传统节日名称的汉译

第三节　传统节日名称的汉译

◆ 宝钗见问，乃笑道：“不用这方儿还好，若问起这方儿，真真把人琐碎死了。东西药料一概都有限，易得的，只难得‘可巧’二字：要春天开的白牡丹花蕊十二两，夏天开的白荷花蕊十二两，秋天的白芙蓉蕊十二两，冬天的白梅花蕊十二两。将这四样花蕊于次年春分这日晒干，和在药末子一处，一齐研好。又要雨水这日的雨水十二钱，——”周瑞家的忙道：“嗳哟!这么说来，这就得三年的工夫。倘或雨水这日竟不下雨，这却怎处呢?”宝钗笑道：“所以了，那里有这样可巧的雨，便没雨也只好再等罢了。还要白露这日的露水十二钱，霜降这日的霜十二钱，小雪这日的雪十二钱，把这四样水调匀，和了药，再加十二钱蜂蜜，十二钱白糖，丸了龙眼大的丸子，盛在旧磁坛内，埋在花根底下。若发了病时，拿出来吃一丸，用十二分黄柏煎汤送下。”(曹雪芹《红楼梦》第七回)

“Well，better not ask．But if you must know，it's the most troublesome prescription．”Baochai laughed．“There aren't too many ingredients and they're easily obtainable，but each has to be gathered at just the right time．You have to take twelve ounces of the stamens of white peonies that bloom in the spring，twelve ounces of the stamens of white lotus that blooms in the summer，twelve ounces of the stamens of white hibiscus that blooms in the autumn，and twelve ounces of the stamens of white plum that blooms in the winter．These four kinds of stamens must be dried in the sun on the following vernal equinox，then mixed well with the powder．Then you must take twelve drams of rain that fell on the day Rain Begins．．．．”

“Aiya!”broke in Mrs．Zhou．“That would take three years．And what if it doesn't rain on the day Rain Begins?”

“Exactly．You can't always count on it．If it doesn't，you just have to wait．You also have to collect twelve drams of dew on the day White Dew，twelve drams of frost on the day Frost Falls，and twelve drams of snow on the daySlight Snow．These liquids are mixed with the other ingredients，then twelve drams of honey and twelve of white sugar are added to make pills the size of longans．These must be kept in an old porcelain jar and buried beneath the roots of flowers．When the illness comes on，this jar can be dug up and one pill taken with twelve candareens of a phellodendron concoction．”(杨宪益、戴乃迭译)

※Rain Begins：about February 20

※White Dew：about September 8

※Frost Falls：about October 23

※Slight Snow：about November 22

【注】中国的24节气，跟时令节气有关，反映出中国曾经是个自给自足的农业国家。对于中国人来说，可能比较熟悉，但对于英语读者来说，可能比较陌生，因此，为了译文的流畅，我们可以采用注释的方法，让英语读者了解中国二十四农业节气大概是在哪一个月份、在哪一个月份的哪一天。

◆ 他记起衣锦还乡那句成语，有一年乘清明节回县去祭祠扫墓，结识本地人士。方鸿渐的父亲是一乡之望，周经理少不得上门拜访，因此成了朋友，从朋友攀为亲家。(钱钟书《围城》)

One year，remembering the saying about returning home clothed in glory，he chose the Ch'ing Ming Festival to return to his district to offer obeisance at the family temple，attend to the ancestral graves，and make acquaintance with local notables．Since Fang Hung-chien's father was one of the respected men in the community，in due time Chou paid him a visit．Thus they became friends and went on to become in-laws．(珍妮·凯利、茅国权译)

◆ 家里住近十天，已过端午，三闾大学毫无音信，鸿渐开始焦急。(钱钟书《围城》)

After he had been home for nearly ten days and the Dragon Boat Festival had come and gone with still no word from San Lv University，he began to worry．(珍妮·凯利、茅国权译)

◆ 袭人又道：“昨儿贵妃打发夏太监出来，送了一百二十两银子，叫在清虚观初一到初三打三天平安醮，唱戏献供，叫珍大爷领着众位爷们跪香拜佛呢。还有端午儿的节礼也赏了。”(曹雪芹《红楼梦》第二十八回)

“And yesterday the Imperial Consort sent the eunuch Xia here with a hundred and twenty taels to be spent on masses，theatricals and sacrifices on the first three days of the month at Ethereal Abbey．She wants Lord Zhen to take all the gentlemen there to burn incense and worship Buddha．She also sent over presents for the Dragon-Boat Festival．”(杨宪益、戴乃迭译)

【注】“平安醮”：旧时因丧事而延请道士诵经祈祷的一种迷信仪式叫“打醮”。平安醮是平常为祈求无灾无病、多福多寿而举行的一种打醮活动。在中国，人们过节时，长辈常给晚辈、长者常给年幼者送礼物以表心意。同时，晚辈也常给长辈送些礼物，表示尊敬。现在在中国农村仍延续这样的礼俗。

