陆犯焉识

[Fred0]

Especially with her cradling a bundle of bedding under her arm.

[Fred0]

Nianhen has told Yanshi that she is leaving him to go to America. She has been sending his letters home to his wife and step-mother for two years, and she tells him that she realizes that he will never leave them. She adds the following:

念痕又说，本来她还寄希望于战争，希望它一直打个不停，打到她和焉识都老了终止，让沦亡的国土成全两个天涯沦落人。

It’s the last clause which is the challenge.

The ruin of the country would help us achieve our aim; two tramps wandering off to the ends of the earth. 

Does this translation make sense? Can you suggest improvements?

[Jim]

The 成全 should be read with the sense of achieving their union as a couple here, I'd say; especially given the preceding bit about the war going on until they both grow old. You can see the parallelism between 沦亡 and 沦落, though must admit I'm a bit confused by why they're supposed to be at 天涯 - aren't they together in Shanghai at this point?

So it's something like, "she'd hoped the war would just keep going on, right on until she and Yanshi had both grown old; the territory lost by the country a price she would happily pay for keeping together two lost souls far from home." As I say, the 天涯 bit isn't too clear to me here and I've glossed a bit extra with the price she's happy to pay, but that's the sense.

[Fred0]

Sorry For the delayed response; my emaial was not working. They are together but still in Chongqing. So Yanshi is far from home, but not Nianhen. Thanks for your help with this knotty sentence.

[Fred0]

 

As Lü Yanshi is being taken in a police car to what he thinks will be his own execution, he is remembering his young friend Liang Hulu’s execution.

 

梁葫芦被枪毙之前，监狱的领导通知了他的弟弟。

Before Liang Hulu’s execution by firing squad, the prison directors notified his younger brother.

他最大的弟弟已经十六岁了，刚刚应征。

The oldest of his younger brothers was already 16 years-old. He had just recently been recruited into the miliary.

因为梁葫芦即将被处死，公社反而照顾了他弟弟一个招兵名额，并替他改大两岁。

Since Liang Hulu was about to be executed, the commune instead showed its consideration by adding his younger bother to the miliary quota, and adding two years to his age. (Is this a correct translation? Am I missing something or gretting something wrong? Is there meant to be a certain irony, as though this was a nice thing for them to add two years to his age so he would be elegible to be added to the quota?)

弟弟来了后，被安排住在家属区的一间客房里，说好只待两天就回东北继续新兵训练。

After the younger brother came, arrangements had been made for him to have a room in a guest house in the area for relatives (of the prisoners), with an agreement that he could stay for two days before returning to the northeast to take the training for new recruits.

梁葫芦这时还在做好汉，对邓指说，有啥见的？老子还不是为了给他们争一个白面馍丢老命的？

Liang Hulu at that time was still presenting a brave front. Towards Deng Zhi (one of the guards) he said, “What is there to see? Didn’t I lose my venerable life fighting with them over a steamed bun?” (First, is this a correct translation? Secondly, what is he saying here. Is it that he is so foolhardy and wild that he would fight to the death over a steamed bun, so why should he be upset about his execution?)

 

I am including this last part of the paragraph just for context, but please  point out any mistakes in the translation.

邓指知道梁葫芦比较听老几的话，把正在播种土豆的老几从田里叫回来，说：“老陆啊，组织上给买一张火车票让葫芦弟弟来跟他告个别，都两天了他就是不肯见面。你说说他去吧。”

Deng Zhi knew that Liang Hulu would rather hear from Lao Ji (nickname for Lü Yanshi). On the way back from planting potatoes, he called Lao Ji back, saying: “Honorable Lü, they arranged to buy a train ticket for Liang Hulu’s brother to come and have a talk with him. Hulu is refusing to meet with him at all these two days. Would  you say something to him, to get him to go?”

 

Thanks very much.

[Jim]

对邓指说，有啥见的？老子还不是为了给他们争一个白面馍丢老命的？

 

The 有啥见的？here is more "Why would I want to see him?" as in his visiting brother. Then the next bit looks to me like he's saying he's going to be executed because he tried to put a bit of food in his family's mouths, i.e. that's who I think the 给他们争 is talking about (was there a particular incident involving buns? I'm guessing it's more general but could be specific.). I wouldn't overdo the 丢老命 bit either, it's a fairly natural way of saying he's about to die on their behalf, though of a piece with referring to himself as 老子, a sort of bluff, manly stance of unconcern. 

 

In the context bit (which does to me support my interpretation) the 都两天了 is more like "it's been two whole days already" rather than all these two days, i.e. emphasising that the brother has already been here all this time and still no meet. Also 你说说他去 is "you go and have a word with him."

 

ETA forgot the bit about his brother's age; you're right, it's saying as a gesture they added two years to his brother's age so he could join the army, obviously a plum opportunity back in the day, the 反而照顾 is more to emphasise that surprisingly they did this good thing for the family rather than "instead" as such, though obviously also in the sense of "instead of treating them as criminals too by association" or the like.

[Fred0]

I apologize for the slow response, again. this time it's due to being in bed with the flu. Right now, Chinese characters just look like squiggley lines to me.

[Jim]

Sorry to hear that Fred, get well soon! It is the season for all the bugs. Was slow myself initially as was down south for the New Year.

[Fred0]

Returning now from influenza land, thank you for your helpful corrections. Regarding steamed buns, it was when Liang Hulu's mother and boyfriend had two steamed buns for themselves, leaving only one more to be shared amongst Hulu and his siblings that he murdered both of them in their bed with a machete. I had forgotten that little incident. 

 

 

[Fred0]

Liang Hulu is in a cell waiting to be executed. They have arranged for his brother to come see him to say goodbye, but Hulu is refusing to see him. The guard asks Laoji to go see Hulu and try to talk him into agreeing to see his brother.  The cell is in total darkness. Laoji is the speaker:

对着完全看不见的梁葫芦，他说假如他是葫芦的话，绝不会错过跟亲人见面的最后机会。葫芦一声不吭，唯一的响动来自他的镣铐，或者屁股下的芨芨草。过了一会儿，老几又说，谁都为他可惜，不过这是没办法的事。老几还说，梁葫芦这三年对他的好，值得他老几在剩下不长的余生里怀念。

Laoji says: 谁都为他可惜，不过这是没办法的事。Does he mean “everybody is pitying you but there is nothing to do about it,” or does it me “there is no one to pity you (if you refuse to see your brother), but there is nothing to do about it” This 谁都 type of expresssion always baffles me. How can you tell which meaning is correct?

[Jim]

Yes, it's everyone feels sorry for him. Think in most contexts it would need some sort of negation for it to mean no-one, 没有谁 etc, and there could also be phrases where it technically means everyone but it's better translated no-one, e.g. 谁都不会为他可惜, but again there is a negation in there, we've just shifted the part of speech it applies to. 

[Fred0]

It makes sense to me if I think that "who" in English is also a conjuction, and not always an interrogative. Thanks for rhe confirmation.