The Translation Blog

2099-01-07T21:32:00.000-08:00

在这个blog里，我会贴一些余暇时间里为了提高自己英语水平的翻译练习，与大家互相交流。好的翻译是没有止境的，因此，希望各位多多指正，多提宝贵意见。这些翻译均属原创，部分内容由Ms. Mae 修改润色。

龍應臺：正眼看西方

2010-10-07T20:49:00.000-07:00

龍應臺：正眼看西方

View the West with Impartiality

說台灣非常崇洋？

People say that Taiwan idolizes foreign cultures?

好像是的。不管貨品好壞，一加上洋文包裝，就有人趨之若騖。走進豪華大飯店，侍者對外國客人殷勤備至，對自己的同胞卻往往視而不見。有難題存在，總要打上 “有礙國際觀瞻”的字號才能得到快速的解決，如果有政客來訪，記者最強調的，是此人對台灣印象好不好。在教育上，當年背誦“床前明月光”和“臣密言、臣以險釁”的一代，現在忙著送下一代到英語幼稚園讀“哈羅，你好嗎”。每年夏天一批一批優秀或不優秀的青年乘著一架又一架的七四七到西方去接受頭腦與精神的改造。到了彼岸，大部分就不再回頭。

It seems to be the case. Regardless of the quality of the product, when it’s labeled in a foreign language, people will flock to buy it. Upon entering a luxury hotel or restaurant, one sees that the service people are obsequious to foreigners, but oblivious of their compatriots. In order to get a speedy resolution to a thorny problem, one must always refer to the possible damage to Taiwan’s international image. Whenever a foreign dignitary comes to Taiwan, the reporters always want to emphasize his opinion of Taiwan’s image. Regarding education, the generation who used to proudly recite Chinese poetry and classics, are now rushing to get their children into kindergartens that teach them how to say ‘hello’ and ‘how are you’ in English. Every summer waves of brilliant and not so brilliant young people take jets to the west to ameliorate their brains and spirits. After they cross the ocean, most of them never return.

可是台灣真的祟洋嗎？

But does Taiwan really idolize foreign cultures?

好像又不是。一個金髮朋友在動物園裏看檻欄裏的猴子，旁邊一個年輕人突然大聲說：“哇塞！猴子看猴子！”周圍的人愉快地大笑。這位中文非常好的朋友一句話不說地走開。認為西方人是猴子、鬼子、蠻子的中國人可還真不少。中國菜世界第一，中國人會用筷子真聰明，中國人講禮義廉恥、重倫理道德，西方人卻功利現實、人情澆薄。中國的夫妻一夜就有百世的恩情，西方的男女輕薄隨便，道德敗壞。中國人在制禮作樂的時候，西方人還在茹毛飲血呢！

It doesn’t really seem so. One fair haired friend of mine was looking at monkeys in the zoo, and suddenly a young man beside him shouted out, ‘Hey look, a monkey is watching monkeys!’ The people around them burst into laughter. My friend who understood Chinese left without saying a word. There are not just a few such Chinese who still regard foreigners as monkeys, barbarians and ‘foreign devils.’ The Chinese regard their cuisine as the finest in the world and consider themselves smarter because they can use chopsticks. The Chinese have higher moral standards and follow rules whereas westerners are more mercenary and very superficial. To a Chinese couple, one night together results in feelings lasting for a lifetime; whereas, most westerners tend to be promiscuous and have little sense of fidelity. When the Chinese were handing out moral concepts and building civilization, the westerners were still barbaric, eating raw and bloody meat.

如果說台灣祟洋的心理很深，那麼“反洋”的情緒卻一點兒也不弱。寫文章的A，一旦提到西方的優點，就得趕忙下個注解：“我不是祟洋！” 作為招架之用。“祟洋”這個辭本身就是個罵人的話，表示我們的社會一方面深深受西方文明的吸引，一方面心底又有很深的排拒感。在這兩種衝突的情緒左右之下，就產生許多奇怪的現象。

If you say that Taiwan has a strong tendency to idolize the west, its xenophobia is no less. Writer A would always add to any suggestion he made that the west had any advantages a caveat that he was not idolizing the west. The fact that the phrase ‘idolizing foreign cultures’ is negative in connotation indicates that on the one hand our society is deeply attracted to the western civilization and on the other hand, we have a strong aversion in our hearts. Our society being torn between these two conflicting feelings gives rise to many strange phenomena.

譬如說，如果某個生在台灣的金髮小孩說，“我要作中國人，我不要回美國”，或是哪個傳教士說，“我熱愛中華文化，我把一生獻給中國”，我們的報紙會大加喧騰，每個中國人都覺得得意。反過來說，如果一個生於美國的中國孩子說，“我不要作中國人”，或一個留學生膽敢宣佈“我熱愛美國文化，我要獻身美國”，恐怕很少中國人不氣憤填胸，罵這個人是數典忘祖的叛徒。也就是說，別人仰慕我們理所當然，我們卻絕對不可以欽佩別人。這個心理怎麼解釋？

For example, if a Taiwan born fair haired westerner says, ‘I want to be a Chinese and I don’t want to go to the U.S,’ or a foreign missionary says ‘I love the Chinese culture and would like to devote my life to China,’ our newspapers would applaud their actions profusely and every Chinese would feel validated. On the flipside, if an American born Chinese says, ‘I don’t want to be a Chinese,’ or a Chinese international student dares to claim that he loves American Culture and would like to devote himself to America,’ I’m afraid that many Chinese would resent and be angry at this and call him a traitor. In other words, we expect other people to look up to us, but we never allow ourselves to really appreciate other cultures. How can you make sense of this mentality?

許多父母千方百計地把兒女送到國外，以逃避台灣的聯考制度。這些父母被指責為祟洋媚外。而事實上，在台灣凡是作父母的，大概心頭都有一個解不開的結：希望孩子無憂無慮地長大，可是在教育制度的箝制下，不得不眼看著他眼鏡愈戴愈厚、書愈讀愈死、精神愈逼愈緊張。如果有機會，哪一個父母不希望兒女能逃過這個制度？在這種情況之下，有父母送子女出國，我們不沉痛地檢討教育制度的缺失，問為什麼台灣留不住人，反而拿出“崇洋”的帽子來指責，這不是也很奇怪嗎？

Many parents use whatever means they can to send their children abroad so as to escape from Taiwan’s national examination. These parents are being criticized as being the ‘idolizers of foreign cultures.’ But as a matter of fact, all parents in Taiwan have unresolved concerns regarding their children’s welfare: they all want their children to have a care-free childhood, but with the current education system being so repressive, they have no choice but watch their children wearing thicker glasses and becoming bookworms and nervous wrecks. If there was a choice, what parent would not want their children to get away from this education system? Under the circumstances, when we see parents like these, we are not repentant nor examining the flaws in our education system and asking why Taiwan is losing them, instead labeling them as ‘idolizers of western cultures.’ Isn’t this a strange phenomenon?

掙紮在祟洋與排外兩種心態之間，我們有時候就像個同時具有自卑感與自大狂的個人。對人，做不到不卑不亢。許多人對金髮碧眼的人固然是討好賠笑，過度的諂媚，也有許多人特意地表現自尊而故意以傲慢無禮的態度相對。我們的駐外人員有時在簽證手續土刁難外人，所採的大概就是‘我偏要整你”的心理。在自卑與自大的攪混之下，對事我們就做不到客觀冷靜。在討論台灣種種社會問題時，常發現三種直覺的反應。其一是：“怎麼，老說咱們不好，西方就沒這些問題嗎？”

Struggling between the feelings of idolization and rejection of the west, sometimes we seem like schizophrenics with dual personalities, one self-pitying and one arrogant. Thus we cannot be objective in our interaction with others. Obviously, there are many obsequious people, just as there are those who want impress foreigners of their patriotism and pretend to be rude and arrogant intentionally. Our overseas stationed staffs, because of this kind of mentality, sometimes would deliberately make it difficult for visa applicants. Because of this mixture of arrogance and self-pity, we cannot see things as objectively as we should. When we discuss social issues about Taiwan, we usually get three different spontaneous reactions, one being ‘Why are we being so critical of ourselves. Does this not happen in the west?”

我可不懂，台灣有的缺點，與西方有什麼關係？難道說，好，義大利也臟，所以台灣臟得有道理？墨西哥的污染也很嚴重，所以我們污染沒有關係？別的國家有相似的問題，於是我們的問題就可以隨它去？不管西方有沒有類似的問題，我們仍舊得正視自己的缺陷，不是嗎？

I don’t understand it. Being that it’s Taiwan’s problem, what does it have to do with the west? If Italy had this problem, does that mean Taiwan does not need to fix this problem? Does the fact that Mexico is heavily polluted mean that pollution is not a big deal in Taiwan? Is it true that as long as other countries have the same problems, we can just let ours go? So regardless whether the west has similar problems, we still have to confront ours, is that not true?

第二種反應是：“你老說歐美文明進步，你崇洋！”這種說辭完全是感情用事。如果有人說歐洲乾淨，那麼正常的反應應該是，第一問，歐洲乾淨是否事實？第二問，“乾淨”是不是我們想要的東西？如果兩問答案都屬肯定，那麼第三問：我們如何傚法，做到“乾淨“？整個程式和祟洋不祟洋扯不上一丁點的關係。

The second reaction is: ‘You keep saying the west is more advanced. You are idolizing it!’ Such a reaction is totally emotional. If someone says that Europe is clean, the normal reaction should be to: One, ask whether the fact that Europe is clean is true, and two, ask whether ‘cleanness’ is something that we also want to have? If the answer to both of these two questions is yes, then we should ask what we can do to make Taiwan clean. The entire logic has completely nothing to do with whether one is idolizing foreign cultures or not.

第三種常出現的反應，尤其來自官方，是說：“那是西方的，不合台灣實情！”這”不合台灣實情”是個很重的大帽子，一方面罵人家崇洋、一方面罵人家不切實際，一方面也擋住了改革的呼求。什麼建議或觀念，只要加上“西方”的標幟，就容易以“不合台灣實情”來打發掉、而事實上‘凡是“西方”的，不一定就“不合台灣實情”，‘不合台灣實情”也不表示不能作。公德心不合台灣實情吧？我們要不要公德心？近一代民主是西方的，我們要不要民主？守法似乎也不合台灣實情, 我們要不要守法？

The third most common reaction, which usually comes from the government, is that ‘that is western, and does not fit Taiwan’s current reality!’ Such a ‘not fitting Taiwan’s current reality’ actually has some very broad meanings. It does not only criticize the speaker as being an idolizer of foreign cultures and being impractical, but it also quells the demand for reform. Whatever the proposals or concepts, as long as they are labeled ‘Western’, they will be easily dismissed by ‘not fitting Taiwan’s current reality.’ However, not everything western is ‘not fitting Taiwan’s current reality,’ and things that are ‘not fitting Taiwan’s current reality’ are not necessarily not doable. Being ‘civic minded’ may not be ‘fitting Taiwan’s current reality’, but shouldn’t it be a part of us? Modern democracy is western, but don’t we also need it? Living by the law seems not ‘fitting Taiwan’s current reality,’ but shouldn’t we live by the law?

這三種反應都很情緒化；“我們應該關切的是歐美一些價值觀念或行為值不值得我們擷取。如果值得，那麼不管西方不西方，都應該見賢思齊，努力地去“祟洋”。如果不值得，那麼不管西方不西方，我們都不要受誘惑。但是我們若不能清除掉對西方的情緒作用——盲目地媚洋也好，義和團式的反洋也好——我們就永遠不可能面對西方，就事論事，作客觀而合理的判斷。

All three of these reactions are emotional. What we should focus on is whether the western values and behaviors have attributes that we should emulate. If they have, it shouldn’t matter whether it is ‘western’ or not, we should accept it as worthy of ‘idolizing’. If they don’t, it shouldn’t matter either, and we should resist the temptation of accepting it. If we cannot resolve the emotional influence against foreign and western cultures, -- either blindly idolizing them, or blatantly dismissing them – we will never be able to face the west without prejudice and make objective and reasonable judgments.

當一個西方人說：“在台灣吃東西有中毒的危險，過街有被撞死的可能。中國人臟、亂、嘈雜、粗魯”的時候，大概沒有幾個中國人不勃然大怒的，但是我不，因為我知道，當中國人從東南亞或其他地區回來的時候，他們也說：“哇！那邊好落後，吃東西有中毒的危險，上街會被撞死。他們又臟、又亂、又吵，真受不了！” “他們”聽了又如何？用自家一把尺量天下的，不僅只西方人而已。這個世界，有醜陋的美國人，也有醜陋的日本人、德國人、法國人，你想，就少得了醜陋的中國人嗎？

When a westerner says,’ there’s a risk of getting food poisoning when eating in Taiwan; or being run over by a car when crossing the street, or that the Chinese are dirty, messy, loud and rude,” very few Chinese wouldn’t become furious at these statements. But I wouldn’t, because I know when the Chinese return from travels to southeastern Asia, they also complain that, ‘Wow, they are backwards. You can get poisoned eating there and easily run over by a car. They are so dirty, so messy, and so loud, totally unbearable!’ How would ‘they’ feel at hearing it? Comparing others in the world by your own standards, is not limited to just westerners. In this world, there are ‘ugly’ Americans, ‘ugly’ Japanese … Germans and Frenchmen. How could you imagine that there would be no ‘ugly’ Chinese?

更何況，聽到別人批評時，正常合理的反應應該是，先問他說的是否真有其事？若真有其事，如何改進？在聽到西方人的批評之後，或者因民族情緒高漲而勃然大怒，或者特別為了討好西方而快馬加鞭，都是不正常的心理表現。

Moreover, when we hear criticism from others, the normal and reasonable reaction should be to ask first, whether it is a fact, and if so, how I can improve. When we hear criticism from foreigners, it is not a normal psychological reaction to either get furious out of your strong sense of nationalism, or be over-accommodating because of your desire to please the west.

收音機裏聽到立法委員說：“我們出去考察，發覺歐美國會議員都有助理，我們沒有，害我們很不好意思……”說得理直氣壯，我聽得一頭霧水：因為他們有，所以我們也要——這是什麼邏輯？但是今天好像這個現象很普遍：紐約有地下車的塗鴉畫，台北也要有，不管有多難看。美國有自由女神，咱們也來個孔子大像，不管是否實際。這是心理上的奴隸。反過來，別人出國深造，我偏不出去，我愛國。西方講開放容忍，我就偏講保守的美德；西方人談尊重個人，我就偏說團隊至上。西方愈怎麼樣，我就愈是不怎麼樣。這，也是心理上的奴隸。我們必須除去這個心魔，才能正眼看著西方——他們反核，我們要不要？他們反污染，我們要不要？他們有休假制度，我們要不要？他們講性開放，我們要不要？每一件事作客觀冷靜的、不自卑不自大、不情緒反應的探討，中國人才有可能從西方巨大的陰影中自己站出來。否則，祟洋或反洋，我們都是別人的奴隸。

On the radio, a legislator said that ‘when we are on business trips, we found that all European and American congressmen had their own assistants with them, but we didn’t, which made us feel lesser...’ He said it adamantly, but I was blown away by this argument: ‘since they had them, we should have them’ – what kind of logic is that? But such a mentality is very common these days: Since there is graffiti in the subways of New York, so therefore, Taiwan should have it, despite its ugliness. Since America has the Statue of Liberty, so therefore, we need a giant ‘statue of Confucius,’ despite its impracticality. This mentality is being psychologically enslaved. On the flip side, ‘since other people go abroad to study, I would not because I am patriotic.’ “The west values ‘openness and tolerance’, whereas I would value the virtue of conservatism.” “The westerners espouse ‘individualism’, whereas I espouse ‘collectivism’.” ‘Whatever the west embraces, I would do the opposite.’ Again, this is psychological enslavement. We must rid ourselves of this shackle and view the west with impartiality – If they oppose nuclear proliferation, should we too? If they are getting rid of pollution, should we also? They have paid vacations, should we? They tolerate sexual liberation, should we? For each separate issue, we should consider it objectively, neither with self-pity nor with arrogance, and discuss it without any negative emotions. Only by using these parameters, can the Chinese stand out from the giant shadow of the west. Otherwise, whether we ‘idolize’ or ‘oppose’ to foreign cultures, we will always be the slaves of others.

原載一九八五年五月一日《中國時報·人間》

潜伏 (下)

2009-12-31T23:51:00.000-08:00

潜伏 (下)
The Mole

by 龙一

为了翠平的这次无组织无纪律的冒险行为，余则成只能强压住心中怒火，在向站长告辞时故作随意地提起要请一天假，说是家中来信，老岳母身体不好，需要女儿回去伺候，明天他想出城把太太送回去。他这是在冒违抗组织命令的风险，因为，翠平毕竟是组织上派来的同志，他没有权力将她调离工作岗位。
Yu had to suppress his anger with Cuiping for her reckless act and breach of discipline of the party. While saying their thanks and goodbye to the branch chief, he asked for a day off to take Cuiping back to her mother, who was ill and needed her. By doing this he was also in breach of discipline as he had no right to change Cuiping’s assignment by the party.

　　站长听了他这话，当即将翠平留给他太太，把余则成拉到一边严肃地说，我好不容易给我太太找了这么一个玩伴儿，而且她们两个也很投缘，你不能带她走。余则成说家中长辈有话来，不能不听。站长说长辈有病可以花钱治嘛，多给他们些钱就是了，你若是把我干女儿带走了，我太太没人陪，还不得照旧每天缠住我不放。
Upon hearing this, the branch chief led Cuiping to his wife and took Yu aside. He said, “It was not easy to find someone to be acceptable company for my wife. As they have hit it off so well, I can’t afford to let her leave.” Yu said, “How can I refuse my in-laws request?” The branch chief replied, “We can always give them money for treatment. If you send my god daughter away, my wife would be deprived her of her company and she will continue to nag at me instead.”

　　原来站长并非真心喜欢翠平的鲁莽，而是他正在给太太物色一个能绊住她的女友，却恰好被翠平撞上了。于是，余则成为了避免翠平再犯错误的意图便被站长的私心给化解了。为此，余则成在心底有一点儿可怜这个大特务头子，他娶了那么多房太太，却又要做出正人君子的样子，真的很难。
So it really was not that the branch chief was enamored of Cupping’s assertive personality, but his necessity to find a suitable companion for his wife that caused him to be nice to Cuiping. Now Yu’s attempt to keep Cuiping from making another gaffe was thwarted by the branch chief’s personal needs. He actually felt sorry for the head of the intelligence agency, who had many wives but wanted so hard to keep up the pretense of appearing to live a righteous life.

　　通过事后的争吵余则成发现，翠平的鲁莽与大胆绝不是批评教育可以解决的，而他又无法将她送走。只是，把这样一个女游击队员长期放在身边，还得带着她参加特务组织各种各样的活动，当真是危险得很。无奈之下，他通过联络点给组织上写了份申请，请求组织批准让翠平在他的指挥下，不要参与任何有危险的工作。
After all the arguments pertaining to this incident, Yu discovered he could neither teach or change Cupping’s boldness and recklessness, nor send her away. It was too dangerous to allow such a female guerrilla to work beside him and let her join him in the various activities organized by the intelligence agency. At his wits’ end, he had to request to the party that he be allowed to dictate to Cuiping not to commit any indiscretion or dangerous actions.

　　组织上很快回信同意了，他便将这个决定传达给了翠平。翠平说你说话不算话，前几天还说要给我任务，结果却在背后捣鬼，想要把我关在家里或者支走。余则成说现在你想走也走不成了。翠平说我拔脚就能走。余则成说你若是丢下站长太太一走了之，便是对革命工作的不负责任……很快，他们的讨论便又被演变成一场惯常的争吵。
So the party gave the permission immediately and Yu passed it on to Cuiping. Cuiping said,” You lied. Just a few days ago you promised to get me an assignment. And now you go behind my back, trying to shut me up at home or send me away.” Yu said, “Now you can’t leave even if you want to.” Cuiping replied, ”I can leave anytime I want.” To which Yu retorted, “It would be irresponsible to the party’s cause if you just leave the branch chief’s wife.” This discussion soon became another of the arguments they frequently had.

　　他们的这场争吵是在卧室中发生的，一个坐在床上，一个坐在地上，翠平一生气居然点起了烟袋，浓烟把卧室熏得像座庙。余则成张了几次嘴，却又把禁止吸烟的话咽了下去。与革命工作有关的事再小也是大事，与个人相关的事再大也是小事，他不能因为个人好恶，而让他们的协作关系进一步恶化。
Their argument took place in the bedroom, while one was sitting on the bed and one on the floor. Cuiping got angry and lit up her pipe and the smoke instantly turned room into a temple. Yu opened his mouth several times, but in the end he refrained from asking her not to smoke. Insignificant things would be considered very significant if they pertained to the party’s cause, whereas even huge personal feelings would be considered insignificant. He couldn’t allow their working relationship to deteriorate due to his own personal likes or dislikes.

　　倒是翠平猛然醒悟过来，拎着烟袋光着脚跑到阳台上。余则成也跟着她来到阳台，本打算劝解她几句，缓和一下气氛，不想他却突然发现，在街对面停着一辆小汽车，里边有两只香烟的火头在一闪一闪。他又向街的两边望去，果然发现远处还停着一辆汽车，但里边的人看不清楚。这是军统局典型的监视方法。于是，他伸出双臂，从后边搂住翠平，口中哈哈大笑了一阵，然后在她耳边低声道，你也笑。
Cuiping finally realized her act and took the pipe and went out bare foot to the balcony. Yu followed, thinking to console and apologize to her to lighten the mood. But he discovered that a car was parked across the street, with two lit cigarettes glowing. As he looked further up and down the street, he saw another car parked farther down. And even though he couldn’t recognize anyone in particular, he knew it was the typical method of the bureau surveillance. So he stretched out his arms and hugged Cuiping from behind, while laughing loudly. He whispered in her ears to do the same.

　　翠平显然很紧张，笑声一点儿也不好听。他又将翠平的身子转过来，一手搂住她的腰，另一只手搂住她的头，将嘴唇贴在她的嘴角边上，做出热吻的样子。翠平口中没有喷净的烟气，熏得他泪流满面。
Obviously, Cuiping was nervous and so her smile was not genuine. He turned her around, putting one hand on her waist and the other on her face. He kissed her on her lips, but the smoke in Cuiping’s mouth brought tears to his eyes.

　　你看一眼街对面，现在知道什么是危险了吧!他悄悄地说。知道了。翠平仅止点首而已。
“Look across the street, now you should realize how dangerous it really is.” He whispered. “Yes.” She nodded in agreement.

　　他接着说我希望你能听从我的安排。翠平把头摇得坚决，不行。为什么?翠平这才小声说她必须得有正经的革命工作才行。他说你这是不服从领导。翠平说领导也得听取群众意见。他说非常时期得有非常措施。翠平说放弃革命不行。他说你做工作的方法不适合现在的环境。翠平说你可以教我怎么做但不能不做。他说我交给你的任务就是陪好站长太太。翠平说那个老妖婆让我恶心。他说你要跟站长太太学的东西还多着哪。翠平说打死我也不学当妖怪……
He continued, “You have to follow my instructions.” Cuiping shook her head resolutely, and said “No.” “Why not?” Cuiping replied in a whisper that it had to be a real assignment for the revolution. He then said, “You are not following the orders of your leader.” Whereupon Cuiping said, “Even the leaders have to listen to the opinions of the masses.” He replied, “Due to unusual times you must accept unusual measures.” Cuiping retorted,” Under no circumstances, should we be lax about the revolution.” He then said, ”Your working style does not fit the current situation.” So, Cuiping said, “You can teach me how to do it, but you must let me do it.” He then said, “The assignment I give you is to be company for the branch chief’s wife.” She answered, “That hag disgusts me.” So, he said, “There are many things you can learn from her.” Her retort was, “I’d rather die than learn to be a monster like her.”

　这一场争吵，直到翠平猛然甩手离开他才结束。她最后丢下一句狠话：我看你身上根本就没有革命战士的胆量。
The argument didn’t end until Cuiping flung his hand away and left. Her parting words stung in his ears, ‘I don’t see any courage of a revolutionary soldier in you.’

　　翠平回房间去了，余则成却不能追上去继续这场争论，因为他不得不在阳台上打完一套太极拳，以表演家庭生活的幸福与安闲，给楼下的特务看。他知道，楼下这些人是老马的布置，为了除掉他这个竞争者，老马甚至可能会把他“诬陷”成共产党。
Cuiping went back to the room, but Yu couldn’t continue the argument with her immediately, because he had to pretend to show harmony by starting a Taiqi routine to throw off any show of discord. He knew that those spying on him were sent by Old Ma and he was not above framing him if necessary.

　　用余则成自己的话说，他们的这场发生在革命团体内部的争论，是以翠平的部分胜利而告终。第二天，他不得不又给组织上写了一封信，请求组织上批准翠平参与一项危险性不大的工作。如此朝三暮四，出尔反尔，让他觉得自己很对不起党组织，给领导添麻烦了。
In Yu’s own words, this argument between the two comrades was partially won by Cuiping. The next day, he had to write to the party again, asking approval for a not too dangerous assignment for Cuiping. He was embarrassed at being in this wishy-washy situation.

　　他让翠平参与的所谓革命工作，是替他向组织上交纳他的党费。
The so-called revolutionary job that Yu gave Cuiping was to deliver the party dues to the party.

