Unable to forget that almost too vivid dream of his father and wanting somehow to lighten the penance, Genji immediately set about plans for a reading of the Lotus Sutra. It was to be in the Tenth Month. Everyone at court helped with the arrangements. —
未能忘记那个几乎太真实的梦境，梦中的父亲，源氏立刻制定了读《法华经》的计划，定在十月举行。朝廷上的每个人都参与了安排。 —

The spirit of cooperation was as before Genji fell into disfavor.
在源氏陷入不受宠爱之前，合作的精神就像以前一样。

Though seriously ill, Kokiden was still an enemy, angry that she had not succeeded in crushing him completely. —
虽然病重，九条还是个敌人，因为未能完全打倒源氏而愤怒。 —

The emperor had been convinced that he must pay the penalty for having gone against his father’s wishes. —
皇帝被说服自己必须为违背父亲意愿而受罚。 —

Now that he had had Genji recalled, he was in greatly improved spirits, and the eye ailment that had so troubled him had quite gone away. —
现在源氏已被召回，他的精神面貌大有改善，一直困扰他的眼病也已经痊愈。 —

Melancholy forebodings continued to be with him, however. —
尽管如此，忧郁的预感仍旧缠绕着他。 —

He frequently sent for Genji, who was now in his complete confidence. —
他经常召见源氏，现在完全信任他。 —

Everyone thought it splendid that he was at last having his way.
大家都认为他终于得到了自己的方式。

The day appointed for his abdication drew near. —
退位的日子渐行渐近。 —

It grieved him to think of the precarious position in which it would leave Oborozukiyo.
想到退位后将把昏御子置于艰难境地，他心情沉重。

“Your father is dead,” he said to her, “and my mother is in worse health all the time. —
“你的父亲已经去世了，”他对她说，“而我的母亲健康日益恶化。 —

I doubt that I have much longer to live and fear that everything will change once I am gone. —
我怀疑我活不长久，担心一切都会一旦我去世而改变。 —

I know that there is someone you have long preferred to me; —
我知道你一直倾心于某人； —

but it has been a way of mine to concentrate upon one object, and I have thought only of you. —
但我的作风一直是专注于一个对象，我只想着你。 —

Even if the man whom you prefer does as you wish him to, I doubt that his affection can match my own. —
哪怕你所钟爱之人按照你的意愿而行，我怀疑他的情感也无法与我的相媲美。” —

The thought is too much for me.” He was in tears.
这个念头对我来说太沉重了。”他哭了。

She flushed and turned away. An irresistible charm seemed to flow from her, to make him forget his grievances.
她脸红转身。她身上散发出一种无法抗拒的魅力，让他忘记了自己的委屈。

“And why have you not had a child? It seems such a pity. —
“你为什么没有孩子呢？真是太可惜了。 —

No doubt you will shortly have one by the man with whom you seem to have the stronger bond, and that will scarcely be to my taste. —
你很快就会和那个与你有更深厚感情的人生一个孩子，这对我来说几乎是不能接受的。 —

He is a commoner, you know, and I suppose the child must be reared as a commoner.”
你知道，他是个平民，我想这个孩子可能会被养成平民。”

These remarks about the past and about the future so shamed her that she could not bring herself to look at him. —
这些关于过去和未来的言论让她感到羞愧，以至于她无法直视他。 —

He was a handsome, civil man, and his behavior over the years had told of a deepening affection; —
他是个英俊有礼的男人，多年来的举止表明他对她的感情日益深厚； —

and so she had come to understand, as she had become more alive to these subtleties, that Genji, for all his good looks and gallantry, had been less than ideally devoted to her. —
因此，随着她对这些微妙之处的认识加深，她明白了，尽管源氏貌美如花、风度翩翩，但对她的忠诚却不尽如人意。 —

Why had she surrendered to childish impulses and permitted a scandal which had seriously damaged her name and done no good for his? —
她为什么向孩子气的冲动屈服，容许一场给自己的名誉带来严重伤害却对他毫无益处的丑闻呢？ —

These reminders of the past brought her untold pain.
这些过去的提醒给她带来了无尽的痛苦。

In the Second Month of the following year initiation ceremonies were held for the crown prince. —
第二年的二月，太子举行了成人仪式。 —

He was eleven, tall and mature for his age, and the very image of Genji. The world marveled at the almost blinding radiance, but it was a source of great trepidation for Fujitsubo. —
他十一岁，身材高大成熟，活脱脱一个源氏的复制品。世人为他那几乎刺眼的耀眼之光感到惊叹，但这对藤壶来说却是极大的忧虑。 —

Very pleased with his successor, the emperor in a most gentle and friendly way discussed plans for his own abdication.
皇帝对他的继承人非常满意，以一种极为温和友善的方式讨论了自己的退位计划。

He abdicated that same month, so suddenly that Kokiden was taken by surprise.
他当月便退位了，让随便宫措手不及。

“I know that it will be as a person of no importance,” he said, seeking to calm her, “but I hope that I will see you rather more frequently and at my leisure.”
“我知道我将变成一个无关紧要的人，”他说，试图安抚她，“但我希望能更频繁地在我的空余时间看到你。”

His son by Lady Shōkyōden was made crown prince. —
他和襄阳殿女所生的儿子被任命为太子。 —

Everything had changed overnight, causes for rejoicing were innumerable. Genji was made a minister. —
一切在一夜之间都发生了改变，喜庆之事不胜枚举。源氏被任命为大臣。 —

As the number of ministers is limited by the legal codes and there were at the time no vacancies, a supernumerary position was created for him. —
由于法典规定大臣的数量有限，而当时也没有空缺，因此为他创造了一个超员职位。 —

It was assumed that his would be the strongest hand in the direction of public affairs.
人们认为他将是公共事务方向上最有力的人。

“I am not up to it,” he said, deferring to his father-in-law, who was persuaded to come out of retirement and accept appointment as regent.
“我做不到，”他说，推辞对他的岳父，后者被说服重新出山，接受任命为摄政王。

“I resigned because of poor health,” protested the old man, “and now I am older and even more useless.”
“我因为身体不好而辞职，”老人抗议说，“现在我更年迈更没用了。”

It was pointed out, however, that in foreign countries statesmen who in rime of civil disorder have withdrawn to deep mountain retreats have thought it no shame, despite their white beards, to be of service once peace has been restored. —
然而，有人指出，在外国，那些在内乱时期退隐高山修行的政治家在和平恢复后仍然愿意为国效力，并不以他们的白胡子而感到羞耻。 —

Indeed they have been revered as the true saints and sages. —
事实上，他们被尊为真正的圣贤。 —

The court and the world at large agreed that there need be no obstacle whatever to resuming upon recovery offices resigned because of illness. —
宫廷和整个世界一致认为，健康恢复后，再次接受因病辞去的职务不会有任何障碍。 —

Unable to persist in his refusal, he was appointed chancellor. He was sixty-three. —
他无法坚持拒绝，被任命为宰相。他当时六十三岁。 —

His retirement had been occasioned in part by the fact that affairs of state were not going as he wished, but now all was in order. —
他退休的部分原因在于国家事务不如他所愿，但现在一切都井井有条。 —

His sons, whose careers had been in eclipse, were also brought back. —
他的儿子们，曾经黯然失色的职业又被重振。 —

Most striking was the case of Tō no Chūjō, who was made a supernumerary councillor. —
尤其引人注目的是洞房司被任命为超员参议员。 —

He had been especially careful about the training of his daughter, now twelve, by Kokiden’s sister, and was hoping to send her to court. —
他对女儿的培养尤为慎重，如今十二岁，由光源大姨教导，他希望能送她入宫。 —

The boy who had sung “Takasago” so nicely had come of age and was the sort of son every father wished for. —
曾那么好听地唱过《高砂》的少年现在已成年，是每个父亲都希望拥有的孩子。 —

Indeed Tō no Chūjō had a troop of sons by his various ladies which quite filled Genji with envy.
确实，当年中将确实由不同的女子生了一群儿子，这让源氏非常羡慕。

Genji’s own Yūgiri was as handsome a boy as any of them. —
源氏自己的夕霧也和他们任何一个一样帅气。 —

He served as page for both the emperor and the crown prince. —
他既为皇帝又为太子当过侍从。 —

His grandparents, Princess Omiya and the chancellor, continued to grieve for their daughter. —
他的祖父母，小宫姬和关白，仍在为他们的女儿而悲伤。 —

But she was gone, and they had Genji’s prosperity to take their minds from their sorrow; —
但她已去世，他们有源氏的繁荣来从悲伤中得到慰藉； —

and it seemed that the gloomy years of Genji’s exile had vanished without a trace. —
看起来源氏流放的阴郁岁月消失得无影无踪。 —

