Chapter 17
marcelbdt
April 27, 2008, 07:36 PM posted in General Discussion0001 有一天，他们在街上买菜，碰着萨黑夷妮公主。萨黑夷妮黄着脸，把蓬松的
0002 辫子胡乱编了个麻花髻，身上不知从哪里借来一件青布棉袍穿着，脚下却依旧趿
0003 着印度式七宝嵌花纹皮拖鞋。她同他们热烈地握手，问他们现在住在哪里，急欲
0004 看看他们的新屋子。又注意到流苏的篮子里有去了壳的小蚝，愿意跟流苏学习烧
0005 制清蒸蚝汤。柳原顺口邀了她来吃便饭，她很高兴地跟了他们一同回去。她的英
0006 国人进了集中营，她现在住在一个熟识的，常常为她当点小差的印度巡捕家里。
0007 她有许久没有吃饱过。她唤流苏“白小姐”。柳原笑道：“这是我太太。你该向我道
0008 喜呢！”萨黑夷妮道：“真的么？你们几时结的婚？”柳原耸耸肩道：“就在中国报
0009 上登了个启事。你知道，战争期间的婚姻，总是潦草的……”流苏没听懂他们的话。
0010 萨黑夷妮吻了他又吻了她。然而他们的饭菜毕竟是很寒苦，而且柳原声明他们也
0011 难得吃一次蚝汤。萨黑夷妮没有再上门过。
0012
0013 当天他们送她出去，流苏站在门槛上，柳原立在她身后，把手掌合在她的手
0014 掌上，笑道：“我说，我们几时结婚呢？”流苏听了，一句话也没有，只低下了头，
0015 落下泪来。柳原拉住她的手道：“来来，我们今天就到报馆里去登启事。不过你也
0016 许愿意候些时，等我们回到上海，大张旗鼓的排场一下，请请亲戚们。”流苏道：
0017 “呸！他们也配！”说着，嗤的笑了出来，往后顺势一倒，靠在他身上。柳原伸手
0018 到前面去羞她的脸道：“又是哭，又是笑！”
0019
0020 两人一同走进城去，走到一个峰回路转的地方，马路突然下泻，眼见只是一
0021 片空灵——淡墨色的，潮湿的天。小铁门口挑出一块洋瓷招牌，写的是：“赵祥庆牙
0022 医。”风吹得招牌上的铁钩子吱吱响，招牌背后只是那空灵的天。
0023
0024 柳原歇下脚来望了半晌，感到那平淡中的恐怖，突然打起寒战来，向流苏道：
0025 “现在你可该相信了：‘死生契阔，’我们自己哪儿做得了主？轰炸的时候，一个不
0026 巧——”流苏嗔道：“到了这个时候，你还说做不了主的话！”柳原笑道：“我并不是
0027 打退堂鼓。我的意思是——”他看了看她的脸色，笑道：“不说了。不说了。”他们继
0028 续走路。柳原又道：“鬼使神差地，我们倒真的恋爱起来了！”流苏道：“你早就说
0029 过你爱我。”柳原笑道：“那不算。我们那时候太忙着谈恋爱了，哪里还有工夫恋
0030 爱？”
0031
0032 结婚启事在报上刊出了，徐先生徐太太赶了来道喜。流苏因为他们在围城中
0033 自顾自搬到安全地带去，不管她的死活，心中有三分不快，然而也只得笑脸相迎。
0034 柳原办了酒席，补请了一次客。不久，港沪之间恢复了交通，他们便回上海来了。
0035
0036 白公馆里流苏只回去过一次，只怕人多嘴多，惹出是非来。然而麻烦是免不
0037 了的。四奶奶决定和四爷进行离婚，众人背后都派流苏的不是。流苏离了婚再嫁，
0038 竟有这样惊人的成就，难怪旁人要学她的榜样。流苏蹲在灯影里点蚊烟香。想到
0039 四奶奶，她微笑了。
0040
0041 柳原现在从来不跟她闹着玩了。他把他的俏皮话省下来说给旁的女人听。那
0042 是值得庆幸的好现象，表示他完全把她当自家人看待——名正言顺的妻。然而流苏
0043 还是有点怅惘。
0044
0045 香港的陷落成全了她。但是在这不可理喻的世界里，谁知道什么是因，什么
0046 是果？谁知道呢，也许就因为要成全她，一个大都市倾覆了。成千上万的人死去，
0047 成千上万的人痛苦着，跟着是惊天动地的大改革……流苏并不觉得她在历史上的地
0048 位有什么微妙之点。她只是笑盈盈地站起身来，将蚊烟香盘踢到桌子底下去。
0049
0050 传奇里的倾城倾国的人大抵如此。处都是传奇，可不见得有这么圆满的收场。
0051 胡琴咿咿呀呀拉着，在万盏灯火的夜晚，拉过来又拉过去，说不尽的苍凉的故事
0052 ——不问也罢！
0053
0054 ──完──
liansuo
May 12, 2008, 09:38 AMThis is only a try:
她现在she now 住 lived 在一个熟识的 with an acquainted 0006 常常frequently 为她for her当 acting点小差的 a little in small errands印度巡捕Indian policeman家里 (in his house)。
This is a real toughie and offers so little to hang a hunch on, also because I am not sure who is speaking – ZAL or Saaheyini or the hosts. I am disturbed by the wenlin suggestion of 小差 meaning „absent-minded“ .. that really does not help. My Chinese-only-dix in any case has 差 chai both as errand and messenger which would support my construction... and many others ;)
0010 萨黑夷妮吻了他又吻了她 I believe that in China if you are not in a relation, you don't kiss each other (true or false?) ... if so, this must feel awkward for Liusu.