　　他在军统局所做的是那种让人无法清廉的工作，因为总是有那么一些人挖门托房地给他送钱，目的并不一定是要他帮什么忙，而多半是希望他装一些糊涂，哪怕是少看他们一眼也行。到了天津站之后，他手中已经积存了一大堆十两的金条，但是，由于和党组织的同志见不上面，他一直也无法上交。现在这一堆金条倒是给了他一个替翠平安排革命工作的理由。
His job at the bureau was difficult to perform without being corrupt, because there were many people who were desperately trying to bribe him for one thing or another, just to keep his eyes and mouth shut. Since his arrival in Tianjin, he had already accumulated a considerable amount of gold in the bribes accepted. As he hadn’t been able to meet any of the party members, he hadn’t turned in the money he was bribed with. Now he was giving this job of delivering the gold ingots to Cuiping.

　　他对翠平说我已经与组织上联系好了，你每天陪着站长太太出去玩儿，组织上会派交通员与你联络，告诉你交接金条的方法。翠平横了他一眼说原来不是送情报。他只好说这是组织安排，是极为重要的革命工作。翠平问如果我做得顺利，是不是就可以送情报了?他说假如组织上同意，我们再商量。翠平说我不喜欢摸钱，更恨有钱人。他便说你现在就是有钱人，而且必须得让所有人都明白你是个有钱人，这样你才会安全。翠平啐了一声狗屎，但还是同意了。
Yu informed Cuiping that the party had agreed that she must accompany the branch chief’s wife and that they would contact her as to how the transfer of the gold ingots was to be made. With a resentful look, she exclaimed,‘Oh it’s not for information.’ Yu had to admit it was the orders of the party and that it was important. Cuiping asked, ‘If I accomplish this, will I be allowed to deliver more important information in the future?’ ‘If the party agrees, of course we can discuss this in the future.’ He replied. Cuiping said, ‘I don’t like to touch money and I hate rich people.’ “You are now one of the rich ones, and you have to make others believe that you are. Only then will you be safe.” She retorted, ‘Oh, shit!’ But she agreed.

　　这样一来，他们“夫妻”便分别担任起不同的工作，既互不干扰，也互不了解。余则成认为，秘密工作的基本原则就是知道得越少越安全，对革命工作更是如此。
Consequently, the ‘husband and wife did their respective jobs and though they didn’t argue, still had their differences of opinion. Yu believed that the basic tenets of the spy business was that the less you know, the safer you are. This is especially true in the cause of revolution.

　　在此后很长的一段时间里，余则成的工作和“婚姻”终于平静了下来，一切都走上了正轨。而这个时候，老马对他也表现出了极大的热情和善意，经常过来找他闲聊，拉他吃饭泡澡听戏然后再泡澡再吃饭再听戏，而且还常常向翠平赠送贵重礼品。时常挂在老马口头上的话是：站长太太对你太太比亲女儿还亲，娘俩出双入对，形影不离，日后那个副站长的位置必定是老弟你的，老哥哥将来还得请老弟多多关照提携才是。
Afterwards for some quite time, both the work and ‘marriage’ seemed to be going along smoothly for Yu. During this period, Old Ma was his congenial old-self. He would chat and visit Yu often. He invited Yu to dine with him, attend theatres and the bathhouse with him constantly. He gave Cuiping expansive gifts and continually flatted Yu by saying that the branch chief’s wife considered Cuiping more of a daughter than her own daughter by continually keeping her company. You will surely become the next vice branch chief. When the time comes, I hope you won’t forget me.

　　除此之外，老马还给他介绍了一批倒卖外币和黄金的掮客。为了能够维持住翠平上缴党费的工作不至于间断，同时也是为了避免翠平再次要求参与到他的情报工作中来，他便顺坡下驴地把自己打扮成了一个贪财的特务，于是，军统局中便又多了一个贪官。为此，站长曾几次暗示他，说凡事都得悠着点儿，不能操之过急，钱财之事无小事，应该从大处着眼，与大人物共事才安全。
In addition, Old Ma introduced Yu to several dealers and brokers of foreign currencies and gold. So as to keep Cuiping busy with her money delivery job and to prevent her from intruding upon his intelligence work, he made the overtures to act intensely interested in making more money than ever. Therefore, the bureau had one more corrupt official. It got so noticeable that the branch chief warned Yu several times to slow down his money chasing and see the big picture.

　　出事的那天，余则成因公跑了一趟塘沽，很晚才回来，却又被新的紧急公事给绊住脱不开身，便往家中打电话，不想没有人接。他并不知道翠平这天有没有任务，就派手下人到家中去看，那人回来说家中无人，他便立刻意识到翠平出事了，因为，他们在一起两年来，翠平总是早睡早起，从来也没有过夜不归宿的事发生。
Then it happened! On that day, Yu had gone to Tanggu on important business matters and got back very late. In addition, he had to take care of some emergencies at the office. So he called home, but no one answered. He was sure whether or not Cuiping had any special errands that day, so he sent someone home to check. The assistant returned saying no one was at home, and he immediately realized that something must have happened to Cuiping. In the two years that they had been together, she had always risen early and gone to bed early, and she had never stay out anywhere.

　　他给站长夫人打电话，老太太说干闺女原本陪她去瞧戏，压轴的《牧虎关》刚开锣，她就不知道跑哪去了，而且再没见到她。然后他又给警察局长打电话，不一会儿那边回电说今晚没人报警发生绑架案件。他再给卫戍司令部打电话，让他们查寻各出城路口，并描绘了翠平的身形相貌。然后又打电话找老马，没找到，便又跑下楼找特勤队的其他同事，他们都说今天只抓了些闹事的学生，没见着中校太太。
First he called the Branch chief’s wife, and her reply was that they had gone to the theatre, but before it was over, she just disappeared without a word. He then called the chief of police, and his reply also gave no information. So then he called the general’s office to give them Cuiping’s description and requested them to contact him if Cuiping had been sighted. He tried to call Old Ma but wasn’t able to reach him. So he went downstairs instead to talk to his men and see if they knew anything. They had only caught some student protesters and not any wives of officials.

　　其实他一点儿也不担心翠平被捕后会有什么不恰当的行为，他对她的勇敢和革命意志有信心。他也不担心翠平为了不泄露机密而临危自尽，因为，自从决定让翠平传送党费的那一刻起，他便命令她将毒药和手雷全都留在家中，绝不许带在身上。他认为，她不带这些东西会更安全，也会更小心，否则，以她的性格，她可能会有恃无恐，做出冒险的事情来。
He really wasn’t worried that Cuiping would do anything damaging after arrest, knowing how brave she was. She also wouldn’t commit suicide, because he had already prevented her from carrying the poison or grenade on her. His thinking was that she would be more prudent without any means of killing herself or others. Otherwise, because of her personality, she might do something reckless.

　　他唯一担心的是，万一翠平真的被捕，她一定会咬紧牙关，绝不肯吐露她是他太太这一身份，也就难免会受刑吃苦头。为此他在心底不住地批评自己，他原应该在派她出门之前便将所有可能发生的情况与应对策略都替她设计好，而不应该因为俩人相处得不愉快和任务危险性不大便忽视了安全准备。你对革命同志关心得很不够啊!他很是生自己的气。
Yu’s main worry was that Cuiping would clench her lips and refuse to identify herself if she was taken prisoner. His worry was that she would be tortured for not cooperation. He blamed himself for not having gone over any contingency plans if caught doing something wrong, mainly because he thought her was not that dangerous and because he wanted to avoid any further dissention.

　　到了第二天中午的时候，这件事连站长也惊动了。他说哪个混蛋会有这胆子?便抄起电话要通了中统局天津站的站长，那边也没有翠平的消息。直到傍晚时分，老马才回来说他把翠平给找到了。这不由得又让余则成多担了一份心，因为，本地任何人抓住翠平都不会有太大危险，唯独老马是个例外，这家伙可是个设局害人的高手。
By the noon of the next day, even the branch chief was concerned over her disappearance. He exclaimed, ‘Who would have the nerve to do this?’ He even called the Branch Chief of another intelligence agency in Tianjin, but they had no new either. It was not until dusk, when Old Ma returned and said he found Cuiping. Yu was more concerned over this news than if anyone else had found her, because Old Ma was known as an expert in framing people.

　　翠平是被关在了税务局的拘留所里，老马陪着余则成前去领人。税务局大小官员排队在门口迎候，局长吓得面如死灰，就差磕头求饶了。翠平头发蓬乱，脸上有伤，却被人给换了一身新衣服。她一见余则成来接她，便把脸转了过去，脸色由白到红再到紫。
Cuiping was being held at the Tax Revenue bureau, where Old Ma took Yu to pick her up. As they approached, the officials had lined up to welcome them. The bureaeu chief was pale with fright, and looked as though they were ready to kowtow for forgiveness. Cuiping’s hair was a mess, her face was bruised, but she had been given new clothes to change into. When she saw Yu, she turned away and her face turned pale then red then purple.

　　余则成问局长是谁把翠平抓进来的，局长只是一味地作揖，口中不停地说兄弟该死有眼无珠。除了退还翠平的金条，局长另外又送上一根金条说是给太太压惊。余则成不愿意理睬他，倒是翠平老实不客气地将金条抓在了手中。他知道，翠平一定是相信了他给她灌输的道理——革命事业同样需要金钱的支持。
Yu asked who brought Cuiping in, but the bureau chief continued to offer apologies and cursed officer who brought her in. In addition to returning Cuiping’s gold, he added an additional ingot to compensate for her distress. Yu ignored him, but Cuiping grabbed the gold without hesitation. Yu knew that Cuiping must have been influenced by his constant promotion of the need for money for the revolutionary cause.

　　他又问老马是怎样找到翠平的。老马说你老哥哥没别的本事，只是手下多几个耳目罢了。老马又劝慰翠平不必难过，等两天他一定会替她出气，要让抓她的那些家伙求生不得求死不能。然而，余则成却仍然在担心这出戏是老马的导演，因为，税务局抓捕黄金贩子的侦探可以不认得翠平，但不可能不认得跟翠平形影不离的站长太太。
He then asked Old Ma How he found Cuiping. Old Ma said he had no special abilities but he had lots of men who were his eyes and ears. He consoled Cuiping by saying he would exact revenge upon those men who brought he in and they would wish they were dead before he was through with them. But Yu recognized that all this could have been set up by Old Ma to trick them into something, because even though the officer of the tax revenue bureau may not have recognized Cuiping, he surely would have recognized the bureau chief’s wife, who was her constant companion.

　　回到家中他问翠平接头的同志怎么样了。翠平泪流满面，说已经服毒牺牲了，并且埋怨余则成不该禁止她带上毒药，以至于让她被反动派抓了活口，而且有可能连累到他。但余则成却不这么想，他认为，如果他太太因为倒卖黄金被捕而服毒自尽，便是向所有人宣布她是在使用共产党人的秘密工作手段，反而会引来更大的怀疑，给他带来更大的危险。但是，他并没有把这话讲出口，因为翠平此时已经羞愧难过得死去活来了。
After they got home, he asked Cuiping what happened to the messenger who was supposed to receive the money. She burst into tears saying, ‘He took the poison, which you wouldn’t allow me to have. So I was caught alive and may implicate you.’ But Yu wouldn’t agree, because he knew that had she committed suicide just because of trading gold, he would have been in more trouble because they would be suspicious of him using this as a method for passing intelligence to the communists. He didn’t say this out loud to Cuiping since she was already so embarrassed by being caught.

　　自此以后，翠平再没有向余则成提出过参与工作的要求，运送党费的工作也停止了，每天她只是蹲在阳台上抽烟袋，将牙齿熏得焦黑，再不出大门一步。站长为此也挺着急，说我太太很是想念干女儿。余则成只好替她遮掩说翠平病得挺厉害，等好一点儿立刻叫她去见义母。他也确实希望翠平能够尽快好起来，哪怕是再跟他不断地争吵也行，然而，翠平甚至连话都不愿意多说一句，慢慢地，她原本强壮的身体便被她自己折磨得有些形销骨立了。
After this incident, Cuiping became silent and did not ask for any further work, would not even to deliver the money. She spent all day smoking her pipe until her teeth turned brown and never left the apartment. Even the branch chief became worried and complained to Yu that his wife missed her god daughter. Yu could only use illness as a pretext and that when she recovered, she would go visit her god mother. In his heart, he hoped that she would soon recover even if it meant more arguments between them. The reality was that Cuiping didn’t want to speak at all, and gradually became more and more emaciated and sickly.

　　正在这个时候，组织上突然来信询问翠平的工作情况，要余则成给翠平做一份工作成效和党性水平的鉴定书，说是要入档案的。
At this time, the party requested Yu to evaluate Cuiping’s working capacity and so that they could update her file.

　　这件事把余则成推入了一个两难的境地。在他看来，翠平无论是从学识相貌，到脾气秉性，以及工作方法，都与她现在的工作大相径庭，更让他恼火的是，翠平几乎从来也不肯听从他的领导，不肯认同他的工作也是需要绝大的勇气和毅力的。然而，他却没有勇气将他的这些想法汇报给组织上，特别是在翠平出现了这次重大的失误之后。过去几年来，他一直在经手与中共有关的各项情报，早几年从延安传来的情报中，有多一半是报告中共整风运动和抓特务运动的情况，如果单从那些情报来看，确实有些吓人，然而，由于他与组织上没有直接的联系，他又无从判断这些情报的真实性有多大，也就无法辨别那些派遣出去的特务是不是在写小说，编故事。
This put Yu in a big dilemma. From his perspective, her education, appearance, personality and work ethics all lacked sufficiency. More over, she never listened to him or followed his directions. She didn’t not acknowledge his worthiness: bravery, determination and self-sacrifice. However, he wasn’t ready to report these thoughts honestly to the party, especially after this fiasco. Over the past few years, Yu had seen many reports of the severe purging of the party members in Yan’an. The reports were scary enough to keep him from telling them the truth about Cuiping. Due to his lack of communication with the party, he couldn’t be sure of the accuracy of the reports, as to their validity.

　　但是，不管怎么说，他认为如实汇报都是不妥当的。翠平这孩子原本就够可怜的了，别的假夫妻一起过上三五个月便会向组织申请正式结婚，而他们在一起两年了，非但未能成婚，而且俩人的关系越来越冷淡，他认为责任在他自己。于是，他在鉴定书中写道：……该同志有着绝大的勇气和毅力。她对工作无畏无惧，热情之高令人钦佩；对同志严格要求，督责之严值得学习。建议对该同志予以表彰，以资鼓舞。
Regardless of truthfulness, it would be very inappropriate for him to report the truth about Cuiping and her shortcomings. She was a person to be pitied already in her pathetic situation. Normally, in their position, after 3 to 5 months, the marriage should have been consummated. But in their case, even after two years, not only did they not consummate, their relationship was even worse. He blamed himself for this. Therefore, he put in his evaluation that she had great deal of courage and perseverance, her passion for the cause was admirable, and her zeal for strict interpretation of the party’s cause should be emulated. Therefore, I recommend a commendation for her enthusiasm, as a token of encouragement.

　　再读一遍给翠平写的鉴定书，余则成觉得还没有把工作做到家，便又提笔补充道：鉴于该同志的经验已日渐成熟，建议再开设一个备用信箱，并由该同志专责收发。
Having reread his evaluation of Cuiping, he decided that it was not quite adequate and added that she had become a seasoned veteran and should now be given a backup drop box which she would be in charge of.

　　又过了一段时间，组织上回信了，同意由翠平负责一个备用联络点，并给翠平记了三等战功一次。
Before long the party responded with a message that they had approved his proposal for Cuiping for having her own drop box and in addition, they awarded her with a distinguished third class merit citation, which would be logged into her personal file.

　　这是新的任务，你必须完成。余则成在传达完组织上的指示后说。
“This is your new assignment and you are now in charge of it.” Yu said after he explained the party’s instruction to her.

　　让我带上毒药和手雷。翠平已虚弱得无力讲话，但黑眼睛里却燃起了热火。
Let me carry the poison pills and the grenade on me. Cuiping was still weak but her spirit was rejuvenated which showed in her dark eyes the hatred for the enemy.

　　一九四八年十月十四日深夜，在东北战局最为紧张的时刻，站长紧急召见余则成，拿出一只国民政府军事委员会的大信封给他看。余则成立刻注意到，信是给卫立煌集团在长春的守将郑洞国的。站长说南京的意思是让咱们派几个生人把手令送进去，我推荐了你，另外还有一道给你的指令，一旦发现临阵畏缩或意欲降敌者，你有权力当即格杀。余则成指着信封问那么……站长说你的想法和我一样，咱们别当糊涂鬼，还是拆吧。
The most intense period of the war in the Northeastern part of China occurred at midnight of October 14, 1948, that’s when the branch chief urgently summoned Yu to his office. He showed him a large envelope from the National Military Committee. Yu discovered the letter was from the Wei Lihuang clique to the general who was in charge of defending the City of Changchun. “Nanjing’s intentions are to have us send some messengers to penetrate the fortification of Changchun. I’ve recommended you to head this mission, with the proviso that anyone you find who might show any signs of desertion be shot on the spot.” Pointing to the envelope, Yu asked what was inside. To which, the branch chief replied I am of the same mind as you. Better not to be in the dark, let’s open it.

　　余则成用裁纸刀小心地敲碎封口的火漆，抽出蒋介石的手令铺在书桌上。手令内容很简单，蒋介石严令郑洞国率长春守军全力向沈阳方向突围，这样既可保存实力，也可以暂缓解放军对锦州和沈阳的压力。读罢手令，站长不禁长叹道：东北完了!
Yu used a letter opener to unseal the letter, and withdrew Chiang Kai-shek’s decree. It was simple, Chiang ordered General Zheng to break out with full force in the direction of Shenyang. By doing so, they could distract the liberation forces from both directions. Having seen the decree, the branch chief gave a long sigh and said, “We are finished in Northeastern China!”

　　余则成知道他对这次任务根本就没有推托的理由，便说您尽管放心吧。然后拿出一根火漆棒点燃滴在手令的封口上，站长也从书桌中取出一方仿制的封印盖在火漆上。这种事情两个人做得多了，已然熟练而流畅。
Knowing that he didn’t have any excuse to decline the mission, he pointedly assured the manger that he would carry out this mission. He heated the wax and the branch chief took out the counterfeit seal and stamped it shut again. Because they had done this often, it was easy and smooth.

　　站长说飞机已经准备好了，你这就动身吧，另外，你准备为党国尽忠用的东西……
The branch chief told him that the plane is on standby and you can take off immediately. Here’s what you will need if you need to sacrifice yourself for the country .,.

　　余则成破例讲了句笑话：我把氰化钾药丸放在了手枪弹匣里，但我的手枪现在还放在装袜子的抽屉里呢。
Uncustomarily for him, Yu said jokingly, “I left my poison in my pistol, which is in my sock drawer at home.”

　　站长听罢眼睛湿润了，说你跳伞的时候一定要当心，我可不想平白赔上我的左膀右臂。余则成说您老人家放心，您去南京当局长时，我还给您当副官。
With his eyes wet, the branch chief said,”When you jump from the plane, be very careful, I don’t want to lose my best right hand man for nothing.” Yu replied, ”Don’t worry. When you become the bureau chief in Nanjing, I will still be your deputy.”

　　余则成回到家中的时候，翠平还没有睡，因为她现在几乎整夜不睡，只是一味的抽烟而已。见他收拾出门的用品，她问：要去几天?余则成说很快就回来。其实他根本不知道这一次能不能回来，现在东北的战事打得像座熔炉，别说他带着几个人进去，就算是蒋介石再向里边投进去一个兵团，也如同往钢水里投入一颗铁钉。
When Yu arrived home, Cuiping was still awake. Recently she had been unable to sleep and so she smoked and stayed awake all night long. When she saw him packing, she asked how long he would be gone. “Not long.” Although he knew chances of his return were very slim. The war in the Northeastern section was like a conflagration. Not even counting that they were only dispatching a few people, even if it had been a battalion, it would have been as if Chang Kaishek threw a nail into a pot of molten steel.

　　收拾完行李，他迅速将蒋介石手令的内容写在一张字条上交给翠平，说你明天一早把它送到你的那个联络点，然后在所有该标示的地方都做上加急的记号，希望组织上能尽快拿到。翠平问你出门就是办这件事吗?他说是的。到哪去?到长春。
As he finished packing, he wrote down Chang Kaishek’s message on a slip of paper. “Take it to your drop and mark it ‘Urgent’ and it needs to be delivered to the party as soon as possible.” Cuiping asked, ‘Are you travelling because of this?” He answered “Yes.” “Where?””Changchen.”

　　翠平听到这话便坐回到地铺上半天不语。很久以来，每当翠平心绪烦乱而余则成又有一点儿空闲的时候，他便不停地对她讲话，希望能够缓解她内心的痛苦。然而他是个老实人，不善言辞，便只好把解放军在全国战场上的军事行动讲给她听，所以，对东北的战局翠平也很清楚，只是对地理方位时常闹不大明白罢了。
Hearing this, Cuiping sat back down and became silent. For a while, whenever Cuiping was upset, Yu would try to pacify her by talking, even though he was not a verbal person. He would discuss situations of the war. So Cuiping was quite aware the dangers in the Northeastern sector.

　　见翠平不语，余则成心中也很不是滋味。相处两年多来，他们几乎没有过快乐的时候，这可不像是革命同志之间的友谊，然而这又是事实。他提着行李走到门口说，我要走啦!
Seeing her silent, Yu had mixed feelings. The truth was they had never really bonded like true comrades through the past two years. So when he picked up the baggage and walked to the door, he just said, “I’m leaving.”

　　此一去就是生离死别。他心中清楚得很，那份情报一旦送出去，郑洞国的兵团便断无逃生之路。在相互厮杀的百万军中，他每时每刻都有被杀死的可能。不过，如果他回不来，对翠平倒可能是个解脱，因为她终于完成了任务，而且带着良好的评语，她可以回到熟悉的环境和战友们中间，到那个时候，她也许能找到快乐，至少比与他相处要快乐得多。
This departure would most likely be final. He was clear that once the decree was delivered, General Zheng’s army would be forced to fight to the death. And at any moment, because he would be between the two forces, his life would be hanging by a thread. However, if he did come back, he would actually be doing Cuiping a service. Her mission would be completed with commendation. She could return to her home environment, joining her fellow guerillas and perhaps find happiness again. At least she would be happier than being with him.

　　他又说了一遍我走啦。
He said again, “ I’m leaving.”

　　这时，翠平突然说：跟你在一起住了两年，我已经没法再回去嫁人了，你一定要回来!
This time, Cuiping abruptly said, “I’ve been living with you for over two years. I can never remarry. So you must come back.”

　　这是翠平第一次对他提出私人的要求，他无法形容自己此刻是个什么心情，只好实话实说：我很难再回来了，送出情报之后，你还是回游击队去吧。
This was the first time Cuiping had ever made a request for herself. He couldn’t describe his emotions, but said honestly, “I probably won’t make it back. So after you deliver the message, you should return to your fellow guerillas.”

　　他知道这些话过于决绝，但是他更知道不应该给翠平留下太多的期望，即使他此去九死一生活着回来，他也给不了翠平幸福，而他自己则会更不幸福。
He knew his words would sting her, but he didn’t want to give Cuiping any hope. Even if he could come back, he wouldn’t give her any happiness, nor to himself.

　　三十多年之后，余则成为了庆祝自己终于被摘掉军统特务的帽子，炖了一锅牛肉，请一个名叫龙一的忘年之交一起吃饭，并给他讲述了这段往事。龙一问翠平后来怎么样了?余则成摇摇头说，五十年代初我就曾回来找过她几次，没有她的任何消息。龙一问那份情报送出去了吗?余则成说情报起到了关键的作用，但翠平当天便失踪了，一起失踪的还有老马。龙一猛地一拍脑门，自作聪明地安慰他说，她会不会见你不要她，就另外嫁人过小日子去了?
Thirty years later, to celebrate his vindication of being a nationalist intelligence officer, he cooked a pot of stewed beef and invited a friend name Long Yi to hear his story. Long Yi asked him, “Whatever happened to Cuiping?” Yu shook his head and said, “I looked for her several times in the early fifties, but found no evidence of her.” Long Yi asked, “Was the message delivered?” Yu answered that the message had played a critical role in winning the war, but Cuiping disappeared on the same day that the message was delivered as did Old Ma. Long Yi tapped his head, teasingly said, “Maybe she thought you deserted her and married someone else.”

　　余则成却说：不会的，一定是她送完情报后被老马追踪了，抓捕时她拉响了手雷，那只手雷威力极大，足以让三五个人消失得无影无踪。
Yu said adamantly, ”No way. She must have been stalked by Old Ma, and while he was arresting her, she must have pulled the grenade out. That grenade was powerful enough to make several people disappear.”

潜伏 (中)

2009-12-25T20:06:00.000-08:00

潜伏 (中)
The Mole

by 龙一

晚上回到家中，余则成说你累了一天，早些睡吧，便下楼去工作。他们住的房子在旧英租界的爱丁堡道，是原比商仪品公司高级职员的公寓，楼上有一间大卧房和卫生间，楼下只有一间客厅兼书房的大房间，另外就是厨房兼餐厅了。这所住房并不大，但对于他来讲已经很不错了，接收工作开始之后，接收大员们首先争夺的就是好房子。这个时候能在几天之内就弄出个像样的家来，大约也只有军统特务能够办得到。
That night after they returned, Yu said,” You must be tired. Go to bed early,” and then he went downstairs to work. Their apartment was located on the Edinburg Road in the former British Concession and was the quarters for the senior executives of a Belgian real estate company. There was a master bedroom with a bath upstairs and down below was a great room containing the living room and study area, plus a kitchen with a dining area. The apartment wasn’t huge, but more than adequate to him. During this transition period, the best housing went to the highest ranking officers. Only the intelligence agents from the Military Statistics Bureau could have pulled the strings to obtain such nice accommodations as this in such a short time.

