Pages 168-178
A reading route prepared by Claire (FLAC), Jie, Anna, Krysta
“When I die you’ll find white oaks imprinted on my heart.–Thoreau” (English p168)
“当我死时，你会发现白橡树印在我的心版上。—梭罗” (Simplified p173)
There are two parts of this quote by Thoreau that stood out to us: The image of the oak tree, which makes several appearances throughout the novella, and the word “imprinted”. Much like the definition of the word, “imprinted” left its mark on use while reading and jumped out at us when reading the rest of the novella. Throughout the novella, she uses white oaks to talk about her own important memories and worries about what her daughter will remember.
Image Credit: Wikimedia
“日后，这些也会轻易成为女儿牢牢不去白橡树的印象吧，从这个角度俯看这城市” (Simplified 186).
“In the future, these could easily become the indelible memories of white oaks for your daughter, so long as you looked down at the city from this angle.” (English P189).
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“属于女儿的时代，她会记得的，或她会为它的不在而惊恸的，会是什么？会是什么印在她的心版上？ 美丽的白橡树？嫣红熟透的黄梅？龙马墓前的金龟子幼虫茧？上厕所时悬夹在裤腰上的计步器掉进便池因而哇哇大哭的知恩院？哲学の道琵琶湖疏水道里的野蛤？。。。她都好放心，每次还在前去的车上就盘算着，这次可以买些什么什么纸，街角转个弯就到，永远在那儿开着，从来不曾让她失望”（Simplified p175)
“Your daughter would remember that which belonged to her generation, or she would feel sad and traumatized over its disappearance. And what would that be? What would be imprinted on her heart? The pretty white oaks? The bright red, overripe plums? The tumblebug cocoons in front of Ryoma’s Tomb? The Chion’in, where she wailed after the pedometer tied to her waist fell into the toilet? The wild clams in the viaduct at Biwa Lake along Tetsugaku no michi? … She was so unconcerned; on the train ride there she’d plan what kind of paper to buy this time. A turn around the corner and there it was, always open, never disappointing her” (English p171)
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“而龙马的墓在二年坂临灵山观音上坡不远处，女儿在那儿捡拾过一枚摩斯拉也似的大虫茧，印象太深了，后来每回走在三年二年坂就开始催促你要去龙马墓前看看可有大虫茧，因为你老爱立在二年坂口的竹久梦二寓居旧迹门前眺望脚下的市井闾弄，迟迟不舍离开。”(Simplified p155)
“Ryoma’s tomb was not far from the upper hill of Ryozen Kannon in Ninenzaka, where your daughter once found a giant cocoon-like that of a mosura. It left such an indelible impression on her that later, whenever you walked by Sannen-zaka or Ninen-zaka, she’d rush you over to Ryoma’s tomb to see if she could find another cocoon, since you had lingered, unwilling to leave, standing by the entrance of Ninen-zaka, the old residence of Takehisa Yumeiji, where you could gaze down at the city scene and market site below” (English p 142).
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“你选了一俩直大客运，料想它可能会走大度路，你不死心地想看一看那些十六七岁的好多夜晚曾荫覆过你们，听了无数傻言傻话却都不偷笑的老茄冬，那些老树们在着的话，很多东西就都还会在，见不见面也没有关系，像 A，像清涼寺门前的老森嘉豆腐铺，像印在死前的梭罗心版上的白橡树” (Simplified 200).
“You opted for an express bus, expecting it to take Dadu Road, for you were determined to see the old nightshade trees that had sheltered you girls all those nights when you were sixteen and seventeen and had never once laughed after listening to all the silly things you said to them. If those old trees were still there, then many other things would still be around. It did not matter whether or not you saw them, such as A, such as the Old Moriyoshi Tofu shop by Seiryo-ji, such as the white oaks imprinted on the heart of Thoreau before his death” (English P209).
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Stop 1 Analysis: Will my daughter remember this?
This quote gives a look into the mind of the narrator. In this passage, she is looking down at the city and seems to have this image imprinted on her own heart while wondering if one day it would “become the indelible memories of white oaks for your daughter”. Here the act of imprinting has become inseparable from the white oaks for the narrator.
The narrator is consistently concerned with what will be remembered. Her use of the word indelible, a mark that cannot be removed, particularly demonstrates her desire for memories to be unremovable. She longs for a memory or a location that will remain as it does in her memories.
Stop 2 Analysis: What will my daughter have imprinted on her heart?
This quote is from the same section following the original quote. Here the narrator is wondering “What would be imprinted on her [the narrator’s daughter’s] heart?”. The narrator gives some clues: perhaps it is the oak trees which left such an imprint on Thoreau? Or maybe it’s something from a memory they shared together
At the end of this quote, the daughter’s youthful bliss is contrasted with the narrator’s own deep longing for the past. The daughter is focused on what is coming next, what she will buy. She does not yet know to be worried about if the store will still be there. In contrast, the narrator is constantly concerned with what will be remembered and what will still be there when she returns. The narrator is not content to have her “white oak trees” to be indelible only in her memories. She wants these memories to be visible in her life.
Stop 2 Translation Notes
In this section “金龟子” is translated as tumblebug in English. While both are beetles of a sort, tumblebug is a black beetle often called a dung beetle. However, the original text, “金龟子”, actually refers to a scarab, which is a green, shiny beetle. The original text describes a much prettier bug than the English translation describes.
Stop 3 Analysis: Yes, this my daughter will remember
In this quote, the narrator recalls visiting Ryoma’s tomb with her daughter. She states that finding this giant cocoon left an “indelible impression” on her daughter. This is the first instance her daughter experiences of her own personal “white oaks”. This experience causes her daughter to remain at the tomb for a long time. It is also important to note that the narrator and her daughter are in Japan at the time. Japan appears to be a part of the narrator’s “white oaks”. The narrator is an old soul with a strong connection to Japan. It is interesting that one of the events she believes has left an “indelible impression” on her daughter is in Japan.
Stop 3 Translation Notes
This quote ends with the words “迟迟不舍离开”, whereas the English translation places it in the middle of the quote as “lingered, unwilling to leave”. It is unclear why the translator made this choice since this placement makes the English version sound awkward. The English translation could easily be rephrased to keep “迟迟不舍离开” at the end, which creates a lingering, longing feeling to this quote.
Another reason the translators’ English version may be incorrect is that the translator does not include “老爱立”, which means always loved standing (there). The translator only translates the standing part ( “Standing by the entrance…”). This translation makes it seem like the narrator just happens to stand by the entrance of the old residence because her daughter is looking for cocoons. The original version emphasized that this is a spot that she has always loved standing at, which makes this a more active decision for the narrator to stand there and look down at the scene below.
A better translation of this quote would be:
“It left such an indelible impression on her that later, whenever you walked by Sannen-zaka or Ninen-zaka, she’d rush you over to Ryoma’s tomb to see if she could find another cocoon, since you always loved to stand by the entrance of Ninen-zaka, the old residence of Takehisa Yumeiji, where you could gaze down at the city scene and market site below, so much that you lingered there, reluctant to leave.”
Stop 4 Analysis: Do my memories still exist outside of my own heart?
In this quote, the author was recollecting her childhood memories when she was traveling down the Dadu Road. The old nightshade trees along the road brings a great deal of nostalgia to the author. And so does A, the Old Moriyoshi Tofu shop and the white oaks tree. They were all part of the old time memories that imprinted deeply on the author’s mind. Once again, the narrator’s desire to have her “white oak tree” continue to exist in the real world appears.