(2017Translation) 諧謔

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  • 諧謔 (해학, Witty stories)(2)

Original Script

昔劉伯龍歷位九卿。貧窶尤甚。將營什一之方。有鬼在傍大笑。又貧人辨得隻瓮。夜宿瓮中。心計曰此瓮賣之。可辦二瓮。自二瓮化而爲四。其利無窮。遂喜而舞。不覺瓮破云。以此觀之。凡人貧富得失。皆有定分。不可以妄求者也。

-昔有一將官畏妻者。以爲天下之貞男。莫我若也。欲試諸人。乃植靑白兩旗於庭。令曰。貞男者赴靑旗。非貞男者赴白旗。於是軍中或左或右。有一卒獨中立不動。怪而問之。對曰。卒妻甞戒卒曰。男子眾會。則必談及女色。愼無往云。故不敢違耳。將官乃下庭。挽而上座曰。今日之事。爾爲將矣。

-有士人畜一妻一妾而摘白鬚者。妾拔白唯謹。而妻惡其欲媚於妾也。去其黑者。一朝白黑俱盡。儼一老婆。經歲不敢出焉。 《芝峯類說.卷十六》

Translation

Student 1 : Sanghoon Na

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1

Formerly, Liu Bolong had served with the rank of nine excellencies [But] He was extremely poor. He planned to run a business which might bring him 10 percent of profit. There was a goblin beside [him] laughed out loud.

There was another poor man who managed to get a single jar and slept in it. Calculating in his mind, he said, "If I sell this jar [at high price], I would be able to get two jars. Then two jars will be four.... The profits will be limitless." Finally, he jumped for joy and unexpectedly the jar was broken. Judging by this, generally, as for people's poverty and wealth or gains and losses, each has his own lot. Do not be a person who pursues something in vain.

2.

Formerly, there was a general who feared his wife. He thought he was the most chaste man under heaven and no one was as chaste as himself. He wanted to test it among his men, and so planted a blue flag and a white one in the courtyard, and commanded, "Those who consider themselves chaste men, go to the blue flag. Those who consider themselves unchaste men, go to the white flag. Upon this some of the soldiers went left and others right. [But] There was a solider alone standing in the middle without moving. Thinking it strange, he asked him [why]. He replied, "Your servant's wife once warned me and said, 'When men meet in crowd together, then their conversation certainly is bound to be about female sexuality.' Be careful not to go there.' So I simply didn't dare to disobey her." The general at once came down to the yard and pulled him and gave him a high seat.“As for today's matter, you should be the general [instead of me.]"

3.

There was a gentleman who kept a wife and a concubine and had them pluck his gray beards. His concubine plucked gray beards very carefully, but his wife hated his desire to look good to the concubine. So she removed black beards [instead]. One morning(Before he knew) both white and black hairs all fell out, and he apparently looked an old woman. Until one year passed, he did not dare to come out of house.

Student 2 : Younès M'Ghari

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• Once upon a time, Liu Bolong had served in posts in nine ministers¹. He was extremely poor and deprived. He was about to engage a business bringing him one tenth profit. There was a ghost at his side laughing heartily. // Another poor man had obtained a jar from nowhere. At night, he slept in that jar. He was calculating in his heart² and said: “If I sell this jar I can get two jars. From two jars it will change to four.” That profit was endless. After that, the man was happy and danced. He did not know his jar was broken. // Viewing it with this, for ordinary people, you are poor or rich, you gain or you lose; it is [actually] not something you can rashly pursue.

¹: In other words "all the highest positions in the government".

²: "In his mind".

• Once upon a time, there was a general who was afraid of his wife. He thought that he was a chaste man under heaven and that noone was like him. He wanted to test everyone so he planted two blue and white flags in the courtyard and ordered “May the chaste men go to the blue flag and the non chaste men go to the white flag. Upon this, among the troup, some were on the leftside, some were on the rightside. There was only one soldier alone in the middle standing and not moving. It was strange and [the general] asked him. The man replied: “My wife once warned me and said: “When men meet together in crowd, they are bound to talk about women. [So] Be careful not to go there.” Therefore I dare not disobey.” The general then came down to the courtyard dragged him, made him sit up on and said: “Today’s event: you become the general.”

Student 3 : Petra Sváková

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• Once upon a time, there was [a man called] Liu Bolong who had served in nine¹ different posts. He was extremely poor and deprived. He was about to run a business [which he would get] one tenth of profit [of]. There was a ghost beside him [who was] loudly laughing [while saying:] "There was also a poor man who suddenly obtained a large jar. At night he [used to] sleep inside it. The man was calculating in his mind and said: 'I can sell this jar and get two [instead of one]. [And] from two jars it will naturally become four jars. The profit [means] no poverty.' Finally, he was happy and danced. Without knowing [that] the jar was broken. Viewing it with this, ordinary people, [they can be] poor or rich, [they can] gain or lost. Everything is decided to be divided. This is not something you can recklessly demand.

• Once, there was a general who feared his wife. He considered himself as the virtuous man of the Heaven and The Earth, and thought: "[There is] no one like me." He wanted to test other people. So he planted blue and white (two) flags in the courtyard, and ordered: "Those who [think that] are the virtuous men, go towards the blue flag. Those who [think that] are not virtuous men, go towards the white flag." Hence among soldiers [there were] some [who went] to the left and some [who went] to the right. [However] there was only one soldier who stood in the middle and did not move. [The general] thought it was strange and asked him [the reason why he did not move]. The soldier responded: "My wife once warned me [while] saying: '[When] men meet and group together, then [their] chatting must lead to women. [Therefore] be careful not to go there.' [For this] reason I dare not to go against it(her will)." After that, the general came down to the courtyard. He dragged him(the soldier) and made him sit above [while] saying:“As the matter of today, you become the general."

