浮生六记｜汉英对照（电子书免费分享）

中英文译本分享见文末。

余生乾隆癸未年冬十一月二十有二日，正值太平盛世，且在衣冠之家，居苏州沧浪亭畔，天之厚我可谓至矣。东坡云：“事如春梦了无痕”，苟不记之笔墨，未免有辜彼苍之厚。

因思《关雎》冠三百篇之首，被列夫妇于首卷，余以次递及焉。所愧少年失学，稍识之无，不过记其实情实事而已，若必考订其文法，是责明于垢鉴矣。

I was born in 1763, under the reign of Ch’ienlung, on the twenty-second day of the eleventh moon. The country was then in the heyday of peace and, moreover, I was born in a scholars’ family, living by the side of the Ts’anglang Pavilion in Soochow. So altogether I may say the gods have been unusually kind to me. Su Tungp’o said, “Life is like a spring dream which vanishes without a trace.” I should be ungrateful to the gods if I did not try to put my life down on record.

Since the Book of Poems begins with a poem on wedded love, I thought I would begin this book by speaking of my marital relations and then let other matters follow. My only regret is that I was not properly educated in childhood; all I know is a simple language and I shall try only to record the real facts and real sentiments. I hope the reader will be kind enough not to scrutinize my grammar, which would be like looking for brilliance in a tarnished mirror. 

余幼聘金沙于氏，八龄而夭。娶陈氏。陈名芸，字淑珍，舅氏心余先生女也，生而颖慧，学语时，口授《琵琶行》，即能成诵。四龄失怙，母金氏，弟克昌，家徒壁立。芸既长，娴女红，三口仰其十指供给，克昌从师，修脯无缺。一日，于书簏中得《琵琶行》，挨字而认，始识字。刺绣之暇，渐通吟咏，有“秋侵人影瘦，霜染菊花肥”之句。

余年十三，随母归宁，两小无嫌，得见所作，虽叹其才思隽秀，窃恐其福泽不深，然心注不能释，告母曰：“若为儿择妇，非淑姊不娶。”母亦爱其柔和，即脱金约指缔姻焉。此乾隆乙未七月十六日也。

I was engaged in my childhood to one Miss Yü, of Chinsha, who died in her eighth year, and eventually I married a girl of the Ch’en clan. Her name was Yün and her literary name Suchen. She was my cousin, being the daughter of my maternal uncle, Hsinyü. Even in her childhood, she was a very clever girl, for while she was learning to speak, she was taught Po Chüyi’s poem, The P’i P’a Player, and could at once repeat it. Her father died when she was four years old, and in the family there were only her mother (of the Chin clan) and her younger brother K’ehch’ang and herself, being then practically destitute. When Yün grew up and had learnt needlework, she was providing for the family of three, and contrived always to pay K’ehch’ang’s tuition fees punctually. One day, she picked up a copy of the poem The P’i P’a Player from a wastebasket, and from that, with the help of her memory of the lines, she learnt to read word by word. Between her needlework, she gradually learnt to write poetry. One of her poems contained the two lines:

“Touched by autumn, one’s figure grows slender,

Soaked in frost, the chrysanthemum blooms full.”

When I was thirteen years old, I went with my mother to her maiden home and there we met. As we were two young innocent children, she allowed me to read her poems. I was quite struck by her talent, but feared that she was too clever to be happy. Still, I could not help thinking of her all the time, and once I told my mother, “If you were to choose a girl for me, I won’t marry anyone except Cousin Su.” My mother also liked her being so gentle, and gave her her gold ring as a token for the betrothal. 

① 乾隆癸未年冬十一月二十有二日 On the twenty-second day of the eleventh moon, under the reign of Ch’ienlung

② 太平盛世 In the heyday of peace

③ 衣冠之家 A scholars’ family

④ 居苏州沧浪亭畔 Living by the side of the Ts’anglang Pavilion in Soochow

⑤ 东坡云：“事如春梦了无痕” Su Tungp’o said, “Life is like a spring dream which vanishes without a trace.”

⑥ 苟不记之笔墨，未免有辜彼苍之厚 I should be ungrateful to the gods if I did not try to put my life down on record.

⑦ 《关雎》冠三百篇之首 The Book of Poems begins with a poem on wedded love

⑧ 少年失学 I was not properly educated in childhood

⑨ 实情实事 Real facts and real sentiments

⑩ 是责明于垢鉴矣 Like looking for brilliance in a tarnished mirror

⑪ 八龄而夭 Died in her eighth year

⑫ 四龄失怙 Her father died when she was four years old

⑬ 家徒壁立 Being then practically destitute

⑭ 难能成诵 Could at once repeat it

⑮ 十指供给 Providing for the family of three with her needlework

⑯ 渐通吟咏 Gradually learnt to write poetry

⑰ “秋侵人影瘦，霜染菊花肥” “Touched by autumn, one’s figure grows slender, soaked in frost, the chrysanthemum blooms full.”

⑱ 两小无嫌 As we were two young innocent children

⑲ 才思隽秀 Struck by her talent

⑳ 柔和 Being so gentle

㉑ 脱金约指缔姻 Gave her her gold ring as a token for the betrothal