中带些幽幽的温暖：
At calmer moments he is charmed by the clouds waltzing along the horizon at dusk, and smiling at him, and then by the arrival of the new moon, which sketches his silhouette, and bestows a touch of warmth in the midst of a chilly night.
这时他只想憩息，只想睡眠，而那股前进的力量，仍催逼着他向前走……
A yearning for a respite or slumber gnaws at him, but eventually gives way to the impetus to move on.
终于有一天，他远远地望见了大海，呵！
Finally one day the ocean leaps into his view from afar. Alas!
他已到了行程的终结，
He is at the end of his journey.
这大海，使他屏息，使他低头，她多么辽阔，多么伟大！多么光明，又多么黑暗！
So vast, so imposing, so bright, and yet so dark, the ocean is breath-taking and humbling!
大海庄严的伸出臂儿来接引他，他一声不响地流入她的怀里。他消融了，归化了，说不上快乐，也不有悲哀！
When she greets him solemnly, he lets himself drop into her massive arms, dissolved and naturalized, experiencing neither joy nor sorrow.
也许有一天，他再从海上蓬蓬地雨点中升起，飞向西来，再形成一道江流，再冲倒两旁的石壁，再来寻夹岸的桃花。
Perhaps, one day he would again rise from the sea in the form of fine vapors and travels westward, to form again a river that would dash by cliffs, and look for peach blossoms on the banks.
然而我不敢说来生，也不敢相信来生！
But I dare not say that’s the rebirth of his previous life, for I couldn’t bring myself to believe in an afterlife.
生命又像一颗小树，
Life begins also like a young tree.
他从地底聚集起许多生力，在冰雪下欠伸，
He starts his journey underground where he gathers vitality and struggles to extend his tiny self to the snow above.
在早春润湿的泥土中，勇敢快乐的破壳出来。
When dew drops in early spring have moistened the soil, he musters his courage to push up, and out comes he!
他也许长在平原上，岩石上，城墙上，只要他抬头看见了天，呵！
It doesn’t matter to him whether he happens to be on a level stretch of land, or on a rock, or on a wall, as long as he can see the sky when he looks up.
看见了天！
Oh, he sees the sky! He’s thrilled!
他便伸出嫩叶来吸收空气，承受阳光，在雨中吟唱，在风中跳舞。
Eagerly, he stretches his tender leaves upwards, inhaling fresh air, basking in the sun, singing in the rain, dancing in the wind.
他也许受着大树的荫遮，也许受着大树的覆压，而他青春生长的力量，
He may be overshadowed and oppressed by the big trees towering over him, but empowered by his youthful vigor he manages to break free.
终使他穿枝拂叶的挣脱了出来，在烈日下挺立抬头！
Branching out strong, he positions himself squarely in the burning sun.
他遇着骄奢的春天，他也许开出满树的繁花，蜂蝶围绕着他飘翔喧闹，小鸟在他枝头欣赏唱歌，
When balmy spring breezes kiss him into full blossom, he finds himself surrounded by humming bees, fluttering butterflies, and chirping birds.
他会听见黄莺清吟，杜鹃啼血，也许还听见枭鸟的怪鸣。
He also hears orioles whistling, cuckoos crying, or owls hooting.
他长到最茂盛的中年，他伸展出他如盖的浓荫，来荫庇树下的幽花芳草，
In his prime, his thick foliage spreads out like a colossal green cover, giving shake to budding flowers and young grass below.
他结出累累的果实，来呈现大地无尽的甜美与芳馨。
The abundant fruit he produces is so inexhaustibly rich and sweet, flavored by Mother Earth.
秋风起了，将他叶子，由浓绿吹到绯红，
Then comes the autumn wind in sharp gusts, turning his dark green color into many shades of red, yellow and orange.
秋阳下他再有一番的庄严灿烂，不是开花的骄傲，也不是结果的快乐，而是成功后的宁静和怡悦！
Standing in the autumn sun, he radiates a stately calmness, tinged not with an indulgence in the pride in his foregone blooming prowess or the bliss of sweet fruition, but rather with a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction.
终于有一天，冬天的朔风把他的黄叶干枝，卷落吹抖，
One day, winter’s bitter air bits off the last of his withered leaves and parched twigs.
他无力的在空中旋舞，在根下呻吟，
His roots wobbly and his trunk shaken, he leaves himself at the mercy of elements.
大地庄严的伸出臂儿来接引他，他一声不响的落在她的怀里。他消融了，归化了，他说不上快乐，也没有悲哀！
When Mother Earth greets him solemnly, he collapses quietly into her massive arms, dissolved and naturalized, experiencing neither joy nor sorrow.
也许有一天，他再从地下的果仁中，破裂了出来。
Perhaps, someday he would again push up from underground, where he has been gathering vitality as a seed, to become a young tree again.
又长成一棵小树，再穿过丛莽的严遮，再来听黄莺的歌唱，
Once again he would break free from the entanglements surrounding him, and once again he would be listening to orioles singing.
然而我不敢说来生，也不敢信来生。
But I dare not say that’s the rebirth of his previous life, for I couldn’t bring myself to believe in an afterlife.
宇宙是个大生命，我们是宇宙大气中之一息。
The universe represents an all-encompassing life, in which we are but tiny breathing souls.
江流入海，叶落归根，我们是大生命中之一叶，大生命中之一滴。
While rivers and streams merge into the ocean, and fallen leaves return to where the roots are, we are no more than specks that join all that exits in the universe.
在宇宙的大生命中，我们是多么卑微，多么渺小，而一滴一叶的活动生长合成了整个宇宙的进化运行。
However insignificant, and however seemingly negligible, the tiniest particles, by virtue of their never-ending motion, join forces to power the evolution of the universe.
要记住：不是每一道江流都能入海，不流动的便成了死湖；
But we have to remember: all rivers or streams would not end up blending into the ocean, since those that do not flow would become stagnant;
不是每一粒种子都能成树，不生长的便成了空壳！
all seeds would not transform themselves into trees, since those that fail to grow would be reduced to empty hulls.
生命中不是永远快乐，也不是永远痛苦，快乐和痛苦是相生相成的。
Life is neither a joy forever, nor an ever-lasting woe, for the two shape each other and are mutually balancing,
等于水道要经过不同的两岸，树木要经过常变的四时。
much in the same manner as a river is bound to wash against different banks, and a tree is destined to experience seasonal changes.
在快乐中我们要感谢生命，在痛苦中我们也要感谢生命。
In happiness we owe our thanks to Life, and in agony we are no less indebted to Life.
快乐固然兴奋，苦痛又何尝不美丽？
Bliss is, needless to say, heartening, but who can claim that beauty is absent from pain and suffering?
我曾读到一个警句，它说“愿你生命中有够多的云翳，来造成一个美丽的黄昏”。
As an adage goes, “may there be enough clouds in your life to make a beautiful sunset”. （蔡力坚 译）
悼丁君
Mourning Ding Ling
鲁迅
Lu Xun
如磬夜气压重楼，
Stone-heavy lies the night on city buildings;
剪柳春风导九秋。
Spring winds that shaped the willow leaves bring autumn on.
瑶瑟凝尘清愿绝，
Thick is the dust on the lute of jade, and silent the music.
可怜无女耀高丘。
You will, alas, no longer bring glory to our land.
一九三三年
1933 （W.F. F. Jenner 译）
悼丁君
A Lament for Miss Ding1
鲁迅
Lu Xun
如磬夜气压重楼，
Like millstones the nightly mists weigh on the buildings high;
剪柳春风导九秋。
Although Spring is breathing one feels the late Autumn is nigh.
瑶瑟凝尘清愿绝，
The precious lute is dusty, and the charming music dies;
可怜无女耀高丘。
It’s a pity in our old country no Beauty will shine!
一九三三年
June 28th, 1933
注释一：
1. Ding Ling, a woman writer. On May 14th, 1933, she was arrested by the Kuomintang agents. When it was rumoured that she had been killed. Lu Xun wrote this poem in memory of her.
注释二：
2. According to Qu Yuan’s poem Li Sao, “Beauty” also implies “sagacity” or “eminence”. （吴钧陶 译）
悼丁君
Mourning for Miss Ting
鲁迅
Lu Hsun
如磬夜气压重楼，
Rock-like night air weighs heavy upon towers in tiers.
剪柳春风导九秋。
Willow-trimming spring wind heralds the ninety autumn days so soon!
瑶瑟凝尘清愿绝，
Jade-inlaid zither covered with dust, ceased is the clear, sad tune.
可怜无女耀高丘。
Pity, the lady who glorifies the lofty mount no longer appears.
一九三三年
（David Y. Ch’en 译）
悼丁君
A Lament for Ms. Ding
鲁迅
Lu Xun
如磬夜气压重楼，
On storied buildings endless night weighs down like flagstones overhead;
剪柳春风导九秋。
Spring’s breeze that once shaped willow trees to autumn’s ninety days has led.
瑶瑟凝尘清愿绝，
The inlaid zither now dust-choked, its clear and poignant music stops;
可怜无女耀高丘。
Alack that we’re without the maid who lit up lonely mountain tops!