　　余则成知道自己必须得睡到楼上卧室中去，军统局对属下考察得非常细致，万万马虎不得，往日里他若是有过一丝一毫的疏忽，必定活不到今天。钟敲过十二点，他这才上楼。洗漱完毕，他将卫生间的窗子拉开插销虚掩上，又打开了从走廊通向阳台那扇门的门锁，也把门虚掩上。这样一来，他就有了两条退路。任何时候都要保证自己有两条退路，这是军统局干训班教官的耳提面命，他记得牢牢的，并用在了正义事业上。
Yu realized that was necessary for him to sleep in the upstairs bedroom. One couldn’t afford to make any mistakes, because the Military Statistics Bureau tended to keep everyone under close surveillance. Had he made any mistakes, he would not have survived to this day. When the clock chimed twelve, he went upstairs and cleaned up. After that, he cautiously left open the bathroom window ajar, and unlocked the door leading to the balcony from the hallway, thus providing him with two getaway exits. When he was put through the training at the Military Statistics Bureau, he was taught to always have two alternate escape exits. That fact had always been kept in the back of his mind, and he now was putting to use for the righteous cause.

　　翠平还没有睡，她将带来的行李铺在地板上，坐在上面打盹。他说你到床上去睡，我睡地下。翠平说我睡地下，这是我的任务。他问什么任务。她说保护你的安全。说着话，她挪开包袱，露出怀里的手雷。余则成一见手雷不禁吃惊得想笑，那东西可不是八路军或日军使用的手榴弹，也不是普通的美式步兵手雷，而是美国政府刚刚援助的攻坚手雷，粗粗的一个圆筒，炸开来楼上楼下不会留下一个活口。看来组织上想得很周到，余则成放心了，睡得也比平日里安稳许多。到凌晨醒来时，他发现翠平没在房中，便走到门口，这才看到翠平正蹲在二楼的阳台上，嘴里咬着一杆短烟袋，喷出来的浓烟好似火车头，脚边被用来当烟缸使的是他刚买回来的一方端砚，据说是文徵明的遗物。如果此刻被时常考察属下的军统局发现他太太蹲在阳台上抽烟，不论从哪方面讲都不是好事，但是，他还是悄悄地退了回来，他希望来监视他的人只会认为是他们夫妻不和而已。
Rather than being asleep on the bed, he found Cuiping dozing hunched over that parcel she carried, sitting on the luggage that was spread on the floor. When he offered “Go sleep on the bed, I’ll sleep on the floor.” She replied, ”I’ll sleep on the floor, because this is my assignment.” Then he asked, ”What assignment is that?” She explained that her assignment was to protect him. While they were talking, she shifted parcel, exposing a grenade, which shocked and amused Yu at the same time. The grenade was not made by the communists or the Japanese. It was not even an ordinary American infantry grenade, but one of those which were powerful enough to raze a whole building. He was relieved and gratified that the communists were watching over him, and thus slept better that night than before. At dawn when he woke up, he discovered that Cuiping was not in the room and went out to look for her. He found her squatting on the floor of the balcony, clutching a pipe and puffing like a locomotive. Beside her was his antique ink stone used by the famous calligrapher Wen Huiming from the Ming dynasty being used as an ash tray. It was not a scene to be seen by anyone from the Military Statistics Bureau. So, rather than making a scene, he withdrew without causing a commotion which might attract the others.

　　果然，早上站长召见他，并且当着他的面点燃了一根粗若擀面杖的雪茄烟，笑道：没想到我那干女儿居然是个抽烟袋的呀!然后又安慰他，说那孩子在沦陷区一定吃了许多苦，你就让让她吧。你是个男人，可不能婆婆妈妈的，要是家中没意思你可以出去玩儿嘛，但不许遗弃我这干女儿，这样的孩子看着她就让人心疼，更别说欺负她。余则成对此只有诺诺而已，心想这位上司不知道动了哪股心肠，居然如此维护翠平。
Unsurprisingly, Yu found himself summoned by the branch chief that morning, and upon arriving, found him lighting up a humongous cigar almost the size of a Chinese rolling pin. He said with amusement,” I didn’t realize that my god daughter was so addicted to smoking.” Then in a consoling tone, he said,”This child must have suffered a lot during the Japanese occupation. You have to be tolerant and accepting. You are a man, so don’t nag like a fish wife. If you do get bored or unsatisfied, go out and enjoy yourself, but don’t ever desert my god daughter. She is already pathetic and needs to be pitied, not to also mention the fact that you are not allowed to hurt her.” Yu nodded in agreement over and over, all the while wondering, why he was so compassionate towards Cuiping.

　　余则成的日常工作是汇总、分析军统局天津站在华北各个组织送来的情报，多数是中共方面的，也有许多是关于政府军和国民党军政大员的，五花八门，数量极大，他必须得把这些情报分类存档，并将经过站长核准的情报送往刚刚迁回南京的军统局总部。除此之外，他还必须要将这些情报中对中共有用的部分抄录一份，通过联络点送出去。
Yu’s regular job was to compile all the intelligence reports sent by the different stations from all over northern China, most of which was communist related. Also, there was information included regarding the Nationalist Army and their officials. He had to sort out from this mountain of information the most useful and important aspects, which was then given to the branch chief for approval and then forwarded to the recently relocated bureau headquarters in Nanjing. Further, he had to copy the useful information for the communists and then leave it at the drop.

　　他的另一项主要工作是替站长处理私人财务。天津光复后，军统局是最先赶回来接收的机构之一，为了这件大事，局长也曾亲自飞来布置接收策略,并满载了整整一架飞机的财物飞回南京。站长在这期间的收获也极大，但他毕竟是个有知识有修养的人，不喜欢那种抢劫式的方法，便主要对银行业、保险业和盐、碱等大企业下手，但对企业进行改组、重新分配股权等工作极为复杂，很费精力和时间，他便把这些事都交给了余则成，而他自己则一心一意地去深挖潜藏在市内的共产党人，而且不分良莠，手段冷酷无情。余则成曾几次提请组织上，要求让他对站长执行清除任务，不想却受到了组织上的严厉批评，说他现在的价值远远超过杀死站长数百倍，不能因小失大。
Another of his jobs was to handle the personal finances of the branch chief. After Tianjin was liberated from the Japanese, the Military Statistics Bureau was among the first to be reinstated. As a matter of fact, the Bureau chief, himself flew in to reorganize the bureau and filled a plane load of treasures confiscated from the Japanese back to Nanjing with him. During the same period, the branch chief also acquired a fortune. His forte, because of his intelligence and education, was not in compiling art and treasures, but rather in the banking, insurance, and salt enterprises. The restructuring and redistribution of stock shares involved complicated methods and required a lot of energy and time, so he delegated these tasks to Yu, and focus his own time and energy in routing out communist spies in the city of Tianjin. He never differentiated between good or bad communists, but used ruthless methods in his pursuit. And because of this, Yu had proposed to the communists the assassination of the branch chief numerous times. However, they repeatedly came back with reprimands him that his usefulness in gaining information for them was a hundred times more valuable than to have the branch chief killed. They could not risk his great usefulness for what to them was an insignificant matter.

　　由于他的工作量极大，胃也不好，身体在不知不觉间便越来越差。翠平看着他一天比一天瘦，便提出来由她去送情报，给他分担一点负担。他问，组织上怎么给你交代的?她说组织上知道你一个人忙不过来，就想重新建立单线联系，让你写，让我送。他又问：你知道为什么会选中你吗?她说知道，组织上说，一来是因为女学生们都到延安去了，一时找不到合适的人：二来是因为我不识字。余则成点了点头，第二条理由最重要，组织上考虑的比他要周全得多。但是，他仍然不同意由翠平代替他去送情报，因为这项工作太危险，如果被抓，他的军统身份可以暂时抵挡一阵，能够争取到撤退的机会，但翠平却没有这机会，而是只有一条死路。
Because of his heavy workload and stomach ulcers, Yu’s health had been deteriorating during this time. Seeing him losing weight, Cuiping offered to lessen his burdens by taking the deliveries to the drop. He asked her what the party said about doing this. She said that the party had known that he was overburdened, and would need to establish a new line of communication. “You compile the information and I will deliver it.” Then Yu asked, “Do you know why the party picked you for this job?” She replied that the party officials said the first reason was that all the female students had gone to Yan’an and they couldn’t find a suitable candidate. The second reason was that I was not literate. Yu nodded, the second reason was more important and the party was more thoughtful than he realized. Still, he was not going to let Cuiping be the messenger. His thinking was that would be too dangerous for her should she be caught. Had he been caught, he at least had an official title which could afford him some time, possible to escape, whereas they would execute her on the spot.

　　翠平许是看出了他的心意，便有些生硬地说，我被抓住也不会连累你，我的衣领里缝着砒霜哪。他只好笑道：你是我太太，站长的干女儿，抓住你必定会连累我。翠平当即怒道：你这样婆婆妈妈的，是对革命同志的不信任，依我看，你根本就不像他们说的那么英雄。从此后，一连几天翠平不再与他讲话，每日无聊地楼上楼下转悠，但抽烟还是到阳台上去，用那块文徵明的端砚当烟缸。
Cuiping might have guessed what he was thinking, and said bluntly, “Even if I were caught, I would not rat on you. I have arsenic sealed in my collar, which I will immediately take.” Being amused at her simplistic thinking, he said: ”You’re my wife and the god daughter of the branch chief. How could it possibly not implicate me?” Cuiping instantly flared up and said: “ What a coward you are! You don’t trust your revolutionary comrade. In my eyes, you are not the hero they make you out to be.” For several days thereafter, Cuiping refused to speak to him, but wandered around the house going up and down doing nothing. When she went out on the balcony to smoke, she continued to use his precious ink stone as an ash tray.

　　余则成心想，这便是他第一次望着她时，在她眼神中发现的那股子执拗。她是个单纯、不会变通、甚至有些鲁莽的女人。但是，他相信她一定很勇敢，会毫不犹豫地吞下衣领上的毒药或拉响那只攻坚手雷，为此，他对她又有了几分敬意。
Yu thought this was exactly the stubbornness he had seen in her eyes the first time they met. She was simple-minded, inflexible and even a little rude. But he also believed that she must be very brave and would surely take the arsenic without hesitation or even use the grenade to blow herself up. For that, his respect for her grew.

　　然而，此后不久发生了一件事，让他发现，对于他的安全来讲，翠平的存在甚至比老马还要危险。
However, something happened before long to make him realize that for his own safety, Cuiping was even more dangerous to him than Old Ma.

　　一九四六年八月十日，马歇尔和司徒雷登宣布对国共双方的“调处”失败，内战即将全面爆发。在这个时候，军统局天津站的工作一下子忙碌起来，余则成一连半个多月没有回家，到了九月二日，国民政府军事委员会的《国军在华北及东北地区作战计划书》终于下达了，与此文件一同送来的还有晋升他为中校的委任状。余则成这几年的工作确实非常出色，不论是对于中共党组织，还是对于军统局，所以，得到晋升是意料之中的事。
On August 10, 1946, General Marshall and Leighton Stuart announced that peace talks between the Nationalists and the Communists failed and civil war broke out. At this time, the Tianjin branch of the Military Statistics Bureau became very busy. Yu hadn’t gone home for over two weeks. On September 2nd, the National Military Commission announced the Military Strategic Plan for the Northern and North Eastern Areas and along with it came the notice of promotion that Yu was now a lieutenant Colonel. Yu had done an excellent job in the past few years, both for the Communists and the Nationalists, making the promotion totally expected.

　　他将文件替党组织拍照了复本，将原件给站长送了过去。站长一见挺高兴，说工作终于告一段落，咱们总算可以松一口气了，晚上带你太太来我家，让那孩子认认义母，你也顺便给大家伙儿亮一亮你的新肩章。
He made copies of the document for the communists and sent the original to the branch chief. Upon seeing the document, the branch chief said happily, “Now that we have wrapped up everything, we can take a break. Bring your wife to my home tonight. She can meet her god mother and you can show off your new stripes.”

　　于是，他急忙给家里打电话，是老妈子接的。翠平虽然来此已经几个月了，但仍然不习惯电话、抽水马桶和烧煤球的炉子。他让老妈子转告太太，说晚上有应酬，让她将新做的衣服准备好。他还想叮嘱一下让翠平弄弄头发，但最后还是决定回去接她时再说。这些琐事都是他们日积月累的矛盾，不是一时半会儿可以解决得了的。
So, he hurriedly made a call to home. It was the old maid who answered the phone. Although Cuiping had arrived several months earlier, she was still not used to the phone, the flushing toilet and the charcoal stove. Yu asked the maid to pass his words to his wife that there would be a party that evening and tell her to wear her newly made dress. He also wanted to say something about her hair, but decided he better tell her in person. All the small matters that had been accumulating for sometime now, could not be fixed at once.

　　果然，等他回到家中，翠平还蹲在阳台上抽烟袋，他安排的事一样也没做。老妈子赔不是，说太太这些日子心情不好，先生您要好好说话。他不愿意被用人看到他们的争吵，不管他是受命于军统局还是中共党组织，这些事被传出去都只会有害无益。
Not surprisingly, when he got him, he found Cuiping squatting on the balcony smoking her pipe, and hadn’t done anything he had asked at all. The old maid said apologetically, “the Missus has not been in a good mood recently, please speak to her nicely, sir.” Yu wouldn’t want anyone to see them arguing, for it wouldn’t be good if such incidents were gossiped about and got to either the nationalist or the Communists.

　　他努力让自己平静下来，对翠平说，晚上站长请你去见他太太，穿得正式才好。
He calmed him down with difficulty and said to Cuiping,” Branch Chief invited you to meet his wife. It would be best for you to dress up.”

　　站长虽然在本地安了好几处家，但始终与元配太太住在旧英租界常德道一号那所大宅子里。他对世俗的礼节非常重视，经常对手下讲，纲常就是一切，乱了纲常，一切也就都乱了。
Although the branch chief had several homes, he and his first wife had been always living in the mansion located at No. 1 Changde Road in the old British Concession. He was very respectful of the Chinese traditional morals and etiquette rules. He had told his subordinates repeatedly that forms of the social and family hierarchy is everything. If that was changed, all society would be thrown into chaos.

　　翠平收拾起烟袋和“烟灰缸”，回到卧室，这才说，我不想去见那些人，他们明明是些杀人魔鬼，坐在一起却装得好像是一群小学校里斯文的先生，让我越想越恨，总忍不住要拉响手雷把他们都炸死。
Cuiping gathered up the pipe and the ash tray and went back into the bedroom, and said, “I don’t want to see these people. They are all murderous demons inside, but sit there acting like polite school teachers. This only makes me feel more resentful towards them, making me want to pull the grenade and blow them up.

　　余则成只好说，我跟你解释过许多次了，这是工作需要，是革命事业的需要。
Yu said with resignation, “I have explained this to you many times. This is required of us to further the cause of our revolution.”

　　他必须得说服翠平，这种应酬是无法推托的。军统局对属下的内部团结有着极其严格的要求，所以，不论是站长一级，还是侦探、办事员之类的下级人员，各种联谊活动以及私人之间的往来非常稠密，然而，翠平每一次参加这类活动，总是会给别人带来不快。当然了，她倒也没有什么特别的举动或言语，只是一到地方她便把那对粗眉拧得紧紧的，脸上被太阳灼伤的皮肤因为神色阴郁而越发地晦暗，有人与她讲话，她也只是牵一牵嘴角，既没有一丝和气的神色，也没有一句言语。这与军统局所谓的“大家庭”气氛格格不入，特别是让那些因为丈夫参与接收而一夜之间浑身珠光宝气的家眷们大为恼火，便忍不住回到家中大发牢骚，而这些牢骚的作用也已经对余则成的工作造成了极其不利的影响。
Yu had to persuade Cuiping to go, because this was a ‘social demand’ and not just an invitation that they could refuse. The Military Statistics Bureau had very strict requirements for its associates to socialize, so there were frequent social gatherings at each level from the branch chiefs down to the detectives and agents. Whenever Cuiping attended one of these gatherings, she would cast a pall on the party. It was not because she said or did anything inappropriate, rather it was because she was always frowning and her sunburned face made her look even gloomier. Even when people tried to engage her in conversation, her lips would barely move and showed no interest whatsoever. Her lack of friendliness and withdrawal kept her an outsider from the “big bureau family.” It caused resentment among the snobby wives of the higher ranked officers, who complained about her to their husbands at home, and the repercussions of that often fell on Yu at work.

　　于是，他亲自动手替翠平拿出新做的印度绸旗袍、美国玻璃丝袜和英国产的白色高跟拷花皮鞋，又从首饰匣中挑出一串长长的珍珠。余则成不怕危险，也不怕牺牲，然而，做这些事却让他感到极度的屈辱。他从来也没有在心底埋怨过组织上对他不理解，但他有些埋怨组织上没有把翠平教育好。他从事的是一项极其危险的工作，在这个环境中翠平显然没有给他帮上任何一点儿小忙。
Therefore, Yu, himself, took out the newly made Indian silk Qipao for Cuiping, and the American nylon stockings and the English white leather pumps, as well as a long string of pearls from her jewelry box. He never feared dangers or sacrificing his life for the cause, but he felt humiliated having to do these things. He never blamed the party for not knowing him well, but felt that they should have trained her better. He was working on a very dangerous mission, and under the circumstance, Cuiping certainly was not helping.

　　在他拿衣物时，翠平一直深深地低着头，坐在床边生闷气，这时她突然说道：你整天把我关在家中，根本就没有把我当作革命同志，更没有给我任何革命工作。
While he was laying out the cloth and jewelry, Cupiping was sulking with her head down sitting on the bed. Suddenly, she said, “You have kept me imprisoned at home all this time. You have never treated me like a revolutionary comrade or given me any real assignment.”

　　余则成只能好言相劝，你住进这所房子本身就是革命工作，另外，如果你想散心，可以出去玩儿嘛，抽屉里有钱，站里边有车，到哪去都行，干什么都行。
Yu reasoned with her, saying that her living there was her assignment for the revolution. Had she felt bored, she was free to go out. There was money in the drawer for her to spend, and a car from the bureau was at her disposal. She had the freedom to go wherever she wanted and do whatever she pleased.

　　你是想让我跟你们站里那些阔太太一样混日子吗?我可是堂堂正正的游击队员。翠平抬眼盯住他，黑眼珠在燃烧。
“Do you really want me to squander my time like those snobby women? I am a proud guerilla soldier.” She glared at him with fire in her eyes.

　　对于女人的反抗，余则成无计可施，说道：那么你看该怎么办才好呢？
Facing resistance from a woman, Yu could do nothing but ask, “What do you want me to do?”

　　给我工作，正式的革命工作。翠平表现出当仁不让的勇气。
“Give me a job, a real job for the revolution.” Cuiping said with conviction.

　　你又不识字，而且……余则成猛地咬断口里不中听的话语，转口道：现在正是党的事业最关键的时期，党要求你潜伏在这里，你应该很高兴地服从才是，潜伏也是革命工作之一呀!
“You are illiterate, and …” Yu bit off the rest of the sentence and changed his tone, “It’s a critical time for the cause of our party. The party has asked you to stay undercover; you should gladly accept this job. Being an undercover agent is also a job for the revolution.”

　　从他进入军统局干训班开始，曾经有两年多的时间与党组织没有任何联系。那是一段痛苦不堪的回忆，要求他一边学习并实践对共产党人的搜捕、刑讯和暗杀，一边等待为党组织做工作的机会。因为经历过那么艰难的考验，所以他对翠平轻视潜伏工作的态度很不满意。他觉得，翠平之所以不能理解组织上的用意，主要是因为她不是知识分子。他这样想丝毫没有轻视农工阶级的用意，只是这种无知无识的状态，让翠平对党的革命理想和斗争策略无法进行深入的理解。然而，他又确实不擅长教导翠平这样的学生，无法将党的真实用意清楚地传达给她，因为他只会讲些干巴巴的道理，而翠平脾气硬，性格执拗，最不擅长的便是听取道理。所以，虽然他们是革命同志，但却无法沟通他们的革命思想。为此，余则成心中非常痛苦，而且是那种老老实实、刻骨铭心的自责。
Since Yu started the training program with the Military Statistics Bureau, there had been a period of over two years where he did not communicate at all with the party. It had been an excruciating experience to learn and practice arresting, interrogating and assassinating communists, while waiting for a new assignment from the party. Due to his numerous trials, he was disgusted by Cuiping’s contempt for being an undercover agent. He thought it was because she was uneducated that she didn’t understand the party’s strategy. He was not demeaning the illiterate farm class per se, but that the lack of education prevented her from understanding the party’s strategy and goals. Unfortunately, he was not able to teach Cuiping or others like her, the real party line. He could only repeat the dry party slogans and clichés to them. And because of her undisciplined, impetuous personality, Cuiping was neither a good student nor a good listener. So even though they were comrades, they could not communicate with each other their own ideas of the party’s ideals and goals. Yu felt unreasonable pain because of the strong guilt of not being able to change her mindset.

　　无奈之下，他只好再一次对翠平妥协，表示今晚应酬过后，他一定提请组织上给她安排任务。
Having no choice, he had to compromise by saying after tonight’s event, he would ask the party to give her a specific assignment.

　　翠平却说，组织上早已安排过了，协助你工作就是我的任务。
But Cuiping replied, “The party has assigned me a job, and that is to assist you.”

　　那么好吧。余则成只得又退了一步。不过，这次让步总算是给他带来了一点儿工作成绩——翠平终于同意用香皂洗头了。
“That’s OK.” Yu backed off one more step. But his compromise eventually brought him a reward – Cuiping agreed to use some fragrant soap to shampoo with.

　　许是因为余则成答应了她的要求，翠平今晚还算合作，将清洁的长发在脑后挽了个光润的发髻，但看上去却有些显老，与时髦的衣饰也不般配。余则成止住了她往脸上扑粉的动作，只让她搽了一点润肤油和唇膏。她的皮肤黑得确实不宜扑粉。
Probably because Yu agreed to her request, Cuiping was relatively cooperative that night. She twisted her shampooed hair into a smooth bun, which made her look more mature. Unfortunately, the hair do did not complement her fashionable outfit. Yu kept her from putting on too much make-up because of her dark complexion, and only allowed her to use a little vanishing cream and lipstick.

　　站长见到装扮一新的翠平，笑得非常开心，说这才好嘛，打扮起来真是好看。又对余则成下命令说，你可不许苛待我的干女儿，要尽可能地给她买些好衣服。余则成咔地一声碰响鞋跟表示从命，却没有留意到站长的话只是玩笑。
Upon seeing Cuiping in her new outfit, the branch chief laughingly said, “This is what you should be doing. You look very pretty when you are all made up.” And he turned to Yu and teasingly ordered him, “you must be generous to her and let her dress fashionably.” Yu agreed readily.

　　站长夫人是位身材高大，性格粗豪的老太太，五十多岁，据说是北洋时期一位督军的女儿，那位督军是行伍出身，于是女儿便继承了家风，双手能打盒子炮。翠平向老太太行大礼认亲，老太太也为她准备了非常贵重的首饰和衣料作为见面礼。前来观礼的都是军统局的同事，老马紧跟在余则成身边，一个劲儿地恭维他有大运气，日后必定会升官发财，妻贤子孝，姬妾香艳，姻亲满朝。
The wife of the branch chief was an assertive mature woman who was quite statuesque in her fifties. It was alleged that she was a general’s daughter during the period of the warlords and inherited her father’s ability to shoot with both hands. Cuiping paid proper homage to her adoptive god mother and the god mother in acceptance gave her some valuable jewelry and silks in return. The audience were the colleagues from the bureau. Among them was Old Ma standing next to Yu, following him and plying him with flattery, that his future was assured, that he would be promoted, and have a nurturing wife and many beautiful concubines and dutiful children with in-laws scattered all over the country.

　　余则成不即不离地应酬着老马，希望没有得罪他。这个家伙既有可能是杀他的刽子手，也会是他在军统局里的竞争对头。天津站在不久的将来会出现一个副站长的空缺，老马巴结这个位置已经许久了，而余则成这次被及时地晋升，便很自然地让他成为了这个位置的候选者之一。成为副站长之后，他便可以看到通过照相电报传来的蒋介石的亲笔手令等最高级的机密。这也是他必须要完成的任务，在军统局里职位越高，他对党组织作出的贡献就越大，因此，他与老马的关系便不得不势如水火。
Hoping not to offend Old Ma, his replies were neutral. Old Ma could be his executioner, and was definitely his rival at the bureau. Rumors were that a new vice branch chief position would be forthcoming at the Tianjin branch. Old Ma had been coveting that position for a long time. As Yu had been recently promoted, he was also in line for this promotion. If he got this promotion, he would have access to the highest military secrets even those written by Chiang Kai-shek himself. His mission was to rise in rank as fast as possible, because the higher his position, the more he could contribute to the party. Therefore, he and Old Ma were really arch rivals and enemies.

