Women in Chinese Folklore(1)Goddess Chang E

古树羽音
楼主 (文学城)

  

 

这是一本上世纪八十年代在北京王府井外文书店购买的小册子【民间传说中的妇女】,1983年第一版。内中编辑了5篇故事,时值中秋节之际,就先介绍其中的「Goddess Chang E Ascends To The Moon」,原文共有十页,敲字太长了,这里是偷懒从网上复制的短文,以此与网友们,普天同庆,中秋快乐平安:

 

 

Goddess Chang E Ascends to the Moon

 

Legend says that there were once ten suns in the sky, which made plants wither, water in rivers and lakes run dry. It’s too hot to live on the sun. 

 

Houyi, a young man who was good at archery was sympathetic with people’s torture so he decided to save them. He took out his bow, ascended up to the peak of the Kunlun Mountain and shot down nine of the ten suns one by one, and he might have shot the last one if it was not called off by others. Thus the severe drought was gone.

 

Houyi thus was respected and honored by people as a hero. Young men who were fond of archery flocked to him to learn shooting.

 

Houyi later married a pretty lady called Chang’er and lived a happy life with her.

 

One day on his way to a friend’ home in the Kunlun Mountain, Houyi came across the Heavenly Empress. Houyi was enamored of the happy life with his wife and wanted to be with her forever so he asked the Heavely Empress to give him some elixir. The elixir was strictly controlled off normal people. The Heavely Empress, however, moved by Houyi’s contribution and affection to love and gave him one. The drug was said very powerful and people who took it can fly to the heaven and became a immortal immediately. 

 

However, the content was only enough for one person and Houyi was reluctant to leave his beloved wife alone on the earth so he gave the elixir to Chang’er to preserve and wanted to seek another one for his wife. Chang’er carefully stored it in a wooden box while her action was peeked by the evil Fengmeng-one of his husband’s adherents.

 

Three days afterward, Houyi lead his disciples to go out for hunting but Fengmeng who wanted to steal the elixir while Houyi was way, stayed at home deliberately.

 

No sooner as Houyi left his house, Fengmeng knocked into the courtyard where Chang’er was working. He wielded his glitter sword and threatened Chang’er to give him the elixir.

 

Chang’e had no better idea than swallowed the elixir herself. 

 

As soon as she took it, chang’er flew from her house toward the heave and finally landed on the moon.

 

Houyi was told what was happening in the evening when he returned home from bumper hunting. He was astonished, anguished and then very anger so he decided to kill the evil man. But Fengmeng had fled away. Chang’er was transferred to the moon and has lived there since ever.

 

Chang'e decides to live on the moon because it is nearest to the earth. There she lives a simple and contented life. Even though she is in Heaven, her heart remains in the world of mortals. Never does she forget the deep love she has for Hou Yi.

 

嫦娥 (唐) 李商隐

云母屏风烛影深,长河渐落晓星沉。

嫦娥应悔偷灵药,碧海青天夜夜心。

 

哈哈哈,我是来鱼目混珠的,先礼后兵露峥嵘。请教大师们这首李商隐的汉诗如何翻译?这首诗是我在上山下乡前,中学没学可上时,不太记得是读「古文观止」,还是「唐诗三百首」的时候,就被此诗作的意境魅力迷住了。后来,不论是在麦田和原野,还是在冰雪的林海;不论是在古城的近旁,还是他乡的驿站,只要能看到月亮就会想象着嫦娥在月宫,望着人间地球,那无边孤寂的身影。太棒了,这首古诗!

 

 

盈盈一笑间
中秋快乐,古树老师!日本早一天,再过几个小时就中秋节了吧。。:))
盈盈一笑间
图文并茂,有英文有美诗有视频,太棒啦!嫦娥的故事,好看。也喜欢王菲的《传奇》!
古树羽音
问好,盈盈坛官!就为了祝贺你,我又来鱼目混珠了,哈哈哈。不过嘛,醉翁之意不在酒,来学习的啊。敬请朋友们指导!
古树羽音
谢谢盈盈的一贯鼓励!原书作者的英文很好,但字太小,需要放大镜,我就偷懒了。高兴你也喜爱王菲的自然纯净。
盈盈一笑间
谢谢您。拉手拉手。我来美坛,也是来为了促进自己不断学习。英语好,对工作,和日常生活都非常有益。一起学,一起玩!:))
盈盈一笑间
古树老师求英文翻译,美坛同学们都来试一试吧!嫦娥诗,中秋应景!
盈盈一笑间
嫦娥 (唐) 李商隐 云母屏风烛影深,长河渐落晓星沉。 嫦娥应悔偷灵药,碧海青天夜夜心。
盈盈一笑间
第一代移民,英语常常会成为职场发展的障碍之一。如果专业能力强,再加上流畅自如的口语,那就会如虎添翼了。:)
g
godog
试译一下
盈盈一笑间
赞快笔。欣赏学习G兄好译!中秋快乐~~
方外居士
I 服了you
7
7grizzly
Great story!
7
7grizzly
I heard a different version though, where

