第三章 Grandfather and the Back Garden

第三章Chapter Three

呼蘭河這小城裡邊住著我的祖父。In this small town of Hulanhe lived my grandfather.

我生的時候，祖父已經六十多歲了，我長到四五歲，祖父就快七十了。When I was born, my grandfather was already over sixty; by the time I had grown to four or five, he was nearly seventy.

我家有一個大花園，這花園裡蜂子、蝴蝶、蜻蜓、螞蚱，樣樣都有。My family had a large garden, and in this garden there were bees, butterflies, dragonflies, grasshoppers — every kind of creature.蝴蝶有白蝴蝶、黃蝴蝶。Among the butterflies there were white ones and yellow ones.這種蝴蝶極小，不太好看。These butterflies were very small and not very pretty.好看的是大紅蝴蝶，滿身帶著金粉。The pretty ones were the big red butterflies, their whole bodies dusted with gold powder.

蜻蜓是金的，螞蚱是綠的，蜂子則嗡嗡的飛著，滿身絨毛，落到一朵花上，胖圓圓的就和一個小毛球似的不動了。The dragonflies were golden, the grasshoppers were green, and the bees buzzed as they flew, their bodies covered in down; when one landed on a flower, plump and round, it sat motionless like a little furry ball.

花園裡邊明晃晃的，紅的紅，綠的綠，新鮮漂亮。The garden was all bright and gleaming — red where it was red, green where it was green — fresh and beautiful.

據說這花園，從前是一個果園。It was said that this garden had once been an orchard.祖母喜歡吃果子就種了果園。My grandmother liked eating fruit, so she planted the orchard.祖母又喜歡養羊，羊就把果樹給啃了。But my grandmother also liked raising sheep, and the sheep gnawed away at the fruit trees.果樹於是都死了。So all the fruit trees died.到我有記憶的時候，園子裡就只有一棵櫻桃樹，一棵李子樹，為因櫻桃和李子都不大結果子，所以覺得他們是並不存在的。By the time I could remember things, there were only a cherry tree and a plum tree left in the garden, and since the cherry and plum rarely bore fruit, it felt as though they hardly existed at all.小的時候，只覺得園子裡邊就有一棵大榆樹。As a child, I only felt that there was one great elm tree in the garden.

這榆樹在園子的西北角上，來了風，這榆樹先嘯，來了雨，大榆樹先就冒煙了。This elm stood in the northwest corner of the garden; when the wind came, the elm was the first to howl, and when the rain came, the great elm was the first to send up mist.太陽一出來，大榆樹的葉子就發光了，它們閃爍得和沙灘上的蚌殼一樣了。As soon as the sun came out, the leaves of the great elm began to shine, glittering just like clamshells on a beach.

祖父一天都在後園裡邊，我也跟著祖父在後園裡邊。My grandfather spent all day in the back garden, and I followed him there too.祖父戴一個大草帽，我戴一個小草帽，祖父栽花，我就栽花；Grandfather wore a big straw hat, and I wore a small straw hat; when grandfather planted flowers, I planted flowers too;祖父拔草，我就拔草。when grandfather pulled weeds, I pulled weeds too.當祖父下種，種小白菜的時候，我就跟在後邊，把那下了種的土窩，用腳一個一個的溜平，那裡會溜得準，東一腳的，西一腳的瞎鬧。When grandfather sowed seeds, planting little cabbages, I followed behind him, smoothing over each seeded little pit of earth with my foot, one by one — though how could I ever smooth them evenly, stamping this way and that, just fooling around.有的把菜種不單沒被土蓋上，反而把菜子踢飛了。Sometimes, instead of covering the seeds with soil, I would end up kicking the seeds flying away.

小白菜長得非常之快，沒有幾天就冒了芽了。The little cabbages grew very fast, and within just a few days they had sprouted.一轉眼就可以拔下來吃了。In the blink of an eye, they were ready to be pulled up and eaten.

祖父鏟地，我也鏟地；When grandfather hoed the ground, I hoed the ground too;因為我太小，拿不動那鋤頭杆，祖父就把鋤頭杆拔下來，讓我單拿著那個鋤頭的「頭」來鏟。because I was too small to hold up the hoe's handle, grandfather pulled the handle off and let me hold just the hoe's "head" to dig with.其實那裡是鏟，也不過爬在地上，用鋤頭亂勾一陣就是了。Actually it wasn't really hoeing at all — I just crawled about on the ground, scraping around at random with the hoe head.也認不得那個是苗，那個是草。I couldn't tell which were seedlings and which were weeds.往往把韮菜當做野草一起的割掉，把狗尾草當做穀穗留著。Often I would cut down the chives along with the wild grass, and leave the foxtail grass standing, mistaking it for a stalk of grain.

等祖父發現我鏟的那塊滿留著狗尾草的一片，他就問我：When grandfather discovered the patch I had hoed, all left full of foxtail grass, he asked me:

「這是什麼？」"What is this?"

我說：I said:

「穀子。」"Millet."

祖父大笑起來，笑得夠了，把草摘下來問我：Grandfather burst out laughing, and after he had laughed his fill, he plucked the grass and asked me:

「你每天吃的就是這個嗎？」"Is this what you eat every day?"

我說：I said:

「是的。」"Yes."

我看著祖父還在笑，我就說：Seeing that grandfather was still laughing, I said:

「你不信，我到屋裡拿來你看。」"If you don't believe me, I'll go get some from the house to show you."

我跑到屋裡拿了鳥籠上的一頭穀穗，遠遠的就拋給祖父了。I ran into the house, took a head of millet from the birdcage, and tossed it to grandfather from a distance.說：Saying:

「這不是一樣的嗎？」"Isn't this the same thing?"

祖父慢慢的把我叫過去，講給我聽，說穀子是有芒針的。Grandfather slowly called me over and explained to me that millet has bristly awns.狗尾草則沒有，只是毛嘟嘟的真像狗尾巴。Foxtail grass, on the other hand, has none — it's just fuzzy all over, truly like a dog's tail.

祖父雖然教我，我看了也並不細看，也不過馬馬虎虎承認下來就是了。Although grandfather taught me this, I did not look closely, and only carelessly nodded along and let it be.一抬頭看見了一個黃瓜長大了，跑過去摘下來，我又去吃黃瓜去了。Looking up, I saw a cucumber had grown big, so I ran over and picked it, and went off to eat the cucumber instead.

黃瓜也許沒有吃完，又看見了一個大蜻蜓從旁飛過，於是丟了黃瓜又去追蜻蜓去了。Perhaps before I even finished the cucumber, I would see a big dragonfly fly past, and so I would drop the cucumber and go chasing after the dragonfly instead.蜻蜓飛得多麼快，那裡會追得上。But dragonflies fly so fast — how could I ever catch up?好在一開初也沒有存心一定追上，所以站起來，跟了蜻蜓跑了幾步就又去做別的去了。Luckily I had never really meant to catch it in the first place, so after standing up and running a few steps after the dragonfly, I would go off to do something else.

採一個倭瓜花心，捉一個大綠豆青螞蚱，把螞蚱腿用線綁上，綁了一會，也許把螞蚱腿就綁掉，線頭上只拴了一隻腿，而不見螞蚱了。I would pick the heart of a pumpkin flower, or catch a big green bean-colored grasshopper and tie a thread around its leg; after a while I might end up tying the leg right off, leaving only a single leg tied to the end of the thread, with the grasshopper nowhere to be seen.

玩膩了，又跑到祖父那裡去亂鬧一陣，祖父澆菜，我也搶過來澆，奇怪的就是並不往菜上澆，而是拿著水瓢，拼盡了力氣，把水往天空裡一揚，大喊著：Once I tired of playing, I would run back to grandfather and make a racket for a while; when grandfather watered the vegetables, I would snatch the ladle and water them too — though oddly enough, I never actually poured the water onto the vegetables, but instead, holding the water ladle, would fling the water up into the sky with all my strength, shouting loudly:

「下雨了，下雨了。」"It's raining, it's raining!"

太陽在園子裡是特大的，天空是特別高的，太陽的光芒四射，亮得使人睜不開眼睛，亮得蚯蚓不敢鑽出地面來，蝙蝠不敢從什麼黑暗的地方飛出來。In the garden the sun seemed especially huge, the sky especially high; the sun's rays shot out in every direction, so bright that one could not open one's eyes, so bright that earthworms dared not burrow out of the ground, and bats dared not fly out from whatever dark places they hid in.是凡在太陽下的，都是健康的、漂亮的，拍一拍連大樹都會發響的，叫一叫就是站在對面的土牆都會回答似的。Everything that stood beneath the sun was healthy and beautiful; if you patted it, even the great trees would sound out in response; if you called out, even the mud wall standing opposite seemed as though it would answer you.

花開了，就像花睡醒了似的。When the flowers bloomed, it was as though they had just woken from sleep.鳥飛了，就像鳥上天了似的。When the birds flew off, it was as though they had ascended to heaven.蟲子叫了，就像蟲子在說話似的。When the insects chirped, it was as though they were speaking.一切都活了。Everything was alive.都有無限的本領，要做什麼，就做什麼。Everything had boundless power — whatever it wanted to do, it did.要怎麼樣，就怎麼樣。Whatever way it wanted to be, that was the way it was.都是自由的。Everything was free.倭瓜願意爬上架就爬上架，願意爬上房就爬上房。If a pumpkin vine wanted to climb up the trellis, it climbed up the trellis; if it wanted to climb up onto the roof, it climbed up onto the roof.黃瓜願意開一個謊花，就開一個謊花，願意結一個黃瓜，就結一個黃瓜。If a cucumber vine wanted to put out a false blossom, it put out a false blossom; if it wanted to bear a cucumber, it bore a cucumber.若都不願意，就是一個黃瓜也不結，一朵花也不開，也沒有人問它似的。And if it wanted neither, then it bore not a single cucumber and opened not a single flower, and it seemed as though no one would even ask why.玉米願意長多高就長多高，它若願意長上天去，也沒有人管。The corn grew as tall as it wanted to grow; if it had wanted to grow all the way up to the sky, no one would have stopped it either.蝴蝶隨意的飛，一會從牆頭上飛來一對黃蝴蝶，一會又從牆頭上飛走了一個白蝴蝶。The butterflies flew about as they pleased; one moment a pair of yellow butterflies would fly in over the top of the wall, the next a white butterfly would fly away over the wall.牠們是從誰家來的，又飛到誰家去？Whose house had they come from, and whose house were they flying off to?太陽也不知道這個。Even the sun did not know the answer to that.

只是天空藍悠悠的，又高又遠。Only the sky hung there, a deep leisurely blue, high and far away.

可是白雲一來了的時候，那大團的白雲，好像洒了花的白銀似的，從祖父的頭上經過，好像要壓到了祖父的草帽那麼低。But when the white clouds came, those great masses of white cloud, like silver strewn with blossoms, would pass right over grandfather's head, seeming to press down so low they would touch the brim of his straw hat.

我玩累了，就在房子底下找個陰涼的地方睡著了。When I grew tired of playing, I would find a shady spot beneath the eaves of the house and fall asleep.不用枕頭，不用蓆子，就把草帽遮在臉上就睡了。No pillow, no mat — I would just lay my straw hat over my face and sleep.

