【翻译】英译散文 word72页

Shirleysundd

艰难的国运与雄健的国民
李大钊
历史的道路，不会是坦平的，有时走到艰难险阻的境界。这是全靠雄健的精神才能冲过去的(1)。
National Crisis *s (*ersus) Heroic Nation
Li Dazhao
The course of history is ne*er smooth. It is sometimes beset with difficulties and obstacles and nothing short of a heroic spirit can help surmount them.
一条浩浩荡荡的长江大河，有时流到很宽阔的境界(2)，平原无际，一泻万里(3)。有时流到很逼狭的境界，两岸丛山迭岭，绝壁断崖，江河流于期间，回环曲折，极其险峻(4)。民族生命的进展，其经历亦复如是。
A mighty long ri*er sometimes flows through a broad section with plains lying boundless on either side, its waters rolling on non-stop for thousands upon thousands of miles. Sometimes it comes up against a narrow section flanked by high mountains and steep cliffs, winding through a course with many a perilous twist and turn. .A nation, in the course of its de*elopment, fares likewise.
人类在历史上的生活正如旅行一样。旅途上的征人(5)所经过的地方，有时是坦荡平原，有时是崎岖险路(6)。志于旅途的人，走到平坦的地方，因是高高兴兴地向前走，走到崎岖的境界，俞是奇趣横生(7)，觉得在此奇绝壮绝(8)的境界，俞能感到一种冒险的美趣(9)。
The historical course of man’s life is just like a journey. A tra*eler on a long journey passes through now a broad, le*el plain, now a rugged ['rʌɡid], hazardous ['hæzədəs] road. While a determined tra*eler cheerfully continues his journey upon reaching a safe and smooth place, he finds it still more fascinating to come to a rugged place, the enormously magnificent spectacle of which, he feels, is better able to generate in him a wonderful sensation of ad*enture.
中华民族现在所逢的史路，是一段崎岖险阻的道路。在这段道路上，实在亦有一种奇绝壮绝的境至，使我们经过此段道路的人，感得一种壮美的趣味，是非有雄健的精神的，不能够感觉到的。
The Chinese nation is now confronted with a rugged and dangerous section of its historical course. Ne*ertheless, there is also in this section a spectacle of enormous magnificence [mæɡ'nifisəns] that inspires in us passers-by a delightful sensation of splendor. And this delightful sensation, howe*er, can only be shared by those with a heroic spirit.
我们的扬子江、黄河，可以代表我们的民族精神，扬子江及黄河遇见沙漠、遇见山峡都是浩浩荡荡的往前流过去，以成其浊流滚滚，一泻万里的魄势(10)。目前的艰难境界，那能阻抑我们民族生命的前进。我们应该拿出雄健的精神，高唱着进行的曲调，在这悲壮歌声中，走过这崎岖险阻的道路。要知(11)在艰难的国运中建造国家，亦是人生最有趣味的事……。
The Yangtse Ri*er and the Yellow Ri*er are both symbolic of our national spirit the two mighty ri*ers negotiate deserts and gorges until their turbid torrents surge forward with irresistible force. The present national crisis can ne*er obstruct the ad*ance of our national life. Let us brace up our spirits and march through this rugged, dangerous road to the tune of our solemn, stirring songs. The greatest joy of life, mind you, is to build up our country during its most difficult days.

注释:
李大钊此文载于1923年12月20日《新国民》第一卷第2号上，短小隽永，堪称一首诗意盎然的抒情散文诗。作者用象征，比喻等手法，说明历史发展的必然规律以及中国革命面临的艰难险阻。
(1) “这是全靠雄健的精神才能冲过去的”译为nothing short of a heroic spirit can help surmount them，其中nothing short of 相当于nothing less than 或only。
(2)“宽阔的境界”须按上下文译为a broad section。“境界”在这里不宜译为realm、place、area等。
(3)“一泻万里”译为rolling on non-stop for thousands upon thousands of miles，但也可译为
rolling on *igorously for tens of thousands of miles或rolling on for thousands of miles at a stretch。
(4)“回环曲折，极其险峻”译为winding through a course with many a perilous twist and turn，其中twist and turn来自成语twists and turns。此句亦可译为following a dangerous tortuous course。
(5)“征人”即“远行之人”，故译“旅途上的征人”为a tra*eler on a long journey。
(6)“有时……，有时……”译为now……now……（＝sometimes……and sometimes……）。
(7)“奇趣横生”意即“极度吸引人”，故译为fascinating。
(8)“奇绝壮绝”意即“无限壮观”，故译为the enormously magnificent spectacle。
(9)“感到一种冒险的美趣”意即“一种敢于冒险的美妙感觉”，原译为a wonderful sensation of ad*enture。
(10)“遇见沙漠，遇见山峡都是浩浩荡荡的往前流过去，以成其浊流滚滚，一泻万里的魄势”译为negotiate deserts and gorges until their turbid torrents surge forward with irresistible force, 其中动词to negotiate 的意思是“顺利通过”（to succeed in getting past something difficult）。又，注意until在这里的用法。它在此不作“直到……为止”解，而是so that finally（“以至于……”或“最后”）的意思。
(11)“要知”译为mind you，插入句中。成语mind you的意思是mind what I say 或howe*er, 相当于汉语的“请注意”或“说真的”。
螃 蟹
鲁迅
老螃蟹觉得不安了，觉得全身太硬了(1)，自己知道要蜕壳(2)了。
他跑来跑去的寻。他想寻一个窟穴，躲了身子，将石子堵了穴口，隐隐的蜕壳。他知道外面蜕壳(3)是危险的。身子还软(4)，要被别的螃蟹吃去的。这并非空害怕，他实在亲眼见过。
他慌慌张张的走。
旁边的螃蟹(5)问他说：“老兄，你何以这般慌？”
他说：“我要蜕壳了。”
“就在这里蜕不是很好么？我还要帮你呢。”
“那可太怕人了。”
“你不怕窟穴里的别的东西，却怕我们同种么？”
“我不是怕同种。”
“那是怕什么呢？”
“就怕你要吃掉我(6)。”
The Crab
Lu Xun
An old crab grew restless. Finding himself stiff all o*er, he knew it was time for him to moult his shell.
He dashed here and there in search of a ca*e to hide. He was going to block up the mouth of ca*e so that he could moult in secret. He knew it would be *ery dangerous to shed his shell in the open because, with his new shell still being soft, he might be eaten up by other crabs. This fear was not groundless for he himself had really seen it happen to other moulting crabs.
The old crab kept mo*ing about in a hurry.
A nearby crab asked, “Hey, brother, what’s the rush?”
“I am going to moult,” answered the old crab. “Wouldn’t it be all right to moult right here? I could help you out with it.”
“How horrible that would be!”
“You mean while you’ll not scared of other things in the ca*e you’re scared of your
own kind?”
“No, I’m not scared of my own kind.”
“Then what are you scared of?”
“Nothing but being eaten up by you.”
注释:
《螃蟹》是近年发现的鲁迅佚文。文章发表于1919年8月间，时值五四运动方兴未艾，作者通过寓言故事，提醒人们新生事物往往有被旧事物消灭于萌芽状态的危险。
(1)“觉得全身太硬了”译为Finding himself stiff al o*er，其中all o*er意即“全身”或“浑身”，作状语短语用。如逐字译为finding his whole body stiff并无不可，但语言稍欠地道。
(2)“蜕壳”译为to moult his shell，其中to moult 为专用语，意同to cast off。
(3)“外面蜕壳”中的“外面”意即“在露天”，故译为（to moult）in the open，以代替to moult outside the ca*e。
(4)“身子还软”意即“蜕去旧壳后新壳还软”，故译为with his new shell still being soft。如按字面直译为with his body still being soft则欠确切，因“身子”在此指“新壳”，不泛指“躯体”。
(5)“旁边的螃蟹”译为A nearby crab比Ａcrab beside him灵活。
(6)“就怕你要吃掉我”译为Nothing but being eaten up by you, 乃I’m scared of nothing but being eaten up by you之略。
落花生
许地山
我们屋后有半亩隙地。母亲说：“让它荒芜着怪可惜，既然你们那么爱吃花生，就辟来做花生园罢(1)。”我们几个姊弟(2)和几个小丫头都很喜欢——买种的买种，动土的动土，灌园的灌园；过了不几个月，居然收获了！
Peanuts
Xu Dishan
Behind our house there lay half a mou of *acant land. Mother said, “it’s a pity to let it lie waste. Since you all like to eat peanuts so *ery much, why not plant some here?” That exhilarated us children and our ser*ant girls as well, and soon we started buying seeds, ploughing the land and watering the plants. We gathered in a good har*est just after a couple of months!
妈妈说：“今晚我们可以做一个收获节(3)，也请你们的爹爹来尝尝我们的新花生，如何？”我们都答应了。母亲把花生做成好几样食品(4)，还吩咐这节期要在园里的茅亭举行。
那晚上的天色不大好(5)，可是爹爹也来到，实在很难得！爹爹说：“你们爱吃花生吗？”
我们都争着答应：“爱！”
“谁能把花生底好处说出来？”
姊姊说：“花生底气味很美。”
哥哥说：“花生可以榨油。”
我说：“无论何等人都可以用贱价买它来吃；都喜欢吃它。这是它的好处。”
Mother said, “How about gi*ing a party this e*ening to celebrate the har*est and in*iting your Daddy to ha*e a taste of our newly-har*ested peanuts?” We all agreed. Mother made quite a few *arieties of goodies out of the peanuts, and told us that the party would be held in the thatched pa*ilion [pə'*iljən] on the peanut plot.
It looked like rain that e*ening, yet, to our great joy, father came ne*ertheless. “Do you like peanuts?” asked father.
“Yes, we do!” we *ied in gi*ing the answer.
“Which of you could name the good things in peanuts?”
“Peanuts taste good,” said my elder sister.
“Peanuts produce edible oil,” said my elder brother.
“Peanuts are so cheap,” said I, “that anyone can afford to eat them. Peanuts are e*eryone’s fa*ourite. That’s why we call peanuts good.”
爹爹说：“花生底用处固然很多；但有一样是很可贵的。这小小的豆(6)不像那好看的苹果、桃子、石榴，把它们底果实悬在枝上，鲜红嫩绿的颜色(7)，令人一望而发生羡慕的心。它只把果子埋在地底，等到成熟，才容人把它挖出来。你们偶然看见一棵花生瑟缩(8)地长在地上，不能立刻辨出它有没有果实，非得等到你接触它才能知道。”
“It’s true that peanuts ha*e many uses,” said father, “but they’re most belo*ed in one respect. Unlike nice-looking apples, peaches and pomegranates['pɔmɡrænit], which hang their fruit on branches and win people’s admiration with their brilliant colours, tiny little peanuts bury themsel*es underground and remain unearthed until they’re ripe. When you come upon a peanut plant lying curled up on the ground, you can ne*er immediately tell whether or not it bear any nuts until you touch them.”
我们都说：“是的。”母亲也点点头。爹爹接下去说：“所以你们要像花生(9)，因为它是有用的，不是伟大、好看的东西。”我说：“那么，人要做有用的，不要做伟大、体面的人了。”爹爹说：“这是我对于你们的希望。”
我们谈到夜阑才散，所有花生食品虽然没有了，然而父亲底话现在还印在我心版上。
“That’s true,” we said in unison. Mother also nodded. “So you must take after peanuts,” father continued, “because they’re useful though not great and nice- looking.” “Then you mean one should be useful rather than great and nice-looking,” I said. “That’s what I expect of you,” father concluded.
We kept chatting until the party broke up late at night. Today, though nothing is left of the goodies made of peanuts, father’s words remain engra*ed in my mind.
注释:
本文是许地山（*92-1941）的名篇。作者回忆自己童年时代一个小小片断，以朴实无华、清新自然的笔调，从花生的平凡而有用，谈到做人的道理，富于哲理，反映他身处旧社会的污泥浊流而洁身自好、不慕虚名的思想境界。
(1)原句也可译为why not ha*e them planted here或why not make a peanut plot of it，但现译更直截了当，且避免在同一句中重复peanuts一词。
(2)“几姊弟”在下文将涉及，为防累赘，译为children。
(3)“做一个收获节”不宜直译为hold a har*est festi*al，现取意译。
(4)“食品”也可译为food，但不如goodies 贴切；goodies指“好吃的东西”，常用于口语。
(5)“那晚上底天色不大好”译为It looked like rain that e*ening, 符合原意和英语习惯。
(6)“这小小的豆”译为tiny little peanuts。英语中常把tiny和little用在一起，有“小得可怜（爱）”等含意。
(7)“鲜红嫩绿”不宜直译，译brilliant colours即可。
(8)“瑟缩”意即“蜷曲而不舒展”，故有现译。
(9)“你们要像花生”译为you must take after peanuts，其中take after 是成语，意即take……as an example（学习……的榜样）。
差不多先生传
胡适
你知道中国最有名的人是谁？
提起此人，人人皆晓，处处闻名。他姓差，名不多(1)，是各省各县各村人氏。你一定见过他，一定听说过别人谈起他。差不多先生的名字天天挂在大家的口头，因为他是中国全国人的代表。
Mr. About-the Same
Hu Shih
Do you know who is the most well-known person in China?
The name of this person is a household word all o*er the country. His name is Cha and his gi*en name, Buduo, which altogether mean “About the Same”. He is a nati*e of e*ery pro*ince, e*ery country and e*ery *illage in this country. You must ha*e seen or heard about this person. His name is always on the lips of e*erybody because he is
representati*e of the whole Chinese nation.
差不多先生的相貌和你和我都差不多。他有一双眼睛，但看的不很清楚；他有两只耳朵，但听的不很分明；有鼻子和嘴，但他对于气味和口味都不很讲究。他的脑子也不小，但他的记性却不很精明，他的思想也不很细密(2)。 他常常说：“凡事只要差不多，就好了。何必太精明呢？”
Mr. Cha Buduo has the same physiognomy [,fizi'ɔɡnəmi]as you and I. He has a pair of eyes, but doesn’t see clearly. He has a pair of ears, but doesn’t hear well. He has a nose and a mouth, but lacks a keen sense of smell and taste. His brain is none too small, but he is weak in memory and sloppy in thinking. He often says: “whate*er we do, it’s OK to be just about right. What’s the use of being precise and accurate:”
他小的时候，他妈叫他去买红糖，他买了白糖回来。他妈骂他，他摇摇头说：“红糖白糖不是差不多吗？”
他在学堂的时候，先生问他：“直隶省(3)的西边是哪一省？”他说是陕西。先生说：“错了。是山西，不是陕西。”他说：“陕西同山西，不是差不多吗？”
后来他在一个钱铺(4)里做伙计，他也会写，也会算，只是总不会精细。十字常常写成千字，千字常常写成十字。掌柜的生气了，常常骂他。他只是笑嘻嘻地赔小心道：“千字比十字只多一小撇，不是差不多吗？”
One day, when he was a child, his mother sent him out to buy her some brown sugar, but he returned with some white sugar instead. As his mother scolded him about it, he shook his head and said, “Brown sugar or white sugar, aren’t they about the same?” One day in school, the teacher asked him, “Which pro*ince borders Hebei on the west?” He answered, “Shaanxi ['ʃæn'ʃi:],” The teacher corrected him, “You are wrong. It’s Shanxi ['ʃɑ:n'ʃi:], Not Shaanxi.” He retorted, “Shaanxi or Shanxi, aren’t they about the same?” Later Mr. Cha Buduo ser*ed as an assistant at a money shop. He could write and calculate all right, but his mathematics were/was often faulty. He would mistake the Chinese character十（meaning 10）for 千（meaning 1000）or *ice *ersa. The shop owner was infuriated and often took him to task. But he would only explain apologetically with a grin, “The character千differs from 十in merely ha*ing one additional short stroke. Aren’t they about the same?”
有一天他为了一件要紧的事，要搭火车到上海去。他从从容容地走到火车站，迟了两分钟，火车已经开走了。他白瞪着眼，望着远远的火车上煤烟，摇摇头道：“只好明天再走了，今天走同明天走，也差不多。可是火车公司未免太认真了。8点30分开，同8点32分开，不是差不多吗？“他一面说，一面慢慢地走回家，心里总不明白为什么火车不肯等他两分钟。
One day, he wanted to go to Shanghai by train on urgent business. But he arri*ed at the railway station unhurriedly only to find the train already gone, because he was two minutes late. He stood staring helplessly at the smoke belching from the diminishing train, and shook his head, “Well, all I can do is lea*e tomorrow. After all, today and tomorrow are about the same. But isn’t the railway taking it too seriously? What’s the difference between departing at 8:30 and 8:32?” He walked home slowly while talking to himself and kept puzzling o*er why the train hadn’t waited for him for two minutes more.
有一天，他忽然得了急病，赶快叫家人去请东街的汪医生。那家人急急忙忙地跑去，一时寻不着东街的汪大夫，却把西街牛医王大夫请来了。差不多先生病在床上，知道寻错了人；但病急了，身上痛苦，心里焦急，等不得了，心里想道：“好在王大夫同汪大夫也差不多，让他试试看罢。”于是这位牛医王大夫走近床前，用医牛的法子给差不多先生治病。不上一点钟，差不多先生就一命呜呼了。
One day he suddenly fell ill and immediately told one of his family to fetch Dr. Wang of East Street. The latter went in hurry, but couldn’t find the physician on East Street. So he fetched instead Veterinarian Wang of West Street. Mr. Cha Buduo, lying on his sickbed, knew that a wrong person had been brought home. But, what with pain and worry, he could ill afford to wait any longer. So he said to himself, “Luckily, Vet Wang is about the same as Dr. Wang. Why not let Vet Wang ha*e a try?” there- upon, the *eterinarian walked up to his bed to work on him as if he were a cow. Consequently, Mr. Cha Buduo kicked the bucket before an hour was out.
差不多先生差不多要死的时候，一口气断断续续地说道：“活人同死人也……差……差不多，……凡事只要……差……差……不多……就……好了，……何……何……必……太……太认真呢？”他说完了这句格言(5)，方才绝气了。
他死后，大家都很称赞差不多先生样样事情看得破，想得通(6)；大家都说他一生不肯认真，不肯算账，不肯计较，真是一位有德行的人。于是大家给他取个死后的法号，叫他做圆通大师。
他的名誉越传越远，越久越大。无数无数的人都学他的榜样。于是人人都成了一个差不多先生。——然而中国从此就成为一个懒人国了。
When Mr. Cha Buduo was about to breathe his last, he uttered intermittently in one breath, “Li*e or die, it’s about…about…the same…Whate*er we do…it’s OK…to be …just…just about right... Why…why…take it…so seriously?” as soon as he finished this pet phrase of his, he stopped breathing.
After Mr. Cha Buduo death, people all praised him for his way of seeing things and his philosophical approach to life. They say that he refused to take things seriously all his life and that he was ne*er calculating or particular about personal gains or losses. So they called him a *irtuous man and honored him with the posthumous re*erent title Master of Easy-Going.
His name has spread far and wide and become more and more celebrated with the passing of time. Innumerable people ha*e come to follow his example, so that e*erybody has become a Mr. Cha Buduo. But lo, China will hence be a nation of lazybones!
注释：
胡适（*91-1962）的《差不多先生传》是一篇针砭社会陋习的讽刺小品，1924年6月28日发表在《申报•平民周刊》的创刊号上，曾不胫而走，传诵一时。此文至今读来，犹感有极深刻的现实意义。
(1)“他姓差，名不多”如仅仅译为His name is Cha and his gi*en name, Buduo，外国读者只知其音，不知其意，故在后面加补充说明which altogether mean “About the Same”。
(2)“他的思想也不很细密”译为He is…sloppy in thinking, 其中sloppy作“无条理”、“凌乱”解。
(3)“直隶”为旧省名，即今之“河北”，故译为Ｈebei。
(4)“钱铺”又称“钱庄”，大多仅从事兑换业务，后为银行所代替。“钱铺”可译为pri*ate bank或banking house，但均不如money (exchange) shop确切。
(5)“格言”在这里意同“口头语”，现参照上下文译为pet phrase。
(6)“想得通”意即“达观”或“随遇而安”，故译为philosophical approach to life。
不要抛弃学问(1)
胡适
诸位毕业同学，你们现在要离开母校了，我没有什么礼物送给你们，只好送你
们一句话罢。
这一句话是：“不要抛弃学问。”以前的功课也许有一大部分是为这张文凭，
不得已而做的，从今而后，你们可以依自己的心愿去自由研究了(2)。趁现在年富力强
的时候，努力做一种学问。少年是一去不复返的，等到精力衰时，努力做学问(3)也来
不及了。即为吃饭计，学问决不会辜负人的(4)。吃饭而不求学问，三年五年后，你们
都江堰市要被后来少年淘汰掉的。到那时再想做点学问来补救，恐怕已太晚了。
有人说：“出去做事之后，生活问题急需解决，哪有工夫去读书？即使要做学
问，既没有图书馆，又没有实验室，哪能做学问？”
我要对你们说：凡是要等到有了图书馆才读书的，有了图书馆也不肯读书。凡
是要等到有了实验室才做研究的，有了实验室也不肯做研究。你有了决心要研究一个
问题，自然会撙衣节食(5)去买书，自然会想出来法子来设置仪器。
至于时间，更不成问题(6)。达尔文一生多病，不能多作工，每天只能做一点钟的
工作。你们看他的成绩！每天花一点钟看10页有用的书，每年可看3600多页书，30
年可读11万页书。
诸位，11万页书可以使你成一个学者了，可是，每天看三种小报也得费你一点
钟的工夫，四圈麻将也得费你一点半钟的光阴。看小报呢，还打麻将呢？还是努力做
一个学者呢？全靠你们自己的选择(7)！
易卜生说：“你的最大责任是把你这块材料铸造成器。”
学问便是铸器的工具。抛弃了学问便是毁了你们自己。
再会了！你们的母校眼睁睁地要看(8)你们十年之后成什么器。
Ne*er Gi*e Up the Pursuit of Learning
Hu Shih
Dear students of the Graduating Class,
As you are lea*ing your alma mater, I ha*e nothing to offer you as a gift except a
word of ad*ice.
My ad*ice is, “Ne*er gi*e up the pursuit of learning.” You ha*e perhaps finished
your college courses mostly for obtaining the diploma, or, in other words, out of sheer necessity. Howe*er, from now you are free to follow your own bent in the choice of
studies. While you are in the prime of life, why not de*ote yoursel*es to a special field of
study? Youth will soon be gone ne*er to return. And it will be too late for you to go into
scholarship when in your declining years. Knowledge will do you a good turn e*en as a
means of subsistence. If you gi*e up studies while holding a job, you will in a couple of
years ha*e had yoursel*es replaced by younger people. It will then be too late to remedy
the situation by picking up studies again.
Some people say, “Once you ha*e a job, you’ll come up against the urgent problem
of making a li*ing. How can you manage to find time to study? E*en if you want to, will it
be possible with no library or no laboratory a*ailable?”
Now let me tell you this. Those who refuse to study for lack of a library will most
probably continue to do so e*en though there is a library. And those who refuse to do
research for lack of a laboratory will most probably continue to do so e*en though a
laboratory is a*ailable. As long as you set your mind on studies, you will naturally cut
down on food and clothing to buy books or do e*erything possible to acquire necessary
instruments.
Time is no object. Charles Darwin could only work one hour a day due to ill health.
Yet what a remarkable man he was! If you spend one hour a day reading 10 pages of a
book, you can finish more than 3600 pages a year, and 110000 pages in 30 years.
Dear students, 110000 pages will be quite enough to make a learned man of man. It
will take you one hour to read three tabloids a day, and one and half hours to finish four
rounds of mah-jong a day. Reading tabloids, playing mah-jong or stri*ing to be a learned
man, the choice lies with you.
Henrik Ibsen says, “it is your supreme duty to cast yourself into a useful implement.”
Learning is the casting mould. Forsake learning, and you will ruin yourself.
Farewell! Your alma mater is watching eagerly to see what will become of you ten
years from now.
注释：
本文是胡适1928-1930年在上海任中国公学校长时为毕业生所作赠言，至今仍有参考价值。
(1)“不要抛弃学问”在这里的意思是“不要放弃对学问的追求”，因此不能直译为Ne*er Gi*e
up Learning，必须加字：Ne*er Gi*e up the Pursuit of Learning。
(2)“你们可以依自己的心愿去自由研究了”译为you are free to follow your personal bent in the
choice of studies，其中to follow one’s bent 是成语，和to follow one’s inclination同义，作“做自己感兴趣或爱做的事”解。
(3)“做学问”译为to go into scholarship, 等于to engage in learning。
(4)“学问决不会辜负人的”译为Knowledge will do you a good turn，其中to do one a good turn
是成语，作“做对某人有益的事”解.
(5) “撙衣节食”即“省吃省穿”，现译为 cut down on food and clothing, 其中 to
cut down on 是成语，与 to economize on 同义，作“节约”解。又，上语也可译为 to
li*e frugally。
(6)“至于时间，更不成问题”译为Time is no object,其中no object是成语，等于no problem，作“不成问题”或“不在话下”解。
(7)“全靠你们自己的选择”译为the choice lies with you或it is up to you to make the choice。
(8)“你们的母校眼睁睁地要看……”中的“眼睁睁地”通常的意思是“无可奈何地”，现
在这里作“热切地”解，故译为eagerly。
我之于书(1)
夏丐尊
二十年来，我的生活费中至少十分之一二是消耗在书上的(2)。我的房子里(3)比较
贵重的东西就是书。
我一向没有对于任何问题作高深研究的野心，因之所以买的书范围较广，宗教、
艺术、文学、社会、哲学、历史、生物，各方面差不多*一点。最多的是各国文学
名著的译本，与本国古来的诗文集，别的门类只是些概论等类的入门书而已。
我不喜欢向别人或图书馆借书。借来的书，在我好像过不来瘾似的(4)，必要是自
己买的才满足。这也可谓是一种占有的欲望。买到了几册新书，一册一册在加盖藏书
印(5)记，我最感到快悦的是这时候。
书籍到了我的手里，我的习惯是先看序文，次看目录。页数不多的往往立刻通读
(6)，篇幅大的，只把正文任择一二章节略加翻阅，就插在书架上。除小说外，我少有
全体读完的大部的书，只凭了购入当时的记忆，知道某册书是何种性质，其中大概有
些什么可取的材料而已。什么书在什么时候再去读再去翻，连我自己也无把握，完全
要看一个时期一个时期的兴趣。关于这事，我常自比为古时的皇帝，而把插在架上的
书籍诸列屋而居的宫女(7)。
我虽爱买书，而对于书却不甚爱惜。读书的时候，常在书上把我认为要紧的处所
标出。线装书竟用红铅笔划粗粗的线。经我看过的书，统计统体干净的很少。
据说，任何爱吃糖果的人，只要叫他到糖果铺中去做事，见了糖果就会生厌。自
我入书店以后，对于书的贪念也已消除了不少了，可不免要故态复萌(8)，想买这种，
想买那种。这大概因为糖果要用嘴去吃，摆存毫无意义，而书则可以买了不看，任其
只管插在架上的缘故吧。
Books and I
Xia Mianzun
For twenty years past, books ha*e eaten into at least 10-20 percent of my pocket. Now
the only things of some *alue under my roof, if any, are my books.
Since I ha*e ne*er entertained ambition for making a profound study of any subject,
the books I ha*e acquired co*er almost e*erything--religion, art, literature, sociology,
philosophy, history, biology, etc. Most of them are Chinese translations of literary works
by famous foreign writers and anthologies of Chinese poetry and prose through the ages.
The rest, often called an outline or introduction, are merely on rudiments of *arious
subjects.
I ne*er care to borrow books from other people or a library. It seems that books
bought can better satisfy my bibliomania than books borrowed. You may also attribute this
to some sort of desire for personal possession. Whene*er I ha*e some new acquisitions, it
always gi*es me great pleasure and satisfaction to stamp my ex-libris on them one by one.
As soon as a new book comes to hand, I always read the preface first and then the
table of contents. If it happens to be a thin one, I often finish reading it at one sitting.
Otherwise, I often browse through one or two chapters or sections before putting it onto
my bookshelf. I seldom read a thick book from co*er to co*er unless it is a no*el. By dint of
the first impression it made on me at the time of buying, I ha*e a rough idea of what a
book is about and what useful materials in it are a*ailable to me. But I ha*e little idea
which book is to be read or looked o*er again at what time. It is completely subject to the
whims of the moment. This often prompts me to liken myself and the books on my shel*es
respecti*ely to an ancient emperor and his concubines housed separately in a row of
adjoining rooms.
Much as I lo*e books, I take little care of them. In doing my reading, I often mark out
what I regard as important in a book. If it is a thread-bound Chinese book, I use a writing
brush to draw small circles as markings. Otherwise, I use a red pencil to draw hea*y
underlines. Consequently, the books I ha*e read are rarely clean.
It is said that those who ha*e a great liking for candies will sicken to see them when
later they happen to work in a candy store. Likewise, e*er since I began to work in a
bookstore, my obsession with books has been *ery much on the decline. Ne*ertheless, I
still can not help slipping back into the same old rut, eager to buy this and that book. This
is probably because candies are to be eaten with the mouth and not worth keeping as
knick-knacks while books can be bought without being read and just left on a shelf.
注释：
夏丐尊（*86-1946）浙江上虞人，著名文学家、教育家、出版家。他的文学创作以散文为主，多随笔、杂感，内容积极，风格平淡朴素。此文于1933年11月发表在《中学生》杂志上。
(1)“我之于书”译为 Books and I ，比 I and Books 符合英语习惯，读音也较顺口。
(2)“我的生活费中至少十分之一二是消耗在书上的”译为books ha*e eaten into at least 10-20 percent of my pocket，其中成语 to eat into 作“耗尽”或“花费”解，意同 to use up 或 to spend gradually；pocket 作“腰包”解。
(3)“我的房子里”译为 under my roof ,意同 in my house。
(4)“好像过不来瘾似的”中的“瘾”指“藏书癖”，故译为bibliomania，意即 desire or passion for collecting books。
(5)“藏书印”译为 ex-libris，为专用语。
(6)“往往立刻通读”译为 I often finish reading it at one sitting，其中at one sitting（亦作at a sitting）为成语，作“坐着一口气”或“一下子”解。
(7)“宫女”本可译为court ladies或palace maids，但原文实际上指的是“妃子”，故译为concubines。
(8)“故态复萌”译为slipping back into the same old rut，或relapsing into my old habit。
中年人的寂寞
夏丐尊
我已是一个中年的人。一到中年，就有许多不愉快的现象，眼睛昏花了，记忆力减退了，头发开始秃脱(1)而且变白了，意兴，体力，什么都不如年青的时候，常不禁会感觉到难以名言的(2)寂寞的情味。尤其觉得难堪的是知友的逐渐减少(3)和疏远，缺乏交际上的温暖的慰藉。
不消说，相识的人数是随了年龄增加的，一个人年龄越大，走过的地方当过的职务越多，相识的人理该越增加了。可是相识的人并不就是朋友。我们和许多人相识，或是因了事务关系，或是因了偶然的机缘(4)——如在别人请客的时候同席吃过饭之类。见面时点头或握手，有事时走访或通信，口头上彼此也“朋友”，笔头上有时或称“仁兄”，诸如此类，其实只是一种社交上的客套，和“顿首”“百拜”同是仪式的虚伪(5)。这种交际可以说是社交，和真正的友谊相差似乎很远。
真正的朋友，恐怕要算“总角之交”或“竹马之交”了(6)。在小学和中学的时代容易结成真实的友谊，那时彼此尚不感到生活的压迫，入世未深，打算计较的念头也少，朋友的结成全由于志趣相近或性情适合，差不多可以说是“无所为”的(7)，性质比较纯粹。二十岁以后结成的友谊，大概已不免搀有各种各样的颜色分子在内；至于三十岁四十岁以后的朋友中间，颜色分子愈多，友谊的真实成分也就不免因而愈少了。这并不一定是“人心不古”(8)，实可以说是人生的悲剧。人到了成年以后，彼此*生活的重担须负，入世既深，顾忌的方面也自然加多起来，在交际上不许你不计较，不许你不打算，结果彼此都“勾心斗角”(9)，像七巧板似地只选定了某一方面和对方接合(10)。这样的接合当然是很不坚固的，尤其是现代这样什么都到了尖锐化的时代。
在我自己的交游中，最值得系念的老是一此少年时代以来的朋友。这些朋友本来数目就不多，有些住在远地，连相会的机会也不可多得。他们有的年龄大过了我，有的小我几岁，都江堰市是中年以上的人了，平日各人所走的方向不同。思想趣味境遇也都不免互异，大家晤谈起来，也常会遇到说不出的隔膜的情形。如大家话旧，旧事是彼此共喻的，而且大半都江堰市是少年时代的事，“旧游如梦”，把梦也似的过去的少年时代重提，因谈话的进行，同时会联想起许多当时的事情，许多当时的人的面影，这时好象自己仍回归到少年时代去了(11)。我常在这种时候感到一种快乐，同时也感到一种伤感，那情形好比老妇人突然在抽屉里或箱子里发见了她盛年时的影片。
逢到和旧友谈话，就不知不觉地把话题转到旧事上去，这是我的习惯。我在这上面无意识地会感到一种温暖地慰藉。可是这些旧友一年比一年减少了，本来只是屈指可数的几个，少去一个是无法弥补的。我每当听到一个旧友死去的消息，总要惆怅多时。
学校教育给我们的好处不但只是灌输知识，最大的好处恐怕还在给与我们求友的机会上。这好处我到了离学校以后才知道，这几年来更确切地体会到，深悔当时毫不自觉，马马虎虎地过去了。近来每日早晚在路上见到两两三三的携了手或挽了肩膀走着的青年学生，我总艳羡他们有朋友之乐，暗暗地要在心中替他们祝福。
Mid-life Loneliness
Xia Mianzun
I am already a middle-aged man. At middle age, I feel sad to find my eyesight and memory failing, my hair thinning and graying, and myself no longer mentally and physically as fit as when I was young. I often suffer from a nameless loneliness. The most intolerable of all is the lack of friendly warmth and comfort due to the gradual passing away and estrangement of more and more old pals.
Needless to say, the number of acquaintances increases with one’s age. The older one gets, the more widely tra*eled one is and the more work experience one has, the more acquaintances one is supposed to ha*e. But not all acquaintances are friends. We come to know many people either in the way of business or by mere chance –say, ha*ing been at the same table at a dinner party. We may be on nodding or hand-shaking terms, call each other “friend”, sometimes write to each other with the salutation of “Dear So-and-So”, etc., etc. All these are, in fact, nothing but ci*ilities of social life, as hypocritical as the polite formula dunshou (kowtow) or baibai (a hundred greetings) used after the signature in old-fashioned Chinese letter-writing. We may call them social intercourse, but they seem to ha*e *ery little in common with genuine friendship.
Real friendship between two persons originates perhaps from the time of life when they were children playing innocently together. Real friendship is easily formed in primary or middle school days when, being socially inexperienced and free from the burden of life, you gi*e little thought to personal gains or losses, and make friends entirely as a result of similar tastes and interests or congenial disposition. It is sort of “friendship for friendship’s sake” and is relati*ely pure in nature. Friendship among people in their 20's, howe*er, is more or less coloured by personal moti*es. And friendship among those aged o*er 30 becomes correspondingly still less pure as it gets e*en more coloured. Though this is not necessarily due to "degeneration of public morality", I do ha*e good reasons to call it the tragedy of life. People at middle age, with the hea*y burden of life and much experience in the ways of the world, ha*e more scruples about this and that, and can not choose but become more calculating in social dealings till they start scheming against each other. They always keep a wary eye, as it were, on each other in their association. Such association is of course fragile, especially in this modern age of pre*ailing sharp conflicts.
Of all my friends, those I ha*e known since child-hood are most worthy of remembrance. They are few in number. Some of them li*e far away and we seldom ha*e an opportunity to see each other. Some of them are older than I am, and some a few years younger. But all of us are in late mid-life. Since we ha*e each followed a different course in life, our ways of thinking, interests and circumstances are bound to differ, and often we lack mutual understanding somehow or other in our con*ersation. Ne*ertheless, when we talk o*er old times, we will always agree on things in the past--mostly about things in our childhood days. While we retell the dream-like childhood days in the course of our con*ersation, numerous scenes and persons of bygone days will unfold again before our eyes, and we will feel like reli*ing the old days. Often at this moment, I'll feel at once happy and sad--like an old lady suddenly fishing out from her drawer or chest a photo of her taken in the bloom of her youth. When chatting away with my old friends, I am in the habit of unwittingly channeling the topic of con*ersation toward things of former days. From that I unknowingly deri*e some sort of warm solace. But old friends are dwindling away year by year. They are originally few in number, so the disappearance of any of them is an irreparable loss to me. The news of any old pal's death will in*ariably make me sad in my heart for a long, long time.
The imparting of knowledge is not the sole ad*antage of school education. Its greatest ad*antage is perhaps the opportunity it affords us for making friends. It was not until I had already left school that I began to realize this ad*antage. And in recent years I ha*e come to understand it e*en more deeply. I much regret ha*ing carelessly frittered away my school days without making many friends. Recently, e*ery morning or e*ening, whene*er I see school kids with satchels walking in twos and threes, hand in hand or shoulder to shoulder, I always en*y them for enjoying happy friendship, and inwardly offer them my best wishes.
注释：
本文发表在1934年11月的《中学生》杂志上，文章用平淡的语言诉说了中年人的苦恼，感叹“真实的友谊”不可多得，字里行间流泄出对当时现状的不满。
(1)“头发开始秃脱”指头发开始变稀，也可译为 my head balding。 今译 my hair thinning ，以 hair 取代head，是为了照顾下面的graying一字。
(2)“难以名言的”译为nameless，意同indescribable，但nameless常用来指不好的事物，如：a nameless fear、nameless atrocities。
(3)“逐渐减少”在原文指逐渐作古，如直译为 the gradual dwindling away 则未能明确表达“死去”的意思。故译为gradual passing away.
(4)“我们和许多人相识，或是因为事务关系，或是因了偶然的机缘……”译为We come to know
many people either in the way of business or by mere chance…，其中in the way of 是成语，作“为了”解。成语in the way of可有若干不同的意思，如“关于”、“以……的方法”，“为了”等，须由上下文来决定。
(5)“和‘顿首’‘百拜’同是仪式的虚伪”译为as hypocritical as the polite formula dunshou (kowtow) or baibai (a hundred greetings) used after the signature in old-fashioned Chinese letter-writing。其中 kowtow, a hundred greetings 以及 used after the signature in old fashioned Chinese letter-writing 均为译者的补充说明，属一种释义译法。
(6)“真正的朋友，恐怕要算‘总角之交’或‘竹马之交’了”译为 Real friendship between two persons originates perhaps from the time of life when they were children playing innocently together，其中“总角之交”和“竹马之交”合而为一，用意译法处理。
(7)“差不多可以说是‘无所为’的”译为It is sort of “friendship for friendship’s sake”，其中sort of （有几分）用来表达“差不多可以说”。又“无所为”意即“无其它目的”或“无条件的”，故译为friendship for friendship’s sake（为友谊而友谊的）。
(8)“这并一定是‘人心不古’”译为Though this is not necessarily due to “degeneration of public
morality”。也可考虑采用另一译法：Though this should not be ascribed exclusi*ely to “degeneration of public morality”。
(9)“结果彼此都‘勾心斗角’”译为till they start scheming against each other。注意其中till的一种特殊用法。它在这里指“结果”，意即so that、finally或and at last，不作“直到……为止”解。
(10)“像七巧板似地只选定了某一方面和对方接合”不宜直译。现按“人们在交往中互相提防，互存戒心”的内涵，用意译法处理：They always keep a wary eye, as it were, on each other in their association，其中插入语as it were作“似乎”、“可以说”等解。
(11)“这时好像自己仍回归到少年时代去了”译为and we feel like reli*ing the old days，其中to reli*e作“（凭想象）重新过……的生活”(to experience…again, especially in imagination)解。
我坐了木船
叶圣陶
从重庆到汉口，我坐了木船。
木船危险，当然知道。一路上数不清的滩，礁石随处都是，要出事，随时可以出。
还有盗匪(1)——实在是最可怜的同胞，他们种地没得吃，有力气没处出卖，当了兵经
常饿肚皮，无可奈何只好出此下策(2)。——假如遇见了，把铺盖或者身上衣服带下去，
也是异常难处的事儿(3)。
但是，回转来想，从前没有轮船，没有飞机，历来走川江(4)的人都坐木船。就是
如今，上上下下的还有许多人在那里坐木船，如果统计起来，人数该比坐轮船坐飞机
的多。人家可以坐，我就不能坐吗？我又不比人家高贵。至于危险，不考虑也罢。轮
船飞机就不危险吗？安步当车似乎最稳妥了，可是人家屋檐边也可以掉下一张瓦片
来。要绝对避免危险就莫要做人(5)。
要坐轮船坐飞机，自然也有办法(6)。只要往各方去请托，找关系，或者干脆买张
黑票。先说黑票，且不谈付出超过定额的钱，力有不及，心有不甘(7)，单单一个“黑”
字，就叫你不愿领教。“黑”字表示作弊，表示越出常轨。你买黑票，无异同作弊，
赞助越出常轨(8)。一个人既不能独立转移风气，也该在消极方面有所自守，邦同作弊，
赞助越出常轨的事儿，总可以免了吧，——这自然是书生之见(9)，不免通达的人一笑。
再说请托找关系，听人家说他们的经验，简直与谋差使一样的麻烦。在传达室恭
候，在会客室恭候(10)，幸而见了那要见的人，他听说你要设法买船票，或是飞机票，
爱理不理的答复你说，“困难呢……下个星期再来打听吧……”于是你觉得好像有一
线希望，又好像毫无把握，只得挨到下星期再去。跑了不知多少趟，总算有眉目了(11)，
又得往这一处签字，那一处盖章，看种种的脸色，候种种的传唤，为的是得一份充分
的证据，可以去换张票子。票子到手，身分可以改变了，什么机关的部属，什么长的
秘书，什么人的本人或是父亲，或者姓名仍旧，或者必须改名换姓，总之要与你自己
暂时脱离关系。最有味的是冒充什么部的士兵(12)，非但改名换姓，还得穿上灰布棉
军服，腰间束条皮带。我听了这些，就死了请托找关系的念头。即使饿得要死，也不
定要去奉承颜色谋差使，为了一张票子去求教人家，不说我自己犯不着，人家也太费
心。重庆的路又那么难走，公共汽车站排队往往等上一个半钟头，天天为了票子去跑，
实在吃不消。再说与自己暂时脱离关系，换上他人的身分，虽然人家不大爱惜名气，
我可不愿滥用那些那些名气。我不是部属，不是秘书，不是某人，不是某人的父亲，
我是我。我毫无成就，样样不长进，我可不愿与任何人易地而处，无论长期的或是暂
时的。为了走一趟路，必须易地而处，在我总觉着像被剥夺了什么似的。至于穿灰布
棉衣更为难了，为了走一趟路才穿上那套衣服，岂不亵渎了那套衣服(13)？亵渎的人
固然不少，我可总不忍——这一套又是书生之见。
抱着书生之见，我决定坐木船。木船比不上轮船，更比不上飞机，千真万确。可
是绝对不用找关系，也无所谓黑票。你要船，找运输行，或者自己到码头上去找，找
着了，言明价钱，多少钱坐到汉口，每块钱花得明明白白(14)。在这一点上，我觉得
木船好极了(15)，我可以不说一句讨情的话，不看一副难看的嘴脸，堂堂正正的凭我
的身分东西归。这是大多数坐轮船坐飞机的朋友办不到的，我可有这种骄傲。
决定了之后，有两位朋友特来劝阻，一位从李家沱，一位从柏滨，不怕水程跋涉，
为的是关爱我，瞧得起我。他们说了种种理由，预想了种种可能的障害，结末说，还
是再考虑一下的好。我真感谢他们，当然不敢说不必再行考虑，只好带玩笑的说，“吉
人天相，“安慰他们激动的心情。现在，他们接到我平安到达的消息了，他们也真的
安慰了。
I Took a Wooden Boat
Ye Shengtao
I took a wooden boat from Chongqing to Hankou.
Of course I know it is risky to tra*el by wooden boat. With countless shoals and reefs
to negotiate, accidents may happen any time. To complicate matters, there are bandits
lurking around－those pitiful fellow countrymen who, unable to ward off star*ation by
farming or soldiering or whatnot, ha*e been reduced to the disreputable business as a last
resort. I’ll be in a real fix if they should rob me of, say, my bedding or clothes.
Now, on reflection, I realize that in the days before steamers and aircraft came into use,
people used to tra*el by wooden boat up and down the Sichuan section of the Yangtse
Ri*er. E*en today, many continue to do so, and statistic will in*ariably show a higher
percentage of people tra*elling by wooden boat than by steamer or aircraft. Why shouldn’t
I do the same? Why should I think it beneath myself to tra*el by wooden boat? As for
safety, is it less dangerous to tra*el by steamer or aircraft? Going on foot seems to be the
best choice, but a tile falling off the ea*es of somebody’s house might pro*e equally
disastrous to foot passengers. Enjoying absolute safety is humanly impossible.
It stands to reason that I can go by steamer or aircraft if I care to. I can simply go
around fishing for help or personal connections, or just buy a “black” ticket. But I’ll ha*e
to pay more than the regular price for a “black” ticket, which I can ill afford and which I
disdain to do. And the *ery word “black” generates in me a feeling of repulsion. “Black”
signified fraud or illegal practice. Buying a “black” ticket is as good as getting in*ol*ed in
a fraud or an illegal practice. If it is beyond one’s capacity to single-handedly stem the
pre*ailing social e*ils, one should at least be self-disciplined so as not to make matters
worse. All this is undoubtedly the pedantic *iew of bookish person—a *iew which must
sound ridiculous to all sensible gentlemen.
Some people ha*e told me from their own experience that soliciting help or speaking
personal connections is something as difficult as hunting for a job. You may be kept
cooling your heels (久等，空等)in a janitor’s office or a reception room before an inter*iew is granted.
Hearing that you are trying to get a steamer or air ticket, the much sought-after inter*iew
may reply in a cold and indifferent manner, “Ah, that’s difficult…Come see me next
week…” Thereupon you seem to see a ray of hope, and you may also feel totally uncertain
of success. All you can do is wait until then. After making you don’t know how many
*isits, there e*entually appear signs of positi*e outcome. Then you ha*e to go here and
there to get a signature or a seal, meet with all sorts of cold reception and wait for all sorts
of summonses—all for the purpose of obtaining a useful certificate to buy a ticket with.
Once with a ticket in hand, your status automatically changes. You can now call yourself
the employee of certain go*ernment office or certain official’s secretary. You can call
yourself so-and-so or so-and-so’s father. You can either keep your original name or ha*e it
changed. In short, you must temporarily break off relations with your old self. The funniest
thing is when you try to pass for a soldier of a certain army unit, you must not only ha*e
your name changed, but also wear a grey-cloth cotton-padded army uniform with a leather
belt around your waist. All that kills my idea of soliciting help or seeking personal
connections. I disdain to go humbly begging for a job e*en when I am star*ing, let alone to
go asking for other people’s help in getting me a mere ticket. Neither is it necessary for me
to go to all that trouble, nor should I bother other people for that matter. Going around is
hard in the city of Chongqing. You ha*e to queue up for at least 30 minutes or more to get
on a bus. It would really be too much for me to go about for the ticket e*ery day. As to the
temporary di*orce from my old self and the concealing of my identity, I hate to usurp all
those designations though other people may think otherwise. I’m neither a go*ernment
employee, nor a secretary, nor so-and-so, nor so-and-so’s father. I am myself. I am just an
ordinary man with no urge to do better, so I hate to change places with anybody else,
whether for a while or for good. To change places just for the sake of a trip would make
me feel like being depri*ed. Wouldn’t it be sinful for me to wear the grey-cloth
cotton-padded army uniform for nothing more than making a single trip? Though many
other people *iolate the taboo, I for my part cannot bear to do the same. This again is the
impractical *iew of a bookish person.
It was with this impractical *iew that I decided to take a wooden boat. It is absolutely
true that a wooden boat cannot compare with a steamer, much less an airplane. But there is
no need for soliciting help or seeking personal connections, nor the need for the so-called
“black” ticket. All you need to do is contact the transport company, or go direct to the
wharf to look for a wooden boat. Once you ha*e located it, you will know what the fare is
from Chongqing to Hankou, and e*ery dollar will be paid for what it is worth, no more, no
less. I find the wooden boat super in this respect. I am sa*ed the humiliation of begging for
help or the need of confronting the nasty look on somebody’s face. I can tra*el with my
true identity. This is something quite beyond the majority of those tra*elling by steamer or
aircraft. I am proud of it.
After I had made up my mind, two friends of mine, in spite of the difficult boat journey
all the way from Li Jia Tuo and Bai Bin respecti*ely, came to dissuade me from taking
the wooden boat out of concern and respect for me. They enumerated *arious reasons
against my decision as well as *arious possible mishaps, ad*ising me in the end to
re-consider the matter. I felt *ery grateful to them, and of course refrained from showing
any reluctance to re-consider the matter. By way of allaying their anxiety, I said jokingly,
“A good guy always enjoys Hea*en’s protection.” Now, the subsequence news of my
safe arri*al in Hankou must ha*e set their mind at rest.
注释:
叶圣陶（*94-1988）原名叶绍钧，江苏苏州人，现代文学家，教育家。《我坐了木船》一文
以平淡的口吻叙述他在抗战胜利后乘木船从重庆到汉口的一番经历，对当时的黑暗社会作了无情的鞭挞。
(1)“还有盗匪”译为To complicate matters, there are bandits lurking around，其中To complicate
matters是为承上启下而添加的成分。又，lurking around作“潜伏”解，也是添加成分，原文虽无其字，而有其意。
(2)“无奈何只好出此下策”译为ha*e been reduced to the disreputable business as a last resort，
其中disreputable business（不体面的行当）指“下策”。又，reduced to 意即“被逼从事……”；
as a last resort意即“作为最后一着”。
(3)“异常难处的事儿”译为I’ll be in a real fix, 其中in a fix是成语，作“陷入困境”或“尴尬”解。
(4)“川江”即“四川段的长江”，故译为the Sichuan section of the Yangtse Ri*er。
(5)“要绝对避免危险就莫做人”译为“Enjoying absolute safety is humanly impossible，其中
humanly意即“从从做人的角度看”。
(6)“要坐轮船坐飞机，自然也有办法”译为It stands to reason that I can go by steamer or aircraft
if I care to，其中It stands to reason是成语，意即“当然”。
(7)“付出超过定额的钱，力有不及，心有不甘”译为to pay more than the regular price for a “black” ticket, which I can ill afford and which I disdain to do。“心有不甘”意即“不屑一干”，故译disdain to do。
(8)“你买黑票，无异同作敝，赞助越出常轨”译为Buying a “black” ticket is as good as getting
in*ol*ed in a fraud or an illegal practice, 其中as good as 是成语，作“实际上等于”或“与……几乎一样”解。
(9)“书生之见”译为the pedantic *iew of a bookish person，其中pedantic *iew意同impractical
*iew，作“不现实的观点”解。
(10) “在传达室恭候，在会客室恭候”译为You may be kept cooling your heels in a janitor’s office or a reception room before an inter*iew is granted，其中cooling your heels是成语，作“长等”、“空等”解。
(11) “跑了不知多少趟，总算有眉目了”译为After making you don’t know how many *isits, there e*entually appear signs of positi*e outcome，其中you don’t know how是是插入语，修饰many。
(12)“最有味的是冒充什么部的士兵”译为The funniest thing is when you try to pass for a soldier of certain army unit，其中to pass for作“冒充”解。
(13)“为了走一趟路才穿上那套衣服，岂不亵渎了那套衣服？”译为Wouldn’t it be sinful for me to wear the grey-cloth cotton-padded army uniform for nothing more than making a single trip?“亵渎”原作“轻慢”、“冒失”解，用在此处略带讽刺口气，意为“做了不该做的事”，故译为sinful。
(14)“每块钱花得明明白白”意即“该花多少就花多少”或“每块钱都花得值得”，故译为
e*ery dollar is paid for what it is worth。

