红楼梦剧本英语最新版

Begonia Club Takes Form One Day in the Studio of Autumn Freshness
Characters:
李纨Ann
探春Olivia
迎春Asuna
惜春Sylvia
宝钗Echo
黛玉Eva
宝玉Jenniier
旁白Lemon
旁白：He（宝玉）went to the Studio of Autumn Freshness(秋爽斋) where 宝玉, 黛玉, 迎春and 惜春were assembled.
宝玉, 黛玉, 迎春, 惜春（cried）（laughing, as he entered.）: Here comes another!
探春（asked gleefully）: Not so vulgar, was it, that sudden idea of mine? I wrote a few invitations to see what would happen, and you all turn up in force.
宝玉（observed）: We should have started a club like this long ago.
黛玉: Start one if you like, but don't count me in. I'm not up to it.
迎春（countered with a smile）: If you're not, who is?
宝玉（declared）: This is a serious business. We should encourage each other, not back out of politeness. Let's all give our ideas for general discussion. What suggestions have you, Cousin 宝钗? And Cousin 黛玉?宝钗（asked）: What's the hurry? We're not all here yet.
旁白：Before she had finished speaking 李纨walked in.
李纨（cried）: How very refined! If you're going to start a poetry club, I'll volunteer to preside. I had this very idea last spring, but on second thoughts decided it would only be asking for trouble as I can't write poetry myself, so I dropped the idea and forgot it. Now that Third Sister's so keen, I'll help you get this going.
黛玉: If you're set on starting a poetry club, we must all be poets. And first, to be less conventional, we must stop calling each other 'sister,' 'cousin,' 'sister-in-law' and so forth.
李纨（agreed）: Quite right. Let's choose some elegant pen-names. I'll be The Old Peasant of Sweet Paddy （稻香老农）. No one else can have that name.
探春（cried）: I'll be Master of Autumn Freshness（秋爽居士）.
宝玉（objected）: There's something unreal and awkward about 'master' and 'scholar’. With all these wu-tung trees and plantains here, why not use them in your name?
探春（agreed）: Yes, I know what. I like plantains best so I'll call myself The Stranger Under the Plantain （蕉下客）.
旁白：The others approved this as more original.
黛玉（teased）: Drag her off, quick! Stew some slices of her flesh to go with our wine.
旁白：The others looked mystified.
黛玉：（explained with a smile）Didn't an ancient say, 'The deer was covered with the plantain'? If she calls herself The Stranger Under the Plantain, she must be a deer. Let's hurry up and cook this venison.
探春（cried）：Just you wait! You're very clever at making fun of people, but I've got the right name for you, a perfect name. (turning to the rest.) The wives of King Shun shed so many tears on bamboos that thereafter their stems became speckled, and now the speckled bamboo is called by their name. Well, she lives in Bamboo Lodge and she's always crying. When one day she pines for a husband, I'm sure the bamboos there will grow speckled too. I propose we call her Queen of the Bamboos（潇湘妃子）.
旁白：The rest applauded while 黛玉lowered her head, reduced to silence.
李纨（volunteered）: I've thought of a good name for Cousin 宝钗. A short one too.
惜春and 迎春（asked）: What is it?
李纨（answered）: I'm entitling her Lady of the Alpinia（蘅芜君）. How's that?
探春: An excellent title.
宝玉（asked）: How about me? Think of one for me too.
宝钗（chuckled）: You've already got one. Much Ado About Nothing（无事忙）is just the name for you.李纨（suggested）: Why not keep your old title of Prince of the Crimson Cavern（绛洞花主）?
宝玉（smiled sheepishly）: Don't bring up the silly things I did as a child.
探春: You've already got plenty of pen-names. What do you want a new one for? We can just call you by any name we feel like.
宝钗（offered）: I've got one for you. It's vulgar, but it suits you to the ground. The two hardest things to come by are riches and nobility, and the third is leisure. Few people enjoy more than one of these, but you have all three, so you should be called The Rich and Noble Idler（富贵闲人）.
宝玉（grinned）: That's too good for me. But just as you please.
李纨（asked）: What about Second Cousin and Fourth Cousin?
迎春（rejoined）: We're no good at writing poetry so we shan't need pen-names.
探春（urged）: Even so, you'd each better have one.
