荷塘月色两种英文翻译版本

《荷塘月色》英文翻译

译文一

（朱纯深译）（原载

1927

年

7

月

10

日《小说月报》第

18

< br>卷第

7

期）

Moonlight over the Lotus Pond

I

have

felt

quite

upset

recently,

Tonight,

when

I

was

sitting

in

the

yard

enjoying

the

cool,

it

occurred

to

me

that

the

Lotus

Pond,

which

I

pass

by

everyday, must assume quite a different look in such moonlit night. A full moon

was

rising

high

in

the

sky;

the

laughter

of

children

playing

outside

had

died

away; in the room, my wife was patting the son, Run-er, sleepily hum ming a

cradle song. Shrugging on an overcoat, quietly, I made my way out, closing the

door behind me.

Alongside the Lotus Pond runs a small cinder footpath. It is peaceful and

secluded here, a place not frequented by pedestrians even in the daytime; now

at night, it looks more solitary, in a lush, shady ambience of trees all around the

pond. On the side where the path is, there are willows, interlaced with some

oth ers whose names I do not know. The foliage, which, in a moon- less night,

would loom somewhat frighteningly dark, looks very nice tonight, although the

moonlight is not more than a thin, greyish veil.

I am on my own. strolling. hands behind my back. This bit of the universe

seems in my possession now; and I myself seem to have been uplifted from

my ordinary self into another world, I like a serene and peaceful life, as much

as a busy and active one; I like being in solitude, as much as in company. As it

is tonight, basking in a misty moonshine all by myself. I feel I am a free man,

free to think of anything, or of nothing. All that one is obliged to do. or to say, in

the

daytime,

can

be

very

well

cast

a

side

now.

That

is

the

beauty

of

being

alone. For the moment, just let me indulge in this profusion of moonlight and

lotus fra- grance.

All over this winding stretch of water, what meets the eye is a silken field

of

leaves,

reaching

rather

high

above

the

surface.

like

the

skirts

ef

dancing

girls in all their grace. Here and there, layers of leaves are dotted with white

lotus

blossoms,

some

in

demure

bloom,

others

in

shy

bud,

like

scattering

pearls,

or

twinlking

stars,

our

beauties

just

out

of

the

bath.

A

breeze

stirs,

sending

over

breaths

of

fragrance,

like

faint

singing

drift-

ing

from

a

distant

building. At this moment, a tiny thrill shoots through the leaves and flowers, like

a streak of lightning, straight across thc forest of lotuses. The leaves, which

have been standing shoulder to shoulder, are caught trembling in an e merald

heave of the pond. Underneath, the exquisite water is covered from view. and

none can tell its colour; yet the leaves on top project themselves all the more

attractively.