◆ 这年正是十一月三十日冬至。到交节的那几日，贾母、王夫人、凤姐儿日日差人去看秦氏，回来的人都说：“这几日也没见添病，也不见甚好。”(曹雪芹《红楼梦》第十一回)

The thirtieth day of the eleventh month would be the winter solstice．As it approached，the Lady Dowager，Lady Wang and Xifeng sent daily to inquire after Keqing and were told each time that she was neither better nor worse．(杨宪益、戴乃迭译)

◆ 至次日乃是四月二十六日，原来这日未时交芒种节，尚古风俗：凡交芒种节的这日，都要设摆各色礼物，祭饯花神，言芒种节一过，便是夏日了，众花皆卸，花神退位，须要饯行。(曹雪芹《红楼梦》第二十七回)

The next day was the twenty-sixth of the fourth month，the Festival of Grain in Ear．It was the time-honoured custom on this day to offer all manner of gifts and a farewell feast to the God of Flower，for this festival was said to mark the beginning of summer when all the blossom had withered and the God of Flowers had to resign his throne and be seen off．(杨宪益、戴乃迭译)

◆ 是年甲寅年十二月十八日立春，元妃薨日是十二月十九日，已交卯年寅月，存年四十三岁。(曹雪芹《红楼梦》第九十五回)

As the Beginning of Spring fell on the eighteenth of the twelfth lunar month that year，and Yuanchun had died on the nineteenth，it was already the first solar month of the next year and so her age was reckoned as forty-three．(杨宪益、戴乃迭译)

◆ 且说贾政那日拜客回来，众人因为灯节底下，恐怕贾政生气，已过去的事了，便也都不肯回。(曹雪芹《红楼梦》第九十六回)

When Jia Zheng returned that day from his round of calls，as the matter was done with and they were afraid to enrage him during the Lantern Festival，no one reported it to him．(杨宪益、戴乃迭译)

◆ 车租，他的比别人的大，可是到三节他比别家多放两天的份儿。(老舍《骆驼祥子》)

The rent he charged was higher than in other places，but at the three yearly festivals he allowed two more days rent-free than did the others．(施晓菁译)

【注】“三节”这一文化非常浓厚的词汇，对于中国人来说，非常熟悉，人们一看就知道“三节”指的是中国的三大传统节日：端午节、中秋节和春节。但是，对于不熟悉中国节日的外国读者来说，如果只是把“三节”简单地译为“the three yearly fesitivals”，不会给他们任何联想。所以，此处“三节”应译为“three Chinese traditional festivals—Dragon-Boat-Festival，Mid-Autumn Festival and Spring Festival”。

◆ 辛楣笑道：“总而言之，你们这些欧洲留学生最讨厌，花样名目最多。偏偏结婚的那个星期三，天气是秋老虎，热得利害。”(钱钟书《围城》)

“In short，”said Hsin-mei，smilingly，“you returned students from Europe are the most annoying;you have all the funny schemes and ideas．Well，the Wednesday of their wedding turned out to be an‘autumn tiger’，a real scorcher．”(珍妮·凯利、茅国权译)

◆ 李梅亭多喝了几杯酒，人全活过来，适才不过是立春时的爬虫，现在竟是端午左右的爬虫了。他向孙小姐问长问短，讲了许多疯话。(钱钟书《围城》)

After a few glasses of wine，Li Mei-t'ing had fully revived．Whereas before he had been but an insect of early spring，now he was an insect of Dragon-Boat Festival time．He plied Miss Sun with questions and made all sorts of silly comments．(珍妮·凯利、茅国权译)

◆ 贾政心内沉思道：“娘娘所作爆竹，此乃一响而散之物。迎春所作算盘，是打动乱如麻。探春所作风筝，乃飘飘浮荡之物。惜春所作海灯，一发清净孤独。今乃上元佳节，如何皆作此不祥之物为戏耶?(曹雪芹《红楼梦》第二十二回)

Jia Zheng thought to himself：“Her Royal Highness wrote about a firecracker which disintegrates after a single explosion．Yingchun's subject，the abacus，is in constant commotion;Tanchun's kite is something which drifts away with the wind;Xichun's temple lamp is even more lonely and neglected．What ill-omened subjects for all of them to choose so soon after the New Year!”(杨宪益、戴乃迭译)

◆ 本上之日，奉朱批准奏：次年正月上元之日，恩准贾妃省亲。贾府领了恩旨，益发昼夜不闲，年也不曾好生过的。(曹雪芹《红楼梦》第十八回)

The Imperial Consort would be permitted to visit her parents for the Feast of Lanterns on the fifteenth of the first month the following years．This threw the whole household into such a commotion that，hard at work day and night，they scarcely had time to celebrate the New Year．(杨宪益、戴乃迭译)