宝钗（suggested）: As 迎春lives on Purple Caltrop Isle, let her be Mistress of Caltrop Isle（菱洲）. And 惜春in the Pavilion of Scented Lotus could be Mistress of Lotus Pavilion（藕榭）.
李纨: Very good. Now as I'm the eldest you must all listen to me. I'm sure you'll agree to my proposal. We seven are starting this club; but as Second Cousin, Fourth Cousin and I are no poetesses you must leave us out when it comes to writing, and we'll each take charge of something.
探春（giggled）: We've already got titles. But we might just as well not have them, the way you're still talking. We must decide on forfeits for mistakes like that from now on.
李纨: Wait till we've set up the club before laying down rule. My apartments are the largest, let's meet there. Though I can't versify, if you poets don't object to my vulgar company I'll act as hostess and in that way acquire some culture too. But if you elect me as warden, I shan't be able to manage on my own. We must have as our deputy-wardens the scholars of Caltrop Isle and Lotus Pavilion, one to set the theme and rhymes, the other as copyist and supervisor. We won't make a ruling that we three are not to write when the subject and rhyme are easy we may have a go but you four definitely must write. That's my proposal. If you don't accept it, I must withdraw from this illustrious company.
旁白：As 迎春and 惜春had no liking for versifying and no chance of outdoing 宝钗or 黛玉, they willingly agreed to this arrangement which suited them down to the ground. The others, seeing their relief, acquiesced understandingly without pressing them.
探春（said cheerfully）: All right then. Seems funny to me, though. This was my brain-wave, but you three end up in charge.
宝玉（put in）: Now that's settled. Let's go to Paddy-Sweet Cottage.
李纨（objected）: Don't be in such a hurry. We're still in the planning stage. Wait till I invite you.
宝钗（urged）: At least we should agree on how often to meet.
探春（predicted）: If we meet too often we won't enjoy it. Let's limit it to two or three times a month.
宝钗（nodded）: Twice a month is enough. We'll fix dates and meet regardless of wind or rain. If anyone likes to invite people to her place or the usual place for another gathering on some other day, well and good. Wouldn't that be more flexible and greater fun?
旁白：They all approved this idea.
探春: As this was my suggestion, you must let me play hostess first. That's only fair.
李纨（agreed）: Very well then. You can call the first meeting tomorrow.
探春（urged）: Why not today? There's no time like the present. You set the subject, Caltrop Isle can fix the rhymes, and Lotus Pavilion can supervise.
迎春（demurred）: I don't think the subject and rhymes should be decided by one person. Drawing lots would be fairer.
李纨（remarked）: On my way here, I saw them carrying in two pots of white begonia which looked simply lovely. Why not write on the begonia?
迎春（protested）: Without having seen them? How can we?
宝钗（countered）: It's only white begonia. There's no need to look at it first. The ancients wrote to manifest their own temperaments and feelings. If they'd only written about things they'd seen, we wouldn't have so many poems today.
迎春（said）: In that case let me settle the rhymes.
旁白：She took a volume of poetry from the bookcase and opened it at random at a lushi with seven-character lines. Having held this out for all to see, she told them to use the same metre. Then putting the book away.
迎春（turned to 惜春）: Say any word that comes into your head.
惜春(standing by the door) : Men (door).
迎春（announced）: Very well, that rhyme belongs to the thirteenth section of the rhyme system. And that word must come in the first line.
旁白：Next she asked for the box of rhyme cards, pulled out the thirteenth drawer and told 惜春to pick four cards at random. These proved to be pen (pot), hun (spirit), hen (stain) and hun (dim).
宝玉's commented: 'Pot' and 'door' aren't easy to fit in.
旁白：惜春prepared four lots of paper and writing-brushes, and all quietened down to think. All but 黛玉, who went on fondling the wu-tong trees, looking at the autumn scene or joking with the maids. 迎春had a stick of Sweet-Dream Incense lit. Being only three inches long and no thicker than a lampwick, this burnt quickly. The poems had to be finished before it burnt out, on pain of a penalty. 探春was the first to finish. She wrote out her poem, made one or two corrections, and handed the paper to 迎春.
探春（asked 宝钗）：Are you ready, Lady of the Alpinia?
宝钗（replied）: Yes, mine's done, but it's no good.
宝玉(hands behind his back, pacing up and down the corridor) （said to 黛玉）: Hear that? They've finished theirs.
黛玉（answered）：Don't worry about me.
