中英对照红楼梦

ninny1

Xiang Ling in Grass Game 香菱斗草

On baoyu&#39s birthday the young ladies held a drinking party in which they composed poems and much fun. Their service maids started a game of their own. Xiang Ling, Xue Fan&#39s concubine, collected some flower and grass and began a grass game with the other. "This one is bodhisattva willow," one said. And another one would say, "I have arhat pine." Suddenly, Dou Guan said she had a sisters flower. Xiang Ling said, "I have a husband and-wife flower." "Never heard of that," the previous girl protested. "why," Xiang Ling explained. "One flower on a stem is called lan, and several flower on a stem make hui. Two on one stem, one up and one down, is a brother flower, and two flowers side is certainly a spouses one." The other girl, however, did not easily give up. Laughing, she challenged, "Well, then if one flower is big and the other one small, then it&#39s a father and son flower; and if two flowers face different ways it&#39s probably an enemies flower. Is that rather? Xue Fan is gone for over half a year. I guess because you miss him you made up that husband and wife flower." Blushed, Xiang Ling rushed up meaning to pinch the sharp-tongued girl, who laughed and begged for the other&#39s help. At the sight of the girls&#39 laughing, poking and punching each other in a friendly manner, Baoyu came to join their excitement with grass in hand.

　　宝玉生日那天，众姐妹们忙忙碌碌安席饮酒做诗。各屋的丫头也随主子取乐，薛蟠的妾香菱和几个丫头各采了些花草，斗草取乐。这个说，我有观音柳；那个说我又罗汉松。突然豆官说，我有姐妹花，这下把大家难住了，香菱说，我有夫妻穗。豆官见香菱答上了不服气地说："从来没有什么夫妻穗！"香菱争辩道："一枝一个花叫&#39兰&#39，一枝几个花叫&#39穗&#39。上下结花为&#39兄弟穗&#39，并头结花叫&#39夫妻穗&#39，我这个是并头结花，怎么不叫&#39夫妻穗&#39呢？"豆官一时被问住，便笑着说："依你说，一大一小叫：&#39老子儿子穗&#39，若两朵花背着开可叫&#39仇人穗&#39了。薛蟠刚外出半年，你心里想他，把花儿草儿拉扯成夫妻穗了，真不害臊！"说得香菱满面通红，笑着跑过来拧豆官的嘴，于是两个人扭滚在地上。众丫鬟嬉戏打闹，非常开心。这时，宝玉也采了些草来凑热闹。


踏雪寻梅
Seeking plum Blossoms in snow

　　Betrothed to the son of a Imperial Academician surnamed Mei, baoqin staryed in Jia Residence waiting for her wedding date. In the depth of winter, the earth was draped with a cloak of snow. Li Wan invited cousina over to chant poems and enjoy the snowy scene. She told baoyu to fetch some plum blossoms from Miaoyu&#39s place. Baoyu did as he was bid and soon returned with crimson flowers in fine bloom. Then Li Wan bid three of her cousins to compose poems, each taking "red," "plum" and "flower" as a subject matter. Amid the excitement, old lady Jia came in a sedan chair to join them. She praised the flowers and drank cheerfully in the company of the merry girls around her. Suddenly, lady Jia noticed that out in the snow stood an ethereal, beautiful young lady in a fur drape, accompanied by a servant girl holding a branch of plum blossoms. It was a scene just like a picture. It was Baoqin on her way back from a plum-fetching trip from the same place. Lady Jia appreciated Baoqin&#39s beauty and talents, and thought of making a marriage proposal on behalf of baoyu. On learning that the girl had been betr4othed to young Lord Mei and that the wedding would soon happen, the old lady reluctantly quit the idea. This picture shows Baoqin in the snow with flower blossoms.

　　薛宝钗的堂妹薛宝琴，许配给都中梅翰林之子为妻，进京待嫁，来到贾府。此时正值隆冬，刚好下了一场大雪，给大地披上了一层银装。李纨组织姐妹们以"雪"为题办起诗社，大家在芦雪庭赏雪吟诗。李纨命宝玉去栊翠院向妙玉要一枝红梅。宝玉欣然从命，很快就折回一枝红梅。李纨又命邢岫烟、李纹、宝琴分别一红、梅、花三个字各赋诗一首。一时间，芦雪庭内热闹非常。贾母高兴，背着王熙凤等人坐轿来到芦雪庭，边夸梅花开的好，边饮酒取乐，大家陪着贾母玩笑。突然贾母见白雪之中，宝琴身披凫裘，旁边丫头抱着一瓶红梅，竟想画中的天仙一般。原来宝琴看栊翠院红梅开得好看，非常喜爱，也去栊翠院折了几枝。贾母见宝琴长得美如天仙，又很有才气，心中十分喜欢，有意为宝玉求婚。一问薛姨妈，才知早已许给梅翰林家，而且很快就要完婚，贾母只好作罢。这幅画描绘宝琴折梅回来的情景。

