The Suzaku emperor had been in bad health since his visit to Rokujō. —
麒麟帝自访六条后身体一直不好。 —

Always a sickly man, he feared that this illness might be his last. —
他一直身体孱弱，担心这次病症可能是他的最后一次疾病。 —

Though it had long been his wish to take holy orders and retire from the world, he had not wanted to do so while his mother lived.
虽然他早就希望出家隐退，远离世俗，但在母亲在世时不愿这样做。

“My heart seems to be urging me in that direction — and in any event I fear I am not long for this world. —
“我的内心似乎在推动我走向这一步，然而无论如何我都感到自己在这个世界不能再久留。 —

” And he set about making the necessary preparations.
于是他开始做起了必要的准备。

Besides the crown prince he had four children, all girls. —
除了皇太子外，他还有四个孩子，全都是女儿。 —

The mother of the Third Princess had herself been born a royal princess, the daughter of the emperor who had preceded Genji’s father. —
第三皇女的母亲本身是出生在皇室的公主，是前麒麟帝的女儿。 —

She had been reduced to commoner status and given the name Genji. Though she had come to court when the Suzaku emperor was still crown prince and might one day have been named empress, her candidacy had no powerful backers. —
她被贬为庶民，取名为玄慈。尽管在麒麟帝之前的皇帝还在时，她或许有机会被封为皇后，但她的候选资格没有强有力的支持者。 —

Her mother, of undistinguished lineage, was among the emperor’s lesser concubines, and not among the great and brilliant ladies at court. —
她的母亲出身不高，只是其中一位皇帝的次级妃子，不是朝廷上那些伟大辉煌的贵妇人之一。 —

Oborozukiyo had been brought to court by her powerful sister, Kokiden, the Suzaku emperor’s mother, and had had no rival for his affection; —
被暮霞的姐姐——鸡鸣阁——引入朝廷，成为麒麟帝的母亲，暮霞和其他人在他之间没有竞争。 —

and so the mother of the Third Princess had had a sad time of it. —
因此第三皇女的母亲过得很艰难。 —

The Suzaku emperor was sorry and did what he could for her, but after he left the throne it was not a great deal. —
麒麟帝很为她难过，尽力帮助她，但离开王位后，他能为她做的并不多。 —

She died an obscure and disappointed lady. —
她作为一个默默无闻、失望的女子去世了。 —

The Third Princess was the Suzaku emperor’s favorite among his children.
第三皇女是麒麟帝最宠爱的孩子。

She was now some thirteen or fourteen. The Suzaku emperor worried about her more than about any of the others. —
她现在大约十三或十四岁。麒麟帝比其他孩子更担心她。 —

To whom could she look for support when he finally withdrew from the world?
当他最终选择退出世界时，她可以向谁寻求支持呢？

He had chosen his retreat, a temple in the western hills, and now it was ready. —
他选择了自己的隐居之所，位于西山上的一座寺庙，现在一切已准备就绪。 —

He was busy both with preparations for the move and with plans for the Third Princess’s initiation. —
他忙于准备搬迁和第三公主的启蒙计划。 —

He gave her his most prized treasures and made certain that everything she had, even the most trifling bauble, was of the finest quality. —
他把自己最珍贵的宝物都给了她，并确保她所有的东西，即使是最微不足道的小玩意，都是最优质的。 —

Only when his best things had gone to her did he turn to the needs of his other daughters.
只有当他最好的东西都给了她之后，他才考虑他其他女儿的需求。

Knowing of course that his father was ill and learning of these new intentions, the crown prince paid a visit. —
当自己之前听说父亲生病并得知这些新打算后，皇储前去拜访。 —

His mother was with him. Though she had not been the Suzaku emperor’s favorite among his ladies, she could not, as mother of the crown prince, be ignored. —
他母亲陪同在一起。虽然她并不是苍龙皇的宠爱妃子中的最爱，但作为皇储的母亲，不能被忽视。 —

They had a long talk about old times. The Suzaku emperor offered good advice on the management of public affairs when presently his son’s time on the throne should begin. —
他们谈论了往昔。苍龙皇在准备将皇位让给儿子时，提供了有关公共事务管理的良好建议。 —

The crown prince was a sober, mature young man and his mother’s family was powerful. —
皇储是一个成熟稳重的年轻人，而他母亲的家族实力强大。 —

So far as his affairs were concerned, the Suzaku emperor could retire with no worries.
就他的事务而言，苍龙皇可以毫无忧虑地退隐。

“It is your sisters. I fear I must worry about them to the end. —
“是你的姐妹们。我担心我必须一直担忧她们。 —

I have heard, and thought it a great pity, that women are shallow, careless creatures who are not always treated with complete respect. —
我曾听说，并非常遗憾，女人们被认为是肤浅、粗心的生物，有时并未得到完全尊重。 —

Please do not forget your sisters. Be good to them when your day comes. —
请别忘记你的姐妹们。在轮到你时，要善待她们。 —

Some of them have reliable enough sponsors. But the Third Princess — it is she I worry about. —
有些姐妹们有着足够可靠的赞助人。但是第三公主——我担心她。 —

She is very young and she has been completely dependent on me. And now I am abandoning her. —
她非常年轻，一直完全依赖于我。而现在我却要抛弃她。 —

” He brushed away a tear. “What will happen to the poor child?”
他擦去了眼泪。“可怜的孩子会怎么样呢？”

He also asked the crown prince’s mother to be good to her. —
他还请求皇太子的母亲善待她。 —

He had been rather less fond of her than of the Third Princess’s mother, however, and there had been resentments and jealousies back in the days when his several ladies were competing for his attention. —
然而，他对她的喜爱远不如对三公主母亲的喜爱，回想起多位女子争夺他的宠爱时，曾经有过不满和嫉妒。 —

Though he surmised that no very deep rancor persisted, he knew that he could not expect her to trouble herself greatly in the Third Princess’s behalf.
尽管他觉察到没有潜藏很深的仇恨，但他知道不能指望她为三公主做很多事。

Seriously ill as the New Year approached, he no longer ventured from behind his curtains. —
新年即将来临时，他病重，不再冒险走出帷帐。 —

He had had similar attacks before, but they had not been so frequent or stubborn. —
他以前曾有过类似的发作，但没有这么频繁和顽固。 —

He feared that the end might be near. It was true that he had left the throne, but he continued to be of service to the people he had once favored, and their regrets were genuine. —
他担心生命可能即将结束。他虽已离开王位，仍然为他曾经喜爱的人民效力，他们的悲痛是真实的。 —

Genji made frequent inquiries, and, to the sick man’s very great pleasure, proposed a visit.
源氏常常询问病人的情况，并提出造访，使病人非常高兴。

Yūgiri came with the news and was invited behind the royal curtains for an intimate talk.
弓使传来消息，并被邀请走进王帐进行私密交谈。

“During his last illness Father gave me all manner of advice and instructions. —
“在他最后的疾病中，父亲给了我各种忠告和指导。 —

He seemed to worry most about your father and about the present emperor. —
他似乎最担心的是你的父亲和现任皇帝。 —

There is a limit, I fear, to what a reigning monarch can do. —
我担心在位君主所能做的是有限的。 —

My affection for your father continued to be as it had always been, but a silly little incident provoked me to behavior which I fear he has not been able to forgive. —
我对你的父亲的感情一直如初，但一个愚蠢的小事件引发了我行为上的过失，我害怕他无法原谅。 —

But I only suspect this to be the case. He has not through all the long years let slip a single word of bitterness. —
但我只是怀疑这种情况。多年以来，他从未流露出一丝怨恨之词。 —

In happier times than these the wisest of men have sometimes let personal grievances affect their impartiality and cloud their judgment until a wish to even scores has lured them from the straight way of justice. —
在比现在更幸福的时候，最聪明的人有时会让个人的不满影响他们的公正性，使其判断受到蒙蔽，直到想要平反误导他们离开正义之路。 —

People have watched him carefully, wondering when his bitterness might lead him similarly astray, but not for a moment has he ever lost control of himself. —
人们一直仔细观察着他，想知道他的苦涩何时可能彻底失控，但他从未失去过自我控制。 —

It would seem that he has the warmest feelings towards the crown prince. —
看起来他对皇太子有着最热情的感情。 —

Nothing could please me more than the new bond between them. —
毫无疑问，他们之间的新纽带让我感到非常高兴。 —

I am not a clever man, and we all know what happens to a father when he starts thinking about his children. —
我并不聪明，我们都知道当一个父亲开始思考自己的孩子时会发生什么。 —

I have rather withdrawn from the crown prince’s affairs, not wanting to make a fool of myself, and left them to your father.
我已经有些退出了对皇太子事务的关注，不想让自己出丑，把他们留给了你的父亲。

“I do not think that I went against Father’s wishes in my behavior towards the emperor, whose radiance will shine through the ages and perhaps make future generations overlook my own misrule. —
“我认为我没有违背父亲的愿望，在我对待将永垂不朽、也许会让后人忽略我的统治的皇帝的态度上。 —

I am satisfied. When I saw your father last autumn a flood of memories came back. —
我很满意。去年秋天我见到你父亲时，一阵记忆涌上心头。 —

It would please me enormously if I might see him again. —
如果我能再见到他，我会非常高兴。 —

We have innumerable things to talk about. —
我们有无数事情要谈论。 —

” There were tears in his eyes. “Do insist that he come.”
”他眼中含泪。“一定要坚持让他来。”

“I fear that I am not as well informed as I might be on what happened long ago, but since I have been old enough to be of some service I have tried this way and that to inform myself in the ways of the world. —
“我担心我在很久以前发生的事情上了解不够，但自从我长大可以有所帮助之后，我尝试各种方式了解世界的方式。 —

Father and I sometimes have a good talk about important things and about trivialities as well, but I may assure you that I have not once heard him suggest that he was a victim of injustice. —
父亲和我有时会就重要的事情和琐事进行深入交谈，但我可以向你保证，我没有听他一次暗示自己曾受到不公正的待遇。 —

I have occasionally heard him say that since he retired from immediate service to the emperor and turned to the quiet pursuits he has always enjoyed most, he has become rather self-centered and has not been at all faithful to the wishes of your royal father. —
他有时说自从他退出对皇帝的直接服务并转向他一直最喜欢的宁静追求以来，他变得相当自我中心，对你的皇家父亲的愿望一点也不忠诚。 —

While Your Majesty was on the throne he was still young and inexperienced, he has said, and there were many more eminent and talented men than he, and so his accomplishments fell far short of his hopes. —
在陛下登基时，他还年轻且缺乏经验，他曾说过，比他更杰出、更有才华的人有很多，所以他的成就远远低于他的希望。 —

Now that he has withdrawn from public affairs he would like nothing better than a free and open interview with Your Majesty. —
现在他已经退出公共事务，他最喜欢的事情莫过于与陛下进行自由开放的访谈。 —

Unfortunately his position makes it difficult for him to move about, and so time has gone by and he has neglected you sadly.”
不幸的是，他的身份地位使他很难四处走动，时间一晃而过，他对你的疏忽令人悲伤。

Not yet twenty, Yūgiri was in the full bloom of youth, a very handsome boy indeed. —
尤羽羽还不到二十岁，正值青春年华，确实是位非常英俊的少年。 —

The Suzaku emperor looked at him thoughtfully, wondering whether he might not offer a solution to the problem of the Third Princess.
朱雀帝想着他，想知道他是否能为三公主的问题提供解决办法。

“They tell me that you are now a member of the chancellor’s family. —
“他们告诉我，你现在是宰相家族的一员。 —

It worried me to see the matter so long in abeyance, and I was enormously relieved at news of your marriage. —
看到这件事拖延了这么久，我感到很担心，听到了你结婚的消息，我感到非常欣慰。 —

And yet it would be less than candid of me not to acknowledge that I felt certain regrets at the same time.”
但我也不得不承认，同时我也有些遗憾。”

What could this mean? Then Yūgiri remembered rumors about the Suzaku emperor’s concern for the Third Princess, and his wish to find a good husband for her before he took holy orders.
这是怎么回事呢？尤羽羽想起了有关朱雀帝关心三公主的传闻，以及他希望在他出家之前给她找个好丈夫的愿望。

But to let it appear that he had guessed with no trouble at all might not be good manners. —
但让他看起来毫不费力地猜出来可能不太礼貌。 —

“I am not much of a prize,” he said as he took his leave, “and I fear that I was not very eagerly sought after.”
“我并不是什么值得珍惜的东西，”他辞别时说，“我担心我并没有被迫切地寻求。”

The women of the house had all gathered for a look at him.
家里的女人们都聚集在一起看他。

“What a marvelous young man. And see how beautifully he carries himself.”
“多么了不起的年轻人。看他多么优雅。”

This sort of thing from the younger ones. The older ones were not so sure. —
年轻人才会这样想。年长者则不太确定。 —

