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(reminder: all quotes here are fiddled, probably.)

永言珍重兮無時無


洞庭湖柳毅傳書

* 唐傳奇: 李朝威 / Yang trs (楊憲益戴乃迭), Dragon King's Daughter
* 元雜劇: 尚仲賢 / Hawkes trs, Liu Yi and Dragon Princess


Chientang Breaks the Foemen's Ranks
錢塘破陣之歌


大天蒼蒼兮,大地茫茫。
人各有志兮,何可思量。
狐神鼠聖兮,薄社依牆。
雷霆一發兮,其孰敢當。
荷真人兮信義長。
令骨肉兮還故鄉。
齊言慚愧兮何時忘。
(雜劇:願言配德兮何時忘。)

(傳奇) Yang trs:
Wide the earth and grey the sky,
Who can hear a distant cry?
The fox lies snugly in his lair,
But thunderbolts can reach him there.
A true man, who upholds the right,
Restored my daughter to my sight.
Such a service how can we requite?

(雜劇) Hawkes trs:
Beneath the blue and boundless sky
Within the vast encircling sea
Who can predict what any man
Will in the end turn out to be?

Snug in their holes like mice and rats
The wicked may feel free from care
But when the Avenger finds them out
His lightning strikes them even there

Good friend, because you kept your word
Our dear one's with us here today
This kindness nothing can repay


*

The Princess's Joyful return 貴主還宮之歌

上天配合兮,生死有途。
彼不當婦兮,此不當夫。
腹心煩苦兮,涇水之隅。
風霜滿鬢兮,雨雪霑襦。
賴明公兮引素書。
令骨肉兮家如初。
永言珍重兮無時無。

(傳奇) Yang trs:
Life and death are fixed by fate,
Our princess found a worthless mate.
By River Jing she had to go,
In wind and frost, in rain and snow.
This gentleman her letter bore,
Then we restored her to this shore.
This we'll remember ever more!

(雜劇) Hawkes trs:
Good marriages are made in heaven
But hers was not to be for life
We meant well, but the one she wed
Was no fit match for such a wife

On the bleak northern riverside
In loneliness she nursed her pain
Chilled by each passing wind that blew
Or soaked and shivering in the rain

But now our dear one, thanks to you,
Is with us as she was before
We'll bless you for this evermore


*

柳毅奉觴之歌
碧雲悠悠兮,涇水東流。
傷美人兮,雨泣花愁。
尺書遠達兮,以解君憂。
哀冤果雪兮,還處其休。
荷和雅兮感甘羞,
山家寂寞兮難久留。
欲將辭去兮悲綢繆。

(傳奇) Yang trs:
Like a blossom in the rain,
The princess longed for home in vain,
I brought back tidings of her plight,
And all her wrongs were soon set right,
Now we feast, but soon must part,
For home again I needs must start.
Bitter longing fills my heart!


東君 (九歌)


楚辭 Songs of the South
David Hawkes trs
(通假字代之以常體)


Nine Songs 九歌
VII. The Lord of the East 東君

1. With a faint flush I start to come out of the east, / Shinning down on my threshold, Fu-sang. 暾將出兮東方,照吾檻兮扶桑。
As I urge my horses slowly forwards, / The night sky brightens, and day has come.
撫余馬兮安驅,夜晈晈兮既明。

I ride a dragon car and chariot on the thunder, / With cloud-banners fluttering upon the wind.
駕龍輈兮乘雷,載雲旗兮委蛇。
I heave a long sigh as I start the ascent, / Reluctant to leave, and looking back longingly; 長太息兮將上,心低徊兮顧懷。
For the beauty and the music are so enchanting, / The beholder, delighted, forgets that he must go.
羌聲色兮娛人,觀者憺兮忘歸。 (羌助詞)

2. Tigten the zither's strings and smite them in unison! / Strike the bells until the bell-stand rocks! 緪瑟兮交鼓,㩋鐘兮搖虡。
(緪音庚, 㩋音肅, 虡音巨)
Let the flutes sound! Blow the pan-pipes! / See the priestesses, how skilled and lovely,
鳴箎兮吹竽,思靈保兮賢姱。
(箎音池, 思助詞, 姱叶庫/戶 khoa)
Whirling and dipping like birds in flight, / Unfolding the words in time to the dancing,
翾飛兮翠䎖,展詩兮會舞。
Pitch and beat all in perfect accord! / The spirits, descending, darken the sun.
應律兮合節,靈之來兮蔽日。

3. In my cloud-coat and my skirt of the rainbow, / Grasping my bow I soar high up in the sky.
青雲衣兮白霓裳,操余弧兮高馳翔。
I aim my long arrow and shoot the Wolf of Heaven; / I seize the Dipper to ladle cinnamon wine.
舉長矢兮射天狼,援北斗兮酌桂漿。
Then holding my reins, I plunge down to my setting, / On my gloomy night journey back to the east.
撰余轡兮返淪降,杳冥冥兮以東行。 (行叶航)

*

#1 東君自道, 日出之象
#2 祭儀 (靈 = 降靈於巫)
#3 東君自道, 日中與日落, 及夜行回東方

Hawkes 於 #3 的譯文, 調動了詞句的次序.
原文:
青雲衣兮白霓裳,舉長矢兮射天狼
In my cloud-coat and my skirt of the rainbow, /
I aim my long arrow and shoot the Wolf of Heaven.

操余弧兮反淪降,援北斗兮酌桂漿。
Then grasping my bow, I plunge down to my setting; / I seize the Dipper to ladle cinnamon wine.
撰余轡兮高駝翔,杳冥冥兮以東行。 Holding my reins, I soar high up in the sky, / On my gloomy night journey back to the east.