祖父的眼睛是笑盈盈的，祖父的笑，常常笑得和孩子似的。Grandfather's eyes were always brimming with laughter; his laugh was often just like a child's.

祖父是個長得很高的人，身體很健康，手裡喜歡拿著個手杖。Grandfather was a very tall man, in good health, and liked to carry a walking stick in his hand.嘴上則不住的抽著旱煙管，遇到了小孩子，每每喜歡開個玩笑，說：He was forever smoking his tobacco pipe, and whenever he came across a small child, he liked to play a little joke, saying:

「你看天空飛個家雀。」"Look, there's a sparrow flying up in the sky."

趁那孩子往天空一看，就伸出手去把那孩子的帽給取下來了，有的時候放在長衫的下邊，有的時候放在袖口裡頭。And while the child glanced up at the sky, he would reach out and snatch the child's cap off — sometimes tucking it under his long gown, sometimes slipping it into his sleeve.他說：He would say:

「家雀刁走了你的帽啦。」"The sparrow's carried off your cap!"

孩子們都知道了祖父的這一手了，並不以為奇，就抱住他的大腿，向他要帽子，摸著他的袖管，撕著他的衣襟，一直到找出帽子來為止。The children all knew grandfather's trick by now and were no longer surprised by it; they would just wrap their arms around his leg, demanding their cap back, feeling along his sleeves, tugging at the front of his gown, until they found the cap.

祖父常常這樣做，也總是把帽放在同一的地方，總是放在袖口和衣襟下。Grandfather did this often, and he always put the cap in the same place, always in his sleeve or under the front of his gown.那些搜索他的孩子沒有一次不是在他衣襟下把帽子拿出來的，好像他和孩子們約定了似的：「我就放在這塊，你來找吧！」The children searching him never failed to find the cap tucked under the front of his gown, as if he and the children had made an agreement beforehand: "I'll put it right here — come and find it!"

這樣的不知做過了多少次，就像老太太永久講著「上山打老虎」這一個故事給孩子們聽似的，那怕是已經聽過了五百遍，也還是在那裡回回拍手，回回叫好。No one knew how many times this had been done, just like an old woman endlessly telling children the story of "going up the mountain to hunt the tiger" — even after hearing it five hundred times already, the children would still clap their hands and cheer every single time.

每當祖父這樣做一次的時候，祖父和孩子們都一齊的笑得不得了。Every time grandfather did this, he and the children would all burst out laughing together without end.好像這戲還像第一次演似的。It was as though this little show were being performed for the very first time.

別人看了祖父這樣做，也有笑的，可不是笑祖父的手法好，而是笑他天天使用一種方法抓掉了孩子的帽子，這未免可笑。When others saw grandfather do this, some of them laughed too — not because his technique was so clever, but because it struck them as funny that he used the very same trick day after day to snatch off the children's caps.

祖父不怎樣會理財，一切家務都由祖母管理。Grandfather was not much good at managing money, and all the household affairs were handled by grandmother.祖父只是自由自在的一天閒著；Grandfather simply spent his days idle and at ease;我想，幸好我長大了，我三歲了，不然祖父該多寂寞。I think, it was lucky that I had grown up — I was already three — otherwise how lonely grandfather would have been.我會走了，我會跑了。I could walk now, I could run now.我走不動的時候，祖父就抱著我；When I couldn't walk any further, grandfather would carry me;我走動了，祖父就拉著我。when I walked along, grandfather would hold my hand.一天到晚，門裡門外，寸步不離，而祖父多半是在後園裡，於是我也在後園裡。From morning to night, indoors and out, we never parted from each other even a step, and since grandfather was mostly in the back garden, I was in the back garden too.

我小的時候，沒有什麼同伴，我是我母親的第一個孩子。When I was small, I had no playmates to speak of — I was my mother's first child.

我記事很早，在我三歲的時候，我記得我的祖母用針刺過我的手指，所以我很不喜歡她。I remember things from very early on; when I was three, I remember my grandmother once pricked my finger with a needle, and so I disliked her very much.我家的窗子，都是四邊糊紙，當中嵌著玻璃。The windows in our house were all papered along the four edges, with a pane of glass set in the middle.祖母是有潔癖的，以她屋的窗紙最白淨。Grandmother had a fastidious streak, and the window paper in her room was always the cleanest and whitest.別人抱著把我一放在祖母的炕邊上，我不加思索的就要往炕裡邊跑，跑到窗子那裡，就伸出手去，把那白白透著花窗櫺的紙窗給通了幾個洞，若不加阻止，就必得挨著排給通破，若有人招呼著我，我也得加速的搶著多通幾個才能停止。Whenever someone carried me over and set me down at the edge of grandmother's kang, I would without a second thought scramble toward the inner side of the kang, run to the window, and reach out my hand to poke several holes through the white paper glowing over the carved lattice; if no one stopped me, I would go on poking through pane after pane one by one, and if someone did call out to stop me, I would only hurry to poke through as many more as I could before I would finally stop.手指一觸到窗上，那紙窗像小鼓似的，嘭嘭的就破了。The moment my finger touched the window, the paper, like a little drum, would go "peng peng" and burst.破得越多，自己越得意。The more holes I made, the prouder of myself I became.祖母若來追我的時候，我就越得意了，笑得拍著手，跳著腳的。And if grandmother came chasing after me, I grew even prouder still, laughing and clapping my hands, stamping my feet.

有一天祖母看我來了，她拿了一個大針就到窗子外邊去等我去了。One day, seeing me coming, grandmother took a big needle and went to wait for me outside the window.我剛一伸出手去，手指就痛得厲害。The moment I stretched out my hand, my finger hurt terribly.我就叫起來了。I cried out at once.那就是祖母用針刺了我。It was grandmother who had pricked me with the needle.

從此，我就記住了，我不喜她。From then on, I remembered it, and I disliked her.

雖然她也給我糖吃，她咳嗽時吃豬腰燒川貝母，也分給我豬腰，但是我吃了豬腰還是不喜她。Although she also gave me candy to eat, and when she coughed and ate pork kidney stewed with fritillary bulb she would share the pork kidney with me too, still, even after eating the pork kidney, I did not like her any better.

在她臨死之前，病重的時候，我還曾嚇了她一跳。Before she died, when she was gravely ill, I even once gave her a fright.有一次她自己一個人坐在炕上熬藥，藥壺是坐在炭火盆上，因為屋裡特別的寂靜，聽得見那藥壺骨碌骨碌的響。Once, she was sitting alone on the kang brewing medicine, the medicine pot set over a charcoal brazier; because the room was especially quiet, one could hear the pot bubbling away, gurgling and gurgling.祖母住著兩間房子，是裡外屋，恰巧外屋也沒有人，裡屋也沒人，就是她自己。Grandmother's quarters consisted of two rooms, an outer and an inner one, and as it happened there was no one in the outer room, nor anyone in the inner room — only herself.我把門一開，祖母並沒有看見我，於是我就用拳頭在板隔壁上，咚咚的打了兩拳。I opened the door, and grandmother did not see me; so I struck the wooden partition wall twice with my fist, thump, thump.我聽到祖母「喲」的一聲，鐵火剪子就掉了地上了。I heard grandmother let out a cry of "Yo!" and the iron fire-tongs dropped to the floor.

我再探頭一望，祖母就罵起我來。I poked my head in for another look, and grandmother began scolding me.她好像就要下地來追我似的。It seemed as though she were about to get down off the kang and chase after me.我就一邊笑著，一邊跑了。So I ran off, laughing all the while.

我這樣的嚇唬祖母，也並不是向她報仇，那時我才五歲，是不曉得什麼的。My frightening grandmother like this was not really out of any wish for revenge — I was only five then, and did not understand such things.也許覺得這樣好玩。Perhaps I simply found it fun.

祖父一天到晚是閒著的，祖母什麼工作也不分配給他。Grandfather was idle from morning to night; grandmother never assigned him any work at all.只有一件事，就是祖母的地櫬上的擺設，有一套錫器，卻總是祖父擦的。There was only one exception: a set of pewter ware displayed on grandmother's chest of drawers, which grandfather was always the one to polish.這可不知道是祖母派給他的，還是他自動的願意工作，每當祖父一擦的時候，我就不高興，一方面是不能領著我到後園裡去玩了，另一方面祖父因此常常挨罵，祖母罵他懶，罵他擦的不乾淨。I never knew whether grandmother had assigned him this task or whether he took it on willingly himself; but whenever grandfather set about polishing it, I would grow unhappy — partly because he could not take me off to play in the back garden, and partly because grandfather would often get scolded for it, grandmother calling him lazy, calling him careless for not polishing it clean.祖母一罵祖父的時候，就常常不知為什麼連我也罵上。Whenever Grandmother scolded Grandfather, for some reason she would often scold me as well.

祖母一罵祖父，我就拉著祖父的手往外邊走，一邊說：As soon as Grandmother began scolding Grandfather, I would take him by the hand and lead him outside, saying as we went:

「我們後園裡去吧。」“Let’s go to the back garden.”

也許因此祖母也罵了我。Perhaps that was why Grandmother scolded me too.

她罵祖父是「死腦瓜骨」，罵我是「小死腦瓜骨」。She called Grandfather a “dead blockhead,” and me a “little dead blockhead.”

我拉著祖父就到後園裡去了，一到了後園裡，立刻就另是一個世界了。I would lead Grandfather into the back garden, and the moment we arrived, it was a different world altogether.決不是那房子裡的狹窄的世界，而是寬廣的，人和天地在一起，天地是多麼大，多麼遠，用手摸不到天空。It was nothing like the cramped world inside the house, but broad and open, with people together with heaven and earth; heaven and earth were so vast, so distant, that no hand could touch the sky.而土地上所長的又是那麼繁華，一眼看上去，是看不完的，只覺得眼前鮮綠的一片。And everything growing from the ground flourished so luxuriantly that the eye could not take it all in; all one saw was a fresh green expanse.

一到後園裡，我就沒有對象的奔了出去，好像我是看準了什麼而奔去了似的，好像有什麼在那兒等著我似的。The moment I entered the back garden, I would dash off without any destination, as though I had spotted something and were running toward it, as though something over there were waiting for me.其實我是什麼目的也沒有。In truth, I had no purpose at all.只覺得這園子裡邊無論什麼東西都是活的，好像我的腿也非跳不可了。I merely felt that everything in the garden was alive, and that my legs, too, simply had to leap.

若不是把全身的力量跳盡了，祖父怕我累了想招呼住我，那是不可能的，反而他越招呼，我越不聽話。Until I had spent every ounce of strength in my body jumping about, it was impossible for Grandfather to call me to a halt for fear I would tire; indeed, the more he called, the less I obeyed.

等到自己實在跑不動了，才坐下來休息，那休息也是很快的，也不過隨便在秧子上摘下一個黃瓜來，吃了也就好了。Only when I truly could run no farther would I sit down to rest, and even that rest was brief: I would simply pluck a cucumber from the vines, eat it, and be refreshed.

休息好了又是跑。Once rested, I would run again.