(15)“我觉得木船好极了”译为I find the wooden boat super in this respect，其中super相当于
fantastic或wonderful。
背 影
朱自清
我与父亲不相见已二年余了，我最不能忘记的是他的背影。那年冬天，祖母死了，
父亲的差使也交卸了，正是祸不单行的日子，我从北京到徐州，打算跟着父亲奔丧回
家。到了徐州见着父亲，看见满院狼藉的东西，又想起祖母，不禁簌簌地流下眼泪。
父亲说：“事已如此，不必难过，好在天无绝人之路！”
回家○1变卖典质，父亲还了亏空；又借了钱办了丧事。这些日子，家中光景很是
惨淡，一半为了丧事，一半为了父亲的赋闲○2
。丧事完毕，父亲要到南京谋事，我也
要回到北京念书，我们便同行。
到南京时，有朋友约去游逛，勾留了一日；第二日上午便须渡江到浦口，下午上
车北去。父亲因为事忙，本已说定不送我，叫旅馆里一个熟识的茶房○3陪我同去。他
再三嘱咐茶房，甚是仔细。但他终于不放心，怕茶房不妥贴，颇踌躇了一会。其实那
年我已二十岁，北京来往过两三次，是没有甚么要紧的了。他踌躇了一会，终于决定
还是自己送我去。我两三回劝他不必去○4；他只说，“不要紧，他们去不好○5！”
我们过了江，进了车站。我买票，他忙着照看行李。行李太多了，得向脚夫行些
小费○6，才可过去。他便又忙着和他们讲价钱。我那时真是太聪明过分○7，总觉得他
说话不大漂亮○8，非得自己插嘴不可。但他终于讲定了价钱；就送我上车。他给我拣
定了靠车门的一张椅子；我将他给我做的紫毛大衣铺好坐位。他嘱我路上小心，夜里
要警醒些，不要受凉。又嘱托茶房好好照应我。我心里暗笑他的迂○9；他们只认得钱，
托他们直是白托！而且我这样大年纪的人，难道还不能料理自己吗？唉，我现在想想，
那时真是太聪明了10！
我说道，“爸爸，你走吧。”他望车外看了看，说，“我买几个橘子去。你就在
此地，不要走动。”我看那边月台的栅栏外有几个卖东西的的等着顾客。走到那边月
台，须穿过铁道，须跳下去又爬上去。父亲是一个胖子，走过去自然要费些事。我本
来要去的，他不肯，只好让他去。我看见他戴着黑布小帽。穿着黑布大马褂11，深青
布棉袍，蹒跚在走到铁道边，慢慢探身下去，尚不大难。可是他穿过铁道，要爬上那
边月台，就不容易了。他用两手攀着上面，两脚再向上缩；他肥胖的身子向左微倾，
显出努力的样子。这时我看见他的的背影，我眼泪很快地流下来了。我赶紧拭干了泪，
怕他看见，也怕别人看见。我再向外看时，他已抱了朱红的橘子往回走了。过铁道时，
他先将橘子散放在地上，自己慢慢爬下，再抱起橘子走。到这边时，我赶紧去搀他。
他和我走到车上，将橘子一股脑儿放在我的皮大衣上。于是扑扑衣上泥土，心里很轻
松似的，过了一会说，“我走了；到那边来信！”我望着他走出去。他走了几步，回
过头看见我，说，“进去吧，里边没人12。”等他的背影混入来来往往的人里，再找
不着了，我便进来坐下，我的眼泪又来了。
近几年来，父亲和我都是东奔西走13，家中的光景是一日不如一日。他少年出外
谋生，独力支持，做了许多大事。那知老境却如此颓唐！他触目伤怀，自然不能自己
14。情郁于中，自然要发之于外；家庭琐屑便往往触他之怒。他待我渐渐不同往日15。
但最近两年的不见，他终于忘却我的不好，只是惦记着我，惦记着我的儿子。我北来
后，他写了一信给我，信中说道，“我身体平安，惟膀子疼痛利害，举箸提笔，诸多
不便，大约大去16之期不远矣。”我读到此处，在晶莹的泪光中，又看见那肥胖的，
青布马褂的背影。唉！我不知何时再能与他相见！
The Sight of Father’s Back
Zhu Ziqing
It is more than two years since I last saw father, and what I can ne*er forget is the
sight of his back. Misfortunes ne*er come singly. In the winter of more than two years
ago, grandma died and father lost his job. I left Beijing for Xuzhou to join father in
hastening home to attend grandma’s funeral. When I met father in Xuzhou, the sight of the
disorderly mess in his courtyard and the thought of grandma started tears trickling down my
cheeks. Father said, “Now that things’*e come to such a pass, it’s no use crying.
Fortunately, Hea*en always lea*es one a way out.”
After arri*ing home in Yangzhou, father paid off debts by selling or pawning things.
He also borrowed money to meet the funeral expenses. Between grandma’s funeral and
father’s unemployment, our family was then in reduced circumstances. After the funeral
was o*er, father was to go to Nanjing to look for a job and I was to return to Beijing to
study, so we started out together.
I spent the first day in Nanjing strolling about with some friends at their in*itation,
and was ferrying across the Yangtse Ri*er to Pukou the next morning and thence taking a
train for Beijing on the afternoon of the same day. Father said he was too busy to go and
see me off at the railway station, but would ask a hotel waiter that he knew to accompany
me there instead. He urged the waiter again and again to take good care of me, but still did
not quite trust him. He hesitated for quite a while about what to do. As a matter of fact,
nothing would matter at all because I was then twenty and had already tra*elled on
Beijing-Pukou Railway a couple of times. After some wa*ering, he finally decided that he
himself would accompany me to the station. I repeatedly tried to talk him out of it, but he
only said, “Ne*er mind! It won’t do to trust guys like those hotel boys!”
We entered the railway station after crossing the Ri*er. While I was at the booking
office buying a ticket, father saw to my luggage. There was quite a bit of luggage and he
had to bargain with the porter o*er the fee. I was then such a smart aleck that I frowned
upon the way father was haggling and was on the *erge of chipping in a few words when
the bargain was finally clinched. Getting on the train with me, he picked me a seat close to
the carriage door. I spread on the seat the brownish fur-lined o*ercoat he had got tailor
made for me. He told me to be watchful on the way and be careful not to catch cold at
night. he also asked the train attendants to take good care of me. I sniggered at father for
being so impractical, for it was utterly useless to entrust me to those attendants, who cared
for nothing but money. Besides, it was certainly no problem for a person of my age to look
after himself. Oh, when I come to think of it, I can see how smarty I was in those days!
I said, “Dad, you might lea*e now.” But he looked out of window and said, “I’m
going to buy you some tangerines. You just stay here. Don’t mo*e around.” I caught sight
of se*eral *endors waiting for customers outside the railings beyond a platform. But to
reach that platform would require crossing the railway track and doing some climbing up
and down. That would be a strenuous job for father, who was fat. I wanted to do all that
myself, but he stopped me, so I could do nothing but let him go. I watched him hobble
towards the railway track in his black skullcap, black cloth mandarin jacket and dark blue
cotton-padded cloth long gown. He had little trouble climbing down the railway track, but
it was a lot more difficult for him to climb up that platform after crossing the railway track.
His hands held onto the upper part of the platform, his legs huddled up and his corpulent
body tipped slightly towards the left, ob*iously making an enormous exertion. While I was
watching him from behind, tears gushed from my eyes. I quickly wiped them away lest he
or others should catch me crying. The next moment when I looked out of the window again,
father was already on the way back, holding bright red tangerines in both hands. In
crossing the railway track, he first put the tangerines on the ground, climbed down slowly
and then picked them up again. When he came near the train, I hurried out to help him by
the hand. After boarding the train with me, he laid all the tangerines on my o*ercoat, and
patting the dirt off his clothes, he looked somewhat relie*ed and said after a while, “I must
be going now. Don’t forget to write me from Beijing!” I gazed after his back retreating out
of the carriage. After a few steps, he looked back at me and said, “go back to your seat.
Don’t lea*e your things alone.” I, howe*er, did not go back to my seat until his figure was
lost among crowds of people hurrying to and fro and no longer *isible. My eyes were again
wet with tears.
In recent years, both father and I ha*e been li*ing an unsettled life, and the
circumstances of our family going from bad to worse. Father left home to seek a li*elihood
when young and did achie*e quite a few things all on his own. To think that he should now
be so downcast in old age! The discouraging state of affairs filled him with an
uncontrollable feeling of deep sorrow, and his pent-up emotion had to find a *ent. That is
why e*en mere domestic tri*ialities would often make him angry, and meanwhile he
became less and less nice with me. Howe*er, the separation of the last two years has made
him more forgi*ing towards me. He keeps thinking about me and my son. After I arri*ed in
Beijing, he wrote me a letter, in which he says. “I’m all right except for a se*ere pain in my
arm. I e*en ha*e trouble using chopsticks or writing brushes. Perhaps it won’t be long now
before I depart this life.” Through the glistening tears which these words had brought to
my eyes I again saw the back of father’s corpulent form in the dark blue cotton-padded
cloth long gown and the black cloth mandarin jacket. Oh, how I long to see him again.
注释:
《背影》是朱自清（*98-1948）影响最大的抒情名篇之一，写于1925年10月。作者用的提炼的口语，文笔秀丽，细腻缜密，读来有一种亲切婉转、娓娓动听的感觉。但它的巨大艺术魅力主要来自它饱含的真挚感情。
(1)“回家”指作者和父亲一起从徐州回扬州奔丧。英译时有必要交代清楚扬州是他们的老家，所以采用加字法：After arri*ing home in Yangzhou。
(2)“一半为了丧事，一半为了父亲的赋闲”译为Between Grandma’s funeral and father’s
unemployment，其中Between…and…等于What with …and (what with)…，作“半因……，半因……”或“由于……的共同影响“解。
(3)“茶房”旧时指旅馆、餐馆、轮船等内的服务员，可译为waiter、attendant、boy等。
(4)“我两三回劝他不必去”译为I repeatedly tried to talk him out of it，比I repeatedly tried to
dissuade him from accompanying me to the station通俗简洁。
(5)“他们去不好”中的“他们”指“茶房”，全句意译为It won’t do to trust guys like those hotel
boys。如直译为It won’t do to let one of the hotel boys go with you，也无不可，但未能把“对茶房缺乏信任感”的意思表达出来。
(6)“小费”在这里不指按规定价格付费之外另给的“赏金”，不能用tip表达，现译为fee。
(7)“我那时真是聪明过分”中的“聪明”是反话，现全句译为I was then such a smart aleck，
其中smart aleck意即“自以为是的人”或“自以为样样懂的人”。
(8)“总觉得他说话不大漂亮”意即嫌父亲不会讲价钱，现全句译为I frowned upon the way
father was haggling，其中frowned upon作“表示不赞同”解。
(9)“迂”在这里作“不切实际”或“没有见识”解，现结合上下文译为impractical。
(10)“那时真是太聪明了”也是反语，现译为how smarty I was in those days，其中smarty和
smart aleck同义。
(11)“马褂”为旧时男子穿在长袍外的对襟短褂，通常译为mandarin jacket。
(12)“里边没人”不宜按字面直译，现译为Don’t lea*e your things alone。
(13)“父亲和我都是东奔西走”不宜按字面直译，现意译为both father and I ha*e been li*ing an
unsettled life。
(14)“他触目伤怀，自然情不能自己”意即“他看到家庭败落，情不自禁为之悲伤”，现译
为The discouraging state of affairs filled him with an uncontrollable feeling of deep sorrow。
(15)“他待我渐渐不同往日”意即“他待我渐渐不如过去那么好”，故译为he became less and
less nice with me。
(16)“大去”为旧时用语，意即“与世长辞”，现译为depart this life。
匆 匆
朱自清
燕子去了，有再来的时候；杨柳枯了，在再青的时候；桃花谢了，有再开的时候
1。但是，聪明的，你告诉我，我们的日子为什么一去不复返呢？——是有人偷了他
们罢：那是谁？又藏在何处呢？是他们自己逃走了罢：现在又到了那里呢2？
我不知道他们给了我多少日子3；但我的手确乎是渐渐空虚了4。在默默里算着，
八千多日子已经从我手中溜去5；像针尖上一滴水滴在大海里，我的日子滴在时间的
流里，没有声音，也没有影子。我不禁头涔涔而泪潸潸了6。
去的尽管去了，来的尽管来着；去来的中间，又怎样地匆匆呢？早上我起来的时
候，小屋里射进两三方7斜斜的太阳。太阳他也有脚啊，轻轻悄悄地挪移8了；我也茫
茫然跟着旋转。于是——洗手的时候，日子从水盆里过去；吃饭的时候，日子从饭碗
里过去；默默时，便从凝然的双眼前过去。我觉察他去的匆匆了，伸出手遮挽时，他
又从遮挽着的手边过去，天黑时，我躺在床上，他便伶伶俐俐在从我身上跨过，从我
脚边飞去了。等我睁开眼和太阳再见，这算又溜走了一日。我掩着面叹息。但是新来
的日子的影儿又开始在叹息里闪过了。
在逃去如飞的日子里，在千门万户的世界里的我能做些什么呢？只有徘徊罢了，
只有匆匆罢了；在八千多日的匆匆里，除徘徊外，又剩些什么呢？过去的日子如轻烟，
被微风吹散了，如薄雾，被初阳蒸融了；我留着些什么痕迹呢？我何曾留着像游丝样
的痕迹呢？我赤裸裸来到这世界，转眼间也将赤裸裸的回去罢？但不能平的9，为什
么偏要白白走这一遭啊？
你聪明的，告诉我，我们的日子为什么一去不复返呢？
Transient Days
Zhu ziqing
If swallows go away, they will come back again. If willows wither, they will turn
green again. If peach blossoms fade, they will flower again. But, tell me, you the wise, why
should our days go by ne*er to return? Perhaps they ha*e been stolen by someone. But
who could it be and where could he hide them? Perhaps they ha*e just run away by
themsel*es. But where could they be at the present moment?
I don’t know how many days I am entitled to altogether, but my quota of then is
undoubtedly wearing away. Counting up silently, I find that more than 8000 days ha*e
already slipped away through my fingers. Like a drop of water falling off a needle point
into the ocean, my days are quietly dripping into the stream of time without lea*ing a trace.
At the thought of this, sweat oozes from my forehead and tears trickle down my cheeks.
What is gone is gone, what is to come keeps coming. How swift is the transition in
between! When I get up in the morning, the slanting sun casts two or three squarish
patches of light into my small room. The sun has feet too, edging away softly and
stealthily. And, without knowing it, I am already caught in its re*olution. Thus the day
flows away through the sink when I wash my hands; *anishes in the rice bowl when I ha*e
my meal; passes away quietly before the fixed gaze of my eyes when I am lost in re*erie.
Aware of its fleeting presence, I reach out for it only to find it brushing past my
outstretched hands. In the e*ening, when I lie on my bed, it nimbly strides o*er my body
and flits past my feet. By the time when I open my eyes to meet the sun again, another day
is already gone. I hea*e a sigh, my head buried in my hands. But, in the midst of my sighs,
a new day is flashing past.
Li*ing in this world with its fleeting days and teeming millions, what can I do but
wa*er and wander and li*e a transient life? What ha*e I been doing during the 8000
fleeting days except wa*ering and wandering? The bygone days, like wisps of smoke, ha*e
been dispersed by gentle winds, and, like thin mists, ha*e been e*aporated by the rising
sun. What traces ha*e I left behind? No, nothing, not e*en gossamer-like traces. I ha*e
come to this world stark naked, and in the twinkling of an eye, I am to go back as stark
naked as e*er. Howe*er, I am taking it *ery much to heart: why should I be made to pass
through this world for nothing at all?
O you the wise, would you tell me please: why should our days go by ne*er to return?
注释：
本文是朱自清的早期散文，写于1922年7月28日。文章充满诗意，对时光的消失深表感叹
和无奈，流露出当时青年知识分子的苦闷和忧伤情绪。
(1) 原文开头三个句子结构类似，译文采用三个相应的句式，力求形似。同时，每句均以if
从句为首，使人想起英国诗人雪莱(Shelley)的名句If Winter comes, can Spring be far away，有助于烘托原文的韵味。
(2) “现在又到了那里呢”译为But where could they be at the present moment，其中at the
present moment等于now，也可用at the moment或at the moment in time等表达。
(3) “我不知道他们给了我多少日子”译为I don’t know how many days I am entitled to
altogether，其中entitled to相当于qualified for，作“能有……”或“有权得到……”解。此句也可译为I don’t know how many days been gi*en to li*e。
(4) “但我的手确乎是渐渐空虚了”不宜逐字直译，现以意译法处理：but my quota of them is
undoubtedly wearing away，其中quota of them的意思是“一定数额的日子”，也即“寿命的预期数额”。也可用my allotted span 代替my quota of them。
(5) “八千多日子已经从我手中溜去”译为more than 8000 days ha*e already slipped away
through my fingers，其中to slip away through one’s fingers是英语习语。
(6) “我不禁头涔涔而泪潸潸了”的译文中添加了At the thought of this（一想到这儿），承
上启下，原文虽无其字而有其意。
(7) “两三方”译为two and three squarish patches，其中squarish的意思是“似方形的”比
square模糊些，似较可取。
(8) “挪移”在此有“慢慢离开”的含义，现以英语短语动词(phrasal *erb) to edge away表
达。注意原文第三段中若干表示动作的词语在译文中均挑选恰当的英语短语动词表达，效果较好。如：“从……（双眼前）过去”译为to pass away before…；“伸出手遮挽……”译为to reach out for…；“从……（手边）过去”译为to brush past…；“从……（身上）跨过”译为to stride o*er…；
“从……（脚边）飞去了”译为to flit past…；“闪过去了”译为to flash past。
(9) “不能平的”意即“为之耿耿于怀”或“为之想不开”，现译为Iam taking it *ery much
to heart，其中to take…to heart是英语成语，作“为……烦恼”或“为……想不开”解。
木匠老陈(1)
巴金
生活的经验固然会叫人忘记许多事情(2)。但是有些记忆过了多少时间的磨洗(3)也
不会消灭。
故乡里那些房屋，那些街道至今还印在我的脑子里。我还记得我每天到学堂去总
要走过的木匠老陈的铺子。
木匠老陈那时不过四十岁光景，脸长的像驴子脸，左眼下面有块伤疤，嘴唇上略
有几根胡须。大家都说他的相貌丑，但是同时人人称赞他的脾气好。
他平日在店里。但是他也经常到相熟的公馆里去做活(4)，或者做包工，或者做零
工(5)。我们家里需要木匠的时候，总是去找他。我就在这时候认识他。他在我们家里
做活，我只要有空，就跑去看他工作。
我那时注意的，并不是他本人，倒是他的那些工具；什么有轮齿的锯子啦，有两
个耳朵的刨子啦，会旋转的钻子啦，像图画里板斧一般的斧子啦。这些奇怪的东西我
以前全没有看见过。一块粗糙的木头经过了斧子劈，锯子锯，刨子刨，就变成了一方
或者一条光滑整齐的木板，再经过钻子、凿子等等工具以后，又变成了各种各样的东
西(6)；像美丽的窗格，镂花的壁板等等细致的物件，都是这样制成的。
老陈和他的徒弟的工作使我的眼界宽了不少(7)。那时我还在家里读书，祖父聘请
了一位前清的老秀才来管教我们。老秀才不知道教授的方法，他只教我们认一些字，
呆板地读一些书。此外他就把我们关在书房里，端端正正地坐(8)在凳子上，让时间白
白地流过去。过惯了这种单调的生活以后，无怪乎我特别喜欢老陈了。
老陈常常弯着腰，拿了尺子和墨线盒在木板上面画什么东西。我便安静地站在旁
边专心地望着，连眼珠也不转一下。他画好墨线，便拿起锯子或者凿子来。我有时候
觉得有些地方很奇怪，不明白，就问他，他很和气地对我一一说明。他的态度比那个
老秀才的好得多(9)。
家里人看见我对老陈的工作感到这么大的兴趣，并不来干涉我，却嘲笑地唤我做
老陈的徒弟，父亲甚至开玩笑地说要把我送到老陈那里学做木匠。但这些嘲笑都是好
意的，父亲的确喜欢我。因此有一个时候我居然相信父亲真有这样的想法，而且我对
老陈说过要跟他学做木匠的话。
“你要学做木匠？真笑话！有钱的少爷应该读书，将来好做官！穷人的小孩才做
木匠，”老陈听见我的话，马上就笑起来。
“为什么不该学做木匠？做官有什么好？修房子，做家具，才有趣啊！我做木匠，
我要给自己修房子，爬到上面去，爬得高高的，”我看见他不相信我的话，把它只当
做小孩子的胡说(10)，我有些生气，就起劲地争论道。
“爬得高，会跌下来，”老陈随口说了这一句，他的笑容渐渐地收起来了。
“跌下来，你骗我！我就没有见过木匠跌下来。”
老陈看我一眼，依旧温和地说：“做木匠修房子，常常拿自己性命来拼。一个不当心在上面滑了脚，跌下来，不跌成肉酱，也会得一辈子的残疾。”他说到这里就埋
下头，用力在木板上推他的刨子，木板查查地响着，一卷一卷的刨花接连落在地上。
他过了半晌又加了一句：“我爹就是这样子跌死的。”
我不相信他的话。一个人会活活地跌死！我没有看见过，也没有听见人说过。既
然他父亲做木匠跌死了，为什么他现在还做木匠呢？我简直想不通。
“你骗我，我不信！那么你为什么还要做木匠？难道你就不怕死！”
“做木匠的人这样多，不见得个个都遭横死。我学的是这行手艺，不靠它吃饭又
靠什么？“他苦恼地说。然后他抬起头来看我，他的眼角上嵌着泪珠。他哭了！
我看见他流眼泪，不知道怎么办才好，就跑开了。
不久祖父生病死了，我也进了学堂，不再受那个老秀才的管束了。祖父死后木匠
老陈不曾到我们家里来过。但是我每天到学堂去都要经过他那个小小的铺子。
有时候他在店里招呼我；有时候他不在，只有一两个徒弟在那里钉凳子或者制造
别的对象。他的店起初还能维持下去，但是不久省城里发生了巷战，一连打了三天，
然后那两位军阀因为别人的调解又握手言欢了。老陈的店在这个时候遭到“丘八”的
光顾，他的一点点积蓄都给抢光了，只剩下一个空铺子(11)。这以后他虽然勉强开店，
生意却很萧条。我常常看见他哭丧着脸在店里做工。他的精神颓丧，但是他仍然不停
手地做活。我听说他晚上时常到小酒馆里喝酒。
又过了几个月他的店终于关了门。我也就看不见他的踪迹了。有人说他去吃粮当
了兵(12)，有人说他到外县谋生去了。然而有一天我在街上碰见了他。他手里提着一
个篮子，里面装了几件木匠用的工具。
“老陈，你还在省城！人家说你吃粮去了(13)！”我快活地大声叫起来。
“我只会做木匠，我就只会做木匠！一个人应该安分守己，”他摇摇头微微笑道，
他的笑容里带了一点悲哀。他没有什么大改变，只是人瘦了些，脸黑了些，衣服脏了
些。
“少爷，你好好读书，你将来做了官，我来给你修房子，”他继续笑说。
我抓住他的袖子，再也说不出一句话来。他告辞走了。他还告诉我他在他从前一
个徒弟的店里帮忙。这个徒弟如今发达了，他却在那里做一个匠人。
以后我就没有再看见老陈。我虽然喜欢他，但是过了不几天我又把他忘记了。等
到公馆里的轿夫告诉我一个消息的时候，我才记起他来。
那个轿夫报告的是什么消息呢？
他告诉我：老陈同别的木匠一起在南门一家大公馆里修楼房(14)，工程快要完了，
但是不晓得怎样，老陈竟然从楼上跌下来，跌死了。
在那么多的木匠里面，偏偏是他跟着他父亲落进了横死的命运圈里。这似乎是偶
然，似乎又不是偶然。总之，一个安分守己的人就这样地消灭了(15)。
Carpenter Lao Chen
Ba Jin
Lots of things are apt to fade from memory as one’s life experiences accumulate. But
some memories will withstand the wear and tear of time.
Those houses and streets in my home town still remain engra*ed on my mind. I still
can recall how e*ery day on my way to school I would in*ariably walk past Carpenter Lao
Chen’s shop.
Carpenter Lao Chen was then only about forty years old, with a longish face like that
of a donkey, a scar under his left eye, and a wispy moustache on his upper lip. People said
he looked ugly, yet they praised him for his good temper.
He usually worked in his own shop. But from time to time he was employed by some
rich people he knew well to work at their residences, either as a hired hand on contract or
as an odd jobber. Whene*er my family needed a carpenter, he was always the man we
wanted. That was how I got to know him. While he was in our home, I would come out to
watch him work in my spare time.
What attracted my attention, howe*er, was not the man himself, but the tools he used,
such as the saw with toothed blade, the plane with two ear-like handles, the re*ol*ing drill
– things entirely strange to me. A piece of coarse wood, after being processed with the
hatchet, saw and plane, would become pieces of smooth and tidy wood, square or
rectangular in shape. After further treatment with the chisel, drill, etc., they would end up
as *arious kinds of exquisite articles, such as beautiful window lattices, ornamental
engra*ings on wooden partitions.
The work which Lao Chen and his apprentices did was a real eye-opener to me. I was
then studying at home under the tutorship of an old scholar of Qing Dynasty whom my
grandfather had engaged. The ild scholar knew nothing about teaching methods. All he did
was make me learn some Chinese characters and do some dull reading. Apart from that, he
had me cooped up in my study and sit bolt upright doing nothing while time was slipping
through my fingers. Because of this monotonous life, it was no wonder that I de*eloped a
particular liking for Carpenter Lao Chen.
He was often bent o*er drawing something on a plank with a ruler and an ink marker.
And I would stand by and watch quietly and intently, my eyes ri*eted on him. After
making the line with the ink marker, he would pick up the saw or the chisel. Sometimes,
when something puzzled me, I would ask him questions out of curiosity, and he would
explain patiently e*erything in detail. He was much more agreeable than the old scholar.
My folks, howe*er, showed no sign of disappro*al when they found me so much
interested in Lao Chen’s work, but only teasingly called me an apprentice of his. Father
e*en said jokingly that he was going to apprentice me to Lao Chen. All that was the well-
meaning remarks of an affectionate father. Once I e*en belie*ed that father had meant
what he said, and I e*en told Lao Chen that that was exactly what I had in mind.
“You want to learn carpentry?” said Lao Chen immediately with a smile. “No kidding!
A wealthy young master like you should study and grow up to be a go*ernment official!
Only poor people’s kids learn carpentry.”
Somewhat annoyed by the way he shrugged off my words as childish nonsense, I
argued heatedly, “Why not become a carpenter? What’s the good of being a go*ernment
official? It’s great fun to build houses and make furniture. If I’m a carpenter, I’ll climb
high up, *ery high up, to build a house for myself.”
“You may fall down if you climb high,” said he casually, the smile on his face fading
away.
“Fall down? You’re fooling me! I’*e ne*er seen a carpenter fall down.”
Shooting a glance at me, he continued with undiminished patience.
“A carpenter often has to risk his own life in building a house. One careless slip, and
you fall down. You’ll be disabled for life, if not reduced to pulp.”
Thereupon, he bent his head and forcefully pushed his plane o*er a plank, the
sha*ings of which fell continuously onto the ground amidst the screeching sound. Then he
added after a moment’s silence.
“That’s how my father died.”
I just could not bring myself to belie*e it. How could a man die like that? I had ne*er
seen it happen, nor had I e*er heard of it. If his father had died of an accident as a carpenter,
why should Lao Chen himself still be carpenter now? I just couldn’t figure it out.
“You’re fooling me. I don’t belie*e you! How come you’re still a carpenter? Can you
be unafraid of death?”
“Lots of guys are in this trade,” he went on gloomily. “it doesn’t follow that
e*erybody meets with such a *iolent death. Carpentry is my trade. What else could I rely
on to make a li*ing?”
He looked up at me, some teardrops *isible from the corners of his eyes. He was
crying!
I was at a loss when I saw him in tears, so I went away quietly.
Not long afterwards. My grandpa fell ill and died, and I was enrolled in a school, no
longer under the control of the old scholar. Lao Chen ne*er came again to work in our
household after grandpa’s death. But e*ery day on my way to school, I would pass his
small shop.
Sometimes he beckoned me from his shop. Sometimes he was absent, lea*ing a
couple of his apprentices there hammering nails into a stool or making some other articles.
At first, he could somehow scrape along. Soon street fighting broke out in the pro*incial
capital, lasting three days until the dispute between two warlords was settled through the
mediation of third party. In the course of fighting, soldiers looted Lao Chen’s shop until it
was empty of e*erything. After that, ne*ertheless, he still managed to keep his shop open
though business was bad. I often saw him working in his shop with a saddened look on his
face. Dejected as he was, he worked on as usual. I heard that he often went drinking at a
small wine shop in the e*ening.
Se*eral months later, his shop closed down for good and I lost all trace of him. Some
said he had gone soldiering, others said he had gone to another county to seek a li*elihood.
One day, howe*er, I ran into him in the street. He was carrying a basket filled with some
carpenter’s tools.
“Lao Chen,” I yelled out in joy, “you’re still here in the pro*incial capital! People say
you’re joined up!”
“I’m good at nothing else but carpentry! One should be content with one’s lot,” he
shook his head, wearing a faint smile with a touch of sorrow. There was not much change
in him except that he was thinner, his face darker and his clothes more dirty.
“Young master,” he continued smilingly,” “you should study hard. Let me build a
house for you come day when you’re a go*ernment official.”
I took hold of his slee*e, unable to utter a word. He said goodbye to me and went
away. He had told me that he was now working at the shop of former apprentice of his.
The apprentice was doing quiet well while Lao Chen was now his hired hand.
Thenceforth I ne*er saw Lao Chen again. Much as I liked him, I soon forgot him. It
was not until the sedan-chair bearer of a rich household passed on me the news that I
remembered him again.
What news did the sedan-chair bearer tell me?
He told me: tighter with other carpenters, was building a mansion for a rich household
at the southern city gate. When it was nearing completion, it suddenly came to pass that he
fell off building and died.
Why did Lao Chen, of all carpenters, die such a *iolent death like his father? All that
seems accidental, and also seems predestined. In short, an honest man has thus passed out
of existence.
注释：
巴金（1903- ）的《木匠老陈》写于1934年，后编入他的散文集《生之忏悔》。这是一篇
传记体的回忆性文章，充满浓郁的抒情色彩，对旧时淳朴的劳动大众的苦难深表同情。
(1)“木匠老陈”译为Carpenter Lao Chen，其中Carpenter为称号化名词，故在前面不加任何
冠词。这是现代英语中的常见用法。
(2)“生活的经验……叫人忘记许多事情”意即“随着生活经历的积累，许多往事，难免给忘了”，故译为Lots of things are apt to fade from memory as one’s life experiences accumulate。
(3)“时间的磨洗”意即“岁月的腐蚀”，现译为the wear and tear of time，其中wear and tear
是英语成语，作“磨损”（loss and damage resulting from use）。
(4)“他……到相熟的公馆里去做活”中的“公馆”指“大户”、“有钱人家”，故全句译为
he was employed by some rich people he knew well to work at their residences。
(5)“包工”指“按合同合同操作”，“零工”指“不按合同操作”，故两者按上下文分别译
为a hired hand on contract和an odd-jobber。
(6)“又变成各种各样（细致）的东西”译为would end up as *arious kinds of exquisite articles，
其中end up是成语，作“最终成为”解。这里使用它是为了避免重复前句中的become一词。
(7)“……使我的眼界宽了不少”译为……was a real eye-opener to me，其中eye-opener作“使
人大开眼界的事物”(something e*ery surprising, from which one learners something unknown before)解，通常和re*elation意相近。
(8)“端端正正地坐……”译为sit bolt upright…，其中bolt upright 是常用搭配，bolt可与to sit或to stand等连用，作“笔直”解。此句也可译为sit *ery straight…。
(9)“他的态度比那个老秀才的好多了”中的“好”的意思是“令人愉快”或“易于相处”，
故全句译为He was much more agreeable than the old scholar，其中agreeable意即“易于相处”
（pleasant或likable）。
(10)“……不相信我的话，把它当作小孩子的胡说”译为……shrugged off my words as childish
nonsense，其中shrugged off是英语成语，本作“耸肩对……表示不屑理睬”解，现指“不当一回事”，与to ignore意同。
(11)“老陈的店……遭到‘丘八’的光顾，他的一点点积蓄都给抢光了，只剩下一个空铺子”
中的“丘八”为旧时对士兵的轻蔑称呼，现全句译为soldiers looted Lao Chen’s shop until it was empty of e*erything，其中until一词的意思不是“直到……为止”，而是“以至于”（to the point that / so that finally / and at last）。
(12)“有人说他去吃粮当了兵”中的“吃粮”旧时和“当兵”同义，现全句译为Some said he
had gone soldering即可。
(13)“人家说你吃粮去了！”译为People say you’*e joined up，其中to join up为成语，意同
to join the army。
(14)“在……一家大公馆修楼房”译为was building a mansion for a rich household，其中mansion
的意思是“大楼”（a large house，usually belonging to a wealthy person）。如按字面把“楼房”
译为a large multi-storied house未尝不可，但欠简练。
(15)“总之，一个安分守己的人就这样地消灭了”一句带有“惋惜”、“同情”的口气，故
译为In short, an honest man has thus passed out of existence，其中has thus passed out of existence 似比has thus perished确切。
朋 友
巴金
这一次的旅行使我更了解一个名词的意义，这个名词就是：朋友。
七八天以前我曾对一个初次见面的朋友说：“在朋友们面前我只感到惭愧(1)。你
们待我太好了，我简直没法报答你们。”这并不是谦虚的客气话，这是真的事实。说
过这些话，我第二天就离开了那个朋友，并不知道以后还有没有机会再看见他。但是
他给我的那一点点温暖至今还使我的心颤动(2)。
我的生命大概不会很长久罢。然而在短促的过去的回顾中却有一盏明灯，照彻了
我的灵魂的黑暗，使我的生存有一点光彩。这盏灯就是就友情。我应该感谢它，因为
靠了它我才能够活到现在；而且把旧家庭给我留下的阴影扫除了的也正是它。
世间有不少的人为了家庭抛弃朋友，至少也会在家庭和朋友之间划一个界限，把
家庭看得比朋友重过若干倍。这似乎是很自然的事情。我也曾亲眼看见一些人结婚以
后就离开朋友，离开事业。……
朋友是暂时的，家庭是永久的。在好些人的行为里我发见了这个信条。这个信条
在我实在是不可理解的。对于我，要是没有朋友，我现在会变成怎样可怜的东西，我
自己也不知道(3)。
然而朋友们把我救了。他们给了我家庭所不能给的东西。他们的友爱，他们的帮
助，他们的鼓励，几次把我从深渊的边沿救回来。他们对我表示了无限的慷慨(4)。
我的生活曾经是悲苦的，黑暗的。然而朋友们把多量的同情，多量的爱，多量的
欢乐，多量的眼泪分了给我，这些东西都是生存所必需的。这些不要报答的慷慨的施
舍，使我的生活里也有了温暖，有了幸福(5)。我默默地接受了它们。我并不曾说一句
感激的话，我也没有做过一件报答的行为。但是朋友们却不把自私的形容词加到我的
身上。对于我，他们太慷慨了(6)。
这一次我走了许多新地方，看见了许多新朋友。我的生活是忙碌的：忙着看，忙
着听，忙着说，忙着走。但是我不曾遇到一点困难，朋友们给我准备好了一切，使我
不会缺少什么。我每走到一个新地方，我就像回到我那个在上海被日本兵毁掉的旧居
一样。 每一个朋友，不管他自己的生活是怎样苦，怎样简单，也要慷慨地分一些东西给
我，虽然明知道我不能够报答他。有些朋友，连他们的名字我以前也不知道，他们却
关心我的健康，处处打听我的“病况”，直到他们看见了我那被日光晒黑了的脸和膀
子，他们才放心地微笑了，这种情形的确值得人掉泪。
有人相信我不写文章就不能够生活。两个月以前，一个同情我的上海朋友寄稿到
《广州民国日报》的副刊，说了许多关于我的生活的话。他也说我一天不写文章第二
天就没有饭吃(7)。这是不确实的。这次旅行就给我证明；即使我不再写一个字，朋友
们也不肯让我冻馁。世间还有许多慷慨的人，他们并不把自己个人和家庭看得异常重
要，超过一切。靠了他们我才能够活到现在，而且靠了他们我还要活下去。
朋友们给我的东西是太多、太多了(8)。我将怎样报答他们呢？但是我知道他们是不需要报答的。
最近我在一个法国哲学家的书里读到了这样的话：“生命的一个条件就是消
费……世间有一种不能跟生存分开的慷慨，要是没有了它，我们就会死，就会从内部
干枯。我们必须开花。道德，无私心就是人生的花。”
在我的眼前开放着这么多的人生的花朵了。我的生命要到什么时候才会开花？难
道我已经是“内部干枯”了吗？
一个朋友说过：“我若是灯，我就要用我的光明来照彻黑暗。”
我不配做一盏明灯。那么就让我做一块木柴罢。我愿意把我从太阳那里受到的热
放散出来，我愿意把自己烧得粉身碎骨给人间添一点点温暖。
Friends
Ba Jin
On my recent tra*els, I came to realize still more fully the significance of the word
“friend”.
Se*en or eight days ago, I said to a friend whom I had just come to know, “I can’t
help feeling embarrassed before my friends. You’re all so nice to me. I simply don’t know
how to repay your kindness.” I did not make this remark out of mere modesty and courtesy.
I truly meant what I said. The next day, I said goodbye to this friend, not knowing if I
could e*er see him again. But the little warmth that he ga*e me has been keeping my heart
throbbing with gratitude.
The length of my days will not be unlimited. Howe*er, whene*er I look back on my
brief past life, I find a beacon illuminating my soul and thereby lending a little brightness
to my being. That beacon is friendship. I should be grateful to it because it has helped me
keep ali*e up to now and clear away the shadow left on me by my old family.
Many people forsake their friends in fa*our of their own families, or at least draw a
line of demarcation between families and friends, considering the former to be many times
more important than the latter. That seems to be a matter of course. I ha*e also seen with
my own eyes how some people abandon their friends as well as their own careers soon
after they get married…
Friends are transient whereas family are lasting—that is the tenet, as I know, guiding
the beha*iour of many people. To me, that is utterly inconcei*able. Without friends, I
would ha*e been reduced to I don’t know what a miserable creature.
Friends are my sa*iours. They gi*e me things which it is beyond my family to gi*e
me. Thanks to their fraternal lo*e, assistance and encouragement, I ha*e time and again
been sa*ed from falling into an abyss while on its *erge. They ha*e been enormously
generous towards me.
There was a time when my life was miserable and gloomy. My friends then ga*e me
in large quantities sympathy, lo*e, joy and tears—things essential for existence. It is due to
their bountiful free gifts that I also ha*e my share of warmth and happiness in my life. I
accepted their kindnesses quietly without e*er saying a word of thanks and without e*er
doing anything in return. In spite of that, my friends ne*er used the epithet “self-centered”
when referred to me. They are only too generous towards me.
I *isited many new places and met new friends on my recent trip. My time was mostly
taken up by looking around, listening, talking and walking. But I ne*er ran into any trouble
because my friends had done their utmost to make sure that I would be short of nothing.
Whate*er new places I called at, I always felt at home as if I were back in my old residence
in Shanghai which had been already been raged to the ground by Japanese troops.
No matter how hard up and frugal my friends themsel*es were, they would
unstintingly share with me whate*er they had, although they knew I would not be able to
repay them for their kindness. Some, whom I did not e*en know by name, showed concern
o*er my health and went about inquiring after me. It was not until they saw my suntanned
face and arms that they began to smile a smile of relief. All that was enough to mo*e one
to tears.
Some people belie*e that, without writing, I would lose my li*elihood. One of my
sympathizers, in an article published two months ago in the Guangzhou Republic Daily
Supplement, gi*es a full account of the conditions of my life. He also says that I would
ha*e nothing to li*e on once I should lay down my pen. That is not true at all. It has
already been pro*ed by recent tra*els that my friends would ne*er let me suffer from cold
and hunger e*en if I should go without writing a single word. There are a great many
kind-hearted people in the world who ne*er attach undue importance to themsel*es and
their own families and who ne*er place themsel*es and their families abo*e anything else.
It is owing to them that I still sur*i*e and shall continue to sur*i*e for a long time to come.
I owe my friends many, many kindnesses. How can I repay them? But, I understand,
they don’t need me to do that.
Recently I came across the following words in a book by a French philosopher:
One condition of life is consumption… Sur*i*al in this world is
inseparable from generosity, without which we would perish and
become dried-up from within. We must put forth flowers. Moral
integrity and unselfishness are the flowers of life.
Now so many flowers of life are in full bloom before my eyes. When can my life put
forth flowers? Am I already dried-up from within?
A friend of mine says, “If I were a lamp, I would illuminate darkness with my light.”
I, howe*er, don’t qualify for a bright lamp. Let me be a piece of firewood instead. I’ll
radiate the heat that I ha*e absorbed from the sun. I’ll burn myself to ashes to pro*ide this
human world with a little warmth.
注释：
本文是巴金1933年6月写于广州的一篇旅途随笔，赞颂了人间友情之可贵。
(1)“在朋友面前我只感到惭愧”中的“惭愧”的意思是“不好意思”，不作“羞愧”解，因
此不宜按字面译为ashamed等。可译为embarrassed 或ill at ease等。
(2)“使我的心颤动”译为Keeping my heart throbbing with gratitude，其中with gratitude是添
加成分，原文虽无其字而有其意。
(3)“我现在会变成怎样可怜的东西，我自己也不知道“译为I would ha*e been reduced to I don’t know what a miserable creature，其中I don’t know作插入语用。
(4)“无限的慷慨”译为enormously generous，其中enormously作extremely或exceedingly解，属强化修饰词（intensifying adjecti*e）。
(5)“这些不要报答的慷慨施舍，使我的生活里也有了温暖，有了幸福”译为It is due to their
bountiful free gifts that I also ha*e my share of warmth and happiness in my life，其中bountiful的意思是“慷慨”或“大量”；my share of 作“我（也有）的一份”解，用以表达原文中“也”的内涵。
(6)“太慷慨”译为only too generous，其中only too是成语，作*ery或all too解。
(7)“一天不写文章第二天就没有饭吃”中的“一天……第二天就……”在译文中用连接词
once即可表达。又“没有饭吃”不宜按字面直译，现意译为ha*e nothing to li*e on。
(8)“朋友给我的东西是太多、太多了”中的“东西”主要指“帮助”，侧重在精神方面，虽
然也可译为things，但在此不如kindnesses (= kind acts)更为贴切。
梦
巴金
据说“至人(1)无梦”。幸而我只是一个平庸的人。
我有我的梦中世界，在那里我常常见到你。
昨夜又见到你那慈祥的笑容了
还是在我们那个老家，在你的房间里，在我的房间里(2)，你亲切地对我讲话。你
笑，我也笑。
还是成都的那些旧街道，我跟着你一步一步地走过平坦的石板路，我望着你的背
影，心里安慰地想：父亲还很康健呢。一种幸福的感觉使我的全身发热了。
我那时不会知道我是在梦中，也忘记了二十五年来的艰苦日子。
在戏园里，我坐在你旁边，看台上的武戏(3)，你还详细地给我解释剧中情节。
我变成二十几年前的孩子了。我高兴，我没有挂虑地微笑(4)，我不假思索地随口
讲话。我想不道我在很短的时间以后就会失掉你，失掉这一切。
然而睁开眼睛，我只是一个人，四周就只有滴滴的雨声。房里是一片黑暗。
没有笑，没有话语。只有雨声：滴——滴——滴。
我用力把眼睛睁大，我撩开蚊帐，我在漆黑的空间中找寻你影子。
但是从两扇开着的小窗，慢慢地透进来灰白色的亮光，使我的眼睛看见了这个空
阔的房间。
没有你，没有你的微笑。有的是寂寞、单调。雨一直滴——滴地下着。
我唤你，没有回应。我侧耳倾听，没有脚声。我静下来，我的心怦怦地跳动。我
听见自己的心的声音。
我的心在走路，它慢慢地走过了二十五年，一直到这个夜晚。
我于是闭了嘴，我知道你不会再站到我的面前。二十五年前我失掉了你。我从无
父的孩子已经长成一个中年人了。
雨声继续着，长夜在滴滴声中进行(5)。我的心感到无比的寂寞。怎么，是屋漏么？
我的脸颊湿了。
小时候我有一个愿望：我愿在你的庇荫下(6)做一世的孩子。现在只有让梦来满足
这个愿望了。
至少在梦里，我可以见到你，我高兴，我没有挂虑地微笑，我不假思索地随口讲
话。 为了这个，我应该感谢梦。
Dream
Ba Jin
It is said that “a *irtuous man seldom dream”. Fortunately, I am but an ordinary man.
I dream my own dream, in which I often meet you.
Last night I again saw your kindly smiling face.
It was the same old home of ours. You talked to me cordially now in your room, now
in my room. You smiled and I also smiled.
It was the same old streets of Chengdu. I followed you step by step on the smooth
flagstones. Looking at you from behind, I inwardly consoled myself with the thought that
father was still hale and hearty. A sensation of blissfulness warmed me up all o*er.
I was unaware that I was in a dream. I also forgot the hardships I had gone through
during the past 25 years.
While I sat beside you inside a theater watching the fighting scenes of Peking opera,
you explained its story to me in great detail.
I was again the small kid of 25 years before. I was joyful, I smiles, I chattered away
freely. I did not ha*e the slightest inkling that you together with e*erything else would in a
moment *anish out of sight.
When I opened my eyes, I found that I was all by myself and nothing was heard
except the pit-a-pat of rain drops.
No more smile, no more chitchat. Only the drip drip drip of rain.
Forcing my eyes to open wider and drawing aside the mosquito net, I began to search
for you in the pitch darkness.
A greyish light, ne*ertheless, edged in through two small windows to enable me to
see the spacious room.
You and your smile were no more. Only loneliness and monotony remained. The rain
kept pitter-pattering.
I called to you, but no response. I listened attenti*ely, but heard no footsteps. I quieted
down, my heart beating hard. I could hear its thumping.
My heart had been tramping along all the time. Up to now, it had been on its slow
journey for 25 years.
Thereupon I kept my mouth shut. I knew you would ne*er appear standing before me.
I had lost you 25 years before. Since then, I had grown from a fatherless child into a
middle-aged man.
The rain continued to fall. The long night wore on amidst its dripping sound. I was
seized with acute loneliness. Well, was the roof leaking? Or was it my tears that had wetted
my cheeks?
When I was young, I wished I could remain a kid fore*er under your wing. Now I can
fulfil this wish only in my dreams.
There in a dream, I can at least come face to face with you. I can be happy, I can
smile nai*e smiles, I can chatter away freely.
For all this, I should be thankful to my dreams.
注释:
《梦》是巴金写于1941年8月3日的一篇优美散文，后编入他的散文集《龙•虎•狗》中。
(1)“至人”在古代反映思想道德达到最高境界的人，现译为a *irtuous man。也可译为a man
of the highest *irtue或a man of moral integrity等。
(2)“在你的房间里，在我的房间里”意即“一回儿在你的房间里，一回儿在我的房间里”，
故译为You talked to me now in your room, now in my room。
(3)“武戏”指京剧中的武打场面，英译时应在the fighting scents后面加上of a Peking opera。
(4)“没有挂虑地微笑”意即“天真的微笑”，故译为smiled na.*e smiles。
(5)“长夜在滴滴声中进行”有时间过得很慢，很沉闷的含义。现全句译为The long night wore
on amidst its dripping sound，其中to wear on是英语成语，用来指时间“缓缓消逝”或“慢慢地挨
过”。
(6)“在你的庇荫下”译为under your wing，是英语成语，意同under your protection and care。
《激流》总序(1)
巴金
几年前我流了眼泪读完托尔斯泰小说《复活》，曾经在扉页上写了一句话：“生
活本身就是一个悲剧。”
事实并不是这样。生活并不是一个悲剧。它是一个“搏斗”。我们生活来做什么？
或者说我们为什么要有这生命？罗曼•罗兰的回答是“为的是来征服它” (2)。我认为
他说得不错。
我有了生命以来，在这个世界上虽然仅仅经历了二十几个寒暑，但是这短短的时
期也并不是白白度过的。这其间我也曾看见了不少的东西，知道了不少的事情。我的
周围是无边的黑暗(3)，但是我并不孤独，并不绝望。我无论在什么地方总看见那一股
生活的激流在动荡，在创造它自己的道路，通过乱山碎石中间。
这激流永远动荡着，并不曾有一个时候停止过，而且它也不能够停止；没有什么
东西可以阻止它。在它的途中，它也曾发射出种种的水花，这里面有爱，有恨，有欢
乐，也有痛苦。这一切造成了奔腾的一股激流，具有排山之势(4)，向着唯一的海流去。
这唯一的海是什么，而且什么时候它才可以流到这海里，就没有人确定地知道了。
我跟所有其余的人一样，生活在这世界上，是为着来征服生活。我也曾参加在这
个“搏斗”里面。我有我的爱，有我的根，有我的欢乐，也有我的痛苦。但是我并没
有失去我的信仰：对于生活的信仰。我的生活还不会结束，我也不知道的在前面还有
什么时候东西等着我(5)。然而我对于将来的却也有一点概念。因为过去并不是一个沉
默的哑子，它会告诉我们一些事情。
在这里我所要展开给读者看的乃是过去十多年生活的一幅图画。自然这里只有生
活的一小部分，但已经可以看见那一股由爱与恨、欢乐与受苦所组织成的生活的激流
是如何地在动荡了。我不是一个说教者，所以我不能够明确地指出一条路来，但是读
者自己可以在里面去找它。
有人说过，路本没有，因为走的人多了，便成了一条路。又有人说路是有的，正
因为有了路才有许多人走。谁是谁非，我不想判断。我还年轻，我还要活下去，我还
要征服生活。我知道生活的激流是不会停止的，且看它把我载到什么地方去！
Preface to the Torrent Trilogy
Ba Jin
Se*eral years ago, after I finished reading Leo Tolstoy’s Resurrection with tears in
my eyes, I wrote on its title page, “Life itself is a tragedy”.
Howe*er, that is not how things are, for life is not a tragedy, but a “struggle”. What
do we li*e for? Or why do we li*e this life at all? The answer gi*en by Romain Rolland is
“to conquer life”. I think he is right.
E*er since I was born, I ha*e passed no more than twenty odd summers in this world,
but this short period of time has not been spent for nothing at all. I ha*e since seen a lot of
things and come to know a lot of things. Though it is all darkness around me, I ha*e ne*er
felt lonely, nor ha*e I e*er gi*en up hope. E*erywhere I go, I always see the torrent of life
tumbling along to open up its way through a confused mass of mountains and rocks.
This torrent is always surging ahead; it has ne*er stopped for a single moment and
will ne*er stop. Nothing whate*er can hold it up. While on its way, it sometimes throws
clouds of spray into the air embodying lo*e and hate, and happiness and sorrow. All that
makes up the tumultuous torrent rushing with terrific force towards the only sea. No one
knows for sure what that only sea is and when the torrent is going to empty into it.
Like e*erybody else, I li*e in this world for the purpose of conquering life. I ha*e also
taken part in the “struggle”. I ha*e my own lo*e and hate, and happiness and sorrow. But I
ha*e ne*er lost my faith—a faith in life. There is still some way to go before my life runs out,
and I do not know what the future has in store for me. Ne*ertheless, I am not without
some idea of what the future is like because the past, being no silent mute, will gi*e me
some hint.
What I unfold here in the Trilogy before my readers is a picture of life of the past ten
odd years. Of course it reflects only a small section of life, but enough, howe*er, to afford
a glimpse of the turbulent torrent of life with its lo*e and hate, happiness and sorrow. I am
no religious preacher, so I cannot point out a definite way out. Readers may here find a
way out for themsel*es.
Some say that there is at first no road at all and that a road is created simply by the
treading of passers-by. Others say that there is at first already a road a*ailable before more
and more people come to walk on it. I do not want to judge who are right or who are wrong.
I am still young, I want to li*e on, I want to conquer life. I know the torrent of life will
ne*er stop. Let’s see where is it going to carry me!
注释：
这篇散文是作者为自己创作的小说《激流三部曲》（《家》、《春》、《秋》）所写的序。
(1) 标题译为Preface to the Torrent Trilogy，其中Trilogy是译者增添的词，用来说明文章是“三部曲”的“总”序。
(2) “为的是来征服它”引自罗曼•罗兰关于法国大革命的剧本《爱与死的搏斗》。
(3) “无边的黑暗”译为all darkness，其中all作complete解，是常见的搭配。
(4) “具有排山之势”不宜直译。现译意为with terrific force，其中terrific作*ery great解。
(5) “我也不知道在前面还有什么东西等到着我”译为and I do not know what the future has in
store for me，其中短语in store for作waiting或about to happen解。
做一个战士
巴金
一个年轻的朋友写信问我：“应该做一个什么样的人？”我回答他：“做一个战
士。”
另一个朋友问我：“怎样对付生活？(1)”我仍旧答道：“做一个战士。”
《战士颂》的作者曾经写过这样的话：
“我激荡在这绵绵不息、滂沱四方的生命洪流中，我就应该追逐这洪流，而且追
过它，自己去造更广、更深的洪流。”
“我如果是一盏灯，这灯的用处便是照彻那多量黑暗。我如果是海潮，便要鼓起
波涛(2)去洗涤海边一切陈腐的积物。”
这一段话很恰当地写出了战士的心情(3)。
在这个时代，战士是最需要的。但是这样的战士并不一定要持枪上战场。他的武
器还可以是知识、信仰和坚强的意志。他并不一定要流仇敌的血，却能更有把握地致
敌人的死命(4)。
战士是永远追求光明的。他并不躺在晴空下享受阳光(5)，却在暗认夜里燃起火炬，
给人们照亮道路，使他们走向黎明(6)。驱散黑暗，这是战士的任务。他不躲避黑暗，
却要面对黑暗，跟躲藏在阴影里的魑魅、魍魉搏斗。他要消灭它们而取得光明。战士
是不知道妥协的。他得不到光明便不会停止战斗。
战士是永远年轻的，他不犹豫，不休息。他深入人丛中，找寻苍蝇、毒蚊等等危
害人类的东西(7)。他不断地攻击它们，不肯与它们共同生存在一个天空下面。对于战
士，生活就是不停的战斗。他不是取得光明而生存，便是带着满身伤痕而死去。在战
斗中力量只有增长，信仰只有加强。在战斗中给战士指路的是“未来”，“未来”给
人以希望和鼓舞。战士永远不会失去青春的活力。
战士是不知道灰心与绝望的。他甚至在失败的废墟上，还要堆起破碎的砖石重建
九级宝塔。任何打击都不能击破战士的意志。只有在死的时候他才闭上眼睛。
战士是不知道畏缩的。他的脚步很坚定。他看定目标，便一直向前走去。他不怕
被绊脚石摔倒，没有一种障碍能使他改变心思。假象绝不能迷住战士的眼睛，支配战
士的行动的是信仰。他能够忍受一切艰难、痛苦，而达到他所选择的目标。除非他死，
人不能使他放弃工作。
这便是我们现在需要的战士。这样的战士并不一定具有超人的能力(8)。他是一个
平凡的人。每个人都可以做战士，只要他有决心。所以我用“做一个战士”的话来激
励那些在彷徨、苦闷中的年轻朋友。
Be a Fighter
Ba jin
A young friend of mine asked me in a letter, “What kind of man should I be? My
answer was, “Be a fighter.”
Another friend of mine inquired, “How should I li*e my life?” Again my answer was,
“Be a fighter.”
The author of In Praise of the Fighter says:
Riding on the ceaseless rushing torrent of life, I should pursue and o*ertake it so as to
create an e*en greater and deeper torrent of my own.
If I were a lamp, it would be my duty to light up thick darkness. If I were the sea tide, I
would marshal rolling wa*es to cleanse the beach of all accumulated filth.
This quotation reflects aptly the state of mind of a fighter.
Fighters are badly needed in our time. But such fighters do not necessarily go to the
battlefield gun in hand. Their weapons are not necessarily bullets. Their weapons may be
knowledge, faith and strong will. They can bring the enemy sure death without drawing his
blood.
A fighter is always in pursuit of light. Instead of basking in the sunshine under a clear
sky, he holds a burning torch in the darkness of night to illuminate people’s way so that
they can continue their journey till they see the dawn of a new day. It is the task of a
fighter to dispel darkness. Instead of shirking darkness, he bra*es it and fights the hidden
demons and monsters therein. He is determined to wipe them out and win light. He knows
no compromise. He will keep on fighting until he wins light.
A fighter is perennially young. He is ne*er irresolute or inacti*e. He plunges deep into
teeming crowds in search of such *ermin as flies and *enomous mosquitoes. He will flight
them relentlessly and refuse to coexist with them under the same sky. To him, life means
nothing but continuous fighting. He either sur*i*es by winning light, or perishes with his
body co*ered all o*er with cuts and bruises. Fighting just ser*es to increase his stamina
and strengthen his faith. In the course of the struggle, it is the “future” that ser*es as the
beacon light to him; the “future” gi*es people hope and inspiration. He will ne*er lose his
youthful *igour.
A fighter will ne*er lose heart or despair. He will pile up broken pieces of brick and
stone to rebuilt a nine-story pagoda on the ruins of failure. No blows will e*er break his
will. He will ne*er close his eyes until he has breathed his last.
A fighter is always fearless. His steps are firm. Once he has settled on an objecti*e, he
will press right ahead. He is ne*er afraid of being tripped by a stumbling block. No
obstacles will e*er make him change his mind. His eyes will ne*er be hoodwinked by false
appearances. His actions are guided by faith. He can endure any hardships or sufferings
while stri*ing to attain his chosen objecti*e. He will ne*er abandon work as long as he is
ali*e.
This is the kind of fighter we now need. He is not necessarily possessed of
superhuman capability. He is just an ordinary person. Anyone can be fighter so long as he
has the determination. Hence a few words of mine about “being a fighter” to encourage
those young people who wander about in a depressed state, not knowing which way to go.
注释：
《做一个战士》写于1938年，时值抗战初期，文章表达了作者自己的高昂思想情怀和对青
年们的殷切期望。
(1)“怎样对付生活？”意即“怎样生活？”，故译为How should I li*e my life?
(2)“鼓起波涛”中的“鼓起”意即“集结”或“动员”，因此“鼓起波涛”译为marshal rolling
wa*es。
(3)“战士的心情”译为the state of mind of a fighter或the frame of mind of a fighter均可。
(4)“并不一定要流仇敌的血，却能更有把握地致敌人的死命”译为can bring the enemy sure
death without drawing his blood，其中the enemy在指“敌军”、“敌国”、“敌对势力”时是集
合名词（collecti*e noun），动词用复数或单数均可。“仇敌的血”可译为his blood、their blood
或its blood。
(5)“躺在晴空下享受阳光”译为basking in the sunshine under a clear sky，其中basking除作
“取暖”解外，并有“舒适”、“享受”的含义。
(6)“走向黎明”译为continue their journey till they see the dawn of new day, 其中see和of a new
day均为添加成份，用以烘托原意。
(7)“危害人类的东西”译为*ermin，为复数，本指老鼠、虱子等害虫，意同pests。
(8)“具有超人的能力”译为is…possessed of superhuman capability，其中possessed of为惯用
搭配，与in possession of 或ha*ing同义。
笑
冰心
雨声渐渐的住了，窗帘后隐隐的透进清光来。推开窗户一看，呀！凉云散了，树
叶上的残滴，映着月儿，好似萤光千点(1)，闪闪烁烁的动着。——真没想到苦雨孤灯
之后，会有这么一幅清美的图画(2)！
凭窗站了一会儿，微微的觉得凉意侵入。转过身来，忽然眼花缭乱，屋子里的别
的东西，都隐在光云里；一片幽辉，只浸着墙上画中的安琪儿(3)。——这白衣安琪儿，
抱着花儿，扬着翅儿，向着我微微的笑。
“这笑容仿佛在那儿看见过似的，什么时候，我曾……”我不知不觉的便坐在窗
口下想，——默默的想。
严闭的心幕，慢慢的拉开了，涌出五年前的一个印象。——一条很长的古道。驴
脚下的泥，兀自滑滑的。田沟里的水，潺潺的流着。近村的绿树，都笼在湿烟里。弓
儿似的新月，挂在树梢(4)。一边走着，似乎道旁有一个孩子，抱着一堆灿白的东西。
驴儿过去了，无意中回头一看。——他抱着花儿，赤着脚儿，向着我微微的笑。
“这笑容又仿佛是那儿看过似的！”我仍是想——默默的想(5)。
又现出一重心幕来，也慢慢的拉开了，涌出十年前的一个印象。——茅檐下的雨
水，一滴一滴的落到衣上来。土阶边的水泡儿(6)，泛来泛去的乱转。门前的麦垅和葡
萄架子，都濯得新黄嫩绿的非常鲜丽。——一会儿好容易雨情了，连忙走下坡去。迎
头看见月儿从海面上来了，猛然记得有件东西忘下了，站住了，回过头来。这茅屋里
的老妇人——她倚着门儿，抱着花儿，向着我微微的笑。
这同样微妙的神情，好似游丝一般，飘飘漾漾的合了拢来，绾在一起。
这时心下光明澄静，如登仙界(7)，如归故乡。眼前浮现的三个笑容，一时融化在
爱的调和里看不分明了。
Smile
Bing Xin
As the rain gradually ceased to patter, a glimmer of light began to filter into the room
through the window curtain. I opened the window and looked out. Ah, the rain clouds had
*anished and the remaining raindrops on the tree lea*es glistened tremulously under the
moonlight like myriads of fireflies. To think that there should appear before my eyes such
a beautiful sight after the miserable rain on a lonely e*ening.
Standing at the window for a while, I felt a bit chilly. As I turned round, my eyes
suddenly dazzled before the bright light and could not see things distinctly. E*erything in
the room was blurred by a haze of light except the angel in a picture on the wall. The angel
in white was smiling on me with a bunch of flowers in his arms, his wings flapping.
“I seem to ha*e seen the same smile before. When was that? ...” Before I knew, I had
sunk into a chair under the window, lost in meditation.
A scene of fi*e years ago slowly un*eiled before my mind’s eye. It was a long ancient
country road. The ground under my donkey’s feet was slippery with mud. The water in the
field ditches was murmuring. The green trees in the neighbouring *illage were shrouded in
a mist. The crescent new moon looked as if hanging on the tips of the trees. As I passed
along, I somewhat sensed the presence of a child by the roadside carrying something snow
white in his ar**ed to look back and saw the child.
Who was barefoot, looking at me smilingly with a bunch of flowers in his arms.
“I seem to ha*e seen the same smile somewhere before!” I was still thinking to
myself.
Another scene, a scene of ten years ago, slowly unfolded before my mind’s eyes.
Rainwater was falling drop by drop onto my clothes from the ea*es of a thatched cottage.
Beside the earthen doorstep, bubbles in puddles of rainwater were whirling about like mad.
Washed by the rain, the wheat fields and grape trellises in front of the cottage door
presented a picturesque scene of *i*id yellow and tender green. After a while, it cleared up
at long last and I hurried down the slope. Up ahead I saw the moon rising high abo*e the
sea. Suddenly it occurred to me that I had left something behind. When I stopped and
turned round, my eyes fell on an old woman at her cottage door smiling at me, a bunch of
flowers in her arms.
The three subtle smiles, drifting in the air towards each other like gossamer, became
interwo*en.
At this moment all was bright, clear and clam in my heart. I felt as if I were ascending
to hea*en or on the way back to my hometown. In my mind’s eye, the three smiling faces
now merged into a harmonious whole of lo*e and became indistinguishable.
注释：
本文是冰心（1900-1999）的早期成名之作，于1921年1月发表在《小说月报》第一期上。
冰心的散文以秀丽典雅、纯真无邪著称。她早期信奉“爱的哲学”，泛泛宇宙中的一切，尤其是对母亲、儿童和自然美的爱。《笑》正体现了她的这种思想。她讴歌超现实的“爱”，也就是对当时社会的黑暗和污浊的不满和失望。
(1)“萤光千点”译为myriads of fireflies，比thousands of fireflies更切近美文（belles letters）。
(2)“真没想到……！”译为To think that…!是英语惯用语句型，以感叹的语气表达某种想不
到的事。
(3)“安琪儿”即“天使”，是 angel一词的音译。天使为西方教堂所崇奉，其形象常为带翅
膀的男性小孩。
(4)“弓儿似的新月，挂在树梢”译为The crescent new moon looked as if hanging on the tips of the trees，其中looked as if是增加的成分，变隐喻为明喻。
(5)“我仍是想——默默的想”译为I was still thinking to myself。To think to oneself 是英语习
惯用语，作“一个人暗自在想”解。
(6)“水泡儿”指雨水坑中的水泡儿，故译为bubbles in puddles of rainwater，其中in puddles of
rainwater原文中虽无其词，但却有其意
(7)“仙界”指“极乐世界”，也可译为the land of the di*ine。现译为hea*en，较简洁。
雨雪时候的星辰(1)
冰心
寒暑表降到冰点下十八度的时候，我们也是在廊下睡觉。每夜最熟识的就是天上
的星辰了。也不过只是点点闪烁的光明，而相看惯了，偶然不见，也有些想望与无聊
(2)。 连夜雨雪，一点星光都看不见(3)。荷和我(4)拥衾对坐，在廊子的两角，遥遥谈话。
荷指着说(5)：“你看维纳斯（Venus）升起来了！”我抬头望时(6)，却是山路转
折处(7)的路灯。我怡然一笑，也指着对山的一星灯火说：“那边是丘比特（Jupiter）
呢！”
愈指愈多。松林中射来零乱的风灯，都成了满天星宿。真的，雪花隙里，看不出
天空和森林的界限，将繁灯当作繁星，简直是抵得过(8)。
一念至诚的将假作真，灯光似乎都从地上飘起。这幻成的星光，都不移动，不必
半夜梦醒时，再去追寻它们的位置。
于是雨雪寂寞之夜，也有了慰安了。
Stars on a Snowy Night
Bing Xin
The thermometer had dropped to * degrees below zero, but we still chose to sleep in
the porch as usual. In the e*ening, the most familiar sight to me would be stars in the sky.
Though they were a mere sprinkle of twinkling dots, yet I had become so accustomed to
them that their occasional absence would bring me loneliness and ennui.
It had been snowing all night, not a single star in sight. My roommate and I , each
wrapped in a quilt, were seated far apart in a different corner of the porch, facing each
other and chatting away.
She exclaimed pointing to something afar, “Look, Venus is rising!” I looked up and
saw nothing but a lamp round the bend in a mountain path. I beamed and said pointing to a
tiny lamplight on the opposite mountain, “It’s Jupiter o*er there!”
More and more lights came into sight as we kept pointing here and there. Lights from
hurricane lamps flickering about in the pine forest created the scene of a star-studded sky.
With the distinction between sky and forest obscured by snowflakes, the numerous
lamp-lights now easily passed for as many stars.
Completely lost in make-belie*e world, I seemed to see all the lamplights drifting
from the ground. With the illusory stars hanging still o*erhead, I was spared the effort of
tracing their positions when I woke up from my dreams in the dead of night.
Thus I found consolation e*en on a lonely snowy night.
注释：
《雨雪时候的星辰》是冰心的早期抒情散文，文章赞美自然，想象精细，文笔清新，充满诗
情画意。
(1)题目《雨雪时候的星辰》译为Stars on a Snowy Night。“雨雪”作“下雪”解，“雨”在
此是动词，读音为yù。
(2)“无聊”译为ennui，是英语常用文学语言，意即a feeling of boredom caused by a lack of
excitement or acti*ity。
(3)“一点儿星光都看不见”译为not a single star in sight，是句中独立主格，和not a single star
being in sight同。又译文用s押头韵，night和sight押脚韵，有音韵美。
(4)“荷和我……”译为My roommate and I …，其中用My roommate（同寝之友）代替专门
名词He（荷），以免外国读者把He误解为男性第三人称的代词。
(5)“荷指着说……”不宜死译为She said pointing her finger at…，因为英语to point one’s finger
at…有“指责”的含义。
(6)“我抬头望时”不宜逐字死译为I raised my head to take a look。译为I looked up即可。
(7)“山路转折处”译为round the bend in a mountain path。注意bend后面跟介词in，属于习
惯用法。
(8)“将繁灯当作繁星，简直是抵得过”译为the numerous lamplights now easily passed for as
many stars，其中短语to pass for的意思是“被看作”、“被当作”等。
我的父母之乡
冰心
清晓的江头(1)，
白雾茫茫；
是江南天气(2)，
雨儿来了——
我只知道有蔚蓝的海，
却原来还有碧绿的江，
这是我父母之乡！
繁星156(3)
福建福州永远是我的故乡，虽然我不在那里生长，但它是我的父母之乡！
到今日为止，我这一生中只回去过两次。第一次是一九一一年，是在冬季。从严
冷枯黄的北方归来(4)，看到展现在我眼前的青山碧水(5)，红花绿叶，使我惊讶而欢喜！
我觉得我的生命的风帆，已从蔚蓝的海，驶进了碧绿的江。这天我们在闽江口从大船
下到小船，驶到大桥头，来接我们的伯父堂兄们把我们包围了起来，他们用乡音和我
的父母热烈地交谈。我的五岁的大弟弟悄悄地用山东话问我说：“他们怎么都会说福
州话？”因为从来在我们姐弟心里，福州话是最难懂难说的！
这以后的一年多时间里，我们就过起了福州城市的生活。新年、元宵、端午、中
秋……岁时节日，吃的玩的都是十分丰富而有趣。特别是灯节，那时我们家住在南后
街，那里是灯市的街，元宵前后，“花市灯如昼”，灯影下人流潮涌，那光明绚丽的
情景就说不尽了(6)。
第二次回去，是在一九五六年，也是在冬季。那时还没有鹰厦铁路，我们人大代
表团是从江西坐汽车进去的。一路上红土公路，道滑如拭(7)，我还没有看见过土铺的
公路，维修得这样平整的！这次我不但到了福州，还到了漳州、泉州、厦门、鼓浪屿……
那是祖国的南疆了。在厦门前线(8)，我还从望远镜里看见了金门岛上的行人和牛，看
得很清楚……
回忆中的情景很多，在此就不一一描写了。总之，我很喜欢我的父母之乡。那边
是南国风光，山是青的，水是绿的，小溪流更是清可见底！院里四季*花开。水果
是从枇杷、荔枝、龙眼，一直吃到福桔！对一个孩子来说，还有什么比这个更惬意的
呢？
我在故乡走的地方不多，但古迹、侨乡，到处可见，福建华侨，遍于天下(9)。我
所到过的亚、非、欧、美各国都见到辛苦创业(10)的福建侨民，握手之余，情溢言表。
在他们家里、店里，吃着福州菜，喝着茉莉花茶，使我觉得作为一个福建人是四海*家的。 我的父母之乡是可爱的。有人从故乡来(11)，或是有朋友新近到福建去过，我都
向他们问起福建的近况。他们说：福建比起二十多年前来，进步得不可辨认了。最近
呢，农业科学化了，又在植树造林(12)，山岭田地更加郁郁葱葱了。他们都动员我回
去看看，我又何尝不想呢(13)？不但我想，在全世界的天涯海角，更不知有多少人在
想！我愿和故乡的人，以及普天下的福建侨民，一同在精神和物质文明方面，把故乡
建设得更美好(14)！
The Land of My Ancestors
Bing Xin
The Ri*er mouth at dawn,
Behind a white haze of mist,
‘Tis southern climes,
Behold, the rain is coming.
I ha*e seen the blue sea all along,
Little aware of this green Ri*er,
O the land of my ancestors!
--Sparkling Stars, 156
Fuzhou of Fujian Pro*ince will always be my old home. Though I was brought up
elsewhere, Fuzhou is ne*ertheless the land of my ancestors!
As yet, I ha*e been back to Fuzhou no more than twice in my lifetime. I made the first
tripe in the winter of 1911. Returned from the bitter cold North with its drab and dried up
*egetation, I was amazed and delighted when greeted by the charming scenery of sapphire
mountains and emerald ri*ers as well as red flowers and green lea*es. I felt the sailing boat
of my life steering its way into the green Ri*er after lea*ing the blue sea behind. At the
Minjiang Ri*er, we changed from the big ship to a small boat, which took us to Daqiaotou
(Big Bridge), where we were met by Uncle and cousins. They gathered round us and talked
warmly with my parents in the local dialect. Thereupon, my 5-year-old younger brother
whispered in my ear with a Shandong accent, “How come they can all speak the Fuzhou
dialect?” We had both thought that the Fuzhou dialect was indeed most difficult for anyone
to learn.
From then on, we li*ed an urban life for more than a year in Fuzhou. During such
festi*als as Lunar New Year, Lantern, Dragon Boat and Mid-Autumn, we all celebrated the
festi*ities with plenty of food and fun.. Particular mention, howe*er, should be made of the
Lantern Festi*al when Nanhoujie, the street known for its lantern fair and also the street
where we li*ed, became as bright as broad daylight at night with myriads of lanterns and
streams of spectators. The splendor and magnificence of the scene is beyond all
description.
I made the second *isit in 1956, also in winter. As the Yingtan_Xiamen Railway had
not yet been built, the NPC delegation, with myself as a member, had to go from Jiangxi
Pro*ince by car. The highway from Jiangxi to Fuzhou, pa*ed with red soil, was as smooth
as a mirror. It was the most le*el soil-pa*ed highway I had e*er seen. This time I *isited
not only Fuzhou, but also Zhangzhou, Quanzhou, Xiamen and Gulangyu—the southern
frontiers of our country. At the Xiamen seaside, I could see clearly through a telescope
pedestrians and cows on the Quemoy Islands.
My experiences of this trip, howe*er, are too numerous to be recounted one by one
here. Anyway, I deeply lo*e Fuzhou, my ancestral home. O*er there we ha*e the typical
southern scenery with blue mountains, green waters, limpid books…! There in the
courtyard we can always see some kind of flowers in full bloom throughout the year.
Fruits ranging from loquats, lichees, longans to tangerines are in plenty. Is there anything
more palatable to a little child than these fruits?
I did not *isit all the local attractions in Fuzhou. E*erywhere we could find historical
relics as well as *illages and towns inhabited by relati*es of o*erseas Chinese. Fujianese
expatriates are found all o*er the world. They ha*e mostly started from scratch by the
sweat of their brow. When I met some of them on my *isits to Asian, African European
and American countries, they all expressed warm feeling towards me while shaking my
hands. As I ate Fuzhou food and sipped jasmine tea in their homes or shops, I felt that
being a Fujianese, I could make myself at home where*er I tra*elled in the world.
My ancestral home is so endearing. Whene*er I meet somebody hailing from Fuzhou
or a friend who has recently been there, I always inquire of them about the present
conditions of Fujian. They all tell me that compared with two decades ago, Fujian has
made so much progress that it is now almost beyond recognition. Recently I ha*e learned
that people there ha*e gone in for scientific farming and afforestation so that green and
luxuriant *egetation has appeared on all mountains and fields. People ha*e been ad*ising
me to pay another *isit to my old home. Yes, I am more than eager to do so. And so are my
numerous fellow townsmen in all corners of the world. I hope that together with all the
people in my home town as well as all o*erseas Chinese from Fujian, I can do my bit to
make a still better place of my ancestral home, both materially and culturally.
注释：
冰心出生后不久就远离故乡福州，以后只回去过两次。她这篇短文写于1982年3月29日，
以轻倩的笔调，抒写有关故乡和童年的回忆，并对当时故乡的建设表达了深切的关怀。
(1)“江头”指闽江入海处，故译the Ri*er mouth。
(2)“江南天气”译为southern climes，其中climes是英语诗歌用语，常用复数，意同climate。
(3)《繁星》是冰心1923年出版的第一诗集，收小诗凡164首。现将《繁星》译为Sparkling Stars。
(4)“从严冷枯黄的北方归来”译为Returned from the bitter cold North with its drab and dried up
*egetation，其中Returned是不及物动词return的过去分词，在此作形容词。又*egetation是译文中的添加成分，作“草木”、“植被”解。
(5)“青山碧水”译为sapphire mountains and emerald ri*ers，其中sapphire和emerald均为实
颜色词，原意分别为“蓝宝石”和“绿宝石”。译文用这两个实物词是为增加修辞效果。
(6)“就说不尽了”意即“就难以形容了”，故译为beyond description，为英语成语。
(7)“道滑如拭”意即“道路平坦”，译为The highway…was as smooth as a mirror，其中mirror
为英语常用有关比喻。
(8)“在厦门前线”译为At the Xiamen seaside，其中用seaside代替frontline，是为便于国外
读者理解。
(9)“福建华侨，遍于天下”译为Fujianese expatriates are found all o*er the world，其中expatriates
的意思是“移居国外者”、“离乡背井者”。此句也可译为O*erseas Chinese from Fujian。
(10)“辛苦创业”译为ha*e started from scratch by the sweat of their brow，其中to start from
scratch和by the sweat of one’s brow均为英语成语，分别作“白手起家”和“靠自己辛勤劳动”解。
(11)“有人从故乡来”也可译为somebody who has come from Fuzhou，但不如somebody hailing
from Fuzhou简洁，其中to hail作“来自”解。
(12)“农业科学化了，又在植树造林”译为people there ha*e gone in for scientific farming and
afforestation，其中to go in for是成语，作“致力于”、“从事于”解，在译文中是添加成分，原文虽无其词，而有其意。
(13)“我何尝不想呢“译为Yes，I am more than eager to do so，其中more than作*ery或extremely解。
(14)“把故乡建设得更美好”译为do my bit to make a still better place of my ancestral home，
其中to do one’s bit为成语，作“尽自己一份力量”、“作一份贡献”解，在译文中是添加成分，原文虽无其词，而有其意。
祖父和灯火管制(1)
冰心
一九一一年秋，我们从山东烟台回到福州老家去。在还乡的路上，母亲和父亲一
再嘱咐我(2)，“回到福州住在大家庭里，不能再像野孩子(3)似的，一切都要小心。对
长辈们不能没大没小的。祖父是一家之主，尤其要尊敬……”
到了福州，在大家庭里住了下来，我觉得我在归途中的担心是多余的。祖父、伯
父母、叔父母(4)和堂姐妹兄弟(5)，都没有把我当作野孩子，大家也都很亲昵平等，并
没有什么“规矩”。我还觉得我们这个大家庭是几个小家庭的很松散的组合(6)。每个
小家庭都是各住各个的，各吃各的，各自有自己的亲戚朋友，比如说，我们就各自有
自己的“外婆家(7)”！
就在这一年，也许是第二年吧，福州有了电灯公司。我们这所大房子里也安上了
电灯，这在福州也是一件新鲜事，我们这班孩子跟着安装的工人们满房子跑，非常地
兴奋欢喜！我记得这电灯是从房顶上吊下来的，每间屋子*一盏，厅堂上和客室里
的五十支光，卧房里的光小一些，厨房里的就更小了。我们这所大房子里至少也五六
十盏灯，第一夜亮起来时，真是灯火辉煌，我们孩子们都拍手欢呼！
但是总电门是安在祖父的屋里的。祖父起得很早也睡得很早(8)，每晚九点钟就上
床了。他上床之前，就把电闸关上，于是整个大家庭就是黑沉沉的一片！
我们刚回老家(9)，父母亲和他们的兄弟妯娌(10)*许多别情要叙，我们一班弟兄
姐妹，也在一起玩得正起劲(11)，都很少在晚九点以前睡的。为了防备(12)这骤然的黑
暗，于是每晚在九点以前，每个小家庭都在一两间屋里，点上一盏捻得很暗的煤油灯。
一到九点，电灯一下子都灭了，这几盏煤油灯便都捻亮了，大家相视而笑，又都在灯
下谈笑玩耍。只有在这个时候，我才体会到我们这个大家庭是一个整体，而祖父是一
家之主！
Grandpa and Nightly Blackout
Bing Xin
In the autumn of 1911, we returned from Yantai of Shandong Pro*ince to our nati*e place
Fuzhou. While on the way, my parents warned me again and again, “Since we’ll be
li*ing in a big family in Fuzhou, remember always to beha*e properly and ne*er act like a
naughty child. Show respect for your elders, particularly your grandpa, who is head of the
family…”
After settling down in the big family in Fuzhou, howe*er, I found that my pre*ious
worries on the way turned out to be unfounded. My grandpa, uncles, aunties and cousins
ne*er thought me a naughty child. We treated each other lo*ingly and equally. There ne*er
existed anything like “family rules of good beha*iour”. I also found that the big family was
a loose community of se*eral smaller ones, which li*ed and ate separately. They each had
their own relati*es and friends, for example, their own in-laws.
That year, or the year after, Fuzhou began to ha*e its own power company and
electric lights were to be installed in our big house too. That was something new in our
home town. We kids, wild with excitement and joy, ran here and there in the house at the heels of
the electricians. Each room, I remember, had an electric lamp hanging from the
ceiling. The drawing room had a 50-watt bulb; the bedrooms each a lower-wattage one; the
kitchens each an e*en-lower-wattage one. The whole big house at least had a total of some
60 electric lamps. The first e*ening when they were turn on, the whole house was suddenly
ablaze with lights, we kids clapped with joy.
The master switch was fixed in grandpa’s room. Grandpa, who kept early hours,
would switch off all the lights when he went to bed at 9 o’clock in the e*ening, thus
plunging the whole big house into deep darkness.
Ha*ing just set foot in our old home, we seldom slept before 9 o’clock in the e*ening.
For it was but natural that after the long separation, my parents enjoyed hearty chats about
the old days with their brothers and in-laws, and we kids of the younger generation played
about together to our heart’s content. Hence, in anticipation of the sudden blackout at 9
o’clock, each small family would get a dimly-lit kerosene lamp ready in a couple of their
rooms. No sooner had the big house been blacked out on the hour than we turned up the wicks
of all the kerosene lamps. And, looking and smiling at each other, we would
continue to chat and play merrily by the light of the kerosene lamps.
It was then that I realized what a complete whole our big family was, with grandpa as
its head.
注释：
本文写于1982年7月22日，是冰心回忆故乡和童年的一篇深情佳作。文章娓娓述来，形象
地再现了童年时代家乡生活片断。
(1)“灯火管制”本指战时防空停电，作者用它指每夜定时关灯，有些俏皮。译文结合文章内容增添Nightly一词。在英语中，blackout一词既可指“战时灯火管制”，也可一般的“停电”，
译文所指是后者。又blackout也可换用power cut或power failure等。
(2)“一再地嘱咐我”意即“一再地告诫我”，译为warned me again and again，比enjoined (或
exhorted) me again and again通俗。
(3)“野孩子”不宜按字面直译为wild child。现译为naughty child，其中naughty常用来指孩
子“不听话”。
(4)“伯父母、叔父母”在英语以uncles和aunties两词概括即可。
(5)“堂姐妹兄弟”在英语以cousins一词概括即可。
(6)“几个小家庭的很松散的组合”译为a loose community of se*eral smaller ones，其中不妨
以community代替combination；community为近代英语所常用。
(7)“外婆家”指由婚姻而结成的亲戚，如岳父母、妻子的兄弟姐妹等等，现以in-laws一词
概括之。
(8)“起得很早也睡得很早”在英语有现成的表达：kept early hours。如逐字直译为got up early
and went to bed early似欠简洁。
(9)“刚回老家”译为Ha*ing set foot in our old home，其中set foot in是成语，作“进入”、
“踏上”解。
(10)“妯娌”指兄弟的妻子，以in-laws表达即可。
(11)“正起劲”意同“尽情地”，故译to our heart’s content。
(12)“防备”译为in anticipation of，意即“预计到……（而采取措施）”。
话说短文
冰心
也许是我的精、气、神都不足吧(1)，不但自己写不出长的东西，任读一本
刊物时，也总是先挑短的看，不论是小说、散文或是其他的文学形式，最后才看长的。
我总觉得，凡是为了非倾吐不可而写的作品，都是充满了真情实感的。反之，只
是为写作而写作，如(2)上之为应付编辑朋友(3)，一之为多拿稿费，这类文章大都是尽
量地往长里写，结果是即便的一点点的感情，也被冲洗到水分太多(4)、淡而无味的地
步。
当由一个人物，一桩事迹，一幅画面而发生的真情实感，向你袭来的时候，它就
像一根扎到你心尖上(5)的长针，一阵卷到你面前的怒潮，你只能用最真切、最简练的
文字，才能描画出你心尖上的那一阵剧痛和你面前的那一霎惊惶！
我们伟大的祖国，是有写短文的文学传统的(6)。那部包括上下数千年的《古文观
止》，“上起东周，下迄明末，共选辑文章220篇”有几篇是长的(7)？如杜牧的《阿
房宫赋》，韩愈的《祭十二郎文》(8)等等，哪一篇不是短而充满了真情实感？今人的
巴金的《随感录》，不也是一个实例吗(9)？
A Chat about Short Essays
Bing Xin
Perhaps due to my failing energies, not only ha*e I refrained from writing anything
long, but also, in reading a magazine, for example, I usually finish its shorter pieces of
writing first, be they fiction, prose or any other forms of literature, before going on to the
longer ones.
I always belie*e that anything written with an irresistible inner urge to unbosom
oneself must be full of genuine feelings. On the contrary, if one writes simply for the sake
of writing—say, to humour one’s editor friends, or worse still, to earn more remuneration,
one will most probably make his writings unnecessarily long until they become, despite
what little feeling they may contain, inflated and wishy-washy.
When true emotions aroused by a person, an e*ent or a scene come upon you like a
pin pricking your heart or an angry tide surging threateningly before you, all you can do is
use the most *i*id and succinct language to describe the se*ere pain in your heart or the
momentary feeling of panic caused by the angry tide.
Our great motherland is known for its literary tradition of short essays. Do you find
anything unduely long in A Treasury of Best Ancient Chinese Prose with its 220 essays
selected from a period of se*eral thousand years in ancient China from the Eastern Zhou
Dynasty down until the end of the Ming Dynasty? Aren’t the essays in it, like Du Mu’s
Rhapsody on Epang Palace and Han Yu’s An Elegiac Address to My Nephew Shi’erlang,
all short and yet full of true feelings? Isn’t A Collection of Random Thoughts by Ba Jin, our
contemporary, another like example of pithy writing?
注释：
《话说短文》是冰心写于1988年1月的随笔。作者一针见血地指出“为写作而写作”的不
正之风以及崇尚长文的时弊。
(1)“也许是我的精、气、神都不足吧”也可译为Perhaps due to deficiency in my mental and
physical energy，但不如Perhaps due to my failing energies简洁。“精、气、神”在文中显得俏皮，意即“精力”，故译为energies即可。
(2)“如”即‘比如说“，译为say。英语中举例时常用say这个字，和for词example同义。
(3)“为应付编辑朋友”的意思是“迁就编辑朋友之约或要求”，故译为top humour one’s
editor-friends。英语to humour作to gratify by compliance解。
(4)“也被冲洗到水份太多”意即“变得夸张空洞”，故译为“become inflated。
(5)“你心尖上”即“你的内心深处”或“你的心头”，译为your heart即可，不宜按字面译
为the tip of your heart。
(6)“我们伟大的祖国，是有写短文的文学传统的”也可译为Our great motherland has a literary
tradition of short essays，但不如Our motherland is known for its literary tradition of short essays灵活顺口。
(7)“……有几篇是长的？”译为Do you find anything unduely long…，其中unduely是添加成分，作“不适当地”或“过分地”解，原文虽无其词而有其意。
(8)“《祭十二郎文》”译为An elegiac Address to My Nephew Shi’erlang，其中My Nephew
是为交待“十二郎”何许人而添加的成分，有助于读者的理解，属释义性译文。
(9)“……不也是一个实例吗？”译为Isn’t …another like example of pithy writing?，其中like
和of pithy writing均为添加成分，原文虽无其词而有其意。
路畔的蔷薇
郭沫若
清晨往松林里去散步，我在林荫路畔发见了一束被遗弃了的蔷薇。蔷薇的花色还
是鲜艳的，一朵紫红，一朵嫩红，一朵是病黄的象牙色中带着几分血晕(1)。
我把蔷薇拾在手里了。
青翠的叶上已经凝集着细密的露珠，这显然是昨夜被除人遗弃了的。这是可怜的
少女受了薄幸的男子的欺绐？还是不幸的青年受了轻狂的的妇人的玩弄？
昨晚上甜蜜的私语，今朝的冷清的露珠……(2)
我把蔷薇拿到家里来了，我想找个花瓶来供养它。
花瓶我没有(3)，我在一只墙角上寻了一个断了颈子的盛酒的土瓶。
——蔷薇哟，我虽然不能供养你以春酒，但我要供养你以清洁的流泉，清洁的素
心。你在这破土瓶中虽然不免要凄凄寂寂地飘零(4)，但比遗弃在路旁被人践踏了的好
罢？
Wayside Roses
Guo Moruo
Rambling through a pine forest early in the morning, I came across a bunch of
forsaken roses lying by the shady wayside. They were still fresh in colour. One was
purplish-red, another pink, still another a sickly i*ory-yellow slightly tinged with
blood-red.
I picked them up in my hand.
The numerous fine dewdrops on the fresh green lea*es clearly showed that the roses
had just been cast away the pre*ious night.
Were they pitiful maidens deflowered by fickle men? Or were they unlucky young
men fooled by fri*olous women?
Last night’s whispers of lo*e; this morning’s drops of cold dew…
I brought the roses home and tried to find a flower *ase to keep them in.
Flower *ase I had none, but I did find in a nook of my room an empty earthen wine
bottle with its neck broken.
--O dear roses, though unable to treat you to spring wine, I could offer you limpid
spring water and my sincere pure heart. Wouldn’t it be better for you to wither away in
solitude in this broken earthen wine bottle than to lie abandoned by the roadside and be
trodden down upon?
注释： 《路畔的蔷薇》是郭沫若（*92-1978）的早期小品，玲珑剔透，饶有诗意，堪称一首优美的散文诗。
(1)“一朵是病黄的象牙色中带着几分血晕”译为a sickly i*ory-yellow slightly tinged with
blood-red，其中sickly作“病态的”解。又，i*ory-yellow和blood-red的结构都是“实物颜色词＋基本颜色词”，为英语颜色词的常见形式。
(2)“昨晚上甜蜜的私语，今朝的冷清的露珠……”译为Last night’s whispers of lo*e; this
morning’s drops of cold dew…，两个英语并列词组，在用词结构上前后完全对称，与原文形似，并与原文有同样的言外之意。又，“昨晚”在这里虽指过去的过去，但仍译为last night，不译为the pre*ious night，以求语言生动，这是英语中常见的灵活用法。
(3)“花瓶我没有”译为Flower *ase I ha*e none，等于I ha*e no flower *ase，其中none作形
容词用，修饰前面Flower *ase。这种用法常见于文学语体中，如：Time and money he had none。
(4)“飘零”意即“凋落”，故译作to wither away。
夕暮
郭沫若
我携着(1)三个孩子在屋后草场中嬉戏着的时候，夕阳正烧着海上的天壁(2)，眉痕
的新月已经出现在鲜红的云(3)缝里了。
草场中放牧着的几条黄牛，不时曳着悠长的鸣声(4)，好像在叫它们的主人快来牵
它们回去。
我们的两匹母鸡和几只鸡雏(5)，先先后后地从邻寺的墓地里跑回来了。
立在厨房门内的孩子们的母亲向门外的沙地上撒了一握米粒出来。
母鸡们咯咯咯地叫了起来了(6)，鸡雏们也啁啁地争食起来了。
——“今年的成绩真好呢，竟养大了十只(7)。”
欢愉的音波，在金色的暮霭中游泳。
Dusk
Guo Moruo
While my three kids accompanied by myself, were frolicking about on the meadow
behind my house, the sky abo*e the distant edge of the sea was aglow with the setting sun
and the crescent new moon was already peeping out from behind the scarlet clouds.
A few cows grazing on the pasture let out a long drawn-out moo now and then as if
urging their master to lead them home as quickly as possible.
Our two mother hens and their baby chicks were scurrying homeward one after
another from the gra*e yard of the nearby monastery.
The kids’ mother, standing by the kitchen door, sprinkled a handful of rice onto the
sandy ground in the open.
At the clucking of the hens, the chicks scrambled for the feed, chirping.
“We’*e done quite well this year, with ten chicks growing fast,” beamed my wife.
The joyous sound wa*e drifted through the golden e*ening mist.
注释：
《夕暮》是郭沫若的早期小品，充满诗情画意，堪称一篇玲珑剔透的美文。文章记述的是真
情真事，字里行间流露出热爱生活的感情。
(1)“我携着”译为accompanied by myself，其中myself比me更确切，不但读来顺口，且能
加强语气，突出“亲自”的含义。
(2)“海上的天壁”指“海边的上空”，不宜直译，现以加字法处理：the sky abo*e the distant
edge of the sea。
(3)“鲜红的云”译为the scarlet clouds。颜色词scarlet在此比red更确切，因scarlet的意思
是*ery bright red，与原文“鲜红”一致。
(4)“曳着悠长的鸣声”中的“曳”作“拖”或“拉”解，结合上下文译为let out，意同utter（发出），为英语常用成语。又“鸣声”译为moo，为英语拟声词，指牛的叫声，相当于汉语的“哞”。
(5)“我们的两匹母鸡和几只鸡雏”译为Our two mother hens and their baby chicks，其中mother
和baby是为加强译文效果而添加的定语，前者作“母”解，后者作“幼小”解。
(6)“母鸡们咯咯地叫起来了”译为At the clucking of the hens，其中介词At表示时间，即先
后两个动作很快相继发生，或后面一个动作是前面一个动作的反应。在此指母鸡一叫，小鸡立即争食。
(7)“‘今年的成绩真好呢，竟养大了十只’”译为 “We’*e done quite well this year, with ten
chicks growing fast, ” beamed my wife，其中beamed my wife（妻微笑地或欣喜的说）是添加成分，原文虽无其词却有其意。
白 发
郭沫若
许久储蓄在心里的诗料(1)，今晨在理发店里又浮上了心来了。——
你年青的，年青的，远隔河山的(2)姑娘哟，你的名姓我不曾知道，你恕我只能这
样叫你了。
那回是春天的晚上吧？你替我剪了发，替我刮了面，替我盥洗了(3)，又替我涂了
香膏。
你最后替我分头的时候，我在镜中看见你替我拔去了一根白发(4)。
啊，你年青的，年青的远隔河山的姑娘哟，漂泊者自从那回离开你后又漂泊了三
年，但是你的慧心(5)替我把青春留住了。
The White Hair
Guo Moruo
My long pent-up poetic emotion emerged again this morning at a hairdresser’s
O young lady, you young lady of the distant land! Excuse me for addressing you as
“young lady”, for your name is still unknown to me.
It was probably on a spring e*ening. You cut my hair, sha*ed my face, ga*e me a
shampoo and applied some *anishing cream.
Finally, in the mirror I saw you plucking out a white hair from my head while parting
my hair.
O young lady, you young lady of the distant land, I ha*e been leading a wandering
life for another three years since I saw you last, but it is your feeling heart that has been the
cause of my sustained youth.
注释：
《白发》是郭沫若的早期小品，热情奔放，玲珑而富有诗意，是一首优美的散文诗。
(1)“许久储蓄在心里的诗料”译为My long pent-up poetic emotion。“储蓄在心里”意即“被
抑制的”，故译为pent-up。“诗料”即“诗情”，故译为poetic emotion。
(2)“远隔河山的”不必按字面直译，现按“遥远的”意思译为of the distant (或remote) land。 (3)“替我盥洗了”在此指“替我洗了头”，故译为ga*e me a shampoo。
(4)“拔去了一根白发”译为plucking out a white hair from my head，其中hair作可数名词用。
(5)“慧心”在这里可按“温柔体贴”、“富有同情的心”等含义译为feeling heart或tender heart。
水墨画(1)
郭沫若
天空一片灰暗，没有丝毫的日光。
海水的蓝色浓得惊人(2)，舐岸的微波吐出群鱼喋噏的声韵。
这是暴风雨欲来时的先兆(3)。海中的岛屿和乌木的雕刻一样静凝着了。我携着中
食的饭匣向沙岸上走来，在一只泊系着的渔舟里面坐着。
一种淡白而无味的凄凉的情趣——我把饭匣打开，又闭上了(4)。
回头望见松原里的一座孤寂的火葬场(5)。红砖砌成的高耸的烟囱口上，冒出了一
笔灰白色的飘忽的轻烟……
An Inkwash Painting
Guo Moruo
The sky was a sheet of murky grey, completely de*oid of sunlight.
The sea was a ghastly dark blue. The gentle wa*es licking at the shore ga*e forth a
humming sound like that of fish in shoals.
All that foreboded a storm.
Some isles in the sea stood quiet and still like ebony sculptures.
I walked towards the sandy beach carrying my lunch-box and then sat inside a fishing
boat moored at the seashore.
What an insipid and dreary scene! I opened the lunch-box only to ha*e it co*ered up
again.
Looking back, I caught sight of a lonely crematorium looming out of a pine wood. Its
towering red-brick chimney was gi*ing off wisps of grayish smoke.
注释：
(1)“水墨画”除译An Inkwash Painting外，也可译为An Ink-and-Wash Painting。
(2)“海水的蓝色浓得惊人”译为The sea was a ghastly dark blue，其中ghastly的意思是“可
怕的”，但兼有“不正常”的含义。
(3)“这是暴风雨欲来时的先兆”译为All that foreboded a storm。“先兆”也可译为foretold，
但不如foreboded确切，因后者一般都针对不好的事物。
(4)“又闭上了”译为only to ha*e it co*ered up again，其中only（用在不定式前）往往作“结
果却”或“却又”解。
(5)“望见松原里的一座孤寂的火葬场”译为caught sight of a lonely crematorium looming out of
a pine wood，其中用looming代替standing等能较好地表达“赫然耸现”的含义。
(6)“冒出了……轻烟”译为gi*ing off…smoke，其中to gi*e off是成语，意同to send out, to emit
等。
墓
郭沫若
昨朝我一个人在松林里徘徊，在一株老松树下戏筑了一座砂丘(1)。
我说，这便是我自己的坟墓了(2)。
我便拣了一块白石来写上了我自己的名字，把来做了墓碑。
我在墓的两旁还移种了两株稚松(3)把它伴守。
我今朝回想起来，又一人走来凭吊(4)。
但我已经走遍了这莽莽的松原，我的坟墓究竟往那儿去了呢？
啊，死了的我昨日的尸骸哟(5)，哭墓的是你自己的灵魂，我的坟墓究竟往那儿去
了呢？
The Gra*e
Guo Moruo
Yesterday morning, while wandering about alone in a pine forest, I amused myself by
piling up a small sand-hill under an old pine tree.
“Let this be my own gra*e,” said I.
Picking up a piece of white stone, I scribbled my name on it and said, “Let this be my
own gra*estone.”
On either side of the gra*e, I transplanted a pine sapling to keep it company..
This morning, recalling the gra*e, I went to pay a *isit to it.
But the gra*e was nowhere to be found though I searched e*ery nook and corner of
the dense forest. Where was it gone to?
O ye remains of my yesterday’s dead self, it was your own soul that had come to
mourn at the gra*e! Where was my gra*e gone to?
注释：
(1)“戏筑了一座砂丘”的意思是“堆起一座砂丘以自娱”，现译为I amused myself by piling
up a small sand-hill，也可译为I piled up for fun a small sandhill。“筑”在这里作“堆积”解，故译为piling up，不宜按字面译为building或constructing等。译文中的small是添加成分，原文虽无其词而有其意。
(2)“这便是我自己的坟墓了”含有说话者的意图，故译文用祈使句表达：Let this be my own
gra*e，和This shall be my own gra*e同义。
(3)“稚松”即“松树苗”，故译为pine sapling。
(4)“凭吊”在此作“探望”解，译to pay a *isit to即可，不必译为to pay homage to或to pay
respects to等。
(5)“啊，死了的我昨日的尸骸哟”译为O ye remains of my yesterday’s dead self，其中ye作“你”解，属古语，在此用以烘托散文诗的格调。
想北平
老舍
设若让我写一本小说，以北平作背景，我不至于害怕，因为我可以拣着我知道的写，而躲开我所不知道的。让我单摆浮搁的讲一套北平，我没办法。北平的地方那么大，事情那么多，我知道的真觉太少了，虽然我生在那里，直到廿七岁才离开。以名胜说，我没到过陶然亭(1)，这多可笑！以此类推，我所知道的那点只是“我的北平”，而我的北平大概等于牛的一毛。
Fond Memories of Peiping
Lao She
I ha*e no misgi*ings about writing a no*el with Peiping as its background because I can choose to write about what I am most familiar with while shying away from what is less known to me. But I shall be at a complete loss if I should be called upon to write exclusi*ely about Peiping. Peiping is so big and multifaceted that *ery little of it, I belie*e, is known to me though I was born and brought up there and ne*er went away until I was 27. Just fancy that I ha*e neglected to *isit e*en Tao Tan Ting, a local scenic attraction! It follows that, in contrast with Peiping in its entirety, what little I know about it is probably a mere drop in the ocean.
可是，我真爱北平。这个爱几乎是要说而说不出的。我爱我的母亲。怎样爱？我说不出。在我想作一件事讨她老人家喜欢的时候，我独自微微的笑着；在我想到她的健康而不放心的时候，我欲落泪。言语是不够表现我的心情的，只有独自微笑或落泪才足以把内心揭露在外面一些来。我之爱北平也近乎这个。夸奖这个古城的某一点是容易的，可是那就把北平看得太小了。我所爱的北平不是枝枝节节的一些什么，而是
整个儿与我的心灵相粘合的一段历史，一大块地方，多少风景名胜，从雨后什刹海的蜻蜓一直到我梦里的玉泉山的塔影(2)，都积凑到一块，每一小的事件中有个我，我的每一思念中有个北平，这只有说不出而已。
I do cherish, howe*er, a genuine lo*e for Peiping—a lo*e that is almost as inexpressible as my lo*e for mother. I smile by myself when I think of something I can do to please mother; I feel like crying when I worry about mother’s health. Words fail me where silent smiles and tears well express my innermost feelings. The same is true of my lo*e for Peiping. I shall fail to do justice to this *ast ancient city if I should do no more than extol just one certain aspect of it. The Peiping I lo*e is not something in bits and pieces, but a phase of history and a *ast tract of land completely bound up with my heart. Numerous scenic spots and historical sites from Shi Sha Hai Lake with its dragonflies after a rain to the Yu Quan Shan Mountain with the dream pagoda on top—all merge into a single whole. I associate myself with e*erything in Peiping no matter how tri*ial it is; Peiping is always in my mind. I can’t tell why.
真愿成为诗人，把一切好听好看的字都浸在自己的心血里，像杜鹃(3)似的啼出北平的俊伟。啊！我不是诗人！我将永远道不出我的爱，一种像由音乐与图画所引起的爱。这不但是辜负了北平，也对不住我自己，因为我最初的知识与印象都得自北平，它是在我的血里，我的性格与脾气里有许多地方是这古城所赐给的。我不能爱上海与天津，因为我心中有个北平。可是我说不出来！
If only I were a poet so that, with all the sweet and beautiful words at my command, I would sing of the grandeur of Peiping in as longing a note as that of a cuckoo! Alas, I am no poet! I shall ne*er be able to express my lo*e—the kind of lo*e as inspired by music or painting. That is quite a letdown to both Peiping and myself, for it is to this ancient city that I owe what I ha*e within me, including my early knowledge and impressions as well as much of my character and temperament. With Peiping possessing my heart, I can ne*er become attached to either Shanghai or Tianjin. I can’t tell why.
伦敦，巴黎，罗马与堪司坦丁堡，曾被称为欧洲的四大“历史的都城”。我知道一些伦敦的情形；巴黎与罗马只是到过而已；堪司坦丁堡根本没有去过。就伦敦，巴黎，罗马来说，巴黎更近似北平——虽然“近似”两字都拉扯得很远——不过，假使让我“家住巴黎”，我一定会和没有家一样的感到寂苦。巴黎，据我看，还太热闹。自然，那里也有空旷静寂的地方，可是又未免太旷(4)；不像北平那样复杂而又有个边
际(5)，使我能摸着——那长着红酸枣的老城墙！面向着积水滩，背后是城墙，坐在石上看水中的小蝌蚪或苇叶上嫩蜻蜓，我可以快乐的坐一天，心中完全安适，无所求也无可怕，像小儿安睡在摇篮里。是的，北平也有热闹的地方，但是它和太极拳相似，动中有静。巴黎有许多地方使人疲乏，所以咖啡与酒是必要的，以便刺激；在北平，有温和的香片茶就够了。
London, Paris, Rome and Constantinople are known as the four major “historic capitals” of Europe. I know something about London; I ha*e been to Paris and Rome only briefly; I ha*e ne*er *isited Constantinople at all. Of all these cities, Paris has the closest affinity with Peiping (The word “affinity” may perhaps sound a bit farfetched). Ne*ertheless, if should make my home in Paris, I would feel *ery lonely as if I had no home at all. As far as I know, Paris is too much of a bustling town. It does ha*e quiet open spaces, but they smack of mere expanses of *acancy. Peiping is complicated and yet tangible. I can feel it by touch. I can feel the red wild jujubes growing on its ancient city wall! I can spend a whole day enjoying myself sitting on a rock to obser*e tiny tadpoles in the water or tender dragonflies on reeds while facing me lies Ji Shui Tan Pond and right behind me rises the high city wall. I can thus enjoy a perfect inner clam, free from any desire or fear, like a child sleeping peacefully in the cradle. There are also bustling places in Peiping, to be sure, but like the traditional Chinese shadow boxing Tai Ji Quan, the city retains its stillness in the midst of motion. While Parisians ha*e to turn to coffee or wine for the relief of boredom caused by so many wearisome places in their city, the mild be*erage of jasmine tea will be more than adequate for dwellers of Peiping.
论说巴黎的布置已比伦敦罗马匀调的多了，可是比上北平还差点事儿。北平在人为之中显出自然，几乎是什么地方即不挤得慌，又不太僻静；最小的胡同里的房子也有院子与树；最空旷的地方也离买卖街与住宅区不远。这种配法可以算——在我的经验中——天下第一了。北平的好处不在处处设备得完全，而在它处处有空儿，可以使我自由的喘气；不在有好些美丽的建筑，而在建筑的四周*空闲的地方，使它们成
为美景。每一城楼，每一牌楼，都可以从老远就看见。况且在街上还可以看见北山与西山呢！
Though Paris has a better layout than London or Rome, it ne*ertheless cannot compare with Peiping, one always finds the natural in the midst of the artificial. The city as a whole is neither too crowded nor too secluded. E*en houses tucked away in *ery small lanes ha*e their own courtyards and trees. E*en the most secluded places are situated within a stone’s throw of business or residential districts. Such a layout is, to my mind, without equal all o*er the world. Howe*er, what distinguishes Peiping is not the perfect layout, but the open spaces here and there where people can breathe freely; not the many beautiful buildings, but the open grounds around each building which add to its architectural beauty. Each gate tower of the city wall and each pailou (decorated archway) can been seen from afar. And the Northern and Western hills are *isible to people in the open streets.
好学的，爱古物的，人们自然喜欢北平，因为这里书多古物多。我不好学，也没钱买古物。对于物质上，我却喜欢北平的花多菜多果子多。花草是种费钱的玩艺，可是此地的“草花儿”很便宜，而且家家有院子，可以花不多的钱而种一院子花，即使算不了什么，可是到底可爱呀。墙上的牵牛，墙根的靠山竹与草茉莉，是多么省钱省事而足以招来蝴蝶呀！至于青菜，白菜，扁豆，毛豆角，黄瓜，菠菜等等，大多数是直接由城外担来而送到家门口的。雨后，韭菜叶上还往往带着雨时溅起的泥点，青菜摊子上的红红绿绿几乎有诗似的美丽。果子有不少是由西山与北山来的，西山的沙果，海棠，北山的黑枣，柿子，进了城还带着一层白霜儿呀！哼，美国的橘子包着纸，遇到北平的带着霜儿的玉李，还不愧杀！
Those who are fond of studying or collecting curios will naturally be drawn to Peiping, which is remarkable for its rich store of books and curios. Personally I am not gi*en to studying, nor do I ha*e spare money to buy curios. But I am keen on the flowers, *egetables and fruit which grow in rich abundance in Peiping. Gardening is something *ery expensi*e. But since flowers of herbaceous plants in Peiping are *ery cheap and each house has a courtyard of its own, it does not cost *ery much to plant a whole courtyard to such flowers which, though humble, are ne*ertheless lo*ely to look at, such as morning glories on the wall, china pinks at the foot of wall and mar*els-of-Peru. Yes, cheap as they are, they attract butterflies! Green *egetables, cabbages, hyacinth beans, young soya beans, cucumbers, spinach, etc. are often carried straight form the suburbs to your residential quarters for marketing. Often, leeks from rural farms after a rain still ha*e specks of mud on their lea*es. The *egetables stalls are so colorful that they present a scene of poetic charm. Fruits come mainly from the western and northern suburbs, such as crab apples and cherry apples from the Western Hills, and jujubes and persimmons from the Northern Hills. Look, how they are still co*ered with frostlike bloom when they are put on the market! Indeed, America’s paper-wrapped oranges will pale beside Peiping’s plums bearing a thin coating of frostlike bloom!
是的，北平是个都城，而能有好多自己产生的花，菜，水果，这就使人更接近了自然。从它里面说，它没有像伦敦的那些成天冒烟的工厂；从外面说，它紧连着园林、菜圃与农村。采菊东篱下(6)，在这里，确是可以悠然见南山的；大概把“南”字变个“西”或“北”，也没有多少了不得吧(7)。像我这样的一个贫寒的人，或者只有在北平能享受一点清福了(8)。
好，不再说了吧；要落泪了，真想念北平呀！
The city of Peiping brings its residents into closer contact with nature by growing flowers, *egetables and fruit in large quantities. The city proper is not plagued by factory chimneys such as you find in London gi*ing off *olumes of smoke all day long. On the outskirts of the city lie numerous flower gardens, *egetables farms and *illages. An ancient Chinese poet by the name of Tao Yuanming says aptly in one of his famous poems, “Plucking chrysanthemums under the eastern hedge, I calmly *iew the southern hills.” To adapt it to life in Peiping, I might as well substitute the word “western” or “northern” for the word “southern” in the line. Peiping is probably the only place for a man of limited means like me to li*e an easy and carefree life in.
Now, let me lea*e off writing, for I am on the point of shedding tears. How I miss Peiping.