一九三三年
（Jon Eugene von Kowallis 译）
芦苇之歌
The Song of the Reeds
庄云惠
Zhuang Yunhui
伤感的风雨
The sentimental wind and rain
摧击着心灵老去
Hasten the aging of the soul.
我是一茎早衰的芦苇
I am an immaturely aged reed,
折损于矿野流年
Having got worn out by the time in the wilderness.
我是一茎芦苇
I am a reed,
早衰于风雨人间
Having got aged immaturely in the human world of wind and storm.
不能放情歌舞
Unable to sing and dance at will.
无法自在逍遥
I had no way to live at leisure and to be free from care.
纤纤身躯
The slender body of mine
超载晶莹如露的誓诺
Is overloaded with pledges as crystal as dew.
独立在深秋
I am standing alone
无边的寂寥中
In solitude in late autumn.
我是独立旷野的一茎芦苇
I am a reed standing in the wilderness.
日日夜夜
Days and nights
将誓诺 读成
I translate the pledges
永远
Into eternity
将你 写进
And write of you
诗篇
In poems. （陈玉麟 译）
在无名的时光中
At Any Given Time
刘漫流
Liu Manliu
在无名的时光中
At any given time
唯一可敬的
all we can do
只是砌墙
is to build a wall
在黑暗中
In the dark
我们一块块地
we’re laying bricks
在砌
one brick after another
有时候
Sometimes
也不免停下手来
we stop for a while
瞄上一眼
to look around
我们不知道
We don’t know
墙背后
what’s hidden
隐藏着什么
by the wall
或许仍然
Probably still
只是
nothing more than
一片废墟
the same old ruins
在无名的时光中
At any given time
我们都只是
we’re just forgotten
被黑暗遗忘的泥瓦匠
bricklayers left in the dark （David Perry & 海岸 译）
我承认，我爱这座城市
I Admit It, I Love This City
吉狄马加
Jidi Majia
在第二次世界大战中，日军曾对重庆实施大轰炸，造成平民严重伤亡。
During World War II, the Japanese army unleashed massive bombardments on Chongqing, resulting in grave civilian casualties.
这个城市的午后
Afternoon in this city
是阳光最美好的时刻
Is when the sunlight is most beautiful
鸽群的影子，穿行在
Shadows of pigeon flocks pass
高楼与林木的四周
Along perimeters of groves and office towers
那些消失的
And those fading patches
雾霭和青烟
Of valley mist and bluish haze
如同玛瑙的碎片
Gleam like pieces of veined agate
闪烁在远处的群山之间
Among far-off groups of mountains
这个城市的无穷魅力，或许
The endless allure of this city, perhaps
就是因为它的起伏不平
Lies in the folds of its irregular terrain
它的美是神秘的，像一则寓言
Its beauty holds mystery, like a parable
我承认，我爱这个城市
I admit it, I love this city
那是因为我每次见到它
Because each time I see it
它给我的惊喜和陌生的感觉
I am surprised and struck by a strangeness
要远远超过我对它的熟悉
Which far surpasses my familiarity with it
它似乎永远埋藏着一种激情
It always seems to hide a certain passion
就像一个年轻而又充满了
Like a young wife
野性的少妇
Fresh and full of wilderness
每当我看见夜色
Each time I watch darkness
沉落在歌乐山巅
Descend on the top of Gele Mountain
山城的万家灯火，便开始演奏
Lights of this mountain city begin to perform
一部穿越时空的交响乐
A symphony that leaps through time and space
那些星星般闪耀的音符
Those starry twinkling notes
集合起金色的船队
Assemble in a golden convoy
把这座东方名副其实的山城
Recasting this mountain city of the East
演绎成一片波峰浪谷的
As a marvelous ocean of light
最为神奇的光的海洋
Complete with wave troughs and crests
不知道为什么
I know not why,
往往在这样的时候
but at such times
我就会想到六十多年前
I often think back sixty-odd years
这座城市所经历的
To the bombings this city endured
那场惨绝人寰的大轰炸
It was merciless, ultimate horror
我不敢肯定，在这些灯光中
I cannot say for sure whether glances of the dead
有没有死者的眼睛
Still peer out from among these lights
在另一个世界审视着我们
Examining us from another world
他们是因悲愤
They belong to old people, terribly shaken
而惊恐万分的老人
By grief and indignation
是由于窒息，流血的十指
Suffocated women whose bloody fingers
插入防空洞土墙的妇女
Scratched at dirt walls of bomb shelters
是那些张着嘴，但已经死去
They are gape-mouthed mothers, already dead
怀里还抱着婴儿的母亲
Holding children in their arms
我知道，那是五万多生命
I know the denunciations
他们的控诉
Raised by those 50,000 dead
已成为永远的呐喊
Stand as an undying outcry
是的，我爱这座城市
Indeed, my love for this city
还有一个特殊的原因
Has another special reason
那就是这座伟大的城市
Namely that this great city
与它宽厚善良的人民一样
Like its kind, generous people
把目光永远投向未来
Always keeps its eyes on the future
从不复制仇恨
Never seeking to duplicate vengeance
在这里，时间、死亡以及生命
Here the totality of life
所铸造的全部生活
Compounded of time, death, and will to live
都变成了一种
Has been turned into historical memory
能包容一切的沉甸甸的历史记忆！
Weighty and universally tolerant!
从某种意义而言
In a sense one could say
这个城市对战争的反思
This city’s reflective attitude toward war
对和平的渴望
And its longing for peace
就是今天的中国
Is no other than what today’s China
对这个世界的回答！
Gives as its answer to the world! （Denis Mair 译）
赠克木
To K. M.
戴望舒
Dai Wangshu
我不懂别人为什么给那些星辰
I do not know why men give stars those names
取一些它们不需要的名称，
The stars themselves do not understand.
它们闲游在太空，无牵无挂，
They travel through space without ambition or care,
不了解我们，也不求闻达。
Not caring to understand us, our desire for fame.
记着天狼、海王、大熊……这一大堆，
Sirius and Neptune, the Great Bear—so many names,
还有它们的成份，它们的方位，
With their orbits, locations and elements.
你绞干了脑汁，涨破了头，
You tax your brain a life-time to recall them.
弄了一辈子，还是个未知的宇宙。
Yet the universe remains undiscovered, unknown.
星来星去，宇宙运行，
The stars come and go, the earth revolves,
春秋代序，人死人生，
The seasons change, men die and men are born;
太阳无量数，太空无限大，
Innumerable are the suns and boundless the heavens:
我们只是倏忽渺少的夏虫井蛙。
We are transient like ants and frogs in the well.
不痴不聋，不作阿家翁，
Though neither mad nor deaf nor old,
为人之大道全在懵懂，
Yet to be a man is to be stupid;
最好不求甚解，单是望望，
You search for the truth in vain: just watch,
看天，看星，看月，看太阳。
Look at the sky, the stars, the moon, the sun;
也看山，看水，看云，看风，
Look at the hills, the streams, the clouds, the wind;
看春夏秋冬之不同，
Look at the four seasons,
还看人世的痴愚，人世的倥偬：
The follies and foolishness of men.
静默地看着，乐在其中。
Just watch: there is joy in doing so,
乐在其中，乐在空与时以外，
Joy beyond time and space;
我和欢乐都超越过一切境界，
For joy and I are above all realms,
自己成一个宇宙，有它的日月星，
Each self a universe with its sun, the moon and stars
来供你钻究，让你皓首穷经。
For you to explore, to research, till you grow old.
或是我将变成一颗奇异的彗星，
I would rather be a strange, new comet,
在太空中欲止即止，欲行即行，
Pausing or going my way at will in the sky,
让人算不出轨迹，瞧不透道理，
That none may know my orbit or reality until
然后把太阳敲成碎火，把地球撞成泥。
I’ve crushed the sun to particles, the earth to dust. （Ahmed Ali 译）
元日祝福
New Blessings
戴望舒
Dai Wangshu
新的年岁带给我们新的希望。
New year brings new hope.
祝福我们的土地，
So blessed be our land,
血染的土地，焦裂的土地，
The blood-stained, the scorched-up land,
更坚强的生命将从而滋长。
Out of which new life will grow.
新的年岁带给我们新的力量。
New year brings new strength,
祝福我们的人民，
So blessed be our people,
坚苦的人民，英勇的人民，
The suffering, the courageous.
苦难会带来自由解放。
Out of agony freedom will come. （Ahmed Ali 译）
南天动乱，适将去国，忆天问军中
Thinking of My Friend Tien Wen
李大钊
Li Ta-chao, written in 1916
班生此去意何云？
When Pan Chao1 left home how do you think he left?
破碎神州日已曛。
Our China, now in confusion is like the approaching night!
去国徒深屈子恨，
Leaving one’s land one thinks of Chu Yuan2’s hatred of evil
靖氛空说岳家军。
government; of the soldiers of Yueh Fei3 trying to bring peace and order
风尘河北音书断，
once again; yet this strength as yet I do not have; now on the north bank of the Yellow River, war has flared
戎马江南羽檄纷。
communications cut; then once more down in South China, war again; army telegrams fly here and there
无限伤心劫后话，
and since reaction has taken our land in its grip, bitterness is too great even for words; each year
连天烽火独思君。
as new wars ignite, I think of you wishing you here.