　　老马今天的话很多，巴结得站长和站长太太都很高兴。他对翠平的话也很多，甚至主动带领她楼上楼下参观了站长豪华的住宅，而且是半弯着腰在前边引路，像个旅馆里的门童。这让余则成很是后悔没有事先提醒翠平，因为，老马的前任便是被老马这样给恭维死的。那人是组织上给余则成安排在军统局中的搭档，他死后，余则成便常常感到孤单。
Old Ma was very talkative and flattering to the branch chief and his wife and made them happy. He was very attentive to Cuiping, showing her all around the grand mansion with a humble attitude as though he was an inferior. Yu regretted that he had not warned Cuiping earlier of Old Ma, whose predecessor died due to his obsequiousness. He had been Yu’s partner and fellow spy assigned by the communists. After his death, Yu felt very alone.

　　这一晚，翠平在聚会的后半段突然高兴起来，与老太太有说有笑，她的宝坻口音与老太太的安徽口音相映成趣，却让余则成看着担心，他猜不透翠平这份高兴的缘由。
Towards the latter part of the party, Yu noticed that Cuiping had suddenly become more animated. She was laughing and chattering with the branch chief’s wife. Their two distinctive accents mingled with enthusiastic laughter worried Yu to wonder what made Cuiping so cheerful.

　　内战在即，所以聚会散得很早，众人纷纷告辞。翠平搀着老太太的手臂落在后边往外送客，余则成也跟在她身后唯恐她出错。突然，他发现翠平趁着众人不注意，朝他使了个得意的眼色，并提起旗袍的开衩处向他一抖，而他一见之下，立时被惊得险些坐到地上。他看到，在翠平的旗袍下，美国玻璃丝袜子里面，插着一份文件，字面朝外，正是那份《国军在华北及东北地区作战计划书》。他立刻抬头向门外望去，发现早已告辞的老马还留在院中，身后散落着他的七八个手下，不住地拿眼盯着走出来的客人。此时聚在门边等候与主人告辞的客人已经不多了。无奈之下，余则成从老太太身边抢过翠平说，你不是要上厕所吗?然后拉起她便跑上二楼。
Due to the fact that the civil war was about to begin, the party ended early and people started leaving. Cuiping was clutching the arm of the branch chief’s wife, as they said their farewells to the guests. Yu was behind them worried that Cuiping would do something to expose them. Unexpectedly, Cuiping, surreptitiously, winked at him with a self-satisfied expression. She flipped at the slit in her qipao, shocking Yu to the point of horror. He saw slipped under her stocking a document with the words facing outwards, which was none other than the same Military Strategic Plan for the Northern and North Eastern Areas. Yu glanced out of the front door, noticing that Old Ma who had left some time ago was still in the front yard with some of his men. They seemed to be scrutinizing all the departing guests. At that time, there were very few guests left. With no other option, Yu yanked Cuiping’s arm, while saying “Don’t you need to go to the bathroom before we leave?” and rushed her upstairs.

　　站长的书房也在二楼，翠平一定是中了老马的奸计了。虽然老马并不一定知道翠平的真实身份，但圈套他是一定要下的，“有枣没枣打三杆子”，这是军统局传统的工作方法。
The Branch chief’s study was on the second floor, where Old Ma had set a trap for Cuiping, hoping to catch her possibly in it. The tradition of the bureau was to test all members, better to catch one than let one escape.

　　翠平却一边跑一边问，走出去就安全了，你干啥要回来?余则成只好吓唬她说你偷文件的事已经被发现了，他们正在门外等着抓你。跑进书房，他问你在哪拿的?翠平一指书桌上已被打开的公文包，那是站长的公文包。他迅速从翠平衣下拉出那份文件，又放在书桌上用十根手指弹琴一般按了个遍，好用他的指纹盖住翠平的指纹。刚刚将文件塞进公文包，门外便响起了脚步声。翠平这时黑眼睛一闪，咬紧嘴唇，一下子扑到他的怀中，像一只小动物一般在他的胸前拱来拱去。但余则成知道这样解决不了问题，便猛地将翠平的旗袍撩到腰际，然后将她抱到书桌上，一只手搬起她的一条腿，另一只手迅速将站长的公文包锁好。同时他也留意到，翠平的脸已经红到了脖子和耳朵上。
While running up the stairs, Cuiping asked, ”We were almost safe, why are you pulling me back?” Yu frightened her by saying she had already been caught in the trap and they were waiting outside to expose them. When they entered the study, Yu asked “Where did you get the document from?” She pointed the open briefcase on the desk, which belong to the branch chief. Yu quickly pulled out the document from her stocking, put on the desk and rubbed it with his fingers to take out any finger prints left on it. Just as he placed the document into the briefcase, he heard the footsteps outside the room. Cuiping shut her eyes, bit her lips and threw herself into Yu’s arms, cuddling him. Yu knew that was not sufficient, and lifted her qipao over her hips, set her on the desk, with one hand up her panty, while locking the briefcase with the other. He saw that Cuiping was flushed from her ears down her neck.

　　冲进来的是老马和他的一班手下，见情形立刻愣在门口，笑道，小余，想不到你这个老实人也会干这调调儿!
It was Old Ma and his men who entered the room. Seeing them in that position, Old Ma said while grinning:” I never expected an innocent like you to do such a thing.”

潜伏 (上)

2009-11-04T20:35:00.000-08:00

潜伏 (上)
The Mole

by 龙一

　余则成是个老实的知识青年。
Yu Zecheng was a trustworthy and well-educated young man.

　　因为老实，年轻，而且有知识，上司便喜欢他，将许多机密的公事和机密的私事都交给他办，他也确实能够办得妥妥当当，于是上司越发地喜欢他，便把一些更机密的公事和私事也交给了他，他还是能够办得妥妥当当。一来二去，上司便将他当作子侄一般看待，命令他回乡把太太接过来团圆，并命令庶务科替他准备了新房和一切应用物品。
Because of his trustworthiness, youth and intelligence, his superior favored him and entrusted him with many highly charged governmental secrets as well as personal ones. Yu always managed to complete all assignments to his satisfaction. Therefore his superior trusted him even more and gave him ever higher levels of secrets and he still managed to accomplish everything well. As time went by, his superior regarded him as if he were his own nephew, and ordered him to bring his wife to be reunited and also arranged for their accommodations and household necessities.

　　然而，余则成在家乡并没有太太。甚至连个恋人也没有。不过，在他的档案里，他却是个有太太的男人。六年前他在重庆投考国民政府军事委员会调查统计局干部训练班的时候，中共党组织曾为他准备了一份详细的自传材料，其中特别提到了他的太太还留在华北沦陷区，这是因为，只有这种有家室的男人才容易赢得国民党人的信任，特别是年轻的知识分子。
In actuality, Yu didn’t really have a wife in his hometown, not even a girlfriend. However, in his profile, he was a married man. Six years ago, when he signed up for the officers training program for the Investigation and Statistics Bureau of the National Military Commission in Chongqing, the communist party had prepared a detailed profile on him, in which he had a wife in a Japanese-occupied province in northern China. That was because married men were considered more trustworthy by the Nationalists, especially the young well-educated ones.

　　如今，日本人被打败了，他跟随上司来到天津建立军统局天津站，上司任少将站长，他是少校副官兼机要室主任。光复之后的财源广进和对美好生活的憧憬，让站长一连娶了三个女人，建了三处外宅，并且联想到他的心腹余则成已经离家六年，便动了恻隐之心，这才有了这次接家眷的事。
Now that the Japanese had been defeated, he had followed his superior to set up a branch of the Military Statistics Bureau in Tianjin. Yu’s superior became a major general and the branch chief while he became a lieutenant adjutant and the director of the classified information unit. In anticipation of the wealthy and prosperous future after throwing out the Japanese, the branch chief, married three wives in a row and built three mansions, one for each of them. Because of his care and concern of his right-hand man, Yu, who had left his wife back home six years ago, the branch chief arranged for this reunion.

　　因为余则成近几年的身份、职位过于重要，组织上考虑到他的安全，甚至连与他的单线联系也掐断了，现在他只能通过秘密联络点把这个新情况向党组织汇报。他与组织上的同志们已经一年多没见过面，虽然心中时时思念，但他知道必须得抑制住这份感情，革命毕竟是一项有纪律的事业。很快，组织上回信说需要他的一张旧照片和五天的准备时间。到了第六天，他在联络点拿到了一个大信封，里边有一张已略显破旧的大红婚帖，另外一张是印着“百年好合”金字的结婚证，角上贴着贰元陆角的印花税，下边盖着当年日伪县政府的大印和县长的私章。结婚证中间贴着照片，男的是他的那张旧照片翻印的，女的粗眉大眼的不难看。一番检查过后，他发现这个证件制作得极其精致，联银券的印花税票是真品，县政府公章的雕工无可挑剔，照片的翻印和修版也做得非常地道，不会被任何人看出破绽。他很感激组织上为他的安全费尽心力，军统局的那班技术人员相当厉害，如果留下一丝破绽，他连逃跑的机会也没有。
Due to his rise in rank, the communist party, for the sake of his safety, had ended any personal communication with him but arranged a drop for necessary communication. He hadn’t contacted his comrades for over a year, even though he had wanted to. He had suppressed his desires due to his understanding of the importance of discipline to the cause. Soon thereafter, he received a request from the party for an old picture of him and five days in which to complete his request. On the sixth day, he received a large envelope from the drop, which contained a frayed red wedding invitation and a marriage certificate with gilt lettering which said “A good union for a hundred years”, with a tax stamp of 2 Yuan 6 Jiao on the right top corner and seals of the Japanese puppet government and the county chief at the bottom. In the middle, there were pictures, the male one was of him that was sent and the female one showing a woman with thick eyebrows and large eyes, not bad looking. Upon detailed examination, he discovered how sophisticatedly the certificate was fabricated: the tax stamp was authentic; the government seal was perfect; and the reprint of the pictures was genuine. It was impossible to detect any flaws. He was appreciative of the efforts that the party had made on his behalf, because it would be thoroughly scrutinized by the technicians at his bureau. Had there been any flaws, he wouldn’t even have a chance to escape.

　　到了第七天，站长说要给余则成派个司机，让他见面后踏踏实实地与太太说说话，边开车边说话毕竟危险。不想，特勤队的队长老马听见了，立刻自告奋勇，说是往日没机会巴结小余，今日总算逮着个茬口，不可放过。然而，余则成平日里防范最严密的就是这个老马，他是出了名的鹰犬，站里跟踪、搜查、抓捕、刑讯、暗杀等所有可怕的工作都归他负责，而且他是中校军衔，没有替余则成当司机的道理。站长却挺高兴，说你们俩都是我的心腹，正应该多亲近亲近。
On the Seventh day, the branch chief expressed his desire to assign a chauffeur for Yu so that he wouldn’t have to drive and talk with his wife at the same time. Upon hearing this, old Ma, head of the Special Missions Team, willingly volunteered to be the chauffer. He said he wouldn’t pass this rare opportunity to do this favor for Yu. However, Yu was especially wary of this man, because he was well-known for his ruthlessness and he was in charge of all the horrible tasks at the branch such as stalking, searching, arresting, interrogating and assassinating. Further, he was a lieutenant colonel and realistically too high up to be a chauffeur. However, to his dismay, the branch chief was happy that both of his right-hand men would have the opportunity to get to know each other better.

　　于是，特务头子和中共地下党员便一同上路了，去接那个原本并不存在的女人。
Thus, the intelligence head and the communist undercover agent went together to pick up the wife who didn’t exist.

　　车到宝坻县临亭口，路边停着辆马车。车夫抱着鞭子蹲在车后打盹儿，车上坐着一老一少两个女人，年轻女人怀里抱着包袱，粗眉大眼，比照片上要难看一些。余则成下车冲着老太太叫了声妈，这才给老马介绍说这是我的岳母这是我的同事。老太太攥着烟袋向老马拱了拱手，老马中规中矩地鞠躬，说您老人家可好，又从车里提出两匣子点心四瓶酒放到马车上，说这是小辈孝敬您的。
The car arrived at Lintingko in Baodi County, where a horse carriage was waiting by the roadside. The driver, clutching a whip, was napping behind the carriage. Within the carriage, were two women, one older, and one younger. The younger one, holding to her breast a parcel, had thick eyebrows and large eyes, but not as pretty as her picture. Yu got out of the car and addressed the older one, “Mother”, and then introduced her to Old Ma as his mother-in-law and to her, Old Ma as his colleague. The old woman, carrying a big pipe, shook her hands in greeting. Old Ma bowed to her politely in greeting and offered her two boxes of deserts and four bottles of wine, saying “This is a gift of respect.”

　　车夫从后边转过来，卸下行李往吉普车上装。余则成伸手拉住车夫的后襟，说你一切要当心，其实他是为了把车夫翘起的后衣角拉平。方才车夫躲在马车后边，手一定是未曾松开过插在后腰上的手枪。
The carriage driver came from behind and loaded the luggage into the jeep. Yu yanked the carriage driver’s shirt and said “you have to be more careful”, but he was trying to pull down the driver’s shirt to cover the gun in his waistband. Earlier when the carriage driver was hidden behind the carriage, his hand must have been on the gun stuck in his waistband.

　　回程的路上，余则成告诉老马他太太叫翠平，翠平也跟着叫了一声大哥。老马问，你婆家人怎么没来送?余则成说家中已经没有人啦。老马骂了一声日本小鬼子真他*的不是东西，便不再开口。
On their way back, Yu introduced his wife, Cuiping, to Old Ma and Cuiping called him elder brother. Old Ma asked why no one in Yu’s family accompanied her. Yu answered that there was no one left in his family. Old Ma cursed the Japanese and kept silent after that.

　　在后座上，余则成伸手去握翠平的手，翠平瑟缩了一下，便任由他握着。于是，余则成在她的手掌中摸到了一大片粗硬的老茧，也发现她的头发虽然仔细洗过，而且抹了刨花水，但并不洁净；脸上的皮肤很黑，是那种被阳光反复烧灼过后的痕迹；新衣服也不合身，窝窝囊囊的不像是量体裁衣。除此之外，她身上还有一股味道，火烧火燎的焦臭，但绝不是烧柴做饭的味道。汽车开出去二十里之后，他才弄明白，这是烟袋油子的味道。于是，他便热切地盼望着这股味道仅只是他那位“岳母大人”给熏染上的而已。
In the backseat, when Yu tried to hold Cuiping’s hand, she resisted at first and then gave in. Yu, holding her hand, rubbed her hand and discovered calluses. Although, her hair had been washed, perhaps even with some sort of soap, it was still not clean. Her complexion was dark, as if sunburned. Her clothes were ill-fitting, and she emanated a burnt smell, although not from cooking. After 20 miles, he realized it was from the “mother-in-law’s” pipe and hoped that she had not taken up that habit.

　　余则成的嗜好只有一样，便是收藏文房四宝，而他最厌恶的也只有一样，就是吸烟的味道。他对吸烟的厌恶名声极大，即使是站长召见他也常会很体贴地把那根粗大的雪茄烟暂时放在烟灰缸里，而像老马这种出了名的老烟枪居然一路上一根香烟也没吸。但是，他与组织上分手的时间太久了，也许新接手的领导并不知道他的这个毛病。
Yu only had one hobby, which was collecting the four treasures (tools of Chinese calligraphy), and the one thing that he hated most and was renowned for was his dislike of smoke. Even the branch chief would put out his cigar whenever he was around, and Old Ma, who was a chain smoker, refrained from smoking during the whole trip. It was probably because he hadn’t been in touch for so long that the party leaders had forgotten his likes and dislikes.

　　虽说领导可能不了解他的生活习惯，但还不至于不了解他的其他情况。翠平很明显没有文化，只是一名可敬的农村劳动妇女，这样的同志应该有许多适合她的工作，而送她到大城市里给一个特务头子当太太就很不适宜了。他转过头来看翠平，发现她也在偷偷地看他，黑眼珠晶亮，但眼神却很执拗。于是他问你饿了吗?她却立刻从包袱里摸出两只熟鸡蛋放在他的手中，显然她很紧张。这时老马在前边打趣道，我这抬轿子的可还没吃东西啊!老马从后视镜中可以看到他们的一切，这也是余则成不得不做戏的原因。
Although the party leaders didn’t know Yu’s likes and dislikes very well, they should have known about his current station. Cuiping was a field woman and obviously uneducated. They could have found many other tasks more suitable to her abilities than sending her to be a wife of an intelligence official in a big city. He turned to inspect her further and found her surreptitiously checking him out. Her eyes were dark, bright and possibly stubborn looking. “Are you hungry?” he asked. She immediately whipped out two hard boiled eggs from her parcel and put them in his hand. She was obviously nervous. Jokingly, Old Ma cut in with “I am the one who is carrying the wedding carriage, and I haven’t had anything to eat yet.” Old Ma had been able to see everything from the rearview mirror, and that was why Yu had to pretend.

　　当天晚上，站长亲自给翠平接风，在贵得吓人的利顺德大饭店西餐厅。同事们要巴结站长和他的心腹，便给翠平买了一大堆礼物。反正光复后接收工作的尾声还没有过去，钱来得容易，大家伙儿花起来都不吝惜。
That evening, the branch chief held a welcome banquet for Cuiping at the very expensive western style Shunde Restaurant. The invited colleagues, trying their best to impress both the branch chief and his right-hand man, brought Cuiping many expensive gifts. Just after the Japanese had been ousted, money was ill-gotten and freely spent.

　　余则成很担心翠平会像老舍的小说《离婚》里边那位乡下太太一样，被这个阵势给吓住，或是有什么不得体的举止。如果他的“太太”应酬不下来这个场面，便应该算是他的工作没做好。任何一件小小的失误都会给革命事业带来损失，他坚信这一点。不想，等站长演讲、祝酒完毕，开始上菜的时候，翠平突然点手把留着金黄色小胡子的白俄领班叫了过来。众人的目光一下子都集中到她身上，只听她大大方方地说道，有面条吗?给我煮一碗，顺便带双筷子过来。站长听罢哈哈大笑，说我就喜欢你这样的孩子，好孩子，够爽快，我至今生了六个混蛋儿子，就是没有个女儿，你做我的干女儿吧!过几天还是这些人，去我家，我这姑娘那天正式行礼改称呼，你们都得带礼物，可别小气啦。众人哄然响应。余则成发现，翠平的目光在这一阵哄闹中接连向他盯了好几眼，既像是观察他的反应，又像是朝他放枪。他向她点点头，传达了鼓励之意。他猜想，翠平在这个时候最需要的应该就是鼓励。
Yu was worried as to whether she would be intimidated by the grandeur of the banquet and the surroundings and act clumsily, like the country bumpkin in Lao She’s story, ‘Divorce’. He felt that if his ‘wife’ didn’t act properly, it would be his fault that he had not prepare her sufficiently. He believed that any mistakes would damage their cause in the revolution. However, after the branch chief delivered his speech toasted his welcome, while the food was being served, unexpectedly, Cuiping, waved over the mustached white Russian waiter. As everyone watched her intently, she unabashedly ordered a bowl of noodles and a pair of chopsticks. Upon hearing this, the branch chief laughed out loud, and said to her, “you are the kind of child I would like to have had. Good girl, you are so straightforward. I have six spoiled sons and no daughter. How would you like to be my god daughter? Why don’t we have an adoption ceremony at my house in a few days and everyone here is invited.” And to them, he added, “You all have to bring gifts and don’t be stingy.” Everyone cheered unanimously. Yu noticed, during all this, Cuiping glanced at Yu several times, as if she was either observing him or looking for signs of his approval. Yu nodded to her and acknowledge her conquest. He felt that more than anything else at this moment, Cuiping needed his encouragement and approval.

差不多先生傳

2009-08-30T17:34:00.000-07:00

差不多先生傳
The Chronicle of Mr. “Close Enough”

胡適
By Hu Shi

你知道中國最有名的人是誰？提起此人，人人皆曉，處處聞名，他姓差，名不多，是各省各縣各村人氏。你一定見過他，一定聽過別人談起他，差不多先生的名字，天天掛在大家的口頭，因為他是中國全國人的代表。

Do you know who the most famous person in China is? His name is a well-known phrase to everyone, everywhere. In Chinese, his surname means ‘Enough’ and his given name would be ‘Close’. He could be from any village, any county, and any province. You must have seen him, or heard people talking about him. The name of Mr. ‘Close Enough’ is on our lips every day, because he is like the representative of the Chinese people.

差不多先生的相貌，和你和我都差不多。他有一雙眼睛，但看的不很清楚；有兩隻耳朵，但聽的不很分明；有鼻子和嘴，但他對於氣味和口味都不很講究；他的腦子也不小，但他的記性卻不很精明，他的思想也不細密。

Mr. Close Enough looks ordinary, just like you and I. He has a pair of eyes, which unfortunately does not see clearly. He has a pair of ears, which hears rather poorly. As for his nose and mouth, they are not particularly sensitive to tastes and smells. His brain, although not small, has poor memory and his thoughts are not at all analytical.

他常常說：「凡事只要差不多，就好了。何必太精明呢？」

What he often says is “as long as it is close enough, we are fine. Why bother being precise?”

他小時候，他媽叫他去買紅糖，他買了白糖回來，他媽罵他，他搖搖頭道：「紅糖，白糖，不是差不多嗎？」

When he was a child, his mother sent him to buy brown sugar, but he brought back white sugar instead. When reprimanded, he shook his head and said “brown sugar and white sugar, are they not close enough?”

他在學堂的時候，先生問他：「直隸省的西邊是哪一省？」他說是陝西。先生說：「錯了，是山西，不是陝西。」他說：「陝西同山西，不是差不多嗎？」

In school, his teacher once asked him “which province borders Hebei on the west side?” He answered Shaanxi. His teacher said “The answer is wrong. It should be Shanxi.” He said: “Shaanxi and Shanxi, are they not close enough?”

後來他在一個錢鋪裏做夥計；他也會寫，也會算，只是總不會精細；十字常常寫成千字，千字常常寫成十字。掌櫃的生氣了，常常罵他，他只笑嘻嘻地賠小心道：「千字比十字多一小撇，不是差不多嗎？」

Later he became a clerk in a bank. He could write and calculate, but was not very careful. Often times, he would mistakenly write the Chinese character of 1000 for that of 10, or vice versa. His carelessness infuriated his boss, who often berated him. He would grin as though apologizing and say, “The characters of 1000 and 10, don’t they look close enough?”

有一天，他為了一件要緊的事，要搭火車到上海去，他從從容容地走到火車站，遲了兩分鐘，火車已開走了。他白瞪著眼，望著遠遠的火車上的煤煙，搖搖頭道：「只好明天再走了，今天走同明天走，也還差不多；可是火車公司未免太認真了。八點三十分開，同八點三十二分開，不是差不多嗎？」他一面說，一面慢慢地走回家，心裏總不很明白為甚麼火車不肯等他兩分鐘。

One day, he had to take the train to Shanghai for an urgent matter. He strolled unhurriedly to the train station, and found he was two minutes late. He could not believe that the train had already left the station. As he watched the smoke billowing from the vanishing train, he shook his head:’’ It seems that I will have to leave tomorrow. Today and tomorrow are close enough, but the train company is just overly punctual. Is 8:32 not close enough to 8:30”? Grumbling to himself, he walked slowly home, puzzled as to why the train couldn’t have waited just 2 more minutes for him.

有一天，他忽然得一急病，趕快叫家人去請東街的汪先生。那家人急急忙忙跑去，一時尋不著東街的汪大夫，卻把西街的牛醫王大夫請來了。差不多先生病在脇上，知道尋錯了人；但病急了，身上痛苦，心裏焦急，等不得了，心裏想道：「好在王大夫同汪大夫也差不多，讓他試試看罷。」於是這位牛醫王大夫走近脇前，用醫牛的法子給差不多先生治病。不上一點鐘，差不多先生就一命嗚呼了。

One day, he came down with an acute illness. He sent a family member to fetch Dr. Wong from the Eastern Avenue. The family member, in a hurry, couldn’t find Dr. Wong from the Eastern Avenue, but instead brought back a cow doctor, Dr. Wang from the Western Avenue. Mr. Close Enough, as sick as he was lying on the bed, knew that it was not the right doctor, but as he was in such great pain and too worried to wait any longer, he thought, “This Dr. Wang seems to be close enough to the other Dr. Wang. Why not let him have a try?” Thus the wrong Dr. Wang came to his bed, and applied the method he used as a vet to treat cows to Mr. Close Enough. In less than one hour, Mr. Close Enough was dead.

差不多先生差不多要死的時候，一口氣斷斷續續地說道：「活人同死人也差……差……差……不多，……凡事只要……差……差……不多……就……好了，何……必……太……太認真呢？」他說完了這句格言，就絕了氣。

When Mr. Close Enough was about to die, he gasped: “A live man… and a dead man… are close enough. As long as… it is close enough, we are fine. Why bother… to be so precise?” Having finished his mantra, he took his last breath.

他死後，大家都很稱讚差不多先生樣樣事情看得破，想得通；大家都說他一生不肯認真，不肯算帳，不肯計較，真是一位有德行的人。於是大家給他取個死後的法號，叫他做圓通大師。

After his death, people applauded Mr. Close Enough as being very wise and philosophical. People said he had always been undemanding and easygoing so therefore, virtuous. As a result, they gave him the title “Grand Master of Flexibility” posthumously.

他的名譽愈傳愈遠，愈久愈大，無數無數的人，都學他的榜樣，於是人人都成了一個差不多先生。──然而中國從此就成了一個懶人國了。

His fame grew further and wider with time to the extent that countless numbers of people today are emulating him. Consequently, everyone has become a Mr. Close Enough and China has now become a nation of lazy people.

