红楼梦Chapter23_小升初阅读_小升初-查字典英语网

红楼梦Chapter23

the sleep of the plum trees， the dream of the bamboos the third watch have already reached. Under the embroidered quilt and the kingfisher coverlet one cant sleep for the cold. The shadow of fir trees pervades the court， but cranes are all that meet the eye. Both far and wide the pear blossom covers the ground， but yet the hawk cannot be heard. The wish， verses to write， fostered by the damsel with the GREen sleeves， has waxed cold. The master， with the gold sable pelisse， cannot endure much wine. But yet he doth rejoice that his attendant knows the way to brew the tea. The newly-fallen snow is swept what time for tea the water must be boiled.

But putting aside Pao-yue， as he leisurely was occupied in scanning some verses， we will now allude to all these ballads. There lived， at that time， a class of people， whose wont was to servilely court the influential and wealthy， and who， upon perceiving that the verses were composed by a young lad of the Jung Kuo mansion， of only twelve or thirteen years of age， had copies made， and taking them outside sang their praise far and wide. There were besides another sort of light-headed young men， whose heart was so set upon licentious and seductive lines， that they even inscribed them on fans and screen-walls， and time and again kept on humming them and extolling them. And to the above reasons must therefore be ascribed the fact that persons came in search of stanzas and in quest of manuscripts， to apply for sketches and to beg for poetical compositions， to the increasing satisfaction of Pao-yue， who day after day， when at home， devoted his time and attention to these extraneous matters. But who would have anticipated that he could ever in his quiet seclusion have become a prey to a spirit of restlessness? Of a sudden， one day he began to feel discontent， finding fault with this and turning up his nose at that; and going in and coming out he was simply full of ennui. And as all the girls in the garden were just in the prime of youth， and at a time of life when， artless and unaffected， they sat and reclined without regard to retirement， and disported themselves and joked without heed， how could they ever have come to read the secrets which at this time occupied a place in the heart of Pao-yue? But so unhappy was Pao-yue within himself that he soon felt loth to stay in the garden， and took to gadding about outside like an evil spirit; but he behaved also the while in an idiotic manner.