# Pekinese Rhymes/11

XI
黃狗黃狗你看家 我到南邊探梅花 一朶梅花沒探了 雙雙人兒到我家 我家媳婦兒會擀麪 拿起擀麪杖一大片 拿起刀賽如線 擱在鍋裏團團轉 盛在碗裏蓮花瓣
公一碗婆一碗 兩個小姑兒兩半碗 案板底下藏一碗 猫兒過來舔舔碗 狗兒過來砸了碗 耗子過來鋸上碗 嚇的媳婦兒直瞪眼 媳婦兒媳婦兒在那兒睡 在爐抗裏睡 鋪甚麽 鋪羊皮 蓋甚麽 蓋狗皮 枕甚麽 枕棒鍾 公公拿着一落磚 婆婆拿著一溜鞭 打的媳婦兒一溜烟
NOTES
This song although very childish, yet is founded on the fact that chinese mothers-in-law are often unkind and sometimes even cruel to their daughters-in-law. 雙雙人兒 shuang$^1$ shuang$^1$ jen$^2$'r, means a couple of persons, not four persons. 我家媳婦兒 uo$^3$ chia$^1$ hsi$^2$ fu$^4$'r, "the wife in my house" probably these words are meant to be ​uttered by the mother in law, who may call so her son's daughter. 擀麪 kan$^3$ mien$^4$, to stretch out dough to make vermicelli. 擀麪杖 kan$^3$ mien$^4$ chang$^4$, a roller to stretch dough. 一大片 i$^1$ ta$^4$ p'ien$^4$, a large flat piece (of dough); in the text the verb "she stretches out" is wanting. 赛如線 sai$^4$ ju$^4$ hsien$^4$, which may rival, compete with thread as to thinness. 團團轉 t'uan$^2$ t'uan$^2$ chuan$^4$, conglomerated they turn round in the pan. (said of the vermicelli) 蓮花瓣 lien$^2$-hua$^1$-pan$^4$, (as they were) petals of the lotus blossom. 公 kung$^1$ father-in-law, here kung$^1$ is instead of 公公 kung$^1$ kung$^1$. 婆 p'uo$^2$, mother in law, here p'uo$^2$ is instead of 婆婆 p'uo$^2$ p'uo$^2$. 小姑兒 hsiao$^3$ ku$^1$'r, her husband's younger sisters. 案板 an$^4$ pan$^3$, a wood board on which dough is stretched to make vermicelli. 爐坑 lu$^2$ k'eng$^1$ is a pit under the stove where the ashes fall down; an imcommon severe punishment inflicted by mothers-in-law to their daughters-in-law is to let them sleep in the stove-pit. 鋪甚麽 p'u$^1$ she$^2$ mmo, what have you for bedding? 枕甚麽 chen$^3$ she$^2$ mmo, what have you for pillow? Somebody is supposed to ask now from the unfortunate wife about her condition. 棒鍾 pang$^4$ ch'ui$^2$, a beater used in washing clothes; it is generally made of 棗木 tsao$^3$ mu$^4$, date wood. 一落磚 i$^1$ luo$^4$ chuan$^1$, a pile of bricks, that is to say, as many bricks as could form a pile of them. 一溜鞭 i$^1$ liou$^4$ pien$^1$, "a row of whips" rather a strange expression for many whips, lots of whips. ―溜姻 i$^1$ liou$^4$ yen$^1$, as a stream of smoke; the verse is not ​complete because its whole meaning is: they beat the wife so that she runs away as quickly as a stream of smoke (a cloud of smoke). The Chinese associate the idea of smoke with quickness; very often it is heard 他走一溜姻兒似的 t'a$^1$ tsou$^3$ i$^1$ liou$^4$ yen$^1$'r shih$^4$-ti, he walks as quickly as a stream of smoke.
TRANSLATION
Yellow dog, yellow dog, look after the house ― I go towards South to pluck plum-blossoms ― I have not yet plucked a single plum-blossom ― and two persons arrive at the house ― my son's wife knows how to stretch out dough ― she takes the roller and stretches a large slice of dough ― she takes the knife and cuts vermicelli as thin as thread ― then she puts them in the cooking-pan, and they turn conglomerated about ― afterwards she puts them down in the bowls and they look like petals of the lotus blossom. ― (She fills) one bowl for her father-in-law ― one bowl for her mother-in-law ― and two half-bowls for her sisters-in-law ― she hides one bowl under the doughboard ― but the cat comes over and licks the bowl ― the dog comes over and has broken the bowl ― the mice come over and gnaw the bowl ― and the housewife is so scared that she stares vacantly ― "wife, wife, where do you sleep?" ― "I sleep in the stove-pit ― what have you for ​bedding? ― I have for bedding a goat's skin ― what have you for coverlet? ― I have a dog's skin ― what have you for pillow? ― I have a linen-beater ― the father-in-law takes up in his hands as many bricks as could form a pile ― the mother-in-law holds up in her hands a row of whips ― and they beat the wife so that she runs away as quickly as a stream of smoke.