《聊斋》考城隍(中英对照版)

考城隍(Chenghuang)予姊丈之祖宋公，讳焘，邑廪生（xiucai)。

一日病卧，见吏人持牒，牵白颠马来，云：“请赴试。

”公言：“文宗未临，何遽得考？”吏不言，但敦促之。

公力病乘马从去，路甚生疏，至一城郭，如王者都。

移时入府廨(Yamen)，宫室壮丽。

上坐十余官，都不知何人，惟关壮缪可识。

檐下设几、墩各二，先有一秀才坐其末，公便与连肩。

几上各有笔札。

俄题纸飞下，视之有八字，云：“一人二人，有心无心。

”二公文成，呈殿上。

公文中有云：“有心为善，虽善不赏。

无心为恶，虽恶不罚。

”诸神传赞不已。

召公上，谕曰：“河南缺一城隍，君称其职。

”公方悟，顿首泣曰：“辱膺宠命，何敢多辞？但老母七旬，奉养无人，请得终其天年，惟听录用。

”上一帝王像者，即命稽母寿籍。

有长须吏捧册翻阅一过，白：“有阳算九年。

”共踌躇间，关帝曰：“不妨令张生摄篆九年，瓜代可也。

”乃谓公：“应即赴任，今推仁孝之心，给假九年。

及期当复相召。

”又勉励秀才数语。

二公稽首并下。

秀才握手，送诸郊野，自言长山张某。

以诗赠别，都忘其词，中有“有花有酒春常在，无烛无灯夜自明”之句。

公既骑，乃别而去，及抵里，豁若梦寤。

时卒已三日，母闻棺中呻吟，扶出，半日始能语。

问之长山，果有张生于是日死矣。

后九年，母果卒，营葬既毕，浣濯入室而没。

其岳家居城中西门里，忽见公镂膺朱幩，舆马甚众。

登其堂，一拜而行。

相共惊疑，不知其为神，奔询乡中，则已殁矣。

公有自记小传，惜乱后无存，此其略耳。

我姐夫的祖父宋先生，名焘，原是本城的一位秀才。

有一天，他生病躺在床上，忽然，看到一名衙门的公差，手里拿着一张通知单，牵着一匹头上有白毛的马走来。

对他说：“请你去参加考试！”宋先生说：“主考的学台老爷没有到，怎么能突然进行考试呢？”差人也不回答，只是不断地催促他。

宋先生只好勉强骑上马，跟随他去。

走的路都是非常陌生的，不久，他们便来到一座城市，如同帝王所居住的京城一样。

不多时，他们进入一座衙门。

宫殿建筑宏伟华丽，堂上坐着十多位官员，都不知道是些什么人，其中只有关帝是认识的。

衙门的殿廊下摆着桌、凳各两个。

已经有一位秀才坐在那里的下位上。

宋先生便与他肩并肩坐下。

每张桌子上都有笔和纸。

一会，便送下有题目的卷纸来，一看上面写着八个字：“一人二人，有心无心。

”他们俩把文章做成后便呈送上去。

宋先生的文章中有句话，说：“有的人故意去做好事，虽然是做了好事，但不应给他奖励；有的人不是故意做坏事，虽然做了坏事，也可以不处罚他。

”各位官员在传阅中不住地称赞。

他们便把宋先生召唤到殿堂上去，对他说：“河南那个地方，缺一位城隍，你去担任这个职务很合适。

”宋先生一听，这时才开始明白过来，连忙跪下去，一边叩头一边哭着说：“我能得到这样荣耀的任命，怎么敢再三推辞呢？但我的70多岁的老母，身边无人奉养。

请你们允许在她去世之后，我再听从你们的任用。

”堂上一位好象是帝王样的人，立即命令查看他母亲的寿禄。

有一位留着胡子的官吏，捧着记载人寿禄的册子看了一遍，说道：“她还有阳寿九年。

”他们听后正在犹豫不决，想不出办法时，关帝说：“没有什么关系，让姓张的先代理九年，到了期限，他再去。

”于是，堂上人对宋先生说：“本应该让你立即到任的，今从仁爱孝敬之心考虑，给你九年的假，到了期限还得叫你去。

”说完，又对那位秀才勉励了几句。

二位先生叩头后走下殿来，秀才拉着宋先生的手，一直送到郊外，并自我介绍说：“我是长山地方人，姓张。

还将自己做的诗赠给宋先生留作纪念。

可是，宋先生把整首诗忘记了，只记得中间有“有花有酒春常在，无蜡无灯夜自明”两句。

宋先生骑上马就告辞而去，当他回到村里时，就好象是从梦中醒过来一样。

可是到这时，他已经是死去三天啦。

宋先生的母亲听到棺材里有呻吟声，便赶快把他从里面扶出来。

过了好半天，宋先生才能说出话来。

他打听长山那个地方，果然有姓张的这个人，已经在那天死去了。

自此以后的第9年，宋先生的母亲果然到时候便死去了。

丧事发送完毕之后，宋先生洗完了澡，走进屋子里也死了。

宋先生的丈人家住在城中西门里，忽然，看到宋先生一身新官服，身后跟随着许多车马人员。

丈人家里人都非常惊奇，不知宋先生已经成了神，做了城隍。

他们急忙跑到宋先生家里去打听消息，原来，宋先生已经死去了。

宋老先生自己记有小传，可惜战乱后没有保存下来，这只不过是个大概吧。

Examination for the Position of Cheng Huang①Mr.Song , the grandfather of my brother-in-law and whose first name was Tao, was a Linsheng.②One day , when he was lying in bed with sickness, a Yachai ③with a notification in hand, leading a horse with white forehead,said : ‘Please take the exam.’ But Mr.Song said: ‘The examiner hasn’t come yet,why should I go there so early?’ The Yachai didn’t explain anything, only to urge him to set out. Mr.Song mounted the horse , regardless of illness. After going by an unfamiliar route, they arrived at a city seeming like a capital for the emperor. After a while, he was led to a magnificent palace. There were a dozen of officials sit in the hall and Mr.Song recognized nobody but Guan Zhuangmiu.④Two side tables with seats were placed under the eaves of veranda. A Xiucai⑤had already took his seat, so Mr.Song took another. Soon the examination paper flew down, there were only eight words onit--‘one person or two, with purpose or not.’ They handed on the article after finished it. It contained the following expression in Mr.Song’s article:‘A man does good thing deliberately shouldn’t be rewarded while a man does bad thing carelessly could be forgiven. ’ After reading that, every official was full of praise for his idea and summoned him o n stage to tell him:‘Now we need a Chenghuang for the south area of Yellow River, and you are qualified for the position.’ Mr.Song suddenly realized where he was,bowed his head immediately and wept:‘So honor am I to take this responsibility and how dare I refuse it? But consider that my seventy-years old mother needs me to take care of her, I beg your disposal to be delayed till she pass away.’ Among them were a man who looked like a emperor, he asked an official to check the rest days of Mr.Song’s mother. The official with long bearded brought the Book of Fate and search through it, he said that she still have 9 years to live. All of them hesitated , Guan Zhuangmiu said : ‘ Mr.Zhang might as well take that position temporarily , then after 9 years could Mr.Song take it over.’ So he said to Mr.Song: ‘ You should have take the position at once, but we consider of your filial, you are granted to fulfill the responsibility as a son first.After 9 years we will summon you again.’ He also encouraged that Xiucai with a few words. Both of the candidates bowed their heads and leftthe palace. The Xiucai took Mr.Song by the hand and sent him to outskirts, introduced himself as Mr.Zhang who came from Changshan. He gave Mr.Song a poetry at parting. Mr.Song cannot remember it all, but in it occurred this couplet: ‘With flower and wine,spring shall never die; No candles and light, the night always bright.’ The farewell finally came as Mr.Song mounted the horse. When arrived home,he felt like that he suddenly woke up from a dream. Then he found himself died three days ago . His mother heard the groan and helped him out of the coffin,it was a long time before he could speak. Mr.Song inquired about Changshan, indeed a man called Mr.Zhang died that day. Nine years fled, his mother did pass away.After held her funeral, Mr.Song took a shower then died in the chamber. His father-in-law’s family lived near in the west gate of the county, and on that day they suddenly saw Mr.Song wearing a golden robe and a vermilion crown,with numerous chariots and horses followed. He entered the hall and gave a kneeling salute and then left. They were very astonished at this,not knowing that he had become a Chenghuang. They hurried to ask around the village then knew he was already gone. Mr.Song had an autobiography written by himself, but it was lost during the war. This is only a summary of his story.① a deity who is in charge of affairs in a city,a town, or a village②an officer who gets allowance from government for his academic performance.③an official messenger④the posthumous name of Guan Yu ,he is a general in the Three Kingdom period.⑤one who passed the imperial examination at the county level in the Ming and Qing dynastiesThe Exam for Town GodMy brother in law’s grandfather was called Song Tao. He used to be one of the scholars in our city. One day, when he lied on bed because of sickness, he saw a police officer holding a requisition came in, followed by a horse whose head had white furs, and said, Please follow me to participate in an exam. Mr Song said, The chief examiner hasn’t arrived, how can we start an exam? The officer didn’t answer him, just urged him on and on. At last, Mr Song rode on the horse and followed him. The way they took was very unfamiliar. After a short time, they arrived in a city like the capital the emperor lived in. Shortly, they came into a spectacular department. There were more