Towards the end of the Second Month, the festival of the cherry blossoms took place in the Grand Hall. The empress and the crown prince were seated to the left and right of the throne. —
在第二个月末，樱花庆典在大殿举行。皇后和皇太子分别坐在宝座左右。 —

This arrangement of course displeased Kokiden, but she put in an appearance all the same, unable to let such an occasion pass. —
当然，这个安排让心怀不满的混沌妃感到不悦，但她还是露面了，不能错过这样的盛会。 —

It was a beautiful day. The sky was clear, birds were singing. —
那是一个美丽的日子。天空晴朗，鸟儿在歌唱。 —

Adepts at Chinese poetry, princes and high courtiers and others, drew lots to fix the rhyme schemes for their poems.
通晓中文诗歌的专家、王子和高官们抽签确定了他们诗歌的韵律。

“I have drawn ‘spring,’” said Genji, his voice finely resonant in even so brief a statement.
“我抽到了‘春’，”源氏的声音即使是这么简短的陈述也充满共鸣。

Tō no Chūjō might have been disconcerted at something in the eyes of the assembly as they turned from Genji to him, but he was calm and poised, and his voice as he announced his rhyme was almost as distinguished as Genji’s. —
当大家的目光从源氏转向六条诚之时，六条诚之或许会因为大家的一些眼神而感到不安，但他沉着冷静，宣布他的韵律时几乎和源氏一样显著。 —

Several of the high courtiers seemed reluctant to follow the two, and the lesser courtiers were more reluctant still. —
几位高官们似乎不太愿意跟随这两位，次要的官员更是不情愿。 —

They came stiffly out into the radiant garden, awed by the company in which they found themselves — for both the emperor and the crown prince were connoisseurs of poetry, and it was a time when superior poets were numerous. —
他们走出明媚的花园，对他们所身处的尊贵公司感到敬畏——因为皇帝和皇太子都是诗歌的鉴赏家，而当时卓越的诗人很多。 —

To produce a Chinese poem is never an easy task, but for them it seemed positive torture. —
写中文诗从未是一件容易的事，但对他们来说似乎是一种折磨。 —

Then there were the great professors who took such occasions in their stride, though their court dress may have been a little shabby. —
此时场上有很多优秀的教授，他们对待这些场合游刃有余，尽管他们的宫廷服饰可能有些破旧。 —

It was pleasant to observe the emperor’s interest in all these varied sorts of people.
看到皇帝对各种各样的人感兴趣是一件愉快的事。

The emperor had of course ordered the concert to be planned with the greatest care. —
皇帝当然是安排了这场音乐会的计划。 —

“Spring Warbler,” which came as the sun was setting, was uncommonly fine. —
日落时分演唱的“春雀”曲目出奇的精彩。 —

Remembering how Genji had danced at the autumn excursion, the crown prince himself presented a sprig of blossoms for his cap and pressed him so hard to dance that he could not refuse. —
想起源氏在秋季郊游中的舞蹈，皇太子亲自为他的帽子插上了一枝花并强烈要求他跳舞，以至于他无法拒绝。 —

Though he danced only a very brief passage, the quiet waving of his sleeves as he came to the climax was incomparable. —
尽管他仅跳了一个非常简短的段落，但在达到高潮时，他的袖子的轻柔拂动无与伦比。 —

The Minister of the Left forgot his anger at his negligent son-in-law. —
左大臣忘记了对他不负责任的女婿的愤怒。 —

There were tears in his eyes.
他眼中含着泪水。

“Where is Tō no Chūjō?” asked the emperor. “Have him come immediately.”
“当初中将在哪里？”皇帝问道。“立刻让他前来。”

Tō no Chūjō, whose dance was “Garden of Willows and Flowers,” danced with more careful and deliberate art than had Genji, perhaps because he had been prepared for the royal summons. —
当初中将以“柳花园”之舞蹈，比源氏更加小心和谨慎，或许是因为他早有准备等待着皇家的召见。 —

It was so interesting a performance that the emperor presented him with a robe — a most gratifying sign of royal approval, everyone agreed.
这是一场非常有趣的表演，皇帝赐他一件袍子，这是一种最令人满意的皇家认可的迹象，大家都认为如此。