Genji’s devotion to the family of his late wife was as it had always been. —
源氏对他已故妻子的家族依旧像以前一样忠诚。 —

He overlooked no occasion that seemed to call for a visit, or for gifts to the nurse and the others who had remained faithful through the bad years. —
他始终不忘任何看似需要去探访或送礼物的场合，或那些在困难岁月里仍忠诚的护士和其他人。 —

One may be sure that there were many happy women among them.
可以确定其中很多女性都过得幸福。

At Nijō too there were women who had awaited his return. —
在二条也有一些等待他回来的女性。 —

He wished to do everything possible to make up for the sorrows that must have been theirs, and upon such women as Chūjō and Nakatsukasa, appropriately to their station in life, he bestowed a share of his affection. —
他希望尽一切可能来弥补她们必定经历过的悲伤，对那些像中将和中将内侧这样的女性，根据她们的身份地位适当地施展他的疼爱。 —

This left him no time for women outside the house. —
这让他无暇顾及家外的女性。 —

He had most splendidly remodeled the lodge to the east of his mansion. —
他将东侧的别墅重新装修得非常豪华。 —

He had inherited it from his father, and his plan was that it be home for the lady of the orange blossoms and other neglected favorites.
这别墅是他从父亲那边继承来的，他打算让橘花夫人和其他被忽略的宠妃们居住在那里。

I have said nothing about the Akashi lady, whom he had left in such uncertainty. —
我先前没有提及过明石夫人，他曾让她陷入种种不确定状态。 —

Busy with public and private affairs, he had not been able to inquire after her as he would have wished. —
他忙于公私事务，一直未能如愿地探访她。 —

From about the beginning of the Third Month, though he told no one, she was much on his mind, for her time must be approaching. —
从三月初开始，虽未告诉任何人，但她却常常在他心中，因为她的时机应该已经到了。 —

He sent off a messenger, who very soon returned.
他派了个信使，很快就回来了。

“A girl was safely delivered on the sixteenth.”
“女孩在十六日平安出生。”

It was his first daughter. He was delighted — but why had he not brought the lady to have her child in the capital?
这是他的第一个女儿。他感到高兴 — 但为什么没有带那位女士在京城生孩子呢？

“You will have three children,” a fortuneteller had once told him. —
“你将会有三个孩子，”一个算命者曾经告诉他。 —

“Two of them are certain to become emperor and empress. —
“其中两个肯定会成为皇帝和皇后。 —

The least of the three will become chancellor, the most powerful man in the land.” The whole of the oracle seemed by way of coming true.
最小的那个将会成为丞相，国中最有权势的人。”整个预言似乎正在应验。

He had consulted physiognomists in large numbers and they had been unanimous in telling him that he would rise to grand heights and have the world to do with as he wished; —
他请了大量相面的人来占卜，他们一致告诉他说，他将会飞黄腾达，如意所欲地操控世界； —

but through the unhappy days he had dismissed them from his thoughts. —
但在不幸的日子里，他已经将他们排除在脑外。 —

With the commencement of the new reign it seemed that his most extravagant hopes were being realized. —
随着新朝的开始，他似乎看到了他最为奢望的希望正在实现。 —

The throne itself lay beyond his reach. He had been his father’s favorite over his many brothers, but his father had determined to reduce him to common status, and that fact made it apparent that the throne must not be among his ambitions. —
皇位本身不在他的掌握之中。他是父亲在众多兄弟中的宠儿，但父亲决定让他退隐庶民，这一事实足以证明皇位不应该是他的抱负。 —

Although the reasons were of course secret, the accession of the new emperor seemed evidence enough that the fortuneteller had not deceived him. —
虽然原因是秘密的，但新皇帝的即位似乎足以证明那个算命者并未欺骗他。 —

As for future prospects, he thought that he could see the god of Sumiyoshi at work. —
至于未来前景，他认为自己看到了住吉之神的作为。 —

Had it been foreordained that someone from Akashi was meant for remarkable things, and was it for that reason that her eccentric father had had what had seemed preposterous plans? —
难道早就注定有人从明石出人头地，她古怪的父亲曾有看似荒谬的计划就是为了这个原因吗？ —

Genji had done badly in letting his daughter be born in a comer of the provinces. —
源氏让自己的女儿出生在偏远的乡间，这实在是一件糟糕的事情。 —

He must send for mother and daughter as soon as the proprieties allowed, and he gave orders that the remodeling of the east lodge be hurried.
在礼节允许的情况下，他必须尽快派人去接母女，同时他也下令东楼的改造要加快进行。

Capable nurses would be difficult to find, he was afraid, in Akashi. —
他担心在明石找不到合适的护士。 —

He remembered having heard the sad story of a woman whose mother had been among the old emperor’s private secretaries and whose father had been a chamberlain and councillor. —
他记得曾听说过一个悲伤的故事，一个女人的母亲曾是老皇帝的私人秘书，父亲是侍御史。 —

The parents both dead and the lady herself in straitened circumstances, she had struck up an unworthy liaison and had a child as a result. —
父母双亡，女士境况艰难，她不得已与一个不负责任的男子发展了不正当的关系，最终生下了一个孩子。 —

She was young and her prospects were poor, and she did not hesitate at the invitation to quit a deserted and ruinous mansion, and so the contract was made. —
她年轻，前途暗淡，毫不犹豫地接受了离开一个废弃破败的宅邸的邀请，于是契约成立。 —

By way of some errand or other, in the greatest secrecy, Genji visited her. —
源氏秘密地前往拜访她，借口是有一件事情要办。 —

Though she had made the commitment, she had been having second thoughts. —
尽管她已经接受了邀请，但她却开始犹豫起来。 —

The honor of the visit quite removed her doubts.
源氏的光临打消了她的犹豫。

“I shall do entirely as you wish.”
“我会完全按照你的意愿去做。”

Since it was a propitious day, he sent her off immediately.
由于是个吉祥的日子，他立刻打发她出发。

“You will think it selfish and unfeeling of me, I am sure; but I have rather special plans. —
“你可能会认为我自私无情，但我有特殊的计划。” —

Tell yourself that there is a precedent for being sent off to a hard life in a strange land, and put up with it for a time. —
让自己相信，被送到陌生的地方去过艰苦生活有先例，暂时忍耐。 —

” And he told her in detail of her duties.
”然后他详细告诉她她的职责。

Since she had been at court, he had occasionally had a glimpse of her. She was thinner now. —
自从她退出宫廷以来，他偶尔有看到她。她现在瘦了很多。 —

Her once fine mansion was sadly neglected, and the plantings in the garden were rank and overgrown. —
她曾经漂亮的豪宅可惜已经荒废，花园里的植物杂乱丛生。 —

How, he wondered, had she endured such a life?
他想知道，她是如何忍受这样的生活的？

“Suppose we call it off,” he said jokingly, “and keep you here. —
“假设我们取消计划吧，”他开玩笑地说，“让你留在这里吧。” —

” She was such a pretty young woman that he could not take his eyes from her.
她是如此漂亮的年轻女子，以至于他无法移开目光。

She could not help thinking that, if it was all the same, she would prefer serving him from somewhat nearer at hand.
她不禁觉得，如果可以的话，她宁愿近距离为他服务。

“I have not, it is true, been so fortunate as to know you,
“我不幸，从未有过与您相识的机会，

But sad it is to end the briefest friendship.
但结束那短暂的友谊实在令人伤感。

“And so perhaps I should go with you.”
“也许我应该跟随你去。”

She smiled.
她微笑着。

“I do not trust regrets at so quick a farewell.
“我不相信在这样匆匆的告别中会有遗憾。

The truth has to do with someone you wish to visit.”
真相与你希望拜访的某人有关。”

It was nicely done.
做得很好。

She left the city by carriage. He assigned as escort men whom he trusted implicitly and enjoined them to the strictest secrecy. —
她乘马车离开了城市。他安排了一群信任的人作为护卫，并嘱咐他们保密。 —

He sent with her a sword for the little girl and other appropriate gifts and provisions, in such quantities that the procession was in danger of falling behind schedule. —
他送给她一把剑作为小姑娘的礼物，还有其他合适的礼物和食物，数量之多差点导致行程延误。 —

His attentions to the newly appointed nurse could not have been more elaborate.
对新任护士的关注程度简直不能再周到。

He smiled to think what this first grandchild would mean to the old man, how busy and self-important he would be. —
他微笑着想到，这第一个孙子对老人来说意味着什么，他会变得多么忙碌和自以为是。 —

No doubt it told of events in a former life (and the thought brought twinges of conscience), that she meant so much to Genji himself. —
毫无疑问，她对源氏自己来说意义重大的，这可能是前世的事件的反映（这个想法让她心生愧疚）。 —

Over and over again he told the nurse that he would not be quick to forgive lapses and oversights.
他一遍又一遍地告诉护士，他绝不会轻易原谅过失和疏忽。

