荷塘月色

这几天心里颇不宁静。今晚在院子里坐着乘凉，忽然想起日日走过的荷塘，在这满月的光里，总该另有一番样子吧。

These past few days, my heart has been rather restless. Sitting in the courtyard tonight to enjoy the cool evening, I suddenly remembered the lotus pond I walk by every day. Under the full moon’s light, it must look quite different.

月亮渐渐地升高了，墙外马路上孩子们的欢笑，已经听不见了；

The moon gradually rose higher, and the laughter of children from the road outside could no longer be heard;

妻在屋里拍着闰儿，迷迷糊糊地哼着眠歌。

my wife was inside, gently patting our child, drowsily humming a lullaby.

我悄悄地披了大衫，带上门出去。沿着荷塘，是一条曲折的小煤屑路。

I quietly threw on my coat and stepped out the door. Alongside the lotus pond, there was a winding path made of coal dust.

这是一条幽僻的路；白天也少人走，夜晚更加寂寞。

This path is secluded; even during the day, few people walk it, and at night, it grows even lonelier.

荷塘四面，长着许多树，蓊蓊郁郁的。路的一旁，是些杨柳，和一些不知道名字的树。

Surrounding the lotus pond are many trees, lush and verdant. Alongside the path are willows and some unnamed trees.

没有月光的晚上，这路上阴森森的，有些怕人。今晚却很好，虽然月光也还是淡淡的。

On nights without moonlight, this path feels foreboding and somewhat frightening. But tonight is quite pleasant, even though the moonlight is still faint.

路上只我一个人，背着手踱着。这一片天地好像是我的；我也像超出了平常的自己，到了另一个世界里。

I walked alone on the path, hands behind my back, strolling. This piece of land and sky seems to belong to me; I feel as if I have transcended my usual self, entering another world.

我爱热闹，也爱冷静；爱群居，也爱独处。

I love being lively, but I also love tranquility; I enjoy being in a crowd, yet I cherish solitude.

像今晚上，一个人在这苍茫的月下，什么都可以想，什么都可以不想，便觉是个自由的人。

Like tonight, alone beneath this vast moonlight, I can think of anything or nothing at all, feeling like a free person.

白天里一定要做的事，一定要说的话，现在都可不理。

The things I must do during the day, the words I must say, can all be disregarded now.

这是独处的妙处，我且受用这无边的荷香月色好了。

This is the beauty of solitude, and I will savor this boundless aroma of lotus and moonlight.

曲曲折折的荷塘上面，弥望的是田田的叶子。

Above the winding lotus pond, I behold rows and rows of leaves.

叶子出水很高，像亭亭的舞女的裙。

The leaves rise high above the water, like the skirts of graceful dancers.

层层的叶子中间，零星地点缀着些白花，有袅娜地开着的，有羞涩地打着朵儿的；正如一粒粒的明珠，又如碧天里的星星，又如刚出浴的美人。

Amid the layers of leaves, scattered white flowers bloom—some gently swaying, some shyly displaying their petals; they are like pearls or stars in a deep blue sky, or like a beauty emerging from a bath.

微风过处，送来缕缕清香，仿佛远处高楼上渺茫的歌声似的。

As a gentle breeze passes, it brings wisps of fresh fragrance, reminiscent of a distant song from a tall building.

这时候叶子与花也有一丝的颤动，像闪电般，霎时传过荷塘的那边去了。

At this moment, the leaves and flowers tremble slightly, as if a bolt of lightning struck, instantly darting across to the other side of the lotus pond.

叶子本是肩并肩密密地挨着，这便宛然有了一道凝碧的波痕。

The leaves are closely packed, shoulder to shoulder, creating a vivid azure ripple.

叶子底下是脉脉的流水，遮住了，不能见一些颜色；而叶子却更见风致了。

Underneath the leaves, a quiet stream flows, hidden from view; yet the leaves are even more elegant in this breeze.

月光如流水一般，静静地泻在这一片叶子和花上。薄薄的青雾浮起在荷塘里。

The moonlight flows like water, quietly spilling over the leaves and flowers. A thin layer of mist rises from the lotus pond.

叶子和花仿佛在牛乳中洗过一样；又像笼着轻纱的梦。

The leaves and flowers seem washed in milk; they appear like dreams wrapped in sheer gauze.

虽然是满月，天上却有一层淡淡的云，所以不能朗照；但我以为这恰是到了好处——酣眠固不可少，小睡也别有风味的。

Though it is a full moon, a thin veil of clouds sits in the sky, preventing it from shining brightly; yet, I believe this is just perfect—while deep sleep is essential, a short nap has its own charm.