Other high courtiers danced, in no fixed order, but as it was growing dark one could not easily tell who were the better dancers. —
其他高官也表演舞蹈，没有固定的顺序，但天色渐暗，很难判断哪位舞者更胜一筹。 —

The poems were read. Genji’s was so remarkable that the reader paused to comment upon each line. —
诗歌被朗诵。源氏的诗如此卓越，读者逐行停顿评述。 —

The professors were deeply moved. Since Genji was for the emperor a shining light, the poem could not fail to move him too. —
教授们深受感动。既然对皇帝而言源氏是一盏明灯，这首诗也必定打动了他。 —

As for the empress, she wondered how Kokiden could so hate the youth — and reflected on her own misfortune in being so strangely drawn to him.
至于皇后，她想知道光源氏为何如此憎恨这位年轻人，同时反思自己对他为何如此神秘地着迷。

“Could I see the blossom as other blossoms,
“若我看待花朵如同其他花朵，

Then would there be no dew to cloud my heart.”
那么心中就不会有泪水来蒙蔽。”

She recited it silently to herself. How then did it go the rounds and presently reach me?
她默默地背诵。而后这首诗如何传播开来，最终传到我这里呢？

The festivities ended late in the night.
庆典一直持续到深夜。

The courtiers went their ways, the empress and the crown prince departed, all was quiet. —
朝臣们各奔东西，皇后和皇太子离开，一切回复平静。 —

The moon came out more brightly. It wanted proper appreciation, thought Genji. The ladies in night attendance upon the emperor would be asleep. —
月亮变得更加明亮。源氏想到应该好好欣赏它。伺候在皇帝身旁的女士们应该已经入睡。 —

Expecting no visitors, his own lady might have left a door open a crack. —
没有期待访客的情况下，他自己的女性可能留了一扇门开着一条缝。 —

He went quietly up to her apartments, but the door of the one whom he might ask to show him in was tightly closed. —
他悄无声息地走到她的公寓，但他可能要求让他进去的那扇门紧闭着。 —

He sighed. Still not ready to give up, he made his way to the gallery by Kokiden’s pavilion. —
他叹了口气。他还没有准备放弃，于是他去了向后殿的长廊。 —

The third door from the north was open. Kokiden herself was with the emperor, and her rooms were almost deserted. —
从北边数第三扇门是敞开的。后殿本人与天皇在一起，她的房间几乎是空无一人。 —

The hinged door at the far corner was open too. All was silent. —
在远角的铰链门也是敞开的。一切都是寂静的。 —

It was thus, he thought, that a lady invited her downfall. —
他认为，一个女性是这样招致自己的败坏的。 —

He slipped across the gallery and up to the door of the main room and looked inside. —
他悄悄穿过长廊，来到主房的门前往内看了看。 —

Everyone seemed to be asleep.
似乎每个人都在睡觉。

“‘What can compare with a misty moon of spring? —
“春天的雾月 谁可以比得上呢？ —

’” It was a sweet young voice, so delicate that its owner could be no ordinary serving woman.
” 这是一个甜美的年轻声音，如此柔弱，以至于其主人不可能是一个普通的侍女。

She came (could he believe it?) to the door. Delighted, he caught at her sleeve.
她走了过来（他能相信吗？）来到门口。他高兴地抓住了她的袖子。

“Who are you?” She was frightened.
“你是谁？”她感到害怕。

“There is nothing to be afraid of.
“没有什么好害怕的。

“Late in the night we enjoy a Misty moon.
“深夜时分我们欣赏一轮雾月。

There is nothing misty about the bond between us.”
我们之间的纽带没有什么模糊之处。”

Quickly and lightly he lifted her down to the gallery and slid the door closed. —
他迅速轻盈地把她抱下楼廊，然后滑上了门。 —

Her surprise pleased him enormously.
她的惊喜让他极为满意。

Trembling, she called for help.
她颤抖着呼救。

“It will do you no good. I am always allowed my way. Just be quiet, if you will, please.”
“这样做对你没有好处。我总是按照我的方式行事。如果可以的话，请安静。”

She recognized his voice and was somewhat reassured. —
她认出了他的声音，有些安心。 —

Though of course upset, she evidently did not wish him to think her wanting in good manners. —
尽管显然心情不好，但她显然不想让他觉得她缺乏礼貌。 —