“One day this sleeve of mine shall be her shelter
“我这袖子将来有一天将是她的庇护所

Whose years shall be as the years of the angel’s rock.”
她的岁月将如天使之岩石的岁月一般。”

They hurried to the Harima border by boat and thence by horse. —
他们乘船匆匆赶往播磨边界，然后换乘马匹。 —

The old man was overjoyed and there was no end to his awed gratitude. —
老人欣喜若狂，感激之情无穷无尽。 —

He made obeisance in the direction of the capital. —
他向京都方向作揖。 —

At this evidence that the little girl was important to Genji he began to feel rather in awe of her too. —
这一证据表明这个小女孩对源氏来说十分重要，他开始感到对她也有些敬畏。 —

She had an unearthly, almost ominous sort of beauty, to make the nurse see that the fuss and bother had not after all been overdone. —
她有一种不可思议的、几乎令人不安的美丽，让护士看到烦扰和麻烦并未过火。 —

There had been something horrible about this sudden removal to the countryside, but now it was as if she were awakening from a nightmare into broad sunlight. —
这突如其来的移居乡间有种可怕的感觉，但现在她仿佛从噩梦中苏醒，进入了明媚的阳光之中。 —

She already adored the little girl.
她已经爱上了这个小女孩。

The Akashi lady had been in despair. She had decided as the months went by that life was without meaning. —
明石女对此感到绝望。随着时间的流逝，她认为生活毫无意义。 —

This evidence of Genji’s good intentions was comforting. —
这一证据表明源氏的善意令人安慰。 —

She bestirred herself to make the guests from the city feel welcome.
她努力让来自城市的客人感到宾至如归。

The escort was in a hurry to return. She set down something of her feelings in a letter to Genji, to which she added this poem:
这位护送人匆匆赶回去。她把自己的一些感受写在一封给源氏的信中，随信附上了这首诗：

“These sleeves are much too narrow to offer protection.
“这袖子太狭窄了，无法保护。”

The blossom awaits those all-encompassing ones.”
“花朵等待那些能包容一切的人。”

Genji was astonished at himself, that his daughter should be so much on his mind and that he should so long to see her.
源氏对自己感到惊讶，他的女儿竟然占据着他心头，他竟然如此渴望见到她。

He had said little to Murasaki of the events at Akashi, but he feared that she might have the story from someone else. —
他没有告诉紫鸾有关明石的事情，但他担心她可能已经从别人那里听到了这个故事。 —

“And that would seem to be the situation,” he said, concluding his account. —
“似乎情况就是这样了，”他说完他的叙述。 —

“Somehow everything has gone wrong. I don’t have children where I really want them, and now there is a child in a very unlikely place. —
“一切似乎都发生错了。我没有孩子的地方却有一个极不可能的地方有一个孩子。 —

And it is a girl. I could of course simply disown her, but that is the sort of thing I do not seem capable of. —
而且是个女孩。我当然可以简单地否认她，但这似乎是我做不到的事情。 —

I will bring her here one of these days and let you have a look at her. —
我哪天会把她带过来，让你看一看。 —

You are not to be jealous, now.”
你不要嫉妒。”

Murasaki flushed. “How strange you are. —
紫鸾脸红了。“你真奇怪。 —

You make me dislike myself, constantly assigning traits which are not mine at all. —
你总是把根本不是我的特质强加给我。 —

When and by whom, I wonder, shall I begin to have lessons in jealousy?”
我想，我要从何时何人开始上嫉妒课呢？”

Genji smiled, and tears came to his eyes. “When indeed, pray. You are very odd, my dear. —
源氏微笑了，眼泪涌入他的眼眶。“何时呢，希望尽快。你真是个古怪的人，亲爱的。 —

Things come into your mind that would not occur to anyone else.”
你脑子里想的东西，别人根本想不到。”

She thought of their longing for each other through the years apart, of letters back and forth, and his delinquencies and her resentment seemed like a silly joke.
她想起了这些年他们相思之苦，来回的书信，他的过失和她的怨恨似乎就像一个愚蠢的笑话。

“There are very special reasons for it all,” he continued, “that she should be so much on my mind, and that I should be so diligent in my inquiries. —
“这一切都有非常特殊的原因。”他接着说道，“她为什么一直在我心里，我为什么如此勤奋地打探。 —

But I fear that it is too soon to tell you of them. You would not understand. —
“但我担心现在告诉你还为时过早。你不会明白的。 —

I think that the setting may have been partly responsible.”
“我觉得环境可能部分负有责任。”

He had told of her of the lines of smoke across the Akashi sky that last evening, and, though with some understatement, perhaps, of the lady’s appearance and of her skill on the koto. —
他曾经告诉她上个晚上明石天空上的烟线，以及，也许有点保守地描述那位女士的外表和她在琴上的技艺。 —

And so while she herself had been lost in infinite sadness, thought Murasaki, he had managed to keep himself entertained. —
所以当她自己陷入无限悲伤时，紫的想，他竟然设法找到了娱乐。 —

It did not seem right that he should have allowed himself even a playful glance at another woman.
他竟然允许自己对另一个女人投以玩笑般的一瞥，这看起来不合适。

If he had his ways, she would have hers. She looked aside, whispering as if to herself: —
如果他有他的方式，她也会有她的方式。她看向一边，低声说着好像对自己说的话： —

“There was a time when we seemed rather a nicely matched couple.
“有段时间我们似乎是个很好的匹配夫妻。

“I think I shall be the first to rise as smoke,
“我觉得我会率先化作烟，

And it may not go the direction of that other.”
“也许不会朝着那个方向去。”

“What a very unpleasant thing to say.
“说这种话太不愉快了。

“For whom, in mountains, upon unfriendly seas,
“在山上，海上，有谁的眼泪能冲我入水？

Has the flow of my tears been such as to sweep me under?
“我希望你能理解我，但当然这个世界并不会完全理解我们。

“I wish you could understand me, but of course it is not the way of this world that we are ever completely understood. —
“我只是希望你明白。” —

I would not care or complain except for the fact that I do so love you.”
我对此并不在意或抱怨，只因为我如此爱你。

He took out a koto and tuned it and pushed it towards her; —
他拿出一把琴，并调好了音，推过来让她弹； —

but, perhaps somewhat displeased at his account of the other lady’s talents, she refused to touch it. —
但她或许对他说起另一位女士的才艺感到不满意，拒绝动弹。 —

She was a calmly, delightfully gentle lady, and these small outbursts of jealousy were interesting, these occasional shows of anger charming. —
她是位冷静、令人愉悦的温柔女士，这些小小的嫉妒爆发很有趣，偶尔的愤怒表现也很迷人。 —

Yes, he thought, she was someone he could be with always.
是的，他想，她是他可以永远在一起的人。

His daughter would be fifty days old on the fifth of the Fifth Month. He longed more than ever to see her. —
他的女儿将在五月初五满五十天。他比以往更渴望见到她。 —

What a splendid affair the fiftieth-day celebrations would be if they might take place in the city! —
如果能在城里举办五十天庆祝活动将会是多么壮观的事情啊！ —

Why had he allowed the child to be born in so unseemly a place? —
他为什么要让孩子在如此不体面的地方出生呢？ —

If it had been a boy he would not have been so concerned, but for a girl it was a very great disability not to be born in the city. —
如果是男孩他可能并不会这么担心，但对于一个女孩来说，在城里出生是一种很大的不利条件。 —

And she seemed especially important because his unhappiness had had so much to do with her destinies.
因为他的不幸与她的命运有着极大的关系，所以她显得格外重要。

He sent off messengers with the strictest orders to arrive on that day and no other. —
他派出使者，严令在那一天准时到达，不能晚到半步。 —

They took with them all the gifts which the most fertile imagination could have thought of for such an occasion, and practical everyday supplies as well.
他们带着所有最富有想象力的礼物为这样的场合准备，并且还带去实用的日常用品。

This was Genji’s note:
源氏的便条写着：

“The sea grass, hidden among the rocks, unchanging,
“海草隐藏在岩石间，始终不变，

Competes this day for attention with the iris.
与鸢尾花今日争相引人注意。”

“I am quite consumed with longing. You must be prepared to leave Akashi. —
我深深地思念着你。你必须准备离开明石。 —

It cannot be otherwise. I promise you that you have not the smallest thing to worry about.”
别无选择。我向你承诺，你毫无烦恼。

The old man’s face was a twisted shell once more, this time, most properly, with joy. —
那位老人的脸再次扭曲，这一次是喜悦。 —

Very elaborate preparations had been made for the fiftieth-day ceremonies, but had these envoys not come from Genji they would have been like brocades worn in the night.
为了五旬节仪式做了精心准备，但如果这些使者不是来自源氏的话，就如同在夜晚穿着锦缎。

