异禀中英对照中文注释版(三)

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蒲包肉似乎是这个县里特有的。用一个三寸来长直径寸半的蒲包,里面衬上豆腐皮,塞满了加了粉子的碎肉,封了口,拦腰用一道麻绳系紧,成一个葫芦形。煮熟以后,倒出来, 也是一个带有蒲包印迹的葫芦。切成片,很香。猪头肉则分门别类的卖,拱嘴、耳朵、脸子,——脸子有个专门名词,叫“大肥”。要什么,切什么。到了上灯以后,王二的生意就到了高潮。只见他拿了刀不停地切,一面还忙着收钱,包油炸的、盐炒的豌豆、瓜子,很少有歇一歇的时候。一直忙到九点多钟,在他的两盏高罩的煤油灯里煤油已经点去了一多半,装熏烧的盘子和装豌豆的匣子都已经见了底的时候,他媳妇给他送饭来了,他才用热水擦一把脸,吃晚饭。吃完晚饭,总还有一些零零星星的生意,他不忙收摊子,就端了一杯热茶,坐到保全堂店堂里的椅子上,听人聊天,一面拿眼睛瞟着他的摊子,见有人走来,就起身切一盘,包两包。他的主顾都是熟人,谁什么时候来,买什么,他心里都是有数的。

Cattail-bag meat seemed to be the specialty of the county. Each cattail bag was about three by one and a half inches. It was hined with thin sheets of beancurd and filled quite full with small bits of meat mixed with water chestnut powder. Afterwards, the bag was tied in the middle with a hemp string, forming the shape of gourd. When the bag was opened after being cooked, the meat was still in the shape of a gourd with a trace of the cattail bag on the surface. Cut into slices, it really whetted one’s appetite.

Pig’s head meat was sold after being sorted into three parts: snout, ear and face. The face was also referred to as the “big fat”. The customer could select whichever part he wished. At dusk, Wang Er’s business came to a climax. He was busy cutting meat with a kitchen knife, receiving money from the customers and wrapping different varieties of deep-fried, fried and salted peas and melon seeds. Hardly did he have breather. After nine o’clock, when the kerosene in his two high-screened lamps was nearly consumed, and when the bottoms of the meat trays and pea boxes became visible, his wife turned up and brought him his supper. Then he washed his face with a hot towel and had his meal. After supper, there was still a little business to attend to. Therefore he was in no hurry to put away his shengcai. He would then pour himself a cup of hot tea, seat himself in a chair inside the shop and listen to people gossip while throwing glances at the stall. Whenever he saw someone coming, he rose to get ready a few plates of meat or wrap up peas and seeds for a short while. All his customers were familiar acquaintances. What time they came and what they wanted was as clear to him as daylight.

据说叩拜的礼仪起源于古人的生活起居方式。以前没有椅子,古人的坐指的是“跪坐”,也就是“膝盖着地面作为支点,小腿平贴着地板,然后把屁股放到后脚跟上”。在上古时代,无论男女都是穿裙子的,而裙子里面是不穿内裤的。为了遮羞,就发展出这种“跪坐”的方式,这是比较正式的坐法。这样跪着肯定很累,在很多非正式场合人们会蹲坐或者岔开八字腿一屁股坐在地上,这就是所谓的蹲踞或者箕踞。而现今日本人日常生活也在使用的跪坐姿势。

跪坐(图片来自百度搜索)

古人在接待宾客中,每当“坐”着向客人致谢时,为了表示尊敬,往往伸直上半身,也就是“引身而起”,使坐变成了跪,然后俯身向下,完成致意。这样就逐渐形成了日常生活中的跪拜礼,包括三叩九拜这样繁复的礼仪。外国并没有下跪的礼仪,因此当年大清皇帝接见外国大使由于跪拜的问题大伤脑筋。西方有单膝下跪求婚的习惯,它起源于中世纪以前欧洲的骑士文化。当时骑士精神盛行,导致人们遇到各种各样的问题都喜欢用决斗的方式来处理。对待爱情也是一样,为了心爱的女子,人们同样会使用决斗的方式来争夺爱的权利。胜利者在获胜后,右手拄剑,右腿单膝跪地,左手放在左膝盖上,以此来向心爱的女子示爱。久而久之,渐渐的就演变成单膝跪地的一种求婚方式了。英文的表达方式是“marriage proposal on bended knee”,字面的翻译就是屈膝求婚。

