《幽夢影》—— 林語堂譯

人生之一

情之一字，所以維持世界;才之一字，所以粉飾乾坤。

*(吳)雨若曰：世界原從情字生出。有夫婦然后有父子，有父子然后有兄弟，有兄弟然后

有朋友，有朋友然后有君臣。

*批注者于書中初見，即加注姓氏，以便讀者。

Passion holds up the bottom of the universe,and the poet gives it a new dress.

Yujo:All human life begins with love between man and woman,from which the

other human relationships such as between father and son and between brothers

follow.

“人生”之二

情必近于癡而始真，才必兼乎趣而始化。

(陸)云士曰：真情種，真才子，能為此言。

(顧)天石曰：才兼乎趣，非心齋不足當之。

(尤)慧珠曰：余情而癡則有之，才而趣則未能也。

Love is not true love without a form of madness.A literary artist must have

zest in life to enter into nature's spirit.

Yunshih:Here speaks a born lover and artist.

Tienshih:Shintsai really understands the zest of life besides being a

literary artist.

[Miss]Hueichu:I think I know the passion of love,but I have not the zest

combined with talent.

人生之三

律己宜帶秋氣，處世宜帶春氣。

One should discipline oneself in the spirit of autumn and live with others in

the spirit of spring.

人生之四

能閑世人之所忙者，方能忙世人之所閑。

Only those who take leisurely what the people of the world are busy about can

be busy about what the people of the world take leisurely.

人生之五

人莫樂于閑，非無所事事之謂也。閑則能讀書，閑則能游名勝，閑則能交益友，閑則能飲

酒，閑則能著書。天下之樂，孰大于是?

(陳)?山曰：然則正是極忙處。

(尤)悔庵曰：昔人云，忙里偷閑，閑則而偷，盜亦有道矣。

(李)若金曰：閑固難得，有此五者，方不負閑字。

Of all things one enjoys leisure most,but because one does nothing.Leisure

confers upon one the freedom to read,to travel,to make friends ,to drink,and

to wirte.Where is there a greater pleasure than this?

Hoshan:Then you are really busy.

Huei-an:The proverb says,"Steal leisure from business."It can be stolen

methodically.

Jochin:Those five things make leisure really worthwhile.

人生之六

妾美不如妻賢，錢多不如境順。

(張)竹坡曰：此所謂竿頭欲進步者。然妻不賢安用妾美，錢不多那得境順。

(張)迂庵曰：此蓋謂兩者不可得兼，舍一而取一者也。又曰：世固有錢多而境不順者。

I think it is better to have an understanding wife than a pretty concubine,and

better to have peace of mind than wealth.

[Nephew]Chupo:There is no limit to desires.How can one expect to have a

pretty concubine without first having an understanding wife? And how can one

have peace of mind without plenty of money?

Yu-an:He means a choice of alternatives.And there are indeed people with

plenty of money but no peace of mind.

人生之七

值太平世，生湖山郡，官長廉靜，家道優(yōu)裕，娶妻賢淑，生子聰慧，人生如此，可云全福

。

(許)筱林曰：若以粗笨愚蠢之人當之，則負卻造物。

(江)含?j曰：此是黑面老子，要思量做鬼處。

(吳)岱觀曰：過屠門而大嚼，雖不得肉，亦覺快意。

(李)荔園曰：賢淑聰慧，尤貴永年，否則福不全。

The perfect life:to live in a world of peace in a lake district where the

magistrate is good and honest,and to have an understanding wife and bright

children.

Shiaolin:It would be a pity to have a vulgarian enjoy all this.

Hanchen:Here is a black-faced Laotse thinking of becoming a devil.

Taikuan:Yes,and rather like imagining eating a juicy steak before a butcher's

shop window!

Liyuan:An understanding wife,yes,but also a long life.Otherwise the blessing

is not complete.

人生——之八

有功夫讀書，謂之福;有力量濟人，謂之福;有學問著述，謂之福;無是非到耳，謂之福

;有多聞直諒之友，謂之福。

(楊)圣藻曰：在我者可必，在人者不能必。

(王)丹麓曰：備此福者，惟我心齋。

(李)水樵曰：五福駢臻固佳，茍得其半者，亦不得謂之無福。

(倪)永清曰：直諒之友，富貴人久拒之矣，何心齋反求之也?

Blessed are those who have time for reading,money to help others,the learning

and ability to write,who are not bothered with gossip and disputes,and who

have learned friends frank with advice.

Shengtsao:We can take care of those things which depend on ourselves,but not

those which depend on others.

Tanlu:Shintsai has them all.

Shuichiao:I would be satisfied with half of these five.

Yungching:I thought successful men never wanted friends with frank

advice.Shintsai asks for them instead!