The nurse had found the Akashi lady to her liking, a pleasant companion in a gloomy world. —
护士喜欢明石的女士，她是在这个阴郁的世界里一个愉快的伴侣。 —

Among the women whom the lady’s parents, through family connections, had brought from the city were several of no lower standing than the nurse; —
通过家族关系，女士的父母从城市带来了几位身份不低于护士的女性； —

but they were all aged, tottering people who could no longer be used at court and who had in effect chanced upon Akashi in their search for a retreat among the crags. —
但她们都是年迈、摇晃的人，已经不适合在宫廷中工作，实际上是在悬崖间寻找隐居之地时偶然来到明石的。 —

The nurse was at her elegant best. She gave this and that account, as her feminine sensibilities led her, of the great world, and she spoke too of Genji and how everyone admired him. —
护士表现得优雅。根据她的敏感性，她讲述这个那个故事，说起了大都会的世界，也提到了源氏，他受人推崇。 —

The Akashi lady began to think herself important for having had something to do with the little memento he had left behind. —
明石的女士开始觉得自己很重要，因为她和他留下的小礼物有关。 —

The nurse saw Genji’s letter. What extraordinary good fortune the lady did have, she Mad been thinking, and how unlucky she had been herself; —
护士看到了源氏的信。女士有此那般的幸运，她在想着，而她自己如此不幸； —

and Genji’s inquiries made her feel important too.
源氏的询问也让她觉得自己很重要。

The lady’s reply was honest and unaffected.
女士的回应诚实又自然。

“The crane is lost on an insignificant isle.
“孤岛上失去了鹤。

Not even today do you come to seek it out.
即使今日你也不来寻它。

“I cannot be sure how long a life darkened by lonely reveries and brightened by occasional messages from outside can be expected to continue, and must beg of you that the child be freed of uncertainty the earliest day possible.”
我不能确定一个被寂寥幻想困扰，又偶尔因外界消息而亮起的生命能期待多久，恳请你尽早解除孩子的不确定感。”

Genji read the letter over and over again, and sighed.
源氏一遍又一遍地读那封信，叹了口气。

“The distant boat more distant.” Murasaki looked away as she spoke, as if to herself, and said no more.
“远船更远。”紫式部说着，目光移开，仿佛是在自言自语，之后再也没有说什么。

“You do make a large thing of it. Myself’ I make no more of it than this: —
“你把这事看得太严重了。我只是这样想： —

sometimes a picture of that seacoast comes into my mind, and memories come back, and I sigh. —
有时候会想起那海岸的景色，回忆涌现，我会叹口气。 —

You are very attentive, not to miss the sigh.”
你真是细心，居然察觉到了叹息。”

He let her see only the address. The hand would have done honor to the proudest lady at court. —
他只让她看到了地址。他的字迹足以让任何一位宫廷夫人都自愧不如。 —

She could see why the Akashi lady had done so well.
她明白为什么明石的女士表现得如此出色。

It was sad that his preoccupation with Murasaki had left him no time for the lady of the orange blossoms. —
他对紫式部的关注让他无暇顾及橙花夫人。 —

There were public affairs as well, and he was now too important to wander about as he would wish. —
公事也同样重要，他现在已经没有时间随心所欲地闲逛。 —

It seemed that all was quiet in that sector, and so he gave little thought to it. —
他觉得那个地方一切都很平静，所以对此并没有多少想法。 —

Then came the long rains of early summer to lay a pall over things and bring a respite from his duties. —
随之而来的初夏长雨笼罩大地，他从繁忙的工作中得到了一丝喘息。 —

He roused himself for a visit.
他振作起来准备去拜访她。

Though she saw little of him, the lady was completely dependent on him; —
虽然她很少见到他，但这位女士却完全依赖他； —

but she was not of the modern sort, given to outpourings of resent- ment. —
但她并非现代那种喜欢倾诉怨恨的类型。 —

He knew that she would not make him uncomfortable. —
他知道她不会让他感到不自在。 —

Long neglected, her house now wore a weirdly ruinous aspect. —
她的房子长期被忽视，现在看起来有一种怪异的破败模样。 —

As usual, he first looked in on her sister, and late in the night moved on to the lady’s own rooms. —
照例，他先去看了她妹妹，然后在深夜去了那位女士的房间。 —

He was himself weirdly beautiful in the misty moonlight. —
在朦胧月光中，他本身也是一种怪异的美。 —

She felt very inadequate, but she was waiting for him out near the veranda, in meditative contemplation of the night. —
她感到非常无力，但她正在阳台附近等着他，陷入对夜晚的冥想中。 —

Her refusal to let anything upset her was remarkable.
她拒绝让任何事情让她心烦意乱，这一点非常了不起。

From nearby there came the metallic cry of a water rail.
从附近传来水鸡的金属般的叫声。

“Did not this bird come knocking at my door,
“这只鸟如果不是来敲我的门，

What pretext would I find to admit the moon?”
我该用什么借口请月亮入门呢？”

Her soft voice, trailing off into silence, was very pleasing. —
她温柔的声音渐渐消失，非常悦耳。 —

He sighed, almost wishing it were not the case that each of his ladies had something to recommend her. —
他叹了口气，几乎希望他的每位女士都没有什么值得推崇的地方。 —

It made for a most complicated life.
这使得他的生活变得非常复杂。

“You respond to the call of every water rail?
“你对每只水鸡的召唤都这么回应吗？

You must find yourself admitting peculiar moons.
你一定会发现自己在迎接奇怪的月亮。

“I am worried.”
“我很担心。”

Not of course that he really suspected her of indiscretion. —
当然，他并不真的怀疑她会有什么轻率行为。 —

She had waited for him and she was very dear to him.
她等着他，对他非常重要。

She reminded him of his farewell admonition not to look at the cloudy moon. —
她提醒他不要看云淡月明时的月亮。 —

“And why,” she said, gently as always, “should I have thought then that I was unhappy? —
“我为什么应该当时以为我不快乐呢？”她温柔地说道。 —

It is no better now.”
现在也没变得更好。

He made the usual points (one wondered that they came so effortlessly) as he sought to comfort her.
他像往常一样（人们惊讶于他们是如此自然地出现）试图安慰她。

He had not forgotten the Kyushu Gosechi dancer. —
他没有忘记九州五智舞姬。 —

He would have liked to see her again, but a clandestine meeting was altogether too difficult to arrange. —
他很想再次见到她，但要秘密会面太难安排了。 —

He dominated her thoughts, so much so that she had turned away all the prospective bridegrooms who interested her father and had decided that she would not marry. —
他占据着她的思想，以至于她拒绝了父亲认为对她有兴趣的未婚夫，并决定不结婚。 —

Genji’s plans were that once his east lodge had been redone, all cheerfully and pleasantly, he would gather just such ladies there, and, should a child be born who required careful upbringing, ask them to take charge of it. —
源氏的计划是，一旦他的东御所被重新装修得充满欢乐和愉快，他将在那里聚集这样的女士，并且，如果有一个需要仔细抚养的孩子出生了，他将请她们负责。 —

The new house compared very well indeed with the old, for he had assigned officials of intelligence and good taste to the work of remodeling.
新房子比旧房子要好得多，因为他已经指派了聪明而有品位的官员来进行改建工作。

He had not forgotten Oborozukiyo. He let her know that that unfortunate event had not stilled his ardor. —
他没有忘记朧月清。他让她知道那个不幸的事件并没有消磨他的热情。 —

She had learned her lesson, however, and so for Genji an affair that had never been really successful had become a complete failure.
她已经吸取了教训，因此对源氏来说，一个从未真正成功过的事情已经变成了彻底的失败。

Life was pleasant for the retired emperor, who had taken up residence in the Suzaku Palace. —
退位的皇帝度过了愉快的生活，他搬到了朱雀殿居住。 —

He had parties and concerts as the seasons went by and was in generally good spirits. —
随着季节的更替，他举办宴会和音乐会，并且总体上情绪良好。 —

Various ladies were still with him. The mother of the crown prince was the exception. —
他身边还有各种各样的女士。太子的母亲是例外。 —

Not especially conspicuous among them, she had been no match for Oborozukiyo. —
她在其中并不显眼，和织园跑水相比，她是略逊一筹的。 —

Now she had come into her own. She left the emperor’s side to manage the crown prince’s affairs. Genji now occupied his mother’s rooms at the palace. —
现在她渐渐展露头角，离开了皇帝身边去管理太子的事务。源氏如今占据了母亲在宫中的住所。 —

The crown prince was in the Pear Pavilion, which adjoined them, and Genji was his companion and servant.
太子在梨木亭，毗邻她的房间，而源氏则是太子的伴侣和仆人。