注释：
北京于1930年改称北平，1949年新中国成立时恢复旧名。《想北平》是老舍名篇，写于1936年。约六十年前的古都风貌和生活情调，时至今日，已发生巨大变化。当时老舍在山东大学任教，正值日寇入侵，国难当头。文章热情颂扬北平，字里行间洋溢着强烈的爱国主义和民族自豪感。
(1)“我没到过陶然亭”译为I ha*e neglected to *isit e*en Tao Ran Ting, a local scenic attraction，其中a local scenic attraction是添加成分，俾国外读者理解“陶然亭”及古都一大名胜。又译文中neglected一词也可用failed来表达。
(2)“梦里的玉泉山的塔影”译为the Yu Quan Shan Mountain with the dream pagoda on top，其中dream属于定语形容词，作“梦一般完美的”解。
(3)“杜鹃”是一种益鸟，也称“杜宇”、“布谷”或“子规”，英语为cuckoo。古代诗人认为杜鹃鸣声凄厉，旅人闻之，不禁产生思家的心情，故常用“啼血”形容其鸣声。“啼血”不宜直译，可结合上下文意译为its longing note。
(4)“可是又未免太旷”译为but they smack of mere expanses of *acancy，其中smack of作“有些像……”解，用以表达原文“未免”的含义；又“太旷”作“大而空”解，故译为expanses of *acancy。
(5)“有个边际”意即“可触摸的”或“有实质的”，故译为tangible或*acancy。
(6)“采菊东篱下”出自东晋文学家陶渊明《论酒》诗。本是“采菊东篱下，悠然见南山”，两句相联。现有解释性翻译法，把诗人姓名、时代，以及上下诗句，交代清楚，否则国外读者无法理解。
(7)“大概把‘南’字变个‘西’或‘北’，也没有多少了不得的吧。”这句紧接上面的诗句，英译时也须灵活处理，交代其内涵：To adapt it to life in Peiping, I might as well substitute the word “western” or “northern” for the word “southern” in the line。
(8)“清福”可译为an easy and carefree life或a life free worries and cares。
养 花
老舍
我爱花，所以也爱养花(1)。我可还没成为养花专家，因为没有工夫去作研究与试验。我只把养花当作生活中的一种乐趣，花开的大小好坏都不计较，只要开花我就高兴。在我的小院中，到夏天，满是花草，小猫儿们只好上房去玩耍(2)，地上没有它们的运动场。
On Growing Flowers
Lao She
I lo*e flowers and hence ha*e taken to growing them. But, short of time to do research and experiment in flower culti*ation, I am no gardener at all. I merely take flower culti*ation as a pleasure of life. I really don’t care whether or not my flowers will put forth plump and nice-looking blossom. I’ll be delighted as long as they can blossom. In summer, flowers and plants growing in luxuriance in my small courtyard will lea*e little open space as a playground for the little cats, so they ha*e to sport about in our rooms instead.
花虽多，但无奇花异草。珍贵的花草不易养活，看着一棵好花生病欲死是件难过的事。我不愿时时落泪。北京的气候，对养花来说，不算很好。冬天冷，春天多风，夏天不是干旱就是大雨倾盆；秋天最好，可是忽然会闹霜冻。在这种气候里，想把南方的好花养活，我还没有那么大的本事。因此，我只养些好种易活、自己会奋斗的花草(3)。
I grow many flowers, but none of them are exotic or rare ones. It is difficult to grow a precious flower species. And I feel bad to see a good flower dying of illness. I don’t want often to shed tears o*er that. But Beijing’s climate is more or less unfit for the growing of flowers. Freezing in winter, windy in spring, and either too dry or too often *isited by rainstorms in summer. While autumn is the best of all, it is often plagued by a sudden frost.
In a climate like this, it is far beyond my capacity to grow precious flowers of southern breed. Therefore, I only grow flowers and plants that are hardy and enjoy a high sur*i*al rate.
不过，尽管花草自己会奋斗(4)，我若置之不理，任其自生自灭(5)，它们多数还是会死了的。我得天天照管它们，像好朋友似的关切他们。一来二去(6)，我摸着一些门道：有的喜阴，就别放在太阳地里，有的喜干，就别多浇水。这是个乐趣，摸住门道花草养活了，而且三年五载(7)老活着、开花，多么有意思呀！不是乱吹，这就是知识呀！多得些知识，一定不是坏事。
Although such flowers are able to weather through by themsel*es, I, howe*er ne*er ignore them or abandon them to their own fate, for otherwise most of them will probably end up dead. I ha*e to care for them e*ery day as if they were my close friends. Thus, in the course of time, I’*e somehow got the hang of flower culti*ation, some flowers which are accustomed to growing in the shade should not be too much exposed to the sun. Those which prefer dryness should not be watered too often. It gi*es me much pleasure to know the right way of handling them. How interesting it is to be able to keep my flowers and plants ali*e and watch them thri*e and bloom year in year out! It is no exaggeration to say that there is much knowledge in*ol*ed in this! And the more knowledge one acquires, the better it is of course.
我不是有腿病吗，不但不利于行，也不利于久坐。我不知道花草们受我的照顾，感谢我不感谢；我可得感谢它们。在我工作的时候，我总是写了几十个字，就到院中去看看，浇浇这棵，搬搬那盆，然后回到屋中再写一点，然后再出去，如此循环(8)，把脑力劳动与体力劳动结合到一起，有益身心(9)，胜于吃药。要是赶上狂风暴雨或天气突变哪，就得全家动员(10)，抢救花草，十分紧张(11)。几百盆花，都要很快地抢到
屋里去，使人腰酸腿疼，热汗直流。第二天，天气好转，又得把花儿都搬出去，就又一次腰酸腿疼，热汗直流。可是，这多么有意思！不劳动，连棵花儿也养不活，这难道不是真理么？
As I ha*e some trouble with my leg, I can’t mo*e around easily, nor can I sit too long. I don’t know if the flowers under my care are grateful to me or not. Howe*er, I wish for my part to acknowledge my thanks to them. I often lea*e off sedentary work after writing a few dozen words and go to the courtyard to take a look at the flowers, watering them and mo*ing about the potted ones. Then I’ll return to my room to write a bit more. I’ll go through the same back-and-forth process again and again, thus combining mental with manual labour. This is a better way to keep me fit in mind and body than taking medicine. In case of a *iolent storm or a sudden change of weather, howe*er, the whole family will ha*e to turn out to sal*age the flowers and plants. E*erybody will then feel keyed up. By the time when we ha*e managed to mo*e the se*eral hundred potted flowers to the rooms in a hurry, we will be dog-tired and wet with perspiration. The next day, when the weather is fine, we will ha*e another round of being dog-tired and wet with perspiration in taking all the flowers out to the courtyard again. How interesting it is! Isn’t it true that without doing manual labour, we couldn’t e*en keep a single flower ali*e?
送牛奶的同志，进门就夸“好香”！这使我们全家都感到骄傲。赶到昙花开放的时候，约几位朋友来看看，更有秉烛夜游的神气(12)——昙花总在夜里放蕊。花儿分根了，一棵分为数棵，就赠给朋友们一些；看着友人拿走自己的劳动果实，心里自然特别喜欢。
当然，也有伤心的时候，今年夏天这有这么一回。三百株菊秧还在地上（没有移入盆中的时候），下了暴雨。邻家的墙倒了下来，菊秧被砸死者约三十多种，一百多棵！全家都几天没有笑容！
有喜有忧，有笑有泪，有花有实，有香有色，既须劳动，又长见识，这就是养花的乐趣。
It filled the whole family with pride whene*er the milkman exclaims on entering our gate, “What a sweet smell!” When the night-blooming cereuses are about to be in flower, we will in*ite some friends to *isit us in the e*ening to feast their eyes on them—in an atmosphere smacking of nocturnal merry-making under candle lights. When the cereuses ha*e branched out, we will pick some of the flowers and gi*e them as a present to our friends. We are of course especially happy to see them take away our fruits of labour.
Of course, there is a time to feel sad too. Last summer, a rainstorm hit us when 300 chrysanthemum seedlings in the courtyard were about to be transplanted to pots. Suddenly, the wall of our neighbour collapsed and crushed more than 100 seedlings of 30 *arieties. The whole family were sad-faced for quiet a few days!
Joy and sorrow, laughter and tears, flowers and fruit, fragrance and colour, manual labour and increased knowledge—all these make up the joy of flower culti*ation.
注释：
老舍的《养花》于1956年10月21日发表在《文汇报》上。老舍爱花，写出了养花的乐趣，视花儿为自己生命的一部分，人花合一。文章短小简练，朴素隽永。
(1)“所以也爱养花“译为hence ha*e taken to growing them，其中动词短语to take to的意思是“开始喜欢”。此句也可译为are therefore fond of growing flowers。
(2)“只好上房去玩耍”译为they ha*e to sport about in our rooms instead，其中动词短语to sport about的意思是“嬉戏”（to play and jump about happily）。
(3)“我只养些好种易活、自己会奋斗的花草”译时稍作灵活处理：I only grow flowers and plants that are hardy and enjoy a high sur*i*al rate，其中用enjoy a high sur*i*al rate（成活率高）表达“好种易活”；用hardy（耐寒、耐劳、能吃苦）表达“会奋斗的”。
(4)“自己会奋斗”译为able to weather through by themsel*es，其中动词短语to weather through的意思是“对付困难”、“渡过风暴”等。此句也可译为able to carry on the struggle for existence by themsel*es，但用字太大、太多。
(5)“任其自生自灭”不宜按字面直译，现意译为abandon them to their own fate。
(6)“一来二去”的意思是“经过一定的时间”，故译为in the course of time。
(7)“三年五载”以灵活的办法译为year in year out。
(8)“然后再出去，如此循环”不宜按字面直译，现译为I’ll go through the same back-and-forth process again and again，其中定语back-and-forth作“来来往往”解；go through the same process作“重复同一过程”解。
(9)“有益身心”可有两种译法：to keep me fit in mind and body或to keep me mentally and physically fit。
(10)“就得全家动员”译为the whole family will ha*e to turn out，其中动词短语to turn out的意思是“出动”或“出来参加”。
(11)“十分紧张”译为feel keyed up，其中动词短语to key up的意思是“使紧张”，因此keyed up和excited、tense等同义。
(12)“更有秉烛夜游的神气”中的“秉灯夜游”是成语，比喻“及时行乐”，今结合上下文按“夜间秉烛作乐”的意思译为nocturnal merry-making under candle lights。又“更有……神气”意即“带有……的味道”，故全句译为in an atmosphere smacking of nocturnal merry-making under candle lights.
白杨礼赞
茅盾
白杨树实在是不平凡的，我赞美白杨树！
当汽车在望不到边际的高原上奔驰，扑入你的视野的，是黄绿错综的一条大毡子(1)；黄的，那是土，未开垦的CN土，几十万年前由伟大的自然力所堆积成功的黄土高原的外壳；绿的呢，是人类战胜自然的结果，是麦田，和风吹送，翻起了一轮一轮的绿波——这时你会真心佩服昔人所造的两个字“麦浪”，若不是妙手偶得，便确是经过锤炼的语言的精华；黄与绿主宰着，无边无垠，坦荡如砥(2)，这时如果不是宛若并肩的远山的连峰提醒了你（这些山峰凭你的肉眼来判断，就知道是在你脚底下的），你会忘记了汽车是在高原上行驶。这时你涌起来的感想也许是“雄壮”，也许是“伟大”，诸如此类的形容词；然而同时你的眼睛也许觉得有点倦怠，你对当前的“雄壮”或“伟大”闭了眼(3)，而另一种味儿在你的心头潜滋暗长(4)了——“单调”！可不是单调，有一点儿吧？
Tribute to the White Poplar
Mao Dun
The white poplar is no ordinary tree. Let me sing its praises.
When you tra*el by car through Northwest China’s boundless plateau, all you see before you is something like a huge yellow-and-green felt blanket. Yellow is the soil—the unculti*ated *irgin soil. It is the outer co*ering of the loess plateau accumulated by Mother Nature se*eral hundred thousand years ago. Green are the wheat fields signifying man’s triumph o*er nature. They become a sea of rolling green wa*es whene*er there is a soft breeze. One is here reminded of Chinese expression mai lang meaning “rippling wheat” and cannot help admiring our forefathers’ ingenuity in coining such a happy phrase. It must ha*e been either the brainwa*e of a cle*er scholar, or a linguistic gem sanctioned by long usage. The boundless highland, with dominant yellow and green, is flat like a whetstone. Were it not for distant mountain peaks standing side by side (which, as your naked eyes tell you, are bellow where you stand), you would probably forget that you are on the highland. The sight of the scene will probably call up inside you a string of epithets like “spectacular” or “grand”. Meanwhile, howe*er, your eyes may become weary of watching the same panorama, so much so that you are obli*ious of its being spectacular or grand. And you may feel monotony coming on. Yes, it is somewhat monotonous, isn’t it?
然而刹那间，要是你猛抬眼看见了前面远远地有一排，——不，或者甚至只是三五株，一二株，傲然地耸立，像哨兵似的树木的话，那你的恹恹欲睡(5)的情绪又将如何？我那时是惊奇地叫了一声的！
那就是白杨树，西北极普通的一种树，然而实在不是平凡的一种树！
那是一种力争上游的一种树，笔直的干，笔直的枝。它的干呢，通常是丈把高，像是加过人工似的，一丈以内，绝无旁枝；它所有的丫枝呢，一律向上，而且紧紧靠拢，也像是加过人工似的，成为一束，绝无横斜逸出(6)；它的宽大的叶子也是片片向上，几乎没有斜生的，更不用说倒垂了；它的皮，光滑而有银色的晕圈，微微泛出淡青色。这是虽在北方的风雪的压迫下却保持着倔强挺立的一种树！哪怕只有碗来精细罢，它却努力向上发展，高到丈许，二丈，参天耸立，不折不挠，对抗着西北风。
Now what will become of your weariness if you suddenly raise your eyes only to catch sight of distant row of trees (or just a couple of them) standing there proudly like sentries. For my part, I cannot keep from uttering an exclamation of surprise!
They are white poplars. Though *ery common in Northwest China, they are no ordinary trees!
With straight trunks and branches, white poplars aim high. Their trunks are usually o*er ten feet tall and, as if wrought by human effort, utterly bare of branches below ten feet. Their twigs, also like things artificially shaped, all reach out towards the sky and grow close together in a cluster without any sideway growth. Their lea*es are broad and point upwards with *ery few slanting sideways, much less upside down. Their glossy barks are a faint light green with hazy sil*er spots. They stand erect and unbending in face of North China’s *iolent wind and snow. Though they may be only as big as the mouth of bowl, they stri*e to grow upwards until they reach the towering height of some twenty feet and stand indomitable against the northwest wind.
这就是白杨树，西北极普通的一种树，然而决不是平凡的树！它没有婆娑的姿态，没有屈曲盘旋(7)的虬枝，也许你要说它不美丽，——如果美是专指“婆娑”或“横斜逸出”之类而言，那么白杨树算不得树中的好女子；但是它却是伟岸(8)，正直，朴质，严肃，也不缺乏温和，更不用提它的坚强不屈与挺拔，它是树中伟丈夫！当你在积雪初融的高原上走过，看见平坦的大地上傲然挺立这么一株或一排白杨树，难道你觉得
树只是树？难道你就想不它的朴质，严肃，坚强不屈，至少也象征了北方的农民；难道你竟一点也不联想到，在敌后的广大土地上，到处有坚强不屈，就像这白杨树一样傲然挺立的守卫他们家乡的哨兵(9)，难道你又不更远一点想到这样枝枝叶叶靠紧团结，力求上进的白杨树，宛然象征了今天在华北平原纵横激荡(10)，用血写出新中国历史的那种精神和意志。
They are white poplar. Though *ery common in Northwest China, they are no ordinary tree!
You may call them unattracti*e because they ha*e neither the graceful carriage of a dancer, nor such branches as can twine and climb. But ne*ertheless they are big and tall, honest and upright, simple and plain, earnest and unyielding—and not without gentleness and warmth though. They are giants among trees! When you trudge through the melting snow of the highland and see one or a row of white poplars standing proudly on the *ast plains, how could you look upon them as nothing but mere trees? How could you forget that with all their simplicity, earnestness and unyieldingness, they are symbolic of our peasants in the North? How could you fail to associate them with our dauntless soldiers guarding our homeland all o*er the *ast rear? How could you fail to see that these trees, e*er stri*ing to put out their closely knit branches and lea*es in an upward direction, are symbolic of the spirit and will of our men who, fighting heroically all o*er the northern plains, are writing the history of New China with their own blood?
白杨不是平凡的树。它是西北极普遍，不被人重视，就跟北方农民相似；它有极强的生命力(11)，磨折不了，压迫不倒，也跟北方的农民相似。我赞美白杨树，就因为它不但象征了北方的农民，尤其象征了今天我们民族解放斗争中所不可缺的(12)朴质，坚强，以及力求上进的精神。
让那些看不起民众，贱视民众，顽固的倒退的人们去赞美那贵族化的楠木(13)（那也是直干秀颀(14)的），去鄙视这极常见，极易生长的白杨罢，但是我要高声赞美白杨树！
White poplars are no ordinary trees. But these common trees in Northwest China are as much ignored as our peasants in the North. Howe*er, like our peasants in the North, they are bursting with *itality and capable of sur*i*ing any hardship or oppression. I pay tribute to them because they symbolize our peasants in the North and, in particular, the spirit of honesty, tenacity and forging ahead—a spirit central to our struggle for national liberation.
The reactionary diehards, who despise and snub the common people, can do whate*er they like to eulogize the elite nanmu (which is also tall, straight and good-looking) and look down upon the common, fast-growing white poplar. I, for my part, will be loud in my praise of the latter!
注释：
《白杨礼赞》是茅盾在抗日战争期间1941年3月写的一篇著名散文。
(1)“是黄绿错综的一条大毡子”译为something like a huge yellow-and-green felt blanket，其中something like是为适应英语上下文而增添的成分，变隐喻为明喻，使译文读来更顺当。又yellow-and-green（或yellow and green）和yellow green不同，前者为黄绿杂处，构成一种花色，后者为黄绿混合，即绿中带黄。
(2)“坦荡如砥”意即平坦得像一块磨刀石，现直译为flat like a whetstone，保留原文的比喻。
(3)“你对当前的‘雄壮’或‘伟大’闭了眼”意即你对眼前的景色不再感到“雄壮”或“伟大”，现译为you are obli*ious of its being spectacular or grand，其中obli*ious of作“忘却”或“不觉得”解。
(4)“潜滋暗长”意即“逐渐开始”，现译为coming on。英语短语to come on作to begin by degree解。
(5)“恹恹欲睡”作“困倦”解，故译为weariness。
(6)“横斜逸出”指树枝从树干的旁边斜伸出来，现译为sideway growth。
(7)“屈曲盘旋”意即弯弯曲曲地向上爬，现译为twine and climb。
(8)“伟岸”意即“高大”，现译为big and tall。
(9)“守卫他们的家乡的哨兵”中的“哨兵”实际上指“士兵”或“战士”，不宜译为sentries。全部短语应译为soldiers guarding our homeland。
(10)“纵横激荡”意即到处同敌人英勇战斗，现译为fighting heroically。
(11)“有极强的生命力”译为are bursting with *itality，其中burst with意同full of。
(12)“我们民族解放斗争中所不可缺的……”译为…central to our struggle for national liberation，其中central to意同essential to。
(13)“楠木”是一种常绿乔木，质地坚硬，为贵重木材，现译为nanmu。
(14)“秀颀”意即美丽而高大。现译为good-looking and tall。
故都的秋
郁达夫
秋天，无论在什么地方的秋天，总是好的(1)；可是啊，北国的秋，却特别地来得清，来得静，来得悲凉。我的不远千里(2)，要从杭州赶上青岛，更要从青岛赶上北平来的理由，也不过想饱尝一尝这“秋”，这故都的秋味。
江南，秋当然也是有的，但草木凋得慢，空气来得润，天的颜色显得淡，并且又时常多雨而少风；一个人夹在苏州上海杭州，或厦门香港广州的市民中间，浑浑沌沌地过去，只能感到一点点清凉，秋的味，秋的色，秋的意境与姿态，总看不饱，尝不透，赏玩不到十足(3)。秋并不是名花，也并不是美酒，那一种半开，半醉的状态，在领略秋的过程上，是不合适的。
Autumn in Peiping
Yu Dafu
Autumn, where*er it is, always has something to recommend itself. In North China, howe*er, it is particularly limpid, serene and melancholy. To enjoy its atmosphere to the full in the onetime capital, I ha*e, therefore, made light of tra*elling a long distance from Hanghou to Qingdao, and thence to Peiping.
There is of course autumn in the South too, but o*er there plants wither slowly, the air is moist, the sky pallid, and it is more often rainy than windy. While muddling along all by myself among the urban dwellers of Suzhou, Shanghai, Xianmen, Hong Kong or Guangzhou, I feel nothing but a little chill in the air, without e*er relishing to my heart’s content the fla*our, colour, mood and style of the season. Unlike famous flowers which are most attracti*e when half opening, good wine which is most tempting when one is half drunk, autumn, howe*er, is best appreciated in its entirety.
不逢北国之秋，已将近十余年了。在南方每年到了秋天，总要想陶然亭的芦花，钓鱼台的柳影，西山的虫唱，玉泉的夜月，潭柘寺的钟声(4)。在北平即使不出门去罢，就是在皇城人海之中，租人家一椽破屋来住着，早晨起来，泡一碗浓茶，向院子一坐，你也能看到很高很高的碧绿的天色，听得到青天下驯鸽的飞声。从槐树叶底，朝东细数着一丝一丝漏下来的日光，或在破壁腰中，静对着像喇叭似的牵牛花（朝荣）的蓝
朵，自然而然地也能感觉到十分的秋意。说到牵牛花，我以为以蓝色或白色者为佳，紫黑色次之，淡红色最下。最好，还要在牵牛花底教长着几根疏疏落落的尖细且长的秋草，使作陪衬。
It is more than a decade since I last saw autumn in North. When I am in the South, the arri*al of each autumn will put me in mind of Peiping’s Tao Ran Ting with its reed catkins, Diao Yu Tai with its shady willow trees, Western Hills with their chirping insects, Yu Quan Shan Mountain on a moonlight e*ening and Tan Zhe Si with its re*erbrating bell. Suppose you put up in a humble rented house inside the bustling imperial city, you can, on getting up at dawn, sit in your courtyard sipping a cup of strong tea, leisurely watch the high azure skies and listen to pigeons circling o*erhead. Saunter eastward under locust trees to closely obser*e streaks of sunlight filtering through their foliage, or quietly watch the trumpet-shaped blue flowers of morning glories climbing half way up a dilapidated wall, and an intense feeling of autumn will of itself well up inside you. As to morning glories, I like their blue or white flowers best, dark purple ones second best, and pink ones third best. It will be most desirable to ha*e them set off by some tall thin grass planted underneath here and there.
北国的槐树，也是一种能使人联想起秋来的点缀。像花而又不是花的那一种落蕊，早晨起来，会铺得满地。脚踏上去，声音也没有，气味也没有，只能感出一点点极微细极柔软的触觉。扫街在树影下一阵扫后，灰土上留下来的一条条扫帚的丝纹，看起来既觉得细腻，又觉得清闲(5)，潜意识下并且还觉得有点儿落寞，Locust trees in the North, as a decorati*e embellishment of nature, also associate us with autumn. On getting up early in the morning, you will find the ground strewn all o*er with flower-like pistils fallen from locust trees. Quiet and smellless, they feel tiny and soft underfoot. After a street cleaner has done the sweeping under the shade of the trees, you will disco*er countless lines left by his broom in the dust, which look so fine and quiet that somehow a feeling of forlornness will begin to creep up on you.
古人所说的梧桐一叶而天下知秋的遥想，大约也就在这些深沉的地方。秋蝉的衰弱的残声，更是北国的特产；因为北平处处全长着树，屋子又低，所以无论在什么地方，都听得见它们的啼唱。在南方是非要上郊外或山上去才听得到的。这秋蝉的嘶叫，在北平可和蟋蟀耗子一样，简直像是家家户户都养在家里的家虫(6)。 还有秋雨哩，北方的秋雨，也似乎比南方的下得奇，下得有味，下得更像样(7)。 在灰沉沉的天底下，忽而来一阵凉风，便息列索落地下起雨来了。一层雨过，云渐渐地卷向了西去，天又青了，太阳又露出脸来了；著着很厚的青布单衣或夹袄的都市闲人，咬着烟管，在雨后的斜桥影里，上桥头树底下去一立，遇见熟人，便会用了缓慢悠闲的声调，微叹(8)着互答着说：
“唉，天可真凉了——”
“可不是么？一层秋雨一层凉了！”
The same depth of implication is found in the ancient saying that a single fallen leaf from the wutong tree is more than enough to inform the world of autumn’s presence. The sporadic feeble chirping of cicadas is especially characteristic of autumn in the North. Due to the abundance of trees and the low altitude of dwellings in Peiping, cicadas are audible in e*ery nook and cranny of the city. In the South, howe*er, one cannot hear them unless in suburbs or hills. Because of their ubiquitous shrill noise, these insects in Peiping seem to be li*ing off e*ery household like crickets or mice.
As for autumn rains in the North, they also seem to differ from those in the South, being more appealing, more temperate. A sudden gust of cool wind under the slaty sky, and raindrops will start pitter-pattering. Soon when the rain is o*er, the clouds begin gradually to roll towards the west and the sun comes out in the blue sky. Some idle townsfolk, wearing lined or unlined clothing made of thick cloth, will come out pipe in mouth and, loitering under a tree by the end of a bridge, exchange leisurely con*ersation with acquaintances with a slight touch of regret at the passing of time:
“Oh, real nice and cool—“
“Sure! Getting cooler with each autumn shower!”
北方的果树，到秋来，也是一种奇景。第一是枣子树；屋角，墙头，茅房边上，灶房门口，它都会一株株地长大起来。像橄榄又像鸽蛋似的这枣子颗儿，在小椭圆形的细叶中间，显出淡绿微黄的颜色的时候，正是秋的全盛时期；等枣树叶落，枣子红完，西北风就要起来了(9)，北方便是尘沙灰土的世界，只有这枣子、柿子、葡萄，成熟到八九分的七八月之交，是北国的清秋的佳日，是一年之中最好也没有的golden
days。
Fruit trees in the North also make a wonderful sight in autumn. Take jujube tree for example. They grow e*erywhere—around the corner of a house, at the foot of a wall, by the side of a latrine or outside a kitchen door. It is at the height of autumn that jujubes, shaped like dates or pigeon eggs, make their appearance in a light yellowish-green amongst tiny elliptic lea*es. By the time when they ha*e turned ruddy and the lea*es fallen, the
north-westerly wind will begin to reign supreme and make a dusty world of the North. Only at the turn of July and August when jujubes, persimmons, grapes are 80-90 percent ripe will the North ha*e the best of autumn—the golden days in a year.
有些批评家说，中国的文人学士，尤其是诗人，都带着很浓厚的颓废色彩，所以中国的诗文里，颂赞秋的文字特别的多。但外国的诗人，又何尝不然？我虽则外国诗文念得不多，也不想开账来，做一篇秋的诗歌散文钞，但你若去一翻英德法意等诗人的集子，或各国的诗文的anthology来，总能够看到许多关于秋的歌颂与悲啼。各著名的大诗人的长篇田园诗或四季诗里，也总以关于秋的部分，写得最出色而最有味。足
见有感觉的动物，有情趣的人类，对于秋，总是一样的能特别引起深沉，幽远，严厉，萧索的感触来的。不单是诗人，就是被关闭在牢狱里的囚犯，到了秋天，我想也一定会感到一种不能自已的深情(10)；秋之于人，何尝有国别，更何尝有人种阶级的区别呢？不过在中国，文字里有一个“秋士(11)”的成语，读本里又有着很普遍的欧阳子的秋声(12)与苏东坡的《赤壁赋》(13)等，就觉得中国的文人，与秋的关系特别深了。可是这秋的深味，非要在北方，才感受得到底。
Some literary critics say that Chinese literati, especially poets, are mostly disposed to be decadent, which accounts for predominance of Chinese works singing the praises of autumn. Well, the same is true of foreign poets, isn’t it? I ha*en’t read much of foreign poetry and prose, nor do I want to enumerate autumn-related poems and essays in foreign literature. But, if you browse through collected works of English, German, French or Italian poets, or *arious countries’ anthologies of poetry or prose, you can always comes across a great many literary pieces eulogizing or lamenting autumn. Long pastoral poems or songs about the four seasons by renowned poets are mostly distinguished by beautiful mo*ing lines on autumn. All that goes to show that all li*e creatures and sensiti*e humans alike are prone to the feeling of depth, remoteness, se*erity and bleakness. Not only poets, e*en con*icts in prison, I suppose, ha*e deep sentiments in autumn in spite of themsel*es. Autumn treats all humans alike, regardless of nationality, race or class. Howe*er, judging from Chinese idiom qiushi (autumn scholar, meaning and aged scholar grie*ing o*er frustrations in his life) and frequent selection in textbooks of Ouyang Xiu’s On the Autumn Sough and Su Dongpo’s On the Red Cliff, Chinese men of letters seem to be particularly
autumn-minded. But, to know the real fla*our of autumn, especially China’s autumn, one has to *isit the North.
南国之秋，当然是也有它的特异的地方的，比如廿四桥的明月，钱塘江的秋潮，普陀山的凉雾，荔枝湾的残荷等等，可是色彩不浓，回味不永。比起北国的秋来，正像是黄酒之于白干，稀饭之于馍馍，鲈鱼之于大蟹，黄犬之于骆驼。 秋天，这北国的秋天，若留得往的话，我愿把寿命的三分之二折去，换得一个三
分之一的零头。
Autumn in the South also has its unique features, such as the moonlit Ershisi Bridge in Yangzhou, the flowing sea tide at the Qiantangjiang Ri*er, the mist-shrouded Putuo Mountain and lotuses at the Lizhiwan Bay. But they all lack strong colour and lingering fla*our. Southern autumn is to Northern autumn what yellow rice wine is to kaoliang wine, congee to steamed buns, perches to crabs, yellow dogs to camels. Autumn, I mean Northern autumn, if only it could be made to last fore*er! I would be more than willing to keep but one-third of my life-span and ha*e two-thirds of it bartered for the prolonged stay of the season!
注释
《故都的秋》是郁达夫（*96-1945）的名篇，1934年8月写于北平。文章通过对北国特有风物的细腻描绘，抒发作者对故都之秋的无比眷恋之情。
(1)“总是好的”不宜按字面直译。现译为always has something to recommend itself，其中to ha*e…to recommend…作“有……可取之处”解。
(2)“不远千里，要从杭州赶上青岛……”译为ha*e made light of tra*elling a long distance from Hangzhou to Qingdao…，其中to make light of是成语，作“对……不在乎”解。
(3)“总看不饱，尝不透，赏玩不到十足”不宜逐字直译。译文without e*er relishing to my heart’s content…中用relishing to my heart’s content概括原文中的“看……饱”、“尝……透”、“赏玩……”等。
(4)“每年到了秋天，总要想起陶然亭的芦花……”译为the arri*al of each autumn will put me in mind of Peiping’s Tao Ran Ting with its reed catkins…，其中to put one in mind of…是成语，作“使人想起……”解。译文中的Peiping’s是添加成分，以便国外读者理解句中所列各景点的所在地是北平。
(5)“既觉得细腻，又觉得清闲”中的“清闲”意同“幽静”，故译为quiet。
(6)“可和蟋蟀耗子一样，简直像是家家户户都养在家里的家虫”译为seem to be li*ing off e*ery
household like crickets or mice，其中to li*e off (= to li*e on)中成语，作“靠……生活”解，用以表达“养在……的家虫”。
(7)“更像样”意即“更有节制”，故译为more temperate 。
(8)根据上下文，“微叹“是为”感怀时光的消逝“，故以释义法译为with a slight touch of reget at the passing of time。
(9)“西北风就要起来了”译为the northwesterly wind will begin to reign supreme，其中to reign supreme强调“占优势”之意。
(10)“感到不能自已的深情”译为ha*e deep sentiments…in spite of themsel*es，其中in spite of oneself是成语，作“不由自主地”解。
(11)“秋士”是古汉语，指“士之暮年不遇者”，现译为qiushi (autumn scholar, meaning an aged scholar grie*ing o*er frustrations in his life)。
(12)“欧阳子的秋声”即“欧阳修所作的《秋声赋》”，现译为Ouyang Xiu’s On the Autumn Sough。
(13)〈赤壁赋〉为苏东坡所作，借秋游赤壁，抒发自己的人生感慨。可译为On the Red Cliff或Fu on the Red Cliff。
谈结婚
郁达夫
前些日子，林语堂先生似乎曾说过(1)女子的唯一事业，是在结婚，现在一位法国
大文豪来沪，对去访问他的新闻记者的谈话之中，又似乎说，男子欲成事业，应该不
要结婚。
华盛顿•欧文(2)是一个独身的男子，但《见闻短记》里的一篇歌颂妻子的文章(3)，
却写的那么优美可爱。同样查而斯•兰姆(4)也是独身的男子，而爱丽亚的《独身者的
不平》(5)一篇，又冷嘲热讽，将结婚的男女和婚后必然的果子——小孩们——等，俏
皮到了那一步田地。
究竟是结婚的好呢，还是不结婚的好？这问题似乎同先有鸡还是先有鸡蛋一样
(6)，常常有人提起，而也常常没有人解决过的问题(7)。照大体看来，想租房子的时候，
是无眷莫问的，想做官的时候，又是朝里无裙(8)莫做官的，想写文章的时候，是独身
者(9)不能写我的妻的，凡此种种似乎都是结婚的好。可是要想结婚，第一要有钱，第
二要有闲，第三要有职，这潘驴(10)……的五个条件，却也不容易办到(11)。更何况结
婚之后，“儿子自己要来(12)”，在这世界人口过剩，经济恐慌，教育破产，世风不
古的时候，万一不慎，同兰姆所说的一样，儿子们去上了断头台(13)，那真是连祖宗
三代的楣都要倒尽，那里还有什么“官人请！娘子请！”的唱随之乐(14)可说呢？
左思右想，总觉得结婚也不好的，不结婚也是不好的。
A Chat about Marriage
Yu Dafu
The other day, Mr. Lin Yutang said something to the effect that women’s only career
lies in matrimony. Now, an eminent French writer declared at a press inter*iew after
arri*ing in Shanghai that men should stay bachelors if they want to achie*e success in life.
Washington Ir*ing was a confirmed bachelor, but in his Sketch B** is an article
extolling the wife as a graceful and lo*ely life-long partner. Charles Lamb, also a single
man, in A Bachelor’s Complaint of the Beha*iour of Married People, one of his essays
signed “Elia”, speaks mockingly of married people with their ine*itable postnuptial
fruits—the children.
Marriage or no marriage, which is more desirable? That sounds like the chicken-and-
egg question, which, though often discussed, remains a perpetual puzzle. Generally
speaking, one who has no family dependants is not supposed to rent a house, one who has
no petticoat influence in the go*ernment should refrain from becoming an official, an
unmarried male writer is in no position to writer about “my wife”. All these seem to hint at
the ad*antage of marriage. But, to get married, you need to ha*e fi*e perquisites, namely,
money, leisure, employment, good looks and potentness, of which all are not always
a*ailable. What is more, after your marriage, your offspring will come to this world of
themsel*es. And in a world with o*erpopulation, economic crisis, educational bankruptcy
and deteriorating public morals, they may, just as Charles Lamb says, through their own
acts of indiscretion, be sent to the gallows. With such a terrible misfortune befalling your
family, how could you still ha*e wedded bliss to speak of?
Thinking the matter o*er and o*er again, I cannot but come to the conclusion that
neither matrimony nor bachelorship has anything to recommend itself.
注释：
郁达夫，一生短暂，在恋爱与婚姻上有很多坎坷经历。小品文《谈结婚》寥寥数语，看似游
戏笔墨，但庄谐并出，寓理于趣，感叹人生多苦难，对现实百态深表不满。
(1)“似乎曾说过……”意即“说过一些话，大意是……”，译为said something to the effect that…，其中to the effect that…作“大意是……”解。
(2)“华盛顿•欧文”是美国作家Washington Ir*ing (1783-*59)。《见闻短记》（Sketch
Book）为其著名代表作。
(3)“一篇歌颂妻子的文章”的篇名为The Wife。
(4)“查而斯•兰姆”是英国散文家Charles Lamb (1775-*34)。笔名爱丽亚（alia），
著有《爱丽亚散文集》（Essays of Alia）。
(5)“《独身者的不平》”指《爱丽亚散文集》中的一篇。
(6)“这个问题似乎同先有鸡呢还是先有鸡蛋一样”译为That sounds like the chicken-and-egg
question，其中chicken-and-egg（或chicken and egg ）是成语，作“鸡与蛋孰先难定”或“因果难定”解。
(7)“常常没有人解决过的问题”可译为has ne*er been resol*ed，现译为remains a perpetual
puzzle，变反说为正说。
(8)“裙”指“裙带关系”意即“藉以相互依靠的姻亲关系”，现译为petticoat influence。
(9)“独身者”指“独身男作家”，故译为an unmarried male writer。
(10)“潘驴”源自《金瓶梅》第三回，指“潘安的貌”和“驴大行货”，在文中分别指第四、
第五两个条件。现分别译为gook looks和potentness。
(11)“却也很不易办到”意即“却也不易都具备”，译为of which all are not always a*ailable，
等于of which not all are always a*ailable。
(12)“儿子自己要来”译为your offspring will come to this world of themsel*es，其中短语of
themsel*es和automatically同义。
(13)“走上了断头台”，本可译为be sent to the guillotine，但因兰姆文中说的绞刑架，故译为
be sent to the gallows。
(14)“‘官人请！娘子请！’的唱随之乐”不宜逐字直译，现意译为wedded bliss（闺房之乐），
简单明了。
永远的憧憬(1)和追求
萧红
一九一一年，在一个小县城里边，我生在一个小地主的家里。那县城差不多就是
中国的最东最北部——黑龙江省——(2)所以一年之中，倒有四个月飘着白雪。
父亲常常为着贪婪而失掉了人性。他对待仆人，对待自己的儿女，以及对待我的
祖父都是同样的吝啬而疏远，甚至于无情(3)。
有一次，为着房屋租金的事情，父亲把房客的全套的马车赶了过来。房客的家属
们哭着诉说着(4)，向我的祖父跪了下来，于是祖父把两匹棕色的马(5)从车上解下来还
了回去。
为着这匹马，父亲向祖父起着终夜的争吵(6)。“两匹马，咱们是算不了什么的，
穷人，这匹马就是命根。(7)”祖父这样说着，而父亲还是争吵。九岁时，母亲死去。
父亲也就更变了样(8)，偶然打碎了一只杯子，他就要骂到使人发抖的程度。后来就连
父亲的眼睛也转了弯，每从他的身边经过，我就像自己的身上生了针剌一样(9)；他斜
视着你，他那高傲的眼光从鼻梁经过嘴角而后往下流着(10)。
所以每每在大雪中的黄昏里(11)，围着暖炉，围着祖父，听着祖父读着诗篇，看
着祖父读着诗篇时微红的嘴唇(12)。
父亲打了我的时候，我就在祖父的房里，一直面向着窗子，从黄昏到深夜——窗
外的白雪，好像白棉花一样飘着；而暖炉上水壶的盖子，则像伴奏的乐器似的振动着
(13)。
祖父时时把多纹的两手放在我的肩上，而后又放在我头上，我的耳边便响着这样
的声音：
“快快长吧！长大就好了。”
二十岁那年，我就逃出了父亲的家庭。直到现在还是过着流浪的生活。
“长大”是“长大了”，而没有“好”。
可是从祖父那里，知道了人生除掉了冰冷和憎恶而外，还有温暖和爱。
所以我就向这“温暖”和“爱”的方面，怀着永久的憧憬和追求。
My E*erlasting Dream and Pursuit
Xiao Hong
In 1911, I was born into a petty Landlord family in a remote county town in
Heilongjiang Pro*ince—a town situated *irtually at the northeastern tip of China. We had
snow there for as long as one third of a year.
Father, dri*en by a*arice, often became *ery unfeeling. He would treat his ser*ants,
his own children and e*en my grandpa alike with meanness and indifference, not to say
with ruthlessness.
Once, due to a dispute o*er house rent, he took away by force a tenant’s horse-drawn
cart and dro*e it home. The tenant’s family came to see grandpa and, dropping to their
knees, tearfully related their troubles. Grandpa unharnessed the two chestnut horses and
retuned them to tenant.
That touched off a night-long quarrel between father and grandpa. “The two horses
mean nothing to us, but e*erything to the poor,” argued grandpa. Father, howe*er, refused
to listen. Mother died when I was nine. From then on father went from bad to worse. E*en
a mere cup accidentally broken by someone would send him into such a *iolent rage that
we all shi*ered with fear. Later, whene*er I happened to walk past him, he would e*en
ha*e his eyes directed sideways, which made me feel like being pricked all o*er on thorns.
When he looked askance at me, superciliousness gushed from his eyes down the bridge of
his nose and then off the corners of his mouth.
Often of a snowy e*ening, we children would hang about grandpa by a heating sto*e,
listening to him reading poems aloud and meanwhile watching his busy ruddy lips.
Whene*er father had gi*en me a beating, I would seek solace in grandpa’s room
where I would stay gazing out of the window from dusk till late into the night while
snowflakes were flying like cotton and the lid of the kettle o*er the heating sto*e rattling
like a musical instrument playing an accompaniment.
Grandpa would place his wrinkled hand on my shoulder and then on my head, saying,
“Grow up quick, poor child! You’ll be all right after you’*e grown up.”
I fled from home at twenty. And so far I still li*e the life of a *agrant.
True, I’*e “grown up”, but I’m not yet “all right”.
Ne*ertheless, from grandpa I’*e learned that apart from coldness and hatred, there is
also warmth and lo*e in life. Hence my e*erlasting dream and pursuit of this “warmth” and
“lo*e”.
注释：
萧红（1911-1942），黑龙江省呼兰县人，官僚地主家庭出身，是才华横溢的女作家。本文是
她应美国友人斯诺之给而写的小传。文章诉说她如何在祖父在关怀和抚育下度过寂寞的幼女时代。
(1)“憧憬“译为dream，和aspiration, longing, yearning等同义。
(2)“那县城差不多就是中国的最东最北部——黑龙江省——”意即“那县城在黑龙江省，差不多位于中国的东北角”。现译为in a remote town in Heilongjiang Pro*ince—a town situated
*irtually at the northeastern tip of china，其中以remote（偏僻的、边远的）表达“小”，便于烘托原文的气氛；at the northeastern tip of China比in China’s northeastern part灵活顺口。
(3)“甚至于无情”译为not to say with ruthlessness，其中not to say是英语成语，意即and almost
或and perhaps e*en。
(4)“哭着诉说着”译为tearfully related their troubles，其中related意told。
(5)“棕色的马”译为chestnut horses。英语常用chestnut指马的棕色，或棕色的马.
(6)译文touched off是成语，作“激起”、“引起”解。
(7)“穷人，这匹马就是命根”译为they mean e*erything to the poor，其中e*erything和前面
的nothing相互应。
(8)“父亲也就更变了样”译为From then on father went from bad to worse，其中from then on
是连接上句的添加成分。又went from bad to worse是成语，作“越来越坏”、“每况俞下”解。
(9)“就像自己的身上生了针剌一样”译为feel like being pricked all o*er on thorns，其中feel like
是短语动词，作“如同”解，又介词on常用来指人体受到伤害的原因，
(10)译文superciliousness gushed from his eyes…是隐喻。
(11)译文Often of a snowy e*ening中的of 等于on，但有“经常”的含义。
(12)“围着暖炉，围着祖父，听着祖父读着诗篇，看着祖父读着诗篇时微红的嘴唇”译为would
hang about grandpa by a heating sto*e, listening to him ready poems aloud and meanwhile watching his
busy ruddy lips，其中hang about或hang around为动词短语，作“待在……身边”解，通常有亲
密、友好的含义。又busy一词描述祖父的嘴唇不断张合，以代替“读着诗篇时”。
(13)“暖炉上水壶的盖子，则像伴奏乐器似的振动着”译为and the lid of the kettle o*er the
heating sto*e rattling like a musical instrument playing an accompaniment, 其中rattling表达“振动”，
而不用*ibrating等，因to rattle不仅指“振动”，而且指格格作响声，与“伴奏乐器”的比喻相
互应。
当 铺
萧红
“你去当吧！你去当吧，我不去！”
“好，我去，我就愿意进当铺(1)，进当铺我一点也不怕，理直气壮。”
新做起来的我的棉袍，一次还没有穿，就跟着我进当铺去了！在当铺门口稍微徘徊了一下，想起出门时郎华要的价目(2)——非两元不当。
包袱送到柜台上，我是仰着脸，伸着腰，用脚尖站起来送上去的，真不晓得当铺为什么摆起这么高的柜台(3)！
那戴帽头的人翻着衣裳看，还不等他问，我就说了： “两块钱。”
The Pawnshop
Xiao Hong
“You go and do the pawning! You go, but not me!”
“Ok, I go. I wouldn’t mind. I’m not afraid at all. I don’t see anything wrong about it.”
Thus, my newly-made cotton-padded gown, which had not been worn e*en once, accompanied me to the pawnshop. At the door of the pawnshop I hesitated for a while, recalling the asking price suggested by Lang Hua when I left home—“Nothing less than two Yuan.”
I stood on tiptoe, face upward and back straightened, to hand the cloth-wrapped bundle onto the counter. How strange the pawnbroker should ha*e put up a counter so forbiddingly high!
A man in a skullcap turned the gown o*er and o*er to examine it. Before he could open his mouth, I said, “Two Yuan.”
他一定觉得我太不合理，不然怎么连看我一眼也没看，就把东西卷起来，他把包袱仿佛要丢在我的头上，他十分不耐烦的样子(4)。
“两块钱不行，那么，多少钱呢？”
“多少钱不要。”他摇摇像长西瓜形的脑袋，小帽头顶尖的红帽球，也跟着摇了摇。
我伸手去接包袱，我一点也不怕，我理直气壮，我明明知道他故意作难(5)，正想把包袱接过来就走。猜得对对的，他并不把包袱真给我(6)。
“五毛钱！这件衣服袖子太瘦，卖不出钱来……”
“不当。”我说。
“那么一块钱，……再可不能多了，就是这个数目。”他把腰微微向后弯一点，柜台太高，看不出他突出的肚囊……一只大手指，就比在和他太阳穴一般高低的地方。
He must ha*e thought me too unreasonable, for he rolled up the gown without e*en taking a look at me. Impatience was written all o*er his face as if he were about to throw the bundle onto my head.
“If two yuan won’t do, then how much?”
“We won’t take it for anything,” said he, shaking his longish watermelon-shaped head, the decorati*e red bead on top of his skullcap swaying.
I was aware that he was out to make things difficult for me. Therefore, bold and confident, I reached out my hand for the bundle. But, just as I had been doubly sure, he simply wouldn’t let go of it.
“Fifty cents! The slee*es are too tight. The gown won’t fetch much…”
“I won’t pawn it,” said I.
“Well, how about one yuan?...Can’t gi*e you any more. That’s final.” He leaned back a little bit, his bulging paunch concealed behind the high counter…Meanwhile, to signal “one yuan”, he gestured with a finger raised as high as his temples.
带着一元票子和一张当票，我怏怏地走，走起路来感到很爽快，默认自己是很有钱的人。菜市，米店我都去过，臂上抱了很多东西，感到非常愿意抱这些东西，手冻得很痛，觉得这是应该，对于手一点也不感到可惜，本来手就应该给我服务，好像冻掉了也不可惜。路旁遇见一个老叫花子，又停下来给他一个大铜板，我想我有饭吃，他也是应该吃啊！然而没有多给，只给一个大铜板，那些我自己还要用呢(7)！又摸一
摸当票也没有丢，这才重新走，手痛得什么心思也没有了，快到家吧！快到家吧。但是，背上流了汗，腿觉得很软，眼睛有些剌痛(8)，走到大门口，才想起来从搬家还没有出过一次街，走路腿也无力，太阳光也怕起来。
Armed with a one-dollar note and a pawn ticket, I, unhappy as I was, walked with a light step and felt like one of the rich. I *isited the food market and the grain shop. I did not tire of carrying an armful of purchases. My hands ached with cold, but this was as it should be. I felt no pity for them. It was their bounden duty to wait on me—e*en at the cost of suffering frostbite. I also bought ten steamed stuffed buns at a pastry shop. I was proud of
my shopping. Again and again I felt so thrilled that I completely forgot all the pain in my frostbitten hands. When I saw an old beggar by the roadside, I stopped to gi*e him a copper coin. Why, if I had food to eat, he certainly had no reason to go hungry! But I couldn’t afford to gi*e him more, for I needed the rest of the money for keeping my own body and soul together! Before I walked on again, I put my hand on the pawn ticket in my pocket to make sure that it was still there. By then, the pain in my hands had become the only thing I was conscious of. So I was anxious to be home again. My back sweated, my legs felt like jelly, my eyes stung. At the gate of my home, it suddenly occurred to me that this was the first time I had e*er been out to town since I mo*ed here and that accounted for my legs feeling so weak and my eyes being so shy of light.
又摸一摸当票才走进院子去。郎华仍躺在床上，和我出来的时候一样，他还不习惯于进当铺。他是在想什么。拿包子给他看，他跳起来了：“我都饿啦，等你也不回来。”
十个包子吃去一大半，他才细问：“当多少钱？当铺没欺负你？”
把当票给他，他瞧着那样少的数目： “才一元，太少。”
虽然说当得的钱少，可是又愿意吃包子，那么结果很满足(9)。他在吃包子的嘴(10)，看起来比包子还大，一个跟着一个，包子消失尽了。
On entering the courtyard, I touched the pawn ticket again. Lang Hua was still lying on the bed with the same a*ersion to a pawnshop. I wonder what was now in his mind. The moment I produced the buns, he jumped up from his bed, “I’m so hungry. I’*e been long waiting for you to come back.”
It was not until he had gulped down more than half of the buns that he began to question me closely, “How much did you pawn it for? Did they cheat you?”
I showed him the pawn ticket and he eyed the pitifully small sum scratched on it.
“Only one Yuan? Too little!”
True, the money was too little, but the buns were good to eat, so that all’s well that ended well. One after another *anished the buns into his ca*ernous mouths—a mouth that looked e*en bigger than a bun.
注释：
《当铺》反映了1932到1934年她与萧军在哈尔滨生活的艰苦的日子。
(1)“我就愿意进当铺”译为I wouldn’t mind，所采用的是正反表达法，把原文从正面表达的句子，在译文中从反面来表达，以便提高译文的效果。
(2)“要的价目”译为the asking price，为英语常用语，是从to ask a price转过来的。
(3)“这么高的柜台”译为a counter so forbiddingly high，其中forbiddingly作“令人生畏”或“难以接近”（unfriendly或unapproachable）解，原文虽无其词但有其意。
(4)“十分不耐烦的样子”译为Impatience was written all o*er his face，其中to be written all o*er (或on)作“显露”解。为英语惯用表达法。
(5)“他故意作难”译为he was out to make difficult for me，其中to be out to do（或for）something作“企图”（to intend或want）解，是英语惯用表达法。
(6)“他亲不把包袱真给我”译为he simply wouldn’t let go of it，其中let go of是英语习语，作“放手”（to stop holding）解。
(7)“然而没有多给……那些我自己的还要用呢！”译为But I couldn’t afford to gi*e him more, for I needed the rest of the money to keep my own body and soul together!，其中to keep my own body and soul together作“勉强维持生活”（just to make both ends meet）解，是译文中的添加成分，原文虽无其词而有其意。
(8)“背上流了汗，腿觉得很软，眼睛有些刺痛”译为My back sweated, my legs felt like jelly, my eyes stung，三句并列，都用不及物动词，并采用连词省略法（asyndeton），有助于提高译文的表达效果。
(9)“那么结果很满足”译为so that all’s well that ended well，其中all’s well that ends well是英语谚语，作“有了好结果就行了”（It is the end that matters）解。
(10)“嘴”译为ca*ernous mouth，其中ca*ernous是为衬托原意而添加的成分，作“大而深”（*ery large and deep）解。
野 草
夏衍
有这样一个故事。
有人问：世界上什么东西的气力最大(1)？回答纷纭的很，有的说“象”，有的说“狮”，有人开玩笑似的说：是“金刚”，金刚(2)有多少气力，当然大家全不知道。 结果，这一切答案完全不对(3)，世界上气力最大的，是植物的种子。一粒种子所可以显现出来的力，简直是超越一切，这儿又是一个故事。
人的头盖骨，结合得非常致密与坚固，生理学家和解剖学者用尽了一切的方法，要把它完整在分出来(4)，都没有这种力气，后来忽然有人发明了一个方法，就是把植物的种子放在要解剖的头盖骨里，给它以温度与湿度，使它发芽(5)，一发芽，这些种子便以可怕的力量，将一切机械力所不能分开的骨骼，完整地分开了。植物种子力量之大，如此如此。
这，也许特殊了一点，常人不容易理解，那么，你看见笋的成长吗？你看见被压在瓦砾和石块下面的一颗小草的生成吗？它为着向往阳光，为着达成它的生之意志(6)，不管上面的石块如何重，石块与石块之间如何狭，它必定要曲曲折折地，但是顽强不屈在透到地面上来，它的根往土壤里钻，它的芽往地面挺，这是一种不可抗拒的力，阻止它的石块，结果也被它掀翻，一粒种子的力量的大，如此如此。
没有一个人将小草叫做“大力士” (7)，但是它的力量之大，的确是世界无比，这种力，是一般人看不见的生命力，只要生命存在，这种力就要显现，上面的石块，丝毫不足以阻挡，因为它是一种“长期抗战”的力，有弹性，能屈能伸的力，有韧性，不达目的不止的力(8)。
种子不落在肥土而落在瓦砾中，有生命力的种子决不会悲观和叹气，因为有阻力才有磨炼。生命开始的一瞬间就带了斗争来的草，才是坚韧的草，也只有这种草，才可以傲然地对那些玻璃棚中养育着的盆花哄笑。
Wild Grass
Xia Yan
There is a story which goes like this:
Someone asked, “What has the greatest strength on earth?” The answers *aried. Some said, “The elephant.” Some said, “The lion.” Some said jokingly, “The fierce-browed guardian gods to Buddha.” But nobody of course could tell how strong the guardian gods were supposed to be. All the answers turned out to be wide of the mark. The mightiest thing on earth is the seed of a plant. The great strength which a seed is capable of is simply matchless. Here goes another story:
The bones forming a human skull are so tightly and perfectly fit together that all physiologists or anatomists, hard as they try, are powerless to take them apart without damaging them. It so happened that, at the suggestion of someone, some seeds of plant were placed inside a human skull awaiting dissection before heat and moisture were
applied to cause them to grow. Once they started to grow, they let loose a terrific force to separate all the skull bones, lea*ing each of them intact. This would ha*e been impossible with any mechanical power under the sun. See, how powerful the seeds of a plant can be!
This story may be somewhat too unusual for you to understand. Well, ha*e you e*er seen the growth of a bamboo shoot? Or the growth of tender grass from under a heap of rubble or rocks? Seeking sunlight and sur*i*al, the young plant will labour tenaciously through twists and turns to bring itself to the surface of the ground no matter how hea*y the rocks o*erhead may be or how narrow the opening between them. While striking its roots deep into the soil, the young plant pushes its new shoots abo*e-ground. The irresistible strength it can muster is such as to o*erturn any rock in its way. See, how powerful a seed can be!
Though nobody describes the little grass as a “husky”, yet its herculean strength is unri*alled. It is the force of life in*isible to the naked eye. It will display itself so long as there is life. The rock is utterly helpless before this force—a force that will fore*er remain militant, a force that is resilient and can take temporary setbacks calmly, a force that is tenacity itself and will ne*er gi*e up until the goal is reached.
When a seed falls under debris instead of on fertile soil, it ne*er sighs in despair because to meet with obstruction means to temper itself. Indomitable is the grass that begins its *ery life with a tough struggle. It is only fit and proper that the proud grass should be jeering at the potted flowers in a glass house.
注释： 《野草》是夏衍（1900-1995）于抗战期间写的一篇散文，赞颂小草的那种为常人看不见的顽强生命力，以象征手法鼓舞国人坚定抗战胜利的信心。
(1)“世界上什么东西的气力最大”译为What has the greatest strength on earth，其中on earth和in the world同义，但此句用on earth较为合适，因它通常用于疑问词或最高级词后加强语气。
(2)“金刚”是“金刚力士”之略，指守护佛法的天神，常怒目作勇猛之相，现把它意译为the fierce-browed guardian gods to Buddha，其中fierce-browed的意思是“怒目横眉”。
(3)“结果，这一切答案完全不对”译为All the answers turned out to be wide of the mark，其中wide of the mark或far from the mark为成语，意即“离谱”、“不正确”。
(4)“把它完整地分出来”即“把它完好无损地分开”，故译为to take them apart without damaging them。
(5)“使它发芽”的译文为to cause them grow。也可译为to cause them to put out fresh shoots。
(6)“为着向往阳光，为着达成它的生之意志”实际上的意思是“为了争取阳光和生存”，故译为Seeking sunlight and sur*i*al即可。
(7)“没有一个人将小草叫做‘大力士’”译为Though nobody describes the little grass as a “husky”，其中describe…as的意思是“把……说成”、“把……称为”；husky的意思是“高大强壮的人”。
(8)“有韧性，不达目的不止的力”译为a force that is tenacity itself and will ne*er gi*e up until the goal is reached，其中itself一词用来加强前面的抽象名词tenacity，属习惯用法。
恋爱不是游戏
庐隐
没有在浮沉的人海中(1)，翻过筋斗的和尚，不能算善知识(2)；没有受过恋爱洗礼的人生，不能算真人生。
和尚最大的努力，是否认现世而求未来的涅槃(3)，但他若不曾了解现世，他又怎能勘破现世(4)，而跳出三界(5)外呢？
而恋爱是人类生活的中心，孟子说：“食色性也。”所谓恋爱正是天赋之本能；如一生不了解恋爱的人，他又何能了解整个人生？
所以凡事都从学习而知而能，只有恋爱用不着学习，只要到了相当的年龄，碰到合式（适）的机会，他和她便会莫名其妙地恋爱起来。
恋爱人人都会(6)，可是不见得人人都懂(7)，世俗大半以**伪充恋爱，以游戏的态度处置恋爱，于是我们时刻可看到因恋爱而不幸的记载。
实在的恋爱绝不是游戏，也绝不是堕落的人生所能体验出其价值的，它具有引人向上的鞭策力，它也具有伟大无私的至上情操，它更是美丽的象征。
在一双男女正纯洁热爱着的时候，他和她内心充实着惊人的力量；他们的灵魂是从万有的束缚中，得到了自由，不怕威胁，不为利诱，他们是超越了现实，而创造他们理想的乐园。
不幸物欲充塞的现世界，这种恋爱的光辉，有如萤火之微弱，而且“恋爱”有时适成为无知男女堕落之阶，使维纳斯不禁深深地叹息：“自从世界人群趋向灭亡之途，恋爱变成了游戏，哀哉！”
Lo*e is Not a Game
Lu Yin
A Buddhist monk without ha*ing experienced ups and downs in the sea of mortals will ha*e no claim to true wisdom.
Likewise, one who has ne*er gone through the baptism of romantic lo*e will ha*e little genuine knowledge of life.
Buddhist monks exert e*ery effort to renounce this life in fa*our of future nir*ana.
But, without a full knowledge of this life, how could they see through the *anity of human society and make a clean break with this mortal world?
Romantic lo*e is the core of human life. Mencius says, “The desire for food and sex is nature.” In other words, lo*e is innate. If one remains a lifelong stranger to lo*e, how can he thoroughly understand life?
Man becomes capable through learning. But lo*e is an exception. Boy and girl, when they are of age and meet at an opportune moment, will become mysteriously attached to each other.
Though people lo*e by instinct, yet all cannot understand it correctly. More often than not, lo*e is but carnal desire in disguise and is treated as a mere game. That is why we so often hear tragic stories of lo*e.
True lo*e is not a game. Nor can its true *alue be appreciated by the morally degenerate. True lo*e spurs one on to higher attainment. It embodies the supreme quality of selflessness, and is, abo*e all, symbolic of beauty.
When a man and woman are deeply immersed in true lo*e, they are full of amazing inner strength. Their souls are freed from all bondage. They are unyielding before threats and incorruptible before any promise of material gain. They transcend the reality to create an ideal paradise of their own.
Unfortunately, in this present world o*erflowing with material desires, this kind of true lo*e is as rare as the feeble light of fireflies. What is more, “lo*e” sometimes e*en leads to moral degeneration on the part of ignorant men and women. O*er this, Venus cannot help lamenting with a deep sigh, “Lo*e has become a mere game e*er since
humanity set out on its way to extinction. O what a sad story!”        
注释:
女作家庐隐（*98-1934），福建闽侯人，早期与冰心齐名。她的杂文短小精悍，直爽坦率，笔锋锐利。
(1)“浮沉的人海中”译为ups and downs in the sea of mortals，其中ups and downs意同*icissitudes（兴败、盛衰）；the sea of mortals意同the sea of the li*ing。
(2)“不能算善知识”意即“没有过资格称为智者”，现译为will ha*e no claim to true wisdom，其中ha*e no claim to本作“对……没有提出要求的权利”解，现作“没有资格称为……”解。此句也可译为will ha*e no true wisdom to speak of，但与原意稍有出入。
(3)“涅槃”指信佛教者经过长期“修道”所达到的最高境界。后世也称僧人逝世为“涅槃”（又称“入灭”或“圆寂”）。英语称之为*ir*ana，源于梵文。
(4)“勘破现世”意同“看破红尘”现译为see through the *anity of human society。
(5)“跳出三界”中的“三界”也是佛教用语，指“众生所住的世界”。现按“与现世一刀两断”的意思把“跳出三界”译为make a clean break with this mortal world。
(6)“恋爱人人都会”意即“恋爱出于本能”，故译为People lo*e by instinct。
(7)“可是不见的人人都懂”译为yet all cannot understand it correctly，等于yet not all can understand I correctly。
我若为王
聂绀弩
在电影刊物上看见一个影片的名字：《我若为王》(1)。从这影片的名字，我想到和影片毫无关系的另外的事(2)。我想，自己如果作了王，这世界会成为一种怎样的光景呢？这自然是一种完全可笑的幻想，我根本不想作王(3)，也根本看不起王，王是什么东西呢？难道我脑中还有如此封建的残物么？而且真想作王的人，他将用他的手去打天下，决不会放在口里说的。但是假定又假定，我若为王，这个世界会成为一种怎样的光景？
我若为王，自然我的妻就是王后了。我的妻的德性，我不怀疑，为王后只会有余的。但纵然没有任何德性，纵然不过是个娼妓，那时候，她也仍旧是王后。一个王后是如何地尊贵呀，会如何地被人们像捧着天上的星星一样捧来捧去呀，假如我能够想像，那一定是一件有趣的事情。
If I Were King
Nie Gannu
Recently in a mo*ie magazine I came across the title of a film: If I Were King. It has put me in mine of something entirely foreign to film in question. I wonder what would become of this world if I myself were king. This is of course a ridiculous fancy, for being a king is the last thing I aspire to and also a thing I utterly despise. What the hell is a king?
How can I still be so feudalistic in my mind? Moreo*er, if one is really bent on being a king, he will try to carry out his design by deeds instead of by words. But, to put it hypothetically, suppose I were king, what would this world look like?
If I were king, my wife would of course be queen. With all her moral excellence, of which I make no doubt, she would be more than qualified for being a queen. But e*en if she had no *irtue to speak of, or were just a whore, she would be queen all the same.
Imagine how noble and dignified a queen would be and how people would keep lauding her to the skies like mad! It is indeed great fun for me to *isualize all of this.
我若为王，我的儿子，假如我有儿子，就是太子或王子了。我并不以为我的儿子会是一无所知，一无所能的白痴(4)，但纵然是一无所知一无所能的白痴，也仍旧是太子或王子。一个太子或王子中如何地尊贵呀，会如何被人们像捧天上的星星一样地捧来捧去呀。假如我能想像，倒是件不是没有趣味的事。
我若为王，我的女儿就是公主，我的亲眷都是皇亲国戚。无论他们怎样丑陋，怎样顽劣，怎样……(5)也会被人们像捧天上的星星一样地捧来捧去，因为她们是贵人。
If I were king, my son, if any, would be crown prince or prince. I don’t think my son will be ignorant or worthless in e*ery way like an idiot. But, e*en if that were not the case, he would still be crown prince or prince. Imagine how noble and dignified a crown prince or prince would be and how people would keep lauding him to the skies like mad! It is indeed great fun for me to *isualize all of this.
If I were the king, my daughters would be princess, and my relati*es by marriage would all become members of the royal family. No matter how ugly or per*erse or whatnot they were, people would keep lauding them to the skies like mad just the same because they were dignitaries.
我若为王，我的姓名就会改作：“万岁”，我的每一句话都成为：“圣旨”。我的意欲，我的贪念，乃至每一个幻想，都可竭尽全体臣民的力量去实现，即使是无法实现的。我将没有任何过失，因为没有人敢说它是过失；我将没有任何罪行，因为没有人敢说它是罪行。没有人敢呵斥我，指摘我，除非把我从王位上赶下来。但是赶下来，就是我不为王了。我将看见所有的人们在我面前低头，鞠躬，匍匐(6)，连同我的
尊长，我的师友，和从前曾在我面前昂头阔步耀武扬威的人们。我将看不见一个人的脸，所看见的只是他们的头顶或帽盔。或者所能看见的脸都是谄媚的，乞求的，快乐的时候不敢笑，不快乐的时候不敢不笑，悲戚的时候不敢哭，不悲戚的时候不敢不哭脸。我将听不见人们的真正的声音，所能听见的都是低微的，柔婉的，畏葸(7)的和娇痴的，唱小旦的声音：“万岁，万岁！万万岁！”这是他们的全部语言。“有道明君！
伟大的主上啊！”这就是那语言的全部内容。没有在我之上的人了，没有和我同等的人了，我甚至会感到单调，寂寞和孤独。
If I were king, I would be addressed as “Your Majesty” and e*ery word of mine would become a “royal edict”. All my subjects would lea*e no stone unturned to carry out e*ery will, e*ery a*aricious desire and e*en e*ery whim of mine, e*en though they were all beyond the possible. I would do no wrong simply because no one dared to call it a wrong. I would commit no crime simply because no one dared to call it a crime. No one would dare to berate or find fault with me unless I was remo*ed from the throne, which meant that I was no longer the king. I would see all people hang their heads, bow low or prostrate themsel*es at my feet, including my respected elders, teachers, friends and e*en those who had used to swagger arrogantly in front of me. I could see none of their faces; all I could see were the tops of their heads or hats or helmets on their heads. The only faces I could see would be ingratiating or supplicating – faces that dared not smile to express joy; faces that dared not refrain from a forced smile when there was no joy at all to justify a smile; faces that dared not cry to express sorrow; faced that dared not refrain from a feigned cry when there was no sorrow to justify a cry. I could hear no true *oices of my people. All I could hear would be the feeble, soft, timid and affected *oice, like that of a female Peking opera singer, chanting, “Long li*e the King!” that would be their language in toto. “Great is the King, our enlightened lord!” That would be the sole content of their language. There would be no one abo*e me or on an equal footing with me. I would e*en feel bored, lonely and isolated.
为什么人们要这样呢？为什么要捧我的妻，捧我的儿女和亲眷呢？因为我是王，他们的主子，我将恍然大悟：我生活在这些奴才们中间，连我所敬畏的尊长和师友也无一不是奴才，而我自己不过是一个奴才的首领。 我是民国的国民，民国国民的思想和生活习惯使我深深地憎恶一切奴才或奴才相(8)，连同敬畏的尊长和师友们。请科学家们不要见笑，我以为世界之所以还有待于改进者(9)，全因为有这些奴才的缘故。生活在奴才们中间，作奴才们的首领，我将引为生平的最大耻辱，最大的悲哀。我将变成一个暴君，或者反而是明君；我将把我的臣民一齐杀死，连同尊长和师友，不准一奴种留在人间。我将没有一个臣民，我将不再是奴才们的君主。
我若为王，将终于不能为王(10)，却也真地为古今中外最大的王了。“万岁，万岁，万万岁！”我将和全世界的真的人们一同三呼。
Why would people beha*e like that? Why would they flatter my wife, my children and my relati*es? Because I was king, their master. It would suddenly dawn on me that li*ing among these flunkeys, including my esteemed elders, teachers and friends, I myself, too, was nothing but a mere head flunkey.
I am the citizen of the Republic. Being accustomed to the mode of thinking and li*ing of a republican citizen, I would deeply abhor all ser*ility and flunkeys, including my esteemed elders, teachers and friends. Dear scientists, please don’t laugh at me. Methinks the world is *ery much in need of reform simply because of the presence of these flunkeys, I would regard it as the deepest disgrace and sorrow of my life to li*e among the flunkeys and become their chief. I would rather become a tyrant or an enlightened king so that I could kill off all my subjects, among them my respected elders, teachers and friends, and ha*e the flunkey species exterminated once for all. Then, with all my subjects gone, I would no longer be the king of flunkeys.
If I were king and ultimately ended up becoming no king at all, I would indeed be the greatest king that had e*er breathed since time immemorial. I would join true people all the world o*er in gi*ing three cheers for myself.