第21届韩素音青年翻译竞赛汉译英可贵的“他人意识” (未获奖作品)

2009-07-01T20:58:00.000-07:00

立此存照，到时候看看与范文的差距到底有多大.

可贵的“他人意识”
The Precious “Consciousness of Others”

上世纪中叶的中国式“集体主义”，自从在世纪末之前，逐渐分解以及还原为对个人和个体的尊重，初步建立起个人的权益保障系统之后，“我们”——这个在计划经济时代使用频率极高的词，已被更为普遍的"我"所代替。
The Chinese style “collectivism” of the middle of the last century had broken up by the end of the century and returned to the respect for individuals and individual entities. Since the moment when a system that safeguards individuals’ rights and interests was preliminarily established, the term ‘we’ – a frequently used word during the era of planned economy – has been replaced by the more commonly used ‘I’.

我喜欢说“我”，也因此欣赏其他的那些“我”。如果没有“我”的确立，没有无数“我”的合作，“ 我们”必定是空洞、脆弱、空心化以至于不堪一击的。
I like to use “I” and therefore also appreciate the other ‘I’s. Had there not been the recognition of ‘I’ or the cooperation among the countless ‘I’s, the ‘we’ would inevitably be empty, fragile, like a hollow shell that can be destroyed by a single blow.

然而，在“我”和“我们”之间，是以“他人”作为连接点的。“我”因“他人”而成为“我”；“我们”因“他人”而成为“我们”。当“我们”过度地强化、放大“我”，而舍弃“他人”的时候，“我”便处于四面受敌的孤立无援之中。
Nevertheless, between the ‘I’ and the ‘we’, there is the concept of the ‘others’ to connect the two. It is because of the existence of the ‘others’ that the ‘I’ becomes ‘I’ and the ‘we’ becomes ‘we’. When we excessively intensify and amplify the ‘I’ and overlook the ‘others’, the ‘I’ will be left in a besieged and isolated position.

在我们的传统习性中，“他人”这一概念，更多的情况下，只是一种被供奉的虚设牌位。我们的成语中曾有“以邻为睿”一词，可以佐证；有“只扫自家门前雪，哪管他人瓦上霜”的谚语，可以证言。
In our culture, the idea of the ‘others’, under most circumstances, is merely a tablet of the dead only being worshiped at important occasions. This is evidenced by the Chinese idiom that “to use your neighboring country as a ditch to divert the floods” and it is also evidenced by another Chinese saying that “people sweep away the snow at their own doorsteps only, and couldn’t care less about the snow accumulated on the tiles of other homes.”

即便在集体主义理想教育最为鼎盛之时，“他人 ”不仅未能成为国人的自觉意识，“他人”反而意味着告密、背叛、异己、危险、离间等等。这种体制下的集体主义文化，终于导致了“他人即地狱”的严酷后果。闻“他人”而心颤，近“他人”而丧胆。
Even at the peak of the moral education of collectivism, the idea of the ‘others’ did not become spontaneously conscious in the Chinese people. Instead, it was often associated with tattle-telling, betrayals, alienations, dangers and estrangements, etc. The collectivism under such a system had eventually led to the devastating result of “Hell is other people,” where the ‘others’ became a fearful term that terrified everyone.

　也许正是由于对“他人”的恐惧，“文革”之后，“我们”迅速土崩瓦解，“我”自仰天长啸——而“他人”却不得不退出公众的视线，淡化为一个可有可无的虚词，成为公民道德的模糊地带。
It was probably because of this fear of the ‘others’ that after the Cultural Revolution, the concept of the ‘we’ immediately collapsed and the ‘I’ became the dominating and prevalent idea, while the concept of the ‘others’ has retreated from the public eye and been reduced to an insignificant empty word and become a vague area of civil morality.

五十年代以来，人口的高速增长，造成生存空间的高密度化；人口压力长期形成经济发展与卫生保健的沉重负担；部分农村以及偏远地区的计划生育仍然阻力重重。 “我”生我的娃，关你什么样事？在人口问题上，可有“他人”的意识么？
With the exponential population growth since the 1950’s, the living space of the Chinese people has been extremely reduced: the excessive population growth has been a heavy burden to economic development and public health for a long time, whereas the promotion of family planning is still facing strong resistance in the rural and less developed areas. ‘I’ raise my own children; mind your own business! Do people have the consciousness of the ‘others’ over the population issue?

餐馆大肆收购、杀戮、烹煮野生动物为牟取暴利；食客面不改色食用野生动物以饱“口福 ”或炫耀财富；官吏不惜以野生珍稀动物作为最高规格的宴席；“贿赂”上级领导为自己铺设升官晋级的阶梯——在这个破坏自然生态的“人链”中，可有“他人” 的位置么？
Restaurants profiteer through the procurement and mass killing of wild animals and by selling them to their patrons, who enjoy the exotic parts of wild animals not only as delicacies but also a way to show off their great fortunes; officials outrageously pick wild and endangered animals to embellish the extravagant banquets that are used to bribe their superiors in order to climb up the ladder – in such an environmentally destructive chain, has anybody ever considered the ‘others’?

长期以来，城市与乡村的公共卫生系统始终没有得到真正重视：办公室的脏乱差、公共场所的日常消毒防护、公共厕所的洗手设备、污水处理、生活垃圾等等。但公共卫生的管理者与被管理者的心态，却有着惊人的共识：这又不是我一个人的事情。在这些被忽略的公共卫生死角中，可有“他人”的概念？
For a long time, the public health system in both urban and rural areas has never really been accorded sufficient attention: the unsanitary and disarrayed offices, the maintenance and the lack of disinfection of the public areas, the washing facilities in public restrooms, the treatment of wastewater and the disposal of household trash, etc. However, the regulators and regulatees of public health share a surprisingly similar mentality: this is not just my problem. Is there any consciousness of the ‘others’ at these forgotten corners of public health?

日积累月的民众生活卫生习惯中，沉淀下多少恶习陋性——随地吐痰、随地大小便、随地抛弃果皮塑料袋、就餐分餐制难以推行、酒后驾车、公共场所吸烟等等……“我们”的传统文化是“不患寡，患不均”——在这利益与灾祸均享均沾、“同甘共苦”的行为惯性中，可有愿为“他人”避免灾祸而自控自律的一份责任感？
How many despicable unhealthy habits have been passed down generations after generations – littering, spiting, urinating and defecating at inappropriate public areas, the resistance towards individual meal servings, driving under the influence, public smoking and so forth…our culture has a traditional egalitarian philosophy that “even distribution trumps poverty” – in such a behavioral inertia of “sharing the loss and gain” and “sticking together through thick and thin,” can you find a sense of responsibility of restraining himself for the sake of the others?

　我们似乎一直在无意中铺设着迎接它到来的无障碍通道。然而，在公共领域里，“零距离”是有害的。距离便是“他人”，而“他人”即社会公德。因为在这个世界上，除了“你”和“我”之外，地球上更多存在的是陌生的“他”——“他人”，还有“它”——与人类共存的动物朋友们。
　It seems we have been unconsciously clearing out a way as a preparation to welcome an age of ‘zero distance’. Nevertheless, in the public domain, ‘zero distance’ is actually harmful. Distance is all about ‘others’, and ‘others’ means civic etiquette. That is because on this planet, aside from the ‘you’ and the ‘I’, there are many more unknown ‘he’s and ‘she’s – ‘other people’, as well as ‘it’s – the dear animal friends who cohabit with us.

　正是为了“我”的安全与自由，请不要再“唯我独尊”，而多些对“他人”的关爱吧。“我”的自由是他人自由的终结。而他人的自由，最终才能成全“我”的自由。
It is for the sake of our own safety and freedom that we should not be ‘self-centric’ or ‘anthrocentric’ and acknowledge and show our concerns and affections for the ‘others’. The unrestrained freedom of the ‘I’ will inevitably deprive the freedom of the ‘others’. Only with all the ‘others’ having their freedom, then the freedom of the ‘I’ will finally be complete.
　

陈丹燕 : 《弄堂: 上海人的生活底色》

2009-06-11T21:42:00.000-07:00

如无法收听，点击此连接

Alleys: the Flush Color in the life of the Shanghainese

Chen Danyan

It would be a real pity if you visit Shanghai without taking a walk in its alleyways. In the afternoons, before the people come back from school or work, if you randomly roam away from Shanghai’s major commercial streets and enter into a narrow one, you will immediately see a broad entrance under some parasol trees and the header of the entrance with something written on it. Sometimes it says 1902 below the arcade. Inside there are several rows of townhouses of 2 or 3 stories. The small balconies side by side are filled with warm sunshine. The glass windows deep inside reflect the passing cars in the street. Here, you are in a Shanghai alley.

Half of the residential areas in Shanghai are in such alleys and the majority of the Shanghainese live in the different variants of the alleys.

There is almost always a small convenience store at the entrance of an alley. In such an incredibly small store, all kinds of daily necessity items are shelved in a wonderfully orderly manner, from kids’ snacks, ladies’ needle kits, postal stamps to any daily necessity items one may suddenly need, you will find it here. People often come out to the store in their “homie” clothes and footwear. You can see women, wearing colorful pajamas, come to buy a pack of snack food. Their toes grip the red flip-flops whose heels are already worn down. Such scenes cannot be more ordinary to the people living in the alleys. The store keeper is usually watchful and warm-hearted. His radio is always turned on. Listening to the radio all day long, he also wants to have some real people listen to him talking. Since he has seen so many people walking back and forth in the street, or coming in and out of the alley, as long as he has some imagination, he tends to be a very street smart guy.

Until you step into a Shanghai alley, you won’t really understand the life in Shanghai, the life that is hidden behind Shanghai’s bustling commercial streets, its glittering neon lights, and its flamboyant lifestyle. The Shanghainese cherish their image very much and always keep a sleek look in the shops, restaurants, bars, and parks. However, they look totally different in the alleys.

Light music is peacefully playing and the aroma of the chicken soup escapes from the backdoor of the shared kitchen. Where the sun reaches, the residents living at the bottom pull the hemp ropes, and hang out all the quilts and sheets of the entire family. The sweet smell from the freshly washed cloths permeates the alley. If you look more closely at those colorful clothes fluttering in the air, you will recognize those are the most fashionable style of the year. You also see there is a young lady bending at the sink by the backdoor. Wearing an old shrunken woolen sweater, she is washing her waterfall like hair with a shampoo called Siphone. In the sun, hot steam rises from her wet hair. There is also a shoe repairman sitting at the entrance of the alley. He is making a tatpat sound while hitting the tiny heel of a lady’s stiletto, trying to patch it with a piece of new leather. A sleek woman sitting astride on a stool is waiting with a bare foot. They complain in unison on the poor quality of the shoes today and berate the dishonest manufacturers.

The elderly of the alley are chatting where the sun reaches. Old women are usually more reticent, whereas most old men like to accost strangers. Their favorite thing is to talk about their “salad” days.

There is always a serene and earthly atmosphere in the alleys and you can tell how the Shanghainese treasure this special atmosphere. This is the “living” color of their life. Since the 19th century, along with the birth of the first Shanghai alley named “Xing Ren Li” located near the Bund, it is neither the too flamboyant nor the too conservative Shanghainese life philosophy that emphasizes harmony and pragmatism, yet stays cool with the transient fashion.

In the mid of the 19th century, because of the rebellion of the Small Swords Society in the Chinese section of the city, many people fled to the foreign concessions. In order to make a profit from these Chinese refugees, the foreigners in the concessions copied the workers’ residences in London’s industrial areas and built 800 houses in rows. These are the precursors of the Shanghai alleys in the concessions. The real alley life began at the moment when Mayipa built Xing Ren Li in 1872.

Shanghai is a big metropolis, like the table of a chef at a restaurant with all kinds of tastes. The city was carved up by foreigners; one part became the French concession, one part became the British one and one part was reserved for the Chinese. In the suburban industrial areas, there are places developed for the residences of the workers in the factories. Although these divisions all belong to the past, they have been left in the minds of the Shanghainese. People living in different parts of Shanghai are classified into different classes, and they are not necessarily friendly to each other. They tend to alienate each other and rarely socialize. Shanghai, such a remarkable place, sometimes makes you feel that there are many small nations within it. Just like in Europe, it seems all people are the same at first glance, but when you look at them closely, you will see the seriousness of the German, the romance of the French and austereness of the Poles. People living in different parts of Shanghai also look differently. That is why even those who grew up in Shanghai and have lived in it for several decades still don’t dare to claim that they know Shanghai very well, because all they know is only one small part of Shanghai.

From the early wood houses for the refugees, to the Shikumen houses and the new style alley houses, all of them, are like blood vessel spread across Shanghai in the over 9,000 alleys, yet they all share a similar atmosphere to some degree.

These are the places where the middle class of Shanghai live. They, being the majority of the society, lead a well-off life, but are not really wealthy; they have sleek looking appearances, but without splendor; they are economical, pragmatic, prudent, never indulging themselves in excessive entertainment or luxury. They are hard working and enjoy the well-to-do life. They are progressive, expecting a better life year by year, but also very realistic, and never imagine the impossible. They are living contentedly in their own small world, but whenever they see an opportunity, they will grasp it and strive to succeed. They are not innocent people, but neither are they bad ones.

Despair is never seen in the Shanghai Alleys. Home-made dried vegetables, the recently bought soybeans are baking in the sun on the tiny balconies; in the shades below the window of the small north room, hangs the salted pork that is made of the best pork, which is peppered and covered with oil paper in case of rain. The oil paper rustles in the wind. On the windowsill, resilient succulents are planted in broken washbasins. Even during the most turbulent upheavals, the life in the alleys still goes smoothly at its own pace. This is the philosophy of the seniors, compromising, worldly, sticking to the conventional norms and values and staying lukewarm. They never impose their own opinions on the other people. All they focus on is their own conforming life.

In the evening, many aromas permeate from the open backdoors when all the families are cooking. People are coming back. The country-looking girls are busy going in and out the backdoors. These are the rush hours for those hourly maids. Country girls gain weight very easily after they arrive in Shanghai, because there are more choices of food in Shanghai, and therefore they often look chubbier than the local girls. They quietly, but efficiently work in the shared kitchen by the backdoor. Today’s maids don’t gossip as much as they used to, but neither do they know as much about how to serve the Shanghainese properly. So the sophisticated work is left to the mistress themselves, such as slicing the boiled pork, preparing the sauce for the big hairy crabs, and heating the Shaoxin yellow wine. The mistress puts everything in a big tray and brings it to their room.

After you visit a Shanghai alley, you probably will see more things then when you go to other places in Shanghai, because alleys are the most real and open space in Shanghai. People live a real life in the alleys, where even the Shanghai sophisticates wear the homie outfits and never mind fetching the mails in slippers.

弄堂: 上海人的生活底色

陈丹燕

　要是一个人到了上海而没有去上海的弄堂走一走，应该要觉得很遗憾。下午时候，趁上班上学的人都还没有回来，随意从上海的商业大街上走进小马路，马上就可以看到梧桐树下有一个个宽敞的人口，门楣上写着什么里，有的在骑楼的下面写着1902，里面是一排排两三层楼的房子，毗临的小阳台里暖暖的全是阳光。深处人家的玻璃窗反射着马路上过去的车子，那就是上海的弄堂了。
　整个上海，有超过一半的住地，是弄堂，绝大多数上海人，是住在各种各样的弄堂里。
　常常在弄堂的出口，开着一家小烟纸店，小得不能让人置信的店面里，千丝万缕地陈放着各种日用品，小孩子吃的零食，老太太用的针线，本市邮政用的邮票，各种居家日子里容易突然告缺的东西，应有尽有，人们穿着家常的衣服鞋子，就可以跑出来买。常常有穿着花睡衣来买一包零食的女人，脚趾紧紧夹着踩蹋了跟的红拖鞋，在弄堂里人们不见怪的。小店里的人，常常很警惕，也很热心，他开着一个收音机，整天听主持人说话，也希望来个什么人，听他说说，他日日望着小街上来往的人，弄堂里进出的人，只要有一点点想象力，就能算得上阅人多矣。
　走进上海人的弄堂里，才算得上是开始看上海的生活，商业大街、灯红酒绿、人人体面后面的生活。上海人爱面子，走在商店里、饭店里、酒吧里、公园里，个个看上去丰衣足食，可弄堂里就不一样了。
　平平静静的音乐开着；后门的公共厨房里传出来炖鸡的香气；有阳光的地方，底楼人家拉出了麻绳，把一家人的被子褥子统统拿出来晒着，新洗的衣服散发着香气，花花绿绿的在风里飘，仔细地看，就认出来这是今年大街上时髦的式样；你看见路上头发如瀑的小姐正在后门的水斗上，穿了一件缩了水的旧毛衣，用诗芬在洗头发，太阳下面那湿湿的头发冒出热气来; 还有修鞋师傅，坐在弄口，乒乒地敲着一个高跟鞋的细跟，补上一块新橡皮，旁边的小凳子上坐着一个穿得挺周正的女人，光着一只脚等着修鞋，他们一起骂如今鞋子的质量和那卖次品鞋子的奸商。
　还有弄堂里的老人，在有太阳的地方坐着说话。老太太总是比较沉默，老先生喜欢有人和他搭话，听他说说从前这里的事情，他最喜欢。
　弄堂里总是有一种日常生活的安详实用，还有上海人对它的重视以及喜爱。这就是上海人的生活底色，自从十八世纪在外滩附近有了第一条叫“兴仁里”的上海弄堂，安详实用，不卑不亢，不过分地崇尚新派就在上海人的生活里出现了。
　十九世纪五十年代，由于上海小刀会在老城厢起义，上海人开始往租界逃跑，在租界的外国人为了挣到中国难民的钱，按照伦敦工业区的工人住宅的样子，一栋栋、一排排造了八百栋房子，那就是租界弄堂的发端，到一八七二年，玛意巴建起上海兴仁里，从此，上海人开始了弄堂的生活。
　上海是一个大都市，大到就像饭店里大厨子用的桌布一样，五味俱全。从前被外国人划了许多块，一块做法国租界，一块做英国租界，留下一块做上海老城厢，远远的靠工厂区的地方，又有许多人住在为在工厂做事的人开辟出来的区域里，那是从前城市的划分，可在上海人的心里觉得这样区域的划分，好像也划分出了阶级一样，住在不同地方的人，彼此怀着不那么友好的态度，彼此不喜欢认同乡，因此也不怎么来往。这样，上海这地方，有时让人感到像里面还有许多小国家一样，就像欧洲，人看上去都是一样的人，仔细地看，就看出了德国人的板，法国人的媚，波兰人的苦，住在上海不同地域的人，也有着不同的脸相。所以，在上海从小到大住了几十年的人，都不敢说自己是了解上海的，只是了解上海的某一块地方。
　从早先的难民木屋，到石库门里弄，到后来的新式里弄房子，像血管一样分布在全上海的九千多处弄堂，差不多洋溢着比较相同的气息。
　那是上海的中层阶级代代生存的地方。他们是社会中的大多数人，有温饱的生活，可没有大富大贵；有体面，可没有飞黄腾达；经济实用，小心做人，不过分的娱乐，不过分的奢侈，勤勉而满意地支持着自己小康的日子；有进取心，希望自己一年比一年好，可也识时务，懂得离开空中楼阁。他们定定心心地在经济的空间里过着自己的日子，可一眼一眼地膘着可能有的机会，期望更上一层楼。他们不是那种纯真的人，当然也不太坏。
　上海的弄堂总是不会有绝望的情绪的。小小的阳台上晒着家制干菜、刚买来的黄豆，背阴的北面亭子间窗下，挂着自家用上好的鲜肉阉的成肉，放了花椒的，上面还盖了一张油纸，防止下雨，在风里哗哗地响。窗沿上有人用破脸盆种了不怕冷的宝石花。就是在最动乱的时候，弄堂里的生活还是有序地进行着。这里像世故老人，中庸，世故，遵循着市井的道德观，不喜欢任何激进，可也并不把自己的意见强加于人，只是中规中矩地过自己的日子。
　晚上，家家的后门开着烧饭，香气扑鼻，人们回到自己的家里来，乡下姑娘样子的人匆匆进出后门，那是做钟点的保姆最忙的时候。来上海的女孩子，大都很快地胖起来，因为有更多的东西可以吃，和上海女孩子比起来，有一点肿了似的，她们默默地飞快地在后门的公共厨房里干着活，现在的保姆不像从前在这里出入的保姆那样喜欢说话，喜欢搬弄是非了。可她们也不那么会伺候上海人，所以，厨房里精细的事还是主人自己做，切白切肉，调大闸蟹的姜醋蘸料，温绍兴黄酒，然后，女主人用一张大托盘子，送到自家房间里。
　去过上海的弄堂，大概再到上海的别处去，会看得懂更多的东西。因为上海的弄堂是整个上海最真实和开放的空间，人们在这里实实在在地生活着，就是上海的美女，也是家常打扮，不在意把家里正穿着的塌跟拖鞋穿出来取信。

老舍的《我这一辈子》英语翻译第三章

2009-05-15T00:23:00.000-07:00

Flashbacks of My Life

Lao She

Chapter 3

Based on what I have said, it would not be hard for you to guess that I wouldn’t be able to live off my skills as a paper craftsman forever. When the times change, people flee in all directions, just like street fair visitors who are caught in a downpour. In the course of my life, it seems as if I was walking downhill all the time, and couldn’t stop. No matter how hard I wished the world would get better, I couldn’t help but continue to slide deeper and deeper into a hopeless situation. This was a total change, which didn’t leave me any room to breath, a complete change from the past. It was not just an alteration, but a gale that blew people away without any idea where they were going. Many of the lucrative businesses of my childhood had abruptly come to a dead end, and seemed not to have much of a future. I had forseen this long ago. Had it been peace time, if I had wanted, I could have opened a small shop and taken on a couple of apprentices, and easily have led a comfortable life. Luckily I didn’t go down that path. If I didn’t get at least several big orders every year, how could I possibly manage to make a living just by making paper wagons or pasting paper on ceilings? Looking over the past dozen years, did I even get one decent work order? No, so it was a wise choice I made to quit.

However, this was not the only reason that I quit. The forces of nature are not something a man can fight, just like arms can’t wrestle with legs. You are looking for trouble if you intend to fight against the changes in society. It is even more unbearable should extra misfortune befall you alone. This in turn can easily drive a person crazy to do things like drowning themselves. These occurances are not rare at all, not to mention being forced to put down his old profession and pick up a new one. Difficulties which can be endured by a group, could easily crush an individual; a rice grain is small, but it takes an ant all his strength to move it. It is the same when it comes to man. Life depends on a breath; so anything keeping you from that breath would cause desperation. Man, what a fragile creature!

My intelligence and friendliness brought me only bad fortune, which sounds absurd at first, however, it is nevertheless true. If it had not happen to me, I myself wouldn’t believe such a thing. However, misfortunes came to find me. At the time, I was practically turned into a mad man. After two or three decades, as I look back, I can laugh it off and regard it as just a story. Now I have realized, one’s benefits do not have to belong to one alone. The real benefits should also belong to the people around, just like "no man is an island". If you alone are doing well, but the people around you aren't, then the benefit can be burdensome. Then what would intelligence and friendliness matter? In retrospect, since I now understand life, I can just laugh off that event. But at that moment, how could I swallow it all so easily. I was still very young at the time.

Who does not want to be good looking? When I was young, I always dressed myself up very dashingly when I was out socializing or running errands so that no one could even tell that I was a craftsman. In the olden time, leather was very expensive, and people were not supposed to wear them at will. Nowadays, anybody who wins at the races or wins a lottery can wear a leather overcoat the next day, whether you are teenage or a 20 year old young man who has not even shaved his face yet. In the past your clothes must fit your status and age. In those days, it was already flashy looking enough if you were able to have a shirt collar on your Chinese jacket or waistcoat. I always had such a shirt collar and the jacket and waist coat were made of blue silk – the silk back then was so incredibly strong that it would take over 10 years to wear out. I became a dirty wretch when I was pasting ceilings, but once I got home and cleaned myself off, I would immediately turn into a handsome young man. I preferred to be the handsome young man to the dirty wretch. I had a dark and long braid, and a well-shaved shiny forehead. When I put on the silk waistcoat with the shirt collar, I did look like “somebody!”

What a handsome young man fears nothing more than to marry an ugly wife. Long before, I had already explicitly or implicitly hinted to the elders that either I marry a pretty girl, or I won’t get married at all. In those days, “free” marriages were obviously not the common practice, but some freedom was allowed for young men and young women to decide on their marriages. I insisted on seeing my fiancée before marriage. I was not going to be taken in by the flowery words of the matchmaker.

At the age of 20, I got married. My wife was one year younger than I. She could easily be considered a pretty girl wherever she went. I managed to see her before our engagement. I wouldn’t dare say that she was a real beauty, but she was definitely cute and perky, which fit exactly my criteria in choosing my wife. I wouldn’t have nodded agreement had she failed my test. You can very well tell from my criteria for choosing wife what kind a person I was. In those days, I was young, handsome, and capable and therefore I would never marry a homely woman.

You'd have to admit that we were a perfect match, blessed by heaven. We were both young and appealing, and neither of us were tall. Before the friends and relatives, we were like a pair of agile tops, spinning in all directions, making the seniors smile out flowers from their eyes. We competed with each other to show off our wit and charm. We were both very competetive and would do whatever it took to win a few compliments that we were the most admirable of couples. Those complements from other people increased our mutual respect and affection, as it was put, that the real heroes know how to acknowledge and respect other heroes.

