《槳聲燈影里的秦淮河》
(作者 朱自清，朗誦 潔白)
Translation： Oar-splashing and Lantern-illuminating Qinhuai River (Zhu Ziqing)
(translated by: alexcwlin; edited by: Adam Lam
秦淮河里的船，比北京萬甡園，頤和園的船好，比西湖的船好，比揚州瘦西湖的船也好。
Boats in Qinhuai River topped those in Wan Sheng Garden/Summer Palace of Beijing, in West Lake of Hangzhou, and in Slender West Lake of Yangzhou.
這幾處的船不是覺著笨，就是覺著簡陋、局促；都不能引起乘客們的情韻，如秦淮河的船一樣。
Vessels at those latter locations felt clumsy, unrefined or cramped; they failed to bring up the mood of passengers like those in Qinhuai River could.
秦淮河的船約略可分為兩種：一是大船；一是小船，就是所謂“七板子”。
Boats in Qinhuai River roughly could be categorized into two groups: the big boats and the small boats (so called “Seven Plankers”).
大船艙口闊大，可容二三十人。
A big boat had a big cabin and could accommodate twenty to thirty passengers.
里面陳設(shè)著字畫和光潔的紅木家具，桌上一律嵌著冰涼的大理石面。
The inside was furnished with hanging painting/calligraphy scrolls and shiny redwood furniture.
窗格雕鏤頗細，使人起柔膩之感。
All tables were fitted with marble slab tops. Carvings on latticework window frames were rather detailed providing a smooth and refined touch.
窗格里映著紅色藍色的玻璃；玻璃上有精致的花紋，也頗悅?cè)四俊?/p>
Red and blue glass panes with exquisite decorative patterns glistening from inside the window frames were quite pleasing to the eyes.
“七板子”規(guī)模雖不及大船，但那淡藍色的欄干，空敞的艙，也足系人情思。
The size of a Seven Planker was not as large as a big boat, but its light-blue side poles and roomy cabin would be enough to put you in a nice mood.
而最出色處卻在它的艙前。艙前是甲板上的一部。上面有弧形的頂，兩邊用疏疏的欄干支著。
The most notable part was a section of the deck in front of the cabin entrance, which had an arch-shaped top supported by spread-out side poles.
里面通常放著兩張?zhí)俚奶梢?。躺下，可以談天，可以望遠，可以顧盼兩岸的河房。
Usually two bamboo deck-chairs were placed in the area, and while lounging on them you could chitchat, sightsee, or check out houses on both river banks.
大船上也有這個，便在小船上更覺清雋罷了。
A big boat had similar facilities, except those facilities seemed to be more noticeable inside a small boat.
艙前的頂下，一律懸著燈彩；
Lanterns could be found dangling from all boat tops at the front.
燈的多少，明暗，彩蘇的精粗，艷晦，是不一的。但好歹總還你一個燈彩。
These lanterns varied in number, brightness, decorative-tassel thickness, and color intensity, but all were lanterns of sort nonetheless.
這燈彩實在是最能鉤人的東西。
Truly these lanterns were incredibly eye-catching things.
夜幕垂垂地下來時，大小船上都點起燈火。
When the veil of night fell, lights came on in all small and big boats.
從兩重玻璃里映出那輻射著的黃黃的散光，反暈出一片朦朧的煙靄；
The double pane glass windows, while reflecting the faint yellowish light inside, also displayed the murky mist that was everywhere outside.
透過這煙靄，在黯黯的水波里，又逗起縷縷的明漪。
Showing through the mist was endless series of ripples on darkish water surface.
在這薄靄和微漪里，聽著那悠然的間歇的槳聲，誰能不被引入他的美夢去呢？
Against the backdrop of thin mist, light ripples, and soothing sound of intermittently splashing oars, who wouldn’t be drawn into his beautiful dreamland?
只愁夢太多了，這些大小船兒如何載得起呀？
But then again maybe the abundance of dreams would be too much for those big and small boats to carry?
我們這時模模糊糊的談著明末的秦淮河的艷跡，如《桃花扇》及《板橋雜記》里所載的。
At that time we casually brought up the tabloid-type love affair stories in Qinhuai River during the latter part of Ming Dynasty era, such as those cited in “Peach Flower Fan” and “Plank Bridge Journal”.
我們真神往了。
We were riveted.
我們仿佛親見那時華燈映水，畫舫凌波的光景了。
It seemed the dazzling lighting, scenic water reflections and wave-riding boats back in those days reappeared in front of our very eyes.
于是我們的船便成了歷史的重載了。
And our boat thus became a carrier of history.
我們終于恍然秦淮河的船所以雅麗過于他處，而又有奇異的吸引力的，實在是許多歷史的影象使然了。
Then it struck us all which made the boats in Qinhuai River more striking and mesmerizing than others elsewhere was in fact an upshot of history’s shadow.
朱自清（1898年11月22日—1948年8月12日），原名自華，號實秋，后改名自清，字佩弦。原籍浙江紹興，出生于江蘇省東?？h（今連云港市東?？h平明鎮(zhèn)），后隨父定居揚州。中國現(xiàn)代散文家、詩人、學(xué)者、民主戰(zhàn)士。
潔白 ：中學(xué)英語高級教師。中國朗誦聯(lián)盟會員。喜歡朗讀，希望通過自己的聲音向世界傳播中國文化，講好中國故事。
