Pekinese Rhymes/11

by Guido Vitale

XI

黃狗黃狗你看家
我到南邊探梅花
一朶梅花沒探了
雙雙人兒到我家
我家媳婦兒會擀麪
拿起擀麪杖一大片
拿起刀賽如線
擱在鍋裏團團轉
盛在碗裏蓮花瓣

公一碗婆一碗
兩個小姑兒兩半碗
案板底下藏一碗
猫兒過來舔舔碗
狗兒過來砸了碗
耗子過來鋸上碗
嚇的媳婦兒直瞪眼
媳婦兒媳婦兒在那兒睡
在爐抗裏睡
鋪甚麽
鋪羊皮
蓋甚麽
蓋狗皮
枕甚麽
枕棒鍾
公公拿着一落磚
婆婆拿著一溜鞭
打的媳婦兒一溜烟

NOTES

This song although very childish, yet is founded on the fact that chinese mothers-in-law are often unkind and sometimes even cruel to their daughters-in-law. 雙雙人兒 shuang¹ shuang¹ jen²'r, means a couple of persons, not four persons. 我家媳婦兒 uo³ chia¹ hsi² fu⁴'r, "the wife in my house" probably these words are meant to be uttered by the mother in law, who may call so her son's daughter. 擀麪 kan³ mien⁴, to stretch out dough to make vermicelli. 擀麪杖 kan³ mien⁴ chang⁴, a roller to stretch dough. 一大片 i¹ ta⁴ p'ien⁴, a large flat piece (of dough); in the text the verb "she stretches out" is wanting. 赛如線 sai⁴ ju⁴ hsien⁴, which may rival, compete with thread as to thinness. 團團轉 t'uan² t'uan² chuan⁴, conglomerated they turn round in the pan. (said of the vermicelli) 蓮花瓣 lien²-hua¹-pan⁴, (as they were) petals of the lotus blossom. 公 kung¹ father-in-law, here kung¹ is instead of 公公 kung¹ kung¹. 婆 p'uo², mother in law, here p'uo² is instead of 婆婆 p'uo² p'uo². 小姑兒 hsiao³ ku¹'r, her husband's younger sisters. 案板 an⁴ pan³, a wood board on which dough is stretched to make vermicelli. 爐坑 lu² k'eng¹ is a pit under the stove where the ashes fall down; an imcommon severe punishment inflicted by mothers-in-law to their daughters-in-law is to let them sleep in the stove-pit. 鋪甚麽 p'u¹ she² mmo, what have you for bedding? 枕甚麽 chen³ she² mmo, what have you for pillow? Somebody is supposed to ask now from the unfortunate wife about her condition. 棒鍾 pang⁴ ch'ui², a beater used in washing clothes; it is generally made of 棗木 tsao³ mu⁴, date wood. 一落磚 i¹ luo⁴ chuan¹, a pile of bricks, that is to say, as many bricks as could form a pile of them. 一溜鞭 i¹ liou⁴ pien¹, "a row of whips" rather a strange expression for many whips, lots of whips. ―溜姻 i¹ liou⁴ yen¹, as a stream of smoke; the verse is not complete because its whole meaning is: they beat the wife so that she runs away as quickly as a stream of smoke (a cloud of smoke). The Chinese associate the idea of smoke with quickness; very often it is heard 他走一溜姻兒似的 t'a¹ tsou³ i¹ liou⁴ yen¹'r shih⁴-ti, he walks as quickly as a stream of smoke.

TRANSLATION

Yellow dog, yellow dog, look after the house ― I go towards South to pluck plum-blossoms ― I have not yet plucked a single plum-blossom ― and two persons arrive at the house ― my son's wife knows how to stretch out dough ― she takes the roller and stretches a large slice of dough ― she takes the knife and cuts vermicelli as thin as thread ― then she puts them in the cooking-pan, and they turn conglomerated about ― afterwards she puts them down in the bowls and they look like petals of the lotus blossom. ― (She fills) one bowl for her father-in-law ― one bowl for her mother-in-law ― and two half-bowls for her sisters-in-law ― she hides one bowl under the doughboard ― but the cat comes over and licks the bowl ― the dog comes over and has broken the bowl ― the mice come over and gnaw the bowl ― and the housewife is so scared that she stares vacantly ― "wife, wife, where do you sleep?" ― "I sleep in the stove-pit ― what have you for bedding? ― I have for bedding a goat's skin ― what have you for coverlet? ― I have a dog's skin ― what have you for pillow? ― I have a linen-beater ― the father-in-law takes up in his hands as many bricks as could form a pile ― the mother-in-law holds up in her hands a row of whips ― and they beat the wife so that she runs away as quickly as a stream of smoke.