宝玉忙抢上来参见，水溶连忙从轿内伸出手来挽住。
Baoyu started forward to make his obeisance.As the prince from his palanquin raised him up,
见宝玉戴着束发银冠，勒着双龙 出海抹额，穿着白蟒箭袖，围着攒珠银带，面若春花，目如点漆。
Bao-yu was wearing a little silver coronet on the top of his head and a silver headband round his brow in the form of two dragons emerging from the sea.He had on a narrow-sleeved, full-skirted robe of white material and a silver belt inlaid with pearls.
After studying these and admiring the flowerlike face and coal-black eyes,
北静王笑道：“名不虚传，果然如‘宝’似‘玉’。”
“You live up to your name,” remarked the prince.“You are really like precious jade.
因问："衔的那宝贝在那里？"
But where is that gem with which you came into the world?”
宝玉见问，连忙从衣内取了，递与过去。
Baoyu hastily took the jade from inside his garments and handed it to the prince,
宝玉见问，连忙从衣内取出，递与北静王细细看了，又念了那上头的字，因问：“果灵验否？”
Bao-yu hurriedly extracted the jade from inside his clothing and taking it off, handed it to the prince, who scrutinized it carefully, reciting the words of the inscription as he deciphered them.'And does it really have these powers?” he asked.
贾政忙道："虽如此说，只是未曾试过。”
“So they say,”answered Jia Zheng. “But it has never yet been put to the test.”
水溶一面极口称奇道异，一面理好彩绦，亲自与宝玉带上，又携手问宝玉几岁，读何书。
The prince was very struck by the jade and, smoothing its silken cord, with his own hands he put it round Baoyu's neck.Then taking the boy's hand he asked him his age and what he was studying.
北静王见他语言清朗，谈吐有致，一面又向贾政笑道：“令郎真乃龙驹凤雏，非小王在世翁前唐突，将来‘雏凤清于老凤声’，未可量也。”
The clarity and fluency of Baoyu's answers made the prince turn to observe to Jia Zheng,“Your son is truly a dragon's colt or young phoenix.May I venture to predict that in time to come this young phoenix may even surpass the old one?”
赖藩郡提携，果如是言，亦荫生辈之幸矣。”
“If thanks to the grace of Your Highness such proves the case, that will be our good fortune.”
水溶又道:"只是一件，令郎如是资质，想老太夫人、夫人辈自然钟爱极矣；但吾辈后生，甚不宜钟溺；钟溺，则未免荒失学业。
'There is only one drawback in possessing such charm,' said the prince.'I am sure it must make his grandmother dote upon him;
昔小王曾蹈此辙，想令郎亦未必不如是也。
I went astray in this way myself and suspect your honourable son may do the same.
若令郎在家难以用功，不妨常到寒坻，小王虽不才，却多蒙海内众名士凡至都者，未有不垂青目的。
If he does find difficulty in working at home, he would be very welcome to come round to my palace.I do not pretend to be a gifted person myself; but I am fortunate in counting distinguished writers from all over the empire among my acquaintances, and my palace is a rendezvous for them when they are in the capital, so that I never want for intellectual company.
令郎常去谈会谈会，则学问可以日进矣。”
and conversation with them should improve his knowledge.”
水溶又将腕上一串念珠卸了下来，递与宝玉道:"今日初 会仓猝，竟无敬贺之物，此即前日圣上亲赐鹡钨香念珠一 串，权为敬贺之礼。”
The Prince of Bei-jing removed a rosary from his wrist and handed it to Bao-yu.'Today is our first meeting, but as it was an unforeseen one, I have not come prepared with a suitable gift.
All I can offer you is this rosary made of the aromatic seeds of some Indian plant.
It was given me by his Imperial Majesty.
I hope you will accept it as a little token of my esteem.”
宝玉连忙接了，回身奉与贾政。
Baoyu took it and turned to present it to his father,
贾政与宝玉一齐谢过。
who made his son join him in formally thanking the prince for his gift.
于是贾赦、贾珍等一齐上来请回舆，水溶 道:"逝者已登仙界，非碌碌你我尘寰中之人也。
At this point Jia She and Cousin Zhen knelt before the prince and invited him to return.
小王虽上叨天恩，虚邀郡袭，岂可越仙辆而进也？"
Although by the favour of the Son of Heaven I have succeeded to this title, how can I precede the carriage of an immortal?”
贾赦等见执意不从，只得告辞谢恩回来，命手下掩乐停音，滔滔然将殡过完，方让水溶回舆去了，不在话下。
When they saw that the prince was adamant, Jia She and the rest bowed their thanks, then, having ordered the musicians to vail their instruments and march by in silence, they caused the front part of the procession and the hearse to pass over the junction.As soon as the hearse had gone over, the prince and his retinue crossed in the other direction, after which the rear part of the procession moved forward and caught up with the rest.
且说宁府送殡，一路热闹非常。
The whole road hummed with excitement as the great procession passed.
刚至城门前，又有贾赦、贾政、贾珍等诸同僚属下各家祭棚接祭，一一的谢过，然后出城，竟奔铁槛寺大路行来。
By the city gate friends and colleagues of Jia She, Jia Zheng and Jia Zhen had set up sacrificial tents and not until each had been thanked in turn did the cortege leave the city and proceed along the highway towards Iron Threshold Temple.
彼时贾珍带贾蓉来到诸长 辈前，让坐轿上马，因而贾赦一辈的，各自上了车轿；贾珍一辈的，也将要上马。
Cousin Zhen went round with Jia Rong to the senior men among the mourners and invited them to proceed from there onwards by the transport provided.The upshot was that those of Jia She's generation got into carriages and sedans, while Cousin Zhen and the younger men mounted on horseback.
凤姐儿因记挂着宝玉，怕他在郊外纵 性逞强，不服家人的话，贾政管不着这些小事，惟恐有个失闪，难见贾母，因此便命小酹来唤他。
Xifeng was afraid that Baoyu, unchecked by his father, might come to some harm through reckless riding in the open country, for he would not listen to anyone else in the household.And if there were any mishap it would be hard to account for it to the old lady.
Accordingly she ordered a page to summon him to her carriage,