The royal excursion to the Suzaku palace took place toward the middle of the Tenth Month. The emperor’s ladies lamented that they would not be present at what was certain to be a most remarkable concert. —
十月中旬，皇家远征到了朱雀殿。皇帝的妃子们悲叹他们无法参加这场必定非同寻常的音乐会。 —

Distressed especially at the thought that Fujitsubo should be deprived of the pleasure, the emperor ordered a full rehearsal at the main palace. —
尤其是想到藤壶会失去这种乐趣，皇帝在大殿命令了一次完整的排练。 —

Genji and Tō no Chūjō danced “Waves of the Blue Ocean.” Tō no Chūjō was a handsome youth who carried himself well, but beside Genji he was like a nondescript mountain shrub beside a blossoming cherry. —
源氏和藤壶舞起了“蓝色海洋的波浪”。藤壶是一个英俊的年轻人，举止得体，但与源氏相比，他就像一棵普通的山灌木与一株盛开的樱花。 —

In the bright evening light the music echoed yet more grandly through the palace and the excitement grew; —
在明亮的傍晚，音乐在宫殿中回响得更加宏伟，兴奋感也在不断增长； —

and though the dance was a familiar one, Genji scarcely seemed of this world. —
并且尽管这个舞蹈是熟悉的，但源氏似乎几乎不属于这个世界。 —

As he intoned the lyrics his auditors could have believed they were listening to the Kalavinka bird of paradise. —
当他吟唱歌词时，听众们几乎可以相信他们在聆听天堂中的凤凰。 —

The emperor brushed away tears of delight, and there were tears in the eyes of all the princes and high courtiers as well. —
皇帝高兴得拭去了泪水，所有的王子和高级公卿的眼中也都闪着泪花。 —

As Genji rearranged his dress at the end of his song and the orchestra took up again, he seemed to shine with an ever brighter light.
当源氏在歌曲结束后整理着衣裳，乐队再次奏响时，他似乎闪耀着越来越明亮的光芒。

“Surely the gods above are struck dumb with admiration,” Lady Kokiden, the mother of the crown prince, was heard to observe. —
“天上的神灵们必定被击倒了。”皇太后纪子，太子的母亲，被听说这样评价。 —

“One is overpowered by such company.”
“这样的伴侣让人无法自持。”

Some of the young women thought her rather horrid.
一些年轻女子认为她有些可怕。

To Fujitsubo it was all like a dream. How she wished that those unspeakable occurrences had not taken place. —
对于藤壶来说，这一切如同梦境。她多么希望那些难以启齿的事情没有发生。 —

Then she might be as happy as the others.
那样她就能和其他人一样快乐。

She spent the night with the emperor.
她和皇帝度过了一晚。

“There was only one thing worth seeing,” he said. —
“只有一件值得一看的事情。”他说道。 —

’” Waves of the Blue Ocean.’ Do you not agree?
“蓝海的波浪。”你不同意吗？

“Nor is Tō no Chūjō a mean dancer. There is something about the smallest gesture that tells of breeding. —
“徒中将军也不是一个平庸的舞者。就连最轻微的举止也透露出深厚的教养。” —

The professionals are very good in their way — one would certainly not wish to suggest otherwise — but they somehow lack freshness and spontaneity. —
“职业舞者各有所长 — 我们当然不愿意表达不同看法 — 但他们似乎缺乏新鲜感和自然流露。” —

When the rehearsals have been so fine one fears that the excursion itself will be a disappointment. —
“彩排进行得如此出色，令人担心实际演出会令人失望。” —

But I would not for anything have wished you to miss it.”
“但我绝不希望你错过这场演出。”

The next morning she had a letter from Genji. “And how did it all seem to you? —
第二天早上她收到了源氏的一封信。“你觉得怎么样呢？ —

I was in indescribable confusion. You will not welcome the question, I fear, but
我当时心情乱如麻。我担心你可能并不喜欢这个问题，但

“Through the waving, dancing sleeves could you see a heart
“你是否透过摇曳的袖子看到一个急躁不安的内心

So stormy that it wished but to be still?”
渴望平静？”

The image of the dancer was so vivid, it would seem, that she could not refuse to answer.
“舞者的形象如此栩栩如生，似乎她无法拒绝回答。”

“Of waving Chinese sleeves I cannot speak.
“我无法描述那摇曳的汉服袖子。

Each step, each motion, touched me to the heart.
每一步，每一个动作，都触动了我的内心。”

“You may be sure that my thoughts were far from ordinary.”
“你可以确信我的想法绝非寻常。”

A rare treasure indeed. He smiled. With her knowledge of music and the dance and even it would seem things Chinese she already spoke like an empress. —
真是一位稀世珍宝。他微笑着。她对音乐、舞蹈，甚至中国事物的了解，早已让她说话如同一位皇后。 —

He kept the letter spread before him as if it were a favorite sutra.
他把这封信展开放在面前，仿佛它是一部喜爱的经典。

On the day of the excursion the emperor was attended by his whole court, the princes and the rest. —
在郊游当天，皇帝被整个宫廷，包括王子们等人陪同。 —

The crown prince too was present. Music came from boats rowed out over the lake, and there was an infinite variety of Chinese and Korean dancing. —
皇太子也在场。音乐从划到湖中的小船上传来，还有各种各样的中国和朝鲜舞蹈。 —

Reed and string and drum echoed through the grounds. —
芦苇、弦乐和鼓声在庭园中回荡。 —

Because Genji’s good looks had on the evening of the rehearsal filled him with foreboding, the emperor ordered sutras read in several temples. —
因为源氏的英俊在排练的那天晚上给他带来不祥之兆，皇帝命令在几座寺庙中诵经。 —

Most of the court understood and sympathized, but Kokiden thought it all rather ridiculous. —
大多数朝廷都理解并同情，但是九条觉得这一切都有些荒谬。 —

The most renowned virtuosos from the high and middle court ranks were chosen for the flutists’ circle. —
最有名望的中高级朝廷音乐家们被选为吹奏乐队。 —

The director of the Chinese dances and the director of the Korean dances were both guards officers who held seats on the council of state. —
负责中国舞和朝鲜舞的导演都是担任国务参议的警卫官员。 —

The dancers had for weeks been in monastic seclusion studying each motion under the direction of the most revered masters of the art.
舞蹈演员们连续几周都在僧院中闭关修炼，听从最受尊敬的艺术大师的指导。

The forty men in the flutists’ circle played most marvelously. —
吹奏乐队的四十名男子演奏得非常出色。 —

The sound of their flutes, mingled with the sighing of the pines, was like a wind coming down from deep mountains. —
他们的笛声，与松林的轻叹交织在一起，就像是从深山中吹下来的风。 —

“Waves of the Blue Ocean,” among falling leaves of countless hues, had about it an almost frightening beauty. —
《青海波》在无数色彩斑斓的落叶中展现着一种近乎惊人的美丽。 —

The maple branch in Genji’s cap was somewhat bare and forlorn, most of the leaves having fallen, and seemed at odds with his handsome face. —
源氏头上的枫枝有些光秃凄凉，大部分叶子都掉落了，与他英俊的脸孔有些格格不入。 —

The General of the Left replaced it with several chrysanthemums which he brought from below the royal seat. —
左大将军用从王座下方带来的几支菊花替换了它。 —

The sun was about to set and a suspicion of an autumn shower rustled past as if the skies too were moved to tears. —
太阳即将落山，一阵初秋的雨意拂过，仿佛天空也被感动得要哭泣。 —

The chrysanthemums in Genji’s cap, delicately touched by the frosts, gave new beauty to his form and his motions, no less remarkable today than on the day of the rehearsal. —
冻得娇艳的源氏头上的菊花，为他的身姿和动作增添了新的美丽，他的风采依旧，如同排练那天一般引人注目。 —

Then his dance was over, and a chill as if from another world passed over the assembly. —
然后他的舞蹈结束了，一股来自另一个世界的寒意掠过了集会。 —

Even unlettered menials, lost among deep branches and rocks, or those of them, in any event, who had some feeling for such things, were moved to tears. —
即使是那些在深树丛和岩石间迷失的无文化佣人们，或者至少是其中那些对这些事情有些感觉的人，也被感动得泪流满面。 —