月光是隔了树照过来的，高处丛生的灌木，落下参差的斑驳的黑影，峭楞楞如鬼一般；弯弯的杨柳的稀疏的倩影，却又像是画在荷叶上。

The moonlight filters through the trees, casting dappled shadows. The tall, densely growing shrubs cast sharp, ghostly shadows; the slender willows create a sparse silhouette, painting a picture on the lotus leaves.

塘中的月色并不均匀；但光与影有着和谐的旋律，如梵婀玲上奏着的名曲。

The moonlight in the pond is uneven; however, the interplay of light and shadow creates a harmonious melody, as if played by a familiar tune from a pipa.

荷塘的四面，远远近近，高高低低都是树，而杨柳最多。

Surrounding the lotus pond, high and low, near and far, there are trees, with willows being the most plentiful.

这些树将一片荷塘重重围住；只在小路一旁，漏着几段空隙，像是特为月光留下的。

These trees encircle the entire lotus pond; only by the small path are there a few gaps, seemingly reserved for the moonlight.

树色一例是阴阴的，乍看像一团烟雾；但杨柳的丰姿，便在烟雾里也辨得出。

The trees are all shadowy, at first glance resembling a cloud of smoke; yet the grace of the willows can still be discerned within that mist.

树梢上隐隐约约的是一带远山，只有些大意罢了。

In the treetops, faintly visible is a range of distant mountains, though only vaguely.

树缝里也漏着一两点路灯光，没精打采的，是渴睡人的眼。

Through the gaps in the trees, one or two streetlamp lights seep through, dimly illuminating the sleepy eyes of a weary traveler.

这时候最热闹的，要数树上的蝉声与水里的蛙声；但热闹是它们的，我什么也没有。

At this moment, the liveliest sounds are the cicadas in the trees and the frogs in the water; but their liveliness belongs to them—I have nothing.

忽然想起采莲的事情来了。采莲是江南的旧俗，似乎很早就有，而六朝时为盛；从诗歌里可以约略知道。

Suddenly, I remembered the practice of lotus picking. Picking lotus is an old custom in the Jiangnan region, seemingly existing for a long time, flourishing particularly during the Liang Dynasty; one can vaguely glean this from poetry.

采莲的是少年的女子，她们是荡着小船，唱着艳歌去的。采莲人不用说很多，还有看采莲的人。

The lotus pickers are young women, gliding in small boats, singing lively songs as they go. There are not only the lotus pickers but also those who watch them.

那是一个热闹的季节，也是一个风流的季节。

That is a bustling season, a romantic season.

梁元帝《采莲赋》里说得好：于是妖童媛女，荡舟心许；鷁首徐回，兼传羽杯；棹将移而藻挂，船欲动而萍开。尔其纤腰束素，迁延顾步；夏始春余，叶嫩花初，恐沾裳而浅笑，畏倾船而敛裾。

As Liang Yuan Emperor expressed in "The Lotus Picking Verse": "Thus the enchanting young maidens glide in boats with their hearts entwined; the yawning lotus bends, sharing the drink in feathered cups; the paddles shift and the greens catch on, as the boat begins to move and the duckweed parts."

可见当时嬉游的光景了。这真是有趣的事，可惜我们现在早已无福消受了。

From this, one can imagine the joy of the revelry at the time. It truly was a delightful thing, but unfortunately, we can no longer experience such joy.

于是又记起，《西洲曲》里的句子：采莲南塘秋，莲花过人头；低头弄莲子，莲子清如水。

Then I recalled the lines from "Xizhou Qu": "Picking lotus in the southern pond in autumn, the lotus flowers rise above one's head; lowering my head, I play with the lotus seeds, as clear as water."

今晚若有采莲人，这儿的莲花也算得“过人头”了；只不见一些流水的影子，是不行的。这令我到底惦着江南了。

If there were lotus pickers tonight, the lotus flowers here would indeed rise "above one's head"; yet seeing only the shadows of flowing water is not enough. This makes me long for Jiangnan.

这样想着，猛一抬头，不觉已是自己的门前；轻轻地推门进去，什么声息也没有，妻已睡熟好久了。

As I pondered this, I suddenly looked up to find myself at my doorstep; gently pushing the door open, I found everything silent—the wife had already been deeply asleep for a while.

一九二七年七月，北京清华园。

July 1927, Tsinghua Garden, Beijing.