闺房记乐

余年十三，随母归宁，两小无嫌，得见所作，虽叹其才思隽秀，窃恐其福泽不深，然心注不能释，告母曰 :"若为儿择妇，非淑姊不娶。"母亦爱其柔和，即脱金约指缔姻焉。此乾隆乙未七月十六日也。

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我十三岁时，和母亲回她的老家见到芸，我们两小无猜。我偶然看见了芸的诗句，虽然赞叹她的才思秀美俊逸，但暗暗担心她的福分不深，然而我爱慕专注她的心总不能放下，便对母亲说 :"如果要给我挑选媳妇，我非淑珍姐姐不娶。"母亲也喜欢她的温柔和顺，当场就脱下金戒指为我们定了亲。当时是乾隆乙未年(1775年)七月十六日。

是年冬，值其堂姊出阁，余又随母往。芸与余同齿而长余十月，自幼姊弟相呼，故仍呼之曰淑姊。时但见满室鲜衣，芸独通体素淡，仅新其鞋而已。见其绣制精巧，询为己作，始知其慧心不仅在笔墨也。其形削肩长项，瘦不露骨，眉弯目秀，顾盼神飞，惟两齿微露，似非佳相。一种缠绵之态，令人之意也消。

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那一年冬天，正好她的堂姐出嫁，我又随母亲前去。芸和我同岁，但比我大十个月，从小我们以姐弟相称，所以仍然称她为淑珍姐姐。当时只见满屋的人都穿着鲜艳的衣服，惟独芸一身素淡，只有一双鞋子是新的。我看见鞋绣制得精美巧妙，问后才知是芸自己做的，这才知道她的聪慧并不是仅仅表现在笔墨上。芸的肩膀瘦削，脖项修长，但瘦不露骨，眉弯目秀，顾盼之间神采飞扬，美中不足的是两颗牙齿微微露出，好像不是福相。芸身上那一种缠绵的姿态，令人意气消荡。

索观诗稿，有仅一联，或三四句，多未成篇者。询其故，笑曰 :"无师之作，愿得知己堪师者敲成之耳。"余戏题其签曰"锦囊佳句"，不知夭寿之机此已伏矣。

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我要来她的诗稿看，见有的仅有一联，或者只是三四句，大部分没有成篇。问她是什么缘故，芸笑着说 :"没有老师指点的作品，希望得到知音并可做老师的人把它推敲完成。"我开玩笑在她的诗稿上写下了"锦囊佳句"题签，却不知这里已潜含着她早逝的先兆了。

是夜，送亲城外，返已漏三下，腹饥索饵，婢妪以枣脯进，余嫌其甜。芸暗牵余袖，随至其室，见藏有暖粥并小菜焉。余欣然举箸，忽闻芸堂兄玉衡呼曰 :"淑妹速来！"芸急闭门曰 :"已疲乏，将卧矣。"玉衡挤身而入，见余将吃粥，乃笑睨芸曰 :"顷我索粥，汝曰`尽矣`，乃藏此专待汝婿耶？"芸大窘避去，上下哗笑之。余亦负气，挈老仆先归。自吃粥被嘲，再往，芸即避匿，余知其恐贻人笑也。

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这天夜里，送亲到城外，返回家中已是三更了。肚子饿了找东西吃，女仆递给我枣脯，我嫌太甜。芸悄悄拉了一下我的袖子，我就跟着她来到她的房间，见她藏有温热的粥和小菜。我高兴地举起筷子，忽然听见芸的堂哥玉衡叫道 :"淑妹快来 !"芸急忙关上房门说 :"我已经累得不行了，马上就要睡觉。"玉衡挤身进来，看见我正要吃粥，就斜着眼睛笑着对芸说 :"刚才我向你要粥喝，你说`吃完了`。原来是藏在这里专门款待你的丈夫呀 !"芸非常难为情，迅速躲开了，上上下下都笑话我们。我也感到很生气，就带着老仆人一起先回家了。自吃粥被别人嘲笑以后，我再去时，芸总是立即躲避开来，我知道她是怕又引起别人的笑话。

The Joys of the Wedding Chamber

When I was thirteen, my mother took me along on a visit to her relatives. That was the first time I met my cousin Yün, and we two children got on well together. I had a chance to see her poems that day, and though I sighed at her brilliance I privately feared she was too sensitive to be completely happy in life. Still, I could not forget her, and I remember saying to my mother, `If you are going to choose a wife for me, I will marry no other than Yün.`

Mother also loved her gentleness, so she was quick to arrange our engagement, sealing the match by giving Yün a gold ring from her own finger. This was in the 39th year of the reign of the Emperor Chien Lung,5 on the 16th day of the seventh month.

That winter mother took me to their home once again, for the marriage of Yün`s cousin. Yün and I were born in the same year, but because she was ten months older than I, I had always called her `elder sister`, while she called me `younger brother`. We continued to call one another by these names even after we were engaged.

At her cousin`s wedding the room was full of beautifully dressed people. Yün alone wore a plain dress; only her shoes were new. I noticed they were skilfully embroidered, and when she told me she had done them herself I began to appreciate that her cleverness lay not only in her writing.

Yün had delicate shoulders and a stately neck, and her figure was slim. Her brows arched over beautiful, lively eyes. Her only blemish was two slightly protruding front teeth, the sign of a lack of good fortune. But her manner was altogether charming, and she captivated all who saw her.

I asked to see more of her poems that day, and found some had only one line, others three or four, and most were unfinished. I asked her why.

`I have done them without a teacher,`she replied, laughing. `I hope you, my best friend, can be my teacher now and help me finish them.` Then as a joke I wrote on her book, `The Embroidered Bag of Beautiful Verses`. I did not then realize that the origin of her early death already lay in that book.

That night after the wedding I escorted my relatives out of the city, and it was midnight by the time I returned. I was terribly hungry and asked for something to eat. A servant brought me some dried plums, but they were too sweet for me. So Yün secretly tugged at my sleeve and I followed to her room, where she had hidden some warm rice porridge and some small dishes of food. I delightedly picked up my chopsticks, but suddenly heard Yün`s cousin Yu-heng call, `Yün, come quickly!`

Yün hurriedly shut the door and called back, `I`m very tired. I was just going to sleep.` But Yu-heng pushed open the door and came in anyway.

He saw me just about to begin eating the rice porridge, and chuckled, looking out of the corner of his eye at Yün. `When I asked you for some rice porridge just now, you said there wasn`t any more! But I see you were just hiding it in here and saving it for your "husband"!`

Yün was terribly embarrassed, and ran out. The whole household broke into laughter. I was also embarrassed and angry, roused my servant, and left early.

Every time I returned after that, Yün would hide. I knew she was afraid that everyone would laugh at her.

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