I was very happy. To be honest, my parents didn’t own a big fortune, but they had a house so that I could save up the rent money. I lived in a rent-free house, with a yard full of trees and a pair of orioles that perched on the eaves. I, myself, had good skills, a wide social circle, and a lovely young wife. How could I not be happy?

As for my wife, I couldn’t find any flaws. Granted, once a while I thought she was a little wild, but which active young wife is not a little wild? She was talkative, because she was very sociable; she didn’t avoid men, but she was only enjoying the privilege of being a young wife. For the new young wives, especially the capable ones, they would naturally shake off the shyness of the young girls, and act confidently like a “woman.” You can't really call these “flaws.” Moreover, she was kind and considerate toward the elders and dutifully served them. It really seemed nothing that she was a little too familiar when with other young people. She was very outgoing and sincere, expressing her warmness to both the aged and the young. I had never blamed her for being too open.

Then she became pregnant and a mother, even prettier than before, and more confident -- I could no longer bring myself to use the word “wild” to describe her. Is there anything more attractive than a pregnant woman, or anything more lovable than a young mother? Every time I saw her sitting at the threshold, suckling the baby with her breast exposed, my love for her would only swell, and I forgot all of her wild behavior.

At the age of 24, I was already of a father of a son and a daughter. But when it comes to parenting, how much credit can a husband claim? When the husband was happy, he would lift the baby and play around; the wife did all the unpleasant work. I was not stupid. I didn’t need anyone to tell me this. Really, men are totally helpless even when they want to help the wife during childbirth or raising children. However, as long as you have understanding, you should make your wife’s life a little easier and give her more freedom. People who bully pregnant women or young mothers are real jerks. As for my wife, I gave her even more freedom after we had children. I thought that was the right thing to do.

In addition, it is said that the husband and wife are like trees, and their children are flowers. The flowers by the trees demonstrate the deep roots of the trees. Any suspicions, or distrust should be eliminated. The children would hold their mothers firmly. Therefore, even though I sometimes felt she was a little wild – and I hate to use this word – I was no longer worried, because she was already a mother.

我这一辈子

三

由前面所说过的去推测，谁也能看出来，我不能老靠着裱糊的手艺挣饭吃。象逛庙会忽然遇上雨似的，年头一变，大家就得往四散里跑。在我这一辈子里，我仿佛是走着下坡路，收不住脚。心里越盼着天下太平，身子越往下出溜。这次的变动，不使人缓气，一变好象就要变到底。这简直不是变动，而是一阵狂风，把人糊糊涂涂的刮得不知上哪里去了。在我小时候发财的行当与事情，许多许多都忽然走到绝处，永远不再见面，仿佛掉在了大海里头似的。裱糊这一行虽然到如今还阴死巴活的始终没完全断了气，可是大概也不会再有抬头的一日了。我老早的就看出这个来。在那太平的年月，假若我愿意的话，我满可以开个小铺，收两个徒弟，安安顿顿的混两顿饭吃。幸而我没那么办。一年得不到一笔大话，只仗着糊一辆车或两间屋子的顶棚什么的，怎能吃饭呢？睁开眼看看，这十几年了，可有过一笔体面的活？我得改行，我算是猜对了。

　　不过，这还不是我忽然改了行的唯一的原因。年头儿的改变不是个人所能抵抗的，胳臂扭不过大腿去，跟年头儿叫死劲简直是自己找别扭。可是，个人独有的事往往来得更厉害，它能马上教人疯了。去投河觅井都不算新奇，不用说把自己的行业放下，而去干些别的了。个人的事虽然很小，可是一加在个人身上便受不住；一个米粒很小，教蚂蚁去搬运便很费力气。个人的事也是如此。人活着是仗了一口气，多喒有点事儿，把这口气憋住，人就要抽风。人是多么小的玩艺儿呢！

　　我的精明与和气给我带来背运。乍一听这句话仿佛是不合情理，可是千真万确，一点儿不假，假若这要不落在我自己身上，我也许不大相信天下会有这宗事。它竟自找到了我；在当时，我差不多真成了个疯子。隔了这么二三十年，现在想起那回事儿来，我满可以微微一笑，仿佛想起一个故事来似的。现在我明白了个人的好处不必一定就有利于自己。一个人好，大家都好，这点好处才有用，正是如鱼得水。一个人好，而大家并不都好，个人的好处也许就是让他倒霉的祸根。精明和气有什么用呢！现在，我悟过这点理儿来，想起那件事不过点点头，笑一笑罢了。在当时，我可真有点咽不下去那口气。那时候我还很年轻啊。

　　哪个年轻的人不爱漂亮呢？在我年轻的时候，给人家行人情或办点事，我的打扮与气派谁也不敢说我是个手艺人。在早年间，皮货很贵，而且不准乱穿。如今晚的人，今天得了马票或奖券，明天就可以穿上狐皮大衣，不管是个十五岁的孩子还是二十岁还没刮过脸的小伙子。早年间可不行，年纪身分决定个人的服装打扮。那年月，在马褂或坎肩上安上一条灰鼠领子就仿佛是很漂亮阔气。我老安着这么条领子，马褂与坎肩都是青大缎的——那时候的缎子也不怎么那样结实，一件马褂至少也可以穿上十来年。在给人家糊棚顶的时候，我是个土鬼；回到家中一梳洗打扮，我立刻变成个漂亮小伙子。我不喜欢那个土鬼，所以更爱这个漂亮的青年。我的辫子又黑又长，脑门剃得锃光青亮，穿上带灰鼠领子的缎子坎肩，我的确象个“人儿”！

　　一个漂亮小伙子所最怕的恐怕就是娶个丑八怪似的老婆吧。我早已有意无意的向老人们透了个口话：不娶倒没什么，要娶就得来个够样儿的。那时候，自然还不时行自由婚，可是已有男女两造对相对看的办法。要结婚的话，我得自己去相看，不能马马虎虎就凭媒人的花言巧语。

　　二十岁那年，我结了婚，我的妻比我小一岁。把她放在哪里，她也得算个俏式利落的小媳妇；在定婚以前，我亲眼相看的呀。她美不美，我不敢说，我说她俏式利落，因为这四个字就是我择妻的标准；她要是不够这四个字的格儿，当初我决不会点头。在这四个字里很可以见出我自己是怎样的人来。那时候，我年轻，漂亮，作事麻利，所以我一定不能要个笨牛似的老婆。

　　这个婚姻不能说不是天配良缘。我俩都年轻，都利落，都个子不高；在亲友面前，我们象一对轻巧的陀螺似的，四面八方的转动，招得那年岁大些的人们眼中要笑出一朵花来。我俩竞争着去在大家面前显出个人的机警与口才，到处争强好胜，只为数人夸奖一声我们是一对最有出息的小夫妇。别人的夸奖增高了我俩彼此间的敬爱，颇有点英雄惜英雄，好汉爱好汉的劲儿。

　　我很快乐，说实话：我的老人没挣下什么财产，可是有一所儿房。我住着不用花租金的房子，院中有不少的树木，檐前挂着一对黄鸟。我呢，有手艺，有人缘，有个可心的年轻女人。不快乐不是自找别扭吗？

　　对于我的妻，我简直找不出什么毛病来。不错，有时候我觉得她有点太野；可是哪个利落的小媳妇不爽快呢？她爱说话，因为她会说；她不大躲避男人，因为这正是作媳妇所应享的利益，特别是刚出嫁而有些本事的小媳妇，她自然愿意把作姑娘时的腼腆收起一些，而大大方方的自居为“媳妇”。这点实在不能算作毛病。况且，她见了长辈又是那么亲热体贴，殷勤的伺候，那么她对年轻一点的人随便一些也正是理之当然；她是爽快大方，所以对于年老的正象对于年少的，都愿表示出亲热周到来。我没因为她爽快而责备她过。

　　她有了孕，作了母亲，她更好看了，也更大方了——我简直的不忍再用那个“野”字！世界上还有比怀孕的少妇更可怜，年轻的母亲更可爱的吗？看她坐在门坎上，露着点胸，给小娃娃奶吃，我只能更爱她，而想不起责备她太不规矩。

　　到了二十四岁，我已有一儿一女。对于生儿养女，作丈夫的有什么功劳呢！赶上高兴，男子把娃娃抱起来，耍巴一回；其余的苦处全是女人的。我不是个糊涂人，不必等谁告诉我才能明白这个。真的，生小孩，养育小孩，男人有时候想去帮忙也归无用；不过，一个懂得点人事的人，自然该使作妻的痛快一些，自由一些；欺侮孕妇或一个年轻的母亲，据我看，才真是混蛋呢！对于我的妻，自从有了小孩之后，我更放任了些；我认为这是当然的合理的。

　　再一说呢，夫妇是树，儿女是花；有了花的树才能显出根儿深。一切猜忌，不放心，都应该减少，或者完全消灭；小孩子会把母亲拴得结结实实的。所以，即使我觉得她有点野——真不愿用这个臭字——我也不能不放心了，她是个母亲呀。

《鸟的天堂》巴金

2009-05-02T00:36:00.000-07:00

A Paradise of the Birds

Ba Jin

After we finished dinner at Chen’s little school, the heat of the day had already diminished. The sun retreated behind the hills, leaving brightly colored clouds hanging in the sky, over the hills and trees.

“Let’s go boating!” Chen proposed, as we watched the mountain view by the pond in front of the school gate.

“Great,” the rest of the group answered enthusiastically.

We walked through a gravel path, and before long we reached the bank, where a pavilion stood made of straw. Filing through the pavilion, we found several small boats anchored under two big trees along the bank.

One after another, we hopped into one of the boats. One friend loosened the rope, pushed the bamboo pole against the bank, which moved the boat to the center of the river.

Three friends were rowing; Ye and I were sitting in the middle, enjoying ourselves in the scenery surrounding us.

In the distance a pagoda was erected on the top of a hill, surrounded by many green trees. It was rare to see such a pagoda, and over there it was the hometown of my friend Ye.
The river was wide, the water glistening without a ripple. The boat was steadily floating on the water, the three oars pulling in rhythm.

Then the river narrowed at a certain point. Clusters of leaves stretched out touching the water’s surface. The leaves were in a lovely green color. There seemed to be many lush banyan trees, but I couldn’t make out where the main trunks of the trees were.

My friends immediately corrected me as I referred to them as being many banyan trees. One of them said it was only one banyan, and another said there were two. I had seen many enormous banyans before, but it was the first time I saw such a gigantic one.

As the boat drew nearer to the banyan, I finally got a good look at it. This was a huge tree, with countless branches, on which grew aerial prop roots. Many of the roots were dangling to the ground, some all the way into the soil. There were branches hanging above the water. Seen from a distance, the tree seemed to be reposed on the water.

It was in the lush season (the tree bearing little fruits, many of which had fallen.) The banyan seemed to showcase its vibrant life energy to us. There were many leaves, clusters over clusters, with not even a tiny hole existing. The emerald green shining brightly in front of our eyes, it was like on each leaf there was a new life dancing. What a tree it is growing in the beautiful southern part of China!

The boat was moored under the tree for a moment, but we didn’t get onto the bank because it was so wet. A friend said it was known as the ‘paradise of the birds’ here. The local peasants forbade anyone to catch these birds. I thought I had heard some sounds of flapping wings, but by the time I shifted my eyes to that direction, I didn’t see any birds. There were many roots sticking out on the ground, looking like stakes. The soil was wet, perhaps for the tides frequently washed onto the shore. There were no birds in the “paradise of the birds,” I thought. The boat moved again, as a friend pushed the boat, and it drifted to the center of the river.

Along the path in the crop fields on the shore there were some litchi trees, with clusters of the red weighty fruits hiding among the leaves. Our boat was heading towards there. A friend pulled the boat into a ditch with an oar. We moored the boat at the path, and jumped onto the bank.

Two friends swiftly climbed up the trees, throwing down several clusters of litchis with leaves. Chen, Ye and I were down below catching them. After they came down, we ate the litchis as we headed back to the boat.

On the following day, we boated to Ye’s hometown, the place we had seen the hills and the pagoda. Setting off from Chen’s little school, we passed the ‘paradise of the birds’ again.

This time it was morning, and the sun was pouring over the water, as well as the branches. Everything was extremely bright. We stopped under the tree for a moment.
It was very quiet at first, but then a burst of chirps broke the silence. Chen clapped his hands, and we saw a big bird flying over, then a second, and a third. We continued to clap, and soon the woods became very boisterous. Bird chirps were all over the place, and so were the birds, the big ones, small ones, variegated ones and black ones. Some perched on the branches, chirping; some were flying up; some were flapping their wings.

I busied myself by watching them. Just as I saw this one clearly, I already missed the other one, and when I turned my eyes to the second one, the third one had flown off. A thrush flew out, but was startled by our clapping and then turned back into the woods. It stopped at a thin branch, and started to sing enthusiastically. The sounds were so beautiful.

“Let’s go.” Ye rushed me to leave.

As the boat was floating to the village under the pagoda, I kept turning back to look at the lush banyan left behind. I felt a little melancholy to leave this place. Yesterday, I was cheated by my eyes. The “paradise of the birds” is a real paradise for the birds!

June, 1933 in Guangzhou.

鸟的天堂

巴金

　　我们在陈的小学校里吃了晚饭。热气已经退了。太阳落下了山坡，只留下一段灿烂的红霞在天边，在山头，在树梢。
　　“我们划船去！”陈提议说。我们正站在学校门前池子旁边看山景。
　　“好，”别的朋友高兴地接口说。
　　我们走过一段石子路，很快地就到了河边。那里有—个茅草搭的水阁。穿过水阁，在河边两棵大树下我们找到了几只小船。
　　我们陆续跳在一只船上。一个朋友解开绳子，拿起竹竿一拨，船缓缓地动了，向河中间流去。
　　三个朋友划着船，我和叶坐在船中望四周的景致。
　　远远地一座塔耸立在山坡上，许多绿树拥抱着它。在这附近很少有那样的塔，那里就是朋友叶的家乡。
　　河面很宽，白茫茫的水上没有波浪。船平静地在水面流动。三只桨有规律地在水里拨动。
　　在一个地方河面变窄了。一簇簇的绿叶伸到水面来。树叶绿得可爱。这是许多棵茂盛的榕树，但是我看不出树干在什么地方。
　　我说许多棵榕树的时候，我的错误马上就给朋友们纠正了，一个朋友说那里只有一棵榕树，另一个朋友说那里的榕树是两棵。我见过不少的大榕树，但是像这样大的榕树我却是第一次看见。
　　我们的船渐渐地逼近榕树了。我有了机会看见它的真面目：是一棵大树，有着数不清的桠枝，枝上又生根，有许多根一直垂到地上，进了泥土里。一部分的树枝垂到水面，从远处看，就像一棵大树躺在水上一样。
　　现在正是枝叶繁茂的时节（树上已经结了小小的果子，而且有许多落下来了。）这棵榕树好像在把它的全部生命力展览给我们看。那么多的绿叶，一簇堆在另一簇上面，不留一点缝隙。翠绿的颜色明亮地在我们的眼前闪耀，似乎每一片树叶上都有一个新的生命在颤动，这美丽的南国的树！
　　船在树下泊了片刻，岸上很湿，我们没有上去。朋友说这里是“鸟的天堂”，有许多只鸟在这棵树上做窝，农民不许人捉它们。我仿佛听见几只鸟扑翅的声音，但是等到我的眼睛注意地看那里时，我却看不见一只鸟的影子。只有无数的树根立在地上，像许多根木桩。地是湿的，大概涨潮时河水常常冲上岸去。 “鸟的天堂”里没有一只鸟，我这样想道。船开了。一个朋友拨着船，缓缓地流到河中间去。
　　在河边田畔的小径里有几棵荔枝树。绿叶丛中垂着累累的红色果子。我们的船就往那里流去。一个朋友拿起桨把船拨进一条小沟。在小径旁边，船停住了，我们都跳上了岸。
　　两个朋友很快地爬到树上去，从树上抛下几枝带叶的荔枝，我同陈和叶三个人站在树下接。等到他们下地以后，我们大家一面吃荔枝，一面走回船上去。
　　第二天我们划着船到叶的家乡去，就是那个有山有塔的地方。从陈的小学校出发，我们又经过那个“鸟的天堂”。
　　这一次是在早晨，阳光照在水面上，也照在树梢。一切都显得非常明亮。我们的船也在树下泊了片刻。
　　起初四周非常清静。后来忽然起了一声鸟叫。朋友陈把手一拍，我们便看见一只大鸟飞起来，接着又看见第二只，第三只。我们继续拍掌。很快地这个树林变得很热闹了。到处都是鸟声，到处都是鸟影。大的，小的，花的，黑的，有的站在枝上叫，有的飞起来，有的在扑翅膀。
　　我注意地看。我的眼睛真是应接不暇，看清楚这只，又看漏了那只，看见了那只，第三只又飞走了。一只画眉飞了出来，给我们的拍掌声一惊，又飞进树林，站在一根小枝上兴奋地唱着，它的歌声真好听。
　　“走吧，”叶催我道。
　　小船向着高塔下面的乡村流去的时候，我还回过头去看留在后面的茂盛的榕树。我有一点的留恋的心情。昨天我的眼睛骗了我。“鸟的天堂”的确是鸟的天堂啊！

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　1933的6月在广州

老舍的《我这一辈子》英语翻译第二章

2009-03-28T22:28:00.000-07:00

Chapter 2 This is my life - by Sparkling English

Flashbacks of My Life

Lao She

Chapter 2

As I implied earlier, had I stuck to the paper craftsman skills, I would have starved to death already. Nonetheless, although the skills are no longer useful, I don’t mean to imply that the three years of training as an apprentice didn’t bring me many benefits. On the contrary, that experience is a lifetime asset to me. I can lay down the tools, and pick up another business, but the skills will always be a part of me. Even after my death, when people comment on my character they shall remember that I was once trained as an apprentice for three years.

For an apprentice, half of the work was to learn skill, and the other half was to learn discipline. Everyone has fears when he first becomes an apprentice. You have to put up all the injustices, which was a rule at the workshop. The apprentices were the first to get up and last to go to bed. They had to follow all the orders and accept being bossed around. They subjected themselves to serving all people, swallowed the bitterness, pains, and tears and still pretend to be happy. I was trained in my master’s home. After the master vented his anger on me, I had to take whatever else came from the mistress at the same time. After going through three years of this, the most stubborn man would be bowed whereas the weakest person would become tough. I think it is fair to say that the character of an apprentice is not born. Instead, it is shaped by beatings and trials. Just like a blacksmith who can shape the iron to whatever he wants through hammering.

At those times when I had to put up with excessive beatings and mental torture, I did want to die. This was not something a man could bear. However, in retrospect, such disciplining and beating was as valuable as gold. After going through all this, there is nothing in the world you can’t put up with. For example, if I were drafted, I could be a good soldier. Soldiers can at least take a break between drills. Apprentices didn’t get any rest other than sleep. I would even doze off while I was having a movement, because when I had to work overtime during the nights, I only got 3 or 4 hours of sleep. I also learned to swallow a meal in one bite. Whenever I picked up my bowl, either my master or mistress would immediately call me, or otherwise a customer came and I would have to listen very carefully to how my master haggled with the customer over the prices. What else could I do if I didn’t finish the whole meal in one bite? Such experiences made me tougher and I learned to manage to put on a smiling face in spite of any difficulties The intellectual type, in my humble opinion, would never understand this. The students of today in western schools think it is a great accomplishment just to run a couple of times around the track at a sports meeting. They are pampered and massaged with rubbing alcohol and get to sit in cars. Even with all this, they are still temperamental. Those scions, what do they know about discipline and training? With that being said, it was the hardships that gave me the uncomplaining and hardworking attitude I now possess. I would never let myself be idle and I have no temperament while working. I’m as tough and resilient as a soldier and far more amenable.

Let me give you a concrete proof of this, after I finished apprenticeship, just like all the other craftsmen, I was eager to establish myself as a person living off of my skills, I bought myself a pipe, and smoked it whenever I got a chance, posturing as though I was somebody, puffing it slowly. I also picked up drinking from time to time. Once you picked up one bad habit, it was not difficult to pick up a second. All habits are the same; they are all for pleasure. However, that led to a problem for me. It was nothing rare to be a smoker or drinker; most people do. But I wound up smoking opium. During those days, opium was not prohibited by law. It was actually quite cheap. I tried it for relaxation, and then I got addicted. Before long, I was broke, and lost my gung-ho spirit to work. Before anyone came to dissuade me, I quit opium “cold turkey” by myself and never even touched tobacco again. I joined the “Rational Gate.” After you have joined the “Rational Gate,” it is understood that if you touched tobacco or alcohol again, bad karma would always be with you. If bad karma was waiting for me if I smoked or drank, why then would I dare? My determination, in retrospect, can be attributed to my hardships as an apprentice. I had learned to overcome all kinds of trials. It was frustrating when I saw other people smoking or drinking at first. It was like thousands of worms were crawling inside of me. But I couldn’t break my oath, because of the bad karma. Actually the bad karma was something in the future; and the itchy feeling was far more immediately real and pressing. It was mainly my determination rather than fear of bad karma. I succeeded due to my training and self-discipline which I earned due to my apprenticeship.

As for the skills I learned, I don’t think those three years of apprenticeship were wasted.. Any skill can be useful when applied in different circumstances over time. The basic method is fixed but it can have many applications. The skill of the bricklayers thirty years ago was all about how to polish the stones and make them connected seamlessly, very detailed work; today they also know how to use man made bricks and lime. The carpenters thirty years ago focused on how to carve flower patterns on the wood; today they have also learned to make foreign crafts. Our craft is the same, it only requires more flexibility. What we see is what we make. For example, if the family wants us to make a paper feast for the funeral, then we will have to make paper chicken, paper duck, paper fish and paper pork. If the dead person happens to be an unmarried girl, we may be asked to make a dowry made of paper, which could be composed of either 48 suitcases or 32 suitcases. We can make every thing out of paper from powder cans, oil bottles to closets and fitting mirrors. As long as we can see it, we can make the thing out of paper. This is our unique ability. We don‘t have great ability, but we have some intelligence. A mindless person would not make a good paper craftsman.

Hence, we worked as though it was not just work but also a game. The secret of our business is how to make the paper come alive, which is a brain exercise. I would say I had some intelligence in me. When I was an apprentice, most of the beatings I suffered was not because I couldn’t do the work, rather, it was mostly because I was disobedient. My intelligence might not have surfaced at all, had I been told to learn to hammer iron, or saw wood – hammering or sawing, such completely monotonous work with no changes. Fortunately, I was an apprentice to a paper craftsman. Upon learning all the basic skills, I began to exercise my creativity to make my paper crafts more lifelike. Sometimes, I spent a lot of time and materials, but still couldn’t make out the thing that I envisioned in my mind, but this would only make me more obsessive about accomplishing the task. I would observe more closely, and try every method until I succeeded. This is a very good habit indeed. I am not just smart, but know how to make use of my intelligence, which made me very thankful for the three years of apprenticeship. I formed the habit of using my intellect after those three years. Granted, I haven’t accomplished anything huge in my life. Nonetheless, anything that an ordinary person can do, I can learn 50 % just at one glance. I know how to build a wall, plant a tree, fix clocks and watches, tell the difference between real and fake leather, pick out the auspicious days for weddings, and the knack for all sorts of businesses. I didn’t learn any of these things specifically. All I did was to watch with my eyes and work with my hands, a habit that I formed during the three years of apprenticeship at the burial clothes shop. I didn’t realize until now -- and I am like a man who is starving to death -- had I had more schooling, and become a bookworm like a Xiucai or a school graduate, I could have been living in the dark all my life without really understanding anything! My skill as a craftsman didn’t bring me to high positions or fortune, but it did make my life interesting; a poor life, but an interesting one, with some flavor.

I was just turning 20, and had already become an important person among my relatives and friends. It was not because of money or status, but because my meticulousness and hard work. Since I graduated from apprenticeship, I stayed in the teahouse everyday, waiting for people of the same trade coming to ask me for work. I wasn’t idle even when there was no work to be done. Many of my friends and relatives would entrust me with various tasks for them.. I even started match making whereas I was just a newly wed myself.

Helping other people was a pastime for me, which I actually enjoyed. Why? As I mentioned before, there were two types of work for paper craftsmen, burning work, or white work. Burning work was fun and clean, whereas white work was different. When you pasted the ceiling, you had to tear off the old paper, which was so unpleasant. You can’t imagine how much dust there was on the ceiling, which had accumulated for long years. The fine dust would crawl into your nose. After tearing off the old ceiling in three rooms, we all became ghosts covered in dust. Once you tied firm the straw frames and started to paste the new paper, the new foil paper stank and hung over your nose. The dust and new paper can cause disease – what is now known as consumption. I didn’t like this kind of work. But since I was waiting for jobs on the street, I couldn’t really refuse any work. You have to do whatever you can get. So, to deal with such work, I would stay down below, cutting or passing paper, or stirring the glue, anything to avoid doing the work at the ceiling. Thus, I could bow my head and eat less dust. But even with that, I would invariably become covered by dust and my nose became like a pipe. So after doing such work for a few days, I wanted to do something different for a change. Hence, when friends and relatives asked me for favors, I was more than happy to help out.