注释：
1. Pan Chao—a Han general sent to the frontier.
注释：
2. Chu Yuan—an ancient poet who hated evil government;
注释：
3. Yueh Fei—a loyal general in the Sung period. （Rewi Alley 译）
山中即景
Scenery Amongst the Hills
李大钊
Li Ta-chao, written in 1918
是自然的美，是美的自然；
Natural beauty of scenery lying in such quiet loveliness hill and valley giving solitude;
绝无人迹处，空山响流泉。
over the wild hills comes the sound of running waters,
云在青山外，人在白云内；
up in the cloud that rests on hilltops people move as if in the heavens though when clouds sail on, they still are there and in places where
云飞人自还，尚有青山在！
there are no folk at all, the great green hill, stands out defiantly. （Rewi Alley 译）
岁晚寄友
To A Friend, Written at the Year’s End
李大钊
Li Ta-chao1
江山依旧是，风景已全非。
The hills and streams are still ours but all else has changed;
九世仇堪报，十年愿未违。
the hates each generation has built up, must be satisfied; for ten years have I been a revolutionary, never budging from my stand;
辽宫昔时燕，今向汉家飞。
in the days of Liao and Kin, swallows in the palace beckoned our Han folk to come again
岁晚军书急，行人归未归?
now it is the twelfth month, almost New Year; armed struggle grows more serious; unlikely that friends out in the field will be able to return home,
几载不相见，沧桑又一时。
though for so many years we have not met; China does not remain the same;
廿年余壮志，千里寄新诗。
when I was young, I had a burning ambition to save my land, but now so many thousands of li away from the fight, I can but write to you and tell you of what I have done;
慷慨思投笔，艰难未去师。
so many times have I thrown down my pen, and said I would go and be a soldier—
何当驱漠北，遍树汉家旗。
then not going when, I wonder, can I get out to our northern frontiers and plant there the flag of our land?
注释：
1. Li Ta-chao was one of the founders of the Communist Party of China, executed by the warlord Chang Tso-lin in Peking in 1927. （Rewi Alley 译）
你在雨中等待着我
You Wait for Me in the Rain
北岛
Bei Dao
你在雨中等待着我
you wait for me in the rain
路通向窗户深处
the road leads into the window’s depths
月亮的背面一定很冷
the other side of the moon must be very cold
那年夏夜，白马
that summer night, a white horse
和北极光驰过
galloped past with the northern lights
我们曾久久地战栗
for a long time we trembled
去吧，你说
go, you said
别让愤怒毁灭了我们
don’t let anger destroy us
就像进入更年期的山那样
leaving no way of escape
无法解脱
like entering the mountains of menopause
从许多路口，我们错过
at many corners we took the wrong turn
却在一片沙漠中相逢
but in the desert we met
所有的年代聚集在这里
all the ages gather here
鹰，还有仙人掌
hawks, and long-lived cacti
聚集在这里
gather here
比热浪中的幻影更真实
more real than heat mirages
只要惧怕诞生，惧怕
as long as one fears birth,
那些来不及戴上面具的笑容
and the smiling faces that do not don their masks in time
一切就和死亡有关
then everything is connected with death
那年夏夜并不是终结
that summer night was not the end
你在雨中等待着我
you wait for me in the rain （Bonnie S. McDougall 译）
明天，不
Tomorrow, No
北岛
Bei Dao
这不是告别
this is not a farewell
因为我们并没有相见
because we have never met
尽管影子和影子
although shadow and shadow
曾在路上叠在一起
have overlain on the street
像一个孤零零的逃犯
like a solitary convict on the run
明天，不
tomorrow, now
明天不在夜的那边
tomorrow is not the other side of night
谁期待，谁就是罪人
whoever has hopes is a criminal
而夜里发生的故事
let the story that took place at night
就让它在夜里结束吧
end in the night （Bonnie S. McDougall 译）
虎爪
Tiger Paw Nail
琦君
Qi Jun
今年是虎年，我陡然想起了我的虎爪。
As this year is the year of the tiger, I suddenly remembered my tiger paw nail.
那是整整六十年前，我九岁的时候，母亲吧它用红棉绳拴了，挂在我的脖子上，
It was sixty years ago when I was nine that my mother hung a tiger paw nail around my neck with a piece of red cotton string.
我嫌它难看，又有点害怕。就把它塞进贴肉的粗布肚兜里面。
I was scared of it and thought it very ugly, so I hid it under my coarse cotton undershirt.
爪子尖有时刺到我，害得我夜里做慌梦，就把它脱下来放到母亲的针线盒里了。
The tip of the nail scratched my bare skin, and I had nightmares, so I took it off and put it in my mother’s sewing box.
虎爪是怎么来的呢？那是有一个大清早，
I remembered it was early morning.
我正跟母亲跪在蒲团上念经，
My mother and I were kneeling on the grass mat and chanting Sutras.
却听得一群人拥到我家门口敲锣打鼓地喊：
We heard noises at the front gate. There were the sounds of drums and cymbols.
“老虎打倒啦，打倒老虎啦！”
Someone was shouting, “We have killed the tiger! We have killed the tiger!”
母亲和我都忍不住奔出去，
Mother and I ran outside.
看见几个村子里的壮汉，
We saw several rough villagers carrying a wooden plank.
用一条木板凳扛着一条比狗大一点，满身深浅黄条纹的山兽，
On top of it lay an animal with yellow and black stripes, not much bigger than a dog.
放在我家大院子里，
They put it down in our big courtyard.
那一定就是老虎了。
The animal must be a tiger, I thought.
它趴着一动不动，眼睛紧闭着，
It lay there still, with its eyes tightly shut.
血从肚子底下一滴滴流在水泥地上，
Blood was dripping from its underbelly.
它已经被打死了。
It was already dead.
母亲连声念阿弥陀佛，
My mother, a devoted Buddhist, started to chant the Sutra of Mercy.
我不敢多看，回头就跑进屋子了。
I was frightened and ran into the house alone.
却听一个壮汉对母亲说：“老虎肉要吗？
I heard a villager saying to my mother, “Do you want to buy some tiger meat, Lady?
吃了冬天不怕冷哟！”
It will keep your body warm this winter.”
母亲说：“不要！
“We don’t want it.
你们快走吧，罪过死了。”
Please take it away. Heaven have mercy!”
壮汉说：“什么罪过，老虎最恶毒，会吃人的。”
“What mercy?” The villager asked out loud, “What mercy? Tigers are most vicious and eat people.”
“母亲说：“你不去伤它，它也不会吃你的。”
“If you don’t harm them, they will not harm you,” Mother said.
壮汉说：“太太，你太仁慈了，人都没那么好，别说畜生了。”
“You are too merciful, Lady. Even people harm people. To say nothing of beasts!”
母亲生气地说：
My mother started to get angry.
“你们把虎抗走，要把我地上的血水冲干净，
“Please take the tiger away and clean up the blood stain on the ground.
大清早的，怎么抗来打死的小老虎，母老虎才不和你们甘休呢。”
Why did you kill this baby tiger? Its mother will be after you!”
壮汉大笑说：“母老虎来了，再把它打来，老虎皮、老虎骨都好值钱哪。”
The villager laughed and said, “Ha! Mother tiger. We’ll kill her when she comes. The tiger skin and the tiger bones are all very expensive!”
母亲不想再听下去，就进来了。
My mother would not argue with the villagers anymore. She came into the house.
她跪在佛前，合掌闭目念往生咒，念了一遍又一遍。
She knelt down in front of the Buddha shrine and chanted the Sutra of Mercy. She repeated it over and over.
我心里一直在想着那闭着眼睛趴着一动不动的小老虎。
I kept thinking of the tiger with its eyes tightly shut.
它妈妈一定到处在找它，
Its mother must be looking for it everywhere by now.
一定哭得好伤心。
She probably is very sad.
果然，后山的老虎，出没悲号了好多天，
Surely, we heard the mother tiger crying sadly that night and several nights afterwards.
村子里再没一个人敢去打它，
No villager dared to kill her.
好多日子后，才不再听到声音了。
Then we did not hear her crying anymore.
很多天以后，五叔婆却从口袋里摸出一只小小的虎爪子，递给母亲书：
One day, Grandaunt took out a small tiger paw nail and gave it to my mother.
“小春看见过那只死掉的老虎了，
She said, “Hsiao Chun has seen the baby tiger.
我特别买来它这个爪子，挂在她身上，以后才会平安无事。”
I bought this tiger paw nail especially for her so she can be kept from evil.”
母亲呆呆地半晌才接过来，放在饭桌上。
Mother was stunned for a while and put it on the kitchen table.
五叔婆走开以后，母亲对我说：“虎爪是辟邪的，
After Grandaunt left the room, my mother said, “The paw nail of the tiger is a charm, and it will keep evil from you.
我把它用银子镶了给你戴。”
I will have it set in silver and let you wear it.”
我说：“妈妈，我不要戴虎爪，
“I don’t want to wear it.
我好怕，
I am so scared.
一看见它就会想起可怜的小老虎，和失去孩子的伤心母老虎。”
Whenever I see this nail, I will think of the dead baby tiger and its poor mother!”
母亲笑了下说：“你心肠这么好，
“You have a kind heart,” My mother said, “Wear the paw nail.