• There was a scholar who kept a wife and a concubine and [had them] pull out white [hair from his] mustache. The concubine pulled out only the white hair carefully but the wife hated him for wanting to look handsome for the concubine and removed his black hair. Overnight the white and the black hair were all gone. He looked like an old woman. Over the year, he did not dare to come out [of his house].

¹ the word 'nine' in this text means 'various'

Student 4 : (Write your name)

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Once upon a time, Liu Bolong¹ served nine ministerial posts [but was] extremely poor. He was going to engage in a business [with a] one-tenths margin. A ghost by [his] side gave a big laugh.

[There was] another poor man [who] managed to get a jar. [At] night [he] lodged inside the jar. Reckoning [his] inner thoughts², [he] said: "This jar, [I'll] sell it. [Then I] can manage to get two jars. From two jars [that] transforms and becomes four. This profit [means] no poverty."

Following that [he] was gladdened and therefore danced. [He] did not realize [that he had] smashed the jar.

Seeing it in this [way], ordinarily people gain and lose poverty and wealth. All is apportioned. [It's] not something one can foolishly desire [for].

¹ 劉白龍 – A personage found in Tang dynasty poet Sun Yuanyan (孫元晏)'s poem 《宋•劉白龍》 (The State of Song: Liu Bolong), which relates the story of his poverty and the ghost's response to it (in Volume 767 of the Qing dynasty collection 全唐詩 [The Complete Tang Poems]).

² 心 [K: sim; C: xin], encompassing the physical heart, emotions, and thoughts (see The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, "1.1. The Heart-Mind and the Things-Events" for an introduction and Language Log, "Heart-mind" for a discussion of some approaches to translating 心).

Once there was a constable who feared his wife [and] took [himself] to be [the most] virtuous man of the world, [thinking,] "There is none like me." [He] wished to test everyone. [He] then planted a blue¹ and a white flag in [his] courtyard, and giving an order, said: "Those who have no virtue, go toward the white flag. Those who have virtue, go toward the blue flag."

To this, among the soldiers some [went] right and some [went] left. There was a lone soldier in the middle who stood [in place] and did not move. [The constable,] perplexed, asked him why.

[He] replied, saying, "My wife once warned me, saying, '[When] men gather and meet, then [they] have to talk about women and sex. Take care [that there is] no going.' [This is] why [I] dare not disobey and that is all."

The constable then came down [into] the courtyard. Leading him and sitting [him in the] high seat, he said: "[For] today's event, you be the constable."

There was a scholar who kept a wife and a concubine and [had them] pluck white [hairs from his] beard. The concubine would carefully pull out the white hairs and the wife hated his wishing to look well-groomed for the concubine. [She] removed his black hairs. In a single morning [both] white and black hairs were completely gone. [He] looked like an old woman. For over a year [he] did not dare go out from it [i.e. his home].

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Student 8 : Bryan Sauvadet

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1-

昔劉伯龍歷位九卿。

Once upon a time, Liu Bolong had served at nine ministers.

貧窶尤甚。

He was very poor and devastated.

將營什一之方。

And he would to manage a business which might bring him ten percent of profit.

有鬼在傍大笑。

There is a phantom in his room and he laughed a lot.

又貧人辨得隻瓮。

There was also a poor man who suddenly got a large jar.

夜宿瓮中。

In night, he slept into the jar.

心計曰此瓮賣之。

In his mind he’s said: “I can sell this jar”.

可辦二瓮。

I would be able to get two jars.

自二瓮化而爲四。

Then, from two jars they became four.

其利無窮。

That profit will be endless.

遂喜而舞。

Finally, joyfully he danced,

不覺瓮破云。

and unexpectedly the jar was broken.

以此觀之。

Nobody knew that the jar was broken.

凡人貧富得失。

Judging by this, generally, as for people's poverty and wealth or gains and losses,

皆有定分。

each has his own lot.

不可以妄求者也。

There is nothing that you cannot perceive in vain.

2 -

昔有一將官畏妻者。

Once, there was a General who was afraid by his wife.

以爲天下之貞男。

He thought that: “In all virtuous man in the world…

莫我若也。

… No one is like me.”

欲試諸人。

He wants to test all the people.

乃植靑白兩旗於庭。

He plant two flags blue and white in the courtyard.

令曰。

He order

貞男者赴靑旗。

virtuous men to go to the blue flag.

非貞男者赴白旗。

And the ones who are not virtuous have to go to the white flag.

於是軍中或左或右。

Among the troop, soldiers go on the left or in the right.

有一卒獨中立不動。

There is only one soldier stand in the middle without moving,

怪而問之。

The commander asks him.

對曰。

And he reply:

卒妻甞戒卒曰。

“My wife worn me and said

男子眾會。

‘When Men around together

則必談及女色。

They bound to talk about their stories with women

愼無往云。

Be careful not to go there’

故不敢違耳。

So I don’t brave the mention of my wife”.

將官乃下庭。

The commandant goes down the court yard.

挽而上座曰。

He pulls him up to the higher seat and said:

今日之事。

For today’s event,

爾爲將矣。

You have become the general.

3-

有士人畜一妻一妾而摘白鬚者。

There is a gentleman who keeps a wife and a concubine, and had them pluck his white beard.

妾拔白唯謹。

The concubine plucks the white beard very carefully.

而妻惡其欲媚於妾也。

The wife hated him to look handsome to the concubine.

去其黑者。

She removes the black beard.

一朝白黑俱盡。

Overnight, the white one and the black one are all gone.

儼一老婆。

He was like an old bold man.

經歲不敢出焉。

Over a year he don’t go out the house.

《芝峯類說.卷十六》

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