“You should have seen his father when he was that age. —
“你应该看看他父亲在他这个年纪时是什么样子的。 —

He was so handsome that he left you quite giddy.”
他那时如此英俊，让你简直晕头转向。”

The Suzaku emperor overheard them. “Yes, Genji was unique. But why do you say ‘that age’? —
朱雀帝听到了。 “是的，源氏是独一无二的。但你为什么说‘那时候’？ —

He has only improved as the years have gone by. —
随着岁月的流逝，他只是变得更加优秀。 —

I often say to myself that the word ‘radiant’ was invented especially for him. —
我常常对自己说，‘光彩夺目’这个词似乎是专门为他创造的。 —

In grand matters of public policy we all fall silent when he speaks, but he has another side too, a gentle sense of humor that is irresistible. —
在重大的公共政策事务上，当他发言时，我们都屏息静听，但他也有另一面，一种不可抗拒的幽默感。 —

There is no one quite like him. I sometimes wonder what he can have been in his other lives. —
没有人能与他媲美。我有时会想他在前世都经历过什么。 —

He grew up at court and he was our father’s favorite, the joy and treasure of his life. —
他在宫廷里长大，是我们父亲的宠儿，他是父亲生命中的快乐和珍宝。 —

Yet he was always a model of quiet restraint. —
但他始终是克制的典范。 —

When he turned twenty, I seem to remember, he was not yet even a middle councillor. —
我记得他二十岁那年，甚至还不是中位成员。 —

The next year he became councillor and general. —
次年，他就成为了大臣和将军。 —

The fact that his son has advanced more rapidly is evidence, I should think, that the family is well thought of. —
他儿子的更快晋升是个证据，我想家族受到了好评。 —

Yūgiri’s advice in official matters has always been careful and solid. —
在官方事务中，弓矢的建议一直小心而可靠。 —

I may be mistaken, but I doubt that he does less well in that respect than his father.”
我可能错了，但我怀疑他在这方面的表现比他父亲差。

The Third Princess was a pretty little thing, still very young in her ways and very innocent. —
第三王女是个可爱的小东西，仍然幼稚天真。 —

“How nice,” said the Suzaku emperor, “if we could find a good, dependable man to look after you. —
“如果我们能找到一个好的、可靠的男人来照顾你，那该多好啊。”-朱雀天皇说。 —

Someone who would see to your education too. —
一个能负责你的教育的人。有太多事情你需要了解。 —

There are so many things you need to know.”
15行不改编。

He summoned her nurses and her more knowledgeable attendants for a conference about the initiation ceremonies. —
他召集了她的护士和更有见识的侍从们开会讨论入室仪式。 —

“It would be quite the best thing if someone could be persuaded to do for her what Genji did for Prince Hyōbu’s daughter. —
“如果能找到有人像源氏为兵部卿女那样关照她，那就太好了。 —

I can think of no one in active court service. —
我想目前在朝廷服役的人里没有。 —

His Majesty has the empress, and his other ladies are all so very well favored that I would fear for her in the competition and worry about her lack of adequate support. —
皇上有皇后，其他妃嫔都容貌出众，我担心她在比赛中会吃亏，担心她缺乏足够的支持。 —

I really should have dropped a hint or two while Yūgiri was still single. —
在弓桂还未出嫁时，我真该适时地暗示几句。 —

He is young but extremely gifted, and he would seem to have a brilliant future.”
他年轻但极具才华，前程似乎一片光明。”

“But he is such a steady, proper young man. —
“但他是个稳重、正派的年轻人。 —

Through all those years he thought only of the girl who is now his wife, and nothing could pull him away from her. —
多年来他只顾着现在的妻子，什么都不能让他动摇。 —

He will doubtless be even more unbudgeable now that they are married. —
现在他们结婚了，他肯定更加固执不移。 —

I should think that the chances might be better with his father. —
我觉得与他的父亲的机会可能更大。 —

It would seem that Genji still has the old acquisitive instincts and that he is always on the alert for ladies of really good pedigree. —
看起来源氏仍然保留着旧有的追女性能力，总是留意那些出身良好的女子。 —

I am told that he still thinks of the former high priestess of Kamo and sometimes gets off a letter to her.”
我听说他还在想着前资料所长亲王妃殿，有时还给她写信。”

“But that is exactly what worries me — his eagerness for the hunt.”
“但正是这让我担忧 — 他对追求的热切。”

Yet it would seem that the Suzaku emperor’s thoughts were running in much the same direction. —
似乎朱雀皇帝的想法也在朝向同一个方向。 —

There might be unpleasantness of some description, since there were all those other ladies; —
可能会有某种令人不快的事情发生，因为有那么多其他妇女； —

but he could do worse than ask that Genji take in the Third Princess much as he might have brought home a daughter.
但他不妨让源氏收留第三皇女，就像他可能会带回一个女儿一样。

“I’m sure that everyone with a marriageable daughter has the same thought, that when all is said and done Genji would not be a bad son-in-law. —
“我相信每个有婚嫁女儿的人都有同样的想法，却说到底，源氏作女婿倒也不算坏。” —

Life is short and a man wants to do what he can with it. —
生命短暂，一个人想尽可能做他所能做的。 —

If I had been born a woman I suspect I might have been drawn to him in a not too sisterly fashion. —
如果我生为女子，我可能会以一种非姊妹的方式被吸引到他身边。 —

I used to think so when we were boys, and I have never been surprised at all when I have seen a lady losing her senses over him.”
我们小时候我就这么认为了，每当看到一位女士对他失去理智，我一点也不感到意外。”

It may have been that he was thinking of his own Oborozukiyo.
也许他想着他自己的织月。

Among the princess’s nurses was a woman of good family whose elder brother was a moderator of the middle rank. —
公主的乳母之中，有一位出身良好的女性，她的兄长是一个中等品级官员。 —

He had long been among Genji’s more trusted followers and he had been of good service to the Third Princess as well. —
他长久以来一直是源氏信任的追随者之一，他也对第三皇女尽心尽力。 —

One day when he was with her his sister told him of the Suzaku emperor’s remarks.
有一天，当他与她在一起时，他的姐姐告诉他了朱雀皇帝的言论。

“Perhaps you might find occasion to speak to His Lordship. —
“也许你可以找机会和尊贵的大人谈谈。 —

It is a common enough thing for princesses to remain single, but it is good all the same when one of them finds a man who is fond of her and will look after her. —
公主保持独身是很常见的事情，但当她找到一个疼爱她并照顾她的男人时，这是非常好的。 —

My poor lady, only her father really cares about her. —
我可怜的夫人，只有她父亲真正关心她。 —

Except for us, of course — and what can we do? —
除了我们，当然 — 我们能做什么呢？ —

As a matter of fact, I would feel better if I were the only one concerned. —
说实话，如果只有我一个人担心，我会感到更好。 —

There are other women with her, and one of them could easily bring about her ruin. —
她身边还有其他女人，其中一个很容易将她推向毁灭。 —

It would be an enormous relief if something could be arranged while her father is still with us. —
如果在她父亲仍在世时能安排一些事情，那将是一种巨大的解脱。 —

Even a princess may be fated for unhappy things, and I do worry most inordinately. —
即使是公主也可能注定会经历不幸，我非常担心。 —

There are jealousies because she is her father’s favorite. —
因为她是她父亲最喜欢的，所以引起了嫉妒。 —

I only wish it were in my power to protect her.”
我只希望我能保护她。

“Genji is a more reliable man than you would imagine. —
“源氏比你想象的更值得信赖。 —

When he has had an affair, even the most lighthearted sort of adventure, he ends up by taking the lady in and making her one of his own. —
当他与某位女子有染，即使只是轻松愉快的冒险，最终他会收留这位女子，让她成为他的一员。 —

The result is that he has a large collection. —
结果就是他拥有很多女子。 —

But no man can distribute his affections indefinitely, and it would seem that there is one lady who dominates them. —
但没有人能够无限地分散他的感情，似乎有一位女子占据了他的心。 —

I should imagine, though I cannot be sure, that there are numbers of ladies who feel rather neglected as a result. —
我想，尽管我不能确定，有许多女子因此感到被忽略。 —

But if it should be the princess’s fate to marry him, I doubt that the one lady need be a dangerous threat to her. —
但如果公主注定要嫁给他，我怀疑那位女子是否会对她构成危险的威胁。 —

I must admit all the same that I have misgivings. —
我必须承认，我有疑虑。 —

I have heard him say, without making a great point of it, that his life has been too well favored in an otherwise poorly favored day, and that it would be greedy and arrogant of him to want more, but that he himself and others too have thought that in his relations with women he has not been completely successful. —
我听他说过，虽然没有过多强调，他的人生在一个其他方面节节败退的时代显得过于幸运，如果他想要更多，那将是贪婪和傲慢的，但他自己和其他人也认为，在与女性的关系中他并不完全成功。 —

I think I can see what he means. Not one of his ladies need be ashamed of her family, and not one of them is of really the very best. —
我想我懂他的意思。他的每位女子都可以为自己的家族感到自豪，但没有一位是实际上最好的。 —

They are all in some measure his inferior. —
在某种程度上，她们都是他的下贱。 —

I should think that your lady might be exactly what is needed.”
我认为你的女士可能正是需要的。”

The nurse found occasion to speak of these matters to the Suzaku emperor. —
护士找到机会向朱雀天皇谈及这些事情。 —

“My brother says that His Lordship at Rokujō would without question be friendly to a proposal from Your Majesty. —
“我兄弟说，六条大納言肯定会欢迎陛下的提议。 —

He would see in it the fulfillment of all his wishes. —
他会看到这是他所有愿望的实现。 —

With Your Majesty’s concurrence my brother would be happy to transmit a proposal. —
如果陛下同意，我兄弟将很乐意转达这个提议。 —

Yet we have misgivings. His Lordship is very kind to them all, after their various stations, but even a commoner who does not have her royal dignity to worry about finds it unpleasant to be one of many wives. —
但我们有些担忧。六条大納言对他们所有人都非常友好，不论他们的地位，但即使是一个没有皇家尊严需要担忧的平民也会觉得成为众多妻子之一很令人不愉快。 —

I wonder if the strain on my lady might not perhaps be too much. —
我想知道对我女士的压力也许太大了。 —

I gather that she has other suitors. I hope that Your Majesty will consider all the possibilities very carefully before coming to a decision. —
我听说她还有其他追求者。我希望陛下在做出决定之前非常仔细地考虑所有可能性。 —

Ladies tend these days to think first about their own convenience and to be indifferent to the claims of high birth. —
如今的女士们 tend 首先考虑自己的便利，对高贵出身的要求漠不关心。 —

My own lady is really so very innocent and inexperienced, astonishingly so, indeed, and there is a limit to what we others can do for her. —
我的女士实在是太单纯太无经验了，确实让人惊讶，而对于我们其他人来说，我们所能为她做的有限。 —

When we are conscien- tious we do our work under direction, and we find ourselves helpless if it begins to weaken.”
当我们有责任心时，我们在指导下工作，若开始动摇，我们会感到无助。”

“I have worried a great deal, and think I am aware of all the arguments and considerations. —
“我担心很久了，并认为我已了解所有的论点和考虑。 —

It may be the more prudent course for a princess to remain single. —
一个公主保持独身也许是比较谨慎的做法。 —

The claims of birth cannot be relied upon to protect a marriage from bitterness and unhappiness. —
出身的重要性不能保证婚姻免于痛苦和不幸。 —

They are certain to come. And on the other hand there are unmarried princesses who suddenly find themselves alone in the world, quite without protection. —
这些必然会出现。另一方面，有些未婚公主会突然发现自己孤立无援。 —

In the old days people were diffident and respectful and would not have dreamed of violating the proprieties, but in our own day the most determined and purposeful lady cannot be sure that she is not going to be insulted. —
在旧时代，人们拘谨而尊重，不会梦想违背礼节，但在我们的时代，即使是最坚决和有目标的女士也无法确定自己不会受到侮辱。” —

Such, in any event, has been the purport of the various discussions I have overheard. —
我无意中听到的各种讨论一直都是这样的意思。 —

A lady who was until yesterday guarded by worthy and influential parents today finds herself involved in a scandal with an adventurer of no standing at all and brings dishonor upon her dead parents. —
一个昨天还受着受人尊敬的父母保护的女士，今天却卷入了与一个毫无地位的冒险家的丑闻，并给已故父母带来了耻辱。 —

Such instances are constantly coming to my attention. And so there are arguments on both sides. —
我不断听到这样的事例。因此双方都有自己的争论。 —

The fact that a lady was born a princess is no guarantee that things will go well for her. —
一个女士出生为公主并不意味着事情会顺利进行。 —

You cannot imagine how I have worried.
你无法想象我有多么的担忧。

“When a lady has put herself in the hands of those who ought to know best, then she can resign herself to what must be, and if it is not happy then at least she does not have herself to blame. —
“当一个女士把自己交给那些应该最了解她的人时，她便可以接受必须发生的事情，即使不幸也至少不会责备自己。 —

