雙語詩歌翻譯|《柳敬亭說書》

《柳敬亭說書》是明代文學(xué)家張岱創(chuàng)作的一篇小品文。文中第一段具言說書定例，須提前十日下定，常不得空，為下文進(jìn)步突出柳氏“行情”預(yù)作鋪墊；第二段詳敘作者耳聞目見柳氏說書之情景，是畫龍點(diǎn)睛之筆，作者只揀“其說景陽岡武松打虎白文”一例集中刻畫；第三段乃概述柳氏一般的行藝風(fēng)度，即講態(tài)，絕非做買賣似地只圖了事，而是以一種嚴(yán)肅自重的態(tài)度對(duì)待說書，注意聽說雙方的思想情感的交流及藝術(shù)效果。文章記人記事傳神感人，比喻生動(dòng)形象，語言活潑簡潔。

張岱·《柳敬亭說書》

南京柳麻子，黧黑，滿面疤癗，悠悠忽忽，土木形骸。善說書。一日說書一回，定價(jià)一兩。十日前先送書帕下定，常不得空。南京一時(shí)有兩行情人，王月生、柳麻子是也。余聽其說景陽岡武松打虎白文，與本傳大異。其描寫刻畫，微入毫發(fā)；然又找截干凈，并不嘮叨。哱夬聲如巨鐘，說至筋節(jié)處，叱咤叫喊，洶洶崩屋。武松到店沽酒，店內(nèi)無人，謈地一吼，店中空缸空甓皆甕甕有聲。閑中著色，細(xì)微至此。主人必屏息靜坐，傾耳聽之，彼方掉舌；稍見下人呫嗶耳語，聽者欠伸有倦色，輒不言，故不得強(qiáng)。每至丙夜，拭桌剪燈，素瓷靜遞，款款言之。其疾徐輕重，吞吐抑揚(yáng)，入情入理，入筋入骨，摘世上說書之耳，而使之諦聽，不怕其齰舌死也。柳麻貌奇丑，然其口角波俏，眼目流利，衣服恬靜，直與王月生同其婉孌，故其行情正等。

Liu Jingting: Storyteller

Zhang Dai

Pockmarked Liu of Nanjing has a swarthy complexion and his face is covered in craters and ridges. His manner is languid and detached, and he is just as nature made him. He is an excellent storyteller.

He tells one episode a day, and his fee is one ounce of silver. To engage him you have to make your booking, and forward his retainer, ten days in advance, and even then you may be out of luck. There are at present two entertainers in Nanjing in great demand: one is Wang Yuesheng, the chanteuse; the other is Pockmarked Liu.

I heard him tell the story of Wu Song killing the tiger on Jingyang Ridge1. His version diverged greatly from the original text. He will describe things in the minutest particular, but his choice of what to put in and leave out is nice and neat, and he is never wordy. His bellow is like the boom of a mighty bell, and when he gets to some high point in the action he will let loose such a peal of thunder that the building will shake on its foundations. I remember that when Wu Song goes into the inn to get a drink and finds no one there to serve him, he suddenly gave such a roar as to set all the empty vessels humming and vibrating. To make dull patches come to life like this is typical of his passion for detail.

When he goes to perform in someone's house, he will not loosen his tongue until his hosts sit quietly, hold their breath, and give him their undivided attention. If he spots the servants whispering, or if his listeners yawn or show any signs of fatigue, he will come to an abrupt halt, and be impervious to persuasion to continue. He will often talk till past midnight, still keeping up an unhurried flow, while the servants wipe the tables, trim the lamp, and silently serve tea in cups of tasteful porcelain. His pacing and his inflexions, his articulation and his cadences, are exactly suited to the situation, and lay bare the very body and fibre of the matter. If one plucked all the other storytellers alive by the ear and made them listen to him, I do not doubt but they would be struck dumb with wonder and give up the ghost on the spot.

Pockmarked Liu is remarkably ugly, but his lips are puckish, his eyes animated, his dress quietly elegant: all of which effectively puts him on a par with Wang Yuesheng for comeliness, hence their equal drawing power as entertainers.

1. Probably the most famous episode in the Ming novel Shuihu zhuan 水滸傳.