櫻桃樹，明是沒有結櫻桃，就偏跑到樹上去找櫻桃。Though the cherry tree plainly bore no cherries, I insisted on climbing it to look for some.李子樹是半死的樣子了，本不結李子的，就偏去找李子。The plum tree looked half dead and never bore plums, yet I insisted on searching for plums.一邊在找，還一邊大聲的喊，在問著祖父：As I searched, I would shout at the top of my voice, asking Grandfather:

「爺爺，櫻桃樹為什麼不結櫻桃？」“Grandpa, why doesn’t the cherry tree bear cherries?”

祖父老遠的回答著：Grandfather would answer from far away:

「因為沒有開花，就不結櫻桃。」“Because it didn’t blossom, it bears no cherries.”

再問：Then I would ask:

「為什麼櫻桃樹不開花？」“Why doesn’t the cherry tree blossom?”

祖父說：Grandfather would say:

「因為你嘴饞，它就不開花。」“Because you’re such a greedy little thing, it refuses to blossom.”

我一聽了這話，明明是嘲笑我的話，於是就飛奔著跑到祖父那裡，似乎是很生氣的樣子。As soon as I heard this, plainly a joke at my expense, I would go flying over to Grandfather, pretending to be very angry.等祖父把眼睛一抬，他用了完全沒有惡意的眼睛一看我，我立刻就笑了。But when Grandfather raised his eyes and looked at me with no malice in them whatsoever, I immediately burst out laughing.而且是笑了半天的工夫才能夠止住，不知那裡來了那許多的高興。And it would take me ages to stop; I had no idea where so much happiness came from.把後園一時都讓我攪亂了，我笑的聲音不知有多大，自己都感到震耳了。For a while I would throw the whole back garden into an uproar; my laughter was so loud that even I found it deafening.

後園中有一棵玫瑰。There was a rosebush in the back garden.一到五月就開花的。It began flowering as soon as May came.一直開到六月。It went on flowering all through June.花朵和醬油碟那麼大。The blossoms were as large as saucers for soy sauce.開得很茂盛，滿樹都是，因為花香，招來了很多的蜂子，嗡嗡的在玫瑰樹那兒鬧著。It bloomed luxuriantly, with flowers covering the whole bush; their fragrance drew swarms of bees, which buzzed and made a commotion around it.

別的一切都玩厭了的時候，我就想起來去摘玫瑰花，摘了一大堆把草帽脫下來用帽兜子盛著。When I had tired of every other game, I would remember the roses and go pick them, gathering a great heap in the crown of my straw hat.在摘那花的時候，有兩種恐懼，一種是怕蜂子的勾刺人，另一種是怕玫瑰的刺刺手。While picking the flowers, I had two fears: one was that the bees would sting me with their barbs, and the other that the rose thorns would prick my hands.好不容易摘了一大堆，摘完了可又不知道做什麼了。After great difficulty I would gather a large heap, only to have no idea what to do with them.忽然異想天開，這花若給祖父戴起來該多好看。Then a wild notion suddenly struck me: how splendid Grandfather would look wearing these flowers.

祖父蹲在地上拔草，我就給他戴花。Grandfather was squatting on the ground pulling weeds, and I began adorning him with flowers.祖父只知道我是在捉弄他的帽子，而不知道我到底是在幹什麼。Grandfather knew only that I was fiddling with his hat, without knowing what I was actually doing.我把他的草帽給他插了一圈的花，紅通通的二三十朵。All around his straw hat I stuck a ring of flowers, twenty or thirty brilliant red blooms.我一邊插著一邊笑，當我聽到祖父說：I laughed as I worked, and when I heard Grandfather say:

「今年春天雨水大，咱們這棵玫瑰開得這麼香。“We’ve had plenty of rain this spring, so our roses are blooming with such fragrance.二里路也怕聞得到的。」I daresay you can smell them from two li away.”

就把我笑得哆嗦起來。I shook with laughter.我幾乎沒有支持的能力再插上去。I could scarcely keep myself steady enough to go on sticking in the flowers.等我插完了，祖父還是安然的不曉得。When I had finished, Grandfather still sat there serenely, none the wiser.他還照樣的拔著壠上的草。He went on pulling weeds from the ridges just as before.我跑得很遠的站著，我不敢往祖父那邊看，一看就想笑。I ran far away and stood there, not daring to look toward Grandfather, for one glance would make me laugh.所以我藉機進屋去找一點吃的來，還沒有等我回到園中，祖父也進屋來了。So I seized the chance to go indoors and find something to eat, but before I had returned to the garden, Grandfather came inside as well.

那滿頭紅通通的花朵，一進來祖母就看見了。The moment he entered, Grandmother saw all those bright red flowers covering his head.她看見什麼也沒說，就大笑了起來。At the sight she said nothing, but burst out laughing.父親母親也笑了起來，而以我笑得最厲害，我在炕上打著滾笑。Father and Mother began laughing too, but I laughed hardest of all, rolling about on the kang.

祖父把帽子摘下來一看，原來那玫瑰的香並不是因為今年春天雨水大的緣故，而是那花就頂在他的頭上。Grandfather took off his hat and looked at it; it turned out that the fragrance of the roses was not due to the heavy spring rains at all—the flowers had been sitting right on top of his head.

他把帽子放下，他笑了十多分鐘還停不住，過一會一想起來，又笑了。He put down his hat and laughed for more than ten minutes without stopping; a little later, whenever he remembered it, he laughed again.

祖父剛有點忘記了，我就在旁邊提著說：Just as Grandfather was beginning to forget, I would remind him from beside him:

「爺爺──今年春天雨水大呀……」“Grandpa—there’s been plenty of rain this spring...”

一提起，祖父的笑就來了。The moment I mentioned it, Grandfather’s laughter returned.於是我也在炕上打起滾來。And then I too would start rolling about on the kang.

就這樣一天一天的，祖父，後園，我，這三樣是一樣也不可缺少的了。And so the days passed: Grandfather, the back garden, and I—not one of the three could be dispensed with.

颳了風，下了雨，祖父不知怎樣，在我卻是非常寂寞的了。When the wind blew or the rain fell, I do not know how Grandfather felt, but I was terribly lonely.去沒有去處，玩沒有玩的，覺得這一天不知有多少日子那麼長。There was nowhere to go and nothing to play with, and the day seemed as long as countless days.

偏偏這後園每年都要封閉一次的，秋雨之後這花園就開始凋零了，黃的黃、敗的敗，好像很快似的一切花朵都滅了，好像有人把它們摧殘了似的。Yet every year the back garden had to close for a time: after the autumn rains the garden began to wither, some things yellowing, others decaying; almost overnight, it seemed, all the flowers perished, as though someone had ravaged them.它們一齊都沒有從前那麼健康了，好像它們都很疲倦了，而要休息了似的，好像要收拾收拾回家去了似的。All at once they were no longer as healthy as before; they seemed weary and ready to rest, as though they meant to pack up and go home.

大榆樹也是落著葉子，當我和祖父偶爾在樹下坐坐，樹葉竟落在我的臉上來了。The great elm shed its leaves too, and when Grandfather and I occasionally sat beneath it, leaves would actually fall onto my face.樹葉飛滿了後園。Leaves flew all over the back garden.

沒有多少時候，大雪又落下來了，後園就被埋住了。Before long, heavy snow fell again, and the back garden was buried.

通到園去的後門，也用泥封起來了，封得很厚，整個的冬天掛著白霜。The back door leading to the garden was sealed with mud, thickly plastered over, and hung with white frost all winter long.

我家住著五間房子，祖母和祖父共住兩間，母親和父親共住兩間。Our family occupied five rooms: Grandmother and Grandfather shared two, and Mother and Father shared two.祖母住的是西屋，母親住的是東屋。Grandmother lived in the west rooms, and Mother in the east rooms.

是五間一排的正房，廚房在中間，一齊是玻璃窗子，青磚牆，瓦房間。They were five main rooms in a row, with the kitchen in the middle, all with glass windows, blue-brick walls, and tiled roofs.

祖母的屋子，一個是外間，一個是內間。Grandmother’s quarters consisted of an outer room and an inner room.外間裡擺著大躺箱，地長桌，太師椅。In the outer room stood a large chest for reclining on, a long low table, and a grand armchair.椅子上鋪著紅椅墊，躺箱上擺著朱砂瓶，長桌上列著坐鐘。A red cushion covered the chair; a cinnabar-red vase stood on the chest, and a mantel clock was set on the long table.鐘的兩邊站著帽筒。On either side of the clock stood a hat holder.帽筒上並不掛著帽子，而插著幾個孔雀翎。No hats hung on the holders; instead, several peacock feathers were stuck into them.

我小的時候，就喜歡這個孔雀翎，我說它有金色的眼睛，總想用手摸一摸，祖母就一定不讓摸，祖母是有潔癖的。When I was little, I loved those peacock feathers; I said they had golden eyes and was always longing to touch them, but Grandmother never allowed it, for she was obsessed with cleanliness.

還有祖母的躺箱上擺著一個坐鐘，那坐鐘是非常希奇的，畫著一個穿著古裝的大姑娘，好像活了似的，每當我到祖母屋去，若是屋子裡沒有人，她就總用眼睛瞪我，我幾次的告訴過祖父，祖父說：There was also a mantel clock on Grandmother’s chest, and it was a most extraordinary clock: on it was painted a young lady in ancient dress who seemed almost alive; whenever I went into Grandmother’s room and no one else was there, she would always glare at me, and several times I told Grandfather, but Grandfather said:

「那是畫的，她不會瞪人。」“She’s only painted; she can’t glare at anyone.”

我一定說她是會瞪人的，因為我看得出來，她的眼珠像是會轉。I insisted that she could glare, because I could see that her eyes seemed able to move.

還有祖母的大躺箱上也盡雕著小人，盡是穿古裝衣裳的，寬衣大袖，還戴頂子，帶著翎子。Grandmother’s large chest was also covered with carvings of little figures, all dressed in ancient clothes with broad robes and wide sleeves, wearing official caps adorned with feathers.滿箱子都刻著，大概有二三十個人，還有吃酒的，吃飯的，還有作揖的……Figures were carved all over the chest, perhaps twenty or thirty in all: some drinking wine, some eating, and some bowing with clasped hands...

我總想要細看一看，可是祖母不讓我沾邊，我還離得很遠的，她就說：I was always longing to examine them closely, but Grandmother would not let me go near; even while I was still far away, she would say:

「可不許用手摸，你的手髒。」“Mind you don’t touch it—your hands are dirty.”

祖母的內間裡邊，在牆上掛著一個很古怪很古怪的掛鐘，掛鐘的下邊用鐵鍊子垂著兩穗鐵包米。In Grandmother’s inner room, a very, very peculiar clock hung on the wall; beneath it, two iron ears of corn dangled from chains.鐵包米比真的包米大了很多，看起來非常重，似乎可以打死一個人。The iron ears were much larger than real corn and looked terribly heavy, as though they could kill a person.再往那掛鐘裡邊看就更希奇古怪了，有一個小人，長著藍眼珠，鐘擺一秒鐘就響一下，鐘擺一響，那眼珠就同時一轉。Looking inside the clock was stranger still: there was a little figure with blue eyes; the pendulum sounded once each second, and every time it sounded, the eyes turned at the same instant.