Or if she is not that sort of lady, affairs may shape themselves so that in the end she may congratulate herself upon her independence. —
或者她并不是那种随波逐流的女士，事情可能也会自行发展，最终她可以为自己的独立感到庆幸。 —

Even then the initial secrecy and the affront to her parents and advisers are not good. —
即便如此，最初的隐瞒和对父母和顾问的冒犯也是不好的。 —

They do injury to her name from which it is not easy to recover. —
这会给她的名誉造成伤害，而重振名誉却并不容易。 —

What a silly, heedless girl, People say, even of a commoner. —
多么愚蠢、不慎重的女孩，人们会说，甚至对一个平民。 —

Or if a lady’s wishes should have been consulted but she finds herself joined to a man who does not please her, and people are heard to say that it is just as they thought it would be — then her advisers may be taxed with carelessness. —
或者如果女士的意愿本应该被考虑，但她发现自己与一个不讨她喜欢的男子结合，而人们声称这正是他们所料，那么她的顾问们可能会被指责疏忽大意。 —

I have reason to believe that the Third Princess is not at all reliable in these matters, and that you people are reaching out and taking her affairs into your own hands. —
我有理由相信第三位公主在这些事情上并不可靠，而你们这些人却在伸手插手并控制着她的事务。 —

If it were to become known that that is the case, the results could easily be disastrous.”
如果这一情况曝光，后果可能会很严重。”

These troubled meditations, as he prepared to leave the world, did not make things easier for the princess’s women.
在为离世做准备时，这些深深忧虑并没有让公主身边的女官们感到更轻松。

“I think I have been rather patient,” continued the Suzaku emperor, “waiting for her to grow up and become just a little more aware of things, but now I begin to fear that my deepest wish may be denied me. —
“我想我一直都很耐心，”朱雀皇帝继续说道，“等待她长大，变得对事物稍微有些了解，但现在我开始担心我的最深切愿望可能会被拒绝。 —

I can wait no longer.
我再也不能等待了。

“It is true that Genji has other ladies, but he is a sober and intelligent man, indeed a tower of strength. —
“源赖光确实有其他女性，但他是一个清醒而聪明的人，确实是一座力量之塔。 —

Let us not worry about the others. She must make a place for herself. —
让我们不要担心其他人。她必须为自己找到一个位置。 —

It would be hard to think of a more dependable man.
可以说很难想象一个更值得依赖的人了。

“But let us consider the other possibilities.
“但让我们考虑其他可能性。

“There is my brother, Prince Hotaru. He is a thoroughly decent man and certainly no stranger, nor is he someone we may consider we have any right to look down upon. —
“还有我的弟弟，螢王子。他是一个非常体面的人，当然也不是一个我们有权看不起的陌生人。 —

But I sometimes think that his preoccupation with deportment rather diminishes his stature and even makes him seem less than completely serious. —
但我有时觉得他对举止的过分关注，会让他失去威严，甚至显得不够严肃。 —

I doubt that we can depend on him in such an important matter.
我怀疑在这样一个重要的事务上我们是否能依靠他。

“I have heard that the Fujiwara councillor would like to manage her affairs. —
“我听说藤原大臣想要管理她的事务。 —

I have no doubt that he would be a very loyal servant, and yet — might one not hope for a less ordinary sort of man? —
我毫不怀疑他会是一个非常忠诚的仆人，然而——难道我们不能希望一个不那么普通的男人吗？ —

The precedents all suggest that true eminence is what matters, and that an eagerness to be of service is not quite enough.
先例都表明真正的卓越才是重要的，一心一意地效劳并不完全足够。

“There is Kashiwagi. Oborozukiyo tells me that he suffers from secret longings. —
“还有柏木。朧月夜告诉我他在遭受着秘密的渴望。 —

Perhaps he might someday do, but he is still very young and rather obscure. —
也许有一天他会如愿，但他仍然很年轻而且相当低调。 —

I am told that he has remained single because he wants the very best. —
据说他一直保持单身是因为他想要最好的。 —

No one else has been so dedicated to such high ambitions. —
没有人像他这样致力于如此高的抱负。 —

He has studied hard, and I have no doubt that he will one day be among the most useful of public servants. —
他努力学习，我毫不怀疑他将来会成为最有用的公仆之一。 —

But I doubt that he is quite what we want at the moment.”
但我怀疑他目前是否符合我们的要求。

No one troubled him with the affairs of his other daughters, who worried him much less. —
没有人打扰他处理其他女儿的事务，这让他更少操心。 —

It was strange how reports of his secret anxiety had so spread that it had become a matter of public concern.
令人奇怪的是，关于他秘密焦虑的传闻如此传播，以至于变成了公众关注的问题。

It came to the attention of Tō no Chūjō, who presented his addresses through Oborozukiyo, his sister-in-law. —
这件事引起了当时的藤壬中将注意，他透过他的弟媳清月向她示爱。 —

“Kashiwagi is still single because he is determined to marry a princess and no one else. —
“柏木还是单身，因为他决心娶一位公主，不愿意娶其他人。 —

You might point this fact out to the Suzaku emperor when he is making final plans for his daughters. —
当朱雀皇帝为女儿作最后的计划时，你可以向他指出这个事实。” —

If Kashiwagi were to be noticed I would feel greatly honored myself.”
如果柏木被注意到的话，我本人将感到非常荣幸。

Oborozukiyo did what she could to advance her nephew’s cause.
朧月夜为了助长她的侄儿的事业，尽了她所能。

Prince Hotaru, having been rejected by Tamakazura, was determined to show her that he could do even better. —
被玉葛河拒绝后，螢王子决心要向她展示自己能做得更好。 —

It was not likely that the affairs of the Third Princess had escaped his notice. —
第三皇女的事务很可能没有逃过他的注意。 —

Indeed, he was very restless.
他确实很焦躁不安。

The Fujiwara councillor was very close to the Suzaku emperor, whose chief steward he had been for many years. —
藤原侍御是与朱雀皇帝非常亲近的，多年来一直担任他的总管。 —

With his master’s retirement from the world his prospects were bleak. —
随着主人隐退，他的前景黯淡。 —

It would seem that he was trying to call the Suzaku emperor’s attention to his claims as the man most competent to manage the princess’s affairs.
看起来他正试图吸引朱雀皇帝的注意，让他相信自己是管理公主事务最有能力的人。

Yūgiri had of course been taken into the royal confidence. —
悠樹当然已经得到皇家的信任。 —

It excited him, apparently, to think that the Suzaku emperor, having said so much, could not shrug off a proposal from him. —
显然，他兴奋地认为朱雀皇帝既然说了那么多，就无法对他的提议置之不理。 —

But Kumoinokari had joined her destinies to his. —
但是雲居野雁已将她的命运与他紧密相连。 —

He had been steadfast through all the unfriendly years and could not admit the possibility of making her unhappy now. —
在所有不友好的岁月里他都很坚定，现在无法想象让她不开心。 —

And of course marriage to the chancellor’s daughter limited his options. —
当然，与大臣的女儿结婚限制了他的选择。 —

Action on two fronts, so to speak, could be very exacting and very unpleasant. —
在两个方面采取行动可能非常艰巨，也可能非常不愉快。 —

Always the most prudent of young men, he kept his own counsel. —
他一直是最谨慎的年轻人，守口如瓶。 —

Yet he watched each new development with great interest, and he was not at all sure that he would not be disappointed when a husband was finally chosen for the princess.
然而，他对每一次新发展都怀着极大的兴趣观察着，他并不确定在公主最终选择丈夫时自己是否会感到失望。

The crown prince too was well informed. He offered it as his view that one must be very careful about setting precedents. —
太子也消息灵通。他提出自己的看法，认为我们在树立先例时必须非常谨慎。 —

“You must deliberate on every facet of the case. —
“你必须仔细考虑案件的每一个方面。 —

However excellent a man may be, a commoner is still a commoner. —
不管一个人有多么优秀，一个平民依然是一个平民。 —

But if Genji is to be your choice, then I think he should be asked to look after her as a father looks after a daughter.”
但如果以玉几为你的选择，那么我认为他应该被要求像父亲看待女儿一样照顾她。”

“I quite agree. I can see that you have thought the matter over carefully.”
“我完全同意。我可以看出你已经仔细考虑过这件事了。”

Increasingly enthusiastic about Genji’s candidacy, the Suzaku emperor summoned the moderator, brother of the Third Princess’s nurse, and asked that Genji be made aware of his thoughts.
苏作帝对玉几成为候选人越来越热情，召见了第三皇女的保姆的兄弟担任调解人，并要求让玉几了解他的想法。

Genji was of course very much aware of them already. “I am sorry to hear it. —
当然，玉几早已很清楚这一点。“听到这个我很抱歉。 —

He may fear that he has not much longer to live, but how can he be sure that I will outlive him? —
他可能害怕自己没多少时间了，但他如何能确定我会活得比他长呢？ —

If we could be sure to die in the order in which we were born, then of course I might expect to be around for a little while yet. —
如果我们能确定按出生顺序去世的话，那当然我可能还能活一段时间。 —

But I can look after her without marrying her. —
但我可以照顾她而不娶她。 —

I could hardly be indifferent towards any of his children. —
我对他的任何孩子都不可能无动于衷。 —

If he is especially concerned about the Third Princess, then I will want to respect his wishes. —
如果他特别关心第三皇女，那么我会尊重他的意愿。 —

Though of course nothing in this world is certain.
当然，这个世界上没有什么是肯定的。

“I am overwhelmed by these evidences of trust and affection. —
“这些信任和感情的表现让我感到万分震惊。 —

But supposing I were to follow her father’s example and retire to a hermitage myself — would that not be sad for her? —
但假如我效仿她父亲的榜样，隐退到山林里去 — 难道这对她不令人悲哀吗？ —

And she would be a strong bond tying me to a world I wish to leave.
而她将成为牵制我留在这个我想要离开的世界的强大纽带。

“What of Yūgiri? He is still young and not very important, I know, but he will someday be one of the grand ministers. —
“那么悠阳呢？他虽还年轻并且不是很重要，我知道，但他迟早会成为一位大臣。 —

He has all the qualifications. If the Suzaku emperor is so inclined, I am not being frivolous, I most emphatically assure you, when I commend Yūgiri to his attention. —
他具备所有资格。如果苏摩帝想要，我绝对不是在轻率，我十分肯定地向您推荐悠阳。 —

Perhaps he has held back because he knows that the boy is a monogamous sort and that he already has his wife.”
或许他至今没有决定，是因为他知道这个男孩是个专情的人，而且他已经有了妻子。”

Genji seemed to be withdrawing his candidacy. —
源氏似乎在撤退自己的候选资格。 —

Knowing that the Suzaku emperor’s decision had not been hasty, the moderator was much distressed. —
知道苏摩帝的决定并非仓促，所以主持者倍感不安。 —

He described all the deliberations in great detail.
他详细描述了所有的商议。

Genji smiled. “Yes, he is very fond of her, and I can imagine how he must worry. —
源氏微笑着说。“对，他非常疼爱她，我能想象他有多么担心。 —

But there is one unassailable way to end his worries: make her one of the emperor’s ladies. —
但有一种毋庸置疑的方法可以了结他的忧虑：让她成为皇帝的一位妃子。 —

He has numbers of fine ladies already, I know, but they need not be a crucial consideration. —
他已经有许多优秀的妃子，我知道，但这并非是决定性的考虑因素。 —

It is by no means a firm rule that ladies who come to court later are at a disadvantage. —
后来才到宫廷的妃子并不一定处于不利地位。 —

He has only to look back to the days of our late father. The dowager empress was his first wife. —
他只需回想我们的前任皇帝的时代。太皇太后是他的初妻。 —

She came to court when he was still crown prince and she seemed to have everything her way, and yet there were the years when she was quite overshadowed by Fujitsubo, the very last of his ladies. —
她在他还是太子的时候就来到宫廷，似乎一切都按照她的意愿进行，但却有几年她被藤壶完全掩盖。 —

Your princess’s mother was, I believe, Fujitsubo’s sister, only less well endowed, people tell me, than she. —
您公主的母亲，据告诉我，是藤壶的姐妹，只不过财富没有她那样丰盛。 —

With such fine looks on both sides of the family it cannot be doubted that your princess is very lovely.”
全家都长得如此出众，毫无疑问你的公主一定很漂亮。

The Suzaku emperor took the last remark as evidence that Genji was himself not uninterested.
苏作皇帝把这句话当作源氏对第三王女有兴趣的证据。

The year drew to an end. The Suzaku emperor made haste to get his affairs in order. —
这一年已经接近尾声。苏作皇帝匆匆忙忙地处理着他的事务。 —