The Fourth Prince, still a child, son of Lady Shōkyōden, danced “Autumn Winds,” after “Waves of the Blue Ocean” the most interesting of the dances. —
四皇子，还是个孩子，是昭京殿女儿，舞蹈了“秋风”，在“蓝海波浪”之后最有趣的舞蹈。 —

All the others went almost unnoticed. Indeed complaints were heard that they marred what would otherwise have been a perfect day. —
其他人几乎都被忽略了。实际上，有人抱怨说他们破坏了原本将是完美一天。 —

Genji was that evening promoted to the First Order of the Third Rank, and Tō no Chūjō to the Second Order of the Fourth Rank, and other deserving courtiers were similarly rewarded, pulled upwards, it might be said, by Genji. He brought pleasure to the eye and serenity to the heart, and made people wonder what bounty of grace might be his from former lives.
当晚，源氏晋升为三位大臣的第一级，等级二到四位，其他表现卓越的官员也受到类似奖励，可以说是被源氏推向更高。他给人以眼前的愉悦和内心的宁静，并让人们想知道他在前世曾经拥有过怎样恩惠的优雅。

Fujitsubo had gone home to her family. Looking restlessly, as always, for a chance to see her, Genji was much criticized by his father-in-law’s people at Sanjō. —
藤壶把家人送回家。源氏总是不停地寻找见她的机会，常常受到三条家人的批评。 —

And rumors of the young Murasaki were out. —
年轻的紫很受人传颂。 —

Certain of the women at Sanjō let it be known that a new lady had been taken in at Nijō. Genji’s wife was intensely displeased. —
三条的某些女子透露，二条招进了一位新的女士。源氏的妻子非常不悦。 —

It was most natural that she should be, for she did not of course know that the “lady” was a mere child. —
她当然会不悦，因为她并不知道那位“女士”只是个孩子。 —

If she had complained to him openly, as most women would have done, he might have told her everything, and no doubt eased her jealousy. —
如果她公开向他抱怨，就像大多数女人会做的那样，他可能会告诉她一切，毫无疑问地缓解她的妒忌。 —

It was her arbitrary judgments that sent him wandering. —
是她武断的评判使他东奔西走。 —

She had no specific faults, no vices or blemishes, which he could point to. —
她没有具体的过错，没有他可以指责的恶习或瑕疵。 —

She had been the first lady in his life, and in an abstract way he admired and treasured her. —
她是他生命中的第一个女人，抽象地说，他钦佩和珍视她。 —

Her feelings would change, he felt sure, once she was more familiar with his own. —
他确信一旦她更熟悉他自己，她的感觉会改变。 —

She was a perceptive woman, and the change was certain to come. —
她是个有洞察力的女人，改变肯定会来临。 —

She still occupied first place among his ladies.
在他的女子中，她依然名列第一。

Murasaki was by now thoroughly comfortable with him. —
紫看起来现在已经对他非常舒适。 —

She was maturing in appearance and manner, and yet there was artlessness in her way of clinging to him. —
她在外表和举止上逐渐成熟，但在依偎他时仍然有一种天真。 —

Thinking it too early to let the people in the main hall know who she was, he kept her in one of the outer wings, which he had had fitted to perfection. —
他认为现在让大厅里的人们知道她的身份还太早，于是把她留在了完美装修的外侧翼楼。 —

He was constantly with her, tutoring her in the polite accomplishments and especially calligraphy. —
他一直陪伴着她，在教她礼仪技能，特别是书法方面。 —

It was as if he had brought home a daughter who had spent her early years in another house. —
他仿佛把一个在另一个家庭度过童年的女儿带回了家。 —

He had studied the qualifications of her stewards and assured himself that she would have everything she needed. —
他仔细研究了她管家的资格，确保她所需一应俱全。 —

Everyone in the house, save only Koremitsu, was consumed with curiosity. —
除了是孤与他外，全家上下都充满了好奇心。 —

Her father still did not know of her whereabouts. Sometimes she would weep for her grandmother. —
她的父亲依然不知道她的下落。有时她会为她的祖母而哭泣。 —

Her mind was full of other things when Genji was with her, and often he stayed the night; —
心事重重的时候，当源氏在她身边时，她的脑海里充满了其他事情，他经常会过夜； —

but he had numerous other places to look in upon, and he was quite charmed by the wistfulness with which she would see him off in the evening. —
但他还有很多其他地方要去看望，他对她晚间送行时的忧郁感到完全迷恋。 —

Sometimes he would spend two and three days at the palace and go from there to Sanjō. —
有时他会在宫中待上两三天，然后再去三条。 —

Finding a pensive Murasaki upon his return, he would feel as if he had taken in a little orphan. —
在他回来时看到沉思的紫时，他觉得自己像是收留了一个小孤儿。 —

He no longer looked forward to his nocturnal wanderings with the same eagerness. —
他不再怀着同样的热切期待去进行夜间漫游。 —

Her granduncle the bishop kept himself informed of her affairs, and was pleased and puzzled. —
她的丈舅保持对她事务的了解，并感到高兴又困惑。 —

Genji sent most lavish offerings for memorial services.
源氏为祭祀送去了最豪华的供品。

Longing for news of Fujitsubo, still with her family, he paid a visit. —
他怀念着仍与家人在一起的藤壶，因此前去拜访。 —

Omyōbu, Chūnagon, Nakatsukasa, and others of her women received him, but the lady whom he really wanted to see kept him at a distance. —
他被女官大宅、中臣家、中務等人招待，但他真正想见到的女性却与他疏远。 —

He forced himself to make conversation. Prince Hyōbu, her brother and Murasaki’s father, came in, having heard that Genji was on the premises. —
他强迫自己和他人交谈。得知源氏在府内的消息后，光部亲王，即藤壶的兄长、紫椿的父亲进来了。 —

He was a man of great and gentle elegance, someone, thought Genji, who would interest him enormously were they of opposite sexes. —
源氏觉得这位亲王极其有风度和文雅，如果两人异性相处的话，会让他很感兴趣。 —

Genji felt very near this prince so near the two ladies, and to the prince their conversation seemed friendly and somehow significant as earlier conversations had not. —
源氏觉得与这位亲王很亲近，离两位女性很近，对这位亲王来说，他们的交谈似乎友好而且有意义，之前的交谈不具备这样的特点。 —

How very handsome Genji was! Not dreaming that it was a prospective son-in-law he was addressing, he too was thinking how susceptible (for he was a susceptible man) he would be to Genji’s charms if they were not of the same sex.
源氏是多么英俊潇洒啊！他完全没有想到自己在和未来女婿交谈，他也在考虑，如果他们不是同性，他是多么容易被源氏的魅力所吸引。

When, at dusk, the prince withdrew behind the blinds, Genji felt pangs of jealousy. —
黄昏时分，亲王走到帘后，源氏感到忌妒。 —

In the old years he had followed his father behind those same blinds, and there addressed the lady. —
他曾在很久很久以前，跟随父亲到帘后，那时他与这位女性交谈。 —

Now she was far away — though of course no one had wronged him, and he had no right to complain.
现在她远在何方——尽管当然没有人冤枉他，他也没有权利抱怨。

“I have not been good about visiting you,” he said stiffly as he got up to leave. —
“我很少来探望您，”他僵硬地说着，准备离开。 —

“Having no business with you, I have not wished to seem forward. —
“我与您无关，所以没有想要显得过分。 —

It would give me great pleasure if you would let me know of any services I might perform for you.”
如果您有任何需要，我会很高兴为您效劳。”

Omyōbu could do nothing for him. Fujitsubo seemed to find his presence even more of a trial than before, and showed no sign of relenting. —
大宅无法为他做什么。藤壶似乎对他的到来感到更加难以忍受，没有向他示意放松。 —

Sadly and uselessly the days went by. What a frail, fleeting union theirs had been!
悲伤而无益的日子一天天过去。他们的联姻是多么脆弱、短暂啊！

