【试译 】木心先生 《童年随之而去》 2/5

   
                                                         童年随之而去
                                                                             文/ 木心
 
  （续前篇）
     我天天吵着要回家，终于母亲说：
     “也快了，到接‘疏头’那日子，下一天就回家。”
     那日子就在眼前。喜的是好回家吃荤、踢球、放风筝，忧的是驼背老和尚来关照，明天要跪在大殿里捧个木盘，手要洗得特别清爽，捧着，静等主持道场的法师念“疏头”——我发急：
     “要跪多少辰光呢？”
     “总要一支香烟工夫。”
     “什么香烟？”
     “喏，金鼠牌，美丽牌。”
     还好，真怕是佛案上的供香，那是很长的。我忽然一笑，那传话的驼背老和尚一定是躲在房里抽金鼠牌美丽牌的。
      接“疏头”的难关捱过了，似乎不到一支香烟工夫，进睡狮庵以来，我从不跪拜。所以捧着红木盘屈膝在袈裟经幡丛里，浑身发痒，心想，为了那些不认识的祖宗们，要我来受这个罪，真冤。然而我对站在右边的和尚的吟诵发生了兴趣。
    “……唉吉江省立桐桑县清风乡二十唉四度，索度明王侍耐唉嗳啊唉押，唉嗳……”
     我又暗笑了，原来那大大的黄纸折成的“疏头”上，竟写明地址呢，可是“二十四度”是什么？是有关送“疏头”的？还是有关收“疏头”的？真的有阴间？阴间也有纬度吗……因为胡思乱想，就不觉到了终局，人一站直，立刻舒畅，手捧装在大信封里盖有巨印的“疏头”，奔回来向母亲交差。我得意地说：
     “这疏头上还有地址，吉江省立桐桑县清风乡二十四度，是寄给阎罗王收的。”
     没想到围着母亲的那群姑妈舅妈姨妈们大事调侃：
     “哎哟！十岁的孩子已经听得懂和尚念经了，将来不得了啊！”
     “举人老爷的得意门生嘛！”
     “看来也要得道的，要做八十二家和尚庙里的总当家。”
     母亲笑道：
    “这点原也该懂，省县乡不懂也回不了家了。”
     我又不想逞能，经她们一说，倒使我不服，除了省县乡，我还能分得清寺庙院殿观宫庵呢。
     回家啰！
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【英译对照版】
      I had been crying for coming back home; finally mom replied:
      “It will be soon; just wait for the day of receiving “blessing brochures", and we'll come home the next day."
      That day was approaching. What pleased me was that I would eat meat, play football and fly kite at home; while what concerned me was that an old humpback monk informed me that tomorrow I should hold a wooden plate, bending knees on the ground of the hall, with hands washed refreshing, and quietly keep awaiting the master who host the rite to read the brochure —— what a horrible job!
      “How long should I do that?"
      "At least enough for a cigarette."
      "What’s the cigarette?"
      "Brand of Gold Mouse, and of Beautiful."
 
      I did worry that it would be the incense so long on the Buddhist desk, and now I relaxed. Suddenly, I smiled as an idea ocurred to me that this old humpback monk must smoke the two cigarettes privately in his room.
     This hard job, at last, seemed to be went through less than one cigarette's time. I never worship the Buddha with knees bending down since I came into the Shuishi An. So, when this should be done, I started to itch all over, among a jungle of cassocks and prayer flags, with the redwood plate in hand. Why must I suffer this pain just for those ancestors unknown? I thought it so unfair in heart. However, my attention was soon captured by the chanting words from a monk who stood in my right side.
     "......Alas, Jijiang Province, Li Tongsang County, Qingfeng Town, Twenty, Alas, Four Degrees; Suodu Wisdom King Shinai Alas, alas, alas (repeating) ....."
      I can’t help sniggering again as I found the blessing brochure, folded with large yellow paper, was written with addresses in it. But, what was "Twenty-four-degree"? Was that for whom or what would send the brochure or receive it? Did the hell really exist? Did it have the latitude? ...... The rite has came to an end during my random imagination. I felt so relieved and comfortable when standing up again. Running back to report on my mission to mom, I was holding an envelop with the brochures in it that had a big stamp and then spoke smugly:
     "This brochure was written with an addresse:Twenty-four degree, Qingfeng Town, Li Tongsang County, Lijiang Province; it should be the place where Yama lives."
 
      My old female aunts who were surrounding my mom all began to crack jokes:
     "My dear! How could a boy only ten-year-old understand a monk's chanting? He must have a great future!"
      "Or else how he could be the best student of our Ju-ren master!" (see note 1.）
       "It seems that he would obtain the ultimate meaning of Buddha, leading 82 temples in the future."
       Mom replied with smiling:
      " These should be known, otherwise how could he find his home?"
       I had no intention to show off, but their words made me feel quite unconvinced: apart from "province","county" and "town", it's also not a difficult case for me to recognize "Si", "Miao"，"Yuan", "Dian", "Guan", "Gong" and "An".
      Whatever ! Just go home now!
     Note1 :
     Ju-ren means a person who has past the provincial examination based on an improved imperial examination system since Ming and Qing Dynasties in ancient China.
                                                                                                      @Letticedream
                                                                                                             2015. 6.13