章节正文
Run away.
Then, as they began to turn, they repeated:
The big dog's gone to the city;
The little dog's run away;
The egg has fallen and broken,
And the oil's leaked out, they say.
But you be a roller
And hull with power,
And I'll be a millstone
And grind the flour.
As soon as this game was finished our little friend
arranged the children against the wall for another game.
Everything was in readiness. They were about to begin,
when one of the larger girls whispered something in her
ear. She stepped back, put her hands behind her, hung
her head and thought a moment.
"Go on," we said.
"No, we can't play that; there is too much bad talk in it."
This is one of the unfortunate features of Chinese children's
games and rhymes. There is an immenseamount of bad talk in them.
She at once called out:
"Meat or vegetables."
Each girl began to scurry around to find a pair of old
shoes, which may be picked up almost anywhere in China,
and putting one crosswise of the other, they let them fall.
The way they fell indicated what kind of meat or vegetables
they were. If they both fell upside down they were the big black
tiger. If both fell on the side they were double beans.
If one fell right side up and the other on its side they were
beans. If both were right side up they were honest officials.
(What kind of meat or vegetables honest officials are it is
difficult to say, but that never troubles the Chinese child.)
If one is right side and the other wrong side up they are
dogs' legs. If the toe of one rests on the top of the other,
both right side up and at right angles, they form a dark
hole or an alley.
The child whose shoes first form an alley must throw a
pebble through this alley--that is, under the toe of the shoe
--three times, or, failing to do so, one of the number takes
up the shoes, and standing on a line, throws them all back
over her head. Then she hops to each successively, kicking
it back over the line, each time crossing the line herself, until
all are over. In case she fails another tries it in the same
way, and so on, till some one succeeds. This one then takes
the two shoes of the one who got the alley, and, hanging
them successively on her toe, kicks them as far as possible.
The possessor of the shoes, starting from the line, hops to
each, picks it up and hops back over the line with it, which
ends the game. It is a vigorous hopping game for little girls.
The girls were pretty well exhausted when this game was over and
we asked them to play something which required less exercise.
"Water the flowers," said the small leader.
Several of them squatted down in a circle, put their hands
together in the centre to represent the flowers. One of their
number gathered up the front of her garment in such a way as to
make a bag, and went around as if sprinkling water on their
heads, at the same time repeating:
"I water the flowers, I water the flowers,
I water them morning and evening hours,
I never wait till the flowers are dry,
I water them ere the sun is high."
She then left a servant in charge of them while she went
to dinner. While she was away one of them was stolen.
Returning she asked: "How is this that one of my flowers is
gone?"
"A man came from the south on horseback and stole one
before I knew it. I followed him but how could I catch a
man on horseback?"
After many rebukes for her carelessness, she again sang:
"A basin of water, a basin of tea,
I water the flowers, they're op'ning you see."
Again she cautioned the servant about losing any of the
flowers while she went to take her afternoon meal, but another
flower was stolen and this time by a man from the west.
When the mistress returned, she again scolded the servant,
after which she sang:
"A basin of water, another beside,
I water the flowers, they're opening wide."
This was continued until all the flowers were gone. One
had been taken by a carter, another by a donkey-driver,
another by a muleteer, another by a man on a camel, and
finally the last little sprig was eaten by a chicken. The
servant was soundly berated each time and cautioned to be
more careful, which she always promised but never
performed, and was finally dismissed in disgrace without either
a recommendation, or the wages she had been promised when hired.
The game furnishes large opportunity for invention on the part of
the servant, depending upon the number of those to be stolen.
This little girl seemed to be at her wit's end when she gave as
the excuse for the loss of the last one that it had been eaten by
a chicken.
This game suggested to our little friend another which proved to
be the sequel to the one just described, and she called out:
"The flower-seller."
The girl who had just been dismissed appeared from behind the
corner of the house with all the stolen "flowers," each holding
to the other's skirts. At the same time she was calling out:
"Flowers for sale,
Flowers for sale,
Come buy my flowers
Before they get stale."
The original owner hereupon appeared and called to her:
"Hey! come here, flower-girl, those flowers look like mine," and
she took one away.
The flower-seller did not stop to argue the question but
hurried off crying:
"Flowers for sale," etc.
The original owner again called to her:
"Ho! flower-seller, come here, those flowers are certainly mine,"
whereupon she took them all and whipped the flower-seller who ran
away crying.
