Thursday, October 8, 2009

Zhou Bangyan: A Lad on the Road

Zhou Bangyan: A Lad on the Road
周邦彦:《少年游. 并刀如水》


  少年游
     周邦彦
并刀如水,吴盐胜雪,
纤手破新橙。
锦幄初温,兽烟不断,
相对坐调笙。

低声问:向谁行宿?
城上已三更。
马滑霜浓,不如休去,
直是少人行。

Word-by-word Exegesis 逐字注:

  少young年age游wandering
     周Zhou 邦彦 Bangyan
并Bing (prefecture) 刀knife如like (adj.) 水water
吴Wu (prefecture) 盐salt 胜better than 雪snow
纤fine, slender 手hand 破open, break up 新new, fresh 橙orange
锦brocade 幄curtains (as a partition) 初beginning to温 warm
兽beast 烟 (incense)smoke 不not断 stop
相对opposite to坐sit 调adjust 笙bamboo panpipe

低low 声voice 问ask 向to 谁who 行go 宿dwell
城city 上over 已already 三the third更 two-hour unit of the night (five in one night)
马horse 滑slip 霜frost 浓 thick不no如better休not去go
直really 是there are少few 人people 行walking

  A Lad on the Road
       Zhou Bangyan (1056-1121 Song Dynasty)  tr. Fan Jinghua
A knife from Bing is waterlike, salt from Wu is whiter than snow,
Slender hands cut clean a fresh orange.
Brocade curtains are warming, incense is curling up from the beast-head,
The two sit opposite, tuning a panpipe.

One whisper asks: To whom are you going?
Upon the city predawn dark is falling.
Frosty road is slippery for the horse; better not go now,
There are few souls on the road.

Commentary 评注:
  Tang Dynasty was noted for its poems (such as five-character or seven-character quatrain or regulated eight-line poems, rhymed), while the succeeding Song Dynasty was famous for its lyrics to set tunes. This title is itself a tune, to which lyrics were “filled” (as Chinese distinguish between “filling in a ci-poem aka lyrics and composing a poem). Hence, while a poem may usually have a title of its own (of course it can be titled as "untitled"), the title of a ci-poem (lyrics) usually appears in the form of a tune with the first few words of the poem.
  Zhou Bangyan (1056-1121 Song Dynasty) was very famous lyrist. This is one of the best example of restraint and simplicity of a love poem, although my translation may appear to be a little overdone. The first part is the time when a woman is welcoming the man. But the welcome is done with low-keyed in terms of “action.” The woman does not say anything, but takes out the best things. Using a particular knife and particular salt to prepare fresh oranges. The only decisive action is her “cutting clean” an orange, and this implies her neat and quick character. Her intention and efforts are also shown in the setting. Since it is a cold season, there has been an oven to warm the room, and there is also an exquisite incense burner of a beast-head shape. In the rococo setting are sitting two people, face to face, no words, alternatively tuning a bamboo panpipe. Everything and everyone seem to be what they should be, like a genre painting.
  The second part suddenly turns to a very late time, and the in-between time is omitted. We do not know what they have been doing, or maybe they have been playing music, without much to say to each other. The woman who is perhaps quite quick and decisive is now whispering to ask, hesitating, as if she only wants to pick up a small talk. Then she makes a few cautions: it is dark, cold and late, the road too slippery, and the horse risky. At last she suddenly blurts out: Do not go.

抒情的下一站
  铮铮亮的刀子,如水;晶晶亮的盐,胜雪;很女性,很净洁。一双手看似柔细,下刀果断,爽落,橙子破开。破的不是瓜。而那个氛围倒恰恰有氤氲气的,锦缎的帘子用来隔开内室外室,闪着浓厚温暖的光,兽首的香炉烟气袅袅,简直洛可可,再加上两个人默默或说默契地调弄笙管,宛若温香的风俗画。无语,更是因为无需多语;来,犹如满足期待,那一切都是为你而备;不来,这场景就依然在未来,to-come(将来而未来)的状态是时间空间的,等待将to-be的状态具体化,to-be(将是的存在)早已形成在期待之中。因此,这个此刻的空间,这个相对而坐的时候是超越时空的,所以我们不知道这之后或者这之中他们做了什么。两个人如此见面了,符合期待,便是早已见了面,做什么说什么都是次要的。
  于是,时间已经过去。三更了,她才意识到有关“宿”的问题,却只能以看似不经意的低声,问一句:下一站是谁?
  这是个痴心的女子。她也知道下一站那个该和她一样吧。百般理由,夜深了,天太黑,霜很滑,马儿危险,路上孤单……说到底,就是不好说自己不愿他离去。
  情,深切真挚到这份上,是懂得心疼下一站的那个人的。张爱玲和胡兰成结婚,写的帖子是:因为懂得,所以慈悲。

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