Doge Ye Nie: Chinese-English Contrastive Translation

Author: Jin Yun
Translator: Ying Ruocheng
Editor-in-Chief: Bi Xiaoyuan
Publisher:
Publish Date: 1999-12-01
Features:
Excerpt: [The stage is pitch black. In the gradually emerging light, the silhouette of an imposing old brick archway can be seen. [A rustling sound is heard first. A match is struck, only to be extinguished by the wind. In the brief flash of light, we see him — Uncle Doggie. Doggie, this somewhat unflattering nickname that records a bitter history of him and his father's generation, has accompanied our protagonist through over seventy years of life. The young and old in the village seem to have forgotten his grand name — Chen Hexiang. Now he is withered, his head covered in snow, but his demeanor is like a caged beast, watching, searching, and waiting for his chance. Another match is struck by him, only to be extinguished again. Doggie's mother! His whole life has been unlucky, and now even a single match won't light. It's strange, it's strange.]
Scene [Time: The present — one night in the 1980s. Total darkness on the stage. Gradually, in the flickering light, the towering outline of an old grey brick arch can be seen. The persistent sound of scratching. Then a match flashes, catching fire. In the flash that dies out immediately in the wind, Uncle Doggie can be seen. Doggie — the somewhat elegant nickname that has stuck with him all his life, all seventy-odd years, a reminder of his own and his father's miserable lives. The men, young and old, seem to have forgotten his real name, Chen Hexiang. By now he is withered, hoary, but seems like a beast at bay, watching, searching, and waiting for his chance. He strikes another match, which blows out again.]