It may have been because he was still a little drunk that he could not admit the possibility of letting her go; —
可能是因为还有一点醉意，他无法接受放她走的可能性； —

and she, young and irresolute, did not know how to send him on his way. —
她，年轻而犹豫不决，不知道如何让他离开。 —

He was delighted with her, but also very nervous, for dawn was approaching. —
他对她感到高兴，但也非常紧张，因为黎明即将到来。 —

She was in an agony of apprehension lest they be seen.
她焦虑不安，担心被人看见。

“You must tell me who you are,” he said. “How can I write to you if you do not? —
“你必须告诉我你是谁，”他说。“如果你不告诉我，我怎么写信给你呢？ —

You surely don’t think I mean to let matters stand as they are?”
你难道认为我会在这个问题上束手无策？

“Were the lonely one to vanish quite away,
“孤独的人若彻底消失，

Would you go to the grassy moors to ask her name?”
你会去草木斑斓的牧场询问她的名字吗？

Her voice had a softly plaintive quality.
她的声音带着柔和的哀怨。

“I did not express myself well.
“我表达不好。

“I wish to know whose dewy lodge it is
“在风吹过竹丛茂密的荒原之前，

Ere winds blow past the bamboo-tangled moor.
我想知道这是谁的露宿。

“Only one thing, a cold welcome, could destroy my eagerness to visit. —
“只有一件事，冷淡的欢迎，才能破坏我拜访的热情。 —

Do you perhaps have some diversionary tactic in mind?”
你难道有什么迎合社交的计谋吗？”

They exchanged fans and he was on his way. —
他们交换了扇子，然后他离开了。 —

Even as he spoke a stream of women was moving in and out of Kokiden’s rooms. —
就在他说话的时候，一队女人来来往往进出着后院的房间。 —

There were women in his own rooms too, some of them still awake. —
他的房间里也有女子，有些还醒着。 —

Pretending to be asleep, they poked one another and exchanged whispered remarks about the diligence with which he pursued these night adventures.
假装睡着的他们互相戳着对方，并交换着有关他夜间冒险的耳语。

He was unable to sleep. What a beautiful girl! One of Kokiden’s younger sisters, no doubt. —
他无法入睡。那位美丽的女孩！毫无疑问是某个后宫的年轻姐妹。 —

Perhaps the fifth or sixth daughter of the family, since she had seemed to know so little about men? He had heard that both thy fourth daughter, to whom Tō no Chūjō was uncomfortably married, and Prince Hotaru’s wife were great beauties, and thought that the encounter might have been more interesting had the lady been one of the older sisters. —
或许是家中的第五或第六位女儿，因为她似乎对男人了解甚少？他听说尚今中将令人不安地嫁给的第四位女儿以及螢殿的妻子都是绝色佳人，于是认为如果那位女士是其中一个姐姐的话，那次相遇可能会更有趣。 —

He rather hoped she was not the sixth daughter, whom the minister had thoughts of marrying to the crown prince. —
他倒是希望她不是六位女儿，那位大臣正打算将她嫁给皇太子。 —

The trouble was that he had no way of being sure. —
麻烦的是他无从确定。 —

It had not seemed that she wanted the affair to end with but the one meeting. —
似乎她并不希望这件事就此结束。 —

Why then had she not told him how he might write to her? —
那么为什么她不告诉他如何与她联系呢？ —

These thoughts and others suggest that he was much interested. —
这些思绪和其他想法显示他浓厚兴趣。 —

He thought too of Fujitsubo’s pavilion, and how much more mysterious and inaccessible it was, indeed how uniquely so.
他想到螢殿，以及那里是多么神秘和不可接近，确实是独一无二的。

He had a lesser spring banquet with which to amuse himself that day. —
他当天有一场较小的春宴来消遣。 —

He played the thirteen-stringed koto, his performance if anything subtler and richer than that of the day before. —
他弹奏着十三弦箏，比前一天的演奏更为细腻丰富。 —

Fujitsubo went to the emperor’s apartments at dawn.
螢殿在黎明时分前往皇帝的寝宫。

Genji was on tenterhooks, wondering whether the lady he had seen in the dawn moonlight would be leaving the palace. —
源氏如坐针毡，想知道他在黎明月光中看到的那位女子是不是要离开宫廷。 —