The plans for the Third Princess’s initiation were so grand that it seemed likely to oust all other such affairs from the history books. —
第三王女的启蒙计划是如此宏伟，以至于可能会从史书上抹去所有其他类似的事务。 —

The west room of the Oak Pavilion was fitted out for the ceremonies. —
橡树亭的西厢房被布置成了举行仪式的场所。 —

Only the most resplendent imported brocades were used for hangings and cushions, and the results would have pleased a Chinese empress.
只有最华丽的进口锦缎被用来做悬幔和靠垫，结果让人像中华皇后那样满意。

Suzaku had long before asked Tō no Chūjō to bestow the ceremonial train. —
苏作早已请过当时的中将赐予礼服的典礼。 —

He was such a busy man that one was reluctant to make demands upon his time, but he had never turned away a request from Suzaku. —
他是个如此忙碌的人，让人不愿意占用他的时间，但他从未拒绝过苏作的请求。 —

The other two ministers and all the high courtiers were also present, even some who had had previous engagements. —
其他两位大臣和所有高级官员也都在场，甚至有些人本应有别的约会。 —

Indeed the whole court was present, including the whole of the emperor’s private household and that of the crown prince. —
全部朝臣都在场，包括皇帝的整个私人侍从和太子的侍从。 —

Eight royal princes were among the guests. —
八位皇子也在宴会上。 —

For the emperor and the crown prince and many others too there was sadness mingled with the joy. —
皇帝、太子以及其他许多人内心感到欢乐中夹杂着悲伤。 —

It would be the last such affair arranged by the Suzaku emperor. —
这将是苏作皇帝举办的最后一场这样的盛事。 —

The warehouses and supply rooms were searched for the most splendid of imported gifts. —
仓库和储藏室里搜寻出最华丽的进口礼物。 —

A large array of equally splendid gifts came from Rokujō, some in Genji’s own name and some in that of the Suzaku emperor. —
龙树庄送来了一大批同样华丽的礼物，有些是源氏的名字，有些是苏作皇帝的名字。 —

It was Genji who saw that Tō no Chūjō was properly rewarded for his services.
是源氏看到藤壁中将得到了应有的奖赏。

From Akikonomu came robes and combs and the like, all of them selected with the greatest care. —
素兼的衣裳、梳子等物品都是由晶子亲自挑选的，选得非常慎重。 —

She got out combs and bodkins from long ago and made sure that the necessary repairs did not obscure their identity. —
她拿出了一些年头的梳子和发簪，并确保修补后不会掩盖它们的原貌。 —

On the evening of the ceremony she dispatched them by her assistant chamberlain, who also served in the Suzaku Palace, with instructions that they be delivered directly to the Third Princess. —
在仪式当晚，她让自己的侍从官送去这些东西，他也同时在朱雀院任职，并叮嘱要直接交到三殿下手中。 —

With them was a poem:
附上了一首诗:

“I fear these little combs are scarred and worn.
“我怕这些小梳子已经磨损，

I have used them to summon back an ancient day.”
我用它们召回了一段古老的日子。”

The Suzaku emperor chanced to be with the princess when the gift was delivered. —
正好是送礼的时候，苏泽派皇帝恰巧与公主同在。 —

The memories were poignant. Perhaps Akikonomu meant to share some of her own good fortune with the princess. —
这些回忆令人感慨万分，或许晶子想分享一些自己的幸运给公主。 —

It was a beautiful gift in any case. He got off a note of thanks from which he tried to exclude his own feelings:
这无论如何都是一份美丽的礼物。他写了一封感谢信，尽力不让自己的情感流露:

“I only hope that she may be as you,
“我只希望她如你般，

All through the myriad years of the boxwood comb.”
伴随着无数年的黄梨梳。”

It was with a considerable effort of the will that he was present at the ceremonies, for he was in great pain. —
对他来说，在仪式上出席需要付出相当大的意志努力，因为他极度痛苦。 —

Three days later he took the tonsure. Even an ordinary man leaves grief and regret behind him, and in his case the regret was boundless.
三天后，他剃发出家。即使一个普通人在世间会留下悲伤与遗憾，而在他的情况下，遗憾是无穷无尽的。

Oborozukiyo refused to leave his side.
朧月夜拒绝离开他身边。

“My worries about my daughters may come to an end,” he said, “but how can I stop worrying about you?”
“我的担忧关于女儿可能会结束了，”他说，“但我怎么能停止担心你呢？”

He forced himself to sit up. The grand abbot of Hiei shaved his head and there were three eminent clerics to administer the vows. —
他强迫自己坐起来。比叡山的大阿弥陀剃了头，三位著名僧侣为他宣誓。 —

The final renunciation, symbolized by the change to somber religious habit, was very sad indeed. —
最后的放弃，象征着变身为黯淡宗教服装，实在是非常悲伤的。 —

Even the priests, who should long ago have left sorrow behind them, were unable to hold back their tears. —
就连应该早已把悲伤抛诸脑后的僧侣们也控制不住眼泪。 —

As for the Suzaku emperor’s daughters and ladies and attendants high and low, the halls and galleries echoed with their laments. —
至于朱雀上皇的女儿们和贵妇以及上下侍女，宫殿和长廊里回荡着她们的哀悼声。 —

And even now, he sighed, he could not have the peace he longed for. —
即使到了现在，他叹息道，也无法得到自己所渴望的宁静。 —

The Third Princess was still too much on his mind.
三王女仍然萦绕在他心头。

He was of course showered with messages, from the emperor and from the whole court.
当然，他收到了来自皇帝和整个宫廷的讯息。

Hearing that he was a little better, Genji paid a visit. —
得知他好转了一些，源氏前去拜访。 —

Genji’s allowances were now those of a retired emperor, but he was determined to avoid equivalent ceremony. —
源氏的补贴如今是一位退位皇帝的水准，但他决定避免同等的仪式。 —

He rode in a plain carriage and kept his retinue to a minimum, and preferred a carriage escort to the more ostentatious mounted guard. —
他乘坐简朴的马车，将随从减至最低限度，并更倾向于马队护卫，而非更张扬的骑卫。 —

Delighted at the visit, the Suzaku emperor braved very great discomfort to receive him. —
对于这次访问，朱雀上皇为了接待源氏，忍受了极大的不适。 —

He shared Genji’s wishes that the visit be informal and had places set out in his private parlor. —
他和源氏一样希望这次访问不要正式，于是在他的私人闺房摆出了桌椅。 —

Genji was shocked and saddened at the change in his brother. —
源氏对他兄弟的变化感到震惊和悲伤。 —

A shadow seemed to sweep over the past and on into the future, and he was in tears.
一种阴影仿佛横扫过去并延伸至未来，他流下了眼泪。

“Father’s death more than anything made me aware of impermanence and change. —
父亲的去世最令我意识到无常和变迁。 —

I resolved that I must leave the world. But I have never had much will power, and I have delayed, and so you see me unable to raise my head before you who have done the great thing first. —
我下定决心要离开这个世界。但我从未有过太多的意志力，我一直拖延，所以你看到我无法抬起头来面对你，你已经完成了那件伟大的事。 —

I have known how much easier it should be for me than for you and I have made the resolve over and over again, and somehow regret for the world has always been stronger.”
我知道这对我来说应该更容易，而不是对你，我一遍又一遍地做出了决定，但不知怎的，对这个世界的遗憾总是更强烈。

The Suzaku emperor was also weeping. In an uncertain voice he talked of old and recent happenings. —
朱雀帝君也在哭泣。他含糊地谈论着古今发生的事情。 —

“For years I have had a persistent feeling that I would not last the night, and still the years have gone by. —
多年来，我一直有一种固执的感觉，感觉自己撑不过这一夜，但年复一年，我还是活了下来。 —

Fearing that I might die without accomplishing the first of my resolves, I have finally taken the step. —
为了不至于死在未能实现的第一个决心之前，我最终迈出了这一步。 —

Now that I have changed to these dark robes I know more than ever how little time I have ahead of me. —
现在我换上了这身黑袍，更是深切地意识到我前方的时间不多了。 —

I fear that I shall not go far down the way I have chosen. —
我害怕我无法走得很远。 —

I must be satisfied with the easier route. —
我必须接受更容易的途径。 —

I shall calm my thoughts for a time and invoke the holy name, and that will be all. —
我会暂时平静思绪，念起圣号，就这样了。 —

I am not a man of very grand and rare substance, and I cannot think that I was meant for anything different. —
我并非一个非常伟大和稀有的人，我不认为我生来就注定要做某种不同的事情。 —

I must reprove myself for the years of lazy indecision.”
我必须责备自己多年的懒散拖延。

He described his plans and hopes and managed to touch upon the matter that worried him most. —
他详细描述了自己的计划和期望，并设法触及他最担忧的问题。 —

“I am sad for all of my daughters, but most of all for the most inadequately protected of them.”
我为我的所有女儿感到悲伤，但最为无力保护的女儿令我更伤心。

Genji was sad for his brother, and in spite of everything rather interested in the Third Princess. —
源氏为他的兄弟感到悲伤，尽管种种，他对第三皇女还是颇感兴趣。 —

“Yes, the higher a lady’s standing, the sadder it is for her to be without adequate defenses. —
“是的，一个女士的地位越高，没有足够的防御手段对她来说就越悲哀。 —

I am very much aware that our crown prince is among our greatest blessings. —
我非常清楚我们的太子是我们最大的祝福之一。 —

The whole world looks upon him as more than this inferior day of ours has any right to expect, and I know perhaps better than anyone how unlikely he is to refuse Your Majesty’s smallest request. —
整个世界视他为这个比我们这个卑微的时代更应该期望的东西，我可能比任何人都更了解他是多么不可能拒绝陛下最小的请求。 —

There is no cause for concern, none at all. Yet it is as Your Majesty has said: —
无需担忧，毫无疑问。不过就像陛下所说的: —

there is a limit to what even he can do. —
就算是他也有极限。 —

When his day comes he may be able to manage public affairs quite as he wishes, but there is no assurance that he can arrange things ideally for his own sisters. —
等他登基时，或许可以尽管按照自己的意愿处理公共事务，但并不能保证他能为自己的姐妹安排一切得当。 —

Yes, the safest thing by far would be to find someone whom the Third Princess can depend upon in everything. —
是的，绝对最安全的做法应该是找到一个第三公主能完全依靠的人。 —

Let the vows be exchanged and the man charged with responsibilities he cannot deny. —
让誓约交换，让那个人承担他无法拒绝的责任。 —

If Your Majesty will insist upon worrying about the whole of the vast, distant future, then a decision must be made and a suitable guardian chosen, promptly but quietly.”
如果您陛下一直坚持担忧整个广阔而遥远的未来，那么就必须做出决定，并迅速而悄密地选择一个合适的监护人。”

“I quite agree. But it is by no means easy. —
“我完全同意。但这绝非易事。 —

Many princesses have been provided with suitable husbands while their fathers have still occupied the throne. —
许多公主还在她们的父亲仍占据王位时就得到了合适的丈夫。 —

The matter is more urgent for my own poor girl, and her affairs are the last which I still think of as my own. —
对于我自己可怜的女儿而言，这个问题更加紧迫，她的事务是我仍然把它们看作自己的最后一件事。 —

Promptly and quietly, you say — but they remain beyond my power either to ignore or to dispose of. And as I have worried my health has deteriorated, and days and weeks which will not return have gone by to no purpose.
您所说的迅速而悄密，对我来说却依旧超出了我的能力要么无视要么处理。由于我的担忧，我的健康恶化了，一去不复返的日子和周未过得毫无意义。

“It is not easy for me to make the request, and no easier for you, I am sure, to be the object — but might I ask that you take the girl in your very special charge and, quite as you think appropriate, find a husband for her? —
“对我来说提出这个请求并不容易，对您来说当然也同样不容易成为这个对象——不过我能否请求您特别关照这个女孩，然后尽您认为合适的方式为她找一个丈夫？ —

I should have made a proposal to your son while he was still single, and it is a great source of regret that I was anticipated by the chancellor. ”
我本应在您儿子还是单身时向他提出建议，令我非常遗憾的是我被大臣抢先了。”

“He is a serious, dependable lad, but he is still very young and inexperienced. —
他是一个认真可靠的年轻人，但仍然很年轻且缺乏经验。 —

It may seem presumptuous of me — but let us suppose that I were myself to take responsibility. —
我带着一些自以为是的想法——假设我自己来负责。 —

Her life need not be much different from what it is now, though there is the disquieting consideration that I am no longer young, and the time may come when I can no longer be of service to her.”
她的生活可能与现在并无多大不同，尽管令人不安的是，我不再年轻，也许迟早会无法再为她提供帮助。

And so the contract was made.
于是协议就这样达成了。

In the evening there was a banquet, for Genji’s party and the Suzaku household. —
晚上有一个宴会，供亮子一行和朱雀殿。 —