“生财”译者做了注释,解释它的字面含义是“amassing fortures”,也就是“积累钱财”。赵公元帅(“Marshal Zhao”)即赵公明,本名朗,字公明,又称赵玄坛,赵公元帅。“玄坛”是指斋坛,也有护法之意,为道教四大元帅之一。同时为阴间雷部将帅和五方瘟神之一。为中国正财神,司掌世间财源。在小说《封神演义》中,姜子牙并没有封赵公明为财神,只封赵公明为“金轮如意正一龙虎玄坛真君”,简称“玄坛真君”,统帅“招宝天尊萧升”“纳珍天尊曹宝”“招财使者陈九公”“利市仙官姚少司”四位神仙,专司迎祥纳福、商贾买卖。后来,中国民间认为赵公明手下所掌管四名与财富有关的小神,其分别是招宝、纳珍、招财和利市,因而成为正财神。

赵公元帅(图片来自百度搜索)

丰子恺在散文《吃瓜子》里写道:“中国人人人具有三种博士的资格:拿筷子博士、吹煤头纸博士、吃瓜子博士。” 现在吹煤头纸估计没什么人会了,但是拿筷子和吃瓜子依然是中国人的特长。外国人也吃瓜子,但是他们只吃瓜子的仁(肉),不会吃那种带壳的瓜子。所以在中国不叫吃瓜子,而叫嗑瓜子。这种“嗑”法,丰子恺描写的很传神:女人们、小姐们的咬瓜子,态度尤加来得美妙:她们用兰花似的手指摘住瓜子的圆端,把瓜子垂直地塞在门牙中间,而用门牙去咬它的尖端。“的,的”两响,两瓣壳的尖头便向左右绽裂。然后那手敏捷地转个方向,同时头也帮着了微微地一侧,使瓜子水平地放在门牙口,用上下两门牙把两瓣壳分别拨开,咬住了瓜子肉的尖端而抽它出来吃。这吃法不但“的,的”的声音清脆可听,那手和头的转侧的姿势窈窕得很,有些儿妩媚动人,连丢去的瓜子壳也模样姣好,有如朵朵兰花。由此看来,咬瓜子是中国少爷们的专长,而尤其是中国小姐、太太们的拿手戏。 我们现在常吃的瓜子是葵花子,而文中的黑瓜子是西瓜子,白瓜子是南瓜子,翻译是比较准确的。根据《古代瓜子种类繁多 炒食分南瓜子、西瓜子和葵花子三种》,葵花子是近代才传入中国的,之前中国人吃的一般都是西瓜子。

瓜子(图片来自百度搜索)
黑(西)瓜子(图片来自百度搜索)
白(南)瓜子(图片来自百度搜索)

兰花豆由蚕豆制作而成,蚕豆即“broad bean”,兰花豆翻译成“brittle deep-fried broad beans”,直译回来就是“松脆油炸兰花豆”。

蚕豆(图片来自百度搜索)
兰花豆(图片来自百度搜索)

蒲包肉是“cattail-bag meat”,猪头肉译成“pig's head meat”。红曲应该翻译成“Red Kojic Rice”。红曲米,民间称之为红米,以籼稻、粳稻、糯米等稻米为原料,用红曲霉菌发酵而成,为棕红色或紫红色米粒。它是一种中药,也可食用,这是中医所谓的药食同源。译文翻译成了“leaven”,似乎不妥。因为“leaven”是发酵剂的统称,红曲虽然在制作过程中会用到红曲霉菌发酵,但制作完成后还是一种“米”。 “买多少,现切,放在送过来的盘子里,抓一把青蒜,浇一勺辣椒糊。” 这句翻译成“When purchased, the slab of beef was cut into slices on the spot and placed on the customer's plate. On top was a sprinkle of garlic leaf bits followed by a spoonful of hot pepper paste. ”。直译回来就是:“买的时候,大块的牛肉被就地切成快然后放到顾客的盘子里。在它的上面是一把大蒜叶子和一一勺辣胡椒”。“现切”、“抓”和“浇”这些动词没有体现出来,没有汪老传达的那种动作麻利的感觉。在摊子买小吃,比如鸡蛋灌饼,看老板制作的过程是打发等待时间的乐事,而且由于老板熟练的动作,对于美味的期待也会更高,这更难勾起食欲。为什么觉得以前在地摊买的东西好处?也许这就是其中原因之一。

Notes