因为宝姐姐要看呆雁,我比给他看,不想失了手。”
Cousin Baochai wanted to see the silly goose, and while pointing it out to her I hit you by mistake."
宝玉揉着眼睛,待要说什么,又不好说的。
Baoyu rubbed his eyes and bit back the retort which was on the tip of his tongue.
一时,凤姐儿来了,因说起初一日在清虚观打醮的事来,遂约着宝钗、宝玉、黛玉等看戏去。
Then Xifeng arrived and, alluding in the course of conversation to the Taoist mass to be held at Ethereal Abbey on the first of the next month, she urged the young people to go there to watch the operas.
什么没看过的戏,我不去。”
"Besides, there aren't any operas I haven't seen.
I'm not going."
凤姐儿道:"他们那里凉快,两边又有楼。
'But it's cool there,' said Xi-feng.'There are upstairs galleries on all three sides that you can watch from in the shade.
咱们要去,我头几天打发人去,把那些道士都赶出去,把楼上都打扫了,挂起帘子来,一个闲人不许放进庙去,才是好呢。
And if we go, I shall send someone a day or two in advance to turn the Taoists out of that part of the temple and make it nice and clean for us and get them to put up blinds.And I'll ask them not to let any other visitors in on that day.
这些日子也闷的很了,家里唱动戏,我又不得舒舒服服的看。”
I'm so bored lately.And it's such a business when we put on our own plays at home, that I can never enjoy them properly.”
贾母听说,就笑道:“既这么着,我和你去。”
'All right then, I'll come,' said Grandmother Jia, who had been listening.
凤姐听说,笑道:"老祖宗也去,敢情好!
"If our Old Ancestress is going as well," cried Xifeng, "so much the better
贾母道:“到明儿,我在正面楼上,你在旁边楼上,你也不用到我这边来立规矩,可好不好?”
'Now look here,' said Grandmother Jia, ‘I shan't want you to stand and wait on me.Let me take the gallery facing the stage and you can have one of the side galleries all to yourself; then you can sit down and enjoy yourself in comfort.”
贾母因向宝钗道:“你也去,连你母亲也去,长天老日的,在家里也是睡觉。”
'Do come!”Grandmother Jia said to Bao-chai.'I'll see that your mother comes too.
The days are so long now, and there's nothing to do at home except go to sleep.”
长天老日的,在家里也是睡觉。”
"If you stayed at home you'd only sleep the whole day long."
宝钗只得答应着。
Then Baochai had to agree.
贾母又打发人去请了薛姨妈,顺路告诉王夫人,要带了他们姊妹去逛。
Grandmother Jia now sent someone to invite Aunt Xue.The messenger was to call in on the way at Lady Wang's and ask her if the girls might go as well.
王夫人因一则身上不好,二则预备着元春有人出来,早已回了不去的;听贾母如此说,笑道:"还是这么高兴。”
Lady Wang had already excused herself on the grounds that she was unwell and expecting word from Yuanchun.
She received this message with a smile and the comment: "What good spirits she's in.
因打发人去到园里告诉:"有要逛去的,只管初一日跟了老太太逛去。”
she had word carried into the Garden that not just the girls but anyone else who wanted to might go along with Grandmother Jia's party on the first.
这个话一传开了,别人还可已,只是那些丫头们,天天不得出门槛儿,听了这话,谁不要去,就是各人的主子懒怠去,他也百般的撺掇了去。
When this exciting news had been transmitted throughout the Garden, the maids some of whom hardly set foot outside their own courtyards from one year's end to the next were all dying to go, and those whose mistresses showed a lethargic disinclination to accept employed a hundred different wiles to make sure that they did so.
便是各人的主子懒怠去,他也百般撺掇了去,因此李宫裁等都说去。
If their mistresses were disinclined to stir they tried in every way to persuade them, to such effect that Li Wan and the rest all agreed to the trip.
贾母越发心中欢喜,早已吩咐人去打扫安置,都不必细说。
Grandmother Jia was quite elated and at once issued orders for the cleaning and preparation of the temple theatre.
But these are details with which we need not concern ourselves.
单表到了初一这一日,荣国府门前车轿纷纷,人马簇簇。
When the first of the fifth month arrived, the road before the Rong Mansion was thronged with carriages, sedan-chairs, attendants and horses.
单表到了初一这一日,荣国府门前车辆纷纷,人马簇簇,那底下执事人等,听见是贵妃做好事,贾母亲去拈香,况是端阳佳节,因此凡动用的物件,一色都是齐全的,不同往日。
On the morning of the first sedans, carriages, horses and people filled all the roadway outside Rong-guo House.The stewards in charge knew that the occasion of this outing was a Pro Viventibus ordered by Her Grace the Imperial Concubine and that Her Old Ladyship was going in person to burn incense ― quite apart from the fact that this was the first day of the month and the first day of the Summer Festival; consequently the turnout was as splendid as they could make it and far exceeded anything that had been seen on previous occasions.
少时,贾母等出来。
Presently the ladies of the house emerged.
少时贾母等出来,贾母坐一乘八人大轿,李氏、凤姐、薛姨妈每人一乘四人轿,宝钗、黛玉二人共坐一辆翠盖珠缨八宝车,迎春、探春、惜春三人共坐一辆朱轮华盖车。
Presently Grandmother Jia appeared, seated, in solitary splendour, in a large palanquin carried by eight bearers.Li Wan, Xi-feng and Aunt Xue followed, each in a palanquin with four bearers.After them came Bao-chai and Dai-yu sharing a carriage with a splendid turquoise-coloured canopy trimmed with pearls.The carriage after them, in which Ying-chun, Tan-chun and Xi-chun sat, had vermilion-painted wheels and was shaded with a large embroidered umbrella.
然后贾母的丫头鸳鸯、鹦鹉、琥珀、珍珠,林黛玉的丫头紫鹃、雪雁、春纤,宝钗的丫头莺儿、文杏,迎春的丫头司棋、绣桔,探春的丫头侍书、翠墨,惜春的丫头入画、彩屏,薛姨妈的丫头同喜、同贵,外带着香菱,香菱的丫头臻儿,李氏的丫头素云、碧月,凤姐儿的丫头平儿、丰儿、小红,并王夫人两个丫头也要跟了凤姐儿去的是金钏、彩云,奶子抱着大姐儿带着丫头们另在一车,还有两个丫头,一共再连上各房的老嬷嬷、奶娘并跟出门的家人媳妇子,乌压压的占了一街的车。
Behind them followed the Lady Dowager's maids Yuanyang, Yingwu, Hupo and Zhenzhu; Daiyu's maids Zijuan, Xueyan and Chunxian; Baochai's maids Yinger and Wenxing; Yingchun's maids Siqi and Xiuju; Tanchun's maids Daishu and Cuimo; Xichun's maids Ruhua and Caiping; and Aunt Xue's maids Tongxi and Tonggui.They were also accompanied by Xiangling and her maid Zhener; Li Wan's maids Suyun and Biyue; Xifeng's maids Pinger, Fenger and Xiaohong; and Lady Wang's maids Jinchuan and Caiyun, who because they wanted to go were attending on Xifeng today.
Dajie and her wet-nurse rode in another carriage with other maids.
In addition there were two other maids and some old nurses from the different apartments, as well as some stewards' wives.
The whole street was nearly hidden from sight by all their conveyances.