挂了它，就常常记得念经超渡那只小老虎吧。”
You will remember to say the Sutra of Mercy for the baby tiger.”
母亲的好意我不忍心违背。
I did not want to disobey my mother.
不久她真的把虎爪镶了银托子给我挂上，我还是把它脱下了。
She had the silver casing made and hung it over my neck. But I took it off later on.
出门求学时，我没有带着虎爪，
Many years later, when I went away to college, I did not bring the tiger paw nail with me.
它一直放在母亲的针线盒里。
It lay in my mother’s sewing box.
直到我毕业回到故乡，母亲已经去世，
I came home after graduating from college, but my mother had already passed away.
她的针线盒也不知去向了。
Her sewing box was gone.
整理她的衣物时，却发现虎爪竟然和我的意见旧短袄包在一起，
I was going through her old clothing and found an old jacket of mine. Wrapped in it was the tiger paw nail.
红棉绳已剪短，拴上了一个小小红缎包，
The red cotton string had been cut short, and on it hung a little red silk purse.
打开一看里面是一本小小的心经。
When I opened the purse, there was a tiny book of Sutras.
想想母亲一定还是记挂着那只小老虎，
I knew my mother must have remembered the tiger all these years.
所以把虎爪和心经拴在一起，求菩萨超渡它。
She had tied the paw nail and the tiny Sutras together.
母亲又把它们和我的短袄包在一起，明明是不放心我只身在外，要虎爪为我辟邪，求菩萨保佑我平安。[母亲遥远的挂念，无言的祝福，我竟懵然不知。]
This was to ask the Buddha to have mercy on it, and when she tied it with my jacket, she must have thought that it was a charm and would help keep evil away from me.
抚摸着小小的虎爪，我又想起那只被杀害紧闭眼睛的乳虎，和终日悲鸣的母虎。
I held the tiger paw nail in my hand and thought of the baby tiger with its eyes tightly shut,
更体会到母亲对我的担忧该有多么的深！
and how its mother would cry and how my mother must have worried about me.
虎爪和小本心经，由于战乱搬迁，再也找不到了。
The tiger paw nail and the tiny book of Sutras were lost during the war.
六十年为一甲子，
Sixty years have since passed.
如真有轮回的话，那只小老虎想来也业障早满，转世为人了。
According to reincarnation, I hope the baby tiger’s time was served and it has already turned into a person by now.
[但愿在人世不要再有母子生离死别之苦，可是充满忧患的人生，这样的愿望，要多么有福的人，才能达到呢？ ]——选自九歌出版社《玻璃笔》
（王克难 译）
流水线
Assembly Line
舒婷
Shu Ting
在时间的流水线里
On time’s assembly line
夜晚和夜晚紧紧相挨
night weights down on night
我们从工厂的流水线撤下
we come off the factory assembly line
又以流水线的队伍回家来
to form yet another line as we trudge home.
在我们头顶
over our heads
星星的流水线拉过天穹
the stars’ assembly line stretches across the sky
在我们身旁
on both sides
小树在流水线上发呆
small trees stand dazed in lines.
星星一定疲倦了
The stars must be tired
几千年过去
of the same old voyage
它们的旅行从不更改
after millennia have passed
小树都病了
the small trees are stricken
烟尘和单调使它们
their liens and colors stripped
失去了线条和色彩
by smog and monotony
一切我都感觉到了
all this I feel
凭着一种共同的节拍
for the rhythm we share.
但是奇怪
But how strange
我惟独不能感觉到
what eludes me
我自己的存在
is the feel of my own being
仿佛丛树与星群
perhaps like the trees and the stars
或者由于习惯
out of sheer habit
对自己已成的定局
out of sorrow
再没有力量关怀
I am unable to care About my own fate.
1980年
1980 （Julia C. Lin 译）
“相对优势”的优势
The Advantage of “Comparative Advantage”
林巍
Lin Wei
世界上，在某一领域有着绝对优势的人或产业永远是少数，大部分，是有着“相对优势”。
There are always minorities, either people or enterprises, that have absolute advantage in a field; the majority apply their comparative advantage to professions where they do their best to be effective players.
正因为利用了相对优势，才有了各领域的杰出人才，有了不同行业的分工，也才有了国际间的贸易，有了全球化的经济。
Based on comparative advantages, different divisions are formed as international trade and the globalized economy develop.
美国的佛罗里达州适合种植柑橘，中国的温州擅长做鞋子。
Oranges are flourishing in Florida in the United States, for example, shoes are made perfectly in Wenzhou of China,
两地的人们同样都需要柑橘和鞋子。
and people in both areas need oranges and shoes.
若将温州地区的土壤改造成可种植进口柑橘的条件，或者将佛罗里达州地区的工人训练成可做温州人质量的鞋子，
In Wenzhou, one could try to create an artificial environment for citrus trees of an international standard, and in Florida workers could be trained to make shoes as effectively as workers in Wenzhou using the same resources.
不是不可以，但是成本太高了。
However, the costs would be too high.
所以，不如两个地区的人都集中做本地区适宜病擅长做的事，在满足自己需要后，将其余的出口，
The best solution, therefore, is to allow each location to specialize in its own product, producing enough to meet local needs and exporting the rest.
结果双方都获得了比各自经营两种产品更为合算的成本低二质量高的产品。
As a result, people in both areas end up with lower cost and higher quality goods than if each tried to produce both.
不言而喻，这其中双方利用的是自己的绝对优势。
It is self-evident that absolute advantage occurs in this process.
然而，即便是有了绝对优势，也不一定要利用。
However, absolute advantage may not necessarily apply everywhere.
例如，我认识一位出色的公司老板，他很爱车，并精通如何给汽车换油，甚至比专业技工还快，
For instance, I know a capable company boss, who is also an expert in private cars and very skillful at changing car oil, even more efficiently than a mechanic.
但是他自己的车，大部分时间，还是开到专业车店去换油。原因是，他可以利用那段时间做一些更有价值的事。
But, almost every time he drives his car to a garage to have the oil changed by a mechanic since he believes he can use the time to do something more valuable.
这里，利用的不是他的绝对优势，而是相对优势。
What he uses here is his comparative advantage rather than absolute advantage.
同样道理，也适用于个人事业。
The same rationale may also apply to individual careers.
每个人在某一领域，可能不是最好的，但他一定会有自己的相对优势。
You may not be the best in a certain area, but still have a comparative advantage,
这种优势并不会因为别人的绝对优势而减弱，但却会因为自己的弱势小于别人的弱势而增强。
which will not be reduced in relation to others’ absolute advantage, and you can still find an advantaged position in which your disadvantages is smaller relative to others.
一个在才智方面平平的人，可以因为认准、用对了自己的“相对优势”而成就甚大。
An ordinary talent can, therefore, achieve outstanding results by rightfully exploring his or her comparative advantage.
所以，在某种意义上，“相对优势”的优势才是真正的优势。
In this sense, we may say that comparative advantage really works. （林巍 译）
七律•牡丹
The Peony --a seven-character regulated poem
马凯
Ma Kai July 2009
从来不与众花争，绿叶相扶默默生。
Competition and contention you never know; Amid escorting green quietly you grow.
广纳千娇成国色，兼收万态冠群英。
Queen of the land with charms a thousand, All blossoms you lead in poses a myriad.
曾居华贵高堂客，早泛天香百姓朋。
Favored erstwhile in mansions on high, Your divine aroma sweeps far and nigh.
纵使春阑才吐艳，依然无愧状元名。
A latecomer in springtime rails, be you may, The same coronals on you never sway. （凌原 译）
海燕戒
Commandment for the Petrel
刘征
Liu Zheng
有一只小海燕在动物园里长大，
In a zoo there grew up a little petrel
叫他海燕，只因为他是海燕的后代。
Through sheer genetic chains earned him that title.
他自己，且不必说冲击暴风雨，
Don’t mock at him for his fear of the tempest
压根儿就没有见过真正的大海。
He has never seen a real sea at all.
这一天，小海燕为了寻找大海，
Today the searching little petrel flew over to the sea.
飞到海面上，直累得东摇西摆。
Weary and worn, he reeled right and left.
他正在絮絮叨叨抱怨命运，
As he murmured about his bad fortune,
忽然看见云雾里出现一座楼台。
Out of the thick clouds emerged a mansion.
小海燕一见打心眼里高兴：
The very sight of it filled the petrel with joy:
“啊，这才是我理想的大海！
“Oh yes, this is the sea to which I belong!
你看摩天的高楼和堂皇的大厦！
With all these skyscrapers grand and gorgeous!
那里边一定就是天堂的所在。
Could there be any other paradise?
“里边定然有镶着宝石的金笼，
“There must be a good cage decked in jewels
又安静又暖和，不染一点尘埃；
Which is warm, serene and stainless;
里边定然有高等厨师制备的宴席，
There must be a first-rate cook making a feast.
吃什么有什么，只要把嘴张开。
Whoever opens his mouth shall have what he likes.
“有时也可以扇起翅膀飞几圈，
“Sometimes you may flap your wings and go some rounds,
但那是为了消遣，完全自由自在；
For recreation, utterly at leisure and free;
有时也可以对着暴风雨吟唱，
Sometimes you may even sing in the tempestuous rain,
但喧嚣和危险完全隔在玻璃窗外。
With sound and danger all blocked out of the windowpanes.