那小人是黃頭髮，藍眼珠，跟我相差太遠，雖然祖父告訴我，說那是毛子人，但我不承認她，我看她不像什麼人。The little figure had yellow hair and blue eyes and was far too unlike me; though Grandfather told me it was a Maozi, I could not accept her—I did not think she looked like any kind of person.

所以我每次看這掛鐘，就半天半天的看，都看得有點發呆了。So whenever I looked at that clock, I would gaze at it for ages, until I was almost in a daze.我想：這毛子人就總在鐘裡邊呆著嗎？I wondered: Does this Maozi stay inside the clock all the time?永久也不下來玩嗎？Does she never come down to play?

外國人在呼蘭河的土語叫做「毛子人」。In the local speech of Hulan River, foreigners were called “Maozi.”我四五歲的時候，還沒有見過一個毛子人，以為毛子人就是因為她的頭髮毛烘烘的捲著的緣故。When I was four or five, I had never seen a Maozi, and thought they were called that because their hair curled in a fuzzy mass.

祖母的屋子除了這些東西，還有很多別的，因為那時候，別的我都不發生什麼趣味，所以只記住了這三五樣。Besides these things, Grandmother’s rooms contained many others; but since nothing else interested me then, these few were all I remembered.

母親的屋裡，就連這一類的古怪玩藝也沒有了，都是些普通的描金櫃，也是些帽筒、花瓶之類，沒有什麼好看的，我沒有記住。Mother’s rooms did not have even curiosities of this sort; there were only ordinary cabinets decorated with gold, along with hat holders, vases, and the like—nothing worth looking at, so I did not remember them.

這五間房子的組織，除了四間住房一間廚房之外，還有極小的、極黑的兩個小後房。Besides the four living rooms and the kitchen, the arrangement of these five rooms included two tiny, pitch-dark back rooms.祖母一個，母親一個。One belonged to Grandmother and the other to Mother.

那裡邊裝著各種樣的東西，因為是儲藏室的緣故。Since they were storerooms, all kinds of things were kept inside.

罈子罐子、箱子櫃子、筐子簍子。Jars and pots, chests and cabinets, baskets and hampers.除了自己家的東西，還有別人寄存的。Besides our own belongings, there were things that other people had left with us for safekeeping.

那裡邊是黑的，要端著燈進去才能看見。It was dark inside, and one had to carry in a lamp to see anything.那裡邊的耗子很多，蜘蛛網也很多。There were many rats inside, and a great many cobwebs too.空氣不大好，永久有一種撲鼻的和藥的氣味似的。The air was none too good; there was always a pungent smell like medicinal herbs.

我覺得這儲藏室很好玩，隨便打開那一隻箱子，裡邊一定有一些好看的東西，花絲線、各種色的綢條、香荷包、搭腰、褲腿、馬蹄袖、繡花的領子。I found the storeroom great fun: whichever chest I opened, there were sure to be fascinating things inside—bright embroidery threads, silk ribbons of every color, scented sachets, waistbands, trouser legs, horseshoe cuffs, and embroidered collars.古香古色，顏色都配得特別的好看。They had the charm of antiquity, and their colors were matched exceptionally well.箱子裡邊也常常有藍翠的耳環或戒指，被我看見了，我一看見就非要一個玩不可，母親就常常隨手拋給我一個。There were often kingfisher-blue earrings or rings in the chests too; whenever I spotted one, I simply had to have it to play with, and Mother would often casually toss one to me.

還有些桌子帶著抽屜的，一打開那裡邊更有些好玩的東西，銅環、木刀、竹尺、觀音粉。There were also tables with drawers, and when I opened them I found still more entertaining things: copper rings, wooden knives, bamboo rulers, and Guanyin powder.這些個都是我在別的地方沒有看過的。I had never seen any of these things elsewhere.而且這抽屜始終也不鎖的。What was more, the drawers were never locked.所以我常常隨意的開，開了就把樣樣，似乎是不加選擇的都搜了出去，左手拿著木頭刀，右手拿著觀音粉，這裡砍一下，那裡畫一下。So I often opened them whenever I pleased, and once they were open I would rummage out everything, apparently without choosing among them: a wooden knife in my left hand and Guanyin powder in my right, chopping here and drawing there.後來我又得到了一個小鋸，用這小鋸，我開始毀壞起東西來，在椅子腿上鋸一鋸，在炕沿上鋸一鋸。Later I acquired a little saw, and with it I began ruining things, sawing at chair legs and then at the edge of the kang.我自己竟把我自己的小木刀也鋸壞了。I even sawed through my own little wooden knife.

無論吃飯和睡覺，我這些東西都帶在身邊，吃飯的時候，我就用這小鋸，鋸著饅頭。Whether eating or sleeping, I kept these things beside me; at meals, I used the little saw to saw at my steamed bun.睡覺做起夢來還喊著：Even in my sleep I would dream and cry out:

「我的小鋸那裡去了？」“Where has my little saw gone?”

儲藏室好像變成我探險的地方了。The storeroom seemed to become my place of exploration.我常常趁著母親不在屋我就打開門進去了。Whenever Mother was out of the room, I would often take the opportunity to open the door and go inside.這儲藏室也有一個後窗，下半天也有一點亮光，我就趁著這亮光打開了抽屜，這抽屜已經被我翻得差不多的了，沒有什麼新鮮的了。The storeroom also had a rear window, and in the latter half of the day a little light came through; by this light I would open the drawers, though by then I had rummaged through them so thoroughly that there was nothing new left.翻了一會，覺得沒有什麼趣味了，就出來了。After rummaging for a while and finding nothing interesting, I would come out.到後來連一塊水膠，一段繩頭都讓我拿出來了，把五個抽屜通通拿空了。In the end, I had even taken out a lump of glue and a scrap of rope, leaving all five drawers completely empty.

除了抽屜還有筐子籠子，但那個我不敢動，似乎每一樣都是黑洞洞的，灰塵不知有多厚，蛛網蛛絲的不知有多少，因此我連想也不想動那東西。Besides the drawers, there were baskets and hampers, but I did not dare touch those; each seemed dark and cavernous, with untold layers of dust and untold masses of cobwebs, so it never even occurred to me to disturb them.

記得有一次我走到這黑屋子的極深極遠的地方去，一個發響的東西撞住我的腳上，我摸起來抱到光亮的地方一看，原來是一個小燈籠，用手指把灰塵一畫，露出來是個紅玻璃的。I remember once walking to the deepest, farthest corner of this dark room, and something that made a sound bumped against my foot; I felt around, picked it up, and carried it to a bright spot to look — it turned out to be a small lantern, and when I wiped a stroke of dust away with my finger, it showed itself to be made of red glass.

我在一兩歲的時候，大概我是見過燈籠的，可是長到四五歲，反而不認識了。When I was one or two, I had probably seen a lantern before, but by the time I was four or five, I no longer recognized one.我不知道這是個什麼。I didn't know what this thing was.我抱著去問祖父去了。I carried it off to ask Grandfather.

祖父給我擦乾淨了，裡邊點上個洋蠟燭，於是我歡喜得就打著燈籠滿屋跑，跑了好幾天，一直到把這燈籠打碎了才算完了。Grandfather wiped it clean for me and lit a foreign candle inside it, and so I was so delighted that I ran all over the house carrying the lit lantern — I ran for several days, until at last I broke the lantern, and only then was it over.

我在黑屋子裡邊又碰到了一塊木頭，這塊木頭是上邊刻著花的，用手一摸，很不光滑，我拿出來用小鋸鋸著。In the dark room I also bumped into a piece of wood, this piece of wood had a pattern carved on top; when I felt it with my hand, it was quite rough, so I took it out and sawed at it with a little saw.祖父看見了，說：Grandfather saw it and said:

「這是印帖子的帖板。」"This is a printing block for invitation notices."

我不知道什麼叫帖子，祖父刷上一片墨刷一張給我看，我只看見印出來幾個小人。I didn't know what an invitation notice was, so Grandfather brushed on a bit of ink and printed one off to show me, and I saw only that a few little human figures had been printed.還有一些亂七八糟的花，還有字。There were also some jumbled flowers, and there were characters too.祖父說：Grandfather said:

「咱們家開燒鍋的時候，發帖子就是用這個印的，這是一百吊的……"Back when our family ran the distillery, whenever we sent out notices they were printed with this — this one is for a hundred strings of cash...還有伍十吊的十吊的……」and there's also one for fifty strings, and one for ten strings..."

祖父給我印了許多，還用鬼子紅給我印了些紅的。Grandfather printed a great many for me, and also used foreign red ink to print some in red for me.

還有戴纓子的清朝的帽子，我也拿了出來戴上。There was also a Qing-dynasty official hat with tassels, and I took that out too and put it on.多少年前的老大的鵝翎扇子，我也拿了出來吹著風。There was a huge old goose-feather fan from who knows how many years back, and I took that out too and fanned myself with it.翻了一瓶莎仁出來，那是治胃病的藥，母親吃著，我也跟著吃。I turned out a bottle of Sha Ren pills, which was medicine for stomach trouble that Mother took, and I took some too, following her example.

不久，這些八百年前的東西，都被我弄出來了。Before long, all these things from eight hundred years ago had been dug out by me.有些是祖母保存著的，有些是已經出了嫁的姑母的遺物，已經在那黑洞洞的地方放了多少年了，連動也沒有動過，有些個快要腐爛了，有些個生了蟲子，因為那些東西早被人們忘記了，好像世界上已經沒有那麼一回事了。Some had been kept by Grandmother, some were things left behind by an aunt who had already married out; they had lain in that dark, cave-like place for who knows how many years, never once disturbed — some were on the verge of rotting, some had grown worms, because people had long ago forgotten those things, as if there had never been such a thing in the world at all.而今天忽然又來到了他們的眼前，他們受了驚似的又恢復了他們的記憶。And yet today, suddenly, they had come before their eyes again, and as though startled, they recovered their memories of them.

每當我拿出一件新的東西的時候，祖母看見了，祖母說：Every time I brought out some new item, Grandmother would see it and say:

「這是多少年前的了！"This is from who knows how many years ago!這是你大姑在家裡邊玩的……」This is what your eldest aunt used to play with when she was at home..."

祖父看見了，祖父說：Grandfather would see it too, and Grandfather would say:

「這是你二姑在家時用的……」"This is what your second aunt used when she was at home..."

這是你大姑的扇子，那是你三姑的花鞋……This is your eldest aunt's fan, and that is your third aunt's embroidered shoes...都有了來歷。Everything had its history.但我不知道誰是我的三姑，誰是我的大姑。But I had no idea who my third aunt was, or who my eldest aunt was.也許我一兩歲的時候，我見過她們，可是我到四五歲時，我就不記得了。Perhaps when I was one or two I had seen them, but by the time I was four or five, I no longer remembered.

我祖母有三個女兒，到我長起來時，她們都早已出嫁了。My grandmother had three daughters, and by the time I had grown up, they had all already married and gone.可見二三十年內就沒有小孩子了。So it was clear that for twenty or thirty years there had been no children in the family.而今也只有我一個。And now there was only me.實在的還有一個小弟弟，不過那時他才一歲半歲的，所以不算他。Actually there was also a little younger brother, but he was only a year and a half old then, so he didn't really count.