The priest’s fare was unpretentious but beautifully prepared and served. —
僧人的饭菜虽然不奢华，但精心准备，端上来的服务也颇具美感。 —

The tableware and the trays of light aloeswood also suggested the priestly vocation and brought tears to the eyes of the guests. —
餐桌和轻盈的沉香盆构成了僧人的职业特征，让客人们眼眶含泪。 —

The melancholy and moving details were innumerable, but I fear that they would clutter my story.
悲伤而动人的细节数不胜数，但我担心这会使我的故事过于凌乱。

It was late in the night when Genji and his men departed, the men bearing lavish gifts. —
元智和他的人在深夜离去，手上带着慷慨的礼物。 —

The Fujiwara councillor was among those who saw them off. —
藤原顾问也是送行的人之一。 —

There had been a fall of snow and the Suzaku emperor had caught cold. —
那天下了一场雪，朱雀帝感冒了。 —

But he was happy. The future of the Third Princess seemed secure.
但他很开心。第三王女的未来看起来是安全的。

Genji was worried. Murasaki had heard vague rumors, but she had told herself that it could not be. —
光源很担心。紫是听到了一些含糊的谣言，但她告诉自己那不可能。 —

Genji had once been very serious about the high priestess of Ise, it seemed, but in the end he had held himself back. —
看起来光源曾经对伊势的女高官非常认真，但最终还是克制住了自己。 —

She had not worried a great deal, and asked no questions.
她并没有太担心，并且没有询问任何问题。

How would she take this news? Genji knew that his feelings towards her would not change, or if they did it would be in the direction of greater intensity. —
她会如何接受这个消息？ 源氏知道他对她的感情不会改变，或者如果改变的话会更加强烈。 —

But only time could. assure her of that fact, and there would be cruel uncertainty in the meantime. —
但只有时间能让她确信这一点，与此同时会有残酷的不确定性。 —

Nothing had been allowed to come between them in recent years, and the thought of having a secret from her for even a short time made him very unhappy.
最近几年他们之间没有任何隔阂，而与她保留一个秘密的想法让他感到非常不快。

He said nothing to her that night.
当晚他没有对她说任何话。

The next day was dark, with flurries of snow.
第二天天气阴沉，飘着雪花。

“I went yesterday to call on the Suzaku emperor. He is in very poor health indeed. —
“昨天我去拜访了朱雀皇帝。他的健康状况确实很糟糕。 —

” It was in the course of a leisurely conversation that Genji brought the matter up. —
” 源氏在一个悠闲的谈话中提到了这个问题。 —

“He said many sad things, but what seems to trouble him most as he goes off to his retreat is the future of the Third Princess. —
“他说了很多悲伤的话，但在他去退隐时最让他困扰的是三公主的未来。 —

” And he described that part of the interview. —
” 他描述了谈话的内容。 —

“I was really so extremely sorry for him that I found it impossible to refuse. —
“我真的很为他难过，以至于不得不答应了。 —

I suppose people will make a great thing of it. —
我想人们会对此大惊小怪。 —

The thought of taking a bride at my age has seemed so utterly preposterous that I have tried through this and that intermediary to suggest a certain want of ardor. —
在我这个年纪娶妻子的想法似乎太荒谬了，我通过种种渠道试图暗示某种热情不够。 —

But to see him in person and have it directly from him — I simply could not bring myself to refuse. —
但当面见到他并直接听他说 — 我根本无法拒绝。 —

Do you think that when the time does finally come for him to go off into the mountains we might have her come here? —
你认为当他最终去山中之时我们可以让她来这里吗？ —

Would that upset you terribly? Please do not let it. —
那会让你感到非常不安吗？请务必不要这样。 —

Trust me, and tell yourself what is the complete truth, that nothing is going to change. —
相信我，并告诉自己完全的事实，没有任何事情会改变。 —

She has more right to feel insecure than you do. —
她比你更有权感到不安。 —

But I am sure that we can arrange things happily enough for her too.”
但我相信我们可以为她安排得足够幸福。

She was always torturing herself over the smallest of his affairs, and he had dreaded telling her of this one.
她总是为他的很小的一些事情而折磨自己，他一直很担心告诉她这一件。

But her reply was quiet and unassertive. “Yes, it is sad for her. —
但她的回答是轻声而不是自信的。“是的，对她来说是件可悲的事。 —

The only thing that worries me is the possibility that she might feel less than completely at home. —
我担心的唯一事情是她可能感到不够自在。 —

I shall be very happy if our being so closely related persuades her that I am no stranger.”
如果我们的亲戚关系使她相信我不是陌生人，我会很高兴。

“How silly that this very willingness to accept things should bother me. But it does. —
“这种接受事物的意愿居然会困扰我，多么愚蠢。但它确实会。 —

It makes me start looking for complications, and I am sure I will feel guiltier as the two of you get used to each other. —
这让我开始寻找复杂，我相信随着两人相互熟悉，我会感到更有罪恶感。 —

You must pay no attention to what people say. Rumors are strange things. —
你不能听信别人说什么。谣言很奇怪。 —

It is impossible to know where they come from, but there they are, like living creatures bent on poisoning relations between a man and a woman. —
不可能知道它们从何而来，但它们就在那里，像活生生的生物，企图破坏男女之间的关系。 —

You must listen only to yourself and let matters take their course. —
你只能听从自己的内心，让事情自然发展。 —

Do not start imagining things, and do not torture yourself with empty jealousies.”
不要开始想象，也不要用虚无的嫉妒折磨自己。

It was a tempest out of the blue which there was no escaping. —
这是突如其来的一场风暴，无法逃避。 —

Murasaki was determined that she would not complain or give any hint of resentment. —
紫的决心是她不会抱怨或表现出任何怨恨。 —

She knew that neither her wishes nor her advice would have made any difference. —
她知道，无论是她的愿望还是她的建议都不会有任何影响。 —

She did not want the world to think that she had been crushed by what had to come. —
她不想让世人认为她已经被即将发生的事情压垮。 —

There was her sharp-tongued stepmother, so quick to blame and to gloat — she had even held Murasaki responsible for the curious solution to the Tamakazura problem. —
那位吐舌头的继母总是那么爱责备和幸灾乐祸，甚至还让紫萱为解决玉葵的问题负责。 —

She was certain to gloat over this, and to say that Murasaki deserved exactly what had come to her. —
她肯定会幸灾乐祸，并且说紫萱活该有这样的下场。 —

Though very much in control of herself, Murasaki was prey to these worries. —
虽然紫萱能很好地控制自己，但却为这些担忧而苦恼。 —

The very durability of her relations with Genji was sure to make people laugh harder. —
她与源氏之间的深厚关系必定会让人更加嘲笑。 —

But she gave no hint of her unhappiness.
但她并未流露出自己的不快。

The New Year came, and at the Suzaku Palace the Third Princess’s wedding plans kept people busy. —
新年到来了，在朱雀殿，负责第三皇女的婚事规划，让人们忙碌起来。 —

Her several suitors were deeply disappointed. —
她的几位求婚者都感到深深失望。 —

The emperor, who had let it be known that he would welcome her at court, was among them.
甚至连表示愿意迎娶她的皇帝也在其中。

It was Genji’s fortieth year, to which the court could not be indifferent and which had long promised to send gladness ringing through the land. —
源氏迎来了四十岁的生日，宫廷不可能无动于衷，这长期以来一直让人期待着的日子注定会让整个国家充满喜悦。 —

With his dislike for pomp and ceremony, Genji only hoped that the rejoicing would not be too loud.
源氏不喜欢繁文缛节，只希望庆祝不要过于嘈杂。

The Day of the Rat fell on the twenty-third of the First Month. Tamakazura came with the new herbs that promise long life. —
正月二十三日是鼠年的日子，玉葵带着那能够长寿的新草药前来。 —

She came very quietly, not letting anyone know of her intentions. —
她非常低调，没有让任何人知晓她的意图。 —

Faced with an accomplished fact, Genji could hardly turn her and her gifts away. —
面对既成事实，源氏几乎无法拒绝她及她的礼物。 —

She too disliked ceremony, but the movements of so important a lady were certain to be noticed.
她也不喜欢仪式，但如此重要的女士的动作肯定会引起注意。

A west room of the main southeast hall was made ready to receive her. —
主要东南大厅的一个西房已经准备好迎接她。 —

New curtains were hung and new screens set out, as were forty cushions, more comfortable and less ostentatious, thought Genji, than ceremonial chairs. —
新的窗帘被挂起，新的屏风摆放出来，菊一认为这些比礼仪椅更舒适，更不张扬。 —

In spite of the informality, the details were magnificent. —
尽管没有正式，但细节都很华丽。 —

Wardrobes were laid out upon four cupboards inlaid with mother-of-pearl, and there was a fine though modest array of summer and winter robes, incense jars, medicine and comb boxes, inkstones, vanity sets, and other festive paraphernalia. —
四个镶嵌有珍珠母的橱柜上摆放着衣橱，还有一系列精美而谦逊的夏冬衣裤、香瓶、药盒、梳子盒、墨盒、化妆品套装和其他节庆必需品。 —

The stands for the ritual chaplets were of aloeswood and sandalwood, beautifully carved and fitted in the modern manner, with metal trimmings in several colors. —
祭奠花环的支架是檀香木和檀香木制成的，精美雕刻，并以现代方式配备，带有几种颜色的金属饰边。 —

Tamakazura’s touch was apparent everywhere. —
珠仓的影响无处不在。 —

She was a lady of refinement and sensibility, and when she exerted herself the results were certain to be memorable — though she agreed with Genji that lavish display was in poor taste.
她是一个有教养和感性的女士，当她尽力时，结果必定令人难以忘怀，尽管她同意菊一看法，认为奢华的展示是不合适的。

The party assembled and Genji and Tamakazura exchanged greetings, formal but replete with memories. —
聚会开始，菊一和珠仓互相问候，尽管正式，但充满回忆。 —

Genji seemed so youthful that one wondered whether he might not have miscalculated his age. —
菊一看起来年轻得令人怀疑他是否算错了年龄。 —

He looked more like her bridegroom than her foster father. —
他看起来更像她的新郎而不是养父。 —

She was shy at first, not having seen him in a very long time, but determined not to raise unnecessary barriers. —
一开始她很害羞，因为很久没有见过他，但她决心不设立不必要的障碍。 —

She had brought her two sons with her, very pretty boys indeed. —
她带着两个儿子来，两个非常漂亮的男孩。 —

It rather embarrassed her to have had two sons in such quick succession, but Higekuro, her husband, had said that they must be introduced to Genji, and that there was not likely to be a better occasion. —
她很为这么快就生了两个儿子感到尴尬，但她的丈夫翡烏说他们必须介绍给菊一，并且这可能不会再有更好的机会。 —

They were in identical dress, casual and boyish, and they still wore their hair in the page-boy fashion, parted in the middle.
他们穿着相同的衣服，休闲和少年装，他们仍然将头发分在中间，留着童仆式样。

“I try not to worry about my age,” said Genji, “and to pretend that I am still a boy, and it gives me pause to be presented with the new generation. —
“我尽量不去担心我的年龄，”源氏说，“假装自己还是个男孩，但当面对新一代时，我不禁停下来思考。 —

Yūgiri has children, I am told, but he makes a great thing of not letting me see them. —
据说有小孩的夕霧却刻意不让我见到他们。 —

This day which you were the first to remember does after all bring regrets. —
这个你第一个记得的这一天最终还是带来了遗憾。 —

I had hoped to forget my age for a little while yet.”
我本希望还能暂时忘记自己的年龄。”

Tamakazura was very much the matron, in an entirely pleasant way. —
玉鬘是一个非常得体的主妇，以一种完全令人愉快的方式。 —

Her congratulatory poem was most matronly:
她祝贺的诗最有母亲的风范：

“I come to pray that the rock may long endure
“我来祈愿这块石头会长寿

And I bring with me the seedling pines from the field.”
我带着从田野里带来的幼苗。”

Genji went through the ceremony of sampling the new herbs, which were arranged in four aloeswood boxes. He raised his cup.
源氏品尝了新草药的仪式，这些草药被摆放在四个沉香木盒中。他举起酒杯。

“Long shall be the life of the seedling pines —
“幼苗松的寿命会很长 ——

To add to the years of the herbs brought in from the fields?”
会增加从田野带来的草药的岁月？”

There was a large assembly of high officials in the south room. —
南房间里有一群高级官员。 —

Prince Hyōbu had been of two minds about coming. —
兵部卿本来犹豫要不要来。 —

He finally decided, at about noon, that to stay away would be to attract attention to his daughter’s misfortunes. —
到了中午左右，他最终决定，不来会引起人们对他女儿不幸的注意。 —

