Wednesday, September 14, 2011

Story: "Cat" by Qian Zhongshu (4)

Sequence 4: Chen Yigu meets Aimo and attends her tea party.

頤谷漸漸松弛下來,瞻仰著這些久聞大名的來客。 
Yigu as audience, and next we get a really long sequence describing her friends. 
 高個子大聲說話的是馬用中,有名的政論家,每天在《正論報》上發表社評。國際或國內起什么政治變動,他事后總能證明這恰在他意料之中,或者他曾暗示地預言過。
Ma Yongzhong: 名气大了,他的口气也大了。
斜靠在沙發上,翹著腳抽煙斗的是袁友春。
Yuan Youchun: more boring than Luminol.
這許多背后講他刻薄話的人里,有和他互相吹捧的朋友陸伯麟,就是那個留一小撮日本胡子的老頭儿。
Lu Bolun, he of the cat's name.
科學家鄭須溪又瘦又小,可是他內心肥胖,并不枯燥。
Zheng Xuxi -- great opening sentence.
西裝而頭發剃光的是什么學術机關的主任趙玉山。
Zhao Yushan -- discovering textual errors is no less important than Columbus discovering America!
他們初到北平時,李氏夫婦曾接風請吃午飯,趙太太一見李太太,心里就討厭她風頭太健,把一切男人呼來喚去。
The awkward Mrs. Zhao -- perhaps she belongs with Jianhou?
舉動斯文的曹世昌,講話細聲細气,柔軟悅耳,隔壁听來,頗足使人誤會心醉。
Cao Shichang
今天的茶會少不了傅聚卿。
Fu Juqing
可是心上總憎嫌傅聚卿,好象自己只能算私吸洋煙,而聚卿用得安南鴉片舖的招牌上響當當的字眼:公煙 
A joke I don't get...
理由是陳俠君最閒著沒事做,常能到李家來走動。
At last, we find out who Chen Jiajun is. Truly, this sequence is quite long. 















No comments:

Post a Comment