家裡邊多少年前放的東西，沒有動過，他們過的是既不向前，也不回頭的生活，是凡過去的，都算是忘記了，未來的他們也不怎樣積極的希望著，只是一天一天的平板的、無怨無尤的在他們祖先給他們準備好的口糧之中生活著。The things put away in the house so many years ago had never been touched; the life they lived neither moved forward nor looked back — whatever was past was counted as forgotten, and as for the future, they did not hope for it very eagerly either; they simply lived on, day after day, flat and even, without complaint or resentment, within the rations their ancestors had prepared for them.

等我生來了，第一給了祖父的無限的歡喜，等我長大了，祖父非常的愛我。When I was born, I first brought Grandfather boundless joy, and as I grew up, Grandfather loved me exceedingly.使我覺得在這世界上，有了祖父就夠了，還怕什麼呢？It made me feel that in this world, as long as I had Grandfather, that was enough — what was there to fear?雖然父親的冷淡，母親的惡言惡色，和祖母的用針刺我手指的這些事，都覺得算不了什麼。Even Father's coldness, Mother's harsh words and ugly looks, and Grandmother's habit of pricking my fingers with a needle — all these things seemed to amount to nothing at all.何況又有後花園！Not to mention that there was, besides, the back garden!後園雖然讓冰雪給封閉了，但是又發現了這儲藏室。Though the back garden had been sealed shut by ice and snow, I had discovered this storeroom instead.這裡邊是無窮無盡的什麼都有，這裡邊寶藏著的都是我所想像不到的東西，使我感到這世界上的東西怎麼這樣多！Inside it there was no end of everything — everything hidden away in there was something I could never have imagined, and it made me feel: how could there be so many things in this world!而且樣樣好玩，樣樣新奇。And what's more, every single thing was fun to play with, every single thing was novel.

比方我得到了一包顏料，是中國的大綠，看那顏料閃著金光，可是往指甲上一染，指甲就變綠了，往胳臂上一染，胳臂立刻飛來了一張樹葉似的。For instance, I got hold of a packet of pigment, a Chinese deep green — the pigment gleamed with a golden light, but when I dabbed it on my fingernail, the fingernail turned green, and when I dabbed it on my arm, at once a leaf-like patch seemed to fly onto my arm.實在是好看，也實在是莫名其妙，所以心裡邊就暗暗的歡喜，莫非是我得了寶貝嗎？It really was pretty to look at, and it really was baffling too, so secretly, in my heart, I was delighted — could it be that I had come upon a treasure?

得了一塊觀音粉。I got a piece of guanyin powder (white clay chalk).這觀音粉往門上一畫，門就白了一道，往窗上一畫，窗就白了一道。When you drew this guanyin powder across a door, the door showed a white streak; drawn across a window, the window showed a white streak.這可真有點奇怪，大概祖父寫字的墨是黑墨，而這是白墨吧。This was truly rather strange — I supposed that the ink Grandfather wrote with was black ink, and this must be white ink.

得了一塊圓玻璃，祖父說是「顯微鏡」。I got a round piece of glass, which Grandfather said was a "magnifying glass."他在太陽底下一照，竟把祖父裝好的一袋煙照著了。He held it under the sun and, to my astonishment, actually set alight a pouch of tobacco that Grandfather had just packed.

這該多麼使人歡喜，什麼什麼都會變的。How this delighted a person — anything and everything could be transformed!你看它是一塊廢鐵，說不定它就有用，比方我撿到一塊四方的鐵塊，上邊有一個小窩。You'd look at it and think it was just a scrap of scrap iron, yet it might turn out to be useful — for instance, I picked up a square block of iron that had a little hollow in it.祖父把榛子放在小窩裡邊，打著榛子給我吃。Grandfather would put hazelnuts into the little hollow and crack them for me to eat.在這小窩裡打，不知道比用牙咬要快了多少倍。Cracking them in this little hollow was, who knows, how many times faster than biting them open with one's teeth.何況祖父老了，他的牙又多半不大好。Especially since Grandfather was old, and most of his teeth were none too good anymore.

我天天從那黑屋子往外搬著，而天天有新的。Every day I hauled things out of that dark room, and every day there were new ones.搬出來一批，玩厭了，弄壞了，就再去搬。I would haul out one batch, and once I had grown tired of playing with them or had broken them, I would go and haul out more.

因此使我的祖父、祖母常常的慨歎。Because of this my grandfather and grandmother often sighed in wonder.

他們說這是多少年前的了，連我的第三個姑母還沒有生的時候就有這東西。They would say this was from who knows how many years ago, that this thing existed even before my third aunt was born.那是多少年前的了，還是分家的時候，從我曾祖那裡得來的呢。That one was from who knows how many years ago, obtained from my great-grandfather back when the family divided its property.又那樣那樣是什麼人送的，而那家人家到今天也都家敗人亡了，而這東西還存在著。And that other thing, and that other one — given by so-and-so, and that family, by now, had already fallen to ruin and scattered, and yet this object still remained.

又是我在玩著的那葡蔓藤的手鐲，祖母說她就戴著這個手鐲，有一年夏天坐著小車子，抱著我大姑去回娘家，路上遇了土匪，把金耳環給摘去了，而沒有要這手鐲。Then there was also the vine-woven bracelet I was playing with — Grandmother said that she herself had once worn this very bracelet; one summer, riding in a small cart, carrying my eldest aunt to visit her mother's family, they had run into bandits on the road, who had taken her gold earrings but had not wanted this bracelet.若也是金的銀的，那該多危險，也一定要被搶去的。Had it been gold or silver, how dangerous that would have been — it certainly would have been robbed too.

我聽了問她：Hearing this, I asked her:

「我大姑在那兒？」"Where is my eldest aunt now?"

祖父笑了。Grandfather laughed.祖母說：Grandmother said:

「你大姑的孩子比你都大了。」"Your eldest aunt's children are already older than you are."

原來是四十年前的事情，我那裡知道。It turned out this had happened forty years ago — how was I to have known that?可是藤手鐲卻戴在我的手上，我舉起手來，搖了一陣，那手鐲好像風車似的，滴溜溜的轉，手鐲太大了，我的手太細了。But the vine bracelet was now worn on my own hand; I raised my hand and shook it a while, and the bracelet spun round and round like a little pinwheel — the bracelet was too big, and my hand was too thin.

祖母看見我把從前的東西都搬出來了，她常常罵我：Grandmother, seeing me haul out all these old things, would often scold me:

「你這孩子，沒有東西不拿著玩的，這小不成器的……」"You child, there's nothing you won't drag out to play with, you good-for-nothing little..."

她嘴裡雖然是這樣說，但她又在光天化日之下得以重看到這東西，也似乎給了她一些回憶的滿足。Though that was what she said with her mouth, still, being able to see these things again in the light of open day seemed to give her a certain satisfaction of memory.所以她說我是並不十分嚴刻的，我當然是不聽她，該拿還是照舊的拿。So although she said this about me, she was never really very strict about it, and of course I paid her no mind — whatever was to be taken, I went on taking just the same.

於是我家裡久不見天日的東西，經我這一搬弄，才得以見了天日。And so the things in our house that had gone so long without seeing the light of day at last, through my rummaging, got to see the light of day.於是壞的壞，扔的扔，也就都從此消滅了。And then, the broken ones broke further, the discarded ones were thrown out, and from then on they simply vanished, one after another.

我有記憶的第一個冬天，就這樣過去了。The first winter of which I have any memory passed in this way.沒有感到十分的寂寞，但總不如在後園裡那樣玩著好。I did not feel terribly lonely, but it still wasn't as good as playing out in the back garden.但孩子是容易忘記的，也就隨遇而安了。But children forget easily, and so I simply took things as they came and settled into contentment.

第二年夏天，後園裡種了不少的韮菜，是因為祖母喜歡吃韮菜餡的餃子而種的。The following summer, quite a lot of chives were planted in the back garden, planted because Grandmother liked to eat dumplings with chive filling.

可是當韮菜長起來時，祖母就病重了，而不能吃這韮菜了，家裡別的人也沒有吃這韮菜，韮菜就在園子裡荒著。But by the time the chives had grown up, Grandmother had fallen seriously ill and could no longer eat them, and no one else in the house ate these chives either, so the chives were simply left to grow wild in the garden.

因為祖母病重，家裡非常熱鬧，來了我的大姑母，又來了我的二姑母。Because Grandmother was gravely ill, the house grew very lively — my eldest aunt came, and then my second aunt came too.

二姑母是坐著她自家的小車子來的。My second aunt came riding in her own family's small cart.那拉車的騾子掛著鈴鐺，嘩嘩啷啷的就停在窗前了。The mule pulling the cart wore bells that jingled and jangled, and it clattered to a stop right in front of the window.

從那車上第一個就跳下來一個小孩，那小孩比我高了一點，是二姑母的兒子。The first one to jump down from that cart was a child, a little taller than me — he was my second aunt's son.

他的小名叫「小蘭」，祖父讓我向他叫蘭哥。His childhood name was "Xiao Lan," and Grandfather had me call him Brother Lan.

別的我都不記得了，只記得不大一會工夫我就把他領到後園裡去了。I don't remember anything else, only that before very long I had already led him off to the back garden.

告訴他這個是玫瑰樹，這個是狗尾草，這個是櫻桃樹。I told him this was a rose tree, this was foxtail grass, this was a cherry tree.櫻桃樹是不結櫻桃的，我也告訴了他。The cherry tree never bore any cherries, and I told him that too.

不知道在這之前他見過我沒有，我可並沒有見過他。I don't know whether he had seen me before this, but I certainly had never seen him.

我帶他到東南角上去看那棵李子樹時，還沒有走到眼前，他就說：When I took him to the southeast corner to see that plum tree, before we had even reached it, he said:

「這樹前年就死了。」"That tree died the year before last."

他說了這樣的話，是使我很吃驚的。That he should say such a thing startled me greatly.這樹死了，他可怎麼知道的？This tree had died — however could he have known that?心中立刻來了一種忌妒的情感，覺得這花園是屬於我的，和屬於祖父的，其餘的人連曉得也不該曉得才對的。At once a feeling of jealousy rose in my heart; I felt that this garden belonged to me, and to Grandfather, and that everyone else, properly speaking, shouldn't even be allowed to know about it.

我問他：I asked him:

「那麼你來過我們家嗎？」"Then have you been to our house before?"

他說他來過。He said he had.

這個我更生氣了，怎麼他來我不曉得呢？This made me even angrier — how could he have come without my knowing?

我又問他：I asked him again:

「你什麼時候來過的？」"When did you come?"

他說前年來的，他還帶給我一個毛猴子。He said he had come the year before last, and that he had even brought me a little monkey toy made of fur.他問著我：He asked me:

「你忘了嗎？"Did you forget?你抱著那毛猴子就跑，跌倒了你還哭了哩！」You held that fur monkey and ran off with it, and you fell down and cried too!"

我無論怎樣想，也想不起來了。No matter how hard I tried to think, I couldn't recall any of it at all.不過總算他送給我過一個毛猴子，可見對我是很好的，於是我就不生他的氣了。Still, the fact remained that he had once given me a fur monkey, which showed he was quite fond of me, and so I stopped being angry with him.