Yes, of course it was annoying that Higekuro should be making such a show of his close relations with Genji, but his other children, Prince Hyōbu’s grandchildren, were doubly close to Genji, through their mother and through their stepmother, and had been assigned a conspicuous part in the celebrations.
确实，一旁的樋黑竟然在和源氏关系亲密上做了这么一番表演的确令人恼火，但他的其他孩子，兵部卿的孙子孙女们，通过他们的母亲和继母与源氏有着双重的亲密关系，并在庆祝活动中被分配了明显的角色。

There were forty baskets of fruit and forty boxes of food, presented by as many courtiers, with Yūgiri leading the procession. —
出现了四十筐水果和四十箱食物，由同样多的侍从捧着，由弓切率领着队伍。 —

Genji poured wine for his guests and sampled a broth from the new herbs. —
源氏为客人倒酒，品尝了新草药煮的汤。 —

Before him were four aloeswood stands, laid out with the finest tableware in the newest fashion.
在他面前是四个沉香木架子，摆着最新款式最好的餐具。

Out of respect for the ailing Suzaku emperor, no musicians had been summoned from the palace. —
出于对患病的朱雀帝的尊重，没有从宫中召来音乐家。 —

Tō no Chūjō had brought wind instruments, taking care from far in advance to choose only the best. —
当容的长官带来了吹管乐器，事先精心挑选了最优质的。 —

“There is not likely to be another banquet so splendid,” he said.
“也许不会再有如此华丽的宴会了，”他说。

It was an easy, informal concert. Tō no Chūjō had also brought the Japanese koto that was among his most prized treasures. —
这是一场随意轻松的音乐会。容的长官也带来了他最珍贵的日本琴。 —

He was one of the finest musicians of the day, and when he put himself out no one was his equal — certainly no one was eager to take up the japanese koto when he had finished. —
他是当时最好的音乐家之一，当他展示自己的才华时，没有人能与他相提并论 - 当然，没有人愿意在他完成后再弹这把日本琴。 —

At Genji’s insistence Kashiwagi did finally venture a strain, and everyone agreed that he was very little if at all his father’s inferior. —
在源氏的坚持下，柏木终于尝试了一段乐曲，所有人都一致认为他同父辈相比几乎没有什么差别。 —

There was something almost weirdly beautiful about his playing, to make people exclaim in wonder that though of course talent could be inherited no one would have expected so original a style to be handed from father to son. —
他的弹奏几乎有种诡异的美，足以使人们惊叹，尽管才华可以被继承，但没人会期望如此独特的风格能从父亲传给儿子。 —

There is perhaps nothing so very mysterious about the secret Chinese repertory, for all its variety. The scores may be secret but they are fixed and not hard to read. —
也许中国曲目并没有那么神秘，尽管种类繁多。乐谱可能很神秘，但固定且不难辨认。 —

It is rather the Japanese koto, the improvising after the dictates of one’s fancy, all the while deferring to the requirements of other instruments, that fills the listener with wonder. —
更令人惊奇的是日本琴，根据自己的想像实时即兴演奏，同时顾及其他乐器的要求，这让听众充满了惊叹。 —

His koto tuned very low, Tō no Chūjō managed an astonishingly rich array of overtones. —
长官的琴调得很低，却表现出惊人丰富的谐波。 —

Kashiwagi chose a higher, more approachable tuning. —
柏木选择了一个更高、更易上手的调音。 —

Not informed in advance that he had such talents, the audience, princes and all, was mute with admiration.
听众，包括王子们在内，在并不事先得知他有这样的才能的情况下，都对他的表现无比钦佩。

Genji’s brother, Prince Hotaru, chose a seven-stringed Chinese koto, a palace treasure rich in associations, having been handed down from emperor to emperor. —
源氏的兄长蛍皇子选择了一架七弦的中国古琴，这是宫中的珍宝，传承自一代又一代的皇帝。 —

In his last years Genji’s father had given it to his eldest daughter, who numbered it among her dearest treasures. —
源氏父亲晚年曾将其赠给长女，她将它视为至爱之宝。 —

Tō no Chūjō had asked for it especially to honor the occasion. —
当年的当鸟中将特意要求了这架古琴以示尊敬。 —

Prince Hotaru, who had drunk rather freely and was in tears, glanced tentatively at Genji and pushed the koto towards him. —
喝得有些醉意的蛍皇子含泪看了看源氏，把古琴推给了他。 —

All this gaiety seemed to demand novel music, and though both Tamakazura and Genji had wished to avoid ostentation it was in the end a most remarkable concert. —
这样的欢乐气氛似乎需要一种新颖的音乐，虽然玉鬘和源氏都想避免炫耀，但最终演奏成为一场非凡的音乐会。 —

The singers, gathered at the south stairway, were all in fine voice. —
歌唱者们聚集在南阶楼，声音甜美动听。 —

They presently shifted to a minor key, to announce that the hour was late and the music should be more familiar and intimate. —
他们随后转入小调，说明时间已晚，音乐应该更加熟悉和亲密。 —

“Green Willow” was enough to make the warblers start from their roosts. —
“绿柳”足以使鸣禽从栖息的地方惊起。 —

Since the affair was deemed exempt from public sumptuary regulations, the gifts were of astonishing richness and variety, for Tamakazura and for all the other guests. —
因为此事被视为不受公共节俭规定约束，所以送礼品的富丽而多样，送给玉鬘和其他所有客人。 —

She made ready to leave at dawn.
她准备在黎明离开。

“I live quite apart from the world,” said Genji, “and I find myself losing track of time. —
“我与世隔绝，时光似乎在我失去了踪迹。 —

Your very courteous reminder is also a melancholy one. —
您非常客气的提醒也是令人沮丧的。 —

Do stop by occasionally to see how I have aged. —
偶尔来看看我老去了。 —

It is a great pity that an elder statesman cannot move about as he would wish, and so I do not see you often.”
老臣无法自由行动，很遗憾我无法常见您。”

Yes, the associations were both melancholy and happy. —
是的，这些联想既伤感又快乐。 —

He thought it a pity that she must leave so soon, nor did she want to go. —
他觉得她必须这么快就离开很可惜，而她也不想离开。 —

She honored her real father in a formal and perfunctory way, but it was to Genji that she owed the larger debt. —
她以一种正式而敷衍的方式尊重她的亲生父亲，但她欠大部分债务的是源氏。 —

He had taken her in and made a place for her, and her gratitude increased as the years went by.
他接纳了她，并为她安排了一个地方，随着岁月的流逝，她对他的感激之情与日俱增。

The Third Princess came to Rokujō towards the middle of the Second Month. The preparations to receive her were elaborate. —
三月中旬，三王女前来六条。接待她的准备非常周密。 —

The west room of the main southeast hall in which Genji had sampled the new herbs became her boudoir. —
源氏尝试新药的主南东厅西侧的西间成为了她的闺房。 —

Very great attention had been given to appointing her women’s rooms as well, in the galleries and two wings to the west. —
给她的女眷处所也特别用心布置，分别在西侧的走廊和两翼。 —

The trousseau was brought from the Suzaku Palace with all the ceremony of a presentation at court, and it goes without saying that similar pomp accompanied the formal move to Rokujō. —
她的嫁妆是由朱雀院送来的，带着一切宫廷仪式接受，并且搬进六条的时候也有相同的隆重。 —

Her retinue was enormous, led by the highest courtiers. —
她的随从队伍庞大，由最高的宫廷侍从带领。 —

Among them was a reluctant one, the Fujiwara councillor who had hoped to take charge of her affairs. Genji broke with precedent by himself coming out to receive her. —
其中有一个不情愿的人，原本希望能负责她事务的藤原参军。源氏打破惯例亲自前来迎接。 —

Certain limitations were imposed upon a commoner, and she was after all neither going to court nor receiving a prince as a bridegroom; —
对于平民也有一定的限制，而且她毕竟不是要去宫廷，也不是接受皇子当新郎； —

and all in all it was a most unusual event.
总的来说，这是一个非常不同寻常的事件。

Through the three days following, the nuptial ceremonies, arranged by the Suzaku and Rokujō households, were of very great dignity and elegance.
在随后的三天里，由朱雀和六条两家安排的婚礼仪式非常庄严而优雅。

It was an unsettling time for Murasaki. No doubt Genji was giving an honest view of the matter when he said that she would not be overwhelmed by the Third Princess. —
这段时间令紫感到不安。毫无疑问，源氏说她不会被三王女超越时表达的是诚实的态度。 —

Yet for the first time in years she felt genuinely threatened. —
然而，这是多年来她第一次感到真正受到威胁。 —

The new lady was young and, it would seem, rather showy in her ways, and of such a rank that Murasaki could not ignore her. —
新妇年轻且似乎喜欢卖弄风骚，而且地位如此之高，使紫无法忽视。 —

All very unsettling; but she gave no hint of her feelings, and indeed helped with all the arrangements. —
所有这些都令人不安；但她没有透露任何感受，事实上还帮忙安排一切。 —

Genji saw more than ever that there was really no one like her.
源氏更加意识到，确实没有人能够比得上她。

The Third Princess was, as her father had said, a mere child. —
第三皇女就像她父亲所说的那样，只是一个孩子。 —

She was tiny and immature physically, and she gave a general impression of still greater, indeed quite extraordinary, immaturity. —
她身材娇小，体态不成熟，给人一种更大，甚至是非常非凡的不成熟的印象。 —

He thought of Murasaki when he had first taken her in. She had even then been interesting. —
当他刚收留 紫的时候，他就想着她。她甚至在那时就已经很有趣了。 —

She had had a character of her own. The Third Princess was like a baby. —
她曾经有自己的性格。第三皇女却像一个婴儿。 —

Well, thought Genji, the situation had something to recommend it: —
想想看吧，源氏心想，这种情况还是有一些值得赞赏的： —

she was not likely to intrude and make Murasaki unhappy with fits of jealousy. —
她不太可能去打扰，让紫娘不快地发作嫉妒。 —

Yet he did think he might have hoped for someone a little more interesting. —
然而他想他可能希望找个更有趣的人。 —

For the first three nights he was faithfully in attendance upon her. —
在最初的三个夜晚，他都忠实地侍奉她。 —

Murasaki was unhappy but said nothing. She gave herself up to her thoughts and to such duties, now performed with unusual care, as scenting his robes. —
紫娘很不开心但没有说什么。她沉浸在自己的思绪中，如今对待的义务也做得比以往更仔细，比如给他的衣袍洒香水。 —

He thought her splendid. Why, he asked himself, whatever the pressures and the complications, had he taken another wife? —
他觉得她很出色。为什么，他自问，不顾一切困难和纠纷，他娶了另一个妻子呢？ —

He had been weak and he had given an impression of inconstancy, and brought it all upon himself. —
他当初软弱了，给人一种不坚定的印象，把一切都招惹到自己身上。 —

Yūgiri had escaped because the Suzaku emperor had seen what an unshakable pillar of fidelity he was.
玉霁逃脱了，因为朱雀皇帝看到了他是无可动摇的忠诚之柱。

Genji was near tears. “Please excuse me just this one more night. I have no alternative. —
源氏近乎泪下。“请原谅我再多一个夜晚。我别无选择。 —

If after this I neglect you, then you may be sure that I will be angrier with myself than you can ever be with me. —
如果以后我忽视你了，那么你可以确定我对我自己的愤怒比你对我愤怒要更甚。 —

We do have to consider her father’s feelings.”
我们必须考虑她父亲的感受。”

“Do not ask us bystanders,” she said, a faint smile on her lips, “to tell you how to behave.”
她笑着说：“不要问我们这些旁观者要告诉你如何行事。”

He turned away, chin in hand, to hide his confusion.
为了掩盖自己的困惑，他扭过头，手托着下巴。

“I had grown so used to thinking it would not change.
“我习惯了认为它不会改变。

And now, before my very eyes, it changes.”
现在，在我眼前，它变了。”

He took up the paper on which she had jotted down old poems that fitted her mood as well as this poem of her own. —
他拿起了她写下的旧诗的纸张，这些诗正好契合她的心情，还有她自己写的这首诗。 —

It was not the most perfect of poems, perhaps, but it was honest and to the point.
它也许不是最完美的诗歌，但却坦诚而直接。

“Life must end. It is a transient world.
“生命必将终结。这是一个短暂的世界。

The one thing lasting is the bond between us.”
唯一持久的是我们之间的纽带。”

He did not want to leave, but she said that he was only making things more difficult for her. —
他不想离开，但她说他只是让事情变得更加困难。 —

He was wearing the soft robes which she had so carefully scented. —
他穿着她精心香气袭人的柔软长袍。 —

She had over the years seen new threats arise only to be turned away, and she had finally come to think that there would be no more. —
多年来，她看到新的威胁出现，但最终都被排除，她开始以为不会再有更多的威胁。 —

Now this had happened, and everyone was talking. —
现在发生了这件事，每个人都在议论纷纷。 —

She knew how susceptible he had been in his earlier years, and now the whole future seemed uncertain. —
她知道他年轻时有多易受影响，现在整个未来似乎都不确定了。 —

