0837翻译端午的鸭蛋汪曾祺.docx

0837翻译：端午的鸭蛋（汪曾祺） Translation: Duck Egg of Dragon Boat Festival (Wang Zengqi)(translated by: alexcwlin; edited by: Adam Lam)家乡的端午，很多风俗和外地一样。In my hometown during Dragon Boat Festival, many local customs are similar to those ones elsewhere.系百索子。One of them is Fastening Multi-Color-Cords.五色的丝线拧成小绳，系在手腕上。Threads in five different colors are twisted into small strings which are fastened onto wrists.丝线是掉色的，Those threads bleed.洗脸时沾了水，手腕上就印得红一道绿一道的。In getting wet during face-washing, they would stain the wrists by leaving stripes of red and green colors.做香角子。Another one is Making-Small-Fragrant-Packets.丝线缠成小粽子，里头装了香面，Silk threads are weaved into small rice-dumpling-shaped packets containing scented powder. 一个一个串起来，挂在帐钩上。These packets are stringed together and hung on curtain hooks.贴五毒。Another one is Pasting Five Vermin.红纸剪成五毒，贴在门坎上。Red papers are cut into shapes of Five Vermin and pasted on doors.贴符。Another one is Posting Magic Symbols.这符是城隍庙送来的。This sheet of magic symbols comes from City God Temple.城隍庙的老道士还是我的寄名干爹，The old Taoist master in the Temple is my godfather.他每年端午节前就派小道士送符来，还有两把小纸扇。Before Dragon Boat Festival every year, he would ask a Taoist apprentice to bring over a sheet of magic symbols and two small paper hand-fans.符送来了，就贴在堂屋的门楣上。When the sheet was delivered, we would post it on the overhead door-beam.一尺来长的黄色、蓝色的纸条，上面用朱笔画些莫名其妙的道道，It would be a yellow-and-blue one-foot paper stripe with some baffling maneuvers written on it using rouge-ink brush.这就能辟邪么？ Could this really ward off evils?喝雄黄酒。Another one is Drinking Realgar Wine.用酒和的雄黄在孩子的额头上画一个王字，People write the character “王” (Chinese character meaning “king”) on foreheads of children with a mixture of wine and realgar.这是很多地方都有的。Many places have this practice as a custom.有一个风俗不知别处有不：放黄烟子。There is another local custom which I dont know if it is shared by other places, and that is: Releasing Yellow Smoke-Screen Firecracker.黄烟子是大小如北方的麻雷子的炮仗，只是里面灌的不是硝药，而是雄黄。The size of a Yellow Smoke-Screen Firecracker is about the size of a Ma Lei Zi Firecracker in the north, except realgar is stuffed inside the former instead of potassium nitrate powder.点着后不响，只是冒出一股黄烟，能冒好一会。On ignition it does not explode with a bang but releases yellow smoke that goes on for a little while.把点着的黄烟子丢在橱柜下面，说是可以熏五毒。A lit Yellow Smoke-Screen Firecracker tossed underneath a cupboard allegedly could fumigate the five vermin.小孩子点了黄烟子，常把它的一头抵在板壁上写虎字。A little kid would light a Yellow Smoke-Screen Firecracker and press one end against a plank wall to write the Chinese character “Tiger”.写黄烟虎字笔画不能断，In writing a yellow-smoke “Tiger” Chinese character he must not break the stroke as a custom.所以我们那里的孩子都会写草书的“一笔虎。Therefore all the kids at our place know how to write the one-stroke cursive “Tiger” Chinese character.还有一个风俗，是端午节的午饭要吃“十二红”，One more custom is eating the “Twelve Reds” at lunch on Dragon Boat Festival day.就是十二道红颜色的菜。Those are twelve red-colored dishes.