從此天天就在一塊玩。From then on we played together every single day.

他比我大三歲，已經八歲了，他說他在學堂裡邊唸了書的，他還帶來了幾本書，晚上在煤油燈下他還把書拿出來給我看。He was three years older than me, already eight, and he said he had studied in school; he had even brought along a few books, and in the evening, under the kerosene lamp, he would take the books out and show them to me.書上有小人、有剪刀、有房子。In the books there were little people, there were scissors, there were houses.因為都是帶著圖，我一看就連那字似乎也認識了，我說：Since they all came with pictures, the moment I looked at them I felt I recognized the characters too, and I said:

「這唸剪刀，這唸房子。」"This one reads 'scissors,' this one reads 'house.'"

他說不對：He said that was wrong:

「這唸剪，這唸房。」"This one reads 'scissor,' this one reads 'house' [singular character]."

我拿過來一細看，果然都是一個字，而不是兩個字，我是照著圖唸的，所以錯了。I took it and looked closely, and sure enough each was a single character, not two characters — I had been reading by the picture, and so I had gotten it wrong.

我也有一盒方字塊，這邊是圖，那邊是字，我也拿出來給他看了。I also had a box of character blocks, with a picture on one side and a character on the other, and I brought that out to show him too.

從此整天的玩。From then on we played the whole day long.祖母病重與否，我不知道。Whether Grandmother's illness was serious or not, I did not know.不過在她臨死的前幾天就穿上了滿身的新衣裳，好像要出門做客似的。Only, a few days before she died, she put on brand-new clothes from head to foot, as if she were about to go out visiting.說是怕死了來不及穿衣裳。It was said this was for fear that if she died, there would be no time left to get dressed.

因為祖母病重，家裡熱鬧得很，來了很多親戚。Because Grandmother was gravely ill, the house was very lively, with many relatives coming.忙忙碌碌不知忙些個什麼。Everyone bustled about busily, though I did not know just what they were all so busy with.有的拿了些白布撕著，撕得一條一塊的，撕得非常的響亮，旁邊就有人拿著針在縫那白布。Some took strips of white cloth and tore them, tearing them into strips and pieces, tearing them so they made a very loud noise, and beside them someone would be sewing that white cloth with a needle.還有的把一個小罐，裡邊裝了米，罐口蒙上了紅布。Others took a small jar, put rice inside it, and covered the mouth of the jar with red cloth.還有的在後園門口攏起火來，在鐵火勺裡邊炸著麵餅了。Still others built a fire at the back-garden gate and fried little flour cakes in an iron ladle.問她：I asked her:

「這是什麼？」"What is this?"

「這是打狗餑餑。」"These are dog-beating cakes."

她說陰間有十八關，過到狗關的時候，狗就上來咬人，用這餑餑一打，狗吃了餑餑就不咬人了。She said that in the underworld there are eighteen passes, and when you pass through the Dog Pass, the dogs come up to bite people, but if you hit them with these cakes, once the dog eats the cake it won't bite anymore.

似乎是姑妄言之、姑妄聽之，我沒有聽進去。It seemed to be one of those things said carelessly and heard carelessly, and I didn't take it in.

家裡邊的人越多，我就越寂寞，走到屋裡，問問這個，問問那個，一切都不理解。The more people there were in the house, the more lonesome I felt; I would go into the rooms and ask this one and that one, but I understood nothing at all.祖父也似乎把我忘記了。Grandfather too seemed to have forgotten about me.我從後園裡捉了一個特別大的螞蚱送給他去看，他連看也沒有看，就說：I caught an especially large grasshopper in the back garden and brought it to show him, but he didn't even look at it, and just said:

「真好，真好，上後園去玩去吧！」"Very good, very good, go on back to the garden and play!"

新來的蘭哥也不陪我時，我就在後園裡一個人玩。When Lan-ge, who had newly come, also would not keep me company, I played alone in the back garden.

祖母已經死了，人們都到龍王廟上去報過廟回來了。Grandmother had already died, and people had gone to report at the Dragon King Temple and come back.而我還在後園裡邊玩著。And I was still playing there in the back garden.

後園裡邊下了點雨，我想要進屋去拿草帽去，走到醬缸旁邊（我家的醬缸是放在後園裡的），一看，有雨點拍拍的落到缸帽子上。It had rained a little in the back garden, and I wanted to go into the house to fetch my straw hat; walking past the soy-sauce vats (our family's soy-sauce vats were kept in the back garden), I saw the raindrops falling pit-pat onto the vat lids.我想這缸帽子該多大，遮起雨來，比草帽一定更好。I thought how big this vat lid was, and that to keep off the rain it must surely be even better than a straw hat.

於是我就從缸上把它翻下來了，到了地上它還亂滾一陣，這時候，雨就大了。So I flipped it down off the vat, and it went on rolling wildly about on the ground for a while; by this time the rain had grown heavy.我好不容易才設法鑽進這缸帽子去。With great difficulty I managed to work my way inside this vat lid.因為這缸帽子太大了，差不多和我一般高。For the vat lid was too big, almost as tall as I was.

我頂著它，走了幾步，覺得天昏地暗。I carried it on my head and walked a few steps, and felt the sky go dark and the earth dim.而且重也是很重的，非常吃力。And besides, it was very heavy indeed, terribly hard to bear.而且自己已經走到那裡了，自己也不曉，只曉得頭頂上拍拍拉拉的打著雨點，往腳下看著，腳下只是些狗尾草和韮菜。And by the time I had already walked to that spot, I myself did not know it; I only knew that overhead the raindrops were beating pit-pat, and looking down at my feet, underfoot there was nothing but foxtail grass and chives.找了一個韮菜很厚的地方，我就坐下了，一坐下這缸帽子就和個小房似的扣著我。I found a spot thick with chives and sat myself down, and as soon as I sat, the vat lid clamped over me like a little house.這比站著好得多，頭頂不必頂著，帽子就扣在韮菜地上。This was much better than standing, for I no longer had to hold it up on my head; the lid simply rested down on the chive patch.但是裡邊可是黑極了，什麼是看不見。But inside it was pitch dark, and nothing could be seen at all.

同時聽什麼聲音，也覺得都遠了。At the same time, whatever sounds I heard also seemed to grow distant.大樹在風雨裡邊被吹得嗚嗚的，好像大樹已經被搬到別人家的院子去似的。The big tree was blown until it moaned in the wind and rain, as though the big tree had already been moved off into somebody else's yard.

韮菜是種在北牆根上，我是坐在韮菜上。The chives were planted along the foot of the north wall, and I was sitting among the chives.北牆根離家裡的房子很遠的，家裡邊那鬧嚷嚷的聲音，也像是來在遠方。The foot of the north wall was very far from the house, and the noisy hubbub of voices from the house also seemed to come from far away.

我細聽了一會，聽不出什麼來，還是在我自己的小屋裡邊坐著。I listened carefully for a while but could make nothing out, and it was as if I were sitting in my very own little room.這小屋這麼好，不怕風，不怕雨。This little room was so good, unafraid of wind, unafraid of rain.站起來走的時候，頂著屋蓋就走了，有多麼輕快。When I stood up to walk, carrying the roof of my house on my head as I went, how light and easy it felt!

其實是很重的了，頂起來非常吃力。In fact it was very heavy, and holding it up was terribly hard work.

我頂著缸帽子，一路摸索著，來到了後門口，我是要頂給爺爺看看的。Carrying the vat lid on my head, I groped my way along and came to the back door, meaning to show it off to Grandfather.

我家的後門坎特別高，邁也邁不過去，因為缸帽子太大，使我抬不起腿來。Our back door had an especially high threshold, which I simply could not step over, because the vat lid was so big it kept me from lifting my leg.好不容易兩手把腿拉著，弄了半天，總算是過去了。With great difficulty, using both hands to drag my leg up, and after a long struggle, I finally got across.雖然進了屋，仍是不知道祖父在什麼方向，於是我就大喊，正在這喊之間，父親一腳把我踢翻了，差點沒把我踢到竈口的火堆上去。Although I had gotten into the house, I still had no idea which direction Grandfather was in, so I shouted loudly; and right in the middle of this shouting, Father kicked me over with one foot, and very nearly kicked me straight into the fire at the stove mouth.缸帽子也在地上滾著。The vat lid went rolling on the ground too.

等人家把我抱了起來，我一看，屋子裡的人，完全不對了，都穿了白衣裳。By the time someone picked me up, I looked, and the people in the house were completely different — they were all dressed in white.

再一看，祖母不是睡在炕上，而是睡在一張長板上。I looked again, and Grandmother was no longer lying on the kang, but was lying on a long plank.

從這以後祖母就死了。From this time on, Grandmother was dead.

祖母一死，家裡繼續著來了許多親戚，有的拿著香、紙，到靈前哭了一陣就回去了。Once Grandmother died, one relative after another kept coming to the house; some brought incense and paper, wept a while before the spirit tablet, and then went home.有的就帶著大包小包的來了就住下了。Others came with big bundles and small bundles and settled right in.

大門前邊吹著喇叭，院子裡搭了靈棚，哭聲終日，一鬧鬧了不知多少日子。In front of the main gate a suona was played, in the courtyard a mourning canopy was set up, and the sound of weeping went on all day; the commotion went on for who knows how many days.

請了和尚道士來，一鬧鬧到半夜，所來的都是吃、喝、說、笑。Monks and Daoist priests were invited, and the commotion went on until midnight, and all who came did nothing but eat, drink, talk, and laugh.

我也覺得好玩，所以就特別高興起來。I too found it great fun, and so grew especially cheerful.又加上從前我沒有小同伴，而現在有了。What's more, whereas before I had had no little companions, now I had some.比我大的，比我小的，共有四五個。Some older than me, some younger, five or six of us in all.我們上樹爬牆，幾乎連房頂也要上去了。We climbed trees and scaled walls, and very nearly went up onto the rooftops as well.

他們帶我到小門洞子頂上去捉鴿子，搬了梯子到房檐頭上去捉家雀。They took me up onto the top of the little gate-passage to catch pigeons, and set up a ladder to the eaves to catch sparrows.後花園雖然大，已經裝不下我了。The back garden, big as it was, could no longer hold me.

我跟著他們到井口邊去往井裡邊看，那井是多麼深，我從未見過。I followed them to the well's edge to look down into the well — how deep that well was, I had never seen the like.在上邊喊一聲，裡邊有人回答。If you gave a shout from above, someone down inside would answer.用一個小石子投下去，那響聲是很深遠的。If you dropped a little pebble down, the sound of it echoed far and deep.

他們帶我到糧食房子去，到碾磨房去，有時候竟把我帶到街上，是已經離開家了，不跟著家人在一起，我是從來沒有走過這樣遠。They took me to the grain storehouse, to the mill-house, and sometimes even took me out into the street, so that I was already away from home, not staying close by the family, something I had never done before, gone so far.