“你看那门前如水如龙的车马，
“Look at the vehicles flowing like water!
有多少人为欢迎海燕而来！
What a large crowd is here to cheer me!
我这么飞呀飞呀的真是个傻瓜，
How foolish I was to fly on and on
幸福的生活已经在眼前展开。”
When happiness is right before my eyes.”
有只老海燕打断了他的话：
An old petrel cut him short:
“那是蜃楼，哪里是什么楼台！
“That’s a mirage! By no means a mansion!
快抓住闪电，跨上乌云的骏马，
Hold the lightening and ride on the cloud stallion,
看，猛烈的暴风雨就要到来！”
Look! A fierce tempest is approaching!”
小海燕轻蔑地打了个口哨：
The little petrel whistled in contempt:
“我懂得怎样为自己安排。
“I know how to plan for myself.
这大海上的风云瞬息万变，
The sea is fickle by nature.
我可不打算在大海里葬埋。”
I’d rather not bury myself here.”
霎时间，海上涌起滔天巨浪，
In a minute the sea became very rough.
无数海燕冲天起舞，多么豪迈！
Countless petrels soared into the air, dancing. What a sight!
小海燕跌跌撞撞向蜃楼飞去，
The little petrel stumbled towards the mirage,
一头栽进大浪，再也没有回来。
Dipped into the waves and never showed up again.
不要以为海燕的子孙一定是海燕，
Don’t take it for granted petrels are born petrels,
只有海燕的翎毛并不能驾驭大海。
Mere petrel feathers will never make you a seafarer. （中国文学出版社 编译）
怀人
Thinking of You
夐虹
Xiong Hong/Hsiung Hung
为你贮一海的
For you I’ve stored an ocean
思，悄静而透亮
of longing, silent and transparent
你的臂弯围一座睡城
your arms go around a city of sleep
我的梦美丽而悠长
my dream lasts forever and is lovely
最微的灯，一扇半圆的窗下
The light is faintest under a half-moon window
你的名字，化作金丝银丝
your name turns to gold and silver threads
半世纪，将我围绕
entangling me for half a century
贮一海的思
Put aside an ocean of longing
在那静悄的城池
in a quiet city
最美的语音像最没的花瓣
words are like the loveliest petals that clothe me as they gently fall from a dream. （Julia C. Lin 译）
妈妈
Mama
夐虹
Xiong Hong/Hsiung Hung
当我认识你，我十岁
When I knew you I was ten
你三十五，你是团团脸的妈妈
and you were thirty-five, my round-faced mama
你的爱是满满的一盆洗澡水
your love was like a tub of warm water
暖暖的，几乎把我浮起来
so warm it almost made me float
但是有一度
But then
你把慈爱
you stopped your love, you
关了，又旋紧
screwed it tight, perhaps, you thought
也许你想，孩子长大了，不必再爱
the child is grown now, she needs no more love
也许，根本没有灾难
perhaps it wasn’t a disaster at all
也许妈妈无心的差错
perhaps a mother’s unintentional wrong
是我的最大灾难
has been my greatest misfortune
等我把病病好
When I had fully recovered from my illness
我三十五
I was thirty-five
你刚好六十
and you had just turned sixty
又看到你，团团脸的妈妈
once again I see you, my round-faced mama
好像一世，只是两照面
it seems in life we only show our faces when we meet
你在一端给
you are always the giver
我在一端取
and I, the taker
这回你是流泉，我是池塘
this time you were the spring and I the pond
你是落泪的流泉
You the spring of tears
我是幽静的池塘
I the tranquil pond
1975年12月永和
1975 （Julia C. Lin 译）
秋辞十行
Ten Lines: Autumn
向阳
Xiang Yang
叶子攀不住枯黯的枝枒
Unable to hold on to the dry branches,
纷纷奔向清晨微寒的潭心
Leaves tumble to the morning-chilled pond.
有人打伞自多露的湖畔走过
A man with an umbrella walks past the dewy lake,
只听见右侧林中跳下一颗
Listens to a pine-cone drop from the right of the woods,
松子，惊声喊道
Calls out in surprise:
你就这样来了吗？
“Is this the way you come?”
涟漪和回声都流连在空荡的水面上
Ripples and echoes linger on the hollow surface of water,
一些浮萍忽然站了起来
Duckweed stands abrupt, leaving the clear mountain reflections
留下山的倒影明晰地吻着雨后
To kiss the sky, blue after rain.
蔚蓝的天空，而秋是深得更深了
This is deep, deep autumn now. （Dominic Cheung 译）
罪过
Sins
闻一多
Wen Yiduo
老头儿和担子摔一交，
The old man fell down with his load,
满地是白杏儿红樱桃。
White apricots and red cherries scattered all over.
老头儿爬起来直哆嗦，
The old man got up muttering incessantly,
“我知道我今日的罪过！”
“I know my sins today!”
“手破了，老头儿你瞧瞧。”
“Your hands are bleeding, old man.
“唉！
Look!”
都给压碎了，好樱桃！”
“Oh, no! All crushed! Good cherries!”
“老头儿你别是病了罢？
“Old man, are you well?
你怎么直楞着不说话？”
Why are you staring at me without a word?”
“我知道我今日的罪过，”
“I know my sins today!
一早起我儿子直催我。
Early this morning my son kept hurrying me.
我儿子躺在床上发狠，
My son, still in bed, got mad;
他骂我怎么还不出城。”
He scolded me for not yet leaving the city.”
“我知道今日个不早了，
“I knew it was getting late,
没有想到一下子睡着了。
I didn’t realize I overslept,
这叫我怎么办，怎么办？
Now when am I going to do, going to do?
回头一家人怎么吃饭？”
What will the whole family eat?”
老头拾起来又掉了，
The old man picks them up and lets them go,
满地是白杏红樱桃。
White apricots and red cherries scattered all over. （Gloria Rogers 译）
昨夜
Last Night
白萩
Bai Qiu
昨夜来去的那一个人，昨夜
the one who came and left last night
诉说着秋风的凄苦的
the one who talked about the forlorn autumn wind
那一个人，昨夜
last night the one
以水波中的
who smiled at me
月光向我
with moonlight
微笑的
on rippling water
那人
the one who
以落叶
walked across my heart
的脚步走过
with the footsteps
我心里的那一个人
of falling leaves
昨夜用猫的温暖给我愉快的
the one who
那人
gave me pleasure last night with a cat’s warmth
唉，昨夜来去的那一个人，昨夜的云
last night’s clouds
昨夜来去的那一个人
alas, the one who came and left last night （Michelle Yeh 译）
雨季
Rainy Season
韩东
Han Dong
一所房子的四周在下雨
It rains around the house of three dead walls.
只有一面有窗，提供下雨的景象
A single window shows the rain.
主人犹如阴郁的司机
You’d think you were driving an old car
驾车驶过漫长的雨季
Through a cloudburst, passing
经过相同的房屋和侧面
The same few streaming houses again and again.
时间的路标已模糊一片
The road signs of the season blur.
前进，相对于明亮的雨丝和水滴
Water covers the window with a fine silk—
安全就像盲人眼中持久的白雾
Something serene, like the white fog in a blind man’s eye. （Donald Revell and Zhang Er 译）
回忆
Memory
李国荣
Li Guorong
谁熄灭了一盏太阳的孤灯
Who has put out the lonely lamp of the sun
谁推开了昨天那扇木门
Who has daffed the wooden gate of yesterday
一只月亮坐在床头
One moon is sitting at the head of bed
另一只潜入水井
Another moon is hidden in the well
黑夜里涉水的声音
There comes the sound of wading
有人逆流而上
Somebody is going upward against the current （北塔 译）
那年冬天
That Year, Winter
杨克
Yang Ke
一把把冷飕飕的刀子
Blade on blade, chill-chilling knives
一夜便割干净一切
in one night all’s cut clean away downright
城市蒙上白布
city smothered in white cloth
露宿的
Bedroomless
僵硬的树，枝桠手脚冰凉
stiffened trees, their branches ice-frigid limbs
逆风而行的人
Those wending their way against the wind are
柔弱得像一条条草
frail as blade on blade of grass
谁一声低沉的咳嗽
someone’s one-time whispered coughing
吓得路旁的楼房一跳
makes the roadside high-rise startle （Simon Patton 译）
打工的人
Laborers
许强
Xu Qiang
在南方 风平浪静
This is the South, place of gentle winds and quiet waters
其实常常在内心 经历着
Yet deep inside I undergo
生与死的无言拼搏
A wordless duel of life and death
有多少个夜晚 灵魂的形体
So many nights, my immaterial body
在失眠的刀刃上徘徊
Paces along the knife blade of insomnia
在南方你究竟经历了多少个年头
Such long years a person endures in the South
把路扛在肩上的日子
Days of carrying the road on his shoulders
生活多么沉重
Learning how heavy life can be
从汗水走向泪水
Out of sweat walking towards tears
从泪水走向汗水
Out of tears walking towards sweat
咸咸的河流中 有多少人
In this salty river, how many people
把很窄的路走宽
Broaden a narrow road by walking?
把很宽的路走窄
Or just walk until their wide road narrows?
