MCLC Resource Center is pleased to announce publication of Brian Yuhan Wang’s translation of “The Second Mother,” by Ba Jin. A teaser appears below. For the full translation, go to: https://u.osu.edu/mclc/online-series/the-second-mother/.
Kirk Denton, MCLC
(La dua patrino)
By Ba Jin 巴金 [1]
Translated by Brian Yuhan Wang
MCLC Resource Center Publication (Copyright August 2024)
Ba Jin (1904-2005).
Everyone called me an orphan.
My parents died young; I don’t even remember clearly what they looked like. I was brought up by my uncle. He had no children of his own, so he treated me like a son.
My aunt had passed away, and I led a lonely life. My uncle was often away from home, leaving only a houseboy and an old nanny to look after me. There was also a middle-aged servant, who often accompanied my uncle on his errands. My home was spacious, and there was a small garden where I could play, but I didn’t have any playmates. The world of the houseboy and nanny was quite different from mine. Though only a child, I often felt lonely.
Back then, I had started studying. My uncle hired an old, stern-looking tutor to keep me disciplined. I had to spend four to five hours in the study every day. While the tutor silently pored over his books, I read out the strange words and verses in books like the Thousand Character Classic over and over in a weary voice, with my mind wandering off into unattainable fantasies. The moment the tutor abruptly announced, “All right, class is over!” in his serious tone, I couldn’t resist laughing as I rushed out of that prison-like study.
I often had dreams at night, and they always featured the tutor’s face, which would transform wildly into various guises. I occasionally had more pleasant dreams, but they were always ruined by thoughts of studying—I even found myself studying in my dreams sometimes. Anyway, the only person I feared was that tutor, who always looked so serious; the only thing I dreaded was studying. [click here for the full translation]