Lu Xun Diary of a Madman translation, VII

鲁迅 狂人日記 七

This is a sentence-by-sentence translation of the seventh chapter of 狂人日記 (Diary of a Madman) by 鲁迅 (Lu Xun).

As always, the translation here aims to be fairly literal at the expense of sounding idiomatic in English.

我曉得他們的方法，直捷殺了，是不肯的， I know their ways; they aren’t willing to kill people directly,

而且也不敢，怕有禍祟。 and do not dare to, fearing bad fortune.

所以他們 大家連絡，佈滿了羅網，逼我自戕。 So they all conspire, spreading their nets everywhere, to drive me to suicide.

試看前幾天街上男女的樣子， Looking at the manner of the men and women in the street a few days ago,

和這幾天我大哥 的作為， and the behaviour of my brother these last few days,

便足可悟出八九分了。 is enough to understand it for the most part.

最好是解下腰帶，掛在樑上，自己緊緊勒死； The best outcome is if I take off my belt, hook it over the beam, and strangle myself tightly.

他們 沒有殺人的罪名，又償了心願， Then they won’t be guilty of killing a person, but will have fulfilled their desires,

自然都歡天喜地的發出一種嗚嗚咽咽的笑聲。 Naturally they will all let out delighted roars of laughter.

否則 驚嚇憂愁死了， Otherwise, I could be frightened and worried to death;

雖則略瘦，也還可以首肯幾下。 although that would make me rather thin, it would still be acceptable.

他們是只會吃死肉的！ They can only eat dead meat!

——記得什麼書上說，有一種東西，叫“海乙那”的 ， I remember some book saying, there’s a thing called a ‘hyena’,

眼光和样子都很難看； its gaze and its bearing both ugly;

時常吃死肉，連極大的骨頭，都細細嚼爛，嚥下肚子去， it often eats dead meat, and even enormous bones it can chew down to a pulp, and gobble them into its belly;

想起來也教人害怕。 thinking of it makes one fearful.

“海乙那”是狼的親眷，狼是狗的本家。 The ‘hyena’ is a relative of the wolf, and the wolf is a distant relative of the dog.

前天趙家的狗，看我 幾眼， The day before yesterday, the Zhao’s dog looked at me several times,

可見他也同謀，早已接洽。 and you could see that it too is a conspirator, involved for a long time.

老頭子眼看著地，豈能瞞得我過。 That old codger’s eyes looked to the floor, but how could that conceal it from me?

最可憐的是我的大哥，他也是人，何以毫不害怕； The most pitiful is my brother; he’s human too, so why is he not in the least afraid?

而且合夥吃我呢？ And why is he in on the conspiracy to eat me?

還是歷來 慣了，不以為非呢？ Is it that he has become accustomed to it over time, and does not consider it sinful?

還是喪了良心，明知故犯呢？ Or is he mourning the loss of his conscience, and this is a deliberate crime?

我詛咒吃人的人，先從他起頭； I curse those who eat people, starting with him;

要勸轉吃人的人，也先從他下手。 and if I am to dissuade those who eat people, then I must start with him too.

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Useful links

• Lu Xun ‘A Madman’s Diary’ translation (marxists.org)
• Simplified Chinese text of 狂人日记 (xys.org)
• [The Complete Fiction of Lu Xun (Penguin Classics)](http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/0140455485/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=easasistu-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=0140455485" rel="nofollow “The Real Story of Ah-Q and Other Tales of China: The Complete Fiction of Lu Xun (Penguin Classics)")