旁白：Then he saw that 宝钗had copied out her poem.
宝玉（exclaimed）: Good gracious! There's only one inch of the incense left, but all I've done is four lines. (turning to 黛玉) The incense is nearly burnt out. Do stop squatting on the damp ground.
旁白：黛玉paid no attention.
宝玉: I can't help you now. I must write mine out, however bad it is.
(walking to the desk)
惜春（announced）: We're going to look at the poems now. Anyone who doesn't hand his in by the time we finish reading the others will have to pay a forfeit.
宝玉：The Old Peasant of Sweet Paddy may not write well herself, but she's a good judge and absolutely impartial. We'll all stand by her verdict.
旁白：The rest agreed. First they looked at 探春's paper.
惜春（reads）:
Chill the sunset grass in front of the closed door,
Thick the green moss the rain-drenched pot below;
Her spirit's purity surpasses jade,
Her gentle form is ravishing as snow.
A faint ethereal loveliness is hers,
Her shadow at midnight chequers the moon's light.
Do not fly from me, chaste goodess;
Abide with me as fall the shades of night.
旁白：After admiring this they read 宝钗's poem:
迎春（reads）:
For the sake of the flowers the door is closed by day
As I go to water the pots with moss overgrown;
Immaculate its shadow on autumn steps,
Pure as snow and ice its spirit by dewy stone.
Only true whiteness dazzles with its brightness;
Can so much sadness leave a flawless jade?
Its purity rewards the god of autumn,
Speechless and chaste it stays as sunbeams fade.
李纨（remarked with a smile）：Trust the Lady of the Alpinia!
旁白：Then they turned to 宝玉's poem:
宝钗（reads）:
Autumn blooms cast chequered shadows by the door,
Seven nodes of snowy flowers in pots arrayed,
Like Lady Yang's shade, fresh from the bath, ice-pure,
Or Xi Shi's mournful spirit fair as jade.
No morning breeze can scatter this infinite sadness,
And the rain adds fresh tear-stains at night;
Leaning by painted balustrade it seems sensate
As pounding of clothes and fluting put dusk to flight.
旁白：When all had read this, 宝玉expressed his own preference for 探春's verse, but 李纨insisted that 宝钗's was more distinguished.
迎春（asked）:Queen of the Bamboos, have you finished your poem?
黛玉（cried）: Have you all finished? (taking up her brush and dashing off eight lines which she tossed over to them)
李纨reads:
Half-rolled the bamboo blind, half-closed the door;
Crushed ice serves as mould for jade pots.
宝玉（exclaimed in admiration before reading on）：How do you do it?
宝玉reads:
Some whiteness from the pear-blossom is stolen,
Some of its spirit winter-plum allots.
The others cried: Splendid! She's really original.
They read on:
探春reads:
The goddess of the moon sews a white gown,
The maid's weeping in autumn chamber never ends;
Silently, shyly, with never a word of complaint,
She reclines in the autumn breeze as night descends.
The young people cried: This is the best!
李纨: It's certainly the most charming and unusual. But our Lady Alpinia's has deeper significance and real substance.
探春（put in）: Quite right. The Queen of Bamboos should come second.
李纨: And the Happy Red Prince last. Agreed?
宝玉（said with a smile）: Mine was no good, that's quite fair. But you should reconsider which is the better, Lady Alpinia's or Queen Bamboo's.
李纨（insisted）: I'm the arbiter. You've no say in the matter. Any more argument will be penalized.
旁白：宝玉said no more.
迎春（declared）: We must choose a name for this club.
惜春: Nothing too common. Nothing too new-fangled either.”
探春（put in）: As we happened to start with poems on begonia, why not call it Begonia Club? Even if this sounds a little commonplace, as it's based on fact that doesn't matter.
旁白：The rest all agreed.
惜春: When shall be our next gathering?
李纨: I've decided that from now on we should meet on the second and sixteenth of each month. And you'll have to accept the subjects and rhymes I choose. You can have extra meetings on other days if you like -- I
don't care if you meet every day. But mind you come to my place on the second and sixteenth. 宝钗: It is getting dark now. I have to go back home to have dinner with my mother.
迎春: Oh, it’s so late. I have to go back to my house in case that my maid worries about me.惜春: I shall go back with you.”
李纨: Let’s call it a day. Next time I’ll send you my invitations. See you!
旁白：Saying goodbye to each other and going back in small groups.。