花园应有的六种特质

花园从城堡的边界开始延伸。中央是一片宽阔的池塘，名叫霞之池。池边有一座石桥，一棵老松树斜靠在水面上，还有一座立在两条腿上的著名石灯笼。水面之下，锦鲤缓缓地转着圈游动。其中一条又老又黑。

The garden begins where the castle grounds end. In the middle is a wide pond called Kasumigaike. There is a stone bridge, a pine leaning over the water, and a famous stone lantern on two legs at the edge. Under the surface, koi turned in slow circles. One was old and black.

兼六园的意思是“六种特质的花园”。中国古代有一种说法，认为完美的花园需要六种要素，而没有一座花园能全部拥有。这六者分别是：宏大与幽静、人工雕琢与古朴苍老、水源充沛与视野开阔。这座城市的历代藩主花了将近两百年时间，才让这座花园兼具六者。花园于一八七四年对公众开放。

Kenrokuen means the garden of six attributes. An old Chinese idea says a perfect garden needs six things, and no garden can have them all. They are space and quiet, human art and old age, plenty of water and a wide view. The lords of this city worked for almost two centuries to have all six. The garden opened to the public in eighteen seventy-four.

这里最奇特的工作，每年十一月一日开始进行。园丁们在每棵大松树旁竖起一根高高的木杆。然后从杆顶垂下绳索，一直系到树枝的末端。整棵树最后被包裹在一个巨大的绳锥之中。这里的雪又湿又重，如果没有支撑，树枝很容易折断。

The strangest work here starts every year on the first of November. Gardeners put a tall pole next to each big pine. Then they drop ropes from the top to the ends of the branches. The tree ends up inside a huge cone of rope. Snow here is wet and heavy, and the branches would break without help.

最有名的那棵松树，大约需要八百根绳子才能完成。这些绳锥要一直保留到三月。Polly看着锦鲤游过来，又游过去。

The most famous pine needs about eight hundred ropes. The cones stay up until March. Polly watched the koi turn, and turn again.