In addition, whether doing burning work or white work, people like us would always be involved in weddings and funerals. When acquaintances hired me, they would also discuss other related matters, such as arrangement of funerals and weddings; the preparations for certain ceremonial items; and the hiring of chefs as well as, the booking of wagons and so on and so forth. I gradually discovered a lot of enjoyment in doing these things, and learned how to do them masterfully. I not only earned face for my friends and relatives, but also saved money for them, by not letting them be gouged by others. I myself also accumulated valuable experience and learned excellent social skills through the handling of these matters. Over time I became very street wise, and I was not even thirty.

我这一辈子

二

　　上面交代过了：我若是始终仗着那份儿手艺吃饭，恐怕就早已饿死了。不过，这点本事虽不能永远有用，可是三年的学艺并非没有很大的好处，这点好处教我一辈子享用不尽。我可以撂下家伙，干别的营生去；这点好处可是老跟着我。就是我死后，有人谈到我的为人如何，他们也必须要记得我少年曾学过三年徒。

　　学徒的意思是一半学手艺，一半学规矩。在初到铺子去的时候，不论是谁也得害怕，铺中的规矩就是委屈。当徒弟的得晚睡早起，得听一切的指挥与使遣，得低三下四的伺候人，饥寒劳苦都得高高兴兴的受着，有眼泪往肚子里咽。象我学艺的所在，铺子也就是掌柜的家；受了师傅的，还得受师母的，夹板儿气！能挺过这么三年，顶倔强的人也得软了，顶软和的人也得硬了；我简直的可以这么说，一个学徒的脾性不是天生带来的，而是被板子打出来的；象打铁一样，要打什么东西便成什么东西。

　　在当时正挨打受气的那一会儿，我真想去寻死，那种气简直不是人所受得住的！但是，现在想起来，这种规矩与调教实在值金子。受过这种排练，天下便没有什么受不了的事啦。随便提一样吧，比方说教我去当兵，好哇，我可以作个满好的兵，军队的操演有时有会儿，而学徒们是除了睡觉没有任何休息时间的。我抓着工夫去出恭，一边蹲着一边就能打个盹儿，因为遇上赶夜活的时候，我一天一夜只能睡上三四点钟的觉。我能一口吞下去一顿饭，刚端起饭碗，不是师傅喊，就是师娘叫，要不然便是有照顾主儿来定活，我得恭而敬之的招待，并且细心听着师傅怎样论活讨价钱。不把饭整吞下去怎办呢？这种排练教我遇到什么苦处都能硬挺，外带着还是挺和气。读书的人，据我这粗人看，永远不会懂得这个。现在的洋学堂里开运动会，学生跑上两个圈就仿佛有了汗马功劳一般，喝！又是搀着，又是抱着，往大腿上拍火酒，还闹脾气，还坐汽车！这样的公子哥儿哪懂得什么叫作规矩，哪叫排练呢？话往回来说，我所受的苦处给我打下了作事任劳任怨的底子，我永远不肯闲着，作起活来永不晓得闹脾气，耍别扭，我能和大兵们一样受苦，而大兵们不能象我这么和气。

　　再拿件实事来证明这个吧：在我学成出师以后，我和别的耍手艺的一样，为表明自己是凭本事挣钱的人，第一我先买了根烟袋，只要一闲着便捻上一袋吧唧着，仿佛很有身分，慢慢的，我又学了喝酒，时常弄两盅猫尿咂着嘴儿抿几口。嗜好就怕开了头，会了一样就不难学第二样，反正都是个玩艺吧咧。这可也就山了毛病。我爱烟爱酒，原本不算什么稀奇的事，大家伙儿都差不多是这样。可是，我一来二去的学会了吃大烟。那个年月，鸦片烟不犯私，非常的便宜；我先是吸着玩，后来可就上了瘾。不久，我便觉出手紧来了，作事也不似先前那么上劲了。我并没等谁劝告我，不但戒了大烟，而且把旱烟袋也撅了，从此烟酒不动！我入了“理门”。入理门，烟酒都不准动；一旦破戒，必走背运。所以我不但戒了嗜好，而且入了理门；背运在那儿等着我，我怎肯再犯戒呢？这点心胸与硬气，如今想起来，还是由学徒得来的。多大的苦处我都能忍受。初一戒烟戒酒，看着别人吸，别人饮，多么难过呢！心里真象有一千条小虫爬挠那么痒痒触触的难过。但是我不能破戒，怕走背运。其实背运不背运的，都是日后的事，眼前的罪过可是不好受呀！硬挺，只有硬挺才能成功，怕走背运还在其次。我居然挺过来了，因为我学过徒，受过排练呀！

　　提到我的手艺来，我也觉得学徒三年的光阴并没白费了。凡是一门手艺，都得随时改良，方法是死的，运用可是活的。三十年前的瓦匠，讲究会磨砖对缝，作细工儿活；现在，他得会用洋灰和包镶人造石什么的。三十年前的木匠，讲究会雕花刻木，现在得会造洋式木器。我们这行也如此，不过比别的行业更活动。我们这行讲究看见什么就能糊什么。比方说，人家落了丧事，教我们糊一桌全席，我们就能糊出鸡鸭鱼肉来。赶上人家死了未出阁的姑娘，教我们糊一全份嫁妆，不管是四十八抬，还是三十二抬，我们便能由粉罐油瓶一直糊到衣橱穿衣镜。眼睛一看，手就能模仿下来，这是我们的本事。我们的本事不大，可是得有点聪明，一个心窟窿的人绝不会成个好裱糊匠。

　　这样，我们作活，一边工作也一边游戏，仿佛是。我们的成败全仗着怎么把各色的纸调动的合适，这是耍心路的事儿。以我自己说，我有点小聪明。在学徒时候所挨的打，很少是为学不上活来，而多半是因为我有聪明而好调皮不听话。我的聪明也许一点也显露不出来，假若我是去学打铁，或是拉大锯——老那么打，老那么拉，一点变动没有。幸而我学了裱糊匠，把基本的技能学会了以后，我便开始自出花样，怎么灵巧逼真我怎么作。有时候我白费了许多工夫与材料，而作不出我所想到的东西，可是这更教我加紧的去揣摸，去调动，非把它作成不可。这个，真是个好习惯。有聪明，而且知道用聪明，我必须感谢这三年的学徒，在这三年养成了我会用自己的聪明的习惯。诚然，我一辈子没作过大事，但是无论什么事，只要是平常人能作的，我一礁就能明白个五六成。我会砌墙，栽树，修理钟表，看皮货的真假，合婚择日，知道五行八作的行活上诀窍……这些，我都没学过，只凭我的眼去看，我的手去试验；我有勤苦耐劳与多看多学的习惯；这个习惯是在冥衣铺学徒三年养成的。到如今我才明白过来——我已是快饿死的人了！——假若我多读上几年书，只抱着书本死啃，象那些秀才与学堂毕业的人们那样，我也许一辈子就糊糊涂涂的下去，而什么也不晓得呢！裱糊的手艺没有给我带来官职和财产，可是它让我活的很有趣；穷，但是有趣，有点人味儿。

　　刚二十多岁，我就成为亲友中的重要人物了。不因为我有钱与身分，而是因为我办事细心，不辞劳苦。自从出了师，我每天在街口的茶馆里等着同行的来约清帮忙。我成了街面上的人，年轻，利落，懂得场面。有人来约，我便去作活；没人来约，我也闲不住：亲友家许许多多的事都托咐我给办，我甚至于刚结过婚便给别人家作媒了。

　　给别人帮忙就等于消遣。我需要一些消遣。为什么呢？前面我已说过：我们这行有两种活，烧活和白活。作烧活是有趣而干净的，白活可就不然了。糊顶棚自然得先把旧纸撕下来，这可真够受的，没作过的人万也想不到顶棚上会能有那么多尘土，而且是日积月累攒下来的，比什么土都干，细，钻鼻子，撕完三间屋子的棚，我们就都成了土鬼。及至扎好了称秸，糊新纸的时候，新银花纸的面子是又臭又挂鼻子。尘土与纸面子就能教人得痨病——现在叫作肺病。我不喜欢这种活儿。可是，在街上等工作，有人来约就不能拒绝，有什么活得干什么活。应下这种活儿，我差不多老在下边裁纸递纸抹浆糊，为的是可以不必上“交手”，而且可以低着头干活儿，少吃点土。就是这样，我也得弄一身灰，我的鼻子也得象烟筒。作完这么几天活，我愿意作点别的，变换变换。那么，有亲友托我办点什么，我是很乐意帮忙的。

　　再说呢，作烧活吧，作白活吧，这种工作者与人们的喜事或丧事有关系。熟人们找我定活，也往往就手儿托我去讲别项的事，如婚丧事的搭棚，讲执事，雇厨子，定车马等等。我在这些事儿中渐渐找出乐趣，晓得如何能捏住巧处，给亲友们既办得漂亮，又省些钱，不能窝窝囊囊的被人捉了“大头”。我在办这些事儿的时候，得到许多经验，明白了许多人情，久而久之，我成了个很精明的人，虽然还不到三十岁。

朱自清《背影》英语翻译

2009-03-07T19:41:00.000-08:00

View of my father's back - by Sparkling English

The View of my Father’s Back

Zhu Ziqing

It has been over two years since I last saw my father. It is the view of
his back that is most unforgettable to me.

That winter was a double tragedy for us as grandmother passed away and father was dismissed from his position. I left Beijing for Xuzhou to meet up with
father to go back home for the funeral. In Xuzhou, when I saw father, and total mess of disorderly placed items in his yard, memories of grandma came flooding back, and my tears poured down out of control.

Father said, “ Things which happen cannot be changed. Don’t be so sad. There is always a way out.”

Back home, by pawning and selling possessions, father paid off the debts and borrowed more money for the funeral. Those were gloomy days for the family, partly because of the funeral, and partly because father was now unemployed.

After the funeral, father headed for Nanjing to seek work and I for Beijing to finish school. Therefore, we traveled together for a while.

In Nanjing, a friend showed me around for a day; and the next morning, I
was supposed to ferry to Pukou and take the train north that afternoon to Beijing. Father was busy and had decided not to see me off. Instead he asked a waiter who was an acquaintance, to accompany me. He repeatedly instructed the waiter on how to take care of me. Nevertheless, he still felt unsure, worrying that the waiter was not reliable, and reconsidered what to do for a while. Actually, I was already 20 years old then and had been traveling to and from Beijing several times on my own already. There was nothing really to worry about. He thought for a while, and finally decided to see me off himself. I tried several times to persuade him not to, but he only said: “It’s fine. I don’t trust him with you.”

We crossed the river and entered the station; where I bought the ticket while he took care of the baggage. As there were so many pieces of luggage, we had to give some tips to the porter in order to enter. Father busied himself bargaining with the porters. Back then, I was quite the smart aleck, thinking he wasn’t a good negotiater, and had to restrain myself from butting in. Eventually, he finished the bargaining and took me onto the train. He picked a seat by the door, and I spread on the seat the expensive fur lined coat that he had made especially for me. He urged me to take care of myself and not to get cold at night. Then he asked the attendants to take care of me. I laughed at his silliness in my heart because those people cared only for money; and it was useless to ask a favor from them. Besides am I not old enough to take care of myself? Ai, in retrospect, I was really a smart aleck back then!

I said: “Father, you can go.” He took a look out of the window, and said:
“Let me buy some tangerines for you. You stay here. Don’t move.” I saw that beyond the railings on the other side of the platform, there were a couple of vendors waiting for customers. To get to the other side, however, one must jump down and climb up to get to that side of the railway. Father was rather fat and it was no small feat for him to get there. I wanted to go, but he wouldn’t allow me. so I had no choice but to let him go. I saw him with a black cap on his head, in a black jacket and a dark blue turquoise cotton padded robe, stumble to the railway and slowly make his way down, which wasn’t too difficult. But after he crossed the railway and tried to climb up onto the platform on the other side, it was not easy. His hands clung to the top, legs contracted up, his overweight body tilted to the left, as he painstakingly pulled himself up. Looking at his back, my tears flowed. I rushed to wipe away the tears, afraid of being seen by him, or by any others.

When I looked out again, he was already on his way back, carrying the tangerines. At the railway, he placed the tangerines gently on the ground, slowly climbed down, then picked them up and moved on. When he got back, I rushed to help him. As he and I got back onto the train, he placed all the tangerines on my fur coat, patted the dirt off his jacket, and looked very satisfied. After a moment, he said to me: ”I am leaving now. Remember to write to me! ” I watched him get off the train. After a few steps, he turned back and saw me, saying “Go back. Your things are unattended..” I waited until he disappeared into the bustling crowd, and went back in and sat down.

My tears came again.

In recent years, father and I led separate lives due to our need to travel separate ways to make a living. The family financial situation deteriorated day by day. When father was young, he left his home to make his living. He had many admirable accomplishments by his own efforts. Who would have guessed that he would turn out a failure in his old age. It is no surprise that as he looks back on his life, he feels sad and disappointed that life has not been kind to him. Due to these circumstances, his feeling made him very temperamental and he vented his anger over even trivialities at home. He also treated me differently. But after 2 years of separation, he forgot all my failings that angered him and showed more interest in me and my son. After I settled in the north, he wrote a letter to me stating that: “I am okay but my shoulder hurts very badly; the pain causes me difficulties in using chopsticks or even lifting my writing brush. I think the end of my life is not too distant.”

As I read this, thru my glistening eyes, I again see my father’s heavy back in that dark blue turquoise robe. Ai, I wonder when I shall see him again.

背影

作者: 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！”
　　回家变卖典质，父亲还了亏空；又借钱办了丧事。这些日子，家中光景很是惨淡，一半为了丧事，一半为了父亲赋闲。丧事完毕，父亲要到南京谋事，我也要回北京念书，我们便同行。
　　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，怕茶房不妥帖；颇踌躇了一会。其实我那年已二十岁，北京已来往过两三次，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；他只说，“不要紧，他们去不好！”
　　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，才可过去。他便又忙着和他们讲价钱。我那时真是聪明过分，总觉他说话不大漂亮，非自己插嘴不可。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；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么？唉，我现在想想，那时真是太聪明了！
　　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，走过去自然要费事些。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，深青布棉袍，蹒跚地走到铁道边，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。这时我看见他的背影，我的泪很快地流下来了。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望回走了。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。于是扑扑衣上的泥土，心里很轻松似的，过一会说，“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。”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，家中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，自然情不能自已。情郁于中，自然要发之于外；家庭琐屑便往往触他之怒。他待我渐渐不同往日。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，青布棉袍，黑布马褂的背影。唉！我不知何时再能与他相见！
　

老舍的《我这一辈子》英语翻译第一章

2009-02-21T19:06:00.000-08:00

Ch1 This is my life - by Sparkling English

Flashbacks of My Life

Lao She

Chapter 1

I had some schooling when I was young, not a whole lot but enough for me to read the classics like Seven Heroes and Five Gallants or Romance of Three Kingdoms. I even memorized several pieces from Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio, and today I can still recite the entire stories with vivid descriptions. The audiences always compliment me on my good memory, and I myself even feel pleased with it. However, I didn’t read the original text of Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio, which was too difficult for me. The stories I memorized were all from the entertainment papers – stories which had been translated into the vernacular and embellished with amusing lines - so hilarious!

My calligraphy was comparable, certainly no worse than that of the governmental documents, in term of the proportionality of the characters, the polish of the ink, and the uniformity of the lines and columns. I really believe that I would have made a good civil servant. I’m not bragging that I could write legal complaints, but ordinary official documents would have been a cinch for me.

Based on my ability to read and write, I should have worked for the government. That kind of job would not necessarily glorify my family or ancestors, but at least a decent one. What’s more, there is always a chance of being promoted no matter how insignificant the position one starts with. I have seen more than one very high-ranking official whose handwriting was not as good as mine. They couldn’t even give a complete speech. If they could be senior officials, there should be no reason I can‘t.

But at age 15, my family sent me to be an apprentice to a craftsman. One can succeed in any profession, and it is not a shame to be an apprentice and learn some practical skills, however, for me it was just not as good as working for the government. Once you become an artisan, you will be a craftsman for the rest of your life. You may be rich, but will never have the prestige of a senior official. However, I didn’t protest to my family and became an apprentice, because at age 15, it’s natural not to have any independent thoughts. What’s more, my parents promised to arrange a marriage for me after I completed the term of apprenticeship and start making money. Back then, I imagined that getting married would be interesting. With a few years of hard work, I would be able to make a living like an adult, and have a wife. Life seemed to be treating me fairly.

I was trained to make paper crafts. During peace time, one can easily make a living by making paper crafts. In those days, one could not die simply. I am not saying that a man in those days would go back and forth between life and death several times, what I mean to say is that when one died, the family must spend extravagantly to make the funeral as grand as possible. For example, after a man was dead, people needed paper wagons and horses to burn, which was called “Backward Heading Wagon” – not many people know this term today. This was followed by a ceremony on the third day after the death called “ The Receiving Third” Paper crafts for burning were indispensable, sedan chairs, wagons, horses and mules, chests, idols, banners, flowers, etc. If a woman died after giving birth, a paper cow and a paper chicken encasing were required. On the seventh day when Buddhist scripts were read, one needed to prepare paper buildings and warehouses, gold and silver mountains, gold bars and ingots, clothes for all seasons, flowers and plants, artifacts and wood crafts. By the time the body was about to go through the funeral procession, there would be many burning crafts needed in addition to the paper pavilions and paper shelves, and at least one boy and one girl made of paper that would be lifted aloft.. On the “fifth seventh” day, paper umbrellas would be burned and on the sixtieth day paper boats and bridges would be burnt. Not until after the sixtieth day would the dead man be able to wave farewell to our paper craftsmen. If there were just a dozen wealthy people dying in one year, we would easily make our living.

Paper craftsmen don’t serve only dead people; we also serve for the worship of celestial beings.. In olden times, the celestial beings were not treated so stingily as they are today. Take Lord Guan for example; in the past on the 24th day of the sixth month of each year, people would make yellow banners and big hats, paper children, paper horses and seven-star flags etc. Today nobody even remembers Lord Guan. If someone got smallpox, then we would be busy for the goddesses. Nine goddesses needed nine sedan chairs, one red horse and one yellow horse, and nine cloaks. There are also low status elves that needed robes, boots and hats and many other things. Today people get vaccines at the hospitals, the goddesses have no opportunity to do their magic, and therefore paper craftsmen are also having more idle time. There are many other things people prayed for and paper crafts were needed. Today these are all considered superstitions and nobody mentions it. Times have really changed.

Aside from the gods and demons, we also do some work for the living people We call it “white work” We helped people decorate their homes. In the olden days, people didn’t live in western houses. When people moved, or got married, or for other special festivities, they would want to cover the walls with white paper to make the room look fresh. The wealthy families also hired us to do the windows. People are getting poorer every day now and don’t redecorate their homes when they move. Rich people have all moved into western styled houses. The ceilings are painted with lime, just once in most lifetimes. The windows are made of glass and there is no need to use paper or linens anymore. The foreign stuff is always better, and the craftsmen have found themselves losing customers all the time. It’s not like we don’t work hard. The foreign wagons were popular, so we made foreign wagons; and when automobiles became popular, we then make automobiles. We know how to innovate. But how many families who have people die would want foreign wagons or automobiles? Compared with the big inventions, the small changes we have made are all in vain. When the tides rise even ducks can’t go across the river. There is nothing more we can do…

我这一辈子

一

　　我幼年读过书，虽然不多，可是足够读七侠五义与三国志演义什么的。我记得好几段聊斋，到如今还能说得很齐全动听，不但听的人都夸奖我的记性好，连我自己也觉得应该高兴。可是，我并念不懂聊斋的原文，那太深了；我所记得的几段，都是由小报上的“ 评讲聊斋”念来的——把原文变成白话，又添上些逗哏打趣，实在有个意思！

　　我的字写得也不坏。拿我的字和老年间衙门里的公文比一比，论个儿的匀适，墨色的光润，与行列的齐整，我实在相信我可以作个很好的“笔帖式”。自然我不敢高攀，说我有写奏折的本领，可是眼前的通常公文是准保能写到好处的。

　　凭我认字与写的本事，我本该去当差。当差虽不见得一定能增光耀祖，但是至少也比作别的事更体面些。况且呢，差事不管大小，多少总有个升腾。我看见不止一位了，官职很大，可是那笔字还不如我的好呢，连句整话都说不出来。这样的人既能作高官，我怎么不能呢？

　　可是，当我十五岁的时候，家里教我去学徒。五行八作，行行出状元，学手艺原不是什么低搭的事；不过比较当差稍差点劲儿罢了。学手艺，一辈子逃不出手艺人去，即使能大发财源，也高不过大官儿不是？可是我并没和家里闹别扭，就去学徒了；十五岁的人，自然没有多少主意。况且家里老人还说，学满了艺，能挣上钱，就给我说亲事。在当时，我想象着结婚必是件有趣的事。那么，吃上二三年的苦，而后大人似的去耍手艺挣钱，家里再有个小媳妇，大概也很下得去了。

　　我学的是裱糊匠。在那太平年月，裱匠是不愁没饭吃的。那时候，死一个人不象现在这么省事。这可并不是说，老年间的人要翻来覆去的死好几回，不干脆的一下子断了气。我是说，那时候死人，丧家要拼命的花钱，一点不惜力气与金钱的讲排场。就拿与冤衣铺有关系的事来说吧，就得花上老些个钱。人一断气，马上就得去糊“倒头车”——现在，连这个名词儿也许有好多人不晓得了。紧跟着便是“接三”，必定有些烧活：车轿骡马，墩箱灵人，引魂幡，灵花等等。要是害月子病死的，还必须另糊一头牛，和一个鸡罩。赶到“一七”念经，又得糊楼库，金山银山，尺头元宝，四季衣服，四季花草，古玩陈设，各样木器。及至出殡，纸亭纸架之外，还有许多烧活，至不济也得弄一对“童儿”举着。“五七”烧伞，六十天糊船桥。一个死人到六十天后才和我们裱糊匠脱离关系。一年之中，死那么十来个有钱的人，我们便有了吃喝。

　　裱糊匠并不专伺候死人，我们也伺候神仙。早年间的神仙不象如今晚儿的这样寒碜，就拿关老爷说吧，早年间每到六月二十四，人们必给他糊黄幡宝盖，马童马匹，和七星大旗什么的。现在，几乎没有人再惦记着关公了！遇上闹“天花”，我们又得为娘娘们忙一阵。九位娘娘得糊九顶轿子，红马黄马各一匹，九份凤冠霞帔，还得预备痘哥哥痘姐姐们的袍带靴帽，和各样执事。如今，医院都施种牛痘，娘娘们无事可作，裱糊匠也就陪着她们闲起来了。此外还有许许多多的“还愿”的事，都要糊点什么东西，可是也都随着破除迷信没人再提了。年头真是变了啊！

　　除了伺候神与鬼外，我们这行自然也为活人作些事。这叫作“白活”，就是给人家糊顶棚。早年间没有洋房，每遇到搬家，娶媳妇，或别项喜事，总要把房间糊得四白落地，好显出焕然一新的气象。那大富之家，连春秋两季糊窗子也雇用我们。人是一天穷似一天了，搬家不一定糊棚顶，而那些有钱的呢，房子改为洋式的，棚顶抹灰，一劳永逸；窗子改成玻璃的，也用不着再糊上纸或纱。什么都是洋式好，耍手艺的可就没了饭吃。我们自己也不是不努力呀，洋车时行，我们就照样糊洋车；汽车时行，我们就糊汽车，我们知道改良。可是有几家死了人来糊一辆洋车或汽车呢？年头一旦大改良起来，我们的小改良全算白饶，水大漫不过鸭子去，有什么法儿呢！

《孔乙己》英语翻译

2009-02-08T09:53:00.000-08:00

Kong Yi Ji Chinese Classics - by Sparkling English

Kong Yiji

By Lu Xun

The layout of the wine taverns in Lu Town is quite different from those in other towns. There is always an L-shaped counter facing the street. Hot water is kept available at the counter so that it can be used to warm the yellow wine at any time. Laborers, back from work at noon or dusk, would spend 4 coppers to get a bowl of yellow wine – that was the price over 20 years ago and a bowl of wine costs 10 coppers now—where they lean over the counter, drink the warm wine and have their “happy hour“. With one more copper, you can get a dish of salted bamboo shoots or anise beans to go with the wine. If you are willing to pay over 10 coppers, you can buy a meat dish,. But most of the customers are the “Short Jackets” who cannot afford such luxuries, whereas, those who wear robes would stride to the back room, order their wine with some dishes and sit there taking their time to eat and drink.

At age 12, I started to work as a busboy at Xianheng wine tavern located at the entrance of the town. The tavern keeper said that I had a dumb looking face and was probably not smart enough to serve the “robed clientele,” and thus should only work in the front room. The “short jackets” in the front room, although usually easy going, were no less troublesome. Some wouldn’t be satisfied until they saw me scoop out the wine from the wine jar with their own eyes, to make sure that there was no water at the bottom of the pitcher. And even watched me put the pitcher in the hot water. Under such tight surveillance, it was impossible to water down the wine. Therefore, after a few days, the tavern keeper said I couldn’t even do that. Fortunately, due to the influence of my patron, the tavern keeper didn’t dismiss me but he assigned me to the insignificant task of just heating wine.

Since then, I spend all day at the counter, doing my specialized job where I couldn’t make any blunders. The thing that bothered me most was that the job was so monotonous and boring. The tavern keeper always glared at me with a fierce face, and the customers were not friendly either. Therefore, I couldn’t slack off even a little bit, except for a few laughs that Kong Yiji brought to us every time he came to the wine tavern. That’s why I can still remember him.