我不知道 在这个茫然无助的城市中
I wonder, in this unguided helpless city
有多少人正因各种压力处于灵魂的崩溃边缘
How many souls are pushed to the brink of collapse
有多少人真想一觉睡去永不醒来
How many people wish to sleep and never waken （Denis Mair 译）
春之舞
Spring Dancing
纪弦
Ji Xian
她是从国立研究院标本陈列室里逸出来的
She flew out of the specimen exhibition room of the National Research Institute
一可肉之白骨：撞碎了玻璃橱
A skeleton, breaking the glass case without making
无声地，当年青的男性管理员午膳后作片刻的
A sound, as the male deputy curator was taking a siesta
假寐时。
After lunch.
她是
She was
啊 如此地轻盈、轻盈、轻盈地舞着，用了邓肯
O so lightly, lightly, lightly
的步法
Swinging with the choreography of Isadora Duncan
和赵飞燕的韵致，在商业大楼前
The subtle rhythm of Zhao Feiyan, in front of the Commercial Building
春日宁静的广场上。
A quiet, spring square.
广场上：
The square:
杜鹃怒放，而她舞着。
Azaleas bloomed and she danced.
舞着的
This dancer
是一怀春之少女；假寐的管理员
Must have been love-crazed; and the napping curator was apparently
则或一定义上的无梦之标本。
A dreamless specimen according to a certain definition
标本
Specimen
标本
Specimen
春之舞
Spring dancing
（舞以白骨
(Dancing: skeleton
舞以少女）
Dancing: young woman)
标本。
Specimen.
标本。
Specimen.
春之舞！
Spring dancing!
而当她意兴既寂，一念间
And when her mood was down, in an instant
欣然失踪，都忘了收回那
She disappeared merrily, forgetting to fetch back
赫然投射在德国荷尔蒙巨型广告牌上的
On the huge German hormone ad billboard
一不可消失之黑影
Awesome, the indelible shadow
1957年
1957 （C. H. Wang 译）
狼之独步
A Wolf
纪弦
Ji Xian
我乃旷野里独来独往的一匹狼。
I am a lone wolf walking in the field
不是先知，
Not a prophet
没有半个字的叹息。
without any thought to sigh
而恒以数声凄厉已极之长嗥
but constantly with some extremely shivering howlings
摇撼彼空无一物之天地，
shake that absolutely empty world
使天地战栗如同发了疟疾；
to make it tremble as if it had malarial fever
并刮起凉风飒飒的，飒飒飒飒的：
and blow its chilly wind that gets on my nerves
这就是一种过瘾。
This is how I’m tough Sort of groovy
1964年
1964 （C. H. Wang 译）
预言
Prophecy
何其芳
He Qifang
这一个心跳的日子终于来临！
It has finally arrived—that heart-throbbing day.
呵，你夜的叹息似的渐近的足音
The sound of your footsteps, like the sighs of the night,
我听得清本是林叶和夜风私语，
I can hear clearly. They are not leaves whispering in the winds
麋鹿驰过苔径的细碎的蹄声！
Nor the fawns darting across a lichened pass.
告诉我，用你银铃的歌声告诉我，
Tell me, tell me in your singing voice of a silver bell,
你是不是预言中的年轻的神？
Are you not the youthful god I heard about in a prophecy?
你一定来自那温郁的南方！
You must have come from the warm and exuberant south,
告诉我那里的月色，那里的日光！
Tell me about the sun there, and the moonlight,
告诉我春风是怎样吹开百花，
Tell me how the spring air blows open the hundreds of flowers,
燕子是怎样痴恋着绿杨？
And how the swallow lovingly clings to the window twigs.
我将合眼睡在你如梦的歌声里，
I shall close my eyes to sleep in your dreamy songs—
那温暖我似乎记得，又似乎遗忘。
Such comfort I seem to remember, and yet seem to have forgotten.
请停下，请停下你疲劳的奔波，
Stop please, pause in the middle of your long journey
进来，这儿有虎皮的褥，你坐！
To come in. Here is a tiger-skin rug for you to sit on.
让我烧起每一个秋天拾来的落叶
Let me light up every leaf I have gathered in autumn,
听我低低地唱起我自己的歌。
Listen to me singing my own song.
那歌声将火光一样沉郁又高扬，
Like the flame, my song will dip and rise in the turn, again
火光一样将我的一生诉说。
Like the flame, will tell the story of the fallen leaves.
不要前行！前面是无边的森林，
Don’t go forward, the forest ahead is boundless,
古老的树现着野兽身上的斑纹，
The trunks of old trees show stripes and spots of the animals.
半生半死的藤，蟒一样交缠着，
The serpentine vines intertwine, half dead and half living,
密叶里漏不下一颗星星。
Not a single star can fall through the dense foliage above.
你将怯怯地不敢放下第二步，
You won’t dare to put your foot down a second time, when you
当你听见了第一步空寥的回声。
Have heard the empty and lonely echo of your first step.
一定要走吗？
Must you go?
请等我和你同行！
Then, let me go with you.
我的脚步知道每一条平安的路径，
My feet know every safe trail there is.
我可以不停地唱着忘倦的歌，
I shall sing my songs without stop,
再给你，再给你手的温存！
And offer you the comfort of my hand.
当夜的浓黑遮断了我们，
When the thick darkness of the night separates us,
你可以不转眼地望着我的眼睛。
You may fix your eyes on mine.
我激动的歌声你竟不听，
You pay no heed to my excited songs,
你的脚竟不为我的颤抖暂停！
Your footsteps halt not for a moment at my trembling self.
象静穆的微风飘过这黄昏里，
Like a breeze, soft and serene, passing through the dusk…
消失了，消失了你骄傲的足音！
It vanishes, and vanished are your proud footsteps.
呵，你终于如预言中所说的
Ah, have you really silently come, as in the prophecy,
无语而来，无语而去了吗？
And silently gone,
年轻的神？
my youthful god?
一九三一年秋天，北平
（Kai-yu Hsu 译）
果实
Fruit
鲁藜
Lu Li
我走向深秋的旷野
I went out to the countryside in deep autumn,
我脱去我的衣裳 我的一切牵挂
stripped off my clothes and all my worries,
我光着身子立在阳光里
standing naked in the sunlight
也像一棵快活的小树
like a cheerful young tree;
我的双手是枝叶
my hands became branches and leaves,
我的白发是花朵
my white hair, blossoms,
我的心是红色的果实
and my heart, red fruit. （Rewi Alley 译）
泥土
Mud
鲁藜
Lu Li
老是把自己当作珍珠
Always thinking of oneself as a pearl,
就时时有被埋没的痛苦
necessitates constant worries about being buried.
把自己当作泥土吧
Just liken yourself to mud,
让众人把你踩成一条道路
letting the masses tread you into a path. （Rewi Alley 译）
天安门诗抄•五言诗•其三噩耗惊四海，哭声遍九州。
The grievous news subdues the Four Seas; Weeping spreads through the Nine Regions, 1
碑如朔风啸，哀似寒水流。
Sad as the wail of the north wind, Drear as dark icy waters.
天亦为之痛，地亦为之愁。
The sky hangs low, bent in pain; The earth is plunged in sorrow.
行路原多难，此去更堪忧。
The road has been a treacherous one, But with you gone, will be more so.
注释：
1. An ancient name for China. （肖兰 译）
天安门诗抄•五言诗•其二天惊一声雷，地倾绝其维。
Heaven is rocked with a clap of thunder; Earth reels, snapping its cord.1
顿时九州寂，无语皆泪水。
The nation is stunned into sudden silence; As we stand mutely, tears stream forth.
相告不成声，欲言泪复垂。
We would speak, but find not our tongues, Each word broken by anguished sobs.
听时不敢信，信时心已碎。
Hearing the news, we dared not believe; Believing the news, our hearts are rent.
注释：
1. In ancient China, legend had it that heaven was round and the earth square. The former was supported by nine pillars and the latter secured with four cords. Once one of the cords were severed, the earth would tilt. （肖兰 译）
古镇的梦
Dream of an Old Town
卞之琳
Bian Zhilin
小镇上有两种声音
Two sounds in the old town
一样的寂寥：
—equally melancholic
白天是算命锣，
are the daily fortune-teller’s gong,
夜里是梆子。
and the nightly watchman’s clappers.
敲不破别人的梦，
Not apt to disturb other’s dreams,
做着梦似的
as if in a dream himself,
瞎子在街上走，
the blind fortune-teller walks the streets
一步又一步。
step by step,
他知道哪一块石头低，
knowing so well which flagstones are low,
哪一块石头高，
which high;
哪一家姑娘有多大年纪。
how old the daughters of a certain family might be…
敲沉了别人的梦，
Then making others go deeper into their dreams,
做着梦似的
he himself as if in a dream,
更夫在街上走，
the watchman goes his rounds
一步又一步。
step by step,
他知道哪一块石头低，
knowing well which flagstones are low,
哪一块石头高，
which high;
哪一家门户关得最严密。
which doors are tightly shut.
“三更了，你听哪，
“Listen, it’s the third watch already,”
毛儿的爸爸，
A good wife says, “Mao Er’s dad!