十二红里我只记得有炒红苋菜、油爆虾、咸鸭蛋，Among the “Twelve Reds” in my experience, I can only recall there were fried red amaranth, quick-fried shrimps, and salted duck-eggs.其余的都记不清，数不出了。The rest I have forgotten and what I can name cannot add up to “twelve” in total.也许十二红只是一个名目，不一定真凑足十二样。Maybe “Twelve Red” is only a title and there may not be twelve items in all.不过午饭的菜都是红的，这一点是我没有记错的，However, all the dishes for lunch were indeed red and on that point I know I am not mistaken in my memory.而且，苋菜、虾、鸭蛋，一定是有的。For sure there were amaranth, shrimps and duck-eggs.这三样，在我的家乡，都不贵，多数人家是吃得起的。 These three ingredients are not considered expensive in my hometown and most people can afford to eat them.-我的家乡是水乡。出鸭。Our hometown is a water country and it produces ducks.高邮大麻鸭是著名的鸭种。Gao You Big Freckled Duck is a famous breed of duck.鸭多，鸭蛋也多。Gao You people raise many ducks in the area and those ducks are highly prolific in laying eggs.高邮人也善于腌鸭蛋。Local people are adept in salting duck eggs.高邮咸鸭蛋于是出了名。As such, Gao You salted duck eggs are renowned everywhere.我在苏南、浙江，每逢有人问起我的籍贯，回答之后，对方就会肃然起敬：“哦！你们那里出咸鸭蛋！”When I was in Southern Jiangsu or Zhejiang and people asked me about my place of ancestry, their reaction to my answer would be a lot of respect: “Oh, your place produces salted duck-eggs.”上海的卖腌腊的店铺里也卖咸鸭蛋，必用纸条特别标明：“高邮咸蛋”。In Shanghai, retail stores specializing in salted/preserved meats also sell salted duck-eggs, and they would use special stickers which label “Gao You Salted Eggs”.高邮还出双黄鸭蛋。Gao You also produces double-yolk duck-eggs.别处鸭蛋有偶有双黄的，但不如高邮的多，可以成批输出。Duck eggs from other places occasionally have double-yolks but there are not as many as Gao You which can ship them out in bulks.双黄鸭蛋味道其实无特别处。还不就是个鸭蛋！Actually the taste of double-yolk duck-eggs is nothing special and those eggs are just ordinary duck-eggs.只是切开之后，里面圆圆的两个黄，使人惊奇不已。But in cutting one open, the two round yolks inside are really amazing.我对异乡人称道高邮鸭蛋，是不大高兴的，好像我们那穷地方就出鸭蛋似的！I am not overly pleased with all the praises on Gao You duck-eggs from non-locals as if our impoverished place only produces duck-eggs.不过高邮的咸鸭蛋，确实是好，However, Gao You duck-eggs are indeed great.我走的地方不少，所食鸭蛋多矣，但和我家乡的完全不能相比！I have traveled to many places and feasted on many other duck-eggs, but they are nowhere nearly as good as those from our hometown.曾经沧海难为水，Once you have been treated to the best it would be hard to go back to the mundane.他乡咸鸭蛋，我实在瞧不上。Duck-eggs from other places are not worth a sniff as far as I am concerned.袁枚的随园食单小菜单有“腌蛋”一条。Yuan Meis Sui Garden Feast ListShort Menuincludes “Salted Egg” as an item.袁子才这个人我不喜欢，I am not particularly fond of Yuan Zicai as a person.他的食单好些菜的做法是听来的，他自己并不会做菜。The recipes of many dishes in his “menu” were hearsay because he didnt know how to cook himself.但是腌蛋这一条我看后却觉得很亲切，而且“与有荣焉”。But I feel intimate and proud after reading the item “Salted Egg”.文不长，录如下：The article is not long and I reproduce it as follows: -腌蛋以高邮为佳，In salted eggs, those from Gao You are considered great.颜色细而油多，Color is refined and oil is aplenty for those eggs.高文端公最喜食之。They are a favorite dish of Honorable Gao Jin.席间，先夹取以敬客，放盘中。