Xiangyun&#39s Drunken Sleep
湘云醉卧

　　As jia baoyu, Xue Baoqin, Xing youyanand Ping&#39er had birthdays on the same day, the young ladies held a hilarious drinking party in the hall of the peony garden for them. When it was Xiangyun&#39s turn to compose a verse amid a drinking game, she made fun of the service maids by saying, holding a duck head in hand, "This ya tou (referring to the duck head in hand) is not that ya tou (referring to the service maids around, as both are homophones in Chinese), for this ya tou has applied no hair oil…." Everybody roared with laughter. Some service maids protested, laughing, "You made fun of us, so you have to drink another cup. Let&#39s pour a full cup her…." As the party went on drinkers&#39 games continued with ceaseless laughter and people suddenly noticed that Xiangyun had disappeared. While they looked this way and that, a serice maid rushed in laughing, "Young ladies. Hurry to have a look at the Lady Xiangyun. She&#39s sleeping on the stone bench over there." The group tiptoed over, and sure enough, saw Xiangyun sleeping soundly. Fallen flowers scattered on her body, her hair and her face. Her fan had dropped on the ground aside. Bees danced in the air around her. Under her head was a make-shift pillow of peony flowers wrapped with her handkerchief. Amid laughter service girls gently woke her up and helped her-she was still mumbling something drunkenly-get inside the room.

　　贾宝玉、薛宝琴、邢岫烟、平儿四人同一天过生日。 众小姐带上自己的丫头们借机在芍药栏中红香圃三间小敞厅内饮酒行令，一时敞厅内热闹非凡。轮到香云说酒令时，她想拿丫头们取笑，他喝了一口酒，夹了一个鸭头，举起来说："这鸭头不是那丫头，头上没有桂花油。"众人笑了起来，惹得晴雯等一帮丫头说:"云姑娘拿我们开心，快罚她喝酒。"大家都来敬酒，一时猜拳行令，呼三喝四，过了一会，大家突然发现湘云不见了，比各处去找。不一会，一个小丫头笑嘻嘻跑来说："姑娘们。快去看看，云姑娘吃醉了，在山石后面石凳上睡着了。"众人听后，便轻轻走过去，果然看到湘云在石凳上已入梦乡，四面的芍药花飞落了一身，满身满头都是花瓣。扇子落在地上，也被花瓣埋了一半。一群蜜蜂蝴蝶在她周围飞舞。湘云枕着用手帕抱着花瓣的枕头。众人看了又是爱，又是笑，忙上来产妇。湘云仍酒醉不醒，还嘟嘟噜噜地说着，众人笑着推醒她，用这湘云回屋里去了。


Qing Wen Mends the Cloak
晴雯补裘

　　As Xi Ren, the leading service girl who had taken care of Baoyu was away to visit her home, the duties, and the charge of Yihongyuan Court, fell on Qing Wen. A girl anxious to excel in everything, Qing Wen did everything personally. For the special occasion of his uncle&#39s birthday party, baoyu puton a very unique Russian-made cloak woven with threads from peacock feather, a gift from his grandmother. That evening, he returned with a sad look: the cloak had a hold burnt in it. Fortunately it was evening and the grandmother and the ladies in the house failed to notice. One servant hurriedly brought the cloak out to professionals to be mended over night, for Baoyu had to wear the cloak the next morning. But the servant returned to report that no craftsman dared to take the job, as none of them was able to identify what material the cloak was made of. While everyone was upset, Qing Wen managed to sit up from her sick bed, and after a look she claimed the material was peacock gold threads," she said, "the cloak will look as good as new." Even with the proper thread, no one dared to take the job. Therefore, Qing Wen, with a coat draped over her shoulders, began to mend. Due to sickness, she felt dizzy and saw stars. She bit her lips and continued. She had to stop for a bread every few stitches. It was in the small hours of the morning when she finally finished the job. People marveled at the mending she had done-the damage was almost invisible.

　　宝玉的大丫头袭人回娘家，怡红院诸事交丫鬟晴雯料理。晴雯事事要强，带重病操持宝玉的一切。宝玉为舅舅过生日，特穿上贾母送他的一件俄罗斯人用孔雀毛线织成的毛氅去赴宴。但晚上回来后，只见宝玉唉声叹气，一问才知毛氅烧了一个洞，幸好天黑，家母和太太们都没有看到。丫头连夜叫嬷嬷拿了出去补，让天亮前补好，因为明天还得穿。嬷嬷们去了半天回来说："工匠们不认识这是什么，不敢揽这活。"大家都很着急。因病卧床的晴雯，听说此事，忙硬挺着身子坐起来，拿过来一瞧说："这是孔雀金线，咱们用孔雀金线织密点，就能混过去。"虽有孔雀金线，大家都说不会织。晴雯只好披衣，但因身子虚，刚要动手，觉得头重脚轻，眼前猫金星，又怕宝玉着急，只好咬牙拼命撑着，逢几针，歇一会，一直到后半夜才补完。大家拿过来一看，简直和原来的一模一样。

starnust

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