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han cousin.The young hero is a dilettantish poet， who was （ like Hamlet ） “the glass of fashion and the mold of form， the observed of all observers”； who had faith only in the saying of Keats“ Beauty is truth， truth beauty”； who felt all the irrelievable ennui in his rich and comfortable home； who disliked study and all practical affairs； and who uttered all sorts of original epigrams such as （1） suggestive of Plato， “Man is made of mud； woman is made of water”； （2）“Woman is pure， beautiful， and attractive； while man is dirty， heavy and boresome”； （3） “When I suffered beating from my tutor， I cried GIRLS and at once I felt no pain”.The heroine， the orphan girl， is a highly accomplished poetess and musician， who is fascinating， beautiful， quick-witted， but fragile and melancholy.Though these young people loved each other heart and soul， the wish of parents， the caprice of chance， and all sorts of family intrigues and influences determined that he was not to wed her.While he was very sick in body and temporarily deranged in mind， he was made to go through the performance of matrimonial rites； and it was only when the wedding was an accomplished act， that he could discover that the bride was not his cousin but another lady.In the very hour in which the wedding took place， the unfortunate heroine had died.After a while， the young man forsook the world， his family， and his wife， and went to be a Buddhist monk wandering forever where he was not to be found.
Besides the main plot， there are many minor love-stories， showing the varied manifestations of Love in men and women of all sorts of temperaments and conditions—— for example， the sprightly but chaste chambermaid， who at the moment of death was holding the hand of her lover and master and cried： “It is better to be vile than vile esteemed”！ Connected with the progress of the hero and heroine’s love story at every step， is the rise and fall of the fortune of the house； and therein the book is not only authentic historical document， but the mirror of a state， a society， or an age， in its brilliant decadence.
But “The Dream of the Red Chamber” is primarily a love- story； and like all Chinese love-stories， its Gospel of love is Constancy-“Love is not love which alters when it alteration finds”.The Chinese ideal of love， as reflected in drama and fiction， is the endurance of one’s love through time and its concentration on one person.Where power， fortune or death has made an actual marriage between them impossible， the lovers would with all gladness observe the vows of lifelong celibacy and eternal union in the spirit.No threats of torture and death， no allures of rank and wealth， no fear of solitariness， not even the attraction of another surpassing beauty， should break and change one’s true love.Chastity is not an enforced virtue， but a genuine symbol and proof and expression of love.Beauty without harmony of mind and spirit could not call forth love.Physical attraction and chance acquaintance is only lust.Love is sacred； love is rare.And a love-story is not a commonplace narration of a Jack and his Jill， but a selective and idealized worthy romance.Such a conception is once more embodied and illustrated in “the Dream of the Red Chamber”.
Boston Sunday Post
Feb.27， 1921 page 40
The devotion of lovers in China
Chinese students at the colleges here are going to show how constant it is.
They are going to present a Celestial love story， the “Romeo and Juliet” of Chinese literature， tomorrow evening， for the benefit of the China Famine Relief Fund.
The play is dramatized from the novel， “The Dream of the Red Chamber”， by Hsieh-Chin Tsao， the Thackeray of China.
And here， translated into English for the first time， by a Chinese student at Harvard University， is the most powerful episode of this greatest of all Chinese love stories.
The translation was rendered by Mr.M.Wu.
“The Days of the Chambermaid”
（From The Dream of the Red Chamber， by Hsieh-Chin Tsao）
THE CHARACTERS：
Pao-yu Ka - Son of a nobleman， age 17， in love with his chambermaid， Chin-wen Wu.
Chin-wen Wu - Chambermaid at the home of Pao-yu Ka， who has just been dismissed on the false charge that she made affection advances to the young lord.
Mrs.Wu - Wife of Chin-wen Wu’s elder brother， a woman likened to the modern “vamp”， who cares little for her sister-in-law， and attempts to lead Pao-yu Ka into temptation.
TIME - An Evening in September just after sunset.
PLACE - Interior of the home of Mrs.Wu in Peking.
SCENE - A room in the house.
（Pao-yu finds Chin-wen lying on a bed of loose straw， asleep， but she awakes as he bends over her with tears in his eyes）
CHIN-WEN （raising herself on one elbow） - I thought I should never see you again.Thanks to God， you come just at the right moment.Please pour out some tea and give it to me.I am very thirsty.I have been calling out for someone to help me for a long time， but no one has answered.
PAO-YU （looking around） - where is the teapot？
CHIN - WEN （pointing） - On the fire.
（Pao-yu wipes the dirty teacup with his silk handkerchief， pours the tea and gives it to Chin-wen.She drinks it at one draught.）
PAO - YU （tenderly） - Now we are alone.Tell me what you wish to say.
CHIN - WEN （sobbing） - I have nothing to tell you.I am merely waiting for death， moment by moment and days by days.I know I cannot endure such suffering more than three or four days longer.Then I will find Paradise.Only one thing disturbs my mind and prevents my dying in peace.Although I am more beautiful than the other maids in your household， I have never made love to you， nor induced you to show my affection.Why should they charge me as they have and dismiss me？ How could they be sure that I have done wrong and say that I am like a fox？ Had I known that such accusations would have been made against me， I would not have resisted you.It is better to be vile than vile esteemed.My heart breaks.
