说着，便令众人拈阄为序。
She made them draw lots.
凤姐道:"既是这样说，我也说一句在上头。”
“If that's how it is, I'll give you the first line,” volunteered Xifeng.
众人都笑说:"更妙了！"
The others laughed.
宝钗将“稻香老农”之上补了一个“凤”字，李纨又将题目讲给他听。
Bao-chai added the name ‘ Feng' to the list, above that of ‘Farmer Sweet-rice', while Li Wan explained what the subject was and what sort of line it had to be.
凤姐想了半日，笑道:"你们可别笑话，我只有一句粗话，下剩的我就不知道了。”
The latter thought for a while. “You mustn't laugh!” she warned. “I have only one line rather a crude one, too but I wouldn't know how to go on from there.”
众人都笑道:"越是粗话越好，你说了就只管干正经事去罢。”
‘just tell us what it is; then you can leave, if you want to, and get on with your own work.”
凤姐笑道:"我想下雪必刮北风。
“I suppose when it snows the north wind must blow,” said Xifeng.
凤姐儿笑道：“想下雪必刮北风，昨夜听见一夜的北风，我有一句，这一句就是‘一夜北风紧’。
‘Well, when it snows, there's always a north wind,' said Xi-feng, ‘and last night I could hear the north wind blowing all night long; so I've made a line up about that: Last night the north wind blew the whole night through.
众人听了，都相视笑道："这句虽粗，不见底下的，这正是会作诗的起法。
The others exchanged smiling glances. “It may be crude but it doesn't show what is to follow, and that's the proper way to start a poem,” was their verdict.
不但好，而且留了写不尽的多少地步与后人。
Not only is the line good in itself, but it leaves so many possibilities open to the person who follows.
就是这句为首，稻香老农快写上，续下去。”
Let's start with this line.
Hurry up and write it down, Old Peasant of Sweet Paddy, then complete the couplet and begin a new one.”
凤姐儿和李婶娘、平儿又吃了两杯酒，自去了。
Xifeng, Aunt Li and Pinger drank a few more cups of wine with them, then went off on their own business.
这里李纨便写了：§一夜北风紧，自己联道：§开门雪尚飘。人泥怜洁白，
Meanwhile Li Wan wrote:Xifeng: The north wind blew hard all night After this she went on to write down the following lines composed by herself and others:Li Wan:The door opens on a flurry of snow.
Pity the pure white mingling with the mud...
香菱道：§匝地惜琼瑶。有意荣枯草，
CALTROP: And powdered jade the whole earth beautifies.
探春道：§无心饰萎苕。价高村酿熟，
Tanchun:But no veil on withered plants throw.The village brew, matured, is costly now…
李绮道：§年稔府梁饶。葭动灰飞管，
Li Chi:With a good crop the granaries overflow.
Ash flying from the pipe shows the change of season…
李纹道：§阳回斗转杓。寒山巳失翠，
LI WEN: And the Wain turns as Yang revivifies.
岫烟道：§冻浦不闻潮。易挂疏枝柳，
Xiuyan: In frozen creeks no tide is heard to flow.
The snow hangs lightly on sparse willow boughs…
湘云道：§难堆破叶蒸。麝煤融宝鼎，
Xiangyun: But slides off tattered plantain leaves drooped low.
Musk-ink is melted in the precious tripod…
宝琴道：§绮袖笼金貂。光夺窗前镜，
Baoqin:Rich sables hide the silken sleeves below.
Brightness the mirror by the window catches…
宝玉道：§清梦转聊聊。
何处梅花笛？
Baoyu:While the clear dream lingers slow.
Whence comes the sound of the plum-blossom flute? …
宝钗道：§谁家碧玉箫?螯愁坤轴陷，
Baochai:Who is it that on green jade pipe doth blow?The giant turtle fears the earth may sink…
宝钗命宝琴续联，只见湘云站起来道：§龙斗阵云销。野岸回孤棹，
Baochai urged Baoqin to go on; but before she could do so, Xiangyun stood up boisterously.
Xiangyun:Dragons fight, the cloud-wrack billows to and fro.
A lone boat puts back to the lonely shore...