Though Fujitsubo could not resume her former titles, she was given the emoluments of a retired emperor. —
虽然藤壁不能恢复她以前的尊号，但她得到了一位退位皇帝的待遇。 —

She maintained a full household and pursued her religious vocation with solemn grandeur. —
她保持着一整套家居生活，威严庄重地追求她的宗教信仰。 —

Factional politics had in recent years made it difficult for her to visit the palace, and she had grieved at not being able to see her son. —
近年来，派系政治使她很难来宫中，她因此没能见到她的儿子，感到悲伤。 —

Now everything was as she would have wished it, and the time had come for Kokiden to be unhappy with the world. —
现在一切都如她所愿，是时候让服部对这个世界不满了。 —

Genji was scrupulously attentive to Kokiden’s needs. —
源氏对服部的需要非常细心周到。 —

This fact did nothing to change her feelings towards him, which were the subject of unfriendly criticism.
这一事实并没有改变她对他的感情，这些感情成为了朋友的批评对象。

Prince Hyōbu, Murasaki’s father, had sought during the bad years to please the dominant faction. —
王子兵部卫，紫的父亲，在那些坏年头里努力取悦主导派系。 —

Genji had not forgotten. Genji’s conduct was on the whole not vengeful, but he was sometimes openly unfriendly to the prince. —
源氏没有忘记。源氏的行为总体上并不报复，但有时对王子表现出公开的不友好。 —

Fujitsubo saw and was unhappy.
藤壁看到了，感到不快。

The conduct of public affairs was now divided between Genji and his father-in-law, to pursue as they wished. —
现在公共事务由源氏和他的岳父分别进行，按照他们的希望。 —

The ceremonies when Tō no Chūjō‘s daughter entered court in the Eighth Month were magnificent, under the energetic direction of the chancellor himself. —
当等无长官的女儿在八月入朝时，由总理亲自积极指导，庆典华丽壮观。 —

It was known that Prince Hyōbu had been putting all his time and wealth into preparing his second daughter for court service. —
众人得知王子兵部卫一直花费全部精力和财富准备他第二个女儿接受宫廷服务。 —

Genji made it clear that the girl was not to be so honored, and what was the prince to do?
源氏明确表示女孩不应受到如此尊敬，那么王子应该怎么办呢？

In the autumn Genji made a pilgrimage to Sumiyoshi. —
在秋天，源氏前往住吉朝拜。 —

It was a brilliant progress, in thanks for the granting of his prayers. —
这是一次辉煌的进展，以感谢祈祷的应允。 —

By the merest chance, it came on the day the Akashi lady had chosen for her own pilgrimage, a semiannual observance which this time had a special purpose, to apologize for her not having been able to present herself the year before or earlier this year. —
纯属巧合，正好是明石的女士选定的朝拜日，这是一次半年一度的仪式，这一次有一个特殊目的，就是为了向她之前一年未能出席或者今年早些时候未能出席而道歉。 —

She came by ship. As the ship pulled in, a gorgeous array of offerings was being laid out on the beach. —
她乘船而来。当船靠岸时，沙滩上摆开了一排华丽的供品。 —

The shrine precincts rang with the shouts of bearers and there were uniformed dancers, all very good-looking.
神社内传来搬运工人的呼喊声，身穿制服的舞者都很英俊。

“And whose party might it be?” asked one of her men.
“这是谁的队伍？” 她的一个手下问道。

The very inferior footman to whom the query was made laughed heartily. —
这问题被问到的那个非常低级的仆人开心地笑了起来。 —

“You mean there is someone who does not know that the Genji minister has come because of his vows?”
“你是说还有人不知道源氏大臣因着他的誓约而前来吗？”

The lady was stunned. To have chosen this day of all days, to be among the distant onlookers — her own inferiority could not have been emphasized more painfully. —
女士感到震惊。在这一天选择前来，却只能在远处围观——她自己的卑微感再也无法更加痛苦地凸显出来。 —

She was, in spite of it, tied to him by some bond or other, and here were these underlings, completely pleased with themselves, reflecting his glory. —
尽管如此，她与他之间似乎有某种羁绊，而这些下人却完全洋洋得意，反映着他的荣耀。 —

Why, because of what crimes and sins, should she, who never ceased thinking of him, have made this journey to Sumiyoshi on this day without catching an echo of it all? —
为了何种罪过和罪孽，她这个从未停止思念他的人，居然在这一天来到住吉而一无所知？ —

She could only turn away and try to hide her sorrow.
她只能转身掩饰自己的悲伤。

Genji’s attendants were numberless, their robes of deep hues and brilliant hues like maple leaves and cherry blossoms against the deep green of the pine groves. —
源氏的随从众多，他们身穿深色和华丽色的长袍，在深绿的松林中好像枫叶和樱花。 —

Among the courtiers of the Sixth Rank, the yellow-green of the imperial secretariat stood out. —
在六品官吏中，皇家秘书处的黄绿色彰显着出来。 —

The man who had on an earlier day had bitter words for the sacred fence of Kamo was among them. —
曾在较早的一天对鸭川圣栅说过苦言的那位男子也在其中。 —

Also holding a guards commission, he had an imposing retinue of his own. —
他还拥有卫队的委任，手下还有一支雄壮的随从。 —

Yoshikiyo too was a guards officer. He seemed especially proud of himself, and indeed his scarlet robe was very grand. —
羽清也是卫队的军官。他显得特别自豪，他那绯红色的法衣非常华丽。 —

All the men she had known at Akashi were scattered among the crowds, almost unrecognizable in their finery, the picture of prosperity. —
她在明石曾经认识的那些男子都散落在人群中，穿着华美，显得富庶。 —

The young courtiers had even sought to outdo one another in caparisoning their horses, and for the rustics from Akashi it was a very fine show.
年轻的宫廷人甚至竞相给自己的马装束，对于来自明石的乡下人来说，这是一场绝佳的表演。

For the lady it was torment to see all the splendor and not to see Genji himself. —
但对这位女士来说，痛苦的是看到所有的辉煌，却不见了源氏本人。 —

Like the Kawara minister, he had been granted a special honor guard of page boys, ten of them, all very pretty, of uniform height, and resplendently decked out, the cords that bound up their hair in the page-boy style a most elegant blending from white to deep purple. —
像河原大臣一样，他获准拥有一支特别的仪卫队，由十名全都长相精致，等身高的俊美少年组成，他们身着华丽的服饰，将头发用束发带拢成少年式样，从白色渐变至深紫色，极为优雅。 —

Yūgiri, whom Genji denied nothing, had put even his stableboys into livery.
由于源氏无所拒绝，夕霧甚至将他的马夫们也打扮得整整齐齐。

The Akashi lady felt as if she were gazing at a realm beyond the clouds. —
明石的贵女感觉自己仿佛在凝视着云端之外的领域。 —

Her own child seemed so utterly insignificant. —
她自己的孩子显得如此微不足道。 —

She bowed to the shrine and prayed more fervently.
她向神龛鞠躬，祈祷更为虔诚。

The governor of the province came to greet Genji, and no doubt the repast he had made ready was finer than for most ministers.
该行省长前来迎接源氏，毫无疑问，他准备的盛宴比大多数大臣都要精致。

The lady could bear no more. “If I were to go up with my miserable little offerings, the god would scarcely notice, and would not think I had done much by way of keeping my promises. —
贵女再也无法忍受。“如果我携带着那点微不足道的祭品去，神明几乎都不会注意，也不会认为我履行了许诺。” —

But the whole trip would be pointless if we were to turn and go home. —
但如果他们折回去，整个旅程将毫无意义。 —

” She suggested that they put in at Naniwa and there commission lustration ceremonies.
她建议他们在浪速停歇，并在那里举行赎罪仪式。

Not dreaming what had happened, Genji passed the night in entertainments sure to please the god. —
源氏完全没有意识到发生了什么，便在宴会中度过了一个夜晚，以取悦神灵。 —

He went beyond all his promises in the novelty and ingenuity of the dances. —
在舞蹈的新颖和巧妙中，他实现了超越所有承诺的承诺。 —

His nearest retainers, men like Koremitsu, knew how much the god had done for them. —
像是是惟光这样的近臣们知道神明为他们做了多少事情。 —

As Genji came unannounced from the shrine, Koremitsu handed him a poem:
源氏从神龛中匆匆走来，惟光递给他一首诗：

“These pines of Sumiyoshi make me think
“此处澄吉松树掩，

Of days when we were neighbors to this god.”
邻神居地我牵思。”

Very apt, thought Genji.
源氏心想这非常贴切。

“Remembering those fearful winds and waves,
“记得那些令人恐惧的风和浪，

Am I to forget the god of Sumiyoshi?
我难道要忘记住在住吉之神吗？

“Yes, it has without question been through his intervention. —
“是的，毫无疑问是通过他的干预。 —

