Chapter 11
marcelbdt
March 15, 2008, 10:37 AM posted in General Discussion0001 从这天起，柳原整日价的和萨黑夷妮厮混着。他大约是下了
0002 决心把流苏冷一冷。流苏本来天天是出去惯了，忽然闲了下来，
0003 在徐太太面前交代不出理由，只得说伤了风，在屋里坐了两天。
0004 幸喜天公识趣，又下起缠绵雨来，越发有了借口，用不着出门。
0005 有一天下午，她打着雨伞在旅舍的花园里兜了个圈子回来，天渐
0006 渐黑了，约摸徐太太他们看房子该回来了，她便坐在廊檐下等他
0007 们，将那把鲜明的油纸伞撑开了横搁在栏杆上，遮住了脸。那伞
0008 是粉红地子，石绿的荷叶图案，水珠一滴滴从筋纹上滑了下来。
0009 那雨下得大了，雨中有汽车泼喇泼喇航行的声音，一群男女嘻嘻
0010 哈哈推着挽着上阶来，打头的便是范柳原。萨黑夷妮被他搀着，
0011 却是够狼狈的，裸腿上溅了一点点的泥浆。她脱去了大草帽，便
0012 洒了一地的水。柳原瞥见流苏的伞，便在扶梯口上和萨黑夷妮说
0013 了几句话，萨黑夷妮单独上楼去了，柳原走了过来，掏出手绢子
0014 来不住地擦他身上脸上的水渍子。流苏和他不免寒暄了几句。柳
0015 原坐了下来道：“前两天听说有点不舒服？”流苏道：“不过是热
0016 伤风。”柳原道：“这天气真闷得慌。刚才我们到那个英国人的游
0017 艇上去野餐的，把船开到了青衣岛。”流苏顺口问问他青衣岛的
0018 景致。正说着，萨黑夷妮又下楼来了，已经换了印度装，兜着鹅
0019 黄披肩，长垂及地。披肩上是二寸来阔的银丝堆花镶滚。她也靠
0020 着栏杆，远远的拣了个桌子坐下，一只手闲闲搁在椅背上，指甲
0021 上涂着银色蔻丹。流苏笑向柳原道：“你还不过去？”柳原笑道：
0022 “人家是有了主儿的人。”流苏道：“那老英国人，哪儿管得住她？
0023 ”柳原笑道：“他管不住她，你却管得住我呢。”流苏抿嘴笑道：
0024 “哟，我就是香港总督、香港的城隍爷，管这一方的百姓，我也
0025 管不到你头上呀！”柳原摇摇头道：“一个不吃醋的女人，多少有
0026 点病态。”流苏扑嗤一笑，隔了一会，流苏问道：“你看着我做什
0027 么？”柳原笑道：“我看你从今以后是不是预备待我好一点。”流
0028 苏道：“我待你好一点，坏一点，你又何尝放在心上？”柳原拍手
0029 道：“这还像句话！话音里仿佛有三分酸意。”流苏撑不住放声笑
0030 了起来道：“也没有看见你这样的人，死乞白中下旬的要人吃醋！
0031 ”
0032
0033 两人当下言归于好，一同吃了晚饭。流苏表面上虽然和他热
0034 了些，心里却怙啜〔以“竖心”旁替“口”旁〕着：他使她吃醋，无
0035 非是用的激将法，逼着她自动的投到他怀里去。她早不同他好，
0036 晚不同他好，偏拣这个当口和他和好了，白牺牲了她自己，他一
0037 定不承情，只道她中了他的计。她做梦也休想他娶她。……很明显
0038 的，他要她，可是他不愿意娶她。然而她家里虽穷，也还是个望
0039 族，大家都是场面上的人，他担当不起这诱奸的罪名。因此他采
0040 取了那种光明正大的态度。她现在知道了，那完全是假撇清。他
0041 处处地方希图脱卸责任。以后她若是被抛弃了，她绝对没有谁可
0042 抱怨。
marcelbdt
April 28, 2008, 04:01 PM0006 约摸徐太太他们看房子该回来了 The Xus haven't found a room yet?
