January 2023

Shi Tiesheng: Reminiscence of Autumn ~史铁生《秋天的怀念》 with English Translations

秋天的怀念 Reminiscence of Autumn 文/史铁生 译/黎历 By Shi Tiesheng /Tr. By Lily 双腿瘫痪后,我的脾气变得暴怒无常。望着望着天上北归的雁阵,我会突然把面前的玻璃砸碎;听着听着李谷一甜美的歌声,我会猛地把手边的东西摔向四周的墙壁。母亲就悄悄地躲出去,在我看不见的地方偷偷地听着我的动静。当一切恢复沉寂,她又悄悄地进来,眼边红红的,看着我。“听说北海的花儿都开了,我推着 你去走走。”她总是这么说。母亲喜欢花,可自从我的腿瘫痪后,她侍弄的那些花都死了。“不,我不去!”我狠命地捶打这两条可恨的腿,喊着:“我活着有什么劲!”母亲扑过来抓住我的手,忍住哭声说:“咱娘儿俩在一块儿,好好儿活,好好儿活……”可我却一直都不知道,她的病已经到了那步田地。后来妹妹告诉我, 她常常肝疼得整宿整宿翻来覆去地睡不了觉。 With my two legs paralyzed, my temper became very capricious. While looking at the flight array of home-coming wild geese in the sky, I could suddenly smash the glass in front of me. While listening to the sweet voice of […]

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Zhu Ziqing: My Father’s Back ~朱自清《背影》 with English Translations

背影My Father’s Back 朱自清Zhu Ziqing (杨宪益、戴乃迭 译) 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!” Though it is over two years since I saw my father, I can never forget my last view of his back. That winter my grandmother died, and my father’s official appointment was terminated, for troubles never come singly. I went from Beijing to Xuzhou, to go back

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Lao She: A Little Sparrow ~ 老舍《小麻雀》with English Translations

小麻雀 A Little Sparrow 老舍 Lao She 雨后,院里来了个麻雀,刚长全了羽毛。它在院里跳,有时飞一下,不过是由地上飞到花盆沿上,或由花盆上飞下来。看它这么飞了两三次,我看出来:它并不会飞得再高一些。,它的左翅的几根长翎拧在一处,有一根特别的长,似乎要脱落下来。 As soon as the rain stopped, a little sparrow, almost full-fledged, flew into the courtyard. It hopped, fluttered, darting up to the edge of flower pots and back to the ground again. Watching it move up and down a couple of times, I realized that it could

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Lu Xun: Autumn Night ~ 鲁迅《秋夜​》with English Translations

秋夜 Autumn Night 鲁迅 Lu Xun (杨宪益、戴乃迭译) 在我的后园,可以看见墙外有两株树,一株是枣树,还有一株也是枣树。 Behind the wall of my backyard you can see two trees: one is a date tree, the other is also a date tree. 这上面的夜的天空,奇怪而高, The night sky above them is strange and high. 我生平没有见过这样奇怪而高的天空。 I have never seen such a strange, high sky. 他仿佛要离开人间而去,使人们仰面不再看见。 It seems to

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Bai Yansong – Home: A Changing Concept ~白岩松《家在途中​》 with English Translations

家在途中 Home: A Changing Concept 白岩松 Bai Yansong 对于我来说,家的概念随着年龄的变化而不断变化。 To me, the concept of home changes continually along with my age. 在童年的时候,家是一声声呼唤。 In my childhood, home was a string of calls. 那时的我似乎比今日的孩子拥有更多的自由。 It seems that I was entitled to more freedom than today’s children. 放学后不会先在父母前露面,而是与住的相邻的同学聚在一起, I didn’t have to show up in front of my

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Lu Xun: Snow ~鲁迅《雪》 with English Translations

雪 Snow 鲁迅 Lu Xun (杨宪益、戴乃迭译) 暖国的雨,向来没有变过冰冷的坚硬的灿烂的雪花。 The rain of the south has never congealed into icy, glittering snowflakes. 博识的人们觉得他单调,他自己也以为不幸否耶? Men who have seen the world consider this humdrum; does the rain, too, think it unfortunate? 江南的雪,可是滋润美艳之至了;那是还在隐约着的青春的消息,是极壮健的处子的皮肤。 The snow south of the Yangtze is extremely moist and pretty, like the first indefinable intimation of spring,

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Suffering a LossIs a Blessing ~ 郑荣升《吃亏是福》with English Translations

吃亏是福 Suffering a LossIs a Blessing 郑荣升 马秉义译 前些日子,五弟和弟妹来城里看我,吃饭时提出要我给他们写一幅书法横幅,回去挂客厅里, 一是可以起装饰作用,二是能够反映他们的志趣,词呢, 要我看着写。五弟夫妇为人忠厚老实,与人交往,宁可自己吃亏,从不沾别人便宜。据此,我当时就写了郑板桥的“吃亏是福”四个大字送给他们。五弟看了,连连说这词好, 很富有哲理,可弟妹不太赞成, 她笑着冲五弟说:好什么呀, 这些年咱们尽吃亏了,也没见福在哪里。屋里若再挂上这么几个字,咱们这一辈子还不光吃亏呀!五弟憨厚地一笑, 说你知道什么呀,还是这词好, 吃点亏不错。人和人相处,要都想沾便宜, 那还成个什么样子? My fifth younger brother and his wife came to town to see me the other day. They asked me during the meal time to write them a script banner, which they could hang on the wall in their

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Six Records of a Floating Life ~ 《浮生六记》节选 with English Translations

当时是六月十八日,早晨较凉快,我带一仆人先到胥江渡口登上小船等待。不久芸果然乘小轿来到,我们解开缆绳乘船离开了虎啸桥。此刻,渐渐看见湖面上风帆急,沙鸥飞。 This was on the eighteenth day of the sixth moon. That day, I brought a servant and arrived first at Hsukiang Ferry, where I waited for her in the boat. By and by, Yun arrived in a sedan-chair, and we started off, passing by the Tiger’s Roar Bridge, where the view opened up and

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Gu Hongming ~《辜鸿铭论中国人的礼仪》 with English Translations

Now the first thing, I think, which will strike you in the old Chinese type of humanity is that there is nothing wild, savage or ferocious in him. 我以为,在古老的中国式人性中最先打动你们的一点是,真正的中国人从不野蛮、不残忍,也不凶恶。 In fact, the one word, it seems to me, which will sum up the impression which the Chinese type of humanity makes upon you is the

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Zhang Xianliang: Half Man is Woman  (Excerpt) ~张贤亮·《男人的一半是女人》 with English Translations

张贤亮·《男人的一半是女人》(节选)英译 Half Man is Woman  (Excerpt) Zhang Xianliang “‘八年啦,别提啦!’”她笑着,学了一句革命样板戏《智取威虎山》里的唱词。随后,两脚倒着把我埋下的土踩瓷实,眼睛看着地面说,“这八年,结了两次婚,离了两次婚,就这些。幸亏没生娃娃。” ‘Me? Don’t even ask.’ She laughed, as she reeled off a line from a model revolutionary play. Then she stamped down the earth that I had shoveled in. ‘Eight years: I married twice and divorced twice. That was about it. Luckily there weren’t any children.’ 我不停地干着活,一点也不惊奇。我看见、听见的出乎意料的事太多了,到后来,竟没有一件事能出乎我的意料。她不那样生活还能怎样生活?幸福是一种奇迹,不幸才是常规。她对我的坎坷也没有感到惊奇。这样,我们倒是真正地相互理解了。她不说那些安慰的话语也好,这些年,我最怕那种老太婆式的絮絮叨叨的同情。

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