As the little flower-seller ran away crying in her sleeve,
she stumbled over an old flower-pot that lay in the school
court. This accident seemed to act as a reminder" target="_blank" title="n.提醒物；纪念品；暗示">reminder to our
little leader for she called out,
"Flower-pot."
The girls divided themselves into companies of three and stood in
the form of a triangle, each with her left hand holding the right
hand of the other, their hands being crossed in the centre.
Then by putting the arms of two back of the head of the third
she was brought into the centre (steps into the well), and by
stepping over two other arms, she goes out on the opposite
side, so that whereas she was on the left side of this and
the right side of that one, she now stands on the right side of
this and the left side of that girl. In the same way the second
and third girls go through, and so on as long as they wish to
keep up the game, saying or singing the following rhyme:
You first cross over, and then cross back,
And step in the well as you cross the track,
And then there is something else you do,
Oh, yes, you make a flower-pot too.
By this time the girls had lost most of their strangeness
or embarrassment and continued the flower-pot until we
were compelled to remind them that they were playing for
us. Everybody let go hands and the little general called out,
"The cow's tail."
One girl with a small stick in her hand squatted down pretending
to be digging and the others took a position one behind the other
similar to the hawk catching the chicks. They walked up to the
girl digging and engaged in the following conversation:
"What are you digging?"
"Digging a hole."
"What is it for?"
"My pot for to boil."
"What will you heat?"
"Some water and broth."
"How use the water?"
"I'll wash some cloth.
"What will you make?"
"I'll make a bag."
"And what put in it?"
"A knife and a rag."
"What is the knife for?"
"To kill your lambs."
"What have they done?"
"They've eaten my yams."
"How high were they?"
"About so high."
"Oh, that isn't high."
"As high as the sky."
"What is your name?"
"My name is Grab, what is your name?"
"My name is Turn."
"Turn once for me."
They all walked around in a circle and as they turned they sang:
"We turn about once,
Or twice I declare,
And she may grab,
But we don't care."
"Can't you grab once for us?"
"Yes, but what I grab I keep."
She then ran to "grab" one of the "lambs" but they kept behind
the front girl just as the boys did in the hawk catching the
chicks. After awhile however, they were all caught.
Why this game is called "cow's tail" and the girls called
"lambs," we do not know. We asked the girls why and
their answer was, "There is no reason."
The girls were panting with the running before they were
all caught and we suggested that they rest awhile, but
instead the little leader called out:
"Let out the doves."
One of the larger girls took hold of the hands of two of
the smaller, one of whom represented a dove and the other
a hawk. The hawk stood behind her and the dove in front.
She threw the dove away as she might pitch a bird into
the air, and as the child ran it waved its arms as though they
were wings. She threw the hawk in the same way, and it
followed the dove.
She then clapped her hands as the Chinese do to bring
their pet birds to them, and the dove if not caught, returned
to the cage. This is a very pretty game for little children.
By this time the girls were all rested and our little friend
said:
"Seek for gold."
Three or four of the girls gathered up some pebbles,
squatted down in a group and scattered them as they would
a lot of jackstones. Then one drew her finger between two
of the stones and snapped one against the other. If she hit
it the two were taken up and put aside.
She then drew her finger between two more and snapped them.
If she missed, another girl took up what were left,
Then, as they began to turn, they repeated:
The big dog's gone to the city;
The little dog's run away;
The egg has fallen and broken,
And the oil's leaked out, they say.
But you be a roller
And hull with power,
And I'll be a millstone
And grind the flour.
As soon as this game was finished our little friend
arranged the children against the wall for another game.
Everything was in readiness. They were about to begin,
when one of the larger girls whispered something in her
ear. She stepped back, put her hands behind her, hung
her head and thought a moment.
"Go on," we said.
"No, we can't play that; there is too much bad talk in it."
This is one of the unfortunate features of Chinese children's
games and rhymes. There is an immenseamount of bad talk in them.
She at once called out:
"Meat or vegetables."
Each girl began to scurry around to find a pair of old
shoes, which may be picked up almost anywhere in China,
and putting one crosswise of the other, they let them fall.
The way they fell indicated what kind of meat or vegetables
they were. If they both fell upside down they were the big black
tiger. If both fell on the side they were double beans.
If one fell right side up and the other on its side they were
beans. If both were right side up they were honest officials.
(What kind of meat or vegetables honest officials are it is
difficult to say, but that never troubles the Chinese child.)
If one is right side and the other wrong side up they are
dogs' legs. If the toe of one rests on the top of the other,
both right side up and at right angles, they form a dark
hole or an alley.