人生——之九

不治生產(chǎn)，其后必致累人;專務交游，其后必致累己。

圣藻曰：晨鐘夕磬，發(fā)人深省。

(冒)巢民曰：若在我，雖累己累人，亦所不悔。

(宗)子發(fā)曰：累己猶可，若累人則不可矣。

含徵曰：今之人未必肯受你累，還是自家隱些的好。

Those who despise money end up by sponging on their friends;those who mix

freely with all sorts of people will eventually hurt themselves.

Shengtsao:What a profound warning!

Tsaomin:For myself,I do not regret it one way or the other.

Tsefa:It does make a difference,though,whether you hurt others or only yourself.

Hanchen:Nowadays people do not welcome being sponged up on.So it is better to

be careful.

人生——之十

胸中小不平，可以酒消之;世間大不平，非劍不能消也。

(周)星遠曰：看劍飲杯長，一切不平皆破除矣。

迂庵曰：蒼蒼者未必肯以太阿假人，似不能代作空空兒也。

悔庵曰：龍泉太阿，汝知我者，豈止蘇子美以一斗讀《漢書》耶?

A small injustice can be drowned by a cup of wine;a great injustice can be vanquished only by the sword.

Shingyuan:So you drown all sorrows by holding a cup of wine with a sword in sight.

Yu-an:I do not think the Blessed Lord would easily give such a sword to men.It might raise more trouble than it can settle.

Huei-an:O,Lungchuan[famous wine] and Tai-o [famous sword],trust me !I can handle both!

人生——之十一

多情者必好色，而好色者未必盡屬多情;紅顏者必薄命，而薄命者未必盡屬紅顏;能詩者必好酒，而好酒者未必盡屬能詩。

竹坡曰：情起于色者，則好色也，非情也。禍起于顏色者，則薄命在紅顏，否則，亦止曰命而已矣。

(洪)秋士曰：世亦有能詩而不好酒者。

A great lover loves women,but one who loves women is not necessarily a great

lover.A beautiful woman often has a tragic life,but not all those who have

tragic lives are beautiful.A good poet can always drink,but being a great

drinker does not make one a poet.

Chupoassion which is based on sex must after all be distinguished from true

love.Tragedy sometimes comes from being a great beauty,but sometimes has

to connection with it,but is just fate.

Chiushih:There are poets who cannot drink.

人生——之十二

有青山方有綠水，水惟借色于山;有美酒便有佳詩，詩亦乞靈于酒。

(李)圣許曰：有青山綠水，乃可酌美酒而詠佳詩，是詩酒亦發(fā)端于山水也。

Green hills come with blue waters which borrow their blueness from the

hills;good wine produces beautiful poems,which draw sustenance from the spirits.

Shengshu:Green hills and blue waters make it possible to enjoy wine and poetry.So everything goes back to the hills and waters.

人生——之十四

天下無書則已，有則必當讀;無酒則已，有則必當飲;無名山則已，有則必當賞玩;無才

子佳人則已，有則必當愛慕憐惜。

弟木山曰：談何容易，即我家黃山，幾能得一到耶?

If there were no books,then nothing need be said about it ,but since there are

books,they must be read;if there were no wine,then nothing need be said.but

since there is ,it must be drunk;since there are famous mountains,they must

be visited;since there are flowers and the moon,they must be enjoyed ;and

since there are poets and beauties they must be loved and protected.

[Younger brother]Mushan:Easier said than done.There is the famous Yellow

Mountain right in our district.But how many have visited it?

人生——之十五

不得已而諛之者，寧以口，毋以筆;不可耐而罵人者，亦寧以口，毋以筆。

(張)豹人曰：但恐未必能自主耳。

竹坡曰：上句立品，下句立德。

迂庵曰：匪惟立德，亦以免禍。

天石曰：今人筆不諛人，更無用筆之處矣。心齋不知此苦，還是唐宋以上人耳。

云士曰：古筆銘曰：“毫毛茂茂，陷水可脫，陷文不活。”正此謂也。亦有諂以筆而實譏

之者，亦有以筆而若譽之者，總以不筆為高。

If one has to praise someone,rather do it by word of mouth than by pen;if

there are persons that must be castigated,also do it by word of mouth rather

than in writing.

Paojen:You have no control over it sometimes.

Chupo:The first half of the sentence helps one's integrity,the second half

one's character.

Yu-an:It not only helps character,but saves one from getting into trouble.

Tienshih:There are writers today who find no other use for their pen except

writing eulogies.Shintsai is not aware of the circumstances which force them

to do it.He lives mentally in the Golden Age.

Yunshih:An ancient inscription on a pen says,"The little hair-brush.You can

get out when dipped in water,but when you get into writing,you may be

crushed."There are eulogies with tongue-in-check sarcasms and apparent

denunciations which cover real praise.But the best thing is not to commit it

to paper at all.