0009 泼喇泼喇航行的声音 Sounding like an ship??
0011 裸腿 We wouldn't expect less from her.
0011 便 0012 洒了一地的水。I'll never get the hang of 便, what is it doing here?
0017 青衣岛 I have "青衣 qīngyī n. 〈wr.〉 ①spring clothes ②everyday clothes M:²jiàn ③servants M:²wèi ④〈opera〉 role of a virtuous female" - I assume that Sahaayini is the virtuous female.
0017 流苏顺口问问他青衣岛的 0018 景致 She did not get an answer to that.
0019 二寸来阔的银丝堆花镶滚 Here the 滚 confused me.
0022 “人家是有了主儿的人。”
0024 我也 0025 管不到你头上呀！And here it's the 头上.
0030 死乞白中下旬的要人吃醋！Strange..
0034 心里却怙啜〔以“竖心”旁替“口”旁〕Now we can decipher this code..:) Its 心里却怙惙.
0034 他使她吃醋 From now to the end of the chapter... are we listening to Ailing speaking or to Liusu thinking? To me it seems like the thoughts inside Liusu's head, but then why is she thinking in third person about herself?
0035 她早不同他好， 0036 晚不同他好 She had not been nice to him (?)
0036 偏拣这个当口和他和好了 If she made it up with him right now
marcelbdt
April 28, 2008, 04:04 PMThanks! At least one seemingly unsolvable problem resolved, even before I asked.
liansuo
April 28, 2008, 07:17 PM0006 约摸徐太太他们看房子该回来了 The Xus haven't found a room yet?
I think 房子 here means house. They are obviously planning to stay in HK for a while.
0009 泼喇泼喇航行的声音 Sounding like an ship??
Eh, I did not think about that yet – it must be because of all this rainwater splashing!
0011 便 0012 洒了一地的水。I'll never get the hang of 便, what is it doing here?
I guess expressing a simultaneous and logically dependent action – if that helps at all. My hang as usual is just intuition.
0017 青衣岛 I have "青衣 qīngyī n. 〈wr.〉 ①spring clothes ②everyday clothes M:²jiàn ③servants M:²wèi ④〈opera〉 role of a virtuous female" - I assume that Sahaayini is the virtuous female.
Very strange – I think it is simply the name of a promontory 岛 near HK. What amazes me is the “virtuous“. As far as I knew, in Ｔang times „greensleeves“ were the non virtuous girls ﹣or at least the ones you paid for being nice... But Ｉ may be wrong.
0019 二寸来阔的银丝堆花镶滚 Here the 滚 confused me.
It can – according to my dix – mean „trim“ - a border ornament. ZAL really likes describing S’s outfits, doesn’t she!!
0022 “人家是有了主儿的人。”
she has an „owner“/keeper already – the English gentleman.
0024 我也 0025 管不到你头上呀！And here it's the 头上.
Even if she was the city governor or god – she would not be able to or want to watch over him (his head)--- that is what I guess it means – what do you think?
0034 心里却怙啜〔以“竖心”旁替“口”旁〕Now we can decipher this code..:) Its 心里却怙惙.
Really – the progress we are making! ☺ I get „worried“ for the 怙惙, you too?
0034 他使她吃醋 From now to the end of the chapter... are we listening to Ailing speaking or to Liusu thinking? To me it seems like the thoughts inside Liusu's head, but then why is she thinking in third person about herself?
I have been wondering, too. Actually I am leaning towards thinking it is ZAL reporting about LS ... she may be right, she may be wrong, but this is how she sees things right now.
.
0035 她早不同他好， 0036 晚不同他好 She had not been nice to him (?)