True as far as I can know. Of course here we are talking about "sisterly" kissing between women, but sure: VERY awkward ... and probably most of all because the gesture feels like a ritual of submission of a defeated rival...
0017 “呸！他们也配！” "What do I care about them"?
I think I like wenlin suggestion „deserve“ for 配 best. They (really!!) don’t deserve to be her wedding guests.
0017 往后顺势一倒 leaning back 0018 羞她的脸 I want the 羞 to mean something like "touch, stroke" but how can it?
I have the same urge and the same question. Very strange word here, this 羞
0021 赵祥庆牙 0022 医。OK, that's the name of the dentist. Good to know if I ever get a tooth ache in Hongkong. Is there a hidden meaning to this so visual picture of the enameled sign? And what suddenly troubles Liuyuan?
I think the sign is all that is left of the dentist’s house – it is hanging there in the void so to say– and the name of the dentist sounds ironically and fittingly congratulatory. What seems to strike FLY facing the absurd sight, is the „random miracle“ of them being still alive and together.
0025 我们自己哪儿做得了主 What does he mean by "主"? 做主 according to wenlin also means „be in control, make decisions“
He feels with a shudder „how powerless we are“ – she seems to take the sentence in the meaning of „how can we make a decision“ re getting married and gets nervous – that is why he answers „I am not retreating...“
0037 派流苏的不是 That should mean "because of Liusu", but I don't understand the 派 thing.
According to my dix 派不是 conveniently means „blame someone, attribute guilt“
0045 谁知道什么是因，什么 0046 是果？Several meanings to all this... I have been wondering if the title of the story could be turned around to mean the love that caused the city to fall, as this ending almost suggests. This seems strange, but after all we are dealing with a strange and wonderful author..:) Again, maybe we are listening to Liusu's thoughts as opposed to the impartial narrator here. A completely different reading would be "Well, reader, you wanted Liusu to get happy, and I did it for you. Just admit it : you don't care a bit about that we had to destroy a city to make it happen."
This ending has me baffled, too. All your ideas make sense – but nothing absolutely clicks in me as the one answer.
So she has been incredibly lucky – thousands died while she got what she had pokered for – a safe life and a husband. And we got a happy ending... This would certainly be one way of looking at it: the irony and randomness of fate, the power of a truly beautiful woman as a traditional topic in Chinese literature -- as you suggest.
But what do you make of the fact that, after they are married, he is no longer treating her the way he used to – joking and kidding – worse: he does this with other women now and she is „the wife“, household furniture... She is a bit sad about that but being „your girl“ she is content with her secure situation. For me, with the 二 胡 tune coming up again and the fatalistic „don’t pay attention!“ repeated from the intro passage, this sounds rather counter-productive to „happy ending“. It seems to say: OK, you can win a secure life as a 太太，but you cannot defeat the old patterns between men and women.
Contradictions (especially comforting ones re unchangeable patterns ☺ welcome!)
marcelbdt
May 15, 2008, 04:19 PM0021 赵祥庆牙 0022 医。OK, that's the name of the dentist. Good to know if I ever get a tooth ache in Hongkong. Is there a hidden meaning to this so visual picture of the enameled sign? And what suddenly troubles Liuyuan?
I think the sign is all that is left of the dentist’s house – it is hanging there in the void so to say– and the name of the dentist sounds ironically and fittingly congratulatory. What seems to strike FLY facing the absurd sight, is the "random miracle“ of them being still alive and together.
So the house has been destroyed? Yes, I suppose that explains the reaction.
But what do you make of the fact that, after they are married, he is no longer treating her the way he used to – joking and kidding – worse: he does this with other women now and she is "the wife“, household furniture... She is a bit sad about that but being "your girl“ she is content with her secure situation.
I think that Zhang Ailing's character is so dark, that she is incapable of writing a completely happy ending. Also, maybe the Chinese idea of a happy ending is less romantic than the European? And "joking and kidding with other women" is not that bad is it, as long as it stays there?
marcelbdt
May 10, 2008, 08:25 AM0006 常常为她当点小差的印度巡捕家里。
0010 萨黑夷妮吻了他又吻了她 I believe that in China if you are not in a relation, you don't kiss each other (true or false?) ... if so, this must feel awkward for Liusu.
0017 “呸！他们也配！” "What do I care about them"?
0017 往后顺势一倒 leaning back
0018 羞她的脸 I want the 羞 to mean something like "touch, stroke" but how can it?
0021 赵祥庆牙 0022 医。OK, that's the name of the dentist. Good to know if I ever get a tooth ache in Hongkong. Is there a hidden meaning to this so visual picture of the enameled sign? And what suddenly troubles Liuyuan?
0025 我们自己哪儿做得了主 What does he mean by "主"?
0037 派流苏的不是 That should mean "because of Liusu", but I don't understand the 派 thing.
0045 谁知道什么是因，什么 0046 是果？Several meanings to all this... I have been wondering if the title of the story could be turned around to mean the love that caused the city to fall, as this ending almost suggests. This seems strange, but after all we are dealing with a strange and wonderful author..:) Again, maybe we are listening to Liusu's thoughts as opposed to the impartial narrator here. A completely different reading would be "Well, reader, you wanted Liusu to get happy, and I did it for you. Just admit it : you don't care a bit about that we had to destroy a city to make it happen."