人生——之十六

萬事可忘，難忘者名心一段;千般易淡，未淡者美酒三杯。

竹坡曰：是聞雞起舞，酒后耳熱氣象。

丹麓曰：予性不耐飲，美酒亦易淡，所最難忘者，名耳。

云士曰：惟恐不好名，丹麓此言，具見真處。

One can forget everything except the thought of fame,and learn to be cool

toward everything except three cups of wine.

Chupo:Now I hear someone who is feeling hot behind the ears and who wants to

get up at dawn and practice fencing.

Tanlu:I can't drink,but I cannot forget the thought of fame.

Yunshih:It is not a bad occupation,this thought about fame.Tanlu is sincere.

人生——之十七

物之能感人者，在天莫如月，在樂莫如琴，在動物莫如鵑，在植物莫如柳。

Of all things in the universe,those that move men most deeply are the moon in

heaven,the chin in music,the cuckoo among birds,and the willow among plants.

人生——之十八

閱《水滸傳》，至魯達打鎮(zhèn)關西，武松打虎，因思人生必有一樁極快意事，方不枉在生一

場。即不能有其事，亦須著得一種得意之書，庶幾無憾耳。

竹坡曰：此等事必須無意中方做得來。

弟木山曰：兄若打中山狼更極快意。

When you read the Shuihu and come to the passage where Luta smashes

Chenkuanshi or where Wusung kills the tiger with his bare hands,you feel

good.A man must have such moments of supreme satisfaction in his life.Then he

will not have lived in vain.If he cannot,he can hope to make up for it by

writing a fine book.

Chupo:Such moments of supreme satisfaction have to happen naturally.They cannot be striven for.

[Younger brother]Mushan:If elder brother could kill the Ungrateful Wolf[in a

story],it would be one of those moments.

(注：xyer: i have amended satisfaciton, it should be satisfaction )

人生——之十九

胸藏丘壑，城市不異山林;興寄煙霞，閻浮有如蓬島。梧桐為植物中清品，而形家獨忌之

甚，且謂梧桐大如斗，主人往外走……俗言之不足據(jù)，類如此夫。

含徵曰：愛碧桐者遂艱于白鏹。造物蓋忌之，如靳之也，有何吉兇休咎之可關。只是打秋

風時，光棍樣可厭耳。

In possession of a lively imagination, one can live in the cities and feel like one is in the mountains, and following one's fancies with the clouds, one can convert the dark continent of the south into fairy isles. A great wrong has been committed on the plane tree by the necromancers who regard it as bringing bad luck, saying that when a plane tree grows in the yard, its owner will live abroad...Most superstitions are like that.

Hanchen:Those who love the plane tree are often poor. But that is because the Lord does not want us to have all the blessings at the same time. It is true, however, that in autumn its bare-knuckled and knobbed branches are difficult to look at.

人生——之二十

有地上之山水，有畫上之山水，有夢中之山水，有胸中之山水。地上者妙在邱壑深邃，畫

上者妙在筆墨淋漓，夢中者妙在景象變幻，胸中者妙在位置自如。

星遠曰：心齋《幽夢影》中文字，其妙亦在景象變幻。

(殷)日戒曰：若詩文中之山水，其幽深變幻，更不可以名狀。

含徵曰：但不可有面上之山水。

(余)香祖曰：余境況不佳，水窮山盡矣。

There are hills and waters on the earth,in paintings,in dreams,and in one's

imagination.The beauty of such hills and waters on the earth is in their

grace and variety;that in paintings,richness of ink and freedom of the

brush;that in dreams,their changefulness;and that in one's imagination,good

composition.

Shingyuan:The writing of this book has grace and variety also.

Jihchieh:In literature,the changes and surprises are even more exciting and

difficult to describe.

Hanchen:But please not those changes of expression on the face(of snobbery,etc.)!

Shiangtsu:But sometimes when one meets hardships,the hills seem blocked and

the waters come to a dead end,as in my case.

人生——之二十一

鱗蟲中金魚，羽蟲中紫燕，可云物類神仙。正如東方曼倩避世金馬門，人不得而害之。

含徵曰：金魚之所以免湯鑊者，以其色勝而味苦耳。昔人有以重價覓奇特者，以饋邑侯。

邑侯他日謂之曰：“賢所贈花魚殊無味。”蓋已烹之矣。世豈少削圓方竹杖者哉。

Be a goldfish among the fish and a swallow among the birds.There are like

Taoist fairies who go through life like the witty Tungfang Manching,safe from

harm from those in power.

Hanchen:The goldfish escapes from harm because its flesh is bitter to the

taste.Once there was a man who paid a high price for a beautiful variety and

sent it as a present to a magistrate.Later the magistrate said to him,"The

beautiful fish you sent me seemed to be perfectly tasteless." He meant that

he had cooked and tasted it.There are such people in the world!