中英对译：下棋－梁实秋(2)

　　自古博弈并称，全是属于赌的一类，而且只是比“饱食终日无所用心”略胜一筹而已。不过弈虽小术，亦可以观人，相传有慢性人，见对方走当头炮，便左思右想，不知是跳左边的马好，还是跳右边的马好，想了半个钟头而迟迟不决，急得对方拱手认输。是有这样的慢性人，每一着都要考虑，而且是加慢的考虑，我常想这种人如加入龟兔竞赛，也必定可以获胜。也有性急的人，下棋如赛跑，劈劈拍拍，草草了事，这仍就是饱食终日无所用心的一贯作风。下棋不能无争，争的范围有大有小，有斤斤计较而因小失大者，有不拘小节而眼观全局者，有短兵相接作生死斗者，有各自为战而旗鼓相当者，有赶尽杀绝一步不让者，有好勇斗狠同归于尽者，有一面下棋一面诮骂者，但最不幸的是争的范围超出了棋盘，而拳足交加。有下象棋者，久而无声响，排闼视之阒不见人，原来他们是在门后角里扭做一团，一个人骑在另一个人的身上，在他的口里挖车呢。被挖者不敢出声，出声则口张，口张则车被挖回，挖回则必悔棋，悔棋则不得胜，这种认真的态度憨得可爱。我曾见过二人手谈，起先是坐着，神情潇洒，望之如神仙中人。俄而棋势吃紧，两人都站起来了，剑拔弩张，如斗鹌鹑，最后到了生死关头，两个人跳到桌上去了。

　　Bo （gaming） and Yi （playing chess） have long been mentioned in the same breath （in Chinese）, for they have some features in common――both belong to gambling and are regarded as just slightly better than "being sated with food and idling all day long". Playing chess, indeed, is not a significant skill, yet we can study a man through his moves on the chessboard. It is believed that there once lived a slow-going man, who, after his opponent had moved the cannon to the center, dithered for half an hour about whether to move the left horse or the right one, making his opponent choose to give up rather than wait any longer. Such people do exist: they never make a move unless they have thought it over again and again. It seems to me that they would surely win the tortoise-hare race if they took part in it. On the other hand, there are also impetuous people around us, who are always impatient and make hasty moves in chess playing, just like they are in a race. That is also the consistent way of those who eat all day long without exerting their minds. In a game, no one wants to be beaten; quite to the contrary, everybody wants to win. However, what to contend for and how to scramble is quite different from one person to another――calculating people try to save a little only to lose a lot, sagacious ones give up a little for a lot, intrepid ones fight to the bitter end in hand-to-hand combat, even-stevens each go their own ways, ruthless ones do not budge an inch, and competitive and unyielding ones each seek to beat their opponents only to end in common ruin. There are also people who keep uttering foul and novel terms as they play. What is worst, we can even find people who develop their scrambling in chess into a fierce fight. Once there were two players, whose long silence made some man of curiosity open the door to see what the matter was. In the extreme quietness neither was seen at first, later they were found grappling with each other one over the other behind the door. The one who got the upper hand was trying to dig his chariot out from the other's mouth, so the latter was unable to make any noise, for he would have to open his mouth if he tried to, and, if he opened his mouth, the chariot would be taken out. And the chariot being taken back, his opponent would certainly make a retraction, which would cause him difficulty in winning the game. Such a serious attitude of the two is charmingly naive. I myself once happened to see two men locked in a game of chess, both seated quietly with a peaceful expression like supernatural beings until the situation became critical, at which point both of them stood up with an aggressive look. And later when the decisive moment came, the two even jumped up onto the table!

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