Kong Yiji was the only one who stood drinking while wearing a robe. He was big and tall, yet he had a wan face, often with bruises showing in his wrinkles, and had a bedraggled grizzly beard. Although he wore a robe, the robe, which was well worn out, seemed not to have been mended nor washed for a decade. He used many obscure words and archaic phrases when he spoke that his speech was unintelligible. Because of his surname Kong, someone picked a nonsensical phrase “Shang Da Ren Kong Yi Ji” from the children’s practice book and used this as a nickname for him, “Kong Yiji.”. Each time, the moment he stepped into the tavern, all the customers would look at him and start laughing. Someone would yell: “Kong Yiji, you got a new scar on your face!” He never answered them, he only spoke to the waiter behind the counter: ‘Two bowls of wine heated and a dish of anise beans.’ He then spread out 9 coppers. The customers then intentionally raised their voices: ”You must have stolen something again.” Kong Yiji with his eyes wide open: ”How can you accuse me, an innocent person without any basis?……” “What kind of innocent person? …I saw with my own eyes that you stole the books from the Hes’ and you were hung up and beaten.” Kong Yiji’s face turned red and the veins on his forehead protruded, while defending himself, said: “Stealing books is not a theft, stealing books…is an intellectuals’ business, it’s not a theft! ” Following that he blurted out those archaic phrases, such as “a nobleman sticks to his principles despite poverty” so on and so forth. The crowd would burst into laughter; and the wine tavern once again became lively and rowdy.

I learned from gossips that Kong Yiji used to go to school, but he didn’t pass any of his academic tests in his studies; nor did he learn any practical skills for earning a living. He got increasingly poorer day by day and was close to becoming a beggar. Fortunately, due to his good calligraphy, he was just able to get by, making copies of books for others. Despite this ability, he had another deficiency in his character – he was very lazy. He wouldn’t sit there working for more than a few consecutive days, and always ended up disappearing with the paper, the writing brush and the ink-slab. After a few of such instances, no one would ask him to be a copyist any more. Kong Yiji couldn't come up with any other ideas, and resorted to stealing and pilfering things on occasion. But at our tavern, he was more credit worthy than others. He never welched on his promise to pay. Even when he was really tight in money, he would write down the debt on the chalk board and always cleared the debt within a month and was able to erase his name from the chalk board.

After half a bowl of wine, the flush on his face faded. Someone sitting by him asked ” Kong Yiji, can you really read?” Kong Yiji stared at the guy who asked him, with a look of disdain. The guy carried on ”How come you are not even the lowest scholar?” Kong Yiji looked affronted, his face turning dark, and babbled all the obscure and archaic phrases that no one could understand. At this moment, the people all broke into hilarity and the tavern was permeated with a festive air.

At these instances, I laughed along with the people, and those were the moments the tavern keeper never scolded me for laughing. The tavern keeper had also asked such questions to him many times, just to tease him. Kong Yiji knew that he couldn’t have a regular conversation with them, so he turned to the youngsters. Once, he asked me: “Have you ever gone to school?” I nodded. He then said “You have gone to school, so let me test your knowledge. Do you know how to write the character Hui as the anise in the anise beans?” I thought, a bum like him, in what role is he testing me? I turned my back, ignoring him. Kong Yiji waited for a while, then said earnestly: “You can’t, can you? Let me teach you how. Remember it. It will be useful when you become a tavern keeper. You’ll have to do the books.” I thought to myself that I was a long way from becoming a tavern keeper, and our tavern keeper never wrote down anise beans on the books. He was being ridiculous and annoying, so I answered cooly: ”Who needs you to teach? Isn’t that a Hui as in the back and forth under the grass radical?” Kong Yiji seemed excited, tapping the counter with two long nailed fingers, nodding: “Correct, there are four different ways to write the character, do you know all of them?” I became annoyed, scowled and walked away. Kong Yiji was about to write something on the counter with the nail that had been dipped in the wine. Seeing me uncaring, he sighed, looking as if he had been defeated.

There were times when the kids of the neighborhood came over after hearing the laughter from the tavern. They circled Kong Yiji. Kong would give out anise beans to them, one for each. The kids ate the beans, but stayed there, staring at the dish. Kong Yiji felt flustered. He covered the dish with his palm, bending down: ”Not many left, I don’t have many for myself.” He straightened up, took a look at the beans, shaking his head saying pedantically in his old fashion way ”Not many left, are there? There are not.” The kids would scatter with loud laughter. Kong Yiji was always so funny, but without him, the days still went on as usual.

One day, it was two or three days before the mid-autumn festival, when the tavern keeper was pouring over the accounting, he put down the chalk board, saying all of a sudden: ”It has been a while since Kong Yiji was here last time. He still owes me 19 coppers.” At that moment I realized that it indeed had been a while. A drinker said: ”How can he come, his legs were broken during his beating.” The tavern keeper said “Ah.” “He kept stealing. This time, he must have been crazy. He stole from the house of Official Ding. How does one dare to steal from him?” “And then what.” “Then what? First, he had to write a confession, and then was beaten till midnight. His legs were broken.” “And then?” “Then his legs were broken” “After his legs were broken?” ”Then what? ... Who knows, he is probably dead.” The tavern keeper stopped asking, and went back to his accounting.

After the mid-autumn festival, it was getting colder every day. Winter was about to begin. Though I was by the fire all day long, I had to wear a cotton-padded jacket. It was in the early afternoon, there was not a single customer. I had my eyes closed while sitting there. Out of the blue there was a voice: “Warm a bowl of wine”. The voice was low, yet familiar. I didn’t see anybody so I got to my feet and looked out. It was Kong Yiji facing the threshold, sitting by the counter. His face was dark and taut, like a skeleton. Wearing a worn out jacket, he sat crossed legs on a reed mat which had a rope over his shoulder. He saw me and said: “Warm a bowl of wine.” The tavern keeper also stuck out his head, saying: ”Kong Yiji, you still owe me 19 coppers.” Kong Yiji owing up, replied with embarrassment, “Oh,that, I promise to pay you back next time. This time I have cash. Give me the good wine.” The tavern keeper was as usual, mocking him: ”Kong Yiji, you stole again.” This time he didn’t try to defend himself and answered simply “Don’t shame me.” “Shame you? If you didn’t steal, why were your legs beaten until broken?” Kong Yiji said in a low voice:” I fell down… I fell...” His eyes seemed to plead to the tavern keeper not to mention it. By then, there were already a few people around, they laughed along with the tavern keeper. I heated the wine, brought it out and placed on the threshold. He took out 4 coppers from the very worn out jacket, and put them in my hand. I saw his hands were muddy, thinking he must have walked here on his hands. Before long, he drank up the wine, walked out with his hands and disappearing while the people were still laughing.

Since then, I hadn’t see Kong Yiji for a long time. Around the end of the year, the tavern keeper took down the chalk board, and said ”Kong Yiji still owes me 19 coppers!” During the Dragon Boat Festival the following year, he said again, “Kong Yiji still owes me 19 coppers!” But he didn’t say it at the mid-autumn festival, and Kong Yiji hadn’t shown up at the end of the year either.

I haven’t seen him since — Kong Yiji is probably dead indeed.

March, 1919.

孔乙己

鲁迅

鲁镇的酒店的格局，是和别处不同的：都是当街一个曲尺形的大柜台，柜里面预备着热水，可以随时温酒。做工的人，傍午傍晚散了工，每每花四文铜钱，买一碗酒，——这是二十多年前的事，现在每碗要涨到十文，——靠柜外站着，热热的喝了休息；倘肯多花一文，便可以买一碟盐煮笋，或者茴香豆，做下酒物了，如果出到十几文，那就能买一样荤菜，但这些顾客，多是短衣帮，大抵没有这样阔绰。只有穿长衫的，才踱进店面隔壁的房子里，要酒要菜，慢慢地坐喝。
　　我从十二岁起，便在镇口的咸亨酒店里当伙计，掌柜说，样子太傻，怕侍候不了长衫主顾，就在外面做点事罢。外面的短衣主顾，虽然容易说话，但唠唠叨叨缠夹不清的也很不少。他们往往要亲眼看着黄酒从坛子里舀出，看过壶子底里有水没有，又亲看将壶子放在热水里，然后放心：在这严重兼督下，羼水也很为难。所以过了几天，掌柜又说我干不了这事。幸亏荐头的情面大，辞退不得，便改为专管温酒的一种无聊职务了。
　　我从此便整天的站在柜台里，专管我的职务。虽然没有什么失职，但总觉得有些单调，有些无聊。掌柜是一副凶脸孔，主顾也没有好声气，教人活泼不得；只有孔乙己到店，才可以笑几声，所以至今还记得。
　　孔乙己是站着喝酒而穿长衫的唯一的人。他身材很高大；青白脸色，皱纹间时常夹些伤痕；一部乱蓬蓬的花白的胡子。穿的虽然是长衫，可是又脏又破，似乎十多年没有补，也没有洗。他对人说话，总是满口之乎者也，教人半懂不懂的。因为他姓孔，别人便从描红纸⑵上的“上大人孔乙己”这半懂不懂的话里，替他取下一个绰号，叫作孔乙己。孔乙己一到店，所有喝酒的人便都看着他笑，有的叫道，“孔乙己，你脸上又添上新伤疤了！”他不回答，对柜里说，“温两碗酒，要一碟茴香豆。”便排出九文大钱。他们又故意的高声嚷道，“你一定又偷了人家的东西了！”孔乙己睁大眼睛说，“你怎么这样凭空污人清白……”“什么清白？我前天亲眼见你偷了何家的书，吊着打。”孔乙己便涨红了脸，额上的青筋条条绽出，争辩道，“窃书不能算偷……窃书！……读书人的事，能算偷么？”接连便是难懂的话，什么“君子固穷”⑶，什么“者乎”之类，引得众人都哄笑起来：店内外充满了快活的空气。
　　听人家背地里谈论，孔乙己原来也读过书，但终于没有进学⑷，又不会营生；于是愈过愈穷，弄到将要讨饭了。幸而写得一笔好字，便替人家钞钞书，换一碗饭吃。可惜他又有一样坏脾气，便是好吃懒做。坐不到几天，便连人和书籍纸张笔砚，一齐失踪。如是几次，叫他钞书的人也没有了。孔乙己没有法，便免不了偶然做些偷窃的事。但他在我们店里，品行却比别人都好，就是从不拖欠；虽然间或没有现钱，暂时记在粉板上，但不出一月，定然还清，从粉板上拭去了孔乙己的名字。
　　孔乙己喝过半碗酒，涨红的脸色渐渐复了原，旁人便又问道，“孔乙己，你当真认识字么？”孔乙己看着问他的人，显出不屑置辩的神气。他们便接着说道，“你怎的连半个秀才也捞不到呢？”孔乙己立刻显出颓唐不安模样，脸上笼上了一层灰色，嘴里说些话；这回可是全是之乎者也之类，一些不懂了。在这时候，众人也都哄笑起来：店内外充满了快活的空气。
　　在这些时候，我可以附和着笑，掌柜是决不责备的。而且掌柜见了孔乙己，也每每这样问他，引人发笑。孔乙己自己知道不能和他们谈天，便只好向孩子说话。有一回对我说道，“你读过书么？”我略略点一点头。他说，“读过书，……我便考你一考。茴香豆的茴字，怎样写的？”我想，讨饭一样的人，也配考我么？便回过脸去，不再理会。孔乙己等了许久，很恳切的说道，“不能写罢？……我教给你，记着！这些字应该记着。将来做掌柜的时候，写账要用。”我暗想我和掌柜的等级还很远呢，而且我们掌柜也从不将茴香豆上账；又好笑，又不耐烦，懒懒的答他道，“谁要你教，不是草头底下一个来回的回字么？”孔乙己显出极高兴的样子，将两个指头的长指甲敲着柜台，点头说，“对呀对呀！……回字有四样写法⑸，你知道么？”我愈不耐烦了，努着嘴走远。孔乙己刚用指甲蘸了酒，想在柜上写字，见我毫不热心，便又叹一口气，显出极惋惜的样子。
　　有几回，邻居孩子听得笑声，也赶热闹，围住了孔乙己。他便给他们吃茴香豆，一人一颗。孩子吃完豆，仍然不散，眼睛都望着碟子。孔乙己着了慌，伸开五指将碟子罩住，弯腰下去说道，“不多了，我已经不多了。”直起身又看一看豆，自己摇头说，“不多不多！多乎哉？不多也。”⑹于是这一群孩子都在笑声里走散了。
　　孔乙己是这样的使人快活，可是没有他，别人也便这么过。
　　有一天，大约是中秋前的两三天，掌柜正在慢慢的结账，取下粉板，忽然说，“孔乙己长久没有来了。还欠十九个钱呢！”我才也觉得他的确长久没有来了。一个喝酒的人说道，“他怎么会来？……他打折了腿了。”掌柜说，“哦！”“他总仍旧是偷。这一回，是自己发昏，竟偷到丁举人家里去了。他家的东西，偷得的么？”“后来怎么样？”“怎么样？先写服辩⑺，后来是打，打了大半夜，再打折了腿。”“后来呢？”“后来打折了腿了。”“打折了怎样呢？”“怎样？……谁晓得？许是死了。”掌柜也不再问，仍然慢慢的算他的账。
　　中秋之后，秋风是一天凉比一天，看看将近初冬；我整天的靠着火，也须穿上棉袄了。一天的下半天，没有一个顾客，我正合了眼坐着。忽然间听得一个声音，“温一碗酒。”这声音虽然极低，却很耳熟。看时又全没有人。站起来向外一望，那孔乙己便在柜台下对了门槛坐着。他脸上黑而且瘦，已经不成样子；穿一件破夹袄，盘着两腿，下面垫一个蒲包，用草绳在肩上挂住；见了我，又说道，“温一碗酒。”掌柜也伸出头去，一面说，“孔乙己么？你还欠十九个钱呢！” 孔乙己很颓唐的仰面答道，“这……下回还清罢。这一回是现钱，酒要好。”掌柜仍然同平常一样，笑着对他说，“孔乙己，你又偷了东西了！”但他这回却不十分分辩，单说了一句“不要取笑！”“取笑？要是不偷，怎么会打断腿？”孔乙己低声说道，“跌断，跌，跌……”他的眼色，很像恳求掌柜，不要再提。此时已经聚集了几个人，便和掌柜都笑了。我温了酒，端出去，放在门槛上。他从破衣袋里摸出四文大钱，放在我手里，见他满手是泥，原来他便用这手走来的。不一会，他喝完酒，便又在旁人的说笑声中，坐着用这手慢慢走去了。
　　自此以后，又长久没有看见孔乙己。到了年关，掌柜取下粉板说，“孔乙己还欠十九个钱呢！”到第二年的端午，又说“孔乙己还欠十九个钱呢！”到中秋可是没有说，再到年关也没有看见他。
　　我到现在终于没有见——大约孔乙己的确死了。

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　一九一九年三月。

大话西游之月光宝盒（片断）

2009-01-07T21:42:00.000-08:00

观音：孙悟空，你这个畜生，你为了跟牛魔王的妹妹成亲，居然把你师傅唐三藏作贺礼，还约了妖魔鬼怪一起吃唐僧宴，你认不认错？
悟空：三八婆！你追了我三天三夜，因为你是女人我才不杀你，不要以为我是怕了你！
唐僧：悟空，你怎么可以这样跟观音姐姐讲话呢？
悟空：哗－－！闭嘴！
唐僧：你又吓我！
至尊宝：孙悟空、唐三藏？
观音：你知不知道你已经犯了弥天大罪，你还抢了紫霞仙子的月光宝盒，分明就是想避开我嘛！
悟空：既然避不了，我老孙就跟你决一死战！

（将月光宝盒一抛）

唐僧：干什么呀？

（月光宝盒向至尊宝飞来，至尊宝伸手去接，却被唐僧抢先接过去。）

唐僧：哎哟，悟空你也真调皮呀！我叫你不要乱扔东西呀，唉，乱扔东西是不对……哎呀话没有说完你怎么把棍子也扔掉了？月光宝盒是宝物，乱扔它会污染环境，唉，砸到小朋友怎么办？就算砸不到小朋友砸到花花草草也不好嘛！

（悟空一把抓住宝盒。）

唐僧：你干什么？
悟空：放手！
唐僧：你想要啊？你想要说清楚就行了吗？你想要的话我会给你的，你想要我当然不会不给你啦！不可能你说要我不给你，你说不要我却偏要给你，大家讲道理嘛！现在我数三下，你要说清楚你要不要……
悟空：我Kao！

（一拳打倒唐僧）

观音：啊？孙悟空！
悟空：哈哈哈哈哈！大家看到啦？这个家伙没事就长篇大论婆婆妈妈叽叽歪歪，就好象整天有一只苍蝇，嗡……对不起，不是一只，是一堆苍蝇围着你，嗡…嗡…嗡…嗡…飞到你的耳朵里面，救命啊！救命啊！

(悟空倒地翻滚，异常痛苦。)

悟空：所以呢我就抓住苍蝇挤破它的肚皮把它的肠子扯出来再用它的肠子勒住他的脖子用力一拉，呵－－！整条舌头都伸出来啦！我再手起刀落，哗－－！整个世界清净了。现在大家知道，我为什么要杀他！
唐僧：真的吗？
观音：诸多借口，你根本不想去取西经，不管怎么解释，也不能原谅你欺师灭祖的行为！
唐僧：姐姐，这是你的不对了！
观音：啊？
唐僧：悟空他要吃我，只不过是一个构思，还没有成为事实，你又没有证据，他又何罪之有呢？不如等他吃了我之后，你有凭有据，再定他的罪也不迟啊！
观音：唐三藏，你罗嗦我早就听说过了，不过没想到你居然这么罗嗦！我给你的金刚圈要你用来制伏这猴子你居然不用！
唐僧：唉，那个金刚圈尺寸太差，前重后轻左宽右窄，他带上之后很不舒服，整晚失眠，会连累我嘛！他虽然是个猴子，可是你也不能这样对他，官府知道了会说我虐待动物的！说起那个金刚圈，啊，去年我在陈家村认识了一位铁匠，他手工精美、价钱又公道、童叟无欺，干脆我介绍你再定做一个吧！
悟空：闭嘴！
观音：闭嘴！

（悟空和观音同时伸手去掐唐僧的脖子，等一掐着观音才猛然惊觉，急忙缩回手去。）

观音：罪过罪过！
悟空：现在你也体会我的痛苦了吧？回答我！
（悟空用月光宝盒向观音打去，被观音挡飞。至尊宝上前去接，却又被唐僧抢先接住。一番斗法，悟空被观音降服，收进甘露瓶。）
观音：今天我要替天行道！
唐僧：观音姐姐手下留情啊！试问人谁无过，他总算是我的徒弟，徒弟有错作师傅的也有责任，求姐姐放他一条生路吧！
观音：我不消灭他无法向玉皇大帝交代！
唐僧：我不会使你为难的。请观音姐姐跟玉皇大帝说一声，贫僧愿意一命赔一命！正所谓我不入地狱谁入地狱？求姐姐你体谅，我这样做，无非是想感化劣徒，以配合我佛慈悲的大无畏精神啊！

(唐僧合十坐地，将月光宝盒放在一旁。)

观音：善哉善哉！悟空，希望你有一天能够领悟到你师傅这种舍生取义的精神。

唐僧：(将法杖向空中一抛)

喃呒阿弥陀佛！

A Chinese Odyssey Part One:Pandora's Box

Guanyin (Goddess of Mercy): Sun Wukong, you are such a cad (brute). In order to marry the sister of Bull King, you went as far as to take your master Tang Sanzang as a gift and invite the devils and ghosts to a banquet to eat him. Do you admit that?

Sun Wukong: You bitch! You have chased me for three days and three nights. The only reason I didn’t kill you is because you are a woman, not because I was afraid of you!

Tang Seng: Wukong, how can you talk to Sister Guanyin in such a manner?

Wukong: Grr, shut up!

Tang Seng: You are trying to scare me again.

Joker: Sun Wukong, Tan Sanzang?

Guanyin: Do you know what a heinous crime you have committed? You took the Pandora’s box from Fairy Zixia. Aren’t you trying to hide from me?

Wukong: Since it is impossible to hide from you, let’s fight to the death!

(Wukong carelessly tosses aside the Pandora’s box.)

Tangseng: What are you doing?

(The Pandora’s box is flying to the Joker. Joker tries to catch it, but Tang Seng grabs it first.)

Tangseng: Oh, my… Wukong, you are such a naughty boy. I have told you not to throw things around. It is not right to throw things… I am not finished; yet, you are tossing your staff now! The Pandora’s box is a treasure. You are polluting the environment by throwing it away. Ayah, what if it hit a child? Even if it doesn’t hit a child, it doesn’t do any good for the flowers and grass!

(Wukong clutches the Pandora’s box.)

Tangseng: What are you doing?

Wukong: Let go of it!

Tangseng: You want it? Wukong, if you want it, you only need say so. If you want it, I will give it to you. If you want it, I certainly will not refuse to give it to you. It is impossible that if you want it, that I wouldn’t give it back to you, and it is impossible that if you wouldn’t want it, whereupon I would insist on giving it back to you. We must be reasonable! Let me count to three. You state it clearly whether you want it or not…

Wukong: Damn!

(Wukong punches Tangseng to the ground.)

Guanyin: Ah? Sun Wukong!

Wukong: Ha Ha, you all see this? This guy is full of shit, like old women who talk incessantly on nothing - like a fly buzzing all the time. Buzzing…sorry, not just one, but a swarm of flies surrounding you. Buzz….Buzz… flying to your ears. Save me, please save me.

(Wukong is rolling on the ground, in great pain.)

Wukong: So, I grabbed the fly, cut its belly, pulled out its intestine, strangled its neck with its intestine, and gave a forceful pull. Aha… Its tongue was completely out. And then I raised the sword, and chopped it. Ha, the entire world became silent. Now everybody is clear why I want to kill him!

Tang Seng: Is that true?

Guanyin: These are all your pretextes. You don’t really want to get the Holy Scriptures at all. No matter what you say, you unscrupulous behavior is unforgivable!

Tang Seng: Sister, this time you are wrong!

Guanyin: Ah?

Tang Seng: That Wukong wants to eat me is just a hypothesis, which has not become a fact. Without evidence, how can you accuse him of any crime? You must wait until he eats me. It is not too late to wait until that moment when you get sufficient evidence.

Guanyin: Tang Sanzang, I have long heard about your anoyance, but I never thought you would be as annoying as this. I gave you the gold headband to control this monkey. But you didn’t even use it!

Tang Seng: Ai. The size of that headband is way off. It is too heavy in the front and too light in the other end, too broad on the left and too narrow on the right. He felt so uncomfortable wearing it. It turned him into an insomniac. It bothered me, also. Although he is a monkey, you can’t treat him like this. If the government knew what I did to him, I will be accused of animal abuse. Speaking of that gold headband, last year I got to know a blacksmith in the Village Chen. He is very skillful and charges a reasonable price. He treats both the old and young with honesty. Let me introduce him to you so that you can order a new headband!

Wu Kong: Quiet!

Guanyin: Quiet!

(Both Wukong and Guanyin extend their hands to clutch the neck of Tang seng. Guanyin, shocked at herself, pulling back her hand instantly.)

Guanyin: I’ve sinned!

Wukong: Now you can understand my pains! Come on, agree!

(Wukong flings the Pandora’s Box towards Guanyin. Guanyin brushes it away. Joke moves on to catch it, but Tang Seng grabs it again. After a fierce fight, Wukong is defeated by Guanyin and drawn into the Holy Vase.)

Guanyin: Today I am bringing justice to the world!

Tang Seng: Please be merciful, Sister Guanyin. Who has never made a mistake? Anyway, he is my disciple. A master has to take responsibility for the faults of his disciple. Please spare his life, Sister.

Guanyin: If I don’t exterminate him, I can’t go back to answer the Jade Emperor!

Tangseng: I won’t make your life difficult. Please deliver a message to the Jade Emperor for me. I would like to exchange my life for his. As it is said, if I don’t go to hell, who should? Please understand me. What I am doing is to teach my disciple, which is also in line with the spirit of fearlessness of the magnanimous Buddha.

(Tengseng makes the Zen gesture, placing the Pandora’s box aside.).

Guanyin: Good grief! Wu Kong, I hope that one day you will understand your master’s spirit to sacrifice himself for the holy cause.

Tangseng: (Throws his staff to the sky.)

Namo Amita Buddha!

The Translation Blog

The Translation Blog

龍應臺：正眼看西方

龍應臺：正眼看西方

View the West with Impartiality

潜伏 (下)

潜伏 (中)

潜伏 (上)

差不多先生傳

第21届韩素音青年翻译竞赛 汉译英 可贵的“他人意识” (未获奖作品)

陈丹燕 : 《弄堂: 上海人的生活底色》

老舍的《我这一辈子》 英语 翻译 第三章

《鸟的天堂》 巴金

老舍的《我这一辈子》 英语 翻译 第二章

朱自清 《背影》 英语翻译

老舍的《我这一辈子》 英语 翻译 第一章

《孔乙己 》 英语 翻译

大话西游之月光宝盒 （片断）

第21届韩素音青年翻译竞赛汉译英可贵的“他人意识” (未获奖作品)

老舍的《我这一辈子》英语翻译第三章

《鸟的天堂》巴金

老舍的《我这一辈子》英语翻译第二章

朱自清《背影》英语翻译

老舍的《我这一辈子》英语翻译第一章

《孔乙己》英语翻译

大话西游之月光宝盒（片断）