这小子吵得人睡不成觉，
The boy cries ever in his dreams,
老在梦里哭，
stopping us from sleeping;
明天替他算算命吧？”
we must have his fortune told tomorrow.”
是深夜，
Comes midnight for one,
又是清冷的下午：
a cold afternoon for the other.
敲梆的过桥，
He with clappers crosses the bridge,
敲锣的又过桥，
he with gong crosses also,
不断的是桥下流水的声音。
while beneath the water flows on, ever murmuring. （Rewi Alley 译）
土墙上的划痕
A Long Line Cut on the Earthen Wall
铁凝
Tie Ning
作家成功的路径千差万别，
There are various ways for writers to reach success.
但有两点是他们必备的，那就是爱与意志。
But two factors are essential for them to do so – love and strong will.
很多年前，一位年老的女作家给我讲起过她的初恋。
Many years ago, an old woman writer told me about her first love.
那是中国的抗日战争年代，
It was in the time of war against Japanese aggressors.
她是八路军中一名14岁的战士。
She joined the Communist-led Eighth Route Army at the age of 14.
她暗恋着一个大她几岁的士兵，当时他们的部队驻扎在一个村子里。
The branch of troops to which she belonged stayed at a village. She was then secretly in love with a young soldier several years her senior.
一天那士兵被派去前线，她和战友们去送。
One day the soldier was sent to the front. She went with others to see him off.
她知道他可能一去不回，却没有能力也没有勇气说出她心中汹涌的爱和巨大的悲伤。
She knew it was quite possible that he would never return. She could not and dared not express the surging love and tremendous sorrow when she walked in the rear of the sending-off crowd.
她就那么走在人群后边，沿着村口一户农民家的院墙一直到村外。
They went along the wall surrounding a farm house at the end of the village.
那是中国北方农村常见的一种“干打垒”土墙，
It was a rammed-earth wall commonly seen in the north of China.
她一路走着，一边用大拇指在土墙上深深划着，
As she walked, she subconsciously cut with the nail of her thumb on the wall, leaving a long line on it.
一直划到墙尽头，一直到那士兵消失在原野上。
The marked line stretched to the end of the wall, and seemingly went beyond it, disappearing into the fields where the back shadows of the soldier vanished.
后来，那士兵牺牲了，
At last the news came of his death on the battlefield.
女孩每天都到村口去看土墙上被她划出的那条长长的深痕。
The girl went every day to look at the line cut deep on the wall. It bore witness to her first love.
半个多世纪过去了，年过80岁的女作家告诉我说，即使在今天，每当想起初恋，她的大拇指仍然会升腾起一种炽热。
Even today, more than 50 years later, as an 80-year-old writer she still felt hot at her thumb when she thought of her first love.
我记住了那灼热的大拇指，那是独属于这位女作家的简朴而诚挚的爱。
I kept in mind the unique scorching-hot thumb that symbolizes the simple and pure love of the woman writer.
而这样一种隐忍的纯情，我相信不同民族的听众都能够理解，因为这是人类的心灵能够共同感受到的东西。
This carefully-concealed pure love is something universal, capable to be felt and understood by every human mind, no matter what race or nationality it belongs to.
当我在书桌前坐下拿起笔，有时会莫名其妙地想起这位作家的初恋故事。
When I sit at my desk and pick up the pen, I’m often involuntarily reminded of the woman writer’s first love.
进而相信，
It sets me thinking a lot.
如果作家的语言和感情是不诚实的，如果作家是在做作，如果他是在写他并不真正关心或相信的东西那么也没有人会关心他的作品，不论那读者是你的老乡或者是生活在异邦。
If a writer is not honest about his language and feelings; if he is affected or put on an act; if what he writes is what he doesn’t mind or believe his works will naturally not be cared for, no matter who the reader is, whether he is his fellow townsman or he lives in a foreign country.
而当这种不愉快的景况出现时，我们决不能推卸责任搬地去怪罪“这都是全球化惹的祸”。
When this unpleasantness occurs, we should not shift responsibilities, blaming “All this is the fault of globalization”.
“西方之上”或狭隘的民族主义对文学的发育和进步都没有益处。
Neither the belief “The West is supreme” nor the narrow-minded nationalism will do anything good for literature’s development and progress.
在全球化的喧嚣中，我们应该有勇气重振爱与意志，写下有体温的字，如同那位女作家讲述过的灼热的拇指，那儿有生命的质感，有作家活生生的个人面目。
In the clamor of globalization, we should have the courage to emphasize love and strong will, and be able to produce writings with physical warmth like the hot thumb told by that woman writer, a vivid expression of the writer’s personal feelings. （许瑛 译）
细雨江南组诗•水乡
Drizzles on the Land Southern of the Yangtze River (group poems) Region of Rivers and Lakes
艺辛
Yi Xin
三月的杏花开过
The March apricot blossoms have passed their prime.
三月的柳絮飘过
The willow catkin has drifted in March.
三月的江南 正静静地
The land southern of the Yangtze River in March is lying quietly,
冥想在我的凝望里
meditating in my gazes.
石拱桥得得的蹄声之下
On the stone bridge are heard the trotting of hoofs.
小河水幽深而澄碧
The water in the rivulet runs deep and crystal green.
八九户人家临水照影
Several cottages clustering along the banks, are reflected on the water.
三两裸老树乱藤盘曲
A few old trees twisted with rattan stand on guard.
一只舟子悠悠漂来
A boat is padding slowly by.
漂进我的凝望
It comes in my view.
绿衣红裳的船家妹
The boat girl in green blouse and red trousers
正是水灵灵的年纪
Is in the prime of her age.
掉歌声轻轻在水面上
The boat song wafts softly,
划出我思乡之梦痕
drawing out on the water trace of my nostalgia.
杜鹃鸟一声啼唤
The cuckoo sings:
不如归去……
Ka koo, go home, would you?... （陈玉麟 译）
流产
Abortion
张真
Zhang Zhen
天光晃着晃着
The light of day is shimmering, shimmering
你在那边美丽地形成
And there you are, perfectly formed
唯唯诺诺像一只小鸡
As meek and docile as a baby bird
我的小鸡
My little bird
你幸免灭顶之灾
You narrowly escaped total disaster
不将存在的那根脐带
But now the umbilical cord that will never exist
转而使我悲戚
Has made me sad
在已臆想好的关系里
In the imagined relationship
母与子
Of mother and son
我与你
Myself and you
我已磨好了刀
I had already sharpened the knife
血在天花板上喷出斑斓花纹
Blood had sprayed gorgeous patterns on the ceiling
一双细足倒提着
A pair of tiny feet hoisted upside down
那就是我的爱
That was my love
你该是金黄色的
You should have been a golden child
辉煌像一只鼎
Resplendent as a sacred cauldron
但也难说你会是漆黑一片
Yet for all I know you could have been a blackness
把我的窗户涂没
Blotting out my windows
谢天谢地
Thank heavens for this reconciliation
为这一次和解我要喝醉
I shall get drunk
那也是我的恨
That was also my hatred
我长久地内望子宫
For a long time I had peered into the womb
你莫须有的存在
At your unnecessary existence
我艰辛地翻山越岭
With great difficulty I crossed mountain after mountain
在睡眠中与你竞走
Running a foot-race with you in my sleep
最终是我得救
In the end I was all the one to be rescued
如今我为你招魂
Now I call on your soul to return
用怎样一种语言
Whatever language I use
你蜷伏我膝头聆听
You curl up in my lap to listen
而我没有任何寓言
But I have no parables for you
你的母亲只有很多秘密
Your mother has only a lot of secrets
你就是其中一个
And you are one of them
现在走在这葬仪的队首
Walking now at the head of the funeral procession
我一身鲜红
I am dressed all in crimson
为你而执一捧罂粟花如火
Holding poppies for you like flames
你的兄弟姐妹都会被告知
Your brother and sisters will all be told
你是长子你先于一切
That you were the eldest son, the first,
而且你比谁都美
And were handsomer than any of them
因此我为你骄傲
And so I am proud of you
回到家中一如既往
Returning home, I walk haltingly as before
蹒跚在窗帘帷幔之间
To and fro between draperies and curtains
我思念你不可知的形象
Longing for your unknown form
烛火弥漫你奇异的气味
Candlelight fills the air with your curious scent
你生来不属于我
From birth you were destined not to belong to me
出门前对着镜子整装时
But as I stand before the mirror about to leave the house
却见到你与我同在
I see you there with me （Naikan Tao and Tony Prince 译）
访问阿尔及利亚
Visiting Algeria
陈毅
December 1926 Chen Yi
阿尔及尔英雄城，
Algiers is a city of heroes,
城市游击著令闻。
It’s renowned for urban guerrilla wars.
森林中有大城市，
A city nestled in forests,
大城市中有森林。
Forests found in the city.
负山面海阿京雄，
A capital near mountains and the ocean,
傍海峰峦走似龙。
Undulating peaks stretch as a dragon.
百里郊原尽嫩绿，
The fields are all green in the suburbs,
汽车穿透桔林红。
Through orange groves drive our cars. （张援远、顾子欣 译）
割麦人
The Wheat Reaper
邹静之
Zou Jingzhi
割麦人
The wheat reaper
他的镰刀磨得
has ground his sickle
飞快
sharp.
他的酒也像
His wine is ripe too,
镰刀
ready as the sickle.