Shōnagon, Murasaki’s nurse, continued to marvel at the strange course their lives had taken. —
对于自己和紫式部的生活走向，绍仲还在惊叹不已。 —

perhaps some benign power had arranged it, the old nun having mentioned Murasaki in all her prayers. Not that everything was perfect. —
或许是某种慈悲的力量促成了这一切，老尼姑在所有的祈祷中都提到了紫式部。并不是一切都完美。 —

Genji’s wife at Sanjō was a lady of the highest station, and other affairs, indeed too many of them, occupied him as well. —
源氏的妻子三条院的身份极为显赫，他还有其他的事情，事实上，太多的事情也占据着他。 —

Might not the girl face difficult times as she grew into womanhood? —
少女长大成人，难道不会面临困难时期吗？ —

Yet he did seem fond of her as of none of the others, and her future seemed secure. —
然而，他似乎更喜欢她，超过其他人，她的未来似乎是安全的。 —

The period of mourning for a maternal grandmother being set at three months, it was on New Year’s Eve that Murasaki took off her mourning weeds. —
哀悼母亲的祖母定为三个月，因此，紫式部在除夕摘下了丧服。 —

The old lady had been for her both mother and grandmother, however, and so she chose to limit herself to pale, unfigured pinks and lavenders and yellows, pale colors seemed to suit her even better than rich ones.
老人对她既是母亲又是祖母，因此她选择穿淡粉色、浅紫色和淡黄色，淡色似乎比鲜艳色更适合她。

“And do you feel all grown up, now that a new year has come? —
“现在新的一年到了，你感觉长大了吗？ —

” Smiling, radiating youthful charm, Genji looked in upon her. —
”微笑着，散发出青春魅力，源氏向她看去。 —

He was on his way to the morning festivities at court.
他正要前往朝廷的晨祭。

She had already taken out her dolls and was busy seeing to their needs. —
她已经取出了她的玩偶，并忙着照顾它们的需要。 —

All manner of furnishings and accessories were laid out on a yard-high shelf. —
各种家具和配件摆放在一座一码高的书架上。 —

Dollhouses threatened to overflow the room.
玩偶屋几乎要充斥整个房间。

“Inuki knocked everything over chasing out devils last night and broke this. —
“狗把昨晚追赶的恶魔都打翻了，弄破了这个。 —

” It was a serious matter. “I’m gluing it.”
”这是一件严重的事。“我正在粘补它。”

“Yes, she really is very clumsy, that Inuki. We’ll ask someone to repair it for you. —
“是的，因为伊奴姬实在太粗心了。我们会找人来为您修理的。 —

But today you must not cry. Crying is the worst way to begin a new year.”
但是今天你不能哭。哭泣是开始新一年最糟糕的方式。”

And he went out, his retinue so grand that it overflowed the wide grounds. —
他走出了去，他的随从队伍如此庞大，以至于溢出了宽阔的院子。 —

The women watched from the veranda, the girl with them. —
阳台上的女人们注视着，小姑娘也在她们中间。 —

She set out a Genji among her dolls and saw him off to court.
她在玩偶中放了一只源氏，送他去朝廷。

“This year you must try to be just a little more grown up,” said Shōnagon. —
“今年你必须尝试变得稍微成熟一些，” 小着名说。 —

“Ten years old, no, even more, and still you play with dolls. It will not do. —
“十岁了，不，甚至更大，还在玩偶。这样不行。 —

You have a nice husband, and you must try to calm down and be a little more wifely. —
你有一个好丈夫，你必须努力冷静下来，变得稍微像个妻子。 —

Why, you fly into a tantrum even when we try to brush your hair. —
为什么，我们试图给你梳头发，你都会发脾气。 —

” A proper shaming was among Shōnagon’s methods.
” 一个合适的羞辱是小着名的方法之一。

So she had herself a nice husband, thought Murasaki. —
所以她自己有了一个好丈夫，琉璃。 —

The husbands of these women were none of them handsome men, and hers was so very young and handsome. The thought came to her now for the first time, evidence that, for all this play with dolls, she was growing up. —
这些女人的丈夫都不是帅哥，她的丈夫是如此年轻又英俊。这个想法现在第一次出现在她脑海中，证明了，尽管玩娃娃，她确实正在长大。 —

It sometimes puzzled her women that she should still be such a child. —
有时候她的女人们会感到困惑，她为什么还是这么个孩子。 —

It did not occur to them that she was in fact not yet a wife.
她们没有意识到她实际上还不是一个妻子。

From the palace Genji went to Sanjō. His wife, as always, showed no suggestion of warmth or affection; —
源氏从宫殿去了三条。他的妻子，像往常一样，没有展现出温暖或感情； —

and as always he was uncomfortable.
他像往常一样感到不舒服。

“How pleasant if this year you could manage to be a little friendlier.”
“如果今年你能更友好一点就好了。”

But since she had heard of his new lady she had become more distant than ever. —
但自从她听说了他的新情人后，她比以往更加疏远了。 —

She was convinced that the other was now first among his ladies, and no doubt she was as uncomfortable as he. —
她相信那位其他女子现在是他心中的第一位，毫无疑问她也像他一样感到不自在。 —

But when he jokingly sought to make it seem that nothing was amiss, she had to answer, if reluctantly. —
当他开玩笑地想让一切看起来都没问题时，她不得不回答，尽管不情愿。 —

Everything she said was uniquely, indefinably elegant. —
她说的每句话都独具优雅，难以言喻。 —

She was four years his senior and made him feel like a stripling. —
她比他大四岁，让他感觉自己像个年轻人。 —

Where, he asked, was he to find a flaw in this perfection? —
他问，他在这完美中哪里找得到瑕疵？ —

Yet he seemed determined to anger her with his other affairs. —
但他似乎下定决心要用其他的事情惹怒她。 —

She was a proud lady, the single and treasured daughter, by a princess, of a minister who overshadowed the other grandees, and she was not prepared to tolerate the smallest discourtesy. —
她是一位骄傲的女子，是一位大臣的独生宝贝女儿，母亲是一位比其他王公贵族更显赫的王妃，她不愿容忍丝毫的无礼。 —

And here he was behaving as if these proud ways were his to make over. —
而他却仿佛这份骄傲就是他可以随意挥洒的。 —

They were completely at cross purposes, he and she.
他们完全处于对立的立场。

Though her father too resented Genji’s other affairs, he forgot his annoyance when Genji was here beside him, and no service seemed too great or too small. —
虽然她的父亲也为源氏的其他事情感到恼火，但当源氏在他身边时，他忘记了自己的烦恼，无论大小事他都乐意效劳。 —

As Genji prepared to leave for court the next day, the minister looked in upon him, bringing a famous belt for him to wear with his court dress, straightening his train, as much as helping him into his shoes. —
当源氏准备第二天去朝廷时，大臣探望他，为他带来一条名带，让他穿在朝服上，整理他的衣裳，甚至帮他穿鞋。 —

One almost felt something pathetic in this eagerness.
这种急切的心情几乎让人感到心酸。

“I’ll wear it to His Majesty’s family dinner later in the month,” said Genji.
“这条我会在这个月晚些时候穿去陛下家族的晚宴上，”王弟说。

“There are other belts that would do far more honor to such an occasion. —
“还有其他更适合如此场合的腰带。” —

” The minister insisted that he wear it. —
大臣坚持让他穿。 —

“It is a little unusual, thatis all.”
“只是有点不同寻常，就是这样。”

Sometimes it was as if being of service to Genji were his whole life. —
有时候看起来好像为王弟效劳是他整个生活的全部。 —

There could be no greater pleasure than having such a son and brother, little though the Sanjō family saw of him.
有这样一个儿子和兄弟，即使三条家很少见到他，也再没有比这更大的快乐了。

Genji did not pay many New Year calls. He called upon his father, the crown prince, the old emperor, and, finally, Fujitsubo, still with her family. —
王弟并不拜访很多人。他拜访了他的父亲、皇太子、老皇帝，最后是仍在家中的藤壁。 —

Her women thought him handsomer than ever. —
她的女人们觉得他比以往任何时候都更英俊。 —

Yes, each year, as he matured, his good looks produced a stronger shudder of delight and foreboding. —
是的，每年，随着他的成熟，他的相貌带来了更强烈的喜悦和忧虑之颤栗。 —