注释：
《我若为王》是中国现代杰出杂文家聂绀弩（1903－1986）写于1941年的一篇杂文，文字通俗易懂，内容讽刺辛辣，流露了对专制统治者和奴才的蔑视。
(1)“我若为王”译为If I Were King，其中King的前面省略了冠词a 。在职位、头衔、等级等的名词前面大多不用冠词a 或an。
(2)“和影片毫无关系的另外的事”译为something entirely foreign to the film in question ，其中foreign to为成语，作ha*ing no relation to 或unconnected with解。又in question 是添加成分，作being talked about（正在讨论的）解。
(3)“我根本不想为王”译为being a king is the last thing I aspire to，其中last 一词作least likely 或most unlikely（最不可能的）解。
(4)“一无所知，一无所能的白痴”译为ignorant or worthless in e*ery way like an idiot，其中in e*ery way作“完全”或“彻头彻尾”解。
(5)“无论他们怎样丑陋，怎样顽劣，怎样……”中的最后一个“怎样”意即“诸如此类的事”或“等等”，现译为or whatnot。英语whatnot作other such things解，为what may not say? 的省略。
(6)“匍匐”在此指俯伏或拜倒动作（表示顺从），现译为prostrate。
(7)“畏葸”做“胆怯”解，现译为timid。
(8)“奴才相”译为ser*ility。英语ser*ility意即sla*ishness或sla*e-like deference。
(9)“我以为世界之所以还有待于改进者”译为Methinks the world is *ery much in need of reform，其中Methinks等于I think或It seems to be，为无人称动词，本为古体词，现常作诙谐打趣用语。
(10)“我若为王，将终于不能为王”译为If I were king and ultimately ended up becoming no king at all，其中ended up是成语，作“告终”解。例如：He ne*er dreamed that he would end up owning such a big fortune.
清 贫
方志敏
我从事革命斗争，已经十余年了。在长期的奋斗中，我一向是过着朴素的生活，从没有奢侈过。经手的款项，总在数百万元；但为革命而筹集的金钱，是一点一滴地用之于革命事业。这在国民党的伟人们(1)看来，颇似奇迹，或认为夸张；而矜持不苟，舍己为公，却是每个共产党员具备的美德。所以，如果有人问身边有没有一些积蓄，那我可以告诉你一桩趣事(2)：
就在我被俘的那一天——一个最不幸的日子，有两个国民党的兵士，在树林中发现了我，而且猜到我是什么人的时候，他们满肚子热望在我身上搜出一千或八百大洋(3)，或者搜出一些金镯金戒指一类的东西，发个意外之财(4)。那知道从我上身摸到下身，从袄领捏到袜底，除了一只时表和一枝自来水笔之外，一个铜板都没有搜出。他们于是激怒起来了，猜疑我是把钱藏在那里，不肯拿出来。他们之中有一个左手拿着
一个木柄榴弹，右手拉出榴弹中的引线(5)，双脚拉开一步，作出要抛掷的姿势，用凶恶的眼光钉住我，威吓地吼道：
“赶快将钱拿出来，不然就是一炸弹，把你炸死去！(6)”
“哼！不要作出那难看的样子来吧！我确实一个铜板都没有存；想从我这里发洋财，是想错了(7)。”我微笑着淡淡地说。
“你骗谁！(8)像你当大官的人会没有钱！(9)”拿榴弹的兵士坚不相信。
“决不会没有钱的(10)，一定是藏在那里，我是老出门的(11)，骗不得我。”另一个兵士一面说，一面弓着背重来一次将我的衣角裤裆过细的捏，总企望着有新的发现。
“你们要相信我的话，不要瞎忙吧(12)！我不比你们国民党当官的，个个*钱，我今天确实是一个铜板也没有，我们革命不是为着发财啦！”我再向他们解释。
等他们确知在我身上搜不出什么的时候，也就停手不搜了；又在我藏躲地方的周围，低头注目搜寻了一番，也毫无所得，他们是多么地失望呵！那个持弹欲放地兵士，也将拉着的引线，仍旧塞进榴弹的木柄里，转过来抢夺我的表和水笔。后彼此说定表和笔卖出钱来平分，才算无话。他们用怀疑而又惊异的目光，对我自上而下地望了几遍，就同声命令地说：“走吧！”
是不是还要问问我家里有没有一些财产？请等一下，让我想一想，啊，记起来了，有的有的，但不算多。去年暑天我穿的几套旧的汗褂裤，与几双缝上底的线袜，已交给我的妻放在深山坞里保藏着——怕国民党军进攻时，被人抢了去，准备今年暑天拿出来再穿；那些就算是我唯一的财产了。但我说出那几件“传世宝”来，岂不要叫那些富翁们齿冷三天？(13)！
清贫，洁白朴素的生活，正是人们革命者能够战胜许多困难的地方！
Honest Po*erty
Fang Zhimin
I ha*e been engaged in the re*olutionary struggle for more than a decade. During these long militant years, I ha*e li*ed a plain life with no luxuries to speak of. Millions of dollars passed through my hands, but I always saw to it that e*ery singly cent of the money raised for the re*olution was spent for no other purposes. This may sound like a miracle or an exaggeration to Kuomintang VIPs. Self-discipline and self-sacrifice, howe*er, are the *irtue characteristic of a communist. Therefore, should anyone inquire of me about my personal sa*ings, let him read the following amusing episode:
On the day of my capture—a most inauspicious day it was—two Kuomintang soldiers disco*ered me in a wood. Sizing me up, they thought they had come upon a windfall and started making a frantic body search, hopefully to find on me hundred of sil*ers dollars or some jewellery like gold bracelets or rings. They frisked me from top to toe and passed their hands o*er e*erything on me from the collar of my jacket to the soles of my socks, but, contrary to their expectation, they found nothing at all, not e*en a single copper, except a watch and a fountain pen. They were exasperated, suspecting that I had my money hidden somewhere and refused to gi*e it up. One of the two men had in his left hand a wooden-handled grenade. He pulled out the cord from inside the wooden handled and mo*ed his legs one step apart as if he was about to throw the grenade. Glowering at me ferociously, he threatened loudly,
“Out with your money quick, or you die!”
“Hey!” I said drily with a faint smile. “Don’t you put on such nasty airs! True I ha*en’t got a single copper with me. You’re barking up wrong tree to seek a fortune from me.”
“Shit! Nobody can e*er belie*e a big shot like you ain’t got no money!” the soldier with the grenade remained wholly incredulous.
“No money?” the other soldier joined in. “Impossible! It must be hidden somewhere.
No fooling an old hand like me.” Meanwhile, he bent low to pass his hand again meticulously o*er e*ery nook and corner of my clothes and the crotch of my trousers, still holding out high hopes of making a new disco*ery.
“You should belie*e me and stop messing around!” I explained again. “Unlike your Kuomintang officials who’re rolling in money, I’m really penniless. We join the re*olution not for personal gain.”
Finally, when they knew for certain that there was no money on me, they ga*e up the body search. Ne*ertheless, they lowered their heads to scan here and there the place where I had hidden myself, but again in *ain. How frustrated they must ha*e felt! The soldier holding grenade pushed the cord back into its wooden handle, and turned round to scramble for my watch and fountain pen. The two men, howe*er, settled their dispute by agreeing to di*ide the money equally between them after selling the spoils. They eyed me up and down with suspicion and amazement before barking out in chorus,” come along!”
Dear readers, maybe you wish to know if I ha*e any pri*ate property at home. Just a minute! Let me see… Ah, here it is, but nothing much though. I ha*e left with my wife for safekeeping a few changes of used underwear and a few pairs of socks with mended soles, all of which I used to wear last summer. She has now put them away in a remote mountain *alley to pre*ent them from being stolen in case of Kuomintang attack, so that I may wear them again this summer. These are all the property I ha*e to my name. But wouldn’t the declaration of my “family treasures” make myself an object of li*ely ridicule to the rich?
To remain honest though poor, to li*e a clean and simple life—that is what we re*olutionaries count on to o*ercome innumerable difficulties!
注释：
《清贫》是方志敏烈士1935年英勇就义前在江西国民党监狱中写下的不朽散文。
(1)“国民党伟人们”指“国民党要人们”，故译为Kuomintang VIPs。
(2)“一桩趣事”可译为amusing e*ent, occurrence、episode等，但以episode 较为合适，因为它指一系列事件中的一件。
(3)“一千或八百大洋”中“大洋”指“银元”故译为sil*er dollars。
(4)“发个意外之财”译为had come upon a windfall，其中windfall本指a piece of fruit blown off a tree by the wind，现指a piece of unexpected fortune。
(5)“拉出榴弹中的引线”中的“引线”不是“引信”（fuse），故译为cord。
(6)“不然就是一炸弹，把你炸死去”本可按字面直译为or the bomb finishes you off，现译为or you die，简洁明白，较口语化。又动词die用作现在不定式，不用将来式will die，是为了表达一种必然将发生的事（a certainty）。
(7)“想从我这里发财，是想错了”译为You’re barking up the wrong tree to seek a fortune from me，其中to bark up the wrong tree是常见于口语的习语，意即“找错地方”或“找错人”。
(8)“你骗谁”是粗话，相当于“胡说”，不宜直译，现译为Shit。
(9)“像你当大官的人会没有钱”译为A big shot like you ain’t got no money?，其中ain’t等于hasn’t，常见于口语。又译句中用两个否定（double negati*e）表达一个否定，为文化低的人所用的不规范英语。
(10)“决不会没有钱的”是恶狠狠的话，不宜直译，现根据人物对话情景译为No money? Impossible，取其神似。
(11)“老出门的”意即“老手”，故译为an old hand。
(12)“不要瞎忙吧”意即“别胡闹”，可译为don’t act or speak stupidly，但欠口语化，现译为stop messing around或stop mucking around。
(13)“叫那些富翁们齿冷三天”意即“被那些有钱人尽情嘲笑”，现译为make myself an object of li*ely ridicule to the rich。
离 别(1)
郑振铎
别了，我爱的中国，我全心爱着的中国，当我倚在高高的船栏上，见着船渐渐的离岸了(2)，船与岸间的水面渐渐的阔了(3)，见着了许多亲友挥着白巾，挥着帽子，挥着手，说着Adieu, adieu！听着鞭炮劈劈拍拍的响着，水兵们高呼着向岸上的同伴告别时，我的眼眶是润湿了，我自知我的泪点已经滴在眼镜面了，镜面是模糊了，我有一种说不出的感动！
船慢慢的向前驶着，沿途见了停着的好几只灰色的白色的军舰。不，那不是悬着我们国旗的，它们的旗帜是“红日(4)”，是“蓝白红(5)”，是“红蓝条交叉着”的联合旗(6)，是有“星点红条”的旗(7)！
两岸是黄土和青草，再过去是两条的青痕，再过去是地平线上的几座小岛山，海水满盈盈的照在夕阳之下，浪涛如顽皮的小童似的踊跃不定。水面上现出一片的金光。
别了，我爱的中国，我全心爱着的中国！ 我不忍离了中国而去(8)，更不忍在这大时代中放弃每人应做的工作而去(9)，抛弃了许多亲爱的勇士在后面，他们是正用他们的血建造着新的中国，正在以纯挚的热诚，
争斗着，奋击着。我这样不负责任的离开了中国，我真是一个罪人！
然而我终将在这大时代中工作着的，我终将为中国而努力，而呈献了我的身，我的心；我别了中国，为的是求更好的经验，求更好的奋斗工具。暂别了，暂别了(10)，在各方面争斗着的勇士们，我不久即将以更勇猛的力量加入你们当中了。
当我归来时，我希望这些悬着“红日”的，“蓝白红”的，有“星点红条”的，“红蓝条交叉着”的一切旗帜的白色灰色的军舰都已不见了(11)，代替它们的是我们的可喜爱的悬着我们的旗帜的伟大的舰队。
如果它们那时还没有退去中国海(12)，还没有为我们所消灭，那末，来，勇士们，我将加入你们的队中，以更勇猛的力量，去压迫它们，去毁灭它们！
这是我的誓言！
别了，我爱的中国，我全心爱着的中国！
Parting Sorrows
Zheng Zhenduo
Farewell, China, my belo*ed homeland! Leaning o*er the high railing, I watched the ship tearing itself away slowly from the shore, lea*ing a widening expanse of water in between. Many relati*es and friends of mine were wa*ing their hats and white handkerchiefs amidst shouts of “Adieu,adieu!” firecrackers were crackling and apluttering, and sailors shouting goodbye to their buddies on the shore. I was seized with *iolent emotion, tears welling up in my eyes and blurring my eyeglasses.
While the ship was steering ahead slowly, I saw on the way many warships in gray or white lying at anchor and fly flags other than our national ones. They were flying the red sun, the tricolour, the union jack or the stars and stripes.
The banks with their yellowish soil and green grass receded into two greenish strips until they became some mere islets on the horizon. The waters of the sea glistened under the setting sun and kept leaping like romping urchins. The water surface was a *ast expanse of gold.
Farwell, China, my belo*ed homeland!
I cannot find it in my heart to lea*e China, much less during these stormy times when I ha*e to abandon my bounden duty and lea*e behind so many dear bra*e fighters—men who are building a new China with their own blood and struggling and battling in all earnest. To quit China at this moment means to dodge my responsibility, and that makes me feel *ery guilty indeed!
Ne*ertheless, I shall e*entually answer the call of the times and de*ote myself heart and soul to my motherland. I am parting from China acquire more experience and search for better ways of struggle. Dear bra*e fighters of e*ery field, I shall be separated from you only for the present and will soon return to join your ranks with redoubled strength.
On my return, I hope, I shall see no more gray or white warships plying our territorial waters with flags of the red sun, the tricolour, the union jack or the stars and stripes. I hope I shall see instead our lo*ely great fleet flying our national colours.
Dear bra*e fighters, if the foreign warships by that time still hang on their presence in our territorial waters, I will join you to do my bit in getting rid of them.
That is my pledge!
Farewell, China, my belo*ed homeland!
注释：
郑振铎（*98－1958）是我国现代作家，学者。他于1927年8月乘船远离祖国，前往法国巴黎和英国伦敦游学，1929年10月归国。《离别》一文写于这一时期，内分三部分，其中第一部分抒发即将去国的志士情怀。
(1)题目《离别》译为Parting Sorrows，不仅表示告别，且同时把离愁别绪也作了交代。如译为Parting from homeland或Farewell to China似缺乏内涵。
(2)“见着船渐渐的离岸了”译为I watched the ship tearing itself away slowly from the shore，其中tear itself away也可用mo*ing away表达，但缺乏惜别的感情色彩。
(3)“船与岸间的水面渐渐的阔了”译为lea*ing a widening expanse of water in between，其中in between 指between the ship and the shore。
(4)“红日”指日本国旗，译为the red sun，后面未加flag，是为了配合造句。否则也可译为the sun flag或the rising-sun flag 。
(5)“蓝白红”指法国国旗，英语中常以the tricolour来表达。
(6)“‘红蓝条交叉着’的联合旗”指英国国旗，英语中以the union jack或the union flag表达。
(7)“‘星点红条’的旗“即美国国旗，英语中称之为the stars and stripes。
(8)“我不忍离了中国而去”译为I cannot find it in my heart to lea*e Chins，其中to find it in one’s heart to do…是成语，作“忍心做……”、“意欲……”解。此句也可译为I cannot bear to lea*e China。
(9)“更不忍在这大时代中放弃每人应做的工作而去”译为much less during these stormy times when I ha*e to abandon my bounden duty，其中much less是成语，常跟在否定句后面，作“更不用说”（and certainly not）解。又，“这大时代”按内涵译为these stormy times，未按字面直译为the great times。
(10)“暂别了”译为I shall be separated from you only for the present，其中for the present和for the time being同义，都作“暂时”、“眼下”解。
(11)“白色灰色的军舰都已不见了”译为I shall see no more gray or white warships plying our territorial waters，其中plying our territorial waters（往返于我国领海）是添加成分，原文虽无其字，但有其意。
(12)“如果它们那时还没有退去中国海”译为if the foreign warships by that time still hang on to their presence in our territorial waters，其中hang on 是成语，作“坚持”、“不肯放弃”解。又presence一词常用来指（军政）“势力”、“存在”。
时间即生命
梁实秋
最令人怵目惊心的一件事，是看着钟表上的秒针一下一下的移动，每移动一下就是表示我们的寿命已经缩短了一部分。再看看墙上挂着的可以一张张撕下的日历，每天撕下一张就是表示我们寿命又缩短了一天，因为时间即生命，没有人不爱惜他的生命，但很少人珍视他时间。如果想在有生之年做一点什么事，学一点什么学问，充实自己，帮助别人，使生命成为有意义，不虚此生，那么就不可浪费光阴。这道理人人
都懂(1)，可是很少人真能积极不懈的善为利用他的时间。
我自己就是浪费了很多时间的一个人(2)。我不打麻将，我不经常的听戏看电影，几年中难得一次，我不长时间看电视，通常只看半个小时，我也不串门子闲聊天。有人问我：“那么你大部分时间都做了些什么呢？”我痛自反省，我发现，除了职务上的必须及人情上所不能免的活动外，我的时间大部分都浪费了。我应该集中精力，读我所未读过的书，我应该利用所有时间，写我所要写的东西。但是我没能这样做。我的好多时间都糊里糊涂的混过去了，“少壮不努力，老大徒伤悲。”
例如我翻译莎士比亚，本来计划于课余之暇每年翻译两部，二十年即可完成，但是我用了三十年，主要的原因是懒。翻译之所以完成，主要的是因为活得相当长久，十分惊险(3)。翻译完成之后，虽然仍有工作计划，但体力渐衰，有力不从心之感(4)。
假使年轻的时候鞭策自己，如今当有较好或较多的表现。然而悔之晚矣。
再例如，作为一个中国人，经书不可不读。我年三十才知道读书自修的重要(5)。我披阅，我圈点。但是恒心不足，时作时辍。五十以学易，可以无大过矣(6)，我如今年过八十，还没有接触过《易经》，说来惭愧。史书也很重要。我出国留学的时候，我父亲买了一套同文石印的前四史(7)，塞满了我的行箧的一半空间，我在外国混了几年之后又把前四史原封带回来了。直到四十年后才鼓起勇气读了《通鉴》(8)一遍。现
在我要读的书太多，深感时间有限。
无论做什么事，健康的身体是基本条件。我在学校读书的时候，有所谓“强迫运动”，我踢破过几双球鞋，打断过几只球拍。因此侥幸维持下来最低限度的体力。老来打过几年太极拳，目前则以散步活动筋骨而已。寄语年轻朋友，千万要持之以恒的从事运动，这不是嬉戏，不是浪费时间。健康的身体是作人做事的真正的本钱(9)。
Time Is Life
Liang Shiqiu
It is most startling to hear a watch or clock clicking away the seconds, each click indicating the shortening of one’s life by a little bit. Likewise, with each page torn off the wall calendar, one’s life is shortened by another day. Time, therefore, is life. Ne*ertheless, few people treasure their time as much as their life. Time must not be wasted if you want to do your bit in your remaining years or acquire some useful knowledge to impro*e yourself and help others, so that your life may turn out to be significant and fruitful. All tht is foolproof, yet few people really stri*e to make the best use of their time.
Personally, I am also a fritterer. I don’t play mahjong. I seldom go to the theatre or cinema—I go there maybe only once e*ery few years. I seldom spend long hours watching TV—usually I watch TV for no more than 30 minutes at a sitting. Nor do I go *isiting and gossiping from door to door. Some people asked me, “Then what do you do with most of your time?” Introspecting with remorse, I found that apart from the time earmarked for my job and una*oidable social acti*ities, most of my time had been wasted. I should ha*e concentrated my energies on reading whate*er books I ha*e not yet read. I should ha*e utilized all my time in writing anything I want to write. But I’*e failed to do so. Very much of my times has been frittered away aimlessly. As the saying goes, “One who does not work hard in youth will grie*e in *ain in old age.” Take the translation of Shakespeare for example. I had initially planned to spend 20 years of my spare time in doing the translation, finishing two plays a year. But I spent 30 years instead, due primarily to my slothfulness. The whole project would probably ha*e fallen through had it not been for my fairly long life. After that I had other plans for work, but, because of my approaching senility, somehow I failed to do what I had wished to. Had I spurred myself on in my youth, I would ha*e done more and better work. Alas, it is too late to repent.
Another example. The reading of Chinese classics is a must for all Chinese. But it was not until I was o*er 30 that I came to realize the importance of self-study in the matter of classics. I did read carefully though, marking words and phrases for special attention with small circles and dots. But my efforts at self-study were off and on. Confucius says, “I shall be free of great faults if I can li*e long enough to begin the study of Yi at the age of 50.” I feel ashamed to admit that I ha*en’t e*en touched Yi though I’m now o*er 80.
Chinese history book are equally important. When I was lea*ing China to study abroad, father bought a set of the Tong Wen lithographic edition of the First Four Books of History, and crammed them into my tra*elling box, taking up half of its space. Se*eral years later, howe*er, after drifting along abroad, I returned home carrying with me the same books all unread. It was not until 40 years later that I plucked up enough courage to read through
Dong Jian. So many books still remain to be read, and I much regret not ha*ing enough time to do it. Whate*er you do, you need a sound body first of all. In my school days, in response to the so-called “compulsory physical exercises”, I went in for many sports at the expense of many pairs of sneakers and rackets, thus luckily building up a minimum of good physique. When I was approaching old age, I did Tai ji quan (shadow boxing) for se*eral
years. Now I only do some walking exercises. Dear young friends, my ad*ice to you is: Do physical exercises perse*eringly. That has nothing to do with merry-making or time- wasting. Good health is the wherewithal for a successful life and career.
注释：
梁实秋（1902-1987）是我国著名现代作家、翻译家、教育家，一生致力于英国文学研究。本文选自他的散文集《雅舍小品》。
(1)“这道理人人都懂”译为All that is foolproof，其中foolproof作*ery simple to understand解，意同“不言而喻”或“简单明了”。此句也可译为All that is self-e*ident。
(2)“我自己就是浪费了很多时间的一个人”译为personally, I am also a fritterer，其中fritterer一词在用法上既可泛指“时间、金钱等等的浪费者”，又可专指“不爱惜时间的人”（a person who wastes time）。
(3)“翻译之所以完成，主要的是因为活得相当长久，十分惊险”的意思是“幸亏自己命长，否则可能完成不了莎士比亚的翻译”。其中“十分惊险”的意思是“险些完成不了”。现全句译为The whole project would probably ha*e fallen through had it not been for my fairly long life。
(4)“但体力渐衰，有力不从心之感”译为because of my approaching senility, somehow I failed to do what I had wished to，其中senility指因年迈而导致身心两个方面的衰退．
(5)“才知道读书自修的重要”中的“读书”，根据上下文应指“读经书”，故此句译为came to realize the importance of self-study in the matter of classics，其中in the matter of作in relation to或in regard to（就……而论）解。
(6)“五十心学易，可以无大过矣”出自《论语•述而》中的“子曰，加我数年，五十以学易，可以无大过矣。”其意为“让我再多活几年，到五十岁时去学习《易经》，就可以没有多大的过错了。”现按此意用加字法译为Confucius says, “I shall be free of great faults if I can li*e long enough to begin the study of Yi at the age of 50.”
(7)“前四史”指《史记》、《汉书》、《后汉书》以及《三国志》。
(8)“《通鉴》”即《资治通鉴》，详见译文脚注。
(9)“健康的身体是作人做事的真正的本钱”译为Good health is the wherewithal for a successful life and career，其中the wherewithal意同the necessary means（必要的资金、手段等）。又“作人做事”指“生活”与“事业”两方面，故参照上下文译为a successful life and career。
学问与趣味
梁实秋
前辈的学者常以学问的趣味启迪后生，因为他们自己实在是得到了学问的趣味，故不惜现身说法，诱导后学(1)，使他们也在愉快的心情之下走进学问的大门(2)。例如，瘐任公先生就说过(3)：“我是个主张趣味主义(4)的人，倘若用化学化分‘梁启超’这件东西(5)，把里头所含一种原素名叫‘趣味’的抽出来，只怕所剩下的仅有个零了。”
任公先生注重趣味，学问甚是渊博，而并不存有任何外在的动机，只是“无所为而为”(6)，故能有他那样的成就。一个人在学问上果能感觉到趣味，有时真会像是着了魔一般(7)，真能废寝忘食，真能不知老之将至，苦苦钻研，锲而不舍，在学问上焉能不有收获？不过我尝想，以任公先生而论，他后期的著述如历史研究法，先秦政治思想史，以及有关墨子佛学陶渊明的作品，都可说是他的一点“趣味”在驱使着他，可是在他在年青的时候，从师受业，诵读典籍(8)，那时节也全然是趣味么？作八股文，作试帖诗(9)，莫非也是趣味么？我想未必。大概趣味云云，是指年长之后自动作学问之时(10)而言，在年青时候为学问打根底之际恐怕不能过分重视趣味。学问没有根底，趣味也很难滋生。任公先生的学问之所以那样的博大精深，涉笔成趣，左右逢源，不能不说的一大部分得力于他的学问根底之打得坚固。
Learning and Personal Inclination
Liang Shiqiu
Scholars of the older generation often urge young people to de*elop interest in learning because they themsel*es ha*e been enjoying the real pleasure of academic studies. And they are e*er ready to cite their own example by way of ad*ice, in hopes of enabling young people to gain access to scholarship in an enjoyable way. For example, the distinguished scholar Liang Qichao once said wittily, “I always stand for interest-ism. If you broke down Liang Qichao’s stuff into its component parts, there would be nothing left except an element named ‘interest’.” Mr. Liang was a man of profound learning who attached much importance to interest. He attained great academic success because he pursued scholarly study solely for its own sake, without any ulterior moti*e. A man who is really interested in learning sometimes does act like one possessed. He forgets his approaching old age and works hard e*en to the neglect of his meals and sleep. Isn’t it but natural for a man of such de*otion to ha*e great scholarly achie*ements? But, though Mr. Liang’s later works, such as those on method of historical studies, political and ideological history of the pre-Qin days, as well as those on Mohism, Buddhism and Tao Yuanming,
were moti*ated by his personal inclination, can the same be said of his younger days when he was a pupil chanting ancient Chinese books under a pri*ate tutor? Was he moti*ated by his personal inclination while learning to write stereotyped essays and poems prescribed for the imperials ci*il ser*ice examinations? No, I think not. Generally speaking, the so-called interest begins to exist only when one is mature enough to engage in independent studies. It is improper, I am afraid, for young people to o*erstress the importance of interest while they are still in the period of learning the basics of knowledge. Interest will ne*er de*elop where no solid foundation has been laid for learning. There is no denying the fact that Mr. Liang owed his wide erudition and unusual literary talent, for the most part, to his good grasp of foundation knowledge.
我尝见许多年青的朋友，聪明用功，成绩优异，而语文程度不足以达意，甚至写一封信亦难得通顺，问其故则曰其兴趣不在语文方面。又有一些位，执笔为文，斐然可诵，而视数理科如仇讐，勉强才能及格，问其故则亦曰其兴趣不在数理方面，而且他们觉得某些科目没有趣味，便撇在一旁视如敝屣(11)，怡然自得，振振有词，略无愧色，好像这就是发扬趣味主义。殊不知天下没有没有趣味的学问(12)，端视吾人如何发掘其趣味，如果在良师指导之下按部就班的循序而进，一步一步的发现新天地，当然乐在其中，如果浅尝辄止，甚至躐等躁进，当然味同嚼蜡，自讨没趣。一个有中上天资的人，对于普通的基本的文理科目，都同样的有学习的能力，绝不会本能的长于此而拙于彼。只有懒惰与任性，才能使一个人自甘暴弃的在“趣味”的掩护之下败退(13)。
I ha*e come across a great many bright and diligent young friends who ha*e done exceedingly well in their studies, but are rather weak in Chinese. They cannot e*en write a letter in correct Chinese. When I asked them why, they said they were not interested in the Chinese language. Some, though they can write beautifully, detest the study of mathematics and physics, and barely managed to pass the examinations in them. When I asked them why, they said they were not interested in them. They cast away whate*er subjects they dislike like something utterly worthless. They are so smug and thick-skinned that they speak *olubly in defence of their own attitude like champions of interest-ism.
They hardly realize that there is no learning but is capable of engendering interest and that all depends on how to search for it. You will de*elop a liking for learning if, under the guidance of a good teacher, you study to disco*er new horizons opening up before you one after another by following the proper order and ad*ancing step by step. On the other hand, you will find learning as dry as sawdust and feel frustrated if you refuse to go into a subject in depth or e*en make impetuous ad*ances without following the proper order. People with an a*erage natural gift are equally capable of mastering the basics of liberal arts and natural science. They are ne*er predetermined by nature to be good in one subject and poor in another. It is laziness and waywardness, howe*er, that causes one to gi*e himself up as hopeless and back down on the pretext of “no interest”.
由小学到中学，所修习的无非是一些普通的基本知识。就是大学四年，所授课业也还是相当粗浅的学识。世人常称大学为“最高学府”，这名称易滋误解，好像过此以上即无学问可言。大学的研究所才是初步研究学问的所在，在这里作学问也只能算是粗涉藩篱，注重的是研究学问的方法与实习。学无止境，一生的时间都嫌太短(14)，所以古人皓首穷经，头发白了还是在继续研究，不过在这样的研究中确是有浓厚的趣
味。
Primary and secondary school will impart to you only some rudiments of knowledge. E*en what you learn during the four years of uni*ersity will be something quite superficial too. A uni*ersity has often been misleadingly referred to as “the highest seat of learning”, which sounds as if there were no more learning to speak of beyond it. The research institute of a uni*ersity, howe*er, is the place for preliminary scholarship. But e*en there you get only the first taste of learning and the emphasis is on research methodology and practice. Art is long, life is short. That is why some of our ancients continued to study e*en when they were hoaryheaded. They were, of course, moti*ated by an enormous interest in their studies.
在初学的阶段，由小学至大学，我们与其倡言趣味，不如偏重纪律。一个合理编列的课程表，犹如一个营养均衡的食谱，里面各个项目都是有益而必需的，不可偏废，不可再有选择。所谓选修科目，也只是在某一项目范围内略有拣选余地而已。一个受过良好教育的人，犹如一个科班出身的戏剧演员，在坐科的时候他是要服从严格纪律的，唱工作工武把子都要认真学习，各种脚色的戏都要完全谙通，学成之后才能各按
其趣味而单独发展其所长。学问要有根底，根底要打平正坚实，以后永远受用。初学阶段的科目之最重要的莫过于语文与数学。语文是阅读达意的工具，国文不能便很难表达自己，外国文不能便很难吸取外来的新知。数学是思想条理之最好的训练。其他科目也各有各的用处，其重要性很难强分轩轾，例如体育，从另一方面看也是重要得无以复加。总之，我们在求学时代，应该暂且把趣味放在一旁，耐着性子接受教育的纪律，把自己锻炼成为坚实的材料。学问的趣味，留在将来慢慢享受一点也不迟。


During the preliminary stage of learning, from primary school to college, it is better to ad*ocate discipline than interest. A properly arranged school curriculum, like a cookbook on nutritionally well-balanced food, must include all useful and indispensable courses — courses which are equally important and obligatory. The so-called electi*es mean only some little option within the scope of a certain item. A well-educated person is like a professionally trained Peking opera singer. While undergoing the training, he must obser*e a most exact discipline. He must pay equal attention to singing, acting and acrobatic skills, and learn to play different roles. It is not until he has finished the all-round training that he begins to de*elop his own speciality according to his personal disposition. Laying a solid foundation for learning will be of great lifelong benefit to you. Of all the school subjects during the preliminary stage of learning, languages and mathematics are the most important. Languages ser*e as a tool for reading and communication. Without a good knowledge of Chinese, you will find it difficult to express yourself. Without a good knowledge of a foreign language, you will find it difficult to absorb new knowledge from abroad. Mathematics makes for logical thinking. Other subjects also ha*e their respecti*e uses. It is hard to say which is more important. Physical education, for example, is also extremely important from another point of *iew. In short, while in school, we should temporarily put aside our personal liking and patiently obser*e school discipline so that we may temper oursel*es and become solid stuff. Don’t hurry – there will be a time for you to find relish in learning in the days to come.
注释
(1)“不惜现身说法，诱导后学”译为And they are e*er ready to cite their own example by way of ad*ice。“不惜”原意“舍得”，在此可作“乐于”解，故译为e*er ready，等于always prepared。
“诱导后学”译为by way of ad*ice即可，其中by way of是成语，作“为了”解，等于for the purpose of。
(2)“走进学问的大门”也可直译为to enter the gate of learning。现译为to gain access to scholarship，其中to gain access to是惯用搭配，作“进入”、“到达”解。
(3)“梁任公先生就说过”译为the distinguished scholar Liang Qichao once said wittily，梁启超号“任公”，现译梁的全名为Liang Qichao，并在前面加distinguished scholar，便于外国读者理解梁为何许人。译文还针对上下文添加wittily（风趣地）一词。
(4)“趣味主义”译为interest-ism，其中ism乃表达“主义”而采用的英语后缀
(5)“倘若用化学化分‘梁启超’这件东西”译为If you broke down Liang Qichao’s stuff into its component parts，其中短语动词broke down意即“分解”（to decompose），例如Water can be broken down into hydrogen and oxygen。
(6)“只是‘无所为而为’”意即“只是为研究学问而研究学问”，故译为solely for its own sake，等于solely for the sake of scholarly study。
(7)“像是着了魔一般”译为like one possessed，其中possessed（为过去分词）作“着迷”、“鬼迷心窍”解。
(8)“从师受业，诵读典籍”译为he was a pupil chanting ancient Chinese books under a pri*ate tutor，其中a pupil… under a pri*ate tutor表示“从师受业”。“师”指“塾师”，译为pri*ate tutor。又chanting ancient Chinese books表示“诵读典籍”。
(9)“试帖诗”为科举考试所采用的诗体，其格式限制比一般诗严格，现和“八股文”一并以释义法译为stereotyped (或rigid-style) essays and poems prescribed for the imperial ci*il ser*ice examination。
(10)“年长之后自动作学问之时”中的“自动作学问”实际上指“独立作学问”，故译为independent studies，不宜按字面直译为engage in *oluntary studies等。又“年长之后”不仅指“成年”，还包含智力成熟之意，故译为when one is mature enough。
(11)“便撇在一旁视如敝屣”也可直译为cast away… like a pair of worn-out shoes，保持原文的形象比喻。现意译为cast away… like something utterly worthless，似较明白易懂。
(12)“没有没有趣味的学问”译为there is no learning but is capable of engendering interest，其中but是关系代词，常用于否定词后，相当于that not。
(13)“在‘趣味’的掩护之下败退”的意思是“借口‘缺乏趣味’而放弃不干”，故译为back down on the pretext of “no interest”，其中back down是成语，意同beat a retreat。
(14)“学无止境，一生的时间都嫌太短”译为Art is long, life is short，其中Art 为古词，作“学问”、“知识”解，和learning, scholarship同义。Art is long一句见于美国十九世纪诗人Longfellow名著A Psalm of Life，今借用之。“学无止境”也可译为There is no limit to learning。
枣 核
萧乾
动身访美之前，一位旧时同窗写来航空信，再三托付我为他带几棵生枣核(1)。东西倒不占分量，可是用途却很蹊跷。
从费城出发前，我们就通了电话。一下车，他已经在站上等了。掐指一算，分手快半个世纪了，现在都已是风烛残年。
拥抱之后，他就殷切地问我：“带来了吗？”我赶快从手提包里掏出那几棵枣核(2)。他托在掌心(3)，像比珍珠玛瑙还贵重。
他当年那股调皮劲显然还没改。我问起枣核的用途，他一面往衣兜里揣，一面故弄玄虚地说(4)：“等会儿你就明白了。”
那真是座美丽的山城，汽车开去，一路坡上坡下满是一片嫣红。倘若在中国，这里一定会有枫城之称。过了几个山坳，他朝枫树丛中一座三层小楼指了指说：“喏，到了。”汽车拐进草坪，离车库还有三四米，车库就像认识主人似的自动掀起。
朋友有点不好意思地解释说，买这座大房子时，孩子们还上着学，如今都成家立业了。学生生物生物化学的老伴儿在一家研究所里做营养试验。
他把我安顿在二楼临湖的一个房间后，就领我去踏访他的后花园(5)。地方不大，布置得却精致匀称(6)。我们在靠篱笆的一张白色长凳上坐下，他劈头就问我：“觉不觉得这花园有点家乡味道？”经他指点，我留意到台阶两旁是他手栽的两株垂杨柳，草坪中央有个睡莲池。他感慨良深地对我说：“栽垂柳的时候，我那个小子才五岁，如今在一条核潜艇上当总机械长了。姑娘在哈佛教书。家庭和事业都如意，各种新式
设备也*了。可是我心上总像是缺点什么。也许是没出息(7)，怎么年纪越大，思乡越切。我现在可充分体会出游子的心境了。我想厂甸，想隆福寺。这里一过圣诞，我就想旧历年。近来，我老是想总布胡同院里那棵枣树。所以才托你带几棵种籽，试种一下。” 接着，他又指着花园一角堆起的一座假山假山石说(8)：“你相信吗(9)？那是我开车到几十里以外，一块块亲手挑选，论公斤买下(10)，然后用汽车拉回来的。那是我们家的‘北海’。”
说到这里，我们两人都不约而同地站了起来。沿着草坪旁用卵石铺成的小径，走到“北海”跟前(11)。真是个细心人呢，他在上面还嵌了一所泥制的小凉亭，一座红庙，顶上还有尊白塔。朋友解释说，都从旧金山唐人街买来的。
他告诉我，时常在月夜，他同老伴儿并肩坐在这长凳上，追忆起当年在北海泛舟的日子。睡莲的清香迎风扑来，眼前仿佛就闪出一片荷塘佳色。
改了国籍，不等于就改了民族感情，而且没有一个民族像我们这么依恋故土的。
Date Stones
Xiao Qian
Before I set out for the US, a former schoolmate of mine wrote me by airmail, asking me in all earnest to bring him some raw date stones. They were not hea*y in weight, yet I was curious about their use.
At Philadelphia, shortly before staring out for my friend’s place, I called him up. So when I got off the train at the destination, I found him already waiting for me at the station.
It was about half a century since we last met, and we were now both in our declining years. After hugging each other, he asked me eagerly, “ha*e you brought them with you?” I immediately fished out the date stones from my handbag. He fondled them in his palm as if they were something more *aluable than pearls or agates.
Ob*iously he was just as childlike as before, when I asked about the use of the date stones, he put them into his pocket and replied by way of fooling me deliberately, “You’ll understand soon.”
It was really a beautiful mountain city. As we dro*e on, an expanse of rich crimson up and down the slope came into sight. In China a place like this would ha*e been described as a maple city. After passing through se*eral cols, my friend said pointing to a three- storied house amidst the maple trees, “here we are.” The car turned into a lawn and when it was three or four meters away form the garage, its door automatically opened as if it recognized its own master.
My friend looked somewhat ill at ease when he told me this: At the time he bought this big house, his children had all been at school. Now they had their own homes and jobs.
His wife, a biochemist, was a dietician at a research institute. After assigning me a room on the second floor facing a lake, he showed me around his back garden, which, though not too big, was exquisite and nicely arranged. The moment we sat down on a white bench close to a hedge, he asked me, “Don’t you find something here smacking of our nati*e place in China?” at this, I noticed a weeping willow, planted by himself, on either side of a flight of steps as well as a water-lily pond in the middle of the garden. He said with deep feeling, “When I planted the willows, my son was only fi*e. Now he ser*es as head of chief mechanics in a nuclear submarine. My daughter teaches at Har*ard Uni*ersity. I’m happy with my family and my career. I own all modern household facilities I need. But I still feel something lacking. Maybe I’m a bit too foolish.
How come the older I become, the more I think of my homeland. Now I fully understand the frame of mind of one residing in a place far away from home. I always think of Changdian and Longfusi. E*ery time Christmas is celebrated here in America, I think of lunar New year back in China. I can ne*er forget the date tree in the courtyard of the house on Zongbu Hutong. That’s why I’*e asked you to bring me some date stones. I’ll try to plant them here.
Then he said pointing to a jumble of rockery standing in a corner of the garden, “Belie*e it or not, the rocks, hand-picked by me, were bought by the kilogram. I dro*e dozens of kilometers away to haul them back in my car. Look, that’s Beihai in our home.” Thereupon, we rose to our feet simultaneously and walked along a cobbled footpath beside the lawn towards the miniature Beihai. What a careful man my friend was! He had had the artificial hill inlaid with a clay pa*ilion and a red temple, with a white pagoda on top. He said he had bought the decorati*e objects from China Town in San Francisco.
He also told me that on a moonlit night he and his wife would sit side by side on the bench recalling how they had used to go boating on the Beihai Lake. Meanwhile, as I smelled the faint scent of the water-lilies carried to us by the breeze, I felt as if the beautiful scene of a Chinese lotus pond were flashing past my eyes.
The change of nationality doesn’t mean the change of national feeling. No other nation has such a strong attachment for the nati*e land as we Chinese.
注释
萧乾（1910-1999），作家，文学翻译家，曾任《大公报》记者，以散文、特写著称。
(1)“再三托付我为他带几棵生枣核”中的“再三”作“恳切”解，不能按字面理解为“一次又一次”或“重复”。因此全句译为asking me in all earnest to bring him some raw date stones，其中in all earnest是成语，作“认真地”或“恳切地”解。
(2)“我赶快从手提包里掏出那几棵枣核”中的“掏出”译为fished out比took out 贴切，因前者有“搜寻”的含义。
(3)“他托在掌心”译为He fondled them in his palm，比He held them in his palm贴切，因to fondle表达了原文的内涵“爱抚”。
(4)“故弄玄虚地说”中的“故弄玄虚”作“故意把……搞得神秘化”解，通常可译为deliberatedly to make a mystery of……。现全句按“故意开玩笑地说”的意思译为replied by way of fooling me deliberately，其中by way of 是成语，其意思是“为了”或“意在”（with the intention of）。
(5)“领我去踏访他的后花园”译为he showed me around his back garden，其中to show around 是短语动词，作“带领某人参观某地”解。
(6)“布置得却精致匀称”译为was exquisite and nicely arranged，其中nicely的意思是“恰当好处”或“恰恰合适”。
(7)“也许是没出息”不宜按字面直译，现按“也许是自己有些傻”译为Maybe I’m a bit too foolish。
(8)“堆起的一座假山石”译为a jumble of rockery，其中jumble的意思是“杂乱的一堆”。
(9)“你相信吗？”本可译为Don’t you belie*e it？现译为Belie*e it or not，为具有同样意思的常用口头语。
(10)“论公斤买下”即“按公斤计算买下”，译为bought by the kilogram。注意这里介词by和后面的定冠词the属习惯搭配。
(11)“走到‘北海’跟前”译为Walked……towards the miniature Beihai，其中miniature（微型的）是译者添加的成分，用以表达原文中加引号的北海。

艰难的国运与雄健的国民
李大钊
历史的道路，不会是坦平的，有时走到艰难险阻的境界。这是全靠雄健的精神才能冲过去的(1)。
National Crisis *s (*ersus) Heroic Nation
Li Dazhao
The course of history is ne*er smooth. It is sometimes beset with difficulties and obstacles and nothing short of a heroic spirit can help surmount them.
一条浩浩荡荡的长江大河，有时流到很宽阔的境界(2)，平原无际，一泻万里(3)。有时流到很逼狭的境界，两岸丛山迭岭，绝壁断崖，江河流于期间，回环曲折，极其险峻(4)。民族生命的进展，其经历亦复如是。
A mighty long ri*er sometimes flows through a broad section with plains lying boundless on either side, its waters rolling on non-stop for thousands upon thousands of miles. Sometimes it comes up against a narrow section flanked by high mountains and steep cliffs, winding through a course with many a perilous twist and turn. .A nation, in the course of its de*elopment, fares likewise.
人类在历史上的生活正如旅行一样。旅途上的征人(5)所经过的地方，有时是坦荡平原，有时是崎岖险路(6)。志于旅途的人，走到平坦的地方，因是高高兴兴地向前走，走到崎岖的境界，俞是奇趣横生(7)，觉得在此奇绝壮绝(8)的境界，俞能感到一种冒险的美趣(9)。
The historical course of man’s life is just like a journey. A tra*eler on a long journey passes through now a broad, le*el plain, now a rugged ['rʌɡid], hazardous ['hæzədəs] road. While a determined tra*eler cheerfully continues his journey upon reaching a safe and smooth place, he finds it still more fascinating to come to a rugged place, the enormously magnificent spectacle of which, he feels, is better able to generate in him a wonderful sensation of ad*enture.
中华民族现在所逢的史路，是一段崎岖险阻的道路。在这段道路上，实在亦有一种奇绝壮绝的境至，使我们经过此段道路的人，感得一种壮美的趣味，是非有雄健的精神的，不能够感觉到的。
The Chinese nation is now confronted with a rugged and dangerous section of its historical course. Ne*ertheless, there is also in this section a spectacle of enormous magnificence [mæɡ'nifisəns] that inspires in us passers-by a delightful sensation of splendor. And this delightful sensation, howe*er, can only be shared by those with a heroic spirit.
我们的扬子江、黄河，可以代表我们的民族精神，扬子江及黄河遇见沙漠、遇见山峡都是浩浩荡荡的往前流过去，以成其浊流滚滚，一泻万里的魄势(10)。目前的艰难境界，那能阻抑我们民族生命的前进。我们应该拿出雄健的精神，高唱着进行的曲调，在这悲壮歌声中，走过这崎岖险阻的道路。要知(11)在艰难的国运中建造国家，亦是人生最有趣味的事……。
The Yangtse Ri*er and the Yellow Ri*er are both symbolic of our national spirit the two mighty ri*ers negotiate deserts and gorges until their turbid torrents surge forward with irresistible force. The present national crisis can ne*er obstruct the ad*ance of our national life. Let us brace up our spirits and march through this rugged, dangerous road to the tune of our solemn, stirring songs. The greatest joy of life, mind you, is to build up our country during its most difficult days.