” There was solemn gratitude in the words.
” 这句话中充满了庄严的感激之情。

Genji was greatly upset when Koremitsu told him that a boat had come from Akashi and been turned away by the crowds on the beach. —
当是有客人告诉他，一艘来自明石的船被海滩上的人群驱赶时，源氏感到非常沮丧。 —

Again the god of Sumiyoshi seemed to be at work. —
再次似乎住在住吉之神在起作用。 —

The lady would surely regret having chosen this day. He must at least get off a note. —
这位贵妇人肯定会后悔选择了这一天。他至少要写一张便条。 —

Leaving Sumiyoshi, he made excursions to other famous places in the region and had grand and solemn lustrations performed on the seven strands of Naniwa. —
离开住吉后，他去了该地区其他著名的景点，并在浪速的七股槽进行了庄严的净化仪式。 —

“The waves of Naniwa,” he said to himself (though with no real thought, one may imagine, of throwing himself in ) as he looked out over the buoys that marked the Horie channel.
“浪速的波涛,” 他自言自语（尽管无意想要自己跳下去），当他望着标记着堀江水道的浮标时。

Koremitsu, who was among his mounted attendants, overheard. —
竹光听到了这句话。 —

Always prepared for such an exigency, he took out a short writing brush and handed it to Genji.
他总是为这种情况做好准备，拿出一支短短的毛笔递给了源氏。

A most estimable servant, thought Genji, jotting down a poem on a sheet of paper he had at hand.
源氏想道：这位仆人真不错，就在一张纸上写下了一首诗。

“Firm the bond that brings us to Naniwa,
“牢固的纽带将我们带到浪头，

Whose channel buoys invite me to throw myself in.”
浮标邀请我跳下Naniwa的水道。”

Koremitsu sent it to the lady by a messenger who was familiar with the events at Akashi. —
竹光通过熟悉明石事件的使者将这封信送给了这位贵妇人。 —

She wept tears of joy at even so small a favor. —
即使是这么小的一个好处,她也感动得泪如雨下。 —

A line of horsemen was just then passing by.
一行骑士正在此时经过。

This was her reply, to which she tied sacred cords for the lustration at Tamino:
这是她的回答，她为此在玉岛系上神圣的绳索以供向玉帝做祈福。

“A lowly one whose place is not to demand,
“我是一个微不足道的人，不该有所要求。”

To what purpose, at Naniwa, should I cast myself in?”
“在何处，到达波斯的什么目的会让我自投罗网呢？”

It was evening, and the scene was a lovely one, with the tide flooding in and cranes calling ceaselessly from the shallows. —
那是个傍晚，情景很美，涨潮了，浅滩上的鹤不停地叫。 —

He longed to see her, whatever these crowds might think.
无论旁人如何看待，他都渴望见到她。

“My sleeves are wet as when I wandered these shores.
“我衣袖潮湿，宛如漫步这些海滩时一样。”

The Isle of the Raincoat does not fend off the dews.”
雨衣之岛无法阻挡露水。

To joyous music, he continued his round of the famous places, but his thoughts were with the Akashi lady.
在欢快的音乐中，他继续游览名胜之地，但心思却放在明石女士身上。

Women of pleasure were in evidence. It would seem that there were susceptible young men even among the highest ranks. —
妓女盛行，似乎高层中也有易受诱惑的年轻人。 —

Genji looked resolutely away. It was his view that one should be moved only by adequate forces, and that frivolous claims were to be rejected even in the most ordinary affairs. —
源氏坚定地移开视线。他认为应该只对适当的力量感动，并且认为在最普通的事务中，草率的要求应该被拒绝。 —

Their most seductive and studied poses had no effect upon him.
她们最诱人、最精心设计的姿态对他毫无效果。

His party moved on. The next day being a propitious one, the Akashi lady made offerings at Sumiyoshi, and so, in keeping with her more modest station, acquitted herself of her vows. —
他的队伍继续前进。次日一切顺利，明石女士在住吉神社献祭，因此，根据她更为谦逊的身份，履行了自己的誓言。 —

The incident had only served to intensify her gloom. —
这一事件只是让她的忧郁加剧。 —

A messenger came from Genji even before he could have returned to the city. —
正当他返城之前，一名使者就从源氏那里赶来了。 —

He meant very shortly to send for her, he said. —
他说他很快会派人去请她来。 —

She was glad, and yet she hesitated, fearing the uncertainties of sailing off beyond the islands to a place she could not call home. —
她感到高兴，但仍犹豫不定，害怕要远航越过群岛，去一个她不能称之为家的地方。 —

Her father too was uneasy. But life in Akashi would be even more difficult than in earlier years. —
她的父亲也感到不安。但在明石的生活甚至比以前更困难。 —

Her reply was obedient but indecisive.
她的回复既顺从又犹豫不决。

I had forgotten: a new high priestess had been appointed for the Ise Shrine, and the Rokujō lady had returned to the city with her daughter. —
我差点忘了：至此已有一位新的伊势神宫神职人员任命，六条（兼宫）女士和她的女儿也已回到城中。 —

Genji’s attentions, his inquiries as to her needs, were as always very thorough, but she remembered his coldness in other years and had no wish to call back the old sorrow and regret. —
源氏对她的关怀和关切一如既往，但她记得他往年的冷漠，不想再唤起旧的悲伤和遗憾。 —

She would treat him as a distant friend, no more. —
她会把他当作一个疏远的朋友，不多不少。 —

For his part, he made no special effort to see her. —
至于他，他也没有特别努力去见她。 —

The truth was that he could not be sure of his own feelings, and his station in life was now such that he could not pursue sundry love affairs as he once had. —
事实上，他对自己的感情也不确定，而他如今的身份已不能像过去那样频繁地追求多种爱情。 —

He had no heart for importuning the lady. —
他心不在焉地。 —

He would have liked all the same to see what the years had done to her daughter, the high priestess. The Rokujō house had been kept in good repair. —
尽管如此，他仍然很想看看这几年对她女儿高神职人员做了什么。六条家的房子保养得很好。 —

As always, she selected only ladies of the finest taste and endowments to be with her, and the house was once more a literary and artistic salon. —
她总是只挑选那些最有品味和才华的女士在身边，房子又变成了一个文学和艺术的沙龙。 —

Though her life was in many ways lonely, there were ample pleasures and distractions.
尽管她的生活在许多方面是孤独的，但有足够的乐趣和消遣。

Suddenly she fell ill. Troubled by feelings of guilt that she had spent those years in Ise, so remote from the Good Law, she became a nun.
突然间，她病倒了。由于内心的愧疚，曾在伊势度过那些年，远离善法，她出家为尼。

Genji canceled all his appointments and rushed to her side. —
源氏取消了所有的约会，急匆匆赶到她身边。 —

The old passion had departed, but she had been important to him. His commiserations were endless. —
往日的激情已经烟消云散，但她对他来说很重要。他的同情是无穷无尽的。 —

She had had a place set out for him near her pillows. —
她在靠枕旁为他摆出了一个位置。 —

Raising herself to an armrest, she essayed her own answers. —
她挣扎着坐起来，试图自己回答。 —

She seemed very weak, and he wept to think that she might die before he was able to let her know how fond he had been of her. —
她看起来非常虚弱，他泪流满面地想到她可能会在他能告诉她自己有多喜欢她之前就去世。 —

It moved her deeply to think that now, when everything else seemed to be going, he should still care.
他依然挂念着她，对此她深感感动。

She spoke to him of her daughter. “She will have no one to turn to when I am gone. —
她跟他说起了她的女儿。“当我去世后，她将没有任何人依靠。” —

Please do count her among those who are important to you. —
请把她算作你重要的人之一。 —

She has been the unluckiest of girls, poor dear. —
她是最不幸的女孩，可怜的孩子。 —

I am a useless person and I have done her no good, but I tell myself that if my health will only hold out a little longer I may look after her until she is better able to look after herself. —
我是个没用的人，对她没有任何帮助，但我告诉自己，只要我的健康能再坚持一会儿，我会照顾好她，直到她能够自己照顾自己。 —

” She was weeping, and life did indeed seem to be leaving her.
她在哭泣，生命似乎正在离开她。

“You speak as if we might become strangers. —
“你说的好像我们可能会变成陌生人一样。 —

It could not have happened, it would have been quite impossible, even if you had not said this to me. —
这是不可能的，即使你没对我说这些话，也会是不可能的。 —

I mean to do everything I can for her. You must not worry.”
我打算为她做一切我能做的事情。你不必担心。”

“It is all so difficult. Even when a girl has a father to whom she can look with complete confidence, the worst thing is to lose her mother. —
“这一切都很困难。即使一个女孩有一个父亲可以完全信赖，失去母亲也是最糟糕的事情。” —