Fujitsubo was assailed by innumerable conflicting thoughts.
藤壁被无数相互冲突的想法所困扰。

The Twelfth Month, when she was to have been delivered of her child, had passed uneventfully. —
本应在十二月生下孩子的时候，却毫无进展。 —

Surely it would be this month, said her women, and at court everything was in readiness; —
她的女人们说这个月肯定就会生，宫廷中一切都已准备就绪； —

but the First Month too passed without event. —
但是第一个月也过去了，一点变化都没有。 —

She was greatly troubled by rumors that she had fallen under a malign influence. —
她对自己落入不祥之邪言的流言甚感困扰。 —

Her worries had made her physically ill and she began to wonder if the end was in sight. —
她的担忧使她身体不适，她开始怀疑是否就要到头了。 —

More and more certain as time passed that the child was his, Genji quietly commissioned services in various temples. —
随着时间的推移，他越来越确信孩子是他的，源氏悄悄地在各个寺庙托付了事宜。 —

More keenly aware than most of the evanescence of things, he now found added to his worries a fear that he would not see her again. —
他比大多数人更清楚事物的转瞬即逝，现在担心的事情又增加了，他担心再也见不到她。 —

Finally toward the end of the Second Month she bore a prince, and the jubilation was unbounded at court and at her family palace. —
最终在二月末，她生下了一位王子，朝廷和她的家宫都欢腾不已。 —

She had not joined the emperor in praying that she be granted a long life, and yet she did not want to please Kokiden, an echo of whose curses had reached her. —
她没有与皇帝一同祈愿长命，但也不想讨好中宫，她已经听到了中宫的诅咒的回声。 —

The will to live returned, and little by little she recovered.
生存的意志回来了，她一点一点地康复。

The emperor wanted to see his little son the earliest day possible. —
皇帝想尽早看到他的小儿子。 —

Genji, filled with his own secret paternal solicitude, visited Fujitsubo at a time when he judged she would not have other visitors.
沉浸在自己隐藏的父爱中的源氏，判断了一个她不会有其他访客的时机，去看望藤壁。

“Father is extremely anxious to see the child. —
“父亲非常急切地想看到孩子。 —

perhaps I might have a look at him first and present a report.”
或许我应该先看看他，然后做个报告。”

She refused his request, as of course she had every right to do. —
她拒绝了他的请求，当然她有权这样做。 —

“He is still very shriveled and ugly.”
“他还很皱巴难看。”

There was no doubt that the child bore a marked, indeed a rather wonderful, resemblance to Genji. Fujitsubo was tormented by feelings of guilt and apprehension. —
该孩子明显地，甚至可以说相当神奇地，与源氏相似。藤壁被内疚和担忧折磨。 —

Surely everyone who saw the child would guess the awful truth and damn her for it. —
谁看到孩子都会猜到可怕的真相，并因此谴责她。 —

People were always happy to seek out the smallest and most trivial of misdeeds. —
人们总是乐于寻找最微小和琐碎的过失。 —

Hers had not been trivial, and dreadful rumors must surely be going the rounds. —
她的过失并不琐碎，可怕的谣言肯定正在传播。 —

Had ever a woman been more sorely tried?
有没有哪个女人被如此严峻地考验过？

Genji occasionally saw Omyōbu and pleaded that she intercede for him; —
源氏偶尔看到缇萦，并请求她替他求情； —

but there was nothing she could do.
但她无能为力。

“This insistence, my lord, is very trying,” she said, at his constant and passionate pleas to see the child. —
“这种坚持，我主，实在让人困扰”，她在他不断而热切的请求见孩子时说。 —

“You will have chances enough later.” Yet secretly she was as unhappy as he was.
“你以后还有机会。” 然而她私下里和他一样不快乐。

“In what world, I wonder, will I again be allowed to see her? —
“我不知道在哪个世界里，我才能再见到她？ —

” The heart of the matter was too delicate to touch upon.
”事情的关键太微妙，无法触及。

“What legacy do we bring from former lives
“我们从前世带来了什么后遗症，孤独竟成为我们这一生的宿命？

That loneliness should be our lot in this one?
“我不明白。我完全不明白。”

“I do not understand. I do not understand at all.”
他的眼泪让她也忍不住要哭。

His tears brought her to the point of tears herself. —
知道她的女主人有多么不开心，她无法硬硬地把他拒之门外。 —

Knowing how unhappy her lady was, she could not bring herself to turn him brusquely away.
“因见孩子而悲伤，因不见而痛苦。

“Sad at seeing the child, sad at not seeing.
父亲、母亲心头的苦楚，消失在黑暗之中。”

The heart of the father, the mother, lost in darkness.”
她轻声补充道：“似乎对你们其中任何一方来说，痛苦并没有减轻。”

And she added softly: “There seems to be no lessening of the pain for either of you.”
痛苦的程度一点也没有减轻。

She saw him off, quite unable to help him. —
她送他走了，完全无法帮助他。 —

Her lady had said that because of the danger of gossip she could not receive him again, and she no longer behaved toward Omyōbu with the old affection. —
她的侍女说，因为担心流言蜚语的危险，她不能再接待他，并且她已不再像以前那样对待维扶一般的亲切。 —

She behaved correctly, it was true, and did nothing that might attract attention, but Omyōbu had done things to displease her. —
她确实表现得很正确，也没有做任何可能引起注意的事情，但维扶做了一些让她不高兴的事情。 —

Omyōbu was very sorry for them.
维扶对此感到非常遗憾。

In the Fourth Month the little prince was brought to the palace. —
四月，小王子被带到了宫中。 —

Advanced for his age both mentally and physically, he was already able to sit up and to right himself when he rolled over. —
他在智力和体力上都比同龄人发达，已经能够坐起来，而且能够自己翻身。 —

He was strikingly like Genji. Unaware of the truth, the emperor would say to himself that people of remarkable good looks did have a way of looking alike. —
他像是玉樽。皇帝并不知道真相，会暗自感叹相貌出众的人看起来总是有些相似。 —

He doted upon the child. He had similarly doted upon Genji, but, because of strong opposition — and how deeply he regretted the fact — had been unable to make him crown prince. —
他宠爱这个孩子。他也同样宠爱过玉樽，但是，由于激烈的反对 — 他深深后悔这一事实 — 他无法让他成为太子。 —

The regret increased as Genji, now a commoner, improved in looks and in accomplishments. —
随着玉樽如今成为平民，他的遗憾也在增加。 —

And now a lady of the highest birth had borne the emperor another radiant son. —
现在一个出身极高贵的女子为皇帝生下了另一个容光焕发的儿子。 —

The infant was for him an unflawed jewel, for Fujitsubo a source of boundless guilt and foreboding.
对他来说，这个婴儿是一颗完美无瑕的宝石，对于藤壶来说，却是一种无边的愧疚和前兆。

One day, as he often did, Genji was enjoying music in Fujitsubo’s apartments. The emperor came out with the little boy in his arms.
有一天，像往常一样，玉樽正在藤壶的寝宫里欣赏音乐。皇帝抱着小男孩走了出来。

“I have had many sons, but you were the only one I paid a great deal of attention to when you were this small. —
“我生了许多儿子，但只有当你这么小的时候我才给予了大量关注。 —

perhaps it is the memory of those days that makes me think he looks like you. —
也许是那些日子的记忆让我觉得他看起来像你。 —

Is it that all children look alike when they are very young? —
是所有孩子在很小的时候看起来都很相似吗？” —

” He made no attempt to hide his pleasure in the child.
他毫不掩饰对孩子的喜悦之情。

Genji felt himself flushing crimson. He was frightened and awed and pleased and touched, all at the same time, and there were tears in his eyes. —
源氏感到自己脸红了。他既害怕又敬畏，又感到开心和感动，眼泪在眼中打转。 —

Laughing and babbling, the child was so beautiful as to arouse fears that he would not be long in this world. —
孩子笑着啼笑皆非，如此美丽，令人担心他在世上不会待太久。 —