During meal, you should first pick the eggs up with chopsticks. Then you put them on plates for presenting to guests.总宜切开带壳，Each duck egg is best served being cut open with the shells left on.黄白兼用；Both the egg-yolk and egg-white should be eaten.不可存黄去白，使味不全，油亦走散。”Dont eat the egg-yolk without the egg-white or the taste would not be complete and the oil content would be compromised. -高邮咸蛋的特点是质细而油多。What make Gao You salted duck-eggs so special are the refinement in texture and abundance in oil.蛋白柔嫩，不似别处的发干、发粉，入口如嚼石灰。Egg-white is tender, unlike that in eggs elsewhere which dry and powdery texture tastes like limestone powder.油多尤为别处所不及。The plentiful amount of oil is beyond rival.鸭蛋的吃法，如袁子才所说，带壳切开，是一种，那是席间待客的办法。The best way to eat a duck-egg is to serve it cut-open with shell attached, which is particularly suited for entertaining guests. This method was recommended by Yuan Zicai.平常食用，一般都是敲破“空头”用筷子挖着吃。Ordinarily, eating would involve cracking the shell at the vacuum top portion of the egg and using chopstick to dig out the contents and put them into mouth.筷子头一扎下去，吱红油就冒出来了。At the poke of the chopstick, reddish oil spurts out.高邮咸蛋的黄是通红的。The yolk of Gao You salted egg is thoroughly red.苏北有一道名菜，叫做“朱砂豆腐”，就是用高邮鸭蛋黄炒的豆腐。The famous dish in northern Suzhou called “Rouge Ink Bean Curd” uses Gao You duck-egg yolk to fry bean curd.我在北京吃的咸鸭蛋，蛋黄是浅黄色的，这叫什么咸鸭蛋呢！ The salted duck-egg yolk I ate in Beijing was light-yellow in color and what kind of salted duck-egg do you call that? 端午节，我们那里的孩子兴挂“鸭蛋络子”。On Dragon Boat Festival day hanging up “Duck-Egg Bag” for our children is popular.头一天，就由姑姑或姐姐用彩色丝线打好了络子。On the previous day, an aunt or older sister would use colored silk threads to make a small bag for a child.端午一早，鸭蛋煮熟了，由孩子自己去挑一个，Early in the morning on Festival Day, duck-eggs would be cooked and the child would pick one egg.鸭蛋有什么可挑的呢！ Why would you need to pick duck-egg?有！一要挑淡青壳的。Yes, firstly a light-green shell one should be selected.鸭蛋壳有白的和淡青的两种。There are two types of duck-egg shells: the white type and the light-green type.二要挑形状好看的。Secondly, a good looking shape one should be picked.别说鸭蛋都是一样的，Dont say all duck-eggs are the same.细看却不同。They are different on close examination.有的样子蠢，有的秀气。Some look clumsy and some look sharp.挑好了，装在络子里，挂在大襟的纽扣上。The picked one would be put inside the small bag hung on a button of the top garment.这有什么好看呢？What is so good-looking about it?然而它是孩子心爱的饰物。It is a childs favorite ornament.鸭蛋络子挂了多半天，什么时候孩子一高兴，就把络子里的鸭蛋掏出来，吃了。After a Duck-Egg Bag has been hung around for more than half-a-day, anytime the child chooses he could take out the duck-egg inside the bag and eat it.端午的鸭蛋，新腌不久，只有一点淡淡的咸味，Duck-egg on Festival Day would have been salted only for a short time and the salty taste is mild.白嘴吃也可以。Therefore it could be eaten straight without other food on the side to neutralize the salty taste. -孩子吃鸭蛋是很小心的，A child is very careful in how he eats his duck-egg.除了敲去空头，不把蛋壳碰破。Other than knocking off the shell at the vacuum top portion of the egg, he would not break other parts of