He sent Yoshikiyo and Koremitsu, who let nothing escape them, to keep watch; —
他派遣了吉清和是光两位绝不会漏掉任何细节的人去监视； —

and when, as he was leaving the royal presence, he had their report, his agitation increased.
当他离开皇宫时，得知了他们的报告，他的激动情绪更加增加。

“Some carriages that had been kept out of sight left just now by the north gate. —
“有些车辆刚刚离开北门，一直保持隐秘。” —

Two of Kokiden’s brothers and several other members of the family saw them off; —
蓝殿的两位兄弟和其他几位家族成员送别他们； —

so we gathered that the ladies must be part of the family too. —
所以我们推断这些女士也一定是家族的一部分。 —

They were ladies of some importance, in any case — that much was clear. —
不管怎样，这些女士都是相当重要的——这一点是清楚的。 —

There were three carriages in all.”
总共有三辆车。

How might he learn which of the sisters he had become friends with? —
他怎样才能知道自己交朋友的是哪位姐妹呢？ —

Supposing her father were to learn of the affair and welcome him gladly into the family — he had not seen enough of the lady to be sure that the prospect delighted him. —
想象一下，如果她的父亲得知这件事并喜欢地接纳他进家族——他并没有看清那位女士是否对此感到高兴。 —

Yet he did want very much to know who she was. —
但他很想知道她是谁。 —

He sat looking out at the garden.
他坐在那里看着花园。

Murasaki would be gloomy and bored, he feared, for he had not visited her in some days. —
他担心紫殿会变得忧郁和无聊，因为他已经好几天没有去看她了。 —

He looked at the fan he had received in the dawn moonlight. It was a “three-ply cherry. —
他看着在黎明月光中收到的扇子。那是一把“三层樱花”。 —

” The painting on the more richly colored side, a misty moon reflected on water, was not remarkable, but the fan, well used, was a memento to stir longing. —
更加丰富色彩一面的画，朦胧的月亮倒影在水上，并不出众，但这个扇子被好好使用却是一段激起怀念的纪念。 —

He remembered with especial tenderness the poem about the grassy moors.
他特别温柔地回想起关于草地荒原的那首诗。

He jotted down a poem beside the misty moon:
他在朦胧的月亮旁边书写了一首诗：

“I had not known the sudden loneliness
“我曾不曾知道那突然的孤独

Of having it vanish, the moon in the sky of dawn.”
随着它消失，月亮在黎明的天空中。”

He had been neglecting the Sanjō mansion of his father-in-law for rather a long time, but Murasaki was more on his mind. —
他早就开始忽视岳父的三条府邸，但紫在他心中更为重要。 —

He must go comfort her. She pleased him more, she seemed prettier and cleverer and more amiable, each time he saw her. —
他必须去安慰她。她越来越讨他喜欢，每次见到她都觉得她更漂亮、更聪明和更和蔼。 —

He was congratulating himself that his hopes of shaping her into his ideal might not prove entirely unrealistic. —
他庆幸自己能够将她塑造成自己的理想并非完全不切实际。 —

Yet he had misgivings — very unsettling ones, it must be said — lest by training her himself he put her too much at ease with men. —
然而他有些担忧 — 心里很不安，要说其实很不安 — 担心通过自己的训练让她与男人们过于亲近。 —

He told her the latest court gossip and they had a music lesson. —
他告诉她最新的宫廷八卦，然后进行音乐课。 —

So he was going out again — she was sorry, as always, to see him go, but she no longer clung to him as she once had.
所以他又要出去了 — 她依旧感到难过，却不像以前那样紧紧依恋他。

At Sanjō it was the usual thing: his wife kept him waiting. —
在三条府还是老样子：他妻子让他等。 —

In his boredom he thought of this and that. —
无聊之中，他琢磨这个那个。 —

pulling a koto to him, he casually plucked out a tune. —
将一个箜篌拉到身旁，他随意地弹了一曲。 —

“No nights of soft sleep,” he sang, to his own accompaniment.
“没有柔软睡眠的夜晚，”他唱着，自己伴奏。