那些麦子等着
The wheat is waiting
倒下
to fall
像一些遥远的朋友
like friends from far away
走过来
who come over
倒进怀里
to collapse into your arms
他听到
He can hear
麦子接触刀的声音
the sound of sickle meeting wheat.
他是刀
He is that sickle.
他也是麦子
He is that wheat.
假如没有冬天
If there were no winter
割麦人会放弃收获
the reaper would give up harvesting.
酒在割他的喉咙时
Wine soothes
他总这样想
as it stings his throat. （Wang Ping 等 译）
石壁
Precipices
顾城
Gu Cheng
两块高大的石壁，
Two huge stone escarpments are closing tightly
在倾斜中步步进逼。
Leaning toward each other bit by bit.
是多么灼热的仇恨，
What searing animosity it must be
烧弯了铁黑的躯体。
That scorches and bends their iron-dark bodies.
树根的轫带紧紧绷住，
Tree-root tendons strain taunt;
岩石的肌肉高高耸起。
Rocky muscles stretch to full height.
可怕的角力就要爆发，
When just one more dewdrop has fallen,
只要露水再落下一滴。
Ferocious wrestling will break out.
这一滴却在压缩中突然凝结
Yet this droplet suddenly crystalizes
时间变成了固体。
Under pressure as time itself solidifies.
于是这古老的仇恨便得以保存，
So this ancient hatred, still well preserved,
引起了我今天一点惊异。
Stirs a little tremor of surprise in me today.
1979年5月于重庆北碚一线天
（Fang Dai, Dennis Ding, and Edward Morin 译）
设计重逢
Reunion by Design
顾城
Gu Cheng
沾满煤灰的车辆
Wheels completely stained with coaldust
晃动着，从道路中间滚过
Rattle down the middle of the road
我们又见面了
We meet again
我，据说老了
They say that I’m already old
已经忘记了怎样跳跃
Have forgotten how to leap
笑容像折断的稻草
And have a smile just like a broken rice-stalk
而你，怎么说呢
But you—how shall I say—
眼睛像一滴金色的蜂蜜
Have eyes like drops of golden honey
健康得想统治世界
Are healthy enough to still want to rule the world
想照耀早晨的太阳和面包
And shine like the morning sun on fresh bread
车站抬起手臂
The signal at the railroad crossing raises his arm
黑天中却垂下了它的触角
While the long-horned beetle drops its antennae
你问我
You ask me
在干什么
What I’m doing nowadays
我说，我在编一个寓言小说
I say that I’m writing a fable
在一个广场的边缘
On the edges of a plaza
有许多台阶
There are many steps
它们很不整齐，像牙齿一样
Very uneven, like worn-out teeth
被损坏了，缝隙里净是沙土
Their rifts fill up with sand and dust
我的责任是在那里散步
It’s my duty to take a stroll over there
在那研究，蚂蚁在十字架上的
And study the traffic rules
交通法则
Of ants that climb up along a cross
当然这样的工作
Naturally jobs like this
不算很多
Are very few and far between
天快黑了
The sky is almost black
走吧，转过身去
Go with your back turned
让红红绿绿的市场在身后歌唱
Let the red and green marketplace sing behind you
快要熄灭的花
The flowers are about to wait
依旧被青草们围绕
Still surrounded by green foliage
暖融融的大母牛一边微笑
Big warm cows are smiling on one side
把纯白的奶汁注入黑夜
As they shoot their pure white milk into the night
在灵魂安静之后
Once the heart is at rest
血液还要流过许多年代
The blood still has to flow for many more years
1982年3月
（Fang Dai, Dennis Ding, and Edward Morin 译）
生命
Life
冰心
Bing Xin
莫非你冷，
Aren’t you feeling cold?
你怎秋叶似的颤抖；
Why are you shivering like autumn leaves?
这里风凉，
Here it is windy and cold;
待我慢慢拉着你走。
Let me take you by the hand and leave.
你看天空多么清灵，
Look, the sky is so clear;
这滴滴皎洁的春星；
The stars shine in crystal and radiance;
新月眉儿似的秀莹，
The new crescent moon is curved like an eyebrow.
你头上有的是快乐，光明。
Above you there is happiness and brilliance.
你看灯彩多么美妙，
Look, the colors of the lights are so dazzling;
纺窗内透出桔色的温柔；
Orange tenderness shows through the window.
这还不给你一些儿温暖？
Doesn’t this bring you some warm feeling,
纵然你有海样的深愁。
Though you suffer deep sorrow?
看温情到了你指尖，
Look, tender feeling is at your finger tips.
看微笑到了你唇边——
Look, smiles appear on your lips—
你觉得生命投到你怀里不？
Don’t you feel that life is nestling in your breast
你寻找了这许多年。
Which for years you have been searching?
一九四二年春月，歌乐山。
Spring of 1942, on Gele Hill （陈玉麟 译）
我曾
I Have?
冰心
Bing Xin
我曾梦摘星辰，
I have dreamed of picking stars,
醒来一颗颗从我指间坠落；
When awake the stars fall between my fingers one after another.
觉悟后的虚空呵！
The feeling of emptiness
叫我如何不惆怅？
Throws me into desolation.
我曾梦撷飞花，
I have dreamed of picking flying flowers,
醒来一瓣瓣从我指间飘散；
When awake the petals drift down between my fingers one after another.
觉悟后的虚空呵！
The feeling of emptiness
叫我如何不凄凉？
Lands me in melancholy.
我曾梦调琴弦，
I have dreamed of plucking the harp chords,
醒来一丝丝从我指间折断；
When awake the chords break off thread after thread from my fingers.
觉悟后的虚空呵！
The feeling of emptiness
叫我如何不感伤？
Brings me sentimental fits.
我曾梦游天国，
I have dreamed of touring the heaven,
醒来一片一片河山破碎；
When awake the land is broken to pieces.
觉悟后的虚空呵！
The feeling of emptiness
叫我如何不怨望？
Arouses pain and indignation.
1929年4月22日
April 22, 1929
（原载1929年5月《燕大月刊》第4卷3、4期合刊）
(Originally carried in Issue 3-4 Vol. IV of “Monthly Magazine of Yanching University”, May 1929) （陈玉麟 译）
起造一座墙
Build A Wall
徐志摩
Xu Zhimo
你我千万不可亵渎那一个字，
You and I must never desecrate that word.
别忘了在上帝跟前起的誓。
Let us not forget our vow before God.
我不仅要你最柔软的柔情，
I want your most tender love
蕉衣似的永远裹着我的心；
To wrap around my heart like plantain peel
我要你的爱有纯钢似的强，
And your love as strong as pure steel
在这流动的生里起造一座墙；
To build a wall in the flux of life.
任凭秋风吹尽满园的黄叶，
Let the autumn wind cover the garden with sere leaves,
任凭白蚁蛀烂千年的画壁；
Let termites eat away carved pillars a thousand years old.
就使有一天霹雳震翻了宇宙，——
Even if a lightning bolt shattered the universe one day,
也震不翻你我“爱墙”内的自由！
It could not shatter our freedom behind the wall of love.
1925年8月
August 1925 （Michelle Yeh 译）
残破
Broken
徐志摩
Xu Zhimo
一
1
深深的在深夜里坐着：
Sitting on a deep, deep night,
当窗有一团不圆的光亮，
A dim glow at the window,
风挟着灰土，在大街上
Dust balls rolling
小巷里奔跑：
Down the alley:
我要在枯秃的笔尖上袅出
I want to compose a broken, broken tune
一种残破的残破的音调，
With the dull tip of my pen
为要抒写我的残破的思潮。
To express my broken thoughts.
二
2
深深的在深夜里坐着：
Sitting on a deep, deep night,
生尖角的夜凉在窗缝里
The night chill at the window chinks,
妒忌屋内残余的暖气，
Jealous of the warmth fading from the room,
也不饶恕我的肢体：
Does not forgive my limbs:
但我要用我半干的墨水描成
I’ll use my drying ink to sketch
一些残破的残破的花样，
Some broken, broken patterns,
因为残破，残破是我的思想。
For broken are my thoughts.
三
3
深深的在深夜里坐着，
Sitting on a deep, deep night,
左右是一些丑怪的鬼影：
With grotesque shadows around me:
焦枯的落魄的树木
Withered trees
在冰沉沉的河沿叫喊，
Screech on the bank of an icy river
比着绝望的姿势，
And gesture in wild despair,
正如我要在残破的意识里
Like me in my broken, broken consciousness
重兴起一个残破的天地。
Trying to rebuild a broke world.
四
4
深深的在深夜里坐着，
Sitting on a deep, deep night,
闭上眼回望到过去的云烟；
I reminisce with my eyes closed:
啊，她还是一枝冷艳的白莲，
Ah, when she was still a cool white lotus
斜靠着晓风，万种的玲珑；
In the morning breeze, delicate beyond compare.
但我不是阳光，也不是露水，
But I am neither sunshine nor dew;
我有的只是些残破的呼吸，
All I have is my broken breath
如同封锁在壁椽间的群鼠
Like the mice locked up in the wall,
追逐着，追求着黑暗与虚无！
Scuffling about, chasing after darkness and the void! （Michelle Yeh 译）