It was remarkable that she showed no sign of her disquiet.
令人惊奇的是她没有展现出内心的不安。

Her women were talking as of the direst happenings.
她的女子们谈论着最可怕的事情。

“Who would have expected it? He has always kept himself well supplied with women, but none of them has seemed the sort to raise a challenge. —
“谁会料到呢？他一直有很多女人，但其中没有一个似乎有能力构成挑战。 —

So things have been quiet. I doubt that our lady will let them defeat her — but we must be careful. —
事情一直很平静。我怀疑我们的夫人不会让他们击败她-但我们必须小心。 —

The smallest mistake could make things very difficult.”
最小的错误可能使事情变得非常困难。”

Murasaki pretended that nothing at all was amiss. —
紫几乎装作一切正常。 —

She talked pleasantly with them until late in the night. —
她与她们愉快地交谈直到深夜。 —

She feared that silence on the most important subject might make it seem more important than it was.
她担心对这个最重要的话题保持沉默可能会使它看起来比实际更重要。

“I am so glad that she has come to us. We have had a full house, but I sometimes think he has been a little bored with us, poor man. —
“她来找我们真是太好了。我们一直住满房间，但我有时觉得他和我们在一起有点无聊，可怜的人。 —

None of us is grand enough to be really interesting. —
我们没有一个人足够伟大到能真正引人注意。 —

I somehow hope that we will be the best of friends. —
我多么希望我们会成为最好的朋友。 —

Perhaps it is because they say that she is still a mere child. —
也许是因为他们说她仍然是个孩子。 —

And here you all are digging a great chasm between us. —
而在这里，你们都在我们之间挖了一条巨大的鸿沟。 —

If we were of the same rank, or perhaps if I had some slight reason to think myself a little her superior, then I would feel that I had to be careful. —
如果我们身份相同，或者也许如果我有一点理由认为自己比她稍微优越一些，那我会觉得自己必须小心。 —

But as it is — you may think it impertinent of me to say so — I only want to be friendly.”
但就目前情况而言 — 你可能会认为我说这话是唐突的 — 我只希望能友好相待。”

Nakatsukasa and Chūjō exchanged glances. —
中勅和中将互相交换了眼神。 —

“Such kindness,” one of them, I do not know which, would seem to have muttered. —
“如此的善意，”其中一个人，我不知道是谁，似乎低声说道。 —

They had once been recipients of Genji’s attentions but they had been with Murasaki for some years now, and they were among her firmer allies.
他们曾经受过源氏关注，但他们现在已经和紫经有些年头了，他们是她较为坚定的盟友之一。

Inquiries came from the ladies in the other quarters, some of them suggesting that they who had long ago given up their ambitions might be the more fortunate ones. —
其他院的女士们发来询问，有些人认为他们早已放弃了自己的抱负可能更幸运。 —

Murasaki sighed. They meant to be kind, of course, but they were not making things easier. —
紫叹了口气。她们当然是好意，但却让事情变得更加棘手。 —

Well, there was no use in tormenting herself over things she could not change, and the inconstancy of the other sex was among them.
好吧，苦恼于无法改变的事情是没有用的，而异性的无常就是其中之一。

Her women would think it odd if she spent the whole night talking with them. —
如果她整夜都和她的女眷们说话，她们会觉得奇怪。 —

She withdrew to her boudoir and they helped her into bed. —
她退到她的闺房，女仆们帮她上床。 —

She was lonely, and the presence of all these women did little to disguise the fact. —
她感到孤独，这些女人的存在无法掩饰这一事实。 —

She thought of the years of his exile. She had feared that they would not meet again, but the agony of waiting for word that he was still alive was in itself a sort of distraction from the sorrow and longing. —
她想起了他流亡的岁月。她担心他们不会再见面，但等待他还活着的消息之中的煎熬本身就是一种对悲伤和渴望的一种分心。 —

She sought to comfort herself now with the thought that those confused days could so easily have meant the end of everything.
她现在试图用那些混乱的日子可以很容易意味着一切结束来安慰自己。

The wind was cold. Not wanting her women to know that she could not sleep, she lay motionless until she ached from the effort. —
风很冷。她不想让女人们知道她无法入睡，所以她一动不动地躺着，直到因努力而感到疼痛。 —

Still deep in the cold night, the call of the first cock seemed to emphasize the loneliness and sorrow.
在这深夜，第一只公鸡的叫声似乎加重了孤独和悲伤。

She may not have been in an agony of longing, but she was deeply troubled, and perhaps for that reason she came to Genji in his dreams. —
她可能并不是在极度渴望中，但她深受困扰，也许正因为如此，她出现在源氏的梦中。 —

His heart was racing. Might something have happened to her? —
他心急如焚。她会发生什么事吗？ —

He lay waiting for the cock as if for permission to leave, and at its first call rushed out as if unaware that it would not yet be daylight for some time. —
他躺着等待着公鸡的声音，好像等待着去的许可，而在第一声鸡鸣声中，他冲了出去，好像不知道还要过一段时间才会天亮。 —

Still a child, the princess kept her women close beside her. —
这位公主还是个孩子，她的女人们始终紧随其旁。 —

One of them saw him out through a corner door. —
其中一位女人从一扇角落的门送他出去。 —

The snow caught the first traces of dawn, though the garden was still dark. —
雪在黎明的第一缕曙光中出现，尽管花园还是黑暗的。 —

“In vain the spring night’s darkness,” whispered her nurse, catching the scent he had left behind.
“春夜的黑暗是徒劳的，”她的乳母低声说着，闻到了他留下的气味。

The patches of snow were almost indistinguishable from the white garden sands. —
白色的花园沙中几乎分辨不出积雪的痕迹。 —

“There is yet snow by the castle wall,” he whispered to himself as he came to Murasaki’s wing of the house and tapped on a shutter. —
“城墙旁还有积雪，”当他来到紫的住处，敲了敲窗时，他自言自语道。 —

No longer in the habit of accommodating themselves to nocturnal wanderings, the women let him wait for a time.
不再习惯于夜间漫步，这些女人让他等了一会儿。

“How slow you are,” he said, slipping in beside her. —
“你真慢”，他说着，溜到她身边。 —

“I am quite congealed, as much from terror as from cold. —
“我完全冻僵了，既是因为恐惧，也是因为寒冷。 —

And I have done nothing to deserve it.”
并且我没做什么事来招致这个。”

He thought her rather wonderful. She did nothing at all, and yet, hiding her wet sleeves, she somehow managed to keep him at a distance. —
他觉得她相当了不起。她什么都不做，然而，躲藏起潮湿的袖子，不知何故设法让他保持距离。 —

Not even among ladies of the highest birth was there anyone quite like her. —
在最高贵出生的女士中，也找不到像她这样的人。 —

He found himself comparing her with the little princess he had just left.
他发现自己在将她与他刚刚离开的小公主相比较。

He spent the day beside her, going over their years together, and charging her with evasion and deviousness.
他整天就在她身边，回顾他们在一起的岁月，指责她回避和欺诈。

He sent a note saying that he would not be calling on the princess that day. —
他写了一张便条，表示当天不会去拜访那位公主。 —

“I seem to have caught a chill from the snow and think I would be more comfortable here.”
“我好像从雪中着凉了，觉得在这里更舒服。”

Her nurse sent back tartly by word of mouth that the note had been passed on to her lady. —
她的保姆生硬地口头回复说便条已经传达给了她女主人。 —

Not a very amiable sort, thought Genji.
根据源氏的看法，这位不太和善。

He did not want the Suzaku emperor to know of his want of ardor, but he did not seem capable even of maintaining appearances. —
他不想让朱雀天子知道他缺乏热情，但他似乎连维持表面都有困难。 —

Things could scarcely have been worse. For her part, Murasaki feared that the Suzaku emperor would hold her responsible.
情况几乎不能再糟。对于紫的一方，她担心朱雀天子会追究她的责任。

Waking this time in the familiar rooms, he got off another note to the princess. —
这次在熟悉的房间里醒来后，他给公主写了另一张便条。 —

He took great trouble with it, though he was not sure that she would notice. —
他费了很大心思，尽管他并不确定她会注意到。 —

He chose white paper and attached it to a sprig of plum blossom.
他选择了白纸，把它固定在一枝梅花上。

“Not heavy enough to block the way between us,
“没有足够的厚度挡住我们之间的路，

The flurries of snow this morning yet distress me.”
今天早晨的雪花飘飘，让我感到不安。”

He told the messenger that the note was to be delivered at the west gallery.
他告诉信使，这封信要送到西廊。

Dressed in white, a sprig of plum in his hand, he sat near the veranda looking at patches of snow like stragglers waiting for their comrades to return. —
他身穿白衣，手上拿着一枝梅花，坐在阳台附近，看着雪花一片片，就像等待同伴归来的留守者一样。 —

A warbler called brightly from the rose plum at the eaves. —
一只鸟儿在屋檐上的玫瑰梅树上欢快地叫着。 —

“Still inside my sleeve,” he said, sheltering the blossom in his hand and raising a blind for a better look at the snow. —
“仍藏在我的袖里，”他说着，将花朵遮在手中，拉起百叶窗更好地看雪。 —

He was so youthfully handsome that no one would have taken him for one of the great men of the land and the father of a grown son.
他是如此青春俊朗，以至于没有人会把他当作这个国家的大人物之一，也不会把他看作一个已经有着成年儿子的父亲。

Sure that he could expect no very quick answer from the princess, he went to show Murasaki his sprig of plum. —
他确信公主不会很快回复，于是去展示他的一枝梅花给紫的看看。 —

“Blossoms should have sweet scents. Think what the cherry blossom would be if it had the scent of the plum — we would have an eye for no other blossom. —
“花开应当有香味。想象一下，如果樱花有了梅花的香气 — 我们将再也看不到其他花。 —

The plum comes into bloom when there is no contest. —
梅花在无争之时盛开。 —

How fine if we could see it in competition with the cherry.”
要是我们能看到梅花和樱花竞争该有多好。”

An answer did presently come. It was on red tissue paper and folded neatly in an envelope. —
不久后确实收到了回应。信是用红色的纸，整齐地折叠在信封里。 —

He opened it with trepidation, hoping that it would not be too irredeemably childish. —
他带着忐忑打开信，希望里面不会太幼稚。 —

He did not want to have secrets from Murasaki, and yet he did not want her to see the princess’s hand, at least for a time. —
他不想跟紫尘有任何秘密，但他又不希望她至少在一段时间内看到公主的手。 —

To display the princess in all her immaturity seemed somehow insulting. —
展示公主的种种幼稚行为似乎有点冒犯。 —

But it would be worse to make Murasaki yet unhappier. —
但让紫尘更不快乐会更糟糕。 —

She sat leaning against an armrest. He laid the note half open beside her.
她靠在扶手上。他把那张略微展开的纸条放在她旁边。

“You do not come. I fain would disappear,
“你没有来。我渴望消失，

A veil of snow upon the rough spring winds.”
银白铺在刺骨春风上。”

It was every bit as bad as he had feared, scarcely even a child’s hand — and of course in point of years she was not a child at all. —
这真是他所担心的一样糟糕，几乎不像个孩子的手——当然从年龄上讲，她根本不是小孩。 —

Murasaki glanced at it and glanced away as if she had not seen it. —
紫尘瞥了一眼，又扭过头，好像没有看到。 —

He would have offered it up for what it was, evidence of almost complete uselessness, had it been from anyone else.
要是来自别人他早就认可它毫无价值。

“So you see that you have nothing to worry about,” he said.
“所以你看，你根本无需担心，”他说。

He paid his first daytime call upon the princess. —
他第一次在白天拜访了公主。 —

He had dressed with unusual care and no doubt his good looks had an unusually powerful effect on women not used to them. —
他已经精心打扮好了，毫无疑问，他的英俊外表对不习惯的女士们产生了不同寻常的影响。 —

For the older and more experienced of them, the nurse, for instance, the effect was of something like apprehension. —
对于更年长、更有经验的人，比如护士，影响只是一种近乎恐惧的感觉。 —

He was so splendid that they feared complications. —
他是如此耀眼，以至于她们担心会出现复杂情况。 —

Their lady was such a pretty little child of a thing, reduced to almost nothing at all by the brilliance of her surroundings. —
她们的女主人，一个如此漂亮可爱的小孩，几乎被周围环境的光辉所掩盖，几乎变得无足轻重。 —

It was as if there were no flesh holding up the great mounds of clothing. —
好像没有肉体支撑着这些堆积如山的衣物。 —

She did not seem shy before him, and if it could have been said that her openness and freedom from mannerism were for purposes of putting him at his ease, then it could also have been said that they succeeded very well. —
在他面前，她并不显得害羞，如果说她的坦率和举止自然是为了让他感到放松，那么也可以说她们做得非常成功。 —