The minister came for a talk about the recent pleasurable events.
大臣前来谈论最近的愉快事件。

“I am very old, and I have served through four illustrious reigns, but never have I known an occasion that has added so many years to my life. —
“我年事已高，并在四位显赫君主治下效忠，但从未经历过像这样为我增加如此之多岁月的场合。 —

Such clever, witty poems, such fine music and dancing — you are on good terms with the great performers who so abound in our day, and you arrange things with such marvelous skill. —
这么聪明、风趣的诗句，如此精美的音乐和舞蹈 — 你与当今的众多优秀表演者关系良好，并且以如此神奇的技巧安排事情。” —

Even we aged ones felt like cutting a caper or two.”
即使我们这些年龄大的人也觉得想要跳跃一两步。

“The marvelous skill of which you speak, sir, amounts to nothing at all, only a word here and there. —
“先生，您所说的这种了不起的技巧根本无足轻重，只不过是零星的几句话而已。 —

It is a matter of knowing where to ask. ‘Garden of Willows and Flowers’ was much the best thing, I thought, a performance to go down as a model for all the ages. —
这只是在知道该去哪里寻求帮助的问题。“柳花庭”我觉得是最好的演出，可以作为后人的典范。 —

And what a memorable day it would have been, what an honor for our age, if in the advancing spring of your life you had followed your impulse and danced for us.”
如果您在您生命中的春天跟随自己的冲动为我们跳舞，那将是一个令人难忘的日子，对我们这个时代来说是一种荣耀。

Soon Tō no Chūjō and his brothers, leaning casually against the veranda railings, were in fine concert on their favorite instruments.
很快，藤壁将军和他的兄弟们随意倚在清凉的栏杆上，悠然演奏着他们最喜爱的乐器。

The lady of that dawn encounter, remembering the evanescent dream, was sunk in sad thoughts. —
那个黎明遇见的女士，忆起那短暂的梦境，陷入了悲伤的思绪。 —

Her father’s plans to give her to the crown prince in the Fourth Month were a source of great distress. —
父亲打算在四月将她许配给皇太子，这让她非常痛苦。 —

As for Genji, he was not without devices for searching her out, but he did not know which of Kokiden’s sisters she was, and he did not wish to become involved with that unfriendly family.
至于源氏，他虽然有办法找寻她，但不知道她是哪位皇后的姐妹，也不愿意卷入那个不友善的家庭。

Late in the Fourth Month the princes and high courtiers gathered at the mansion of the Minister of the Right, Kokiden’s father, for an archery meet. —
四月下旬，亲王和高官们聚集在右大臣――即国母的父亲――的府邸举行射箭比赛。 —

It was as followed immediately by a wisteria banquet. —
紧接着是紫藤花宴。 —

Though the cherry blossoms had for the most part fallen, two trees, perhaps having learned that mountain cherries do well to bloom 1ate, were at their belated best. —
虽然大部分樱花已经凋谢，但有两棵树，或许学会了山樱树如何晚开花，正盛开如意。 —

The minister’s mansion had been rebuilt and beautifully refurnished for the initiation ceremonies of the princesses his granddaughters. —
大臣的府邸已经重建并精心装修，为他的外孙女举办入室仪式。 —

It was in the ornate style its owner preferred, everything in the latest fashion.
这是根据主人的喜好而设计的华丽风格，每样东西都是最新潮的。

Seeing Genji in the palace one day, the minister had invited him to the festivities. —
一天在宫中看到源氏的时候，大臣邀请他参加庆典。 —

Genji would have preferred to stay away, but the affair seemed certain to languish without him. —
源氏本来想躲开，但如果没有他参加，这件事似乎注定会无聊下去。 —

The minister sent one of his sons, a guards officer, with a message:
部长派了他的一个儿子，一个卫队军官，传达了一条消息：

“If these blossoms of mine were of the common sort,
“如果我的这些花是普通品种，

Would I press you so to come and look upon them?”
我会这么着急让你来赏赏吗？”

Genji showed the poem to his father.
源氏把这首诗给他的父亲看。

“He seems very pleased with his flowers,” laughed the emperor. “But you must go immediately. —
“他似乎对他的花很满意，”皇帝笑了。“但是你必须立刻去。 —

He has, after all, sent a special invitation. —
毕竟他已经派了特别邀请。 —

It is use that the princesses your sisters are being reared. —
你的妹妹们正在被养育。 —

You are scarcely a stranger.”
你并不是一个陌生人。”