The child whose shoes first form an alley must throw a
pebble through this alley--that is, under the toe of the shoe
--three times, or, failing to do so, one of the number takes
up the shoes, and standing on a line, throws them all back
over her head. Then she hops to each successively, kicking
it back over the line, each time crossing the line herself, until
all are over. In case she fails another tries it in the same
way, and so on, till some one succeeds. This one then takes
the two shoes of the one who got the alley, and, hanging
them successively on her toe, kicks them as far as possible.
The possessor of the shoes, starting from the line, hops to
each, picks it up and hops back over the line with it, which
ends the game. It is a vigorous hopping game for little girls.
The girls were pretty well exhausted when this game was over and
we asked them to play something which required less exercise.
"Water the flowers," said the small leader.
Several of them squatted down in a circle, put their hands
together in the centre to represent the flowers. One of their
number gathered up the front of her garment in such a way as to
make a bag, and went around as if sprinkling water on their
heads, at the same time repeating:
"I water the flowers, I water the flowers,
I water them morning and evening hours,
I never wait till the flowers are dry,
I water them ere the sun is high."
She then left a servant in charge of them while she went
to dinner. While she was away one of them was stolen.
Returning she asked: "How is this that one of my flowers is
gone?"
"A man came from the south on horseback and stole one
before I knew it. I followed him but how could I catch a
man on horseback?"
After many rebukes for her carelessness, she again sang:
"A basin of water, a basin of tea,
I water the flowers, they're op'ning you see."
Again she cautioned the servant about losing any of the
flowers while she went to take her afternoon meal, but another
flower was stolen and this time by a man from the west.
When the mistress returned, she again scolded the servant,
after which she sang:
"A basin of water, another beside,
I water the flowers, they're opening wide."
This was continued until all the flowers were gone. One
had been taken by a carter, another by a donkey-driver,
another by a muleteer, another by a man on a camel, and
finally the last little sprig was eaten by a chicken. The
servant was soundly berated each time and cautioned to be
more careful, which she always promised but never
performed, and was finally dismissed in disgrace without either
a recommendation, or the wages she had been promised when hired.
The game furnishes large opportunity for invention on the part of
the servant, depending upon the number of those to be stolen.
This little girl seemed to be at her wit's end when she gave as
the excuse for the loss of the last one that it had been eaten by
a chicken.
This game suggested to our little friend another which proved to
be the sequel to the one just described, and she called out:
"The flower-seller."
The girl who had just been dismissed appeared from behind the
corner of the house with all the stolen "flowers," each holding
to the other's skirts. At the same time she was calling out:
"Flowers for sale,
Flowers for sale,
Come buy my flowers
Before they get stale."
The original owner hereupon appeared and called to her:
"Hey! come here, flower-girl, those flowers look like mine," and
she took one away.
The flower-seller did not stop to argue the question but
hurried off crying:
"Flowers for sale," etc.
The original owner again called to her:
"Ho! flower-seller, come here, those flowers are certainly mine,"
whereupon she took them all and whipped the flower-seller who ran
away crying.
As the little flower-seller ran away crying in her sleeve,
she stumbled over an old flower-pot that lay in the school
court. This accident seemed to act as a reminder" target="_blank" title="n.提醒物；纪念品；暗示">reminder to our
little leader for she called out,
"Flower-pot."
The girls divided themselves into companies of three and stood in
the form of a triangle, each with her left hand holding the right
hand of the other, their hands being crossed in the centre.
Then by putting the arms of two back of the head of the third
she was brought into the centre (steps into the well), and by
stepping over two other arms, she goes out on the opposite
side, so that whereas she was on the left side of this and
the right side of that one, she now stands on the right side of
this and the left side of that girl. In the same way the second
and third girls go through, and so on as long as they wish to
keep up the game, saying or singing the following rhyme:
You first cross over, and then cross back,
And step in the well as you cross the track,
And then there is something else you do,
Oh, yes, you make a flower-pot too.
By this time the girls had lost most of their strangeness
or embarrassment and continued the flower-pot until we
were compelled to remind them that they were playing for
us. Everybody let go hands and the little general called out,
"The cow's tail."
One girl with a small stick in her hand squatted down pretending
to be digging and the others took a position one behind the other
similar to the hawk catching the chicks. They walked up to the
girl digging and engaged in the following conversation:
"What are you digging?"
"Digging a hole."
"What is it for?"
"My pot for to boil."
"What will you heat?"
"Some water and broth."
"How use the water?"
"I'll wash some cloth.