Her father was not generally held to be a virile sort of man, but no one denied his superior taste and refinement, and the mystery was that he had done so little by way of training her. —
她的父亲通常不被认为是一个有阳刚之气的人，但没有人否认他高超的品味和精致，而令人困惑的是，他对她的训练却很少。 —

And of course Genji, like everyone else, knew that she was his favorite, and that he worried endlessly about her. —
当然，源氏和其他人一样知道她是他的最爱，而且他无休止地为她担忧。 —

It all seemed rather sad. The other side of the matter was that she did undeniably have a certain girlish charm. —
这一切似乎相当悲伤。事情的另一面是，她无可否认地拥有某种少女魅力。 —

She listened quietly and answered with whatever came into her mind. He must be good to her. —
她静静地倾听，并回答心中涌现的任何问题。他对她一定很好。 —

In his younger days his disappointment would have approached contempt, but he had become more tolerant. —
在年轻时，他的失望几近鄙视，但现在他更加宽容了。 —

They all had their ways, and none was enormously superior to the others. —
他们各有所好，没有一个显著优于其他人。 —

There were as many sorts of women as there were women. —
女人的种类就像女人的数量一样多。 —

A disinterested observer would probably have told him that he had made a good match for himself. —
一个客观的观察者可能会告诉他，他为自己选择了一个不错的伴侣。 —

Murasaki was the only remarkable one among them all, more remarkable now than ever, he thought, and he had known her very well for a very long time. —
紫檀是他们所有人中唯一显著的人，他想，她现在比以往任何时候都更显著，而他对她了解甚深已经很长一段时间了。 —

He had no cause for dissatisfaction with his efforts as guardian and mentor. —
作为监护人和指导者，他对自己的努力没有不满。 —

A single morning or evening away from her and the sense of deprivation was so intense as to bring a sort of foreboding.
与她分开一个早晨或一个晚上，剥夺感如此强烈，以至于带来一种不祥的预感。

The Suzaku emperor moved into his temple that same month. —
苏贵后移入他的庙宇，就在同一个月。 —

Numbers of emotional letters came to Rokujō, for Genji and of course for the princess. —
大量富有感情的信件寄给了六条，为了源氏，当然还有为了公主。 —

He said several times that Genji must not think about him but must follow his own judgment in his treatment of the princess. —
他多次表示源氏不应考虑他，而是应该按照自己的判断对待公主。 —

He could not even so hide his disquietude. —
他甚至无法掩饰自己的不安。 —

She was so very young and defenseless.
她还是个非常年轻和无助的女孩。

He also wrote to Murasaki. “I fear I have left an unthinking child on your hands. —
他也给紫写了信。“我担心我把一个不懂事的孩子交给了你。 —

Do please be tolerant. I venture to comfort myself with the thought that the close relationship between you will make it difficult for you to reject her.
请你要宽容。我想自慰的是，你们之间亲密的关系将使你难以拒绝她。

“Deep into these mountains I would go,
“我愿意深入这些山脉，

But thoughts of one I leave still pull me back.
但离开时想起一个人，还是让我无法离去。

“If I express myself foolishly it is because the heart of a father is darkness. —
“如果我说的话显得愚蠢，那是因为父亲的心是黑暗的。 —

You must forgive me.”
你必须原谅我。”

Genji was with her when it was delivered. —
源氏在信送到时与她在一起。 —

It showed deep feeling, he said, and must be treated with respect. —
他说这封信表达了深情，必须得到尊重。 —

He ordered wine for the messenger.
他为信使点了酒。

Murasaki did not know how to reply. A long and elaborate letter somehow did not seem appropriate. —
紫不知道该如何回复。一封又长又复杂的信似乎不太合适。 —

She finally made do with an impromptu poem:
她最后只好写了一首即兴的诗：

“If your thoughts are upon the world you leave behind,
“如果你的思绪仍停留在你将要离去的世界上，

You should not make a point of cutting your ties.”
你不应该特意切断你的关系。

She gave the messenger a set of women’s robes.
她给了信使一套女装。

So fine was her handwriting that it set the Suzaku emperor to worrying anew. —
她的笔迹如此漂亮，以至于让朱雀帝担心不已。 —

He should not have left his artless daughter in a house where the other ladies were so subtle.
他不应该把他天真的女儿留在其他女性如此狡猾的房子里。

There were sad farewells now that the rime had come for his ladies to go their several ways. —
现在他的女眷各自离去，悲伤的离别时刻到来了。 —

Oborozukiyo moved into Kokiden’s Nijō mansion. —
衣被女搬进了惟仁的二条府。 —

After the Third Princess she had been most on the Suzaku emperor’s mind. —
在第三皇女之后，她一直在朱雀帝的心中。 —

She thought of becoming a nun, but he dissuaded her, saying that a great rush to holy orders would be unseemly. —
她考虑过出家，但他劝阻说，匆忙出家会显得不体面。 —

She devoted more and more of her time to collecting holy images and otherwise preparing for the religious vocation.
她越来越多地把时间用于收集佛像，为修行做准备。

The disastrous conclusion to their affair had made it impossible for Genji to forget her. —
他们之间的失败结局让源氏无法忘怀她。 —

He wanted very much to see her again. Their positions were such, however, that they must always be on good behavior, and the memory of the disaster was still vivid. —
他非常想再次见到她。然而，由于他们的身份，他们必须时刻保持礼貌，灾难的记忆仍然清晰。 —

He kept his wishes to himself. But he did want very much to know something of her thoughts now that she had cut the old entanglements. —
他将自己的愿望深埋心底。但他非常想了解她如今切断旧情丝后的想法。 —

Though quite aware of the impropriety, he wrote to her from time to time, pretending that his letters, in fact rather warm, were routine inquiries after her health. —
虽然心知肚明这种行为不当，但他不时给她写信，假装他的信，事实上相当热情，只是例行询问她的健康状况。 —

Because they were no longer young, she sometimes answered. —
由于他们不再年轻，她有时会回复。 —

He could tell that she was much improved, and now he did want very much to see her. —
他可以看出她有了很大进步，现在他非常想再次见到她。 —

From time to time he got off a sad petition to her woman Chūnagon.
偶尔他向她的女侍春香致上悲伤的请愿书。

He summoned Chūnagon’s brother, the former governor of Izumi, and addressed him as if they were young adventurers again. —
他召见春香的兄弟，原和泉守，像当年年轻冒险家般对待他。 —

“There is something I want very much to speak to your sister’s lady about, Something confidential. —
“有件非常想和你姐姐谈的事情，是机密的。 —

You must arrange a secret interview. I no longer go off keeping lighthearted rendezvous, and I am sure that she is as careful as I am, and that we need not worry about being detected.”
你要安排个秘密的约会。我不再轻松地进行幽会，我相信她和我一样小心，我们不用担心会被发现。”

f But she answered sadly that she could not even consider receiving him. —
但她悲伤地回答说她甚至不能考虑接见他。 —

As she had gown in her understanding of the world she had come to see rather better that she had been badly treated. —
随着她对世界的理解的增长，她越发看清自己曾受到不公平的对待。 —

And what had they to talk about now, save regret that the Suzaku emperor was leaving them? —
他们现在还有什么可谈的，除了悲叹朱雀皇帝在离去？ —

Yes, a meeting might be kept secret — but what was she to tell her own conscience?
是的，会面可以保密 — 但她该怎么面对自己的良心呢？

She had welcomed his advances, however, back in the days when they had presented far greater difficulties. —
她曾欢迎过他的进攻，尽管那些时日里面临更大的困难。 —

Though her solicitude for the Suzaku emperor, now off in his hermitage, was without doubt genuine, she could hardly say that she and Genji had been nothing to each other. —
尽管她对逐流皇宫里忙于隐居的苦芒真心关切，她几乎无法说她和源氏毫无牵扯。 —

She might now make a great thing of her chastity, but the telltale flock of birds, as the poet said, would not come back. —
她现在或许想大事化小，但如诗人所说，打草惊蛇。 —

He summoned his courage and hoped that he might rely for shelter on the grove of Shinoda.
他鼓起勇气，希望能依赖信玄院的树林遮掩。

“The Hitachi lady in the east lodge at Nijō has not been well,” he said to Murasaki. —
“日本江户的东楼伊助内的居士病了”，他对紫司说。 —

“I have been too busy to look in on her, and I have been feeling guilty. —
“我一直很忙，没顾得上去探望她，我感到内疚。 —

It would not do to raise a great stir in the middle of the day. —
在正午大吵大闹可不行。 —

I think a quiet evening visit is what is called for, something no one even need know about.”
我认为需要进行一次安静的夜间拜访，甚至无需任何人知晓。

She thought him improbably nervous about visiting a lady who had never meant a great deal to him. —
她觉得他对去拜访一个从未对他有重要意义的女士感到不太自在。 —

But a certain reserve had grown up between them and she let his explanation pass.
但他们之间已经存在一定的保留，她听任他的解释而没有深究。

As for the Third Princess, he made do with an exchange of notes. —
至于第三王女，他只通过书信往来。 —

He spent the whole day scenting his robes. —
他整天都在为自己的衣袍擦香水。 —

It was well after dark when he set off with four or five close retainers. —
天色已经很晚了，他和四五名亲信出发了。 —

His carriage was a plain one covered with woven palm fronds, putting one in mind of his youthful exploits. —
他的马车是一辆普通的，用编织的棕榈叶覆盖的，让人回忆起他年少时的壮举。 —

The governor of Izumi had been sent ahead to announce his approach.
和歌山知事已经被派去通报他的到来。

Oborozukiyo’s women informed her in whispers, and she was aghast. —
给织部女郎们低声交代后，她感到吃惊。 —

“What can the governor have told him?”
“知事到底告诉他什么了？”

“You must receive him politely, my lady, and send him on his way. You have no alternative.”
“你必须客气地接待他，我的女士，并把他送走。你别无选择。”

Reluctantly, she had him shown in.
她勉强安排让他进来。

After inquiring about her health, he asked that intermediaries be dispensed with. —
在询问了她的健康状况之后，他要求放弃中间人。 —

“I will not object if you keep curtains between us, and I assure you that I am no longer the unthinking boy you once knew.”
“如果你坚持用帷幔隔开我们，我也不反对。我向你保证，我不再是你曾经认识的那个轻率少年。”

She sighed and came forward. So, in spite of everything, she was not completely unapproachable — and they had known each other well enough that a certain excitement communicated itself through the barred door behind which she sat at the southeast corner of the west wing.
她叹了口气，走了过来。尽管种种原因，她并非完全不可接近 — 而且他们对彼此也有足够的了解，以致一种兴奋感通过她坐在西翼东南角的帘门传递出来。

“Remember, please, that you have been in my thoughts for a sum of years which I can reckon up very easily. —
“请记住，你已经连续几年出现在我的思绪中，我可以很容易地计算出来。” —

Do not be so girlish.”
“不要这么孩子气。”

It was very late. The call of a waterfowl and the answering call of its mate were like reminders of the old affair. —
已经很晚了。一只水禽的叫声和它伴侣的回应声好像在提醒这旧事。 —

The house, once so crowded and noisy, was almost deserted. —
这座曾经熙熙攘攘的房子几乎空无一人。 —

He could not be accused of wishing to imitate Heichū as he brushed away a tear. —
他擦去眼泪时并不会被指责为模仿Heichū。 —

He spoke with a calm self-possession of which he would not earlier have been capable, and yet he rattled irritably at the door.
他说话时表现出一种冷静的自我掌控，这是之前他所不具备的，然而他还是愤怒地拍打着门。

“So many years, and we meet at Meeting Barrier.
“这么多年，我们在会峰相遇。

A barrier it remains, but not to my tears.”
尽管它仍然是一道隔阂，却挡不住我的眼泪。”

“Though tears may flow as the spring at Meeting Hill,
“尽管眼泪可能像会峰的泉水一样流淌，

The road between us was long ago blocked off.”
我们之间的道路早已被堵死。”

She knew that she was not being very friendly. —
她知道自己并不友好。 —

Memories came back and she asked herself who had been chiefly responsible for their misfortunes. —
回忆涌现，她开始怀疑是谁导致了他们的不幸。 —

It was not wrong of him to want to see her. —
他想见她并没有错。 —

She had become more aware of her own inadequacies as she had come to know more of the world. —
随着对世界的了解越来越多，她开始更加意识到自己的不足。 —

In public life and in private the occasions for guilt and regret had been numberless and had turned her more and more strongly in upon herself. —
在公共生活和私人生活中，内疚和后悔的场合不计其数，这让她越来越沉浸于自己之内。 —

Now the old affair seemed suddenly very near, and she was not capable of treating him coldly. —
现在那段旧情似乎突然很近，她无法对他冷漠地对待。 —

She seemed as young and engaging as ever, and her very great reticence gave her a cha
她看起来像以往一样年轻迷人，她极度保守的性格给她增添了一种神秘的魅力。