than ten officers in its hall. But Mr Song didn’t know who they were, except Guan Yu, the great hero in Chinese history. The department has two desks and two chairs in its hall. Papers and pens were on the desks. Another scholar had already sat on one of them. Mr Song went to sit beside him. After that, the papers that has questions were sent to them. The question was what if a man do something deliberately or carelessly. The two men handed on their papers after they had completed their articles. Mr Song said in his article, a man does good thing deliberately shouldn’t be rewarded while a man does bad thing carelessly could be forgived. The officers in the hall praised on this continuously, so they called Mr Song to the front of the hall, and said to him, One area of Henan didn’t have a town god, you are suitable for this place. Finally, Mr Song understood what had happened. He kneeled immediately and said, crying, How could Ireject this honorable oppointment? but my old mother is over seventy years old and don’t have other man to take care. Please allow me to take this position after my mother has passed away. One officer seemed like an emperor, immediately ordered to consult to his mother’s book of fake. One officer that had beard hold the book of fake and said, she still has nine years’ life. Hearing this, all men were in hesitation and had no solution. At last , Guan Yu said, It doesn’t matter. Let Mr Zhang take agency for his position. After his mother has gone, he could accept this appiontment. So officers said to Mr Song You should have taken your position immediately, but your filial piety got you a nine years holiday. Then they praised Mr Zhang. After that, the two scholars bowed and returned to the back of the hall. Mr Zhang hold Mr Song’s hand and saw him off in the outskirts of the city. Mr Zhang introduced himself that he came from Changshan, and his family name was Zhang. He also gave Mr Song his poetry as present. But Mr Song can’t remember any of the poetry. He can only remember one word in it, With flowers and wine, the spring never die; No candles and light, the night always bright. Mr Song rode on the horse and said goodbye to him. When he returned to his village, he felt like he was wake up from a dream. At this time, he founded that he had been died for three days. When his mother heard of the groan from the coffin, she help Mr Song to get out immediately. It was a long time before he can spoke. Then he refered to Changshan, and knew there was really a man called Zhang died on that day. Nine years later, his mother really died. After his mother’s funeral, Mr Song took a shower, and got in his room, died. Mr Song’s father in law lived around the city’ s west door. His family suddenly saw Mr Song was in a magnificent uniform, followed by a team of carriages and men. He visited his father in law’s home, then left. They were all surprised, didn’t know he had become a town god. They asked around the village, and knew Mr Song had gone. Mr Song had his autobiography, but wasn’ t handed over the war. This is only a main idea.Record of Translation ProcessTitle of the Text:考城隍Source Language:中文Target Language:英语Subject of the Text:表现宋生的孝顺Supposed Target Readers:（未知）Function of the Target Text: 让读者能够了解中国文化，尤其是孝Content of the Text:城中一个叫宋涛的秀才，死后受到赏识，被任命为一方城隍。