注释:
李大钊此文载于1923年12月20日《新国民》第一卷第2号上，短小隽永，堪称一首诗意盎然的抒情散文诗。作者用象征，比喻等手法，说明历史发展的必然规律以及中国革命面临的艰难险阻。
(1) “这是全靠雄健的精神才能冲过去的”译为nothing short of a heroic spirit can help surmount them，其中nothing short of 相当于nothing less than 或only。
(2)“宽阔的境界”须按上下文译为a broad section。“境界”在这里不宜译为realm、place、area等。
(3)“一泻万里”译为rolling on non-stop for thousands upon thousands of miles，但也可译为
rolling on *igorously for tens of thousands of miles或rolling on for thousands of miles at a stretch。
(4)“回环曲折，极其险峻”译为winding through a course with many a perilous twist and turn，其中twist and turn来自成语twists and turns。此句亦可译为following a dangerous tortuous course。
(5)“征人”即“远行之人”，故译“旅途上的征人”为a tra*eler on a long journey。
(6)“有时……，有时……”译为now……now……（＝sometimes……and sometimes……）。
(7)“奇趣横生”意即“极度吸引人”，故译为fascinating。
(8)“奇绝壮绝”意即“无限壮观”，故译为the enormously magnificent spectacle。
(9)“感到一种冒险的美趣”意即“一种敢于冒险的美妙感觉”，原译为a wonderful sensation of ad*enture。
(10)“遇见沙漠，遇见山峡都是浩浩荡荡的往前流过去，以成其浊流滚滚，一泻万里的魄势”译为negotiate deserts and gorges until their turbid torrents surge forward with irresistible force, 其中动词to negotiate 的意思是“顺利通过”（to succeed in getting past something difficult）。又，注意until在这里的用法。它在此不作“直到……为止”解，而是so that finally（“以至于……”或“最后”）的意思。
(11)“要知”译为mind you，插入句中。成语mind you的意思是mind what I say 或howe*er, 相当于汉语的“请注意”或“说真的”。
螃 蟹
鲁迅
老螃蟹觉得不安了，觉得全身太硬了(1)，自己知道要蜕壳(2)了。
他跑来跑去的寻。他想寻一个窟穴，躲了身子，将石子堵了穴口，隐隐的蜕壳。他知道外面蜕壳(3)是危险的。身子还软(4)，要被别的螃蟹吃去的。这并非空害怕，他实在亲眼见过。
他慌慌张张的走。
旁边的螃蟹(5)问他说：“老兄，你何以这般慌？”
他说：“我要蜕壳了。”
“就在这里蜕不是很好么？我还要帮你呢。”
“那可太怕人了。”
“你不怕窟穴里的别的东西，却怕我们同种么？”
“我不是怕同种。”
“那是怕什么呢？”
“就怕你要吃掉我(6)。”
The Crab
Lu Xun
An old crab grew restless. Finding himself stiff all o*er, he knew it was time for him to moult his shell.
He dashed here and there in search of a ca*e to hide. He was going to block up the mouth of ca*e so that he could moult in secret. He knew it would be *ery dangerous to shed his shell in the open because, with his new shell still being soft, he might be eaten up by other crabs. This fear was not groundless for he himself had really seen it happen to other moulting crabs.
The old crab kept mo*ing about in a hurry.
A nearby crab asked, “Hey, brother, what’s the rush?”
“I am going to moult,” answered the old crab. “Wouldn’t it be all right to moult right here? I could help you out with it.”
“How horrible that would be!”
“You mean while you’ll not scared of other things in the ca*e you’re scared of your
own kind?”
“No, I’m not scared of my own kind.”
“Then what are you scared of?”
“Nothing but being eaten up by you.”
注释:
《螃蟹》是近年发现的鲁迅佚文。文章发表于1919年8月间，时值五四运动方兴未艾，作者通过寓言故事，提醒人们新生事物往往有被旧事物消灭于萌芽状态的危险。
(1)“觉得全身太硬了”译为Finding himself stiff al o*er，其中all o*er意即“全身”或“浑身”，作状语短语用。如逐字译为finding his whole body stiff并无不可，但语言稍欠地道。
(2)“蜕壳”译为to moult his shell，其中to moult 为专用语，意同to cast off。
(3)“外面蜕壳”中的“外面”意即“在露天”，故译为（to moult）in the open，以代替to moult outside the ca*e。
(4)“身子还软”意即“蜕去旧壳后新壳还软”，故译为with his new shell still being soft。如按字面直译为with his body still being soft则欠确切，因“身子”在此指“新壳”，不泛指“躯体”。
(5)“旁边的螃蟹”译为A nearby crab比Ａcrab beside him灵活。
(6)“就怕你要吃掉我”译为Nothing but being eaten up by you, 乃I’m scared of nothing but being eaten up by you之略。
落花生
许地山
我们屋后有半亩隙地。母亲说：“让它荒芜着怪可惜，既然你们那么爱吃花生，就辟来做花生园罢(1)。”我们几个姊弟(2)和几个小丫头都很喜欢——买种的买种，动土的动土，灌园的灌园；过了不几个月，居然收获了！
Peanuts
Xu Dishan
Behind our house there lay half a mou of *acant land. Mother said, “it’s a pity to let it lie waste. Since you all like to eat peanuts so *ery much, why not plant some here?” That exhilarated us children and our ser*ant girls as well, and soon we started buying seeds, ploughing the land and watering the plants. We gathered in a good har*est just after a couple of months!
妈妈说：“今晚我们可以做一个收获节(3)，也请你们的爹爹来尝尝我们的新花生，如何？”我们都答应了。母亲把花生做成好几样食品(4)，还吩咐这节期要在园里的茅亭举行。
那晚上的天色不大好(5)，可是爹爹也来到，实在很难得！爹爹说：“你们爱吃花生吗？”
我们都争着答应：“爱！”
“谁能把花生底好处说出来？”
姊姊说：“花生底气味很美。”
哥哥说：“花生可以榨油。”
我说：“无论何等人都可以用贱价买它来吃；都喜欢吃它。这是它的好处。”
Mother said, “How about gi*ing a party this e*ening to celebrate the har*est and in*iting your Daddy to ha*e a taste of our newly-har*ested peanuts?” We all agreed. Mother made quite a few *arieties of goodies out of the peanuts, and told us that the party would be held in the thatched pa*ilion [pə'*iljən] on the peanut plot.
It looked like rain that e*ening, yet, to our great joy, father came ne*ertheless. “Do you like peanuts?” asked father.
“Yes, we do!” we *ied in gi*ing the answer.
“Which of you could name the good things in peanuts?”
“Peanuts taste good,” said my elder sister.
“Peanuts produce edible oil,” said my elder brother.
“Peanuts are so cheap,” said I, “that anyone can afford to eat them. Peanuts are e*eryone’s fa*ourite. That’s why we call peanuts good.”
爹爹说：“花生底用处固然很多；但有一样是很可贵的。这小小的豆(6)不像那好看的苹果、桃子、石榴，把它们底果实悬在枝上，鲜红嫩绿的颜色(7)，令人一望而发生羡慕的心。它只把果子埋在地底，等到成熟，才容人把它挖出来。你们偶然看见一棵花生瑟缩(8)地长在地上，不能立刻辨出它有没有果实，非得等到你接触它才能知道。”
“It’s true that peanuts ha*e many uses,” said father, “but they’re most belo*ed in one respect. Unlike nice-looking apples, peaches and pomegranates['pɔmɡrænit], which hang their fruit on branches and win people’s admiration with their brilliant colours, tiny little peanuts bury themsel*es underground and remain unearthed until they’re ripe. When you come upon a peanut plant lying curled up on the ground, you can ne*er immediately tell whether or not it bear any nuts until you touch them.”
我们都说：“是的。”母亲也点点头。爹爹接下去说：“所以你们要像花生(9)，因为它是有用的，不是伟大、好看的东西。”我说：“那么，人要做有用的，不要做伟大、体面的人了。”爹爹说：“这是我对于你们的希望。”
我们谈到夜阑才散，所有花生食品虽然没有了，然而父亲底话现在还印在我心版上。
“That’s true,” we said in unison. Mother also nodded. “So you must take after peanuts,” father continued, “because they’re useful though not great and nice- looking.” “Then you mean one should be useful rather than great and nice-looking,” I said. “That’s what I expect of you,” father concluded.
We kept chatting until the party broke up late at night. Today, though nothing is left of the goodies made of peanuts, father’s words remain engra*ed in my mind.
注释:
本文是许地山（*92-1941）的名篇。作者回忆自己童年时代一个小小片断，以朴实无华、清新自然的笔调，从花生的平凡而有用，谈到做人的道理，富于哲理，反映他身处旧社会的污泥浊流而洁身自好、不慕虚名的思想境界。
(1)原句也可译为why not ha*e them planted here或why not make a peanut plot of it，但现译更直截了当，且避免在同一句中重复peanuts一词。
(2)“几姊弟”在下文将涉及，为防累赘，译为children。
(3)“做一个收获节”不宜直译为hold a har*est festi*al，现取意译。
(4)“食品”也可译为food，但不如goodies 贴切；goodies指“好吃的东西”，常用于口语。
(5)“那晚上底天色不大好”译为It looked like rain that e*ening, 符合原意和英语习惯。
(6)“这小小的豆”译为tiny little peanuts。英语中常把tiny和little用在一起，有“小得可怜（爱）”等含意。
(7)“鲜红嫩绿”不宜直译，译brilliant colours即可。
(8)“瑟缩”意即“蜷曲而不舒展”，故有现译。
(9)“你们要像花生”译为you must take after peanuts，其中take after 是成语，意即take……as an example（学习……的榜样）。
差不多先生传
胡适
你知道中国最有名的人是谁？
提起此人，人人皆晓，处处闻名。他姓差，名不多(1)，是各省各县各村人氏。你一定见过他，一定听说过别人谈起他。差不多先生的名字天天挂在大家的口头，因为他是中国全国人的代表。
Mr. About-the Same
Hu Shih
Do you know who is the most well-known person in China?
The name of this person is a household word all o*er the country. His name is Cha and his gi*en name, Buduo, which altogether mean “About the Same”. He is a nati*e of e*ery pro*ince, e*ery country and e*ery *illage in this country. You must ha*e seen or heard about this person. His name is always on the lips of e*erybody because he is
representati*e of the whole Chinese nation.
差不多先生的相貌和你和我都差不多。他有一双眼睛，但看的不很清楚；他有两只耳朵，但听的不很分明；有鼻子和嘴，但他对于气味和口味都不很讲究。他的脑子也不小，但他的记性却不很精明，他的思想也不很细密(2)。 他常常说：“凡事只要差不多，就好了。何必太精明呢？”
Mr. Cha Buduo has the same physiognomy [,fizi'ɔɡnəmi]as you and I. He has a pair of eyes, but doesn’t see clearly. He has a pair of ears, but doesn’t hear well. He has a nose and a mouth, but lacks a keen sense of smell and taste. His brain is none too small, but he is weak in memory and sloppy in thinking. He often says: “whate*er we do, it’s OK to be just about right. What’s the use of being precise and accurate:”
他小的时候，他妈叫他去买红糖，他买了白糖回来。他妈骂他，他摇摇头说：“红糖白糖不是差不多吗？”
他在学堂的时候，先生问他：“直隶省(3)的西边是哪一省？”他说是陕西。先生说：“错了。是山西，不是陕西。”他说：“陕西同山西，不是差不多吗？”
后来他在一个钱铺(4)里做伙计，他也会写，也会算，只是总不会精细。十字常常写成千字，千字常常写成十字。掌柜的生气了，常常骂他。他只是笑嘻嘻地赔小心道：“千字比十字只多一小撇，不是差不多吗？”
One day, when he was a child, his mother sent him out to buy her some brown sugar, but he returned with some white sugar instead. As his mother scolded him about it, he shook his head and said, “Brown sugar or white sugar, aren’t they about the same?” One day in school, the teacher asked him, “Which pro*ince borders Hebei on the west?” He answered, “Shaanxi ['ʃæn'ʃi:],” The teacher corrected him, “You are wrong. It’s Shanxi ['ʃɑ:n'ʃi:], Not Shaanxi.” He retorted, “Shaanxi or Shanxi, aren’t they about the same?” Later Mr. Cha Buduo ser*ed as an assistant at a money shop. He could write and calculate all right, but his mathematics were/was often faulty. He would mistake the Chinese character十（meaning 10）for 千（meaning 1000）or *ice *ersa. The shop owner was infuriated and often took him to task. But he would only explain apologetically with a grin, “The character千differs from 十in merely ha*ing one additional short stroke. Aren’t they about the same?”
有一天他为了一件要紧的事，要搭火车到上海去。他从从容容地走到火车站，迟了两分钟，火车已经开走了。他白瞪着眼，望着远远的火车上煤烟，摇摇头道：“只好明天再走了，今天走同明天走，也差不多。可是火车公司未免太认真了。8点30分开，同8点32分开，不是差不多吗？“他一面说，一面慢慢地走回家，心里总不明白为什么火车不肯等他两分钟。
One day, he wanted to go to Shanghai by train on urgent business. But he arri*ed at the railway station unhurriedly only to find the train already gone, because he was two minutes late. He stood staring helplessly at the smoke belching from the diminishing train, and shook his head, “Well, all I can do is lea*e tomorrow. After all, today and tomorrow are about the same. But isn’t the railway taking it too seriously? What’s the difference between departing at 8:30 and 8:32?” He walked home slowly while talking to himself and kept puzzling o*er why the train hadn’t waited for him for two minutes more.
有一天，他忽然得了急病，赶快叫家人去请东街的汪医生。那家人急急忙忙地跑去，一时寻不着东街的汪大夫，却把西街牛医王大夫请来了。差不多先生病在床上，知道寻错了人；但病急了，身上痛苦，心里焦急，等不得了，心里想道：“好在王大夫同汪大夫也差不多，让他试试看罢。”于是这位牛医王大夫走近床前，用医牛的法子给差不多先生治病。不上一点钟，差不多先生就一命呜呼了。
One day he suddenly fell ill and immediately told one of his family to fetch Dr. Wang of East Street. The latter went in hurry, but couldn’t find the physician on East Street. So he fetched instead Veterinarian Wang of West Street. Mr. Cha Buduo, lying on his sickbed, knew that a wrong person had been brought home. But, what with pain and worry, he could ill afford to wait any longer. So he said to himself, “Luckily, Vet Wang is about the same as Dr. Wang. Why not let Vet Wang ha*e a try?” there- upon, the *eterinarian walked up to his bed to work on him as if he were a cow. Consequently, Mr. Cha Buduo kicked the bucket before an hour was out.
差不多先生差不多要死的时候，一口气断断续续地说道：“活人同死人也……差……差不多，……凡事只要……差……差……不多……就……好了，……何……何……必……太……太认真呢？”他说完了这句格言(5)，方才绝气了。
他死后，大家都很称赞差不多先生样样事情看得破，想得通(6)；大家都说他一生不肯认真，不肯算账，不肯计较，真是一位有德行的人。于是大家给他取个死后的法号，叫他做圆通大师。
他的名誉越传越远，越久越大。无数无数的人都学他的榜样。于是人人都成了一个差不多先生。——然而中国从此就成为一个懒人国了。
When Mr. Cha Buduo was about to breathe his last, he uttered intermittently in one breath, “Li*e or die, it’s about…about…the same…Whate*er we do…it’s OK…to be …just…just about right... Why…why…take it…so seriously?” as soon as he finished this pet phrase of his, he stopped breathing.
After Mr. Cha Buduo death, people all praised him for his way of seeing things and his philosophical approach to life. They say that he refused to take things seriously all his life and that he was ne*er calculating or particular about personal gains or losses. So they called him a *irtuous man and honored him with the posthumous re*erent title Master of Easy-Going.
His name has spread far and wide and become more and more celebrated with the passing of time. Innumerable people ha*e come to follow his example, so that e*erybody has become a Mr. Cha Buduo. But lo, China will hence be a nation of lazybones!
注释：
胡适（*91-1962）的《差不多先生传》是一篇针砭社会陋习的讽刺小品，1924年6月28日发表在《申报•平民周刊》的创刊号上，曾不胫而走，传诵一时。此文至今读来，犹感有极深刻的现实意义。
(1)“他姓差，名不多”如仅仅译为His name is Cha and his gi*en name, Buduo，外国读者只知其音，不知其意，故在后面加补充说明which altogether mean “About the Same”。
(2)“他的思想也不很细密”译为He is…sloppy in thinking, 其中sloppy作“无条理”、“凌乱”解。
(3)“直隶”为旧省名，即今之“河北”，故译为Ｈebei。
(4)“钱铺”又称“钱庄”，大多仅从事兑换业务，后为银行所代替。“钱铺”可译为pri*ate bank或banking house，但均不如money (exchange) shop确切。
(5)“格言”在这里意同“口头语”，现参照上下文译为pet phrase。
(6)“想得通”意即“达观”或“随遇而安”，故译为philosophical approach to life。
不要抛弃学问(1)
胡适
诸位毕业同学，你们现在要离开母校了，我没有什么礼物送给你们，只好送你
们一句话罢。
这一句话是：“不要抛弃学问。”以前的功课也许有一大部分是为这张文凭，
不得已而做的，从今而后，你们可以依自己的心愿去自由研究了(2)。趁现在年富力强
的时候，努力做一种学问。少年是一去不复返的，等到精力衰时，努力做学问(3)也来
不及了。即为吃饭计，学问决不会辜负人的(4)。吃饭而不求学问，三年五年后，你们
都江堰市要被后来少年淘汰掉的。到那时再想做点学问来补救，恐怕已太晚了。
有人说：“出去做事之后，生活问题急需解决，哪有工夫去读书？即使要做学
问，既没有图书馆，又没有实验室，哪能做学问？”
我要对你们说：凡是要等到有了图书馆才读书的，有了图书馆也不肯读书。凡
是要等到有了实验室才做研究的，有了实验室也不肯做研究。你有了决心要研究一个
问题，自然会撙衣节食(5)去买书，自然会想出来法子来设置仪器。
至于时间，更不成问题(6)。达尔文一生多病，不能多作工，每天只能做一点钟的
工作。你们看他的成绩！每天花一点钟看10页有用的书，每年可看3600多页书，30
年可读11万页书。
诸位，11万页书可以使你成一个学者了，可是，每天看三种小报也得费你一点
钟的工夫，四圈麻将也得费你一点半钟的光阴。看小报呢，还打麻将呢？还是努力做
一个学者呢？全靠你们自己的选择(7)！
易卜生说：“你的最大责任是把你这块材料铸造成器。”
学问便是铸器的工具。抛弃了学问便是毁了你们自己。
再会了！你们的母校眼睁睁地要看(8)你们十年之后成什么器。
Ne*er Gi*e Up the Pursuit of Learning
Hu Shih
Dear students of the Graduating Class,
As you are lea*ing your alma mater, I ha*e nothing to offer you as a gift except a
word of ad*ice.
My ad*ice is, “Ne*er gi*e up the pursuit of learning.” You ha*e perhaps finished
your college courses mostly for obtaining the diploma, or, in other words, out of sheer necessity. Howe*er, from now you are free to follow your own bent in the choice of
studies. While you are in the prime of life, why not de*ote yoursel*es to a special field of
study? Youth will soon be gone ne*er to return. And it will be too late for you to go into
scholarship when in your declining years. Knowledge will do you a good turn e*en as a
means of subsistence. If you gi*e up studies while holding a job, you will in a couple of
years ha*e had yoursel*es replaced by younger people. It will then be too late to remedy
the situation by picking up studies again.
Some people say, “Once you ha*e a job, you’ll come up against the urgent problem
of making a li*ing. How can you manage to find time to study? E*en if you want to, will it
be possible with no library or no laboratory a*ailable?”
Now let me tell you this. Those who refuse to study for lack of a library will most
probably continue to do so e*en though there is a library. And those who refuse to do
research for lack of a laboratory will most probably continue to do so e*en though a
laboratory is a*ailable. As long as you set your mind on studies, you will naturally cut
down on food and clothing to buy books or do e*erything possible to acquire necessary
instruments.
Time is no object. Charles Darwin could only work one hour a day due to ill health.
Yet what a remarkable man he was! If you spend one hour a day reading 10 pages of a
book, you can finish more than 3600 pages a year, and 110000 pages in 30 years.
Dear students, 110000 pages will be quite enough to make a learned man of man. It
will take you one hour to read three tabloids a day, and one and half hours to finish four
rounds of mah-jong a day. Reading tabloids, playing mah-jong or stri*ing to be a learned
man, the choice lies with you.
Henrik Ibsen says, “it is your supreme duty to cast yourself into a useful implement.”
Learning is the casting mould. Forsake learning, and you will ruin yourself.
Farewell! Your alma mater is watching eagerly to see what will become of you ten
years from now.
注释：
本文是胡适1928-1930年在上海任中国公学校长时为毕业生所作赠言，至今仍有参考价值。
(1)“不要抛弃学问”在这里的意思是“不要放弃对学问的追求”，因此不能直译为Ne*er Gi*e
up Learning，必须加字：Ne*er Gi*e up the Pursuit of Learning。
(2)“你们可以依自己的心愿去自由研究了”译为you are free to follow your personal bent in the
choice of studies，其中to follow one’s bent 是成语，和to follow one’s inclination同义，作“做自己感兴趣或爱做的事”解。
(3)“做学问”译为to go into scholarship, 等于to engage in learning。
(4)“学问决不会辜负人的”译为Knowledge will do you a good turn，其中to do one a good turn
是成语，作“做对某人有益的事”解.
(5) “撙衣节食”即“省吃省穿”，现译为 cut down on food and clothing, 其中 to
cut down on 是成语，与 to economize on 同义，作“节约”解。又，上语也可译为 to
li*e frugally。
(6)“至于时间，更不成问题”译为Time is no object,其中no object是成语，等于no problem，作“不成问题”或“不在话下”解。
(7)“全靠你们自己的选择”译为the choice lies with you或it is up to you to make the choice。
(8)“你们的母校眼睁睁地要看……”中的“眼睁睁地”通常的意思是“无可奈何地”，现
在这里作“热切地”解，故译为eagerly。
我之于书(1)
夏丐尊
二十年来，我的生活费中至少十分之一二是消耗在书上的(2)。我的房子里(3)比较
贵重的东西就是书。
我一向没有对于任何问题作高深研究的野心，因之所以买的书范围较广，宗教、
艺术、文学、社会、哲学、历史、生物，各方面差不多*一点。最多的是各国文学
名著的译本，与本国古来的诗文集，别的门类只是些概论等类的入门书而已。
我不喜欢向别人或图书馆借书。借来的书，在我好像过不来瘾似的(4)，必要是自
己买的才满足。这也可谓是一种占有的欲望。买到了几册新书，一册一册在加盖藏书
印(5)记，我最感到快悦的是这时候。
书籍到了我的手里，我的习惯是先看序文，次看目录。页数不多的往往立刻通读
(6)，篇幅大的，只把正文任择一二章节略加翻阅，就插在书架上。除小说外，我少有
全体读完的大部的书，只凭了购入当时的记忆，知道某册书是何种性质，其中大概有
些什么可取的材料而已。什么书在什么时候再去读再去翻，连我自己也无把握，完全
要看一个时期一个时期的兴趣。关于这事，我常自比为古时的皇帝，而把插在架上的
书籍诸列屋而居的宫女(7)。
我虽爱买书，而对于书却不甚爱惜。读书的时候，常在书上把我认为要紧的处所
标出。线装书竟用红铅笔划粗粗的线。经我看过的书，统计统体干净的很少。
据说，任何爱吃糖果的人，只要叫他到糖果铺中去做事，见了糖果就会生厌。自
我入书店以后，对于书的贪念也已消除了不少了，可不免要故态复萌(8)，想买这种，
想买那种。这大概因为糖果要用嘴去吃，摆存毫无意义，而书则可以买了不看，任其
只管插在架上的缘故吧。
Books and I
Xia Mianzun
For twenty years past, books ha*e eaten into at least 10-20 percent of my pocket. Now
the only things of some *alue under my roof, if any, are my books.
Since I ha*e ne*er entertained ambition for making a profound study of any subject,
the books I ha*e acquired co*er almost e*erything--religion, art, literature, sociology,
philosophy, history, biology, etc. Most of them are Chinese translations of literary works
by famous foreign writers and anthologies of Chinese poetry and prose through the ages.
The rest, often called an outline or introduction, are merely on rudiments of *arious
subjects.
I ne*er care to borrow books from other people or a library. It seems that books
bought can better satisfy my bibliomania than books borrowed. You may also attribute this
to some sort of desire for personal possession. Whene*er I ha*e some new acquisitions, it
always gi*es me great pleasure and satisfaction to stamp my ex-libris on them one by one.
As soon as a new book comes to hand, I always read the preface first and then the
table of contents. If it happens to be a thin one, I often finish reading it at one sitting.
Otherwise, I often browse through one or two chapters or sections before putting it onto
my bookshelf. I seldom read a thick book from co*er to co*er unless it is a no*el. By dint of
the first impression it made on me at the time of buying, I ha*e a rough idea of what a
book is about and what useful materials in it are a*ailable to me. But I ha*e little idea
which book is to be read or looked o*er again at what time. It is completely subject to the
whims of the moment. This often prompts me to liken myself and the books on my shel*es
respecti*ely to an ancient emperor and his concubines housed separately in a row of
adjoining rooms.
Much as I lo*e books, I take little care of them. In doing my reading, I often mark out
what I regard as important in a book. If it is a thread-bound Chinese book, I use a writing
brush to draw small circles as markings. Otherwise, I use a red pencil to draw hea*y
underlines. Consequently, the books I ha*e read are rarely clean.
It is said that those who ha*e a great liking for candies will sicken to see them when
later they happen to work in a candy store. Likewise, e*er since I began to work in a
bookstore, my obsession with books has been *ery much on the decline. Ne*ertheless, I
still can not help slipping back into the same old rut, eager to buy this and that book. This
is probably because candies are to be eaten with the mouth and not worth keeping as
knick-knacks while books can be bought without being read and just left on a shelf.
注释：
夏丐尊（*86-1946）浙江上虞人，著名文学家、教育家、出版家。他的文学创作以散文为主，多随笔、杂感，内容积极，风格平淡朴素。此文于1933年11月发表在《中学生》杂志上。
(1)“我之于书”译为 Books and I ，比 I and Books 符合英语习惯，读音也较顺口。
(2)“我的生活费中至少十分之一二是消耗在书上的”译为books ha*e eaten into at least 10-20 percent of my pocket，其中成语 to eat into 作“耗尽”或“花费”解，意同 to use up 或 to spend gradually；pocket 作“腰包”解。
(3)“我的房子里”译为 under my roof ,意同 in my house。
(4)“好像过不来瘾似的”中的“瘾”指“藏书癖”，故译为bibliomania，意即 desire or passion for collecting books。
(5)“藏书印”译为 ex-libris，为专用语。
(6)“往往立刻通读”译为 I often finish reading it at one sitting，其中at one sitting（亦作at a sitting）为成语，作“坐着一口气”或“一下子”解。
(7)“宫女”本可译为court ladies或palace maids，但原文实际上指的是“妃子”，故译为concubines。
(8)“故态复萌”译为slipping back into the same old rut，或relapsing into my old habit。
中年人的寂寞
夏丐尊
我已是一个中年的人。一到中年，就有许多不愉快的现象，眼睛昏花了，记忆力减退了，头发开始秃脱(1)而且变白了，意兴，体力，什么都不如年青的时候，常不禁会感觉到难以名言的(2)寂寞的情味。尤其觉得难堪的是知友的逐渐减少(3)和疏远，缺乏交际上的温暖的慰藉。
不消说，相识的人数是随了年龄增加的，一个人年龄越大，走过的地方当过的职务越多，相识的人理该越增加了。可是相识的人并不就是朋友。我们和许多人相识，或是因了事务关系，或是因了偶然的机缘(4)——如在别人请客的时候同席吃过饭之类。见面时点头或握手，有事时走访或通信，口头上彼此也“朋友”，笔头上有时或称“仁兄”，诸如此类，其实只是一种社交上的客套，和“顿首”“百拜”同是仪式的虚伪(5)。这种交际可以说是社交，和真正的友谊相差似乎很远。
真正的朋友，恐怕要算“总角之交”或“竹马之交”了(6)。在小学和中学的时代容易结成真实的友谊，那时彼此尚不感到生活的压迫，入世未深，打算计较的念头也少，朋友的结成全由于志趣相近或性情适合，差不多可以说是“无所为”的(7)，性质比较纯粹。二十岁以后结成的友谊，大概已不免搀有各种各样的颜色分子在内；至于三十岁四十岁以后的朋友中间，颜色分子愈多，友谊的真实成分也就不免因而愈少了。这并不一定是“人心不古”(8)，实可以说是人生的悲剧。人到了成年以后，彼此*生活的重担须负，入世既深，顾忌的方面也自然加多起来，在交际上不许你不计较，不许你不打算，结果彼此都“勾心斗角”(9)，像七巧板似地只选定了某一方面和对方接合(10)。这样的接合当然是很不坚固的，尤其是现代这样什么都到了尖锐化的时代。
在我自己的交游中，最值得系念的老是一此少年时代以来的朋友。这些朋友本来数目就不多，有些住在远地，连相会的机会也不可多得。他们有的年龄大过了我，有的小我几岁，都江堰市是中年以上的人了，平日各人所走的方向不同。思想趣味境遇也都不免互异，大家晤谈起来，也常会遇到说不出的隔膜的情形。如大家话旧，旧事是彼此共喻的，而且大半都江堰市是少年时代的事，“旧游如梦”，把梦也似的过去的少年时代重提，因谈话的进行，同时会联想起许多当时的事情，许多当时的人的面影，这时好象自己仍回归到少年时代去了(11)。我常在这种时候感到一种快乐，同时也感到一种伤感，那情形好比老妇人突然在抽屉里或箱子里发见了她盛年时的影片。
逢到和旧友谈话，就不知不觉地把话题转到旧事上去，这是我的习惯。我在这上面无意识地会感到一种温暖地慰藉。可是这些旧友一年比一年减少了，本来只是屈指可数的几个，少去一个是无法弥补的。我每当听到一个旧友死去的消息，总要惆怅多时。
学校教育给我们的好处不但只是灌输知识，最大的好处恐怕还在给与我们求友的机会上。这好处我到了离学校以后才知道，这几年来更确切地体会到，深悔当时毫不自觉，马马虎虎地过去了。近来每日早晚在路上见到两两三三的携了手或挽了肩膀走着的青年学生，我总艳羡他们有朋友之乐，暗暗地要在心中替他们祝福。
Mid-life Loneliness
Xia Mianzun
I am already a middle-aged man. At middle age, I feel sad to find my eyesight and memory failing, my hair thinning and graying, and myself no longer mentally and physically as fit as when I was young. I often suffer from a nameless loneliness. The most intolerable of all is the lack of friendly warmth and comfort due to the gradual passing away and estrangement of more and more old pals.
Needless to say, the number of acquaintances increases with one’s age. The older one gets, the more widely tra*eled one is and the more work experience one has, the more acquaintances one is supposed to ha*e. But not all acquaintances are friends. We come to know many people either in the way of business or by mere chance –say, ha*ing been at the same table at a dinner party. We may be on nodding or hand-shaking terms, call each other “friend”, sometimes write to each other with the salutation of “Dear So-and-So”, etc., etc. All these are, in fact, nothing but ci*ilities of social life, as hypocritical as the polite formula dunshou (kowtow) or baibai (a hundred greetings) used after the signature in old-fashioned Chinese letter-writing. We may call them social intercourse, but they seem to ha*e *ery little in common with genuine friendship.
Real friendship between two persons originates perhaps from the time of life when they were children playing innocently together. Real friendship is easily formed in primary or middle school days when, being socially inexperienced and free from the burden of life, you gi*e little thought to personal gains or losses, and make friends entirely as a result of similar tastes and interests or congenial disposition. It is sort of “friendship for friendship’s sake” and is relati*ely pure in nature. Friendship among people in their 20's, howe*er, is more or less coloured by personal moti*es. And friendship among those aged o*er 30 becomes correspondingly still less pure as it gets e*en more coloured. Though this is not necessarily due to "degeneration of public morality", I do ha*e good reasons to call it the tragedy of life. People at middle age, with the hea*y burden of life and much experience in the ways of the world, ha*e more scruples about this and that, and can not choose but become more calculating in social dealings till they start scheming against each other. They always keep a wary eye, as it were, on each other in their association. Such association is of course fragile, especially in this modern age of pre*ailing sharp conflicts.
Of all my friends, those I ha*e known since child-hood are most worthy of remembrance. They are few in number. Some of them li*e far away and we seldom ha*e an opportunity to see each other. Some of them are older than I am, and some a few years younger. But all of us are in late mid-life. Since we ha*e each followed a different course in life, our ways of thinking, interests and circumstances are bound to differ, and often we lack mutual understanding somehow or other in our con*ersation. Ne*ertheless, when we talk o*er old times, we will always agree on things in the past--mostly about things in our childhood days. While we retell the dream-like childhood days in the course of our con*ersation, numerous scenes and persons of bygone days will unfold again before our eyes, and we will feel like reli*ing the old days. Often at this moment, I'll feel at once happy and sad--like an old lady suddenly fishing out from her drawer or chest a photo of her taken in the bloom of her youth. When chatting away with my old friends, I am in the habit of unwittingly channeling the topic of con*ersation toward things of former days. From that I unknowingly deri*e some sort of warm solace. But old friends are dwindling away year by year. They are originally few in number, so the disappearance of any of them is an irreparable loss to me. The news of any old pal's death will in*ariably make me sad in my heart for a long, long time.
The imparting of knowledge is not the sole ad*antage of school education. Its greatest ad*antage is perhaps the opportunity it affords us for making friends. It was not until I had already left school that I began to realize this ad*antage. And in recent years I ha*e come to understand it e*en more deeply. I much regret ha*ing carelessly frittered away my school days without making many friends. Recently, e*ery morning or e*ening, whene*er I see school kids with satchels walking in twos and threes, hand in hand or shoulder to shoulder, I always en*y them for enjoying happy friendship, and inwardly offer them my best wishes.
注释：
本文发表在1934年11月的《中学生》杂志上，文章用平淡的语言诉说了中年人的苦恼，感叹“真实的友谊”不可多得，字里行间流泄出对当时现状的不满。
(1)“头发开始秃脱”指头发开始变稀，也可译为 my head balding。 今译 my hair thinning ，以 hair 取代head，是为了照顾下面的graying一字。
(2)“难以名言的”译为nameless，意同indescribable，但nameless常用来指不好的事物，如：a nameless fear、nameless atrocities。
(3)“逐渐减少”在原文指逐渐作古，如直译为 the gradual dwindling away 则未能明确表达“死去”的意思。故译为gradual passing away.
(4)“我们和许多人相识，或是因为事务关系，或是因了偶然的机缘……”译为We come to know
many people either in the way of business or by mere chance…，其中in the way of 是成语，作“为了”解。成语in the way of可有若干不同的意思，如“关于”、“以……的方法”，“为了”等，须由上下文来决定。
(5)“和‘顿首’‘百拜’同是仪式的虚伪”译为as hypocritical as the polite formula dunshou (kowtow) or baibai (a hundred greetings) used after the signature in old-fashioned Chinese letter-writing。其中 kowtow, a hundred greetings 以及 used after the signature in old fashioned Chinese letter-writing 均为译者的补充说明，属一种释义译法。
(6)“真正的朋友，恐怕要算‘总角之交’或‘竹马之交’了”译为 Real friendship between two persons originates perhaps from the time of life when they were children playing innocently together，其中“总角之交”和“竹马之交”合而为一，用意译法处理。
(7)“差不多可以说是‘无所为’的”译为It is sort of “friendship for friendship’s sake”，其中sort of （有几分）用来表达“差不多可以说”。又“无所为”意即“无其它目的”或“无条件的”，故译为friendship for friendship’s sake（为友谊而友谊的）。
(8)“这并一定是‘人心不古’”译为Though this is not necessarily due to “degeneration of public
morality”。也可考虑采用另一译法：Though this should not be ascribed exclusi*ely to “degeneration of public morality”。
(9)“结果彼此都‘勾心斗角’”译为till they start scheming against each other。注意其中till的一种特殊用法。它在这里指“结果”，意即so that、finally或and at last，不作“直到……为止”解。
(10)“像七巧板似地只选定了某一方面和对方接合”不宜直译。现按“人们在交往中互相提防，互存戒心”的内涵，用意译法处理：They always keep a wary eye, as it were, on each other in their association，其中插入语as it were作“似乎”、“可以说”等解。
(11)“这时好像自己仍回归到少年时代去了”译为and we feel like reli*ing the old days，其中to reli*e作“（凭想象）重新过……的生活”(to experience…again, especially in imagination)解。
我坐了木船
叶圣陶
从重庆到汉口，我坐了木船。
木船危险，当然知道。一路上数不清的滩，礁石随处都是，要出事，随时可以出。
还有盗匪(1)——实在是最可怜的同胞，他们种地没得吃，有力气没处出卖，当了兵经
常饿肚皮，无可奈何只好出此下策(2)。——假如遇见了，把铺盖或者身上衣服带下去，
也是异常难处的事儿(3)。
但是，回转来想，从前没有轮船，没有飞机，历来走川江(4)的人都坐木船。就是
如今，上上下下的还有许多人在那里坐木船，如果统计起来，人数该比坐轮船坐飞机
的多。人家可以坐，我就不能坐吗？我又不比人家高贵。至于危险，不考虑也罢。轮
船飞机就不危险吗？安步当车似乎最稳妥了，可是人家屋檐边也可以掉下一张瓦片
来。要绝对避免危险就莫要做人(5)。
要坐轮船坐飞机，自然也有办法(6)。只要往各方去请托，找关系，或者干脆买张
黑票。先说黑票，且不谈付出超过定额的钱，力有不及，心有不甘(7)，单单一个“黑”
字，就叫你不愿领教。“黑”字表示作弊，表示越出常轨。你买黑票，无异同作弊，
赞助越出常轨(8)。一个人既不能独立转移风气，也该在消极方面有所自守，邦同作弊，
赞助越出常轨的事儿，总可以免了吧，——这自然是书生之见(9)，不免通达的人一笑。
再说请托找关系，听人家说他们的经验，简直与谋差使一样的麻烦。在传达室恭
候，在会客室恭候(10)，幸而见了那要见的人，他听说你要设法买船票，或是飞机票，
爱理不理的答复你说，“困难呢……下个星期再来打听吧……”于是你觉得好像有一
线希望，又好像毫无把握，只得挨到下星期再去。跑了不知多少趟，总算有眉目了(11)，
又得往这一处签字，那一处盖章，看种种的脸色，候种种的传唤，为的是得一份充分
的证据，可以去换张票子。票子到手，身分可以改变了，什么机关的部属，什么长的
秘书，什么人的本人或是父亲，或者姓名仍旧，或者必须改名换姓，总之要与你自己
暂时脱离关系。最有味的是冒充什么部的士兵(12)，非但改名换姓，还得穿上灰布棉
军服，腰间束条皮带。我听了这些，就死了请托找关系的念头。即使饿得要死，也不
定要去奉承颜色谋差使，为了一张票子去求教人家，不说我自己犯不着，人家也太费
心。重庆的路又那么难走，公共汽车站排队往往等上一个半钟头，天天为了票子去跑，
实在吃不消。再说与自己暂时脱离关系，换上他人的身分，虽然人家不大爱惜名气，
我可不愿滥用那些那些名气。我不是部属，不是秘书，不是某人，不是某人的父亲，
我是我。我毫无成就，样样不长进，我可不愿与任何人易地而处，无论长期的或是暂
时的。为了走一趟路，必须易地而处，在我总觉着像被剥夺了什么似的。至于穿灰布
棉衣更为难了，为了走一趟路才穿上那套衣服，岂不亵渎了那套衣服(13)？亵渎的人
固然不少，我可总不忍——这一套又是书生之见。
抱着书生之见，我决定坐木船。木船比不上轮船，更比不上飞机，千真万确。可
是绝对不用找关系，也无所谓黑票。你要船，找运输行，或者自己到码头上去找，找
着了，言明价钱，多少钱坐到汉口，每块钱花得明明白白(14)。在这一点上，我觉得
木船好极了(15)，我可以不说一句讨情的话，不看一副难看的嘴脸，堂堂正正的凭我
的身分东西归。这是大多数坐轮船坐飞机的朋友办不到的，我可有这种骄傲。
决定了之后，有两位朋友特来劝阻，一位从李家沱，一位从柏滨，不怕水程跋涉，
为的是关爱我，瞧得起我。他们说了种种理由，预想了种种可能的障害，结末说，还
是再考虑一下的好。我真感谢他们，当然不敢说不必再行考虑，只好带玩笑的说，“吉
人天相，“安慰他们激动的心情。现在，他们接到我平安到达的消息了，他们也真的
安慰了。
I Took a Wooden Boat
Ye Shengtao
I took a wooden boat from Chongqing to Hankou.
Of course I know it is risky to tra*el by wooden boat. With countless shoals and reefs
to negotiate, accidents may happen any time. To complicate matters, there are bandits
lurking around－those pitiful fellow countrymen who, unable to ward off star*ation by
farming or soldiering or whatnot, ha*e been reduced to the disreputable business as a last
resort. I’ll be in a real fix if they should rob me of, say, my bedding or clothes.
Now, on reflection, I realize that in the days before steamers and aircraft came into use,
people used to tra*el by wooden boat up and down the Sichuan section of the Yangtse
Ri*er. E*en today, many continue to do so, and statistic will in*ariably show a higher
percentage of people tra*elling by wooden boat than by steamer or aircraft. Why shouldn’t
I do the same? Why should I think it beneath myself to tra*el by wooden boat? As for
safety, is it less dangerous to tra*el by steamer or aircraft? Going on foot seems to be the
best choice, but a tile falling off the ea*es of somebody’s house might pro*e equally
disastrous to foot passengers. Enjoying absolute safety is humanly impossible.
It stands to reason that I can go by steamer or aircraft if I care to. I can simply go
around fishing for help or personal connections, or just buy a “black” ticket. But I’ll ha*e
to pay more than the regular price for a “black” ticket, which I can ill afford and which I
disdain to do. And the *ery word “black” generates in me a feeling of repulsion. “Black”
signified fraud or illegal practice. Buying a “black” ticket is as good as getting in*ol*ed in
a fraud or an illegal practice. If it is beyond one’s capacity to single-handedly stem the
pre*ailing social e*ils, one should at least be self-disciplined so as not to make matters
worse. All this is undoubtedly the pedantic *iew of bookish person—a *iew which must
sound ridiculous to all sensible gentlemen.
Some people ha*e told me from their own experience that soliciting help or speaking
personal connections is something as difficult as hunting for a job. You may be kept
cooling your heels (久等，空等)in a janitor’s office or a reception room before an inter*iew is granted.
Hearing that you are trying to get a steamer or air ticket, the much sought-after inter*iew
may reply in a cold and indifferent manner, “Ah, that’s difficult…Come see me next
week…” Thereupon you seem to see a ray of hope, and you may also feel totally uncertain
of success. All you can do is wait until then. After making you don’t know how many
*isits, there e*entually appear signs of positi*e outcome. Then you ha*e to go here and
there to get a signature or a seal, meet with all sorts of cold reception and wait for all sorts
of summonses—all for the purpose of obtaining a useful certificate to buy a ticket with.
Once with a ticket in hand, your status automatically changes. You can now call yourself
the employee of certain go*ernment office or certain official’s secretary. You can call
yourself so-and-so or so-and-so’s father. You can either keep your original name or ha*e it
changed. In short, you must temporarily break off relations with your old self. The funniest
thing is when you try to pass for a soldier of a certain army unit, you must not only ha*e
your name changed, but also wear a grey-cloth cotton-padded army uniform with a leather
belt around your waist. All that kills my idea of soliciting help or seeking personal
connections. I disdain to go humbly begging for a job e*en when I am star*ing, let alone to
go asking for other people’s help in getting me a mere ticket. Neither is it necessary for me
to go to all that trouble, nor should I bother other people for that matter. Going around is
hard in the city of Chongqing. You ha*e to queue up for at least 30 minutes or more to get
on a bus. It would really be too much for me to go about for the ticket e*ery day. As to the
temporary di*orce from my old self and the concealing of my identity, I hate to usurp all
those designations though other people may think otherwise. I’m neither a go*ernment
employee, nor a secretary, nor so-and-so, nor so-and-so’s father. I am myself. I am just an
ordinary man with no urge to do better, so I hate to change places with anybody else,
whether for a while or for good. To change places just for the sake of a trip would make
me feel like being depri*ed. Wouldn’t it be sinful for me to wear the grey-cloth
cotton-padded army uniform for nothing more than making a single trip? Though many
other people *iolate the taboo, I for my part cannot bear to do the same. This again is the
impractical *iew of a bookish person.
It was with this impractical *iew that I decided to take a wooden boat. It is absolutely
true that a wooden boat cannot compare with a steamer, much less an airplane. But there is
no need for soliciting help or seeking personal connections, nor the need for the so-called
“black” ticket. All you need to do is contact the transport company, or go direct to the
wharf to look for a wooden boat. Once you ha*e located it, you will know what the fare is
from Chongqing to Hankou, and e*ery dollar will be paid for what it is worth, no more, no
less. I find the wooden boat super in this respect. I am sa*ed the humiliation of begging for
help or the need of confronting the nasty look on somebody’s face. I can tra*el with my
true identity. This is something quite beyond the majority of those tra*elling by steamer or
aircraft. I am proud of it.
After I had made up my mind, two friends of mine, in spite of the difficult boat journey
all the way from Li Jia Tuo and Bai Bin respecti*ely, came to dissuade me from taking
the wooden boat out of concern and respect for me. They enumerated *arious reasons
against my decision as well as *arious possible mishaps, ad*ising me in the end to
re-consider the matter. I felt *ery grateful to them, and of course refrained from showing
any reluctance to re-consider the matter. By way of allaying their anxiety, I said jokingly,
“A good guy always enjoys Hea*en’s protection.” Now, the subsequence news of my
safe arri*al in Hankou must ha*e set their mind at rest.
注释:
叶圣陶（*94-1988）原名叶绍钧，江苏苏州人，现代文学家，教育家。《我坐了木船》一文
以平淡的口吻叙述他在抗战胜利后乘木船从重庆到汉口的一番经历，对当时的黑暗社会作了无情的鞭挞。
(1)“还有盗匪”译为To complicate matters, there are bandits lurking around，其中To complicate
matters是为承上启下而添加的成分。又，lurking around作“潜伏”解，也是添加成分，原文虽无其字，而有其意。
(2)“无奈何只好出此下策”译为ha*e been reduced to the disreputable business as a last resort，
其中disreputable business（不体面的行当）指“下策”。又，reduced to 意即“被逼从事……”；
as a last resort意即“作为最后一着”。
(3)“异常难处的事儿”译为I’ll be in a real fix, 其中in a fix是成语，作“陷入困境”或“尴尬”解。
(4)“川江”即“四川段的长江”，故译为the Sichuan section of the Yangtse Ri*er。
(5)“要绝对避免危险就莫做人”译为“Enjoying absolute safety is humanly impossible，其中
humanly意即“从从做人的角度看”。
(6)“要坐轮船坐飞机，自然也有办法”译为It stands to reason that I can go by steamer or aircraft
if I care to，其中It stands to reason是成语，意即“当然”。
(7)“付出超过定额的钱，力有不及，心有不甘”译为to pay more than the regular price for a “black” ticket, which I can ill afford and which I disdain to do。“心有不甘”意即“不屑一干”，故译disdain to do。
(8)“你买黑票，无异同作敝，赞助越出常轨”译为Buying a “black” ticket is as good as getting
in*ol*ed in a fraud or an illegal practice, 其中as good as 是成语，作“实际上等于”或“与……几乎一样”解。
(9)“书生之见”译为the pedantic *iew of a bookish person，其中pedantic *iew意同impractical
*iew，作“不现实的观点”解。
(10) “在传达室恭候，在会客室恭候”译为You may be kept cooling your heels in a janitor’s office or a reception room before an inter*iew is granted，其中cooling your heels是成语，作“长等”、“空等”解。
(11) “跑了不知多少趟，总算有眉目了”译为After making you don’t know how many *isits, there e*entually appear signs of positi*e outcome，其中you don’t know how是是插入语，修饰many。
(12)“最有味的是冒充什么部的士兵”译为The funniest thing is when you try to pass for a soldier of certain army unit，其中to pass for作“冒充”解。
(13)“为了走一趟路才穿上那套衣服，岂不亵渎了那套衣服？”译为Wouldn’t it be sinful for me to wear the grey-cloth cotton-padded army uniform for nothing more than making a single trip?“亵渎”原作“轻慢”、“冒失”解，用在此处略带讽刺口气，意为“做了不该做的事”，故译为sinful。
(14)“每块钱花得明明白白”意即“该花多少就花多少”或“每块钱都花得值得”，故译为
e*ery dollar is paid for what it is worth。