王逸注 駝, 一作馳, 一無此字. 又, 大司命曰 高駝兮沖天, 王逸注 駝, 一作馳.

三兄妹


多羅麻
高羅佩
哥羅芳

偵探小說 / 推理小說


吾兒問我, 同學與他談起有何偵探小說可讀. 我不是偵探小說迷. 只能提幾個人所共知的系列, 或我愛好, 或有點特色的作品. 雖非內行, 大概五花八門, 也多少有些代表性.


括號為寫作年代

1. 盧布朗 Leblanc: (1900--1930s)
怪盜紳士亞森羅蘋 Arsene Lupin

--

2. 柯南道爾 Conan Doyle: (1890--1920s)
福爾摩斯系列;
沒有福爾摩斯的故事 (陳永明譯)

3. 克莉絲蒂 Agatha Christie:
(偵探小說女王, 1920--1970s)
白羅探案 (eg 東方快車謀殺案, 羅傑命案 (Murder of Roger Ackroyd)), etc.

4. 榭爾絲 Dorothy Sayers: (1920--1930s)
Lord Peter Wimsey stories, esp. those with Miss Harriet Vane

5. 愛倫坡 Edgar Allan Poe:
(偵探小說之父, 1840s)
C. Auguste Dupin 三部曲 (Rue Morgue, Marie Roget, Purloined Letter)

--

6. Orhan Pamuk: 我的名字叫紅 (1998, 伊斯蘭)

7. Umberto Eco: 玫瑰之名 (1980, 中世紀)

8. 東野圭吾 (當代, 人情味濃厚)

9. 松本清張 (戰後, 探及社會背景)

--

10. Dashiell Hammett: The Maltese Falcon馬耳他之鷹 (1930)

11. 高羅佩 Robert Hans van Gulik:
Judge Dee 大唐狄公案 (1950--60s)

12. 赤川次郎: (1980--2000 流行小說)
三色貓系列

13. Nancy Springer: (2006-- 青年讀物) Enola Holmes Mysteries 天才少女福爾摩斯

波碩冊


Balzac

讀了傅雷譯單身三部曲的兩個故事: 都爾的本堂神父 Le Cure de Tours 與 彼哀蘭 Pierrette (比哀蘭德). 換了是從前眼淺的我, 想必熱淚盈眶, 掩卷不能卒讀. 尤其是彼哀蘭的故事, 其灑狗血催淚之情度, 比經典韓劇有過之而無不及. 只是巴爾札克刻劃人性之辛辣, 之深刻, 當然不是現今電視劇可相提並論了.

一路讀來, 那種情節反來覆去, 搧動情緒的套路, 總教人思疑巴爾札克的小說, 是否報紙連載.

(PS: 在網上搜尋了一下, 似乎確有是說.)

所謂人間喜劇, 看來都是人間悲苦之劇, 與時下所謂之喜劇並不相干. 勉強言之, 所謂喜, 就是劇中充滿令人哭笑不得的幽默與諷刺. 也許可借日文一個詞語, 譯做 浮世繪, 更貼切.

別開生面


山長水遠到粉嶺, 在前輩的寫字樓兼書齊裡談了好半天, 談起舊公司一個時代的終結.

回家讀起董橋記憶的腳註, 讀到 2004 年泰晤士報捨大取小, 改成細開倒一節. (告別老泰晤士報)

前天, 倫敦一位傳媒朋友問我, "What comes next?" 我說當年哲學家 AJ Ayer 經典著作 Language, Truth and Logic 剛出版, ..... Elisabeth Pakenhelm 問艾爾下一步是甚麼? 艾爾眼睛一亮回答說: "There is no next. Philosophy has come to an end. Finished."

泰晤士報不再是泰晤士報了.

篇末說, 泰晤士報排拒新思潮, 人或嘲之賣的是名人訃告和填字遊戲, 倒是讀者來信好看, 引了一例:

一九七三年英國石油存量大跌, 一位讀者寫了一行字的信進言儲君查理斯取個公主: "Sir, can't an Arab princess be found for the Prince of Wales?"

吾兒聞言, 為之捧腹.

五月的微風吹起


神曲煉獄篇 Dante, Purgarory
Canto 24, line 144--154

田德望:

猶如預告破曉的五月微風吹起, 完全滲透了草味和花氣, 散發出芳香; 我覺到一絲這樣的微風打在我額部正中, 還覺到翅膀搧動, 使得這風聞著有天香。

我聽見說:「這樣的人有福了,他們蒙受如此洪恩啟迪, 使得對美味的愛好在他們心中不激起太大的食慾, 他們感到飢餓的,總是正義!」(飢渴慕義)


Kirkpatrick:

And as the breeze in May --- first messenger || of whitening dawn --- is moved in fragrant waves, || pregnant with grasses, greenery and flowers,

so here I sensed, mid-brow, wind touching me, || and sensed the moving feathers of a wing || that brought ambrosial senses to the air,

and made me sense the words: `The truly blessed || are lit with so much grace that in their hearts || a love of food fumes forth no false desire,

esruent always for the good and true.'


Sisson:

And just as, when she announces the dawn, || The May breeze stirs and brings her scent, || All saturated by the grass and flowers;

so I felt a wind on my forehead, || And was conscious of the movement of the wing || Which made me feel a breath of ambrosia.

And I heard a voice: `Blessed are those whom grace || Has enlightened that the appetite || Does not inflame desire excessively

But lets them always hunger as much as is just.'