If indeed he resembled the child, thought Genji, then he must be very handsome. —
如果他真的像这个孩子，源氏想，那他一定非常英俊。 —

He must take better care of himself. (He seemed a little self-satisfied at times. —
他必须更好地照顾自己。(有时他似乎有点自鸣得意。) —

) Fujitsubo was in such acute discomfort that she felt herself breaking into a cold sweat. —
藤壶极度不适，感觉自己汗流浃背。 —

Eager though he had been to see the child, Genji left in great agitation.
尽管他急切地想见这个孩子，源氏还是焦虑不安地离开了。

He returned to Nijō, thinking that when the agitation had subsided he would proceed to Sanjō and pay his wife a visit. —
他回到二条，想着等骚动平息后就会前往三条看望妻子。 —

In near the verandas the garden was a rich green, dotted with wild carnations. —
在近廊庭院里，绿草如茵，散布着野康乃馨。 —

He broke a few off and sent them to Omyōbu, and it would seem that he also sent a long and detailed letter, including this message for her lady:
他摘下几朵送给於明房，似乎还写了一封长篇细致的信，附上了这样的留言:

“It resembles you, I think, this wild carnation,
“我觉得这野康乃馨很像你，

Weighted with my tears as with the dew.
跟露水一样沾满我眼泪重重负担。

“‘I know that when it blossoms at my hedge’ — but could any two be as much and as little to each other as we have been?”
“‘我知道它开在我篱笆旁’ — 但我们之间可会有哪对像我们这样如此渺茫呢?”

perhaps because the occasion seemed right, Omyōbu showed the letter to her lady.
也许是因为时机适宜，於明房将信展示给了她。

“Do please answer him,” she said, “if with something of no more weight than the dust on these petals.”
“请回复他吧，”她说，“只需蕴含在这花瓣上的尘土那么重。”

Herself prey to violent emotions, Fujitsubo did send back an answer, a brief and fragmentary one, in a very faint hand:
虽然她内心动荡，但藤壶还是写了个简短零零碎碎的回信，用了很浅的笔触:

“It serves you ill, the Japanese carnation,
“这日本康乃馨对你来说徒添忧伤，

To make you weep. Yet I shall not forsake it.”
尽管如此，我也不会舍弃它。”

pleased with her success, Omyōbu delivered the note. —
得意洋洋的於明房递交了这张便笺。 —

Genji was looking forlornly out at the garden, certain that as always there would be silence. —
源氏伤感地望着庭院，确信一如既往会是寂静。 —

His heart jumped at the sight of Omyōbu and there were tears of joy in his eyes.
看见於明房他的心头一跳，眼中泛出喜悦的眼泪。

This moping, he decided, did no good. He went to the west wing in search of company. —
他决定这种阴郁无济于事。于是他去西厢寻找伴侣。 —

Rumpled and wild-haired, he played a soft strain on a flute as he came into Murasaki’s room. —
他蓬头垢面，吹奏着一曲柔和的长笛声走进紫的房间。 —

She was leaning against an armrest, demure and pretty, like a wild carnation, he thought, with the dew fresh upon it. She was charming.
她倚在扶手上，文静而美丽，他觉得她像一朵野生康乃馨，上面新鲜的露珠。她迷人。

Annoyed that he had not come immediately, she turned away.
她生气他没有立刻进来，便转过身去。

“Come here,” he said, kneeling at the veranda.
“过来，”他跪在阳台边说。

She did not stir.”‘Like the grasses at full tide,’” she said softly, her sleeve over her mouth.
她没有动。“‘如满潮时的草,’”她轻声说着，袖子掩住嘴。

“That was unkind. So you have already learned to complain? —
“那是不友善的。所以你已经学会抱怨了吗？ —

I would not wish you to tire of me, you see, as they say the fishermen tire of the sea grasses at Ise.”
我不希望你厌烦我，你看，就像他们说渔民们厌烦伊势的海草。

He had someone bring a thirteen-stringed koto.
他让人拿来一个十三弦琴。

“You must be careful. The second string breaks easily and we would not want to have to change it. —
“你得小心。第二弦容易断，我们不想不得不更换它。 —

” And he lowered it to the hyōō mode.
”然后他将它调到鸣凰调。

After plucking a few notes to see that it was in tune, he pushed it toward her. —
拨弄几下弦以确保它调好了，他把琴推向她。 —

No longer able to be angry, she played for him, briefly and very competently. —
不再生气，她为他弹奏，简短而技艺高超。 —

He thought her delightful as she leaned forward to press a string with her left hand. —
他觉得她在左手按弦时倾身前倾，太迷人了。 —

He took out a flute and she had a music lesson. —
他拿出一支长笛，她开始音乐课。 —

Very quick, she could repeat a difficult melody after but a single hearing. —
非常迅速，她可以在听过一遍后马上重复一个难曲。 —

Yes, he thought, she was bright and amiable, everything he could have wished for. —
是的，他想，她聪明而和蔼，是他所期望的一切。 —

“Hosoroguseri” made a pretty duet, despite its outlandish name. —
“Hosoroguseri”这支歌曲演唱起来很好听，尽管名字有些古怪。 —

She was very young but she had a fine sense for music. —
她还很年轻，但对音乐有着敏锐的感觉。 —

Lamps were brought and they looked at pictures together. —
他们拿来了灯，一起看着图片。 —

Since he had said that he would be going out, his men coughed nervously, to warn him of the time. —
既然他说他要外出，他的手下们紧张地咳嗽，提醒他时间已晚。 —

If he did not hurry it would be raining, one of them said. —
他们中的一个说，如果他不赶紧的话就要下雨了。 —

Murasaki was suddenly a forlorn little figure. —
紫出乎意料地成了一个可怜的小人物。 —

She put aside the pictures and lay with her face hidden in a pillow.
她放下了图片，脸埋在枕头里。

“Do you miss me when I am away?” He stroked the hair that fell luxuriantly over her shoulders.
“我不在的时候你会想我吗？”他轻抚着她肩上灿烂的头发。

She nodded a quick, emphatic nod.
她急促地点了点头。

“And I miss you. I can hardly bear to be away from you for a single day. —
“我也会想你的。连一天不能和你在一起我都几乎无法忍受。 —

But we must not make too much of these things. —
但我们不该太在意这些事情。 —

You are still a child, and there is a jealous and difficult lady whom I would rather not offend. —
你还是个孩子，还有一个嫉妒而难以相处的贵妇人，我宁愿不得罪她。 —

I must go on visiting her, but when you are grown up I will not leave you ever. —
我必须继续拜访她，但等你长大了，我就永远不会离开你。 —

It is because I am thinking of all the years we will be together that I want to be on good terms with her.”
因为我在想着我们将一起度过的所有岁月，我才希望和她保持着良好的关系。

His solemn manner dispelled her gloom but made her rather uncomfortable. —
他那庄严的态度消除了她的忧郁，但却让她感到相当不舒服。 —

She did not answer. Her head pillowed on his knee, she was presently asleep.
她没有回答。头枕在他的膝盖上，她很快就睡着了。

He told the women that he would not after all be going out. —
他告诉女人们，他最终不会外出了。 —

His retinue having departed, he ordered dinner and roused the girl.
随着他的随从们离开，他点了晚餐，叫醒了那个女孩。

“I am not going,” he said.
“我不去了，”他说。

She sat down beside him, happy again. She ate very little.
她又坐到了他身边，再次感到快乐。她吃得很少。

“Suppose we go to bed, then, if you aren’t going out. —
“那我们去睡觉吧，如果你不出去的话。” —

” She was still afraid he might leave her.
她仍然担心他会离开她。

He already knew how difficult it would be when the time came for the final parting.
他已经知道在最后分别的时候会有多么困难。

Everyone of course knew how many nights he was now spending at home. —
当然大家都知道他现在每晚在家里的时间。 —

The intelligence reached his father-in-law’s house at Sanjō.
这个消息传到了他岳父的三条家。

“How very odd. Who might she be?” said the women. “We have not been able to find out. —
“太奇怪了。她可能是谁？”女人们说道。“我们一直没能查清楚。 —

