秀才确是一个温良和善的人，讲话是那么地低声，连大娘，实在也是一个出乎意料之外的妇人，她态度之殷勤，和滔滔的一席话：说她和她丈夫底过去的生活之经过，从美满而漂亮的结婚生活起，一直到现在，中间的三十年。The scholar was really kind and soft-spoken. His wife appeared hospitable and talkative. She talked about her thirty years of happy married life with the scholar. 🎈appear作连系动词英义you are reporting what you believe or what you have been told, though you cannot be sure it is true.表示「好像、似乎、看来」。虽然剧透的人容易被骂，但是我还是想说，结合小说后面的情节，这个「大娘」并不是真正地「殷勤」，而是将「善妒和刻薄」发挥到了极致。而妇人也是根据常识判断：过去占了人家丈夫，肯定是不会对好言对待的。但大娘此时的表现却打破了常规，即妇人并不笃信眼前大娘的和善，但大娘表现却又是真的和善。故此处选用appear一词，非常合适。🎈小声说一句：有没有发现自己此处的译文比张老爷子的译文长出了一截？仔细对比一下，注意欣赏。她曾做过一次的产，十五六年以前了，养下一个男孩子，据她说，是一个极美丽又极聪明的婴儿，可是不到十个月，竟患了天花死去了。这样，以后就没有再养过第二个。She had given birth to a boy some fifteen years before –a really handsome and lively child, she said—but he died of smallpox less than ten months after his birth. Since then, she had never had another child.🎈「做过一次的产」即「生过一个孩子」在她底意思中，似乎——似乎——早就叫她底丈夫娶一房妾，可是他，不知是爱她呢，还是没有相当的人——这一层她并没有说清楚；于是，就一直到现在。这样，竟说得这个具着朴素的心地的她，一时酸，一会苦，一时甜上心头，一时又咸的压下去了。最后，这个老妇人并将她底希望也向她说出来了。The elderly woman hinted she had long been urging her husband to get a concubine but he had always put it off –either because he was too much in love with his wedded wife or because he couldn’t find a suitable woman for a concubine. This chatter made the young woman feel sad, delighted and depressed by turns. Finally, the young woman was told what was expected of her.🎈「一时酸，一会苦，一时甜上心头，一时又咸的压下去了」→「心情复杂，多种情绪交织」，现译为 feel sad, delighted and depressed by turns。其中，by turns表示「轮流、交替地」。她底脸是娇红的，可是老妇人说：“你是养过三四个孩子的女人了，当然，你是知道什么的，你一定知道的还比我多。” 这样，她说着走开了。当晚，秀才也将家里底种种情形告诉她，实际，不过是向她夸耀或求媚罢了。She blushed when the scholar’s wife said, “You’ve had three or four children. Of course you know what to do. You know much more than I do.” After this, the elderly woman went away. That evening, the scholar told the young woman a great many things about his family in an effort to show off and ingratiate himself with her.🎈为了 in an effort to 🎈ingratiate意为「讨好，讨某人欢心」。常用搭配为ingratiate oneself with sb.她坐在一张橱子的旁边，这样的红的木橱，是她旧的家所没有的，她眼睛白晃晃地瞧着它。秀才也就坐到橱子底面前来，问她：“你叫什么名字呢？” 她没有答，也并不笑，站起来，走到床底前面， She was sitting beside a red-lacquered wooden wardrobe —something she had never had in her old home. Her dull eyes were focused upon it when the scholar came over and sat in front of it, asking, “What’s your name?” She remained silent and did not smile. Then, rising to her feet, she went towards the bed.🎈破折号后的成分为wardrobe的同位语，起补充说明作用。🎈站起来rise to one’s feet秀才也跟到床底旁边，更笑地问她：“怕羞吗？哈，你想你底丈夫么？哈，哈，现在我是你底丈夫了。”声音是轻轻的，又用手去牵着她底袖子。“不要愁罢！你也想你底孩子的，是不是？不过——”他没有说完，却又哈的笑了一声，他自己脱去他外面的长衫了。He followed her, his face beaming. “Don’t be shy. Still thinking about your husband? Ha, ha, I’m your husband now!” he said softly, touching her arm. “Don’t worry! You’re thinking about your child, aren’t you? Well …”He burst out laughing and took off his long gown. 🎈his face beaming是独立主格结构。🎈You’re thinking about your child, aren’t you?是反意疑问句。她可以听见房外的大娘底声音在高声地骂着什么人，她一时听不出在骂谁，骂烧饭的女仆，又好像骂她自己， The young woman then heard the scholar’s wife scolding somebody outside the room. Though she could not make out just who was being scolded, it seemed to be either the kitchenmaid or herself.🎈勉强地辨认出，看出，听出make out🎈it可以指代性别不明、身份不详的人。可是因为她底怨恨，仿佛又是为她而发的。秀才在床上叫道：“睡罢，她常是这么噜噜苏苏的。她以前很爱那个长工，因为长工要和烧饭的黄妈多说话，她却常要骂黄妈的。” In her sorrow, the young woman began to suspect that it must be herself, but the scholar, now lying in bed, said loudly, “Don’t bother. She always grumbles like that. She likes our farmhand verymuch, and often scolds the kitchenmaid for chatting with him too much.” 🎈suspect和doubt的区别。此处suspect可≈think。🎈不必了，别费神 Don’t bother.🎈「烧饭的黄妈」即在厨房干活的女仆，可简译为the kitchenmaid。🎈秀才此处的语言有一个最大的特点：相当口语化。「她以前很爱那个长工」只是表达「他的正妻很喜欢那个厂工」，「以前」并没有什么含义，「责骂」的动作亦同理，所以此处处理为likes和scolds。日子是一天天地过去了。旧的家，渐渐地在她底脑子里疏远了，而眼前，却一步步地亲近她使她熟悉。虽则，春宝底哭声有时竟在她底耳朵边响，梦中，她也几次地遇到过他了。可是梦是一个比一个缥缈，眼前的事务是一天比一天繁多。Time passed quickly. The young woman’s thoughts of her old home gradually faded as she became better and better acquainted with what went on in her new one. Sometimes it seemed to her she heard Chun Bao’s muffled cries, and she dreamed of him several times. But these dreams became more and more blurred as she became occupied with her new life. 🎈熟悉be acquainted with🎈fade，muffled，blurred均表示妇人对过去的记忆正在逐渐变淡。她知道这个老妇人是猜忌多心的，外表虽则对她还算大方，可是她底嫉妒的心是和侦探一样，监视着秀才对她的一举一动。Outwardly, the scholar’s wife was kind to her, but she felt that, deep inside, the elderly woman was jealous and suspicious and that, like a detective, she was always spying to see what was going on between the scholar and her.🎈Outwardly与deep inside相对照。🎈偷看 peep in to see监视 spy to see🎈she felt that …and that …：felt后一共跟了两个that。
帕布莉卡