Love in a Fallen City 傾城之戀 Part 6

http://www.rain8.com/article/class10/1512.htm

by Eileen Chang 張愛玲

Translated by Yoyo  幽柚

Part 5

徐太太笑道："提起你妹妹，我還等他們的回話呢。"

Madam Xu laughed, "Bringing up your sister, I want to hear what they have to say."

流蘇道："七妹的事，有希望麼？"

Liu Su said, " 7th Sister's situation, is there hope?"

徐太太道："說得有幾分眉目了。剛才我有意的讓娘兒們自己商 議商議，我說我上去瞧瞧六小姐就來。現在可該下去了。你送我下去，成不成？"

"There's some general idea after talks.  I just thought about letting the ladies negotiate.  When I wanted to go listen 6th Sister came.  Right now I should go down.  Why don't you send me down, agree?"

流蘇只得扶著徐太太下樓，樓梯又舊，徐太太又胖，走得吱吱格格一片響。到了堂 屋裡，流蘇欲待開燈，

Liu Su felt obligated to help Madam Xu by the hand.  The stairs were old, and Madam Xu was plump, walking there was moaning and groaning.  When they reached the main room, Liu Su wanted open the lights.

徐太太道："不用了，看得見。他們就在東廂房裡。你跟我來，大家說說笑笑，事情也就過去了，不然，明兒吃飯的時候免不了要見面的，反 而僵得慌。"

"There's no need, I can see.  They are in the east room.  Come with me, everyone is laughie-talkie, the situations will pass over.  If not, tomorrow you have to see them all again, and you'll be stiff and panicky."

流蘇聽不得"吃飯"這兩個字，心裡一陣刺痛，硬著嗓子，強笑道："多謝嬸子——可是我這會子身子有點不舒服，實在不能夠見人，只怕失魂落魄 的，說話闖了禍，反而辜負了您待我的一片心。"

When Liu Su heard the words "eat," she felt a stab in her heart.  Her throat turned stiff.  With a strong laugh she said, "  Thank you auntie -- but this time my body doesn't feel too good, I honestly can't see people.  I'll be scared out of my wits, my words will bring disaster, instead I'll fail to live up to my place in your heart."

徐太太見流蘇一定不肯，也就罷了，自己推門進去。

Madam Xu saw Liu Su was unwilling, so she gave up.  She pushed the door and left.

門掩上了，堂屋裡暗著，門的上端的玻璃格子裡透進兩方黃色的燈光，落在青磚地上。朦朧中可以看見堂屋裡順著牆高高下下堆著一排書箱，紫檀匣子， 刻著綠泥款識。正中天然幾上，玻璃罩子裡，擱著琺瑯自鳴鐘，機括早壞了，停了多年。兩旁垂著朱紅對聯，閃著金色壽字團花，一朵花托住一個墨汁淋漓的大字。 在微光裡，一個個的字都像浮在半空中，離著紙老遠。流蘇覺得自己就是對聯上的一個字，虛飄飄的，不落實地。白公館有這麼一點像神仙的洞府：這裡悠悠忽忽過 了一天，世上已經過了一千年。可是這裡過了一千年，也同一天差不多，因為每天都是一樣的單調與無聊。流蘇交叉著胳膊，抱住她自己的頸項。七八年一眨眼就過 去了。你年輕麼？不要緊，過兩年就老了，這裡，青春是不希罕的。他們有的是青春——孩子一個個的被生出來，新的明亮的眼睛，新的紅嫩的嘴，新的智慧。一年 又一年的磨下來，眼睛鈍了，人鈍了，下一代又生出來了。這一代便被吸到朱紅灑金的輝煌的背景裡去，一點一點的淡金便是從前的人的怯怯的眼睛。

The door closed, the main hall was quiet, yellow lamplight from both sides  of the detail on the glass lattice of the door penetrated through, falling on the green brick floor.  Through the haze one could see the main call with it's high and low stacks of arranged book boxes, red sandalwood boxes, and carved green quotes.  In the middle almost naturally, in the shadow of the glass, stood an enamel bell chime, the mechanism was already broken, it was still for many years.  On it's two sides red couplets hung, the gold word for "longevity" was surrounded by flowers, each flower vase was saturated with big inky words.  In the glimmer, every single work was floating in mid-air, leaving the old paper behind.  Liu Su felt she herself was like a character on the couplet, floating, not falling on-site.  The Bai residence was little like an immortal's cave dwelling:  passing a fleeting drawn-out day, the moral world aged a 1000 years.  But if 1000 years passed here, each day would be roughly the same because each day is the same monotony and boredom.    Liu Su crossed her arms and held onto her neck.  With a blink of an eye 7, 8 years have passed.  You still young?  Don't worry, in two years you'll be old.  This place, youth is not rare.  Some are youths, children one by one are forced to be born, new bright eyes, new red supple lips, new intelligence.  Year after year it wears away, eyes turn dull, people turn drull, and the next generation is born.  This generation get sucked behind the vibrant red and shining gold splendor, bit by bit the fading gold is exactly the timid eyes of peoples past.