不料除了後園之外，還有更大的地方，我站在街上，不是看什麼熱鬧，不是看那街上的行人車馬，而是心裡邊想：是不是我將來一個人也可以走得很遠？I had never expected that, besides the back garden, there was an even bigger world; standing there on the street, it wasn't the bustle I was looking at, not the passersby or the carts and horses in the street, but rather I was thinking to myself: could it be that someday I too might be able to go very far, all on my own?

有一天，他們把我帶到南河沿上去了，南河沿離我家本不算遠，也不過半里多地。One day, they took me to the bank of the South River; the South River bank was not really far from my house, no more than half a li or so.可是因為我是第一次去，覺得實在很遠。But because it was my first time going there, it felt truly very far.走出汗來了。I walked until I broke a sweat.走過一個黃土坑，又過一個南大營，南大營的門口，有兵把守門。We passed a yellow-earth pit, and then passed the South Camp, and at the gate of the South Camp there were soldiers standing guard.那營房的院子大得在我看來太大了，實在是不應該。That barracks courtyard was, to my eyes, far too big — it really shouldn't have been.我們的院子就夠大的了，怎麼能比我們家的院子更大呢，大得有點不大好看了，我走過了，我還回過頭來看。Our own courtyard was already big enough — how could theirs be even bigger than ours? So big it was almost unseemly; after I had walked past, I still turned my head back to look at it.

路上有一家人家，把花盆擺到牆頭上來了，我覺得這也不大好，若是看不見人家偷去呢！Along the way there was a household that had set flowerpots up along the top of the wall; I felt this wasn't quite right either — what if someone couldn't see and stole them!

還看見了一座小洋房，比我們家的房不知好了多少倍。I also saw a little Western-style house, many times better than our own house.若問我，那裡好？If you asked me, what was good about it?我也說不出來，就覺得那房子是一色新，不像我家的房子那麼陳舊。I couldn't say either, only felt that the house was all of one fresh new color, not old and worn like our own house.

我僅僅走了半里多路，我所看見的可太多了。I had walked only a little more than half a li, yet the things I had seen were already far too many.所以覺得這南河沿實在遠。And so I felt that this South River bank was truly far away.問他們：I asked them:

「到了沒有？」"Are we there yet?"

他們說：They said:

「就到的，就到的。」"Almost there, almost there."

果然，轉過了大營房的牆角，就看見河水了。And sure enough, once we turned the corner of the barracks wall, the river water came into view.

我第一次看見河水，我不能曉得這河水是從什麼地方來的？It was the first time I had seen river water, and I could not tell where this river water came from.走了幾年了。I had walked for what felt like years.

那河太大了，等我走到河邊上，抓了一把沙子拋下去，那河水簡直沒有因此而髒了一點點。That river was so big; by the time I reached its bank and grabbed a handful of sand and threw it in, the river water didn't get the least bit dirtier because of it.河上有船，但是不很多，有的往東去了，有的往西去了。There were boats on the river, though not very many; some were going east, some were going west.也有的划到河的對岸去的，河的對岸似乎沒有人家，而是一片柳條林。There were also some rowing across to the far bank of the river; the far bank seemed to have no houses at all, but was instead a stretch of willow groves.再往遠看，就不能知道那是什麼地方了，因為也沒有人家，也沒有房子，也不見道路，也聽不見一點音響。Looking still farther, I could no longer tell what sort of place that was, for there were no houses there either, no buildings, no road to be seen, and not a single sound to be heard.

我想將來是不是我也可以到那沒有人的地方去看一看。I wondered whether someday I too might be able to go and take a look at that place where there was no one at all.

除了我家的後園，還有街道。Besides my own family's back garden, there were also the streets.除了街道，還有大河。Besides the streets, there was also the great river.除了大河，還有柳條林。Besides the great river, there were also the willow groves.除了柳條林，還有更遠的，什麼也沒有的地方，什麼也看不見的地方，什麼聲音也聽不見的地方。Besides the willow groves, there was somewhere farther still, a place with nothing at all, a place where nothing could be seen, a place where not a single sound could be heard.

究竟除了這些，還有什麼，我越想越不知道了。Just what, beyond all this, there might be, the more I thought about it, the less I knew.

就不用說這些我未曾見過的。And that's not even to mention the things I had never seen at all.就說一個花盆吧，就說一座院子吧。Take just a flowerpot, say, or take just a courtyard.院子和花盆，我家裡都有。Courtyards and flowerpots — my family had both.但說那營房的院子就比我家的大，我家的花盆是擺在後園裡的，人家的花盆就擺到牆頭上來了。And yet that barracks courtyard was bigger than ours, and our flowerpots were set out in the back garden, while that other family's flowerpots were set right up on top of the wall.

可見我不知道的一定還有。From this it was clear there must surely be more still that I did not know.

所以祖母死了，我竟聰明了。And so, once Grandmother died, I actually grew wiser.

祖母死了，我就跟祖父學詩。After Grandmother died, I began learning poetry from Grandfather.因為祖父的屋子空著，我就鬧著一定要睡在祖父那屋。Because Grandfather's room stood empty, I made a fuss until I was allowed to sleep in that room of his.

早晨唸詩，晚上唸詩，半夜醒了也是唸詩。Morning I recited poems, evening I recited poems, and even if I woke in the middle of the night, it was poems again.唸了一陣，唸困了再睡去。I would recite for a while, and once recitation made me sleepy, I would go back to sleep.

祖父教我的有《千家詩》，並沒有課本，全憑口頭傳誦，祖父唸一句，我就唸一句。What Grandfather taught me was from the Poems of a Thousand Poets, but there was no textbook at all — it was passed on entirely by word of mouth: Grandfather would recite a line, and I would recite it after him.

祖父說：Grandfather would say:

「少小離家老大回……」"Young I left home, old I return..."

我也說：And I too would say:

「少小離家老大回……」"Young I left home, old I return..."

都是些什麼字，什麼意思，我不知道，只覺得唸起來那聲音很好聽。What characters these were, what they meant, I had no idea; I only felt that the sound of reciting them was very pleasant to the ear.所以很高興的跟著喊。And so I very happily shouted along.我喊的聲音，比祖父的聲音更大。The sound I shouted was even louder than Grandfather's own voice.

我一唸起詩來，我家的五間房都可以聽見，祖父怕我喊壞了喉嚨，常常警告著我說：Whenever I started reciting poetry, all five rooms of our house could hear it; Grandfather, afraid I would shout my throat raw, often warned me, saying:

「房蓋被你抬走了。」"You've gone and carried off the roof with your shouting."

聽了這笑話，我略微笑了一會工夫，過不了多久，就又喊起來了。Hearing this joke, I would smile a little for a moment, but before long I would be shouting again.

夜裡也是照樣的喊，母親嚇唬我，說再喊她要打我。At night I shouted just the same; Mother tried to scare me, saying that if I shouted again she would beat me.

祖父也說：Grandfather too would say:

「沒有你這樣唸詩的，你這不叫唸詩，你這叫亂叫。」"There's no one who recites poetry the way you do — this isn't reciting, this is just wild hollering."

但我覺得這亂叫的習慣不能改，若不讓我叫，我唸它幹什麼。But I felt that this habit of wild hollering could not be changed; if I wasn't allowed to holler, then what was the point of reciting at all.每當祖父教我一個新詩，一開頭我若聽了不好聽，我就說：Whenever Grandfather taught me a new poem, if right at the start I didn't like the sound of it, I would say:

「不學這個。」"I won't learn this one."

祖父於是就換一個，換一個不好，我還是不要。Grandfather would then switch to another; if I didn't like that one either, I still wouldn't have it.

「春眠不覺曉，處處聞啼鳥，"In spring sleep, unaware of dawn, everywhere one hears the birds crying;

夜來風雨聲，花落知多少。」in the night came the sound of wind and rain, who knows how many blossoms have fallen."

這一首詩，我很喜歡，我一唸到第二句，「處處聞啼鳥」，那處處兩字，我就高興起來了。This poem I liked very much; as soon as I recited the second line, "everywhere one hears the birds crying," those two words "everywhere" made me happy at once.覺得這首詩，實在是好，真好聽，「處處」該多好聽。I felt this poem was truly good, truly pleasant to hear — how lovely those words "everywhere" were.

還有一首我更喜歡的：There was another one I liked even more:

「重重疊疊上樓台，幾度呼童掃不開。"Layer upon layer up the tower terrace, how many times I've called the boy to sweep it clear, yet it will not clear.

剛被太陽收拾去，又為明月送將來。」Just swept away by the sun, only to be sent back again by the bright moon."

就這「幾度呼童掃不開」，我根本不知道什麼意思，就唸成西瀝忽通掃不開。As for that line "time and again I called the boy to sweep, yet it could not be cleared," I had no idea at all what it meant, and recited it as "xi-li-hu-tong sweep not clear."

越唸越覺得好聽，越唸越有趣味。The more I recited it, the better it sounded; the more I recited it, the more fun it was.

還當客人來了，祖父總是呼我唸詩的，我就總喜唸這一首。Whenever a guest came, Grandfather would always call on me to recite poems, and I always loved to recite this one.

那客人不知聽懂了與否，只是點頭說好。Whether that guest understood it or not I couldn't say — he only nodded and said it was good.

就這樣瞎唸，到底不是久計。But reciting blindly like this was, after all, no way to keep on for long.唸了幾十首之後，祖父開講了。After I had recited several dozen poems, Grandfather began to explain them.

「少小離家老大回，鄉音無改鬢毛衰。」"Leaving home young and returning old, my native accent unchanged though my temple hair has thinned."

祖父說：Grandfather said:

「這是說小的時候離開了家到外邊去，老了回來了。"This means that when he was small he left home and went off to other places, and now that he's old he has come back.鄉音無改鬢毛衰，這是說家鄉的口音還沒有改變，鬍子可白了。」'My native accent unchanged though my temple hair has thinned' — this means the accent of his hometown hasn't changed, but his beard has turned white."

我問祖父：I asked Grandfather:

「為什麼小的時候離家？"Why did he leave home when he was small?離家到那裡去？」Where did he go when he left home?"

祖父說：Grandfather said:

「好比爺像你那麼大離家，現在老了回來了，誰還認識呢？"It's like this — suppose Grandfather left home when he was as young as you are now, and only came back after growing old — who would still recognize him?兒童相見不相識，笑問客從何處來。The children who see him do not know him; smiling, they ask where the visitor has come from.小孩子見了就招呼著說：你這個白鬍老頭，是從那裡來的？」When the children see him they call out: You old white-bearded man, where have you come from?"

我一聽覺得不大好，趕快就問祖父：As soon as I heard this I felt something wasn't quite right, and quickly asked Grandfather:

「我也要離家的嗎？"Will I have to leave home too?等我鬍子白了回來，爺爺你也不認識我了嗎？」When I come back with a white beard, Grandfather, will you not recognize me either?"

心裡很恐懼。In my heart I was quite afraid.

祖父一聽就笑了：As soon as Grandfather heard this he laughed:

「等你老了還有爺爺嗎？」"By the time you're old, will there still be a grandfather around?"

祖父說完了，看我還是不很高興，他又趕快說：When Grandfather had said this, seeing that I still wasn't very happy, he quickly added:

「你不離家的，你那裡能夠離家……"You won't be leaving home — how could you possibly leave home...快再唸一首詩吧！Quick, recite another poem!唸春眠不覺曉……」Recite 'Spring slumber, unaware of dawn'..."

