古文、白话和英文里的沧海桑田

耳语者

转自：http://blog.sina.com.cn/s/blog_4be03f6301000bij.html

沧海桑田

古文：

汉孝桓帝时，神仙王远字方平，降于蔡经家。……麻姑至，蔡经亦举家见之。是好女子，年十八九许，于顶中作髻，余发垂至腰，其衣有文章，而非锦绮，光彩耀目，不可名状，入拜方平，方平为之起立。坐定，召进行厨，皆金盘玉杯，肴膳多是诸花果，而香气达于内外。擘脯行之，如柏灵，云是麟脯也。麻姑自说云：接侍以来，已见东海三为桑田，向到蓬莱，水浅，浅于往者，会时略半也，岂将复还为陵陆乎？方平笑曰：圣人皆言，海中复扬尘也。

白话：

汉桓帝时,有个神仙叫王远字方平,下凡到蔡经家里。……一会儿麻姑也到了，蔡经全家都见了她。她是个好姑娘，年纪十八九岁左右，在头顶上梳个发髻，其余的头发下垂到腰部。她的衣服有彩色的花纹，并不是锦绣，却光彩照眼，没法用语言来形容。她进来拜见王方平，王方平随即起立。坐下来之后，麻姑招呼送上随身带来的食物，全是金盘玉杯，菜饭大多是各种花果，香气散布室内室外。然后又给大家斟酒，分果干。果干很象柏实，说是麒麟的肉。麻姑自己说道：从上次接见以来，已经看到东海三次变为桑田了。刚才到蓬莱仙岛，见海水又比过去浅了。计算时间才大约一半呀，难道东海还会再度变为丘陵和陆地吗？王方平笑着说：圣人都说，大海还要干涸，扬起尘土哩。

英文：

Seas changing into mulberry fields and mulberry fields changing into seas

A celestial being named Wang Yuan with another name called Fang Ping,
descended to the earth and visited Cai Jing's place.

Ma Gu arrived after a while, and Cai Jing and his whole family turned out to
welcome her.

Ma Gu was an eighteen-or-nineteen-year-old beautiful girl.

She wore a bun, with the rest of her hair hanging down to waistline.

She was in beautifully designed attire with decorative patterns brilliant beyond
description, yet which were not made of brocade.

She came in and paid respect to Fang Ping, who stood up in his turn.
After both were seated, Ma Gu told those with her to serve the food
she had brought over, which were flowers and fruits of every kind
contained in gold plates and jade cups. One could smell the good
smell all over the place and outside.

Ma Gu then poured wine into everyone's glass and shared the fruit preserves with them.
There were some preserve which tasted like cypress fruit, which was the meat of kylin,
she said.

Ma Gu said herself that she had experienced three transformation of the East Sea,
which changed into mulberry fields and changed back into sea again.

When she went by Peng Lai just now, she saw that the sea was much drier again
and only half of the time had passed.

Shall we see the East Sea change into hills and land again?

Fang Ping smiled and said, saints had predicted that the sea will become
completely dried and dust will be raised.