(15)“我觉得木船好极了”译为I find the wooden boat super in this respect，其中super相当于
fantastic或wonderful。
背 影
朱自清
我与父亲不相见已二年余了，我最不能忘记的是他的背影。那年冬天，祖母死了，
父亲的差使也交卸了，正是祸不单行的日子，我从北京到徐州，打算跟着父亲奔丧回
家。到了徐州见着父亲，看见满院狼藉的东西，又想起祖母，不禁簌簌地流下眼泪。
父亲说：“事已如此，不必难过，好在天无绝人之路！”
回家○1变卖典质，父亲还了亏空；又借了钱办了丧事。这些日子，家中光景很是
惨淡，一半为了丧事，一半为了父亲的赋闲○2
。丧事完毕，父亲要到南京谋事，我也
要回到北京念书，我们便同行。
到南京时，有朋友约去游逛，勾留了一日；第二日上午便须渡江到浦口，下午上
车北去。父亲因为事忙，本已说定不送我，叫旅馆里一个熟识的茶房○3陪我同去。他
再三嘱咐茶房，甚是仔细。但他终于不放心，怕茶房不妥贴，颇踌躇了一会。其实那
年我已二十岁，北京来往过两三次，是没有甚么要紧的了。他踌躇了一会，终于决定
还是自己送我去。我两三回劝他不必去○4；他只说，“不要紧，他们去不好○5！”
我们过了江，进了车站。我买票，他忙着照看行李。行李太多了，得向脚夫行些
小费○6，才可过去。他便又忙着和他们讲价钱。我那时真是太聪明过分○7，总觉得他
说话不大漂亮○8，非得自己插嘴不可。但他终于讲定了价钱；就送我上车。他给我拣
定了靠车门的一张椅子；我将他给我做的紫毛大衣铺好坐位。他嘱我路上小心，夜里
要警醒些，不要受凉。又嘱托茶房好好照应我。我心里暗笑他的迂○9；他们只认得钱，
托他们直是白托！而且我这样大年纪的人，难道还不能料理自己吗？唉，我现在想想，
那时真是太聪明了10！
我说道，“爸爸，你走吧。”他望车外看了看，说，“我买几个橘子去。你就在
此地，不要走动。”我看那边月台的栅栏外有几个卖东西的的等着顾客。走到那边月
台，须穿过铁道，须跳下去又爬上去。父亲是一个胖子，走过去自然要费些事。我本
来要去的，他不肯，只好让他去。我看见他戴着黑布小帽。穿着黑布大马褂11，深青
布棉袍，蹒跚在走到铁道边，慢慢探身下去，尚不大难。可是他穿过铁道，要爬上那
边月台，就不容易了。他用两手攀着上面，两脚再向上缩；他肥胖的身子向左微倾，
显出努力的样子。这时我看见他的的背影，我眼泪很快地流下来了。我赶紧拭干了泪，
怕他看见，也怕别人看见。我再向外看时，他已抱了朱红的橘子往回走了。过铁道时，
他先将橘子散放在地上，自己慢慢爬下，再抱起橘子走。到这边时，我赶紧去搀他。
他和我走到车上，将橘子一股脑儿放在我的皮大衣上。于是扑扑衣上泥土，心里很轻
松似的，过了一会说，“我走了；到那边来信！”我望着他走出去。他走了几步，回
过头看见我，说，“进去吧，里边没人12。”等他的背影混入来来往往的人里，再找
不着了，我便进来坐下，我的眼泪又来了。
近几年来，父亲和我都是东奔西走13，家中的光景是一日不如一日。他少年出外
谋生，独力支持，做了许多大事。那知老境却如此颓唐！他触目伤怀，自然不能自己
14。情郁于中，自然要发之于外；家庭琐屑便往往触他之怒。他待我渐渐不同往日15。
但最近两年的不见，他终于忘却我的不好，只是惦记着我，惦记着我的儿子。我北来
后，他写了一信给我，信中说道，“我身体平安，惟膀子疼痛利害，举箸提笔，诸多
不便，大约大去16之期不远矣。”我读到此处，在晶莹的泪光中，又看见那肥胖的，
青布马褂的背影。唉！我不知何时再能与他相见！
The Sight of Father’s Back
Zhu Ziqing
It is more than two years since I last saw father, and what I can ne*er forget is the
sight of his back. Misfortunes ne*er come singly. In the winter of more than two years
ago, grandma died and father lost his job. I left Beijing for Xuzhou to join father in
hastening home to attend grandma’s funeral. When I met father in Xuzhou, the sight of the
disorderly mess in his courtyard and the thought of grandma started tears trickling down my
cheeks. Father said, “Now that things’*e come to such a pass, it’s no use crying.
Fortunately, Hea*en always lea*es one a way out.”
After arri*ing home in Yangzhou, father paid off debts by selling or pawning things.
He also borrowed money to meet the funeral expenses. Between grandma’s funeral and
father’s unemployment, our family was then in reduced circumstances. After the funeral
was o*er, father was to go to Nanjing to look for a job and I was to return to Beijing to
study, so we started out together.
I spent the first day in Nanjing strolling about with some friends at their in*itation,
and was ferrying across the Yangtse Ri*er to Pukou the next morning and thence taking a
train for Beijing on the afternoon of the same day. Father said he was too busy to go and
see me off at the railway station, but would ask a hotel waiter that he knew to accompany
me there instead. He urged the waiter again and again to take good care of me, but still did
not quite trust him. He hesitated for quite a while about what to do. As a matter of fact,
nothing would matter at all because I was then twenty and had already tra*elled on
Beijing-Pukou Railway a couple of times. After some wa*ering, he finally decided that he
himself would accompany me to the station. I repeatedly tried to talk him out of it, but he
only said, “Ne*er mind! It won’t do to trust guys like those hotel boys!”
We entered the railway station after crossing the Ri*er. While I was at the booking
office buying a ticket, father saw to my luggage. There was quite a bit of luggage and he
had to bargain with the porter o*er the fee. I was then such a smart aleck that I frowned
upon the way father was haggling and was on the *erge of chipping in a few words when
the bargain was finally clinched. Getting on the train with me, he picked me a seat close to
the carriage door. I spread on the seat the brownish fur-lined o*ercoat he had got tailor
made for me. He told me to be watchful on the way and be careful not to catch cold at
night. he also asked the train attendants to take good care of me. I sniggered at father for
being so impractical, for it was utterly useless to entrust me to those attendants, who cared
for nothing but money. Besides, it was certainly no problem for a person of my age to look
after himself. Oh, when I come to think of it, I can see how smarty I was in those days!
I said, “Dad, you might lea*e now.” But he looked out of window and said, “I’m
going to buy you some tangerines. You just stay here. Don’t mo*e around.” I caught sight
of se*eral *endors waiting for customers outside the railings beyond a platform. But to
reach that platform would require crossing the railway track and doing some climbing up
and down. That would be a strenuous job for father, who was fat. I wanted to do all that
myself, but he stopped me, so I could do nothing but let him go. I watched him hobble
towards the railway track in his black skullcap, black cloth mandarin jacket and dark blue
cotton-padded cloth long gown. He had little trouble climbing down the railway track, but
it was a lot more difficult for him to climb up that platform after crossing the railway track.
His hands held onto the upper part of the platform, his legs huddled up and his corpulent
body tipped slightly towards the left, ob*iously making an enormous exertion. While I was
watching him from behind, tears gushed from my eyes. I quickly wiped them away lest he
or others should catch me crying. The next moment when I looked out of the window again,
father was already on the way back, holding bright red tangerines in both hands. In
crossing the railway track, he first put the tangerines on the ground, climbed down slowly
and then picked them up again. When he came near the train, I hurried out to help him by
the hand. After boarding the train with me, he laid all the tangerines on my o*ercoat, and
patting the dirt off his clothes, he looked somewhat relie*ed and said after a while, “I must
be going now. Don’t forget to write me from Beijing!” I gazed after his back retreating out
of the carriage. After a few steps, he looked back at me and said, “go back to your seat.
Don’t lea*e your things alone.” I, howe*er, did not go back to my seat until his figure was
lost among crowds of people hurrying to and fro and no longer *isible. My eyes were again
wet with tears.
In recent years, both father and I ha*e been li*ing an unsettled life, and the
circumstances of our family going from bad to worse. Father left home to seek a li*elihood
when young and did achie*e quite a few things all on his own. To think that he should now
be so downcast in old age! The discouraging state of affairs filled him with an
uncontrollable feeling of deep sorrow, and his pent-up emotion had to find a *ent. That is
why e*en mere domestic tri*ialities would often make him angry, and meanwhile he
became less and less nice with me. Howe*er, the separation of the last two years has made
him more forgi*ing towards me. He keeps thinking about me and my son. After I arri*ed in
Beijing, he wrote me a letter, in which he says. “I’m all right except for a se*ere pain in my
arm. I e*en ha*e trouble using chopsticks or writing brushes. Perhaps it won’t be long now
before I depart this life.” Through the glistening tears which these words had brought to
my eyes I again saw the back of father’s corpulent form in the dark blue cotton-padded
cloth long gown and the black cloth mandarin jacket. Oh, how I long to see him again.
注释:
《背影》是朱自清（*98-1948）影响最大的抒情名篇之一，写于1925年10月。作者用的提炼的口语，文笔秀丽，细腻缜密，读来有一种亲切婉转、娓娓动听的感觉。但它的巨大艺术魅力主要来自它饱含的真挚感情。
(1)“回家”指作者和父亲一起从徐州回扬州奔丧。英译时有必要交代清楚扬州是他们的老家，所以采用加字法：After arri*ing home in Yangzhou。
(2)“一半为了丧事，一半为了父亲的赋闲”译为Between Grandma’s funeral and father’s
unemployment，其中Between…and…等于What with …and (what with)…，作“半因……，半因……”或“由于……的共同影响“解。
(3)“茶房”旧时指旅馆、餐馆、轮船等内的服务员，可译为waiter、attendant、boy等。
(4)“我两三回劝他不必去”译为I repeatedly tried to talk him out of it，比I repeatedly tried to
dissuade him from accompanying me to the station通俗简洁。
(5)“他们去不好”中的“他们”指“茶房”，全句意译为It won’t do to trust guys like those hotel
boys。如直译为It won’t do to let one of the hotel boys go with you，也无不可，但未能把“对茶房缺乏信任感”的意思表达出来。
(6)“小费”在这里不指按规定价格付费之外另给的“赏金”，不能用tip表达，现译为fee。
(7)“我那时真是聪明过分”中的“聪明”是反话，现全句译为I was then such a smart aleck，
其中smart aleck意即“自以为是的人”或“自以为样样懂的人”。
(8)“总觉得他说话不大漂亮”意即嫌父亲不会讲价钱，现全句译为I frowned upon the way
father was haggling，其中frowned upon作“表示不赞同”解。
(9)“迂”在这里作“不切实际”或“没有见识”解，现结合上下文译为impractical。
(10)“那时真是太聪明了”也是反语，现译为how smarty I was in those days，其中smarty和
smart aleck同义。
(11)“马褂”为旧时男子穿在长袍外的对襟短褂，通常译为mandarin jacket。
(12)“里边没人”不宜按字面直译，现译为Don’t lea*e your things alone。
(13)“父亲和我都是东奔西走”不宜按字面直译，现意译为both father and I ha*e been li*ing an
unsettled life。
(14)“他触目伤怀，自然情不能自己”意即“他看到家庭败落，情不自禁为之悲伤”，现译
为The discouraging state of affairs filled him with an uncontrollable feeling of deep sorrow。
(15)“他待我渐渐不同往日”意即“他待我渐渐不如过去那么好”，故译为he became less and
less nice with me。
(16)“大去”为旧时用语，意即“与世长辞”，现译为depart this life。
匆 匆
朱自清
燕子去了，有再来的时候；杨柳枯了，在再青的时候；桃花谢了，有再开的时候
1。但是，聪明的，你告诉我，我们的日子为什么一去不复返呢？——是有人偷了他
们罢：那是谁？又藏在何处呢？是他们自己逃走了罢：现在又到了那里呢2？
我不知道他们给了我多少日子3；但我的手确乎是渐渐空虚了4。在默默里算着，
八千多日子已经从我手中溜去5；像针尖上一滴水滴在大海里，我的日子滴在时间的
流里，没有声音，也没有影子。我不禁头涔涔而泪潸潸了6。
去的尽管去了，来的尽管来着；去来的中间，又怎样地匆匆呢？早上我起来的时
候，小屋里射进两三方7斜斜的太阳。太阳他也有脚啊，轻轻悄悄地挪移8了；我也茫
茫然跟着旋转。于是——洗手的时候，日子从水盆里过去；吃饭的时候，日子从饭碗
里过去；默默时，便从凝然的双眼前过去。我觉察他去的匆匆了，伸出手遮挽时，他
又从遮挽着的手边过去，天黑时，我躺在床上，他便伶伶俐俐在从我身上跨过，从我
脚边飞去了。等我睁开眼和太阳再见，这算又溜走了一日。我掩着面叹息。但是新来
的日子的影儿又开始在叹息里闪过了。
在逃去如飞的日子里，在千门万户的世界里的我能做些什么呢？只有徘徊罢了，
只有匆匆罢了；在八千多日的匆匆里，除徘徊外，又剩些什么呢？过去的日子如轻烟，
被微风吹散了，如薄雾，被初阳蒸融了；我留着些什么痕迹呢？我何曾留着像游丝样
的痕迹呢？我赤裸裸来到这世界，转眼间也将赤裸裸的回去罢？但不能平的9，为什
么偏要白白走这一遭啊？
你聪明的，告诉我，我们的日子为什么一去不复返呢？
Transient Days
Zhu ziqing
If swallows go away, they will come back again. If willows wither, they will turn
green again. If peach blossoms fade, they will flower again. But, tell me, you the wise, why
should our days go by ne*er to return? Perhaps they ha*e been stolen by someone. But
who could it be and where could he hide them? Perhaps they ha*e just run away by
themsel*es. But where could they be at the present moment?
I don’t know how many days I am entitled to altogether, but my quota of then is
undoubtedly wearing away. Counting up silently, I find that more than 8000 days ha*e
already slipped away through my fingers. Like a drop of water falling off a needle point
into the ocean, my days are quietly dripping into the stream of time without lea*ing a trace.
At the thought of this, sweat oozes from my forehead and tears trickle down my cheeks.
What is gone is gone, what is to come keeps coming. How swift is the transition in
between! When I get up in the morning, the slanting sun casts two or three squarish
patches of light into my small room. The sun has feet too, edging away softly and
stealthily. And, without knowing it, I am already caught in its re*olution. Thus the day
flows away through the sink when I wash my hands; *anishes in the rice bowl when I ha*e
my meal; passes away quietly before the fixed gaze of my eyes when I am lost in re*erie.
Aware of its fleeting presence, I reach out for it only to find it brushing past my
outstretched hands. In the e*ening, when I lie on my bed, it nimbly strides o*er my body
and flits past my feet. By the time when I open my eyes to meet the sun again, another day
is already gone. I hea*e a sigh, my head buried in my hands. But, in the midst of my sighs,
a new day is flashing past.
Li*ing in this world with its fleeting days and teeming millions, what can I do but
wa*er and wander and li*e a transient life? What ha*e I been doing during the 8000
fleeting days except wa*ering and wandering? The bygone days, like wisps of smoke, ha*e
been dispersed by gentle winds, and, like thin mists, ha*e been e*aporated by the rising
sun. What traces ha*e I left behind? No, nothing, not e*en gossamer-like traces. I ha*e
come to this world stark naked, and in the twinkling of an eye, I am to go back as stark
naked as e*er. Howe*er, I am taking it *ery much to heart: why should I be made to pass
through this world for nothing at all?
O you the wise, would you tell me please: why should our days go by ne*er to return?
注释：
本文是朱自清的早期散文，写于1922年7月28日。文章充满诗意，对时光的消失深表感叹
和无奈，流露出当时青年知识分子的苦闷和忧伤情绪。
(1) 原文开头三个句子结构类似，译文采用三个相应的句式，力求形似。同时，每句均以if
从句为首，使人想起英国诗人雪莱(Shelley)的名句If Winter comes, can Spring be far away，有助于烘托原文的韵味。
(2) “现在又到了那里呢”译为But where could they be at the present moment，其中at the
present moment等于now，也可用at the moment或at the moment in time等表达。
(3) “我不知道他们给了我多少日子”译为I don’t know how many days I am entitled to
altogether，其中entitled to相当于qualified for，作“能有……”或“有权得到……”解。此句也可译为I don’t know how many days been gi*en to li*e。
(4) “但我的手确乎是渐渐空虚了”不宜逐字直译，现以意译法处理：but my quota of them is
undoubtedly wearing away，其中quota of them的意思是“一定数额的日子”，也即“寿命的预期数额”。也可用my allotted span 代替my quota of them。
(5) “八千多日子已经从我手中溜去”译为more than 8000 days ha*e already slipped away
through my fingers，其中to slip away through one’s fingers是英语习语。
(6) “我不禁头涔涔而泪潸潸了”的译文中添加了At the thought of this（一想到这儿），承
上启下，原文虽无其字而有其意。
(7) “两三方”译为two and three squarish patches，其中squarish的意思是“似方形的”比
square模糊些，似较可取。
(8) “挪移”在此有“慢慢离开”的含义，现以英语短语动词(phrasal *erb) to edge away表
达。注意原文第三段中若干表示动作的词语在译文中均挑选恰当的英语短语动词表达，效果较好。如：“从……（双眼前）过去”译为to pass away before…；“伸出手遮挽……”译为to reach out for…；“从……（手边）过去”译为to brush past…；“从……（身上）跨过”译为to stride o*er…；
“从……（脚边）飞去了”译为to flit past…；“闪过去了”译为to flash past。
(9) “不能平的”意即“为之耿耿于怀”或“为之想不开”，现译为Iam taking it *ery much
to heart，其中to take…to heart是英语成语，作“为……烦恼”或“为……想不开”解。
木匠老陈(1)
巴金
生活的经验固然会叫人忘记许多事情(2)。但是有些记忆过了多少时间的磨洗(3)也
不会消灭。
故乡里那些房屋，那些街道至今还印在我的脑子里。我还记得我每天到学堂去总
要走过的木匠老陈的铺子。
木匠老陈那时不过四十岁光景，脸长的像驴子脸，左眼下面有块伤疤，嘴唇上略
有几根胡须。大家都说他的相貌丑，但是同时人人称赞他的脾气好。
他平日在店里。但是他也经常到相熟的公馆里去做活(4)，或者做包工，或者做零
工(5)。我们家里需要木匠的时候，总是去找他。我就在这时候认识他。他在我们家里
做活，我只要有空，就跑去看他工作。
我那时注意的，并不是他本人，倒是他的那些工具；什么有轮齿的锯子啦，有两
个耳朵的刨子啦，会旋转的钻子啦，像图画里板斧一般的斧子啦。这些奇怪的东西我
以前全没有看见过。一块粗糙的木头经过了斧子劈，锯子锯，刨子刨，就变成了一方
或者一条光滑整齐的木板，再经过钻子、凿子等等工具以后，又变成了各种各样的东
西(6)；像美丽的窗格，镂花的壁板等等细致的物件，都是这样制成的。
老陈和他的徒弟的工作使我的眼界宽了不少(7)。那时我还在家里读书，祖父聘请
了一位前清的老秀才来管教我们。老秀才不知道教授的方法，他只教我们认一些字，
呆板地读一些书。此外他就把我们关在书房里，端端正正地坐(8)在凳子上，让时间白
白地流过去。过惯了这种单调的生活以后，无怪乎我特别喜欢老陈了。
老陈常常弯着腰，拿了尺子和墨线盒在木板上面画什么东西。我便安静地站在旁
边专心地望着，连眼珠也不转一下。他画好墨线，便拿起锯子或者凿子来。我有时候
觉得有些地方很奇怪，不明白，就问他，他很和气地对我一一说明。他的态度比那个
老秀才的好得多(9)。
家里人看见我对老陈的工作感到这么大的兴趣，并不来干涉我，却嘲笑地唤我做
老陈的徒弟，父亲甚至开玩笑地说要把我送到老陈那里学做木匠。但这些嘲笑都是好
意的，父亲的确喜欢我。因此有一个时候我居然相信父亲真有这样的想法，而且我对
老陈说过要跟他学做木匠的话。
“你要学做木匠？真笑话！有钱的少爷应该读书，将来好做官！穷人的小孩才做
木匠，”老陈听见我的话，马上就笑起来。
“为什么不该学做木匠？做官有什么好？修房子，做家具，才有趣啊！我做木匠，
我要给自己修房子，爬到上面去，爬得高高的，”我看见他不相信我的话，把它只当
做小孩子的胡说(10)，我有些生气，就起劲地争论道。
“爬得高，会跌下来，”老陈随口说了这一句，他的笑容渐渐地收起来了。
“跌下来，你骗我！我就没有见过木匠跌下来。”
老陈看我一眼，依旧温和地说：“做木匠修房子，常常拿自己性命来拼。一个不当心在上面滑了脚，跌下来，不跌成肉酱，也会得一辈子的残疾。”他说到这里就埋
下头，用力在木板上推他的刨子，木板查查地响着，一卷一卷的刨花接连落在地上。
他过了半晌又加了一句：“我爹就是这样子跌死的。”
我不相信他的话。一个人会活活地跌死！我没有看见过，也没有听见人说过。既
然他父亲做木匠跌死了，为什么他现在还做木匠呢？我简直想不通。
“你骗我，我不信！那么你为什么还要做木匠？难道你就不怕死！”
“做木匠的人这样多，不见得个个都遭横死。我学的是这行手艺，不靠它吃饭又
靠什么？“他苦恼地说。然后他抬起头来看我，他的眼角上嵌着泪珠。他哭了！
我看见他流眼泪，不知道怎么办才好，就跑开了。
不久祖父生病死了，我也进了学堂，不再受那个老秀才的管束了。祖父死后木匠
老陈不曾到我们家里来过。但是我每天到学堂去都要经过他那个小小的铺子。
有时候他在店里招呼我；有时候他不在，只有一两个徒弟在那里钉凳子或者制造
别的对象。他的店起初还能维持下去，但是不久省城里发生了巷战，一连打了三天，
然后那两位军阀因为别人的调解又握手言欢了。老陈的店在这个时候遭到“丘八”的
光顾，他的一点点积蓄都给抢光了，只剩下一个空铺子(11)。这以后他虽然勉强开店，
生意却很萧条。我常常看见他哭丧着脸在店里做工。他的精神颓丧，但是他仍然不停
手地做活。我听说他晚上时常到小酒馆里喝酒。
又过了几个月他的店终于关了门。我也就看不见他的踪迹了。有人说他去吃粮当
了兵(12)，有人说他到外县谋生去了。然而有一天我在街上碰见了他。他手里提着一
个篮子，里面装了几件木匠用的工具。
“老陈，你还在省城！人家说你吃粮去了(13)！”我快活地大声叫起来。
“我只会做木匠，我就只会做木匠！一个人应该安分守己，”他摇摇头微微笑道，
他的笑容里带了一点悲哀。他没有什么大改变，只是人瘦了些，脸黑了些，衣服脏了
些。
“少爷，你好好读书，你将来做了官，我来给你修房子，”他继续笑说。
我抓住他的袖子，再也说不出一句话来。他告辞走了。他还告诉我他在他从前一
个徒弟的店里帮忙。这个徒弟如今发达了，他却在那里做一个匠人。
以后我就没有再看见老陈。我虽然喜欢他，但是过了不几天我又把他忘记了。等
到公馆里的轿夫告诉我一个消息的时候，我才记起他来。
那个轿夫报告的是什么消息呢？
他告诉我：老陈同别的木匠一起在南门一家大公馆里修楼房(14)，工程快要完了，
但是不晓得怎样，老陈竟然从楼上跌下来，跌死了。
在那么多的木匠里面，偏偏是他跟着他父亲落进了横死的命运圈里。这似乎是偶
然，似乎又不是偶然。总之，一个安分守己的人就这样地消灭了(15)。
Carpenter Lao Chen
Ba Jin
Lots of things are apt to fade from memory as one’s life experiences accumulate. But
some memories will withstand the wear and tear of time.
Those houses and streets in my home town still remain engra*ed on my mind. I still
can recall how e*ery day on my way to school I would in*ariably walk past Carpenter Lao
Chen’s shop.
Carpenter Lao Chen was then only about forty years old, with a longish face like that
of a donkey, a scar under his left eye, and a wispy moustache on his upper lip. People said
he looked ugly, yet they praised him for his good temper.
He usually worked in his own shop. But from time to time he was employed by some
rich people he knew well to work at their residences, either as a hired hand on contract or
as an odd jobber. Whene*er my family needed a carpenter, he was always the man we
wanted. That was how I got to know him. While he was in our home, I would come out to
watch him work in my spare time.
What attracted my attention, howe*er, was not the man himself, but the tools he used,
such as the saw with toothed blade, the plane with two ear-like handles, the re*ol*ing drill
– things entirely strange to me. A piece of coarse wood, after being processed with the
hatchet, saw and plane, would become pieces of smooth and tidy wood, square or
rectangular in shape. After further treatment with the chisel, drill, etc., they would end up
as *arious kinds of exquisite articles, such as beautiful window lattices, ornamental
engra*ings on wooden partitions.
The work which Lao Chen and his apprentices did was a real eye-opener to me. I was
then studying at home under the tutorship of an old scholar of Qing Dynasty whom my
grandfather had engaged. The ild scholar knew nothing about teaching methods. All he did
was make me learn some Chinese characters and do some dull reading. Apart from that, he
had me cooped up in my study and sit bolt upright doing nothing while time was slipping
through my fingers. Because of this monotonous life, it was no wonder that I de*eloped a
particular liking for Carpenter Lao Chen.
He was often bent o*er drawing something on a plank with a ruler and an ink marker.
And I would stand by and watch quietly and intently, my eyes ri*eted on him. After
making the line with the ink marker, he would pick up the saw or the chisel. Sometimes,
when something puzzled me, I would ask him questions out of curiosity, and he would
explain patiently e*erything in detail. He was much more agreeable than the old scholar.
My folks, howe*er, showed no sign of disappro*al when they found me so much
interested in Lao Chen’s work, but only teasingly called me an apprentice of his. Father
e*en said jokingly that he was going to apprentice me to Lao Chen. All that was the well-
meaning remarks of an affectionate father. Once I e*en belie*ed that father had meant
what he said, and I e*en told Lao Chen that that was exactly what I had in mind.
“You want to learn carpentry?” said Lao Chen immediately with a smile. “No kidding!
A wealthy young master like you should study and grow up to be a go*ernment official!
Only poor people’s kids learn carpentry.”
Somewhat annoyed by the way he shrugged off my words as childish nonsense, I
argued heatedly, “Why not become a carpenter? What’s the good of being a go*ernment
official? It’s great fun to build houses and make furniture. If I’m a carpenter, I’ll climb
high up, *ery high up, to build a house for myself.”
“You may fall down if you climb high,” said he casually, the smile on his face fading
away.
“Fall down? You’re fooling me! I’*e ne*er seen a carpenter fall down.”
Shooting a glance at me, he continued with undiminished patience.
“A carpenter often has to risk his own life in building a house. One careless slip, and
you fall down. You’ll be disabled for life, if not reduced to pulp.”
Thereupon, he bent his head and forcefully pushed his plane o*er a plank, the
sha*ings of which fell continuously onto the ground amidst the screeching sound. Then he
added after a moment’s silence.
“That’s how my father died.”
I just could not bring myself to belie*e it. How could a man die like that? I had ne*er
seen it happen, nor had I e*er heard of it. If his father had died of an accident as a carpenter,
why should Lao Chen himself still be carpenter now? I just couldn’t figure it out.
“You’re fooling me. I don’t belie*e you! How come you’re still a carpenter? Can you
be unafraid of death?”
“Lots of guys are in this trade,” he went on gloomily. “it doesn’t follow that
e*erybody meets with such a *iolent death. Carpentry is my trade. What else could I rely
on to make a li*ing?”
He looked up at me, some teardrops *isible from the corners of his eyes. He was
crying!
I was at a loss when I saw him in tears, so I went away quietly.
Not long afterwards. My grandpa fell ill and died, and I was enrolled in a school, no
longer under the control of the old scholar. Lao Chen ne*er came again to work in our
household after grandpa’s death. But e*ery day on my way to school, I would pass his
small shop.
Sometimes he beckoned me from his shop. Sometimes he was absent, lea*ing a
couple of his apprentices there hammering nails into a stool or making some other articles.
At first, he could somehow scrape along. Soon street fighting broke out in the pro*incial
capital, lasting three days until the dispute between two warlords was settled through the
mediation of third party. In the course of fighting, soldiers looted Lao Chen’s shop until it
was empty of e*erything. After that, ne*ertheless, he still managed to keep his shop open
though business was bad. I often saw him working in his shop with a saddened look on his
face. Dejected as he was, he worked on as usual. I heard that he often went drinking at a
small wine shop in the e*ening.
Se*eral months later, his shop closed down for good and I lost all trace of him. Some
said he had gone soldiering, others said he had gone to another county to seek a li*elihood.
One day, howe*er, I ran into him in the street. He was carrying a basket filled with some
carpenter’s tools.
“Lao Chen,” I yelled out in joy, “you’re still here in the pro*incial capital! People say
you’re joined up!”
“I’m good at nothing else but carpentry! One should be content with one’s lot,” he
shook his head, wearing a faint smile with a touch of sorrow. There was not much change
in him except that he was thinner, his face darker and his clothes more dirty.
“Young master,” he continued smilingly,” “you should study hard. Let me build a
house for you come day when you’re a go*ernment official.”
I took hold of his slee*e, unable to utter a word. He said goodbye to me and went
away. He had told me that he was now working at the shop of former apprentice of his.
The apprentice was doing quiet well while Lao Chen was now his hired hand.
Thenceforth I ne*er saw Lao Chen again. Much as I liked him, I soon forgot him. It
was not until the sedan-chair bearer of a rich household passed on me the news that I
remembered him again.
What news did the sedan-chair bearer tell me?
He told me: tighter with other carpenters, was building a mansion for a rich household
at the southern city gate. When it was nearing completion, it suddenly came to pass that he
fell off building and died.
Why did Lao Chen, of all carpenters, die such a *iolent death like his father? All that
seems accidental, and also seems predestined. In short, an honest man has thus passed out
of existence.
注释：
巴金（1903- ）的《木匠老陈》写于1934年，后编入他的散文集《生之忏悔》。这是一篇
传记体的回忆性文章，充满浓郁的抒情色彩，对旧时淳朴的劳动大众的苦难深表同情。
(1)“木匠老陈”译为Carpenter Lao Chen，其中Carpenter为称号化名词，故在前面不加任何
冠词。这是现代英语中的常见用法。
(2)“生活的经验……叫人忘记许多事情”意即“随着生活经历的积累，许多往事，难免给忘了”，故译为Lots of things are apt to fade from memory as one’s life experiences accumulate。
(3)“时间的磨洗”意即“岁月的腐蚀”，现译为the wear and tear of time，其中wear and tear
是英语成语，作“磨损”（loss and damage resulting from use）。
(4)“他……到相熟的公馆里去做活”中的“公馆”指“大户”、“有钱人家”，故全句译为
he was employed by some rich people he knew well to work at their residences。
(5)“包工”指“按合同合同操作”，“零工”指“不按合同操作”，故两者按上下文分别译
为a hired hand on contract和an odd-jobber。
(6)“又变成各种各样（细致）的东西”译为would end up as *arious kinds of exquisite articles，
其中end up是成语，作“最终成为”解。这里使用它是为了避免重复前句中的become一词。
(7)“……使我的眼界宽了不少”译为……was a real eye-opener to me，其中eye-opener作“使
人大开眼界的事物”(something e*ery surprising, from which one learners something unknown before)解，通常和re*elation意相近。
(8)“端端正正地坐……”译为sit bolt upright…，其中bolt upright 是常用搭配，bolt可与to sit或to stand等连用，作“笔直”解。此句也可译为sit *ery straight…。
(9)“他的态度比那个老秀才的好多了”中的“好”的意思是“令人愉快”或“易于相处”，
故全句译为He was much more agreeable than the old scholar，其中agreeable意即“易于相处”
（pleasant或likable）。
(10)“……不相信我的话，把它当作小孩子的胡说”译为……shrugged off my words as childish
nonsense，其中shrugged off是英语成语，本作“耸肩对……表示不屑理睬”解，现指“不当一回事”，与to ignore意同。
(11)“老陈的店……遭到‘丘八’的光顾，他的一点点积蓄都给抢光了，只剩下一个空铺子”
中的“丘八”为旧时对士兵的轻蔑称呼，现全句译为soldiers looted Lao Chen’s shop until it was empty of e*erything，其中until一词的意思不是“直到……为止”，而是“以至于”（to the point that / so that finally / and at last）。
(12)“有人说他去吃粮当了兵”中的“吃粮”旧时和“当兵”同义，现全句译为Some said he
had gone soldering即可。
(13)“人家说你吃粮去了！”译为People say you’*e joined up，其中to join up为成语，意同
to join the army。
(14)“在……一家大公馆修楼房”译为was building a mansion for a rich household，其中mansion
的意思是“大楼”（a large house，usually belonging to a wealthy person）。如按字面把“楼房”
译为a large multi-storied house未尝不可，但欠简练。
(15)“总之，一个安分守己的人就这样地消灭了”一句带有“惋惜”、“同情”的口气，故
译为In short, an honest man has thus passed out of existence，其中has thus passed out of existence 似比has thus perished确切。
朋 友
巴金
这一次的旅行使我更了解一个名词的意义，这个名词就是：朋友。
七八天以前我曾对一个初次见面的朋友说：“在朋友们面前我只感到惭愧(1)。你
们待我太好了，我简直没法报答你们。”这并不是谦虚的客气话，这是真的事实。说
过这些话，我第二天就离开了那个朋友，并不知道以后还有没有机会再看见他。但是
他给我的那一点点温暖至今还使我的心颤动(2)。
我的生命大概不会很长久罢。然而在短促的过去的回顾中却有一盏明灯，照彻了
我的灵魂的黑暗，使我的生存有一点光彩。这盏灯就是就友情。我应该感谢它，因为
靠了它我才能够活到现在；而且把旧家庭给我留下的阴影扫除了的也正是它。
世间有不少的人为了家庭抛弃朋友，至少也会在家庭和朋友之间划一个界限，把
家庭看得比朋友重过若干倍。这似乎是很自然的事情。我也曾亲眼看见一些人结婚以
后就离开朋友，离开事业。……
朋友是暂时的，家庭是永久的。在好些人的行为里我发见了这个信条。这个信条
在我实在是不可理解的。对于我，要是没有朋友，我现在会变成怎样可怜的东西，我
自己也不知道(3)。
然而朋友们把我救了。他们给了我家庭所不能给的东西。他们的友爱，他们的帮
助，他们的鼓励，几次把我从深渊的边沿救回来。他们对我表示了无限的慷慨(4)。
我的生活曾经是悲苦的，黑暗的。然而朋友们把多量的同情，多量的爱，多量的
欢乐，多量的眼泪分了给我，这些东西都是生存所必需的。这些不要报答的慷慨的施
舍，使我的生活里也有了温暖，有了幸福(5)。我默默地接受了它们。我并不曾说一句
感激的话，我也没有做过一件报答的行为。但是朋友们却不把自私的形容词加到我的
身上。对于我，他们太慷慨了(6)。
这一次我走了许多新地方，看见了许多新朋友。我的生活是忙碌的：忙着看，忙
着听，忙着说，忙着走。但是我不曾遇到一点困难，朋友们给我准备好了一切，使我
不会缺少什么。我每走到一个新地方，我就像回到我那个在上海被日本兵毁掉的旧居
一样。 每一个朋友，不管他自己的生活是怎样苦，怎样简单，也要慷慨地分一些东西给
我，虽然明知道我不能够报答他。有些朋友，连他们的名字我以前也不知道，他们却
关心我的健康，处处打听我的“病况”，直到他们看见了我那被日光晒黑了的脸和膀
子，他们才放心地微笑了，这种情形的确值得人掉泪。
有人相信我不写文章就不能够生活。两个月以前，一个同情我的上海朋友寄稿到
《广州民国日报》的副刊，说了许多关于我的生活的话。他也说我一天不写文章第二
天就没有饭吃(7)。这是不确实的。这次旅行就给我证明；即使我不再写一个字，朋友
们也不肯让我冻馁。世间还有许多慷慨的人，他们并不把自己个人和家庭看得异常重
要，超过一切。靠了他们我才能够活到现在，而且靠了他们我还要活下去。
朋友们给我的东西是太多、太多了(8)。我将怎样报答他们呢？但是我知道他们是不需要报答的。
最近我在一个法国哲学家的书里读到了这样的话：“生命的一个条件就是消
费……世间有一种不能跟生存分开的慷慨，要是没有了它，我们就会死，就会从内部
干枯。我们必须开花。道德，无私心就是人生的花。”
在我的眼前开放着这么多的人生的花朵了。我的生命要到什么时候才会开花？难
道我已经是“内部干枯”了吗？
一个朋友说过：“我若是灯，我就要用我的光明来照彻黑暗。”
我不配做一盏明灯。那么就让我做一块木柴罢。我愿意把我从太阳那里受到的热
放散出来，我愿意把自己烧得粉身碎骨给人间添一点点温暖。
Friends
Ba Jin
On my recent tra*els, I came to realize still more fully the significance of the word
“friend”.
Se*en or eight days ago, I said to a friend whom I had just come to know, “I can’t
help feeling embarrassed before my friends. You’re all so nice to me. I simply don’t know
how to repay your kindness.” I did not make this remark out of mere modesty and courtesy.
I truly meant what I said. The next day, I said goodbye to this friend, not knowing if I
could e*er see him again. But the little warmth that he ga*e me has been keeping my heart
throbbing with gratitude.
The length of my days will not be unlimited. Howe*er, whene*er I look back on my
brief past life, I find a beacon illuminating my soul and thereby lending a little brightness
to my being. That beacon is friendship. I should be grateful to it because it has helped me
keep ali*e up to now and clear away the shadow left on me by my old family.
Many people forsake their friends in fa*our of their own families, or at least draw a
line of demarcation between families and friends, considering the former to be many times
more important than the latter. That seems to be a matter of course. I ha*e also seen with
my own eyes how some people abandon their friends as well as their own careers soon
after they get married…
Friends are transient whereas family are lasting—that is the tenet, as I know, guiding
the beha*iour of many people. To me, that is utterly inconcei*able. Without friends, I
would ha*e been reduced to I don’t know what a miserable creature.
Friends are my sa*iours. They gi*e me things which it is beyond my family to gi*e
me. Thanks to their fraternal lo*e, assistance and encouragement, I ha*e time and again
been sa*ed from falling into an abyss while on its *erge. They ha*e been enormously
generous towards me.
There was a time when my life was miserable and gloomy. My friends then ga*e me
in large quantities sympathy, lo*e, joy and tears—things essential for existence. It is due to
their bountiful free gifts that I also ha*e my share of warmth and happiness in my life. I
accepted their kindnesses quietly without e*er saying a word of thanks and without e*er
doing anything in return. In spite of that, my friends ne*er used the epithet “self-centered”
when referred to me. They are only too generous towards me.
I *isited many new places and met new friends on my recent trip. My time was mostly
taken up by looking around, listening, talking and walking. But I ne*er ran into any trouble
because my friends had done their utmost to make sure that I would be short of nothing.
Whate*er new places I called at, I always felt at home as if I were back in my old residence
in Shanghai which had been already been raged to the ground by Japanese troops.
No matter how hard up and frugal my friends themsel*es were, they would
unstintingly share with me whate*er they had, although they knew I would not be able to
repay them for their kindness. Some, whom I did not e*en know by name, showed concern
o*er my health and went about inquiring after me. It was not until they saw my suntanned
face and arms that they began to smile a smile of relief. All that was enough to mo*e one
to tears.
Some people belie*e that, without writing, I would lose my li*elihood. One of my
sympathizers, in an article published two months ago in the Guangzhou Republic Daily
Supplement, gi*es a full account of the conditions of my life. He also says that I would
ha*e nothing to li*e on once I should lay down my pen. That is not true at all. It has
already been pro*ed by recent tra*els that my friends would ne*er let me suffer from cold
and hunger e*en if I should go without writing a single word. There are a great many
kind-hearted people in the world who ne*er attach undue importance to themsel*es and
their own families and who ne*er place themsel*es and their families abo*e anything else.
It is owing to them that I still sur*i*e and shall continue to sur*i*e for a long time to come.
I owe my friends many, many kindnesses. How can I repay them? But, I understand,
they don’t need me to do that.
Recently I came across the following words in a book by a French philosopher:
One condition of life is consumption… Sur*i*al in this world is
inseparable from generosity, without which we would perish and
become dried-up from within. We must put forth flowers. Moral
integrity and unselfishness are the flowers of life.
Now so many flowers of life are in full bloom before my eyes. When can my life put
forth flowers? Am I already dried-up from within?
A friend of mine says, “If I were a lamp, I would illuminate darkness with my light.”
I, howe*er, don’t qualify for a bright lamp. Let me be a piece of firewood instead. I’ll
radiate the heat that I ha*e absorbed from the sun. I’ll burn myself to ashes to pro*ide this
human world with a little warmth.
注释：
本文是巴金1933年6月写于广州的一篇旅途随笔，赞颂了人间友情之可贵。
(1)“在朋友面前我只感到惭愧”中的“惭愧”的意思是“不好意思”，不作“羞愧”解，因
此不宜按字面译为ashamed等。可译为embarrassed 或ill at ease等。
(2)“使我的心颤动”译为Keeping my heart throbbing with gratitude，其中with gratitude是添
加成分，原文虽无其字而有其意。
(3)“我现在会变成怎样可怜的东西，我自己也不知道“译为I would ha*e been reduced to I don’t know what a miserable creature，其中I don’t know作插入语用。
(4)“无限的慷慨”译为enormously generous，其中enormously作extremely或exceedingly解，属强化修饰词（intensifying adjecti*e）。
(5)“这些不要报答的慷慨施舍，使我的生活里也有了温暖，有了幸福”译为It is due to their
bountiful free gifts that I also ha*e my share of warmth and happiness in my life，其中bountiful的意思是“慷慨”或“大量”；my share of 作“我（也有）的一份”解，用以表达原文中“也”的内涵。
(6)“太慷慨”译为only too generous，其中only too是成语，作*ery或all too解。
(7)“一天不写文章第二天就没有饭吃”中的“一天……第二天就……”在译文中用连接词
once即可表达。又“没有饭吃”不宜按字面直译，现意译为ha*e nothing to li*e on。
(8)“朋友给我的东西是太多、太多了”中的“东西”主要指“帮助”，侧重在精神方面，虽
然也可译为things，但在此不如kindnesses (= kind acts)更为贴切。
梦
巴金
据说“至人(1)无梦”。幸而我只是一个平庸的人。
我有我的梦中世界，在那里我常常见到你。
昨夜又见到你那慈祥的笑容了
还是在我们那个老家，在你的房间里，在我的房间里(2)，你亲切地对我讲话。你
笑，我也笑。
还是成都的那些旧街道，我跟着你一步一步地走过平坦的石板路，我望着你的背
影，心里安慰地想：父亲还很康健呢。一种幸福的感觉使我的全身发热了。
我那时不会知道我是在梦中，也忘记了二十五年来的艰苦日子。
在戏园里，我坐在你旁边，看台上的武戏(3)，你还详细地给我解释剧中情节。
我变成二十几年前的孩子了。我高兴，我没有挂虑地微笑(4)，我不假思索地随口
讲话。我想不道我在很短的时间以后就会失掉你，失掉这一切。
然而睁开眼睛，我只是一个人，四周就只有滴滴的雨声。房里是一片黑暗。
没有笑，没有话语。只有雨声：滴——滴——滴。
我用力把眼睛睁大，我撩开蚊帐，我在漆黑的空间中找寻你影子。
但是从两扇开着的小窗，慢慢地透进来灰白色的亮光，使我的眼睛看见了这个空
阔的房间。
没有你，没有你的微笑。有的是寂寞、单调。雨一直滴——滴地下着。
我唤你，没有回应。我侧耳倾听，没有脚声。我静下来，我的心怦怦地跳动。我
听见自己的心的声音。
我的心在走路，它慢慢地走过了二十五年，一直到这个夜晚。
我于是闭了嘴，我知道你不会再站到我的面前。二十五年前我失掉了你。我从无
父的孩子已经长成一个中年人了。
雨声继续着，长夜在滴滴声中进行(5)。我的心感到无比的寂寞。怎么，是屋漏么？
我的脸颊湿了。
小时候我有一个愿望：我愿在你的庇荫下(6)做一世的孩子。现在只有让梦来满足
这个愿望了。
至少在梦里，我可以见到你，我高兴，我没有挂虑地微笑，我不假思索地随口讲
话。 为了这个，我应该感谢梦。
Dream
Ba Jin
It is said that “a *irtuous man seldom dream”. Fortunately, I am but an ordinary man.
I dream my own dream, in which I often meet you.
Last night I again saw your kindly smiling face.
It was the same old home of ours. You talked to me cordially now in your room, now
in my room. You smiled and I also smiled.
It was the same old streets of Chengdu. I followed you step by step on the smooth
flagstones. Looking at you from behind, I inwardly consoled myself with the thought that
father was still hale and hearty. A sensation of blissfulness warmed me up all o*er.
I was unaware that I was in a dream. I also forgot the hardships I had gone through
during the past 25 years.
While I sat beside you inside a theater watching the fighting scenes of Peking opera,
you explained its story to me in great detail.
I was again the small kid of 25 years before. I was joyful, I smiles, I chattered away
freely. I did not ha*e the slightest inkling that you together with e*erything else would in a
moment *anish out of sight.
When I opened my eyes, I found that I was all by myself and nothing was heard
except the pit-a-pat of rain drops.
No more smile, no more chitchat. Only the drip drip drip of rain.
Forcing my eyes to open wider and drawing aside the mosquito net, I began to search
for you in the pitch darkness.
A greyish light, ne*ertheless, edged in through two small windows to enable me to
see the spacious room.
You and your smile were no more. Only loneliness and monotony remained. The rain
kept pitter-pattering.
I called to you, but no response. I listened attenti*ely, but heard no footsteps. I quieted
down, my heart beating hard. I could hear its thumping.
My heart had been tramping along all the time. Up to now, it had been on its slow
journey for 25 years.
Thereupon I kept my mouth shut. I knew you would ne*er appear standing before me.
I had lost you 25 years before. Since then, I had grown from a fatherless child into a
middle-aged man.
The rain continued to fall. The long night wore on amidst its dripping sound. I was
seized with acute loneliness. Well, was the roof leaking? Or was it my tears that had wetted
my cheeks?
When I was young, I wished I could remain a kid fore*er under your wing. Now I can
fulfil this wish only in my dreams.
There in a dream, I can at least come face to face with you. I can be happy, I can
smile nai*e smiles, I can chatter away freely.
For all this, I should be thankful to my dreams.
注释:
《梦》是巴金写于1941年8月3日的一篇优美散文，后编入他的散文集《龙•虎•狗》中。
(1)“至人”在古代反映思想道德达到最高境界的人，现译为a *irtuous man。也可译为a man
of the highest *irtue或a man of moral integrity等。
(2)“在你的房间里，在我的房间里”意即“一回儿在你的房间里，一回儿在我的房间里”，
故译为You talked to me now in your room, now in my room。
(3)“武戏”指京剧中的武打场面，英译时应在the fighting scents后面加上of a Peking opera。
(4)“没有挂虑地微笑”意即“天真的微笑”，故译为smiled na.*e smiles。
(5)“长夜在滴滴声中进行”有时间过得很慢，很沉闷的含义。现全句译为The long night wore
on amidst its dripping sound，其中to wear on是英语成语，用来指时间“缓缓消逝”或“慢慢地挨
过”。
(6)“在你的庇荫下”译为under your wing，是英语成语，意同under your protection and care。
《激流》总序(1)
巴金
几年前我流了眼泪读完托尔斯泰小说《复活》，曾经在扉页上写了一句话：“生
活本身就是一个悲剧。”
事实并不是这样。生活并不是一个悲剧。它是一个“搏斗”。我们生活来做什么？
或者说我们为什么要有这生命？罗曼•罗兰的回答是“为的是来征服它” (2)。我认为
他说得不错。
我有了生命以来，在这个世界上虽然仅仅经历了二十几个寒暑，但是这短短的时
期也并不是白白度过的。这其间我也曾看见了不少的东西，知道了不少的事情。我的
周围是无边的黑暗(3)，但是我并不孤独，并不绝望。我无论在什么地方总看见那一股
生活的激流在动荡，在创造它自己的道路，通过乱山碎石中间。
这激流永远动荡着，并不曾有一个时候停止过，而且它也不能够停止；没有什么
东西可以阻止它。在它的途中，它也曾发射出种种的水花，这里面有爱，有恨，有欢
乐，也有痛苦。这一切造成了奔腾的一股激流，具有排山之势(4)，向着唯一的海流去。
这唯一的海是什么，而且什么时候它才可以流到这海里，就没有人确定地知道了。
我跟所有其余的人一样，生活在这世界上，是为着来征服生活。我也曾参加在这
个“搏斗”里面。我有我的爱，有我的根，有我的欢乐，也有我的痛苦。但是我并没
有失去我的信仰：对于生活的信仰。我的生活还不会结束，我也不知道的在前面还有
什么时候东西等着我(5)。然而我对于将来的却也有一点概念。因为过去并不是一个沉
默的哑子，它会告诉我们一些事情。
在这里我所要展开给读者看的乃是过去十多年生活的一幅图画。自然这里只有生
活的一小部分，但已经可以看见那一股由爱与恨、欢乐与受苦所组织成的生活的激流
是如何地在动荡了。我不是一个说教者，所以我不能够明确地指出一条路来，但是读
者自己可以在里面去找它。
有人说过，路本没有，因为走的人多了，便成了一条路。又有人说路是有的，正
因为有了路才有许多人走。谁是谁非，我不想判断。我还年轻，我还要活下去，我还
要征服生活。我知道生活的激流是不会停止的，且看它把我载到什么地方去！
Preface to the Torrent Trilogy
Ba Jin
Se*eral years ago, after I finished reading Leo Tolstoy’s Resurrection with tears in
my eyes, I wrote on its title page, “Life itself is a tragedy”.
Howe*er, that is not how things are, for life is not a tragedy, but a “struggle”. What
do we li*e for? Or why do we li*e this life at all? The answer gi*en by Romain Rolland is
“to conquer life”. I think he is right.
E*er since I was born, I ha*e passed no more than twenty odd summers in this world,
but this short period of time has not been spent for nothing at all. I ha*e since seen a lot of
things and come to know a lot of things. Though it is all darkness around me, I ha*e ne*er
felt lonely, nor ha*e I e*er gi*en up hope. E*erywhere I go, I always see the torrent of life
tumbling along to open up its way through a confused mass of mountains and rocks.
This torrent is always surging ahead; it has ne*er stopped for a single moment and
will ne*er stop. Nothing whate*er can hold it up. While on its way, it sometimes throws
clouds of spray into the air embodying lo*e and hate, and happiness and sorrow. All that
makes up the tumultuous torrent rushing with terrific force towards the only sea. No one
knows for sure what that only sea is and when the torrent is going to empty into it.
Like e*erybody else, I li*e in this world for the purpose of conquering life. I ha*e also
taken part in the “struggle”. I ha*e my own lo*e and hate, and happiness and sorrow. But I
ha*e ne*er lost my faith—a faith in life. There is still some way to go before my life runs out,
and I do not know what the future has in store for me. Ne*ertheless, I am not without
some idea of what the future is like because the past, being no silent mute, will gi*e me
some hint.
What I unfold here in the Trilogy before my readers is a picture of life of the past ten
odd years. Of course it reflects only a small section of life, but enough, howe*er, to afford
a glimpse of the turbulent torrent of life with its lo*e and hate, happiness and sorrow. I am
no religious preacher, so I cannot point out a definite way out. Readers may here find a
way out for themsel*es.
Some say that there is at first no road at all and that a road is created simply by the
treading of passers-by. Others say that there is at first already a road a*ailable before more
and more people come to walk on it. I do not want to judge who are right or who are wrong.
I am still young, I want to li*e on, I want to conquer life. I know the torrent of life will
ne*er stop. Let’s see where is it going to carry me!
注释：
这篇散文是作者为自己创作的小说《激流三部曲》（《家》、《春》、《秋》）所写的序。
(1) 标题译为Preface to the Torrent Trilogy，其中Trilogy是译者增添的词，用来说明文章是“三部曲”的“总”序。
(2) “为的是来征服它”引自罗曼•罗兰关于法国大革命的剧本《爱与死的搏斗》。
(3) “无边的黑暗”译为all darkness，其中all作complete解，是常见的搭配。
(4) “具有排山之势”不宜直译。现译意为with terrific force，其中terrific作*ery great解。
(5) “我也不知道在前面还有什么东西等到着我”译为and I do not know what the future has in
store for me，其中短语in store for作waiting或about to happen解。
做一个战士
巴金
一个年轻的朋友写信问我：“应该做一个什么样的人？”我回答他：“做一个战
士。”
另一个朋友问我：“怎样对付生活？(1)”我仍旧答道：“做一个战士。”
《战士颂》的作者曾经写过这样的话：
“我激荡在这绵绵不息、滂沱四方的生命洪流中，我就应该追逐这洪流，而且追
过它，自己去造更广、更深的洪流。”
“我如果是一盏灯，这灯的用处便是照彻那多量黑暗。我如果是海潮，便要鼓起
波涛(2)去洗涤海边一切陈腐的积物。”
这一段话很恰当地写出了战士的心情(3)。
在这个时代，战士是最需要的。但是这样的战士并不一定要持枪上战场。他的武
器还可以是知识、信仰和坚强的意志。他并不一定要流仇敌的血，却能更有把握地致
敌人的死命(4)。
战士是永远追求光明的。他并不躺在晴空下享受阳光(5)，却在暗认夜里燃起火炬，
给人们照亮道路，使他们走向黎明(6)。驱散黑暗，这是战士的任务。他不躲避黑暗，
却要面对黑暗，跟躲藏在阴影里的魑魅、魍魉搏斗。他要消灭它们而取得光明。战士
是不知道妥协的。他得不到光明便不会停止战斗。
战士是永远年轻的，他不犹豫，不休息。他深入人丛中，找寻苍蝇、毒蚊等等危
害人类的东西(7)。他不断地攻击它们，不肯与它们共同生存在一个天空下面。对于战
士，生活就是不停的战斗。他不是取得光明而生存，便是带着满身伤痕而死去。在战
斗中力量只有增长，信仰只有加强。在战斗中给战士指路的是“未来”，“未来”给
人以希望和鼓舞。战士永远不会失去青春的活力。
战士是不知道灰心与绝望的。他甚至在失败的废墟上，还要堆起破碎的砖石重建
九级宝塔。任何打击都不能击破战士的意志。只有在死的时候他才闭上眼睛。
战士是不知道畏缩的。他的脚步很坚定。他看定目标，便一直向前走去。他不怕
被绊脚石摔倒，没有一种障碍能使他改变心思。假象绝不能迷住战士的眼睛，支配战
士的行动的是信仰。他能够忍受一切艰难、痛苦，而达到他所选择的目标。除非他死，
人不能使他放弃工作。
这便是我们现在需要的战士。这样的战士并不一定具有超人的能力(8)。他是一个
平凡的人。每个人都可以做战士，只要他有决心。所以我用“做一个战士”的话来激
励那些在彷徨、苦闷中的年轻朋友。
Be a Fighter
Ba jin
A young friend of mine asked me in a letter, “What kind of man should I be? My
answer was, “Be a fighter.”
Another friend of mine inquired, “How should I li*e my life?” Again my answer was,
“Be a fighter.”
The author of In Praise of the Fighter says:
Riding on the ceaseless rushing torrent of life, I should pursue and o*ertake it so as to
create an e*en greater and deeper torrent of my own.
If I were a lamp, it would be my duty to light up thick darkness. If I were the sea tide, I
would marshal rolling wa*es to cleanse the beach of all accumulated filth.
This quotation reflects aptly the state of mind of a fighter.
Fighters are badly needed in our time. But such fighters do not necessarily go to the
battlefield gun in hand. Their weapons are not necessarily bullets. Their weapons may be
knowledge, faith and strong will. They can bring the enemy sure death without drawing his
blood.
A fighter is always in pursuit of light. Instead of basking in the sunshine under a clear
sky, he holds a burning torch in the darkness of night to illuminate people’s way so that
they can continue their journey till they see the dawn of a new day. It is the task of a
fighter to dispel darkness. Instead of shirking darkness, he bra*es it and fights the hidden
demons and monsters therein. He is determined to wipe them out and win light. He knows
no compromise. He will keep on fighting until he wins light.
A fighter is perennially young. He is ne*er irresolute or inacti*e. He plunges deep into
teeming crowds in search of such *ermin as flies and *enomous mosquitoes. He will flight
them relentlessly and refuse to coexist with them under the same sky. To him, life means
nothing but continuous fighting. He either sur*i*es by winning light, or perishes with his
body co*ered all o*er with cuts and bruises. Fighting just ser*es to increase his stamina
and strengthen his faith. In the course of the struggle, it is the “future” that ser*es as the
beacon light to him; the “future” gi*es people hope and inspiration. He will ne*er lose his
youthful *igour.
A fighter will ne*er lose heart or despair. He will pile up broken pieces of brick and
stone to rebuilt a nine-story pagoda on the ruins of failure. No blows will e*er break his
will. He will ne*er close his eyes until he has breathed his last.
A fighter is always fearless. His steps are firm. Once he has settled on an objecti*e, he
will press right ahead. He is ne*er afraid of being tripped by a stumbling block. No
obstacles will e*er make him change his mind. His eyes will ne*er be hoodwinked by false
appearances. His actions are guided by faith. He can endure any hardships or sufferings
while stri*ing to attain his chosen objecti*e. He will ne*er abandon work as long as he is
ali*e.
This is the kind of fighter we now need. He is not necessarily possessed of
superhuman capability. He is just an ordinary person. Anyone can be fighter so long as he
has the determination. Hence a few words of mine about “being a fighter” to encourage
those young people who wander about in a depressed state, not knowing which way to go.
注释：
《做一个战士》写于1938年，时值抗战初期，文章表达了作者自己的高昂思想情怀和对青
年们的殷切期望。
(1)“怎样对付生活？”意即“怎样生活？”，故译为How should I li*e my life?
(2)“鼓起波涛”中的“鼓起”意即“集结”或“动员”，因此“鼓起波涛”译为marshal rolling
wa*es。
(3)“战士的心情”译为the state of mind of a fighter或the frame of mind of a fighter均可。
(4)“并不一定要流仇敌的血，却能更有把握地致敌人的死命”译为can bring the enemy sure
death without drawing his blood，其中the enemy在指“敌军”、“敌国”、“敌对势力”时是集
合名词（collecti*e noun），动词用复数或单数均可。“仇敌的血”可译为his blood、their blood
或its blood。
(5)“躺在晴空下享受阳光”译为basking in the sunshine under a clear sky，其中basking除作
“取暖”解外，并有“舒适”、“享受”的含义。
(6)“走向黎明”译为continue their journey till they see the dawn of new day, 其中see和of a new
day均为添加成份，用以烘托原意。
(7)“危害人类的东西”译为*ermin，为复数，本指老鼠、虱子等害虫，意同pests。
(8)“具有超人的能力”译为is…possessed of superhuman capability，其中possessed of为惯用
搭配，与in possession of 或ha*ing同义。
笑
冰心
雨声渐渐的住了，窗帘后隐隐的透进清光来。推开窗户一看，呀！凉云散了，树
叶上的残滴，映着月儿，好似萤光千点(1)，闪闪烁烁的动着。——真没想到苦雨孤灯
之后，会有这么一幅清美的图画(2)！
凭窗站了一会儿，微微的觉得凉意侵入。转过身来，忽然眼花缭乱，屋子里的别
的东西，都隐在光云里；一片幽辉，只浸着墙上画中的安琪儿(3)。——这白衣安琪儿，
抱着花儿，扬着翅儿，向着我微微的笑。
“这笑容仿佛在那儿看见过似的，什么时候，我曾……”我不知不觉的便坐在窗
口下想，——默默的想。
严闭的心幕，慢慢的拉开了，涌出五年前的一个印象。——一条很长的古道。驴
脚下的泥，兀自滑滑的。田沟里的水，潺潺的流着。近村的绿树，都笼在湿烟里。弓
儿似的新月，挂在树梢(4)。一边走着，似乎道旁有一个孩子，抱着一堆灿白的东西。
驴儿过去了，无意中回头一看。——他抱着花儿，赤着脚儿，向着我微微的笑。
“这笑容又仿佛是那儿看过似的！”我仍是想——默默的想(5)。
又现出一重心幕来，也慢慢的拉开了，涌出十年前的一个印象。——茅檐下的雨
水，一滴一滴的落到衣上来。土阶边的水泡儿(6)，泛来泛去的乱转。门前的麦垅和葡
萄架子，都濯得新黄嫩绿的非常鲜丽。——一会儿好容易雨情了，连忙走下坡去。迎
头看见月儿从海面上来了，猛然记得有件东西忘下了，站住了，回过头来。这茅屋里
的老妇人——她倚着门儿，抱着花儿，向着我微微的笑。
这同样微妙的神情，好似游丝一般，飘飘漾漾的合了拢来，绾在一起。
这时心下光明澄静，如登仙界(7)，如归故乡。眼前浮现的三个笑容，一时融化在
爱的调和里看不分明了。
Smile
Bing Xin
As the rain gradually ceased to patter, a glimmer of light began to filter into the room
through the window curtain. I opened the window and looked out. Ah, the rain clouds had
*anished and the remaining raindrops on the tree lea*es glistened tremulously under the
moonlight like myriads of fireflies. To think that there should appear before my eyes such
a beautiful sight after the miserable rain on a lonely e*ening.
Standing at the window for a while, I felt a bit chilly. As I turned round, my eyes
suddenly dazzled before the bright light and could not see things distinctly. E*erything in
the room was blurred by a haze of light except the angel in a picture on the wall. The angel
in white was smiling on me with a bunch of flowers in his arms, his wings flapping.
“I seem to ha*e seen the same smile before. When was that? ...” Before I knew, I had
sunk into a chair under the window, lost in meditation.
A scene of fi*e years ago slowly un*eiled before my mind’s eye. It was a long ancient
country road. The ground under my donkey’s feet was slippery with mud. The water in the
field ditches was murmuring. The green trees in the neighbouring *illage were shrouded in
a mist. The crescent new moon looked as if hanging on the tips of the trees. As I passed
along, I somewhat sensed the presence of a child by the roadside carrying something snow
white in his ar**ed to look back and saw the child.
Who was barefoot, looking at me smilingly with a bunch of flowers in his arms.
“I seem to ha*e seen the same smile somewhere before!” I was still thinking to
myself.
Another scene, a scene of ten years ago, slowly unfolded before my mind’s eyes.
Rainwater was falling drop by drop onto my clothes from the ea*es of a thatched cottage.
Beside the earthen doorstep, bubbles in puddles of rainwater were whirling about like mad.
Washed by the rain, the wheat fields and grape trellises in front of the cottage door
presented a picturesque scene of *i*id yellow and tender green. After a while, it cleared up
at long last and I hurried down the slope. Up ahead I saw the moon rising high abo*e the
sea. Suddenly it occurred to me that I had left something behind. When I stopped and
turned round, my eyes fell on an old woman at her cottage door smiling at me, a bunch of
flowers in her arms.
The three subtle smiles, drifting in the air towards each other like gossamer, became
interwo*en.
At this moment all was bright, clear and clam in my heart. I felt as if I were ascending
to hea*en or on the way back to my hometown. In my mind’s eye, the three smiling faces
now merged into a harmonious whole of lo*e and became indistinguishable.
注释：
本文是冰心（1900-1999）的早期成名之作，于1921年1月发表在《小说月报》第一期上。
冰心的散文以秀丽典雅、纯真无邪著称。她早期信奉“爱的哲学”，泛泛宇宙中的一切，尤其是对母亲、儿童和自然美的爱。《笑》正体现了她的这种思想。她讴歌超现实的“爱”，也就是对当时社会的黑暗和污浊的不满和失望。
(1)“萤光千点”译为myriads of fireflies，比thousands of fireflies更切近美文（belles letters）。
(2)“真没想到……！”译为To think that…!是英语惯用语句型，以感叹的语气表达某种想不
到的事。
(3)“安琪儿”即“天使”，是 angel一词的音译。天使为西方教堂所崇奉，其形象常为带翅
膀的男性小孩。
(4)“弓儿似的新月，挂在树梢”译为The crescent new moon looked as if hanging on the tips of the trees，其中looked as if是增加的成分，变隐喻为明喻。
(5)“我仍是想——默默的想”译为I was still thinking to myself。To think to oneself 是英语习
惯用语，作“一个人暗自在想”解。
(6)“水泡儿”指雨水坑中的水泡儿，故译为bubbles in puddles of rainwater，其中in puddles of
rainwater原文中虽无其词，但却有其意
(7)“仙界”指“极乐世界”，也可译为the land of the di*ine。现译为hea*en，较简洁。
雨雪时候的星辰(1)
冰心
寒暑表降到冰点下十八度的时候，我们也是在廊下睡觉。每夜最熟识的就是天上
的星辰了。也不过只是点点闪烁的光明，而相看惯了，偶然不见，也有些想望与无聊
(2)。 连夜雨雪，一点星光都看不见(3)。荷和我(4)拥衾对坐，在廊子的两角，遥遥谈话。
荷指着说(5)：“你看维纳斯（Venus）升起来了！”我抬头望时(6)，却是山路转
折处(7)的路灯。我怡然一笑，也指着对山的一星灯火说：“那边是丘比特（Jupiter）
呢！”
愈指愈多。松林中射来零乱的风灯，都成了满天星宿。真的，雪花隙里，看不出
天空和森林的界限，将繁灯当作繁星，简直是抵得过(8)。
一念至诚的将假作真，灯光似乎都从地上飘起。这幻成的星光，都不移动，不必
半夜梦醒时，再去追寻它们的位置。
于是雨雪寂寞之夜，也有了慰安了。
Stars on a Snowy Night
Bing Xin
The thermometer had dropped to * degrees below zero, but we still chose to sleep in
the porch as usual. In the e*ening, the most familiar sight to me would be stars in the sky.
Though they were a mere sprinkle of twinkling dots, yet I had become so accustomed to
them that their occasional absence would bring me loneliness and ennui.
It had been snowing all night, not a single star in sight. My roommate and I , each
wrapped in a quilt, were seated far apart in a different corner of the porch, facing each
other and chatting away.
She exclaimed pointing to something afar, “Look, Venus is rising!” I looked up and
saw nothing but a lamp round the bend in a mountain path. I beamed and said pointing to a
tiny lamplight on the opposite mountain, “It’s Jupiter o*er there!”
More and more lights came into sight as we kept pointing here and there. Lights from
hurricane lamps flickering about in the pine forest created the scene of a star-studded sky.
With the distinction between sky and forest obscured by snowflakes, the numerous
lamp-lights now easily passed for as many stars.
Completely lost in make-belie*e world, I seemed to see all the lamplights drifting
from the ground. With the illusory stars hanging still o*erhead, I was spared the effort of
tracing their positions when I woke up from my dreams in the dead of night.
Thus I found consolation e*en on a lonely snowy night.
注释：
《雨雪时候的星辰》是冰心的早期抒情散文，文章赞美自然，想象精细，文笔清新，充满诗
情画意。
(1)题目《雨雪时候的星辰》译为Stars on a Snowy Night。“雨雪”作“下雪”解，“雨”在
此是动词，读音为yù。
(2)“无聊”译为ennui，是英语常用文学语言，意即a feeling of boredom caused by a lack of
excitement or acti*ity。
(3)“一点儿星光都看不见”译为not a single star in sight，是句中独立主格，和not a single star
being in sight同。又译文用s押头韵，night和sight押脚韵，有音韵美。
(4)“荷和我……”译为My roommate and I …，其中用My roommate（同寝之友）代替专门
名词He（荷），以免外国读者把He误解为男性第三人称的代词。
(5)“荷指着说……”不宜死译为She said pointing her finger at…，因为英语to point one’s finger
at…有“指责”的含义。
(6)“我抬头望时”不宜逐字死译为I raised my head to take a look。译为I looked up即可。
(7)“山路转折处”译为round the bend in a mountain path。注意bend后面跟介词in，属于习
惯用法。
(8)“将繁灯当作繁星，简直是抵得过”译为the numerous lamplights now easily passed for as
many stars，其中短语to pass for的意思是“被看作”、“被当作”等。
我的父母之乡
冰心
清晓的江头(1)，
白雾茫茫；
是江南天气(2)，
雨儿来了——
我只知道有蔚蓝的海，
却原来还有碧绿的江，
这是我父母之乡！
繁星156(3)
福建福州永远是我的故乡，虽然我不在那里生长，但它是我的父母之乡！
到今日为止，我这一生中只回去过两次。第一次是一九一一年，是在冬季。从严
冷枯黄的北方归来(4)，看到展现在我眼前的青山碧水(5)，红花绿叶，使我惊讶而欢喜！
我觉得我的生命的风帆，已从蔚蓝的海，驶进了碧绿的江。这天我们在闽江口从大船
下到小船，驶到大桥头，来接我们的伯父堂兄们把我们包围了起来，他们用乡音和我
的父母热烈地交谈。我的五岁的大弟弟悄悄地用山东话问我说：“他们怎么都会说福
州话？”因为从来在我们姐弟心里，福州话是最难懂难说的！
这以后的一年多时间里，我们就过起了福州城市的生活。新年、元宵、端午、中
秋……岁时节日，吃的玩的都是十分丰富而有趣。特别是灯节，那时我们家住在南后
街，那里是灯市的街，元宵前后，“花市灯如昼”，灯影下人流潮涌，那光明绚丽的
情景就说不尽了(6)。
第二次回去，是在一九五六年，也是在冬季。那时还没有鹰厦铁路，我们人大代
表团是从江西坐汽车进去的。一路上红土公路，道滑如拭(7)，我还没有看见过土铺的
公路，维修得这样平整的！这次我不但到了福州，还到了漳州、泉州、厦门、鼓浪屿……
那是祖国的南疆了。在厦门前线(8)，我还从望远镜里看见了金门岛上的行人和牛，看
得很清楚……
回忆中的情景很多，在此就不一一描写了。总之，我很喜欢我的父母之乡。那边
是南国风光，山是青的，水是绿的，小溪流更是清可见底！院里四季*花开。水果
是从枇杷、荔枝、龙眼，一直吃到福桔！对一个孩子来说，还有什么比这个更惬意的
呢？
我在故乡走的地方不多，但古迹、侨乡，到处可见，福建华侨，遍于天下(9)。我
所到过的亚、非、欧、美各国都见到辛苦创业(10)的福建侨民，握手之余，情溢言表。
在他们家里、店里，吃着福州菜，喝着茉莉花茶，使我觉得作为一个福建人是四海*家的。 我的父母之乡是可爱的。有人从故乡来(11)，或是有朋友新近到福建去过，我都
向他们问起福建的近况。他们说：福建比起二十多年前来，进步得不可辨认了。最近
呢，农业科学化了，又在植树造林(12)，山岭田地更加郁郁葱葱了。他们都动员我回
去看看，我又何尝不想呢(13)？不但我想，在全世界的天涯海角，更不知有多少人在
想！我愿和故乡的人，以及普天下的福建侨民，一同在精神和物质文明方面，把故乡
建设得更美好(14)！
The Land of My Ancestors
Bing Xin
The Ri*er mouth at dawn,
Behind a white haze of mist,
‘Tis southern climes,
Behold, the rain is coming.
I ha*e seen the blue sea all along,
Little aware of this green Ri*er,
O the land of my ancestors!
--Sparkling Stars, 156
Fuzhou of Fujian Pro*ince will always be my old home. Though I was brought up
elsewhere, Fuzhou is ne*ertheless the land of my ancestors!
As yet, I ha*e been back to Fuzhou no more than twice in my lifetime. I made the first
tripe in the winter of 1911. Returned from the bitter cold North with its drab and dried up
*egetation, I was amazed and delighted when greeted by the charming scenery of sapphire
mountains and emerald ri*ers as well as red flowers and green lea*es. I felt the sailing boat
of my life steering its way into the green Ri*er after lea*ing the blue sea behind. At the
Minjiang Ri*er, we changed from the big ship to a small boat, which took us to Daqiaotou
(Big Bridge), where we were met by Uncle and cousins. They gathered round us and talked
warmly with my parents in the local dialect. Thereupon, my 5-year-old younger brother
whispered in my ear with a Shandong accent, “How come they can all speak the Fuzhou
dialect?” We had both thought that the Fuzhou dialect was indeed most difficult for anyone
to learn.
From then on, we li*ed an urban life for more than a year in Fuzhou. During such
festi*als as Lunar New Year, Lantern, Dragon Boat and Mid-Autumn, we all celebrated the
festi*ities with plenty of food and fun.. Particular mention, howe*er, should be made of the
Lantern Festi*al when Nanhoujie, the street known for its lantern fair and also the street
where we li*ed, became as bright as broad daylight at night with myriads of lanterns and
streams of spectators. The splendor and magnificence of the scene is beyond all
description.
I made the second *isit in 1956, also in winter. As the Yingtan_Xiamen Railway had
not yet been built, the NPC delegation, with myself as a member, had to go from Jiangxi
Pro*ince by car. The highway from Jiangxi to Fuzhou, pa*ed with red soil, was as smooth
as a mirror. It was the most le*el soil-pa*ed highway I had e*er seen. This time I *isited
not only Fuzhou, but also Zhangzhou, Quanzhou, Xiamen and Gulangyu—the southern
frontiers of our country. At the Xiamen seaside, I could see clearly through a telescope
pedestrians and cows on the Quemoy Islands.
My experiences of this trip, howe*er, are too numerous to be recounted one by one
here. Anyway, I deeply lo*e Fuzhou, my ancestral home. O*er there we ha*e the typical
southern scenery with blue mountains, green waters, limpid books…! There in the
courtyard we can always see some kind of flowers in full bloom throughout the year.
Fruits ranging from loquats, lichees, longans to tangerines are in plenty. Is there anything
more palatable to a little child than these fruits?
I did not *isit all the local attractions in Fuzhou. E*erywhere we could find historical
relics as well as *illages and towns inhabited by relati*es of o*erseas Chinese. Fujianese
expatriates are found all o*er the world. They ha*e mostly started from scratch by the
sweat of their brow. When I met some of them on my *isits to Asian, African European
and American countries, they all expressed warm feeling towards me while shaking my
hands. As I ate Fuzhou food and sipped jasmine tea in their homes or shops, I felt that
being a Fujianese, I could make myself at home where*er I tra*elled in the world.
My ancestral home is so endearing. Whene*er I meet somebody hailing from Fuzhou
or a friend who has recently been there, I always inquire of them about the present
conditions of Fujian. They all tell me that compared with two decades ago, Fujian has
made so much progress that it is now almost beyond recognition. Recently I ha*e learned
that people there ha*e gone in for scientific farming and afforestation so that green and
luxuriant *egetation has appeared on all mountains and fields. People ha*e been ad*ising
me to pay another *isit to my old home. Yes, I am more than eager to do so. And so are my
numerous fellow townsmen in all corners of the world. I hope that together with all the
people in my home town as well as all o*erseas Chinese from Fujian, I can do my bit to
make a still better place of my ancestral home, both materially and culturally.
注释：
冰心出生后不久就远离故乡福州，以后只回去过两次。她这篇短文写于1982年3月29日，
以轻倩的笔调，抒写有关故乡和童年的回忆，并对当时故乡的建设表达了深切的关怀。
(1)“江头”指闽江入海处，故译the Ri*er mouth。
(2)“江南天气”译为southern climes，其中climes是英语诗歌用语，常用复数，意同climate。
(3)《繁星》是冰心1923年出版的第一诗集，收小诗凡164首。现将《繁星》译为Sparkling Stars。
(4)“从严冷枯黄的北方归来”译为Returned from the bitter cold North with its drab and dried up
*egetation，其中Returned是不及物动词return的过去分词，在此作形容词。又*egetation是译文中的添加成分，作“草木”、“植被”解。
(5)“青山碧水”译为sapphire mountains and emerald ri*ers，其中sapphire和emerald均为实
颜色词，原意分别为“蓝宝石”和“绿宝石”。译文用这两个实物词是为增加修辞效果。
(6)“就说不尽了”意即“就难以形容了”，故译为beyond description，为英语成语。
(7)“道滑如拭”意即“道路平坦”，译为The highway…was as smooth as a mirror，其中mirror
为英语常用有关比喻。
(8)“在厦门前线”译为At the Xiamen seaside，其中用seaside代替frontline，是为便于国外
读者理解。
(9)“福建华侨，遍于天下”译为Fujianese expatriates are found all o*er the world，其中expatriates
的意思是“移居国外者”、“离乡背井者”。此句也可译为O*erseas Chinese from Fujian。
(10)“辛苦创业”译为ha*e started from scratch by the sweat of their brow，其中to start from
scratch和by the sweat of one’s brow均为英语成语，分别作“白手起家”和“靠自己辛勤劳动”解。
(11)“有人从故乡来”也可译为somebody who has come from Fuzhou，但不如somebody hailing
from Fuzhou简洁，其中to hail作“来自”解。
(12)“农业科学化了，又在植树造林”译为people there ha*e gone in for scientific farming and
afforestation，其中to go in for是成语，作“致力于”、“从事于”解，在译文中是添加成分，原文虽无其词，而有其意。
(13)“我何尝不想呢“译为Yes，I am more than eager to do so，其中more than作*ery或extremely解。
(14)“把故乡建设得更美好”译为do my bit to make a still better place of my ancestral home，
其中to do one’s bit为成语，作“尽自己一份力量”、“作一份贡献”解，在译文中是添加成分，原文虽无其词，而有其意。
祖父和灯火管制(1)
冰心
一九一一年秋，我们从山东烟台回到福州老家去。在还乡的路上，母亲和父亲一
再嘱咐我(2)，“回到福州住在大家庭里，不能再像野孩子(3)似的，一切都要小心。对
长辈们不能没大没小的。祖父是一家之主，尤其要尊敬……”
到了福州，在大家庭里住了下来，我觉得我在归途中的担心是多余的。祖父、伯
父母、叔父母(4)和堂姐妹兄弟(5)，都没有把我当作野孩子，大家也都很亲昵平等，并
没有什么“规矩”。我还觉得我们这个大家庭是几个小家庭的很松散的组合(6)。每个
小家庭都是各住各个的，各吃各的，各自有自己的亲戚朋友，比如说，我们就各自有
自己的“外婆家(7)”！
就在这一年，也许是第二年吧，福州有了电灯公司。我们这所大房子里也安上了
电灯，这在福州也是一件新鲜事，我们这班孩子跟着安装的工人们满房子跑，非常地
兴奋欢喜！我记得这电灯是从房顶上吊下来的，每间屋子*一盏，厅堂上和客室里
的五十支光，卧房里的光小一些，厨房里的就更小了。我们这所大房子里至少也五六
十盏灯，第一夜亮起来时，真是灯火辉煌，我们孩子们都拍手欢呼！
但是总电门是安在祖父的屋里的。祖父起得很早也睡得很早(8)，每晚九点钟就上
床了。他上床之前，就把电闸关上，于是整个大家庭就是黑沉沉的一片！
我们刚回老家(9)，父母亲和他们的兄弟妯娌(10)*许多别情要叙，我们一班弟兄
姐妹，也在一起玩得正起劲(11)，都很少在晚九点以前睡的。为了防备(12)这骤然的黑
暗，于是每晚在九点以前，每个小家庭都在一两间屋里，点上一盏捻得很暗的煤油灯。
一到九点，电灯一下子都灭了，这几盏煤油灯便都捻亮了，大家相视而笑，又都在灯
下谈笑玩耍。只有在这个时候，我才体会到我们这个大家庭是一个整体，而祖父是一
家之主！
Grandpa and Nightly Blackout
Bing Xin
In the autumn of 1911, we returned from Yantai of Shandong Pro*ince to our nati*e place
Fuzhou. While on the way, my parents warned me again and again, “Since we’ll be
li*ing in a big family in Fuzhou, remember always to beha*e properly and ne*er act like a
naughty child. Show respect for your elders, particularly your grandpa, who is head of the
family…”
After settling down in the big family in Fuzhou, howe*er, I found that my pre*ious
worries on the way turned out to be unfounded. My grandpa, uncles, aunties and cousins
ne*er thought me a naughty child. We treated each other lo*ingly and equally. There ne*er
existed anything like “family rules of good beha*iour”. I also found that the big family was
a loose community of se*eral smaller ones, which li*ed and ate separately. They each had
their own relati*es and friends, for example, their own in-laws.
That year, or the year after, Fuzhou began to ha*e its own power company and
electric lights were to be installed in our big house too. That was something new in our
home town. We kids, wild with excitement and joy, ran here and there in the house at the heels of
the electricians. Each room, I remember, had an electric lamp hanging from the
ceiling. The drawing room had a 50-watt bulb; the bedrooms each a lower-wattage one; the
kitchens each an e*en-lower-wattage one. The whole big house at least had a total of some
60 electric lamps. The first e*ening when they were turn on, the whole house was suddenly
ablaze with lights, we kids clapped with joy.
The master switch was fixed in grandpa’s room. Grandpa, who kept early hours,
would switch off all the lights when he went to bed at 9 o’clock in the e*ening, thus
plunging the whole big house into deep darkness.
Ha*ing just set foot in our old home, we seldom slept before 9 o’clock in the e*ening.
For it was but natural that after the long separation, my parents enjoyed hearty chats about
the old days with their brothers and in-laws, and we kids of the younger generation played
about together to our heart’s content. Hence, in anticipation of the sudden blackout at 9
o’clock, each small family would get a dimly-lit kerosene lamp ready in a couple of their
rooms. No sooner had the big house been blacked out on the hour than we turned up the wicks
of all the kerosene lamps. And, looking and smiling at each other, we would
continue to chat and play merrily by the light of the kerosene lamps.
It was then that I realized what a complete whole our big family was, with grandpa as
its head.
注释：
本文写于1982年7月22日，是冰心回忆故乡和童年的一篇深情佳作。文章娓娓述来，形象
地再现了童年时代家乡生活片断。
(1)“灯火管制”本指战时防空停电，作者用它指每夜定时关灯，有些俏皮。译文结合文章内容增添Nightly一词。在英语中，blackout一词既可指“战时灯火管制”，也可一般的“停电”，
译文所指是后者。又blackout也可换用power cut或power failure等。
(2)“一再地嘱咐我”意即“一再地告诫我”，译为warned me again and again，比enjoined (或
exhorted) me again and again通俗。
(3)“野孩子”不宜按字面直译为wild child。现译为naughty child，其中naughty常用来指孩
子“不听话”。
(4)“伯父母、叔父母”在英语以uncles和aunties两词概括即可。
(5)“堂姐妹兄弟”在英语以cousins一词概括即可。
(6)“几个小家庭的很松散的组合”译为a loose community of se*eral smaller ones，其中不妨
以community代替combination；community为近代英语所常用。
(7)“外婆家”指由婚姻而结成的亲戚，如岳父母、妻子的兄弟姐妹等等，现以in-laws一词
概括之。
(8)“起得很早也睡得很早”在英语有现成的表达：kept early hours。如逐字直译为got up early
and went to bed early似欠简洁。
(9)“刚回老家”译为Ha*ing set foot in our old home，其中set foot in是成语，作“进入”、
“踏上”解。
(10)“妯娌”指兄弟的妻子，以in-laws表达即可。
(11)“正起劲”意同“尽情地”，故译to our heart’s content。
(12)“防备”译为in anticipation of，意即“预计到……（而采取措施）”。
话说短文
冰心
也许是我的精、气、神都不足吧(1)，不但自己写不出长的东西，任读一本
刊物时，也总是先挑短的看，不论是小说、散文或是其他的文学形式，最后才看长的。
我总觉得，凡是为了非倾吐不可而写的作品，都是充满了真情实感的。反之，只
是为写作而写作，如(2)上之为应付编辑朋友(3)，一之为多拿稿费，这类文章大都是尽
量地往长里写，结果是即便的一点点的感情，也被冲洗到水分太多(4)、淡而无味的地
步。
当由一个人物，一桩事迹，一幅画面而发生的真情实感，向你袭来的时候，它就
像一根扎到你心尖上(5)的长针，一阵卷到你面前的怒潮，你只能用最真切、最简练的
文字，才能描画出你心尖上的那一阵剧痛和你面前的那一霎惊惶！
我们伟大的祖国，是有写短文的文学传统的(6)。那部包括上下数千年的《古文观
止》，“上起东周，下迄明末，共选辑文章220篇”有几篇是长的(7)？如杜牧的《阿
房宫赋》，韩愈的《祭十二郎文》(8)等等，哪一篇不是短而充满了真情实感？今人的
巴金的《随感录》，不也是一个实例吗(9)？
A Chat about Short Essays
Bing Xin
Perhaps due to my failing energies, not only ha*e I refrained from writing anything
long, but also, in reading a magazine, for example, I usually finish its shorter pieces of
writing first, be they fiction, prose or any other forms of literature, before going on to the
longer ones.
I always belie*e that anything written with an irresistible inner urge to unbosom
oneself must be full of genuine feelings. On the contrary, if one writes simply for the sake
of writing—say, to humour one’s editor friends, or worse still, to earn more remuneration,
one will most probably make his writings unnecessarily long until they become, despite
what little feeling they may contain, inflated and wishy-washy.
When true emotions aroused by a person, an e*ent or a scene come upon you like a
pin pricking your heart or an angry tide surging threateningly before you, all you can do is
use the most *i*id and succinct language to describe the se*ere pain in your heart or the
momentary feeling of panic caused by the angry tide.
Our great motherland is known for its literary tradition of short essays. Do you find
anything unduely long in A Treasury of Best Ancient Chinese Prose with its 220 essays
selected from a period of se*eral thousand years in ancient China from the Eastern Zhou
Dynasty down until the end of the Ming Dynasty? Aren’t the essays in it, like Du Mu’s
Rhapsody on Epang Palace and Han Yu’s An Elegiac Address to My Nephew Shi’erlang,
all short and yet full of true feelings? Isn’t A Collection of Random Thoughts by Ba Jin, our
contemporary, another like example of pithy writing?
注释：
《话说短文》是冰心写于1988年1月的随笔。作者一针见血地指出“为写作而写作”的不
正之风以及崇尚长文的时弊。
(1)“也许是我的精、气、神都不足吧”也可译为Perhaps due to deficiency in my mental and
physical energy，但不如Perhaps due to my failing energies简洁。“精、气、神”在文中显得俏皮，意即“精力”，故译为energies即可。
(2)“如”即‘比如说“，译为say。英语中举例时常用say这个字，和for词example同义。
(3)“为应付编辑朋友”的意思是“迁就编辑朋友之约或要求”，故译为top humour one’s
editor-friends。英语to humour作to gratify by compliance解。
(4)“也被冲洗到水份太多”意即“变得夸张空洞”，故译为“become inflated。
(5)“你心尖上”即“你的内心深处”或“你的心头”，译为your heart即可，不宜按字面译
为the tip of your heart。
(6)“我们伟大的祖国，是有写短文的文学传统的”也可译为Our great motherland has a literary
tradition of short essays，但不如Our motherland is known for its literary tradition of short essays灵活顺口。
(7)“……有几篇是长的？”译为Do you find anything unduely long…，其中unduely是添加成分，作“不适当地”或“过分地”解，原文虽无其词而有其意。
(8)“《祭十二郎文》”译为An elegiac Address to My Nephew Shi’erlang，其中My Nephew
是为交待“十二郎”何许人而添加的成分，有助于读者的理解，属释义性译文。
(9)“……不也是一个实例吗？”译为Isn’t …another like example of pithy writing?，其中like
和of pithy writing均为添加成分，原文虽无其词而有其意。
路畔的蔷薇
郭沫若
清晨往松林里去散步，我在林荫路畔发见了一束被遗弃了的蔷薇。蔷薇的花色还
是鲜艳的，一朵紫红，一朵嫩红，一朵是病黄的象牙色中带着几分血晕(1)。
我把蔷薇拾在手里了。
青翠的叶上已经凝集着细密的露珠，这显然是昨夜被除人遗弃了的。这是可怜的
少女受了薄幸的男子的欺绐？还是不幸的青年受了轻狂的的妇人的玩弄？
昨晚上甜蜜的私语，今朝的冷清的露珠……(2)
我把蔷薇拿到家里来了，我想找个花瓶来供养它。
花瓶我没有(3)，我在一只墙角上寻了一个断了颈子的盛酒的土瓶。
——蔷薇哟，我虽然不能供养你以春酒，但我要供养你以清洁的流泉，清洁的素
心。你在这破土瓶中虽然不免要凄凄寂寂地飘零(4)，但比遗弃在路旁被人践踏了的好
罢？
Wayside Roses
Guo Moruo
Rambling through a pine forest early in the morning, I came across a bunch of
forsaken roses lying by the shady wayside. They were still fresh in colour. One was
purplish-red, another pink, still another a sickly i*ory-yellow slightly tinged with
blood-red.
I picked them up in my hand.
The numerous fine dewdrops on the fresh green lea*es clearly showed that the roses
had just been cast away the pre*ious night.
Were they pitiful maidens deflowered by fickle men? Or were they unlucky young
men fooled by fri*olous women?
Last night’s whispers of lo*e; this morning’s drops of cold dew…
I brought the roses home and tried to find a flower *ase to keep them in.
Flower *ase I had none, but I did find in a nook of my room an empty earthen wine
bottle with its neck broken.
--O dear roses, though unable to treat you to spring wine, I could offer you limpid
spring water and my sincere pure heart. Wouldn’t it be better for you to wither away in
solitude in this broken earthen wine bottle than to lie abandoned by the roadside and be
trodden down upon?
注释： 《路畔的蔷薇》是郭沫若（*92-1978）的早期小品，玲珑剔透，饶有诗意，堪称一首优美的散文诗。
(1)“一朵是病黄的象牙色中带着几分血晕”译为a sickly i*ory-yellow slightly tinged with
blood-red，其中sickly作“病态的”解。又，i*ory-yellow和blood-red的结构都是“实物颜色词＋基本颜色词”，为英语颜色词的常见形式。
(2)“昨晚上甜蜜的私语，今朝的冷清的露珠……”译为Last night’s whispers of lo*e; this
morning’s drops of cold dew…，两个英语并列词组，在用词结构上前后完全对称，与原文形似，并与原文有同样的言外之意。又，“昨晚”在这里虽指过去的过去，但仍译为last night，不译为the pre*ious night，以求语言生动，这是英语中常见的灵活用法。
(3)“花瓶我没有”译为Flower *ase I ha*e none，等于I ha*e no flower *ase，其中none作形
容词用，修饰前面Flower *ase。这种用法常见于文学语体中，如：Time and money he had none。
(4)“飘零”意即“凋落”，故译作to wither away。
夕暮
郭沫若
我携着(1)三个孩子在屋后草场中嬉戏着的时候，夕阳正烧着海上的天壁(2)，眉痕
的新月已经出现在鲜红的云(3)缝里了。
草场中放牧着的几条黄牛，不时曳着悠长的鸣声(4)，好像在叫它们的主人快来牵
它们回去。
我们的两匹母鸡和几只鸡雏(5)，先先后后地从邻寺的墓地里跑回来了。
立在厨房门内的孩子们的母亲向门外的沙地上撒了一握米粒出来。
母鸡们咯咯咯地叫了起来了(6)，鸡雏们也啁啁地争食起来了。
——“今年的成绩真好呢，竟养大了十只(7)。”
欢愉的音波，在金色的暮霭中游泳。
Dusk
Guo Moruo
While my three kids accompanied by myself, were frolicking about on the meadow
behind my house, the sky abo*e the distant edge of the sea was aglow with the setting sun
and the crescent new moon was already peeping out from behind the scarlet clouds.
A few cows grazing on the pasture let out a long drawn-out moo now and then as if
urging their master to lead them home as quickly as possible.
Our two mother hens and their baby chicks were scurrying homeward one after
another from the gra*e yard of the nearby monastery.
The kids’ mother, standing by the kitchen door, sprinkled a handful of rice onto the
sandy ground in the open.
At the clucking of the hens, the chicks scrambled for the feed, chirping.
“We’*e done quite well this year, with ten chicks growing fast,” beamed my wife.
The joyous sound wa*e drifted through the golden e*ening mist.
注释：
《夕暮》是郭沫若的早期小品，充满诗情画意，堪称一篇玲珑剔透的美文。文章记述的是真
情真事，字里行间流露出热爱生活的感情。
(1)“我携着”译为accompanied by myself，其中myself比me更确切，不但读来顺口，且能
加强语气，突出“亲自”的含义。
(2)“海上的天壁”指“海边的上空”，不宜直译，现以加字法处理：the sky abo*e the distant
edge of the sea。
(3)“鲜红的云”译为the scarlet clouds。颜色词scarlet在此比red更确切，因scarlet的意思
是*ery bright red，与原文“鲜红”一致。
(4)“曳着悠长的鸣声”中的“曳”作“拖”或“拉”解，结合上下文译为let out，意同utter（发出），为英语常用成语。又“鸣声”译为moo，为英语拟声词，指牛的叫声，相当于汉语的“哞”。
(5)“我们的两匹母鸡和几只鸡雏”译为Our two mother hens and their baby chicks，其中mother
和baby是为加强译文效果而添加的定语，前者作“母”解，后者作“幼小”解。
(6)“母鸡们咯咯地叫起来了”译为At the clucking of the hens，其中介词At表示时间，即先
后两个动作很快相继发生，或后面一个动作是前面一个动作的反应。在此指母鸡一叫，小鸡立即争食。
(7)“‘今年的成绩真好呢，竟养大了十只’”译为 “We’*e done quite well this year, with ten
chicks growing fast, ” beamed my wife，其中beamed my wife（妻微笑地或欣喜的说）是添加成分，原文虽无其词却有其意。
白 发
郭沫若
许久储蓄在心里的诗料(1)，今晨在理发店里又浮上了心来了。——
你年青的，年青的，远隔河山的(2)姑娘哟，你的名姓我不曾知道，你恕我只能这
样叫你了。
那回是春天的晚上吧？你替我剪了发，替我刮了面，替我盥洗了(3)，又替我涂了
香膏。
你最后替我分头的时候，我在镜中看见你替我拔去了一根白发(4)。
啊，你年青的，年青的远隔河山的姑娘哟，漂泊者自从那回离开你后又漂泊了三
年，但是你的慧心(5)替我把青春留住了。
The White Hair
Guo Moruo
My long pent-up poetic emotion emerged again this morning at a hairdresser’s
O young lady, you young lady of the distant land! Excuse me for addressing you as
“young lady”, for your name is still unknown to me.
It was probably on a spring e*ening. You cut my hair, sha*ed my face, ga*e me a
shampoo and applied some *anishing cream.
Finally, in the mirror I saw you plucking out a white hair from my head while parting
my hair.
O young lady, you young lady of the distant land, I ha*e been leading a wandering
life for another three years since I saw you last, but it is your feeling heart that has been the
cause of my sustained youth.
注释：
《白发》是郭沫若的早期小品，热情奔放，玲珑而富有诗意，是一首优美的散文诗。
(1)“许久储蓄在心里的诗料”译为My long pent-up poetic emotion。“储蓄在心里”意即“被
抑制的”，故译为pent-up。“诗料”即“诗情”，故译为poetic emotion。
(2)“远隔河山的”不必按字面直译，现按“遥远的”意思译为of the distant (或remote) land。 (3)“替我盥洗了”在此指“替我洗了头”，故译为ga*e me a shampoo。
(4)“拔去了一根白发”译为plucking out a white hair from my head，其中hair作可数名词用。
(5)“慧心”在这里可按“温柔体贴”、“富有同情的心”等含义译为feeling heart或tender heart。
水墨画(1)
郭沫若
天空一片灰暗，没有丝毫的日光。
海水的蓝色浓得惊人(2)，舐岸的微波吐出群鱼喋噏的声韵。
这是暴风雨欲来时的先兆(3)。海中的岛屿和乌木的雕刻一样静凝着了。我携着中
食的饭匣向沙岸上走来，在一只泊系着的渔舟里面坐着。
一种淡白而无味的凄凉的情趣——我把饭匣打开，又闭上了(4)。
回头望见松原里的一座孤寂的火葬场(5)。红砖砌成的高耸的烟囱口上，冒出了一
笔灰白色的飘忽的轻烟……
An Inkwash Painting
Guo Moruo
The sky was a sheet of murky grey, completely de*oid of sunlight.
The sea was a ghastly dark blue. The gentle wa*es licking at the shore ga*e forth a
humming sound like that of fish in shoals.
All that foreboded a storm.
Some isles in the sea stood quiet and still like ebony sculptures.
I walked towards the sandy beach carrying my lunch-box and then sat inside a fishing
boat moored at the seashore.
What an insipid and dreary scene! I opened the lunch-box only to ha*e it co*ered up
again.
Looking back, I caught sight of a lonely crematorium looming out of a pine wood. Its
towering red-brick chimney was gi*ing off wisps of grayish smoke.
注释：
(1)“水墨画”除译An Inkwash Painting外，也可译为An Ink-and-Wash Painting。
(2)“海水的蓝色浓得惊人”译为The sea was a ghastly dark blue，其中ghastly的意思是“可
怕的”，但兼有“不正常”的含义。
(3)“这是暴风雨欲来时的先兆”译为All that foreboded a storm。“先兆”也可译为foretold，
但不如foreboded确切，因后者一般都针对不好的事物。
(4)“又闭上了”译为only to ha*e it co*ered up again，其中only（用在不定式前）往往作“结
果却”或“却又”解。
(5)“望见松原里的一座孤寂的火葬场”译为caught sight of a lonely crematorium looming out of
a pine wood，其中用looming代替standing等能较好地表达“赫然耸现”的含义。
(6)“冒出了……轻烟”译为gi*ing off…smoke，其中to gi*e off是成语，意同to send out, to emit
等。
墓
郭沫若
昨朝我一个人在松林里徘徊，在一株老松树下戏筑了一座砂丘(1)。
我说，这便是我自己的坟墓了(2)。
我便拣了一块白石来写上了我自己的名字，把来做了墓碑。
我在墓的两旁还移种了两株稚松(3)把它伴守。
我今朝回想起来，又一人走来凭吊(4)。
但我已经走遍了这莽莽的松原，我的坟墓究竟往那儿去了呢？
啊，死了的我昨日的尸骸哟(5)，哭墓的是你自己的灵魂，我的坟墓究竟往那儿去
了呢？
The Gra*e
Guo Moruo
Yesterday morning, while wandering about alone in a pine forest, I amused myself by
piling up a small sand-hill under an old pine tree.
“Let this be my own gra*e,” said I.
Picking up a piece of white stone, I scribbled my name on it and said, “Let this be my
own gra*estone.”
On either side of the gra*e, I transplanted a pine sapling to keep it company..
This morning, recalling the gra*e, I went to pay a *isit to it.
But the gra*e was nowhere to be found though I searched e*ery nook and corner of
the dense forest. Where was it gone to?
O ye remains of my yesterday’s dead self, it was your own soul that had come to
mourn at the gra*e! Where was my gra*e gone to?
注释：
(1)“戏筑了一座砂丘”的意思是“堆起一座砂丘以自娱”，现译为I amused myself by piling
up a small sand-hill，也可译为I piled up for fun a small sandhill。“筑”在这里作“堆积”解，故译为piling up，不宜按字面译为building或constructing等。译文中的small是添加成分，原文虽无其词而有其意。
(2)“这便是我自己的坟墓了”含有说话者的意图，故译文用祈使句表达：Let this be my own
gra*e，和This shall be my own gra*e同义。
(3)“稚松”即“松树苗”，故译为pine sapling。
(4)“凭吊”在此作“探望”解，译to pay a *isit to即可，不必译为to pay homage to或to pay
respects to等。
(5)“啊，死了的我昨日的尸骸哟”译为O ye remains of my yesterday’s dead self，其中ye作“你”解，属古语，在此用以烘托散文诗的格调。
想北平
老舍
设若让我写一本小说，以北平作背景，我不至于害怕，因为我可以拣着我知道的写，而躲开我所不知道的。让我单摆浮搁的讲一套北平，我没办法。北平的地方那么大，事情那么多，我知道的真觉太少了，虽然我生在那里，直到廿七岁才离开。以名胜说，我没到过陶然亭(1)，这多可笑！以此类推，我所知道的那点只是“我的北平”，而我的北平大概等于牛的一毛。
Fond Memories of Peiping
Lao She
I ha*e no misgi*ings about writing a no*el with Peiping as its background because I can choose to write about what I am most familiar with while shying away from what is less known to me. But I shall be at a complete loss if I should be called upon to write exclusi*ely about Peiping. Peiping is so big and multifaceted that *ery little of it, I belie*e, is known to me though I was born and brought up there and ne*er went away until I was 27. Just fancy that I ha*e neglected to *isit e*en Tao Tan Ting, a local scenic attraction! It follows that, in contrast with Peiping in its entirety, what little I know about it is probably a mere drop in the ocean.
可是，我真爱北平。这个爱几乎是要说而说不出的。我爱我的母亲。怎样爱？我说不出。在我想作一件事讨她老人家喜欢的时候，我独自微微的笑着；在我想到她的健康而不放心的时候，我欲落泪。言语是不够表现我的心情的，只有独自微笑或落泪才足以把内心揭露在外面一些来。我之爱北平也近乎这个。夸奖这个古城的某一点是容易的，可是那就把北平看得太小了。我所爱的北平不是枝枝节节的一些什么，而是
整个儿与我的心灵相粘合的一段历史，一大块地方，多少风景名胜，从雨后什刹海的蜻蜓一直到我梦里的玉泉山的塔影(2)，都积凑到一块，每一小的事件中有个我，我的每一思念中有个北平，这只有说不出而已。
I do cherish, howe*er, a genuine lo*e for Peiping—a lo*e that is almost as inexpressible as my lo*e for mother. I smile by myself when I think of something I can do to please mother; I feel like crying when I worry about mother’s health. Words fail me where silent smiles and tears well express my innermost feelings. The same is true of my lo*e for Peiping. I shall fail to do justice to this *ast ancient city if I should do no more than extol just one certain aspect of it. The Peiping I lo*e is not something in bits and pieces, but a phase of history and a *ast tract of land completely bound up with my heart. Numerous scenic spots and historical sites from Shi Sha Hai Lake with its dragonflies after a rain to the Yu Quan Shan Mountain with the dream pagoda on top—all merge into a single whole. I associate myself with e*erything in Peiping no matter how tri*ial it is; Peiping is always in my mind. I can’t tell why.
真愿成为诗人，把一切好听好看的字都浸在自己的心血里，像杜鹃(3)似的啼出北平的俊伟。啊！我不是诗人！我将永远道不出我的爱，一种像由音乐与图画所引起的爱。这不但是辜负了北平，也对不住我自己，因为我最初的知识与印象都得自北平，它是在我的血里，我的性格与脾气里有许多地方是这古城所赐给的。我不能爱上海与天津，因为我心中有个北平。可是我说不出来！
If only I were a poet so that, with all the sweet and beautiful words at my command, I would sing of the grandeur of Peiping in as longing a note as that of a cuckoo! Alas, I am no poet! I shall ne*er be able to express my lo*e—the kind of lo*e as inspired by music or painting. That is quite a letdown to both Peiping and myself, for it is to this ancient city that I owe what I ha*e within me, including my early knowledge and impressions as well as much of my character and temperament. With Peiping possessing my heart, I can ne*er become attached to either Shanghai or Tianjin. I can’t tell why.
伦敦，巴黎，罗马与堪司坦丁堡，曾被称为欧洲的四大“历史的都城”。我知道一些伦敦的情形；巴黎与罗马只是到过而已；堪司坦丁堡根本没有去过。就伦敦，巴黎，罗马来说，巴黎更近似北平——虽然“近似”两字都拉扯得很远——不过，假使让我“家住巴黎”，我一定会和没有家一样的感到寂苦。巴黎，据我看，还太热闹。自然，那里也有空旷静寂的地方，可是又未免太旷(4)；不像北平那样复杂而又有个边
际(5)，使我能摸着——那长着红酸枣的老城墙！面向着积水滩，背后是城墙，坐在石上看水中的小蝌蚪或苇叶上嫩蜻蜓，我可以快乐的坐一天，心中完全安适，无所求也无可怕，像小儿安睡在摇篮里。是的，北平也有热闹的地方，但是它和太极拳相似，动中有静。巴黎有许多地方使人疲乏，所以咖啡与酒是必要的，以便刺激；在北平，有温和的香片茶就够了。
London, Paris, Rome and Constantinople are known as the four major “historic capitals” of Europe. I know something about London; I ha*e been to Paris and Rome only briefly; I ha*e ne*er *isited Constantinople at all. Of all these cities, Paris has the closest affinity with Peiping (The word “affinity” may perhaps sound a bit farfetched). Ne*ertheless, if should make my home in Paris, I would feel *ery lonely as if I had no home at all. As far as I know, Paris is too much of a bustling town. It does ha*e quiet open spaces, but they smack of mere expanses of *acancy. Peiping is complicated and yet tangible. I can feel it by touch. I can feel the red wild jujubes growing on its ancient city wall! I can spend a whole day enjoying myself sitting on a rock to obser*e tiny tadpoles in the water or tender dragonflies on reeds while facing me lies Ji Shui Tan Pond and right behind me rises the high city wall. I can thus enjoy a perfect inner clam, free from any desire or fear, like a child sleeping peacefully in the cradle. There are also bustling places in Peiping, to be sure, but like the traditional Chinese shadow boxing Tai Ji Quan, the city retains its stillness in the midst of motion. While Parisians ha*e to turn to coffee or wine for the relief of boredom caused by so many wearisome places in their city, the mild be*erage of jasmine tea will be more than adequate for dwellers of Peiping.
论说巴黎的布置已比伦敦罗马匀调的多了，可是比上北平还差点事儿。北平在人为之中显出自然，几乎是什么地方即不挤得慌，又不太僻静；最小的胡同里的房子也有院子与树；最空旷的地方也离买卖街与住宅区不远。这种配法可以算——在我的经验中——天下第一了。北平的好处不在处处设备得完全，而在它处处有空儿，可以使我自由的喘气；不在有好些美丽的建筑，而在建筑的四周*空闲的地方，使它们成
为美景。每一城楼，每一牌楼，都可以从老远就看见。况且在街上还可以看见北山与西山呢！
Though Paris has a better layout than London or Rome, it ne*ertheless cannot compare with Peiping, one always finds the natural in the midst of the artificial. The city as a whole is neither too crowded nor too secluded. E*en houses tucked away in *ery small lanes ha*e their own courtyards and trees. E*en the most secluded places are situated within a stone’s throw of business or residential districts. Such a layout is, to my mind, without equal all o*er the world. Howe*er, what distinguishes Peiping is not the perfect layout, but the open spaces here and there where people can breathe freely; not the many beautiful buildings, but the open grounds around each building which add to its architectural beauty. Each gate tower of the city wall and each pailou (decorated archway) can been seen from afar. And the Northern and Western hills are *isible to people in the open streets.
好学的，爱古物的，人们自然喜欢北平，因为这里书多古物多。我不好学，也没钱买古物。对于物质上，我却喜欢北平的花多菜多果子多。花草是种费钱的玩艺，可是此地的“草花儿”很便宜，而且家家有院子，可以花不多的钱而种一院子花，即使算不了什么，可是到底可爱呀。墙上的牵牛，墙根的靠山竹与草茉莉，是多么省钱省事而足以招来蝴蝶呀！至于青菜，白菜，扁豆，毛豆角，黄瓜，菠菜等等，大多数是直接由城外担来而送到家门口的。雨后，韭菜叶上还往往带着雨时溅起的泥点，青菜摊子上的红红绿绿几乎有诗似的美丽。果子有不少是由西山与北山来的，西山的沙果，海棠，北山的黑枣，柿子，进了城还带着一层白霜儿呀！哼，美国的橘子包着纸，遇到北平的带着霜儿的玉李，还不愧杀！
Those who are fond of studying or collecting curios will naturally be drawn to Peiping, which is remarkable for its rich store of books and curios. Personally I am not gi*en to studying, nor do I ha*e spare money to buy curios. But I am keen on the flowers, *egetables and fruit which grow in rich abundance in Peiping. Gardening is something *ery expensi*e. But since flowers of herbaceous plants in Peiping are *ery cheap and each house has a courtyard of its own, it does not cost *ery much to plant a whole courtyard to such flowers which, though humble, are ne*ertheless lo*ely to look at, such as morning glories on the wall, china pinks at the foot of wall and mar*els-of-Peru. Yes, cheap as they are, they attract butterflies! Green *egetables, cabbages, hyacinth beans, young soya beans, cucumbers, spinach, etc. are often carried straight form the suburbs to your residential quarters for marketing. Often, leeks from rural farms after a rain still ha*e specks of mud on their lea*es. The *egetables stalls are so colorful that they present a scene of poetic charm. Fruits come mainly from the western and northern suburbs, such as crab apples and cherry apples from the Western Hills, and jujubes and persimmons from the Northern Hills. Look, how they are still co*ered with frostlike bloom when they are put on the market! Indeed, America’s paper-wrapped oranges will pale beside Peiping’s plums bearing a thin coating of frostlike bloom!
是的，北平是个都城，而能有好多自己产生的花，菜，水果，这就使人更接近了自然。从它里面说，它没有像伦敦的那些成天冒烟的工厂；从外面说，它紧连着园林、菜圃与农村。采菊东篱下(6)，在这里，确是可以悠然见南山的；大概把“南”字变个“西”或“北”，也没有多少了不得吧(7)。像我这样的一个贫寒的人，或者只有在北平能享受一点清福了(8)。
好，不再说了吧；要落泪了，真想念北平呀！
The city of Peiping brings its residents into closer contact with nature by growing flowers, *egetables and fruit in large quantities. The city proper is not plagued by factory chimneys such as you find in London gi*ing off *olumes of smoke all day long. On the outskirts of the city lie numerous flower gardens, *egetables farms and *illages. An ancient Chinese poet by the name of Tao Yuanming says aptly in one of his famous poems, “Plucking chrysanthemums under the eastern hedge, I calmly *iew the southern hills.” To adapt it to life in Peiping, I might as well substitute the word “western” or “northern” for the word “southern” in the line. Peiping is probably the only place for a man of limited means like me to li*e an easy and carefree life in.
Now, let me lea*e off writing, for I am on the point of shedding tears. How I miss Peiping.

