荷塘月色比较4

荷塘月色（朱自清）翻译比较( #4)

梁元帝《采莲赋》里说得好：

于是妖童媛女，荡舟心许；鹢首徐回，兼传羽杯；棹将移而藻挂，船欲动而萍开。尔其纤腰束素，迁延顾步；夏始春余，叶嫩花初，恐沾裳而浅笑，畏倾船而敛裙。

(a) Emperor Yuan of the Liang Dynasty, in his “Ode to Lotus Picking”, described it well:

“And so the handsome lad and sweet maiden drifted around in a small boat while pledging their undying love

to each other. Back and forth the little craft was rowed and the wine glasses were passed. Algae draped over

the paddling oars and floating duckweed made way for the moving boat. With a white ribbon tied around her

slender waist, she hesitated in advancing the boat and kept looking back at where she started. The time was

late spring and early summer when leaves were greening and flowers were budding. She giggled when her

dress was in danger of getting wet, and lifted up the bottom of her skirt in fear the boat might tilt.”

(b) A brilliant description can be found in Lotus Gathering written by the Yuan Emperor of the Liang

Dynasty:

So those charming youngsters row their sampans, heart buoyant with tacit love, pass to eath other

cups oJ wine while their bird- shaped prows drift around. From time to time their oars are caught in

dangling algae, and duckweed float apart the moment their boats are about to move on. Their slender

figures, girdled with plain silk, tread watchfully on board. This is the time when spring is growing into

summer, the leaves a tender green and the flowers blooming,- among which the girls are giggling when

evading an outreaching stem. their shirts tucked in for fear that the sampan might tilt.

(c)

We have a good ac c o u n t of it in a poem by Emperor Yuan of the Liang dynasty called Lotus

Gatherers:

Deft boys and pretty girls

Reach an understanding while boating;

Their prows veer slowly,

But the wine cups pass quickly;

Their oars are entangled,

As they cut through the duckweed,

And girls with slender waists

Turn to gaze behind them.

Now spring and summer meet,

Leaves are tender, flowers fresh;

With smiles they protect their silks,

Drawing in their skirts, afraid lest the boat upset.

(d) -------- (e) About that, a description was brilliantly made in "Lotus-seed Plucking" written by Emperor Yuan of

the Liang Dynasty: Charming boys and fair maidens Row their boats in mutual understandings They veer

their prows slowly, But pass the wine cups swiftly; When they pull the oars, They are easily caught in algae;

When they row their boats, The duckweed apart floats; The maidens with slender waists Are girdled with

plain silk And turn round watchfully and with grace. It is late spring and early summer When leaves are

tender green and flowers blooming They giggle for fear of wetting their silk, They draw in their skirts lest the

boats tilt.

可见当时嬉游的光景了。这真是有趣的事，可惜我们现在早已无福消受了。

(a)

That was a glimpse of playing around then. It was a fun, but regretfully we could no longer enjoy it

nowadays.

(b)

That is a glimpse of those merrymaking scenes. It must have been fascinating; but unfortunately we

have long been denied such a delight.

(c)

There we have a picture of these merry excursions. This must have been a delightful event, and it is a

great pity we cannot enjoy it today.

(d) ------

(e) It can be seen that they had a merry life then. It must have been a very, fas- ing life, but

unfortunately we have long been denied the chance to enjoy it.

于是又记起《西洲曲》里的句子：采莲南塘秋，莲花过人头；低头弄莲子，莲子清如水。

(a)

And then I recall verses in “Ballad of Xizhou”: “In picking lotus seeds in South Pond during the fall,

the plants measured in excess of

man’s height. Looking down at those seeds being handled, they were as clear

as water.”

(b) Then I recall those lines in Ballad of Xizhou Island:

Gathering the lotus, I am in the South Pond, /The lilies, in autumn,, reach over my head;

/Lowering my head I toy with the lotus seed, /look, they are as fresh as the water umderneath.

(c)

I also remember some lines from the poem West Islet:

When they gather lotus at Nantang in autumn

The lotus blooms are higher than their heads;

They stoop to pick lotus seeds,

Seeds as translucent as water.

(d) This in turn revived my memory of the following lines in the “West Islet Ditty”:

In autumn I pluck lotus seeds in the South Pond,

Tall are the lotus plants, taller than me.

My head bent low, with lotus seeds I play,

Green, green as water all the lotus seeds I see.

(e) And then I could recall several lines from the Ballad of the West Islet: In autumn I pluck lotus seeds

in the South Pond With lotus flowers high above my head. Lowering my head, I pluck lotus seeds Which are

as green as the water underneath.