"What will you make?"
"I'll make a bag."
"And what put in it?"
"A knife and a rag."
"What is the knife for?"
"To kill your lambs."
"What have they done?"
"They've eaten my yams."
"How high were they?"
"About so high."
"Oh, that isn't high."
"As high as the sky."
"What is your name?"
"My name is Grab, what is your name?"
"My name is Turn."
"Turn once for me."
They all walked around in a circle and as they turned they sang:
"We turn about once,
Or twice I declare,
And she may grab,
But we don't care."
"Can't you grab once for us?"
"Yes, but what I grab I keep."
She then ran to "grab" one of the "lambs" but they kept behind
the front girl just as the boys did in the hawk catching the
chicks. After awhile however, they were all caught.
Why this game is called "cow's tail" and the girls called
"lambs," we do not know. We asked the girls why and
their answer was, "There is no reason."
The girls were panting with the running before they were
all caught and we suggested that they rest awhile, but
instead the little leader called out:
"Let out the doves."
One of the larger girls took hold of the hands of two of
the smaller, one of whom represented a dove and the other
a hawk. The hawk stood behind her and the dove in front.
She threw the dove away as she might pitch a bird into
the air, and as the child ran it waved its arms as though they
were wings. She threw the hawk in the same way, and it
followed the dove.
She then clapped her hands as the Chinese do to bring
their pet birds to them, and the dove if not caught, returned
to the cage. This is a very pretty game for little children.
By this time the girls were all rested and our little friend
said:
"Seek for gold."
Three or four of the girls gathered up some pebbles,
squatted down in a group and scattered them as they would
a lot of jackstones. Then one drew her finger between two
of the stones and snapped one against the other. If she hit
it the two were taken up and put aside.
She then drew her finger between two more and snapped them.
If she missed, another girl took up what were left,
- unfortunate [ʌn´fɔ:tʃunit]
a.不幸的，运气差的 (初中英语单词) - immense [i´mens] a.广大的，无限的 (初中英语单词)
- amount [ə´maunt] n.总数；数量 v.合计 (初中英语单词)
- anywhere [´eniweə] ad.无论何处；任何地方 (初中英语单词)
- standing [´stændiŋ] n.持续 a.直立的 (初中英语单词)
- circle [´sə:kəl] n.圆圈 v.环绕；盘旋 (初中英语单词)
- garment [´gɑ:mənt] n.衣服，外衣 (初中英语单词)
- charge [tʃɑ:dʒ] v.收费；冲锋 n.费用 (初中英语单词)
- stolen [´stəulən] steal 的过去分词 (初中英语单词)
- mistress [´mistris] n.女主人；情妇；女能手 (初中英语单词)
- opening [´əupəniŋ] n.开放；开端 a.开始的 (初中英语单词)
- disgrace [dis´greis] n.耻辱 vt.玷辱；贬黜 (初中英语单词)
- invention [in´venʃən] n.创造；发明；虚构 (初中英语单词)
- whereas [weər´æz] conj.鉴于；因此；而 (初中英语单词)
- remind [ri´maind] vt.提醒；使记(想)起 (初中英语单词)
- awhile [ə´wail] ad.少顷；片刻 (初中英语单词)
- running [´rʌniŋ] a.奔跑的；流动的 (初中英语单词)
- vigorous [´vigərəs] a.精力旺盛的；健壮的 (高中英语单词)
- horseback [´hɔ:sbæk] n.马背 (高中英语单词)
- recommendation [,rekəmen´deiʃən] n.推荐；劝告 (高中英语单词)
- saying [´seiŋ, ´sei-iŋ] n.言语；言论；格言 (高中英语单词)
- readiness [´redinis] n.准备就绪；愿意 (英语四级单词)
- upside [´ʌpsaid] n.上边，上段，上部 (英语四级单词)
- carelessness [kɛəlisnis] n.粗心；漫不经心 (英语四级单词)
- triangle [´traiæŋgəl] n.三角(形)；三角关系 (英语四级单词)
- embarrassment [im´bærəsmənt] n.窘迫；困惑；为难 (英语四级单词)
- scurry [´skʌri] vi.&n.急赶；奔跑 (英语六级单词)
- calling [´kɔ:liŋ] n.点名；职业；欲望 (英语六级单词)
- reminder [ri´maində] n.提醒物；纪念品；暗示 (英语六级单词)
- holding [´həuldiŋ] n.保持，固定，存储 (英语六级单词)
文章标签:名著
章节正文
京公网安备 11011202003401号