注释：
北京于1930年改称北平，1949年新中国成立时恢复旧名。《想北平》是老舍名篇，写于1936年。约六十年前的古都风貌和生活情调，时至今日，已发生巨大变化。当时老舍在山东大学任教，正值日寇入侵，国难当头。文章热情颂扬北平，字里行间洋溢着强烈的爱国主义和民族自豪感。
(1)“我没到过陶然亭”译为I ha*e neglected to *isit e*en Tao Ran Ting, a local scenic attraction，其中a local scenic attraction是添加成分，俾国外读者理解“陶然亭”及古都一大名胜。又译文中neglected一词也可用failed来表达。
(2)“梦里的玉泉山的塔影”译为the Yu Quan Shan Mountain with the dream pagoda on top，其中dream属于定语形容词，作“梦一般完美的”解。
(3)“杜鹃”是一种益鸟，也称“杜宇”、“布谷”或“子规”，英语为cuckoo。古代诗人认为杜鹃鸣声凄厉，旅人闻之，不禁产生思家的心情，故常用“啼血”形容其鸣声。“啼血”不宜直译，可结合上下文意译为its longing note。
(4)“可是又未免太旷”译为but they smack of mere expanses of *acancy，其中smack of作“有些像……”解，用以表达原文“未免”的含义；又“太旷”作“大而空”解，故译为expanses of *acancy。
(5)“有个边际”意即“可触摸的”或“有实质的”，故译为tangible或*acancy。
(6)“采菊东篱下”出自东晋文学家陶渊明《论酒》诗。本是“采菊东篱下，悠然见南山”，两句相联。现有解释性翻译法，把诗人姓名、时代，以及上下诗句，交代清楚，否则国外读者无法理解。
(7)“大概把‘南’字变个‘西’或‘北’，也没有多少了不得的吧。”这句紧接上面的诗句，英译时也须灵活处理，交代其内涵：To adapt it to life in Peiping, I might as well substitute the word “western” or “northern” for the word “southern” in the line。
(8)“清福”可译为an easy and carefree life或a life free worries and cares。
养 花
老舍
我爱花，所以也爱养花(1)。我可还没成为养花专家，因为没有工夫去作研究与试验。我只把养花当作生活中的一种乐趣，花开的大小好坏都不计较，只要开花我就高兴。在我的小院中，到夏天，满是花草，小猫儿们只好上房去玩耍(2)，地上没有它们的运动场。
On Growing Flowers
Lao She
I lo*e flowers and hence ha*e taken to growing them. But, short of time to do research and experiment in flower culti*ation, I am no gardener at all. I merely take flower culti*ation as a pleasure of life. I really don’t care whether or not my flowers will put forth plump and nice-looking blossom. I’ll be delighted as long as they can blossom. In summer, flowers and plants growing in luxuriance in my small courtyard will lea*e little open space as a playground for the little cats, so they ha*e to sport about in our rooms instead.
花虽多，但无奇花异草。珍贵的花草不易养活，看着一棵好花生病欲死是件难过的事。我不愿时时落泪。北京的气候，对养花来说，不算很好。冬天冷，春天多风，夏天不是干旱就是大雨倾盆；秋天最好，可是忽然会闹霜冻。在这种气候里，想把南方的好花养活，我还没有那么大的本事。因此，我只养些好种易活、自己会奋斗的花草(3)。
I grow many flowers, but none of them are exotic or rare ones. It is difficult to grow a precious flower species. And I feel bad to see a good flower dying of illness. I don’t want often to shed tears o*er that. But Beijing’s climate is more or less unfit for the growing of flowers. Freezing in winter, windy in spring, and either too dry or too often *isited by rainstorms in summer. While autumn is the best of all, it is often plagued by a sudden frost.
In a climate like this, it is far beyond my capacity to grow precious flowers of southern breed. Therefore, I only grow flowers and plants that are hardy and enjoy a high sur*i*al rate.
不过，尽管花草自己会奋斗(4)，我若置之不理，任其自生自灭(5)，它们多数还是会死了的。我得天天照管它们，像好朋友似的关切他们。一来二去(6)，我摸着一些门道：有的喜阴，就别放在太阳地里，有的喜干，就别多浇水。这是个乐趣，摸住门道花草养活了，而且三年五载(7)老活着、开花，多么有意思呀！不是乱吹，这就是知识呀！多得些知识，一定不是坏事。
Although such flowers are able to weather through by themsel*es, I, howe*er ne*er ignore them or abandon them to their own fate, for otherwise most of them will probably end up dead. I ha*e to care for them e*ery day as if they were my close friends. Thus, in the course of time, I’*e somehow got the hang of flower culti*ation, some flowers which are accustomed to growing in the shade should not be too much exposed to the sun. Those which prefer dryness should not be watered too often. It gi*es me much pleasure to know the right way of handling them. How interesting it is to be able to keep my flowers and plants ali*e and watch them thri*e and bloom year in year out! It is no exaggeration to say that there is much knowledge in*ol*ed in this! And the more knowledge one acquires, the better it is of course.
我不是有腿病吗，不但不利于行，也不利于久坐。我不知道花草们受我的照顾，感谢我不感谢；我可得感谢它们。在我工作的时候，我总是写了几十个字，就到院中去看看，浇浇这棵，搬搬那盆，然后回到屋中再写一点，然后再出去，如此循环(8)，把脑力劳动与体力劳动结合到一起，有益身心(9)，胜于吃药。要是赶上狂风暴雨或天气突变哪，就得全家动员(10)，抢救花草，十分紧张(11)。几百盆花，都要很快地抢到
屋里去，使人腰酸腿疼，热汗直流。第二天，天气好转，又得把花儿都搬出去，就又一次腰酸腿疼，热汗直流。可是，这多么有意思！不劳动，连棵花儿也养不活，这难道不是真理么？
As I ha*e some trouble with my leg, I can’t mo*e around easily, nor can I sit too long. I don’t know if the flowers under my care are grateful to me or not. Howe*er, I wish for my part to acknowledge my thanks to them. I often lea*e off sedentary work after writing a few dozen words and go to the courtyard to take a look at the flowers, watering them and mo*ing about the potted ones. Then I’ll return to my room to write a bit more. I’ll go through the same back-and-forth process again and again, thus combining mental with manual labour. This is a better way to keep me fit in mind and body than taking medicine. In case of a *iolent storm or a sudden change of weather, howe*er, the whole family will ha*e to turn out to sal*age the flowers and plants. E*erybody will then feel keyed up. By the time when we ha*e managed to mo*e the se*eral hundred potted flowers to the rooms in a hurry, we will be dog-tired and wet with perspiration. The next day, when the weather is fine, we will ha*e another round of being dog-tired and wet with perspiration in taking all the flowers out to the courtyard again. How interesting it is! Isn’t it true that without doing manual labour, we couldn’t e*en keep a single flower ali*e?
送牛奶的同志，进门就夸“好香”！这使我们全家都感到骄傲。赶到昙花开放的时候，约几位朋友来看看，更有秉烛夜游的神气(12)——昙花总在夜里放蕊。花儿分根了，一棵分为数棵，就赠给朋友们一些；看着友人拿走自己的劳动果实，心里自然特别喜欢。
当然，也有伤心的时候，今年夏天这有这么一回。三百株菊秧还在地上（没有移入盆中的时候），下了暴雨。邻家的墙倒了下来，菊秧被砸死者约三十多种，一百多棵！全家都几天没有笑容！
有喜有忧，有笑有泪，有花有实，有香有色，既须劳动，又长见识，这就是养花的乐趣。
It filled the whole family with pride whene*er the milkman exclaims on entering our gate, “What a sweet smell!” When the night-blooming cereuses are about to be in flower, we will in*ite some friends to *isit us in the e*ening to feast their eyes on them—in an atmosphere smacking of nocturnal merry-making under candle lights. When the cereuses ha*e branched out, we will pick some of the flowers and gi*e them as a present to our friends. We are of course especially happy to see them take away our fruits of labour.
Of course, there is a time to feel sad too. Last summer, a rainstorm hit us when 300 chrysanthemum seedlings in the courtyard were about to be transplanted to pots. Suddenly, the wall of our neighbour collapsed and crushed more than 100 seedlings of 30 *arieties. The whole family were sad-faced for quiet a few days!
Joy and sorrow, laughter and tears, flowers and fruit, fragrance and colour, manual labour and increased knowledge—all these make up the joy of flower culti*ation.
注释：
老舍的《养花》于1956年10月21日发表在《文汇报》上。老舍爱花，写出了养花的乐趣，视花儿为自己生命的一部分，人花合一。文章短小简练，朴素隽永。
(1)“所以也爱养花“译为hence ha*e taken to growing them，其中动词短语to take to的意思是“开始喜欢”。此句也可译为are therefore fond of growing flowers。
(2)“只好上房去玩耍”译为they ha*e to sport about in our rooms instead，其中动词短语to sport about的意思是“嬉戏”（to play and jump about happily）。
(3)“我只养些好种易活、自己会奋斗的花草”译时稍作灵活处理：I only grow flowers and plants that are hardy and enjoy a high sur*i*al rate，其中用enjoy a high sur*i*al rate（成活率高）表达“好种易活”；用hardy（耐寒、耐劳、能吃苦）表达“会奋斗的”。
(4)“自己会奋斗”译为able to weather through by themsel*es，其中动词短语to weather through的意思是“对付困难”、“渡过风暴”等。此句也可译为able to carry on the struggle for existence by themsel*es，但用字太大、太多。
(5)“任其自生自灭”不宜按字面直译，现意译为abandon them to their own fate。
(6)“一来二去”的意思是“经过一定的时间”，故译为in the course of time。
(7)“三年五载”以灵活的办法译为year in year out。
(8)“然后再出去，如此循环”不宜按字面直译，现译为I’ll go through the same back-and-forth process again and again，其中定语back-and-forth作“来来往往”解；go through the same process作“重复同一过程”解。
(9)“有益身心”可有两种译法：to keep me fit in mind and body或to keep me mentally and physically fit。
(10)“就得全家动员”译为the whole family will ha*e to turn out，其中动词短语to turn out的意思是“出动”或“出来参加”。
(11)“十分紧张”译为feel keyed up，其中动词短语to key up的意思是“使紧张”，因此keyed up和excited、tense等同义。
(12)“更有秉烛夜游的神气”中的“秉灯夜游”是成语，比喻“及时行乐”，今结合上下文按“夜间秉烛作乐”的意思译为nocturnal merry-making under candle lights。又“更有……神气”意即“带有……的味道”，故全句译为in an atmosphere smacking of nocturnal merry-making under candle lights.
白杨礼赞
茅盾
白杨树实在是不平凡的，我赞美白杨树！
当汽车在望不到边际的高原上奔驰，扑入你的视野的，是黄绿错综的一条大毡子(1)；黄的，那是土，未开垦的CN土，几十万年前由伟大的自然力所堆积成功的黄土高原的外壳；绿的呢，是人类战胜自然的结果，是麦田，和风吹送，翻起了一轮一轮的绿波——这时你会真心佩服昔人所造的两个字“麦浪”，若不是妙手偶得，便确是经过锤炼的语言的精华；黄与绿主宰着，无边无垠，坦荡如砥(2)，这时如果不是宛若并肩的远山的连峰提醒了你（这些山峰凭你的肉眼来判断，就知道是在你脚底下的），你会忘记了汽车是在高原上行驶。这时你涌起来的感想也许是“雄壮”，也许是“伟大”，诸如此类的形容词；然而同时你的眼睛也许觉得有点倦怠，你对当前的“雄壮”或“伟大”闭了眼(3)，而另一种味儿在你的心头潜滋暗长(4)了——“单调”！可不是单调，有一点儿吧？
Tribute to the White Poplar
Mao Dun
The white poplar is no ordinary tree. Let me sing its praises.
When you tra*el by car through Northwest China’s boundless plateau, all you see before you is something like a huge yellow-and-green felt blanket. Yellow is the soil—the unculti*ated *irgin soil. It is the outer co*ering of the loess plateau accumulated by Mother Nature se*eral hundred thousand years ago. Green are the wheat fields signifying man’s triumph o*er nature. They become a sea of rolling green wa*es whene*er there is a soft breeze. One is here reminded of Chinese expression mai lang meaning “rippling wheat” and cannot help admiring our forefathers’ ingenuity in coining such a happy phrase. It must ha*e been either the brainwa*e of a cle*er scholar, or a linguistic gem sanctioned by long usage. The boundless highland, with dominant yellow and green, is flat like a whetstone. Were it not for distant mountain peaks standing side by side (which, as your naked eyes tell you, are bellow where you stand), you would probably forget that you are on the highland. The sight of the scene will probably call up inside you a string of epithets like “spectacular” or “grand”. Meanwhile, howe*er, your eyes may become weary of watching the same panorama, so much so that you are obli*ious of its being spectacular or grand. And you may feel monotony coming on. Yes, it is somewhat monotonous, isn’t it?
然而刹那间，要是你猛抬眼看见了前面远远地有一排，——不，或者甚至只是三五株，一二株，傲然地耸立，像哨兵似的树木的话，那你的恹恹欲睡(5)的情绪又将如何？我那时是惊奇地叫了一声的！
那就是白杨树，西北极普通的一种树，然而实在不是平凡的一种树！
那是一种力争上游的一种树，笔直的干，笔直的枝。它的干呢，通常是丈把高，像是加过人工似的，一丈以内，绝无旁枝；它所有的丫枝呢，一律向上，而且紧紧靠拢，也像是加过人工似的，成为一束，绝无横斜逸出(6)；它的宽大的叶子也是片片向上，几乎没有斜生的，更不用说倒垂了；它的皮，光滑而有银色的晕圈，微微泛出淡青色。这是虽在北方的风雪的压迫下却保持着倔强挺立的一种树！哪怕只有碗来精细罢，它却努力向上发展，高到丈许，二丈，参天耸立，不折不挠，对抗着西北风。
Now what will become of your weariness if you suddenly raise your eyes only to catch sight of distant row of trees (or just a couple of them) standing there proudly like sentries. For my part, I cannot keep from uttering an exclamation of surprise!
They are white poplars. Though *ery common in Northwest China, they are no ordinary trees!
With straight trunks and branches, white poplars aim high. Their trunks are usually o*er ten feet tall and, as if wrought by human effort, utterly bare of branches below ten feet. Their twigs, also like things artificially shaped, all reach out towards the sky and grow close together in a cluster without any sideway growth. Their lea*es are broad and point upwards with *ery few slanting sideways, much less upside down. Their glossy barks are a faint light green with hazy sil*er spots. They stand erect and unbending in face of North China’s *iolent wind and snow. Though they may be only as big as the mouth of bowl, they stri*e to grow upwards until they reach the towering height of some twenty feet and stand indomitable against the northwest wind.
这就是白杨树，西北极普通的一种树，然而决不是平凡的树！它没有婆娑的姿态，没有屈曲盘旋(7)的虬枝，也许你要说它不美丽，——如果美是专指“婆娑”或“横斜逸出”之类而言，那么白杨树算不得树中的好女子；但是它却是伟岸(8)，正直，朴质，严肃，也不缺乏温和，更不用提它的坚强不屈与挺拔，它是树中伟丈夫！当你在积雪初融的高原上走过，看见平坦的大地上傲然挺立这么一株或一排白杨树，难道你觉得
树只是树？难道你就想不它的朴质，严肃，坚强不屈，至少也象征了北方的农民；难道你竟一点也不联想到，在敌后的广大土地上，到处有坚强不屈，就像这白杨树一样傲然挺立的守卫他们家乡的哨兵(9)，难道你又不更远一点想到这样枝枝叶叶靠紧团结，力求上进的白杨树，宛然象征了今天在华北平原纵横激荡(10)，用血写出新中国历史的那种精神和意志。
They are white poplar. Though *ery common in Northwest China, they are no ordinary tree!
You may call them unattracti*e because they ha*e neither the graceful carriage of a dancer, nor such branches as can twine and climb. But ne*ertheless they are big and tall, honest and upright, simple and plain, earnest and unyielding—and not without gentleness and warmth though. They are giants among trees! When you trudge through the melting snow of the highland and see one or a row of white poplars standing proudly on the *ast plains, how could you look upon them as nothing but mere trees? How could you forget that with all their simplicity, earnestness and unyieldingness, they are symbolic of our peasants in the North? How could you fail to associate them with our dauntless soldiers guarding our homeland all o*er the *ast rear? How could you fail to see that these trees, e*er stri*ing to put out their closely knit branches and lea*es in an upward direction, are symbolic of the spirit and will of our men who, fighting heroically all o*er the northern plains, are writing the history of New China with their own blood?
白杨不是平凡的树。它是西北极普遍，不被人重视，就跟北方农民相似；它有极强的生命力(11)，磨折不了，压迫不倒，也跟北方的农民相似。我赞美白杨树，就因为它不但象征了北方的农民，尤其象征了今天我们民族解放斗争中所不可缺的(12)朴质，坚强，以及力求上进的精神。
让那些看不起民众，贱视民众，顽固的倒退的人们去赞美那贵族化的楠木(13)（那也是直干秀颀(14)的），去鄙视这极常见，极易生长的白杨罢，但是我要高声赞美白杨树！
White poplars are no ordinary trees. But these common trees in Northwest China are as much ignored as our peasants in the North. Howe*er, like our peasants in the North, they are bursting with *itality and capable of sur*i*ing any hardship or oppression. I pay tribute to them because they symbolize our peasants in the North and, in particular, the spirit of honesty, tenacity and forging ahead—a spirit central to our struggle for national liberation.
The reactionary diehards, who despise and snub the common people, can do whate*er they like to eulogize the elite nanmu (which is also tall, straight and good-looking) and look down upon the common, fast-growing white poplar. I, for my part, will be loud in my praise of the latter!
注释：
《白杨礼赞》是茅盾在抗日战争期间1941年3月写的一篇著名散文。
(1)“是黄绿错综的一条大毡子”译为something like a huge yellow-and-green felt blanket，其中something like是为适应英语上下文而增添的成分，变隐喻为明喻，使译文读来更顺当。又yellow-and-green（或yellow and green）和yellow green不同，前者为黄绿杂处，构成一种花色，后者为黄绿混合，即绿中带黄。
(2)“坦荡如砥”意即平坦得像一块磨刀石，现直译为flat like a whetstone，保留原文的比喻。
(3)“你对当前的‘雄壮’或‘伟大’闭了眼”意即你对眼前的景色不再感到“雄壮”或“伟大”，现译为you are obli*ious of its being spectacular or grand，其中obli*ious of作“忘却”或“不觉得”解。
(4)“潜滋暗长”意即“逐渐开始”，现译为coming on。英语短语to come on作to begin by degree解。
(5)“恹恹欲睡”作“困倦”解，故译为weariness。
(6)“横斜逸出”指树枝从树干的旁边斜伸出来，现译为sideway growth。
(7)“屈曲盘旋”意即弯弯曲曲地向上爬，现译为twine and climb。
(8)“伟岸”意即“高大”，现译为big and tall。
(9)“守卫他们的家乡的哨兵”中的“哨兵”实际上指“士兵”或“战士”，不宜译为sentries。全部短语应译为soldiers guarding our homeland。
(10)“纵横激荡”意即到处同敌人英勇战斗，现译为fighting heroically。
(11)“有极强的生命力”译为are bursting with *itality，其中burst with意同full of。
(12)“我们民族解放斗争中所不可缺的……”译为…central to our struggle for national liberation，其中central to意同essential to。
(13)“楠木”是一种常绿乔木，质地坚硬，为贵重木材，现译为nanmu。
(14)“秀颀”意即美丽而高大。现译为good-looking and tall。
故都的秋
郁达夫
秋天，无论在什么地方的秋天，总是好的(1)；可是啊，北国的秋，却特别地来得清，来得静，来得悲凉。我的不远千里(2)，要从杭州赶上青岛，更要从青岛赶上北平来的理由，也不过想饱尝一尝这“秋”，这故都的秋味。
江南，秋当然也是有的，但草木凋得慢，空气来得润，天的颜色显得淡，并且又时常多雨而少风；一个人夹在苏州上海杭州，或厦门香港广州的市民中间，浑浑沌沌地过去，只能感到一点点清凉，秋的味，秋的色，秋的意境与姿态，总看不饱，尝不透，赏玩不到十足(3)。秋并不是名花，也并不是美酒，那一种半开，半醉的状态，在领略秋的过程上，是不合适的。
Autumn in Peiping
Yu Dafu
Autumn, where*er it is, always has something to recommend itself. In North China, howe*er, it is particularly limpid, serene and melancholy. To enjoy its atmosphere to the full in the onetime capital, I ha*e, therefore, made light of tra*elling a long distance from Hanghou to Qingdao, and thence to Peiping.
There is of course autumn in the South too, but o*er there plants wither slowly, the air is moist, the sky pallid, and it is more often rainy than windy. While muddling along all by myself among the urban dwellers of Suzhou, Shanghai, Xianmen, Hong Kong or Guangzhou, I feel nothing but a little chill in the air, without e*er relishing to my heart’s content the fla*our, colour, mood and style of the season. Unlike famous flowers which are most attracti*e when half opening, good wine which is most tempting when one is half drunk, autumn, howe*er, is best appreciated in its entirety.
不逢北国之秋，已将近十余年了。在南方每年到了秋天，总要想陶然亭的芦花，钓鱼台的柳影，西山的虫唱，玉泉的夜月，潭柘寺的钟声(4)。在北平即使不出门去罢，就是在皇城人海之中，租人家一椽破屋来住着，早晨起来，泡一碗浓茶，向院子一坐，你也能看到很高很高的碧绿的天色，听得到青天下驯鸽的飞声。从槐树叶底，朝东细数着一丝一丝漏下来的日光，或在破壁腰中，静对着像喇叭似的牵牛花（朝荣）的蓝
朵，自然而然地也能感觉到十分的秋意。说到牵牛花，我以为以蓝色或白色者为佳，紫黑色次之，淡红色最下。最好，还要在牵牛花底教长着几根疏疏落落的尖细且长的秋草，使作陪衬。
It is more than a decade since I last saw autumn in North. When I am in the South, the arri*al of each autumn will put me in mind of Peiping’s Tao Ran Ting with its reed catkins, Diao Yu Tai with its shady willow trees, Western Hills with their chirping insects, Yu Quan Shan Mountain on a moonlight e*ening and Tan Zhe Si with its re*erbrating bell. Suppose you put up in a humble rented house inside the bustling imperial city, you can, on getting up at dawn, sit in your courtyard sipping a cup of strong tea, leisurely watch the high azure skies and listen to pigeons circling o*erhead. Saunter eastward under locust trees to closely obser*e streaks of sunlight filtering through their foliage, or quietly watch the trumpet-shaped blue flowers of morning glories climbing half way up a dilapidated wall, and an intense feeling of autumn will of itself well up inside you. As to morning glories, I like their blue or white flowers best, dark purple ones second best, and pink ones third best. It will be most desirable to ha*e them set off by some tall thin grass planted underneath here and there.
北国的槐树，也是一种能使人联想起秋来的点缀。像花而又不是花的那一种落蕊，早晨起来，会铺得满地。脚踏上去，声音也没有，气味也没有，只能感出一点点极微细极柔软的触觉。扫街在树影下一阵扫后，灰土上留下来的一条条扫帚的丝纹，看起来既觉得细腻，又觉得清闲(5)，潜意识下并且还觉得有点儿落寞，Locust trees in the North, as a decorati*e embellishment of nature, also associate us with autumn. On getting up early in the morning, you will find the ground strewn all o*er with flower-like pistils fallen from locust trees. Quiet and smellless, they feel tiny and soft underfoot. After a street cleaner has done the sweeping under the shade of the trees, you will disco*er countless lines left by his broom in the dust, which look so fine and quiet that somehow a feeling of forlornness will begin to creep up on you.
古人所说的梧桐一叶而天下知秋的遥想，大约也就在这些深沉的地方。秋蝉的衰弱的残声，更是北国的特产；因为北平处处全长着树，屋子又低，所以无论在什么地方，都听得见它们的啼唱。在南方是非要上郊外或山上去才听得到的。这秋蝉的嘶叫，在北平可和蟋蟀耗子一样，简直像是家家户户都养在家里的家虫(6)。 还有秋雨哩，北方的秋雨，也似乎比南方的下得奇，下得有味，下得更像样(7)。 在灰沉沉的天底下，忽而来一阵凉风，便息列索落地下起雨来了。一层雨过，云渐渐地卷向了西去，天又青了，太阳又露出脸来了；著着很厚的青布单衣或夹袄的都市闲人，咬着烟管，在雨后的斜桥影里，上桥头树底下去一立，遇见熟人，便会用了缓慢悠闲的声调，微叹(8)着互答着说：
“唉，天可真凉了——”
“可不是么？一层秋雨一层凉了！”
The same depth of implication is found in the ancient saying that a single fallen leaf from the wutong tree is more than enough to inform the world of autumn’s presence. The sporadic feeble chirping of cicadas is especially characteristic of autumn in the North. Due to the abundance of trees and the low altitude of dwellings in Peiping, cicadas are audible in e*ery nook and cranny of the city. In the South, howe*er, one cannot hear them unless in suburbs or hills. Because of their ubiquitous shrill noise, these insects in Peiping seem to be li*ing off e*ery household like crickets or mice.
As for autumn rains in the North, they also seem to differ from those in the South, being more appealing, more temperate. A sudden gust of cool wind under the slaty sky, and raindrops will start pitter-pattering. Soon when the rain is o*er, the clouds begin gradually to roll towards the west and the sun comes out in the blue sky. Some idle townsfolk, wearing lined or unlined clothing made of thick cloth, will come out pipe in mouth and, loitering under a tree by the end of a bridge, exchange leisurely con*ersation with acquaintances with a slight touch of regret at the passing of time:
“Oh, real nice and cool—“
“Sure! Getting cooler with each autumn shower!”
北方的果树，到秋来，也是一种奇景。第一是枣子树；屋角，墙头，茅房边上，灶房门口，它都会一株株地长大起来。像橄榄又像鸽蛋似的这枣子颗儿，在小椭圆形的细叶中间，显出淡绿微黄的颜色的时候，正是秋的全盛时期；等枣树叶落，枣子红完，西北风就要起来了(9)，北方便是尘沙灰土的世界，只有这枣子、柿子、葡萄，成熟到八九分的七八月之交，是北国的清秋的佳日，是一年之中最好也没有的golden
days。
Fruit trees in the North also make a wonderful sight in autumn. Take jujube tree for example. They grow e*erywhere—around the corner of a house, at the foot of a wall, by the side of a latrine or outside a kitchen door. It is at the height of autumn that jujubes, shaped like dates or pigeon eggs, make their appearance in a light yellowish-green amongst tiny elliptic lea*es. By the time when they ha*e turned ruddy and the lea*es fallen, the
north-westerly wind will begin to reign supreme and make a dusty world of the North. Only at the turn of July and August when jujubes, persimmons, grapes are 80-90 percent ripe will the North ha*e the best of autumn—the golden days in a year.
有些批评家说，中国的文人学士，尤其是诗人，都带着很浓厚的颓废色彩，所以中国的诗文里，颂赞秋的文字特别的多。但外国的诗人，又何尝不然？我虽则外国诗文念得不多，也不想开账来，做一篇秋的诗歌散文钞，但你若去一翻英德法意等诗人的集子，或各国的诗文的anthology来，总能够看到许多关于秋的歌颂与悲啼。各著名的大诗人的长篇田园诗或四季诗里，也总以关于秋的部分，写得最出色而最有味。足
见有感觉的动物，有情趣的人类，对于秋，总是一样的能特别引起深沉，幽远，严厉，萧索的感触来的。不单是诗人，就是被关闭在牢狱里的囚犯，到了秋天，我想也一定会感到一种不能自已的深情(10)；秋之于人，何尝有国别，更何尝有人种阶级的区别呢？不过在中国，文字里有一个“秋士(11)”的成语，读本里又有着很普遍的欧阳子的秋声(12)与苏东坡的《赤壁赋》(13)等，就觉得中国的文人，与秋的关系特别深了。可是这秋的深味，非要在北方，才感受得到底。
Some literary critics say that Chinese literati, especially poets, are mostly disposed to be decadent, which accounts for predominance of Chinese works singing the praises of autumn. Well, the same is true of foreign poets, isn’t it? I ha*en’t read much of foreign poetry and prose, nor do I want to enumerate autumn-related poems and essays in foreign literature. But, if you browse through collected works of English, German, French or Italian poets, or *arious countries’ anthologies of poetry or prose, you can always comes across a great many literary pieces eulogizing or lamenting autumn. Long pastoral poems or songs about the four seasons by renowned poets are mostly distinguished by beautiful mo*ing lines on autumn. All that goes to show that all li*e creatures and sensiti*e humans alike are prone to the feeling of depth, remoteness, se*erity and bleakness. Not only poets, e*en con*icts in prison, I suppose, ha*e deep sentiments in autumn in spite of themsel*es. Autumn treats all humans alike, regardless of nationality, race or class. Howe*er, judging from Chinese idiom qiushi (autumn scholar, meaning and aged scholar grie*ing o*er frustrations in his life) and frequent selection in textbooks of Ouyang Xiu’s On the Autumn Sough and Su Dongpo’s On the Red Cliff, Chinese men of letters seem to be particularly
autumn-minded. But, to know the real fla*our of autumn, especially China’s autumn, one has to *isit the North.
南国之秋，当然是也有它的特异的地方的，比如廿四桥的明月，钱塘江的秋潮，普陀山的凉雾，荔枝湾的残荷等等，可是色彩不浓，回味不永。比起北国的秋来，正像是黄酒之于白干，稀饭之于馍馍，鲈鱼之于大蟹，黄犬之于骆驼。 秋天，这北国的秋天，若留得往的话，我愿把寿命的三分之二折去，换得一个三
分之一的零头。
Autumn in the South also has its unique features, such as the moonlit Ershisi Bridge in Yangzhou, the flowing sea tide at the Qiantangjiang Ri*er, the mist-shrouded Putuo Mountain and lotuses at the Lizhiwan Bay. But they all lack strong colour and lingering fla*our. Southern autumn is to Northern autumn what yellow rice wine is to kaoliang wine, congee to steamed buns, perches to crabs, yellow dogs to camels. Autumn, I mean Northern autumn, if only it could be made to last fore*er! I would be more than willing to keep but one-third of my life-span and ha*e two-thirds of it bartered for the prolonged stay of the season!
注释
《故都的秋》是郁达夫（*96-1945）的名篇，1934年8月写于北平。文章通过对北国特有风物的细腻描绘，抒发作者对故都之秋的无比眷恋之情。
(1)“总是好的”不宜按字面直译。现译为always has something to recommend itself，其中to ha*e…to recommend…作“有……可取之处”解。
(2)“不远千里，要从杭州赶上青岛……”译为ha*e made light of tra*elling a long distance from Hangzhou to Qingdao…，其中to make light of是成语，作“对……不在乎”解。
(3)“总看不饱，尝不透，赏玩不到十足”不宜逐字直译。译文without e*er relishing to my heart’s content…中用relishing to my heart’s content概括原文中的“看……饱”、“尝……透”、“赏玩……”等。
(4)“每年到了秋天，总要想起陶然亭的芦花……”译为the arri*al of each autumn will put me in mind of Peiping’s Tao Ran Ting with its reed catkins…，其中to put one in mind of…是成语，作“使人想起……”解。译文中的Peiping’s是添加成分，以便国外读者理解句中所列各景点的所在地是北平。
(5)“既觉得细腻，又觉得清闲”中的“清闲”意同“幽静”，故译为quiet。
(6)“可和蟋蟀耗子一样，简直像是家家户户都养在家里的家虫”译为seem to be li*ing off e*ery
household like crickets or mice，其中to li*e off (= to li*e on)中成语，作“靠……生活”解，用以表达“养在……的家虫”。
(7)“更像样”意即“更有节制”，故译为more temperate 。
(8)根据上下文，“微叹“是为”感怀时光的消逝“，故以释义法译为with a slight touch of reget at the passing of time。
(9)“西北风就要起来了”译为the northwesterly wind will begin to reign supreme，其中to reign supreme强调“占优势”之意。
(10)“感到不能自已的深情”译为ha*e deep sentiments…in spite of themsel*es，其中in spite of oneself是成语，作“不由自主地”解。
(11)“秋士”是古汉语，指“士之暮年不遇者”，现译为qiushi (autumn scholar, meaning an aged scholar grie*ing o*er frustrations in his life)。
(12)“欧阳子的秋声”即“欧阳修所作的《秋声赋》”，现译为Ouyang Xiu’s On the Autumn Sough。
(13)〈赤壁赋〉为苏东坡所作，借秋游赤壁，抒发自己的人生感慨。可译为On the Red Cliff或Fu on the Red Cliff。
谈结婚
郁达夫
前些日子，林语堂先生似乎曾说过(1)女子的唯一事业，是在结婚，现在一位法国
大文豪来沪，对去访问他的新闻记者的谈话之中，又似乎说，男子欲成事业，应该不
要结婚。
华盛顿•欧文(2)是一个独身的男子，但《见闻短记》里的一篇歌颂妻子的文章(3)，
却写的那么优美可爱。同样查而斯•兰姆(4)也是独身的男子，而爱丽亚的《独身者的
不平》(5)一篇，又冷嘲热讽，将结婚的男女和婚后必然的果子——小孩们——等，俏
皮到了那一步田地。
究竟是结婚的好呢，还是不结婚的好？这问题似乎同先有鸡还是先有鸡蛋一样
(6)，常常有人提起，而也常常没有人解决过的问题(7)。照大体看来，想租房子的时候，
是无眷莫问的，想做官的时候，又是朝里无裙(8)莫做官的，想写文章的时候，是独身
者(9)不能写我的妻的，凡此种种似乎都是结婚的好。可是要想结婚，第一要有钱，第
二要有闲，第三要有职，这潘驴(10)……的五个条件，却也不容易办到(11)。更何况结
婚之后，“儿子自己要来(12)”，在这世界人口过剩，经济恐慌，教育破产，世风不
古的时候，万一不慎，同兰姆所说的一样，儿子们去上了断头台(13)，那真是连祖宗
三代的楣都要倒尽，那里还有什么“官人请！娘子请！”的唱随之乐(14)可说呢？
左思右想，总觉得结婚也不好的，不结婚也是不好的。
A Chat about Marriage
Yu Dafu
The other day, Mr. Lin Yutang said something to the effect that women’s only career
lies in matrimony. Now, an eminent French writer declared at a press inter*iew after
arri*ing in Shanghai that men should stay bachelors if they want to achie*e success in life.
Washington Ir*ing was a confirmed bachelor, but in his Sketch B** is an article
extolling the wife as a graceful and lo*ely life-long partner. Charles Lamb, also a single
man, in A Bachelor’s Complaint of the Beha*iour of Married People, one of his essays
signed “Elia”, speaks mockingly of married people with their ine*itable postnuptial
fruits—the children.
Marriage or no marriage, which is more desirable? That sounds like the chicken-and-
egg question, which, though often discussed, remains a perpetual puzzle. Generally
speaking, one who has no family dependants is not supposed to rent a house, one who has
no petticoat influence in the go*ernment should refrain from becoming an official, an
unmarried male writer is in no position to writer about “my wife”. All these seem to hint at
the ad*antage of marriage. But, to get married, you need to ha*e fi*e perquisites, namely,
money, leisure, employment, good looks and potentness, of which all are not always
a*ailable. What is more, after your marriage, your offspring will come to this world of
themsel*es. And in a world with o*erpopulation, economic crisis, educational bankruptcy
and deteriorating public morals, they may, just as Charles Lamb says, through their own
acts of indiscretion, be sent to the gallows. With such a terrible misfortune befalling your
family, how could you still ha*e wedded bliss to speak of?
Thinking the matter o*er and o*er again, I cannot but come to the conclusion that
neither matrimony nor bachelorship has anything to recommend itself.
注释：
郁达夫，一生短暂，在恋爱与婚姻上有很多坎坷经历。小品文《谈结婚》寥寥数语，看似游
戏笔墨，但庄谐并出，寓理于趣，感叹人生多苦难，对现实百态深表不满。
(1)“似乎曾说过……”意即“说过一些话，大意是……”，译为said something to the effect that…，其中to the effect that…作“大意是……”解。
(2)“华盛顿•欧文”是美国作家Washington Ir*ing (1783-*59)。《见闻短记》（Sketch
Book）为其著名代表作。
(3)“一篇歌颂妻子的文章”的篇名为The Wife。
(4)“查而斯•兰姆”是英国散文家Charles Lamb (1775-*34)。笔名爱丽亚（alia），
著有《爱丽亚散文集》（Essays of Alia）。
(5)“《独身者的不平》”指《爱丽亚散文集》中的一篇。
(6)“这个问题似乎同先有鸡呢还是先有鸡蛋一样”译为That sounds like the chicken-and-egg
question，其中chicken-and-egg（或chicken and egg ）是成语，作“鸡与蛋孰先难定”或“因果难定”解。
(7)“常常没有人解决过的问题”可译为has ne*er been resol*ed，现译为remains a perpetual
puzzle，变反说为正说。
(8)“裙”指“裙带关系”意即“藉以相互依靠的姻亲关系”，现译为petticoat influence。
(9)“独身者”指“独身男作家”，故译为an unmarried male writer。
(10)“潘驴”源自《金瓶梅》第三回，指“潘安的貌”和“驴大行货”，在文中分别指第四、
第五两个条件。现分别译为gook looks和potentness。
(11)“却也很不易办到”意即“却也不易都具备”，译为of which all are not always a*ailable，
等于of which not all are always a*ailable。
(12)“儿子自己要来”译为your offspring will come to this world of themsel*es，其中短语of
themsel*es和automatically同义。
(13)“走上了断头台”，本可译为be sent to the guillotine，但因兰姆文中说的绞刑架，故译为
be sent to the gallows。
(14)“‘官人请！娘子请！’的唱随之乐”不宜逐字直译，现意译为wedded bliss（闺房之乐），
简单明了。
永远的憧憬(1)和追求
萧红
一九一一年，在一个小县城里边，我生在一个小地主的家里。那县城差不多就是
中国的最东最北部——黑龙江省——(2)所以一年之中，倒有四个月飘着白雪。
父亲常常为着贪婪而失掉了人性。他对待仆人，对待自己的儿女，以及对待我的
祖父都是同样的吝啬而疏远，甚至于无情(3)。
有一次，为着房屋租金的事情，父亲把房客的全套的马车赶了过来。房客的家属
们哭着诉说着(4)，向我的祖父跪了下来，于是祖父把两匹棕色的马(5)从车上解下来还
了回去。
为着这匹马，父亲向祖父起着终夜的争吵(6)。“两匹马，咱们是算不了什么的，
穷人，这匹马就是命根。(7)”祖父这样说着，而父亲还是争吵。九岁时，母亲死去。
父亲也就更变了样(8)，偶然打碎了一只杯子，他就要骂到使人发抖的程度。后来就连
父亲的眼睛也转了弯，每从他的身边经过，我就像自己的身上生了针剌一样(9)；他斜
视着你，他那高傲的眼光从鼻梁经过嘴角而后往下流着(10)。
所以每每在大雪中的黄昏里(11)，围着暖炉，围着祖父，听着祖父读着诗篇，看
着祖父读着诗篇时微红的嘴唇(12)。
父亲打了我的时候，我就在祖父的房里，一直面向着窗子，从黄昏到深夜——窗
外的白雪，好像白棉花一样飘着；而暖炉上水壶的盖子，则像伴奏的乐器似的振动着
(13)。
祖父时时把多纹的两手放在我的肩上，而后又放在我头上，我的耳边便响着这样
的声音：
“快快长吧！长大就好了。”
二十岁那年，我就逃出了父亲的家庭。直到现在还是过着流浪的生活。
“长大”是“长大了”，而没有“好”。
可是从祖父那里，知道了人生除掉了冰冷和憎恶而外，还有温暖和爱。
所以我就向这“温暖”和“爱”的方面，怀着永久的憧憬和追求。
My E*erlasting Dream and Pursuit
Xiao Hong
In 1911, I was born into a petty Landlord family in a remote county town in
Heilongjiang Pro*ince—a town situated *irtually at the northeastern tip of China. We had
snow there for as long as one third of a year.
Father, dri*en by a*arice, often became *ery unfeeling. He would treat his ser*ants,
his own children and e*en my grandpa alike with meanness and indifference, not to say
with ruthlessness.
Once, due to a dispute o*er house rent, he took away by force a tenant’s horse-drawn
cart and dro*e it home. The tenant’s family came to see grandpa and, dropping to their
knees, tearfully related their troubles. Grandpa unharnessed the two chestnut horses and
retuned them to tenant.
That touched off a night-long quarrel between father and grandpa. “The two horses
mean nothing to us, but e*erything to the poor,” argued grandpa. Father, howe*er, refused
to listen. Mother died when I was nine. From then on father went from bad to worse. E*en
a mere cup accidentally broken by someone would send him into such a *iolent rage that
we all shi*ered with fear. Later, whene*er I happened to walk past him, he would e*en
ha*e his eyes directed sideways, which made me feel like being pricked all o*er on thorns.
When he looked askance at me, superciliousness gushed from his eyes down the bridge of
his nose and then off the corners of his mouth.
Often of a snowy e*ening, we children would hang about grandpa by a heating sto*e,
listening to him reading poems aloud and meanwhile watching his busy ruddy lips.
Whene*er father had gi*en me a beating, I would seek solace in grandpa’s room
where I would stay gazing out of the window from dusk till late into the night while
snowflakes were flying like cotton and the lid of the kettle o*er the heating sto*e rattling
like a musical instrument playing an accompaniment.
Grandpa would place his wrinkled hand on my shoulder and then on my head, saying,
“Grow up quick, poor child! You’ll be all right after you’*e grown up.”
I fled from home at twenty. And so far I still li*e the life of a *agrant.
True, I’*e “grown up”, but I’m not yet “all right”.
Ne*ertheless, from grandpa I’*e learned that apart from coldness and hatred, there is
also warmth and lo*e in life. Hence my e*erlasting dream and pursuit of this “warmth” and
“lo*e”.
注释：
萧红（1911-1942），黑龙江省呼兰县人，官僚地主家庭出身，是才华横溢的女作家。本文是
她应美国友人斯诺之给而写的小传。文章诉说她如何在祖父在关怀和抚育下度过寂寞的幼女时代。
(1)“憧憬“译为dream，和aspiration, longing, yearning等同义。
(2)“那县城差不多就是中国的最东最北部——黑龙江省——”意即“那县城在黑龙江省，差不多位于中国的东北角”。现译为in a remote town in Heilongjiang Pro*ince—a town situated
*irtually at the northeastern tip of china，其中以remote（偏僻的、边远的）表达“小”，便于烘托原文的气氛；at the northeastern tip of China比in China’s northeastern part灵活顺口。
(3)“甚至于无情”译为not to say with ruthlessness，其中not to say是英语成语，意即and almost
或and perhaps e*en。
(4)“哭着诉说着”译为tearfully related their troubles，其中related意told。
(5)“棕色的马”译为chestnut horses。英语常用chestnut指马的棕色，或棕色的马.
(6)译文touched off是成语，作“激起”、“引起”解。
(7)“穷人，这匹马就是命根”译为they mean e*erything to the poor，其中e*erything和前面
的nothing相互应。
(8)“父亲也就更变了样”译为From then on father went from bad to worse，其中from then on
是连接上句的添加成分。又went from bad to worse是成语，作“越来越坏”、“每况俞下”解。
(9)“就像自己的身上生了针剌一样”译为feel like being pricked all o*er on thorns，其中feel like
是短语动词，作“如同”解，又介词on常用来指人体受到伤害的原因，
(10)译文superciliousness gushed from his eyes…是隐喻。
(11)译文Often of a snowy e*ening中的of 等于on，但有“经常”的含义。
(12)“围着暖炉，围着祖父，听着祖父读着诗篇，看着祖父读着诗篇时微红的嘴唇”译为would
hang about grandpa by a heating sto*e, listening to him ready poems aloud and meanwhile watching his
busy ruddy lips，其中hang about或hang around为动词短语，作“待在……身边”解，通常有亲
密、友好的含义。又busy一词描述祖父的嘴唇不断张合，以代替“读着诗篇时”。
(13)“暖炉上水壶的盖子，则像伴奏乐器似的振动着”译为and the lid of the kettle o*er the
heating sto*e rattling like a musical instrument playing an accompaniment, 其中rattling表达“振动”，
而不用*ibrating等，因to rattle不仅指“振动”，而且指格格作响声，与“伴奏乐器”的比喻相
互应。
当 铺
萧红
“你去当吧！你去当吧，我不去！”
“好，我去，我就愿意进当铺(1)，进当铺我一点也不怕，理直气壮。”
新做起来的我的棉袍，一次还没有穿，就跟着我进当铺去了！在当铺门口稍微徘徊了一下，想起出门时郎华要的价目(2)——非两元不当。
包袱送到柜台上，我是仰着脸，伸着腰，用脚尖站起来送上去的，真不晓得当铺为什么摆起这么高的柜台(3)！
那戴帽头的人翻着衣裳看，还不等他问，我就说了： “两块钱。”
The Pawnshop
Xiao Hong
“You go and do the pawning! You go, but not me!”
“Ok, I go. I wouldn’t mind. I’m not afraid at all. I don’t see anything wrong about it.”
Thus, my newly-made cotton-padded gown, which had not been worn e*en once, accompanied me to the pawnshop. At the door of the pawnshop I hesitated for a while, recalling the asking price suggested by Lang Hua when I left home—“Nothing less than two Yuan.”
I stood on tiptoe, face upward and back straightened, to hand the cloth-wrapped bundle onto the counter. How strange the pawnbroker should ha*e put up a counter so forbiddingly high!
A man in a skullcap turned the gown o*er and o*er to examine it. Before he could open his mouth, I said, “Two Yuan.”
他一定觉得我太不合理，不然怎么连看我一眼也没看，就把东西卷起来，他把包袱仿佛要丢在我的头上，他十分不耐烦的样子(4)。
“两块钱不行，那么，多少钱呢？”
“多少钱不要。”他摇摇像长西瓜形的脑袋，小帽头顶尖的红帽球，也跟着摇了摇。
我伸手去接包袱，我一点也不怕，我理直气壮，我明明知道他故意作难(5)，正想把包袱接过来就走。猜得对对的，他并不把包袱真给我(6)。
“五毛钱！这件衣服袖子太瘦，卖不出钱来……”
“不当。”我说。
“那么一块钱，……再可不能多了，就是这个数目。”他把腰微微向后弯一点，柜台太高，看不出他突出的肚囊……一只大手指，就比在和他太阳穴一般高低的地方。
He must ha*e thought me too unreasonable, for he rolled up the gown without e*en taking a look at me. Impatience was written all o*er his face as if he were about to throw the bundle onto my head.
“If two yuan won’t do, then how much?”
“We won’t take it for anything,” said he, shaking his longish watermelon-shaped head, the decorati*e red bead on top of his skullcap swaying.
I was aware that he was out to make things difficult for me. Therefore, bold and confident, I reached out my hand for the bundle. But, just as I had been doubly sure, he simply wouldn’t let go of it.
“Fifty cents! The slee*es are too tight. The gown won’t fetch much…”
“I won’t pawn it,” said I.
“Well, how about one yuan?...Can’t gi*e you any more. That’s final.” He leaned back a little bit, his bulging paunch concealed behind the high counter…Meanwhile, to signal “one yuan”, he gestured with a finger raised as high as his temples.
带着一元票子和一张当票，我怏怏地走，走起路来感到很爽快，默认自己是很有钱的人。菜市，米店我都去过，臂上抱了很多东西，感到非常愿意抱这些东西，手冻得很痛，觉得这是应该，对于手一点也不感到可惜，本来手就应该给我服务，好像冻掉了也不可惜。路旁遇见一个老叫花子，又停下来给他一个大铜板，我想我有饭吃，他也是应该吃啊！然而没有多给，只给一个大铜板，那些我自己还要用呢(7)！又摸一
摸当票也没有丢，这才重新走，手痛得什么心思也没有了，快到家吧！快到家吧。但是，背上流了汗，腿觉得很软，眼睛有些剌痛(8)，走到大门口，才想起来从搬家还没有出过一次街，走路腿也无力，太阳光也怕起来。
Armed with a one-dollar note and a pawn ticket, I, unhappy as I was, walked with a light step and felt like one of the rich. I *isited the food market and the grain shop. I did not tire of carrying an armful of purchases. My hands ached with cold, but this was as it should be. I felt no pity for them. It was their bounden duty to wait on me—e*en at the cost of suffering frostbite. I also bought ten steamed stuffed buns at a pastry shop. I was proud of
my shopping. Again and again I felt so thrilled that I completely forgot all the pain in my frostbitten hands. When I saw an old beggar by the roadside, I stopped to gi*e him a copper coin. Why, if I had food to eat, he certainly had no reason to go hungry! But I couldn’t afford to gi*e him more, for I needed the rest of the money for keeping my own body and soul together! Before I walked on again, I put my hand on the pawn ticket in my pocket to make sure that it was still there. By then, the pain in my hands had become the only thing I was conscious of. So I was anxious to be home again. My back sweated, my legs felt like jelly, my eyes stung. At the gate of my home, it suddenly occurred to me that this was the first time I had e*er been out to town since I mo*ed here and that accounted for my legs feeling so weak and my eyes being so shy of light.
又摸一摸当票才走进院子去。郎华仍躺在床上，和我出来的时候一样，他还不习惯于进当铺。他是在想什么。拿包子给他看，他跳起来了：“我都饿啦，等你也不回来。”
十个包子吃去一大半，他才细问：“当多少钱？当铺没欺负你？”
把当票给他，他瞧着那样少的数目： “才一元，太少。”
虽然说当得的钱少，可是又愿意吃包子，那么结果很满足(9)。他在吃包子的嘴(10)，看起来比包子还大，一个跟着一个，包子消失尽了。
On entering the courtyard, I touched the pawn ticket again. Lang Hua was still lying on the bed with the same a*ersion to a pawnshop. I wonder what was now in his mind. The moment I produced the buns, he jumped up from his bed, “I’m so hungry. I’*e been long waiting for you to come back.”
It was not until he had gulped down more than half of the buns that he began to question me closely, “How much did you pawn it for? Did they cheat you?”
I showed him the pawn ticket and he eyed the pitifully small sum scratched on it.
“Only one Yuan? Too little!”
True, the money was too little, but the buns were good to eat, so that all’s well that ended well. One after another *anished the buns into his ca*ernous mouths—a mouth that looked e*en bigger than a bun.
注释：
《当铺》反映了1932到1934年她与萧军在哈尔滨生活的艰苦的日子。
(1)“我就愿意进当铺”译为I wouldn’t mind，所采用的是正反表达法，把原文从正面表达的句子，在译文中从反面来表达，以便提高译文的效果。
(2)“要的价目”译为the asking price，为英语常用语，是从to ask a price转过来的。
(3)“这么高的柜台”译为a counter so forbiddingly high，其中forbiddingly作“令人生畏”或“难以接近”（unfriendly或unapproachable）解，原文虽无其词但有其意。
(4)“十分不耐烦的样子”译为Impatience was written all o*er his face，其中to be written all o*er (或on)作“显露”解。为英语惯用表达法。
(5)“他故意作难”译为he was out to make difficult for me，其中to be out to do（或for）something作“企图”（to intend或want）解，是英语惯用表达法。
(6)“他亲不把包袱真给我”译为he simply wouldn’t let go of it，其中let go of是英语习语，作“放手”（to stop holding）解。
(7)“然而没有多给……那些我自己的还要用呢！”译为But I couldn’t afford to gi*e him more, for I needed the rest of the money to keep my own body and soul together!，其中to keep my own body and soul together作“勉强维持生活”（just to make both ends meet）解，是译文中的添加成分，原文虽无其词而有其意。
(8)“背上流了汗，腿觉得很软，眼睛有些刺痛”译为My back sweated, my legs felt like jelly, my eyes stung，三句并列，都用不及物动词，并采用连词省略法（asyndeton），有助于提高译文的表达效果。
(9)“那么结果很满足”译为so that all’s well that ended well，其中all’s well that ends well是英语谚语，作“有了好结果就行了”（It is the end that matters）解。
(10)“嘴”译为ca*ernous mouth，其中ca*ernous是为衬托原意而添加的成分，作“大而深”（*ery large and deep）解。
野 草
夏衍
有这样一个故事。
有人问：世界上什么东西的气力最大(1)？回答纷纭的很，有的说“象”，有的说“狮”，有人开玩笑似的说：是“金刚”，金刚(2)有多少气力，当然大家全不知道。 结果，这一切答案完全不对(3)，世界上气力最大的，是植物的种子。一粒种子所可以显现出来的力，简直是超越一切，这儿又是一个故事。
人的头盖骨，结合得非常致密与坚固，生理学家和解剖学者用尽了一切的方法，要把它完整在分出来(4)，都没有这种力气，后来忽然有人发明了一个方法，就是把植物的种子放在要解剖的头盖骨里，给它以温度与湿度，使它发芽(5)，一发芽，这些种子便以可怕的力量，将一切机械力所不能分开的骨骼，完整地分开了。植物种子力量之大，如此如此。
这，也许特殊了一点，常人不容易理解，那么，你看见笋的成长吗？你看见被压在瓦砾和石块下面的一颗小草的生成吗？它为着向往阳光，为着达成它的生之意志(6)，不管上面的石块如何重，石块与石块之间如何狭，它必定要曲曲折折地，但是顽强不屈在透到地面上来，它的根往土壤里钻，它的芽往地面挺，这是一种不可抗拒的力，阻止它的石块，结果也被它掀翻，一粒种子的力量的大，如此如此。
没有一个人将小草叫做“大力士” (7)，但是它的力量之大，的确是世界无比，这种力，是一般人看不见的生命力，只要生命存在，这种力就要显现，上面的石块，丝毫不足以阻挡，因为它是一种“长期抗战”的力，有弹性，能屈能伸的力，有韧性，不达目的不止的力(8)。
种子不落在肥土而落在瓦砾中，有生命力的种子决不会悲观和叹气，因为有阻力才有磨炼。生命开始的一瞬间就带了斗争来的草，才是坚韧的草，也只有这种草，才可以傲然地对那些玻璃棚中养育着的盆花哄笑。
Wild Grass
Xia Yan
There is a story which goes like this:
Someone asked, “What has the greatest strength on earth?” The answers *aried. Some said, “The elephant.” Some said, “The lion.” Some said jokingly, “The fierce-browed guardian gods to Buddha.” But nobody of course could tell how strong the guardian gods were supposed to be. All the answers turned out to be wide of the mark. The mightiest thing on earth is the seed of a plant. The great strength which a seed is capable of is simply matchless. Here goes another story:
The bones forming a human skull are so tightly and perfectly fit together that all physiologists or anatomists, hard as they try, are powerless to take them apart without damaging them. It so happened that, at the suggestion of someone, some seeds of plant were placed inside a human skull awaiting dissection before heat and moisture were
applied to cause them to grow. Once they started to grow, they let loose a terrific force to separate all the skull bones, lea*ing each of them intact. This would ha*e been impossible with any mechanical power under the sun. See, how powerful the seeds of a plant can be!
This story may be somewhat too unusual for you to understand. Well, ha*e you e*er seen the growth of a bamboo shoot? Or the growth of tender grass from under a heap of rubble or rocks? Seeking sunlight and sur*i*al, the young plant will labour tenaciously through twists and turns to bring itself to the surface of the ground no matter how hea*y the rocks o*erhead may be or how narrow the opening between them. While striking its roots deep into the soil, the young plant pushes its new shoots abo*e-ground. The irresistible strength it can muster is such as to o*erturn any rock in its way. See, how powerful a seed can be!
Though nobody describes the little grass as a “husky”, yet its herculean strength is unri*alled. It is the force of life in*isible to the naked eye. It will display itself so long as there is life. The rock is utterly helpless before this force—a force that will fore*er remain militant, a force that is resilient and can take temporary setbacks calmly, a force that is tenacity itself and will ne*er gi*e up until the goal is reached.
When a seed falls under debris instead of on fertile soil, it ne*er sighs in despair because to meet with obstruction means to temper itself. Indomitable is the grass that begins its *ery life with a tough struggle. It is only fit and proper that the proud grass should be jeering at the potted flowers in a glass house.
注释： 《野草》是夏衍（1900-1995）于抗战期间写的一篇散文，赞颂小草的那种为常人看不见的顽强生命力，以象征手法鼓舞国人坚定抗战胜利的信心。
(1)“世界上什么东西的气力最大”译为What has the greatest strength on earth，其中on earth和in the world同义，但此句用on earth较为合适，因它通常用于疑问词或最高级词后加强语气。
(2)“金刚”是“金刚力士”之略，指守护佛法的天神，常怒目作勇猛之相，现把它意译为the fierce-browed guardian gods to Buddha，其中fierce-browed的意思是“怒目横眉”。
(3)“结果，这一切答案完全不对”译为All the answers turned out to be wide of the mark，其中wide of the mark或far from the mark为成语，意即“离谱”、“不正确”。
(4)“把它完整地分出来”即“把它完好无损地分开”，故译为to take them apart without damaging them。
(5)“使它发芽”的译文为to cause them grow。也可译为to cause them to put out fresh shoots。
(6)“为着向往阳光，为着达成它的生之意志”实际上的意思是“为了争取阳光和生存”，故译为Seeking sunlight and sur*i*al即可。
(7)“没有一个人将小草叫做‘大力士’”译为Though nobody describes the little grass as a “husky”，其中describe…as的意思是“把……说成”、“把……称为”；husky的意思是“高大强壮的人”。
(8)“有韧性，不达目的不止的力”译为a force that is tenacity itself and will ne*er gi*e up until the goal is reached，其中itself一词用来加强前面的抽象名词tenacity，属习惯用法。
恋爱不是游戏
庐隐
没有在浮沉的人海中(1)，翻过筋斗的和尚，不能算善知识(2)；没有受过恋爱洗礼的人生，不能算真人生。
和尚最大的努力，是否认现世而求未来的涅槃(3)，但他若不曾了解现世，他又怎能勘破现世(4)，而跳出三界(5)外呢？
而恋爱是人类生活的中心，孟子说：“食色性也。”所谓恋爱正是天赋之本能；如一生不了解恋爱的人，他又何能了解整个人生？
所以凡事都从学习而知而能，只有恋爱用不着学习，只要到了相当的年龄，碰到合式（适）的机会，他和她便会莫名其妙地恋爱起来。
恋爱人人都会(6)，可是不见得人人都懂(7)，世俗大半以**伪充恋爱，以游戏的态度处置恋爱，于是我们时刻可看到因恋爱而不幸的记载。
实在的恋爱绝不是游戏，也绝不是堕落的人生所能体验出其价值的，它具有引人向上的鞭策力，它也具有伟大无私的至上情操，它更是美丽的象征。
在一双男女正纯洁热爱着的时候，他和她内心充实着惊人的力量；他们的灵魂是从万有的束缚中，得到了自由，不怕威胁，不为利诱，他们是超越了现实，而创造他们理想的乐园。
不幸物欲充塞的现世界，这种恋爱的光辉，有如萤火之微弱，而且“恋爱”有时适成为无知男女堕落之阶，使维纳斯不禁深深地叹息：“自从世界人群趋向灭亡之途，恋爱变成了游戏，哀哉！”
Lo*e is Not a Game
Lu Yin
A Buddhist monk without ha*ing experienced ups and downs in the sea of mortals will ha*e no claim to true wisdom.
Likewise, one who has ne*er gone through the baptism of romantic lo*e will ha*e little genuine knowledge of life.
Buddhist monks exert e*ery effort to renounce this life in fa*our of future nir*ana.
But, without a full knowledge of this life, how could they see through the *anity of human society and make a clean break with this mortal world?
Romantic lo*e is the core of human life. Mencius says, “The desire for food and sex is nature.” In other words, lo*e is innate. If one remains a lifelong stranger to lo*e, how can he thoroughly understand life?
Man becomes capable through learning. But lo*e is an exception. Boy and girl, when they are of age and meet at an opportune moment, will become mysteriously attached to each other.
Though people lo*e by instinct, yet all cannot understand it correctly. More often than not, lo*e is but carnal desire in disguise and is treated as a mere game. That is why we so often hear tragic stories of lo*e.
True lo*e is not a game. Nor can its true *alue be appreciated by the morally degenerate. True lo*e spurs one on to higher attainment. It embodies the supreme quality of selflessness, and is, abo*e all, symbolic of beauty.
When a man and woman are deeply immersed in true lo*e, they are full of amazing inner strength. Their souls are freed from all bondage. They are unyielding before threats and incorruptible before any promise of material gain. They transcend the reality to create an ideal paradise of their own.
Unfortunately, in this present world o*erflowing with material desires, this kind of true lo*e is as rare as the feeble light of fireflies. What is more, “lo*e” sometimes e*en leads to moral degeneration on the part of ignorant men and women. O*er this, Venus cannot help lamenting with a deep sigh, “Lo*e has become a mere game e*er since
humanity set out on its way to extinction. O what a sad story!”        
注释:
女作家庐隐（*98-1934），福建闽侯人，早期与冰心齐名。她的杂文短小精悍，直爽坦率，笔锋锐利。
(1)“浮沉的人海中”译为ups and downs in the sea of mortals，其中ups and downs意同*icissitudes（兴败、盛衰）；the sea of mortals意同the sea of the li*ing。
(2)“不能算善知识”意即“没有过资格称为智者”，现译为will ha*e no claim to true wisdom，其中ha*e no claim to本作“对……没有提出要求的权利”解，现作“没有资格称为……”解。此句也可译为will ha*e no true wisdom to speak of，但与原意稍有出入。
(3)“涅槃”指信佛教者经过长期“修道”所达到的最高境界。后世也称僧人逝世为“涅槃”（又称“入灭”或“圆寂”）。英语称之为*ir*ana，源于梵文。
(4)“勘破现世”意同“看破红尘”现译为see through the *anity of human society。
(5)“跳出三界”中的“三界”也是佛教用语，指“众生所住的世界”。现按“与现世一刀两断”的意思把“跳出三界”译为make a clean break with this mortal world。
(6)“恋爱人人都会”意即“恋爱出于本能”，故译为People lo*e by instinct。
(7)“可是不见的人人都懂”译为yet all cannot understand it correctly，等于yet not all can understand I correctly。
我若为王
聂绀弩
在电影刊物上看见一个影片的名字：《我若为王》(1)。从这影片的名字，我想到和影片毫无关系的另外的事(2)。我想，自己如果作了王，这世界会成为一种怎样的光景呢？这自然是一种完全可笑的幻想，我根本不想作王(3)，也根本看不起王，王是什么东西呢？难道我脑中还有如此封建的残物么？而且真想作王的人，他将用他的手去打天下，决不会放在口里说的。但是假定又假定，我若为王，这个世界会成为一种怎样的光景？
我若为王，自然我的妻就是王后了。我的妻的德性，我不怀疑，为王后只会有余的。但纵然没有任何德性，纵然不过是个娼妓，那时候，她也仍旧是王后。一个王后是如何地尊贵呀，会如何地被人们像捧着天上的星星一样捧来捧去呀，假如我能够想像，那一定是一件有趣的事情。
If I Were King
Nie Gannu
Recently in a mo*ie magazine I came across the title of a film: If I Were King. It has put me in mine of something entirely foreign to film in question. I wonder what would become of this world if I myself were king. This is of course a ridiculous fancy, for being a king is the last thing I aspire to and also a thing I utterly despise. What the hell is a king?
How can I still be so feudalistic in my mind? Moreo*er, if one is really bent on being a king, he will try to carry out his design by deeds instead of by words. But, to put it hypothetically, suppose I were king, what would this world look like?
If I were king, my wife would of course be queen. With all her moral excellence, of which I make no doubt, she would be more than qualified for being a queen. But e*en if she had no *irtue to speak of, or were just a whore, she would be queen all the same.
Imagine how noble and dignified a queen would be and how people would keep lauding her to the skies like mad! It is indeed great fun for me to *isualize all of this.
我若为王，我的儿子，假如我有儿子，就是太子或王子了。我并不以为我的儿子会是一无所知，一无所能的白痴(4)，但纵然是一无所知一无所能的白痴，也仍旧是太子或王子。一个太子或王子中如何地尊贵呀，会如何被人们像捧天上的星星一样地捧来捧去呀。假如我能想像，倒是件不是没有趣味的事。
我若为王，我的女儿就是公主，我的亲眷都是皇亲国戚。无论他们怎样丑陋，怎样顽劣，怎样……(5)也会被人们像捧天上的星星一样地捧来捧去，因为她们是贵人。
If I were king, my son, if any, would be crown prince or prince. I don’t think my son will be ignorant or worthless in e*ery way like an idiot. But, e*en if that were not the case, he would still be crown prince or prince. Imagine how noble and dignified a crown prince or prince would be and how people would keep lauding him to the skies like mad! It is indeed great fun for me to *isualize all of this.
If I were the king, my daughters would be princess, and my relati*es by marriage would all become members of the royal family. No matter how ugly or per*erse or whatnot they were, people would keep lauding them to the skies like mad just the same because they were dignitaries.
我若为王，我的姓名就会改作：“万岁”，我的每一句话都成为：“圣旨”。我的意欲，我的贪念，乃至每一个幻想，都可竭尽全体臣民的力量去实现，即使是无法实现的。我将没有任何过失，因为没有人敢说它是过失；我将没有任何罪行，因为没有人敢说它是罪行。没有人敢呵斥我，指摘我，除非把我从王位上赶下来。但是赶下来，就是我不为王了。我将看见所有的人们在我面前低头，鞠躬，匍匐(6)，连同我的
尊长，我的师友，和从前曾在我面前昂头阔步耀武扬威的人们。我将看不见一个人的脸，所看见的只是他们的头顶或帽盔。或者所能看见的脸都是谄媚的，乞求的，快乐的时候不敢笑，不快乐的时候不敢不笑，悲戚的时候不敢哭，不悲戚的时候不敢不哭脸。我将听不见人们的真正的声音，所能听见的都是低微的，柔婉的，畏葸(7)的和娇痴的，唱小旦的声音：“万岁，万岁！万万岁！”这是他们的全部语言。“有道明君！
伟大的主上啊！”这就是那语言的全部内容。没有在我之上的人了，没有和我同等的人了，我甚至会感到单调，寂寞和孤独。
If I were king, I would be addressed as “Your Majesty” and e*ery word of mine would become a “royal edict”. All my subjects would lea*e no stone unturned to carry out e*ery will, e*ery a*aricious desire and e*en e*ery whim of mine, e*en though they were all beyond the possible. I would do no wrong simply because no one dared to call it a wrong. I would commit no crime simply because no one dared to call it a crime. No one would dare to berate or find fault with me unless I was remo*ed from the throne, which meant that I was no longer the king. I would see all people hang their heads, bow low or prostrate themsel*es at my feet, including my respected elders, teachers, friends and e*en those who had used to swagger arrogantly in front of me. I could see none of their faces; all I could see were the tops of their heads or hats or helmets on their heads. The only faces I could see would be ingratiating or supplicating – faces that dared not smile to express joy; faces that dared not refrain from a forced smile when there was no joy at all to justify a smile; faces that dared not cry to express sorrow; faced that dared not refrain from a feigned cry when there was no sorrow to justify a cry. I could hear no true *oices of my people. All I could hear would be the feeble, soft, timid and affected *oice, like that of a female Peking opera singer, chanting, “Long li*e the King!” that would be their language in toto. “Great is the King, our enlightened lord!” That would be the sole content of their language. There would be no one abo*e me or on an equal footing with me. I would e*en feel bored, lonely and isolated.
为什么人们要这样呢？为什么要捧我的妻，捧我的儿女和亲眷呢？因为我是王，他们的主子，我将恍然大悟：我生活在这些奴才们中间，连我所敬畏的尊长和师友也无一不是奴才，而我自己不过是一个奴才的首领。 我是民国的国民，民国国民的思想和生活习惯使我深深地憎恶一切奴才或奴才相(8)，连同敬畏的尊长和师友们。请科学家们不要见笑，我以为世界之所以还有待于改进者(9)，全因为有这些奴才的缘故。生活在奴才们中间，作奴才们的首领，我将引为生平的最大耻辱，最大的悲哀。我将变成一个暴君，或者反而是明君；我将把我的臣民一齐杀死，连同尊长和师友，不准一奴种留在人间。我将没有一个臣民，我将不再是奴才们的君主。
我若为王，将终于不能为王(10)，却也真地为古今中外最大的王了。“万岁，万岁，万万岁！”我将和全世界的真的人们一同三呼。
Why would people beha*e like that? Why would they flatter my wife, my children and my relati*es? Because I was king, their master. It would suddenly dawn on me that li*ing among these flunkeys, including my esteemed elders, teachers and friends, I myself, too, was nothing but a mere head flunkey.
I am the citizen of the Republic. Being accustomed to the mode of thinking and li*ing of a republican citizen, I would deeply abhor all ser*ility and flunkeys, including my esteemed elders, teachers and friends. Dear scientists, please don’t laugh at me. Methinks the world is *ery much in need of reform simply because of the presence of these flunkeys, I would regard it as the deepest disgrace and sorrow of my life to li*e among the flunkeys and become their chief. I would rather become a tyrant or an enlightened king so that I could kill off all my subjects, among them my respected elders, teachers and friends, and ha*e the flunkey species exterminated once for all. Then, with all my subjects gone, I would no longer be the king of flunkeys.
If I were king and ultimately ended up becoming no king at all, I would indeed be the greatest king that had e*er breathed since time immemorial. I would join true people all the world o*er in gi*ing three cheers for myself.

