红楼梦 - 第一回: Chunk 5
A small one today (time budget too tight):
虽 今日之茅椽蓬牖, 瓦灶绳床,其晨夕风露,阶柳庭花,亦未有妨我之襟怀笔墨者
My try (digest with care):
Despite the recent poor conditions, (茅椽蓬牖, 其晨夕风露, 瓦灶绳床, 阶柳庭花) nothing could yet stop my will to write.
Breakdown:
Although (虽) the recent (今日) [now comes all stuff that describes the living conditions)
also (亦) have not yet 未有 hindered (妨) my bosoms 我之襟怀 "pen and ink" (writing / will to write)
Here the hard part - the four components of the "living condition":
茅椽蓬牖
茅 (máo) thatch
椽 (chuán) beam/rafters
蓬 (péng) (grass), dishevelled
牖Yǒu enlighten, lattice window
--> Poor housing with a thatched roof and lattice windows
瓦灶绳床
瓦 wǎ tile
灶 zào kitchen stove
绳 shéng rope
床 chuáng bed
--> poor living conditions with a simple stove and a bed made from ropes
其
晨夕风露
晨 chén morning, dawn
夕 xī, xì evening, dusk
风 fēng wind
露 lù dew
--> the house is also not tight, wind and dew enter...
阶柳庭花
阶 jiē rank, step
柳 liǔ willow
庭 tíng courtyard
花 huā flower
--> and on the stairs grows a willow and in the courtyard flowers
--> relatively wild and uncared for
Tags: 红楼梦, 第一回, 古文, classic, ,
Posted by henning July 14, 2008 in the Group 红楼梦.
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