Life can be dreadfully complicated when her guardian is found to have thoughts not becoming a parent. —
当监护人被发现思想不符合做父母的角色时，生活会变得非常复杂。 —

Unfortunate suspicions are sure to arise, and other women will see their chance to be ugly. —
不幸的怀疑肯定会出现，其他女人将看到她们变丑的机会。 —

These are distasteful forebodings, I know. —
我知道这些都是令人不快的预感。 —

But please do not let anything of the sort come into your relations with her. —
但请不要让这种事影响你们之间的关系。 —

My life has been an object lesson in uncertainty, and my only hope now is that she be spared it all.”
我的一生都是不确定性的教训，我现在唯一的希望是她能幸免于这一切。

She need not be quite so outspoken, thought Genji; but he replied calmly enough. —
源氏心想她不必这么直言不讳，但他还是平静地回答道。 —

“I am a steadier and soberer person than I used to be, and it astonishes me that you still think me a trifler. —
“我现在比以前更加稳重和冷静，你还觉得我是轻浮者真让我感到惊讶。 —

One of these days the true state of affairs will be apparent even to you.”
总有一天你也会明白真实的情况。”

It was dark outside her curtains, through which came suggestions of lamplight. Was it just possible? —
看着窗帘外漆黑一片，透着些许灯光。难道可能吗？ —

He slid forward and looked through an opening in the curtains. —
他向前挪动，透过窗帘的缝隙看了进去。 —

He saw her dimly, leaning against an armrest, so beauriful with her hair cut short that he wished he might ask someone to do her likeness. —
他隐约看见她，靠在扶手上，头发剪短的模样如此美丽，他恨不得可以要求某人为她画像。 —

And the one beyond, to the east of the bed curtains, would be the priestess. —
远离床帷的那一侧，应该是那位女道。 —

Her curtain frames had been pushed casually to one side. —
她的窗帘被随意地推到一边。 —

She sat chin in hand, in an attitude of utter despondency. —
她手托着下巴，一副完全绝望的姿态。 —

Though he could not see her well, she seemed very beautiful. —
虽然他看不清她，她似乎非常美丽。 —

There was great dignity in the flow of her hair down over her shoulders and in the shape of her head, and he could see that, for all the nobility, it was also a winsome and delicate sort of beauty. —
她留在肩膀上的头发流动间展现了极大的尊严，他可以看出，尽管充满了高贵，但还有一种娇媚和精致的美丽。 —

He felt certain stirrings of the heart, and remembered her mother’s worries.
他感受到了心中的某种激动，回想起了她母亲的担忧。

“I am feeling much worse,” said the lady, “and fear I may be guilty of rudeness if you stay longer. —
“我感觉糟透了，恐怕如果你再呆下去，我会显得很无礼。” —

” A woman helped her into bed.
有一个女人帮她上床。

“How happy I would be if this visit might bring some sign of improvement. —
“如果这次访问能带来一点好的迹象，我会多么幸福啊。” —

What exactly is the nature of the illness?”
疾病的具体性质是什么？

She had sensed that she was being seen. “I must look like a witch. —
她感觉到自己被看到了。“我一定看起来像个女巫。” —

There is a very strong bond between us — it must be so — that you should have come to me now. —
我们之间有一种非常强烈的联系 — 认为应该如此 — 你现在来找我。 —

I have been able to tell you a little of what has been on my mind, and I am no longer afraid to die.”
我已经能告诉你一点我内心的想法了，我不再害怕死亡。

“It moves me deeply that you should have thought me worthy. —
“你认为我值得你如此深情，这让我深受感动。” —

I have many brothers, but I have never felt close to them. —
我有很多兄弟，但我从未感到亲近过他们。 —

My father looked upon the high priestess as one of his daughters, and to me she shall be a sister. I have no daughters of my own. —
我的父亲将高祭司视为他的女儿之一，而对我她将是一位姐妹。我没有自己的女儿。 —

She will fill an emptiness in my life.”
她将填补我生活中的空虚。

His inquiries were warm and frequent, but a week or so later she died. —
他的关切和问询是热情的，但一个星期后她去世了。 —

Aware all over again of the uncertainty of life, Genji gave orders for the funeral and went into retreat. —
再次感受到生命的不确定性，源氏下令办理葬礼并开始闭关。 —

The priestess’s stewards could have seen to them after a fashion, but he was her chief support.
女祭司的管家们能在某种意义上照顾他们，但他是她最主要的支持者。

He paid a visit. She replied, through her lady of honor, that she was feeling utterly lost and helpless.
他前去拜访。她通过她的贵人回复说, 她感到完全迷茫和无助。

“Your mother spoke about you, and left instructions, and it would be a great satisfaction if I might have your complete confidence.”
“您的母亲提到了您，并留下了指示，如果我能获得您完全的信任，那将是一种巨大的满足。”

Her women found him such a source of strength and comfort that they thought he could be forgiven earlier derelictions.
她的侍女们发现他是如此坚强和安慰，以至于他们认为他可以原谅以前的失职。

The services were very grand, with numerous people from Genji’s house to help.
仪式非常盛大，有许多来自源氏家的人帮忙。

Still in retreat, he sent frequently to inquire after her. —
他仍在隐退，经常派人来询问她的情况。 —

When presently she had regained a measure of composure, she sent her own replies. —
当她重新恢复了一些镇静后，她回复了自己的消息。 —

She was far from easy about being in correspondence with him, but her nurse and others insisted that it would be rude to use an intermediary.
她对与他通信感到非常不安，但她的护士和其他人坚持说使用中间人会很无礼。

It was a day of high winds and driving snow and sleet. —
那是一个刮着大风、下着雪和雨夹雪的日子。 —

He thought how much More miserable the weather must seem to her.
他想到天气对她来说一定更加让人难受。

“I can imagine,” he wrote, “what these hostile skies must do to you, and yet —
“我能想象,”他写道，“这些敌意的天空对你产生了什么影响，不过 —

“From skies of wild, unceasing snow and sleet
“从狂乱无休的的雪雨天空

Her spirit watches over a house of sorrow.”
她的精神在一个悲伤的家中守护。”

He had chosen paper of a cloudy azure, and taken pains with all the details which he thought might interest a young girl.
他选择了一种淡蓝色的纸，并努力处理了他认为可能对一个年轻女孩感兴趣的所有细节。

She was hard put to reply, but her women again insisted that secretaries should have no part in these matters. —
她觍难回复，但她的侍女们再次坚持说秘书不应参与这些事情。 —

She finally set down a poem on a richly perfumed gray paper, relying on the somber texture to modulate the shadings of her ink.
她终于将一首诗写在一张富有馨香的灰色纸上，依赖于沉郁的质感来调节她的墨水。

“I wish to go, but, blind with tears, am helpless
“我虽然希望前往，但泪眼模糊，却无能为力。”

As snows which were not asked where they would fall.”
如同未被询问过要掉落在何方的雪花。

It was a calm, reserved hand, not remarkably skilled, but with a pleasantly youthful quality about it and much that told of good breeding. —
这是一只冷静、保守的手，技艺并不出众，但却有着令人愉悦的年轻品质，以及很多展现良好教养的迹象。 —

She had had a particular place in his thoughts ever since her departure for Ise, and now of course nothing stood in his way. —
自从她前往伊势以来，她一直占据着他的思绪，而此刻当然再无阻碍。 —

But, as before, he reconsidered. Her mother had had good reason for her fears, which worried him less, it must be added, than the rumors that were even now going the rounds. —
但他又一次重新考虑。她母亲对自己的担忧是有充分理由的，不过，值得注意的是，对他来说更令人担忧的是那些现在流传开来的谣言。 —

He would behave in quite the opposite manner. —
他将表现出完全相反的方式。 —

He would be a model of propriety and parental solicitude, and when the emperor was a little older and better equipped to understand, he would bring her to court. —
他将充当端庄礼貌的楷模和父母般的关切，等到皇帝稍微年长一点，更有能力理解时，他将把她带到宫廷。 —

With no daughters on hand to make life interesting, he would look after her as if she were his daughter. —
没有女儿可供自己取悦，他会像对女儿一样呵护她。 —

He was most attentive to her needs and, choosing his occasions well, sometimes visited her.
他对她的需求非常关心，而且在选择时机得当的情况下，有时会亲自拜访她。

“You will think it forward of me to say so, but I would like nothing better than to be thought a substitute for your mother. —
“你或许会觉得我说这话太放肆了，但我最希望自己被认为是你母亲的替代品。 —

Every sign that you trust me will please me enormously.”
你对我的信任之意将使我无比欣慰。”

She was of a very shy and introspective nature, reluctant even to let him hear her voice. —
她是一个非常害羞和内向的人，甚至不愿让他听到她的声音。 —

Her women were helpless to overcome this extreme reticence. —
她的女侍们无法克服这种极度的沉默。 —