I am not sure here either. Might it be: So far she had never been at ease with him – (trusted him ?) – 0036 偏拣这个当口和他和好了 If she made it up with him right now----
Yes, if she chose this moment to make up --- he would feel that she had fallen for his plan.
What clinches the matter is that the „sacrifice“ as well as the making up seem to imply more than just friendly talk or she would not continue with the bleak scenario of him never marrying her, letting her down etc. It sounds rather scary really when she says that only the good name of her family is keeping him from being a downright scoundrel.
marcelbdt
April 28, 2008, 09:46 PM0011 便 0012 洒了一地的水。I'll never get the hang of 便, what is it doing here?
I guess expressing a simultaneous and logically dependent action – if that helps at all. My hang as usual is just intuition.
Ah! It can also be the conjunction "and then", I bet that is what it's doing.
0017 青衣岛 I have "青衣 qīngyī n. 〈wr.〉 ①spring clothes ②everyday clothes M:²jiàn ③servants M:²wèi ④〈opera〉 role of a virtuous female" - I assume that Sahaayini is the virtuous female.
Very strange – I think it is simply the name of a promontory 岛 near HK. What amazes me is the “virtuous“. As far as I knew, in Ｔang times „greensleeves“ were the non virtuous girls ﹣or at least the ones you paid for being nice... But Ｉ may be wrong.
Of course it is a name, but Ailing is not above chosing that particular island for its name.
0024 我也 0025 管不到你头上呀！And here it's the 头上.
Even if she was the city governor or god – she would not be able to or want to watch over him (his head)--- that is what I guess it means – what do you think?
Yes, that's what I was assuming, but I'm still confused... where does the "上" go?
0034 他使她吃醋 From now to the end of the chapter... are we listening to Ailing speaking or to Liusu thinking? To me it seems like the thoughts inside Liusu's head, but then why is she thinking in third person about herself?
I have been wondering, too. Actually I am leaning towards thinking it is ZAL reporting about LS ... she may be right, she may be wrong, but this is how she sees things right now. .
Yes... That is exactly my interpretation. I think so too. She is very bright (and so is Ailing...:), but still Liusu might not be right about Liuyuan.
It sounds rather scary really when she says that only the good name of her family is keeping him from being a downright scoundrel.
I don't read the scoundrel part... only that she supposes that the Bai family name causes him to keep up a very just and honorable facade.
And thanks for various comment which I'm not acknowledging individually..:)
liansuo
April 29, 2008, 08:17 AMI agree – ZAL chose the place for the picknick! And we know her tongue in cheek capacities. ☺
我也 0025 管不到你头上呀
I see this very concretely as a local expression. As if she was saying
我 看 不 到 你 心 裡。 But maybe that is wrong!
The scoundrel part – which indeed may only be her worst fear and not what he would really do – or at least not in cold blood but only accidentally? ;) I get from
他担当不起这诱奸的罪名
This entire passage made me feel Liusu’s loneliness as keenly as never before.
I am more and more intrigued by ZAL’s narrative style, i.e. what she says and what she does not say. I definitely need to read her „stereo“ -- all by myself I am not "sharp enough"☺
liansuo
April 28, 2008, 03:18 PMI am relieved to be out of the green symbolism and the beach scenes. This chapter is easier, it seems. But usually your questions expose my flightiness...
Still, maybe I can save you a puzzlement with the following:
００３０ 死乞白中下旬的要人吃醋！
This is a rather extensive departure from what I have in my text and what I can find in my dictionary... It should be
死 乞 白 賴 的 要人吃 醋
Ｔhe dictionary version (which seems to bet he most enlightened one, my text is not the exact same either) is:
死 氣 白 賴 or 死 乞 白 賴 ﹣﹣meaning „to pester someone, to be insistent on...“
Well, the upshot of this chapter certainly makes me feel that you can be proud of your girl! :) What a scrape she could get herself into if she naively trusted FLY!