No one of very good breeding, you may be sure, to judge from the way she clings to him and presumes upon his affection. —
毫无疑问，她不是出身很好的人，从她依偎着他、依赖他的样子来看。 —

Probably someone he ran into at court and lost his senses over, and now he has hidden her away because he is ashamed to have people see her. —
可能是他在宫廷里碰见的某个女子，然后因为感到羞耻而把她藏起来了。 —

But the oddest thing is that she’s still a child.”
但最奇怪的是她还是个孩子。”

“I am sorry to learn that the Minister of the Left is unhappy with you,” the emperor said to Genji. “You cannot be so young and innocent as to be unaware of all he has done for you since you were a very small boy. —
“很抱歉听到左大臣对你不满意，”皇帝对源氏说。 “你不可能如此年轻无知，不知道他自你还是个孩子以来为你所做的一切。” —

He has been completely devoted to you. Must you repay him by insulting him?”
他对你完全忠诚。 你难道要以侮辱的方式回报他吗？”

It was an august reproach which Genji was unable to answer.
这是一个威严的指责，源氏无法回答。

The emperor was suddenly sorry for him. It was clear that he was not happy with his wife. —
皇帝突然为他感到难过。 很明显，他和妻子并不幸福。 —

“I have heard no rumors, it is true, that you are promiscuous, that you have scattered your affections too liberally here at court and elsewhere. —
“我没有听说过任何关于你滥情的谣言，在宫中和其他地方过于随意地散布你的感情。” —

He must have stumbled upon some secret.”
他一定是无意中发现了一些秘密。

The emperor still enjoyed the company of pretty women. —
皇帝仍享受着美丽女性的陪伴。 —

He preferred the pretty ones even among chambermaids and seamstresses, and all the ranks of his court were filled with the best-favored women to be found. —
即使是宫女和裁缝中的美人他也更偏好，他的宫廷中到处都是找得到的最美的女性。 —

Genji would joke with one and another of them, and few were of a mind to keep him at a distance. —
源氏会和她们中的一些人开玩笑，而很少有人愿意保持距离。 —

Someone among them would remark coyly that perhaps he did not like women; —
她们中的有人会羞怯地评论说，也许他不喜欢女人； —

but, no doubt because she offered no novelty, he would answer so as not to give offense and refuse to be tempted. —
但是，毫无疑问，因为她没有新奇感，他会以避免冒犯为由回答并拒绝被诱惑。 —

To some this moderation did not seem a virtue.
对于一些人来说，这种克制似乎不是一种美德。

There was a lady of rather advanced years called Naishi. —
有一位名叫内侍的年纪较长的女士。 —

She was wellborn, talented, cultivated, and widely respected; —
她出身高贵，才华横溢，博学多才，并深受尊敬； —

but in matters of the heart she was not very discriminating. —
但在感情方面她并不算很有鉴别力。 —

Genji had struck up relations, interested that her wanton ways should be so perdurable, and was taken somewhat aback at the warm welcome he received. —
源氏已经建立了关系，对她那放荡的方式如此经久不衰感到兴趣，对他受到的热烈欢迎感到有些惊讶。 —

He continued to be interested all the same and had arranged a rendezvous. —
尽管如此，他依然感兴趣，并安排了会晤。 —

Not wanting the world to see him as the boy lover of an aged lady, he had turned away further invitations. —
不想被世人视为一个年迈女子的童养情人，他拒绝了进一步的邀请。 —

She was of course resentful.
她当然感到愤慨。

One morning when she had finished dressing the emperor’s hair and the emperor had withdrawn to change clothes, she found herself alone with Genji. She was bedecked and painted to allure, every detail urging him forward. —
有一天早晨，她给皇帝梳好头发后，皇帝退下来换衣服，她发现自己和源氏独处。她装扮得妖媚动人，每一个细节都在鼓动着他。 —

Genji was dubious of this superannuated coquetry, but curious to see what she would do next. —
源氏对这种老态龙钟的媚态感到怀疑，但他对她接下来会做什么感到好奇。 —

He tugged at her apron. She turned around, a gaudy fan hiding her face, a sidelong glance — alas, the eyelids were dark and muddy — emerging from above it. —
他拉了拉她的围裙。她转过身，一把花哨的扇子遮住了她的脸，一个斜眼的眼神——哎呀，眼皮也是暗淡的——从扇子上方露出来。 —

Her hair, which of course the fan could not hide, was rough and stringy. —
她的头发，当然扇子无法遮掩，又粗又毛糙。 —

A very poorly chosen fan for an old lady, he thought, giving her his and taking it from her. —
对于一个年迈女子来说，选择这么一把扇子真是不太合适，他心想，把自己的扇子给了她，接过她手中的扇子。 —

So bright a red that his own face, he was sure, must be red from the reflection, it was decorated with a gold painting of a tall grove. —
扇子是如此明亮的红色，他确信他的脸必定也因为反光而是通红的，上面有一幅描绘高树丛林的金色图案。 —

In a corner, in a hand that was old-fashioned but not displeasingly so, was a line of poetry: —
在一个角落里，有一行不甚雅致但也不嫌难看的文字: —

“Withered is the grass of Oaraki.” Of all the poems she could have chosen!
“尾张草枯萎”她竟选了这样一首诗！

“What you mean, I am sure, is that your grove is summer lodging for the cuckoo.”
“你的意思，我想，是你的丛林是杜鹃的避暑之处。”

They talked for a time. Genji was nervous lest they be seen, but Naishi was unperturbed.
他们聊了起来。源氏担心会被人看到，但内侍却毫不在意。

“Sere and withered though these grasses be,
“草木凋零，何处逃生。”

They are ready for your pony, should you come.”
如果你过来拿你的马，他们已经准备好了。

She was really too aggressive.
她确实太过激了。

“Were mine to part the low bamboo at your grove,
“如果我的马穿过你的竹林，

It would fear to be driven away by other ponies.
它可能会因为其他马被赶走而感到害怕。

“And that would not do at all.”
“这样做可不行。”

He started to leave, but she caught at his sleeve. —
他开始离开，但她抓住了他的袖子。 —

“No one has ever been so rude to me, no one. —
“没人对我这样无礼过，没人。 —

At my age I might expect a little courtesy.”
在我这年纪，我可能期待一些礼貌。”

These angry tears, he might have said, did not become an old lady.
他本可以说，这愤怒的眼泪不适合老太太。

“I will write. You have been on my mind a great deal. —
“我会写信的。你一直在我心里。” —

” He tried to shake her off but she followed after.
”他试图甩开她，但她紧随其后。

“‘As the pillar of the bridge —’” she said reproachfully.
“‘就像桥墩——’” 她责备道。

Having finished dressing, the emperor looked in from the next room. —
着装完毕，皇帝从旁边的房间里探头进来。 —

He was amused. They were a most improbable couple.
他感到很好笑。他们是一个非常不可思议的一对。

“People complain that you show too little interest in romantic things,” he laughed, “but I see that you have your ways.”
“人们抱怨你对浪漫事物兴趣太少，”他笑了起来，“但我看到你也有你的方式。”

Naishi, though much discommoded, did not protest with great vehemence. —
尽管饱受困扰，乃室没有表示强烈的抗议。 —

There are those who do not dislike wrong rumors if they are about the right men.
如果谣言是关于正当的人，有些人并不讨厌错误的谣言。

The ladies of the palace were beginning to talk of the affair, a most surprising one, they said. —
宫中的女士们开始谈论这件事，称之为令人吃惊的事情。 —

Tō no Chūjō heard of it. He had thought his own affairs varied, but the possibility of a liaison with an old woman had not occurred to him. —
当藤壁听说此事时，他觉得自己的事务很复杂，但与老妇人发生关系的可能性并未出现在他的头脑中。 —

An inexhaustibly amorous old woman might be rather fun. He arranged his own rendezvous. —
一个性欲无尽的老妇人可能会很有趣。他安排了自己的约会。 —

He too was very handsome, and Naishi thought him not at all poor consolation for the loss of Genji. Yet (one finds it hard to condone such greed) Genji was the one she really wanted.
他也很英俊，而乃室认为他是失去源氏后一个不错的情人。然而（人们很难原谅这种贪心），她真正想要的是源氏。