我一唸起「春眠不覺曉」來，又是滿口的大叫，得意極了。As soon as I began reciting "Spring slumber, unaware of dawn," I was shouting it out at the top of my lungs again, thoroughly pleased with myself.完全高興，什麼都忘了。I was completely happy, and forgot everything else.

但從此再讀新詩，一定要先講的，沒有講過的也要重講。But from then on, whenever I read a new poem, it always had to be explained first, and even poems that had not been explained before now had to be explained all over again.似乎那大嚷大叫的習慣稍稍好了一點。It seemed that my habit of shouting and hollering improved just a little.

「兩個黃鸝鳴翠柳，一行白鷺上青天。」"Two golden orioles sing among the emerald willows; a line of white egrets rises into the blue sky."

這首詩本來我也很喜歡的，黃梨是很好吃的。This poem I had liked very much at first too — I thought it was about huangli, yellow pears, which are delicious. (I had misheard 黃鸝, "orioles," as 黃梨, "yellow pears.")經祖父這一講，說是兩個鳥，於是不喜歡了。But once Grandfather explained it, saying it was about two birds, I no longer liked it.

「去年今日此門中，人面桃花相映紅。"On this day last year, within this very gate, her face and the peach blossoms set off each other's rosy glow.

人面不知何處去，桃花依舊笑春風。」Her face — I know not where it has gone; the peach blossoms still smile in the spring breeze."

這首詩祖父講了我也不明白，但是我喜歡這首。Even after Grandfather explained this poem I still didn't understand it, but I liked it all the same.因為其中有桃花。Because it had peach blossoms in it.桃樹一開了花不就結桃嗎？Once a peach tree blooms, doesn't it go on to bear peaches?桃子不是好吃嗎？And aren't peaches delicious?

所以每唸完這首詩，我就接著問祖父：So every time I finished reciting this poem, I would go on to ask Grandfather:

「今年咱們的櫻桃樹開不開花？」"Will our cherry tree bloom this year?"

除了唸詩之外，還很喜歡吃。Besides reciting poems, I also loved to eat.

記得大門洞子東邊那家是養豬的，一個大豬在前邊走，一群小豬跟在後邊。I remember that the family east of the gateway raised pigs — a big sow walked in front, with a litter of piglets following behind.有一天一個小豬掉井了，人們用抬土的筐子把小豬從井釣了上來。One day a piglet fell into the well, and people used a dirt-carrying basket to fish the piglet out of the well.釣上來，那小豬早已死了。By the time it was fished out, the piglet was already dead.井口旁邊圍了很多人看熱鬧，祖父和我也在旁邊看熱鬧。A crowd gathered around the mouth of the well to watch the excitement, and Grandfather and I were there watching too.

那小豬一被打上來，祖父就說他要那小豬。As soon as the piglet was hauled up, Grandfather said he wanted it.

祖父把那小豬抱到家裡，用黃泥裹起來，放在竈坑裡燒上了，燒好了給我吃。Grandfather carried the piglet home, wrapped it in yellow clay, and set it in the stove pit to roast; once it was done he gave it to me to eat.

我站在炕沿旁邊，那整個的小豬，就擺在我的眼前，祖父把那小豬一撕開，立刻就冒了油，真香，我從來沒有吃過那麼香的東西，從來沒有吃過那麼好吃的東西。I stood by the edge of the kang, and there was the whole piglet laid out right before my eyes; the moment Grandfather tore it open, the oil came steaming out at once — it smelled wonderful. I had never eaten anything so fragrant, never eaten anything so delicious.

第二次，又有一隻鴨子掉井了，祖父也用黃泥包起來，燒上給我吃了。The second time, a duck fell into the well, and Grandfather again wrapped it in yellow clay and roasted it for me to eat.

在祖父燒的時候，我也幫著忙，幫著祖父攪黃泥，一邊喊著，一邊叫著，好像拉拉隊似的給祖父助興。While Grandfather was roasting it, I helped out too, helping him stir the yellow clay, shouting all the while and calling out, like a cheering squad rallying Grandfather on.

鴨子比小豬更好吃，那肉是不怎樣肥的。Duck was even tastier than piglet — the meat wasn't very fatty.所以我最喜歡吃鴨子。So duck was what I loved to eat most of all.

我吃，祖父在旁邊看著。I would eat, and Grandfather would sit beside me watching.祖父不吃。Grandfather didn't eat.等我吃完了，祖父才吃。Only after I had finished eating would Grandfather eat.他說我的牙齒小，怕我咬不動，先讓我選嫩的吃，我吃剩了的他才吃。He said my teeth were small and he was afraid I couldn't bite through it, so he let me pick out the tender parts to eat first, and only ate what I left over.

祖父看我每嚥下去一口，他就點一下頭，而且高興的說：Every time he saw me swallow a mouthful, Grandfather would nod, and say happily:

「這小東西真饞，」或是「這小東西吃得真快。」"This little thing is such a glutton," or "This little thing eats so fast."

我的手滿是油，隨吃隨在大襟上擦著，祖父看了也並不生氣，只是說：My hands were covered in grease, and I kept wiping them on the front of my jacket as I ate; Grandfather wasn't the least bit angry to see this, he only said:

「快沾點鹽吧，快沾點韮菜花吧，空口吃不好，等會要反胃的……」"Quick, dip it in a little salt, dip it in a little chive-flower relish — it's no good eating it plain, you'll get an upset stomach in a while..."

說著就捏幾個鹽粒放在我手上拿著的鴨子肉上。So saying, he pinched a few grains of salt and put them on the duck meat I was holding in my hand.我一張嘴又進肚去了。I opened my mouth and it went straight down into my stomach again.

祖父越稱讚我能吃，我越吃得多。The more Grandfather praised how well I could eat, the more I ate.祖父看看不好了，怕我吃多了。Grandfather saw that this wasn't good, afraid I was eating too much.讓我停下，我才停下來。He told me to stop, and only then did I stop.我明明白白的是吃不下去了，可是我嘴裡還說著：I plainly could not eat any more, but my mouth still went on saying:

「一個鴨子還不夠呢！」"One duck still isn't enough!"

自此吃鴨子的印象非常之深，等了好久，鴨子再不掉到井裡，我看井沿有一群鴨子，我拿了秫稈就往井裡邊趕，可是鴨子不進去，圍著井口轉，而呱呱的叫著。From then on the memory of eating duck stayed with me very deeply. After waiting a long while with no duck falling into the well again, I saw a flock of ducks by the edge of the well, so I took a sorghum stalk and tried to drive them toward the well — but the ducks wouldn't go in, they just circled around the mouth of the well, quacking loudly.我就招呼了在旁邊看熱鬧的小孩子，我說：So I called over to the children standing nearby watching the fun, and said:

「幫我趕哪！」"Help me drive them in!"

正在吵吵叫叫的時候，祖父奔到了，祖父說：Just as we were in the middle of all this shouting and clamoring, Grandfather came running up, and Grandfather said:

「你在幹什麼？」"What are you doing?"

我說：I said:

「趕鴨子，鴨子掉井，撈出來好燒吃。」"Driving the ducks — once a duck falls in the well, we can fish it out and roast it to eat."

祖父說：Grandfather said:

「不用趕了，爺爺抓個鴨子給你燒著。」"No need to drive them — Grandfather will catch a duck and roast it for you."

我不聽他的話，我還是追在鴨子的後邊跑著。I didn't listen to him, and kept right on running after the ducks.

祖父上前來把我攔住了，抱在懷裡，一面給我擦著汗一面說：Grandfather came forward and stopped me, gathering me into his arms, and as he wiped the sweat from me he said:

「跟爺爺回家，抓個鴨子燒上。」"Come home with Grandfather, and I'll catch a duck and roast it."

我想：不掉井的鴨子，抓都抓不住，可怎麼能規規矩矩貼起黃泥來讓燒呢？I thought to myself: a duck that hasn't fallen in the well can't even be caught — so how could it possibly hold still properly to be coated in yellow clay and roasted?於是我從祖父的身上往下掙扎著，喊著：So I struggled to get down out of Grandfather's arms, shouting:

「我要掉井的！"I want the one that fell in the well!我要掉井的！」I want the one that fell in the well!"

祖父幾乎抱不住我了。Grandfather could hardly hold on to me anymore.

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What it’s about

Grandfather and the Back Garden turns from Hulan's public life to the protected world Xiao Hong shared with the one adult who consistently welcomed her. In the large family compound, grandfather teaches her poems, tells stories, tends the garden and accepts her constant interruptions without demanding that she behave like a miniature grown-up. She follows him while he works, misnames plants, fastens a rose to his hat and laughs when the family notices it before he does. His patience gives the child room to test language and attention. Against the household's coldness, their companionship becomes the emotional shelter at the centre of the memoir.

The garden itself seems to possess the freedom granted to the narrator. Cucumbers climb, corn grows, butterflies and dragonflies cross the light, and every living thing appears to act from its own desire: a flower blooms if it wishes, a bird flies wherever it chooses. The child weeds by pulling crops, waters the ground by flinging water into the air and abandons one game as soon as another attracts her. Xiao Hong does not organize these memories into progress or a lesson learned. Their loose, sunlit sequence recreates the scale of childhood, when a yard can be an entire world and an afternoon seems inexhaustible. Yet the retrospective voice makes the happiness fragile: grandfather and garden survive because memory has preserved what history and death have taken away.

When it was written 背景

This is the most frequently excerpted chapter of Tales of Hulan River and the easiest point of entry for many learners. Its garden vocabulary is concrete and recurrent, the episodes are short, and the emotional relation between child and grandfather is clear even when individual plant names are unfamiliar. Xiao Hong wrote it in 1940 near the end of a life marked by separation from her family, displacement and war, and she died in Hong Kong in January 1942, shortly after the novel's publication. That biography should sharpen rather than flatten the reading: the garden is not merely a symbol of lost paradise, but a precisely observed place where one relationship allowed curiosity to flourish. Notice how often freedom is expressed through simple verbs of growing, flying, playing and sleeping.

Words in this chapter 生词

唸niànHSK 3唸niàn — variant of 念 (niàn), to read aloud (HSK 3)
韮jiǔ韮jiǔ — variant of 韭 (jiǔ)
裡lǐHSK 1裡lǐ — lining · interior · inside · internal · also written 裏 (lǐ) (HSK 1)
祖zǔ祖zǔ — ancestor · forefather · grandparents
父fù父fù — (bound form) father · (bound form) male relative of father's generation (as in 伯父 (bó fù)) · (computing) (bound form) parent-
缸gāngHSK 7-9缸gāng — jar · vat · classifier for loads of laundry · classifier: 口 (kǒu) (HSK 7-9)
儲chǔ儲chǔ — (bound form) to store up; to keep in reserve · heir to the throne · Taiwan pr. (chú)
炕kàng炕kàng — kang (a heatable brick bed) · to bake · to dry by the heat of a fire
櫻yīng櫻yīng — cherry
餑bō餑bō — cake · biscuit
她tāHSK 1她tā — she (HSK 1)
麼má麼má — exclamatory final particle