注释：
《我若为王》是中国现代杰出杂文家聂绀弩（1903－1986）写于1941年的一篇杂文，文字通俗易懂，内容讽刺辛辣，流露了对专制统治者和奴才的蔑视。
(1)“我若为王”译为If I Were King，其中King的前面省略了冠词a 。在职位、头衔、等级等的名词前面大多不用冠词a 或an。
(2)“和影片毫无关系的另外的事”译为something entirely foreign to the film in question ，其中foreign to为成语，作ha*ing no relation to 或unconnected with解。又in question 是添加成分，作being talked about（正在讨论的）解。
(3)“我根本不想为王”译为being a king is the last thing I aspire to，其中last 一词作least likely 或most unlikely（最不可能的）解。
(4)“一无所知，一无所能的白痴”译为ignorant or worthless in e*ery way like an idiot，其中in e*ery way作“完全”或“彻头彻尾”解。
(5)“无论他们怎样丑陋，怎样顽劣，怎样……”中的最后一个“怎样”意即“诸如此类的事”或“等等”，现译为or whatnot。英语whatnot作other such things解，为what may not say? 的省略。
(6)“匍匐”在此指俯伏或拜倒动作（表示顺从），现译为prostrate。
(7)“畏葸”做“胆怯”解，现译为timid。
(8)“奴才相”译为ser*ility。英语ser*ility意即sla*ishness或sla*e-like deference。
(9)“我以为世界之所以还有待于改进者”译为Methinks the world is *ery much in need of reform，其中Methinks等于I think或It seems to be，为无人称动词，本为古体词，现常作诙谐打趣用语。
(10)“我若为王，将终于不能为王”译为If I were king and ultimately ended up becoming no king at all，其中ended up是成语，作“告终”解。例如：He ne*er dreamed that he would end up owning such a big fortune.
清 贫
方志敏
我从事革命斗争，已经十余年了。在长期的奋斗中，我一向是过着朴素的生活，从没有奢侈过。经手的款项，总在数百万元；但为革命而筹集的金钱，是一点一滴地用之于革命事业。这在国民党的伟人们(1)看来，颇似奇迹，或认为夸张；而矜持不苟，舍己为公，却是每个共产党员具备的美德。所以，如果有人问身边有没有一些积蓄，那我可以告诉你一桩趣事(2)：
就在我被俘的那一天——一个最不幸的日子，有两个国民党的兵士，在树林中发现了我，而且猜到我是什么人的时候，他们满肚子热望在我身上搜出一千或八百大洋(3)，或者搜出一些金镯金戒指一类的东西，发个意外之财(4)。那知道从我上身摸到下身，从袄领捏到袜底，除了一只时表和一枝自来水笔之外，一个铜板都没有搜出。他们于是激怒起来了，猜疑我是把钱藏在那里，不肯拿出来。他们之中有一个左手拿着
一个木柄榴弹，右手拉出榴弹中的引线(5)，双脚拉开一步，作出要抛掷的姿势，用凶恶的眼光钉住我，威吓地吼道：
“赶快将钱拿出来，不然就是一炸弹，把你炸死去！(6)”
“哼！不要作出那难看的样子来吧！我确实一个铜板都没有存；想从我这里发洋财，是想错了(7)。”我微笑着淡淡地说。
“你骗谁！(8)像你当大官的人会没有钱！(9)”拿榴弹的兵士坚不相信。
“决不会没有钱的(10)，一定是藏在那里，我是老出门的(11)，骗不得我。”另一个兵士一面说，一面弓着背重来一次将我的衣角裤裆过细的捏，总企望着有新的发现。
“你们要相信我的话，不要瞎忙吧(12)！我不比你们国民党当官的，个个*钱，我今天确实是一个铜板也没有，我们革命不是为着发财啦！”我再向他们解释。
等他们确知在我身上搜不出什么的时候，也就停手不搜了；又在我藏躲地方的周围，低头注目搜寻了一番，也毫无所得，他们是多么地失望呵！那个持弹欲放地兵士，也将拉着的引线，仍旧塞进榴弹的木柄里，转过来抢夺我的表和水笔。后彼此说定表和笔卖出钱来平分，才算无话。他们用怀疑而又惊异的目光，对我自上而下地望了几遍，就同声命令地说：“走吧！”
是不是还要问问我家里有没有一些财产？请等一下，让我想一想，啊，记起来了，有的有的，但不算多。去年暑天我穿的几套旧的汗褂裤，与几双缝上底的线袜，已交给我的妻放在深山坞里保藏着——怕国民党军进攻时，被人抢了去，准备今年暑天拿出来再穿；那些就算是我唯一的财产了。但我说出那几件“传世宝”来，岂不要叫那些富翁们齿冷三天？(13)！
清贫，洁白朴素的生活，正是人们革命者能够战胜许多困难的地方！
Honest Po*erty
Fang Zhimin
I ha*e been engaged in the re*olutionary struggle for more than a decade. During these long militant years, I ha*e li*ed a plain life with no luxuries to speak of. Millions of dollars passed through my hands, but I always saw to it that e*ery singly cent of the money raised for the re*olution was spent for no other purposes. This may sound like a miracle or an exaggeration to Kuomintang VIPs. Self-discipline and self-sacrifice, howe*er, are the *irtue characteristic of a communist. Therefore, should anyone inquire of me about my personal sa*ings, let him read the following amusing episode:
On the day of my capture—a most inauspicious day it was—two Kuomintang soldiers disco*ered me in a wood. Sizing me up, they thought they had come upon a windfall and started making a frantic body search, hopefully to find on me hundred of sil*ers dollars or some jewellery like gold bracelets or rings. They frisked me from top to toe and passed their hands o*er e*erything on me from the collar of my jacket to the soles of my socks, but, contrary to their expectation, they found nothing at all, not e*en a single copper, except a watch and a fountain pen. They were exasperated, suspecting that I had my money hidden somewhere and refused to gi*e it up. One of the two men had in his left hand a wooden-handled grenade. He pulled out the cord from inside the wooden handled and mo*ed his legs one step apart as if he was about to throw the grenade. Glowering at me ferociously, he threatened loudly,
“Out with your money quick, or you die!”
“Hey!” I said drily with a faint smile. “Don’t you put on such nasty airs! True I ha*en’t got a single copper with me. You’re barking up wrong tree to seek a fortune from me.”
“Shit! Nobody can e*er belie*e a big shot like you ain’t got no money!” the soldier with the grenade remained wholly incredulous.
“No money?” the other soldier joined in. “Impossible! It must be hidden somewhere.
No fooling an old hand like me.” Meanwhile, he bent low to pass his hand again meticulously o*er e*ery nook and corner of my clothes and the crotch of my trousers, still holding out high hopes of making a new disco*ery.
“You should belie*e me and stop messing around!” I explained again. “Unlike your Kuomintang officials who’re rolling in money, I’m really penniless. We join the re*olution not for personal gain.”
Finally, when they knew for certain that there was no money on me, they ga*e up the body search. Ne*ertheless, they lowered their heads to scan here and there the place where I had hidden myself, but again in *ain. How frustrated they must ha*e felt! The soldier holding grenade pushed the cord back into its wooden handle, and turned round to scramble for my watch and fountain pen. The two men, howe*er, settled their dispute by agreeing to di*ide the money equally between them after selling the spoils. They eyed me up and down with suspicion and amazement before barking out in chorus,” come along!”
Dear readers, maybe you wish to know if I ha*e any pri*ate property at home. Just a minute! Let me see… Ah, here it is, but nothing much though. I ha*e left with my wife for safekeeping a few changes of used underwear and a few pairs of socks with mended soles, all of which I used to wear last summer. She has now put them away in a remote mountain *alley to pre*ent them from being stolen in case of Kuomintang attack, so that I may wear them again this summer. These are all the property I ha*e to my name. But wouldn’t the declaration of my “family treasures” make myself an object of li*ely ridicule to the rich?
To remain honest though poor, to li*e a clean and simple life—that is what we re*olutionaries count on to o*ercome innumerable difficulties!
注释：
《清贫》是方志敏烈士1935年英勇就义前在江西国民党监狱中写下的不朽散文。
(1)“国民党伟人们”指“国民党要人们”，故译为Kuomintang VIPs。
(2)“一桩趣事”可译为amusing e*ent, occurrence、episode等，但以episode 较为合适，因为它指一系列事件中的一件。
(3)“一千或八百大洋”中“大洋”指“银元”故译为sil*er dollars。
(4)“发个意外之财”译为had come upon a windfall，其中windfall本指a piece of fruit blown off a tree by the wind，现指a piece of unexpected fortune。
(5)“拉出榴弹中的引线”中的“引线”不是“引信”（fuse），故译为cord。
(6)“不然就是一炸弹，把你炸死去”本可按字面直译为or the bomb finishes you off，现译为or you die，简洁明白，较口语化。又动词die用作现在不定式，不用将来式will die，是为了表达一种必然将发生的事（a certainty）。
(7)“想从我这里发财，是想错了”译为You’re barking up the wrong tree to seek a fortune from me，其中to bark up the wrong tree是常见于口语的习语，意即“找错地方”或“找错人”。
(8)“你骗谁”是粗话，相当于“胡说”，不宜直译，现译为Shit。
(9)“像你当大官的人会没有钱”译为A big shot like you ain’t got no money?，其中ain’t等于hasn’t，常见于口语。又译句中用两个否定（double negati*e）表达一个否定，为文化低的人所用的不规范英语。
(10)“决不会没有钱的”是恶狠狠的话，不宜直译，现根据人物对话情景译为No money? Impossible，取其神似。
(11)“老出门的”意即“老手”，故译为an old hand。
(12)“不要瞎忙吧”意即“别胡闹”，可译为don’t act or speak stupidly，但欠口语化，现译为stop messing around或stop mucking around。
(13)“叫那些富翁们齿冷三天”意即“被那些有钱人尽情嘲笑”，现译为make myself an object of li*ely ridicule to the rich。
离 别(1)
郑振铎
别了，我爱的中国，我全心爱着的中国，当我倚在高高的船栏上，见着船渐渐的离岸了(2)，船与岸间的水面渐渐的阔了(3)，见着了许多亲友挥着白巾，挥着帽子，挥着手，说着Adieu, adieu！听着鞭炮劈劈拍拍的响着，水兵们高呼着向岸上的同伴告别时，我的眼眶是润湿了，我自知我的泪点已经滴在眼镜面了，镜面是模糊了，我有一种说不出的感动！
船慢慢的向前驶着，沿途见了停着的好几只灰色的白色的军舰。不，那不是悬着我们国旗的，它们的旗帜是“红日(4)”，是“蓝白红(5)”，是“红蓝条交叉着”的联合旗(6)，是有“星点红条”的旗(7)！
两岸是黄土和青草，再过去是两条的青痕，再过去是地平线上的几座小岛山，海水满盈盈的照在夕阳之下，浪涛如顽皮的小童似的踊跃不定。水面上现出一片的金光。
别了，我爱的中国，我全心爱着的中国！ 我不忍离了中国而去(8)，更不忍在这大时代中放弃每人应做的工作而去(9)，抛弃了许多亲爱的勇士在后面，他们是正用他们的血建造着新的中国，正在以纯挚的热诚，
争斗着，奋击着。我这样不负责任的离开了中国，我真是一个罪人！
然而我终将在这大时代中工作着的，我终将为中国而努力，而呈献了我的身，我的心；我别了中国，为的是求更好的经验，求更好的奋斗工具。暂别了，暂别了(10)，在各方面争斗着的勇士们，我不久即将以更勇猛的力量加入你们当中了。
当我归来时，我希望这些悬着“红日”的，“蓝白红”的，有“星点红条”的，“红蓝条交叉着”的一切旗帜的白色灰色的军舰都已不见了(11)，代替它们的是我们的可喜爱的悬着我们的旗帜的伟大的舰队。
如果它们那时还没有退去中国海(12)，还没有为我们所消灭，那末，来，勇士们，我将加入你们的队中，以更勇猛的力量，去压迫它们，去毁灭它们！
这是我的誓言！
别了，我爱的中国，我全心爱着的中国！
Parting Sorrows
Zheng Zhenduo
Farewell, China, my belo*ed homeland! Leaning o*er the high railing, I watched the ship tearing itself away slowly from the shore, lea*ing a widening expanse of water in between. Many relati*es and friends of mine were wa*ing their hats and white handkerchiefs amidst shouts of “Adieu,adieu!” firecrackers were crackling and apluttering, and sailors shouting goodbye to their buddies on the shore. I was seized with *iolent emotion, tears welling up in my eyes and blurring my eyeglasses.
While the ship was steering ahead slowly, I saw on the way many warships in gray or white lying at anchor and fly flags other than our national ones. They were flying the red sun, the tricolour, the union jack or the stars and stripes.
The banks with their yellowish soil and green grass receded into two greenish strips until they became some mere islets on the horizon. The waters of the sea glistened under the setting sun and kept leaping like romping urchins. The water surface was a *ast expanse of gold.
Farwell, China, my belo*ed homeland!
I cannot find it in my heart to lea*e China, much less during these stormy times when I ha*e to abandon my bounden duty and lea*e behind so many dear bra*e fighters—men who are building a new China with their own blood and struggling and battling in all earnest. To quit China at this moment means to dodge my responsibility, and that makes me feel *ery guilty indeed!
Ne*ertheless, I shall e*entually answer the call of the times and de*ote myself heart and soul to my motherland. I am parting from China acquire more experience and search for better ways of struggle. Dear bra*e fighters of e*ery field, I shall be separated from you only for the present and will soon return to join your ranks with redoubled strength.
On my return, I hope, I shall see no more gray or white warships plying our territorial waters with flags of the red sun, the tricolour, the union jack or the stars and stripes. I hope I shall see instead our lo*ely great fleet flying our national colours.
Dear bra*e fighters, if the foreign warships by that time still hang on their presence in our territorial waters, I will join you to do my bit in getting rid of them.
That is my pledge!
Farewell, China, my belo*ed homeland!
注释：
郑振铎（*98－1958）是我国现代作家，学者。他于1927年8月乘船远离祖国，前往法国巴黎和英国伦敦游学，1929年10月归国。《离别》一文写于这一时期，内分三部分，其中第一部分抒发即将去国的志士情怀。
(1)题目《离别》译为Parting Sorrows，不仅表示告别，且同时把离愁别绪也作了交代。如译为Parting from homeland或Farewell to China似缺乏内涵。
(2)“见着船渐渐的离岸了”译为I watched the ship tearing itself away slowly from the shore，其中tear itself away也可用mo*ing away表达，但缺乏惜别的感情色彩。
(3)“船与岸间的水面渐渐的阔了”译为lea*ing a widening expanse of water in between，其中in between 指between the ship and the shore。
(4)“红日”指日本国旗，译为the red sun，后面未加flag，是为了配合造句。否则也可译为the sun flag或the rising-sun flag 。
(5)“蓝白红”指法国国旗，英语中常以the tricolour来表达。
(6)“‘红蓝条交叉着’的联合旗”指英国国旗，英语中以the union jack或the union flag表达。
(7)“‘星点红条’的旗“即美国国旗，英语中称之为the stars and stripes。
(8)“我不忍离了中国而去”译为I cannot find it in my heart to lea*e Chins，其中to find it in one’s heart to do…是成语，作“忍心做……”、“意欲……”解。此句也可译为I cannot bear to lea*e China。
(9)“更不忍在这大时代中放弃每人应做的工作而去”译为much less during these stormy times when I ha*e to abandon my bounden duty，其中much less是成语，常跟在否定句后面，作“更不用说”（and certainly not）解。又，“这大时代”按内涵译为these stormy times，未按字面直译为the great times。
(10)“暂别了”译为I shall be separated from you only for the present，其中for the present和for the time being同义，都作“暂时”、“眼下”解。
(11)“白色灰色的军舰都已不见了”译为I shall see no more gray or white warships plying our territorial waters，其中plying our territorial waters（往返于我国领海）是添加成分，原文虽无其字，但有其意。
(12)“如果它们那时还没有退去中国海”译为if the foreign warships by that time still hang on to their presence in our territorial waters，其中hang on 是成语，作“坚持”、“不肯放弃”解。又presence一词常用来指（军政）“势力”、“存在”。
时间即生命
梁实秋
最令人怵目惊心的一件事，是看着钟表上的秒针一下一下的移动，每移动一下就是表示我们的寿命已经缩短了一部分。再看看墙上挂着的可以一张张撕下的日历，每天撕下一张就是表示我们寿命又缩短了一天，因为时间即生命，没有人不爱惜他的生命，但很少人珍视他时间。如果想在有生之年做一点什么事，学一点什么学问，充实自己，帮助别人，使生命成为有意义，不虚此生，那么就不可浪费光阴。这道理人人
都懂(1)，可是很少人真能积极不懈的善为利用他的时间。
我自己就是浪费了很多时间的一个人(2)。我不打麻将，我不经常的听戏看电影，几年中难得一次，我不长时间看电视，通常只看半个小时，我也不串门子闲聊天。有人问我：“那么你大部分时间都做了些什么呢？”我痛自反省，我发现，除了职务上的必须及人情上所不能免的活动外，我的时间大部分都浪费了。我应该集中精力，读我所未读过的书，我应该利用所有时间，写我所要写的东西。但是我没能这样做。我的好多时间都糊里糊涂的混过去了，“少壮不努力，老大徒伤悲。”
例如我翻译莎士比亚，本来计划于课余之暇每年翻译两部，二十年即可完成，但是我用了三十年，主要的原因是懒。翻译之所以完成，主要的是因为活得相当长久，十分惊险(3)。翻译完成之后，虽然仍有工作计划，但体力渐衰，有力不从心之感(4)。
假使年轻的时候鞭策自己，如今当有较好或较多的表现。然而悔之晚矣。
再例如，作为一个中国人，经书不可不读。我年三十才知道读书自修的重要(5)。我披阅，我圈点。但是恒心不足，时作时辍。五十以学易，可以无大过矣(6)，我如今年过八十，还没有接触过《易经》，说来惭愧。史书也很重要。我出国留学的时候，我父亲买了一套同文石印的前四史(7)，塞满了我的行箧的一半空间，我在外国混了几年之后又把前四史原封带回来了。直到四十年后才鼓起勇气读了《通鉴》(8)一遍。现
在我要读的书太多，深感时间有限。
无论做什么事，健康的身体是基本条件。我在学校读书的时候，有所谓“强迫运动”，我踢破过几双球鞋，打断过几只球拍。因此侥幸维持下来最低限度的体力。老来打过几年太极拳，目前则以散步活动筋骨而已。寄语年轻朋友，千万要持之以恒的从事运动，这不是嬉戏，不是浪费时间。健康的身体是作人做事的真正的本钱(9)。
Time Is Life
Liang Shiqiu
It is most startling to hear a watch or clock clicking away the seconds, each click indicating the shortening of one’s life by a little bit. Likewise, with each page torn off the wall calendar, one’s life is shortened by another day. Time, therefore, is life. Ne*ertheless, few people treasure their time as much as their life. Time must not be wasted if you want to do your bit in your remaining years or acquire some useful knowledge to impro*e yourself and help others, so that your life may turn out to be significant and fruitful. All tht is foolproof, yet few people really stri*e to make the best use of their time.
Personally, I am also a fritterer. I don’t play mahjong. I seldom go to the theatre or cinema—I go there maybe only once e*ery few years. I seldom spend long hours watching TV—usually I watch TV for no more than 30 minutes at a sitting. Nor do I go *isiting and gossiping from door to door. Some people asked me, “Then what do you do with most of your time?” Introspecting with remorse, I found that apart from the time earmarked for my job and una*oidable social acti*ities, most of my time had been wasted. I should ha*e concentrated my energies on reading whate*er books I ha*e not yet read. I should ha*e utilized all my time in writing anything I want to write. But I’*e failed to do so. Very much of my times has been frittered away aimlessly. As the saying goes, “One who does not work hard in youth will grie*e in *ain in old age.” Take the translation of Shakespeare for example. I had initially planned to spend 20 years of my spare time in doing the translation, finishing two plays a year. But I spent 30 years instead, due primarily to my slothfulness. The whole project would probably ha*e fallen through had it not been for my fairly long life. After that I had other plans for work, but, because of my approaching senility, somehow I failed to do what I had wished to. Had I spurred myself on in my youth, I would ha*e done more and better work. Alas, it is too late to repent.
Another example. The reading of Chinese classics is a must for all Chinese. But it was not until I was o*er 30 that I came to realize the importance of self-study in the matter of classics. I did read carefully though, marking words and phrases for special attention with small circles and dots. But my efforts at self-study were off and on. Confucius says, “I shall be free of great faults if I can li*e long enough to begin the study of Yi at the age of 50.” I feel ashamed to admit that I ha*en’t e*en touched Yi though I’m now o*er 80.
Chinese history book are equally important. When I was lea*ing China to study abroad, father bought a set of the Tong Wen lithographic edition of the First Four Books of History, and crammed them into my tra*elling box, taking up half of its space. Se*eral years later, howe*er, after drifting along abroad, I returned home carrying with me the same books all unread. It was not until 40 years later that I plucked up enough courage to read through
Dong Jian. So many books still remain to be read, and I much regret not ha*ing enough time to do it. Whate*er you do, you need a sound body first of all. In my school days, in response to the so-called “compulsory physical exercises”, I went in for many sports at the expense of many pairs of sneakers and rackets, thus luckily building up a minimum of good physique. When I was approaching old age, I did Tai ji quan (shadow boxing) for se*eral
years. Now I only do some walking exercises. Dear young friends, my ad*ice to you is: Do physical exercises perse*eringly. That has nothing to do with merry-making or time- wasting. Good health is the wherewithal for a successful life and career.
注释：
梁实秋（1902-1987）是我国著名现代作家、翻译家、教育家，一生致力于英国文学研究。本文选自他的散文集《雅舍小品》。
(1)“这道理人人都懂”译为All that is foolproof，其中foolproof作*ery simple to understand解，意同“不言而喻”或“简单明了”。此句也可译为All that is self-e*ident。
(2)“我自己就是浪费了很多时间的一个人”译为personally, I am also a fritterer，其中fritterer一词在用法上既可泛指“时间、金钱等等的浪费者”，又可专指“不爱惜时间的人”（a person who wastes time）。
(3)“翻译之所以完成，主要的是因为活得相当长久，十分惊险”的意思是“幸亏自己命长，否则可能完成不了莎士比亚的翻译”。其中“十分惊险”的意思是“险些完成不了”。现全句译为The whole project would probably ha*e fallen through had it not been for my fairly long life。
(4)“但体力渐衰，有力不从心之感”译为because of my approaching senility, somehow I failed to do what I had wished to，其中senility指因年迈而导致身心两个方面的衰退．
(5)“才知道读书自修的重要”中的“读书”，根据上下文应指“读经书”，故此句译为came to realize the importance of self-study in the matter of classics，其中in the matter of作in relation to或in regard to（就……而论）解。
(6)“五十心学易，可以无大过矣”出自《论语•述而》中的“子曰，加我数年，五十以学易，可以无大过矣。”其意为“让我再多活几年，到五十岁时去学习《易经》，就可以没有多大的过错了。”现按此意用加字法译为Confucius says, “I shall be free of great faults if I can li*e long enough to begin the study of Yi at the age of 50.”
(7)“前四史”指《史记》、《汉书》、《后汉书》以及《三国志》。
(8)“《通鉴》”即《资治通鉴》，详见译文脚注。
(9)“健康的身体是作人做事的真正的本钱”译为Good health is the wherewithal for a successful life and career，其中the wherewithal意同the necessary means（必要的资金、手段等）。又“作人做事”指“生活”与“事业”两方面，故参照上下文译为a successful life and career。
学问与趣味
梁实秋
前辈的学者常以学问的趣味启迪后生，因为他们自己实在是得到了学问的趣味，故不惜现身说法，诱导后学(1)，使他们也在愉快的心情之下走进学问的大门(2)。例如，瘐任公先生就说过(3)：“我是个主张趣味主义(4)的人，倘若用化学化分‘梁启超’这件东西(5)，把里头所含一种原素名叫‘趣味’的抽出来，只怕所剩下的仅有个零了。”
任公先生注重趣味，学问甚是渊博，而并不存有任何外在的动机，只是“无所为而为”(6)，故能有他那样的成就。一个人在学问上果能感觉到趣味，有时真会像是着了魔一般(7)，真能废寝忘食，真能不知老之将至，苦苦钻研，锲而不舍，在学问上焉能不有收获？不过我尝想，以任公先生而论，他后期的著述如历史研究法，先秦政治思想史，以及有关墨子佛学陶渊明的作品，都可说是他的一点“趣味”在驱使着他，可是在他在年青的时候，从师受业，诵读典籍(8)，那时节也全然是趣味么？作八股文，作试帖诗(9)，莫非也是趣味么？我想未必。大概趣味云云，是指年长之后自动作学问之时(10)而言，在年青时候为学问打根底之际恐怕不能过分重视趣味。学问没有根底，趣味也很难滋生。任公先生的学问之所以那样的博大精深，涉笔成趣，左右逢源，不能不说的一大部分得力于他的学问根底之打得坚固。
Learning and Personal Inclination
Liang Shiqiu
Scholars of the older generation often urge young people to de*elop interest in learning because they themsel*es ha*e been enjoying the real pleasure of academic studies. And they are e*er ready to cite their own example by way of ad*ice, in hopes of enabling young people to gain access to scholarship in an enjoyable way. For example, the distinguished scholar Liang Qichao once said wittily, “I always stand for interest-ism. If you broke down Liang Qichao’s stuff into its component parts, there would be nothing left except an element named ‘interest’.” Mr. Liang was a man of profound learning who attached much importance to interest. He attained great academic success because he pursued scholarly study solely for its own sake, without any ulterior moti*e. A man who is really interested in learning sometimes does act like one possessed. He forgets his approaching old age and works hard e*en to the neglect of his meals and sleep. Isn’t it but natural for a man of such de*otion to ha*e great scholarly achie*ements? But, though Mr. Liang’s later works, such as those on method of historical studies, political and ideological history of the pre-Qin days, as well as those on Mohism, Buddhism and Tao Yuanming,
were moti*ated by his personal inclination, can the same be said of his younger days when he was a pupil chanting ancient Chinese books under a pri*ate tutor? Was he moti*ated by his personal inclination while learning to write stereotyped essays and poems prescribed for the imperials ci*il ser*ice examinations? No, I think not. Generally speaking, the so-called interest begins to exist only when one is mature enough to engage in independent studies. It is improper, I am afraid, for young people to o*erstress the importance of interest while they are still in the period of learning the basics of knowledge. Interest will ne*er de*elop where no solid foundation has been laid for learning. There is no denying the fact that Mr. Liang owed his wide erudition and unusual literary talent, for the most part, to his good grasp of foundation knowledge.
我尝见许多年青的朋友，聪明用功，成绩优异，而语文程度不足以达意，甚至写一封信亦难得通顺，问其故则曰其兴趣不在语文方面。又有一些位，执笔为文，斐然可诵，而视数理科如仇讐，勉强才能及格，问其故则亦曰其兴趣不在数理方面，而且他们觉得某些科目没有趣味，便撇在一旁视如敝屣(11)，怡然自得，振振有词，略无愧色，好像这就是发扬趣味主义。殊不知天下没有没有趣味的学问(12)，端视吾人如何发掘其趣味，如果在良师指导之下按部就班的循序而进，一步一步的发现新天地，当然乐在其中，如果浅尝辄止，甚至躐等躁进，当然味同嚼蜡，自讨没趣。一个有中上天资的人，对于普通的基本的文理科目，都同样的有学习的能力，绝不会本能的长于此而拙于彼。只有懒惰与任性，才能使一个人自甘暴弃的在“趣味”的掩护之下败退(13)。
I ha*e come across a great many bright and diligent young friends who ha*e done exceedingly well in their studies, but are rather weak in Chinese. They cannot e*en write a letter in correct Chinese. When I asked them why, they said they were not interested in the Chinese language. Some, though they can write beautifully, detest the study of mathematics and physics, and barely managed to pass the examinations in them. When I asked them why, they said they were not interested in them. They cast away whate*er subjects they dislike like something utterly worthless. They are so smug and thick-skinned that they speak *olubly in defence of their own attitude like champions of interest-ism.
They hardly realize that there is no learning but is capable of engendering interest and that all depends on how to search for it. You will de*elop a liking for learning if, under the guidance of a good teacher, you study to disco*er new horizons opening up before you one after another by following the proper order and ad*ancing step by step. On the other hand, you will find learning as dry as sawdust and feel frustrated if you refuse to go into a subject in depth or e*en make impetuous ad*ances without following the proper order. People with an a*erage natural gift are equally capable of mastering the basics of liberal arts and natural science. They are ne*er predetermined by nature to be good in one subject and poor in another. It is laziness and waywardness, howe*er, that causes one to gi*e himself up as hopeless and back down on the pretext of “no interest”.
由小学到中学，所修习的无非是一些普通的基本知识。就是大学四年，所授课业也还是相当粗浅的学识。世人常称大学为“最高学府”，这名称易滋误解，好像过此以上即无学问可言。大学的研究所才是初步研究学问的所在，在这里作学问也只能算是粗涉藩篱，注重的是研究学问的方法与实习。学无止境，一生的时间都嫌太短(14)，所以古人皓首穷经，头发白了还是在继续研究，不过在这样的研究中确是有浓厚的趣
味。
Primary and secondary school will impart to you only some rudiments of knowledge. E*en what you learn during the four years of uni*ersity will be something quite superficial too. A uni*ersity has often been misleadingly referred to as “the highest seat of learning”, which sounds as if there were no more learning to speak of beyond it. The research institute of a uni*ersity, howe*er, is the place for preliminary scholarship. But e*en there you get only the first taste of learning and the emphasis is on research methodology and practice. Art is long, life is short. That is why some of our ancients continued to study e*en when they were hoaryheaded. They were, of course, moti*ated by an enormous interest in their studies.
在初学的阶段，由小学至大学，我们与其倡言趣味，不如偏重纪律。一个合理编列的课程表，犹如一个营养均衡的食谱，里面各个项目都是有益而必需的，不可偏废，不可再有选择。所谓选修科目，也只是在某一项目范围内略有拣选余地而已。一个受过良好教育的人，犹如一个科班出身的戏剧演员，在坐科的时候他是要服从严格纪律的，唱工作工武把子都要认真学习，各种脚色的戏都要完全谙通，学成之后才能各按
其趣味而单独发展其所长。学问要有根底，根底要打平正坚实，以后永远受用。初学阶段的科目之最重要的莫过于语文与数学。语文是阅读达意的工具，国文不能便很难表达自己，外国文不能便很难吸取外来的新知。数学是思想条理之最好的训练。其他科目也各有各的用处，其重要性很难强分轩轾，例如体育，从另一方面看也是重要得无以复加。总之，我们在求学时代，应该暂且把趣味放在一旁，耐着性子接受教育的纪律，把自己锻炼成为坚实的材料。学问的趣味，留在将来慢慢享受一点也不迟。


During the preliminary stage of learning, from primary school to college, it is better to ad*ocate discipline than interest. A properly arranged school curriculum, like a cookbook on nutritionally well-balanced food, must include all useful and indispensable courses — courses which are equally important and obligatory. The so-called electi*es mean only some little option within the scope of a certain item. A well-educated person is like a professionally trained Peking opera singer. While undergoing the training, he must obser*e a most exact discipline. He must pay equal attention to singing, acting and acrobatic skills, and learn to play different roles. It is not until he has finished the all-round training that he begins to de*elop his own speciality according to his personal disposition. Laying a solid foundation for learning will be of great lifelong benefit to you. Of all the school subjects during the preliminary stage of learning, languages and mathematics are the most important. Languages ser*e as a tool for reading and communication. Without a good knowledge of Chinese, you will find it difficult to express yourself. Without a good knowledge of a foreign language, you will find it difficult to absorb new knowledge from abroad. Mathematics makes for logical thinking. Other subjects also ha*e their respecti*e uses. It is hard to say which is more important. Physical education, for example, is also extremely important from another point of *iew. In short, while in school, we should temporarily put aside our personal liking and patiently obser*e school discipline so that we may temper oursel*es and become solid stuff. Don’t hurry – there will be a time for you to find relish in learning in the days to come.
注释
(1)“不惜现身说法，诱导后学”译为And they are e*er ready to cite their own example by way of ad*ice。“不惜”原意“舍得”，在此可作“乐于”解，故译为e*er ready，等于always prepared。
“诱导后学”译为by way of ad*ice即可，其中by way of是成语，作“为了”解，等于for the purpose of。
(2)“走进学问的大门”也可直译为to enter the gate of learning。现译为to gain access to scholarship，其中to gain access to是惯用搭配，作“进入”、“到达”解。
(3)“梁任公先生就说过”译为the distinguished scholar Liang Qichao once said wittily，梁启超号“任公”，现译梁的全名为Liang Qichao，并在前面加distinguished scholar，便于外国读者理解梁为何许人。译文还针对上下文添加wittily（风趣地）一词。
(4)“趣味主义”译为interest-ism，其中ism乃表达“主义”而采用的英语后缀
(5)“倘若用化学化分‘梁启超’这件东西”译为If you broke down Liang Qichao’s stuff into its component parts，其中短语动词broke down意即“分解”（to decompose），例如Water can be broken down into hydrogen and oxygen。
(6)“只是‘无所为而为’”意即“只是为研究学问而研究学问”，故译为solely for its own sake，等于solely for the sake of scholarly study。
(7)“像是着了魔一般”译为like one possessed，其中possessed（为过去分词）作“着迷”、“鬼迷心窍”解。
(8)“从师受业，诵读典籍”译为he was a pupil chanting ancient Chinese books under a pri*ate tutor，其中a pupil… under a pri*ate tutor表示“从师受业”。“师”指“塾师”，译为pri*ate tutor。又chanting ancient Chinese books表示“诵读典籍”。
(9)“试帖诗”为科举考试所采用的诗体，其格式限制比一般诗严格，现和“八股文”一并以释义法译为stereotyped (或rigid-style) essays and poems prescribed for the imperial ci*il ser*ice examination。
(10)“年长之后自动作学问之时”中的“自动作学问”实际上指“独立作学问”，故译为independent studies，不宜按字面直译为engage in *oluntary studies等。又“年长之后”不仅指“成年”，还包含智力成熟之意，故译为when one is mature enough。
(11)“便撇在一旁视如敝屣”也可直译为cast away… like a pair of worn-out shoes，保持原文的形象比喻。现意译为cast away… like something utterly worthless，似较明白易懂。
(12)“没有没有趣味的学问”译为there is no learning but is capable of engendering interest，其中but是关系代词，常用于否定词后，相当于that not。
(13)“在‘趣味’的掩护之下败退”的意思是“借口‘缺乏趣味’而放弃不干”，故译为back down on the pretext of “no interest”，其中back down是成语，意同beat a retreat。
(14)“学无止境，一生的时间都嫌太短”译为Art is long, life is short，其中Art 为古词，作“学问”、“知识”解，和learning, scholarship同义。Art is long一句见于美国十九世纪诗人Longfellow名著A Psalm of Life，今借用之。“学无止境”也可译为There is no limit to learning。
枣 核
萧乾
动身访美之前，一位旧时同窗写来航空信，再三托付我为他带几棵生枣核(1)。东西倒不占分量，可是用途却很蹊跷。
从费城出发前，我们就通了电话。一下车，他已经在站上等了。掐指一算，分手快半个世纪了，现在都已是风烛残年。
拥抱之后，他就殷切地问我：“带来了吗？”我赶快从手提包里掏出那几棵枣核(2)。他托在掌心(3)，像比珍珠玛瑙还贵重。
他当年那股调皮劲显然还没改。我问起枣核的用途，他一面往衣兜里揣，一面故弄玄虚地说(4)：“等会儿你就明白了。”
那真是座美丽的山城，汽车开去，一路坡上坡下满是一片嫣红。倘若在中国，这里一定会有枫城之称。过了几个山坳，他朝枫树丛中一座三层小楼指了指说：“喏，到了。”汽车拐进草坪，离车库还有三四米，车库就像认识主人似的自动掀起。
朋友有点不好意思地解释说，买这座大房子时，孩子们还上着学，如今都成家立业了。学生生物生物化学的老伴儿在一家研究所里做营养试验。
他把我安顿在二楼临湖的一个房间后，就领我去踏访他的后花园(5)。地方不大，布置得却精致匀称(6)。我们在靠篱笆的一张白色长凳上坐下，他劈头就问我：“觉不觉得这花园有点家乡味道？”经他指点，我留意到台阶两旁是他手栽的两株垂杨柳，草坪中央有个睡莲池。他感慨良深地对我说：“栽垂柳的时候，我那个小子才五岁，如今在一条核潜艇上当总机械长了。姑娘在哈佛教书。家庭和事业都如意，各种新式
设备也*了。可是我心上总像是缺点什么。也许是没出息(7)，怎么年纪越大，思乡越切。我现在可充分体会出游子的心境了。我想厂甸，想隆福寺。这里一过圣诞，我就想旧历年。近来，我老是想总布胡同院里那棵枣树。所以才托你带几棵种籽，试种一下。” 接着，他又指着花园一角堆起的一座假山假山石说(8)：“你相信吗(9)？那是我开车到几十里以外，一块块亲手挑选，论公斤买下(10)，然后用汽车拉回来的。那是我们家的‘北海’。”
说到这里，我们两人都不约而同地站了起来。沿着草坪旁用卵石铺成的小径，走到“北海”跟前(11)。真是个细心人呢，他在上面还嵌了一所泥制的小凉亭，一座红庙，顶上还有尊白塔。朋友解释说，都从旧金山唐人街买来的。
他告诉我，时常在月夜，他同老伴儿并肩坐在这长凳上，追忆起当年在北海泛舟的日子。睡莲的清香迎风扑来，眼前仿佛就闪出一片荷塘佳色。
改了国籍，不等于就改了民族感情，而且没有一个民族像我们这么依恋故土的。
Date Stones
Xiao Qian
Before I set out for the US, a former schoolmate of mine wrote me by airmail, asking me in all earnest to bring him some raw date stones. They were not hea*y in weight, yet I was curious about their use.
At Philadelphia, shortly before staring out for my friend’s place, I called him up. So when I got off the train at the destination, I found him already waiting for me at the station.
It was about half a century since we last met, and we were now both in our declining years. After hugging each other, he asked me eagerly, “ha*e you brought them with you?” I immediately fished out the date stones from my handbag. He fondled them in his palm as if they were something more *aluable than pearls or agates.
Ob*iously he was just as childlike as before, when I asked about the use of the date stones, he put them into his pocket and replied by way of fooling me deliberately, “You’ll understand soon.”
It was really a beautiful mountain city. As we dro*e on, an expanse of rich crimson up and down the slope came into sight. In China a place like this would ha*e been described as a maple city. After passing through se*eral cols, my friend said pointing to a three- storied house amidst the maple trees, “here we are.” The car turned into a lawn and when it was three or four meters away form the garage, its door automatically opened as if it recognized its own master.
My friend looked somewhat ill at ease when he told me this: At the time he bought this big house, his children had all been at school. Now they had their own homes and jobs.
His wife, a biochemist, was a dietician at a research institute. After assigning me a room on the second floor facing a lake, he showed me around his back garden, which, though not too big, was exquisite and nicely arranged. The moment we sat down on a white bench close to a hedge, he asked me, “Don’t you find something here smacking of our nati*e place in China?” at this, I noticed a weeping willow, planted by himself, on either side of a flight of steps as well as a water-lily pond in the middle of the garden. He said with deep feeling, “When I planted the willows, my son was only fi*e. Now he ser*es as head of chief mechanics in a nuclear submarine. My daughter teaches at Har*ard Uni*ersity. I’m happy with my family and my career. I own all modern household facilities I need. But I still feel something lacking. Maybe I’m a bit too foolish.
How come the older I become, the more I think of my homeland. Now I fully understand the frame of mind of one residing in a place far away from home. I always think of Changdian and Longfusi. E*ery time Christmas is celebrated here in America, I think of lunar New year back in China. I can ne*er forget the date tree in the courtyard of the house on Zongbu Hutong. That’s why I’*e asked you to bring me some date stones. I’ll try to plant them here.
Then he said pointing to a jumble of rockery standing in a corner of the garden, “Belie*e it or not, the rocks, hand-picked by me, were bought by the kilogram. I dro*e dozens of kilometers away to haul them back in my car. Look, that’s Beihai in our home.” Thereupon, we rose to our feet simultaneously and walked along a cobbled footpath beside the lawn towards the miniature Beihai. What a careful man my friend was! He had had the artificial hill inlaid with a clay pa*ilion and a red temple, with a white pagoda on top. He said he had bought the decorati*e objects from China Town in San Francisco.
He also told me that on a moonlit night he and his wife would sit side by side on the bench recalling how they had used to go boating on the Beihai Lake. Meanwhile, as I smelled the faint scent of the water-lilies carried to us by the breeze, I felt as if the beautiful scene of a Chinese lotus pond were flashing past my eyes.
The change of nationality doesn’t mean the change of national feeling. No other nation has such a strong attachment for the nati*e land as we Chinese.
注释
萧乾（1910-1999），作家，文学翻译家，曾任《大公报》记者，以散文、特写著称。
(1)“再三托付我为他带几棵生枣核”中的“再三”作“恳切”解，不能按字面理解为“一次又一次”或“重复”。因此全句译为asking me in all earnest to bring him some raw date stones，其中in all earnest是成语，作“认真地”或“恳切地”解。
(2)“我赶快从手提包里掏出那几棵枣核”中的“掏出”译为fished out比took out 贴切，因前者有“搜寻”的含义。
(3)“他托在掌心”译为He fondled them in his palm，比He held them in his palm贴切，因to fondle表达了原文的内涵“爱抚”。
(4)“故弄玄虚地说”中的“故弄玄虚”作“故意把……搞得神秘化”解，通常可译为deliberatedly to make a mystery of……。现全句按“故意开玩笑地说”的意思译为replied by way of fooling me deliberately，其中by way of 是成语，其意思是“为了”或“意在”（with the intention of）。
(5)“领我去踏访他的后花园”译为he showed me around his back garden，其中to show around 是短语动词，作“带领某人参观某地”解。
(6)“布置得却精致匀称”译为was exquisite and nicely arranged，其中nicely的意思是“恰当好处”或“恰恰合适”。
(7)“也许是没出息”不宜按字面直译，现按“也许是自己有些傻”译为Maybe I’m a bit too foolish。
(8)“堆起的一座假山石”译为a jumble of rockery，其中jumble的意思是“杂乱的一堆”。
(9)“你相信吗？”本可译为Don’t you belie*e it？现译为Belie*e it or not，为具有同样意思的常用口头语。
(10)“论公斤买下”即“按公斤计算买下”，译为bought by the kilogram。注意这里介词by和后面的定冠词the属习惯搭配。
(11)“走到‘北海’跟前”译为Walked……towards the miniature Beihai，其中miniature（微型的）是译者添加的成分，用以表达原文中加引号的北海。

飞鱼向北

楼主有心了  这是一本书吗???书名是什么呀

Shirleysundd

回复 飞鱼向北 的帖子

不是的 是打印版的哦