Since Tō no Chūjō was secretive, Genji did not know that he had been replaced. —
由于藤壁很秘密，源氏不知道他被替代了。 —

Whenever Naishi caught sight of him she showered him with reproaches. —
每当乃室看到他时，她都对他连连抱怨。 —

He pitied her in her declining years and would have liked to do something for her, but was not inclined to trouble himself greatly.
他怜悯她在年老时的遭遇，并想为她做些事，但并不愿意为此苦恼。

One evening in the cool after a shower he was strolling past the Ummeiden Pavilion. —
一天傍晚，在一场阵雨过后的清凉时节，他正在悠闲地经过阴魅殿。 —

Naishi was playing on her lute, most appealingly. —
乃室正在弹奏琵琶，非常动人。 —

She was a unique mistress of the instrument, invited sometimes to join men in concerts before the emperor. —
她是琵琶独奏的独特名家，有时被邀请与男士们一起在皇帝面前演奏。 —

Unrequited love gave her playing tonight an especial poignancy.
未被回报的爱情让她今晚的演奏格外辛酸。

“Shall I marry the melon farmer?” she was singing, in very good voice.
“我要嫁给瓜农吗？”她唱着，嗓音很好。

Though not happy at the thought of having a melon farmer supplant him, he stopped to listen. —
尽管不喜欢被瓜农取代的想法，他还是停下来倾听。 —

Might the song of the maiden of E-chou, long ago, have had the same plaintive appeal? —
那时的恶作剧少女之歌，也许有同样的哀愁吸引力吗？ —

Naishi seemed to have fallen into a meditative silence. —
内侍似乎陷入了冥想的沉默。 —

Humming “The Eastern Cottage,” he came up to her door. She joined in as he sang: —
哼着《东篱》的曲调，他走到了她的门前。她也跟着唱起： —

“Open my door and come in.” Few women would have been so bold.
“推开我的门，进来吧。”很少有女子会如此大胆。

“No one waits in the rain at my eastern cottage.
“没有人在我的东篱中等待雨停。

Wet are the sleeves of the one who waits within.”
等待者的衣袖已经湿透。”

It did not seem right, he thought, that he should be the victim of such reproaches. Had she not yet, after all these years, learned patience?
他觉得不应该成为这样指责的对象。毕竟这么多年过去了，她难道还没有学会耐心吗？

“On closer terms with the eaves of your eastern cottage
“如果我能更亲近你的东篱屋檐

I would not be, for someone is there before me.”
那我也不会被前面的人挡住。”

He would have preferred to move on, but, remembering his manners, decided to accept her invitation. For a time they exchanged pleasant banter. —
他本来更愿意告辞，但出于礼貌，决定接受她的邀请。他们一时聊得很开心。 —

All very novel, thought Genji.
源氏想，这一切都很新奇。

Tō no Chūjō had long resented Genji’s self-righteous way of chiding him for his own adventures. —
藤士长一直对源氏那种自以为是的责备方式心怀不满。 —

The proper face Genji showed the world seemed to hide rather a lot. —
源氏在外表展现的正经形象似乎掩藏了许多事情。 —

Tō no Chūjō had been on the watch for an opportunity to give his friend a little of what he deserved. —
藤士长一直在等待机会，想给这个朋友一点他应得的教训。 —

Now it had come. The sanctimonious one would now be taught a lesson.
现在机会来了。这个装模作样的人现在要受到教训了。

It was late, and a chilly wind had come up. Genji had dozed off, it seemed. —
夜深了，微风袭来，源氏似乎已经打起瞌睡了。 —

Tō no Chūjō slipped into the room. Too nervous to have more than dozed off, Genji heard him, but did not suspect who it would be. —
冬中将军悄悄地走进了房间。源氏虽然还没睡着，但紧张得听到了声音，不过并没有猜到来者是谁。 —

The superintendent of palace repairs, he guessed, was still visiting her. —
他猜想可能是宫廷维修总管还在探访她。 —

Not for the world would he have had the old man catch him in the company of the old woman.
他绝不愿意让老人发现他与老女人在一起。

“This is a fine thing. I’m going. The spider surely told you to expect him, and you didn’t tell me.”
“真是件好事。我走了。肯定是蜘蛛告诉了你他会来，可你居然没告诉我。”

He hastily gathered his clothes and hid behind a screen. —
他匆忙地收拾好衣服，躲到屏风后面。 —

Fighting back laughter, Tō no Chūjō gave the screen an unnecessarily loud thump and folded it back. —
冬中将军压制住了笑意，狠狠地敲了一下屏风，然后把它推开。 —

Naishi had indulged her amorous ways over long years and had had similarly disconcerting experiences often enough before. —
内侍多年来纵情恋爱，经历过不少让人尴尬的情况。 —

What did this person have in mind? What did he mean to do to her Genji? —
这个人打算干什么？他对她源氏有何居心？ —

She fluttered about seeking to restrain the intruder. —
她焦急地四处张望，想要阻止入侵者。 —

Still ignorant of the latter’s identity, Genji thought of headlong flight; —
源氏依然不知道对方的身份，开始考虑匆匆逃走； —

but then he thought of his own retreating figure, robes in disorder, cap all askew. —
但随即想到自己仓皇逃离的模样，袍衣凌乱，帽子歪斜。 —

Silently and wrathfully, Tō no Chūjō was brandishing a long sword.
冬中将军无声地、愤怒地挥舞着一把长剑。

“Please, sir, please.”
“求求你，先生，求求你。”

Naishi knelt before him wringing her hands. He could hardly control the urge to laugh. —
内侍跪在他面前，双手紧握，他几乎忍不住想笑。 —

Her youthful smartness had taken a great deal of contriving, but she was after all nearly sixty. —
她年轻的聪慧看似经过了很多计算，但毕竟她已接近六十岁了。 —

She was ridiculous, hopping back and forth between two handsome young men. —
她看起来荒谬可笑，来回跳动在两个英俊的年轻男人之间。 —

Tō no Chūjō was playing his role too energetically. Genji guessed who he was. —
当时夫中将扮演得太过卖力。源氏猜到了他的身份。 —

He guessed too that this fury had to do with the fact that he was himself known. —
他猜到这股愤怒与他自己被认出来有关。 —

It all seemed very stupid and very funny. —
这一切看起来非常愚蠢而滑稽。 —

He gave the arm wielding the sword a stout pinch and Tō no Chūjō finally surrendered to laughter.
他掐了那挥剑的胳膊一下，太中将终于忍不住笑了起来。

“You are insane,” said Genji. “And these jokes of yours are dangerous. —
“你疯了”，源氏说。“而且你的玩笑是危险的。 —

Let me have my clothes, if you will.”
如果可以的话，请还给我我的衣服。”

But Tō no Chūjō refused to surrender them.
但太中将拒绝归还。

“Well, then, let’s be undressed together. —
“好吧，那么，我们一起脱衣服吧。 —

” Genji undid his friend’s belt and sought to pull off his clothes, and as they disputed the matter Genji burst a seam in an underrobe.
”源氏解开了他朋友的腰带，试图脱掉他的衣服，而他们争执时，源氏在一件内衣的缝隙处破了一个口子。

“Your fickle name so wants to be known to the world
“你轻浮的名字如此渴望被世人所知

That it bursts its way through this warmly disputed garment.
以至于它破裂了这件引起激烈争执的衣物。

“It is not your wish, I am sure, that all the world should notice.”
“我相信你并不希望整个世界都注意到。”

Genji replied: “You taunt me, sir, with being a spectacle When you know full well that your own summer robes are showy.”
源氏回答说:“你在嘲笑我成为一个景观， 而你自己的夏季长袍却是如此艳丽。”

Somewhat rumpled, they went off together, the best of friends. —
比较褴褛的，他们走在一起，成为了最好的朋友。 —

But as Genji went to bed he felt that he had been the loser, caught in such a very compromising position.
但是当源氏上床睡觉时，他觉得自己是个失败者，陷入了一个非常尴尬的境地。