（Chin-wen puts her hand up to her mouth and bites off two of the long fingernails that distinguish her as a girl of culture and refinement.She gives the fingernails to Pao-yu to keep as mementos of her.Then， with wriggling motions under the bed coverings， she slips off the red silk shirt that has been closest to her heart of all her garments， and this also she gives to Pao-yu.Retiring behind a screen Pao-yu unbuttons his own clothing， takes off his own shirt and puts on that which Chin-wen has given him.Fearing that he will be discovered， he buttons only his outer garments hurriedly， and advancing to Chin-wen’s rough bed， places his shirt over the sick girl.While he is doing this， Chin-wen opens her eyes and looks up at him.）
CHIN-WEN （weakly） -Come， help me to sit up.
（Pao-yu does so， and Chin-wen in a half sitting position， grasps the shirt the young nobleman placed on her bed and puts it on.Pao-yu puts the fingernails in his pocket.）
CHIN - WEN （lying back on her pillow） - Now， you go.It is so dirty here， you cannot endure it.Your health is important.I am glad you have come today.Now I can die happy， though I have been falsely accused of wrongdoing with you.
MRS.WU （entering， smiling） - Wen， I have overheard all that has passed between you two.
MRS.WU （to Pao-yu） - You are our master.Why have you come to the home of a maid？ Is it because you want to play with me？
PAO - YU （greatly agitated） - Good sister， don’t speak so loud.Chin-wen has been serving me so faithfully for so many years that I wanted to see her once more.
MRS.WU （laughing scornfully） - It is not strange that all people say that you are full of love and sentiment.
（She grasps Pao-yu by the hand and draws the boy into her own room.）
MRS.WU - There is one way that you can prevent me from telling what has passed between yourself and Chin-wen today.Grant me wish and I shall be silent.
（She pushes Pao-yu down upon his knees.）
PAO - YU （frightened and ashamed） - Please don’t， good sister.
MRS.WU （laughing） - We have always heard that you are devoted to your friends.
PAO - YU （entreating） - Good sister， let me go.If we are discovered it will do you no good.
MRS.WU （still holding the boy） - I slipped into the house some time ago and purposely sent away the old woman who works for me that I might have you all to myself.For a long while I have been trying to catch you and today I have succeeded.If you don’t grant my wish I will let your people know all about your visit and actions with Chin-wen.You are not so forward with young girls as people say.I was listening at the window and heard your conversation with Chin-wen.I had thought you would have many things to say to your love， but you kept your distance.
（Pao-yu tries desperately to free himself and finally succeeds when a friend of Chin-wen is heard coming into the house.）
（Curtain.）
A few days later while Pao - yu is visiting relatives with his father， Chin-wen dies of a broken heart.The fact is reported to Pao-yu’s mother， and instead of granting any money for the burial of the maid as was the custom， the lady orders that the body of Chin-wen shall be burned and the ashes scattered to the winds， for she is still convinced that the chambermaid had attempted to win the love of Pao-yu， and deserved such punishment even after death.
When he finds out that Chin-wen is dead， Pao-yu is much grieved， and writes a beautiful poem to the maid on a silk handkerchief which she had given him.This he burns， believing that the contents of the tribute will be carried to Paradise on the wings of the wind， and so reach the spirit of his sweetheart.
The Chinese ideal of love， as reflected in this romantic and dramatic episode， is the endurance of one’s love through time， and its concentration on one person.
Where power， fortune or death has made an actual marriage between the two principals impossible， they gladly observe the laws of celibacy and eternal union in the spirit.Not even the attraction of another surpassing beauty， a “Vamp” as she would be called in America， could break or change Pao-yu’s devotion for Chin-wen.
* * *
[1] 本文作于1921年2月下旬，简述《红楼梦》全书之大旨及故事纲要。
[2] 翟理斯Herbert Allen Giles （1845——1935），英国汉学家，为威妥玛——翟理斯汉语罗马字拼音系统创制人之一。曾就学查特豪斯公学，1867——1892年在英国驻中国领事馆工作，返英后于1897年继威妥玛任剑桥大学汉语教授。译著有《汉语无师自通》、《聊斋志异》、《中国文学史》、《中国的文明》等。
[3] 英国小说家塞缪尔·理查逊 Samuel Richardson （1689——1761）的著名小说《克拉丽莎》，又名《一位青年妇女的故事》。该书长达七卷100万字，写少女克拉丽莎为逃避家长包办婚姻，落入贵族阔少洛夫莱斯之手，遭强奸，最后饮恨而死。
[4] 乔利 H · Bencraft Joly （1857——1898） ，英国领事官。1880年来华，在英驻华使馆学习汉语。后来在各埠任领事职。1892年将《红楼梦》的一部分译成英文。
[5] 乔利所译《红楼梦》，实际至1894年已译有56回，后以患疾，未再续译。
[6] 约翰·济慈John Keats（1795——1821），英国浪漫主义诗人。
[7] 威廉·梅克比斯·萨克雷William Makepeace Thackeray（1811——1863），英国著名小说家，擅写英国资产阶级的风俗人情，尤其揭示上流社会的阴暗面。
[8] 以上为《波士顿星期日邮报》编者为该文所作的按语。
[9] 1921年2月28日，美国波士顿地区各院校的中国留学生为赈济华北水灾举行募捐晚会，本文乃吴宓晚会上演出的哑剧————《红楼梦》故事的一折《丫鬟的最后的时日》所作英语译述的剧情介绍。