Genji dressed with great care. It was almost dark when he finally presented himself. —
源氏精心打扮。当他最终出现时，天已经将近黑了。 —

He wore a robe of a thin white Chinese damask with a red lining and under it a very long train of magenta. —
他穿着一件又薄又白的中国绦纹长袍，里面有一条深红色的衬里，下面还有一条非常长的紫红色的长裙。 —

Altogether the dashing young prince, he added something new to the assembly that so cordially received him, for the other guests were more formally clad. —
整个场面烽烟的年轻王子，给那么热情接待他的人群增添了一些新意，因为其他客人都穿得更正式。 —

He quite overwhelmed the blossoms, in a sense spoiling the party, and played beautifully on several instruments. —
他简直压倒了盛开的花朵，某种意义上破坏了聚会，还在几种乐器上演奏得漂亮。 —

Late in the evening he got up, pretending to be drunk. —
晚上很晚他起身，装作醉了。 —

The first and third princesses were living in the main hall. —
第一位和第三位公主住在大厅里。 —

He went to the east veranda and leaned against a door. —
他走到东边的走廊，靠在一扇门上。 —

The shutters were raised and women were gathered at the southwest corner, where the wisteria was in bloom. —
百叶窗打开了，女人们聚集在西南角，紫藤花盛开。 —

Their sleeves were pushed somewhat ostentatiously out from under blinds, as at a New Year’s poetry assembly. —
她们的袖子有些夸张地从百叶窗下露出来，就像新年诗会上一样。 —

All rather overdone, he thought, and he could not help thinking too of Fujitsubo’s reticence.
他觉得这些都有些过头了，同时也不禁想起了藤壶的谨慎。

“I was not feeling well in the first place, and they plied me with drink. —
“我本来就不舒服，又一直给我灌酒。 —

I know I shouldn’t, but might I ask you to hide me? —
我知道不该这样，但可以让您帮我藏起来吗？ —

” He raised the blind at the corner door.
”他打开了角落门的百叶窗。

“Please, dear sir, this will not do. It is for us beggars to ask such favors of you fine gentlemen.” Though of no overwhelming dignity, the women were most certainly not common.
“请您，亲爱的先生，这是不对的。我们乞丐该向您这些有钱绅士请求这样的恩惠。”尽管没有什么特别的尊严，这些女人们绝对不是普通人。

Incense hung heavily in the air and the rustling of silk was bright and lively. —
空气中弥漫着浓重的香味，丝绸的摩擦声明亮而活泼。 —

Because the princesses seemed to prefer modern things, the scene may perhaps have been wanting in mysterious shadows.
因为公主们似乎更喜欢现代事物，这景象也许缺乏神秘的阴影。

The time and place were hardly appropriate for a flirtation, and yet his interest was aroused. —
这个时机和地点并不适合调情，但他的兴趣却被激起了。 —

Which would be the lady of the misty moon?
雾月之夫人是哪位？

“A most awful thing has happened,” he said playfully. —
“发生了一件很可怕的事，”他开玩笑地说。 —

“Someone has stolen my fan.” He sat leaning against a pillar.
“有人偷了我的扇子。”他斜靠在柱子上。

“What curious things that Korean does do. —
“那位韩国人做的事情真是奇怪。 —

” The lady who thus deftly returned his allusion did not seem to know about the exchange of fans.
”这位巧妙地回应他典故的女士似乎不知道扇子的交换。

Catching a sigh from another lady, he leaned forward and took her hand.
他捕捉到了另一位女士的叹息，俯身伸手握住了她的手。

“I wander lost on Arrow Mount and ask:
“我在箭峰迷失，问道：

May I not see the moon I saw so briefly?
我是否能再见到那短暂出现的月亮？

“Or must I continue to wander?”
“还是我必须继续流浪？

It seemed that she could not remain silent:
她似乎无法保持沉默：

“Only the flighty, the less than serious ones,
“只有那些轻佻的、不够认真的人，

Are left in the skies when the longbow moon is gone.”
在长弓月离去后，被留在天空中。”

It was the same voice. He was delighted. And yet —
这是同样的声音。他感到高兴。然而 —