An outraged Naishi came the next morning to return a belt and a pair of trousers. —
愤怒的纳侍第二天早上前来归还一根腰带和一条裤子。 —

She handed Genji a note:
她递给源氏一封纸条：

“I need not comment now upon my feelings.
“我现在不需要评论我的感受了。

The waves that came in together went out together, leaving a dry river bed.”
一同涌入的浪花一同退去，留下了干涸的河床。”

It was an inappropriate reproof after the predicament in which she had placed him, thought Genji, and yet he could imagine how upset she must be. —
想到她一定非常沮丧，源氏觉得她的责备有些不合适。 —

This was his reply:
源氏的回复如下：

“I shall not complain of the wave that came raging in,
“我不会抱怨那来势汹汹的浪花，

But of the welcoming strand I must complain.”
但我却有牵手迎接的岸滩抱怨。”

The belt was Tō no Chūjō‘s of a color too dark to go with Genji’s robe. —
腰带是当时的中将之物，颜色太深，不适合搭配源氏的衣袍。 —

He saw that he had lost a length of sleeve. A most unseemly performance. —
他看到自己失去了一截袖子，这真是太不体面了。 —

People who wandered the way of love found themselves in mad situations. —
沉迷于爱情的人总是会陷入疯狂的境地。 —

With that thought he quelled his ardor.
怀着这样的想法，他压制住了自己的热情。

On duty in the palace, Tō no Chūjō had the missing length of sleeve wrapped and returned, with the suggestion that it be restored to its proper place. —
值班在宫中的中将包装好失去的袖子并归还，建议将其恢复到原来的位置。 —

Genji would have liked to know when he had succeeded in tearing it off. —
源氏希望知道他什么时候成功地将带子撕下来。 —

It was some comfort that he had the belt.
他安慰自己说他还有那根腰带。

He returned it, wrapped in matching paper, with this poem:
他将腰带还了回去，用相配的纸包裹着，并附上这首诗：

“Not to be charged with having taken your take,
“我没有拿走你的东西，

I return this belt of indigo undamaged.”
我归还这条蓝腰带，没有任何损坏。”

An answer came immediately:
立刻收到了回复：

“I doubted not that you took my indigo belt,
“我当然怀疑你拿了我的蓝腰带，

And charge you now with taking the lady too.
现在我指控你把那位女士也带走了。

You will pay for it, sir, one day.”
先生，总有一天你会为此付出代价。”

Both were at court that afternoon. Tō no Chūjō had to smile at Genji’s cool aloofness as he sorted out petitions and orders, and his own business-like efficiency was as amusing to Genji. They exchanged frequent smiles.
那天下午他们俩都在宫廷。当源氏处理请愿和命令时，都中将对他自得其乐的冷淡态度感到好笑，而源氏对他的高效率也感到好笑。他们频频交换微笑。

Tō no Chūjō came up to Genji when no one else was near. —
在没有其他人附近时，都中将走向源氏。 —

“You have had enough, I hope,” he said, with a fierce sidelong glance, “of these clandestine adventures?”
“希望你已经够了。”他瞥了源氏一眼，带着一丝凶狠的语气说，“这些秘密冒险？”

“Why, pray, should I? The chief hurt was to you who were not invited — and it matters a great deal, since you do so love each other. —
“我为什么要停止呢？受伤最严重的是你，那是你没有被邀请 —— 这一点很重要，因为你们彼此如此相爱。 —

” And they made a bond of silence, a vow that they would behave like the Know-Nothing River.
”他们作了一种保密的誓约，发誓要像不言河一样保守秘密。

Tō no Chūjō lost no opportunity to remind Genji of the incident. —
都中将时不时地提醒源氏这一事件。 —

And it had all been because of that troublesome old woman, thought Genji. He would not again make such a mistake. —
问题的源头是那个令人头疼的老太太，源氏心想。他不会再犯这样的错误了。 —

It was a trial to him that she continued, all girlishly, to make known her resentment. —
她还在继续表示她的愤怒，全然像个少女一样。 —

Tō no Chūjō did not tell his sister, Genji’s wife, of the affair, but he did want to keep it in reserve. —
当时的藤壬之丞并未告诉源氏妻子那桃里的事，但他确实希望将此事保留。 —

Because he was his father’s favorite, Genji was treated respectfully even by princes whose mothers were of the highest rank, and only Tō no Chūjō refused to be awed by him. —
源氏因为是他父亲的宠儿，即使是皇子，只要母亲不是最高贵的出身，也会尊敬对待他。只有藤壬之丞拒绝对他畏惧。 —

Indeed he was prepared to contest every small point. —
他准备好为每一个小细节争吵。 —

He and his sister, alone among the minister’s children, had the emperor’s sister for their mother. —
他和他的妹妹，是这位大臣的子女中唯一拥有天皇的亲姐姐做母亲的。 —

Genji belonged, it was true, to the royal family, but the son of the emperor’s sister and of his favorite minister did not feel that he had to defer to anyone; —
源氏是皇族出身，但是从皇姑母和他宠爱的大臣生下的儿子看来，他并不认为自己需要对任何人顶礼膜拜。 —

and it was impossible to deny that he was a very splendid young gentleman. —
不可否认他是一个非常绚丽的年轻绅士。 —

The rivalry between the two produced other amusing stories, I am sure, but it would be tedious to collect and recount them.
两人之间的竞争产生了其他有趣的故事，我确信，但搜集和重述它们会很乏味。

In the Seventh Month, Fujitsubo was made empress. Genji was given a seat on the council of state. —
七月间，藤壬被册立为皇后。源氏被任命为参议。 —

Making plans for his abdication, the emperor wanted to name Fujitsubo’s son crown prince. —
发愿退位的天皇希望立藤壬之子为皇太子。 —

The child had no strong backing, however. —
但这个孩子并没有强大的支持。 —

His uncles were all princes of the blood, and it was not for them to take command of public affairs. The emperor therefore wanted Fujitsubo in an unassailable position from which to promote her son’s career.
他的叔叔们都是皇子，而他们不应该干预国家事务。因此，天皇希望藤壬稳固地位，以推动她儿子的出人头地。

Kokiden’s anger, most naturally, reached new peaks of intensity.
公卿怨恨自然而然达到了新的高潮。

“You needn’t be in such a stir,” said the emperor. —
“你不必如此忧虑，”天皇说。 —

“Our son’s day is coming, and no one will be in a position to challenge you.”
“我们儿子的日子即将到来，没有人能够挑战你。”

As always, people talked. It was not an easy thing, in naming an empress, to pass over a lady who had for more than twenty years been the mother of the crown prince. —
人们总是喜欢议论。在选定皇后这件事上，却要放弃一个已经做了二十余年皇太子母亲的女子，这并不容易。 —

Genji was in attendance the night Fujitsubo made her formal appearance as empress. —
当藤壺正式登上皇后的宝座时，源氏也在场。 —

Among His Majesty’s ladies she alone was the daughter of an empress, and she was herself a flawless jewel; —
在陛下的宫女里，她是唯一的女帝之女，本身就是一枚完美无瑕的宝石。 —

but for one man, at least, it was not an occasion for gladness. —
但至少有一个男人，并不感到愉快。 —

With anguish he thought of the lady inside the ceremonial palanquin. —
他痛苦地想着坐在仪式轿子里的那位女士。 —

She would now be quite beyond his reach.
她如今将远离他的触及。

“I see her disappear behind the clouds
“我看到她消失在云端

And am left to grope my way through deepest darkness.”
必须独自穿越最深的黑暗。”

The days and months passed, and the little prince was becoming the mirror image of Genji. Though Fujitsubo was in constant tenor, it appeared that no one had guessed the truth. —
时日荏苒，小王子变得越来越像源氏。尽管藤壶心中忐忑不安，但似乎没有人猜到真相。 —

How, people asked, could someone who was not Genji yet be as handsome as Genji? —
人们惊讶，一个不是源氏的人怎么会如此英俊？ —

They were, Genji and the little prince, like the sun and moon side by side in the heavens.
他们，源氏和小王子，就像天空中并肩的太阳和月亮。