She had in her service several minor princesses whose breeding and taste were such, he was sure, that she need not feel at all uncomfortable or awkward at court. —
她的服侍里有几位低级公主，他确信她们的教养和品味足以让她在宫廷里感到一点也不尴尬或尴尬。 —

He wanted very much to have a look at her and see whether his plans were well grounded — evidence, perhaps, that his fatherly impulses were not unmixed. —
他非常想看看她，看看他的计划是否有根据——也许是他父爱的冲动并非一无是处的证据。 —

He could not himself be sure when his feelings would change, and he let fall no hint of his plans. —
他自己也无法确定自己的感情何时会改变，他没有透露任何计划的暗示。 —

The princess’s household felt greatly in his debt for his careful attention to the funeral and memorial services.
公主的侍从感到非常感激他对葬礼和追悼仪式的细心照料。

The days went by in dark procession. Her retainers began to take their leave. —
日子一天天在黑暗中过去。她的侍从开始告别。 —

Her house, near the lower eastern limits of the city, was in a lonely district of fields and temples where the vesper bells often rang an accompaniment to her sobs. —
她的住所位于城市东部下限附近，是一个荒凉的田野和寺庙区，晚祷钟声常常伴随着她的哭泣。 —

She and her mother had been close as parent and child seldom are. —
她和她的母亲关系亲密，像亲子关系很少有的那样。 —

They had not been separated even briefly, and it had been without precedent for a mother to accompany a high priestess to Ise. She would have begged to be taken on this last journey as well, had it been possible.
他们从未分开过，母亲与一位高阶女祭司前往伊势的情况之前没有先例。如果可能的话，她也会恳求跟随她最后的旅程。

There were men of various ranks who sought to pay court through her women. —
有各种阶级的男人透过她的侍女试图讨好她。 —

Quite as if he were her father, Genji told the women that none of them, not even the nurse, should presume to take matters into her own hands. —
正如他是她的父亲一样，源氏告诫女人们不要擅自独断专行，哪怕是保姆也不例外。 —

They were very careful, for they would not want damaging reports to reach the ears of so grand a gentleman.
他们非常小心，因为不希望负面的传闻传到这位尊贵绅士的耳中。

The Suzaku emperor still had vivid memories of the rites in the Grand Hall upon her departure for Ise, and of a beauty that had seemed almost frightening.
朱雀帝仍然清楚记得她前往伊势时在大殿上的仪式，以及那几乎令人害怕的美貌。

“Have her come to me,” he had said to her mother. —
“叫她过来见我，”他对她母亲说。 —

“She shall live exactly as my sisters, the high priestess of Kamo and the others.”
“她将生活得和我的姐妹们一样，鸭高女及其他高阶女祭司。”

But the Rokujō lady had misgivings and managed to evade the august invitation. —
但六条的女士有些顾虑，并设法躲开这尊贵的邀请。 —

The Suzaku emperor already had several wellborn consorts, and her daughter would be without strong backing. —
朱雀帝已经有几位有着良好出身的妃子，她的女儿将会没有强大的后盾。 —

He was not in good health, moreover, and she feared that to her own misfortune might be added her daughter’s. —
他身体不好，而且她担心自己的不幸可能会加上女儿的不幸。 —

With the Rokujō lady gone, the priestess’s women were more acutely aware than ever of the need for strong backing. —
鸭川女离开后，神女的婢女比以往更加明白需要强大的支持。 —

The Suzaku emperor repeated his invitation.
苍鹭天子再次邀请。

Genji learned of his brother’s hopes. It would be altogether too high-handed to spirit the princess away, and on the other hand Genji would have strong regrets at letting such a beautiful lady go. —
源氏得知了他兄弟的希望。把公主私奔走的方式太霸道，另一方面源氏又会非常后悔让这样一个美丽的女子离去。 —

He decided that he must consult Fujitsubo, the mother of the new emperor.
他决定必须咨询新天皇的母亲藤壶。

He told her of all that was troubling him. “Her mother was a careful, thoughtful lady. —
他把所有困扰自己的事情告诉了她。“她的母亲是一个细心、深思熟虑的女士。 —

My loose ways were responsible for all the trouble. —
我那种放荡不羁的生活方式给所有的麻烦都带来了。 —

I cannot tell you how it hurts me to think that she came to hate me. She died hating me; —
要想到她憎恨我非常伤心。她憎恨我而死； —

but as she lay dying she spoke to me about her daughter. —
但临终时她和我谈她的女儿。 —

Enough had been said about me, I gather, to convince her that I was the one to turn to, and so she controlled her anger and confided in me. —
显然，关于我说了足够多的话，足以让她相信我是一个可以依靠的人，所以她控制住她的怒气，向我倾诉。 —

The thought of it makes me want to start weeping again. —
想到这件事我就想要再次开始哭泣。 —

I would find it difficult to ignore such a sad case even if it were not my personal concern, and I want to do all I can to put the poor lady’s soul at rest and persuade her to forgive me. —
哪怕这不是我的个人事务，我发现很难无视这样一个悲伤的案例，我想尽我所能让这位可怜女士的灵魂安息，并说服她原谅我。 —

His Majesty is mature for his age, but he is still very young, and I often think how good it would be if he had someone with him who knew a little about the world. —
陛下虽然年纪轻，但仍然很年轻，我经常想如果他身边有一个懂得世事的人多好。 —

But of course the decision must be yours.”
但当然决定必须由您来做。”

“This is very thoughtful and understanding of you. —
“你这么体贴理解真是太好了。 —

One does not wish to be unkind to the Suzaku emperor, of course, but perhaps, taking advantage of the Rokujō lady’s instructions, you could pretend to be unaware of his wishes. —
当然，人们并不希望对朱雀天子不客气，但或许，你可以利用六条院的指示，假装不知道他的愿望。 —

He seems in any case to have given himself over to his prayers, and such concerns can scarcely matter very much any more. —
无论如何，他似乎已经完全投身于祈祷中，这样的事情已经不太重要了。 —

I am sure that you explain the situation to him he will not harbor any deep resentment.”
我相信如果你向他解释情况，他不会怀有太深的怨恨。

“If you agree, then, and are kind enough to number her among the acceptable candidates, I shall say a word to her of your decision. —
“如果你同意，那么请将她视为可接受的候选人之一，我将向她传达你的决定。 —

I have thought a great deal about her interests and have at length come to the conclusion I have just described to you. —
我已经为她的利益思考很多，并最终得出了我刚刚告诉你的结论。 —

The gossips do upset me, of course.”
闲言碎语当然会让我心烦.”

He would do as she suggested. Pretending to be unaware of the Suzaku emperor’s hopes, he would take the girl into the Nijō mansion.
他会照她的建议去做。假装不知道朱雀天子的期望，将这个女孩带进二条庵。

He told Murasaki of this decision. “And,” he added, “she is just the right age to be a good companion.”
他告诉紫的这个决定。”而且，”他补充道，“她正好是一个好的伴侣。

She was delighted. He pushed ahead with his plans.
她很高兴。他迅速推动他的计划。

Fujitsubo was concerned about her brother, Prince Hyōbu, who was in a fever, it seemed, to have his own daughter received at court. —
藤壶担心她的哥哥兵部卿，他似乎急于让自己的女儿进宫。 —

He and Genji were not on good terms. What did Genji propose to do in the matter?
他和光源氏之间关系不好。光源氏打算如何？”

Tō no Chūjō‘s daughter, now a royal consort, occupied the Kokiden apartments, and made a good playmate for the emperor. —
公卿的女儿，现在是贵妃，住在被称作九条的公寓里，成了天子的好玩伴。 —

She had been adopted by her grandfather, the chancellor, who denied her nothing. —
她被她的爷爷收养，什么都不被拒绝。 —

Prince Hyōbu’s daughter was about the same age as the emperor, and Fujitsubo feared that they would make a rather ridiculous couple, as if they were playing house together. —
兵部卿的女儿和天子大致年龄相当，藤壶担心他们会成为一个相当荒谬的一对，就像他们在一起玩家家酒一样。 —

She was delighted at the prospect of having an older lady with him, and she said as much. —
她对有一个年长的女性和他在一起的前景感到高兴，并且表示了同样的看法。 —

Genji was untiring in his services, advising him in public matters, of course, to the great satisfaction of Fujitsubo, and managing his private life as well. —
源氏对自己的服务不知疲倦，在公共事务上给予了他建议，当然也大大满足了藤壶，同时也管理着他的私生活。 —

Fujitsubo was ill much of the time. Even when she was at the palace she found it difficult to be with her son as much as she wished. —
藤壶大部分时间都身体不适。即使在宫殿里，她也很难尽自己所愿多陪伴儿子。 —

It was quite imperative that he have an older lady to look after him.
着实需要一个年长的女士来照顾他。