she got two pills: one is enough for immortality and two would turn her into a goddess.

She took both as she wanted to see the Heavenly Emperor to lobby for Houyi, who was himself a god demoted from the pantheon (along wth Chang'e) for shooting down the nine suns.

Alas, she never got the chance and was escorted to the moon before reaching the Heavenly Palace.

移花接木
我唱过Fairy tale , 英文版传奇

Fale Tale

 Michael Learns to Rock


In that misty morning when I saw your smiling face
You only looked at me and I was yours
But when I turned around you were nowhere to be seen
You had walked away and closed the door
When will I see you again
When will the sky start to rain
When will the stars start to shine
When will I know that you're mine
Did I ever meet you in the sunshine
And when we were both a thousand years away
Did I ever hold you in the moon light
Did we make every minute last another day
On a cold December night I gave my heart to you
And by the summer you were gone
Now as the days grow old and the stars will start to dim
All I have are memories and this song
When will I see you again
When will the sky start to rain
When will the stars start to shine
When will I know that you're mine
When will I see you again (again)
When will the sky start to rain (When will the sky...)
When will the stars start to shine
When will I know that you're mine
In that misty morning  I saw your smiling face.
移花接木
我小时候听得是嫦娥偷吃仙药,所以有这句谜语为什么常娥善变? 因为嫦娥是change
盈盈一笑间
哈哈,原来如此。女生善变,原来都是嫦娥的错。名字起的不好。LOL
盈盈一笑间
I like this version better. 嫦娥 was deeply devoted to the one

She loved.

为爱痴情的女子形象,跃然纸上~~

移花接木
This is a politically correct version,洗白了
方外居士
Great singing!
移花接木
This is the traditional version
盈盈一笑间
怎么洗白的?历史事实又是什么?哈哈
盈盈一笑间
+100086!!!
移花接木
等月亮上有了Internet,要嫦娥亲自来澄清
w
waterfowl
Just in time. 中秋快乐!
古树羽音
it is very kind of you,Yingying! 我有些安心了:-)努力从小学水平开始吧!
古树羽音
有道理!承蒙遇见严谨的导师,督导我把握了本地语言,并不年轻也能混饭,是很大的原因。反之,丢了英语,忘了母语,哈哈哈。
古树羽音
感谢坛官盈盈的呼吁!我自己更要加油,尽量不偷懒了!
古树羽音
鞠躬感谢Go博的神速快译,功力所在!我已经Copy到自己的笔记本,能否连带译者您的网名一起加到此文中呢?
古树羽音
谢谢7博的追加故事,这个版本很有趣意,反映了更深的想象力。
古树羽音
谢谢花木博!您真是又幽默又有想象力!
古树羽音
是的,传统的大众文化的情怀寄托,我想。
古树羽音
太感谢花木博的歌唱了!发文前我没有找到,能让我追加进此文中吗?
古树羽音
哈哈哈,望字生意,还真是啊!时常兑变的蛾子?汉字的博大精深!愈学愈“神”(深):)
古树羽音
谢谢水博!同祝中秋愉快!
移花接木
I am so flattered
古树羽音
Then, 等会换到电脑上,我就追加了,先礼了!
古树羽音
强烈要求盈盈,去掉老师这个不实实际的词汇,太沉重;我已经退休,是棵健康的“老树”。我也可以轻松地来玩啊:-)
r
renqiulan
Never mind there's no Moon Lady on the moon. Her legend
r
renqiulan
still lives in you and me.
古树羽音
问好,秋兰博!谢谢充满了想象力的留言,真好比:此处无“文”胜有“文”了!
g
godog
不谢。可以的。
古树羽音
英文版比中文版听着流畅!不知是哪种语言在先?